Chapter 16: Persecution

Wow, I didn't expect the last chapter to have the impact it did, but it was exactly the reaction I was going for when it came to picking sides (you guys are good). Well, you can all relax. The story is dark, but there are no bad endings with me!

I'll answer a question in the latest review to my previous story, via cman1p2, in case anyone else got the same thought: I actually have had thoughts about animating both the previous story and this, since it's hard to write action sequences when you have the shots in your head. Sadly, I don't have the time (or the VAs except Nev and Val), now that I'm back in college and all. I've been itching to draw the characters in this story too, in an original style just so you can see what I imagine them to be, and upload it to my DeviantArt account. Same name, SestrenNK.

But I might do that (the drawing) when I finish. So far we're looking at 23 chapters including a needed Epilogue, even though I'm still on 19. You know what's fun? Figuring out the ending first, then trying to make a beginning and do the bridge.

And huzzah! The story has finally made it into The 100,000 Club! Steal a chicken and tell your folks.

Will Kim and Ron get back together? Will Dive take this moment to destroy them? Will we find out who he is? What about Yori?

Read on and find out.

The pain in Kim's head was too much for her. She was dead worried about him for the last few hours, fearing for once in her life that he may actually die, and Ron woke up yelling at her. What a way to surprise your worried-to-death girlfriend, but Kim also didn't see what the huge deal was. Yes, Yori also liked Ron, but he was taken and she should've been able to accept that, right? Why couldn't she? If she couldn't, why did she choose to come along?

Could Ron have been right?

She had become so weak in the last few hours, feeling critically low self-esteem for once in her life, and Ron practically shoved her further into the ground. She couldn't protect him. She couldn't help him. She couldn't save him. Now it was her affection for him that drove Yori away.

And it was just when she considered that Ron might have been her true soul mate. It felt like a terrible rejection, and she was soaking the floor with her tears, laying down as if all the strength was driven from her body. Why? Kim had been burnt before, and she took it pretty well then. Even when Erik betrayed her, she felt a bit depressed but she didn't cry at all. She didn't cry when Walter broke up with her, nor when she and Josh decided not to go steady.

But Ron… this wasn't a mind control scheme, and this wasn't a finger-pointing battle of who screwed up the mission. But those words Ron chose kept eating at her mind.

Inconsiderate.

Selfish.

She felt like the weakest person on earth, and she was probably right. How… why did it come to this? She now knew that Ron was the one, the one, and everything became even more clear. Was it such a crime to become overly worried? Was it a crime to figure out someone was your soul mate, despite what some dumb book in high school said?

She didn't know why she was crying so much, but she couldn't cease the need to. Kim had a problem with letting out her real feelings most of her life, especially when she started her hero duties, and the last time she felt this confused was back in the days of the Moodulator Incident, but that was so much different. She wasn't confused this time, she was hurt.

But she wasn't alone, and her mind was far from realizing it. She couldn't think straight, but she just had to let it all out.

Just let it all out, Kim. You have feelings, too.

Meanwhile, Yori was leaning against a small tower on the roof of a low building.

"I am so stupid… so stupid!"

She couldn't believe she let her feelings get to her like that and actually cry in front of the others, but that wasn't the prime reason she was upset. She realized that this entire time she was weak in front of everyone, and felt a huge load of self-disappointment. Sensei would have been disappointed.

Unlike the others, she didn't blame Kim. She blamed herself. Why couldn't she let go of her feelings for him? Why did she force herself to watch? Why did she make such a promise to Ron? She felt guilty for everything, and like Kim, she felt like she hit a new low, being much weaker than ever before. She should've known that Kim would've reacted the way she did, and she didn't blame her one bit.

But Yori had no one to go to these days. Sure, school was one thing, but either the boys would hit on her with obvious intentions that were anything but pure, or were too scared to talk to her once they realized how powerful she was. She wanted to see Ron again, and despite her unwillingness to be captured, she was able to. But he was taken. Why didn't she leave when she found out? Most of the couples she knew in Japan, which weren't a lot because she spent most of her life at the school, didn't last long at all. But she knew much better with Kim and Ron. But she couldn't shake off the hope that one day she would be his, at least until now. There was no one else for her.

Now she was truly alone. She couldn't keep the promise to Ron, but she couldn't help but fear for his life. She couldn't take it anymore, though. It was too much to see him and Kim make out, and using their tongue was too much to watch.

They really were made for each other, and nothing can change that. Not even themselves.

Yori just sulked as she sat against the small tower, and she actually did a good job of destroying things out of her own self-disappointment.

"Hey…"

She quickly wiped her tears.

"Stoppable-san? Wh-"

She almost went pale. That wasn't Stoppable-san in front of her.

"YOU!"

She immediately got into a fighting stance.

It was Dive, completely unfazed by Yori's reaction.

"Relax, Yori. I'm not here to fight."

Yori didn't buy it. To assure her, he quietly removed his mask and what appeared to be a blonde wig, ceasing the raspy breathing. Once she realized who it was, she dropped her stance and her jaw.

"It… can't be…"

He calmly approached her. "So, it appears you've started to remember everything now. Well, it's been a while, hasn't it, my old comrade? Forgive me for saying this, but… you've grown more beautiful than I last remem-"

"SHUT UP!" she barked. "You… You're the one behind all of this! Now it makes sense! You did all of this because you knew it would come to this! Why? WHY? You knew how I felt… How could you? Why did you?"

Yori was obviously infuriated, and oddly enough, her accent wasn't apparent.

"Why did you get me involved in all of this? Do you like to see me suffer? Why couldn't you just leave me alone? Why did you choose me to be your puppet? Why?"

Without hesitation, Yori walked up to him to slap him straight in the face, but Dive was easily able to grab her wrist and send it down, twisting it and putting her in a bind.

"Don't try anything funny, unless you want another limb of yours dislocated. You won't be able to help them at all."

But Dive wasn't just doing that. He carefully placed one of legs between hers, his available hand on a pressure point, and his other leg in front of hers. She couldn't move unless she wanted to taste concrete.

But she was able to still talk. "Why are you here?"

"Oh, I figured we could have a talk. After all, I did see the way you ran out of Killbourne's lab. You could use some advice or help."

"I do not need help from the likes of you!" she snapped.

"So are you going to aid them in the final battle with your current condition? This isn't like you at all, Yori. Even though it's been nearly ten years, the Yori I remember was headstrong and fearless and determined in any situation. You were never this weak, but I suppose that's the flaw of the human heart. You were trained to fight and trained to reach an enlightened state of mind, not fall in love with an everyday guy who's already taken."

Yori grunted. "I realize that now, and you are right. I was weak. But now I see everything clearly. I cannot change anything, and it is no longer my desire to do so. I will move on, I will continue to fight, and even if my future does not lie within him, it is not the end."

Dive seemed impressed. "Good girl, now that's the Yori I remember. So what's it going to be once this is all over?"

"First of all, I'm going to go back. I still have a promise to fulfill. He is still a friend. Second, I'm going to stop you."

Dive chuckled. "You're probably the only one capable of doing so."

"So… old friend… why are you doing all of this?"

"You'll be ready to know in time. You wouldn't understand if I told you. Besides, what makes you think I'm going to tell you everything? So you can run back to the team and tell them? They're better off without you."

Yori smiled. "That is where you are wrong. I only asked to hear your answer. Now that you are so close, I can see everything in your mind…"

Dive released Yori, only to be immediately attacked by her. A swift left mixed with a somersault kick. He was able to avoid it like a ghost.

"Ah, yes. I forgot, the reason you scared off so many boys in the school, except for two people. At least you haven't forgotten how to use it."

Yori just stared at him as he put his gas mask back on. The raspy breathing was the only sound on the roof now.

"Clairvoyants aren't usually as pretty as you are. No wonder you ran away… you didn't want Stoppable to find out about it, fearing his reaction. They're bound to find out later, Yori. There's no such thing as a secret that can be hidden forever. You know this as well as I."

Yori kept her eyes glued on him.

"But only the weak-minded would be afraid of a girl who was able to predict the deaths of her parents, as well as those she cares about. Perhaps running away from your little team wasn't a good idea after all… Consider this a warning…"

Her mind went back to the team, and she saw a disturbing image of everyone, along with a sick feeling of nostalgia.

"No… I must tell them!"

Without any thought toward the enemy, Yori shoved him aside and sprinted toward the edge of the roof, ready to dive off, only to fall fat on her face. She was completely unconscious.

Dive slowly walked to her, put two of his fingers on her neck to check her pulse, and then pulled a needle out of her neck. It appeared to have some kind of substance inside.

"Sorry… but I can't let you interfere right now… Believe me; it's for your own good…"

BEEP BEEP BE BEEP

…

BEEP BEEP BE BEEP

…

Something was wrong. Wade had gone to voicemail a lot, but he couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right.

Fortunately, he soon got an answer, but it wasn't the face he was expecting.

"Rufus?"

"Kim!" the naked mole rat squealed.

Wade had programmed the Kimmunicator to detect Kim's vitals, but something wasn't right. Other than her being unconscious, there was a dangerous amount of brain activity going on.

"Where's everyone else?"

Rufus pointed down the hallway of Nev's lab.

"Oh boy."

In the armory of the lab, Nev was showing Ron and Jen their new weapons and how to use them. Currently he was holding a sword up to Ron, having the appearance of a kitana sword, but it had a design of a dragon on it, while a large hole went through the middle of the blade.

"The Kitana Dragon series. Created by someone called Koshiro Hitomi, four in existence. Some practitioners of the blade have stated that it's powerful enough to break the floor and anything in its path. Not sure how that's done, but I figure it could be of some use."

Ron took the sword and observed it. He wasn't one to take a close look at weapons, but he got a strange vibe out of this one. He placed it on his back shortly afterward.

"Cool…"

Suddenly, sirens went blazing inside Nev's lab.

"Warning. Intruder Alert in the Prime Area."

"The hell?"

He quickly darted out of the armory and back toward the main hall. Jen and Ron followed. Back in the main lab, they all found Kim unconscious on the floor with Rufus yelling. Nev quickly figured it out – Wade hacked into the security systems and set them off to get their attention.

Ron pushed everyone aside when he saw Kim's face on the floor. "Kim? Kim!"

She wasn't responding, but her face looked like hell from all the tears. He quickly checked her pulse, which was good, and she was breathing. Jen went from bitter to concerned. She didn't hate Kim, but sometimes when she thought people acted dense it got to her bad side.

Wade suddenly appeared on the monitors all over the place.

"Ron, what happened?"

"I don't know… we just kind of left her here after Yori ran off!"

Jen decided to fill Wade in. "Long story short, Kim was a little too happy to see Ron wake up and put on quite a show, far too much for Yori to handle. We weren't really too happy with her, but she couldn't have suffered this kind of reaction, right?"

Wade shook his head. "Unless there was something else at work… There are rare cases where people's mind snap due to various circumstances. Heat, stress, sometimes painkillers… I'm getting something in her head, but it can't be head trauma because she doesn't appear to be hurt."

Ron carefully inspected Kim's head. Other than the dried tears on her face, she looked pretty normal.

"No, she didn't fall flat on her face, I think…"

"Jen, was anything bothering her?"

"Oh, totally. She was worried dead sick over Ron the whole trip, and probably before. You could tell that she thought she was going to lose him, and she finally dropped the mood when she saw Ron open his eyes."

"It's not like Kim to stress out, but there are some rare cases with Ron. Then again, I don't blame her considering Ron had nanos in his body that were programmed to spread apoptosis all over his body."

Ron wasn't good with the big words. "Adpoptartsis?"

"No, apoptosis. It's programmed cell suicide, used to destroy people from the inside, a rare but powerful biological weapon."

Jen took a moment to think on the events. "You know, Kim has been pretty stressed this entire trip. When Ron injured himself when he battled the Hands, she was worried. When he tried to disarm the nuke, she was worried. When he was almost crushed to death after the bomb went off, she was ballistic. I suppose the nanos just kept the stress going, not to mention having to fight him again." It hit her how Kim really must've felt. "Ooooooh boy…"

Ron gave Jen a confused look. "She what?"

"Dive took over your mind and forced us to fight you."

"Oh…"

Jen sighed. "Geez. Now I feel bad for her, but I'm still kind of worried about Yori, too. She has gone through a lot, hasn't she? Dammit, I jump to conclusions too easily!"

Nev picked up the Kimmunicator from Rufus. "Wade, you said you detected head trauma?"

"Well, her vitals are showing that kind of information, but can you scan her?"

"Sure."

Nev did so, but Kim came out perfectly clean.

"It's not detecting anything. It could be just too much brain activity."

Ron sighed. "No doubt she's been thinking too hard on the entire situation. How long was I out?"

"Five hours," Jen replied.

"Five hours! No wonder! Argh! I was so focused on making sure Yori's feelings weren't hurt when I didn't even consider Kim's! I'm the biggest jerk on the planet."

Ron sighed and slammed his head into the ground. Now all the guilt was on him, and now it hit him how much he was really going through. When people just flat out tell you that you were nearly killed by a fake nuke and that a billion nanos were inside your body, it's not very convincing without all the details. Then again, he wasn't good with details, either, but when he thought about how worried Kim might have gotten, it became crystal clear.

Jen had a small confession to make. "She also didn't eat her meal. She was too focused on Ron."

Nev slapped his head. "Dehydration and stress mixed with insane heat! Well, crap. What happened to Kim's food?"

"She said I could have it," Jen replied with a sheepish grin. "Sorry, but I was starving!"

Nev almost flipped out when he heard this. Tempted to backhand Jen or grab the gun out of her holster and knock her out with it, but he was able to calm down.

"Well, with this heat and the air conditioner broken, she needs water fast. Jen, fetch me a few water bottles from the fridge! Now!"

Jen hated to be commanded in such a manner, but she guessed she was at fault for some of this. She quickly came back with five of them, and Ron quickly took them from her hands.

"Jen, Nev, head back to the weapons room. If Kim wakes up, we need to talk."

Before Jen could respond, Nev grabbed her collar and dragged her down the hall. He had to talk to her as well.

"Ron, you think she'll be okay?"

"Don't know, Wade, but I hope so."

"I'll leave you alone for now so you can talk. Now that her mind's overloaded and knocked her unconscious, she might be back to normal, but don't take any chances just in case."

"Thanks, buddy."

Ron found himself in an awkward situation. How would she react when she got up? Like Kim told him once, 'Never hurts to ask'. He knew it wasn't going to work.

So what he did was dump some of the water on Kim's head, and put the bottle in her mouth. He hoped it would be like the movies where Kim started drinking and started to wake up. Instead, she started choking and spat out some of the water, but she was waking up. But she caught on and emptied the bottle before opening her eyes.

"Hey, KP…" he weakly spoke. Soft, but weak.

"Ron…?"

Kim opened her eyes to find Ron in front of her, appearing perfectly healthy. She quickly grabbed him and held him tightly.

"I… well…."

Ron slowly pushed her off as he heard her sniff, giving her another water bottle.

"Don't speak, Kim. I should've considered your feelings instead of just Yori's. Maybe I'm the one who should apologize first…"

A moment of silence as he thought about what to say next.

"Some boyfriend I turned out to be… but I had no idea how stressed out you were! Why didn't you say anything?"

Kim sighed as she grabbed another bottle. "I guess I overdid it, huh?"

"Pshaw, Kim. No eating or drinking?"

Kim was speechless. She couldn't defend herself this time.

"I'm sorry. Ron… can I ask you something?"

"Uh… sure, I guess."

It sounded like something else was on Kim's mind, maybe not ready to discuss the current problem. Then again, she was unconscious just a few seconds ago.

"I have something to confess… something I've kinda kept hidden for some time."

"Uh oh…"

Kim put a hand on Ron's shoulder. "Don't worry, it's nothing like that. But… when we started dating, I know I was pretty cool with it, but honestly, I thought of it as just that, dating a best friend. I knew it was bound to happen, and don't think I've thought about dumping you or anything… oh, I suck at this."

Ron chuckled. "Keep going."

Letting it all go turned things back to normal. Weird. It was kind of silly for her to bring this up first, but maybe it was more important. She was doing pretty good for still not being able to think straight.

Kim took a deep breath, as well as more water. "Ron, I guess I'm trying to say that I really saw us as just an ordinary dating couple, and honestly, I wasn't sure if it was going to last anymore than my other relationships, which you know more than anyone that they were all kinda short."

Ron sighed. "Nothing deep like you once said, huh?"

Kim's head sank. "I said it, but it was one of those 'moment' things. But now, it's different. I realized something Ron… I love you."

Ron was unfazed. "Heard it and said it endless times. What's the difference this time?"

Kim rubbed her head. "Ron… I guess I came to realize so much when I was stressed out. I mean, I was worried about you, but I had darn good reason."

"Go on."

"It wasn't only because you were constantly bleeding over and over and over on this trip, escaping death a few times, but I also felt powerless… weak. Ever since we started the hero thing, I've always been able to save you over and over. I really never thought of it than just helping out my best-friend-slash-BF, but this whole time, I wasn't able to save you from any of this. I couldn't help you when you were attacked in Bay City, when we were shot out of the plane, when you went against those two Hands, disarming the nuke, being crushed, and the nanos. I've always been able to help you, but this whole time, I wasn't able to. I just felt miserable, not being able to help you when you needed me."

"Kim…"

"Let me finish. Ron… I want to protect you… for the rest of my life."

Ron took a few steps back, tripping over his knee. "Ooookay. Um, Kim, aren't we jumping the gun with… oh dang it, what's that word, proposals?"

Kim chuckled. "Ron, it's not a proposal, but… Ron, I think this is really it."

"It?"

"True love. Fate. Destiny."

Four words Ron never thought Kim would ever say. Well, three really, two words with a two-worded phrase. But he was able to catch on.

"You're thinking soul mate, aren't you?"

Kim nodded.

"Oh, well you could've just said that."

Kim blinked. "You don't have a problem with it?"

Ron laughed. "Have a problem with it? I knew it since we got together!"

Kim's face dropped. "You did?" She sucked down the last bottle so she could hear this one.

"Yeeeeaaaaaaaah. I mean, Ron's had the hearts with a few ladies, but I'm not the kind of guy who wants to date a girl and lose them a few weeks later, despite that impression I gave off in high school. Besides, think about it, how long have we known each other? A friendship like this doesn't just dissolve. I mean, it's not that hard to picture the two of us growing old together."

The thought actually made Kim feel warm inside.

"So why didn't you say anything?"

"Eh, thought I'd be jumping the gun, and you might've thought that it was silly."

"You're probably right. It wasn't until now that I really realized it." She took a moment to giggle. "Kind of like us getting together, huh? Didn't think it was possible until it happened."

"Check your name, Kim. Sometimes I still look back and wonder how we both missed it."

"You and me both."

Both quietly chuckled, and afterward, Ron helped Kim back onto her feet.

She smiled. "So, we're cool?"

"Yup… Come on, Kim. Nev's giving us weapons to take on the tower."

'The Tower… So that's what that card was for.'

Kim remembered about a week ago when Ron was attacked by an arrow with a syringe. There was a note attached to the weapon with those two words on it. She had completely forgotten about it, and if she did, chances were that Ron did as well.

"Wait, Ron…"

"What?"

"How are you feeling, by the way?"

Ron looked at his chest and arms, free of cuts and bruises. "Haven't felt this good in a while. Pecks are looking sharp and all…"

Kim giggled. "Ron, you have no idea how happy I am that you're back to normal now, but… can I tell you something?"

"What's stopping you?"

"Why did you snap at me earlier?"

Ron sighed. "Kim, do you have any idea how… well, when you just say 'he or she will be fine'… you really sound like you don't care."

"And you didn't want Yori to be hurt…"

"Well, yeah."

Kim put a hand on his shoulder. "Ron, listen to me. I don't say stuff like that to blow people off, and it doesn't mean I don't care. I don't say that about anyone unless I'm sure they really will be fine in the end. How do I put this… take me for instance. Yes, I was stressed out and I broke down, and maybe you didn't think I'd be okay, but I did. Sometimes… you just gotta let everything out before everything goes back to normal. But with Yori, I know she was going through the same stress, and I know she's a strong person. She just needs some alone time, too… oh who I am kidding, that was a bad example."

Ron pondered this for a second. "I think I know where you're getting at, KP. You mean you only say that because you firmly believe it, and you know that person's strong."

"Well, yeah. I know you don't like PDA, but I was really scared for you. On the roster, you're more important to me than Yori. But you did tell her we were taken, and I'm sure she was aware of the risks. I do care about everyone that's on the team, but right now Jen and Yori aren't priority number one to me. You are. But I don't blame you for being upset, I can see why you are, but don't think I didn't care about Yori's feelings, either. I did hold back a lot, Ron, but with all that's happened, there's some things even I can't fight. I don't mean to sound selfish or anything."

Ron let out a sigh as he laid back. "Wow, now I feel like the worst guy in the world."

"Believe me, you're not. I'm not perfect, either. Listen, I know Yori's going to be fine, and I'm not just saying that. You really thought I could care less? Ron, I thought you knew me better than that."

Ron had an uncomfortable face, clearly in thought.

It was Kim's turn to dig inside his head. "Come on, speak to me."

Ron just scoffed at himself. "I'm just remembering the things before we started dating."

"What, syntho-ex?"

Ron looked embarrassed. "Yeah. Like that night you invited both of us to eat, and I guess I snapped and yelled into the loudspeaker. 'Cootie-alert'. Everyone thought I was just being dramatic, and we never did finish that conversation at the tree house."

Kim sighed. "The same went for back then. I mean, Ron, I did care enough to go talk to you, but… you're right about the conversation. We never did finish that." Kim chuckled a bit. "Well, the next time we were there in the tree house… we really didn't talk at all… if you remember."

The blush in her cheeks were a clear reminder.

"The night after Prom in the sunset?"

"Yeah, the view was so romantic… the clouds, the colors… But Ron…"

"I know, I know, I shouldn't keep dwelling on the past and all. I guess that stuff kind of came back to mind with all this going on."

"I'm going to tell you this again; Erik was a stupid hottie crush. Sometimes I look back and can't believe myself. But if it made me realize everything about you, well, then what's the point of pouting over it? We're together… but we're still okay, right?"

"What? Us? Yeah, I was pretty upset, but it's not something I'd question our relationship over."

"And you're not just saying that."

Ron covered his face. "No, no no no no nono nononononono no! The way I see it, if we've almost tried to kill each other in mind control and still came out on top, and we got through a fight where he made each other bleed and all, and still were together, then this is nothing."

He extended his arms to assure Kim, and she dove right in.

"I guess Bonnie was right about us. We are inseparable…" she whispered.

"Sorry, babe. I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions."

Kim let out a muffled giggle. "See, I told you conclusion jumping wasn't always good."

"When this is over, I'll take you out somewhere to make up for this. My treat."

"Aw, Ron, that's not necessary."

"Least I can do for not looking at things through your perspective."

"Well, let's focus on our current mission first."

Kim slightly removed her head from Ron's shoulder, enough to line her eyes up with his.

"So, what now, KP?"

"We still go on. Elurt and Dive have still got to be stopped. Let's see what Bonnie and Clyde are up to over there. And be quiet. I've got a feeling about this."

Ron curved an eyebrow. "No way."

"Way."

"But before we get to that…"

"What?"

Ron planted a hard one on Kim, not making her feel any less dizzy than before, but she caught herself quickly.

"Gotta make up for my mistakes, KP."

She had to grab his shoulder for support. "Ron, what have I told you about overdoing it with apologies?"

Ron snickered. "Don't lie, KP, you enjoyed that and you know it."

"And don't you tell anyone else about it!" she threatened with a smile.

Back in the armory, Nev was putting a few missiles in Jen's backpack, almost forcing her to fall backward with each missile.

"You're sure you can carry all of these?" he asked skeptically.

"Hey, I've got the launcher, but not the missiles."

Jen was referring to the Stinger Missile Launcher she stole from Tibet. She was pretty sure V didn't need to use it anymore.

"So what was it that you wanted to talk about?"

Nev shook his head. "Don't ask questions you know the answers to."

Jen stood quietly.

"Jen, it's not that hard to figure out. You've been thinking about us as a couple, haven't you?"

Jen had a hard time responding, and it didn't help that Nev wasn't looking at her, inspecting the clip of a machine gun.

"Was it that obvious?"

"I could sense it in your voice when you asked me to dinner that one time."

"Hey, it didn't cross my mind that time."

"Liar."

He got her on that one.

Jen chuckled to herself. "You're not without your nervous sides, too, Nev. You're the only guy I know who's too nervous to date anyone."

"As I've said before, I have my reasons."

"Yep, and that's all you've ever told anyone. But now I know those reasons."

"And?"

There was a moment of silence.

"I still like you… but seeing the drama queen act the way she has this entire trip, I don't think I'm ready. I understand why she's like that, but still…"

Nev was a bit surprised to hear this. "What do you mean?"

"Well, about her… Let's just say she's not who I expected to be. Yeah, we're young and stubborn, but I read so much about her being able to take down enemies easily, utilizing her weapons in ways only a genius would, and always getting her bad guy. Almost like the perfect soldier in combat, only she's not a soldier, just a regular girl who likes everything a normal teenager would like, but is fashion-sensitive and a cheerleader… not like the last two really concern me."

"I kind of got the same impression when I first met them."

"Well, I don't mean to insult her and Ron, but with all the people I've had to work with, I haven't seen someone obsess over someone else so much. I don't know, Nev. Is that what love really is?"

"You're asking the wrong guy. When I first met them, it was like one of those couples on those commercials about 'finding your partner online', extremely excited about the fact that they were dating. Then again, they had gotten together two or three days prior."

"I suppose things quickly changed once they got together, huh?"

"Perhaps. I know their affection for each other and determination to protect each other rose instantly, but that was also their new weakness. I'd say Val was a genius for striking when he did…"

"You said you knew who he was, right? Why did he attack them anyway?"

Nev dropped a pack of ammunition, picking it up immediately. "You know, he never really had a solid motive against them. I never knew whether or not he hated the two for what they had or why he wanted to pit the two against each other to fight to the death."

"Villains don't always need motives to strike, babe. Sometimes they just need the will alone. Believe me; I've fought people who wanted to kill me for no reason."

"You're probably right… Did you just call me 'babe'?"

Jen shrugged. "You call me 'booger' sometimes."

"Because you pick your nose a lot, like right now, Booger."

Nev hadn't looked at Jen the entire time, catching the girl with her finger in her nose off guard. She retaliated by sticking her tongue out at him.

He just chuckled. "Well, anyway, back on topic, when Val kidnapped Kim, he kept her in an underwater lair for a week, and during that time Ron completely snapped. Before that time, Ron had me build him a battle suit, since Kim had one and Val somehow merged the one he stole into his body."

"How do you do that?"

"Haven't a clue. But you should've seen how determined Ron was to help and protect Kim. Sure, he lost against her, cracked hard from it, and went to Japan to train himself so he could stand a chance, but…"

"But?"

"I had never met someone who was so determined to protect his lady. Not even now."

Jen sighed. "Kim's no different in that department, but now she wasn't able to protect him against any of what's happened so far. I'm pretty sure that's why she cracked earlier. It's just a damn shame it weakens her beyond belief. Thankfully, she got all super-worried about him after the danger was over. Had Ron been injured during the fight with the Fafnir, they both would've been killed."

"I have a feeling something like that's going to happen in the final battle, whoever it's with and wherever it's at."

"You and me both. Surely that's the motive behind all of this… I'm going with them."

"Be careful, though. Weapons alone might not help you."

"Come on, Nev. I've whacked ninja mercenaries before with just a handgun."

"What about those who have been able to block out your bullets with swords?"

"I had to use a shotgun on those guys."

"Yikes. Forget I said anything."

"Besides, I've got a Stinger, EFGs, machine guns, ammo, bow and arrow, knives, and a staff. I think I can handle it."

"I hope you're right. We'd better get Kim and Ron so I can give them each of their own weapons."

"Don't bother. We're already here."

Nev and Jen turned to their left, seeing Kim and Ron right behind them.

Jen's face dropped. "How long have you been standing there?"

Ron had his usual cool smile. "Not long enough."

Kim had an arm on Ron's shoulder. "Pretty much. So what else is going on?"

Nev put a new ammo clip in some kind of machine gun. "We've got to complete preparations, Kim. How are you doing?"

She shared a look with Ron. "Spankin for the most part."

Nev quickly tossed something that appeared like body armor toward her, but the weight of it if knocked her off her feet as she caught it.

"What's this?"

"What it looks like. Body armor. Suit up, Kim. We've got work to do."

While Nev had prepared a huge weapons arsenal for everyone, he also created body armor suits for everyone, but he kept the one spare hidden as to avoid further conflict. The mission garb was much different than anything anyone has worn before. It wasn't as powerful as Kim and Ron's battle suits, not as thick and strong as their survival gear, but strong enough to take bullets and sharp weapons. It covered all three from head-to-toe. It was tight like a heavy exoskeleton, but they were still able to move around very freely.

Also, everyone was armed with weapons head-to-toe. Even though Kim and Ron weren't used to fighting with the most lethal weapons, Bio-mechs couldn't be killed with anything else, unless they completely destroyed the CPU inside the neck, but even that would involve slicing them open. But they were given the whole deal; A machine gun, a handgun, a bow with several arrows, various kinds of grenades, including chaff, stun, flash, frag, electronic flash, and smoke. Also included were several packs of ammo, knives and more ammo. But Ron didn't notice he had much less guns and ammo than the girls.

Instead, he got a bandana with his outfit.

So when everyone was suited up, Kim was wearing a magenta ninja-like tunic, Ron was wearing the same outfit, only his was black, and Jen had a green one.

"Dude, why the bandana?" Ron asked, trying to roll his eyes up so he could see it.

"You prefer I take it off?"

Ron found a mirror nearby, almost liking it. "Actually, no. It's cool. What's this thing on it though… the sideways eight?"

Nev almost snapped Ron's head off like a PEZ dispenser to take a look.

"'Infinite'? Never noticed that before. Eh, could be good luck."

He then took the other three into the deeper part of his lab via elevator. After a bumpy ride that took them up, down, north, south, east and west, they ended up in a massive empty room, reminding the others of the hangar in Tibet. Just when Nev was about to deliver some kind of dramatic opening, he noticed that Kim and Jen were redoing their hair, getting caught and stuck inside the suit. Jen chose a pigtail style, while Kim went with a ponytail.

Jen recognized the room, despite the similar textures as the rest of the place. "Let me guess, Nev, virtual reality simulation?"

He rolled his eyes. "How'd you guess?"

"Reminds me of the Danger Room in X-Men."

Self note to Nev: If you get influenced by movies, comics and video games, don't be surprised when someone else with similar interests sees it.

"Ugh, I'm so predictable."

Kim stopped him. "Wait, Nev. Virtual reality simulation?"

"You're familiar with it?"

"I've heard of it, but I didn't think it really existed. Well, I did, but I guess I never put too much thought into it. But why?"

"Simple. You and Ron haven't handled lethal weapons before. You've had your share of versatile weapons like laser lipstick, grappling hooks shaped like hairdryers, makeup radars and the like, but not weapons designed to pierce human skin, blood, bone and organs. In this situation, if you head out there with no experience with the weapons, you're going to get yourselves killed. Some people hesitate when they pull the trigger for the very first time - for several reasons I might add - and that's what makes them weak in war. Jen's the only one in here with the psychological experience to withstand it, but we can't assume you and Ron are ready for that sort of thing yet. So as a precaution, that's what this is designed for, so you can become familiar with the weapons I've given you through various exercises. Thankfully, the simulation training includes all of the weapons I've given you. However, we haven't reached that stage where everything looks photo-realistic and is able to run in real-time at the same time. But the physics engine is perfected. Every weapon will work exactly like its real-life counterpart. Vibrations, explosion range, force; everything's been recorded to act and respond realistically at the price of graphics, but it's easily forgivable."

Jen liked the idea. "Hmm... Sounds interesting."

To Ron, the concept of testing destructive weapons in VRS sounded stimulating. "Right on, right on… I think I can handle it."

"Kim?"

Kim shrugged. She was skeptical to how it was possible to program such things, but then again, she'd seen more than enough weird things on this mission.

"Sure, why not?"

"Well, have at it, then… Let the training begin!"

Nev instantly disappeared as the room changed color, all into nothing but wire frames and solid blue colors. Everyone was surprised to see that they also appeared polygonal, but not horribly. In fact, Jen and Ron were distracted by how fluidly their hands and fingers moved. Real-time slick animation over realism. But this also included their entire bodies, faces and weapons. In fact, their faces looked very much the same, but the lighting made things apparent that they were in virtual reality. Much more detailed than a prior experience in the virtual world.

"Much better than Everlot, eh, Kim?"

"I'm not much into games, but I gotta say, I'm impressed."

"This isn't a game, Kim." Nev's voice hollered.

Remembering this, Kim grabbed a grenade, pulled the pin, and threw it. Once it went off in a semi-realistic manner, she went to see the dark area of the place. Oddly enough, she wasn't treated to just a burn of the blow, but there were several numbers near it. Throw distance, time from when the pin was pulled, thrown and detonated, radius of the blow, and distance of various danger ranges.

Ron grabbed a gun and fired it in front of him, or that's what he intended, at least. Instead, he shot it far to the side, and the bullet hole revealed the same stats. Real guns had different targeting than light guns in the arcades.

Seeing that she was armed with a stinger missile launcher, Jen located a moving target high above her and fired her weapon. Because the target and missile were destroyed, the stats came in front of her like writing on sunshades.

"Not bad, huh?"

"Not really, but I don't see the need for it, either," Kim replied.

"I'm guessing you're comfortable with firing a gun at a moving target, then?"

"Well… not really."

"Looks like we're going to continue then."

Nev activated the real training program, allowing all of them to do all sorts of exercises. Accuracy, time limits, the usual stuff. But they were pitted against moving objects, some that required to be struck several times with a specific weapon, or placed in a really hard location. While Ron and Jen treated it like a new video game, Kim was the one who was getting addicted to it. Because she was a perfectionist, she became obsessed with breaking records and getting better. What also got her adrenaline pumping was that all of the weapons were programmed to act and respond realistically. Jen was performing at her peak, since she knew how to properly aim every weapon on her. Unfortunately for Ron, he shot himself in the foot a few times, realizing that to reload, you had to manually replace the clip instead of shooting off the screen, which for Ron was pointing the gun downward. There were a few moments where he almost shot off his manhood, virtually speaking.

Even though none of them could see each other, as they were performing their own separate exercises, they could still talk to each other easily.

"So, Kim, having fun over there?"

"Shhh. I need to concentrate on this target."

Ron chuckled. "Now you know what it's like for me when I play games."

"SHHHH!"

The two blondes rolled their eyes as they heard a gunshot, along with a cheer.

"Booyah! Broke my old record by ten seconds, and with 100 accuracy!"

Nev had something to confess. "Kim, I'd hate to break it to you, but you've redone Novice Weapons Level 1 fifteen times. Ron's on Level 8 and Jen's on Advanced Weapons Level 5. Time to move on, don't you think?"

"Oh… Well, how do I move on?"

"Try not shooting 'Again'."

Kim sheepishly giggled. "I knew that. I don't play VR stuff much."

Nev laughed. "That's what everyone says. And a word of advice: There's no such thing as silence in the real world. You're going to have to tolerate the noise. That's what the music is for, anyway."

The soundtrack provided by the training was a mix of beats and jazz with obvious synchronized instruments, sometimes calm but other times fast. It somehow fit.

"Good point."

"Kiiimmm…"

Kim sighed. "I know, Ron. But I felt like saying booyah, so there!"

Jen laughed when the sound of a loud raspberry was heard.

The blonde vigilante was the first to complete all levels of the training, including stealth, execution, and stealth assassination. Ron was having a hard time with stealth, always warping back to the starting point when he was caught by virtual enemies. Just when he thought he was way ahead of Kim, she completed the stealth part of the training, but was stuck on the assassination part of it.

"Question, Nev. Does any of the military use this for their own training?"

"Absolutely, pretty popular with the Marines. But keep in mind that because you master this doesn't mean it gives you instant experience. VR is not the same as reality, obviously, but it gives you a sense of how to use your weapons and it includes some statistics."

"I got a question of my own!" Ron hollered. "How come I haven't seen this stuff at home?"

"Well, one, it's expensive as hell. Two, this is a prototype version. Third, get some of those people who forget GTA isn't real and you've got a real problem on your hands. Fourth, terrorists. Unfortunately, they use this kind of program, too. And fourth, it's upgraded constantly so that it's up to date. Fifth, I don't want Uwe Boll to try to make a movie of this."

"It's much more badical than Everlot, I'll tell you that!"

"Heh. Well, that game is much older than this Sim, and that one had problems, if you remember. Those Diversion/ Conversion/ Aversion caps, whatever they're called, that problem was actually due to a glitch in the graphics engine. This works better, but it's less focused on the graphics department. Right now, you can't combine ultra-realistic graphics with real-time action. You'd have the rendering process, but the loading takes a week, literally. Then there's lag and frame rate. So make the graphics weaker, tone down the lighting, and use mostly simple textures, and you've got this. In fact, Wade's got something much similar, but because it doesn't require as much action as this, he's made the graphics more realistic on his end."

"Oh, so that explains why on Mother's day it looked like he was at the beach."

"Exactly."

To everyone's surprise, it wasn't Nev's voice.

"Ah, Wade. Glad to see you've dropped by. What's up?"

"Bad news."

The simulation instantly turned off, returning everyone to the huge room. They were all standing in the same place they first started, and all of their weapons were still intact as if nothing happened. In fact, they never really moved from their original positions or used any of their real weapons.

"Go ahead…"

"Well, I've gotten some word at what's been going on at the IO building, where Elurt and Dive are. It looks like the other three teams who traveled the world to disarm those fake nukes decided to go ahead and take on the Tower."

"Exactly who are they anyway, Wade?" Kim asked.

"Took me a while to find some results, but they're known as Team Snyder from Australia, Raiden Squad from Japan, and Fox Band from Britain."

"Ah, no wonder."

"You've heard of them, Kim?"

"I heard about them in a few magazines in high school. Two guys and two girls on each team, but the girls were prone to interviews and stuff. But I thought Snyder was a rock band, Raiden was a team of LAN gamers, and Fox were sponsors for the X-Games. I suppose they used those as cover-ups, huh?"

"They're really good."

"So what's the bad news?"

"Well, they took out half the bio-mechs, but they haven't been responding since reaching the 50th floor."

"Half of them? Wow. Hack into surveillance?"

"You know it."

Suddenly, it appeared as if the VR Simulation began again, but instead of loading the program, a video feed was shown to everyone. Dive was sitting on a couch with an empty bottle of whiskey in his hand, at gunpoint by twelve teen commandos. There was the introduction where all of them stormed into the room and were surprised of how calm their enemy was, but there was no real exchange of information. The ambush then began. Everyone charged at the masked man all at once, and they were all sent backwards instantly, almost like a giant fan turned on and blew them backward.

"Whoa, whoa, Wade, rewind!"

Wade did so, and on the frame where things went for a sudden change, they saw an arc come from Dive, but it was impossible to determine if it was an arm, leg, or weapon, even with Wade's super-slo-mo. It was only two frames long with that. It was clear that the force of… whatever it was, sent all of them back.

Ron was impressed. "Wow, he's fast."

"That's nothing," Wade replied.

They all continued to watch as Dive continued to use fast attacks on them and defend himself. From behind, many of them tried to shoot his head, but he was able to easily evade from tilting his head left and right, or sometimes kick himself and the couch away in a different direction. Often from the front, he would simply kick anyone attacking high or low. One of the girls even ran up to him and pointed a gun to his head, but he instantly grabbed one of her other weapons and plugged the barrel, before kicking the gun straight into her face, somehow grabbing her body with his foot and throwing her across the room into a fellow teammate of hers.

After that, the battle simply turned into one where he would take his opponents weapons and use it against them, including staffs and swords, but not guns. A lot of the team members still continued to fire their assault rifles at him, which he somehow defended with two swords in each hand, slicing bullets in half. Some he actually managed to ricochet into another's gun and block the barrel or destroy the gun.

Shortly after that, he went on the offensive. Anyone that was in front of him he would kick, and anyone behind he would punch or grab. Those who were too far away would be tricked into evading a projectile weapon only to land closer, usually within grabbing distance.

What caught everyone's attention was that the punches and kicks looked very weak and were performed carelessly, but somehow had enough force to knock someone through a floor, wall, or even the ceiling. It was like a bizarre martial arts flick, but this was real. Some of the twelve would be knocked out instantly, while others had to be slammed through the walls and floor repeatedly before they were out.

Dive didn't even have to get off the couch, letting out an exasperated sigh.

"Pitiful. Only a fool trusts his or her life to a weapon... In a duel, speed determines the winner, not slow thinking, brute force or outdated strategies."

He didn't appear to be exhausted or fazed. He knocked all twelve of them out in a couple of minutes.

Kim came to realize something. "Is it me, or is there something about that style we've seen before…? Ron?"

Ron scratched his head. "I've seen too many styles in movies and at Yamanuchi to know. Sorry, KP."

Nev mimicked Ron, also scratching his head. "I've also got a nostalgic feeling, but I can't crack it for some reason."

Jen was clueless. "You've got me."

"Wade, was there anything else?"

"A call."

Wade fast-forwarded to the call between Dive and someone called Goldman. They watched as Dive took everyone's walkie-talkies using a long staff, not getting off his couch, and destroyed them simply by waving his arm, almost destroying that part of the floor. Everyone looked pretty disturbed when his demands were made clear – the team.

"Why just us…?"

"I don't know, but I sure don't like it."

Jen rubbed her eyes, upset that her name was mentioned. "Great, so much for keeping a low profile."

Ron just kept his eyes on the paused frame of the footage.

Kim continued. "Wade, any idea who this Goldman is?"

"Harlem Joseph Goldman, Age 36. He's listed as a negotiator for the CIA, a former drill sergeant for the Army and former Weapons Inspector for the UN, and founder of some anti-KKK organization back in the 80s. That's all I can dig up on him, though. I have no idea how involved he is in this or what his relationship to Dive really is."

There was also one particular word that caught Kim's attention.

"Dive… a traitor, to what?"

"I've already tried to check, but like last time, it's not like he exists in any government computer or database. Perhaps he was one of them? It's too soon to draw conclusions."

Kim cracked her knuckles. "Looks like we have a little bit of interrogating to do."

"I'd try to dig up more information from the surveillance cameras, but that was the only one that was online, and now it's been taken out."

Kim took a second to ponder this. "From the sound of his conversation with Goldman, he wanted everyone who was watching to see the fight."

"I thought the same thing."

"But that's it, they've only sent in twelve people? Why not send in the swat teams or even Team Impossible? I thought everyone would be all over him?"

"Same thoughts again, but my guess is that they don't want this to be known to the general public or something. SWAT vans are good for that, unfortunately. For some reason, the city is giving into his demands, nothing more than three names. No money, nothing. Elurt hasn't even been heard from. You sure you're ready?"

"He's good, but I don't care. This whole trip hasn't made much sense to me, and I'm going to get my answers no matter what. We'll capture Elurt as well."

Wade sighed. "I hope you're comfortable with everything you've got to take out the bio-mechs, because it doesn't look like we have much time left. You just got a hit on your site, Kim. It's pretty obvious who it is this time."

"Send it through."

Everyone crowded themselves in to see the footage, leaving Kim with barely room to see or breathe.

"Kim, Kim, Kim. Where have you been? I was hoping by now that you'd be up here and we'd have a conversation over what's been going on. How sad, I was hoping by your punctuality we'd have this over with. The doors are wide open, Kim. Let's finish this once and for all. And don't keep me waiting too long. Ciao."

Everyone backed off once the feed came to an end.

"He's got something planned," Kim responded. "He wants us up there, that's certain."

"Lemme guess, we deliver?" Ron asked with his arms crossed.

Kim started walking toward the door of the armory, but checked to ensure that she was fully loaded. All weapons secure, gloves on, ammo packs were secure, along with grenades and bombs, strapped her gloves on, and to finish it off, checked her face. She popped the bones in her arms as she stretched them out, and then looked back at Ron with a smile.

"He's put us through hell and back. I think it's time we repay the favor."