Kim Possible and Street Hawk: All Out War p 7

Disclaimer: I do not own Kim Possible, Street Hawk, Full Metal Panic! or Viper. Wish I did though.

Calls and Extraction

Meanwhile, the team's field members are poring over the recording of the intercepted transmission. The other items, they're able to plan for. But, for the five Arm Slaves, they decide to involve some friends of theirs. Jessica goes over to Hard Hawk and brings out her sat-phone.

Dialing her house's number, she waits while the phone rings. "Hey Mom. Is Stuart still around?"

"Yes, he is, Jessica. He was just telling me about how Lt Sagara helped save the submarine. Along with Captain Testarossa and Miss Chidori from that loony."

"Can I speak to him please? We may have an incident worthy of the SRT Arm Slaves. If possible, I'd like Urzus 2 and 6 to come here with their M9s."

"I'll put him on the phone for you, dearie. He'll probably know what you're talking about."

In Middleton, Lily looks over at Stuart and says, "It's Jessica. She's saying something about M9s and an Urzu. What the heck is an Urzu? Some kind of weapon?"

The lanky man smiles and replies, "Not really, ma'am. Urzu is a call sign for members of the SRT. Did she say which Urzus?"

"Yeah. 2 and 6. What are M9s?"

"Arm Slaves. The current issue for Mithril's forces."

"I'd love to see them some day." Handing him the phone, she adds, "For right now though, talk to her."

"You got it." Smiling, Stuart says, "Hey, how's it going Jessie?"

"My Mother told you about that, didn't she?"

"Yeah, she did."

"She tends to talk a little too much. I haven't been called that since I was fifteen years old, for crying out loud!"

"You know how it is with Mothers. Trust me. I had an embarrassing name when I was a kid as well." Upon hearing Jessica chuckle, he asks, "So, what's the gig?"

"Are you familiar with the RK-96?"

"Only marginally. Lt Commander Kalinin and the SRT dealt with them on Berildabou Island. Long before Miss Chidori and Lt Sagara got together. Why do you ask?"

"We're about to have some AS trouble here. Particularly of the RK-96 type."

"I see. All right. I'll call the Captain and give her the situation. So, what's the weather like in Metro?"

"For right now, it's dry. But that could change from the looks of these clouds over here."

"All right. I'll talk to you later, Jessie."

"Stuart!" Stuart hangs up the phone and chuckles wickedly at the sound of Jessica's screech. He then goes over to his bag and brings out his communications unit.

"This is Landlubber One to Swimmer. Swimmer, do you read, over?"

"This is Captain Testarossa. How's it going in Middleton, Lt Argyle?"

"It's going fine, ma'am. But, Jessica's not here right now. It seems they're about to encounter a situation involving Arm Slaves."

"Where at, Lt, and what kind?"

"A city called Metro. The RK-96."

"I see. Did she request Arm Slave assistance?"

"Yes ma'am. From Urzus 2 and 6. From the sounds of things, I'd say the attack is about to happen. When exactly? No clue at all."

"Very well. I'll go ahead and send the M9s to Metro under ECS cover. That way, Team Hawk would have an excellent chance of stopping the attack. Could it have something to do with the Sho-Da-Kah?"

"I can't deny the possibility of it, ma'am."

On Merida Island, Captain Teletha Testarossa nods, saying, "Then we mustn't let this opportunity go by, Lt. Thank you for your prompt report."

"Landlubber One, roger." At that, contact ends and the petite Captain sets about preparations. Once they're done, she initiates contact with their Team Hawk counterparts.

"Team Hawk, this is Captain Testarossa. We're in."

"Roger that. Hard Hawk out."

Back over in Metro, Jessica gives her teammates the thumbs up, indicating their friends would like to 'party' as well. The others grin and nod in reply, knowing just how much their friends like to 'party'. Of course, the gesture is beyond their Metro counterparts, but Altobelli's able to give them some details.

"No comment. I have yet to meet someone from that group. So, until then, I can't really comment. But, I'll tell you this much. They work very much like you guys do. In secret and against criminals. Just like a certain hotshot used to do back in the day."

"They were the group that bailed you out, right?"

"Not quite, Detective. They worked in conjunction with Team Hawk to shut down the Shanghai operation. And also to rescue that one guy, whose cousin is a member of that group."

Frankie looks over at their counterparts and muses, "Their friends must be pretty powerful. They could be helpful in this."

"I have no doubt about that, Mr Waters. It could get to be kinda fun."

"You're like I was the first time we worked together, Leo." Altobelli can't help but jump up in shock from hearing Ron's voice. "It's only too bad Kim was on Maternity leave at the time."

"Yeah. Of course, things were a little iffy at first. Especially when one of them drew a gun and aimed it at Rufus."

"What do you mean by that, Kim?" Frankie is puzzled, as is Altobelli, as he asks, "For that matter, what's a Rufus?"

"Rufus is a naked mole rat, Mr Waters. He's Mr and Mrs Stoppable's little friend." Altobelli can't help but smirk as he asks, "Has he eaten any expensive cheese lately?"

"Nah. He's very devoted to Bueno Nacho. Of course, like Bonnie said, to him, cheese is cheese."

"Oh, how true that is, Kim. It's only too bad he couldn't be here for this. After all, your brothers needed him to be a test pilot for one of their projects. I just hope it'll be safe for him."

"Yeah. Just like when we went to Texas."

Frankie then snaps his fingers and says, "Poke out my eyes! I need to call Julian to let him know about your friend. Do you think he'd go for the operation?"

"I don't really know offhand. The F-dawg is used to his cyber-robotic wheelchair. So it's kinda hard to say. I better call him as well and let him know he's about to have a visitor."

"Sounds prudent, Ron. I'll get started on my end." With that, Frankie goes over to the console and initiates contact. As he dials the number, he mutters, "I just hope he ain't asleep." Next thing he knows, he hears a voice he hadn't heard in years.

"Dr Wilkes' office, Dr Julian Wilkes speaking."

"Julian, it's Frankie."

"Hey, how've you been? Haven't seen you since the memorial service."

"I've been alright. As have Westlake and Cole."

"The other one that blew up the car, right?"

"Yep. The very same. Reason why I'm calling is this. Are you still mobile?"

"Oh yeah. No signs of failure whatsoever. Why do you ask?"

"Got a friend of a friend that wants you to meet with a friend of his. He's in the same boat you were in."

"How'd it happen?"

"Hold on and I'll find out." Muting the line, he asks, "How'd it happen?"

"Drunk driver. His Father died and his spine was busted up some." Frankie can't help but wince as he turns back to the console.

"It was a DUI. His spine was busted up some and his Father died."

"Where's he at?"

"Colorado. Middleton Colorado. Name of Felix Renton."

"Who is this? Identify yourself."

"You mean you don't recognize my voice, buddy?"

"Norman? Norman Tuttle? Holy smokes, what are doing with Frankie? Frankie, I hope you're not calling me from you-know-where."

"I'm calling from the old power-station, actually. There was something strange the other night and we had to bug out in a hurry."

"That bad, huh? Okay, I'll catch the next flight out and head for Colorado. Norman, I'll be expecting a full explanation when I see you again."

"You got it, Julian. Good hearing your voice again."

"Likewise." Once the call's ended, Frankie turns to Norman and smirks.

"I can hardly wait to hear how you and Julian got to be good friends."

"It's quite a story, Frankie. It's quite a story. But for now, let's get those pods fixed."

"Right on, my fellow motor-head."

In the background, the Stoppables and Rockwallers watch with amused expressions on their faces. Bonnie turns to Kim and asks, "Is it just me, or are they bonding?"

"I'd say they're bonding. After all, it's a jungle out there and there's all kinds of wildlife out there. People like us and guys like them. And, of course, the total nuts."

"Oh yeah. Just like the freak-shows you and Ron used to deal with. So, any word on Killigan?"

"As long as he doesn't do an island spoof, he should be alright." That has Bonnie tittering softly as she shakes her head at Ron's wisecrack. They then head over to the work area and start working on the pods on the 'Defender'.

"I'll tell you this much. Dr Wilkes picked a catchy name for this bad boy."

"How true that is, K. I can just imagine what Ron would have called it."

"What would that be, Bon-Bon?"

"I'm thinking 'Doom Machine' or maybe 'Hell on Wheels'." Shrugging, she adds, "Then again, those terms describe it very well."

"Oh yeah. Those two terms are very apt. Especially when it comes to the bozos we fight against. Because it's what happens to them." The others nod and chuckle in agreement as they get to work.

Meanwhile, Wade is about to head back over to Sky Base when he gets a transmission. "Load here."

"Mr Load, we have a situation. Lane Cassidy, the man formerly in charge of the 'Outfit' in Metro, is out of prison. GJ has an operative in place. That operative is the one that was instrumental in putting Cassidy behind bars. Team Hawk is to locate and extract the man before it's too late."

"What's his name, Dr Director?"

"His cover name is Gary Stone, but his true name is Joe Astor. The Cassidy file had just now hit my desk. That's when I called you."

"Roger that, Dr Director. I'll let Kim and the others know." As Dr Director's visage winks off, Wade runs over to the others. "Kim, we've got problems."

"What's going on, Wade?"

"Got a call from Double-D. GJ has an agent undercover that needs to be extracted."

"How bad is it?" Kim's voice is starting to border on tweaked.

"The operative is in danger. A man that was put behind bars was put there by the agent. Cover name is Gary Stone."

"So he could have been blown already. We'll get on it."

"Good luck." With that, he turns back to Sky Base, saying, "Just gotta find a mannequin for the test."

Meanwhile, Kim looks over at Ron and smirks. "Remember your day as a Pixie Scout, Ron?"

"All too well, Kim. What's up?" After Kim briefs him, he strokes his chin and says, "It could be promising. If the guy's involved with the Sho-Da-Kah, this could be even easier." Suddenly, his face scrunches into a frown. "I won't be able to pass as one, though. How about someone that had never been a Pixie Scout before because they didn't have them?"

Her face alighting into a grin, Kim says, "Oh Jessica."

An hour later, Jessica's driving Hard Hawk to the address listed in the phone book. To say it wasn't easy to find would have been an understatement. There were fifteen Stones listed in the book, with four starting with 'G'. After two failed attempts, Jessica crossed her fingers and hoped for a lucky break. She got it.

"Well, here we are." Looking down at herself, she smirks. "I may look ridiculous in this getup, but at least it's a good fit." Reaching for the boxes in the seat beside her, she says, "Here we go." Walking up to the door, she gives her orange beret a quick adjustment and smiles as she knocks on the door.

When the door opens, she sees a man with dirty brown hair. "Mr Stone, I presume."

"I am. I take it you're the one that called me about Pixie Muffins."

"Oh yes. The Director of our troop said these could be your new favorites."

"How's her lazy eye doing these days? She still wearing that patch?" Giving her a slight wink, he lets her know that he knows their mutual friend.

Returning the wink, she replies, "Yep, she is. Looks like it'll be a while yet."

"I see. Things could a lot better on my end as well." Looking at the boxes, he grins and says, "Hey, Peanut Butter and Banana Nut. Nice combo."

"Yeah. Our newest flavor. She thought you might like it."

"I have no doubt." Giving her a slip of paper, he adds, "Thank you so much."

"Oh, be sure to check out the new 3-D glasses inside. The back panel is something that should be seen to believe."

"I'll do that. Thanks again." Watching as the young lady leaves, he grins as he opens the box and smells the muffins. "Smells good, too." Popping one into his mouth, he reaches into the box and brings out the glasses. "Tastes good, too."

Putting the glasses on, he looks at the back panel and smiles upon seeing the message. "Go ahead and exit. Walk two blocks. We'll pick you up. TH."

Back outside, Jessica opens the slip of paper and her jaw drops. "Guys, we've got problems." Pulling away from the curb, she continues. "He suspects his cover has been blown already. We need to hurry."

"GTR." As she drives, she looks in her rear display and sees the man exiting the mansion.

As he walks along the sidewalk, Astor hears a van rolling toward him and a door slide open. Without waiting for it to stop, he gets in, saying, "Haul ass, man."

"You got it. Dr Director, we have the package."

"Copy, Base. Keep him with you until it's over."

"GTR." Turning toward his passenger, Norman grins and says, "Welcome aboard Team Hawk Lines. I'm your driver, Norman."

"Hello, Norman. Joe Astor. I gotta say I'm looking forward to seeing your guys stomp them senseless. Even more so since bin-Laden's going to be in town. He expects a victory."

"What're they planning?"

"They're planning to take Metro. Using Arm Slaves and bombs."

"We already know the details. When is it going to be?"

"Tomorrow. Four operations. No idea where the fifth one is."

"Five operations at once. Wait a minute. Japan! We have friends in Japan."

"What do you mean, Norman?"

"A friend of a mutual friend locked onto a transmission. In short, the SDK is sending an operation to Japan. We'll have to prioritize. We'll deal with them when we get done here." Looking toward Astor, he asks, "How many people total?"

"Eighty-eight. Two in command for each group, the remainder are the goons."

"Who's the biggest jackass?"

"That'd be Ahmed. He's so convinced he's better than everyone else, it's not even funny." Next thing Astor knows, they're pulling into the power-station. "You know about the place already?"

"Thanks to Frankie." When the van's pulled to a stop, both men exit the van and hear a familiar voice.

"WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN?" Norman can only laugh as Westlake bowls Astor over and start playfully punching his chest. "DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT FRANKIE AND I HAD GONE THROUGH, LET ALONE JULIAN?"

"I know and I'm sorry, Cam. But I was under orders to go undercover. As a result, they got the next best driver to come back here."

"But why fake your death, though? It doesn't make sense."

"It does, if you're part of GJ's covert squad." Both turn at Ron's voice. "They couldn't afford the chance of Astor being connected with the project. So, they faked his death and listed him as a lookalike."

"How'd you figure it out?"

"Dr Director. Or rather, Patch. She told us all about it." Pointing all around, he adds, "All of us."

"That explains the interesting position I'm in right now." Grinning and blushing, Westlake helps Astor up off the floor and hugs him. Hard. "Missed you too, Cam."

"I said it before and I'll say it again. Now that's some fuel mix." Turning around, Astor sees Frankie grinning beside the 'Viper'. Along with a young African-American woman and an older man he had only seen recently. "Joe Astor, meet Allie Farrow and retired LAPD Commissioner Leo Altobelli. Allie helped create some of the offensive and defensive capabilities on the old car before she left us. Leo here just met her when he came here for his retirement."

"Why here? This city has a high crime rate, sir."

"The dart told me to come here, Mr Astor." Shrugging, he adds, "Off hand, maybe I was meant to come here after all." Suddenly smirking, he says, "Just like you were actually meant to crash your car. Do you know what the difference is between you and a chicken? All things aside, what separates you from an animal?"

"Fancy haircut? Ability to drive?"

"Nothing. It's life. It's all special. It's no different from a cow's life or a chicken's life. When it's over, it's over." As Altobelli walks away, he can hear Astor muttering darkly.

"There's a big fucking difference between me and a fucking chicken." At that, he finds he has someone to take under his wing for his retirement. In the form of Joe Astor. Only, Joe doesn't know it yet.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the power-station, Norman has gathered the others around and drops a bombshell on them. "I think Kaname's in danger."

"Why, Norman? She seems to be like a regular high school student."

"I know, Ron. But, let's look at the data at hand. A mercenary force, using highly-advanced technology, on the side of Justice. A seemingly regular teenage girl protected by a mercenary nearly her age."

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's get to Tokyo and stomp those SDK losers silly."

"First things first, Bonnie. First, we crack the shell. Then we crack the nuts inside."

"That so doesn't make sense, K."

"In other words, Bon-Bon, first we deal with the Metro situation. Then we go to Tokyo." Grinning, Ron adds, "I like KP's explanation a lot better."

"Well, if we're going to do this, we'll need more intel than what we currently have. Plan 'A'?"

"Plan 'A' sounds about good. In fact, there's been something I've been wanting to try for quite a while now."

"What is it, Ron?"

"You'll see, KP. I'm pretty sure you'll like it."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. A real fantasy." As Ron tells her, she begins giggling.