GargoyleSama: Thanks for the reveiw, first of all. Second, the story is on my favs if you want it. As for the woman, it is Yori, and I intended to do more with her, but it didn't come out the way I wanted, so I just kind of scrapped it. I think it came out well anyway.
Monkey Fist was still face down on the floor of the dining room of my double's home, when we returned to it. He came to his feet, and backed against the wall when we entered the room. I waved to Adam, and he nodded silently. He disappeared around towards the kitchen, heading towards the towering remains of the sattelitte dish on our roof. He had asked if he could use it, and it wasn't as if I was going to deny him, though he didn't say why he wanted it. I didn't ask either. I had other things on my mind. Monkey Fist's attention was now focused entirely on me.
"I want to know everything you know about Ron. Everything that has happened since the time he went nuts." I snapped in a tone that even from this man, brooked no argument. He swallowed, nodded, and began.
Ron had started his tirade as mentioned, just nine months after the attack. Monkey fist had been sitting in the middle of a room full of monkey ninja's when it happened. They suddenly attacked me in mid-meditation. He'd had to stop them before from attacking him, but always before it was simply one or two having a momentary lapse in focus, and regressing. This was nothing like that. Every Monkey Ninja in the room stood, and attacked. He had barely escaped with his own life, and Bates, and DNAmy, who were both staying with him, died in the castle. He had watched from a tree as the castle was set a flame, and the Monkey Ninja's were joined by their new master, Ron Stoppable. He flew into the area like a massive bird. The monkey ninja's bowed to him as one. It was plain to see he was carrying the Lotus Blade, as it was what he was riding when he entered the area. As opposed to it's usual blue glow, it was a dark green, tinged with streaks of deep red. There was terror in his very motion, not so much his own, but that which he inspired, even from that distance. Monkey Fist had gone underground, and escaped through a set of tunnels prepared for just such an occasion.
Ron had begun at that point a campaign of terror, using the monkey power to instill abject terror in those that tried to stand against him, and to instantly train more ninja's. At the same time, he ordered the ninja's he had to begin to breed. His army had increased rapidly after that proclimation. The devastation around Middleton had the first order of business. He had wiped out much of the human population, keeping only a select few women for his own devices. Then he had moved on to the major cities, monkey ninja's overwhelming any opponent that came against them, including the militaries that came together in a coalition against them. Even the unleashing of nuclear weapons was in effective, as the power of the Lotus Blade turned them away as one would swat flies. As best Monkey Fist could gather, Ron was searching for something. Part of it was him. Adam returned at this point, and pulled me aside.
"Kim, I need to talk to you for a moment." He spoke calmly, but even I could see something was wrong. I nodded, and glanced at the Monkey Master.
"Stay here. I'll be right back." I followed Adam into the other room. He turned around about half way through the room, and looked hard at me.
"Have you ever heard of the Shriik Tar?" He asked me. I shook my head. "It means Monkey God."
"You pulled me away for this?" I asked, annoyed. The look on his face caused that annoyance to dissipate. "What's wrong?"
"The Shriik Tar is a power that is not easily attained, and not readily trifled with." Adam responded. "If Ron has become the Shriik Tar, it might not be possible to stop him. I'm not quite sure he has fully realized the powers though."
"And if he has?" I asked, knowing his answer already.
"We leave. There won't be anything else we can do." That was all I needed.
"Come on. Let's tell Monkey Fist." He nodded, and followed me back into the room. Monkey Fist had heard of the Shriik Tar. He recoiled in horror at Adam's assumptions.
"I don't know everything about it, since the scroll was in my castle, and I was unable to translate it all, before I was attacked, and chased out. It might have been lost in the fire." He professed when asked. Adam looked grim, but I turned to him.
"Do you have it in your memory?" I asked. He had a lot of crap in his head, so I figured he had that as well. He nodded.
"Not the scroll itself, but something else just as useful." He tilted his head back, and I saw light flow from his eyes. The air above him was formed into a solid screen. Words began to appear on the screen.
'The Legend of the Shriik Tar, the Monkey God. As written in the Archives by Master Bard Triaxx dul Marcae. Narrated by same.' The image changed, solidifying into a black dressed Triaxx, the man I had met just a day or so before coming here. 'The Legend of the Shriik Tar. This is a mythos rooted well before the dawning of most of mankind, in the year twelve thousand B.C. In northern Cambodia, lived a tribe of warriors, who were from near conception, trained in the arts of what would come to be known when it was redeveloped, as Tae Shing Pekwar, or Monkey style kung fu. It was this tribe, from which the Mystical Monkey power is originated. A powerful shaman foresaw the destruction of the tribe in a terrible plague that would soon sweep them and kill all before it. So he gathered his four most powerful apprentices, and set them to creating the four statues, that would with a spell implanted in each of them, scatter themselves to the corners of the world. He himself, wrote a number of scrolls on the style of combat, as well as a number of prophecies. Then he wrote two documents that were special even among the works he created. The first, detailed the process of forging and shaping the Lotus Blade, and sealing the powers of the Monkey Masters within it. This was done several thousand years later. The scroll was used again, with a far different result, however, I will discuss that in due time.
The second scroll, detailed the rise to power of the Shriik Tar. It would be a child born, in the year of the Monkey that would bring about the rise of the Shriik Tar, though it was not needed that the Monkey God be born within that year. So far, only two bearers of the mystical power have ful-filled this first requirement. Ronald Stoppable, and Monte Fisk. The scroll also denoted, that each of these two would have a pair of women who stood with them through the trials of the Monkey Power. The two women would each represent a path of power. One good, one evil.
The scroll was created in a manner such that the creator of the scroll could not read it. Only a warrior who had mastered Monkey Style Kung Fu, and the Mystical Monkey power, could read it. Only three people have ever done it. Myself, Ronald Stoppable, and Monte Fisk. The naked Molerat Rufus was never able to master the Dai Chaou strike, that is the bridge between the moves of a normal master, and those of the MMP empowered warriors. Should the scroll be destroyed, I have included a copy of it here.
'In the year of the Monkey, there shall come a warrior, and predestined shall he be that the Mystical Monkey Power, which flows through his veins and ours, shall come unto him in his life, that he may wield two weapons that have the power to save the world, or destroy it, or even yes, reshape it in his own image. Of these, the first shall be the Blade of the Lotus. And unto it shall be given the powers to change it's form, and even heal the wounds of the bearer of the blade. The second blade shall be a saber of time. This weapon will manipulate time and space as easily as it's brother will it's own shape and form. In the instant of the coming together of these blades, the Shriik Tar shall become invincible.
For the Shriik Tar to rise, and ascend to power, all those who would pretend to power must be found and killed. Only then will the second blade answer it's masters call and remain loyal. Calling it before hand shall give only death unto the Shriik Tar. Should the two blades come together, and the full power of the Shriik Tar be realized, then shall as a force of nature, and a god upon earth will it become.'
I fear the powers that can be brought to bear at the coming of the Shriik Tar, and I will be watching closely. Should a malevolent Shriik Tar come to power, I will be left with little choice, but to eliminate the threat, by eliminating his world, and him with it.
On this, I, the Black Lance, and our Mistress are in unified agreement. Pray all who read or hear this, that the benevolence of the Shriik Tar occurs, and not the malevolence, for then our wrath will come upon you, and death shall be all you find.' The light vanished, and Adam rubbed his neck, as he pulled his head up.
"What pretenders to the power?" I asked Monkey Fist.
"The only two beings who still have it, after the death of his pet. Myself." He took a deep, shuddering breath. "And my off-spring."
"Daughter." I corrected. I shouldn't have, he didn't deserve to know, but I couldn't stop myself. Off-spring sounded so cold, so in-human, so... him.
"Damn." Adam swore. I glanced back at him. "That means I can't kill him slowly for what he's done. Not until I kill Ron."
"Or I do." I retorted. "But first, we have to find my, or my double's daughter."
"That will not be so hard." Came a voice from the door. I whirled around, to see three figures standing there. My alternate's father, my alternate's brother, and the daughter of my alternate.
"Kimmie-Cub?" The other father asked. Then he shook his head. "No, she's dead. I won't let a clone befoul her image." He lunged for me, a knife in his hand. Three people moved. Adam, but he was too far away. Me, but I knew I couldn't block fully, and not in time. My double's daughter, and she caught the back of his jacket.
"Grand father, stop." She spoke in a voice of quiet authority. My father, for that was close enough to true, dropped the knife from nerveless fingers. Then he dropped to the floor as well, crying softly. I watched the girl intently, and ignored Adam as he stepped on, and absorbed the knife into his armor. Tim, I knew him now to be, made no move in any direction, but his eyes were riveted on Monkey Fist, who was frozen with fear. "Who are you?" She asked, with that same voice of authority.
"Kimberly Ann Possible." I replied without a hint of the anger I was feeling at that tone. She stiffened slightly, and her free right hand slid sideways behind her back. She was dressed in a lighter mirror of my own mission clothes, the cropped shirt grey not black, and the cargo pants tan, not khaki. As if she'd been in the sun too long. "And you are?"
"Kimbre Possible. You cannot be Kim Possible. My mother died just after giving birth to me. It caused her best friend to go insane, and kill my grandmother, and thousands of others, in a mad rampage." She snorted, and pulled a gun, pointing it at me. "You're nothing more than a foul clone. You deserve no mercy." She fired. A stream of soda hit me in the face. Now soaked, I was starting to lose my temper. "So Drakken built a better clone. So what?" She attacked me, pulling the senior possible up, and throwing him behind her, in a half-protective, half-defensive gesture, and lunging for my face. I was ready for, and expecting the attack. A palm flashed out, and caught her in the chin, knocking her back. She rolled and recovered, coming in low this time, dodging a sweep kick, by leaping straight up from all fours, then lashing out with a hard kick in the side of my stomach. I rolled away, and managed to block just in time as she hit me again, with a two knuckle punch at my nose. If I'd missed, it would have killed me. Now I was seriously irritated. I swept out with one leg, and she leapt up again to block it, but I reversed the momentum of the leg and swept it up to catch her between the legs, and then flipped up so that I ended up with my hand on her throat. It was easy to kill her from there. Pull up with my legs, and push hard on her chin. It would snap her neck, and she couldn't react. I was leaning too far forwards to reach with her feet as well. "Who are you?" She asked again, not quite able to believe the defeat.
"Kimberly Ann Possible, but not your's. I, and my companion are from another dimension, a different time and place. We ended up here by accident, but we can help you." I offered, and lowered my hand, then slipped clear of her. She stood, and I noted how much she looked like me. The hair was shorter, and dusty, and her eyes were tempered in part by being blood shot, and slightly yellow, but they were definitely the green eyes of mine. She looked hard, studying me, then Adam.
"I have no reason to trust you, but I do. Him, I'm not so sure of." She pointed at Adam. I heard a snort of disgust.
"I can understand that reaction." I confided to another snort, though this one of amusement. "He takes a bit of getting used to, but he's reliable." I smiled. She half-smiled back.
"There hasn't been much reason to smile in my life. It's good to find something." Kimbre nodded. "So, what help can you offer?"
"My services? And some interesting information." Adam and Monkey Fist repeated all the information they knew. The former eagerly, and the latter hurriedly.
"So where do we go to look for him then?" Kimbre asked.
I took a breath. "The only place a monkey master could go, the one place in this world safe for him to go."
"Yamanouchi." Adam finished. I nodded silently. Monkey Fist gasped.
"No! You will be walking straight into his grasp. He will kill us and become invincible, and unstoppable." He was almost in tears. Not something I'd expect from a warrior and martial artist of his caliber, but he seemed to have come unhinged. "Please, you must not."
"Be silent 'Father'. I tolerate you only because your death would aid my enemy. If you cannot control yourself, I may aid your passing into the next life. And it will not be a pleasant passing." The absolute, inviolable contempt with which she spoke the strictly biological title of father, was incredibly thick. I ignored it completely.
"He's right." I spoke up. "I don't defend him, or what he's done, but he is correct." I threw my hands up as a deathly glare turned on me. "Maybe a bit of stealth is required." Adam dropped to a chair, leaned back with his feet on a table, and closed his eyes. I rolled my eyes, and ignored him. "If we can find out exactly where he's living in the complex, then we can strike hard, and fast, and take him down in one strike, before his ninja's can react." I suggested, very much disgusted by the thought of killing my friend. There was no choice to it though.Kimbre gave me a hard look, but nodded.
"Alright, we'll try it your way, but if it goes south, we're coming in after you." She spoke in a calm, cold voice. I made a mental note to speak with her about that if we survived this. For the moment, I simply nodded. "Good. Your best chance to sneak in will probably be to get into the harem. You'll be able to take the place of one of them for the day, and that will get you close enough to take him out. Tim reached into his pocket, and pulled a gun from it, reversing it, and holding it out. I took it carefully, and pulled on the tail end of the slide, checking for brass. It was fully loaded. The safety was on, but that was no reason to trust it. Adam came to his feet at that moment.
"Do you have transportation?" He asked. Kimbre nodded.
"Yep, Tim built us a stealth plane. We can drop you right in on them." Kimbre nodded again. I took a deep, calming breath.
"Let's go then." Adam grabbed Monkey Fist by the collar as he tried to flee the room, and drug him along, kicking and screaming, out the door, following Kimbre. My double's father fell in beside me, as we made the short walk to the plane.
"I'm sorry I attacked you." He apoligized. "I thought..." I put my hand in his, and squeezed it.
"I know, don't worry. We'll finish this for you. I know what he's done, and I won't let him get away with it. No matter what the cost." I assured him, not feeling really all that confident myself. "I'll do it because it has to be done, even if I really don't want to." I assured him. He smiled and nodded.
The ride in the nine seated aircraft was smooth as silk, even when we were warned of turbulence. I watched the others with a mix of fear, for what was coming, and curiousity, to see how they had turned out. Tim, flying the plane, I learned, hadn't spoken word one since Jim's death, though there wasn't any reason, and nothing physically wrong with him. It seemed to be entirely mental.
My double's father was grey now, but his mind hadn't slowed any. The shock of losing most of his family had nearly caused him to break down completely, but he had enough wits to flee south into mexico, where some of our distant relatives gave him shelter. It hadn't lasted, as the monkey's had come south, and wiped them out as well. He had spent the first ten years of Kimbre's life running about the world, fleeing the ninja's, and staying just a step ahead of Ron's queen. No one could name her, but I had a feeling I knew who she was.
Kimbre herself, had inherited more than just my looks. She was completely competant, and born a full master of Monkey Kung Fu, because of the power she inherited. She also received my can do anything attitude, and the skills to prove it wasn't just a boast. She also used gadgets provided by Tim and her grandfather. It was odd to listen to them. Kimbre's life wasn't so different from mine. She had done battle with Ron's queen several times, most of them winning only by the barest of margins, before they could run. She helped others run as well, and had led a convoy of them to a number of container ships docked in what was once known as Rio de Janeiro. Where they had gone, and if they were still alive, none of them knew. Sweeping over the ocean, everyone was silent, Adam having knocked Monkey Fist out with a carefully measured blow. At least I thought it was. I was thinking ahead to what I was going to do when we arrived. I new that I would have to dress more out there than I usually would, but that was the price to pay. I just hoped that I could pull the trigger when the time came. Approaching Yamanouchi was a hard thing, even for this stealthy of a plane. Search radar, and a large number of monkey's patrolling made it difficult to slip into the woods near the school un-noticed.
Tim settled the plane down smoothly, the soft silver skin vanishing as the camoflague systems adapted to the foliage. We filed out of the plane, Adam, Kimbre, and I each with something to say. Kimbre went first, drawing in the fresh snow.
"Though the school is here, the palace of the Shriik Tar rises behind it, and you must pass through the school to reach the castle." She drew a map of the castle. "This intelligence was gathered at the cost of several lives. Monkey's patrol all pathways in and out of the castle, as well as all interior areas. There is a twenty minute period every three hours, where they meditate. That's the time to move. The harem is on the third floor, and is sealed from without, by the only human guard in the place. A man by the name of Felix Renton. We aren't sure of his relationship to Ron, but he's the only human male who Ron has left alive. Wait until he enters and retrieves the choice for the night. Take him down, and take her place. The monkeys will let you through. You've got the gun?" I nodded. "Okay then." Adam spoke next.
"I'll be watching your energy Kim. Firing a round will cause a violent shift in your energy. If you can't take him down, fire and run. I'll bring the cavalry." He offered. "And Kim? Be very careful."
"Of course. Thank you both. I don't know if this is the right thing to do, but I'm glad you didn't try and stop me from helping." I smiled at them both. Kimbre waved it off.
"Of course, in a fight like this, I'd never turn down help." She nodded. Adam grinned.
"I have to help. I can't have you going off alone and getting killed. I'd never live it down. Not to mention our Ron and Shego would kill me." He grinned Ron-like. I stood and turned to face the school.
"Once more, into the fray, eh?" I chuckled, more than just a little nervously.