Tian Cai

By mkusenagi2

The story concept © 5-19-2006
All Marvel characters are © Marvel Comics.
Kim Possible and other Disney characters
are © Disney Co.
I do not own Fred Saberhagen's characters
either.

Written to the tunes from Disney's 'The Rocketeer'

Level 3: Wu Li Shi (Knight/Mystic)

Part IX

12-11-2004
Kim Possible's Cabin
Onboard Ship
1000 Hrs

Kim and Ron were discussing the results of their last strategy meeting with Joint Fleet Command…

"KP… we can do this. We have no choice." Ron said to his shaken partner/fiancée.

"I hope so Ron… 'cause if we fail…" she replied with a choked voice.

"hey." He said while lifting her chin, "That's my job remember? Doubting Ron. You're 'The Girl Who Can Do Anything!'"

"Yeah. But you were right about one thing… How do we stop someone who's immortal? And is WAY past being power hungry?" she said with a frown.

"I know what this is. It's the way everyone acted at the last meeting isn't it? You didn't expect them to be so shaken did ya?" he asked. "It's like ya told me… Snap out of it!"

"Yeah. I just didn't expect them to look like that. You could SEE the fear…" she mused while remembering the looks of hopelessness on the leader's faces.

"KP… to us this stuff's ancient history… A lot of these guys were around when he tried to destroy the Universe last time… Now he's back. It's like finding out the Bogeyman's real, right before he eats your kids or somethin'." He drew her to him and hugged her tight, "All we can do is 'Do Our Best.'" Compassionate Serious-faced Ron said.

"Yeah." She nuzzled his neck and wistfully smiled, "On thing's for sure… No matter what happens… I'm glad I got to really know who you are Ronald Dean Stoppable."

"Thanks KP." He said as he gently squeezed her. "Hey Look on the bright side! Brimmstone's got the Earth covered. Dr Richards got back in time to help get the Inverters in place with Lilandra's help, and we've got those anti-singularity bombs that Aurora designed to nuke the Keys with too."

"Yeah." 'But the Fantastic Four AND The Avengers had to leave Earth because Thanos attacked some friends of theirs…' "And Jason's got our back. I hope he and Kip make it… The battle around Spartax Prime sounded like it was trying to turn gorchy on 'em…"

"Hey, he's Star-Lord's Dad. Peter had to get his chutzpa from somewhere besides his Mom. Right?" Ron said with his goofy smile.

"You're right Ron. We'll get through this. Thanks." She said before she warmly kissed him.

"Knock, Knock."

"C'mon in." Kim said.

"It's time." Sheila said as she leaned through the doorway.

---

12-11-2004
Sagittarius Arm
28,000 light years Coreward
1300 hrs

"Ok girl, on my mark slip past the defenses, plant your package and get out." Binary said to Kim as they flew towards the Earth Key in one of Ship's Jump pods.

"Gotcha." Kim said as Binary hit the hatch release and threw Kim towards the key while she juked, dodged, and attacked it with several Quantum bolts. ''Wood splits Earth' Shang said…'

'WHOA!' Kim thought as she activated her Probability field and flew through the conflagration. 'I'm NOT going to make this a habit.' She thought as she closed with the huge construct.

"…" Kim took in the scale of the Key's size as she let her gift guide her to the most easily accessed and vulnerable part of the device.

'It's a shame he couldn't think of ways to use this to help people.' She thought as she formed a beam of P-energy and cut through the hull, 'Here goes.' She thought as she eased into the dark interior.

Only to be smacked into a stanchion by an armored fist! "Wrannggg!" went her armor.

"OW!" she cried as she rolled out of the impact and took a drunken Cat stance…

Only to be hit again! "BANG!"

'HOW? I'm supposed to be invulnerable when it's on! Infrared and night-vision aren't working either… They're JAMMED!' she thought as she was grasped around her throat and slammed into a bulkhead. "Show yourself!" she cried.

The lights came on…

And showed a Thanos replica!

'How do you hope to defeat Thanos?' the replica sent, 'Thanos will crush you as the insect you are.' The replica said as it began to increase its pressure on her throat.

'(C'mon Kim, focus!)' she dazedly thought as she gathered her 'will' and surged her aura through her suit's systems. "NO!" she cried as she broke the replica's grip and tore herself free. "TOO MANY PEOPLE ARE DEPENDING ON ME! RON BELIEVES IN ME!" she roared as she…

Became…

Probability Itself…

And recognized the purplish monstrosity for what it was…

"no!" the replica wheezed as it died and blew away.

"Bitch!" she growled as she set her charges and left.

With a flash of light…

The key was rent and was no more.

---

12-11-2004
Orion Arm
20,000 light years Coreward
1300 hrs

'Ok. I'll have to wait 'til the Air key makes its move…' he thought as he 'watched' the space around him.

The Air Key appeared around Star-Lord and increased the pressure around him to ten bars (147 psi).

"Gotta do better than that!" he said as he pulled out his Element Sword and sliced it with Metal's mystical energies!

The key recoiled, ejected Star-Lord, and sped towards Galactic Center!

"Uh, Uh. Come back here boy! I'm not done with you yet!" he growled as shot it with a high density plasma blast and stunned it.

The Key materialized as it conducted repairs on its torn hull.

'So when you're at full strength you use the other form huh?' he thought as he punched through its defenses, planted his bomb and ran down a corridor.

Several Berserker sentries arrived and gave chase.

'It's a shame we've gotta be in silent mode, I could have told the others.' He thought as he drew the Berserker sentries away from his gift.

Peter Jason Quill…

The Being known as The Star-Lord…

Punched a hole through the Key's hull and went sub-light…

As the Air Key tried to warp into its battleform…

And rent itself in the process.

Star-Lord rendezvoused with his pod and headed for Spartax Prime…

'Hold on Dad.'

---

12-11-2004
Sparta, Spartax Prime
The Triangulum Galaxy
3.14 Million Light Years
From the Milky Way
1310 hrs

The Joint Fleet had won…

But a terrible price had been paid…

Kip Holm…

Regent of the Spartax Throne…

Had died protecting his Emperor…

And his fellow beings.

But when he HAD died…

He'd taken out the core of Thanos' Berserker fleet with his flagship and…

With a Wolf's Grin on his face and in his heart.

Meanwhile the rest of The Universe raged against Thanos and his Berserker fleet!

---

12-11-2004
Norma Arm
30,000 light years Coreward
1300 hrs

Aurora and Rufus glided along the spaceways watching and waiting…

The Water Key appeared…

"Oh you've GOT to be kidding me!" she cried as she confronted herself! "This is NOT flattering! Hang on Rufus!" she cried as she let fly several neutron bolts…

The two ships engaged in a deadly ballet of death and deceit.

"I'm putting you in a stasis pod Rufus." She said as she ejected him from her hull and SLID into a red supergiant system.

"Good Luck!" he thought before the pod's field came on.

'This isn't working!' Aurora thought as she SLID into the system and resumed her battle, 'Hmmm.' Aurora got a wild idea. 'If this works Boyo… You owe me. If not… I Love You. I've never done this at this power level before…' she thought as she ran a quick scan and plotted her course.

Aurora dove into the star near its Schwarzschild radius on a slingshot trajectory…

Dropped her package and : SLID : out of the gravity well as the bomb went off…

The Water Key slid in behind her…

And didn't make it.

Ship reappeared…

1 light year from the blast radius…

Rufus' pod docked with the hull…

He hopped out and looked at the dark interior.

"'Rora?" he chirped. "Hello?"

A light glimmered on.

"oooohhhh! Mmmmm." She moaned.

"Aurora!" he chirped as he hugged her deck.

"As Ron would say, Booyah! Accept no substitutes. Aurora Caryth Halyan's Back In Town!"

Lights flickered on throughout her interior…

And Rufus wept tears of joy now that his friend would be ok.

---

12-11-2004
Perseus Arm
35,000 light years Coreward
1310 hrs

Sheila Goble Baux…

Crown Princess to the Ligurian Throne of Monaco…

Marquise of Liguria…

Special Agent of SHIELD…

Aka Shego…

Was a prisoner.

'Damnit. How'd this happen?' she thought as she woke up inside the Metal Key and took in her surroundings. 'Fucker pounced on me as I got here… Metal's melted by Fire… right. Damn they popped the armor's helmet open!'

A Berserker detached itself from the wall, rolled over to her position, and extended a surgically tipped manipulator towards her face.

'C'mon Sheila, get yourself free girl!' she thought while she struggled as she saw the manipulator rise over her head …

And cut off a lock of her hair!

"!" "…" rage…

"no one does that…" a demonic grimace pasted itself on her face.

Several sensors in the bowels of the Key spiked!

"BOOOOMMMM! … … …" a blast of Nova hot plasma burned and crashed through the Key's hull.

'BASTARD! ONLY RON AND KIM ARE ALLOWED TO TOUCH MY HAIR!' she mentally roared as she turned into a living Supernova and vaporized the Key…

She stood there…

A Regal Goddess of Fiery Beauty…

Clothed in Eldritch Armor…

She reveled in her newfound abilities…

And cavorted against the ultimate backdrop…

The Heavens.

Then her flame went out.

---

12-11-2004
Crux Arm
37,000 light years Coreward
1300 hrs

Ron/Hanuman warped into the Crux Arm and searched for the Fire key…

"BOOM!" Ron heard from inside his armor as they were hit with a high density blast of charged particles.

Something moved before him and disappeared with a ripple.

It rose before them and lunged…

Only to narrowly miss as Hanuman wordlessly moved them aside.

'Man! How do you catch this thing long enough toWHOA!' he thought as it brushed past…

'Hmmm. SOB's invisible. Or IS it?' Ron/Hanuman mused. 'There's a time to fight as a man… and a time to fight as something else. Let's see. Show me how YOU see things Dude.' He said to Hanuman.

Hanuman OPENED Ron's eyes…

Ron beheld the Spacetime lines of the objects in the immediate vicinity…

'Ok. Where are ya?' he thought as he centered himself.

A 'ripple' moved against the normal quantum flows…

'?' Ron thought as Hanuman guided his hand and hit the Key with the Bo as it rose 'out' of the quantum field. "BAM!"

The key quickly 'dove' under Spacetime and tried to come up with a strategy.

'Time To Step Up.' Ron thought as he and Hanuman 'dove' after the Key. 'Wow! So THIS is what KP was talking about.' He thought as he beheld The Quantum Dream, 'Head In The Game, Stoppable.' He thought as he floated along waiting…

Spacetime…

Rippled…

And TORE itself into Space and Time…

As a TITANIC battle raged beneath its 'surface'…

Until…

"booyah." A Battered Ron Stoppable said as he flew through a gate and 'sat' in the Firmament gazing at the Galaxy he'd done his part to save.

'Ron. You ok?' he heard Kim say.

'Yeah KP. How about you and Sheila?' he replied. 'Something's wrong.'

'I'm bruised but ok… Sheila's dinged up…' Ron's hackles rose, 'But she'll be ok. She's got to recharge. Her Key came after her full tilt.'

'I'm on my way.'

And with that he…

---

12-11-2004
Ship
Ship's Bridge
10,000 light years above
the Galactic Ecliptic
1345 hrs

Warped himself onto Ship's deck.

Ron took in the scene before him.

Kim was bruised around her throat and was being tended to by Linda.

Rufus was fine.

Sheila was missing.

So was Peter.

"She's in the Medbay Ron." Aurora said. "Peter's gone back to Sparta to help drive off the rest of Thanos' fleet."

Rufus climbed up to Ron's shoulder and chirped into his ear.

"Oh. You're ok aren't ya girl?" he asked.

"Yes. Don't worry about me, she's asking for you." She said as she nudged him with a metal pseudopod.

'KP?' 'I'm ok Hon.' she sent. 'sheila?' he sent as he ran to her. 'I can feel her. Why isn't she answering me?'

He saw her in the Medbay.

Sheila was cradled in a lifepod with several leads attached to her skin…

He knelt by her and wept.

A hand played with his hair!

'It looks worse than it is. I just overexerted myself. Ron don'tmmph!' Sheila's eyes grew big as saucers as Ron swept her up in a life giving kiss as he shared Hanuman's essence with her!

An ocean of tears flooded the Medbay.

---

12-13-2004
Ship's Briefing Room
In Geo-synch Orbit over
Sparta, Spartax Prime
The Triangulum Galaxy
3.14 Million Light Years
From the Milky Way
1310 hrs

"Life by its very nature moderates the flow of spiritual and physical entropy in the Multiverse. What the Berserker's doing doesn't fit its original 'Prime Directive' to destroy all life." the Carmpan said.

"But its behavior does fit with what Thanos would do to all of us." Ron.

"Yes." The Carmpan.

"Thanos seeks to 'consume' most of the life in the Multiverse so the Gods will die... after that who knows?" Mar-Vell said.

"So far the Berserkers have been a 'pest' to the developed civilizations… but they're learning…" Linda.

"What you must consider is that life depends on the lesser developed species to create new paths of being as they mature… Thanos seeks to twist this to his will by destroying them if need be… that is why he's attacking systems on the edge of the empires as well as raiding said empires." Carmpan.

"You guys are thinking too much," Sheila said, "Thanos is going to strike us… when we least expect it… from where we least expect it."

"How would you know?" Star-Lord.

"It's what I'd do… I'd go lower…" Sheila. "Ok… Aurora show me all of the strikes Thanos' fleets have committed since 'day 1'."

A web of dots appeared through the Orion arm.

"Add all sightings that fit a Berserker profile…"

"Any special criteria?" Aurora.

"Yeah, odd sightings of spacejunk… probes… around key traffic lanes and areas like Earth… technologically advanced and on the brink of discovering hyperdrives… near an untapped mass of stellar resources… Especially mineral rich Nebulas at least 200 lights across."

Aurora sifted through the data.

---

At that moment an unusual thing happened.

The Berserker Director unfurled itself from its datapacket prison and detonated the drives in 20,000 of its former brethren!

'WHAT ARE YOU DOING!' Thanos cried as several more ships were destroyed in his fleetyards hidden inside The Coalsack.

"YOU ARE CONFLICTED… YOU SEEK TO DESTROY LIFE YET DOMINATE IT. YOU ARE TWISTEDLIFE NOT GOODLIFE!" the Berserker said to Thanos.

"DIE!" Thanos raged as he snuffed out the Director.

'Thanos shall have to prepare to strike before any more damage is done. Hmm. Excellent! You sought to keep this from me. Now I shall have my long sought victory.' He thought as he absorbed the Berserker's data.

---

"Got it!" Aurora threw up the map created from Sheila's criteria and found a spiraling pattern that led into the Coalsack Nebula and overlapped the Centaurus and Musca systems.

"Booyah! Ya found 'im!" Ron cried.

"Way to go Sheila, Aurora!" Kim.

"There were a bunch of prospectors rooting through the Nebula… no one's heard anything since the war started though. I thought it was due to the miners smuggling and keeping a low profile. Now I'm not so sure." Aurora. "And the Wraiths homeworld was destroyed there too… probably a test of some kind."

Everyone was surprised as a tachyon flare appeared on the grid!

"Something just detonated inside the Coalsack… I've got a bad feeling about this." Aurora said.

"Ship notify the Joint Fleet… tell them we're going to do what we can to buy them some time 'til they get there." Ron said as he got a weird glint in his eyes.

"Ron." Kim growled.

"Don't worry KP. I got an idea." He said as he smiled.

"What kind of idea?" Kim asked.

"You'll see. Comic Books." He grinned.

Everyone looked at Ron with mixed emotions.

---

12-15-2004
The Black Magellanic Cloud
0300 hrs

"Ship are you sure this'll work?" Kim asked as Team Possible stood before Thanos' massed fleet as it emerged from the depths of the Coalsack while Ship and Co watched 15 light minutes away.

"Ron's right. The Theory's sound. All you girls have to do is lend your talents to him and he'll do the rest. Remember we HAVE to be careful here. Thanos has turned the nebula into a Dyson construct. Any hits that set off a chain reaction could destabilize the galaxy's delicate balance." Aurora said.

Ron spoke to Miranda.

"Ready girl?" he asked his armor.

"Yes Hon. If I don't…" she replied with a fearful tone.

"Miranda. Relax Girl. It's gonna be ok. I PROMISE. Ready?" this last as he fused his Bo (in Cannon Mode) to his armor and powered up with the Mark.

"Ready." She said.

"KP, Sheila, Linda?"

"Ready." they growled. 'I hope this works.' Kim. 'Keep those fingers crossed guys.' Sheila said. "Don't Shoot 'Til You See The Whites Of Their Eyes." Linda.

Space around them turned 'negative' as they massed their skills and energies for the task ahead.

Bubbles of inverted Spacetime formed around Thanos' fleet…

Ron and his Cannon glowed with an eldritch fire…

A 'pulse' was released…

That swam through the amassed fleet…

And DESTROYED it…

Throughout the cloud!

"BOOY…" Team Possible's victory cry died in their throats as the saw Thanos' visage form in the Coalsack.

---

"Make your peace. You have one hour. Now that Thanos has the Key to traveling through the Multiverse in his hands ALL shall tremble before me."

---

30 Minutes later aboard Ship…

"Where's Ron?" Kim asked Sheila.

"Uh Oh!" Rufus said from Kim's pocket.

"I don't know Princess… he was down in the hold meditating when I saw him. Why?"

"I can't 'feel' him anymore!"

"SHIP! Find Ron now!" Star-Lord cried.

"Workin' on it Boyo…" "…" "He's shielded himself… ! … SOMEONE'S FORCING A LOCK OPEN ON DECK TWO!"

"RON!" They Chorused.

---

Ron thought about the Carmpan…

So you heard that I'm a rebel with a heart made of stone.
I got a restless spirit that nobody can own.
If a picture tells a story won't you listen to mine,
I'm searching for the answer but it's so hard to find.

You'll see much deeper when you read between the lines,
'cause there's a fire burning in my eye.

Like a thief in the night, who can't get enough,
I am willing to fight,
'cause I'm a soldier of love.
Like a shot in the dark when the going gets rough,
It's a state of the heart
when you're a soldier of love.

He thought about Mar-Vell…

And what Mar-Vell had taught him…

He thought about what was at stake… and made a decision.

He walked over to an airlock, activated the Mark, stepped inside and forcibly activated the cycle.

"Sorry Ship… Keep 'em safe willya." The Rook said with a tear in his eye.

Kim, Sheila, and Star-Lord ran to the lock and tried to stop the cycle.

Ron placed his hand on the porthole and sadly smiled at the women he loved, and at his friends Rufus, Linda, and Star-Lord.

I'm willing to fight.

"Keep 'em safe… 'k." Ron floated out of the lock and WARPED himself in front of Thanos.

"SHIP, GET US OUT OF HERE… NOW!" Star-Lord cried.

"You Got It, BOYO!" Ship activated her warp drive and SLID out of range.

"NO! RON'LL DIE OUT THERE… WE CAN'T LEAVE HIM!" Kim cried.

"C'mon Hon… there's nothing we can do here… Ron…" Sheila said as she hugged Kim.

"SHEILA… WE CAN'T!" Kim pleaded. Emerald Sorrow looked at Jade Compassion.

'Vaya con dios… Mi amigo…' Linda thought.

'KP… It's ok. I'd Rather Die knowing my Death Saved YOU than doing NOTHING about this at all… Thanos HAS TO BE STOPPED… GOTTA GO… i love you… both… Linda keep 'em safe…' Ron severed the link.

Hanuman's Avatar faced Thanos.

'This ENDS Today Thanos.' Hanuman rumbled.

'You can't kill me boy! I am Thanos… nigh unto a GOD!'

"That's funny… BEING a GOD and NIGH unto one's all the DIFFERENCE! Like Bonnie would say… You're such a Froob!" … 'bye sheila… kp… rufus… guys…' Ron/Hanuman.

Ron accepted his Destiny; turned into HANUMAN and UNLEASHED THE NAMES' FURY UPON THANOS!

Love can be so heartless when you turn out the lights,
a mutual surrender in the heat of the night.
Life's an empty picture when you're living alone,
well, maybe that's the reason every heart needs a home.

Each time I fall down, I get on my feet again.
I'm gonna win this battle in the end.

Like a thief in the night, who can't get enough,
I am willing to fight,
'cause I'm a soldier of love.
Like a shot in the dark when the going gets rough,
it's a state of the heart
when you're a soldier of love.

Star-Lord, Rufus, and the girls ran to the bridge and witnessed a blue FLASH of light erupt from the Coalsack…

Across the Multiverse in HUGE ways or small… all beings felt a noxious weight being LIFTED from their SOULS.

"The Dyson Construct's gone… boyo… There's NOTHING there but the Sack… It's like nothing happened!" Ship said.

"Scan for survivors." Star-Lord.

"…"

"…"

"!"

"PETER! I've got something… the size of a human body near us about 2 light minutes away… but I'm getting a HARD signature… Like it's covered with… METAL?" Ship started her engines and 'SLID' towards her target.

Kim LOOKED at Sheila.

'!' They both felt Ron's presence… but it was different!

"Zoom please."

Ship zoomed her view of the starfield, which revealed a metal capsule!

"Bring it in."

"Ok." Ship tractored it into the hold.

You'll see much deeper when you read between the lines,
'cause there's a fire burning in my eye.

Like a thief in the night who can't get enough,
I am willing to fight,
'cause I'm a soldier of love.
Like a shot in the dark when the going gets rough,
it's a state of the heart
when you're a soldier of love.

Star-Lord, Sheila, Linda, and Kim (with Rufus in pocket) ran down to the hold to see Ship gently lay the capsule on the deck…

The capsule sat.

Kim and Sheila walked over to it…

Knelt down…

And placed their hands on it…

The capsule writhed, shrank, turned into Ron's hanbo, and wrapped itself around his left wrist.

"…"

'Ron?' They chorused.

'kp… sheila… you ok?' he whispered.

'yeah… we're fine hon…' they said.

'good… Thanos… and the Berserkers… what was left of them… ALL of them are DEAD… tell the Carmpan thanks… gotta sleep…' Ron slipped into a DEEP coma.

"!" "CLEAR!" Ship cried as she formed a life support unit while Ron's vitals crashed!

"NO! Oh GOD ROOOONNNN…" Kim and Sheila cried.

Sha la la la la la la
when the going gets rough,
Sha la la la la la la
I'm a soldier of love.

Soldier Of Love
Donny Osmond

End Part IX

Next …?