Thanks for the kind reviews, everyone! Sorry to do one chapter from now on, but I uploaded the prologue and the first four chapters because I figured it'd end on a good note. Good for the beginning of the story, but I've ran and now I'm exhausted. But I have more of the story done (beginning Ch 11), but I want to make sure it's free of errors as much as possible before I upload it. It's not because I'm fast, it's because I thought it was finally time to upload some of the story.

Now that KP and Ron are back together and found out Yori's the one trying to kill Ron, we go deeper into the plot. Again, I might have to bump the rating later on in the story. If the later part of this chapter sickens you enough, you haven't seen anything yet.

Also, I pay homage to a game-turned-anime series in this chapter. If you can pick it up, you rock.

Enjoy!

Chapter 5: Jurisdiction

Ron practically fell off the bed when he realized this, and Kim was no less shocked than he was. The Japanese girl from Yamanuchi, the same one who crushed on Ron, the same one who made Kim jealous was the same one who tried to kill Ron numerous times, now the same one the two fought earlier.

"That's just… no… but…" Ron was stuttering in disbelief.

"I've done the test over and over and over, but I get the same result. I'm sorry you guys, but Yori's our assassin."

Kim couldn't form any words in her mind. There was a long uncomfortable silence in the room for about fifteen minutes before Ron decided to break it. He stood up from the bed.

"I'll have to confront her myself."

Kim almost rose from the bed, "Ron? But Yori's…"

"That wasn't Yori, Kim. It was, but it wasn't."

Kim and Wade kept silent, curious as to what he meant.

"When she grabbed me by my arm before she escaped, I knew there was something familiar about that grip. Definitely Yori's. But that wasn't her fighting style. She's stronger than that, I know it. I've sparred with her before when I was a temporary exchange student and I've seen her fight a few times. She had the stance, but not the style."

"You're sure of this, Ron?" Wade asked with a hint of uncertainty in his voice.

"Definitely."

"So how are you going to…?" Kim trailed off.

"I don't know, but I'm going to have to take her on my own. I don't know when or where." Ron let out a frustrated sigh before he collapsed on the bed.

Kim wrapped an arm around him in an effort to cheer him up. "Not tonight, Ron."

"You two should rest. Sorry I woke you two up, but I felt it was important."

"Thanks, Wade." Ron sounded tired and bitter.

Kim turned the Kimmunicator off. "I'm sorry, Ron. You don't suppose…?"

"What?"

"Never mind… I can't think." Kim's realized that Yori never really knew that she and Ron were together. Could this have been some kind of response? Find out your crush is taken and become a ninja assassin? She was well aware that some ninjas live the lives of mercenaries or assassins. Yori could have become one, but she wouldn't sacrifice her feelings for Ron because of her duties, would she?

Ron just shook his head frustratingly. "I'll need to sleep on this."

"I'm sure there's an explanation to this, Ron."

Ron just laid on the bed staring out the window. "I'm sure there is, too."

Before long it appeared that Kim was already asleep, but Ron couldn't fall asleep no matter how hard he tried. He got off the bed again, slowly and quietly making his way toward the bathroom with a backpack. It was the backpack with all his mission gear in it, excluding his naked mole rat who was sleeping on the other bed. He rinsed his face a couple of times to get himself together. Minutes passed before the shirt was on, the pants were tightened, and the utility belt pockets were full. He was ready to go.

It was already 1:26 AM when he crept out of the room. Kim's eyes were still closed and was completely alone in bed.

Yori had been sitting on top of a small and dark building, wrapping a bandage around her wound. She still wore her ninja garb and hid her identity under her mask.

Bay City was no less quiet in the early hours of morning than it was late at night. The sounds of cars, the train that ran through town, planes arriving and departing, police sirens and more still provided the soundtrack for the city.

There was one noise however that took Yori by surprise. Footsteps. She quickly ceased applying her bandage and rose up to see who was behind her.

Ron.

Yori spoke in an emotionless tone, "How did you find me?" It almost didn't sound like a question.

Ron let out a small chuckle. "Oh, I was around. I just picked up a heavy scent of a flower Sensei introduced to me at Yamanuchi. It reminded me of someone I knew."

Every step Ron took toward her, she took a step back, and without realizing it, she tripped over the edge. This time it wasn't intentional, but Ron grabbed Yori's hand before she fell.

"That's not like the Yori I know. She's not careless."

Yori quickly swung the other arm at Ron, but he ducked it. This put Yori in a bad position as her back now faced him, and he took the advantage by grabbing her other hand and pressed it against her back, mildly twisting her wrists in the process.

"That's not you in there…"

He didn't have the tightest grip on her, so she was able to escape by twisting herself, delivering a hard spinning kick to Ron. He managed to block it by crossing his arms in front of his face, but the impact sent him skidding back a few feet, perfect for another escape.

Ron was sent on another chase after the girl, who quickly leapt onto a building that was about twenty stories higher than the one they were on. Ron had his grappling hooks equipped in his gloves, and he was off in pursuit like Tarzan in the future. By the time he reached the building Yori was on, she was already two buildings away. If he continued at the rate he was going, he was going to lose her. He decided to shoot his next hook toward the farthest building he could see. When the wire retracted, he flew at the building much faster than he anticipated, almost crashing straight into Yori, who was now traveling throughout the city with her own grappling hooks instead of her usual chains. The second Ron passed her, he released himself from the cord and shot a couple more hooks onto the nearby buildings to keep himself up with her. He was behind again. Eventually, Yori slowed down and tried to kick Ron off the cord, not realizing that his glove was connected to it.

The two engaged into an aerial dogfight, exchanging blows when they were near each other, going back and forth between the buildings. Unfortunately for Ron, he found himself tangled in his cord more often than he hoped he would. This would allow Yori to get away, but he got out of it just before she was out of visual range. To his surprise, it wasn't long before he was right next to her again. This time, he decided to use his head as he was next to Yori, pulling out the knife that cut Yori against her. With a swift swipe, he sliced her cord, sending her falling onto the rooftop of another building.

Yori managed to roll safely onto it, but her own momentum sent her rolling uncontrollably a few times before crashing into the small stairway building. Ron arrived shortly after, but he got his cord caught in the antennae above the stairway. He was right above Yori, and not allowing for another escape, he sliced his cord with the knife, completely forgetting that he was bound to fall.

The ninja girl rose her head after opening her eyes again, the first thing she saw was someone falling right on her. It was too late to react.

BAM

Yori softened the fall for Ron. After a few seconds he was able to roll off and get onto his knees. He turned around to see how Yori was doing.

She wasn't moving.

Ron got onto his feet and went to inspect the masked girl. She was completely slumped onto the ground, face-first, so he decided to pick her up and lean her back toward the stairway building. Reluctantly, he pulled off her mask.

It was just as Wade said. It was the same face of the girl in Japan. The same hair, the same face shape, everything. But she also had obvious differences. First, she wore a lot of makeup; her eyes were colored with a dark blue sparkling color, her eyelashes were dark, and she had earrings.

Her eyes then opened.

Ron quickly leapt away as he noticed this, able to avoid an attack with spinning knifes as she got up. Yori still had no emotion on her face, but Ron had a more concerned look, and with reason. Now that Yori's eyes were open, he knew what was wrong.

Yori's eyes were glowing in a blue color. It was clearly mind control.

"Now that you know who I am, Stoppable…" Yori spoke with a deep voice, "I'm not going to allow you to leave here alive."

Ron didn't appear intimidated, letting out an unexpected huge belch mixed with a yawn. "Too bad I don't get paid to hear that every day, or I'd be one rich lil' boy...again."

Yori then jumped back onto the top of the small building behind her, and then jumped toward a building that was further away and much taller. Ron didn't appear to be concerned that Yori was making another escape, even though she missed the roof by thirty stories, but was running up the building by foot. He just sat back and watched, then shot his grappling cord at the top of the building. The two landed on the roof at the same time.

Aware of the threat Ron posed, Yori pulled out two Kitana swords. She got into a fighting stance, as did Ron, but the confidence in his face seemed to show he had something planned.

"Any last words, Stoppable?"

Ron let out what almost sounded like an evil laugh. "Whatever's controlling your mind isn't doing a good job of it. If you really wanted to scare me, you'd keep the traits I know you for."

"Explain…" Yori coldly demanded.

Ron started walking around, "Tell you what. You take me down and I tell you." He didn't realize that if she did, he wouldn't be able to.

Yori didn't answer but decided to charge at him instead. Ron just kept still the entire time as she sprinted towards him with both of her swords in hand. Just when she was close enough, she raised both swords above her and sent them down at him. The second one of the blades was about to give Ron a split end, he moved to the side and jammed his wrist into the back of her neck.

She hit the concrete faster than her swords did.

She was completely out this time. Ron approached her with his hands in his pockets, coolly and confidently. Yori had fallen straight on her face, and the first thing Ron noticed other than a bloody nose, was that her earrings had shattered. More interesting was that small electrical sparks were coming out of them. Was this the mind control device that Ron was looking for? Perhaps. He carefully inspected all the areas of her head, face, neck, and upper shoulders. No other mind control devices he was familiar with were visible.

A lot of questions ran through his head as he checked her head and her pulse. Someone was out to get him and decided to use Yori as their tool. The obvious questions were who, why, and how. Ron knew that Yori was a lot more stronger and skilled than the fight she had put up, and he wondered who managed to find her, knock her out, and place the mind control devices on her. This could have been at least one of many scenarios. What if she was tricked into buying earrings with the mind control device in them? What if someone managed to capture her and send her out after him? Clearly Ron wasn't the only one with this train of thought.

"I see you've got this handled…" a familiar nearby voice spoke.

Ron barely lifted his head. "Oh, hey KP. Sorry I snuck out on you."

Kim jumped off the edge, performed her usual few flips, and landed right next to Ron. "No big. I had my eyes closed but never really fell asleep. I figured you were up to some trouble."

Ron continued to inspect Yori, who now had a sad look on her face. "She's finally showing some kind of emotion…"

Kim looked at the small pieces of metal in his hand. "So, it was mind control. How did you know?"

"Too many things. One, Yori calls me 'Stoppable-san,' not just 'Stoppable'. Second, she doesn't wear that much makeup. Third, the Yori I know is a tough fighter who is fully aware of her surroundings and can see an opponent's every action a mile away. She's also a completely defensive fighter. She only goes on the offense when needed. Fourth, she didn't talk about things of honor or that stuff."

"Sounds like you know her quite well, Ron," Kim spoke with her usual slightly irritated tone.

Ron scoffed, "Please, Kim. You make it sound like I know you less. I'm fully aware of your many many fighting styles, your approach and strategy, the color of your eyes and how you talk, every weapon you use and how you use it, and all that stuff."

Kim didn't intend for that kind of reaction, but she decided to test him anyway. "Okay, what was I wearing today?"

Ron quickly answered, "Your pajamas and obviously your mission gear."

It was early in the morning, a different day, after all.

"Now if you're talking about yesterday, you were wearing a pink shirt with white shorts, letting out your hair as always, wearing a hint of strawberry perfume, your usual socks and shoes, purple makeup on the eyes, and if I didn't know any better, a little bit of eyeliner."

Kim was speechless.

"Score five for Ron!" he proudly grinned as he turned back to Yori, "You probably wanna call Wade on this."

Kim sighed and pulled out her Kimmunicator. It took Wade a few seconds to pull his head from the keyboard.

Wade rubbed his face and eyes. "And you guys say I don't get any sleep… So what's up?"

"We've got her. It was definitely mind control." Ron showed the remains of the earrings to the screen, and Wade took the moment to scan it thoroughly.

"Earrings that relay a signal to the brain that allows for mind control… I didn't think these were still made…"

"Still made?"

Wade explained. "Well, last time I heard about something like this, it never surpassed experimental and prototype stages. The most it could do was calm someone who had anger problems, but even that didn't work. It's great for communication, however, but I doubt Yori would just blindly obey commands to kill Ron."

"Obviously someone's mastered this." Kim inspected. "So Yori's not our prime target…"

"Pretty much. Someone's pulling the strings, but who?"

Ron couldn't help but be affected by the sad look in his friend's eyes. "Why Yori?"

"As much as I'd hate to say it, Ron, if someone was sent to kill you, Yori or Kim would be best qualified because of your attachment to both. The way I see it, they should have gone after Kim first, and the reason they didn't was either because they didn't want to make it obvious since you know when the other is under mind control, or because they also have something in store for Kim. They may have realized you're one of Kim's weaknesses."

Ron let out a frustrated groan. "So much for vacation. Get away from everything, almost get blown up by a grenade and find out you're in some assassination plot. What's next? Nuclear threat? Giant military weapon gets released?"

He had almost forgotten that Kim was nearby, glaring at him the whole time.

"No offense, KP, but you gotta admit that you need to get away from everything once in a while."

"Thanks for the reassurance, Ron." Kim sarcastically remarked. It was rather nice to hear your boyfriend vent about getting away from everything, especially when you're included on the list. Perhaps not what Ron intended, but Kim thought otherwise.

"Wade, can you scan her vitals?"

"Sure."

Kim tossed Ron the Kimmunicator. He allowed the device to scan various parts of Yori's body, such as her head, neck, chest, and wrists.

"Hmm… Other than the slight cut on her arm, her body functions seem to be coming along normally. Heartbeat is fine. The only problem is her head. From the pictures I got it looks like she's suffered a heavy concussion, probably due to the way you took her out and the earrings abruptly being destroyed. That's one of the reasons the technology was abandoned, because of too many side effects. It's not fatal or isn't going to be mandatory, but I think she'll be out of it for some time."

"How long?"

"My guess? 24 hours."

Kim reminisced about their own mind-control mishaps. "How come that never happened to us?"

"This is different, Kim. Before, devices were placed directly on your skin. It's probably the best kind of mind control, or so I thought. Those earrings Yori was wearing were releasing a signal that controlled her mind, and possibly receiving a signal to tell her what to do, but once they were destroyed it, her brain must have been affected."

"Signal… Any traces?" Ron asked.

Wade shook his head. "No. If there was a signal going out or coming in, it instantly stopped when it the earrings were destroyed. When I try to see where the signal originated from, I get what appears to be corrupted computer data from 37 locations. Someone clearly anticipated this. It'll take me some time, and I may need a second opinion on this…"

"So what should we do with Yori?" Kim asked, looking at the unconscious Japanese girl.

"She'll need rest. She's probably not going to feel well when she wakes up. My guess is that you'll need to lay her on her back, on a bed perhaps. Sorry to interrupt whatever alone time you two had, and I hope you two weren't doing the tango in there, but it looks like you'll have a temporary visitor staying in your hotel room."

"You think she'll be okay, Wade?" Ron was obviously concerned for his old crush.

"Physically, definitely. Mentally? That depends on her response to seeing you two. I'm thinking she was used as a temporary tool in some bigger plan. That's what we need to figure out right now. In the meantime, keep your eyes on her."

Both Kim and Ron acknowledged, putting away the Kimmunicator. He picked up Yori's body and carried her over his back, making it look easy. He walked past Kim toward the edge, and when he was about to shoot his grappling cord, he noticed Kim had an uneasy look on her face, even though his back was facing her.

"What's the matter, KP?"

"Nothing."

Ron let out an exasperated sigh. "Kim, how long is it going to be before you're honest with yourself?"

Kim didn't respond for a few seconds. "What you said earlier…"

Ron already figured it out, not turning around. "Kim, that's not what I meant at all. But even so, are you telling me that you haven't had that little wish to get away from everything? It's not like I was planning to stay here forever, or that I was going to abandon my name, identity and life and leave you behind. I couldn't do that."

Kim sighed. "You're right. You're absolutely right, Ron."

"Your tone is anything but convincing." Ron had his rare moments of being extremely serious about things, but not as much as he had been recently. Kim hadn't even realized it until now.

Better now to pop the question about it. "Can I ask you something?"

"Shoot."

"You weren't like this before, I mean… with this kind of talk." Kim realized she was stuttering. "You seem serious more often." There was obvious discomfort in her voice.

"I take our relationship seriously, KP…"

Kim sighed. Indeed, Ron had become a lot more brave and serious ever since Prom night, but sometimes he was overconfident, too overconfident and that would often bother Kim. It was nice to see this side of him the first time, but it was frustrating when something was bothering her and Ron wanted an answer. Kim wasn't a good liar, and while she could fool anyone in high school about her real feelings toward something, she couldn't fool Ron. Not that she liked to hide things or lie to Ron, but when those moments came where she felt she needed to, he saw past everything.

Ron broke the silence. "… and I guess some of it comes from Sensei's guidance."

Kim crossed her arms. "Your training, huh? I guess it's no surprise. Now that I think about it, can I ask you another question?"

"I suppose."

"Did you see Yori either time you went to Japan after the Prom?"

"Why ask?"

"Curious, that's all."

Ron finally turned around to look at Kim's eyes. "No, she wasn't there the first time around. Sensei told me the first time she was running some kind of errand, and the second time…"

Kim gave him a few seconds to remember.

"He told me she was 'traveling'. So no, she wasn't there that time... You don't suppose during that time she was captured?"

"Let me think, you came back from your training two weeks after graduation… No… if she was under mind control then, she would've started attacking us long before now… Unless whoever captured her needed her to strike at a specific moment…" Kim couldn't figure it out. There were too many scenarios possible.

Ron yawned. "We should probably get going, unless you want to carry the two of us with you."

Kim shook her head. "I am not going to let you sleep on my shoulders again, Ron, not with how much my shirt was drenched in your drool."

Ron chuckled. "But we're still even on that. Remember when the Vamp Legion knocked you out and I had to carry you home on my shoulders? My shirt was soaked."

Kim narrowed her eyes. "Yeah, Ron. I remember. We walk into the seized weapons disposal facility in Australia, and the very second I put my foot down, I find a tranquilizer dart in my butt. I'm still surprised you managed to take all five of them out without being tranquilized yourself."

Ron smirked. "But that doesn't compare to when you took out the Dead Blazes in Brazil, Kim. Not often you can throw a grenade into the gun barrels of two tanks."

Kim modestly smiled, as if forgetting her earlier grief. "Oh, Ron, it was no big. It's not like I'm the only one capable of it."

Ron let out another huge yawn. "I think we'd better head back."

Kim nodded. "Can you carry her?"

"She feels a bit heavier than you, but I think I can manage."

Kim shot her hook to the top of a nearby building. Ron followed.

As the two flew through the city, another figure sat on the edge of a high building, looking at all of them through hi-tech binoculars that showed their identities, profiles, and distance, all in detail.

"I've finally found you…"

The cloak-covered figure put away their binoculars and pulled out a gun. They only inspected it and made sure the clip was full.

"Soon…"

Both Kim and Ron landed on the balcony of their hotel room. Kim had actually left Rufus behind, who was woken by the presence of the three. He tried to open the door, but he was far too tired and small to open it. At least there was no lock on it, so the two let themselves in easily. Rufus went back to sleep on one side of the open bed, but Ron carefully laid Yori out next to him. While Ron handled that, Kim closed the door and walked past their bed. Since Ron's attention was on Yori, Kim quickly took off her mission clothes, revealing that she had been wearing her pajamas the whole time under them. She leapt onto the bed and held her pillow tightly. If there was one thing she liked about the hotel room, it was that the bed mattress was extremely, extremely soft. A few seconds later, Ron hopped onto the bed in his own pajamas.

When Ron was asleep, Kim pulled out her Pandaroo from under the blanket and held him tightly. Pandaroo's absence was the only reason she couldn't sleep earlier.

The next morning… late morning, Ron was the first to awaken, thanks to Kim's loud snoring. Add that to the list of embarrassing things Kim is capable of. He wasn't surprised that he found Pandaroo next to her, but the thought of her snoring loudly was pretty funny.

He slowly got out of bed to do his routine stretches, trying not to wake anybody else up. After he was done, he made sure Rufus was sleeping well, took a quick gaze at Kim again before turning his attention to Yori.

The last time he had seen her was when Sensei was kidnapped by DNAmy. It was only about five months ago, two before he and Kim started dating, but to Ron it felt like he hadn't heard from her in forever. One of the bad things when a ninja girl is from a foreign country, he thought, was that they weren't always willing to share their contacts. No digits, no e-mail, no address, nothing. Sure, Yori was a ninja, but it wouldn't hurt to say hi every now and then. Or perhaps it would.

The last thing he saw was her leaving in a helicopter with Sensei, waving. Kim had only told him a few seconds ago that Yori liked him. He never even saw it, and now she was gone. Ron was in sort of a dilemma when he got home that night. First, he found out the pretty Japanese girl liked him, and he liked her back, no questions asked. Then there was the Kim factor. This was the first time Kim seemed to show some kind of jealousy towards another girl. But why would your best friend be jealous? Did Kim still have some feelings after the Moodulator incident? Was it some kind of effect? Oh, if only Ron knew anything about girls, and Kim was no less confusing than the others. But why Yori? Just a couple of weeks ago they had that conversation about Ron bringing a date to his relative's wedding. It never crossed Ron or Kim's mind that she could 'pretend' to be a date, but the idea of the whole date thing threw them off. Awkweird. Now Kim gets jealous of Yori. Sure, when he had a thing for Zita and Tara, she didn't have any objections. Then again, those crushes happened long before the Moodulator incident. The day after he found out Tara used to like him and started dating Mankey was the day he got kissed on the lips the first time… by Kim, and she never heard of Yori at the time.

Ron still felt iffy about having feelings for Kim when the search for Sensei came to and end and Yori left. He knew she shared his feelings and he considered choosing her over Kim, still fearing that things would take a turn for the worse with his longtime best friend. He hoped that Yori would contact him or something so he could talk about it, and he actually managed to get the courage to ask her out. The only problem was that he had no idea how to contact her.

A month after the incident, Kim got a hit from the Nakasumi Toy Company in Tokyo. Perfect, Ron thought, a trip to Japan and that way he could find her. Unfortunately, there was no time to go to Yamanuchi thanks to more homework. He was thinking that perhaps when he saw Yori the two could hit it off.

Instead, he hit it off with Kim four weeks later, and things have been steady since.

That was a long time ago, though. He and Kim had been steady for three months.

Ron knew that Yori was going to find out about his relationship with Kim. It was inevitable. But how would she react? To have feelings for someone and see that they're already taken? Ron was all too familiar with the concept. It takes some pretty boy who can do anything to get Kim's attention, and Ron completely realizes how he feels for her, but she still has feelings for the pretty boy instead.

But in this triangle, at least no one's a syntho-drone working for your arch nemesis. Yori may have feelings for Ron, but he has feelings for a girl he's known all his life. Still, would that make Yori's feelings for him cease or increase?

It was troubling to think about, and now probably wasn't the best time to think about it. Kim would be up soon, and while she may also have concern for Yori, she probably wouldn't want to hear Ron talk about what could develop into a triangle. Would Yori accept things as they are or try to change it? It all depended on her own feelings and her respect for Ron's wishes.

A lot of things had changed since Prom night. Maybe Yori had changed, too…

"How's she doing?"

Ron was used to Kim sneaking up on him. "Not bad." He had actually forgotten to inspect her health, focused more on the situation if Yori recovered well. The fact that someone was using her to kill him also slipped his mind.

That's where Kim's mind was instead. Whoever was behind this, they had done their homework. But she couldn't decide who the card dealer was after. Did they want Ron dead because of who he is, or was it because they knew that if Ron was taken out of the picture, Kim wouldn't have the drive to move on or fight anymore? Perhaps it was one, perhaps it was both.

It was late in the morning, a bit after 11, so she figured it was a good idea to call Wade.

"Hey Kim. How's Yori?"

She mimicked Ron. "Not bad."

"I asked Nev about the earrings this morning."

"And?"

Nev's voice broke in. "Nanotechnology. Surprise."

"Nanotechnology?" The term was all too familiar with Kim. The exploding zit on her nose two years ago, among one other thing she currently wasn't aware of.

"Just as Wade said, the earrings Yori was wearing were transmitting some kind of signal to her brain. Filled with nanos."

"But how can a computer signal cause mind control?" Kim asked. "I understand if the device was on the skin since it makes contact with the blood and nervous system, which leads directly to your brain, but just a signal?"

"That part puzzles me as well. I understand that it could be used as a communications signal that only Yori could hear, but I don't see how the signal affected her brain. If there were nanomachines in her bloodstream then that would be a reason, but all of Wade's scans turned out negative in that area. Only other reasons I could see are if she was brainwashed or she has a thick metal plate in her head."

"Wait a minute…" Ron broke in. He quickly looked for the little red hairpiece that Yori always wore. He located it deep under her hair, and he took it off. "What about something like this?"

Kim also took a look at it. It was painted red, but it was made out of metal on the inside.

"Wow, I don't know how I missed that. Yep, if you've got metal on the head, it's just as good as any other mind control device. Since the human body has electrical impulses, it would react to metal on the head, and if you were to develop the right kind of frequency in the signal, which is much more easier said than done, which would be amplified by the metal headpiece, it may actually work. Well, I guess it did."

"What kind of frequencies are we talking about, Nev?"

"A mix of thermal, sound, electronic, radio, light, and the like. There's too many to list. Combine them properly, and you've got a puppet. But why use such an old and difficult technique? Henchco's basically got this kind of stuff for sale at good prices. Maybe I should get some for those girls who stalk me at the airport..."

Everyone was glaring at him. The word Henchco.

"What? They use some of the latest technologies on their stuff, but I only use it for parts. Seriously!"

"Seriously?" Kim, Ron, Rufus and Wade asked at once.

"Seriously."

Bad memories on a Friday night for Kim."Never mind that, Nev. How many people have used this technique?"

Wade answered. "Only one by my records. A scientist in her mid-thirties who used brainwashing to create the ultimate human weapon. She had written a paper on martial artists and their emotions, and if one were able to cease any and all emotions from them, they become much more powerful than any of the worlds top martial artists, becoming nothing more than a weapon. The earrings were used for mind control, as well as a communications relay from her to make sure the subject was under control. When the subject's brother was able to break the earrings in a final duel, she exploded into a fury of uncontrollable rage, but it lasted for several minutes before she lost consciousness. The scientist's work was heavily criticized as her subject was an innocent teenage girl who had not volunteered for such work. Kidnapping. But the scientist was killed two months later in a flaming building. It dates back to 1996."

"She?" Ron asked.

"We've got a picture, but the name has been deleted on all records, and since the information's nearly a decade old, it's impossible to recover it. Looks like they wanted to erase her existence."

"I took a crack at it, too." Nev intervened. "No deal. Anyhow, because of the abrupt destruction of the device, much like Wade explained, Yori was completely knocked unconscious and suffered a concussion. It's like pulling out a memory card out of its socket when its in use; Bad effects. Either the two of you are going to want to keep an eye on her, or leave someone to watch her the whole day. You two would also be wise to keep your distance when she recovers. Because this is an old technique, sometimes the victim goes into a stage of uncontrollable rage. It's temporary, but sometimes the time it takes for it to wear off can be more than enough for her to make a move. Make sure all weapons she carries are nowhere nearby."

"So…" Ron paused. "If Yori wakes up, she's completely free of the mind control, other than that side effect you just mentioned. She'll be okay?"

The two geeks nodded with their arms crossed.

"Good. But wait a second, you guys said that if you removed a fighter's emotions from them, they become stronger?"

Wade did some typing on his end. "According to the written report by our mad scientist, compassion is one of the things that makes a martial artist a… well, martial artist. You're probably aware that they're trained not to kill, but to show mercy and only fight when needed; to use their abilities for good. But remove any and all judgment from them, and they practically become a weapon."

Ron cut Wade off. "So why was Yori weaker? She didn't give much of a fight."

"My guess?" Nev answered. "She wasn't brainwashed. If she were, she may have been much more of a brutal opponent. In the scientist's experiment, she was only able to achieve full mind control after brainwashing her subject. That's how she 'removed' the girl's emotions, not by the mind control but the brainwashing."

"Okay…" Kim understood everything. "Okay, let's see how this all works… Send an assassin after Ron, who turns out to be a ninja girl from a ninja academy, and she's put under mind control… But assassins only work in silence and never reveal their motives… unless instructed… and that would only happen if…"

"You don't suppose this was kind of diversionary tactic?" Wade asked.

Kim nodded. "One that didn't depend on us staying alive. Something else is at work, and whoever's behind this used Yori to make us think that an assassin after Ron was the only problem…"

Ron tried to get in Kim's head. "So this isn't just about me anymore, is it?"

"Probably not. And before you say anything, it's not a plot to destroy Bueno Nacho."

Ron laid back with his arms crossed behind his head. "I dunno, KP. Their new advertisement tactics and combo meals are going to make for a fierce competition, and guess who thought of them?"

Kim just rolled her eyes. "Your creativity astonishes me. So is that all the info you and Nev dug up on Yori, Wade?"

Wade sounded relaxed. "Pretty much, with the exception of who captured her and put her under mind control."

"You'll have to extract some information from Yori whenever she wakes up, no matter the method."

"Got it."

"And…uh, by the way…" Nev continued, "You might be wise to keep her out of public eye. If she's the one who attacked Bueno Nacho Corporate HQ, she's sure to have made some more enemies… Some of the Bueno Nacho Corporate honchos have some strong security... Well, better way of putting it is that since Yori attacked Bueno Nacho Corporate HQ, there's a price on her head and people will be looking for her."

Ron nodded. "I see what you're trying to say …"

"Wait a second… perhaps I spoke too soon… you guys might want to turn on the news…"

Puzzled, Kim and Ron went looking for the TV remote, and once Kim found it, she turned on the TV and switched to the news. She and Ron were trying to read what it said at the bottom of the screen.

"Sixteen are confirmed dead. All the dead have been identified as presidents of various companies of Bay City, including…" The two skipped a long list of the most popular and rich companies that Bay City had to offer, ranging from electronic hardware, computer technology, entertainment, international trades, weapons, and funding. "… Each were found dead in various locations. Police reports indicate that the men were all murdered possibly between 3 AM and 4 AM…"

Kim kept a stern face. "Sixteen men killed in an hour?"

Wade had the video feed on his monitor. "Sounds like we found out what part of the diversion was for."

The screen of the Kimmunicator finally split in half, allowing for a visual of Nev, who was shaking his head. "Keep reading."

Ron did so. "All of the murdered were rumored to be part of the mafia/crime syndicate known as 'The Forefathers'… Do we know them?"

Wade was perplexed. "The Forefathers? Forefathers… I'm not getting anything on them…"

Since Nev lived in Bay City four a couple of months, "That's how powerful they are. You see, these guys are truly the worst of the worst in Bay City. They're the kings of all the corporations here, and if you think anyone abuses their power, you haven't met these guys yet. In fact, they're suspected to be behind the most vigorous murders all around town, we're talking amputated bodies, turning clients into dog food, really brutal police reports… it's impossible to send them to jail. One person managed to, but the old guy had enough bail money for five lifetimes. Whoever tried them was later found dead with… well, you don't want to know."

"With a profile like that I'm sure I should've found something on them… Wait, Nev… how do you know about this?"

"I've got a friend in high places."

Ron continued to read the report. "Sounds like they suffered quite a bit…"

Kim turned her head to the scrolling text on the bottom, reading it out loud. "The obvious causes of death seem to differ with each victim, but police reports indicate that each victim had… their… blood drained…"

Both Kim and Ron shared disgusted looks on their faces.

Nev didn't seem surprised. "Serves them right. I'm just surprised whoever did it managed to do it so fast. Sixteen men, drain their blood in an hour… I thought that kind of stuff was done in B-grade horror flicks. But something like this doesn't sound like a solo thing."

"I beg to differ," Kim replied, still reading the screen. "All of the victims had a mark on their foreheads, a devil's skull with backward sixes."

"Mark of a madman. Oi."

Kim realized Nev was the only calm one. "You really don't sound concerned, Nev."

He shook his head. "Not often does something good like this happen. But it sounds like some assassin was hired. So first they send one after Ron, Yori, but something like this couldn't have been done unless there's something huge in store for all of us, but what? Unless..."

Wade broke in. "Someone has a lot of power they're willing to exercise… so take out the competition…"

"Smart… take out the leaders of the biggest corporations in the biggest economic city in the states and send the city into pandemonium and become the main high power. Someone taking out these guys is something that was bound to happen, but I can't shake the feeling it wasn't just some grudge. Someone had the power to take them out and did it… and used a distraction from Japan to keep our favorite teen heroes from preventing it."

"That's not going to stop us if there's more to this," Kim retorted. "Sounds like Prom all over again. Make a plan, use a distraction for us. Fun."

Ron put a hand on Kim's shoulder to calm her. "But hey, look at the bright side. At least no one's sent a syntho-drone to seduce you and at least Bueno Nacho's involved, right?" Ron realized something on those words. "None of those killed happened to be working at Bueno Nacho, did they?"

Both Wade and Nev shook their heads.

"Okay, good. No Syntho-Drone, then, and Bueno Nacho's safe… for now."

Kim groaned. "Instead, they send an old crush from Japan, one who likes you and probably doesn't know about us. Looks like we've got more than one problem here, Ron."

Ron made a sheepish look on his face. "Well, now that you put it that way, yes, we do. But what bothers me is what Yori said… 'Your death will mark the beginning of a greater plan… To ensure that the plan works, all opposition must be destroyed.'" He could hear Yori's zombie-like voice when saying this.

Nev pondered. "Whoever's planned this out knows you two were going to interfere, so he or she wants you dead anyway, but a distraction was good enough for some of the real plan to fall through. But this morning attack was obviously not Yori's doing, but I still wonder… I'll need to ask Jen on this one…"

"Jen? Ooh, Nev's got a girlfriend!" Wade teased.

"Shut up!" Nev barked angrily. Seeing as he scared the hell out of everyone in the room, he took a deep sigh. "Sorry, but I told you how I am around girls…"

"Sorry, I didn't mean it like that, but you don't have to like, you know, isolate yourself from that kind of stuff."

"Oh, believe me Wade, I have my reasons." Nev coldly responded. "And before you say anymore, she's a partner in information. No more."

Ron knew exactly what Nev was talking about when he said he had his reasons, having a flashback when Nev showed him what he was made of. The image wasn't as sickening as before, but he was sure Wade and Kim didn't know about it. He decided to change the subject.

"Okay, we're getting off topic. That guy you keep referring as 'whoever's behind this'? We gotta find out who they are and what they're really up to." Ron put a hand on his fist, almost excited for a hunt.

"Can you guys get into the security cameras at those buildings each Forefather member was … whacked?" Kim couldn't believe she used that word, but tried to lighten up the situation.

"Way ahead of you, Kim." Wade proudly responded, "But the cameras don't give us anything. They used some kind of jamming device."

"Chaff."

Kim was familiar with it. "The exact same weapon I'd use to disrupt electronic equipment…"

"Chaff… chaff… chaff…? Remind me what that is again?" Ron asked.

Nev explained. "Tiny pieces of metal that reflect various electrical frequencies. Because several pieces of it spread in the air, it confuses all kinds of electronic equipment in the area. Perfect for security cameras, computers and radar equipment. I can only tell this because of one or two frames before the camera dies. Unfortunately, with the angles the cameras were at, there's no telling what other security measures the places had. It could be worse."

Wade noticed something. "Hmm, someone seems to have a bit of weapons knowledge these days. Last time I checked you were just an expert on the hardware and hacking."

Nev let out a slight chuckle. "I suppose I have my friends in high places to thank for that. Maybe I'll introduce you all one day, but right now we've got this to handle." He turned his attention to Kim and Ron. "It's almost noon, you two. You should probably get something to eat. Wade and I will keep looking for information on this."

Wade nodded. "We'll keep you posted."

"By the way…" Nev snickered. "I know you're going to kill me for this, Kim, but I'm going to say it anyway. Nice pajamas. Bye!" He instantly cut communication.

Kim turned red the instant Nev mentioned that. Wade and Ron were trying to hold in their laughter but failed miserably, forcing Kim to hide her embarrassment behind a pillow. Shortly after, she popped out and stuck her tongue out at Wade, turned off the Kimmunicator, then slammed a pillow into Ron's face. She couldn't believe that she had been in her pajamas and talking to Nev, never really realizing that she was in her pajamas when talking to Wade sometimes. It wasn't like she was wearing a nightgown or anything revealing, just a purple shirt with some purple pants as always.

Ron managed to get the pillow off his face, just to hear the shower go off and Kim no longer next to him. Unfortunately for him, this meant 10 minutes for Kim to take her shower, and 30 more to make sure she looked nice, even though he constantly told her not to worry about it. Sometimes on her "Ron night" Kim would take an extra 20 minutes.

Fortunately for Ron, there were some good cartoons on since he had cable in the room. I'll leave you to decide what he watches.