Wanderer 3- I just want you to know, who is who was planned out long before I started writing this down (well mostly, Shego was originally water, which was the first in the story devolving into the Mystic Knights of Team Go, the end results were not pretty, but that's a story for another time.)
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"So that's where we stand Bonnie," Ron, Rufus, Zita and Bonnie were in Ron's room, explaining the situation to Bonnie. Through the entire explanation she just sat there, some where between shock and annoyance as to what had happened to her.
Between the story and seeing Ron manipulate the all the law and medical teams that had arrived after Sea Serpent had left her part of destruction from her house to Zita's, Bonnie wasn't really sure what to make of everything. On the one hand, if what she was told was the truth, it was unbelievable and on the other hand it was highly inconvenient. But two things had become clear, Stoppable was going to ruin her life and dropping Possible's name could pretty much get you anything you wanted, a little piece of information that might be useful one day.
"So lets say just for a second I believe any of this, What's in it for me?" Bonnie finally asked her words chosen carefully.
Ron covered his face with his hands, Zitas face became red, and Rufus just stared in shock.
Finally Zita grabbed Bonnie by the collar, "Listen to me you manipulative little skank, this is not something you can barter with, either your in or your not, but don't think you can jerk us around!"
Pulling away, "Who the hell do you think you are, I can do what I please you NEED me, I don't give a damn what happens to you," a sadistic smirk on her face.
"Need you? That's a laugh Ron and I have been doing fine on our own so far."
"Yeah right, you really expect me to believe that Stoppable can do anything right?"
"You piece of.."
Ron had been watching the exchange thus far, a look of contemplation on his face, but he had finally had enough.
"STOP!" All eyes turning to him then calmly, "Bonnie you really think your safe? Your not, what you say was the tip of the ice berg. Adrenna Lynn didn't have those kind of resources when she was on TV she sure as hell doesn't have them now. She's being backed by someone, someone with a lot of power, and that force is being focused on us. Dollars to doughnuts they have other Sentinels at their beak and call, and if you think this will be their only run at the mace or you, then your not going to be around long enough to graduate. We're giving you the chance to maybe see tomorrow, to do something few people have ever done before be heroes, save li…"
"Ok enough with the sermon," as Bonnie rolled her eyes, "you really think I'm going to run off head first into some crazy fight? Just get Possible to do it."
Ron sighed, " I told you Kim isn't part of this, It's just the four of us in this fight, at least for right now, there are still two more Knights out there, and at three more sentinels."
The gears in Bonnies mind became turning, "so Kimmie's really not part of this in any way? I'll be doing something miss oh so perfect can't," a wicked grin forming on her face, "Ok here's the deal, I'll do it, But I get to be there when you tell Kimmie pie all about what you've been doing?"
Simultaneously from the three, "WHAT!"
"Simple, if I tell her what's happening she won't believe me, but I Ronnie her tells her, well, she'll be crushed, and I can't wait to see the look on her face when it happens."
"You," Zita said looking at her hatred in her eyes, "are a cruel heartless bitch rottweiler."
After a few moments Ron finally relented, "Agreed."
"Ron no," Zita said harshly looking at him with pleading eyes, "we don't need her."
"Yes, we do Zita, but it's going to take a while I have no idea when Kim's coming back so till then you belong to us Bonnie. You doing anything tomorrow?"
Rolling her eyes, "No, Barkin gave us tomorrow off because of the pep rally Friday, you should know that, your on the team."
"Good, I'll arrange transport to the forge for tomorrow so we can get the chalice back into it's true condition."
"About that," Zita had been waiting to ask the question that had been bothering her since she first realized the mace was now a cup, "how did the mace end up like that?"
"We've been thinking about that too, "Ron told them, " and Rufus came up with something."
"I can't believe we're listing to a theory from a dead rat," Bonnie was truly in disbelief to the idea.
"Yeah well, Rufus thinks that when the powers of the weapons were made dormant, the weapons ceased to be protected from most forms of damage. It's not that hard to believe that some point between then and now the mace was melted down as scrap metal and remade into the chalice."
"You think that's what really happened?"
"You got a better idea Zita?"
"Not off the top of my head, no," Ron petted Rufus on the head as the Mole Rat took a bow.
"So why do we need transport?" Bonnie finally asked growing tied of the theatrics of the rodent, and pointless questions with no real answers.
"Because we don't have cars," Zita told her, a bit annoyed at the obvious question.
"Speak for yourself, I'm not bumming a ride like some loser, just tell me where to go and I'll drive, but I'll be damned if I'm doing the work myself, one of you can do it."
"That work for you Zita?" Ron looked at his more trusted partner in armor.
"Depends, can the pom pom princess lower herself to be seen with the likes of us?" more than a little venom in her words.
"Keep pushing me, we'll see where it gets you," Bonnie warned.
The threat was hollow and Zita knew it, "I got news for ya Bon Bon, I know how to work my weapon, you don't you're the one that should be worried."
"Bite me," as Bonnie got up and stormed out of Ron's room.
Ron shook his head not believe what he was seeing, "this is just going to be one of those days," going after Bonnie hoping he could undo some of the damage.
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Thursday
Ron got word from Wade that Kim was coming in late that night from London, which was a double edged sword for him. On the one side who could finally talk to Kim about everything that was happening, on the other side, he had to do it in front of Bonnie, unless he could find a loop hole.
Somehow Ron had managed to convinced Bonnie to still help, and get Zita to back off off Bonnie a bit, he understood Zita's dislike for Bonnie but they did need her, whether they liked it or not.
According to the plan they had come up with, Ron and Zita would meet up after school, walk down the street and wait for Bonnie to pick them up out of sight of the school, in order to preserve to reputation at school, both as a popular girl and as a bitch.
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Rock Wolf stood over looking his host's former domain, grateful to be free of the magic that had held him prisoner for so long, 'confinement, even when one does not realize it, is still a prison' he mussed to himself silently.
"Sweet freedom at last, I am once more able to feel the earth beneath my feet, the air in my lungs, blood on my fingers."
"Enjoy it while you can brother," causing him Sentinel of Tamra to spin, his claw bared ready for battle, only to behold a man in armor, the lightning boomerang in his belt. "the knights are also free, after a fasion."
"Lightning Bat?" he asked questioningly not lowering his weapon.
"Yes brother, I to live, as does Sea Serpent," offering his arm in greeting.
"And Ice Lord?" lowering his weapon, and grasping his brothers arm.
"I am unsure, I have been in communication with one who claims to be our brother, but I have yet to see him, so it is still a question if it is really him or an imposter."
"If he is a forgery we shall deal with him brother, and for the brief moments he draws breath he shall regret crossing us. And what of the Knights, how is it they still exists after all these years, were they trapped as we were?"
"They were not, but their weapons have endured and claimed new carriers, Forest and Water have already gained their armor, and Earth has just been rediscovered, only Wind and Fire who have yet to resurface, but it is only a matter of time till they to will rise to challenge us."
"Earth lives once more, then revenge is still mine to be taken, take me to the man who dares lay claim to command the earth over I, his bones shall adorn my belt."
"It is a she now brother, and you shall have her soon. Come, we have much to prepare for, and little time to do it." Lightning Bat turned, Rock Wolf on his heels leaving his host's domicile, not for the first time Lightning Bat wondering what act of fate had lead the Wolf Fang Claw to it's hosts hands before it had even been activated.
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"So where the hell is this place?" By Ron's count it the twenty eighth time Bonnie had asked.
"Just keep going princess," Zita told her from the back seat aggravation her voice.
"We're in the middle of no where, you realize that," Bonnie hissed, "and I'm turning around."
"Um Bonnie, we're here," Ron said from the seat next to her pointing at the forge's lot through the windshield.
It took Bonnie a few minutes to find a place to park that she didn't think would horribly deprecate her car for the few hours she had to be here.
"You expect me to go in their? You have got to be kidding me, no way and I going in that thing," looking at the outside of the forge, "I probably need a tetanus just from looking at it."
Rolling her eyes, "It's safe princess, now pass me the cup so Ron ad I can get started, that is of course unless you've changed your mind and decided to help," batting her eye lashes at Bonnie mockingly.
"Fat chance," pushing the chalice into Zita's hands, "go ahead, you look like you enjoy this kind of work."
"What's that suppose to mean?" Zita growled
"You always did strike me as butch," a dark smirk on Bonnie's face
"Oh that is it," preparing to lunge and the cheerleader
Ron jumped in between the two, "OK neutral corners both of you," grabbing Zita by the arm and pulling her into the forge, "your better than her Zita, you know it, I know it, she knows it, besides if your going to beat her into the ground I need to be able to place money on you to win.
A smile formed on Zita's mouth at the last comment as Ron let go of her arm.
"So let's get this over with, Rufus," as Ron looked at the Mole Rat, "get the forge going, we have a lot of work to do."
Rufus scurried out of Ron's pocket and went to work getting the forge fired up while the two humans tried to find the tools they'd need to rebuild the mace from the ground up.
Just as before when the two went to work invisible hands seemed to be guiding them, telling what to do, melting down the entire cup so they could make each individual rung for the mace, as well as the grip, recreating the mace head, unlike the other weapons each and every piece was made by their hands. And just as before they finished far sooner than the task said they should have finished. Just as the other three weapons had been the mace was now almost an exact copy of the image Ron had been given of the nine weapons, only now a small gold dragon head sat on the mace's grip. Unlike the lithe dragon on Ron's ax, the serpentine dragon on the trident, or the majestic image of the dragon head on the sword this dragon head was rounded out.
Zita wiped the sweat from her face, "What do you bet the princess is gone?"
"In," Rufus added agreeing with Zita
"Guys," not for the first time that day Ron shook his head in disbelief, "she wouldn't leave us."
"You give her to much credit Ron, you really do."
But just as Ron predicted Bonnie was still there sitting in her car, bored out of her mind.
"Finally I was beginning to think you'd never get out of there," as she got out of her car and walked over to them, "so this is it," grabbing the mace. "Can we leave now?"
"No, you have to figure out how to make it work first," Ron said matter of factly.
"And we can't do that some where with air conditioning why?"
"You're the Knight of Earth, and if that tremor from yesterday was any indication, do you really want to test it out in doors?"
"OK, so you have a tiny point, just tell me how to do this so I can go home."
"Feel the charge, release the charge," Zita said.
"Yeah that makes all the sense in the world, gamer trash," rolling her eyes.
Staring at Bonnie, "I didn't hear that," Zita hissed
"Yes you did," Bonnie retorted.
Getting in between the two females, "Don't start again you two."
"Who died and made you leader Stoppable?" the cheerleader hissed
"No one, but.."
"So your not the leader?"
"No I'm not the leader."
"Good, then I'll lead," a smirk on her face.
"WHAT," Zita yelled, "I don't think so rottweiler "
Innocently, "He just said he wasn't our leader, so it obviously falls to me to lead you two, since I'm the only one her with any experience in that area."
"No way are you in charge?" Zita hissed, the rage evident on her face
"You think you can do better gamer?"
"No but.."
"Then it's settled I lead, you follow," a dark smile on her lips, "as my dad always says 'the lap dog knows it's place,' so be a good little dog."
"THAT'S IT," Zita jumped on Bonnie knocking the mace out of her hand. The two rolled around on the ground pulling each others hair, clawing and scratching at each other, with Zita occasionally landing a sold punch.
For a time Ron just stood their and watched the display, unsure what to do, not sure if letting Zita beat the living crap of Bonnie wouldn't be the best thing for all of them, but after a few minutes he knew he had to stop them. He pulled out his ax and twined it and waited and watched till he saw his opening and fired twin beams between the girls faces.
"Stop it," his voice low and controlled," fighting each other isn't going to solve anything. You think your in a position to lead us Bonnie? Well your wrong, you have no clue what's coming, none of us do, the Sentinels aren't jokes, their dangerous and so is who ever is funding Sea Serpent. Right now this is a partnership, no one leads, on one follows, we stand together as equals or we might as well lay down and die here and now. It's your call."
"That was the most cliché thing I've ever heard," Bonnie hiss still under Zita.
"Yeah it was, but I'm still with ya Ron," getting up off of Bonnie.
"And you Bonnie?"
Rolling her eyes, "fine I'm in, just stop making those awful speeches," rising to her feet, the memory of what Sea Serpent had done to the neighborhood in her mind, knowing full well Ron had a point, not that she would ever admit it to the rest of them.
"Alright, now down to business, take the mace, a desire it to fire, that should produce the charge, then simply will the charge to be released."
"That's it?" not believing a word of it.
"Yes Bonnie that's it, that's how I do it, that's how Zita does it."
Holding the mace by the grip and letting the mace hang down by its chain, she attempted what Ron had explained and nothing happened.
"You want to try again bark for brains, nothings happening."
Doing her best not to attack Bonnie again, Zita, as restrained as possible, "well a chain mace is a hurling weapon maybe that's part of what you need to do to make it work."
Grudgingly humoring Zita, Bonnie started spinning the mace, and this time felt the charge building quickly, only to have it vanish as quickly as it appeared, as Bonnie unknowingly released it. A boulder fired from the spinning mace, flying directly at Zita, luckily the rock never reached it's destination as Ron fired his Ax's at it knock the rock off course missing Zita.
"YOU BITCH," as Zita charged over to Bonnie ready to shove the mace down her throat.
"What I didn't mean to," as Bonnie backed up, holding her mace in front of her as a shield.
Ron wrapped his arms around Zita trying to hold her back, "easy Zita easy, it was an accident, none of us knew that could happen, so cool it. Bonnie why don't you try turning it so the mace isn't facing us."
For a time they watched Bonnie train, it becoming obvious that the mace had more powers than their weapons. It produced rocks of varying sizes, ranging from ones the size of the mace, to as large as boulders. It could cause wide spread tremors in all directions or a single focused tremor as she had the night before. She also wasn't that bad a fighter either, not great, but as not bad as the three thought she might be, as she spared with Ron in his armor.
Mean while Zita opted for some training of her own, after last nights events with the hydrant she had attempted a bit a control at her house finding that she could sense water it was near by, as well as a limited control over it, little more than simply changing its direction but it was still something. But is seemed that with out her trident her powers were void, not for the first time wishing her weapon was a bit easier to conceal like Ron's.
When she had first traveled to the forge she felt something, something she now recognized was her sensing water, at the time she hadn't really thought twice about it, but now it was clear to her that water did exist here somewhere, possible a small deposit underground or a river or ground water, which might explain why the owner couldn't build the park here.
It had also gotten her thinking about something else, the forge seemed to be a nexus for their elements, trees surrounded them, dirt and rocks were under their feet and possibly water as well, the sky above them, and the forge contained a fire. Perhaps it was an accident the five elements where here, but given what she had experienced since getting the trident, she doubted it.
"Zita," Ron yelled his voice carrying through the trees, "it's getting dark so we're packing it up, time to go."
It took her some time but she made her way back to the forge, glad to see Bonnie covered in dirt and sweat, and just generally looking miserable.
"So when do I get my armor," Bonnie asked Ron trying to catch her breath.
"Well Zita got hers' beating Sea Serpent, and I received mine fighting Monkey Fist, since Fin Varra seemed to indicate I don't have a Sentinel of my own, so I'm guessing you have to fight your sentinels element, the Rock Wolf."
"I have to fight a wolf?"
"It's just his or her name, " Zita said walking up, "mine didn't look like Sea Serpent did it?"
"Still doesn't mean I like the sound of it," as the three pilled in the car.
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Ice drummed the host's fingers against the desk, the message from Lightning Bat had confirmed Rock Wolf had been found, and that everything was now ready for their attack against the Knights. Sliding the host's fingers against the sword, the true location of Ice Lord. Whatever had happened to allow Ice to detect the true hosts of each weapon had allowed it to also take any host it desired once it had been awakened. And while this one was far from prefect it physically, the effect it would have on the Knights more than made up for it. The three knights would soon fall, and while the victory would be hollow compared to beating Rohan and the true Knights it would be enough.
Carefully placing the sword back into it's hidden spot, Ice's host left it's room, as it's armor once more shattered and vanished, the last thoughts were of the plan, Lightning Bat's forces would find the sword and send it where it needed to be.
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Ron and Zita weren't surprised when Bonnie let them out on the out skirts of town, after all she couldn't be seen with them, least her precious reputation be ruined.
As soon as Ron got into his house he ran upstairs in desperate need of going to the bathroom only to be interrupted the second his fingers hit the door knob as his kimmunicator started beeping.
"Un-be-live-able," Ron stretched the words out running to his room to answer the call, hoping it would be quick conversation.
The screen flickered and Kim's face appeared her face tired, bags under her eyes, her words further telling him how tried she was, "Evening partner."
"Partner?" not sure what to make of her greeting.
Sighing, "This was a bad one Ron, I really needed you out there the last couple of days, so if your still up for the job, I'd like my partner back."
A smile on his face, "yeah of course, but there's really something I need to tell you about, the last few days…," Ron's words were cut short by a pang of pain inside his body, "can you hold on one second Kim I'll be right back," running to the bathroom.
Emerging a few minutes later, grabbing his kimmunicator, "Sorry about that KP..," only to be greeted by a dark screen, at first he thought she had hung up, but after turning up the volume, he heard the sound of soft snoring that he recognized as Kim's, her kimmunicator obviously covered or face down.
A small sad smile on his lips, "yeah, you sleep KP, it can wait one more day, pleasant dreams KP, partner," silently hoping she would still be his partner after he told her everything. He also hoped he could find a way to tell her with out Bonnie being there. Rather than turning off the kimmunicator he made sure she couldn't hear him, and drifted off to sleep to the sound of Kim sleeping.
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Authors note 1- Yes Kim is going to really get into the story very soon
Authors note 2- The stuff about Ice may seem like it came from left field, and it did a bit, but if you look at the past times we've 'seen' Ice it does make sense.
Authors note 3- How the weapons work part 2- was pretty much explained in the story, the only reason I'm adding this it to say Garrett got ripped off in the Sentinel department, big frigging spider, but it frees me up to make Monkey Fist Ron's main enemy.