Chapter 2

Not too far from the GJ building, but deep underground, a crisis was unfolding. Drakken and Shego had turned good after Kim and Ron graduated high school. But no sooner had GJ accepted Kim and Ron into their new Agent's College before the former villains returned to a life of crime. Now, they had kidnapped Tim Sharpton - kid cousin to Dr. Director and a Major in the U.S. Marine Corps.

"What shall we do with him?" asked Drakken.

"Use him as leverage, you idiot." Shego was honing her gloves with a nail file. "Or bait."

Four dark blue dots lit up on a digital map.

"Oh, perfect." Drakken devilishly smirked. "They're on their way."

"Shego, prepare to welcome GJ's newest agents… our old foes will finally meet their match!"

Major Sharpton woke up, trying to adjust as quickly as he could. He realized his gun and knives were gone, his shirt and pants were in a heap. Worst of all, steel cables tightly bound his wrists above his head to a metal post, roughly forged so it had ridges. Everything was sterile white and blinding light, he wanted to shield his eyes. But that was kind of hard when his wrists were tied up.

"Their plans are as bad as their character." he grumbled. He focused on his lower core muscles, and went into a squat. The steel cables screeched up the post as he gradually stood, the ridges of the post cutting into his back and arms. He gritted his teeth and continued the slow journey to standing.

Then he realized the ridges were only on the front, so he moved around in a squatting position to the side. The screeching continued as the steel cables came unwound against the pole's sharp edges.

Eventually he just had his hands tied behind his back. He opened his right palm, put his fingers into a knife-hand, and slid one hand out. He repeated with the left hand. Now he was free! He grabbed his shirt and pants from the basket and put them back on in less than a minute. Now, all he had to do was find his weapons - wow, this wasn't difficult, the weapons were in a wire wastebasket.

"Getting out of this hellhole…" he growled…

...only to set off an alarm when he stepped on an infrared laser.

Kim, Mulan, Ron, and Shang had since infiltrated the lair, with a surprising lack of interference. It was as if Drakken was making it too easy to get in. They stood in a central area with four hallways branching off in separate directions.

"This is the part where all hell breaks loose." whispered Mulan to Kim. "Prepare to fight."

"Over there!" shouted a henchman in a red jumpsuit, hiding in a corner. Four more henchmen zoomed out on red-black-and-chrome motorbikes with spiked wheels, one from each hall.

"Ugh, why did I have to be right?" Mulan groaned.

"Because you usually are?" guessed Shang.

"Apparently didn't he didn't learn from last time," mused Kim, noticing the spiked wheels. "OK, when I say jump, we all jump!"

The motorbikes got closer and closer, Kim could feel the air rushing off them. "JUMP!" she shouted. The four jumped, causing the motorbikes to crash into each other. The spikes on the wheels meshed together like sharp gears, tipping the motorbikes over and killing the henchmen.

Then 12 more henchmen showed up. Mulan reached into a holster on her utility belt and pulled out something that looked like a police baton. She gripped the nano-polymer center and it extended into her upgraded Lightning Rod. Electricity crackled around the newly-sharpened ends, and the steel-aluminum alloy glowed with energy.

"HYAH!" Mulan yelled as she thrust the Lightning Rod at a henchman's shoulder. The sharpened end pierced a main nerve center, sending raw electricity throughout his body. He seized up and collapsed.

Ron cheered - "Booyah, Agent Fa!"

"Focus, Ron!" Shang's fist lashed out to the side and struck another henchman's windpipe.

"Score one for the Captain!" Ron was entirely too busy trying to boost morale to fight effectively, but at least he was defending himself.

"He's a General now! Get it right!" Mulan decided to fight with all the force of a great typhoon. She used spinning strikes with her Lightning Rod and circular-motion kicks to take down four henchmen in rapid succession.

"Six down, six to go." Kim calculated. She jumped above the melee, grabbed a high railing, and used it like a gymnastics bar to do a few flips. She let go after three rounds, giving her the momentum and gravity to knock down two more henchmen, crushing their ribs.

Now only four henchmen remained. Mulan stalked up to them. "What do you think, team? One each?"

All color drained from the henchmen's faces. Three stood frozen to the floor, until the fourth - who was about the size of the Sumo Ninja - snatched them up and made a run for it.

"Get through the blast doors, rescue Major Sharpton, get out!" Kim took charge. Mulan struck the cipher pad with her Lightning Rod, causing the blast doors to fly open… and slam closed again. It did this a few more times in a deadly rhythm - open and shut, open and shut.

"OK, here's the sitch." said Kim. If we do this right, we can get through and rescue Major Sharpton. If we do it wrong…" Kim shuddered at the thought of being crushed, "...well, you can figure it out."

"I'll go first." volunteered Ron. He counted exactly five seconds between the opening and shutting, this would take expert timing. Nothing he couldn't handle, he'd fought a traitorous ninja and won.

Kim gave Ron a kiss for luck. Ron took a deep breath and charged at the doors, diving through and rolling on the other side to safety.

"You got 5 seconds!" called Ron.

Kim went next, sprinting up and doing a flip through the doors, hearing the metal-on-metal clashing behind her not a second later. She thanked her lucky stars her hair was tied back as tightly as it was.

Mulan retracted her Lightning Rod and put it in her utility belt's holster. She went third, leaping through the doors with her usual grace and power.

Shang followed close behind Mulan… but tripped! He cried out in agony as the doors slammed shut on his left shin bone, the sickening crunch making everyone cringe. He tried to drag his leg out, but the doors closed again, this time on his left foot. Mulan grabbed his arms and pulled him to safety.

"Shang!" Mulan tried to get Shang to stand.

"No, don't!" Kim warned. "His bones are broken! Didn't you hear that noise as the doors closed on his leg?"

"I wish I hadn't!" Mulan winced. "But we can't leave him behind… guess the best thing we can do is carry him."

Shang cursed as Mulan tried to shift him into a position where he could be carried easily. Tears streamed from Mulan's eyes, she hated seeing her husband hurt so badly!

"I've carried him over a short distance before." explained Mulan. "Shang, remember when I picked you up in the garden?"

Shang tried to smile but it was forced through his pain. "I remember… and I love you…" Mulan gently lifted Shang, kissing him on the forehead. He tried smiling again, but then his eyes closed. He had passed out from the pain.

"Oh no, sweetie…" Mulan tightened her grip on Shang and the team started on their way to rescue Major Sharpton.

Major Sharpton, meanwhile, was face-to-face with Shego.

"It's a pity nobody will be brave enough to save you." Shego mocked. "Or stupid enough."

"Excuse me, who are you calling stupid!" The white double-doors slid open, revealing Kim, Ron, and Mulan. Shang's eyes were open, but he was in no shape to fight.

"Seems like Pretty Boy wasn't as swift as a coursing river."

"Not funny!" barked Shang.

Shego cackled. "What are you going to do about it? Your shin's crushed, your foot's probably never going to - AGH!" Kim had grabbed a handful of Shego's free-flowing hair and yanked hard, exposing her throat.

"You wanna die?" Kim hissed. "Nobody! Hurts! My! Friends!" This severely punctuated threat was backed up with Kim brandishing a combat knife from her utility belt. The flat of the blade pressed against Shego's throat, leaving a trickle of red down her green and black jumpsuit.

"Kimmie…" For once, fear flashed in Shego's green eyes. "Aren't you - overreacting? You know how we fight? Even though we're both capable of killing each other - we don't."

Kim raised the knife as if to slash her enemy's jugular. But then, Kim let go of Shego, letting the stark white floor provide a punishing landing.

Major Sharpton offered to carry Shang. "It's the least I can do." Mulan passed Shang over. "Thanks, Major." said Mulan, wiping the sweat from her forehead once Shang was out of her arms.

"Come on, let's get back to my cousin." said Major Sharpton. "She's probably worried sick."

TO BE CONTINUED...