Disney owns, I don't. Life sucks. Be sure to check out Dartblade's Kim Possible Old Enemies, an interesting tale, and also my first immortilization in the realm of fan fiction. Tell me THAT isn't cool!

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Ascent and Descent – Chapter 3

Henry stared blankly at the sheet of paper in his hands, trying to make heads or tails of what was on the sheet. First year of business school did not prepare one for running a major company, like Go Enterprises, as much as he hoped it would have. He sighed, turning his chair to look out the window.

It was the tallest office building in the entire city, and his father had been very proud of it when it had been constructed. Eleven hundred feet tall, seventy-five stories, he had watched it being built when he was a child. Then, it had been so amazing, the fact that it was his father that had built it. When it was done, they had gone to the very top, looking out over the city through the windows, and he couldn't help wondering if he had the coolest dad on the planet. Back then, it seemed so simple; if his dad wanted to do something, he did it. Now though…

Henry turned back to the stack of books and papers on his desk, wondering just how dad had managed to get anything done, and still have time for his family like he did. Accounting needed figures on a thousand different projects, trying to shave costs where they could, while R&D were begging for more money. Personnel requisition forms, cost overrun authorizations, manufacturing schedule adherence, it all made his head spin with the sheer volume of it all.

Henry sank into the chair, trying hard to clear his mind, even for a moment. Six months, and he still didn't have a handle on everything. More and more, he had to turn to others to help him. He looked over at the clock, noting quickly the time, and wondered who would still be in. Most of the staff had the day off, it being Independence Day, but he thought he'd be able to come in and catch up on some work before he went home to celebrate with the rest of the kids. Wanting to take care of this quickly, having promised them a barbeque dinner before the fireworks began, he dialed the number, and hoped they'd be in.

Henry almost sighed in relief when he got a response. "Thompson!"

"Hello Mr. Thompson, it's Henry. I was wondering if you had a moment to help me out with a couple things up here."

"Certainly Henry, I'll be there in a moment. I'll even bring my assistant down with me, I'd like to get his feet wet on a few things. Give us five minutes."

Henry hung up the phone, relieved that he had someone he could trust to help him out. A knock at the door a few minutes later, and Henry smiled for the first time that day. The door opened, revealing an older gentleman, with a younger man trailing behind. He remembered John Thompson well from when he was growing up, when he'd visit his father at work. The older man was always happy to share a joke, or have something for him as a treat. He shook the man's hand when he came in, smiling broadly.

"Thanks for all your help Mr. Thompson."

"Henry, how many times do I have to tell you, call me John! Oh, I don't think you've met my assistant yet, have you? Henry Go, meet Vincent Wheeler."

The younger man just smiled, taking Henry's hand and shaking vigorously. "Please, please, call me Vinnie! And it is honour to meet you sir!"

John wrapped an arm across Henry's shoulders, turning him back to the desk. "Maybe we should get to work, so we can get out of here. After all, my wife wants to see me sometime tonight, and I'm sure the rest of the gang wants you home as well. Now, tell me what you need help with."

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Henry felt the anxiety washing away from him as he approached the house. It had taken a couple hours, but they had managed to get everything done that they needed to do. Now, he was just going to take the day and relax. Throw the grill on, cook up dinner, and watch the fireworks like the rest of the gang was doing.

He knew the last six months had been tough on all of them. Susan was acting up in school, and her grades had begun to slip in the second semester. Michael was walling himself in his room most of the time, and while he had done that quite often before, it just seemed more pronounced now. And the twins were still having nightmares, though not as bad as before. This would be the first time they'd really tried to get together to relax and have fun, and he knew they all needed it.

He pulled up into the drive, watching as Will and Wendell ran right up to the car, excitement alight on their faces. He couldn't even get out of the car before they were grabbing at him, tugging him around the back.

"Come on, come on, Susan wouldn't let us start without you!"

Henry just laughed, enjoying their enthusiasm, something that had been far too rare lately. "Guys, will you let me get changed first? It's hot out here, and a suit is not the best thing to relax in."

They reluctantly relented, and ran to the backyard to announce that their brother was finally home. He quickly went to his room, changing into shorts and a t-shirt, before heading out to the back. The twins were running about, chasing after this and that, stopping every so often to examine something or other. At seven, they were intensely curious about everything, and had plenty of energy. He noticed Susan by the barbeque, dressed only in shorts and a bikini top, setting out various things for the barbeque. She must have been preparing them while he was out, because he noticed the carefully wrapped baked potatoes, and the seasoned steaks and burgers as he got closer. She smiled lightly as she heard him approach.

"Jason couldn't make it over tonight?"

Susan grimaced slightly. "His family decided to take him to the cottage with them at the last minute. He couldn't get out of it."

Henry glanced around again. "And where's Michael? I thought he was going to come out of his room to join us."

Susan pointed up to the treehouse, giving a bit of a smirk. "He's up there. I… convinced him to come outside with us, but figured it didn't hurt if he stuck to himself up there until the food is ready. Kept him from being too annoying anyways."

"You going for a swim?"

Susan shrugged. "Figured I'd grab one while you cooked, it's pretty hot today. Sides, I got all this ready, least you can do is cook it."

Henry gave a little smirk, knowing this was probably the best he was going to get along with his little sister, and decided to claim it as a victory. If she was only going to be slightly snarky, he could live with that and not bait her too much. "See if the twins want to go for a swim too, work off some of their energy. I should have this ready soon enough."

"Remember, I like my steak medium-rare. Mine's the one on the top there."

"I got it, I got it. Go, swim already."

He watched as Susan headed over to the pool, grabbing the twins on her way. Turning back to the grill, he started it up, letting it warm up as he took a deep breath. The sun was shining overhead, with just the occasional cloud drifting by. A light breeze kept it from getting too stuffy, and carried the scent of other barbeques from the neighbors. He closed his eyes, savoring all the little things he had forgotten while dealing with everything the last little while, and began to feel the tension lifting. It had been hard, but it looked like they might just get through everything they had gone through after all.

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Dinner went nicely, with the twins talking up a storm. Even Michael was chatting a bit, and that was always a good sign. Henry polished off his food quickly, settling back to enjoy that full feeling after a really good meal. The twins, content in their games, had scampered off, and Michael had returned to the tree house, leaving him and Susan sitting at the table.

Henry looked over at his sister, noting her eyes close as a semi-cool breeze washed over them. "Thanks for helping out Susan."

"Yeah, whatever. It never would have got done right otherwise if I hadn't."

"I don't just mean for tonight, I mean… for everything. For stepping up and helping out like you have. I know I haven't always been the easiest person to deal with lately, what with what's gone on, so… thanks."

She opened her eyes, looking over at him with what could only be described as a mixture of confusion and amusement. "You're not going all sappy on me, are you? Because I might just have to hit you if you do."

Henry smiled, leaning back further in his chair. "Nope, that's all the sap I got."

"Good. And… I guess… thank you too."

Henry looked over at her, amusement evident. "Thank you for what?"

Susan glared at him. "You're going to make me say it, and ruin this nice, fight-free evening we've been having, aren't you?" Her expression softened slightly when she could see that there was no trace of gloating in his expression. "Thank you for… you know… keeping us all together and all that… even if I can't stand you guys half the time."

"See, now was that so hard?"

"You tell anyone we had this conversation, I will beat you severely, you got me?"

Henry just nodded his assent, leaning back in the chair again. Susan reached for the pitcher of juice, noting it was empty. "I'll be right back."

Henry watched her grab the jug, heading back into the kitchen to get more. He watched as the two twins climbed into the tree house, obviously intent on harassing their brother, and he smiled broadly as he heard their brother respond, even from this distance.

"Isn't it a bit early for fireworks?"

Henry turned at his sister's voice, watching her gaze to see where she was looking. "Yeah, they aren't supposed to start for at least a couple more hours. It's too… what is that?"

Both teens gazed upwards, noting the strange, glowing object in the sky that seemed to be getting closer. It was hard to make out just what colour it was, the patterns seemed to change almost randomly. He did note that, whatever it was, it seemed to be heading right for them.

Not knowing how long they had, Henry turned and ran for the tree house, Susan following swiftly and silently behind him. "Michael, Will, Wendell, get out of there now!"

The twins stuck their heads, trying to look innocent. "We're just having fun!"

Henry reached the bottom of the ladder, glancing at the rapidly approaching object. "You have to get out of there NOW! Get Michael, hurry!"

They quickly noted just how scared their brother, and even their sister, appeared, and quickly grabbed Michael. The elder brother began climbing down, glancing skyward to where his sister was looking, and quickly dropped to the ground. They could make out the details of what it was, though the colours still seemed to almost twist around it. The twins were next, and they quickly jumped down, rolling on the ground.

Michael had already started to run, as Susan and Henry grabbed one of the youngest boys each, running as far as they could. Henry could feel the heat at his back, and knew they weren't nearly far enough away. A tremendous crash sounded behind them, and Henry could feel the impact through his feet, as he suddenly found himself tossed in the air, clutching Will or Wendell, he wasn't even sure which, closer to himself, trying to shield the young boy. He hit the ground hard, as a wave of heat passed over him, followed by an almost chilling cold, which barely registered in his addled mind other than it was something that shouldn't have been there. He felt himself tossed bodily by the wave, until his back struck the wall of the house, causing him to cry out, the sound lost in the overall cacophony.

Suddenly, the wave was gone, the pressure no longer pinning him to the wall, and he hit the ground again. Darkness tinged his senses, as he struggled futilely to remain awake, his eyes searching desperately for his siblings, relieved that he could still feel brother's chest moving in his arms. Smoke and debris littered the area, as he struggled to spot any sign of his sister or brothers, and he coughed as the smoke irritated his lungs. Every muscle in his body was aching, feeling like his very body was on fire, and he wondered if he'd be able to maintain awareness for very long. He struggled to his knees before collapsing back down, his eyes drifting briefly over the form of his sister before he finally succumbed to the darkness he had been battling for what seemed forever.

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Author's Notes - Be sure to check my profile for the website to the Fannie Awards, the annual Kim Possible fan fiction awards. Make your selections for such awards as Best Writer and Best Story, and a host of others. Hosted by mattb3671 and myself, with the website designed and run by Commander Argus, it's sure to be an amazing thing. Show your support, vote today!