Running The Gauntlet.

Stitch carried Serenity down the hallway. He listened intently to all the sounds around him. He heard the sounds, sounds of claws grating on metal. Serenity heard them too, and she jumped out of Stitch's arms. They walked side by side, out of the labs, listening intently, attempting to discern from where the sounds were originating. However, there were so many, they could not find one, without hearing another of the creatures scurry away. There were so many sounds, Stitch knew they were surrounded.

They came out of the labs, and into the arena, and the sounds all halted. Stitch and Serenity walked to the middle of the room. Serenity gazed around, then her eyes widened, and she looked to the ceiling. Stitch watched her, and followed her gaze, and his eyes widened in shock.

Above them, crawling all over the roof, were the Grims. Stitch noticed a large crack through the ceiling, where more of them continued to pour through. Stitch made a quick estimate of at least forty Grims, all too strong for him to handle. The Grims noticed the two standing below, and began barking harshly, and snarling, their drool dripped all around Stitch and Serenity. Serenity shook her head, "Sickening creatures."

Stitch looked at her, "We have to make a run for the cells...that many will overwhelm us..."

Serenity shook her head, "No, that many will surely outrun us. Besides...there's not that many..."

Stitch watched Serenity in amazement, as she began to glow faintly. She was drawing in her power, and he watched as blades of light slowly formed on her arms. Serenity looked to Stitch, "I'll hold them off, get to the cells as swiftly as you can. I can hold them off only for a short time, make it quick."

Stitch nodded, "I'll signal you when I'm done."

Serenity shook her head, "Stitch, I estimate that in fifteen minutes, this room will be overflowing with them," above the creatures were snarling, but they didn't move, they weren't ready to attack Serenity, "You must understand, time is of the essence."

Stitch nodded, and Serenity looked to the Grims, and said, "Well, what are you waiting for?"

Stitch turned and ran, he leapt on the wall, and swiftly climbed to the examination room. He turned and watched Serenity, who looked at him and smiled, then Stitch felt a tingling in his head, and heard a soft, melodious voice, "I'll be fine, go."

Stitch nodded, and turned, and sped down the dark hallway, heading for the elevator.

Serenity watched him go, and she heard a thud behind her. She turned, to see the first of the Grims, drool dripping from its maw. Serenity smiled, "Come, I will end your suffering."

The creature attacked, and Serenity brought her blades to meet it, they crashed into the creatures chest, and screaming, it evaporated. The creatures on the ceiling fell, and Serenity was locked in an all out battle.

Stitch ran as hard as he could, feeling his feet pound on the hard floor, adrenaline driving him forward, pushing him on. Behind, he heard yelps and shrill barks, as the battle raged. Stitch heard no sounds that would threaten him, and he ran on.

When Stitch reached the elevator, he didn't stop, he leapt off the edge, and fell at an alarming rate, counting the rhythm of the floors as he plummeted. He counted twenty, and reached to the wall across from the doors, and kicked off. With the perfect timing, he landed safely on the twenty-third floor.

Not stopping to catch his breath, he resumed sprinting. His feet pounding on the steel floor, running towards the cell blocks. Soon, he began to hear low growls, snarls, and shrill barks in the distance. Stitch ignored them, and ran on.

The cell blocks opened before him, hundreds and hundreds of cells. Stitch looked around, gathering his thoughts, trying to remember the cell that Jornhald occupied. Stitch gazed down the rows, thinking frantically, trying to calm himself and think, but it was no use. Finally, Stitch remembered, and ran down two rows of blocks, and turned, and ran up cell after cell, until he reached the correct cell. He looked inside, and found Jornhald sleeping. He ran inside, and shook Jornhald violently.

"JORNHALD! JORNHALD WAKE UP!"

The lizard leapt awake, and stared around frantically. When he discovered it was Stitch, he calmed, and steading himself, asked, "What do you want?"

The words tumbled out of Stitch, "The sword! Where is the sword!"

Jornhald looked at him quizzically, then realization dawned on him. He looked at Stitch, "What do you need that thing for?"

Stitch hurriedly explained the purpose of the sword, with every word, Jornhald's eyes grew wider and wider. Once Stitch was finished, he glanced from side to side, expecting to see an army of Grims awaiting, fortune was on his side, for there were none. Jornhald was silent, he nodded slowly, "So, the old fool knew something after all...knew more than I did anyway..."

Stitch looked at him, "Jornhald, we don't have time for this, come! Give me the sword, we can take you off of this rock!"

Jornhald shook his head, chuckling softly, "No...no...I will remain here. Tis my penance you see..."

Stitch stared at the strange man, and grabbed Jornhald's arm, "Come on! Let's go!"

Jornhald shook his hand free, and looked at Stitch, "Do you not see? You have the brain of a supercomputer, and you cannot understand?"

Stitch shook his head in dismay, thinking, 'Riddles! Always riddles!'. Stitch switched to his thermal vision, and surveyed the area, hundreds of thermal patterns appeared around him. Stitch spoke to Jornhald, and turning, said, "Now...we have to–."

Yet Stitch was cut off when he faced Jornhald, for with his thermal vision, Stitch could not see the lizard man. Stitch blinked his eyes, and switched back to normal vision, and there stood Jornhald. Jornhald grinned sadly, and said, "Now, now do you understand?"

"Your just like them," Stitch said, "only..."

Jornhald began to laugh, "No my boy, I'm much worse than they are. A conscious shell, walking among the world of the living. When he attacked me, what he did to me, was worse than death..."

Stitch looked at him, "But...but how? And...since your dead, why the oxygen? None of this makes since..."

Jornhald simply chuckled away, "You wonder, why I make this place so inhabitable? I may be dead son, but I have my comfort levels. And as for how, even I don't know that. I only know, that unlike the Grims, I doubt the virus could be lifted from my veins."

Jornhald abruptly turned, and entered the dark cell. He began rummaging around, talking to Stitch, "Hell, seems nice compared to what I've lived. Now you understand? Why the Grims don't attack me?"

Stitch nodded. Jornhald brought out an object, wrapped in rags. He brought it forth, unwrapping it slowly, "I didn't mean to be so cruel to him. At the time I merely didn't understand. Now, he has put me in his world, shown me the world...through red eyes."

Jornhald unwrapped the sword, the Omega Sword. Stitch stared at it, and Jornhald lifted it, and admired it, "So, this would end the suffering, destroy the virus..."

Jornhald handed it to Stitch, and Stitch examined it, it was the Omega Sword, the same sword shown in the computer room. Stitch examined it closely, the synapses on the blade, the pommel and hilt, everything. Stitch looked at the end of the pommel, to see a bright green orb, and in the orb, was a digital number, it read six. He looked at Jornhald, who shrugged, "I think what it may mean, if I guess the sword's functions correctly, is that is the number of charges remaining in the blade. I suspect, some were used trying to fend off 6-6-6 before."

Stitch nodded, and turned to leave, not wanting to say anymore to the creature. Suddenly, a cold hand grasped his shoulder, he turned to Jornhald, who said, "Before you go, do me one favor..."

Stitch turned, "You don't want me to–."

Jornhald nodded, "Yes 6-2-6, kill me."

Stitch looked at the man, and Jornhald continued, "You have no idea the Hell I live in, the constant agony...I know what I did so long ago was wrong...I understand that...please, my sins were atoned for long ago."

Stitch looked at the sword, and then at Jornhald, and Stitch asked, "I have one question for you before I leave."

Jornhald began to chuckle, and said, "To load an anti-virus blast, pull back the end of the pommel and release, it will load the charge."

Stitch shook his head, "No, what are the Grims?"

Jornhald laughed now, "Ha! Surely if you don't know that...no...I'm sorry Stitch. I cannot say, they are a number of species, once something natural, now twisted by the evils of science. Should you want to know more, you should ask him."

"Why," Stitch asked, "should I ask him?"

"Because," Jornhald replied, "he made them."

Stitch nodded, there was nothing more to discuss. He unsheathed the blade, and once it was out of it's sheath, it began to whir softly, the synapses began to heat. The blade began to let off heat, and it grew warmer. Stitch reached to the pommel, and pulled it back, and the blade began to whir faster, Stitch could feel it vibrate within his hands. Stitch watched as a green liquid filled the hollow synapses, flowing into them. After the liquid was in place, the blade held a steady whir, and was still, the digital number changed to five.

Stitch looked to Jornhald, who sat quietly on the bench. Jornhald looked to Stitch, and smiling relaxed. A tear drop fell from his sad eyes, those tortured eyes. Jornhald watched Stitch approach, and Jornhald smiled warmly, "You just...swing the sword."

Stitch nodded, he didn't want to take this man's life, yet to always think that he could have helped Jornhald, yet did not, would be a greater burden. 'Besides,' Stitch though lugubriously, 'he's not even alive...anymore.'

Stitch raised the blade, and Jornhald looked to the scrawled words on the walls.

"Atonement," Jornhald said, "at last."

Stitch swung the blade, and a vibrant green energy wave blasted from the edges. It rushed forward, a loud noise preceding it, much like a space shuttle blasting off. Jornhald and Stitch didn't watch, as the blade washed over the old man. Jornhald felt it wash over him, smash into him, and smiled, "Perhaps...I will see...angels..."

The flash of bright light ended, and the seat where Jornhald had sat, was now empty. Stitch sighed, and turned, he didn't want to remain in this place a moment longer. He began to run, he was unaware of the time he had spent down in the cells, but he knew he must hurry back to Serenity. He began to sprint, when a Grim leapt out in front of him.

Acting on instinct alone, Stitch swung the weapon, and it collided into the Grim. The Grim screamed, and evaporated. Stitch watched, amazed that he had been able to destroy one of the creatures. Stitch noticed several of the creatures appear, all snarling, all ready to attack him. Stitch raised the blade, put himself in a fighting stance. His knuckles clenched, on the handle, the white of bone showing. He clenched his teeth, he was angry. Forced to come here against his will, forced to leave Lilo, now being forced to stay. 'Perhaps,' he thought, 'I should use some...force."

Stitch looked at the creatures, who still stood watching him, snarling. Stitch shouted at them, "Come! I will show you why they chose to clone me!"

The creatures charged, and Stitch leapt to battle.

Serenity danced from foe to foe, slashing with utmost grace and precision. Everywhere she slashed, another of the Grims disappeared. She slammed her blades into skulls, torsos, anything they offered her. Grims still ran to meet her, and she would leap around their clumsy blows, and kill them, with a grace unknown to man. She danced, a marvelous deadly dance, foes fell to her might, cowered at her unstoppable power.

Serenity pulled in her energy, and eradicated the remainders on the floor. She looked above, the surveyors on the ceiling had scampered away, either fear or a new target drew their interest. Serenity thought, 'Seems I was wrong about the time limit. I'd better get to Stitch, he should be back by now...'

Serenity leapt to the observation room, and ran to the junction of hallways.

Stitch ran to the Grims, anger fueled him. The Grims, the fools, ran to battle the enraged experiment, ignorant of the power he held. He dodged their blows, and cut them down, one after the other he cut a swath through them. They failed before him, fell to his rage, his raw powerful rage. Stitch dodged their blows, moved with unhuman agility, slashing with the strength of a titan. The Grims now watched him warily, knowing they had underestimated their opponent.

Stitch turned to one, and impaled it, and it disappeared into the air, the sword still humming. The Grims watched, and turning, fled the arena, unwilling to fight the creature fueled by a rage unknown to even them. Stitch watched them go, he would not argue the point of them leaving without a fight. He sheathed the blade, it ran smoothly into the hilt, and clicked once it was fully in.

Stitch did not hesitate, and he began running towards the elevator, to meet Serenity twenty-three levels above.

Stitch ran on, the dark hallway extended before him. He was running so fast, he nearly toppled over Serenity. He stopped, and she looked at him, grinning wryly, "Bout time...I was about to fly off without you!"

Stitch returned the grin, "I ran into some trouble, sorry, not a big deal anymore though."

As he said this, he pulled the Omega Sword from the sheath, and showed it to Serenity. She looked at it, the grin disappeared from her face. She reached forward, and ran her fingers along the blade. She spoke to Stitch, "So...this will...be able to..."

Stitch nodded, "Yes...this should stop Chaos."

Growls and barks were heard all around them. Stitch sheathed the blade, and grabbed Serenity, "Come, or we shall soon be overrun."

They turned and ran up the hallway, out into the opening room. They quickly attached the helmets, and opened the door, it once again grinded open making a horrible racket. They ran out into the open, and ran to the ship, not looking behind them, not wanting to see the Grims pursuing them. They reached the Silver Falcon, and didn't stop, they quickly opened the hanger door, both equally ready to leave this accursed place.

Inside, Stitch ran to the cockpit, and fired up the systems. They responded, and Stitch began to take off, and he glanced once more at the surface of the moon, to see hundreds upon hundreds of the nightmarish creatures, pouring form the facility. Stitch shuddered, "A moment later and we would've..."

Serenity nodded, "I know. Make haste now, Lilo awaits."

Stitch nodded and set the coordinates, and the ship blasted towards earth. Stitch set the systems for auto pilot, and set back, finally able to relax. There was so much to take in, so much to talk about with Serenity. But for right now, the only thought in his mind, was reaching earth, reaching Lilo, to be reassured she was safe...

The ship sped on, destined for earth...

Lilo awoke. The door bell was ringing loudly. She sat up, and found everyone else was asleep, all snoring loudly, peacefully carrying on. She smiled, and rose to answer the door, excitement filled her, she walked quickly to the door, she figured it was only one person who would come at this time...

Lilo reached the door, she shook nervously with anticipation. She reached forward gingerly, and grasped the door handle, cold with the evening breeze, and turned it, and opened the door slowly...

Outside, in the dark, was the outline of someone she knew all too well, "Stitch!"

Lilo leapt forward into his arms, smiling warmly, "I was so worried! What took you so long? Oh but your back! You must tell me all about your adventure!"

The figure holding Lilo closely opened his eyes, his brilliant red eyes, and grinned, "Oh my dear, soon you shall know all to much..."