Danny was starting to feel Sick; that nebulous, gooey-throated sensation that defies diagnosis. Lethargy, a scratchy throat, and runny nose, and clamminess were all present, as well as a general discomfort, or unease.

While most people blame disease for their symptoms, these are actually the body's defense mechanisms, triggered at the detection of an intruder. Though Danny knew this, he'd dismissed it as a result of being stuck in a sterile tube for a year.

The three friends had been holed up in the Possible household for four days, with Wade calling in regularly with reports. Nothing so far; it seemed that the rescue had gone off without any hint of a hitch. On the fifth day, they received a rude awakening.

All three were asleep, Kim in her bedroom, Ron and Danny crashing on couches. Wade's face flickered onto Kim's computer at three in the morning, a note of panic in his voice.

"Kim! KIM!"

Pushing her hair out of her eyes, the young secret agent acknowledged with a garbled "Yeah?"

"I just found a report on the tanker."

Kim was instantly awake.

"Give me the details."

"Where should I start? The Coast Guard found it run aground fifty miles south of San Francisco; not a soul on board."

"Well, you don't the Titans would leave the crew behind, do you?"

"There's more. The navigation database was purged, crew rosters seized, and the hold was stripped bare. I managed to get a roster earlier; none of the crew have reported in, and there's no other record of them anymore. Someone got onboard after you guys did, and covered up any tracks they left. That would include the Titans, the crew, and every shred of equipment."

Speechless for a moment or two, Kim clenched her fists.

"Who are these people?" she whispered.

Wade shook his head.

"I'm no closer to that answer then I was a year ago. It's an incredible stroke of luck that we even found Danny. Whoever our tipster was, we owe him a lot."

Three days before the rescue mission, Team Possible had been teetering on the brink of losing hope; then, the message arrived. Its method of delivery was unorthodox, to say the least. Few people used carrier pigeons nowadays; fewer wrote tips in Japanese poetics:

A chill sea wind blows.

A golden prison awaits.

The wind cries for aid.

Maybe not incredibly subtle, but inspired, Wade had said. Deciphering the poem, the thirteen-year-old had zeroed in on their objective within a day and a half.

Still, Kim felt trapped. They were caught between two sides, both invisible. She had no idea what sort of game was underway, or the motivations, or anything, for that matter.

"So, what do we do?" she asked, tired all over again.

"I was going to suggest giving Danny a brain-tap to see if he had any subconscious memories, but at this stage, I'm sure whoever's behind this would erased traces in that area before shipping him."

"Do we have any leads?"

"Two. Here's the first: we now that our tipster sent us a haiku, and that the tanker was bound for Tokyo."

"Yakuza?"

"Unlikely. According to my sources, there's been a lot of really bad infighting lately, and pulling a job like this requires some serious organization."

"Fine. What's the second?"

"These."

Two windows popped up on Kim's screen; image files. One was a square stood on one of its points, with a short line through each side. The second was more complex, a web of connecting lines.

"The first one seems to be some kind of samurai mon, the equivalent of a coat-of-arms. I've been searching everywhere, but I can't find a record of it."

"That fits, so far. What's the second?"

"It's a kanji character; a picture representing a word."

"What does it say?"

Wade hesitated for a moment.

"Aku. It means "evil."

The word sent shivers down Kim's spine.

"Any correlations?" she asked hopefully.

Wade shook his head again.

"Nothing."

Kim bit her lip to stifle a curse.

"I know, Kim. But, since we seem to be in the clear for the moment, we should get Danny a physical tomorrow."

"Yeah…" Kim suddenly remembered something.

"Yeah, definitely; Danny's been kind of fluey. Just regular symptoms, but you're right about the check-up. We'll be able to keep it confidential, right?"

"Absolutely."

A sharp rap at Kim's door made them both start.

"Uh, Kim? We've got problems!"

Ron, close to hysterics, was wide-eyed and bouncing from foot to foot when Kim opened the door. Kim grabbed her boyfriend by the shoulders to steady him.

"What? What is it?"

"It's Danny! He's…gone!"

Evil revealed! New mysteries! Did I mention evil?
Tell me what you think of this latest installment, and prepare yourself for the next exciting chapter!