My thanks as always to Eddy13, Bookworm Gal, AlphaSeymour, Katsumara, AnimationNut, CajunBear73, Reader101w, readerjunkie, Jimmy1201, Oreochema and Linzerj for their reviews, and everyone else out there continuing to follow this sprawling story, as my many plot lines thread their way together to a climax on Lorwardia and beyond. As always, remember to leave a review and I promise a reply. And now to resolve that little cliffie I left you with last time...

As Ron and Rufus flew at Mach 3 over the North Pacific Ocean, both passengers were lost in their own thoughts. But they each had the same person in mind: Yori. As Ron considered the best way to locate her, he reminisced over how he, Rufus and Yori had joined their spirits together within her body to defeat Zorpox the year before. What had they called that strange fusion? Ah, Yoronfus, that was it. They had easily prevailed over Zorpox then, and hopefully the sympathetic vibrations from their unusual union were still strong enough to allow them to locate the beautiful young ninja in the incredible vastness of the astral plane.

Rufus' thoughts were likewise on a similar wavelength, and soon their minds began conversing with the other.

"Hey, Rufus. Good thing we can chat like this. This jet gets pretty noisy at 1800 mph."

"Yes, it does. So you believe as I do that once we enter the astral plane at the same spot that Yori entered, our combined sensitivity to her spirit will allow us to spot her spiritual cord, and from there we'll be able to trace it to wherever she's located?"

"You got it, little pal. I just hope we make it in time."

"Yes, it's going to be close, but let's look at the bright side. It'll be a great chance for both of us to get away from it all."

Exactly three hours after take-off, and with Yamanouchi in sight, Ron and Rufus prepared to eject from the SR-71. Rufus sent his best friend a gentle reminder.

"Checklist, Ron."

"Oh, no. Not you too, Rufus?"

"Sorry my friend. On this issue I'm in complete agreement with Kim. Pants fastened?"

"Check. Half-a-versary belt buckled."

"Parachute harness attached?"

"Yo."

"Reserve chute prepared?"

"Check-a-roni."

"Okay, then. At your command, my mystical monkey mentor..."

And with that, they punched out of the plane, floating gently to the ground and making a graceful landing just a few minutes later inside the great courtyard of Yamanouchi. It was deserted except for two young neophytes that had been designated to greet them. They bowed in respectful deference to the Chosen One, and to Rufus, who had been designated rather humorously as the Other Chosen One.

"Uh, guys, where is everybody?"

One of them answered, "In meditation, Master. All others are using their combined skills to locate our Headmistress. Come."

They led Ron and Rufus to Yori's room, where she lay hovering between this world and the next. They were shocked at her appearance. Her face was deathly pale, and tubes stuck out of her arms, providing her with fluids and sustenance in a desperate attempt to keep her body alive. Beside her constantly since she embarked on her quest sat a nearly despondent Hirotaka. But as soon as Ron and Rufus entered, he rallied a bit.

"Stoppable-sama! Thank you both for coming. Many of us have tried to search the astral plane for Yori's spirit, but without success. Either her spirit's cord has faded to invisibility, or else..."

Hirotaka chocked back a sob. "It is too late."

Ron and Rufus looked at the other, determination etched on their faces.

"Not if I can help it, Hirotaka. So don't give up yet. C'mon Rufus, we've got a friend to rescue."

At once, both began to concentrate deeply, projecting their spirits into that mystical location known as the astral plane. Using all the powers at his command, the Mystical Monkey Master began calling into the great beyond.

"Yori girl? It's Ron-san and Rufus. Where are you?"

But there was no answer. He tried spotting her cord, but it took several minutes and every iota of his mystical skills to locate. It was still intact as it led off into the far reaches of the astral plane, but its normally bright glow had indeed faded to near invisibility. Even with his heightened powers and attenuation to Yori's spirit, Ron could barely see it directly in front of him.

"He's right, Rufus. No wonder no one could spot it. And I'm gonna have a hard time following it to the end of the line, no pun intended. If we could just find a way to make it more visible..."

Rufus reached out and touched the pale strand. "Hold on, I just got an idea..."

He immediately tried imparting some of his own mystical monkey energy into the cord. It began to glow dully, but at least it was clearly visible now.

"Great job, Rufus mah man! You stay here and keep that up for as long as you can. Hopefully that will buy Yori enough time for me to find her and bring her back."

Ron launched himself off into the distance at an ever-increasing speed. "Hold on, Yori. Help is on the way..."

Traveling for several hours at a speed greater than thought itself, Ron approached a major nexus. He slowed as he approached it, immediately spotting a limp form floating insensate next to the brightly glowing object. Encouraged that he had finally found her but still still concerned over her condition, he cautiously called out her name.

"Yori? It's Ron. Can you hear me?"

She stirred slightly, but remained unconscious. Her glow was dim, but thankfully still visible.

"Rufus! I've found her. She's still with us, but just barely."

Rufus answered with relief, "Thank goodness. Can you tell what happened?"

"Hard to tell, but her cord enters this nexus thingy and then comes out the other side, where her spirit is. Her cord's all tangled up on that side, like a fishing line that got reeled in too fast. If we hadn't come along when we did..."

Ron shuddered at the thought, even here on the astral plane. Gathering Yori in his arms, he began to retrace his path. Proceeding as fast as he dared without further injuring her, they were soon back to their entry point onto the plane. With great relief, they left the awesome beauty of the astral plane behind and all began returning to their bodies in the physical world.

Yori's eyes fluttered open. She tried to focus on the people now hovering over her. Her vocal cords dry from weeks of non-use, she only managed to croak out, "Hiro? Ron-san?"

Tremendously relieved, they both smiled back at her as she continued, "My deepest thanks to you for rescuing me. And to you also, Rufus-sama. I felt your energy strengthen me even as I floated there, unconscious."

Hirotaka queried, "What happened, Yori?"

She took a deep breath before answering, already knowing what Hirotaka's reaction would be. "My spirit was so weakened by my trek to the outer reaches of the astral plane, I did not have the strength to slow down sufficiently once I had reached the nexus. In the collision that followed, my very spirit was knocked unconscious."

Hirotaka chided her, partly in rebuke and partly in relief. "You are most headstrong, Yori, not unlike our former master. You are indeed very fortunate that Stoppable-sama and Rufus-sama were able to locate your spiritual cord and trace it back to where your unconscious spirit lay, and bring you home."

Yori reached out and weakly squeezed each of their hands. "Domo. I owe you all my very life."

As Hirotaka gave her a cup of cool water, Ron queried, "Now, you mind explaining what was so badically im-por-tan-tay that you had to risk your life for it?"

Yori greedily gulped down the water, hoping that her parched throat would hold out long enough to explain. She slowly began, "Ron-san, I've seen Master Sensei."

The shock of surprise was apparent on Ron's face. "Sensei? Are you sure?"

He rolled his eyes at his inane question. "Sorry, of course you're sure. You're way too sharp to allow your mind to play tricks on you, especially where Sensei's concerned. But I'm sure he didn't just write his message with mystery meat gravy on the wall of your room."

Yori smiled back weakly, and began to draw strength from the two young men who stood before her. "Hai. It started with a sudden terrible vision of Earth's total destruction. I was positive that this vision was a warning from Master Sensei, so I decided to seek him out to learn more of the prophecy. This compelled me to travel to the farthest reaches of the astral plane."

"Whoa, badical! So, uh, how's he doing?"

"He is quite well, Ron-san, and very content. But he warned me that you were the key to Earth's protection from this terrible event, and that Yamanouchi should grant you all possible help in preventing this catastrophe."

Ron confidently replied, "Well, with Kim's help, along with ol' Rufus here, I'm sure we'll be able to stop whatever this wrongsick event is that's supposed to happen."

At the mention of Kim's name, Yori breathed an almost imperceptible sigh, not wanting to mention that Kim, for whatever reason, might not be available to help.

Ron suggested, "Uh, maybe I could just read your memory of your vision so I can get a better idea of what we're up against?"

Yori immediately tensed up, fearful to share Sensei's ominous prediction regarding Kim. "No, Ron-san. I am... still too weak at the moment. Perhaps when I am stronger..."

"Uh, sure, Yori. But if you're sure that you're gonna be all right, Rufus and I will be needing to return to Middleton, pronto. My old high school cheer squad has been invited to support Earth's sports teams at the upcoming Interstellar Games on Lorwardia, just over a week from now. So we've got to be back by tomorrow afternoon in order to catch the shuttle that will take us there. But on the other hand, keeping the world from getting blown up kinda trumps cheering at the games. So, any idea when this wrongsick attack is gonna happen?"

"No, but the impression I received was that the danger will come from beyond Earth, and it will not happen for some time yet. There will be time to prepare, Ron-san, but when it comes, it will no doubt be powerful and difficult to stop."

"Hmm. Maybe another Lorwardian attack?"

Yori frowned as she closed her eyes in concentration as she tried to get a sense of who might be behind it.

"Perhaps. I do not sense that they will be directly responsible, but they could be the indirect cause."

Ron pondered that for a moment. "Yeah, but why? Earth and Lorwardia have been best buds for nearly a year now."

"Perhaps some are resentful of that, Ron-san. Hopefully you can discover more once you arrive there."

"Sounds like a good place to start, a-yup-yup."

Outside, the sound of a GJ hovercraft could be heard circling the mountain below.

"Well, it sounds like our ride's here, Yori. Now, you sure you're gonna be okay now?"

Yori smiled back, clearly a little stronger now. "Yes, thanks to you and Rufus, and my faithful Hiro-san."

Hirotaka gave her a loving pat as she continued, "He will nurse me back to full health, so do not worry, Ron-san. And know that you have more than paid me back for rescuing you last year from your own misfortune on the astral plane."

Ron bashfully replied, "Hey, what are friends for? Kim may be my wife and my destiny, but you're still one of my best buds, right along with Rufus and Wade. Just like you told me once, we share a bond of honor that can't be broken."

"Yes, Ron-san. So until we meet again, Godspeed. May He watch over us all and help us to overcome this threat from beyond."

Ron smiled, giving her a kiss on the forehead. Hirotaka walked Ron and Rufus out to the trail that led to the bottom of Mt. Yamanouchi and the waiting hovercraft. But before they left, he offered them a parting bow of deep respect.

"Yamanouchi is once again in your debt, Stoppable-sama. And especially mine."

"No problemo, Hirotaka. Just take good care of Yori. We'll talk again soon."

While Yori watched from the window of her room as they proceeded down the trail, she offered up an additional prayer.

"And please especially watch over Kim-chan. If anything should happen to her, I fear what might become of Ron-san..."

Kim's trip to Lorwardia had been deeply relaxing, and, compared to the prior two weeks, blissfully uneventful. She stepped out of the shuttle and into a beautifully warm spring day on the planet's capital of Lorwardia Prime. This was her first time back on the planet in over nine months, and she immediately noticed some positive differences. The heat was much less oppressive than the last time, and the dusty air had given way to a freshness that reminded her of Earth. After a week of breathing the rather stale, recycled air of her shuttle, she gratefully took in a deep breath, and immediately noticed the unusual fragrance of...

"Pansies? Hmm, it looks like Drakken's terraforming is actually working..."

Warmonga was waiting for her, accompanied by Shego and an honor guard of smartly attired Lorwardians.

"Welcome back, Great Red! You honor Lorwardia with your presence."

Shego hid a snort behind one hand at the mention of Kim's honorific. "Yeah, Red. Great to see ya."

Kim replied with a chuckle, "And you too, Green."

Warmonga motioned for them all to enter her luxurious ground car. Designed for much larger Lorwardians, Kim felt like she was a kid again as she sank into the huge front seat.

"Wow, what's this upholstery made out of? It's so soft."

The Empress declared, "Tanned Thorgoggle hide. Quite rare, and very expensive."

Kim blanched at the thought. "Just as long as it's not my hide, I'll be ferociously happy."

Shego replied, "Wouldn't dream of it, Kim." She graced her with a sly smile as she snickered, "Well, at one time maybe, but not any more. Oh, and I'm having my own groundcar reupholstered with the hide of the Thorgoggle I just bagged back on Parfa."

She added with a smirk, "Singlehanded and unarmed, by the way."

Kim's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Wow, Shego, that's really spankin'! I'm ferociously impressed."

The Empress added, "And Warmonga has renamed her WarShego for her incredible feat of bravery."

The name struck Kim as a bit ludicrous, if not totally overkill. She tried unsuccessfully to choke down a laugh, breaking out in a fit of coughing instead.

"Well, uh, WarShego, I'm glad to hear that you're channeling your aggressions into something other than evil."

"Yeah, well, that and certain other, uh, recreational activities with Drew, shall we say?"

Kim blushed bright red at Shego's implication.

The Empress then announced, "As the Great Red has been gone for a long while, Warmonga wishes to give you a brief tour of the newly rebuilt Lorwardia Prime."

As she began driving, she pulled out a microphone and began proudly announcing sites both old and new, much like a Terran tour guide.

"Warmonga wishes to draw your attention to the newly rebuilt Great Hall, completely restored to its former glory after last years titanic battle with Zorpox the Conquerer."

The huge building gleamed brightly in the sunlight, but Kim shuddered involuntarily at the memory of its destruction. Thankfully the megalomaniac Zorpox had been defeated, enabling Ron to repossess his own body. She sighed longingly as she thought of Ron, and looked forward to seeing him again soon.

"And off to your left is Lake Kimberly, our planet's largest reservoir."

Kim's eyebrows arched in surprise.

With a pleasant smile, Warmonga continued, "Yes, we have named it after you, O Great Red, in honor of your superhuman effort in punching a hole deep enough through our planet's crust, bringing an abundant supply of fresh water to the surface of our arid world."

Kim nodded her head in acknowledgement. "Thanks, it was the least I could do. No big."

But she just as quickly remembered the terrific headache she'd had for a full week after drilling herself down to the water table, ten miles below the surface of the planet. "Just as long as I never have to do that again..."

"And directly ahead of us, please observe our newest monument, the glorious Intergalactic Stadium, in which we will hold the first annual Intergalactic Games, beginning one week from today."

The gigantic edifice was breathtaking, and would have dwarfed anything back on Earth.

"Its capacity is 500,000. And that's Lorwardians, mind you. Considering the diminutive size of many of our expected off-world guests, it may actually accommodate up to a million sentient beings."

And many of those beings had already arrived on the planet and were wandering about the streets of Lorwardia Prime even now. Kim was amazed at all the different sizes, shapes and colors of aliens from a hundred worlds.

Shego sniggered, "Welcome to the wild, wild world of intergalactic sports, Kimmie."

"You said it, Shego. So, Empress, when do I start training your Amazonian cheer squad?"

Warmonga slowed the groundcar to a halt. "They await you even as we speak. Come, they are inside the stadium."

As they all walked into the huge coliseum, the seven-foot high Lorwardian females were already practicing, having already been sent some basic cheerleader training DVDs by Kim.

They all stopped and bowed in deference to the the three legends. The Empress began, "This is the Great Red. She is here to instruct you all in the Terran art of cheerleading."

But the Lorwardian cheer squad looked askance at the comparatively tiny Terran female. Her slender form left the group distinctly unimpressed, similar to how Ron and Drakken had been unjustly judged upon their first appearance on Lorwardia the year before. If Ron had been there, he would have warned the ladies that size matters not. But Ron was not there, and Kim was left to make her own first impression. She immediately launched into training mode, beginning with a snappy pep talk to break the ice.

"Hi everyone! It's a great honor and a pleasure to be be here, and I'm looking forward to training you girls in the exciting fine art of cheerleading. I'm sure you'll pick up on everything real quick, and I have no doubt you'll be ready for your big show within the week."

With arms tightly folded, the Lorwardian cheer squad glared back at her in stony silence.

Kim cocked an eyebrow as she thought to herself, "Hmm, tough crowd."

One teen whispered to the other, "This is the Great Red? She seems a little small, even for a human..."

The other whispered back, "She's not what I expected. This tiny thing helped beat the Lorwardian Imperial Guard? I think not..."

With her gift of extraordinary hearing, Kim caught the girl's convo, and a chill went down her spine. "Brrr. This is almost like facing eight Bonnies."

Out loud she confidently announced, "All right team, let's begin."

As Kim launched into the practice session, Shego and Warmonga left on some official business, promising to return shortly to check on their progress. This was just as well, considering the difficulties she immediately ran into.

"Okay, team, let's take it from the top. Your mission is to cheer on your team and give them as much encouragement as possible, while simultaneously encouraging and entertaining the audience. A good way to start is with a snappy cheer, something like this..."

Kim waved her pom-poms and yelled out, "Two! Four! Six! Eight! The Empress' teams are really great! Goooooooo Lorwardia!"

She did a quick back flip and ended up in a basic split. But if she hoped that this would impress the Lorwardian teenagers, she was sadly mistaken. Their faces continued to radiate intense displeasure, if not outright hatred.

"Okay then, so let's try something else..."

As Kim continued to lecture, the undercurrent of disapproval continued to increase.

One teen whispered to the other, "The human's blathering is soooo boring."

The other sneered back, "Agreed. Where is the glorious conflict? When do we get to the fighting?"

Yet another complained, "This human speaks not of battle, but of lame encouragement."

Kim tried demonstrating a variety of cheer techniques, cajoling and encouraging to the best of her ability. But try as she might, she was getting nowhere fast. And the Lorwardian's intransigent attitude didn't help matters one bit either. No matter what she said, no matter how patient she remained, she couldn't even get the basics across to them. One very frustrating hour later, Kim was stymied.

"All right, girls. Take five."

Shego had just returned, and walked over to her discouraged cousin. "So, Cupcake. How's it going?"

Kim whined, "Wow, Shego, not so good. I've trained and led the best cheer squad in all of Colorado, if not the country. I've even met the challenge of becoming Earth's ambassador to Lorwardia. I'm supposed to be the girl who can do anything! So what's keeping me from getting these cheer routines across to these thick-skinned girls? For crying out loud, they've got the worst of both worlds: the snarky attitude of Bonnie Rockwaller combined with Ron's ferocious high school demotivation!"

Shego scratched her chin in thought. "Hmm, doesn't sound too promising, Kimmie. Try it again and I'll watch."

Kim slowly gathered the girls together again, and demonstrated the moves for a third time. She chose one of the teens, saying, "Okay, now you try it."

But the girl simply went through the motions halfheartedly, without any real feeling or understanding.

Kim yelled out in frustration, "No, no, no! Where's your passion, where's your motivation?"

The Lorwardian simply yawned back and complained, "So bored..."

Kim massaged her throbbing temples and reminded herself, "Can't lose control and display any anger. That never worked on Earth."

A light bulb suddenly clicked on within her mind.

"Hey, wait, that's the problem! I'm NOT on Earth. I'm treating these seven-foot-high Amazons like they're Tara or Hope. They're Lorwardian, not human. And with centuries of conflict and aggression behind them, they don't need human encouragement, they need a Lorwardian drill sergeant!"

She snapped her fingers. "That's it! Now to channel a little of Mr. Barkin..."

Kim suddenly fired a powerful green bolt of plasma into the ground as she locked eyes with the Lorwardian teen. "Okay, I've had enough of your lip, you slovenly excuse for a narfbrackle!"

The entire cheer squad froze in surprise at Kim's sudden change.

Kim continued to taunt, "A baby PARFAN could do better than that!"

The teen walked up to Kim and glared dangerously down at her. "Who are you calling a narfbrackle, pitiful human?"

With fire in her eyes, Kim glared right back, standing her ground. "YOU, you miserable glorfschnable!"

And with that insult, she wound up a glowing blue fist and clobbered the surprised teen, knocking the seven-foot-tall cheerleader directly onto her behind.

The effective on the squad was electric. Their opinion of Kim changed instantly as the squad instantly began whispering among themselves.

"Ooo, nice move."

"Yes, she's had that coming for a long time."

"The human appears worthy of our respect now?"

"Agreed. Let us now follow the Great Red into the glorious battle she calls cheerleading."

Kim overheard the undercurrent of approval and decided to push her advantage.

"All right, you powderpuffs! TennnnnnHUT! New routine!"

The girl Kim had just pounded jumped right back up and took her place in the skirmish line the team had immediately formed with near military precision. They instantly offered a Lorwardian-style salute as they awaited their next order.

But Kim directed her next command at her cousin. "WarShego! Front and center!"

Shego looked surprised. "Huh? What's this all about, Kim?"

Kim answered with another fierce plasma blast, but this time directly at Shego's feet, tearing up huge chunks of sod out of the ground.

As Shego walked coughing through the cloud of dust and dirt, she glared at Kim with a look of incredulity. "Whoa, Kim! What the hell's gotten into you?"

Kim flashed her pearly whites and quickly whispered, "I've got their attention now, Shego. Just follow my lead. How about a little sparring, just like old times?"

Suddenly catching on to Kim's plan, Shego grinned back with an evil smile of her own. "Roger that. Just like old times, Cupcake."

Shego powered up both hands with a terrific fwoosh of plasma and charged directly at Kim with a mighty yell. Kim quickly sidestepped her and launched a powerful scissors kick, but Shego was ready for that and executed a perfect backflip, landing directly in front of Kim. As they continued to spar, their huge bolts of iridescent plasma collided, providing the Lorwardian cheer squad with an unforgettable pyrotechnic spectacle.

Kim yelled out, "Okay, Shego! When I give the word, do a backflip and land on top of the pyramid!"

Barely avoiding another one of Kim's plasma-charged swings, Shego yelled back, "WHAT pyramid?"

Kim instantly glowed red, splitting herself into seven identical Kims and forming up into the promised edifice.

"Now, Shego!"

"Oh, THAT pyramid."

With one final backflip, Shego deftly made a perfect landing at the very top, extending her arms out in victory.

"Ta-dah!"

For an instant, the Lorwardian cheer squad looked on in silent amazement, then broke out in a tremendous cheer over the incredible display.

After catching her breath and quieting down her now highly motivated team, Kim ordered, "Now, use your pom-poms in exactly the same way that you just saw WarShego and I use our plasma. Use Routine #2 from the DVD."

She pointed at the girl she had initially pounded. "And let's end up with you on top."

The teen saluted Kim smartly. "At your command, O Great Red!"

As the squad formed up, Shego just shook her head in amazement.

"Congratulations, Kimmie. I'm beginning to believe you are the girl who can do anything."

With a satisfied smirk, Kim replied, "They treat everything like warfare, so I just had to change my approach a little. No big."

Shego shook out her arms a little. "Oh, and by the way, nice workout. That felt real good, just like old times."

Kim agreed, "Yup, just like old times."

"And it looks like your plan's working perfectly, Princess. Look."

Although the teens now looked more like a well-disciplined infantry unit than a cheer squad, they began executing their routine with perfect military efficiency.

At that moment, Warmonga returned, watching them carefully for a few moments. As they completed their pyramid, she smiled and nodded in approval. "Ooo. Warmonga definitely approves. They still could be more aggressive, but you are certainly moving them in the right direction."

Kim and Shego looked at each other with a look of dismay and complained in unison, "MORE aggressive?"

"Jinx! You owe me a soda, Shego."

Shego just sighed back, "Sure thing, Kim. Right after practice is over, if we live that long..."

Meanwhile, on the other side of the city, Grallx stepped off of WarRaptor's military shuttle. Disguised as a typical Lorwardian officer, he snapped to attention and gave WarRaptor a smart salute as the stolen devices were quickly whisked away for analysis.

"Mission completed, Grallx?" WarRaptor was nearly drooling over the powerful inventions that were now his.

"Not a problem. I even managed to pin the thefts on a Terran shapeshifter who undoubtedly took the fall once I was off-planet. "

WarRaptor's smile faded. "Yes, about that. Although you took great pains to cover your tracks, it seems that you weren't as clever as you thought. I just received a report that Warmonga and Shego were snooping around the moon of Parfa under the guise of a Thorgoggle hunt. Your clan tried to liquidate them, but they were unsuccessful."

Now it was Grallx whose smile was fading. "What happened?"

"We're not totally sure, but Warmonga has just changed the Princess Regent's name to WarShego in honor of her singlehanded unarmed defeat of Thorgoggle, whose spine is now gracing her living room wall. The Great Blue couldn't stop blathering on about it in today's briefing."

"And what of my clan?" Grallx asked in a fearful tone of voice.

WarRaptor took a deep breath before answering. "I regret to inform you that they apparently chose to destroy themselves rather than be taken alive. It appears that Warmonga declared a Hunt against one of them, after she and WarShego defeated the three Thorgoggles set loose against them in an ambush. But your connection with this, and your presence here on Lorwardia, appears to remain hidden from all involved."

Grallx's concentration wavered for a moment at the shocking news, and he nearly reverted into his natural form.

WarRaptor quickly looked around to see if anyone had spotted Grallx's lapse of control. Satisfied that no one had noticed, he quickly swept him inside the command center.

He continued in hushed tones. "I think it would be wise if you stayed in protective custody here until all this blows over. I assure you that our agreement remains valid, and once Warmonga and all these other meddlesome humans are taken care of, you will be able to return to your planet. Your world will remain free in perpetuity, and you will have the undying thanks of the new rulers of Lorwardia, as well as the Parfan govenment."

He flashed Grallx a smarmy smile, which smacked of insincerity to the shapeshifter. A critical part of a Parfan's training was closely observing those who they imitated. And Grallx suspected an unmistakable trace of deviousness from the Lorwardian commander.

Grallx warned, "Yes, WarRaptor. And let us make sure that our agreements remain truly valid, and that any treachery on your part is limited only to the persons of Warmonga, WarShego and the Great Blue."

"Of course, of course! No question on that point at all, Grallx," he quickly answered. Maybe a little too quickly. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have some secret weapons to investigate."

As WarRaptor swept away, Grallx couldn't help but get a very disturbing feeling from these new developments. He promised himself to remain extremely cautious from now on.

Inside the command center, WarRaptor quickly made his way to the research and development section. Ironically, it was the same room in which his father, WarOwl, had done most of his experimentation, and which had ultimately led to his demise. Busily studying the new devices were two of his most trusted technicians, one of whom had already hooked up the Pan Dimensional Vortex Inducer to some advanced testing equipment.

WarRaptor hastily inquired, "Well, wartech? What do all of your blinking lights tell you about this thing?"

The first technician studied the technical readout. "Patience, WarRaptor. Hmm, yes, a very interesting device. With a sufficient power source, it could easily rip a hole in the space-time continuum. This is easily the most intriguing and yet the most dangerous mechanism I've ever come across. I'm amazed that the Terrans could have come up with something so complex, and yet so small."

Growing impatient, WarRaptor demanded, "Yes, yes, I can see that you're fascinated with it, but will it do what I have planned? I need to take out Kim Possible, Ron Stopabble and our redoubtable Princess Shego at a single stroke."

The technician nodded. "Yes, when hooked up to a singularity engine, it would suck a space cruiser and probably anything else within a million miles into Warhafter knows where. But why go to all this trouble if all you want to do is eliminate your enemies? Wouldn't a simple explosive device do the trick?"

WarRaptor barked out a hollow laugh. "For an amateur, perhaps, but these Terrans have proven particularly hard to kill. Warmonga, WarOwl and even Zorpox underestimated their abilities and persistence, and paid a heavy price for their lack of foresight, so I'm taking no chances. I want to absolutely guarantee the most humongous explosion ever witnessed since the last supernova blew up in these parts over a millennium ago!"

The wartech shrugged, "Yes, but simply sabotaging their hyperlight drive might be easier."

WarRaptor shook his head in disagreement. "Recall your basic engineering, wartech. A singularity engine's design incorporates many fail-safes to prevent exactly what we'd like to do, especially with that blasted Emergency Off Switch attached. The only way we've found to destabilize one is to bring it into close proximity with another singularity engine. The physical designs of our spacecraft preclude this from happening, unless a massive collision somehow takes place, like what happened to Zorpox's monstrous craft last year."

All shuddered at the memory of that event, which had created a massive Black Hole and nearly sucked the entire Lorwardian star system into it.

"What I need for you to devise is a mechanism that will automatically activate the PDVI once they drop back into normal space at the outskirts of their own solar system. The resulting cataclysm should instantly vaporize them into their component atoms. Even if the engine doesn't automatically implode, it will at the very least send them irretrievably into another dimension, never to be heard from again. And the biggest advantage of this device is that it isn't technically a weapon, so it's unlikely that any weapon scans will detect it."

The wartech bowed. "I concur with your excellent plan, WarRaptor. It shall be done as you command."

WarRaptor rubbed in hands together in evil glee as he turned to the other wartech. "And what of this brain-switch device? Does it live up to its awesome reputation?"

The wartech gleefully smiled back. "Yes! It transfers not only the minds of the two subjects to the other's body, but their spirits as well. A total transference of one's very essence from one to another! A truly amazing technology. How do you plan on using it?"

WarRaptor responded, "Well, I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you."

The wartech laughed at the apparent joke, but WarRaptor didn't join in with him.

With a cold look he continued, "Actually, I'm serious. I'd have to kill you."

The wartech smiled back weakly, "Uh, forget I asked..."

TBC...