She shivered in fear when she heard the door begin to open. She braced herself for the pain that was sure to follow, closing her eyes in a futile effort to distract herself. She told herself to be brave, just like all the other times.

After a few seconds, though, she realized that there was something off. Ordinarily, the torture would have already begun. Not only that, the footsteps didn't sound like Fukushima. "Um... you can open your eyes now." her visitor claimed, and she finally recognized who it was.

Still wary of a trap, Monique carefully opened her eyes, her body still shivering in terror. Had her chains let her, she would crawl into the corner. "What do you want?" Monique managed to stammer out.

"Look, we don't have a lot of time." He explained. "Fukushima's out searching for something, but he'll be back soon. I'm getting you out of here, come on."

"I can't... I can't..." Monique repeated over and over again. Memories flashed at how Fukushima made her suffer for her defiance, for every comment she made; sometimes just because he was annoyed and she made a convenient target. Her mind sensed that this was a trap, that he was merely using this as an excuse to torture her again.

"Come on, I'll help you." he encouraged.

"Why should I trust you?" Monique asked, looking away from him, opening her mouth carefully in case he became angry. "Who are you?"

"I'm... I'm Gil." He greeted. "Now come on. If he catches us... I don't even want to think about it."

For the first time in weeks, Monique dared to hope. For a while, she believed that Kim and Ron would find her and rescue her from the hell that had become her life. As days and then weeks passed, that hope had steadily eroded as Fukushima introduced her to new levels of pain that she had not previously even imagined, much less experienced.

However, part of her held back. Why was he doing this? Why was Gil helping her... if he was helping her? He served Fukushima, didn't he? "No... I'm not going anywhere." Monique gasped out, her desire to escape warring with her fears.

"Do you want to know what he's got planned for you?" Gil demanded. "I've seen what happened to the others. I've watched them; I've observed the grin on his face, and I'll be damned if I'm going to watch it again! Now come on!" His voice took on an edge of panic. He was obviously just as afraid of Fukushima as she was.

Monique pushed herself to her feet, her muscles and bones protesting the movement. Just as she stood up, however, she collapsed back onto the wooden cot that was her only place to sleep. She took a deep breath and focused her strength, her hope beginning to win out. Unfortunately, she was too badly injured to do anything more than crawl slowly on the floor.

Gil decided to stop wasting time and picked Monique up as gently as he could, throwing her over his shoulder. She gasped in pain and whimpered. I'm sorry, Monique. Gil thought. If there was any other way, he would do it, but right now, time was of the essence.

He knew the building by heart and thus, had little difficulty finding her way around. Despite the fact that Monique was doing everything she could to remain quiet, cries of pain escaped her lips. Gil winced at each one, looking over his shoulder for Fukushima.

As for Monique, she had no idea why he was doing this. She didn't especially care, either, if it got her out of Fukushima's grip. In order to be free once again, she'd do whatever was necessary. Her heart was pounding as she prayed that this Gil person would succeed in helping her. After that... anything was preferable to what she had just gone through.

Each second felt like an eternity to Monique. Her injuries were flaring up once again. She had gotten bitterly accustomed to the pain, but the thought of Fukushima returning made the pain ignite even more. She saw him in every floorboard, every shadow, every corner. He was with her in her dreams, in her bed, in her mind, always haunting her. His smile, his glowing red eyes... those were things that Monique was simply unable to push out of her mind.

Once they had left the house, she allowed herself to relax a little, but her heart was still pounding in her chest. Gil set her down where neither of them would be spotted and took a look at her injuries. "Not a whole lot of marks, so you should be able to recover." He explained simply. "Wish I was better at this kind of thing."

"Thank you, but... why?" Monique inquired.

"Because I was just as much his slave as you were," Gil explained. "I've worked for him for months, forced to do things that I can't even begin to describe to you. It's like working for the devil himself."

"Whatever your reasons... thank you." Monique moaned.

"Try not to speak; you'll need your strength if you want to get home." Gil responded. He had only a vague idea where Middleton was, and it would take days to get there, assuming they could do so at all before Fukushima caught them.

However, a few days ago, Gil had discovered that his older brother was dead. With no other reason for him to stay, and the fact that his actions had horrified him, Gil knew that he had to find some sort of redemption if he wanted to live with himself. He found it possible, even likely, that he would suffer a slow, painful death thanks to his actions. Still... it was a choice that had to be made.

"Can't go to Middleton... he'd be expecting that." Gil muttered to himself. Monique had fallen unconscious next to him. If it wasn't for the fact that Team Possible was currently in hiding, he'd take the risk and hope that together, they would be able to overcome him.

Strange; I once thought Stoppable and Kim were my mortal enemies. Gil thought. Now they may be my only hope.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Did I make the right decision?" Shego wondered to herself for the hundredth time. She had chosen to stay instead of tagging along with Ron and Kimmy. Most of her thought that they would be able to handle themselves, so long as they kept their head on. Sometimes, though, she was far less confident of her decision. Now was one of those times.

Even if I wanted to, there's no way I could track them down now unless I wanted to give them away to every Global Justice Agent searching for them. Shego was under no illusions that her location was currently being monitored. Drakken was horrible about having his goons being scrutinized. More than once, she had to bodily throw out someone that tried to penetrate their organization before her boss gave away his every secret.

Thankfully, Drakken didn't have any immediate jobs for her at the moment, being that he was concerned for her welfare. While she wasn't hurt as badly as Ron was fighting Fukushima, it wasn't something that she could simply shrug off. She put on a brave face, not wanting anyone around her to know that she was in pain, but there were multiple close calls. Her ribs and right ankle were still in considerable pain, despite her advanced healing abilities.

Ultimately, Shego decided that she couldn't leave them to face this disaster alone. For Ron, it was easy to understand why she would want to protect him, but Kim? Even if she was no longer terrified, her nervousness of the young woman had not disappeared. "Why should I care if she ends up getting herself killed?" Shego whispered to herself.

The answer was surprisingly simple: Shego enjoyed having Kim as an enemy. As strange as it sounded, Kim knew her better than almost anyone else, which was including her oblivious brothers. She knew her better than even Ron did. Not only that... she enjoyed the competition the princess provided, at least back when their fights hadn't come close to being lethal.

"They're going to need my help." Shego eventually decided, regretting her decision to stay behind. She immediately sprinted to where Drakken's hovercraft was being held, hoping that he had actually remembered to fuel it, which was a dubious proposition at the best of times. This time, she lucked out, though.

"What are you doing, Shego?" Drakken interrupted just as she climbed into the Driver's seat. "You're not anywhere near recovered yet!"

"Not now, Doctor D!" Shego complained. "There's something far more important I need to do."

"Shego, you know the arrangement we have." Drakken practically whined. "Nehhhh... why do I always get the assistants who complain? Dementor never has to deal with this!"

"Yeah, well, there's something a lot more important than your whining." Shego pointed out. "I've got to go and help Ron the way I should have done when they left!"

"Wait, why are you trying to rescue the buffoon?" Drakken asked with confusion.

"Have you not listened to a word I said?" Shego groaned. "That buffoon is Ron Stoppable and he happens to be my boyfriend? He's been helping Kimmy thwart your plans for five years now and you still can't remember him?!"

"Wait, he's your boyfriend?!" Drakken raised his eyes in shock. "I recall you mentioning one, but I never thought it would be him!"

"Yeah, well, life's full of surprises." Shego replied. She certainly hadn't been expecting it, either. "I'm not asking your permission, Doctor D; I'm going whether you approve of it or not."

"There's no talking you out of this, is there?" Drakken sighed. He waited a few moments to see if Shego would change her mind. "Then... it might interest you to know that I put a tracking device on both of them. You see, they always seem to interrupt me right when I'm about to complete my evil plans..."

"Like they wouldn't have failed anyway..." Shego rolled her eyes.

"Shego!" Drakken screamed in frustration. "This way, I'll know that they're arriving and can plan accordingly and have my latest device complete before they can disrupt my plans." Shego glared at him furiously. "Oh, and it'll help you find them."

"Thanks, Doctor D; I really appreciate it." Shego told him in one of her rare sincere moments.

Drakken decided to say one final thing before she departed. "Look, Shego... I know there's no talking you out of this, but... be careful. You still haven't fully healed and I don't want to go through the long process of interviewing new assistants. Good help is really hard to find."

"I'll be fine, don't worry." Shego waved at him before flying out of the lair. Her finger brushed across a photo of Ron and herself. It was the only one she had, with the two of them smiling and their arms wrapped around one another. It had been taken two months ago, but it felt far more like a lifetime. Strange how events could change so quickly.

XXXXXXXXXX

"So... what are we actually going to do once we get near this place?" Ron wondered as they drove down the highway.

"I've told you: break in there, and rescue my family." Kim thought, her mind burning with a desire for revenge. Going after her was one thing, but threatening her family... everyone responsible was going to pay for that.

"I'm just saying because I'm sure they're going to be prepared for us." Ron attempted to explain. "They've had days to do so, not to mention they know your fighting style, and more than likely, how to counter it."

"They wouldn't have days if we used a plane like I suggested!" Kim screamed. That momentary distraction nearly got them into a car wreck, as one of the cars in the other lane had to swerve to avoid her. She was driving well over the speed limit, passing cars left and right, not wanting to waste even a second.

"Great idea, KP; it's not like you're known throughout the entire country or anything." Ron snapped back. He was trying as best he could to ignore Kim's anger, but it was getting more and more difficult as time went on. If this kept up, she could end up getting them both killed. "We're on the Most Wanted list, remember?"

Kim ignored him and concentrated on arriving at the facility. She didn't know precisely where it was, in spite of Wade's directions, and however much she refused to admit it, Ron had a valid point. She was perfectly willing to try flying anyway, despite the risk of being exposed, but if they were caught, it would slow them down even more.

She was so caught up in her vengeful thoughts that she nearly missed the turn and had to swerve across three lines of traffic in order to access it. At least half a dozen horns were honking at her, and Ron's face had turned ashen white, but it didn't bother her one bit. Right now, her mind was on one goal and one goal only.

"Mojave Desert... not the place I would have chosen." Ron sighed once traffic had thinned out. The air conditioner helped make the vehicle bearable, but it still didn't make it pleasant. They had far more urgent concerns at the moment, though.

"Ok, another ten miles to the South." Kim muttered, but the vehicle was already beginning to slow down. She had a brief look and realized that the gas tank was almost completely empty. They had only enough for another minute, maybe two, and they would be forced to walk the rest of the way. This was definitely not what she had in mind. "How could you have forgotten to fill up the gas tank?!"

"I didn't!" Ron screamed at her. The momentum was still propelling the car, allowing them to travel another few hundred yards, but that was it. "I'm getting sick of you blaming me for everything, Kim! I pointed it out several times and you blew me off, saying that it was a waste of time! It's your fault, not mine!" He stormed out of the car and opened the trunk, grateful that he had the foresight to bring along a case of bottled water.

"Okay, we've got another six miles to go before we reach this facility." Kim stated, apparently not even hearing Ron's complaints. "We can get there in a couple hours, but the problem is going to be breaking inside. According to Wade, this place is underground, almost like a supervillain lair." She grabbed a couple of the water bottles and stuffed them in her pocket, having Ron carry the rest, much to his annoyance.

Within a matter of minutes, both of them were covered in sweat as they moved as quickly as they could to the Global Justice facility. "Uh... KP, remember that this is probably some sort of trap?" Ron attempted to remind her.

"I know, but I won't let that stop me." Kim declared. Ron was about to snap at her before she added: "Any more than I would if it was you." She threw an empty water bottle aside and grabbed a fresh one. "I know the circumstances aren't ideal, but we've dealt with tougher missions before. Ron, is there any way you can... sense them?"

"Not from this distance," Ron was forced to admit. Sensei could sense individuals over dozens, even hundreds of miles, but his skill wasn't nearly advanced enough to pull anything like that off. "Do you think they know we're here?"

"I'd bet on it." Kim nodded. She wondered why there had not yet been any attempts to take them down. On the other hand, they were still near a road, even if few people were traveling on it, and Global Justice would want no witnesses to the coming events. Wish I had the chance to get some of my equipment, Kim thought, but there was nothing that could be done about it now. Countless scenarios run through her head about her family's imprisonment, each more horrifying than the last.

Once they were away from civilization, though, Ron abruptly stopped, refusing to move another inch. "What is with you, Ron?" Kim demanded.

"Hello, I'm the one with the Mystical Monkey Powers, and they're currently going crazy!" Ron pointed out. "How far away are we from this thing, anyway?"

"About... 500 yards." Kim responded.

"And I don't see anything above ground," Ron stated. Indeed, all he saw were rocks and sand, certainly no indicator that any human beings were present. Nevertheless, he had an ugly feeling about this. "We'd better be extremely careful."

Kim's eyes scanned the area, wary for any kind of trap, but despite her training, it was very difficult to spot anything. That being said, she was more than willing to take Ron's word for it. Their trip had been easy so far, probably too easy. I wish Director was still there; she'd know what to do. Kim thought. But she wasn't, and they'd have to do the best they could without her.

"Hey, this isn't the first underground lair we've had to break into." Ron smiled, deciding to take the lead in order to try and feel out where the traps were.

Kim only barely had time to move and take cover before a machine gun popped up and opened fire. She fell to her stomach, hardly daring to move for fear of getting hit. She looked from left to right as best she could, but was unable to spot Ron. At least she hadn't heard any cry of pain that would indicate that he was hit, so there was that much.

About 10 yards away, she found a rock that would be able to protect her from the gunfire, so during a relative lull, she took the opportunity, and crawled towards it, not daring to look back. Super strength or not, that weapon would be able to tear through her flesh like it didn't exist. There was nothing she could do at the moment but take cover.

"Wade, is there any way you can shut that thing down?" Kim asked him on her Kimmunicator, shouting in order to be heard over the racket.

"I'll try, but it's going to take a few minutes." Wade responded.

Ron moved towards it and fired the strongest energy shots he could muster under the circumstances. While not enough to destroy the turret, it was at least sufficient to end the gunfire. Once it became apparent that it wouldn't do their opponents any good, it immediately sunk into the ground and disappeared just as quickly as it showed up.

However, it still took Kim a minute to be willing to show her face, not to mention recover from the loud noises. Even with the ear protectors, her ears were ringing. There were no doubt other dangers out there. If she was in their position, she'd have snipers in the desert just waiting for the opportunity to strike. She barely held back a scream as Ron approached her. "Are you all right, KP?" Ron asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine; just a little shaken." Kim replied. "It looks like we're on top of the facility now. All that's remaining is actually being able to find a way in."

Ron brushed away the sand, hoping to find some sort of door that would allow them to break in and rescue Kim's family. Their problems were far from over, though. More weapons began appearing out of the ground, faster than either of them could react. Ron knew that there was no way that he would be able to take them all out in time, so he dived in front of Kim, shielding her with his own body.

Surprisingly, though, none of them managed to get a single shot off before they were melted into slag. "Who... who could have done that?" Kim managed to gasp out.

"Your powers of observation amaze me, princess." Shego remarked sarcastically, landing on the ground in a crouch. The hovercraft she flew in on landed on autopilot a short distance away.

"Shego!" Ron smiled, running up to her and giving her a bear hug, spinning her around. "What are you doing here?"

"Down, boy." Shego smirked. "We'll have plenty of time for fun later. You didn't seriously think I'd allow you to have a fight without me, did you?"

"And why do you think you'll succeed?" Kim looked at her suspiciously. Truce or not, it didn't mean she liked Shego.

"Hello, I'm a master at breaking into secret facilities; didn't you figure that out over the past four years?" Shego reminded her.

"Look, we really don't have time to argue." Ron cut Kim off before she could say anything. "Let's just find a way in and get them out of here." He turned to Shego. "I'm glad you're here." he gave her a brief kiss.

"I couldn't let you fight them by yourself." Shego gave a gentle smile. One of her hands was on his back, the other around his waist.

"Not a good time, lovebirds." Kim informed them. "The longer we wait, the more danger they're in."

"So who exactly are we trying to rescue again?" Shego wondered, getting down to her knees and using a small metal detector in an effort to find an entrance.

"My family's been taken, goddamn it!" Kim screamed. "I swear, if anything's happened to them..." Shego's eyes widened. She never imagined Global Justice would actually sink so low in their efforts to apprehend Kim. She'd expect that from her enemies, but not from the organization that until recently, had been her main ally.

Of all the things she never expected, feeling sympathy for Kim Possible ranked rather high on the list. "Look, Kimmy... we'll get them back." Shego declared with more sincerity than she ever imagined directing towards Kim. "Anything's possible for a Possible, right? You'll be reunited with them in no time."

"I... I suppose you're right." Kim admitted. She cringed at Shego using that line; she'd never been able to see it the same way since Ambrose used it in a form of twisted mockery. I promise, I'll never complain about you guys again! Kim swore. She'd deal with the Tweeb's antics for the rest of her life if it meant that she could see them again. Annoying little brothers or not, she still loved them with all her heart.

About a dozen feet in front of them, a door was beginning to open, one easily enough for all three of them to fit through. Kim, Ron, and Shego scattered, well aware that this could be another machine gun, laser, or some other form of lethal ordinance Global Justice was going to use to bring them down. Ron and Shego charged their hands with energy, ready to fire at the slightest provocation.

Several moments passed and no weapon was visible. Deciding that this was their best chance to get inside, they cautiously moved forward, practically hugging the ground. Ron jumped in first, his eyes all but glowing with determination. Kim and Shego quickly followed, even though both of them knew that this was more than likely a trap.

"Never thought you'd actually be stupid enough to fall for this." A voice chuckled once the three of them succeeded in getting inside.

Ron turned around and saw half a dozen agents all pointing their guns at them. He calculated that even if both he and Shego fired everything they had, the Agents would almost certainly kill both them and Kim in a matter of seconds. He recognized the one in charge of the squad as the one who delivered a humiliating beating to him when this first began.

"How could you do this?" Kim screamed at Tristan. "I trusted you!"

"You really should be careful about who you trust." He smirked, his hands behind his back. "And Shego; not someone I would have expected to make common cause with her enemy."

"One more remark and I'll fry you." Shego warned, sorely tempted to blast them all right now. It was clear, though, that they were professionals and in such a narrow walkway, there was nowhere for them to take cover. "You people make me sick!"

"Where's my family?" Kim demanded. "What have you done with them?" The betrayal stung. She thought that Tristan could be trusted, that he was an agent on her side, but evidently that was just another delusion.

"Oh, they're alive... at least for the moment." Tristan admitted. "Just like a moth to a flame; the new boss was quite certain this would persuade you to come out of hiding."

"I'm getting them out of here and I don't care what you try to do to stop me." Kim warned, taking a step forward. Her strength was growing by the second, as was her fury. The closer she got to rescuing her loved ones, the more difficult it was to control herself. "You have two choices: you can either stand aside or I can rip your arms out of their sockets."

"KP, let's not do anything too rash." Ron warned, moving beside her. Besides, they still held all the cards.

"I agree with her: move or get hurt." Shego smiled. "I've been looking for a reason to cause some havoc."

"You say that as if you didn't know how easily I could kill you." Tristan smiled, not intimidated in the least. He walked next to Kim, who was nearly shaking with anger. He whispered in her ear: "It's a real shame you were able to overpower us."

Kim immediately sprung into action, karate-chopping him in the throat, following up with a kick to the crotch. Tristan immediately went down, unable to fight backs. The other members of the squad fired, but not one of them managed to hit their intended target. To Kim's trained eye, however, it was obvious that they were intentionally missing. In a matter of seconds, they were on the floor, moaning in pain.

"Go... now... before it's too late." Tristan whispered to Kim.

"Wow... just... wow." Ron marveled. "I thought we were finished there for a second."

"It's not over just yet." Kim warned as they explored the corridors, hoping to find them before it was too late.

XXXXXXXXXX