All Things Probable IV: Graduation

by Slyrr

The closing chapters of Graduation are upon us at last! In this chapter, find out what happens after Ron defeated Warhok! How did the defeat of one Lorwardian Warlord stop a world-wide invasion? Kim and Ron finally get their diplomas! Loose ends will be tied, so if you've enjoyed Graduation up to now, journey on and see how it's all going to end! Read and Review!

24. Ch 23: The Eye of the Storm

All Things Probable IV
Graduation

Kim Possible is owned/copyrighted by Disney and its affiliates, etc. etc.

Chapter 23
In the Eye of the Storm

In the Engineering section on board BattleF'yuri's command ship, Rhonda stood facing a gang of at least ten Lorwardian soldiers, including their leader - BattleF'yuri himself. Not to mention, there were at least twenty Lorwardian technicians and engineers manning that section of the ship, who looked no less formidable with weapons and combat armor.

Some of them were already vaulting over the rails of their stations to join BattleF'yuri's gang, and Rhonda momentarily regretted the bravado of her challenge as BattleF'yuri's eyes narrowed. He glanced aside at the two Fights standing directly next to him. 'You two - stand guard beside me.' he said with a low growl. 'The rest of you? Show her who's next.' And with bellowing roars, almost all the remaining Lorwardians charged.

Rhonda clenched her fists, concentrating with all her might. 'All right Great Bear - it's now or never!'

Omahkkiaayowa, Nitohpoksiiyikitapiiyi!
Omahkkiaayowa, Nitohpoksiiyikitapiiyi!

The mark on her arm flared like a star as the Lorwardian fighters launched themselves onto her. Rhonda had watched her High School football team practicing enough times to know she was experiencing what it must have been like to be dogpiled at the scrimmage line. The first Lorwardian threw his enormous arms around her and bore down. The rest of them continued to crash on top of them one after another, intent on crushing her by sheer weight of numbers.

And BattleF'yuri smirked as Rhonda vanished beneath the press, smothered and buried by his loyal soldiers. Some of his men were punching and kicking, but most were bracing themselves to ensure their prey could not escape.

There was a sudden flare of blue light, so bright that it lanced through the tiny gaps in the mound of Lorwardians. There was a roar like the shout of some enormous beast, and then the alien fighters were flying in all directions, as if a bomb had been set off beneath them. The soldiers quickly landed and righted themselves.

But Rhonda was now racing forward, her eyes glowing blue, and an aura of bluish white rippling around her. The largest, burliest of the Lorwardians dashed forward to meet her. Both of them pulled back a fist, and used their momentum to punch hard. Their fists collided with a loud shockwave and an explosion of blue light. Rhonda skidded backwards, but the Lorwardian tumbled back like a punted football, smashing back first into a bulkhead.

'Open fire!' BattleF'yuri roared. And there was a swishing rustle as over a dozen blasters were unholstered simultaneously. Without waiting, the Lorwardians took aim and started shooting. Rhonda gasped and put her hands up. The partial force shield from her Poxorza suit sprang up, and yellow bolts started pinging against it. The barrage was relentless, and Rhonda was no expert on how the shield technology worked. But even she could tell that it wouldn't hold against this much power. She squeezed her eyes, feeling the heat and the force of the blasts. Not knowing what else to do, she kept chanting.

Omahkkiaayowa, Nitohpoksiiyikitapiiyi...
Omahkkiaayowa, Nitohpoksiiyikitapiiyi...

Her birthmark kept glowing. And the glow spread over her body, being brightest at her hands. The power of the Great Bear seemed to be flowing into the pink glow of the shield, making it brighter and larger. It turned from pink into a bright lavender. And the laser bolts careened away from it on impact. For some time, the Lorwardians kept firing, but seemed unable to penetrate the barrier.

Rhonda didn't want to just wait around and see what they tried next. She edged towards a side wall, lined with heavy metal struts. Some of the troops were starting to fan out, seeking different angles from which to shoot. She risked dropping her hands, and the power of the Great Bear seemed to be keeping the shield up. Moving fast, she gripped one of the metal beams and wrenched it loose from the wall, just like she had with the lamp-post back in Riddleton.

With a roaring cry, she swung and batted several surprised troops aside like tenpins. The others reacted quickly, scattering here and there so as not to present a clustered and easy target. But they continued to fire, and Rhonda was forced to heft the beam, using it as both a shield and a weapon. One brave trooper had circled around nearly behind her, and charged at her with a grating shout. Rhonda pivoted and whirled the beam, bringing it down like a hammer. There was a ringing like a giant gong, and when Rhonda hefted the beam again, she caught a brief glimpse of the unfortunate soldier, lying flat and spread eagled, looking comically unconscious. She even thought she heard tweeting birds circling around his head as she kept using the beam to deflect shots from the other troopers.

All the while, BattleF'yuri stood watching impassively. He studied her movements and tactics, barking out occasional directions to his troopers and technicians as they continued the fray. While surprised at Rhonda's strength and her powers, he felt something was wrong with the way this Earthling girl was conducting her assault. It was loud, brazen, and flashy - nothing like the stealth attack which had been conducted on the other ship. She had come to hit the off switch, he was certain of that. And tactically, it would indeed be a heavy blow against his flank if it succeeded. To take out the command flagship would send the other ships into disarray, and forestall the assault against Earth.

Yet, despite the strength of this girl, she was not trying to push forward and make for the off switch, which should have been her main objective. She seemed to be making her attacks as visible and disruptive as possible - to make sure all attention was drawn to her... or diverted.

BattleF'yuri turned quickly towards the off switch, which was directly behind him. It seemed secure, but despite the fact that he had ordered the consoles to be lit brightly, there seemed to be a patch nearby that was darker...

He lashed out with a quick strike from his fist, and heard a yelp of pain. The shadows vanished, and Maze was reeling backwards, collapsing against a nearby wall. A small furry creature leaped from the shaman's shoulder, right at the off switch. With another swat, BattleF'yuri batted Rueful aside, and he landed on Maze's chest with a squeal.

'Rueful!' Rhonda shouted.

Maze was trying to get up, but BattleF'yuri had unholstered his own blaster, and levelled it at him and at Rueful. Maze slowly raised his hands, while Rueful mimicked his gesture, with a high-pitched 'Uh oh.'

Rhonda was running towards them, but she also froze as the Lorwardian blaster was aimed at her friends. BattleF'yuri then grinned at her, a wicked grin. 'I hope you weren't relying too heavily on them, my dear.' he growled.

o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o

On the bridge of the ship, Grimm Probable sat in BattleF'yuri's command chair. His wrists and ankles ached after having been shackled for so long, but he winced and ignored it.

The Lorwardians were asleep, but there was no telling how long that would last. He could take advantage of his sudden freedom, and make a run for it. He could try to find some way off the ship and save himself. But sheer instinct was telling him that was not the case. The Mystical Monkey had told him now was the time for him to act, to do what he did best. But what should he do?

Mr. Misdirection. He had been called that many times, by many people. The displays on BattleF'yuri's chair were still up, still showing a steady cycle of windows. Each one showing an area of Earth that was being attacked. And none of what Grimm was seeing looked good. Walker drones were everywhere. The people of Earth were fighting back, but they were losing.

Hesitantly, Grimm reached up to one of the holographic display screens. He was terrified of doing something wrong, but knew he couldn't afford to waste any time. The battles he saw being displayed were progressing too quickly against Earth. And any moment, the Lorwardian guards around him might wake up. He swiped a finger across the display, as he had seen BattleF'yuri doing. To his relief, the screen stayed up, and the smaller video windows scrolled, just like with a smart phone.

After a few moments experimentation, he was scrolling around feverishly. The number of displays seemed endless. He knew what he was looking for, but with the rapid blur of windows flashing across his eye, he was not sure if he would ever find it. Nor was he even sure if it was there to be found.

Tense minutes passed. There was silence except for the thrumming breaths of the sleeping troopers, the white noise of the other consoles, and the whirring of the displays as Grimm searched and searched.

Then he saw it - a flash of red which was not the glowing crimson of the Lorwardian machinery. He pressed his finger against the window and there it was. Kim Possible. It looked like she was inside a Lorwardian ship that was nearly identical to the one where Grimm was imprisoned. As he had suspected, Kim was on the loose - and she wasn't alone. Ron was there with her, dressed in some kind of space suit. To his surprise, he saw Shego there, wearing an identical suit, and following them was none other than Dr. Drakken.

Grimm chewed his lip, worrying again about what would happen if he tinkered unknowingly with this alien user interface. Their controls might be set up very differently than what he was used to. He pressed his finger on the window that was showing Kim. The window expanded, and was surrounded by a number of other windows. Some showing text panels that he couldn't read at all, but others showing new images. His trained eye discerned that the new video panels were from other cameras nearby the one he had highlighted.

And the expanded window was showing what looked like highlight icons, next to the heads of the people in the main window. Grimm tried tapping the one next to Kim. A small window opened with what looked like a Lorwardian sentence, and what seemed to be two choice icons below. 'If I were controlling these cameras, and wanted it to focus on a particular person, how would I lay out the UI?' he thought furiously. He wished Jade were there - this was her cup of tea. She would probably have translated half the language by now. But she wasn't here, and he could only blunder on and hope he was guessing right. 'Follow this subject?' he thought, staring at the small window. 'Yes? Or No?' And he tapped the first of the two icons.

o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o

On board Warhok's command ship, Kim, Ron, Shego and Drakken found themselves in a massive control room, filled with churning machinery. In the center of the room was what looked like a 'warp core' from the set of Captain Constellation. It blazed with light and power. The noise was deafening.

'Congratulations!' Kim shouted sarcastically at Shego. 'You found the loudest room in the ship!'

Shego ignored her, or maybe didn't hear her over the bedlam. They all had their hands over their ears to block out the worst of it. 'Try the central power core! Do some damage here, you'll get results!' And without waiting, she started looking around for anything that looked important enough to wreck. She was surprised she had to encourage Kim in this matter - normally little Miss Priss couldn't stop herself from blowing up a lair.

'If I were an off switch, where would I be?' Ron shouted, fanning out on his own to look.

'Oh, this is highly advanced alien technology!' Drakken glowered, sounding sarcastic even though shouting at the top of his lungs. 'It's not going to be as simple as finding...'

The booming sounds of the gigantic room suddenly started ebbing out, fading rapidly to silence. The power core at the center of the room went dark, and all the other consoles nearby started winking off until the whole area was dim and silent. Rufus stood next to a large metal switch, smiling and twitching his whiskers with a thumbs-up sign. 'Heh heh!' he snickered.

'...an off switch.' Drakken said lamely, ending with a disbelieving grunt.

On the bridge of the ship, Warhok had been re-directing the walker attacks around Middleton. Being pulled away briefly by BattleF'yuri to deal with BattleSkaar had diverted his attention. He had only just now gotten the assault back into a pattern that satisfied him. Warmonga was fierce and loyal, but tactical strategy had never been her strongest point.

Suddenly, the relaxation of directing his walkers in battle was abruptly ended, as the entire ship powered down. The consoles in front of him, with their columns of light, flickered and died. The engines died as well, and with a shuddering groan that ran through the entire vessel, the ship began to descend into the Earth's atmosphere. Warhok glared. In his eagerness to closely oversee his walkers, he had positioned the ship too close to the Earth's gravitational pull.

In the chair next to his, Warmonga was hammering at the controls on her armrest panels. 'What... madness is this?' she screeched.

Warhok only had to ponder that question for a moment. Vividly, he recalled BattleSkaar's demonstration during their staff meeting, and he knew exactly what must have gone wrong. 'They've found the off switch!' he bellowed, shaking a fist.

Warmonga spat in anger. 'Long have I questioned the wisdom of that infernal switch!' Both of them rose from their chairs and charged into the ship's corridors. If they could not restore power, their entire operation was in peril.

They sprinted the straight span from the bridge, then around the curved spring of the saucer section of the ship in a mad rush to reach Engineering. Just as they approached the heavy doors, they slid open, and two human females nearly crashed into them. Warhok recognized the first one immediately.

'You!' he shouted at Kim. Then he looked at Shego, pausing. 'And...?'

The other female was a dark haired woman, with an odd greenish tinge about her. '...And...' she broke in, looking up at the two Lorwardians, 'You must be "Mister Warmonga".'

Warmonga sniffed. 'She is the blue imposter's battle-mate.' she said, and Warhok glared.

'Woah - time out!' Shego said, stepping up and forming a T with her hands. 'Yeah, the two teens are a 'thing', but there is nothing going on with me and Dr. D!'

Even in the midst of this confrontation, Kim felt a smirk spreading her lips. 'Nothing...?' she said, pouring on a sly tone. In all her time fighting Shego and Drakken, she'd harbored a suspicion that there was more to their partnership than just wanting power and money. Shego could have struck out on her own at any time, but for some reason she kept going back to Drakken. Kim might have thought it was out of 'loyalty', except they were both a pair of opportunistic backstabbers. Which only left the possibility that Shego must like Drakken somehow.

'Nothing!' Shego yelled, turning and yelling in Kim's face.

Even Warmonga seemed to see through Shego's bluster. 'Then why were you so threatened by my arrival?' she almost purred.

'Ah, I don't know.' Shego said, her cheeks now flushing red. 'Maybe because you're nine feet tall?'

Warhok shook his head. 'Denial.' he said. 'It's more than just a river on the planet which we now control.' Next to him, Warmonga was nodding quietly.

Until they were both bowled over. Ron had been using the suit's jet pack, while Dr. Drakken, ever seeking his own preservation, had climbed on to his back to prevent his rescuers from flying off without him. His extra weight had sent Ron careening out of control down the curved hallway until they had plowed into Warhok and Warmonga from the side.

The two Lorwardians slammed into the floor and appeared to be stunned. Ron was wailing as he and Dr. Drakken pinged from the walls and continued to fly out of sight around a distant bend. Shego glanced at Warhok and Warmonga, and decided it would be best if they were gone by the time the aliens got back up. She activated the jet boosters and extended a hand down to Kim. 'Come on, we'd better help.' she said sullenly.

'See? You do care!' said Kim, reaching up.

For a moment, Shego contemplated zipping off and leaving her there. But with an eye roll and an exaggerated moan of disgust, she took Kim's hand and carried her off down the corridor in pursuit of Ron.

At that moment, Warhok and Warmonga righted themselves and stood up. 'After them! Warmonga!' she shouted, but Warhok held her back.

'Not yet!' he shouted. 'We'll send drones to collect them later, but first we must reactivate the ship!'

Warmonga glanced through the windows, which were already lined with streaking flames. They were descending into the Earth's atmosphere. She grimaced and followed Warhok into the Engineering bay. Warhok had raced to the power core, reaching down for the area where he knew the off switch was nestled. He paused and shouted in anger. The entire console had been reamed out. There were sparking claw marks edged with bizarre greenish flames. And other parts of the housing had been burst asunder by what looked like plant vines. The off switch was destroyed, which meant the ship was lost.

'The earthlings will pay for this treachery!' Warmonga shouted. 'But where...'

'They will go to the hanger bays,' Warhok growled. 'To search for other vessels they can use to escape! Come!' And they both rushed back into the saucer section.

In the meantime, Shego and Kim had caught up with Ron, Drakken and Rufus. Drakken had finally managed to perch on top of Ron's back. Kim and Ron joined hands as they soared down the wide corridor. The flames which licked the windows outside were getting brighter, and they could feel heat radiating through them. There was a vibrating shudder that ran through the ship, and the vessel was starting to tilt crazily as it fell.

They could only jet down this curved expanse for so long - eventually it would loop and they would be right back where they started. The ship was crashing, and they had to get out. 'Now what?' Kim said.

'Uh... you're the hero Kimmie.' Shego said. 'I thought you could do anything.' Maybe being sarcastic was Shego's way of coping with stress, but Kim found herself at a momentary loss.

Ron let go of Kim suddenly as Drakken shifted his weight on Ron's back and nearly sent them flying into a window. 'Uh, the piggyback thing? Really drags down my coolness!' Ron called over his shoulder.

'Well, pardon me!' Drakken sneered. 'Not all of us have the power of flight!'

'Oh complain, complain!' Ron winced. 'You know, when life gives you lemons...'

'I complain about the lemons!' Drakken bellowed, losing his patience. But then he leaned up and stared straight ahead. His eyes went glassy, his face expressionless, as if he had gone into a trance.

Ron grimaced, because he looked even creepier than usual. 'Dude - are you ok?'

Even Shego had noticed. 'Dr. D...?'

But Drakken didn't seem to notice any of them anymore. He continued to look like he was reading from an invisible chalkboard, and that what he saw amazed him. 'My mind...' he breathed, 'It's racing! It's uncanny - I see every detail!'

'Of... what?' said Kim. It was tough enough being pulled through the air at flight speed, down the corridor of an alien ship by her arm - never mind having to worry about Dr. Drakken's sudden mental fits.

But now Drakken's eyes were sparkling, and his face split into a delighted grin. 'My greatest plan ever!' he shouted.

'To save the world?' Ron said over his shoulder.

Drakken winced. His normal thing was planning world take-overs and conquering. 'Do not make me say those words!' he pleaded.

To Kim's mind, their current wild circumstances hardly seemed the place or time for Drakken to come up with a world-saving epiphany. But she couldn't come up with any ideas of her own that would fend off a global scale alien invasion. And she found herself prepared to at least hear him out. 'All right, spill.' she said. 'But it'll have to be on the fly - we're still trying to find a way off a crashing alien warship!'

'I think I saw some rocket bikes in the hanger where we landed!' said Ron brightly. 'Last one there has to actually listen to Drakken's idea!'

'Hey!' Drakken shouted.

o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o

Further off in orbit, the remainder of the Lorwardian fleet waited only for the signal to descend and attack. BattleSkaar had been monitoring closely. He had thought that BattleF'yuri's decision to broadcast the war in progress, without authorization, had been foolish. And now he was watching with growing anger. Instead of a blanket overview of the entire attack, there was a growing number of cameras that seemed to be tracking General Warhok directly, and his prisoners. Or rather, those who had been his prisoners. He watched as they escaped and used the off switch to disable Warhok's flagship, and its slow descent to the planet surface.

'They're making us look like fools.' BattleSkaar snarled. 'And parading our embarrassment in front of all of Lorwardia!'

Sor'dClash stood beside him grimacing. 'It definitely does not portray the campaign in a... positive manner.' he said guardedly.

'This has gone on long enough!' BattleSkaar shouted, rising from his chair. 'Allowing BattleF'yuri to lay bare his own incompetence is one thing, but humiliating the entire fleet? Open a comm line to his vessel immediately!'

The Skirmish seated at the Communication station was working his consoles with visible frustration. 'I'm trying sir!' he shouted. 'He's not answering!'

'Override and force the line open!' BattleSkaar said angrily. The Skirmish nodded. 'BattleF'yuri!' He waited and listened, but there was no sound in answer. 'BattleF'yuri, this is BattleSkaar! Report in at once! Report, I say!' But again there was silence. 'What in the cosmos does he think he's doing?' BattleSkaar thought in rage.

o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o

In the Engineering Bay on BattleF'yuri's ship, the Lorwardian leader signaled his guards to draw their weapons and train them on Maze and Rueful. Then he turned his attention back to Rhonda. 'My congratulations, girl.' he said boldly. 'It was an excellent plan - it just didn't work.'

Rhonda looked around, her teeth gritted and sweat beading on her forehead. Maze and Rueful were down, and her plan to distract and give them a clear run at the off switch had failed. She had only managed to knock out four or five of the Lorwardian soldiers, and the others were already starting to surround her at a wary distance.

She clenched a hand. She could try to use the Spirit Strike - it had cut through an entire ship once. Would it deactivate the power core? She had no choice now but to try.

Omahkkiaayo...

She started to chant, but at that moment, the soldiers rushed at her again and the battle resumed. Rhonda pulled every judo trick she knew, pivoting, tossing and throwing Lorwardians into each other - but they were so strong, and there were so many of them, it was all she could do to keep herself from being overborne. She couldn't land any telling blows on any of them. They had put away their guns and now seemed more interested in sport, testing themselves against her bear strength. They rotated in and out, letting fresh attackers in if any of them got thrown back.

BattleF'yuri laughed, turning to Maze. 'And as for you...' he growled, and he reached down, gripping the front of Maze's poncho and hauling him up until he was dangling in his grip. 'I never trusted you, and now you shall meet your fate. To think our people offered power and glory to a worm like you!'

Maze struggled, but was no match for BattleF'yuri's strength. 'All you delivered were lies and destruction!' he hissed. 'You expect loyalty from those you betray?'

Rueful had recovered and was trying to slither past the guards, making another run for the off switch. But this time the guards were ready, and one of them plucked Rueful from mid-air as he leaped, holding him in a clenched fist. He wheezed and struggled to no avail, and the guard even ignored the bites from his sharp teeth.

'There is no cause greater than that of the Lorwardian Empire!' BattleF'yuri shouted. 'The advancement of our victory supersedes all else! Honor, loyalty, morality? What are those compared to our glorious conquests? If we must lie and betray to obtain victory, then so be it! Your backwards planet will thank us once they have been brought under our banner and taught civilization!'

Maze felt an anger unlike any other he had felt before. BattleF'yuri's words were so similar to all the excuses he had heard over the years when the governments of the white man had broken their treaties with his people, again and again. Always using the same excuse - that his people were mere savages, and this somehow justified the betrayal. But he could not block out the vision of Rhonda kneeling and weeping beside the body of Gentle Paw, or forget what she had said. This anger was different. It was outrage, but motivated not by a desire for revenge - but with a wish to save.

BattleF'yuri paused. His spindly prey was still struggling, but it was becoming more difficult to hold him. A blue light was welling behind his eyes, and BattleF'yuri felt his own fingers being pried open.

There was a hiss, and BattleF'yuri felt as if his hand was seared by a white hot poker. He released Maze with a yelp and drew back, his fingers smoking. Maze stood up. There was a flaring glow, and the red claw mark on his poncho was suddenly replaced with a white bear paw. He brought his hands together and chanted.

Omahkkiaayowa, Nitsiinihkatsimatsiiwa!
Omahkkiaayowa, Nitsiinihkatsimatsiiwa!

BattleF'yuri glared, shaking his burned hand. 'Stop him!' he shouted to his guards, and they rushed forward to attack. In Maze's clenched hands appeared a glowing, blue rod. It seemed to be a flaming, ghostly replica of his old claw staff, except that the claw itself was missing. One of the guards fired his weapon - the red blast of it seemed to be drawn into the staff, where it vanished.

Maze twirled the staff and jabbed it at the second guard, who was drawing back to strike with a large and heavy knife. The staff lanced through his body, leaving no mark or wound. But immediately, the guard froze, his eyes sliding out of focus, and he fell to the floor with a heavy thud. His hand, which had been gripping Rueful, fell limp, and the weasel slithered free with a squeal.

'Spirit staff!' Maze cried out without knowing what was guiding him. He swung the staff, which swept through the first guard like a phantom club. As it passed through him, he also stopped, then fell unconscious. Without waiting, Maze brought the staff up, then slammed the base of it into the floor. A tremendous shockwave erupted, and BattleF'yuri felt himself being flung backwards like a ball.

Rhonda, and even the other Lorwardian soldiers, had stopped their fight and were staring in amazement. 'Woah.' said Rhonda. 'I guess that was the will of the Great Bear.'

BattleF'yuri had skidded into a set of lit panels, which sparked on impact. He struggled to get up and back on his feet. 'Keep them away from the off switch!' he bellowed.

Half of the soldiers who had been fighting Rhonda rushed to obey. Rhonda seized her chance, chanting rapidly and quietly.

Omahkkiaayowa, Nitsiinihkatsimatsiiwa!

The mark burned on her arm, and she lashed out. 'Spirit strike!'

Five sickles of blue light spread out from her hand. All of the Lorwardians clustered around her were hit, including the ones heading for Maze. They all staggered and wheezed, as if overcome with sudden weariness. In a flurry of movement, both Rhonda and Maze swept through Engineering. Every Lorwardian that Maze struck with his staff fell unconscious. While Rhonda was able to stun and knock out the weakened soldiers until all of them were down.

BattleF'yuri paused only a moment to look in dumb amazement at his fallen servants and guards. Then he turned and ran to one of the utility lifts at the rear of the bay. Rhonda ran after him. 'Hey get back here, bigmouth!' she shouted. But he disappeared inside the lift, which closed like a tube around him. With a whooshing sound, BattleF'yuri was shuttled away.

Rhonda winced and heaved the lift doors open, but saw only empty blackness. 'It's no use.' Maze said, panting as if he was suddenly very weary. 'There's no knowing how far away he is by now.' She winced. If he had gone off for reinforcements... She glanced over at the double doors she had forced shut, and they seemed to be holding. But would a flood of guards suddenly start pouring out of the lifts?

She took the heavy beam she had used against the guards earlier, and started hammering each lift, crumpling the doors and shoving loose debris down each of the yawning cavities. 'Help me seal these too!' she said. 'Then we have to plan out how to hit that switch, and still be able to make it out of this place!'

o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o

Warhok's flagship was now well into the atmosphere, and the re-entry was engulfing much of the ship with flames. Kim and the others had reached the hanger. The Kepler had indeed been blown up, and was lying in twisted, charred pieces all over the landing bay. But Ron had guessed correctly. Lining the hanger bay were hundreds of ships and fighter craft.

One glance at the controls told Shego that the larger ships were in no way safe to try and pilot without training. But there was also a huge number of smaller craft, including what looked like Lorwardian hover-bikes. And Kim had gotten a feel for piloting one after messing with the controls for only a few seconds. 'See - I can do anything!' she chirped, and Shego glared.

At that moment, Warhok and Warmonga charged into the hanger. They spotted Kim and the team and ran straight for them. 'Then let's see how well you run.' Shego shouted. 'Let's bail!'

Kim used the bike's built-in guns, making a run towards the ship's hull and blazing away. Shego joined in, throwing her strongest flames, and the plating burst open. There was an initial rush of air, and it was breathable. They were safely beneath the vacuum of space above.

Warmonga's fists were clenched. 'Such annoying pests!' she hissed.

Warhok was donning a flight pack from the gear which lined the walls. 'The situation can still be salvaged.' he said. 'Once we destroy them, we will summon more ships and resume operations. Come!' Warmonga nodded, and chose a flight board. They powered up and flew off in pursuit of their prey.

Kim patted the bike as they zoomed out, Ron still carrying Drakken, Shego jetting close by. 'Hope they don't mind if I borrow!' she said. But glancing back up at the plummeting ship, she realized how close a shave it had been. The vessel was smoking, parts of it were burning, and the heavy armor plating was starting to peel off.

There was another explosion behind them from the hanger, but it was not damage from re-entry. Warhok and Warmonga had blasted through and were soaring in pursuit.

'I think they mind!' Shego shouted. Then she swooped over to Ron and plucked Dr. Drakken from his back. Drakken babbled in alarm as he dangled in a chasm of nothingness with Shego's grip the only thing between him and total free-fall. Shego was doing loops and banks to avoid falling debris, and also blasts from the weapons of their pursuers, which did nothing to calm down her passenger. 'Is the screaming part of your plan?' she shouted.

Shego saw Warhok flying in pursuit of Ron, while Warmonga made a beeline toward Kim. Both of them had veered aside, drawing the Lorwardians apart. She took advantage of this and flew away from all of them, carrying Dr. Drakken with her.

'We have to get to the old lair!' Drakken shouted. 'Quickly!'

'First we have to get our bearings!' Shego answered. 'Or we could wind up landing in the Congo!'

'They were in a holding pattern above Middleton!' Drakken said. 'Once we're low enough, you should be able to see the city and plot out a course to the lair!'

'Oh, so now you're in charge?' Shego said, but the ground far below was coming into clearer view, and she started looking for any sign of the city, so she could alter their descent.

Kim felt like a little kid inside the oversized Lorwardian bike. But she was still able to steer it, which was good, because Warmonga was almost right behind her, mounted on what looked like a flying surfboard. She was also wielding a staff that had a dangerous looking energy glow on the pronged end. Kim banked to the right just as Warmonga struck, and a flaming red trail missed her by inches. They were low enough now that they were above a body of water, which Kim guessed was the lake nearby Middleton.

Kim was juggling several things at once. Piloting the bike, dodging Warmonga, and also talking to Wade on her wrist Kimmunicator. 'So, what do you think Wade?'

Wade's image peered out from the screen, looking leery. He said, 'It sounds good.' But he dragged out every word with a frowning grimace.

'Except for the fact that it's Drakken's plan?' Kim answered. Warmonga had circled around back in pursuit, firing laser blasts from the staff.

'Well he... doesn't have the best track record.' Wade shrugged.

'Then he's due.' Kim said, doing a series of barrel rolls while red blasts zinged around her.

'That's one way to look at it.' said Wade. 'What's Ron think?'

'He's still a little... distracted.' Kim said, glancing over in the distance.

Warhok was flying almost side by side next to the human, with both of them gliding over the water. As angry as he was at this delay in his war, he was somehow fascinated. The human had, for some reason, started talking to him as if he were some kind of counselor, going on and on about his silly problems and personal doubts. And he found himself oddly listening, bemused by his lack of fear.

'What if Kim goes off to some fancy-schmancy college on the other side of the world, while I'm stuck at home, jockeying for Smarty-Mart employee of the month?'

'Warhok will not be ignored!' he shouted at last.

'I'm with you, man!' Ron answered. 'But hey - out of sight, out of mind! You know - she gets wrapped up in her "studies", I call, I text, does she answer? Sorry - busy! It's killing me!'

The more Ron prattled, the angrier Warhok became, and he drew his blaster. 'As you wish!' he thought, and the weapon glowed yellow as it powered up to fire. The silly human wasn't even paying attention - it would be his easiest kill in years.

Rufus saw it from his perch on Ron's shoulder and squealed desperately, giving Ron's ear a strong push. At the last second, Ron turned to look at Rufus, but saw the business end of Warhok's gun instead. With a wail, he careened off to the side while the blast singed his hair. Ron spiraled nearly out of control with Warhok in pursuit, trying to draw a bead on his crazily spinning target...

Part II:
The Cost of War

Professor Dementor, his henchmen, and the harried Army troopers were boxed in. They had fought with all their might. All their ammo was spent. Even Dementor's battle-suit was drained of power. Now they were hemmed into a city block which they had fortified, making barricades and choke points as best they could with any loose debris, burned vehicles or other jetsam that they could get their hands on.

But they knew it would be of no use. For every walker they managed to destroy, it seemed as if two more would arrive to take its place. And they needed to expend tremendous effort and resources to bring even one down. They had quickly drained all their reserves. Even as they strove to put up their minimal protection, they saw walkers rallying in the distance, preparing to push in and overrun them.

Dementor had pulled every devious trick he knew, used every resource they had brought with them. He had even sent his own ship by remote control in a kamikaze attack to destroy a walker. But they just kept coming. All of the assault rifles were empty and the soldiers were reduced to using handguns. His Death Ray had already been taken out.

Major Mann was looking resigned as he helped the troops to erect barricades which they knew would never hold. 'Gentlemen - this place is as good as any for a last stand!' he called out. 'It's been an honor!' He nodded to Professor Dementor. 'You're a criminal and an egomaniac.' he said. 'But you fought bravely!'

Dementor sighed. 'Ja.' he answered, though his eyes were on the walkers massing in the distance. 'Though - I would prefer to survive as well.'

o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o

In Go City, Team Go was dusty, battered and exhausted. They had only been able to destroy a few walkers with the help of Electronique and Aviarius. The circuitry of the Zapparatus had overloaded and conked out after seven attempts, which was barely a dent in the total number of attackers. Even the worst weather that the weather machine had been able to cook up was not enough to stop them.

The din of stomping walkers was all around them. Buildings were being torn down, with dust and debris filling the air. But Hego looked undaunted, his glow as bright as ever. 'Stand tall, everyone!' he shouted. 'If we go down, we go down as a team... Go!'

Both Aviarius and Mego were rolling their eyes. 'Does he have to make even our final moments so corny?' Aviarius winced.

'Yeah, he does.' said Mego. 'But... that's family for you.' They were about to be overrun by alien doom machines, yet he felt an odd sense of proud detachment. And even though his power was shrinking, somehow, looking at his brothers and their former enemies fighting side by side - he had never felt so big.

o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o

Mr. Matter and Frugal Lucre were huddled in Upperton, in the midst of a cluster of rampaging walkers. H1 and H2 were in front of them, looking ready for action. Except the action in this case was attacking alien war machines. With the help of the city residents and the local National Guard, they had been able to implement several of Frugal Lucre's schemes. They all proved effective, each trap destroying or disabling a few walkers. But it wasn't enough against the sheer numbers assaulting them.

The Guard was fighting with the limited weaponry they had. The latest wave of walkers had broken through Lucre's defensive line of traps, leaving them with no safe zones from which to lay out anything new to replace them. The Guard was putting up a tremendous fight, but there was no doubt that the Lorwardian machines were more powerful. As the resistance continued to be beaten down, Mr. Matter didn't feel nearly as brave.

It must have shown, because H1 glanced at him over his shoulder. 'Daaah, don't worry boss - we'll protect you!' he said.

'Those lovable lunkheads.' Mr. Matter quietly to Lucre. 'As if they could do anything to stop those mechanical behemoths.'

'Well, it was fun while it lasted.' said Lucre. 'Thanks for funding everything. Any chance we can squeak in another contraption before it's all over?'

'At this stage...' he answered, looking around at the rampaging walkers, '...I'm afraid it wouldn't matter.' If he had to go, he at least wanted to use one of his catch phrases.

o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o

'The walkers are breaking through the south perimeter!' Gemini was shouting off to the side while observing the battlefield through a pair of high tech binoculars. He had fallen fairly easily into a pattern of issuing orders, and expecting them to be carried out without him having to even look and check if anyone was listening. 'Target zone 28 with another missile barrage!'

'There are no more missiles.'

Gemini dropped the binoculars from his face. Glancing aside, he was it was Director Betty who had spoken. He assumed she had gone off to boss her own people around, and hadn't coordinated with her much while they both directed attacks and defense. Now Dr. Director was back and speaking with him directly.

'What do you mean no more?' he said. 'We need...'

'Yes, we do.' she said. 'But there are none. We were low on ammo when you first arrived - and your contributions have been depleted too.' It was like playing an arcade game. Arcade coin-ops were designed so the players would lose in a few minutes, so that other customers would feed in more quarters.

An echoing blast from the south told them all that the perimeter had failed. The walkers would be coming through at any moment. 'But that means...' he said.

'Yes.' Betty said quietly. 'I know.'

They looked at each other in silence for a moment - brother and sister, longtime enemies and bitter rivals. 'It's not like you to admit defeat, sister.' he said. 'It's something I've been anticipating for a long time. Oddly, I find myself... less smug than I thought.'

'It's not easy to gloat when we're all on the same sinking ship.' she answered. 'But there comes a time when even great leaders have to admit - there's nothing more they can do.'

Dr. Director, Gemini, and the troops around them readied their handguns and rifles, which were the only weapons they had left. And got ready for what they knew would be the last battle.

o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o

Chief Sakituya, Corey and the rest of the Blackfoot tribe were fighting furiously. Their weapons, powered by the Great Bear, were doing great damage. But the sheer number of walkers attacking the city was overwhelming. The National Guard troops were valiant in their attempts to assist, but their own weapons were just not effective against the walkers' armor. Walkers were spilling past their defensive lines and into the city, resuming their work of destruction, chewing into the buildings that were still standing.

DNAmy, Senor Senior Sr., Motor Ed, all of the heroes and villains of the world working together - faced the similar grim reality, that their best efforts were simply not enough in the face of the relentless and terrible enemies that confronted and attacked them.

So far, the Lorwardian invasion was succeeding.

o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o

In the ruins of Dr. Drakken's old lair, Dr. Drakken himself was picking through rubble, and stringy vines towards the old lab. He reached a secret switch, pulled it, and a hidden cache opened. Inside was the Super High-Pollinator pack, where Drakken had left it after abandoning the lair. He fished it out and hefted it. It was heavy enough by itself, but the twin storage tanks were also filled with the liquid mutagen. As he grunted and heaved, a fresh mane of petals popped out around his neck.

Shego stood by watching. She reached out and plucked one petal from his neck. 'So you and your little plant potion are gonna save the world?' she asked, with her normal air of suspicion and sarcasm.

'That's right!' he answered, with all the air of a testy child. 'This time... for the first time... victory will be mine!'

A pebble dropped from the crumbling ceiling above, hitting Drakken square on the forehead as if to quash his enthusiasm. But there was a subsequent rumbling. Looking up, they saw huge cracks splitting open the entire roof. Wide sections fell away, revealing the blue sky. And partially blocking that sky was the outline of a walker drone.

With debris falling around them, Drakken dropped the High-Pollinator, which landed painfully on his booted foot. 'Dr. D, move!' Shego shouted. Jetting forward, she pushed and hauled him bodily away, just as the walker jabbed a heavy leg downward, slamming it into the floor.

They both wound up lying in a stacked tumble as they landed and skidded. Far from thanking Shego for saving him, Drakken had eyes only for the Pollinator pack, which bounced and clanked past them, pushed by the impact of the walker strike. Drakken pushed Shego off and ran in pursuit of his device. 'My Pollinator mutagen!' he shouted, flailing his arms.

But Shego had no time to deliver a quip or a retort. Another walker strike stabbed down and plunged into the floor right in front of her as she scooted backwards, aided by the flight pack's jets on her back. Then it was like flying through a forest of metal trees as she soared after Drakken, the walker striking down at them again and again.

The High Pollinator hit one of the legs and bounced backwards the other direction. Drakken slammed right into the leg as it swung the other way, carrying him along with its momentum while Drakken winced and shouted.

Shego reached him and plucked him from the side of the walker leg, zooming them both back and away from the walker while it lurched and plodded in pursuit. Shego dived low, staying just ahead of the walker's strikes. The High Pollinator continued to bounce and tumble across the lair. Shego was gunning the pack jets and making for a hole in the lair's wall.

Drakken reached down and threaded his hand through a loop in the Pollinator pack's holding straps. 'Snag!' he shouted in triumph, just before they both went hurtling out of the lair and into the light of the growing dawn.

o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o

Kim and Ron flew at each other, banked and then were flying side by side above the water. She on her pirated alien bike, Ron with his space suit and flight pack. 'I wish I felt more ready!' Ron shouted.

'I don't like Drakken being our best, last hope either, but...' Kim's answer was interrupted as another blast shot at them from above, and they were both forced to veer apart.

'No...' Ron said, sounding calmer. 'I'm... talking about graduation! And us! And what comes after... This whole thing has shown me that... I can't live without you.'

He sounded so sincerely afraid that Kim paused, looking at him in surprise. It wasn't his normal, panicked, running from danger kind of fear. This fear seemed deeper, and more profound. A volley of shots from above made her skitter and swerve before she could answer. 'Ron please - get a grip! Nothing is going to come between us!' And she reached out a hand, which he reached out and held. 'Except... that.'

Ron turned to look where she was now looking. They had reached the shore line with some boats docked in a harbor. But also, the outline of a walker drone. They both let go and turned aside to avoid crashing into its splayed legs.

Then they were rocketing through downtown Middleton, between lines of office buildings, stores and shops. Warmonga resumed her pursuit of Kim, while Warhok zeroed in back on Ron. It was surreal for Kim, being chased through the air in the midst of surroundings that she found so familiar. But all of it now endangered by a threat greater than any she had faced.

'This reminds me of our first Thorgoggle hunt on the moon of Parfa.' Warmonga smiled, gliding above Kim and firing down at her. 'You gave me the beast's spine as a trophy.'

Through his wrist communicator, Warhok heard her. He was still trying to draw a bead on Ron, who was zig-zagging beneath him. 'You can have this entire planet as a trophy - after these two are annihilated!' He paused a moment. Ron's erratic weaving was frustrating. He needed something to distract the human long enough to get a shot in. And with a dark smile, he knew how to do it.

Warhok tapped a series of buttons on his wrist module. Before leaving the flagship, he had routed control over the walkers to his communicator. Now at his command, every walker in Middleton left their tasks and started closing in on their location.

Ron suddenly found himself in the very center of a thick cluster of walkers. All of them were jabbing their spiked legs up at him. One after another, Ron dodged and weaved as best he could, squealing and wailing as he struggled to maneuver the flight pack. But it was no use. One of the legs struck a glancing blow against the flight pack, and he went spiraling out of control. 'Kim, I've been hit!' he shouted.

Kim gasped and sent the bike revving towards him. He was spinning like a top, plunging head first towards a city street below. With barely ten feet to spare, she caught him. Holding to him desperately, and still trying to steer the bike, she managed to curve their descent into a slow rise. Until another walker leg instantly ripped a deep gash into the rear of the bike.

There was just enough engine control left for Kim to brake and lift, letting them both tumble out and onto the street with minimal impact. But the bike rolled and bounced, before finally being crumpled by another walker.

Kim and Ron stood up. Middleton buildings were being flattened around them as the walkers plunged through, heading straight towards them. But Ron didn't seem to notice, his eyes were on Kim. 'You see?' he shouted. 'You see how I can't live without you? At the least, we're talking major bone breakage!'

The sitch seemed hopeless. They were both alone, with the city they loved being pounded and shattered. Alien doom machines were crawling at them. And yet Ron seemed concerned only about how she felt about him. He was masking it with bluster about how he might get hurt if she wasn't there to save him, but she could see through it. It was somehow touching, that at a moment which looked like it might be their last, she was his main focus. 'OK, look...' she said, taking his hand again. 'Remember at Graduation when I started to say I had a confession?'

'That was you?' Ron said. 'I thought that was Rieger...'

'It was me.' she sighed. 'Anyway - you don't think I'm scared too...?'

And this seemed to hit Ron harder than anything else they had endured today. 'You?' he said in amazement. The girl who could do anything - the girl who had no fear. 'You're scared?' And they both stood looking at each other, ignoring the walkers which were now surrounding them on every side.

Then Warhok and Warmonga descended like birds of prey, hovering above them with weapons drawn. 'Of course she is!' Warhok hissed with a vicious smile.

o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o

BattleSkaar was gritting his teeth as he waited impatiently for his technicians to do their work. 'Report!' he barked.

'BattleF'yuri's ship is still not responding.' said one of them. 'They either can't, or won't answer.'

'Override the system.' BattleSkaar snarled. 'Cut the transmissions!'

'We can't, sir!' called another. 'BattleF'yuri has put in a command lockout!'

'Then send a ship down!' BattleSkaar shouted. 'Disable his vessel if you have to!'

'That wouldn't stop the transmissions, sir!' said Sor'dClash. 'They're operating independently, routed through every ship and almost every piece of our equipment, including the walkers. The only ones who can shut it down now are BattleF'yuri, and Warhok. Neither of them are answering our hails.'

BattleSkaar slammed a fist into the armrest of his chair. 'The fool didn't want anyone to interfere with his ability to glorify himself.' he snarled.

'So it would seem.' said Sor'dClash.

'Keep trying to raise him.' BattleSkaar said, crouching in his chair, almost shaking with anger. Fortunately, Warhok and Warmonga seemed to have their human prisoners on the run. But they should never have been able to break loose in the first place. The on board cameras seemed to be almost exclusively focused on Warhok, Warmonga, and two of their human prisoners. Even now, the walkers were closing in on the two young humans, and it seemed as if their end was sure.

If Warhok finished them off, then maybe they could salvage the situation. The camera views had been jumping between them all, showing almost every detail of the prisoners escape, and Warhok's pursuit. BattleSkaar frowned. There was no way the views could be shifting this dynamically without some kind of direction...

o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o

Grimm felt as if he was starting to get the hang of navigating the camera menus. The sleeping Lorwardians around him were a presence he couldn't forget, though. And he kept glancing up to see if there was any sign that any of them were stirring, and wondering how long this could last. He kept shifting to different screens, twitching and scrolling them with his fingers. He still had no idea what any of the Lorwardian words meant. But he learned where to press on each mini-screen to make it display events more prominently.

It helped that the Lorwardian system seemed quite intuitive. If he highlighted a specific person or area, the cameras from all nearby equipment would jump to it, showing it from various angles. And so Grimm did his best to keep the 'action' focused on Kim, and Ron, and their Lorwardian enemies.

But he bit his lip as Kim and Ron were brought down. They were surrounded. The two Lorwardian champions were closing in. It looked like his gamble on them was a bust. 'Come on, Possible...' he thought desperately. 'Where's that annoying mettle of yours?'

o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o

Warhok and Warmonga landed in front of Kim and Ron with a thud that shook the pavement. 'This ends now!' Warhok shouted.

In the distance behind them, a voice called out. 'Not yet!' Shego was floating in the distance behind them, looking down with arrogantly slanted eyes. 'But very, very soon! Dr. D!' With a flourish of her arm, she gestured even further back.

Dr. Drakken was standing on the hood of another of his hover crafts. After escaping from the lab wing of the lair, he had insisted on checking the hanger bays. And sure enough, the extra transports were there. It came in handy, because while Shego's jet pack seemed fast and maneuverable, it wasn't strong enough to haul them both back to Middleton in time. He looked down on the scene like a lord surveying his kingdom. 'Prepare to taste defeat!' he shouted, his voice echoing from the distance. 'And boy, is it salty!'

More petals erupted around his neck, but this time he ignored it. He aimed the delivery wand of his High Pollinator, and streams of green sludge sprayed out. The pack seemed effective at least - he spattered the top saucer sections of all the nearby walkers in just a few seconds.

But nothing seemed to happen. The fluid dripped and oozed down the walkers, harmless and nondescript. Both Warhok and Warmonga bellowed with laughter. 'These Earthers are inferior pests!' Warmonga wheezed, regaining control of her mirth. 'But they are amusing.'

Behind them, Drakken had been grimacing and straining as if trying to force something to happen. The green flower vine had crawled back out from his collar, along with two or three more. 'Attack!' he rasped at the top of his lungs.

And then vines started growing on all the walkers. For several seconds they crept and snaked out like a gigantic green spider web. They covered the saucer sections, trailed down their legs, sprouting leaves and snaking out yet more vines as they grew. While everyone watched in amazed silence, the vine growth reached a peak. The growth halted, but each vine shuddered slightly. And then small flowers popped from the end of each vine.

Warhok was still smiling. 'It is... a cheerful attack.' he said, looking around.

'Oh blue imposter.' said Warmonga, shaking her head. 'What were you thinking?' And they broke into more laughter.

But Dr. Drakken was not fazed. 'Take 'em down, boys!' he called out. 'Or... is it girls? I could never get the whole pistil and stamen thing!'

The vines reacted. Like with the laser cannon back on Warhok's ship, the flower vines constricted, whipped, twisted and snarled themselves. The lead walker's legs were drawn and tied together with a deafening metallic squeal. With only one leg left to balance, it toppled over, nearly landing on top of Warhok and Warmonga. At the last moment, they saw what was happening and darted off to the side.

The scene played out again and again, with each walker being wrapped in the crushing vines until they could no longer stand. Their falls caused the saucer sections to break and spill open. Everyone who wasn't flying was soon darting left and right to avoid the walkers as they fell crashing to the ground. Some fell into buildings, others collapsed into the street. Each time there was an explosion of smoke that filled the air with a dim haze. Only one or two walkers seemed to avoid being fully crushed by the vines, but even those were visibly struggling, staggering drunkenly as they tried to break free.

Until at last, Warmonga and Warhok were standing in the midst of the wreckage of their proud attack drones. Warmonga looked dumbfounded. Warhok looked enraged. 'Lorwardian technology - destroyed by... by flowers.' she said, astonished.

Warhok's attention was now fixed on Dr. Drakken. 'This insult will not stand!' he roared. Then he activated his flight wings and soared up, headed straight for the hovercraft.

Kim and Ron glanced at each other in silent understanding. Ron turned his flight pack on. He joined hands with Kim and flew up in pursuit of the Lorwardian general. The Cheer squad back at High School sometimes used guys from the school to help the cheerleaders with their more energetic tosses. Ron had never practiced doing those with Kim, but he pulled this one off like a champ. Using the momentum of his flight he flung Kim, who went into her most graceful flip and dive ever.

Square onto the back of Warhok's flight pack she landed. Warhok had only two seconds to realize she was there before Kim had unclasped the harness. With a cry of fury, Warhok plunged towards the ground. He stopped about fifteen feet up, caught in a net of vines that trailed between the remains of two walkers. The vines started twisting around him, binding each arm and leg, and pulling until he was ensnared like a fly in a spider's web. He bellowed and struggled, but the vines seemed to be holding him fast.

Warmonga remounted her flight board and took to the air. This time she rushed at Shego, taking up her weapon. 'For Lorwardia!' she shouted.

'For-get it!' Shego yelled back, and they went straight at each other. Shego's hands sparked and rippled with green fire. Warmonga's staff blazed red, firing deadly bolts. At the last moment, Shego dove and flipped, raking her clawed fingers into the flight board as she sped underneath. The board split in half and exploded, sending Warmonga flying through the air.

She got caught in another cluster of vines near to where Warhok was still struggling to free himself. The vines ensnared and twisted around her as well, and soon she was flailing helplessly next to her battle-mate.

Kim was steering Warhok's flight wings towards the last moving walker. It was entangled in vines, making an easy target. She bailed just before crashing it into the saucer section. There was a fiery blast and a booming roar. Kim didn't even have to look around. She knew Ron would be there for her. And sure enough, she felt herself falling into his arms, and together they flew away while the walker crashed to the ground and burst into flames.

From above, Dr. Drakken saw Shego land. Then the blonde guy landing next to her, with Kim in his arms. They seemed all right, but Drakken knew his work wasn't done yet. There was still the surrounding towns of Upperton and Lowerton with walkers that had to be destroyed. From all he knew, Warhok's ship was the only one. He hoped that without the ship, and their leaders - the world's military forces would be able to handle the other walkers scattered across the globe. He checked the levels on his High Pollinator. 'And if the rest of the world can't hack it,' he thought smugly, 'Then Dr. Drakken and his mighty plant power will pick up the slack!' And he sent the hover car hurtling towards Upperton.

o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o

In the mountains of Japan, the Yamanouchi ninja school sat nestled among the cloudy peaks. Master Sensei sat cross legged in his private meditation dojo. Japan had been attacked by walkers, just as every other part of the world, and they had not escaped the chaos and destruction. Every ninja from the school had been sent down to the lowlands, to help the military. And they were fighting to the best of their abilities. But again, as with every other part of the world, they were simply outclassed and overpowered by the might of the alien technology.

The Yamanouchi School itself had not been attacked directly. It was elevated and remote enough that the walkers either hadn't noticed it, or hadn't bothered with it just yet. And even Master Sensei felt that it was eerily quiet, as accustomed as he was to the noise and bustle of his many students as they trained. He was meditating in silence with his eyes closed, waiting.

He started just a bit, when he heard approaching footsteps. He opened his eyes, and at the entrance to the dojo, the open door bathed in sunlight, he saw the silhouette of a short, hunched figure carrying a staff.

The figure tottered and shambled forward, and the light behind it softened as he entered, revealing the Mystical Monkey. Dressed in a robe identical to Sensei's, and bearing an expression of great anxiety. 'A few months ago,' he said in a squeaky voice, 'You tell me to trust in Kim Possible. I was not sure of her. But everything turn out OK in the end.'

Master Sensei nodded. 'The Chosen One believes in her.' he said. 'And that belief holds great power. A power more curious, and perhaps even stronger, than the Mystical Monkey Power which he also holds.'

The Mystical Monkey nodded. 'Now the opposite must happen.' he said. 'Now she must believe in him with equal power.' He sighed and looked around. 'I been watching very closely. It all drawn to a central point. And now - the fate of whole world - of everything - stand on the edge of a knife.' He looked squarely into Sensei's eyes. 'The roll of a dice. The flip of a coin. The turn of a card. Are you ready, my student? Are you truly ready to gamble everything on these two?'

Without hesitation, Master Sensei nodded. 'Yes, sensei.' he said firmly. 'It is time.'

The Mystical Monkey sighed and nodded. 'Very well then.' he said. 'Heads... or tails?'

Part III
Monkey Style

Kim straightened her graduation gown and sash. It seemed pointless, because they were tattered at the edges by now, and covered with a fine dusting of grime. 'OK this is real,' she said, looking around at the wreckage and flotsam, 'But I've got to graduate before some other disaster strikes.'

Shego's mouth fell open. 'And stick us with clean-up duty?' she snapped, leaning forward.

'Please and thank you.' Kim answered with a perky smile.

'Uh, no.' Shego said, holding out a palm. 'No way.'

Ron rolled his eyes and smiled as Kim flashed a full PDP at Shego. The comet-powered villainess had proved herself capable of handling punches from Kim, drop kicks, tosses and all kinds of martial arts moves. But she visibly crumbled in the face of the puppy dog pout. 'Ugh!' she shouted. 'Just go!' But then they were all distracted by a dark blur that rushed at them from the side.

Warhok and Warmonga had freed themselves while they talked. And Warhok had taken ruthless advantage of their distraction, backhanding Shego from the side. Shego flew backwards and smashed hard into a boulder-like chunk which had been thrown up from under the street by the impact from the crashing walkers. She cried out, but fell to the ground and did not get back up.

Kim and Ron now stood face to face with Warhok. 'Did you think that the most fierce warrior in the galaxy could be defeated by flowers? And children?' His face was narrowed into a vicious snarl as he pulled off and threw aside the last of the vines.

Ron returned his glare with an equally confident smile. 'I am not a child.' he answered. 'Check your calendar - it's graduation day!' And without waiting, he charged full bore at the alien warlord.

Warhok broke into a smile as well, for he loved battle, and knew a challenge when he heard one. He rushed at the small human. Based on their size difference alone, he was sure of the outcome. And he was not mistaken.

They met in a collision, and Warhok's sheer mass and skill in combat was too much for Ron. It took him only one solid blow to send the puny human flying backwards. Ron was knocked back so far that he plowed right into Kim before she could roll aside. Stars flashed in front of Kim's eyes, and a black fog descended over her consciousness. She did not black out, but felt only dimly aware of what might be going on around her.

Ron kept tumbling back until he landed on his belly and skidded several more feet before finally stopping. He looked up blearily, for he himself was dazed and stunned by the force of the blow. He saw Warhok, reaching down and plucking Kim up by an ankle, dangling in his grip like a captured animal. He was grinning now in triumph.

Ron shook the cobwebs free from his mind, his mouth falling open. He could see it in Warhok's eyes - he was going to kill her, and there was nothing he could do to stop it. He had no strength to match Warhok, no power to...

'Summon the Mystical Monkey Power!'

The deep, familiar voice echoed in Ron's mind. 'Sensei?' he breathed, struggling up on his elbows.

Warmonga was joining Warhok, tossing Drakken's vines off. 'Come, Warmonga.' he said, hoisting Kim's body. 'We will take this one as a trophy. She will look handsome, mounted beside your Thorgoggle spine.'

'You are the Monkey Master.'

Ron heard Sensei's voice behind him, and turned to look over his shoulder. Sensei was there - at least, the phantom image of Sensei that he had used in the past to contact him. 'I am?' he whispered.

And Sensei nodded. 'Hmm.' he said.

Ron looked back at Warhok, and as he saw Kim hanging limp in his grasp, he remembered what had happened at Yamanouchi, just a few months ago.

He had just been rescued from the Spirit World after spending almost a month there in exile. But he had been saved by Kim, who had teamed up with Grimm Probable to bring them back. He had watched her go through a nightmarish spiritual journey, giving her all to bring him back. The Mystical Monkey had been part of it, guiding her and training her.

But after Ron's return, they were still facing the formidable prospect of fighting Maze, who was backed up by armies of golems, and Monkey Fist himself, who had unlocked the destructive power of the Yono. It was at that time that the Mystical Monkey had quietly pulled Ron aside for some training of his own.

Ron sat inside the Mystical Monkey's dojo, and the Mystical Monkey sat opposite to him, looking him straight in the eye. 'Hear this now, Chosen One.' he said. 'Mystical Monkey power not evil. It can be used for good, or for evil. But that depend on the kind of person using it.'

'So... it won't make me evil?' said Ron. 'It's only evil for Monkey Fist because he wants to use it for evil?' The Mystical Monkey nodded. Ron sighed and rubbed his forehead. 'But if Mystical Monkey Power comes from you, can't you just... take it away from him or something?'

'That one of the things you were chosen for.' said the Mystical Monkey. 'It not an accident you got power same day as Monkey Fist. When he first got power, you were right there to make sure someone good have it too. But Mystical Monkey Power cannot fight against itself if destiny is to be fulfilled. Once Monkey Fist defeated, balance will be restored. You are the Monkey Master, Chosen One.'

'Monkey Master?' said Ron. 'Me?'

'You.' said the Mystical Monkey, nodding. 'And one day you will use Mystical Monkey Power for... important stuff.' he ended cryptically.

'But then why doesn't it work for me?' said Ron. 'It just kind of... comes and goes.'

'Because you not yet ready.' said the Mystical Monkey. 'You still acting all scardey-pants of monkeys - and Mystical Monkey Power. Mystical Monkey Power will not fully embrace you, until you fully embrace it.'

'When will that be?' said Ron. 'I mean... I could really use it for this coming battle.'

'The time is not yet.' said the Mystical Monkey, shaking his head. 'And time will not come... until the day when you are about to lose that which is most precious to you...'

And like a blinding flash, Ron understood. Kim was the most precious thing in the world to him. And if he didn't fully embrace the Mystical Monkey Power, he was going to lose her. 'This is your destiny!' said Master Sensei from behind him. 'You... are ready!'

Ron stood up, clenching both fists. 'I am!' he said. Then he shouted. 'Hey - Warhok!'

Warhok's gloating was unpleasantly interrupted as he saw the small human boy back on his feet. How many times did he have to flatten these ridiculous children before they just gave up? Why wouldn't they simply accept defeat? He viciously hurled Kim to the ground and turned to face Ron again. He clenched a fist, glaring. Something in the boy's countenance had changed.

Almost faster than sight, Ron tucked and leaped forward, plunging both feet into Warhok's gut. And Warhok staggered backwards in surprise as Ron rolled back again, landing fair on his feet. Warhok and Warmonga smiled at each other and shared a quiet chuckle at the prospect that this human might offer them more sport.

Ron stood at the ready, his eyes focused on the alien general. He didn't know for sure if Warhok would understand it, but he twitched one hand in the old 'come get me' gesture. It seemed that Warhok did understand, because he roared and rushed at Ron.

With a cry, Ron charged to meet him. But this time, Ron used Tai Sheng Pek Kwar to deflect Warhok's first punch into the ground in front of him. The second blow went higher, and Ron used Warhok's arms as a brace, kicking both feet into his chest and sending him staggering backwards.

Warhok rushed forward again, more frustrated and angry. Ron blocked the next strike, and Warhok blinked in surprise. The was a brief flash, as if the boy's body was suddenly surmounted with a halo like blue energy, and Warhok's blow felt like it had been absorbed to the point that it did no harm. He struck again, but the boy had leaped up and over him. Warhok pivoted and launched another punch. Ron batted the arm aside and launched himself from the ground, pushing both hands into Warhok's gut while the energy around him flared, and Warhok felt himself pushed backwards again.

Master Sensei watched from a distance. Unseen beside him, the Mystical Monkey also watched. 'His Monkey power is strong.' Sensei said, smiling beneath his flowing moustache and beard. 'Booya!' And the Mystical Monkey nodded.

Warhok's teeth were gritted as he punched again and again. The human was small, but he was sidling and weaving in a way he had never seen before, in spite of all his battles and training. And he felt a growing anger as Ron dodged every attack, with Warhok unable to land a solid blow. Another flash of the strange power that surrounded the boy erupted and blinded him for an instant, during which Ron leaped behind again and kicked him in the back. The kick sent Warhok staggering to one knee. Ron had launched backwards, but did not wait to give Warhok an opening. Ron thought back again to the 'training' he'd briefly had with the Mystical Monkey.

'...and don't forget to say waaaaau'!' said the Mystical Monkey. 'That very important - it the whole point of kung-fu! Say it with me! Waaaaauuu!'

Baffled but obedient, Ron went into an identical monkey-ish pose, one hand raised behind his head, the other palm out in front of him. Then he imitated the Mystical Monkey's movements, both of them squealing while hopping on one foot.

'Waauuuuuuuuu!'

'Now bring your hands in front of you like this!' said the Mystical Monkey, planting both his feet firm on the mat and holding his arms out with the palms extended and his fingers splayed out. Ron imitated the move, a little less confidently, but the posture was correct.

After repeating the process a couple more times, the Mystical Monkey signaled him to stop and then they bowed to each other. 'Now you ready to take on anybody!' he said.

Ron flipped and rolled forward, landing right in front of Warhok, whose arms were reaching out to seize him. Ron went into the crouched monkey pose, his arms forward, wrists together, his palms open. He raised his voice to a high wail. 'Waaaaauuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!'

Warhok stared in confusion as the very air in front of him seemed to be warping. In his interstellar travels, he had seen black hole singularities and the visual distortions they created. This seemed just like it - only smaller and right in front of him. There was a strange sound that rose and built to a crescendo, then Warhok felt himself flying backwards as if a bull Thorgoggle had kicked him in the face.

A shrill noise, like the scream of some angry animal, was still hovering in the air as Warhok growled and rose to his feet again. Warmonga was standing beside him. With a glance, she signaled that she was ready to join him in his next attack.

Ron stood about twenty feet distant. But instead of going into a combat stance, he closed his eyes and raised his arms. Suddenly, everything around him went dark, as if the sun itself was not penetrating. Warhok and Warmonga shared another glance, but one of confusion. Ron's entire form now appeared pale blue, but a red light began to shine above him. The light fell on billowing mist that circled around him like a compacted storm.

As they watched, Ron rose into the air as if he had become weightless. And not only that, but chunks of debris, stones, building wreckage, and the broken remains of walker drones rose and floated as well. The mists became red, circling around him like a vortex and whipping his already tousled hair.

Kim lifted her head with a groan. The ringing in her ears after being stunned had ebbed away, but she was still hearing an unearthly moan, like a rushing of wind. She saw what was happening to Ron and her mouth fell open. Shego had also re-awakened, looking in astonishment at Kim's goofy sidekick, now risen above them all and surmounted with a brilliant blue glow that had a distorted shape like a monkey. Ron let out a great cry.

Warhok and Warmonga crouched in alarm as the floating objects began to fall like a hail of boulders. Stones, wreckage and girders slammed into the earth with deafening booms. Ron landed on the ground in a crouch. The alien leaders leaped forward and landed next to him. Ron looked at them both, his eyes shining.

Both of them leaped at him, to pummel and rend. In a split second, Ron caught both of their outstretched fists. They halted as if they had run into a solid wall, held in his grip. The glow that surrounded him spilled onto them and enveloped them all.

There was a sundered instant in which Warmonga looked into Ron's eyes, feeling and seeing the power that now surrounded him. She gasped. 'The... great blue?'

Ron pivoted, and threw.

Warmonga and Warhok were hurled into the sky, flying as straight and swift as if they had been fired out of cannons. The blue energy of Mystical Monkey Power kept them speeding, propelling them. And looking up, they blanched. They were flying straight at their flagship, which was crashing down like a thunderbolt.

Warmonga opened her mouth for one final shout. 'Frackle!' Straight into the maw of the ship between the two forward prongs they flew, and the collision destroyed the entire vessel in a colossal fireball.

Dr. Drakken was looping around in Lowerton, having dispatched the Upperton walkers in record time. He could have sworn he had heard someone calling his name up from the streets below, but had no time to stop for accolades. He had worked it out into an effective routine. The walkers didn't register his mutagen as a threat, and all but ignored him as he doused them with sprays. He had to pause every so often to refill the High Pollinator on his back with more mutagen from reserve tanks in the hover ship. But he was starting to enjoy the sight of the walkers as they struggled when they suddenly became engulfed by his vines.

He was just wrapping up his efforts in Lowerton, and wondering if he had time to check any neighboring cities, when he saw a bright flash in the direction of Middleton, following by an echoing boom. He saw a huge ball of smoke and fire blossoming over the city.

At once he veered back, worried that Warhok and Warmonga might have pulled some new trick, even though he'd left them trussed up with Shego and Possible on guard. Even though he was afraid for Shego, he smothered it with annoyance that they hadn't kept the aliens safely imprisoned. 'Looks like I have to do everything myself now!' he grumped in his thoughts, but hit the accelerator to get there faster.

The energy around Ron was making a chattering sound like a horde of monkeys as he descended, and was set gently on the ground. The sound, the glow, the swirling winds, all of it faded and diminished to a rustling silence.

Kim was still looking up at him, sheer amazement had rendered her speechless. Rufus was staring too, his whiskers twitching. But Ron smiled and reached down, taking Kim's hand and pulling her up to her feet. For a moment they just looked at each other. Then they embraced.

A short distance off, Shego was clambering back to her feet as well. There was a humming sound and Drakken appeared in his hover car, floating in the air behind her. 'Wait - what happened?' he rasped, looking around at the wreckage. It was messier and a lot more jumbled than when he'd left, and there was no sign of Warhok or Warmonga. 'What did I miss?'

Shego didn't even look at him, her eyes were fixed on the two teens, who were just standing and holding each other. 'I... don't know.' she said, sounding strangely awed. 'But I think the sidekick just stepped up... monkey style.'

'Monkey style?' Drakken sputtered. 'What's that?'

'You had to be here.' was all she said in answer.

Unseen by any of them, Sensei and the Mystical Monkey stood watching as well. The Mystical Monkey was smiling and pulling the bearded tuft at the end of his chin while nodding slowly. 'Well done, Chosen One.' he muttered. 'Well done.' Then he heard Sensei clearing his throat and saw him holding out a palm.

The Mystical Monkey sighed, rolling his big, beady eyes. Then he fished a 200 yen note from the pocket of his robe and slapped it into Sensei's hand. It passed through and fell on the ground. 'Oooh, forgot.' said the Monkey with smirk. 'Astral projection technique - too bad for you.'

Sensei sniffed as the Mystical Monkey picked the money back up. 'Deliver it later.' he said.

'If there is a later.' said the Monkey. 'We have done our part. Now we see if the Great Bear and his Chosen One do theirs. Otherwise - this not over.'

Kim and Ron finally broke apart. 'That... was amazing.' she said. 'What happened there? Was that...'

'Mystical Monkey Kung-fu.' said Ron. 'Glad to pitch in! You don't mind, right?' and he looked a bit sheepish. 'I mean, normally you're the one who finishes off the bad guys...'

'I've had plenty of time in the spotlight.' said Kim, keeping hold of his hand. 'You earned this.'

'So is it finally over?' said Ron.

Kim looked around at the ruins and wreckage. 'I think so, yeah.' she said. 'That is... unless there were more of them than just Warmonga and Warhok...'

Part IV:
Bear Style

Grimm Probable sat watching the whole thing unfold through the cameras fitted into all of the Lorwardian equipment. Once the walkers had started being disabled by Drakken's flower vines, he'd had to struggle to find ones which were still operative, and still able to focus on Kim and Ron.

As he watched Ron's duel with Warhok, he remembered briefly what he had once told Rhonda. 'Ron has Mystical Monkey Power. As good as I am at Tai Sheng Pek Kwar, Ron has the potential to defeat me.' And though he would never have admitted it out loud, the power Ron just displayed was something Grimm never wanted to be on the wrong side of.

Somehow, he even managed to capture Ron's final move, and the end of Warhok and Warmonga. Then there was a fuzz of static as Grimm felt at a loss for anything to show next. He saw through the many other cameras from the walkers in other parts of the world. They were still fighting, still destroying. He grimaced. What had he expected? That the rest of the Lorwardian fleet and all their machines would just disappear once Warhok was defeated?

It wasn't over. The invasion was world-wide. Even with their captain general gone, the other leaders would no doubt carry on the campaign, even while vying to see who would be in charge. There had to be a way to stop the rest of them. Something he had been put there to do. He thought and he thought, remembering what he'd studied about the aliens from Wade's files, what he had learned and observed while he was held captive.

'If I were you, I'd start with a bang-up speech.' he thought. A speech - to who? Then he started hitting the buttons that he had memorized as he watched BattleF'yuri, when he had been delivering his message to Lorwardia. And Grimm hoped more than ever before that he was remembering correctly...

o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o

BattleSkaar sat in the command chair on his own ship. He had seen it with his own eyes, but still could not believe it. Through the camera feeds, he had watched it all. Warhok and Warmonga - both defeated and destroyed by a human boy. Their ship destroyed, and all of their walker drones. Things could not possibly have gone any worse.

The rest of his crew on the bridge were also gazing dumbfounded at the viewscreen. At last, Sor'dClash turned and cleared his throat uncomfortably. 'What... are your orders, BattleSkaar?' he said quietly.

Before he could answer, a voice started coming through the speakers. But it was not BattleF'yuri, or anyone else that he recognized.

'People of Lorwardia.' it started. 'You have just seen your greatest general - defeated by the Great Blue. This is the message that the Great Blue delivers to Lorwardia from beyond the stars. That the time has come for you to throw off the shackles of military rule. For too long, Lorwardia has been a world of people who only thought they could only be great if they were conquering others. But now it is time for you to be your own great world. The Great Blue wishes for Lorwardia and their people to tend to their own affairs, instead of interfering with others. To build and grow using your own resources, instead of pilfering and robbing from other worlds. To use the tools and the talents you already have to make yourselves great, instead of relying on the defeat of other worlds to imagine yourselves being great. Lorwardia has proven that they are strong. Now let all of Lorwardia prove that they are strong enough stand on their own. Rise up one and all - and prove that you are more than just your military! For the true greatness that comes from within. For the true strength that comes from independence. For a new and even greater Lorwardia!'

While the voice spoke, it actually replayed the scenes in which the human and Warhok fought. 'Shut it off!' BattleSkaar shouted. 'This must not...'

'It's too late, my captain.' Sor'dClash whispered.

'This has to be happening on BattleF'yuri's ship.' BattleSkaar hissed. 'If he won't answer, then contact the other ships in his flank!'

'They're on radio silence, none of them are answering!' shouted the communications Fight. But the broadcast had ended by then, and the cameras all blacked out except for the Lorwardian banner.

o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o

Grimm shut off the last of the camera feeds with a sigh. He wasn't sure if he had done the right thing, or if what he had done would actually accomplish anything. But there was nothing more he could do. The Lorwardians around him were still asleep, and he left the command chair, picking his way through and around the aliens, moving towards the exit hatch.

Just as he reached it, the door slid open. And the hulking form of BattleF'yuri stood before him. Grimm rolled backwards, narrowly avoiding the punch that lashed out at him. BattleF'yuri stepped onto the bridge and the door snapped shut behind him. He turned his head only slightly, keeping his eyes on Grimm. 'Bridge lockdown, code Omega-3.' he said. And there was a solid sounding click.

Grimm had moved backwards, keeping two banks of control consoles between him and the Lorwardian captain. 'Trouble in engineering?' he said smoothly.

BattleF'yuri was looking around at his sleeping soldiers. He kicked one in the head, but the soldier simply snored and rolled over. 'What happened here?' BattleF'yuri shouted.

'Even if I told you, you wouldn't believe it.' Grimm answered.

'Try me.' BattleF'yuri growled, moving to his command chair.

Grimm sidled around the consoles, keeping his distance. 'All right, a magic monkey teleported into your ship and knocked out your whole command crew.' he said. 'Nothing to do with me.'

BattleF'yuri had brought up the armrest screens again and was scrolling through them. One window showed the images of Warhok's defeat. Another window showed Grimm in the chair, working the controls. Grimm winced. Of course there were surveillance cameras on the bridge as well - that only made sense as there were cameras everywhere else.

BattleF'yuri left the console, stalking towards him. 'You will pay for this!' he snarled.

'I thought you'd be pleased.' said Grimm. 'Your general has been blown to bits - doesn't that mean you're in charge of the whole fleet now?' BattleF'yuri actually paused for a moment, and Grimm went on. 'Think about it - the invasion is still ongoing. All those other ships up there are just waiting for someone to give them orders. It may as well be you instead of BattleSkaar.'

BattleF'yuri actually looked thoughtful about this for a moment. Then Grimm heard his own voice from the consoles, speaking the message he had broadcast to Lorwardia. BattleF'yuri listened for a moment, then chuckled grimly, raising his blaster. 'You lying serpent.' he spat.

He fired a sizzling red blast at him. Grimm slid under the console, pulling a weapon out of the holster of a sleeping guard. The gun was too large for him, but by using both hands he was able to wield it. There was a trigger, and pulling it, he fired a shot back at his captor.

'For a moment I almost believed you.' BattleF'yuri called out, moving around to angle himself for another shot. 'Your words were just reasonable enough that even I allowed them to poison my counsel.'

Grimm kept moving to keep ahead of the shots, which burst loudly close by him each time. BattleF'yuri was toying with him, keeping him on the run. He turned his weapon on the door, firing shots into the glowing pad next to it, but nothing happened. BattleF'yuri laughed. 'The doors are triple-sealed now!' he called out. 'There is no escape for you!'

He used the cover of the bridge consoles and chairs as much as possible, but he was in unfamiliar territory. And he couldn't use the weapon two-handed as effectively as BattleF'yuri was using his. There was nothing else to try except to change the conditions of the fight to one where he might stand a chance. He stepped out into the open and threw down the blaster. Then went into a fighting stance.

BattleF'yuri leveled his gun at the human. Grimm held his ground, looking straight into his yellow eyes. For a tense moment, all was silent. Then BattleF'yuri chuckled and holstered his weapon. 'All right then.' he said with a vicious smile. And he ran at him like a charging elephant.

o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o

There was a dull, muffled pounding against the doors which led into the engineering bay. There was also a sizzling noise, and a smell like burning metal. Luckily, Lorwardian armor seemed to be very thick and durable, because none of the soldiers swarming outside seemed able to break through. But it was only a matter of time.

Maze was constantly glancing over his shoulder as they worked. He began to see glowing red dots on the doors - a clear sign that the guards were trying to blast or burn their way through. But Rhonda had insisted that all the lift tubes be sealed. She had even heaved the unconscious Lorwardians down into them before smashing any loose machinery or debris into the tubes with them, then crimping them shut with her arms. Rueful was helping by ridiculously tossing much smaller pieces of debris into the shafts.

Her precautions seemed to have some merit, because there were at least two times when Maze heard very loud, but almost comical sounding thuds from the sealed tubes, indicating that some of the Lorwardians were at least trying to use them.

At last, Rhonda seemed satisfied and stood hunched and puffing while looking over her handiwork. 'Wow.' she panted. 'Time was, I could only count on one feats of bear strength a day.'

After the fight, Jade had dropped the stealth function on the bike to let it recharge. 'You go, girl!' she chirped from the dashboard of the bike. 'But now it's time to deal with the elephant in the room.' They all turned their attention to the central power core, with its off switch, lying wide open.

'Forgive me for asking.' said Maze with mock courtesy, 'But have you decided how we will shut off this ship and escape safely now?' The only answer was the loud thrumming of the power core. 'Because the corridor outside is now likely choked with enemy fighters.' he went on. 'And you have now closed off the only other methods that we might use to get out.'

'The lift tubes are a no-go anyway.' said Jade. 'If we send this ship into freefall, I don't want to be stuck worming around in those tubes, hoping to find an open hatch.'

'But if we use a spirit strike to break open the doors,' Rhonda said, 'we won't have a clear run at a window to reach open air.' She looked at Maze. 'How many do you think you could take down with your staff thingy?'

Maze shook his head. 'I... don't think more than ten.' he said. The staff had vanished in his hands like smoke after they had stopped fighting. But he didn't doubt it would return if he needed it.

Rhonda was twiddling her fingers as if counting. 'Probably leaving at least twenty for me.' she said. 'Even at my best I couldn't beat that many, at least not before we pancake along with the rest of the ship.'

'So... what do we do?' Jade said. She wasn't actually there, but seeing their worry made her worried too.

'Maze can't use his shadows to slide us out unless he can see someplace outside to reach for.' Rhonda muttered. She was looking around desperately. They had beaten all resistance to reaching their goal, but were now tethered by their own doubts about how they should proceed.

'You said that Samoset guy could move around without a visual anchor.' Jade said.

'But I don't know how!' Rhonda wailed. 'If there was some way to mix the shadow passages with the Bear's power then maybe...' She whirled back to Maze. 'That time when you... when you made the golems.' she said.

There was an uncomfortable pause. That had been during the time after he had banished Rhonda to the Spirit World. He nodded, but lowered his eyes.

'Grimm said you did it by mingling light and shadow.' Rhonda went on. 'If we join our powers together, is there a chance we can extend the shadow passages somehow?'

Maze still did not look her in the eye. 'I do not know.' he said. 'To do so in that manner... who can say what would happen? We would need to experiment, to practice, to train...'

'None of which we have time for!' said Rhonda, looking back towards the doors. The red spots were becoming white, and the pounding, shouting voices outside were getting louder. 'We'll just have to have faith.'

Rhonda stepped up to the off switch while Rueful scurried up and perched on her shoulder. Maze stood beside her while Jade rolled the bike up next to them. Rhonda laid one hand on the switch and puffed as if drawing a breath before diving. She held out her other hand to Maze. 'Take it.' she said.

Slowly, Maze clasped his reddish skinned hand around her white hand.

She closed her eyes, still breathing. 'Time and space don't matter.' she whispered. 'Time and space don't matter...'

Then she pulled hard on the switch.

o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o

Grimm Probable had always done his best to choose his battlefields. In his mind, a large part of winning a fight was making sure you had a sort of home field advantage. Ideally, you could prepare the venue before the fight, setting traps and coming up with plans to influence how the battle would unfold. Of course he knew that real fights were rife with chaos and uncertainty - full of outright happenstances which couldn't be controlled or predicted.

But he at least liked to have some of the variables worked out in advance. But as BattleF'yuri came at him with fists flying, generalities were all he had. The terrain, the venue, the opponent - everything was alien. The bridge was sized for Lorwardians, so it was vast, but still very cramped. Consoles, chairs and other objects formed a maze of obstacles. And there were the bodies of still sleeping Lorwardian guards as well, littering the open areas to hinder him even more.

But he hadn't mastered Tai Sheng Pek Kwar for nothing - or done so overnight. He'd trained and practiced for years. And these were the generalities that he found himself falling back on. He deflected BattleF'yuri's first haymaker punch, sidling out of the way and using both hands to push his opponent's arm down. The blow slammed into the floor in front of him, and he used the opportunity to deliver a roundhouse kick to BattleF'yuri's nose.

BattleF'yuri grunted and drew back, wiping his nose as Grimm rolled away and righted himself. 'I give you humans credit - your moves are unfamiliar and clever.' he growled. 'But you are still too small and weak!'

He leaped forward and struck again. Grimm tumbled and slid underneath one of the navigation consoles, darting out and back to stay ahead of the attacks. BattleF'yuri continued to pursue, vaulting over and chasing Grimm. 'Come back, human!' he shouted. 'Do you not wish to play?'

Grimm winced. If BattleF'yuri got ahold of him, it was all over. There would be no way to break his grip, he was too large and strong. 'Do what you do best.' he thought. 'Why so mad?' he called out, sliding under another console and trying to work his way towards anyplace where he might get more room to maneuver. 'Didn't you win the fight in engineering?'

BattleF'yuri's eyes narrowed. 'Bingo.' Grimm thought. 'At least that was a hit.' 'Oh, seriously?' he said, trying to inject a laugh. 'With all the numbers and all the weapons, you still had to run away?'

BattleF'yuri snarled as he darted here and there, trying to corner Grimm. 'You're a fine one to speak of running away, human!' he shouted. 'Stand still and face me!'

'At least I didn't get beat by one skinny Indian man.' Grimm answered.

'He was not alone and you knew it!' BattleF'yuri roared. The human was managing to stay just ahead of him, ducking, weaving and deflecting his attacks in a most irritating manner. But he was only able to deliver an occasional counterattack, never with enough force to actually hurt him.

And Grimm took in a breath. 'I guessed right.' he thought. 'Rhonda's here now - on the ship! And BattleF'yuri is back here, because they beat him - which means...' He felt a chill. If Rhonda and Maze were working together, it seemed like they now had a run at the ship's off switch. They could be hitting it at any moment. They had no way of knowing he was on the ship too. Which meant whatever plan they had to get out of the ship after hitting the switch, did not include himself. He was on his own, and time was running out.

He kept blocking and staying just ahead of BattleF'yuri's relentless advances. 'You're wasting time on me.' he winced. 'If you lost the fight with Maze, then this ship is going down! Don't you get it? You've lost! You should be heading for the nearest escape pod if you want to save your own hide!'

'Doubtless I will.' BattleF'yuri hissed. 'I have time enough to finish you, then I will simply leave and board one of the other ships waiting nearby! The attacks will be redoubled with only minor delay!'

Grimm let himself get backed into a more confined space. As he predicted, BattleF'yuri took immediate advantage of it, and lunged. Grimm ducked beneath his grasping arms, darting a hand into the holster around the Lorwardian's belt. He slid the blaster out as he tucked and rolled underneath, then in one smooth motion he got up to his knees, aimed and fired.

The red burst of light hit BattleF'yuri square in the chest as he turned. There was a metallic ping, and he flew backwards. At that very moment, the lights turned off, the console screens went black, and there was a violent shudder that ran through the entire vessel.

Combined with the gun's recoil, Grimm was knocked completely off his feet and fell backwards. Time was out. The power was off, which meant the ship was already starting to plunge towards a catastrophic impact with the planet surface. He scrabbled to his feet, but it was difficult. Like being in a descending elevator, he could feel the ship starting to fall, and it affected his balance. The bridge was tilting before his eyes, and he struggled to lift and aim the blaster towards the sealed doorway. His only hope was to somehow burn his way through.

He managed only one shot before the blaster was swatted out of his hands. The next instant, he was being squashed as BattleF'yuri bore down on him, pinning him to the ground. 'I had it set to stun.' BattleF'yuri grinned, and he gripped one hand around Grimm's throat, lifting him up off the floor while he steadied himself by gripping one of the console chairs. 'There was no way you could have used it to open these doors, or even to destroy me. I only played along because I wanted the satisfaction of squeezing the life out of you with my bare hands!'

Grimm fought to speak as BattleF'yuri's fingers curled around his windpipe. 'Let...go...' he rasped. 'Or we're both finished!'

'Enough of your words!' he answered. 'I will escape - but you will perish!'

o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o

As soon as Rhonda hit the off switch, both she and Maze started chanting in unison. When using his shadows to slide to different places, Maze had ever only been able to see places to reach for which were masked by shadows, and even then, only to destinations where he had a visual impression. Whether it was from a photograph, or a camera image, or something in his line of sight, he to have a mark to aim for.

But as he concentrated now, it was different. He was seeing places which were touched by the light. And seeing, as through swirling windows, places which he had no idea where the end destination might be. Rhonda dove forward, pulling Maze with her, and Jade was driving the Ksikkihkíni in their wake.

To Rhonda, it was like being back in the Spirit World, except that it was light, rather than dark. And instead of a formless void of nothingness, there seemed an endless stretch of places where they could go. If this was like what Samoset could do, then their escape seemed sure. She didn't care where they ended up - as long as it wasn't on board that ship.

Then her eyes flew wide. She had no idea how, but she felt it - rather than seeing or hearing it. 'Grimm...' she whispered. And she gasped, suddenly frantic. 'Grimm - he's in trouble!' she shouted.

'What?' Jade's voice sounded. 'Where?'

'He's on the ship too! We have to find him!'

'It's not possible!' Maze shouted. 'How could we...'

Rhonda was clutching hard at his hand, as if using him like a rudder. 'Time and space don't matter!' she said quickly and quietly. 'Time and space don't matter, time and space don't matter...!'

o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o

BattleF'yuri allowed himself an oily smile. Grimm had gone silent, except for small gargling sounds in his throat. The human was pounding at his hand and fingers, trying in vain to break his grip. The fact that his ship was crashing to the Earth was only at the back of his mind for the moment. The bridge had an emergency escape pod for his own private use. Once the human was finished, it would be as easy as he had said. He would simply jettison, and then commandeer another of the vessels in his flank. With Warhok gone, he could indeed take control of the fleet. The human's pulse was fluttering, getting weaker...

A flash of blue light bloomed in front of him. Startled, BattleF'yuri looked up. Inside the light was a darker spot, as if something was behind the light moving towards him...

Rhonda had been rushing through the strange world of light and vision. Then she saw BattleF'yuri, and Grimm, and reacted. She let go of Maze's hand, hurtling forward. And she plowed a fist straight into the Lorwardian's astonished face. BattleF'yuri shouted in startled pain, and he staggered backwards. The force of the blow, and the g-forces of the falling ship, sent him reeling and he collapsed against a far wall.

Rhonda skidded to a halt. 'Buff bod - glass jaw!' she shouted.

BattleF'yuri had dropped Grimm in his shock. He fell to the deck, coughing and wheezing as air and life flooded back into his lungs. His eyes were swimming, and he had no idea what was going on. But he heard Rhonda's voice and blindly reached out a hand.

Maze was staggering as he found himself on the bridge along with Team Probable. There was a rattling sound coming from everywhere, and a sound like rushing wind that was getting louder and louder. BattleF'yuri was getting up, rubbing his jaw.

He lumbered back towards them like a zombie. 'I'll kill you!' he bellowed. 'I'll kill you!'

Jade hurtled over them, piloting the bike. 'Go on, get out!' she screeched. 'I got this!' And she sent the bike hurtling into BattleF'yuri's chest. Again, the Lorwardian was hurled backwards. Jade gunned the MRT thrusters to maximum, keeping the alien pinned against the wall.

Rhonda had seized Maze's hand with one of hers. Her other hand was gripped tight around Grimm's wrist. She was chanting quickly, urgently. And Maze joined his own voice with hers.

BattleF'yuri was fighting to overpower the engine thrust of the small human vehicle, to push it out of his way. 'Oh... no... you... don't!' shouted a tinny voice. Past the shuddering bike, from the edge of one eye, BattleF'yuri saw the humans shining an odd bluish white that seemed to come from within their own bodies. Then the light was gone, and they were too.

'Noooo!' BattleF'yuri's last howl of denial and rage echoed through the bridge, before the ship crashed into the Earth outside of Metropolis. There was a thundering roar and a slow blooming of fire as the ship crumpled and immolated.

o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o

One moment, she had been on the Lorwardian bridge. Then they were all back in the strange world of light. Rhonda had looked around for somewhere, anywhere, that looked like it might be safe. Then she, Grimm, Rueful and Maze were all kneeling in a grassy field. For a moment, Rhonda looked around wildly, wondering where they might be.

Then her eyes fell on a distant city - with some tall buildings, but also with other buildings that were on fire, with columns of dark smoke rising. They were on the ground, somewhere outside of Metropolis. Much closer, but still some distance away, she saw the alien ship, smashing into the ground and exploding in fire. Even while it was crashing, she saw several smaller vehicles peeling out and away from the ship like flies. She didn't doubt they were escape pods and fighter craft.

She heard the rumbling boom of the impact a few seconds later, and looked back towards her friends. Grimm was sitting up, still looking bleary and coughing like mad. But he didn't seem to be otherwise hurt. Rueful was patting the back of his head as if trying to revive him, squealing and chittering. While Maze looked at Rhonda with wide, amazed eyes.

'You... are the Bear Priestess.' he said simply.

'That's what I've been trying to tell you!' Rhonda shouted, waving her arms. But a moment later, she was kneeling down next to Grimm, helping him up to a sitting position. At last, his eyes seemed to refocus, and he looked around at them, still breathing heavily. He looked back and forth between Rhonda and Maze.

'So... we all... friends now or something?' he said, his voice sounded raspy and labored.

Rhonda looked sheepish. 'Well... yeah.' she said with a shrug. But she was so happy that Grimm was all right, she had little thought for anything else. Then she slapped Grimm across the cheek.

'Ow!' he yelped. 'What was that for?'

'That was for giving yourself up without telling me your plan!' she shouted. 'Do you have any idea how scared we were? Me and Jade...' Then her mouth fell open, her eyes wide in shock. 'Jade!' she shouted. 'She... she was on the ship when it blew!' She looked over towards the distant area where BattleF'yuri's ship now lay smashed and burning. The fireball of the initial explosion was still rising high into the sky, connected to the wreck now by a black trail of thick smoke. The skeletal internal structure was now visible, looking like a pile of burning matchsticks. 'Oh no!' Rhonda said, shaking her head. 'Oh no! Nonononono!'

Then she screamed as there was a shrill beeping from her waist. She looked stunned and bewildered as she fished her communicator out of her hip pouch and slowly pushed the button to answer. Jade's tinny voice shouted shrill from the speaker. 'Is everyone ok?' she stammered. 'Is everyone ok?'

Rhonda's face was chalk white. 'Jade! I thought you were... the bike! The ship! The boom!'

'Uh... it was just the bike.' Jade said. 'Remember - remote control? I'm fine! But I thought you were all goners!'

'No - we all got away.' Rhonda panted, looking weary but relieved. 'Including...'

'Probable - signing back in.' said Grimm, his throat still raspy.

Through the screen, Jade had let out a moan of relief and looked like she had fallen back into her chair in a slump. 'Aw jeez.' she said. 'Best escape ever! Sorry about the bike, G-man.'

Grimm shook his head, glancing aside at the burning flagship. 'If losing the Ksikkihkíni is the worst that comes of all this, I'll count it as acceptable losses. We can always rebuild...'

'So is it over?' Rhonda said. Rueful had climbed back onto her shoulder as she stood up. She stepped forward a pace, looking at the burning wreck.

Grimm staggered up and joined her. And Maze came up behind them, staring in wonder at the conflagration. But Grimm was looking now above and past the ruined flagship. Still hovering in the sky were at least seven more alien battlecruisers. And the popping of distant explosions also showed that hordes of walker drones were still pushing their way into Metropolis.

'No... it's not over yet.' Grimm said heavily.

Coming Soon:
Chapter 24
Loose Ends

Author: Merry Christmas - and I hope this extra long chapter was worth the wait! Readers of the All Thing Probable series have had it roughest with Graduation, because real life and other issues dragged out the writing and posting of each chapter. So rather than continue to tease, I packed all of the climaxes into this one chapter. It's full of things which I felt were the apex of Kim and Ron's confrontation, as well as the culmination of all the hints and clues I've dropped over the course of the entire series, as to what Team Probable was doing during the Lorwardian invasion.

But as you may guess, it's not over yet. Next comes the answers to one of the biggest questions of all - if the Lorwardian invasion was global, how does it 'end'? Warhok may be gone, but there are still plenty of ships, walkers and motivated alien soldiers who are ready to carry on the work. How will they be stopped? Can they be stopped? Don't lose heart just yet, because ATP Graduation will answer all those questions and more!