Hi. So, here's Chapter 5 ! I'm really sorry this takes so much time, but my life is having its ups and (many) downs. I absolutely cannot say when the next chapter will be uploaded, I haven't even started writing it. There are many reasons: I have other projects that I am trying to work on (motivation keeps being a problem). Inspiration comes at times where I don't really expect it, sometimes I can write ten pages in a few hours and other times I can spend weeks, even months without writing a thing. And finally, as I said, I'm going through a bit of a rough time. I don't know when it will pass, I hope soon, but I can't promise much. Anyway, thank you for your support and again, sorry for making you wait.
Please, don't forget to review this story and don't hesitate to send me messages if you have any questions or advice or opinions you want to share with me !
I hope you will like this chapter.
Chapter 5
Somewhere over the Pacific Ocean
"So, let me get this straight one last time."
Kim rolled her eyes. With a sigh, she turned to Shego and focused on what she knew the villain was going to say.
"On your first mission against Monkey Fist, Ron is affected by some weird monkey artefact that gives him the same freaky powers as the bad guy. He then trains those powers when he goes to a school in Japan for a week thanks to an exchange program. Then, you discover everything when he leaves with a girl from said school to hunt for Monkey Fist, which was just a few months ago. Am I getting it right ?"
"Yup, that's mostly it."
"I'm beginning to get tired of all those freaky mystical thingies and powers. Maybe I oughtta retire after all this is done..."
Kim scoffed. "You, retire ? Did my mom give you too much morphin ? Maybe you're still a bit light-headed there, Shego." Seeing the villainess arch a brow, she went on. "Come on, we both know you like crime way too much to just get out of all this business."
The villainess thought for a few seconds before grinning and answering. "Heh, I guess you're right. Plus I'd have to earn money legally...What a pain. And I wouldn't want to take your nemesis away, Princess."
Smiling smugly, Kim got up and approached the cockpit of the plane. They were currently flying over the Pacific Ocean, heading towards the island where Wade's analysis had detected the energetic signatures. Entering the small space, she leaned over to the pilot. "How long 'til we reach our destination, Mr. Stane ?"
"The island should just be entering our field of vision ! We'll be there in less than five minutes, so you'd better prepare your jumping gear !"
The teen nodded and went back to Shego. With a small hand sign, she motioned the older woman to start getting ready. Kim heard a slight groan coming from the vilainess as she stood up. Tch, Mom didn't have enough time to heal her completely...Well, I guess it's fine. Even in this state, she can be pretty dangerous. Turning her focus to her backpack, the young hero checked if everything was there. The parachute was correctly folded, her grappling hook was there as well as her Kimmunicator. There also was a small device that Wade had given her – though she didn't know what it was for.
Kim suddenly heard a loud noise and felt the plane shake. She quickly crouched to keep her balance and looked at Shego, whose hands were now green. The young girl went back to the cockpit to see what was happening. The pilot turned briefly towards her.
"It seems the island is firing missiles at us ! They missed us but I don't know if they'll fire again. What do we do ?"
Kim took a moment to think. Meanwhile, she saw another missile coming at them and braced for an impact that never came, as it exploded again to the left of the plane, causing it to shake again. That's weird. How can they miss us ? We're in broad daylight and it's not like we're doing anything to evade the missiles...Maybe they just want to scare us ?
"It's better if we jump now, Mr. Stane. I don't want you to endanger yourself anymore than that."
"Are you sure, miss Possible ? We could still fly a bit and get you closer to the island."
"I'm positive. Plus, we have the inflatable boat, haven't we ? We'll just have to row. It's not that far away. They seem to be avoiding us on purpose with their missiles, but I don't want to take any risks."
"Alright then ! If you're ready, open the door and jump as soon as you can ! I'll keep the plane steady. Go and good luck !"
"Thanks Mr. Stane ! I owe you one !"
Running to the back of the plane, Kim found Shego ready to jump. They exchanged a glance.
"I heard the pilot", said the villainess. Grinning, she pointed to the door. "Wanna go first ?"
The teen hero shrugged and grabbed her backpack. Opening the door, she motioned for the older woman to jump. Once Shego was falling to the ocean, Kim took hold of a small piece of plastic and pressed a button on the side. She immediately threw it through the door before jumping herself, seeing the boat slowly inflate.
The fall was short, but the water was not the warmest she had been in. Glancing up, she saw the plane turning around and slowly flying away. Good. She looked around and spotted the boat. Swimming towards it, Kim saw that Shego was already on it, waiting for her. As soon as the teen was on the embarcation as well, the pale-skinned woman expressed her thoughts.
"Now, I guess we gotta row to the island ?"
"Exactly. You're not going to complain, are you ?"
"Of course not. It's just a little warm-up before kicking these guys' ass, right ?"
Kim grinned and began to row on one side while Shego did the same on hers. While moving her hand, the young redhead was deep in thought. She was worried and had a bad feeling. Why would they miss us on purpose with their missiles ? We were an easy target. They could have blown us to bits as soon as they had us on their radars. Were they waiting for us ? Are we walking into a trap ? She let out a small growl which Shego heard.
"What is it, Princess ? Already tired ?"
"Nah, just thinking about those missiles. Isn't it weird that they all missed ?"
"I get what you mean. What are the chances of them being really bad at taking down planes ?"
They both exchanged a serious glance.
"I don't like this. It really feels like we're walking right into a trap."
"Oh, look on the bright side, Kimmie. That means we'll get to hit a lot of people."
Kim sighed.
This is gonna get bad.
Load's Household
Wade was currently following Kim and Shego as they headed towards the island. He noticed that they were now slower, but assumed they had jumped out of the plane, which was planned from the beginning.
A short sound catched his attention. Turning to another of his monitors, he saw that his latest try at contacting Yamanouchi had failed. It was the third time. He really was getting worried. If all this was indeed related to monkey powers, then Yori's help could be a strong advantage. But it was also possible that the school was already involved in the whole affair. Maybe they were already on the move ? Or maybe they had also been taken out, like...
Wade shivered. No, I can't think of that now. If they won't answer, I'll just have to see for myself what's happening over there. The young boy quickly glanced over to the screen showing Kim and Shego's movements, then focused on his second monitor. Faster than any other computer genius, he searched for satellites currently over Japan. As soon as he found one, he hacked into it, breaking through the firewalls and passwords as if they were made of thin air. Not bothering with all the data contained in the hard drives, he oriented the satellite's camera towards Yamanouchi's coordinates.
"Wade ? You there ?"
He turned back to his first monitor and spoke in his microphone.
"Yes Kim, right here. Everything all right ?"
"Yeah, you told me to call you as soon as we reached the island and here we are. What do we do now ?"
"Good ! Open your backpack. Remember the small device I gave you ? Take it out and place it on the floor. When it's done, press the yellow button on top of it."
He heard Kim do as he'd said through the microphone.
"It's done. What does it do ?"
"Remember I couldn't get a proper image or map of the island ?"
"Yeah, you said they probably had a jammer around here or something."
"Exactly. Well this little machine is analyzing the seismic vibrations of the island. With this data, it will create a 3D map of the whole land and even of the buildings on it. You'll need to use it again inside the lair though, otherwise I won't be able to guide you in there."
"Got it Wade. You rock ! How long does it take ?"
"Wait for it..." He paused and heard a bipping noise coming from his computer. "...And that's it ! Alright, I can see the lair...It doesn't seem to be that big, on the surface at least. Go north for two miles, then go right and you'll reach a side entrance. The roof doesn't seem to be very high, so maybe you can get there and make your way inside from there."
"You're the best. I'll keep you posted."
Wade heard the redhead end the communication. Turning back to his other screen, he focused on the pictures the satellite had taken. His eyes widened in horror. What the hell happened there ?
The pictures showed the top of the mountain where Yamanouchi was. Or what was left of it. The school was in ruins. Only the main building was still standing, though one half had been completely burned to the ground. The other half seemed to be slowly agonizing, with small wooden parts hanging by threads. The other buildings were almost totally burned down. The trees in the yard had fallen down as if struck by lightning and had crushed parts of the school under them. The whole place seemed to come out of a disaster movie.
Wade downloaded the pictures and opened them with a program that allowed him to enhance their quality. He zoomed in and instantly regretted it. He felt his eyes beginning to fill with tears. Looking up close at the pictures, he could see clothes. And in those clothes, bodies. At least two dozens. Wade couldn't see their faces, but he didn't need to. He knew they were children, teenagers like him and Kim.
And they were dead. Just like Ron.
His tears were now flowing down his face with no signs of stopping. The young genius couldn't avert his gaze from the horrendous scene before his eyes. His mind screamed at him to look away, to focus on Kim and Shego. But his brain seemed to want to memorize every detail, however small they may be. Every body, every weird angle formed by legs or arms, every black dress laying on the ground, near the fallen trees or buildings. Even with his enhancement program, Wade couldn't see the details of the bodies. But he somehow knew they all had been dead for a while. He could already picture the slowly decaying corpses, flies beginning to swarm all around them while their blood dried up and their skin slimmed, their bones becoming more and more visible –
"...Wade !"
The strong voice made the boy jump. He finally looked away from the pictures, focusing on the voice that spoke through his headphones. He could still feel the tears strolling down his cheeks but didn't wipe them.
"I'm here."
"What were you doing ? We're inside the lair. Your device is doing it's mapping thing again."
As soon as Kim ended her sentence, Wade heard the bipping noise.
"Yeah, I got the map right here. You're in a long corridor parallel to the one leading to the main entrance. If you follow it, you'll end up in a large room with three doors and another corridor. Tell me when you get there."
"Got it. You sure you're alright ? What were you doing ? I called you four times before you answered."
Wade forced himself not to look back to his other monitor. He tried to calm his breathing.
"I'm fine. I was just focused on trying to contact Yori and the others from Yamanouchi."
"Oh yeah, I forgot about that ! Did you get a hold of them ? It would be great it they could help us with all this."
Wade opened his mouth. Do I tell her ? No, I can't. She'll lose focus on the mission. I can't tell her, not now. I'll tell her I'm gonna try to hack a –
"...Wade ? What is it ? You're never this silent." He closed his mouth, not knowing what to say. "What happened, Wade ? Tell me."
He briefly thought of lying. But Kim's tone held the slightest bit of menace. It was enough to convince him.
"I...Yamanouchi won't help us, Kim."
He heard the redhead telling Shego to stop.
"What do you mean ? Did something happen ?"
Wade breathed in and out slowly.
"I couldn't contact them. So I hacked a satellite and took pictures of the place."
He could feel Kim holding her breath.
"It's gone, Kim." His voice was getting weaker with every second. "They destroyed it. They burned it to the ground. It's all gone."
"And the students ? What about them ? Were they there ?"
"They're dead." His voice was now so low Kim didn't hear him at first. "I said they're DEAD, Kim !"
For a few seconds, Wade heard nothing. Then, a growl came to him through his headphones. The voice he heard right after was colder than ice and at the same time burning with fury.
"Thanks for the information. I'll talk to you later."
And with that, the communication ended. As if it was a signal, Wade began to cry harder, sobbing weakly. He didn't even know most of those students, so why, why did it affect him this much ? It's true that never before had people been killed by the villains Kim usually fought against. Was it really this hard to take ? Or maybe it was because of Ron's sudden death only weeks ago ? Even Drakken's dead body hadn't had such an impact on him. Maybe because at the time he thought like Kim that he was the mastermind behind all of this...Wade let out a loud cry. Thankfully, his mother wasn't home. Otherwise, the young boy would have had to explain everything to her. And, truth be told, he wasn't even sure he could speak at that moment.
Tears still flowing down his face, Wade turned to the screen which showed the satellite pictures of Yamanouchi. He quickly shut down the program and breathed slowly in and out.
Sadness and shock progressively became anger and hatred. He still couldn't believe someone was capable of such cruelty. We'll show them. Wait and see how fearful we can be when we want to.
Eyes gleaming with fury, he wiped his tears and turned back to his screen. Now that he had the map of the lair, he was able to locate the electronic signals emitted by the building. He would infiltrate the security system to ease the girls' route. He promised himself that no guard or goon would even come close to them. He cracked his hands and got to work.
Hell would freeze over before he'd let Kim get killed too.
An island in the Pacific Ocean
One could think a desert island wouldn't have much to hide in broad daylight. Except for a few trees and some vegetation, there were only small rocky hills that gave the land a wavy look. The building that stood in the middle of the island seemed to be the only place where someone could hide.
And yet, at the same moment Shego and Kim were advancing inside the lair, twenty young boys and girls were running towars that same lair, going from a tree to another, to a hill then to a rock, all without being seen. The only things that indicated their presence on the island were two boats hidden under the shade of two trees.
Yori lifted her hand. Nothing seemed to happen. But if one were to look very closely, one would notice small traces of black clothing there and there, up a tree, behind a rock, a hill or a tree. She looked at Taïka, who was crouching beside her. Just like all the others, he wasn't the slightest bit tired, although they had spent the day before and the night running, then navigating on a boat until they had reached a small harbor in New Zealand. Then, Yori had chosen twenty students to accompany her to where they had spotted Ron. The others were staying near the harbor and instructed to gather as much information as they could about the small island and to keep the place safe for when the group of students led by Yori would come back.
The young girl turned to Yokitomo, hidden a few meters behind her near a large rock. The younger ninja was sitting with her legs crossed, a focused look on her face and her eyes closed. After a few seconds, she opened them and quickly joined her Sensei behind the hill.
"Did you find Stoppable-san ?"
"I think so. I felt a large number of energies at the far end of the island. It's a large group but I couldn't identify them. Inside the building, there are two other energies. One of them belongs to Kim Possible I believe but I can't recognize the other one. There is a weird thing though. There seems to be a space inside the lair, a room that blocks my abilities. I can't detect anything inside. I'm guessing Stoppable-san is there, as I couldn't detect his energy anywhere else on the island."
Yori nodded.
"Very good." She turned to Taïka. "Take all the students with you and go to the far end of the island. Try to identify the large group there but don't engage them. Find out where they might be going afterwards. I'll take Yokitomo and we'll go to Kim Possible and her companion. I'm sure they're here looking for Stoppable-san as well."
Taïka bowed down.
"Will do Sensei. Please be careful. We'll wait for your safe return."
Turning back, he calmly said a few words and instantly disappeared. Only the rustling of a few leaves could show that the hidden teenagers were now on the move.
The two girls left exchanged a nod and moved out as well, heading towards the entrance that Kim and Shego had taken a few minutes ago.
Inside the lair
"They're DEAD, Kim !"
The redhead felt a knife pierce her heart. Not again. Please, not again. I can't deal with this again. For a few seconds, she didn't say anything. Only those three sentences repeated themselves in her brain. She opened her mouth, wanting to speak, but only a growl came out. She closed her eyes and breathed before trying again.
"Thanks for the information. I'll talk to you later."
She quickly ended the communication with the tech boy. Her face showed no expression. Kim began to walk forward while Shego simply looked at her before following her. Then, suddenly, the teen stopped and leaned her head on the wall. The older woman came to a halt as well and said nothing. She knew it was better to not say anything. She had heard the conversation through her own earphone. Shego could see the young hero was strongly affected by the news. Kim had told her nemesis the whole story about Yamanouchi and the ninja students over there. It was obvious that they had formed at least a small bond between them.
The redhead clenched her fist. For fuck's sake. First Ron, now this ? She gritted her teeth, barely holding back tears of sadness and frustration. Then, her shoulders dropped and she fell on her knees, leaning against the wall. I can't do it. Not like this. She was cracking up. How could she do anything this time ? Whoever was behind everything had killed not only Ron, but a whole school filled with ninja students, some of them even being able to manipulate some mystical energy. How could she, a highschool girl, do anything that they couldn't ? It was over. She didn't even know why she'd bothered to come here. She wouldn't find anything here, she could feel it.
Kim felt a hand on her shoulder. Turning her head, she saw Shego, who had crouched beside her and was looking at her dead in the eye.
"I'm sorry about this. But we gotta keep moving, or else we've really come here for nothing."
"It's over, Shego. I mean, look at me. I'm a fucking teenage girl who fights criminals on her spare time. I can't even compare to the students from Yamanouchi. And even them were taken out, killed just like Drakken and – "
"Stop this. Goddammit, is this really the girl who's beaten me so many times ? I mean, hell, you don't look like yourself right now. Where is the fiery, smug redhead that always beats up villains ?"
"You don't get it, do you ? Look at this whole situation ! This guy isn't like the ones I'm used to fight against ! He KILLED all of these people ! I don't even know what he's planning, but can you imagine the ressources he must have ?"
"And that's exactly why you gotta stand up and fight !" Shego yelled. "Honestly, I wouldn't even care about all of this if this dude hadn't killed Drakken. And I also wouldn't care about it if I wasn't afraid of what he can do ! Think about it. It's like you said: he killed Ron, Drew, all those ninja youngsters. He managed to put me under his control and he was even able to beat you and your tech boy genius. So yeah, I'm damn worried about what this guy wants to do."
"You know you spent years trying to subdue the whole world with Drakken, right ?"
"Yeah, but there's a big difference. You've seen the plans of all your usual enemies. Most of them are just to obtain large amounts of money or to make them world leaders or something. And even if they were to become world leaders, would you really fear for your life ? I mean, of course, they would throw some people in prison, control them and all...But they would never kill without a good reason. Their main interest lies in just being at the top. They have no particular interest in torture or murder. But this guy ? I've seen many criminals in my life. And he's exactly the type that only seeks to destroy what and whoever opposes what he wants. Even at the top, he would continue to kill and torture. That's the difference. And if he was able to beat you and Wade, I don't think any police or government in the world would be able to defeat him. Now, stand the fuck up and let's go."
With that, the villainess began to walk away. Kim stayed where she was, mouth gaping, watching as her nemesis slowly got further and further away from her. Now I'm getting motivational speeches from Shego ? What the fuck is going on today ? But as strange as it was, she had to admit the older woman was right. Of course this whole situation was unusual and a lot worse than any other she had faced. And that was the only reason she needed to keep going. She had already lost more friends in a few weeks than in sixteen years and she wasn't about to let people all around the world feel the same pain. She knew all too well how hard it was. So she stood up.
And as she did, she suddenly heard a loud voice coming from ahead of her in the corridor.
"Princess ! You'd better come here quick. I'm betting you'll like what I'm seeing here..."
Kim immediately rushed forward, soon seeing Shego's silhouette. She stopped right beside her and got in a fighting stance, prepared to engage any ennemy that would try to attack them. Instead, the teen's arms dropped down and her eyes widened at the sight in front of her. The two women were right at the entrance of a large room, the one Wade had told them about. Right ahead there was another corridor that went further inside the lair. One door was on the right side of the room, while two other closed doors could be seen on the left side. But what surprised the young hero was what – or rather who – stood right in the middle of the room. Two slim but well-built silhouettes that would have been almost impossible to see had it not been for the turned-on light. Fully dressed in black, the two young girls also wore masks upon their faces, hiding their features. There was no doubt about it though: those were Yamanouchi students.
"Wha...But, Wade said...Weren't you all...dead ?"
Shock and confusion were all over the redhead's face. It became even stronger when the two black-dressed youngsters slowly took off their masks. Kim didn't know the younger girl, but she did recognize the older one. Tears formed in the young hero's eyes. She dropped on her knees.
"...Yori ?"
The tall, black-haired teenage girl smiled warmly and got closer. She then bowed down and spoke.
"As always, it is a pleasure, Possible-san."
On the other side of the island
Taïka held up his hand and felt his comrades get to a halt. He didn't need to look back to know they had already concealed themselves among the landscape. He crouched a few meters ahead of the other students, right behind a tree and glanced around it. In front of him, he instantly noticed the large group Yokitomo had told them about a few minutes ago. Watching closely, he counted at least twenty goons, men and women, carrying boxes and different weapon-like tools inside a large cargo plane, motors whirring and ready to take off. Looking around, he could also see three helicopters standing-by, obviously waiting for someone. And Taïka quickly noticed this important person.
The man was walking calmly towards one of the helicopters, taking his time while examining what seemed to be a small electronic tablet. A small group of goons followed him, arms full of different computer pieces and other devices. The young japanese ninja focused, trying to get a good glimpse of the boss' features. He was not tall, maybe even a bit smaller than average. He wore a great number of clothes though, so Taïka couldn't see his skin. But he could sense something strange coming from the man, a weird feeling, almost...childish, as if the individual was much more younger than he seemed. He couldn't say why, but something about his way of walking, his demeanor showed some kind of immaturity.
The individual suddenly stopped as he was getting ready to get on a helicopter. He turned around, took a small remote-like device out of his pocket and pushed a button. He then got on the flying machine and Taïka saw his opportunity. Moving swiftly and quickly, he seemed to disappear from behind his tree and reappeared thirty meters away, beside a large crate that was left not too far from the cargo plane. He then listened to the last goons still carrying tools towards their transportation.
"...back hurts, I swear I have to change beds, my matress is killing me."
"Come on, hurry up ! You heard the boss, we have twenty minutes before the whole place blows up and I'm not carrying you to the plane."
"Yeah, yeah, I know already. Geez, I'm allowed to complain a bit, aren't I ?"
"God, you're annoying. Think about where we're going though ! Some sun, sand beaches...It's going to be the sweet life !"
"Guess you're right. I just hope the boss will let us have some free time, we've been working non-stop these last few weeks. The Mediterranean sea must be so nice at this time of the year..."
"Hey guys ! Hurry up ! We're taking off in two minutes ! Get your asses up in here !"
"Coming, Frank !"
The two goons joined Frank on board and closed the large doors of the plane behind them. Taïka was already running with his comrades, quickly going back to their arrival point, praying for their Sensei's safe return. But he dismissed those thoughts. The safety of his companions came frst. Besided, Sensei was more than capable of handling herself. Still, he glanced at the large building on his left, almost expecting it to explode at that exact moment. But they still had eighteen minutes. A disturbing question then came to the ninja's mind.
Why the hell wait so much time before blowing this place up ?
Inside the lair
"Damn it, it seems the signal can't reach this deep into the lair, I can't get a hold of Wade... But how is this possible ? What happened to you guys ? And your arm – "
"With all due respect Possible-san, I will explain everything later. Right now, we have to hurry and go forward."
"Point taken. But why are you here ? I didn't expect to find you in this place."
Before answering, Yori turned to Yokitomo.
"Guide us, you're the one who tracked his energy."
"Yes, Sensei".
They started walking again and Yori finally answered Kim's question.
"Yokitomo here has a very speific talent. When she focuses, she is able to detect and track any energy. She can quickly find and follow individuals in a very large radius just by focusing on the energy that flows in and out of them. A few days ago, we were in a hideout and she was keeping guard, looking for the energetic signatures of students who were supposed to join us later. The thing is, many have this ability among our students. But Yokitomo's ability is more precise and also lets her identify energies she's come across before."
Kim and Shego nodded, both trying to follow where this explanation was going.
"As she searched for those energies, she detected a very strong one that quickly wore out. It came from here. She identified it as Stoppable-san's mystical energy. So we came here to investigate."
Kim stopped in her tracks, dumbfounded.
"What ? But, that can't be...Ron..." She hesitated. "...Ron died a few weeks ago."
It was Yori's turn to stop. A horrified look on her face, she turned to Kim. The redhead expected tears to form in the japanese girls' eyes, but she could see the enormous self-control she was trying to have.
"What ?! How ? What happened ? How is this possible ?"
"...It's actually a very complicated story. But I know that the guy who runs this place is involved. So we're here to take him out. But I can't understand how Ron's energy might be here..."
Yori barely heard those words. Her world seemed to lose balance for one second. She almost stumbled. The school, Sensei...and now Stoppable-san ? How can this be ? But she tried to regain her composure. Her harsh training had taught her to shut her feelings. She couldn't get troubled now. She had to focus. She had to take care of her students. She would think about it later. She would honor him once her task was done.
"...I don't know either. But if he's really...dead, we have to assume that this man may have managed to extract Stoppable-san's energy. We have to investigate. Let's go."
Her sharp tone surprised Kim. She wasn't used to seeing the young ninja express so many emotions in her sentences. But she quickly understood that she was only trying to focus on the current task. The redhead breathed in and tried to do the same. We'll talk later. Now, let's find out what the hell is happening here.
The group resumed their walking in silence, each lost in their own thoughts. They soon arrived in front a door. They would have gone past it had Yokitomo not told them to stop.
"It's here, Sensei."
Yori nodded, then looked at Kim. Sharing only one look, they simultaneously kicked the door open, breking its hinges and sending it a few meters inside the room. Her heart beating furiously, Kim entered first, finding herself in a very large, dark space. The lights turned on as soon as she took a few steps inside, blinding her for a few seconds. Looking away from the light, she frowned when she saw some dark stains on a wall. As her sight got used to the light, she gasped in horror.
Blood.
"Ugh, fucking light...Wait, why is there so much blood on the floor ?"
But Kim didn't pay attention to Shego's words. Her eyes were now focused on the person in the center of the room. His head was low, close to his chest. Some chains held him up, not letting his feet touch the floor. His clothes were torn up and covered in stains. A strong smell came from him, too, a mix of sweat, body fluids and blood. His blonde hair was almost dark with filth. But the most troubling were the wounds. Scars covered and bruises covered his arms and legs. What was left of his clothes was covered in blood and, through the holes in his shirt, more scars and cuts were visible. As silence reigned in the room, only a faint sound could be heard, caused by blood continuously dripping from the prisoner's feet and into an already large pool of blood.
Fear and shock twisting her stomach, Kim slowly walked towars the man. Softly, she brought her hand to his chin and lifted it up. She saw a beat up face, covered in blood. Strong, dark marks around the eyes. A cut on the lips. And, as she felt her eyes begin to tear up, the light made the man frown and slowly open his own while still unconscious, allowing her to see the brown eyes she had dreamed of the last few weeks. Sobbing silently, she gently ran her hand alongside his face, over his blood-stained freckles.
Ron. Oh, Ron.
The redhead brought her forehead closer until it rested against his, then closed her eyes and, after a few seconds, softly called out the other women.
"Let's free him."
Without a word, Shego and Yori quickly came beside her and broke the chains while Yokitomo stayed at the door to keep guard, not wanting to interrupt the reunion. Ron fell in Kim's open arms and she held him like this, not wanting to let him go. Yori and Shego watched from a few meters away, the Japanese obviously moved but not wanting to show it, while the henchwoman just kept silent, concern and relief both visible in her eyes.
The respectful, loving silence was broken though.
"Sensei, Taïka is here."
Yori and Shego turned to Yokitomo, who stood now beside the young ninja. He catched his breath before speaking, worn out by the sprint he had taken from their embarcation to warn their Sensei of the coming explosion.
"Sensei, I overheard a discussion between some goons. The place is rigged to blow up in twenty minutes. Well, ten now, maybe less. The other students are already on our embarcation and ready to leave if we don't get there in time, but we have to go, now."
The Sensei nodded, then turned to Kim, who hadn't moved and was still holding Ron.
"Possible-san, you heard him. We need to leave now."
But the redhead didn't move, nor did she give an answer. Saying she was having a breakdown might be an overstatement, but her mind was flooded with thoughts, memories and feelings. She couldn't focus on anything else than the unconscious man in her arms. The touch of his body, his hair, his warmth...Everything was coming back to her and hitting her in the face. It felt like a dream. A very weird one, but still, a dream. She could hear Yori's voice getting louder, but her mind seemed to shut it down. Kim did see however from the corner of her eyes Shego walking straight to her. Instinctively, the young hero tensed her muscles, getting ready to take a punch. But she had trouble hiding her surprise when the henchwoman gently grabbed her cheek and turned her head before talking.
"Princess, we gotta go. You just got him back after you thought you lost him in an explosion. Do you want to lose him in an explosion for real this time ?"
This seemed to bring the teen back to reality. Seeing her words had some effect, Shego kept going.
"Besides, giving the amount of blood he lost in this room, I'm not sure hugging him might be the most useful treatment right now. We should take him to a hospital."
Finally getting out of it, Kim nodded. Crouching, she let Shego get Ron on her back. When it was done, the teen stumbled a bit, trying to get used to her best friend's weight.
"You sure you can handle it, Kimmie ? You want me to carry him ?"
"No, I'm okay. I'll carry him."
There's no way in hell I'm letting anyone else carry him out of his place.
Outside, on some embarcations
"How long since Taïka left ?"
"Five minutes."
"And how long until the scheduled explosion ?"
"Around eight minutes."
Meki nodded and strode forward on the island. As much as he tried to hide it, he knew his concern was showing. The boats were ready to leave with all the students on board. One word from him and he knew that they would all start rowing away from the island. He really hoped he wouldn't have to give that order, though. His Sensei and two of his friends were still at great risk and he wanted to wait for them until the last second – but Meki knew he couldn't do that. He had to think about the students' safety. The ninja gritted his teeth and turned to the boats. He could see some of the students trying to track down their Senseis' energy. They were far from being as talented as Yokitomo – that girl had a gift – but if even one of them could pinpoint their location, Meki would worry far less.
His train of thought was interrupted at that moment.
"I found them !"
Turning quickly, Meki rushed to the young student who had spoken up.
"Are they far ?"
"Four minutes away, more or less."
Meki nodded. It's going to be tight. He turned to all the students and spoke up.
"Get ready to row ! We have to get away as fast as possible from the island as soon as Sensei and the others get here ! Understood ?"
The loud "Yes !" yelled by the students calmed Meki down, even if just a bit. But he knew the knot in his stomach wouldn't leave until his master came back.
Just outside the lair
"Come on, we're almost outside ! Keep going !"
The small group came out of the building. Seeing the others glancing around, trying to find a way to the embarcations, Taïka quickly got forward, guiding them in the right direction. Yokitomo got behind him, while Shego and Yori stayed on each side of Kim, who was still carrying Ron on her back. The green villainess shot a glance behind them, towards the lair they just left.
"How long 'til this place blows up ?"
"I don't know, but I suggest we run faster."
Shego nodded at Yori's answer. She couldn't help but feel nervous. This guy really likes explosions too much. Her gaze then came upon Ron. She still had trouble believing he was alive. She was glad, of course, but she was still worried though. She couldn't shake off the feeling that something was very odd about this whole thing.
"I see them !"
They all heard Meki's scream, a few yards away. Barely a few seconds later, two ninjas were already at Kim's side, urging her to let them help her carry Ron. The redhead thought about refusing, but she quickly understood that they only wanted to get to the boats faster. She reluctantly let them grab the boy and began running as close to them as she could, not wanting lo let her friend out of her sight for one second.
As soon as they got close to the boats, many arms shot out to grab and pull them on the embarcations. The students were already rowing even though Kim and the others weren't fully on the boats yet. The teen barely had time to sit up before a huge heatwave made her and the others violently jerk forward. Turning back, the redhead could only see a huge ball of smoke and fire going up in the sky above the island. She quickly turned her eyes away though, her gaze now looking for Ron. Once she made sure he was alright, she took him in her arms and held him tight while the Yamanouchi students resumed their rowing.
They still had a long way to go.
A small hospital in New Zealand, some hours later
Yori sat down on a chair in the deserted waiting room. With a sigh, she closed her eyes and let her mind wander. She finally had a moment to rest and she was grateful for it ; the latest events had unfolded so quickly that she hadn't taken the time to think about anything.
Obviously, the first thing to come to her mind was the double shock: learning of Stoppable-san's death, then finding him alive. Of course, she was a ninja, so she had been trained to control even her strongest emotions. Focus was essential, even more now that she was a Sensei. On the field, she couldn't allow herself to get distracted by her feelings and her concern. But now, she could just breathe and –
"Are you meditating or something ?"
Holding in a frustrated sigh, Yori opened her eyes just in time to see Shego sit down next to her. Mentally cursing her for interrupting her alone time, she quickly dismissed those feelings and answered.
"No, I am just resting a bit after all that has happened."
"Yeah, I see what you mean. I feel like I just aged twenty years in just a few months. Feels horrible."
Silence followed those words. Yori could feel the henchwoman wanted to talk, but she wasn't about to take the first step. So she waited. It didn't take long before Shego blurted out her concern.
"Honestly, don't you feel like all of this is weird ? Like, apart from the whole plot about faking Ron's death, torturing him for God knows what and everything. I mean, what happened today."
Yori didn't answer straight away. She had given some thought to the situation too, mostly after Taïka expressed some of his concerns to her. Indeed, some things seemed odd or, at least, non-logical.
"I agree. Some things don't add up. Why leave Stoppable-san behind ? Did they want him to die with the explosion ?"
"I don't think so. Think about it, the explosion was timed to twenty minutes. And following what your ninja student said, the guy activated the timer with a remote. Plus, based on my own unpleasant experience, I can say he's very good with technology, so he could have perfectly made everything go up in flames within a safe distance and without setting up a timer. So my guess is he wanted us to find Ron. The question is why ?"
"Well, either he just didn't need him anymore and he's confident that we won't be able to stop him even with Ron's help, or..."
"...or it's a trap."
Both women looked at each other, a concerned look on their faces. If it was indeed a trap, they had no idea what it could be.
"I don't think it's a trap. I think he's just overconfident and he wants to play with my nerves."
They turned to see Kim closing in on them, then grabbing a chair to sit with them. Yori was the first to speak.
"How is Stoppable-san ? And how are you ?"
The redhead gave a tired smile.
"He's...well, I guess he's good, given what he went through. We know he was...tortured, but the doctors are still running some more exams. For now, he's under intense care. As for me, I don't really know how to feel. I keep switching from happy for having him back, to sad and angry at what he went through. I'll know better when he wakes up."
A small silence followed. Then Kim spoke up again.
"By the way, it's weird to see you in those clothes, Yori. You almost look like an American now !"
The Japanese girl couldn't help but roll her eyes while Shego let out a chuckle. As to not draw attention, she had – reluctantly – switched her black uniform for short jeans, a white shirt and a thin black jacket. She really didn't feel comfortable like this, but she knew it was a sacrifice she had to make if she wanted to stay in the hospital. Fortunately for her, Shego intervened and changed the subejct.
"What do you mean you think he's playing with your nerves, Kimmie ?"
"Well, up until now the exams have shown nothing out of ordinary apart from the physical wounds. My guess is this guy just needed Ron for a reason and decided to he didn't need him anymore. As for why he let us have him back instead of just killing him, I don't really know. Maybe to brag ? Like, "oh, look what I did to your friend". We'll have to ask Ron when he wakes up."
Shego nodded.
"I guess you're right. And after that, we'll have to track this guy again."
The redhead shot her a glance.
"Don't tell me you want to bring him to justice."
"Who do you think I am ? I just want to punch him hard in every part of his body. This is about revenge. I'm sure you want it too."
Kim silently nodded. Shego was right. She couldn't deny that she lusted for revenge against this mystery man. A sudden cough drew her attention towards Yori.
"As a matter of fact, my students are already on the task at hand."
"That's right, now that I think about it, where are all the other Yamanouchi students ?"
"Well, since we couldn't all come into the hospital, I sent them to investigate in the are, look for any information the locals might have on the lair we were at. Also, another group should be organizing our trip back to the United States. I think it would be best for Stoppable-san to receive more advanced treatment there, after his condition has gotten better of course."
"That's great. This way we don't lose time."
Another silence followed. Kim fidgeted for a few seconds, wondering how to ask her next question. Oh, to hell with it.
"Say, Yori...What happened to your school then ? Wade told me he'd seen satellite pictures of the place. Everything was destroyed, there were bodies...How the hell did you guys get away ?"
The young Sensei didn't answer straight away. She knew the question would come up eventually, but she still struggled to gather her thoughts and form the words. After a few seconds, she spoke.
"A few months ago, we heard rumours that some individuals were asking questions about the ancient Monkey myths. It actually isn't that rare, since the myths are a bit known in Japan. But those people seemed quite insistent with it, so Sensei asked us to watch them, just in case. They eventually got the information they were looking for, that is the location of our school grounds. I sincerely don't know how they did it." She stopped for a moment. "I don't know if it was a coincidence, but on the day they attacked, most of us weren't there. Sensei had asked me to take the students out for some training in the mountains while he stayed to give some specific training to more advanced students. We were all sparring when we heard the first explosions. We came back as fast as we could, but we were too late. The buildings were already shattered and in flames. The students were all dead and our Sensei... was agonizing." Yori stopped again, visibly disturbed by her tale. She carried on quickly, almost wanting to be done with it."With his last words, he passed on his role to me, making me responsible for all the students that are left. After that, we left before those goons could come back to finish their work. And we found refuge in Mexico."
"Wait a minute there, ninja girl. This doesn't explain everything. How did you lose an arm ? And I'm guessing your Sensei was quite powerful, so how could some goons have beaten him ? I mean, hell, he had some powers, right ?"
Yori hesitated, then shook her head.
"Sensei had been sick for a few weeks at that time. His powers were getting weaker. Mere days before the attack, he called me to his room. He told me that he knew he was nearing the end of his life. He wanted to start planning the ceremony during which he would pass on his role to me and give me the remainings of his powers. I already knew that I would be his successor, but it still came as a surprise. But you're right. Even in this weakened state, he should have been able to defend the school and himself. The problem is that the goons used heavy firepower: some of the damage to the school grounds was obviously caused by big explosions and I saw them use rocket launchers and other heavy firearms. Most of the bodies also ahd bullet holes in them. With strong enough firepower, even a talented ninja like those advanced students can't stant a chance. And with a weakened Sensei...The story writes itself." She stopped. Seeing Shego open her mouth again, she anticipated her question. "As for my arm, when we got close to the grounds, I ordered the students under my care to wait for me and be careful not to draw attention. I went in, but I was spotted among the debris by one of the goons. He fired in my direction." Yori stopped again as a shiver ran along her spine. Shaking her head, she kept going. "Even though I avoided the rocket, the explosion it caused almost completely ripped off my arm. I was laying on the ground when the man came to me and got ready to fire again, but Taïka had followed me. He took care of him and then helped me get to Sensei. That's when we found him dying. But, as the great master he was, he didn't hesitate to use the last of his powers to rip my useless arm off and seal the wound. Once it was done, he made me a Sensei. That's how it all happened."
A deadly silence followed her last sentence. Shego seemed at a loss for words, while Kim just sat there, horrified and angry. These guys had made them suffer so much. Shego, Drakken, Ron, her and now even Yori. Solemnly, the redhead stood up and bowed in front of the Japanese girl.
"I promise I'll find these guys. And I promise they will get what they deserve for making all of us suffer so much. With your help, I swear there will be no place on Earth where they'll be able to hide and escape from us."
As she looked up, she could see Yori's eye shine for just a second. From a girl who was always controlling and repressing her emotions, it was all she needed to see.
Straightening up, Kim spoke up again.
"Well, I'll be leaving you now, guys. I have to call Wade, otherwise he is going to launch an army of robots all over the world just to find me and scold me for not giving any news."
"Then I guess I'm going to take a nap. I'm still sore from those wounds back in Canada. Warn me if anything new comes up, all right ?"
The redhead nodded. As Shego got out of the room, Kim turned back to Yori.
"And what will you do now ?"
"Do not worry, Possible-san. I will stay here and rest a bit. Please do warn me if you get any information and I will do the same."
The young teen hero smiled.
"Of course."
She then turned back and got out of the room, taking out her Kimmunicator out of her pocket. She had been ignoring Wade's calls for the last few hours, as she was too focused on Ron. She sighed.
I am so getting scolded over this.
Greece, an island in the Mediterranean sea
As soon as his helicopter landed, the man walked straight to his new lair, leaving behind his goons to take care of the what they had carried on the planes. As he entered the building and headed to his office, he thought back to the events of the day. Everything had gone well. Of course, if the explosion had taken Kim and her friends out, it would have been perfect, but he never expected her to go down so easily. As for Ron...Well, he didn't need the young boy anymore. He could have killed him, but hey, wasn't it more fun to just give him back to little Kimmie ? Plus, he was confident: Ron wouldn't be up for some more fighting before long, after all the torture his goons had put the blonde through. Still, he had to think of some way to get rid of that cheerleader...She still hadn't seriously threatened his plans, but that could change soon if he didn't take care of the situation. But he also had to start the search for the Han, the Yono and the Shoi. He sighed. The next were going to be very busy ones.
As he reached his office, he began setting up his computers. Something also made the situation even more complicated: some Yamanouchi students had survived. He'd seen the two girls who had infiltrated the lair through the security cameras before the building exploded. They were maybe even more dangerous than the Possible girl, due to their link to the mystical energy.
Starting his computer systems, he saw that a new message had received his encrypted online mailbox. Arching an eyebrow, he opened it – his security system having automatically analyzed the message for viruses – and, as he read it, a sadistic smile crept on his face. How stupid had he been for a brief moment ! He'd forgottent he had strong allies in the United States. After all, it made sense that Kim would go back there to treat her best friend.
Letting out a small laugh, he quickly answered the message. He knew he could trust this person to get the job done. Now, all he needed to do was to focus on tracking the mystical beings.
This day just keeps getting better !