I still can't believe we could create something so wonderful. Sophie heaved a sigh as she watched Eliza's retreating back enter Lihikai Elementary School.

It had only been a week without Nate but as Sophie pulled back into traffic, she couldn't help but miss the old rogue, no matter how much fun she was having with it being just the girls. They really HAD settled down into a life together and…strangely enough, Sophie didn't miss her old life at all. Grifting, either for profit or as Leverage, had certainly been a rush but…she owned and ran a major play house while managing to raise the best family in the world. Not for a single minute did she miss it. A family and a successful career was all she could want.

But until her family was together again, she had her work to look forward to. Driving down the highway, OnBroadway blaring on the radio, she began running through her itinerary for the coming day. The Deveraux Play House was currently in the process of renovating the basement into a restaurant, The Vinyl Room, and she had a lunch meeting with the Contractor. She, Wendy, and Hoshi still had to secure the rights for next season's shows. The play house really needed to bring more musical theater to the play house, in her opinion, but the paperwork for those shows was a bloody nightmare.

"Such is the life I chose," She said to no one in particular.

She was right in the middle of jamming to "Seize the Day" from Newsies when the radio suddenly cut out. What the…well, that was just rude! And didn't Nate just have the Pathfinder in the shop? Eh, the cityscape of Kahului was entertainment enough, especially in the months before the Christmas season. The car seemed to be working fine nonetheless so she went the last few miles in silence, pulling into her parking space next to the play house. As if to relieve the lack of music, her ringtone from My Fair Lady sounded. Hmm, the number wasn't one she recognized.

"This is Sophie Ford."

"S…ph..ie…m…st…you…liza…t…ouble…"

The phone call winked out as soon as it had started. She didn't understand. Both she and Nate carried satellite phones which, according to Hardison, would work literally anywhere in the world. Okay…she still remembered the number. She'd call back from her land line in the office but…her hand paused over the doorknob. Maybe it was a grifter's senses that never seemed to fade…or maybe Nate being off taking down a mark for the first time in almost ten years…but all of a sudden, she felt a chill go up her spine. It almost felt like…it was like she could sense a storm approaching.

Glancing over her shoulder, she pushed it to the back of her mind for now. Maybe she was just letting her imagination run away with her. Upon entering the main office, the office manager Amber Keawe, bit her a cheery good morning and handed her a list of messages.

"Everything alright, Mrs. Ford?" She inquired. "You seem a little flustered."

"Oh, everything's fine, Amber. I just had kind of a strange start to the morning. Listen, I'm going to return some of these calls. Let me know when the contractor shows up, will you?"

Tossing her briefcase on the desk, Sophie marched straight to her music player and keyed up a playlist. Strange; on the phone earlier, it had barely been understandable but it almost sounded like it had been Shego Possible on the other line. Apart from being her surrogate eldest daughter's wife, Sophie couldn't help but appreciate having a friend from the old old days that had turned her life around as well. Sophie kept replaying the brief but barely understandable call in her head. If it was Shego, she sounded…almost worried. The last word Sophie heard…could it have been trouble? She could hear helicopters whirring overhead but that was commonplace with Pearl Harbor just a short distance away. She lifted the receiver of her office phone and…

..BOOOOOOOOOMMM…

CRASH…

KPKPKPKPKPKPKPKP

"At approximately 0745, all contact between the island of Maui and the outside world ceased. At present, we have no explanation as to how or this occurred but according to the intelligence provided by Global Justice Agent Shego Possible and her team, we know that the force behind this event is the cyber-terrorist organization known as Scarlet Crane."

Shego looked out at the sea of faces seated in the CIC. It had taken all of five minutes for Shego to begin formulating a plan to get to the island. This…Shego could feel in her bones that this was beginning to look eerily similar to Auckland. According to Wade, the barrier now engulfing a two mile dome over the island seemed to only affect computers while leaving basic electrical systems somehow intact, like nothing Wade had ever seen before. The signal…the signal had already brought down at least a dozen aerial vehicles. But because it only seemed to affect computer systems…whatever the signal was…there was still thankfully a weakness. And it was now Shego's job to illustrate it.

"Because the signal only seems to affect computer systems," Shego began, gesturing to the holo-projector. It had taken some doing but thank God they were in a nautical landmark. Navy museums were all over the place, ripe with surprisingly still functional historical vehicles that happened to be perfect for just such an occasion as this. "A mixture of Navy Special Reaction and SEAL teams will approach the island using LCVP craft that are amazingly still functional. While Commander Sherburn," She gestured to the SEAL commander standing next to her, "and his SEALs attempt to locate the source of the signal and neutralize it, I, along with Lieutenant Murphy, will lead the Special Reaction teams in the location and protection of these women, Sophie Ford and her daughter Eliza. It is imperative that we keep these two out of the hands of Scarlet Crane, not least because I don't even want to think about what Scarlet Crane would do to an eight year old girl." There was a rumble of agreement. "Our initial insertion will be here," A section of the screen lit up, "At the Ford family residence. Once there, keep your eyes open for any viable transportation, something manufactured before 2005. If it has OnStar or something similar, don't even bother. Once we secure transportation, Lieutenant Murphy and I will head to Kahului Civic Play House, Sophie Ford's place of business, and secure her. The remainder of the group will head to Lihikai Elementary School and take Eliza into custody. Once we have both targets in custody, we fall back to the boats. Three miles off the coast is the Destroyer GJS Jericho. We take the boats and get them aboard at all costs."

"Along with neutralizing the signal, our secondary objective is the kill or capture of this woman," Commander Sherburn brought up an image of Harper taken from Shego's body camera back in Canberra. "She goes by the alias of 'Harper' and is the only identifiable member of this Scarlet Crane organization. Agent Possible's technical advisor has provided us with a communications network that should be impervious to the signal so listen for updates on possible locations."

"You know, Mrs. P," Hank grunted once they were in the boat, diesel engine roaring so loud it made him wince. "All through the Academy, I dreamed about one day being part of the crew that was sent along with you on a mission. But…haha…I should've known that if I ever wound up on a mission with you, I'd have ended up in a WWII-era Higgins boat or some other crazy twist. Man, I wouldn't be surprised if my Great Grandpa O'Neil rode around in this exact same tub."

Shego could see Maui looming in the distance, still maybe five miles out, but couldn't suppress a chuckle at her former student's remarks. And they DID have to look rather peculiar to the outside observer, thirty or so modern naval soldiers decked out with modern weapons and uniforms, puttering around in a diesel-powered anachronism. If they weren't trying to ensure the safety of a dear friend and that dear friend's child, Shego would've found the whole thing to be incredibly amusing.

"Well, intelligence is the ability to adapt to change, my very young apprentice."

"Okay…the 'young apprentice' crack was most definitely Star Wars. The rest I would guess was…Joe Louis?"

Shego didn't even bother to hide her snort. "Not quite, Mr. Annapolis Graduate; try Stephen Hawking."

"ONE MINUTE TO THE BEACH!" Their driver shouted out over the roar of the engines.

Shego's eyes snapped back to the shoreline. She hefted a pair of binoculars and began scanning the scene before her. Nate and Sophie lived in a pretty relaxed neighborhood and by the look of what lay before her, you could hardly tell anything was amiss though. Turning her view skyward however, the plumes of black smoke billowing from the tree line, likely the locations of planes that had crashed because of the signal, made Shego's plasma flare. Hardison had remained at Pearl to help Wade in trying to crack the signal or get a location on its origin and Parker had hopped a transport back to the mainland to give Betty and the others a sit-rep. That left Shego on her own to handle this…and that was just fine with her. Harper; that homicidal bitch was…okay, Shego didn't yet know the circumstances of her wife's capture…and by the sounds of it, Ed had pretty much just gotten lucky so she couldn't bring her Holy Wrath down entirely upon him but…she wanted Harper! Shego, Global Justice, the US Navy, Hell; in a fight like this, she'd take whatever allies she could get. One way or another, they were going to put an end to this nightmare and let the next disturbance to Shego's domestic happiness and bliss beware!

The boat lurched forward as it hit the beach and the heavy iron gate hit the ground with a metallic CLANG. Shego burst out of the boat followed closely by Hank, shouting back orders to his subordinates to secure the boat and begin looking for usable transportation. That left Shego and Hank along with Hank's operational team to clear the house. Sophie was more than likely at work by now but everyone paired off and began searching all the same. Looking at the precision and discipline of those involved…even now, Shego felt a swell of pride at seeing Hank Murphy in action and how well-trained his crew was. She would expect nothing less.

"House is clear," One of them called out as everyone rendezvoused back in the living room.

"70 Charlie," Hank called into his handset. "What's the word on that transportation?"

It was a rather motley assortment of vehicles but in light of where they were, it was probably the best that could be gotten. Most of what had been assembled was Jeeps or pick-up trucks of one kind or another. What drew Shego's eye, however, were the fully restored KTM motocross bikes. Sure, the people of this community tended to be fairly well off but, pleased though she was, what in the world were a pair of Austrian motocross bikes doing in the middle of Hawaii?

"Alright," Shego called out. "Everybody fall in and form a convoy. When you reach the school, Lieutenant Murphy and I will proceed into the city and secure Sophie Ford; any questions?"

There was a series of nods in the negative.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we do NOT let Scarlet Crane get their hands on those two!"

KPKPKPKPKPKPKPKPKPKPKP

What…what was happening? Something…something hurt…had she bumped…bumped her head? The shaking seemed to subside and she tentatively opened her eyes…and even that felt like a trial. The cobwebs began to clear and…and her office had definitely looked better. Books and glass were strewn everywhere, the bookcase looked to be tipped over onto her desk and…gulp…would've crushed her had the desk not been in the way. Not wanting to tempt the fates any further, she pulled herself to her feet, oblivious of the glass shards digging into her hands. What in the world had happened? Sophie had just been sitting down to make a call and…she reached up and felt the bump on her head and…OOOOOOOOH that was a mistake! Her hand shot back down like it was burned. Alright…concussion…the first concern after a head injury was a concussion. She…she felt like she was thinking clearly.

..THUMP…THUMP…

The sound was coming from the door. Somebody was trying to get in. She could hear a great cry of "HEAVE" come from the other side and the door quickly fell off its hinges. Standing in the doorway was…Hoshi? Her art director was flanked by two figures resembling paramedics.

"Oh Thank God, Sophie," Her friend stepped tentatively around the glass until he was able to shift Sophie's weight onto his shoulder.

"What…what happened?"

"A helicopter or plane crashed across the street," He grunted as he all but dragged her across the room to the waiting paramedics. "I…I don't know what's going on but…it sounds like planes and helicopters are dropping all over the island."

"That bump and cut look pretty bad," Sophie couldn't help but wince as the paramedics took her and laid her down on the stretcher. One of them started shining a light in her face. "Can you tell us your name, ma'am?"

"S…Sophie Ford," Was…was she…she didn't even realize that she was bleeding? "I…my daughter…is she…"

"Her daughter goes to Lihikai Elementary," Hoshi explained, trying to stay out of their way. "Last I heard, Sophie, there weren't any crashes in that area. My guess is that everything's grounded by now."

Sophie winced in pain as they began carrying her down the stairs. A…a plane crash…right next to the play house; it was a miracle that she survived. As the old saying went, any accident you could walk away from was a good one but…oh, she'd have to get a hold of Nate somehow. Whether or not they had a con going, Nate had to come back. Her eyes winced at the light as the stretcher was carried out of the building and into the street. The paramedics did their best but the throbbing in Sophie's head still made her feel even the slightest bump.

"Where…where are you taking me?"

"We set up a small field hospital in Anuenue Park," One of the paramedics explained. "There's something wrong with our ambulances but don't you worry, Mrs. Ford. We'll get you comfortable really soon. It's just a little further up this way."

Kind of meaningless since Sophie was literally being carried there and didn't have much of a way to gauge the distance. But a few minutes later, Sophie could feel herself being lowered down onto the ground. The paramedics warned her to brace herself and before she could react, they lifted her off the stretcher and onto what felt like a makeshift mattress. A nurse was quickly called over, listened as the paramedics reported what they knew, and knelt down to examine Sophie as Hoshi and the paramedics returned to look for more survivors.

Drawing a small flashlight from her pocket, like the paramedics, she examined Sophie's eyes. "Can you tell me your name, Ma'am? Can you tell me where you live?"

"Sophie Ford," She sighed, trying to get her eyes to focus. "I…live at 2112 12th Street."

"Pleased to meet you, Mrs. Ford; can you tell me what day it is?"

"Uh…t…Tuesday, I think; October 22nd."

"Good; is there anyone we can call for you?"

"My…my husband is in…San Diego. My…my daughter is at school. I…I have to get to her…"

"I'm afraid not, Mrs. Ford. All the schools on the island are on lockdown which makes them the safest place for your daughter right now. We'll get you patched up and then we can go from there. Don't you worry about a thing."

KPKPKPKPKPKPKPKPKPKP

Well…at least they could be sure that Eliza was okay. Was that building an elementary school or Fort Knox? Shego glanced back one last time and marveled. Middleton Public Schools had beefed up security in recent years but it was nothing like this. Even if they couldn't get in to get Eliza out, whatever Ed could muster, even WITH Scarlet Crane's backing, would have a tough time getting through. Special Response was just the icing on the cake. The pair revved the engines of their respective bikes and cruised off down the main road towards town.

"Wade, tell me you guys are making progress. Any sign of Sophie?"

"Well, the signal appears to allow Scarlet Crane to essentially manipulate anything with an up to date computer system using the wifi signal. Anything with a vulnerable link is like a drone to them. That's how they're bringing down planes and disabling the vehicles. After crashing any aircraft in the skies, it looks like Scarlet Crane disabled any and all rescue vehicles…this is sick! There's no…no REASON for this! They're killing people for….why…why is this…happening? I…I can't…I don't understand…"

He was losing it. And Shego couldn't really blame him. Those that had become her family still hadn't experienced one iota of the darkness that Shego herself had experienced in her life as a mercenary, master thief, and villain. She'd used her abilities to torture people the most horrific ways. She'd stood by while fellow mercenaries executed helpless bystanders…and genuinely enjoyed it. She'd known people like Scarlet Crane by the dozens, people who lived for nothing more than to create Hell wherever they went. Yes, but her adopted family WOULDN'T ever discover that kind of evil, at least not if she could help it. This needed to end and it needed to end quickly.

"Stay with me, Wade. Everything's going to be okay. But we're going to need you if we're going to stay alive. Now, is there any sign of Sophie, any clue where to start looking?"

"One…one of the planes that was in the air…crashed across from the Play House," Wade's breath was still heavy but…whatever it took, she had to keep Wade in the here and now. "The building is…still standing so I'd guess she's alive. There's a field hospital about four blocks down from the Play House in what looks like a park. She should…be there…if she's anywhere."

Shego disabled the call and heaved a sigh. At least that was something; and if anyone would survive something like that, it would be the immortal Sophie Devereaux. She saw the look on Hank's face, signifying that he'd heard the entire conversation, and increased the speed. As the pair got closer to the city, the plumes of smoke seemed to be dissipating. Either the fires had burnt themselves out or whatever Rescue personnel were in the area had succeeded in putting them out. At least there was that. Though she'd unquestionably do it if she had to, Shego would've preferred to avoid having to traipse through flaming rubble to get to her friend. Of course, if anything had happened to her, getting Sophie to safety on the motorcycles would definitely be tricky. By the time they reached the outskirts, civilization seemed to be fairing a lot better than she expected. At the very least, the city police had managed to get organized, despite a lack of usable tech. The Sheriff's deputies standing a post on the main street cleared the way with relative ease…and Shego couldn't help but marvel at the progress they'd made so quickly. So far, at least three planes had crashed in and around the city and they passed three disturbingly painful-looking traffic accidents on the ground. With disabled cars every block, the streets were a regular obstacle course with rescue and city workers as well as police trying to clear a path.

Thankfully there didn't seem to be that many patients at the makeshift hospital, at least as far as most other disasters Shego had been forced to charge into. Shego and Hank pulled their bikes to a halt and marched right in, looking for the nearest administrator. Their combat gear must've stood out because they were quickly cornered by a nurse.

"Can I help you?" She looked a little frazzled but still determined to keep working.

"I hope so," Shego smiled, hopefully putting the woman at ease. "Shego Possible, Lt. Henry Murphy, US Navy; we're looking for a Sophie Devereaux. Has anyone been admitted under that name?"

"Uh…our computers are down so it could take hours to find out," She sighed, hefting up a crate of supplies. "Can I see some ID?" Both pulled out their identification and the nurse nodded in acknowledgement. "You can take a look if you want. Just don't get in the way."

It looked to be broken limbs for the most part, thank God; no casualties as far as she heard. One of the orderlies had recalled seeing a woman matching Sophie's description being brought in and directed them to the opposite end of the park. Sure enough, Shego found herself kneeling down beside her long-time friend and sometimes cohort. Her body was covered in cuts, none of them too deep by her estimation, and she was sporting a bandage across her forehead. Times like this, Shego greatly envied Gracie's healing powers.

"Sophie?" Shego whispered. "Hey, Soph?

"Mmmmmmm," The older woman began stirring and her eyes sluggishly opened. "S…Shego? What are you…what's going on?" She tried to sit up but was obviously struggling.

"Hey, take it easy," Shego helped her back down. "We're just glad to see you alive."

"Who…who's he?" Her eyes darted to Hank.

Shego made a quick series of introductions and left Hank to keep an eye on her while Shego tried to hunt up her doctor. By the look of that head wound, Sophie likely had a concussion though to what degree Shego couldn't yet determine. That would make transportation even more difficult.

"Sophie Ford was admitted about an hour ago," Her doctor explained. "She sustained various cuts and bruises concurrent with her circumstances. More serious is her concussion. I can't be certain of the severity of it without access to…at least a half dozen machines that are for some reason non-operable…but I don't think it's life threatening, provided we can treat her soon."

"That's kind of why we're here. The city is currently under…well…I guess you could say 'attack'…by a hacker organization called Scarlet Crane. My forces are currently scouring the island looking for the source of their signal and a way to neutralize it. Sophie Ford is a friend and her husband is aiding my group in bringing Scarlet Crane to justice but we're under orders to get Sophie Ford and her daughter to safety. Is she well enough to travel?"

The doctor looked a little skeptical but thought that it was worth the risk of getting the treatment she needed. Shego returned to her friend's…bedside, for lack of a better term…and patted Hank on the shoulder. The pair seemed to be deep in conversation, explaining how they both knew Shego, and the conversation ended when Shego appeared.

"How are you feeling?" She sighed, grasping her friend's hand.

"My head feels like it's been danced on," Sophie groaned but managed a weak smile. "But…Shego, what's happening? I…the last thing I knew, Nate had rejoined the group in San Diego and now…you're here…"

"Crazy world, isn't it? It's kind of a long story but everyone's okay. Nate and Kimmie sort of bumped into each other in San Diego and…well, let's just say that you guys are smack dab in the middle of a Leverage reunion. Nate's fine, the team's fine, Kimmie…well…she got a little roughed up in a con alongside Nate…but the only real lasting damage was to her pride. But the con…well, the mark turned out to be a little bigger than we originally thought and…well…Global Justice wants to hide you and Eliza somewhere safe until this thing blows over. Hank," She turned to her former student. "Radio the others and have them rendezvous with us here." Hank nodded and traipsed off to find a quieter spot to make contact.

"I…I had a terrible feeling about this before Nate left," Sophie moaned as Shego turned her attention back to Sophie. "But Nate had been so insistent about it…and with Raul Senior being the mark, I couldn't exactly argue…he was just so determined to help."

"Heh, Kimmie's the same way. What a pair we married, hey?"

The pair traded pleasantries for a few minutes until Hank returned. "My apologies, Mrs. Ford, but I need a quick word with Mrs. Possible."

"'Mrs.' Possible?" Sophie laughed.

"Hey, he was one of my best English students," Shego shot back, getting to her feet. "Be back in just a sec." Hank hauled her away from the crowds…and they were alone? "Hank…what's up?"

"I just got word from my team. They're under fire at the school."

Author's Notes:

Update kind of took me a little longer than expected. I'm still trying to frame how I want this to end.