Double-Z: Yes, twists are fun, aren't they? And one reason I made NOK II a crossover was because I wanted a challenge and to discredit the notion that crossover sucky story. For the Danny Phantom and Juniper Lee characters, I'd direct you to the Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network sites for their bios.

Quill in Hand: I like plot twists. I do more yet later on. As for your Simpsons comment, I haven't watched in years (I think the show's really gone downhill as of late), I do vaguely remember that episode. As for General M'lotsa's role, that remains to be seen... I did see it, the night it premiered... art was beautiful, plot was reused and weak.

FanofDa'EdBoyz: Wow, you've certainly changed in opinion! ;-P Yes, the conversation of Katarn and Kam was tricky; they're close friends, but one has still been somewhat indoctrinated. And yeah, Katarn's my favorite too... she'll show up importantly as always for the rest of the fic as well as the third.

...yes, that's right, I'm doing a NOK III. But, I'll need time to plot it out; time I don't have in college. Maybe during Winter Break, I can start. Can't say much now, but it will take place mostly on Kaijex.

And now... dissent in the ranks!

"She virtue requires a rough and stormy passage; she will have either outward difficulties to wrestle with… or internal difficulties."
Michel Eyquem, seigneur de Montaigne.

Aboard the Kaijex, Earth Orbit, Sol System

The assembled crowd gaped at Frankie's unprovoked assault on their leader.

"Hey! What the heck was THAT for!" Kevin snapped.

"Indeed! Cease and desist, Ms. Foster!" Edd cried, grabbing Frankie by the arm. The redhead shook him off and again lunged for the small monarch, growling angrily. Nazz dove to the side.

"Ouch, dude! You could have broken my nose!" she cried, rubbing it. As feeling returned to her numb face and her sight cleared, she saw Vicky standing up as Danny and Sam floated upwards; all three also had a glazed, distant look. Oh, this isn't going to end well... she thought to herself. As if in answer, Vicky unleashed a hailstorm as the ghost hybrids fired round after round of plasma shots.

"Ow! Stop it, you meanies!" Jody squeaked as she tried to shield her face.

"Oh, great. Dissent in the ranks," Raven muttered deadpan as she threw a soul self shield up. Their attacks deflected, the four started banging on the black dome, growling angrily.

"They're actin' like zombies or somethin'..." Lee muttered.

"Nazz!" Katarn cried, running in. "The Zygrans! They used some sort of mind weapon to... oh," she trailed off, noticing the sight before her.

"Yeah, we kinda figured that out, thanks..." Marie snarked.

"Kat, run!" Jatala cried as the four whirled to see the undefended Kaijexian. Katarn muttered a curse before running out of the meeting room. The distraction over, they resumed their assault.

"I can't hold this forever, so... if anyone has a plan..." Raven insisted.

"Any ideas, Nazz?" May shrugged.

"Uh... I'm more diplomatic than aggressive dude, sorry," she blushed.

"I say we beat 'em up!" Sara snapped, pounding a fist.

"I don't mind that," Valerie growled as she activated her suit. "The ghost kids are breakin' off our honeymoon right now."

"Horrors! We cannot kill them!" Ed cried.

"Agreed. They're not acting on their own accord," Edd nodded in agreement. "We must free them."

"And how the heck do we do that, Sockhead!" Eddy screeched. "They're trying to bash our heads in!"

"Okay, like, I think he's annoying," Ophelia drawled, "but Shorty here has a point. They're totally being aggressive here."

"So are my arms," Raven called, straining to keep them aloft.

"Plank thinks we should try to save 'em," Johnny called out.

"Don't suppose he has an idea how to do that...?" June asked wryly.

"Well, no, but... Plank likes you!"

"...swell..." June replied, eyes half closed. Marcus patted her hand with a comforting smile. The girl blushed and took it.

"Oh, isn't it romantic, Sara?" Jimmy squeaked, clasping his arms.

"Tick tock, tick tock," Raven croaked, her arms tiring rapidly.

"Well, oh great warrior queen Nazz?" Rolf asked.

"I, I... I..." Nazz winced. She was just about to confess she had no idea what to do when the attacks suddenly stopped. She looked up; the four had vanished. An uncomfortable silence fell over the meeting room.

"So, was that your plan?" Marie asked with a shrug. Raven dropped her arms, panting slightly.

"Well, part one anyway: Not dying," Nazz replied as she got up. "Part two is to keep part one, and to snap our guys out of it."

"There's one problem I can see," Ed answered. "We are dealing with four adversaries that have the ability to hide or change shape at will that have heard about our skills and know what to expect."

"Lumpy's right," Eddy nodded.

"Look, let's just calm down... I'm gonna see if I can talk to Katarn and her friend the engineer," Nazz assured as she began to step for the door.

"Not very smart!" Valerie called after her.

"Pink jumpsuited Valerie girl is right, oh leader!" Rolf added. "Our confused allies may be waiting to strike at anytime, yes no?"

"And they're probably sitting ducks..." Sara sighed.

"We don't need this," Nazz muttered under her breath. "The human race is getting its butt kicked, and we need to deal with a forced mutiny..."

"Queen Nazz'Tara?" a voice crackled on the loudspeaker.

"...who is this?" the young monarch asked, confused.

"This is, uh, Kam Hator, ma'am... you kinda saved my life earlier."

"Oh. Uh, hey dude."

"I'm not sure if this'll help-help," the voice continued, "but the weapon wasn't fully operational... test run and all. If you knock the victims out, they may just snap out of it..."

"That works..." Nazz nodded. "So... how do we hit ghosts and gusts of wind, there, Kam?"

"...uh..."

"Yeah, thought so," Nazz nodded with a sigh. She turned back to her allies. "Ed, Eddy, Rolf, Jimmy, Sara, and Kevin... you go after Frankie. Double-D, Marie, May, Lee, and Johnny... you're with me to find Vicky. And Raven, you get the Orchid Bay kids and Jat to track down Danny and Sam."

"I get to play babysitter. Oh, goody," Raven snarked, crossing her arms.

"I'd rather be with Marie..." Kevin sighed, "but it works."

"Uh... what about me?" Valerie asked with a note of annoyance.

"Ooh," Nazz gulped, biting her lip. "How about you be back-up for Katarn and Kam? You do have that big gun..."

"Well... all right," the ghost hunter huffed.

"Good. Let's move out, teams." With that, the gang split up.

"Okay, so, Monster Movie Boy..." Eddy drawled. "How do we stop a metal shape shifting monster?"

"A puzzle, to be sure," Ed nodded. "However, I fear my previous experiences in movies did not address this."

"Formerly dumb Ed boy did not see the Terminator movies?" Rolf asked.

"I did... but we don't have a giant vat of molten metal. And that would kill Frankie, thereby defeating the purpose."

"Horrors! We seem to be in a conundrum, Sara!" Jimmy cried, squeezing his protector tightly at the waist. She gave him a pat on the hands.

"Well, we ain't gettin' anywhere whinin' about it," Kevin observed. "I'm gonna scout out ahead," he continued as he turned the corner to take a peek ahead.

"We need a strategy," Ed warned. "We must go forth calmly and with a plan in hand to combat the forces ahead!"

"He's right," Sara nodded. "We have to know what we're gonna do."

"Yes, fellow warriors, we must go forth calmly! I shall fight with enough gallantry to make Nana's ancestors blush with glee!" Rolf cried, thrusting an arm up.

"Sure, stretch," Eddy sighed, rolling his eyes. After a moment, Kevin returned, giving a last glance to the hall.

"Yeah, we're good," he nodded as he rejoined the group.

"Oh, thank heavens you're okay!" Jimmy gaped. "I was so worried, Kevin. What if something happened to you? I imagine your new loved one would be crushed!"

"Yeah, I'm sure Maria wouldn't it like it very much," Kevin nodded. "Anyway, I found a good route to get the drop on that brat," he continued, jerking a thumb down the hall. "C'mon, follow me."

"Kevin's so brave, isn't he Sara?" Jimmy cooed.

"Red hatted Kevin knows a path to victory, yes no?" Rolf observed.

"Yes, I suppose he does..." Ed replied, casting the boy a suspicious eyes. "I'm quite sure he does..."

"Why did we have to get the girl who can freeze, fry, and blast us?" May whined. "I don't wanna freeze, fry, or be blasted..."

"Keep quiet! She'll moider us if we don't!" Lee hissed.

"Indeed, we must remain quite, ladies!" Edd urged.

"Don't worry, guys... Plank's here!" Johnny cried.

"Um, great dude..." Nazz sighed. "Now, if I were a teenager with element powers under alien mind control, where would I go?"

"Um... the ceiling?" May asked.

"Please, May, be with us..." Edd sighed.

"No, really... the ceiling."

"May, for cryin' out l--" Nazz was cut off as a hail of, well, hail suddenly rained down. "Ouch, dude!" the monarch squeaked, trying to shield herself.

"Make with the eye beam!" Lee snapped.

"Hurry!" Marie begged.

"Right, right, on it!" Nazz shouted. Her third eye flickered, then emitted its laser at the hail as well as Vicky. The hail was melted, but Vicky dodged easily.

"S'matta, twerp? Your aim off?" Vicky hissed in a demonic tone.

"Get her, Plank!" Johnny cried as he hurled the wood at her. Vicky yawned, and set the board ablaze. Johnny wailed and frantically rubbed his friend in the water from the hail, saving him from more severe damage.

"Aw, didn't the little kindling get hurt? Let me share the wealth!" Vicky hissed, raising her hands. Blasts of fire roared free, belting the Kaijexians with heat and flames. Nazz took the brunt and fell to the floor, screaming. Edd looked on horrified, and whirled around, glaring.

"You beast!" Edd cried as he lunged himself at Vicky. The redhead yawned, and blew him away with a small gust. He landed hard on his back, grunting.

"Hey, you can't do that to Double-D!" Marie growled as she dove for the attacker. Vicky froze the Kaijexian in her tracks, and her sisters barely caught her before she crashed to the floor and shattered.

"This... hurts..." Marie managed, muffled.

"Well, I'm done here... I'll see you later. I'm gonna play with the big toy on board. Bye now." With that, Vicky turned into a gust of wind and vanished into a vent.

"Oh, dear, what could that possibly mean...?" Edd gulped.

"I don't know... but I do know I'm overdone," Nazz hissed in mid healing. "A little help here? I need to pull out the singed fur..."

"Ooh, I'm scared of ghosts!"

"Okay, like, seriously, Jody... you're getting annoying."

"You're both annoying," Raven muttered to the small girls. They huffed.

"C'mon, guys! Let's cheer up and hug!" Jatala grinned.

"...I don't hug," Raven said.

"Wonder why," June snarked under her breath. "Now, if I were ghost kids, where would I go, and what would I do..." she muttered, feeling along the wall as if hoping to find a clue hidden in the metal.

"I dunno, June," Marcus shrugged.

"Maybe we can scare them? I mean, I know this old story from Zygran Warriors' Tales that always gave me the creeps and... is she okay?" Jatala asked, pointing to a twitching Raven. "She's all twitchy."

"I'm just cold and having a head..." Raven cried out and hung her head, falling still. The others looked confused and worried.

"Uh, 'Wonder Goth?'" Ophelia asked, poking her. As if on cue, Raven lifted her head and opened her eyes; one was neon green and the other neon purple. The teenager broken into an evil sneer.

"...this isn't good..." June managed.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" Raven cried, her voice now sounding like a fusion of the AWOL ghost kids. Tendrils of energy engulfed the Orchid Bay crew, shorting out June's amulet and reversing the others' transformations. The four reverted humans looked blankly at their bodies, and then up at the hovering demon hybrid.

"...you're a meanie," Jody huffed, crossing her arms.

"Something tells me she doesn't care..." June gulped as Raven charged another blast for a second attack.

"This way!" Jatala cried, grabbing the nearest kid's arm and yanking. The group vanished into the door just as the blast vaporized the bulkhead behind the kids. Raven's eyes glowed white, and she clenched her fists with an angry dual growl. Her frustration now out of her system, the Titan phased through the door more like a ghost in hot pursuit of her quarry.

"What is this, friend Kevin? How do we catch gone-crazy Frankie girl in the ship's cargo room?"

"Oh, uh, we'll ambush her here. It'll be, uh, really cool, dorks," the boy stammered with a grin. Ed frowned.

"Since when do you use 'dorks' anymore, Kevin? You haven't said that for some time now..." he mused, rubbing his chin.

"Since I feel like it," Kevin sniffed.

"Lumpy's right. Something's off here," Eddy insisted. "I don't know what it is, but something's not ko--" He was cut off by Kevin's arm suddenly shooting forward and grabbing his throat.

"Horror of horrors!" Jimmy squeaked.

"Well, you're not as dumb as I thought, shorty," Kevin said in Frankie's voice. I have to admit that I'm impressed. And, to be honest, disappointed."

"Why's that, you big jerk?" Sara growled.

"You were like sheep to the slaughter. You just followed me without a clue as to what was going on," Frankie smirked.

"Well, actually, when you got a name wrong, I--" Ed began.

"Shut up," the shape shifter groaned. "Now, why don't you just stand there, shut up, and let me kill you," she continued as her free arm morphed into a large missile launcher. "I'll send my best wishes to your fam--" Frankie stopped in her tracks as something smacked into her head from behind. She dropped Eddy and flopped face first to the deck with a grunt, turning back into her usual human form. The kids looked up to see a battered Kevin hanging out of a vent.

"Well, that was anti climatic," the actual Kaijexian huffed. "She beats me up, leaves me in the vent system, I trail you guys, and I take her out with one hit. Bit of a let down, really..."

"Yes, I'm sorry we didn't just blow up..." Ed replied wryly.

"Huzzah for real McCoy Kevin-boy!" Rolf cried with a raised fist. As Kevin dismissed it with a wave of his hand, Frankie began to stir and groan. She lifted her head to see her allies glaring down at her, ready to strike.

"What's going on? Why am I here? And, could you not point those claws at me?" she insisted.

"You don't know about how horrible you were?" Jimmy squeaked.

"Is your name 'Bloo?'"

"No," Jimmy shook his head.

"Then, I'm not horrible to you, unlike the headache I have," Frankie grumbled, rubbing her head. "Now, really, what's going on?"

"Um, would you believe it if I said you had been possessed by an evil alien presence and tried to kill us all?"

"At this point," Frankie said with half closed eyes, "I'd believe anything." Her head jerked to her left as she heard muffled explosions. "What was that?" Before she could answer, several screams rang out. Wasting no time, the gang hurried out of the cargo bay to render aid.

"We're all gonna die!"

"Stop panicking!" June snapped as Jody ran in circle, squeaking in fear.

"What if we just club her over the head..." Ophelia sighed wryly.

"That's not very nice!" Jatala huffed. Before the Goth could respond, the wall next to them seemed to explode. Raven floated in, hands charged with green and purple energies.

"Nor is what I'm about to do," she assured them as she took aim. Before she could fire, a furry foot kicked her in the back, sending Raven splattering against a bulkhead. She fell on her back, and twitched as her possessors fled their victim. Raven was just sitting up and rubbing her head when Eddy hit her with a stray piece of wreckage. The older girl whirled, four red eyes boring into him.

"What was THAT for!" she snapped.

"You were all Norman Bates just now!" Eddy whined defensively.

"I've seen the movie," a female voice called mockingly. "She really doesn't have that... touch for a shower scene."

"Oh, great," Kevin groaned as Danny and Sam faded in from above.

"Buh-bye now," Danny smirked as he and Sam aimed their hands. A blast from behind caught them in the back. They fell to the floor with a strangled cry. Behind the fallen halfas, Valerie took off her mask and set the safety on her weapon.

"I heard the commotion from out there. I actually didn't want to do that. I've always wanted to, but now I..." She trailed off as flashes of light surrounded the fallen duo. Her eyes widened as the boy's jumpsuit faded into jeans and a T shirt, and the girl's a black over shirt and skirt.

"Danny Fenton and Sam Manson are the ghost kids! You gotta be kidding me!" she snapped as they came to. They looked up at the stunned Valerie, gulping.

"You... know, don't you," Sam sighed.

"Well, obviously," Valerie replied as she holstered her weapon. "And, well, I guess you know ab--"

"We already knew," Danny interrupted.

"Oh," Valerie replied. She hesitated, then smiled slightly. "I won't tell if you won't tell..." she added.

"Deal," Sam smiled as Valerie helped the two up. "Now, could someone explain to us why we don't remember the past ten minutes or so?"

"The Zygrans seized your minds! It was terrible!" Jimmy squeaked.

"The Z-- We were taken over?" Danny gulped.

"To put it very mildly," Sara replied dryly.

"Not again," the halfas groaned, plopping into a sitting position.

"Hey, don't sweat it. They got me too," Frankie shrugged.

"Indeed, do not despair," Ed urged.

"No, you don't understand," Sam insisted. "Danny and I have both been possessed and nearly hurt loved ones and friends... we swore it'd never happen again, and it just did!" she cried.

"Oh, for... let me handle this," Raven groaned as she took a hand each. "Listen to me. I know how it feels. Believe me when I say I literally have my own demons. But, you must understand. If you don't pull it together right now, those loved ones and friends, along with everything and everyone else on Earth, is going to cease to exist. I think you get the point."

"You're right," Danny answered, shaking his head. Sam nodded and the two straightened up.

"Three of the four rogue warriors are returned, yes?" Rolf observed. "But, where is the fourth one?" At that moment, the ship shuddered and klaxons wailed.

"...that could be a clue," Ed offered sarcastically.

"Enough commentary and more butt kicking," Kevin sighed. "It sounds like something's happening in the engine room... follow me."

"Vicky... please let that go..." Nazz begged.

"Why?" the teenager smirked in singsong.

"Because, I designed that engine, and if it overheats..." May pleaded, "we all die. Painfully."

"Oh, okay," Vicky nodded. With that, she put both hands on the coolant pump. The metal began to take on a reddish hue as the ship continued to shudder.

"This won't end well," Edd sighed. As he spoke, the rest of the crowd rushed into the room and froze at the sight before them.

"I assume this is a bad thing, right?" Marcus observed.

"You could say th-- Kevin!" Marie cried. "What happened to you?" she asked as she rushed to the red hatted Kaijexian and embraced him.

"Let's just say I got into a scuffle..." he shrugged. "Now, what's happening?"

"Oh, not much," Lee shrugged. "We're all about to die."

"No, we're not doing that," Raven muttered. She was just raising her hands when Vicky shot a blast of ice, freezing her solid. Valerie was pulling her weapon free when she too was blasted; it went flying out of her hand and slid across the deck.

"Naughty naughty!" Vicky scolded. "In fact, I think you all need to chill out!" With that, she opened fire and mowed most of the gang down. Edd and Nazz, happening to be near overheating metal, were spared the quick freezing. Not noticing, Vicky turned away to finish the engine off.

"This isn't going well," Edd sighed as the engine began to creak.

"Nice knowin' ya, dude," Nazz added. "We failed." Edd was about to respond when Valerie's weapon caught his eye. He pulled her close.

"When I say, run and catch this, and hope for the best," Edd whispered as he slowly picked up the gun. Are you ready?"

"Yes, yes, just hurry!" Nazz hissed as a sixty second countdown to a core breach sounded.

"All right... GO!" he cried. Nazz ran out of sight as Vicky whirled around angrily. She glared at Edd.

"I missed a twerp? I'll fix that," she muttered as she froze the boy. Just as he was freezing, Edd tossed the gun to Nazz. The monarch grabbed it, barrel rolled, and fired just as Vicky was turning to attack her. Unconscious, she clattered to the deck, and the engine began to cool down. Nazz heaved a sigh of relief, and melted Edd free with her eye.

"Nice work, Double-D," she grinned as she hugged the boy tight.

"You as well, Nazz," he blushed before pecking her. The blonde giggled before remembering the other ice sculptures. "Ooh, right," she muttered to herself as she focused her eye on the gang. It swept over them, and one by one they were revived.

"Well, that was fun," Eddy grumbled.

"Shut up..." Kevin groaned. Vicky came to and sat up as he did so.

"Why do I feel like I was extremely evil just now...?" she asked.

"It doesn't matter," Nazz groaned. "We lost."

"'Lost?' What do you mean, 'lost?'" June demanded.

"Look at us! Our ship's banged up, we only took out two of their compounds, we were just fighting each other to the death... there's no way we can win this! Earth is lost."

"Nazz'Tara Alexandria Romanov!" Edd scolded. "Don't think such a thing!"

"She does have a point, Double-D," Sara sighed. "We're not doing so well." Most of the assembled Kaijexians and humans mumbled in agreement.

"Quitting is pointless," Raven growled. "We keep trying."

"I guess, but..." Nazz trailed off as a buzzer began to sound. She hit the button next to the communication monitor. "What..." she said exasperated.

"Nazz," Katarn answered, "we have a massive incoming. Three hundred to four hundred ships." The color drained from everyone's faces as it sank in. Nazz slumped, images of Earth's obliteration in her head.

"Great, Katarn, just g--"

"Nazz, wait... these aren't Zygran ships! I'm reading Biserian, Zardazian, M'halla, even some of our low class cruisers!" She paused. "Someone's hailing you."

"Well, patch it in!" Nazz cried happily as hopeful expressions and outbursts sounded from those around her. On the monitor appeared a Biserian, short, pudgy, and with unruly hair, on the bridge of Biserian Universe-class starship.

"Uh, hey. It's Queen Nazz'Tara. I heard you needed to talk to me?"

"Your highness!" the Biserian nodded. "This is Rade Boussr of the Biserian flagship Nattahnam, commander of the joint fleet now entering the Sol System. We have come to render you and humanity aid in your fight against the Zygrans."

"That's great!" Nazz grinned. "Thanks! And, well, let's hope for the best."

Boussr nodded.

"To us all," he nodded. He turned over his shoulder to the tactical station behind him "Shields up, and charge weapons..." he ordered as the signal closed.

"Well, this should even the odds a touch..." Ed grinned.

"You hear that, buddy? We're saved!" Johnny cried, hugging Plank tight.

"So, Nazz," Sam asked. "Anyway we can get in on the action...?"

"I thought you'd never ask," Nazz grinned. "Right this way."

Three hundred and sixteen warships from four different races made their final approach past Luna towards the battered planet Earth. Between them and the helpless world lay two hundred Zygran warships, now turning to greet the challengers.

The battle for Earth was about to begin.