Author's Note: College finally hit a lull long enough for me to write. I hope you enjoy, and please, leave a review.

Chapter Eleven: The Welcoming Committee

Betty Director stared at the feed from security cameras in Middleton Mall in shock and a twinge of fear. The Picture of Anne Possible built in the Head of Global Justice painted a woman of healing and will with unmatched skill while performing delicate procedures. However, the skill with a scalpel didn't translate well to skill in close quarters combat. From what little the brunette knew of surgical medicine, some aptitudes did overlap but saw expression in each field of application differently. That is to say, many operations required a similar precision to the placement of incisions when arranging operatives in the field, but the scale of combat mission versus medical procedure differed vastly.

Betty watched the feed again and saw a marked shift in Anne's posture. The woman went from relaxed to alert a moment before Shego. Impressive, Betty thought when she noticed. This statement only echoed louder when Betty watched the remainder of the Possible Matriarch's demeanor shift into that of a deadly warrior almost before DNAmy finished speaking. What sets you off, Mrs. Possible? When Anne produced a knife from nowhere in s flash, Betty whistled in shocked amazement. If I could have my agents half as wheel trained as Anne, no criminal would stay active for long.Betty folded her hands into a steepled and rested her chin. How do I get her for Global Justice?

At school, Kim suddenly felt shock and happiness flow over the Karadim. When Monique shivered, the teen bounty hunter looked at her fashionista friend in a bit of worry, "What?"

The other teen girl grimaced. Girl, you alright?" Monique looked at Ron who nodded.

"KP, that smile is seriously wrong/sick on your face!"

Kim frowned and shook her head. "Veronica thought something hilarious just happened, but she won't share."

The blonde boy frowned, "Kim, are you sure you're ok?"

A more Kim smile formed on the young warrior's face, "I've never been better, Ron."

Ron's nerves would not calm as the day continued. What was the deal with that wired energy shift around Kim last night? Ron thought nervously as he remembered how Kim described the energy transfer of the Attitudinator after the whole Zorpox sitch. That doesn't track though,Ron countered as he continued to consider the event. The red field of energy gradually shifted to blue before it vanished. Part of Ron wanted to shrug the coincidence off, but he still felt off in regard to story Kim gave to explain The Mark she and Shego shared. Rule 3: Never believe what you're told. Double check. Ron looked at his friend. "Rufus, how am I supposed to verify this freaky Mark thing isn't hurting Kim?"

Rufus looked at his best friend in sympathy. "Yori?"

Ron nodded slowly. "Next to Master Sensei, she's probably the best person to ask."

Rufus nodded in agreement. Then, he chittered something.

Ron laughed, "Yeah, like Miss Death Hands would soften up for Kim because of their Bond."

Rufus gave him a look.

"What?" Ron asked. "You can't think Kim and Shego's flights were just sparring sessions."

Rufus facepalmed and started chittering animatedly. Then, he mimed a sword fight before the pink rodent moved to look as if he sat in front of a computer on his owner's shoulder.

"The training arenas in Everlot, what do they have to do with anything?"

Rufus gave Ron a deadpan expression.

"OH! The arenas help players test new gear, spells, and strategies without damage!"

Rufus nodded with a grin. "Shego…arena…NPC…Kim."

The Monkey Master in training nodded and tried to rethink Kim and Shego's fights with this new variable in play. "If it were anyone else, I'd say you were nuts, buddy, but with Kim as a SpecOps soldier and Shego as a super-woman, it makes an uncomfortable amount of logical sense."

Rufus only crossed his arms and smiled with a hint of smugness in his grin as he looked at his owner and best friend.

"Yeah…yeah…" Ron muttered with a grin. "Rub it in."

Rufus just laughed.

Back at Ron's house, the young man looked around and felt relief wash over him when he noted the lack of parents because he sensed Yori in his room. It struck him hard as he walked in the house like a blow. Her presence in the cosmic web wasn't as strong as his, but she stood above the normal background hum of the cosmos, a constant buzz in the back of his mind, like a candle to his flashlight against the faint cosmic glimmer of the universe. Ron could also feel the presence of Shego, but she was like a star in the web. The web itself quivered slightly under the as of yet untapped power within the green woman, seemingly eclipsing Kim's own divot in The Cosmic Life Web. Ron pushed away the sensation of Shego and shook his read with a scowl. She has too much strength to not be dangerous.

"Stoppable-san, I am up here in your room."

With his concentration broken, Ron shook his head to rid himself of dark thoughts, replaced his glowering countenance with a smile, and walked into his room. Ron scanned around the room with a curious glance and looked to his friend and beloved pet. Yori dropped down from the ceiling and smiled at the blonde. Then, she noticed the troubled expression on the Monkey Master's face and frowned. Ron sighed heavily, sat on his bed, and patted the empty place next to him. "Yori, I need your help."

Yori frowned with concern on her face. "What is it, Ron-kun?"

Ron froze, "Yori?"

The kunoichi blushed and bowed steeply, "Gomenesai, Stoppable-san." Yori shivered, "I momentarily forgot myself. Forgive me."

Ron smiled and gently put a hand on her shoulder. "Yori, please sit. I need you're help badly, and it's starting to get awkweird with you standing."

With the breach in Japanese etiquette sealed as best as Ron could tell, the young man smiled, "Sit please."

Yori smiled sadly and reluctantly sat next to him. "What troubles you, Stoppable-san?"

Ron closed his eyes and focused as best as he could with the teachings of Master Sansei as his guide. With a deep breath and a gentle hand moved from the bed to Yori's for strength, Ron began. "I'm worried about Kim," Ron said as he shivered with emotion.

Yori nodded and hesitantly reached to rub his back, "Start from the beginning."

Ron took a deep and shaky breath. "It started when Drakken tried to use this portal thingy again. The first time he used it, Kim and I were thrown into different TV shows." Ron shivered as his face paled in reignited fear, "So many monkeys…"

Yori looked at her and giggled at the irony. Then, she covered her face with a hand to hide a laugh. "Go on."

"Kim and Shego went into the portal. A few moments later, the portal spat them back out with some new ink: a green flame for Kim and a strange skull for Miss Death Hands." Ron swallowed, "After that, Kim showed up to GJ and ripped the place a new one because Betty captured and drugged Shego."

Yori's eyes widened in shock, "Possible-san fights with honor, yet she humiliated an ally?"

Ron stared at her, "You see?!" The Monkey Master almost yelled before he calmed himself and continued. "It makes no sense unless The Marks are some form of mind control!"

Yori sighed, "Stoppable-san, do you think it could be respect between rivals that drove Possible-san to free her?"

Ron scratched the back of his head and looked at his lap in a mild defeat. "I don't know. I wasn't there." The blonde shook his head and sighed in frustration. "This whole sitch has me majorly tweaked!"

Yori ran circles around the back of Ron's hand with her thumb, "Why?"

Ron closed his eyes and sighed, the action seeming to carry about a week's worth of pent up discomfort. "Kim always trusted me."

Yori looked at him with a soft smile. "She still trusts you," the young woman said gently. "Possible-san just has another friend in her corner."

"Don't you mean her girlfriend?"

Yori's look turned pained. "Why are you so angry?" The ninja asked, honestly confused. "I do not understand."

"Kim could die or be corrupted by this dragon in Human form!" Ron growled as his eyes glowed with dangerous power. "I won't let this happen."

Yori sighed, "You forget; dragons are good fortune and generally helpful in the lore of my home country." Yori looked at Ron. "With her new form and even before, Shego-san could have killed Possible-san at any time." Yori smiled, "With the nobility of a dragon's heart and the eyes of a thief, Shego-san balances between Light and Darkness." Yori l looked up at the blonde with gentle but probing eyes and a nervous smile, "Trust Kim to care for herself, Ron-san."

At Yori's calming tone, Ron took a deep breath and felt the tension in his body fade away, replaced with a strange grittiness when Yori called him by the name-honorific combination he playfully suggested when the pair first met.

Ron couldn't be sure, but he thought he heard a small, chittering laugh from within Rufus' pocket on the young man's pants and a squeak that sounded suspiciously like "Finally!"

At the Middleton Space Center, Doctor James Possible shivered. From his terminal, the man watched a large angular form flow through the orbit of Mars. Without a word, James dug in his desk and lifted something out of a false bottom with the appearance of a tablet. The device scanned the image on his monitor and, after a moment, beeped once with a brief red flash. "Damn it!" James uncharacteristically swore. Then, he reached for the phone at his desk and conferenced in Kim, Jim, and Tim. "Kids, we have a situation."

"What is it, Dad?" Kim asked in worry as she noticed her father's tense tone.

"Yeah…" Tim began. "What's wrong?" Jim finished.

"Operation: Cataclysm…" James said before he took a deep breath to steel himself. "This is not a drill. I'm going below to get the coils for the prototype warmed up."

Kim felt a pinch of dread but squelched it. "Dad…"

"Kimberly, don't alert SecDef until Jim and Tim give these people a taste of Zeus' Fists."

Jim and Tim's eyes widened unseen. "Dad, how did you…" "…know about that?!"

James smiled, "When your wife says her sons cloned her brain and built an AI from digitized maps of said brain, you get interested VERY quickly. It didn't take long to figure it out once I remembered your favorite game." The moment of levity evaporated as quickly as it came. "Wake up your Aunt Joyeuse."

Jim and Tim grinned unseen and released her into their systems. "Auntie…"

A holographic projection came to life on a desk near the boys and looked to be a digital twin of Doctor Anne Possible with frock and stethoscope to match, "Boys, how many times have told you not to hack The Pentagon?"

Jim and Tim spoke as one. "This is different, Aunt Joyeuse!" The boys looked at each other. "You still have command protocols for the twin MACs we built, right?"

The hologram's form shimmered after a moment into a rather scary form of a warrior woman decked neck to boot in armor. "(This is The Way.)"

Jim and Tim nodded, "It's time, Aunt Joyeuse. There's a data packet Dad prepared for you when you get to the uplink at the Space Center."

Joyeuse's hologram only nodded before she winked out.

Jim smiled and spoke to his Dad, "The sword is in the hand."

"Roger," the boys could hear James putting the final preparations together on the prototype, "The shield is in flight to the arm."

Kim growled angrily as she waited for confirmation of First Strike from command at The Possible House. The warrior knew the plan as if she wrote it up herself, but anticipation coursed through her veins and made it extremely difficult to sit still as Kim waited. Part of her wanted to rush over to Global Justice and brief The Cyclops, but a sinking feeling of dread when she thought of the woman kept the young Mandalorian tight-lipped and wound like a spring under compression. Kim looked at Veronica and frowned. Even without their Karadim, Veronica's body language broadcasted for all who could read it and almost coaxed a laugh from the redhead because she couldn't tell who was more ready to fight of the two.

"You know the plan, Kimmie," Veronica said with a smile as she sensed Kim's eagerness. "We have to wait for The Tweebs to wound the ship before we can board it."

Suddenly, a bright green bolt of plasma shot out from somewhere near the Space Center.

A moment later, Joyeuse sounded amused as she responded, "Readings say incoming ship's shields are dead as a hammer."

Not wanting to get caught behind schedule with their part, Shego took her massive true form before Kim checked her seals and put her helmet on her head. A part of Kim worried the ship would plummet down into the Earth below after it was struck, but no such warnings from Joyeuse came.

Somehow, the dragon could feel the massive iron-tungsten slugs leave the duel rail-guns. Shit, those boys actually did it!

A split second later, Joyeuse called, "Both rounds confirmed hits. Boarding team, that's your cue!"

Together, the pair rose into the sky quickly. When the air began to thin, Shego almost screamed, or would have, had her lungs not relaxed and sealed themselves off. Instead, the former thief felt her body begin to draw from the generated plasma in her body.

Veronica, you ok?

Veronica closed her eyes and focused on the movement of Kim as she continued to breathe on the dragon's back in order to anchor and keep herself calm. Kim, my body is using its plasma for fuel while I technically stopped breathing as soon as the air pressure dropped too low,the dragon did her best to suppress a shiver. You're the only thing keeping me calm right now.

Kim patted Shego's neck and smiled under her helmet. The smile vanished however when Kim saw turrets dotting the outside of the vessel. Why aren't they tracking or shooting at us?

Veronica flashed the image of a fanged grin across Kim's mind. I have a feeling Jim and Tim aren't the only ones with a tendency toward secret projects. After all, they had to get it from someone.

The ship sported a gaping hole in two places port side: near mid-ship and aft. Kim whistled in amazement at the damage. The ship was dead in the water and likely vented all atmosphere but a sealed portion on the bow. One look at the fore of the shim made Kim freeze for a moment. It seemed a massive weapon with pincer-like extensions on either side of of a central emitter still had power. It's lights glowed menacing as if ready to strike at a moment's notice. With a rock in her gut, Kim checked again to make sure the turrets stayed offline. Then, she nodded as Veronica glided to an airlock and sat Kim down at the door. A keypad greeted Kim on the right hand side of the door. The script on the pad made Kim shiver. It seemed familiar yet alien at the same time and gave her a headache if she looked at it for too long.

I could just fry it.

…and trigger a fail safe or security system? With a deep breath, Kim focused and lifted the keypad away to expose the wires underneath. With what she could remember, Kim worked to hot-wire the door. For an FTL-capable race, the security tech is remarkably…simple.After a moment more, the interior door slid shut while the airlock slid open with a whoosh of escaping atmosphere. Kim smirked and gestured to the door. Ladies first.

Veronica smiled with a slow shake of her massive head. Kimmie, when you think you're top dog, you don't worry about attacks from those below you. Then, she shrank to her humanoid form and walked into the airlock, followed by Kim.

As the room re-pressurized, Kim quickly covered Shego's scales with the same hooded cloak the woman wore while shopping earlier. When the massive door into the corridor opened, Veronica began breathing normally again while the plasma faded from a surging mass to a controlled pulse once again.

Inferiority complex…why am I not surprised?

With a look fore and aft, Kim drew her blasters and began walking slowly towards the bridge of the ship. Silently, the pair stepped. Then, as they neared the bridge, whispers floated over the ears of the pair.

"(The Great Blue LIED to us!)" A gruff male voice thundered through the hall. "(He said these monkeys would be easy prey.)"

A female voice, equally as unintelligible as the first almost had a flirtatious tone as she spoke, "(My battle-mate, calm yourself.)" The voice soothed. "(There is yet sport to be had. Two monkeys boarded the ship, and last scans indicate…)" The strange feminine voice suddenly took on an almost sensuous tone. "(…they come to meet your great sword as we speak.)"

Veronica smirked, We shouldn't disappoint. Should we, Princess?

No, Kim said with a mock frown. That would be rude, and Possibles are never rude.

With careful aim, the young Mandalorian fired her blasters at the giant male's remarkably exposed chest. He cried out in pain and looked around until he spotted her. However, his eyes only stayed on Kim for a moment before they settled uneasily on Shego's cloaked form.

"Who are you?" The giant rattled. "I would know the name of my opponent."

Kim grit her teeth and turned her blasters on the giantess. "Shego, you wipe that annoying smirk off his face, and I'll handle the Amazon."

The male raised a brow with a momentary scowl of disgust, "You take orders from a monkey, Shego?"

The dragon frowned deeply, "Don't you dare disrespect my Kimmie!" Shego growled through clinched teeth and attacked, growing to her natural size as she did. I have half a mind to rip you to pieces and send you back wherever you came from in a pine box!

With her blasters, Kim quickly blinded the female. Then, Kim began a sort of long game strategy. With rolls and sidesteps, Kim avoided the lumbering and somewhat clumsy strikes of the woman. Then, Kim ran behind the woman, too close in to effectively hit with out risk to the giant's own feet. With a minor prayer to Kad Ha'rangir, Kim tacked the woman's leg. Down like a felled tower, they crashed in a heap. Kim shook the vapors of impact away gradually and soon found her feet.

Thinking quickly, Kim spied a pair of swords too small for Lorwardian hands on the wall lashed together with simple vine-like rope. Sprinting, Kim seized the left hilt and tore it free from the dry rotted wrap around the blade and charged with renewed strength. Kim raised her newly acquired weapon to slice the Amazon's tendons and incapacitate her.

However, the male's gurgling scream and Veronica's ear-shattering roar made Kim and her foe freeze in terror. Instinctively, Kim reached for the Karadim. The male giant stared down at a bound and gagged vision of Kim, strapped to bedposts, a limb to a post.

"I'm going to enjoy-"

Even with the view splintered like a shattered mirror, Kim knew Veronica in her anger broke into the alien's mind. Now, her Bonded saw his thoughts and intended to make him pay for every one of them. With no need or desire to see more, Kim dropped her end of the Karadim as if it were a coal from the heart of a lively fire.

The Mandalorian heard the alien scream before he came flying and slammed into the opposite wall. Kim could feel the blistering fury from Veronica as the dragon bore down on the man who was lower than prey, lower than Nekrio, lower than Ro-Narta… The strange terms rattled across Kim's mind with ready definition as if she knew them from birth. "Whore" and "poisoned by Darkness" filled the places for those slurs as Kim viewed Veronica's mind.

The Amazon green female looked in stark terror through blotchy haze of heavily damaged eyes as the dragon moved her mouth to bite and rend her Battle Mate's head from his shoulders. (Warhawk, what did you say?!) The woman's mind reeled. (I never heard you speak to her beyond an insult towards the monkey.) The young armored monkey took her helmet off and walked up to the beast without fear even as Warmonga cowered in a pool of her own waste. Then, the dragon relaxed and seemed to relent as the pair talked in the ape's tongue. The woman took her chances and spoke, "W-Warmonga promises!" The dragon and monkey stopped and stared at her. "W-Warmonga and Warhawk will go back to Lorwardia! Please, just spare Warhawk! Warhawk is Warmanga's beloved!"

The great beast turned and walked over to her. IF I EVER CATCH YOU OR YOUR KIND NEAR THIS SYSTEM AGAIN, I SHALL NOT LEAVE ANYTHING BEHIND FOR YOUR KIND TO BURY!

Warmonga actually squeaked and scampered over to the fallen and barely conscious Warhawk before she spoke, "(Pod One, send the two non-Lorwardian's back to their homeworld, p-please.)"

The ship's computer seemed to show something akin to shock as it took a full twenty seconds to fulfill the command given by its mistress.

"When we get home, Kimmie, I think I'll have another chat with Drakken because I can't help but think he invited them here."

Kim nodded, "I want to be there when you do."