Chapter 10: Desolation

Yeah, I figure I might have some readers seeing that my hit count is well over 900.

Q&A:
charizardag: Sorry, future events of the story won't be told.
Zaratan: Worry not, it's part of the plot. Unfortunately, you'll have to wait till Ch. 13.

Thanks for the comments!

Also, if you've played the Kim Possible 3: Team Possible on the Game Boy Advance, you'll notice an obvious reference here.

Yori hadn't been one to speak often on this mission. In fact, she couldn't figure out how she had gotten into any of this mess.

Why was she on this plane? Was there any other motive Yori had other than her promise to assist Ron in any of this? She was more than grateful for him saving her from the mind control, but that's where a second motive must have come in.

Yori wanted answers just as much as anybody else. One minute she was training in the forests on Mt. Fuji, the next she had her hand on a grenade while scaling Bueno Nacho Corporate HQ. That's how she remembered things.

Revenge? Hardly. She needed the answers just as much, if not more than everybody else on the trip.

She already figured out why she was the one used as the puppet. If Kim were used, it would be all too obvious for Ron. No, they needed the team intact and use someone else, but close. Family members would be too obvious, and Kim… did she have any close friends who were lethal fighters? No, not really. Ron told her about the friends she had, but she never had someone she could rely on when she was alone. Ron told her that there was the one time Kim was stuck on Bonnie and the two took down Dementor, but Bonnie always made fun of Kim because of her duties instead of living a 'normal' life, even after the incident.

There was one thing she found peculiar of Kim, however. For a girl with her social status in an American school, Kim should have had all kinds of friends, and there was bound to be someone who she could count in combat situations if Ron weren't around. Why was it that people knew Kim but never really hung out with her? Were people intimidated by the fact that on the news she was always shown throwing a goon out the window or destroying a stolen military weapon?

Yori had also done her research on Kim and actually knew her more than Kim would like to know. Despite her knowledge, she had no idea. Perhaps it was because she hung out with Ron, someone considered an outcast? That wasn't to say they had no other friends but each other, but she figured Kim would have had all the friends in the world if she needed them. She had Monique, the fashion girl she ran into when she first met Kim in the halls of Middleton High, but was that it? Although the concept of using Monique as backup did cross Kim's mind at one point, but at the same time, Kim felt she already had, but knew she never did. Déjà vu?

Why was Kim so popular yet… alone?

Maybe Possible-san did care for Stoppable-san after all. With Kim's looks and popularity, there's no doubt people invited her to join their clique, probably under the condition of getting rid of Ron. Did Kim blow off such things to keep her best friend?

She couldn't stop thinking about them. The three were still in the back of the jet, all resting on the comfortable couches, Ron was sleeping on one end and Kim was sleeping on another. They were pretty far from each other, Ron holding a Bueno Nacho brochure he found inside the jet, and in Kim's hand was a Teen Scene magazine.

Yori had heard much of Kim and knew a lot of information concerning her, finding GJ's profile on both online. There were the usual details such as height, weight, bloodtype and special characteristics, but that was it. She knew the details, but she never knew who Kim was as a person. She didn't know what she looked for in love, if she was the jealous type, her own personal desires for the future and more. Ron just gave her the usual; she saved the world, she was his best friend since pre-k, she was skilled in several martial arts styles, she was a cheerleader, the villains she fought and so forth. Now she was his girlfriend.

Then there was also the question of the girl flying the jet. Yori had a more difficult time understanding her. Yori had been in danger before, more often than both Ron and Kim knew, but this was the first time she ever had a gun barrel digging into her head. It was frightening, but she understood why Jen had done it. Indeed, Yori had placed Jen's father in extreme danger, and she wouldn't try to excuse her actions other than the truth, one she didn't expect everyone to believe. In a way, Yori felt like she deserved it because she was unable to fight it off and put people in danger, especially those with families. Perhaps this was what dishonor was; Failure.

But despite Sensei's teachings, not all ninjas were about honor. In fact, there were very few, and from the ancient days of Japan to today, most ninjas were often mercenaries who did any kind of work for the right dollar or yen. Need someone to be assassinated or kidnapped? That's where you would hire a ninja. Perhaps Sensei wanted a change in this and taught her and his other students that inner honor was everything. There were some students like Fukushima who refused this concept, and after he was expelled from the school he was used as a perfect example of what happens when you fail to see your inner self and never listen to your heart.

Yori could also think of several ninjas and martial artists who were trained in the ways of honor but never lived by them. Some would later come to their senses and right their wrongs, but most of them did not.

Yori missed being at the school. It was great to go on a mission with Ron again, but Yamanuchi was her home. Perhaps this was why she didn't envision a future of her and Ron, because there was none to be had. It was gut-wrenching, but his heart was taken. Because Yori didn't know who Kim truly was as a person, she couldn't determine if she was right for him. Maybe Ron had a crush on her the whole time, maybe he feared the possibilities at even a young age.

Perhaps she did not know who Ron Stoppable was as a person, either. In fact, she became attracted to him because he was comical, cute and brave. Were those reasons to fall for a guy? Maybe Kim and Ron did share something more. No, there was something else that attracted her about Ron.

Ron Stoppable… the only other boy who treated her like a human being. As for the other one, his coffin was buried in Upperton.

Would Ron turn out the same way? Would she?

Yori tried to go to sleep like Kim and Ron had. She couldn't help but feel troubled about everything. Was this a place for her to be right now?

She couldn't fall asleep. She had so many things troubling her mind about the situation, and seeing Stoppable-san near Kim and knowing how they felt towards each other made her feel uncomfortable. They could've been inconsiderate and cuddled with each other for her to see, but this wasn't the case. Still, she felt a lot of discomfort. She didn't know that Ron had a policy against PDA (Public Display of Affection), since it was something that bothered him when Kim had boyfriends, and he didn't want to be a hypocrite about it. Yori didn't know he was the only time he didn't want to be one. Ron hated celebrities who flaunted their stuff and tried to act like they were on top of the world, yet when he was rich or did something to feel proud about, he did the same. It never lasted long, and arguably it was done as one of those 'in the moment' deals.

Frustrated at how she felt, she got up and stretched, realizing it had been a while since she last did it. It felt refreshing if not painful in some areas.

Maybe the cockpit would help. Despite how intimidated she felt by Jen the last time they met in person, the girl did apologize, but she didn't blame her if she still had bitter feelings toward her. Maybe that was the least of her concern.

The second Yori pulled the curtain, she almost gasped at the sight before her. The cockpit's appearance rivaled that of a car destruction yard. There were bags of chips everywhere, comics scattered on the floor, the speakers blasting with dark orchestral music, and lastly Jen, who was reading a comic book and sipping a soda, steering with her feet.

Jen easily noticed Yori come in. "Sorry about the appearance." She was pretty calm with the Japanese girl in the same room.

"It is no problem. Do you mind if I rest in here? I can not get to sleep in the back."

Jen turned down the volume and cleaned the mess on the other seat. "No, go ahead."

"Thank you." Yori was appreciative toward Jen's gesture and allowed herself to sit down. The seat wasn't as comfortable in the couches in the back, but she was able to find a more comfortable position to rest in. She looked out the front window as the clouds flew by.

"Again, I wanted to say I'm sorry for a couple of nights ago." Jen quietly apologized.

"It is okay," Yori assured her, "I do not blame you for doing what you did, based on the circumstances… Are you really piloting this plane with your feet?"

Jen took a loud sip of her drink. "Not really. Right now we're on auto-pilot, but I've got things handled if we're attacked. I've had a few times where I drive a jet into a no-fly zone of some country and didn't give me a chance to get out before being fired upon, but I've escaped without a scratch several times."

"I see."

"So what's bothering you?"

Yori didn't immediately answer. "Is it that obvious?"

"It's your eyebrows. They're curved in a certain way."

Yori noticed the mirrors just above the cockpit windows, and sure enough, her eyebrows were curved in that certain way, a showing of discomfort.

"Let me guess, seeing Spider-Man and Mary Jane like that isn't easy."

Yori wondered how Jen was able to read her so easily. "Do you feel the same?"

Jen turned a page on her comic book. "No, but I can understand. You crush on Ron, you haven't seen him in about four/five months and find out he's taken by the girl he's spent most of his life with. I'm a bit envious of Kim, I'll admit that, but I'll bet it's hell for you. I'm not surprised you came up here, actually."

Yori didn't have anything to say for that. Whether or not Jen really understood every feeling, at least she tried to understand. It was something Yori could sense in her voice.

"Sleep if you need to, Yori. I've got this handled."

Jen turned her head to see how Yori was doing since she didn't respond, and her eyes were already closed. A calm and peaceful song came on and it started to rain lightly. Yori finally managed to fall asleep a half hour later.

"Poor girl."

Jen could easily see how rough things were for Yori. First it was being under mind-control and being sent to nearly kill someone you care about and being unable to control it. Then it was having to awaken from being relieved of the devices and finding out your crush is taken by a girl he'll probably never leave. Jen didn't know the full extent of the pain Yori was going through in her head, but the way she saw it, how would anyone with same circumstances feel comfortable with it?

A few hours later, Ron woke up in the back. The plane was silent, and whatever song put Yori to sleep was playing quietly throughout the entire plane. It was a rather peaceful song, perfect for the rain outside.

The first thing he noticed was Rufus sleeping on his back, so it was clear he was sleeping well. Kim on the other hand, it appeared she moved so much that her head was about to fall off. So as gently as he could, he raised her head and upper body and laid it back onto the couch, placing Kim's head on a pillow. She let out a weak moan as if she were enjoying a dream, so Ron left her alone. He also placed Pandaroo in Kim's arms.

'Old habits die hard, huh, Kim?' Ron thought to himself. She was still a little girl in so many ways.

As Kim rolled over, she revealed a magazine in her hands. Ron wasn't much for teen magazines, and he secretly read some of Kim's teen magazines to understand girls, but most of it was embarrassing moments for things he didn't quite understand, and how to get boys and stuff. It was actually a really old issue dating back to a year ago. On the cover were all the O Boyz, back when they meant something.

He took quick note of the page that Kim had her hand in. It was some kind of quiz: "How Hot is Your BF?" Ron hoped by now Kim would stop listening to magazines, but then again Kim wasn't good at entertaining herself alone unless she had homework. Still, Ron calmly picked up the magazine and read what it was about. There were the expected questions, such as "When your guy takes you out to eat, he takes you…" or "When a date ends, does he…", and so on. Unfortunately, the options available were pretty predictable, as if the 'guy' you were dating was hot, rich, or neither. Kim circled her answers truthfully, and when it came to the results, the magazine said that Kim was dating a "nottie" and should aim higher on the food chain. What Ron found amusing though was that Kim scribbled a bit on that part, as if ignoring it. So Ron wasn't rich or a sports athlete...

Quite frankly, he didn't care anymore. Were girls these days really after guys spending everything on them or being muscular and "manly"? Unfortunately for what some of the shows he saw on his cable TV, he was led to believe so. It didn't depress him much, since he steady with Kim. In fact, since the two started dating, he didn't care how manly or rich he was or where he ranked on the food chain. He didn't care for the attention of all the ladies in the world, now it was just Kim. She was the only one who truly mattered, and like she had reassured him before they were dating, he needed to be the real him, muscles don't make a man, and that money doesn't make you the best person. Little did Kim know she was referring to herself, and sometimes when Ron didn't listen it worried her.

Despite the impression that many got of Kim that she was a stern girl who never treated him with full respect and was a bit of a sadist outside her missions, never showing emotions like crying or laughter, Ron completely disagreed. She may not have said things in the most polite way all the time, but she was doing it because she was looking out for him and cared for him. It was something only he alone realized.

Moments like these he really was glad that she didn't hate him for what happened in Thailand, and he was so tempted to hold her in his arms, but she looked so peaceful in her sleep. No snoring, no drooling, just soft moaning with a smile on her face. He decided to leave her alone for now.

The cockpit wasn't too far away, and no wonder the song on the plane was repeating itself, Jen had fallen asleep, and Yori was still sleeping. He was quick to notice the words "AUTO-PILOT ENGAGED" lit on the navigation controls. There also seemed to be navigation controls for the MP3 player Jen connected to it. She had the song "Lyric" looped.

He felt a bit awkward, being the only guy on a plane, and that the girls were all sleeping. Still, Jen and Yori were sleeping with their heads tilted, and Ron knew that they probably wouldn't wake up with their necks feeling good. Just to be considerate, he walked toward the back again, came back with two unused pillows and placed them behind the back of Jen and Yori's heads, moving them just a little bit. Yori let out a soft moan as Ron gently moved her head and put a pillow under it.

Jen on the other hand let out a bizarre phrase when Ron tried to gently move her head, "Relax, grandma, I'll take the dinosaur dog out to eat the neighbor's lawnmower after you play bingo with the shark…" She was still asleep, though.

Sure, Kim was number one on Ron's list, but a nice gesture wouldn't hurt. After all, Ron did appreciate their help in this matter. It was the least he could do. Jen may have been weird, but she also had a pretty peaceful face as she slept, but Yori didn't appear to be sleeping peacefully at all. She had a concerned look on her face, the same one she had when she came on. Ron then realized something, the air conditioner was on and Yori was in a schoolgirl outfit. She must've been cold. A blanket was just outside, so he grabbed it and carefully put it on her.

Now that that was out of the way, he decided to see what was on that navigation display. It was an orange HDCS (Holographic Display Control System) that had various controls on it, but it also showed specifics; The current weather outside, the weather of the landing location, the engines, winds, any nearby aircraft, and the estimated time to reach Tibet.

Ron was looking at nine more hours, and it was already past six. They had already gone past Hawaii, but it was going to be a while before reaching the coast of Asia. Had those girls really been sleeping that long, or was it just him? Now that he thought about it, that was probably the case. The other girls might have waken up and gone back to sleep before he even woke up.

Well, seeing as he was still tired and all alone on this plane, he decided to go to the back near Kim and go back to sleep. As much as he tried to deny it, sometimes he really did fear what Kim thought of him. He feared that if he ever lost her as a girlfriend, that meant losing her as a friend, too. On some of the teen shows that Kim and Ron (secretly) watched, when a boy and girl both felt worried about their relationship, they sometimes got the idea of seeing other people, and thus, relationship broken. So he tried not to say he was afraid when Kim said it first, and sometimes he would say it when Kim felt positive about it. Odd logic, but he didn't want to risk Kim.

She was so pretty when she was sleeping, and for once she didn't steal the covers or snore loudly.

Fade to black.

Several hours later, long after Ron woke up the second time, everyone was trying to keep themselves entertained.

In the front, Jen was studying all of Yori's weapons. Both were now in heavier clothes as the weather was becoming colder. Since Jen usually handled firearms, rocket launchers and projectile weapons, she never really saw weapons made in foreign countries. She was most fascinated by the kitana sword blades that Yori had. These were actually a graduation gift from Sensei, as he created the weapons from scratch. It was perfect in every way. No scratches on the blade, no dents or even the tiniest of cuts on the fine edge. Jen didn't know much about ancient Japanese myth and legends, especially those that say that the best warriors created their own weapons and they were carefully crafted, but the way Sensei built this sword got her interested. Every other one of Yori's weapons also interested her because of how fine and sleek they were. Weapons probably used more than once, appearing in mint condition.

In the back, Kim was complaining about the magazine quiz that Ron secretly read while he gave her a back massage. They both also wore the new cold survival outfits Wade made them.

Ron had no idea there was so much she disliked about boys. Then again, when there's something you like a lot, there's always things you can nitpick about. Ron could do this all the time in games. He would do tweaks and changes here because some parts of the game weren't well-programmed. And for Kim, a lot of boys weren't well-programmed.

At school, nobody ever hit on her except for Mankey and Erik, and she thought it was because of her crime-fighting. Kim thought that guys feared a girl who could throw them out a window. It was quite the opposite, actually. Guys had actually been attracted to two kinds of girls; the ones who came off as strong, and the ones who came off as weak. The weak arguably could've been considered the innocents. Innocent girls are what some guys would usually dream about, something about a pure heart, soul, mind and body. The problem was, most innocents in Middleton were insecure and weak. By the time they realized they liked the girl, she was already pressured into joining a bad scene and was no longer the same person.

Val came to mind…

Anyway, the other girls on the cheerleading squad all had boys chasing them and flirting with them, and while Kim wasn't one for all the attention, she wondered why she was left out. There were a lot who said much, much later that it was because they didn't want to interfere with the inevitable, which to them was her dating Ron. To them, if they wanted to date Kim and actually managed to date her, they would create a time paradox. They actually respected her that much, if not feared her. Kim was extremely protective of Ron ever since they had their minds switched, and while Kim didn't like to admit it, many of her methods to convince people rivaled that of police interrogations. These were usually the bullies, anyway.

That didn't mean that Kim didn't like to say hi or talk to some other guys around the school. For example, she did become good friends with the boys in detention, some of the guys in D-hall, and after Mankey moved a month or two before Prom, some of the artists. That last one was probably because she complimented Dante Randal's huge painting of Death with a purple background showing an apocalyptic city in ruins. To them, that was a shock; a cheerleader who actually appreciated even the dark arts. Most of the others in the squad were quickly scared off because they feared such imaginations. Kim knew that some expressions of art were just that; expressions. To her it just looked… cool.

She learned that when she and Josh made the mutual decision to see other people. Josh was talented, but he was far from the most talented. Most of the other girls just liked him because he had good looks, a positive attitude and knew what to do with a paintbrush. Helping the school and community didn't hurt either. That's not to say it's a bad thing, but such actions only got him some more attention. Some of the artists Kim knew were jerks to her because she was a cheerleader, but that didn't stop her from complimenting their work at all. As she anticipated, they would all later apologize to her for their behavior. They had been criticized by so many people as long as they could remember, that a cheerleader complimenting them was a bit suspicious at first. She didn't blame them because Bonnie always complained about how dark and creepy a lot of those guys were, and she was very influential towards the other girls on the squad, even Kim at times.

It wouldn't surprise Kim if some of those guys liked her after that, and they did, but they feared she would reject them because they weren't of the same league. In fact, that's why many guys stayed away, but the ones that didn't fear Kim had obvious flaws. First, the biggest turn off for Kim was a guy who was skilled but extremely overconfident, acting like they were the second disciple of God. Arguably, Ron could be placed here, but she knew him long enough that it was usually a joke or something that wouldn't last long. But when they started dating, he stopped most of his attempts of trying to be cool or get attention. But some guys were huge, thinking they were all that, and a lot of them thought they were destined for Kim. Like Kim told Ron, muscles don't make a man. Second biggest turnoff? Guys that don't wear deodorant. Third? Guys who wear too much collogue. There was more though, and it was the usual 'guy' actions, like not looking at your eyes, making you pay the whole date, and how dumb they could be when they were with friends. She never really realized it until high school was over.

Ron had no idea Kim had so many peeves against guys, and this magazine said she should be going out with the ones she was complaining about. She just wanted someone who was cute, funny, and acted their age. For the last one, she had exceptions for Ron every now and then. He was funny when he was being himself, but when he was serious, watch out everyone. He could be a bit of a romantic or a formidable opponent. Kim also knew she wanted someone who knew her, who respected her, who could take care of her but could also handle themselves. There was no better person suited for those than Ron.

Shortly after Kim's venting, they switched positions. While Ron took about thirty minutes before he was done, it took Kim twice as long, seeing that her hands were much smaller than his and had to apply much more pressure. When Ron came back from his training in Yamanuchi, the results weren't easily visible, but the second she felt his hands press against her back, she stood corrected. It was a good thing Kim never said anything before or she would've eaten those words.

While she was doing that, she wanted to hear what was going on in Ron's head. He didn't want to bother Kim with his earlier thoughts about being the only guy in a team of four. Some guys would consider it a dream, but with Ron, it was kind of freaky. He also didn't say anything when any of Kim's nails dug deep into his skin. Maybe that's the reason they're called 'nails'.

Jen and Yori actually became friends quickly over the trip, discussing anything they had in mind. Jen was extremely curious as to what a ninja school was like, and since it was no secret where Yori attended, she gave the details, with the exception of its location of course. Yori tried holding back from mentioning Ron, as if she was slowly trying to let go, but it backfired. Jen told her not to hold anything back, because if you keep things in, it's going to come out one way or the other. She told herself she was going to go to Japan when this was all over. Handling weapons was one thing, but all the talk about honor and peaceful meditation really took her interest.

Yori also carefully explained that a lot of people get the impression ninjas are the coolest kinds of warriors who can perform unbelievable moves, but that doesn't necessarily mean they're always the good guys. Jen was well aware of this, however, and even though she never said it out loud, some of those she had to throw in jail were ninjas.

Yori also asked Jen a lot about her past and what she does. She was mostly interested in Jen's interpretation of death. Sensei always taught her that in this field, there will be times when a student has to take the last resort and kill somebody or be killed. Death was not something to be feared, but we live in a world where many people refuse to accept it. There would be times where you would have to end someone's life, or they would try to take yours. Sometimes Yori thought she understood completely, but often she felt she didn't. She sometimes wanted a second opinion, but Sensei did not wish to speak of it. It was something the student need to learn for his or herself if it ever came to that. His teachings were much different.

After having a nice discussion with Yori, Jen came to a realization. It was nearing 2 AM according to the navigational system, and they were nearing Tibet's far border around Everest where they suspected the nuke to be carried out.

Jen was speaking through the loudspeaker again. "Hey you two, we're not too far off from our destination."

Kim and Ron were long done with their messages, and Kim was actually painting Ron's nails, using him as a test subject for new colors. The two got up and started walking toward the cockpit, but Ron made sure he put his gloves on beforehand.

Kim hadn't been in the cockpit the entire day, and it was even more of a mess than when Yori originally arrived. There were comics, chips and CDs scattered everywhere, along with shuriken stars, two swords, fan blades and a bandana.

Jen turned to Kim, smiling. "Hey Kim. I thought I'd let you guys know that we were getting closer soon."

Ron tried to see why the cockpit was a mess, but Kim was blocking his way.

It took Kim a few seconds to stop looking at the mess. "So where exactly are we heading in the area, anyway?"

Jen giggled. "Glad you asked. I've got a hotel reserved for us in a small village near the south side of Everest. The White Diamond Inn."

Kim's eyes widened in awe. "The White Diamond Inn? No way, you're kidding."

"Nope. One huge suite for the four of us."

Ron could see just by the way Kim was shaking she was getting excited. It was one of the most expensive hotels in the world, a place the richest people would attend, and in a village out of all places. He covered his ears in case Kim yelled out 'Booyah' again. It wasn't because of its money value, but Kim couldn't help but feel that it would be the perfect place for some romantic getaway with Ron. The balcony, the dinner tables with violin players, a ballroom, something Kim used to have dreams about.

Suddenly…

THWACK

The plane abruptly shook as if another plane had hit it from the side, knocking Team Possible out of the room.

Jen quickly pressed several buttons on the navigation control, suddenly going into attack/defense mode. There were no other aircraft in the area. "What the hell was that?"

Suddenly, alarms and sirens started going off in the entire plane in almost deafening shrieks. Jen was almost fuming at the teeth when she saw the words on the navigation system.

MISSILE LOCK: 1 MISSILES APPROACHING

"You've got to be kidding me! This thing can't be tracked!" She didn't bother with the risk, so she slammed her fist on an emergency button, revealing two more empty seats in the cockpit behind her and Yori. Kim and Ron quickly strapped themselves in, grabbing their bags and holding them tightly. Rufus strapped himself in Ron's pocket.

Jen took the plane off of auto-pilot and held the controls as tightly as she could, almost enough to break them. The beeping of the approaching missile was becoming faster and faster, almost until it sounded like one long beep.

"BRACE YOURSELVES!"

Jen quickly spun the entire jet in a 720 degree motion to avoid a missile she couldn't even see. The visibility was terrible and it was dark, but everyone managed to see the missile fly right past them from behind.

Ron panted. "Geez, that was a close one."

Jen narrowed her eyes. "No… it's coming back…"

Sure enough, the smoke trail of the missile that passed them was turning around in a huge circular arc. Before long it was heading straight at them again.

"Here we go again!"

Jen waited until the last minute to do a hard left and rotate the plane in a 90 degree angle. They almost avoided it, as a loud clank could be heard from the back, but the missile failed to detonate.

"There. There's no way in hell that thing can come back."

On the contrary. The words MISSILE LOCK continued to beep madly.

THWACK

Another explosion rocked the plane, this time turning the room red as a new siren was going off.

DANGER: ENGINE 3 NOT RESPONDING

"We lost an engine?" Jen was in pure disbelief at this point, having no clue how that was possible. According to the radar's 'replay' feature, the missile somehow stopped accelerating, turned around, and accelerated right into one of the plane's four engines. Homing missiles shouldn't have been capable of this, especially small ones.

"Jen!" Kim yelled through the noise, "Does this thing have any weapons?"

"No! In a moment like this, we risk being killed more easily if those missiles strike one of our own! There's still no enemy appearing on radar!"

The sirens only got louder.

MISSILE LOCK: 2 MISSILES APPROACHING

Again, the missiles were coming from behind. Jen managed to avoid them again by spinning the plane into a 360, moving to the right, and trying to slow the plane down. The two missiles could be seen flying past them again, and Jen came to a conclusion when she studied them more.

"Those aren't standard military missiles! It's a damn stinger missile! Someone's using a freaking shoulder-mounted homing missile!"

Just when it seemed Jen had regained control of the plane, it appeared that the missiles that flew past them lost their fuel and stopped accelerating. They flew back, and again…

THWACK

The pitch of the sirens increased, almost rivaling the sound of a chalkboard being scratched several times.

DANGER: ENGINE 1 NOT RESPONDING
DANGER: ENGINE 4 NOT RESPONDING
DANGER: ONE ENGINE REMAINING

Jen finally realized what the missiles really were. "They're actually using Stinger Accel Missiles on us! But that's impossible! These things haven't even been approved yet!"

Stinger Missiles were designed to be fired by one person on a battlefield. The launcher itself could be carried on a person's shoulder, and the homing missile was great for taking out some bigger weapons. However, the missile itself was not the most powerful. Against an armored tank, jet or helicopter, it could dish some damage, but not a lot. It was an exchange; size for power.

The missiles being launched at the jet are modified Stinger Missiles. Not only does it have armor-piercing capabilities, but the missile would also be capable of accelerating and decelerating infinite times to reach its target. However, it is illegal in several countries.

Jen quickly unbuckled herself and grabbed her equipment. "Get the hell out of he-"

THWACK

The plane was rocked again by another missile, this time undetected, knocking Jen straight into the back. The navigation system now was red.

DANGER: ENGINES NOT RESPONDING

Jen was still yelling. "The engines are out! We've got to get the hell out of here!"

There was little time.

MISSILE LOCK: SEVEN MISSILES APPROACHING

Everyone did as instructed without thought. They quickly took off the seatbelts, grabbed all of their equipment nearby, and went for the emergency exits as fast as they could. Kim was the first to reach one, but stopped to grab a parachute as she always did. Jen shoved her aside and opened the emergency doors.

"Kim? What are you doing? There's no ti-"

THWACK

All seven missiles struck the plane at once, completely destroying the back of the plane. It also was strong enough to knock everyone off their feet and into the ceiling, floors and walls like they were in a pinball machine. Needless to say, everyone was knocked unconscious. Because of the winds outside, everyone was sucked out of the plane like a vacuum.

Several miles below, someone witnesses the fiery plane crash into the side of Everest through a scope, and it rocks the entire area with several massive explosions. Just when it seems it's all over, nine more small missiles attack whatever's left of the jet.

The witness, a girl in her mid-twenties, puts the scope away and pulls out a walkie-talkie.

"Mission accomplished, my lord. The plane Team Possible and the others were on has been intercepted and destroyed."

"Weapon used?"

"Stinger Missile Launcher, Stinger Homing Missiles replaced with Stinger Homing Accel Missiles."

"Brilliant work, V. You are to immediately head to the crash site and seek out survivors. If any of them are still alive, kill them immediately."

"Yes, my lord. I am to assume the operation is to continue as planned?"

"Affirmative. Excellent work, V. Excellent. Cutting transmission."

The pig-tailed brunette in a trenchcoat put her all of her equipment away, including her missile launcher, and started sprinting across the snow toward the crash site.

"We'll see how long you all can survive in the desolate snow…"

Not many people can take out a plane with a shoulder-mounted missile launcher in the middle of a blizzard. Not many people can run in a blizzard, either.

The snow was fierce all right. Kim felt like she had been buried under an avalanche for a few hours, taking some effort to get out of it.

"Ron?"

In fact, she wasn't that far off. The impact of the plane crash on Everest created a small avalanche, while something of that power should've caused a massive one. She could see the smoke a few miles from where she was at, but other than that, she couldn't see any of her teammates nearby.

Ron…

Yori…

Jen?

None of them could be seen in this weather and it was extremely dark. Kim could barely see a thing, even with the snow. Worse, the backpack she secured herself with was no longer on her back. The only real light was coming from her watch.

3:48 AM

Kim tried to see if Wade could shed some light, pulling out the Kimmunicator.

"Wade? Can you hear me? Wade?"

The Kimmunicator was spitting out nothing but static, and most of her weapons and toys were in her backpack. Either the blizzard was too strong, there was electromagnetic interference, or both. There was no civilization for… she couldn't even tell. It was far too dark and in every direction was snow.

Kim was stranded in the middle of nowhere, armed with nothing except her utility belt.

She then tried to see if there was anything useful in there. She found exactly what she was looking for, what appeared to be her small makeup kit with the round mirror. This was different than the one she used to reflect laser beams and see past corners, however. This one was actually a radar system with a touch screen. The signal was weak, but it provided minimal details, more than enough of what Kim needed. Fortunately, it could detect metallic objects within the area. There was something blinking on it about thirty feet to Kim's right. She knew it had to be her backpack, but there was a chance it was also someone else's equipment.

That didn't matter. Kim couldn't survive in the snow with no equipment, especially not in a blizzard like this. Even the shots to prevent hypothermia were in her bag. She wasn't going to survive in this blizzard for long without them.

It took Kim a good half hour to finally reach whatever was buried under the snow, as the winds had her walking into an unintended direction. She also found herself sinking almost entirely in the snow with some steps, and it took her a while to dig herself out.

Finally, she reached it, and just as she hoped, it was her bag. That's one problem solved, but now for the most important: Find all the other team members. Kim could only hope they all survived, especially Ron.

Suddenly, the radar started beeping. In the same direction, but much farther away, it was detecting something else… moving.

Could it have been a teammate?

Not caring whether or not it was, she started running straight as fast as she could, being slowed down by the storm and snow. She also didn't have all the energy she usually did, but she needed to get to whoever was moving, no matter the cost. Unfortunately, the rocket shoes didn't help much in this weather because of the unstable surface and thick snow. The winds would interfere if she tried to go airborne.

If heaven was supposed to be white, it looked like hell frozen over. That's the impression Ron got when he started coming to, his back laying flat on the snow.

"KP, you stole the covers again…"

The first thing he did was grab his head. It was throbbing, but at least he was all in one piece. It took him a while to realize he was freezing in the middle nowhere in a fierce blizzard. He could hardly see anything with all the snow flying at his face, not to mention it was still dark.

'Okay,' Ron thought to himself, 'Need something to see with…'

Lucky for Ron, his backpack was still on, and he could feel Rufus vibrate in his pocket.

'Better leave him there, he'll freeze if I let him on my shoulder.'

Ron decided he would grab the first thing he laid his hands on, and it came in the form of his Ronoculars. However, when he hit the power button, it didn't work like he originally thought out. It was like a whole computer system accompanying the binoculars. It was much better than what Kim had, with adjustable brightness, zoom in and out, it had different seeking modes like thermal and night vision. Night vision was exactly what Ron went for. Now that the vision changed, he could see much better, but unfortunately, there were nothing but snow hills in all directions. But something beeped when he turned to his left. There seemed to be some kind of detection system built in, showing Ron a thermal view of someone unconscious a few hundred feet away.

Had to be one of the girls.

Ron tried whatever he could to move past the thick snow, but kept falling a few feet below with each step. Climbing back up didn't help, trying to shove the snow didn't help, and 'swimming' through out didn't help either. Something then came to mind.

"Those guys weren't kidding when they said Zero Smoothies were just as bad as the arctic, like Diablo sauce cold."

Diablo sauce.

Even though they weren't in the arctic, Ron didn't care; he got the perfect idea. He always carried several packs in his other pocket and grabbed about five of them. One was deadly enough, but he needed to clear a path. There was a theory he wanted to test, but Kim never let him for his own sake. Well, she wasn't around, and Ron was desperate. So he opened all of them up and sucked it down to the last drop.

From a distance, it looked like an explosion went off.

Instead, Ron virtually became a flamethrower, belching out a huge road of fire ahead of him. It lasted a good ten seconds, and he had to gain his breath back, but he cleared half the way. Instead of unstable snow, now Ron could see a lot of rock to lead the way. Unfortunately, the snow was much higher than he thought. He quickly and carefully went to the end of the road, making sure he didn't slip, and the snow that didn't melt stood at least four feet higher than he was.

Five more Diablo sauce packets, and Ron was ready to go.

After about four more explosions in the snow, the snow became less packed and Ron was able to move in it once more. He kept his hands on his Ronoculars to make sure he didn't accidentally go somewhere else and that whoever the unconscious teammate was, they were closely.

Ron had a few more hundred feet to go, but now he could see something buried in the snow. He came to realize something as he tried to sprint in the snow.

The storm was dying down.

This made things much easier for him, and he was finally able to see his fallen comrade, or what part of them wasn't buried. Since all the girls had black somewhere on them, it could've been any of them. He tried to wipe off whatever snow was around the area, and picked up the girl.

Yori.

She was injured. The first noticeable thing was that her leg appeared broken, and Ron could see why when he increased the brightness with his Ronoculars; there was a steep mountain wall next to them. There wasn't any telling if Yori was still alive because of that at first glance, so he put his index finger tightly on her wrist.

Her pulse was strong.

Also, her bag wasn't too far away, probably ten feet at the most. He decided to carry Yori over his back, piggyback style on his own backpack, and soon grabbed hers. It wasn't easy, but he thought he saw a light as he picked up Yori's unconscious body. Looking into the scope of his new toy, he saw a cave, but there was light coming out of it.

It obviously wasn't their hotel, but he had a bad feeling about it. He decided that's where he was headed.

He only hoped he could make it. Yori and her equipment combined weren't exactly light.

While the storm died down on Ron's end, it got much worse on Kim's end. Even wearing her helmet with the visors on them, she couldn't see anything. The visors would become blocked out by snow, and even after Kim wiped it all off, it was completely blocked again. All she could do is look down and go forward, having little to no idea where she was going. The radar indicated she was getting closer to her target, another moving person, but she must have been walking for an hour, and she could barely take it. The pain still going on in her head from being knocked out earlier didn't help either. In fact, it felt like it made things much worse.

Suddenly, the dot that indicated the other person disappeared.

Despite being in Tibet a few times to save people trapped on Everest, Kim had no idea where she was. None of her navigation equipment other than her makeup kit/radar was working, the Kimmunicator was disrupted by the weather, and Ron was nowhere to be seen. She didn't even know if he or any of her other teammates were alive.

Even with that suit Wade gave her, she started feeling faintish with a lot of pain where she bumped her head. It got bad enough where she had difficulty moving her legs, as if the snow was purposely draining whatever energy she had left.

Out of the blue and without warning, Kim just lost the will to move on and collapsed in the snow.

"Sorry… Ron…"

Then she was out.

Ten minutes later, the sounds of footsteps in the snow where quickly approaching, and a dark figure noticed Kim's unconscious body.

"Oh, so close…"

Ron had a change of plan. Sure, the cave where he saw light was visible, but that didn't mean you could walk there, not unless you wanted to fall two thousand feet a few times to reach it. But his head was still hurting and he could barely carry Yori. The storm was starting to pick up again, and Ron didn't have the energy to move on as much as before. It was weird, he could do anything with Kim around, and he had done a lot of missions without her, but this time he felt weak.

He needed to find shelter.

Just as the thought came up, he located a cave nearby. Its entrance was almost covered entirely by snow, but the wind wasn't blowing directly at it. It took him two minutes to reach it, and a few more to kick the ice off the entrance. The one thing he feared is if he found out he was kicking a frozen climber, but they weren't that high on the mountain. In fact, the plane crashed near where some mountain climbers begin their ascent.

Ron finally kicked all the ice out and was able to get inside. The cave was huge, and it was apparent he wasn't the first to find it. There was already a lot of firewood in the far and deep end of the cave, but Ron couldn't see that far in it. He had to use his binoculars to see it, and once he saw the green wood in them, he ate another packet of Diablo sauce and 'lit a fire'.

The fire alone lit the entire cave, and it was actually peaceful, minus the cold. There was one more thing he decided to do, try to hide the entrance with the snow and whatever ice he kicked down. When he was done, it wasn't perfect, but it wasn't bad. Finally, he felt like he could rest, slowly taking Yori off his back and trying to put her in a comfortable position. He also let down his bags and pulled out whatever blankets to put her leg on. He knew how to put on a bandage or wrap a wound, but he didn't know much about how to take care of someone with a broken leg.

Yori seemed to be okay for the moment, and Ron was starving. He decided to see if there was any food in his bag.

The first thing he noticed was the new Bueno Nacho pack, he was so hungry and it sounded so good. He only wondered what was inside, and now that Rufus popped out, so did he.

Instead, Ron put it back. Rufus almost fell of his shoulder in shock.

"I know, dude, but… I can't keep all this stuff to myself."

He nodded his head toward the unconscious girl near him.

"If I eat all that, what's she going to have?"

Rufus almost cried, but he understood and agreed.

So after the package was put away, Ron located some clothes and decided to use that to cover Yori. Surely a ninja outfit wasn't the warmest thing to wear in the cold. The fire did help a lot though, and while Ron would've preferred the hotel room over this, as long as the fire would burn, he, Yori and Rufus could survive the night. There was more than plenty of firewood to ensure that.

But Ron needed something in his stomach. Instead of the Bueno Nacho package, he sucked down a ration. He would have much preferred Bueno Nacho, but it would only be fair for Yori to have some too in this situation. There was no telling when she'd wake up.

Ron decided to lay down and get into a comfortable position, and soon he was out like one of the burning logs.

Kim was starting to awaken, but she had no idea where she was this time. She could last remember the snow, but now she was laying down on something hard and had something warm on her head.

"Don't get up too fast."

As her eyes finally opened, she could see she was in a deep cave and what appeared to be fire. There was another girl adding some firewood to it, and while the light prevented Kim from seeing who the girl was, the silhouette was more than enough.

"Jen?"

"Just rest, Kim."

Her head was hurting a lot, and she wasn't sure what to make of things, but that changed in time. She saw her bags and equipment nearby, but she noticed her arm was hurting with a bandage. She also noticed a used syringe nearby.

"I have no idea how long you were out there, but I had to inject you with that because you were coming down with hypothermia. At least you're conscious. When I found you, you didn't look like you were going to make it."

'Even with the suit Wade made…' Kim thought to herself as she leaned her head back, surprised that it was on a pillow. "So what happened…?"

Jen tossed another piece of wood in the fire. "We got shot down and separated. I found you about an hour after I woke up, but I had already located this cave and decided it was a good place to spend the rest of the night. The reason that suit of yours didn't work was because when the missiles hit us before we were thrown off the plane, it looks like you cut your head, and the cold must've gotten to it, even with your helmet on."

Kim just continued to stare at the top of the cave, now realizing she was wearing a blanket and covered herself with it. "How about the others? Ron and Yori?"

"I have no idea. I have these binoculars that can track a lot of things, and you were the only thing it picked up."

"I hope he's okay.. they're okay…"

Jen seemed to be satisfied with the fire, grabbing a blanket and wrapping it around herself. "I hope so, but if Ron can handle the Bueno Nacho attack, I'm sure he can handle this as well."

Kim was worried. "I can only hope you're right." She let out a sigh. "It's all my fault, if I never went for that parachute we probably wouldn't have been separated."

"Kim, even if you didn't, not all of us would've made it out by the time we got hit. Don't fret on the past. We're here now and we've got some henchmen to stop."

Kim sighed. "So what's the plan?"

"I was about to ask you the same thing. You're the leader in this group after all."

"Okay…" Kim was at a loss of words for the moment. "Rest and heal up, even if it's almost five in the morning. They'll be looking for us all morning, so if we head out by afternoon, they'll probably have given up by then…"

"And if they look for the caves, I already took the precaution and sealed the entrance from outside."

"Great."

"Well, good night."

Jen turned her back to the fire and was about to go to sleep.

"Wait, Jen?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for saving me out there."

"No problem. It's what I do."

A second later loud snoring could be heard. Kim may have just recovered, but she needed sleep too. She managed to sneak Pandaroo into her bag and held it tight, worried for Ron.

Far outside, a snowmobile comes to a stop a few miles away from the crash site. The rider pulls out a walkie talkie.

"This is V reporting. No sightings in the southern area."

"F here. I've got nothing in the east."

"This is E… There is nothing in the north…"

"G reporting. I got nothing in the west. What do we do now, commander?"

"They're probably hiding out in the caves to rest. They'll come to us when they're ready. For now she should continue the preparations and await further instruction. Return to base."

V didn't realize that she was right on top of the cave where Ron and Yori were sleeping. She spun her vehicle around and sped off.