All Things Probable IV
Graduation
Kim Possible is owned/copyrighted by Disney and its affiliates, etc. etc.
Chapter 13:
Coming Undone
Dr. Drakken was gritting his teeth as he looked around. It had been several hours since his abduction, and he had long since ceased struggling to break free from the advanced shackles that were clamped around his wrists, and his feet. He had designed enough restraints in his day to realize the ones that were holding him were unbreakable by any strength he could muster. Which didn't mean he hadn't tried.
Instead, he turned his mind towards thinking of a way that might disable them, occasionally interspersed with wild strugglings to squirm free. The shackles had to have an electromagnetic component, because there were two halves to each which were locked together, keeping his hands and feet immobile, but also holding him suspended in the air.
His efforts were hampered by the existence of an extremely large, futuristic looking cannon just across the room where he was being held. And his experience with death rays made him extremely wary of struggling too hard.
'Hello?' he shouted out again. 'I demand to see the warden!' But his voice went unheeded, and he fumed in silence for some time. Then suddenly, the platform beneath him slid open to reveal a deep tube, and he saw a figure ascending.
Kim Possible rose and hovered in the air next to him, wearing identical shackles on her own hands and feet. She was dressed in a black gown with a sash, with a graduation cap on her head. She looked alarmed at the sight of Dr. Drakken, but she soon noted that he was bound just as she was, and her face went into an irritated scowl.
'Well, well, well!' Drakken sniffed, a grin splitting across his face. 'Even captivity can have an upside! To see Kim Possible - helpless!'
'Drakken?' she said. 'Where are we?'
Before he could answer, there was a sound of heavy footsteps. Through a stark alleyway of pulsing energy columns, a huge figure was striding towards them. He was tall, green, with yellow eyes. His head was bald except for a thin ponytail that was tied at the back of his head, trailing down a thickly muscular neck. He was dressed like a bizarre hybrid between an ancient barbarian, and a space gladiator, with a flowing cape behind him, a loincloth and armor, and tattoos which were arranged so he looked like a green tiger. One larger tattoo was on his chest, which looked like a mis-shapen bird.
Warhok stood before them and glared. 'The prisoners will be silent!' he barked.
Undeterred, or too used to strange situations to care, Drakken still spoke up. 'Haloo - I think there's been a little bit of a mix-up. Mmm, you look familiar.' he said. 'Have we met?'
Warhok bared his teeth and leaned in to him until they were almost nose to nose. 'Silent.' he hissed after a tense pause. Then he turned and stepped away.
Drakken flinched and cowered. '...Nuff said.' he muttered quietly. Then to his astonishment, another figure strode past their enclosure from behind, one which Drakken did recognize.
Warmonga took her place next to Warhok and inspected Kim and Drakken closely. 'The blue one who deceived me, and the girl one who defeated me.' she said coldly. 'Thank you, Warhok.' and her face smiled as she looked at him.
Drakken felt a cold chill, now knowing why the technology looked so similiar, and remembering the last time he had seen the giant green woman who stood next to their captor. 'Warmonga!' he said, trying to sound jovial. 'How ya been, girl...?'
They had both turned and were looking at a huge viewscreen which showed the Earth far beneath them, a glowing orb of brilliant blue with white bands. Warmonga looked over her shoulder at Drakken, but spared him only one contemptuous glance. 'You will both pay.' she said ominously.
'Your entire planet will pay!' Warhok snarled.
And Kim's eyes narrowed as she too remembered Warmonga and their last encounter. 'So, payback's the sitch.' she said.
o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o
Quinn Probable was standing outside on the porch at his brother's ranch, looking out at the night sky, a mug of coffee in his hand. His mind was abuzz with what his brother had told him about Grimm's latest report. Imminent alien invasion - advanced weaponry. He had passed it along to all of his collegues in the DoD - but Grimm had been correct in his guess that it would not be taken seriously.
Responses had ranged from 'we'll take it under advisement' to 'preposterous', and those had been the polite ones. He at least partially understood why. Despite Grimm's reliable intel on previous occasions, this was so fantastic...
'When convention and science offer us no answers, might we not finally turn to the fantastic as a pluasibility?' He agreed with those words, but the thing was, they hadn't reached that point, at least not in the eyes of the authorities. Right now, it was just a supposition put forth by a lone mercenary and his team. And while they had been glad of their intel in the past, this was simply too dubious. And without an actual crisis to lend it any weight...
Jim had sent his team into Jade's cabin to take the recovered machinery, but the CIA would insist on starting from scratch and doing their own analysis and scans. That would take them days, and if Grimm was correct, they didn't have days.
Even while he was pondering these things, he heard a whirring sound coming closer. It was coming from the skies above, but he couldn't see anything. He tensed, letting one hand drop to his concealed sidearm. The sound became louder, and he relaxed when he realized it was the KsikkihkÃni that was descending like a shadow from above.
The bike landed near Jade's cabin, and he saw Grimm suddenly bathed in the stark yellow of the porch light. He was wrestling with his helmet, which he hurled to the ground as soon as it was off. Then he just stood at the door to the cabin, leaning against it with his head in the crook of his elbow. But what struck Quinn most about the sight was what he wasn't seeing...
o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o
Grimm had only half paid attention to the navigation after taking off from Kamp Kwitcherbeliakin. It was like he was on auto-pilot himself, with his body doing the driving on its own while his mind was detached and pondering. He still couldn't believe it. Rhonda had been the girl in pink all along. How could he have missed it? Looking back it was so obvious - how she and Jade had stalled him during the chase, how they had deflected him away from clues... They had betrayed him.
And Rhonda had chosen to stay at the camp she always said she hated - with Corey? Unbidden visions of the two of them together rose up in his mind, fueling his feelings of anger, resentment, and being wrong-footed.
In all his mercenary work, he had noted time and again that it was usually internal strife that foiled the schemes of his clients. Dementor, Drakken and all the rest. When they were launching their big plans, there was invariably one ambitious person among their ranks who tried to grab all the glory for themselves. It didn't always happen, but it happened often enough that it was something to watch out for, to prepare for in advance.
And Grimm had always tried to make sure his team had no reason for betrayal. He had kept the team small, so there was no reason for anyone to stab him in the back over power and control. He was always careful to divide the payments equally so nobody felt they were being shafted. And he always had tried to make sure everyone had an equal part to play, so they didn't feel under-appreciated. He thought he had all the bases covered, and with only three members, he was sure he would have noticed if there was any schism that threatened otherwise.
Yet this - it had caught him completely flatfooted, for all his cunning. And he could only conclude it was because he had not wanted to see. Rhonda's recent feistiness, and her saying openly that they were wasting their time on some jobs - and complaining about things she'd never complained about before. She had changed...
Unless you change with her she will walk a different path from you.
Grimm slammed his fist into the door frame of the cabin. Why did those words keep coming back to haunt him? When he had made his deal with the Great Bear, asking for his help in saving Rhonda, the Bear had said this. And Sakituya had said his debt was not paid. Did his 'payment' to the Great Bear mean he would have to lose the very person he had fought to save?
Even while he mused on these things, he heard approaching footsteps. He looked up and saw his dad approaching, his face looking grave. 'Son.' he said as he got closer. 'Are you dropping off more materials?'
Grimm winced and looked away. 'No.' he said curtly. 'I'm here to close it down. The job's done, I'll be making my final report to Uncle Jim soon.'
Mr. Probable nodded, but didn't look convinced. 'Where's Rhonda?' he asked. And the question hung in the air for half an uncomfortable minute.
'She's... still back at the camp.' he answered at last. 'I'll explain more when I give my report.' And he abruptly turned and strode into the cabin, closing the door behind him.
Mr. Probable regarded the sealed door for some time before sighing and turning back towards the main house. 'What have you done now, boy?'
o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o
On board the Lorwardian command ship, Warhok was seated in his chair, hunching eagerly towards the controls. 'Objective!' he called out. 'Total planetary domination!'
'Nnnnnn!' Drakken whined, his hands wringing in their restraints. 'That was my objective!'
Warhok ignored the prisoner, and firmly pressed a glowing green button on his armrest console.
Outside in their orbit above the Earth, a large hatchway opened in the belly of the flagship. And dozens of modules began falling towards the planet surface.
And in every other ship in the fleet, a buzzing alert was sounding. BattleSkaar stood up from his own command chair, bellowing to the bridge crew. 'The hour has come!' he shouted. 'Our supreme general has given the order to deploy the walker drones - the war has begun! Obey your orders - do your duty! For victory, for honor, for Lorwardia!'
And echoing through the ship, he felt the vibrations of every voice shouting in answer. 'For Lorwardia!'
Dozens of capital ships drew closer in their orbits. And from each ship, dozens, hundreds of walkers rained down on the Earth. Each one screamed through the atmopshere and plunged into the ground. Each one then unfolded and rose up, clanking and thundering towards their targets. Cities across the globe found themselves under sudden and ferocious attack. The walkers began smashing their way through buildings, sending populations fleeing in panic. Armies, navies and air forces worldwide began a desperate scramble into action, mobilizing in response.
Local media in each area of attack also scrambled, making reports, pointing cameras. But only a brave few dared to venture out into the streets among the rampaging walkers.
But a pattern quickly repeated, no matter in which country, no matter which continent. Some walkers engaged in random destruction at the outskirts of each city, causing mayhem and drawing the attention of military forces. But while they were thus engaged, other squadrons of walkers made swift bee-lines to the power plants, relay stations and grid centers, quickly smashing them to the ground and plunging their cities into darkness...
And on Warhok's flagship, Kim Possible's face was set in grim defiance. 'Hey, we're a pretty tough planet!' she said.
'Yes - tough!' piped in Drakken, leaning to see past her towards their captors. At that moment, a fresh mane of flower petals burst out around his neck. Kim sighed with embarassment.
Warhok watched the opening skirmishes on his viewscreens. 'Victory is ours!' he said with a narrow smile.
From the side, Warmonga looked towards him from her own chair. 'And I am confident we have set a new Lorwardian invasion record!' she said, her face flushed and exhultant.
'Oh please, I call bull buttons!' Drakken said. 'You can't take over the world in the time it takes to order a pizza!'
'Mabye you can't. Apparently, they can.' Kim said.
Warhok smirked as he overheard their words. They were seeing only what he wanted them to see, fueling their despair. Of course, it was not so simple as they were imagining. Taking over a world was no small matter. The invasion had a much grander scope than the snippets they were allowing their prisoners to behold, but there was no need to tell them this.
Across the globe, the entire fleet was launching waves of walker drones, and their orders were clear. Deprive the enemy of power and cripple their ability to resist. Once they were sufficiently weakened by the walkers, the capital ships would descend and they would begin destroying major cities and infrastructure. It was at that point that most enemy worlds would surrender and plead for mercy. But if they continued to resist - a full ground invasion would quickly follow. For the time being, the capital ships and their smaller vessels were not permitted to enter the atmosphere, so they would not interfere with the walker operations. Phase one was going smoothly. Already the early reports were coming in.
He watched the messages as they popped up on his arm module. Earth resistence is scattered and limited - operations are proceeding on schedule. And Warhok's smile curled smugly as he watched the walkers which had been deployed from his own ship, tearing through the city called 'Middleton'...
o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o
Wade Load was frantically trying to raise Kim on her Kimmunicator, but she wasn't answering. He had an emergency protocol that would force the Kimmunicator to turn on, even if Kim had shut it off. And this was certainly an emergency. Giant robot spiders falling from the sky - all over the world? Snap yeah, it was an emergency.
In the shattered rubble of the Possible house, Kim's wrist Kimmunicator managed a few feeble beeps. Wade peered through a cracked and blurry screen that was tilted crazily sideways. He recognized nothing at first - he could only see a few wall joists that were still upright, poking up through mounds of rubble and debris. Here and there, he caught a glimpse of some familiar objects. A framed wall photo, a pillow, an upended chair. But all were damaged - islands floating in a sea of ruin.
He called Kim's name through the Kimmunicator several times. But soon it buzzed and went out, either out of power, or too damaged to function any longer. Had Kim been there when the house was destroyed? He experienced a few moments of blind panic, wondering if Kim was still alive, before he got an incoming signal. He blinked, because it was from the Kimmunicator.
'Wade! Aw man tell you can hear me!' And Wade sighed with relief at the sound of Ron's wailing voice.
'Ron! I'm here!' he said urgently. 'Listen, is Kim there? We're being attacked by...'
'Giant robot spiders, I know!' Ron squealed. 'But Kim's gone - they took her!'
'The spider robots kidnapped her?'
'No! It was... a spaceship!'
'What?'
'Big, huge bleepin' spaceship!' he said. 'It came down, beamed Kim straight up and then bang - zoom! Straight to the moon, for all I know! Can you track her?'
Wade stammered for a moment. Kim had never been chipped, the way they'd done with Ron. He didn't have any way to track her, other than her Kimmunicator, or the homing devices in her battle suit. Her new Kimmunicator was lying in the wreck of her house, and Ron was using the old one.
Before he could explain though, there was a thundering crash, and Wade saw pieces of drywall and dust erupting around Ron. 'Ron!' he shouted.
'Aaaah!' Ron howled, looking off to the side. 'Look - just get down to the High School if you can! Mr. Dr. P and the twins are here too!'
'But Ron, I...' And at that precise moment, all the power went out. His computer turned off and all the technology he surrounded himself with became suddenly useless. Wade ran to his window and creaked open his little-used blinds. Everything near his house seemed quiet and peaceful - unusually quiet in fact. It wasn't just his house - all the houses seemed to be without power.
But far off in the distance, he heard the slow, plodding boom - boom of what sounded like heavy footsteps. Wade stood silently, staring out and thinking madly. Field work was not really his 'thing'. But there wasn't much he could do from the house anymore. Even his small backup generator wouldn't help re-establish communication, if everyone else was blacked out.
He turned back into his room. The High School was within biking distance, and Ron was expecting him. If Kim's Dad and the twins really were there, it was best for all of them to gather and put their heads together. He quickly filled a backpack with as much of his portable equipment as he could gather. As he scrabbled about, looking for the most useful gadgets, his eyes fell on some spare wrist Kimmunicators. He paused, then threw one into the pack.
'You can never have too many...' he thought nervously.
o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o
Jade Omo-sa had noted the power going out. It was kind of hard to miss, the hallway where she had taken refuge had plunged into darkness. Not only that, her attempts to recontact Grimm had met with total failure. She then tried to raise Rhonda on her communicator. But every time she was blocked by an impenetrable wall of static. She was cut off.
At first she was just annoyed, but then she started to feel a tinge of fear. What had she and Grimm been talking about just before the power outage? An imminent alien invasion. No matter how she thought out each scenareo, she could only reach one conclusion. They had gotten the time-table wrong. The invasion had already started.
But like any science geek, she wanted proof. And that meant she needed to restore contact. For that, she needed power. She fumbled her way through the dark until she found her way back into the main dance hall. She saw a ghostly array of faces, each one lit up by an upturned smart phone as the dancers and the chaperones were trying to call relatives, or at least find out what was going on.
'Everyone please calm down, I'm sure power will be restored soon.' said a deeper voice, belonging to one of the teacher/chaperones. A babble of voices sounded out in answer, each one trying to overpower the others.
'But my wi-fi is down...!'
'I can't call home, something's wrong with the...'
'Even my watch is dead!'
'Haven't we got a generator?'
'Everything is down, what's going on?'
The last question was repeated many times, in various forms. The adults could only shrug - of course there was no generator at the school. 'Budget cuts' they said. Besides, when had they ever really needed one? The problem was that you never knew what you needed until the moment of need struck, and by then it was too late.
Priscilla Fairchild was standing in the midst of her hangers-on, looking annoyed but also a little unsettled. 'This stinks!' she huffed. 'I can't even call my mom to fish us out of this lameness. Some party...'
Josh was faintly visible near the outskirts of the mass of dance attendees, his expression unreadable.
'What do we do?' wailed one of Priscilla's pack. 'We need rides to get home, we can't stay here!'
Jade sniffed. 'Uh, yes you can.' she said.
Priscilla glared at her. 'Why do you say that, Miss Punch Bowl?'
Jade strode up and clenched a fist under Priscilla's nose. 'I got your punch right here, fancy pants!' she growled. 'Why would you want to bug out? We've got food and water, sitting right here on the tables, so we can hold out for at least a couple days. If your folks are driving here to come get you, how are they gonna find you if you leave? And if they do restore power, how will you know it if you're out hiking the roads?'
To this, Priscilla had no answer, and the chaperone quickly piped in. 'She's right. Our best bet for the time being is to stay put.'
'And wait for what?' Priscilla grumbled. 'There's still no power. Who's going to turn it back on? You?' she said with a sneering glance at Jade.
'Actually, yeah.' Jade sniffed, looking around. 'I can get your power back on.'
Priscilla let out a barking laugh. 'Really? And how can you do that?'
Jade fished her green scrunchies out of a pocket and quickly swept her hair back, pulling it into two spiky ponytails. 'Somebody go to the workout room.' she said, cracking her knuckles. 'Get one of the exercise bikes. And send some people to the cafeteria freezers, get all the mystery meat you can find.'
'How do you know we have mystery meat?' said the Chaperone curiously.
Jade shrugged. 'This is a public school.' she answered. 'Of course they serve mystery meat. Get a team of people to the science labs and the utility closets. We'll need all the copper wiring they can pull loose.'
Priscilla was still glaring. 'Anything else?' she said acidly.
'Yeah.' Jade said, squaring her shoulders. 'Somebody get me a pipe wrench.'
o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o
'I've been getting reports.' said Jim. 'Though it hasn't been easy. Cities all over the country are reporting that giant machines are literally raining down from the sky. Four-legged walkers for the most part, and they're tearing up every town they go through.'
Grimm was back in Jim's study, seated across from his desk. His dad was there too this time, standing off to the side behind his brother.
'And what's the army doing?' Grimm muttered, not looking up at his uncle. But he knew the answer before it was given.
'Scrambling and fighting back, of course.' said Mr. Probable. 'But conventional weapons don't seem to be slowing them down much. In each city, the walkers are heading straight for the local power plants and destroying those first. We've been steadily losing communication from all the major cities.'
'They're taking out electrical grids.' Jim said. 'Somehow they knew we'd have more trouble coordinating resistance without power and communication.'
'Maze.' said Grimm darkly. 'I'll bet he hasn't just been helping them hunt for Possible and Drakken. He's been advising them where and how to hit us.'
'Our lack of intel on the enemy hinders what the CIA can do.' Jim grumbled. 'Our offices specialize in counter-intelligence, not massive battles.' He looked at Grimm. 'You and your team are as much experts about this situation now as anybody. Your help could be invaluable.'
Grimm kept his eyes averted, but Mr. Probable saw that strange, deadened expression again. 'I'm afraid our team is out of commission.' he said slowly.
Jim didn't answer for a few moments. 'How do you mean?' he said at last.
'Rhonda has... gone AWOL.' he answered. 'I tried to bring her back here, but she chose to stay at the camp with Sakituya and his tribe.'
'To what end?'
Grimm hesitated. 'I understand they are trying to... organize resistance to the invasion on their own. They seem to think they can turn this back.'
'Can they?' Jim said.
The clock ticked out several more uncomfortable seconds. 'No.' Grimm answered. 'They can't.'
o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o
Rhonda sat miserably in the back of a jeep, being jostled as they drove over bumpy fields and rough terrain. She was in the midst of a cluster of several jeeps and other vehicles, driving beyond the forest and towards the area that had been the scene of the grass damage - a site which she now knew was a target zone for the invaders.
Despite her sadness, everyone else seemed exhultant and eager. The tribe members were shouting musical battle-cries as they drove, the light of battle in their eyes. They had all left Kamp Kwitcherbeliakin some time ago, anxious to take the fight to their foes - whoever they might be. Corey Proudheart was in her jeep as well, with Chief Sakituya in the front and Samoset driving.
'Sakituya says that the storm has broken.' said Corey. 'That those who are the enemy have already begun their attacks.' Sakituya turned his head slightly and gave them a half-nod, but did not speak.
Corey clapped a firm hand on Rhonda's shoulder. 'I am not afraid.' he said firmly. 'With the Bear Priestess as our ally, we cannot lose!'
Rhonda forced a smile, but she also didn't speak. She didn't feel the heady enthusiasm that the rest of the tribe was sharing. She didn't even feel the usual comical panic she had displayed on missions with Grimm so many times in the past. She felt only a hollow emptiness.
She had broken up with Grimm - it was over between them. She still couldn't believe he had been so callous - and cruel. She had always known he had a thing for collecting money. But to speak of using the whole Earth and everyone on it as a bargaining chip to pay him for their rescue? It made her blood run cold just to think it, while still boiling with anger because of it. He deserved to be dumped - how could she ever be a partner to someone like that?
But then why did she feel so horrible? Grimm hadn't just been a boyfriend - he'd been a friend. Ever since childhood. They had always been together, helping, uplifting and just being there for each other. Now he was gone, and with him, a big part of herself felt like it was missing too.
The jeep came to a jolting stop, breaking her out of her thoughts. She looked around, and they had come to a halt in the midst of a wide, grassy plain. It was night and shadows surrounded them, but there was enough moon and starlight that they could see a ways around them. The other jeeps and vehicles had stopped too, idling their engines.
'What gives?' said Rhonda, quickly checking her communicator for the coordinates of the damaged field. 'We're still a couple miles away from the site.'
Chief Sakituya was standing up in the passenger side, his face set and grave. 'There is no longer any need to go there directly.' he said. 'The enemy is moving.'
And Rhonda heard a series of distant, but loudly booming thud sounds, like the fall of gigantic footsteps. She stood up too, and even through the night, she could see them.
They were like giant, four-legged spiders made of metal, with flying saucers perched atop the legs where they joined together. The saucer sections glowed with stripes of red light. She could tell they were at least thirty feet tall, but despite their great size, they were striding swiftly towards the glow of a city a few miles distant. And they were getting closer.
The tribe and their vehicles were between the city and the approaching walkers. Many of the tribe were leaping out of their jeeps, each of them carrying some kind of weapon and looking to their chief for direction. Though some of them were looking at Rhonda. The walkers were now barely a hundred yards away.
Chief Sakituya held up his hand. 'Stay back.' he said firmly. 'Our courage will not be enough for us to stop this enemy - only the Bear Priestess has the power to stand against them. We must hold back, and her attacks will give us our opportunity to strike and to aid her.'
And Rhonda now felt the eye of every tribe member on her. She heaved a sigh as she slowly climbed out of the jeep. The tribe backed away, clearing a path for her. The walkers were now only about fifty yards away.
'How in the world did I get into this mess?' she thought desperately, looking up at the walkers which were now barrelling towards her. All these people were expecting her to tackle these juggernauts - by herself. Rueful trilled from her shoulder, and she could feel him trembling. And as the towering metal monsters rumbled closer and closer, Rhonda could do nothing more but chant and hope that the Great Bear was paying attention, now that her 'time' had come.
Omahkkiaayowa, Nitohpoksiiyikitapiiyi...
Omahkkiaayowa, Nitohpoksiiyikitapiiyi...
Behind her, Corey was looking at her admiringly. 'This will be a day to remember.' he said quietly to his Chief.
But Chief Sakituya was looking sadly at Rhonda and shaking his head. 'Chosen one...' he thought. 'Your mind may be determined - but your heart is not...'
Rhonda squared her shoulders, heading towards the lead walker. She could feel the earth shaking beneath the stomping of their legs. She was scared - and despite everything that had happened back at the camp, she wished Grimm was there. She bit her lip and held up a hand.
'All right... alien guys!' she shouted. 'In the name of the Great Bear, I order you to halt!'
Then the walkers were on her. Their plunging legs were on either side of her, so that she felt like a field rabbit in the middle of a buffalo stampede. She remained frozen, her hand held up. But almost as soon as they had reached her, they had moved past. Paying no heed to Rhonda or the tribe, they continued their rapid march towards the city.
Rhonda felt a moment of wild relief, followed by bewilderment and finally annoyance. They'd ignored her? 'Hey!' she shouted, turning and starting to run behind the walkers. 'Hey, I'm talkin' to you!' She looked aside towards where the tribe was assembled, seeking out Chief Sakituya's face. She looked at him pleadingly. But he only spread his hands and shrugged with an expression that was almost comical.
The walkers were moving fast and she broke into a run. 'Hey - don't make me start throwing boulders up at you!' she shouted. But she looked around, and there were no boulders, just grass and dirt. The walkers continued to ignore her and were drawing gradually further ahead. She started puffing as she strove to catch up. 'Come on, Bear guy!' she thought. 'I'm embarrassing both of us!'
Omahkkiaayowa, Nitohpoksiiyikitapiiyi!
Omahkkiaayowa, Nitohpoksiiyikitapiiyi!
She felt her birthmark flare up and leaped forward, catching the hind leg of the rearmost walker. Straining with all her might, she ground in her heels and clung, her fingers finding grippage on some raised plating near the base of the leg.
The walker gave a mighty lurch as Rhonda anchored it to the spot and it halted, finally seeming to notice her. She kept her hold, not sure if she should be glad that she'd succeeded in getting the attention of a giant, alien war machine. 'Yeah that's right!' she shouted up at the walker. 'I'm Rhonda Fatigable, and I've got a message for you from the Great B...'
Whonk!
One of the walker's other legs had swept out, smashing into Rhonda from the side. She felt herself sailing through the air, wind rushing around her, then plowing into the grassy earth. She lost track of how many times she rolled and lay there for almost half a minute while trying to get her bearings. Rueful was trilling, sounding just as woozy as she felt, and through the haze of her dizziness, she was glad he was all right.
She sat up, and saw the walkers had contined on their way, and were now a couple hundred feet off. She heaved herself up, amazed and annoyed. They had swatted her away like nothing, and it was only the Great Bear's power that had saved her from having every bone in her body shattered. Even so, she felt mammoth bruises and soreness on her left side where the walker leg had struck her, and she limped a little as she resumed her pursuit.
'Oh no ya don't...!' she shouted, and even she noted how winded she was sounding. 'Come back here - we aren't done yet!' She valiantly continued trying to catch up to them, but they were too fast, and the distance between them kept getting wider. 'All right - you asked for it! Let's see how you like this!' And she stood in place, chanting faster and summoning all her remaining will power and strength before raising her hand.
'Spirit strike!'
She brought her hand down in a slashing motion. But there was no blue flash, no claw-like sickles of power. She looked at her hands, baffled. 'Come on...!' she wheezed, trying again.
'Spirit strike! Spirit strike...!'
But nothing happened. The walkers kept thundering away, and were now so distant that she had no hope of catching them on foot. She gritted her teeth. The spirit strike was probably just the thing to take out these walkers - why was the Great Bear yanking her chain? With the distant city in danger, with the whole world in danger, why was he holding out on her? Now of all times?
She stood panting and puffing while the walkers grew smaller and smaller in the distance. She looked back towards the place where Sakituya and his tribe were still gathered. They were also far away, and small to her eyes. But somehow, she could tell that each face must be dumbfounded and disappointed. Rueful gave a sad chitter from his perch on her shoulder. And she started jogging back towards the jeeps, wondering what to do next...
And from a distant hillside, surrounded and masked by shadows, Maze watched the entire scene. It was all he could do to stop himself from laughing out loud. Seeing the pale-faced girl being knocked around by the walkers like a bowling pin - it had made the wait entirely worthwhile. Seeing her humiliated in front of the entire tribe, they who had so foolishly idolized her, it filled him with bitter delight.
'And what has your faith in this girl brought you, Sakituya?' he thought with dark satisfaction. 'How long will you go on trusting her while my allies destroy the world all around you? What will it take to make you admit you were wrong?'
He would have been eager to hear them give an answer. But it no longer mattered. The white man's world was doomed. There was no stopping the invasion now. And with Grimm no longer supporting his girlfriend, there was no way she could stop them either.
o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o
The rest of the debrief had been unpleasant to say the least. Uncle Jim had tried several times to persuade Grimm to assist in repelling the invasion, even if only in an advisory capacity. But Grimm could think of no additional information to give that would help.
'We don't know the enemy's numbers or capabilities.' said Jim. 'If you could help us find out even that much...'
'All I could do is ask Jade.' Grimm said. 'But our private lines are down. I don't think she knows anyway. We're all in the dark on this.'
Uncle Jim shook his head. 'You're proving reluctant to pitch in now that it's all hitting the fan.' he said. 'That's going to have to figure prominently in my own final report to my superiors.'
'If that's how it is, then that's how it is.' Grimm answered dully, standing up and moving towards the door. He opened it and paused half way through. 'If you really want my advice though?' he said. 'There may not be anyone to report to before long. Start thinking about surrender. That could... reduce casualties.' And he left, closing the door behind him.
He didn't stop until he had reached their base cabin, and he quickly shut himself in. It somehow felt more comfortable, closing out everything that was surely happening outside. An invasion against largely unknown technology, against unknown numbers. Rhonda and Jade out in the thick of it. What could he do except sit here and await the inevitable?
The equipment and scanners were a mess after Jim's CIA crew had gone through and taken the alien machinery. But he didn't care. He sat on the edge of his bunk with his hands clasped in his lap, looking down at the floor.
He hated the looks of disappointment and disapproval from his dad and his uncle. But seriously what could he do? He'd talked a big game to Rhonda about 'pitching in' to save the world if they were offered money. But one of the reasons why her rejection had hurt so much was because even he didn't believe what he had been saying.
If even half of what Possible and Wade had mentioned in their blogs about this alien technology was true? They were facing attacks that would make the Diablo robots and Maze's golem scheme look like romper room kid stuff. Even now, major cities were falling, and Grimm knew that from there, the walkers would repeat the same pattern in smaller cities, spreading out their zones of conquest until every island of resistance was overrun. Already, their military was set back on their heels, and this was just against the walkers. Who knew what the actual alien ships were capable of?
Even if Grimm and the team somehow went to space to scope out the enemy, what could they do except report how much they were outclassed? He held his face in his hands. He had to hand it to Maze - he'd covered all the bases, he held all the cards. This time, it looked like he had sided with the winning team.
Grimm felt a sudden light headedness. The room seemed to fade into blackness, and that combined with a sense of disorientation. It was as if Maze had somehow sensed that Grimm was thinking about him, and come to attack. Grimm braced himself, but for several seconds there was nothing but dead silence. All he could see were wisps of deeper shadow that furled and unfurled around him.
'Show yourself Maze.' he breathed. 'I'm ready for you!'
But a blue light began fading in around him. Gone was the room, the cabin, the ranch - he was in the midst of a formless void.
'You have disappointed me, Otaatoyiwa.'
Grimm looked up, and felt himself flinching. The Great Bear Spirit was looking down at him. A colossal bear made of a ghostly blue light, its eyes blazing as they pierced him.
'Oh - you I was not ready for.' he said at last.
The bear did not move its jaws, yet Grimm felt his voice all around him like an echo of thunder. 'As insolent as ever - even in the midst of your torment.' he sighed.
Grimm found himself glaring. As intimidated as he was by the Great Bear Spirit, he couldn't stop his anger from rising up. 'What do you want?' he said. 'Your priestess is the one who needs you now. Shouldn't you be helping her clean up this mess, instead of wasting your time making faces at me?'
'Not everything is about you, Otaatoyiwa.'
'Why are you bugging me then? Are you looking to pile on, along with everyone else?' he sneered. 'Rhonda, Uncle Jim, Sakituya and the rest? They're already treating me like this is all my fault somehow.'
'Why then do you ignore the testimony of so many witnesses? Have you never considered they may be telling you the truth?'
'What do you want?' Grimm said again.
The Great Bear stared at him slowly. 'Not everything is about you.' he repeated. 'Yet you swore an oath, and the destiny of my priestess is linked to you. The time has come to pay your debt.'
'Rhonda is the one who has your power, not me.' he sniffed resentfully. 'What exactly am I supposed to be doing?'
The Great Bear heaved a weary sigh. 'Your pretended ignorance is wearing.' he rumbled.
'It's not pretended!' Grimm hissed, his frustration bursting out. 'What do you want, a confession? Are you trying to make me admit that I'm in over my head? That I'm scared - helpless? That there's nothing I can do to stop this?'
The Great Bear didn't answer at once. He continued looking at Grimm in his slow, piercing way. 'When the storm broke,' his voice rumbled, 'I always expected Katasisstsikoowa to do her part. And others will do their part as well. Only then can this world be saved. You also have a part to play, Otaatoyiwa. What I expected from you, was simply to do what you do best.'
'Tell me plainly then!' Grimm shouted. 'What is this part I'm supposed to be playing that's so important?'
'If you demand plainness, I will give it for the sake of my priestess.' Said the Great Bear. But his light was fading, and his was disappearing from view. His voice became quieter, but Grimm still heard his last words. 'You must be taken by the enemy.'
Grimm felt his mouth falling open. 'What?' he shouted. But the glow was gone. The shadowy void dispersed, and he was back in the cabin. He looked around, bewildered. The Great Bear had made another appearance - to tell him this? To surrender? The Bear Spirit had told him many things in the past that didn't make sense, but this was unbelieveable, even from him.
He stood up and stormed and paced back and forth in anger. Utter nonsense. Do what he did best? His specialty was avoiding capture by his enemies, running rings around them, making fools of them. Let the enemy take him? How was that supposed to stop a horde of alien doom machines? This didn't make any sense. Nothing made any sense...
He heard the cabin door open and started, but saw it was his dad, coming in and closing the door behind him. 'We need to talk.' said Mr. Probable.
Grimm ran a hand through his hair. Why did suddenly everyone want to chat with him while an alien invasion was in progress? 'There's nothing to talk about.' Grimm answered, looking back down.
'Oh yes there is.' Mr. Probable insisted. 'You've made a right botch of this CIA mission you were so proud of, you realize that?'
Grimm looked up. 'How do you figure?' he said, with a touch of defiance. 'We were sent to find out who was doing the grass damage, and what it meant. We aced that, and in record time. Contract done, and done well.'
'Oh you filled the terms of the arrangment just fine.' Mr. Probable said. 'But that's all you did. When Jim tried to recruit you for the related mission of stopping the invasion, you refused. Why?'
'You were there.' Grimm said. 'You heard everything, you know why.'
'I want to talk about what you didn't say at the mission debrief.' Mr. Probable answered, and he was suddenly tired of trying to sound formal. 'Why exactly did Rhonda stay behind?'
'I told you!' Grimm snapped.
'What did you say to her?'
'I tried to save her!' Grimm said, his voice rising. 'There's no way she can fight this and I told her so. But she's got it in her mind somehow that her bear powers can make a difference.'
'What makes you so blasted sure they can't?' Mr. Probable said angrily. 'It sounds like you don't have much faith in her. Or are you worried that she's outshining you for once?'
Grimm's eyes blazed. 'Is that what you think this is about?' he said. 'You think I'm jealous?'
'A little, yes.' his father answered. 'Before it was always you in charge, and the rest of them starry-eyed because you seemed so smart and clever. Now they're moving away from that, and you're learning that you're not such a big deal.'
Grimm thought quickly back on everything that had taken place, before and after graduation. And he found he didn't have a ready answer. 'So what if that's true?' he said sullenly. 'Maybe they don't need me anymore. Maybe they never did.'
'Just because they're growing up doesn't mean you can't.' said Mr. Probable. 'You want things to stay like they were in high school? Those days are gone. Do you really want to be like some pathetic thirty-year old who spends his life in the High School parking lot, wearing his old varsity sweater, playing like he's still top dog with the seniors?'
Grimm laughed bitterly. 'I didn't even do that when I was a senior.' he said.
'Then grow up and get past it.' Mr. Probable said. 'Rhonda's changing. You can change too.'
'It's too late.' Grimm said. 'She chose her path. I chose mine.'
'Who says those choices are set in stone?' said Mr. Probable. 'If I'm out hiking and I choose a path I don't like? I turn around, go back and pick another. If you don't like the way things are playing out, then change it. You'll never know what you can do if you don't try. Are you really just going to sit this one out, boy?' he said, and Grimm didn't miss the heavy emphasis on the last word.
'Stop calling me boy.' he said wearily.
'Maybe when you stop acting like one.' he answered. 'Don't mince words son. What's really eating you?'
Grimm slapped his hands on his thighs in frustration. 'What isn't?' he growled. 'The team's breaking up - it's literally falling apart right in front of me - just when I thought we were rock solid! Now Rhonda's going native, Jade's gone boy-crazy and Rueful... I don't know what's going on with Rueful, but I don't like that either!'
Mr. Probable watched as his son seemed to grow more agitated with each word. Grimm finally hunched over with his head bowed, looking at his feet.
'It just...' he said, and his voice sank almost to a whisper. 'It feels like... like I'm losing everything I ever cared about!'
Mr. Probable didn't break the silence that fell for a full minute. He simply kept watching Grimm in his agony. 'Are you in love with her, boy?' he said at last. Grimm looked up at him, seeming confused. Mr. Probable's face hardened. 'I mean, this isn't just a High School thing anymore - are you actually in love with Rhonda Fatigable?'
All the emotion drained out of Grimm's face, as if he had never been asked such a thing before. He slowly lowered his head and for some time, he did not answer. But he seemed tense as a bowstring, as if physically weighing the question with all the strength he had.
'Yes.' he breathed at last, his fists clenched. And the admission felt heavy, because of it's seriousness, and made somehow more bitter because Rhonda wasn't there. He expected to feel a comforting pat on his shoulder from his father. Or words of consolation and counsel.
What he didn't expect was a powerful whack on the back of his head from a rolled-up magazine. Grimm winced and flinched away from the blow, rubbing the back of his hair and glaring up at his father in anger and surprise. But before he could recover enough to say anything, Mr. Probable growled at him, looking equally angry.
'Then what the devil are you still doing here?' he said.
Coming Soon:
Chapter 14
Storm Crows
The entire world is on the run from giant engines of destruction, with a fleet of alien ships waiting in the wings! Kim is captured, and how can Team Probable possibly help turn the tide when there is no more team? Things are only just heating up for the next chapter!
A number of poeple have messaged and reviewed, wanting Grimm to have some kind of comeuppance for all the tough times he put Kim through. And they disliked Grimm being portrayed as so unflappable and cool through it all. I'd had this chapter in mind for a long time, with Grimm now going through his own spiritual guantlet. In some ways his troubles lasted longer than Kim's, because his debt to the Great Bear was still ongoing through both stories, whereas Kim's spiritual journey ended in the third tale. She had matured, and Grimm hadn't. But has he finally learned his lesson...?