Disclaimer: Nope, don't own any of the KP characters from the series. They belong to Disney. A few of the bit players are mine. This epic, along with the rest of my writing career is, unfortunately, a non-profit operation.

Chapter 2 – Perils of the Night

As a light snow began to fall, Kim leaned closer to her small fire, hoping its heat would keep her from draining her suit's power supply. Several times she caught herself nodding off. Jerking her head up, she reminded herself to keep alert. The chill breeze blowing up the valley blew the snow into her face helping to keep her awake.

She heard a rustling and scrabbling from downstream. Hoping it might be Ron, she braced herself against the rock face behind her, standing on her good leg to get a better look. The sounds continued as she looked into the darkness. She closed her eyes and moved slightly toward the sound, hoping to restore her night vision. The sound moved closer. She opened her eyes to see two shining orbs looking back at her from perhaps a hundred feet away. She was no longer alone on the ledge. The low growl made clear her companion was not a friend.

Kim edged back to the relative safety of her fire, hoping scout lore concerning predator's fear of fire was true. She picked up a large branch, lighting the tip in her fire and holding it aloft as a torch. She saw a wolf crouching on the ledge. It appeared tense, its tail straight out behind. Another growl emanated from its' throat.

Kim tossed the flaming branch at the wolf, hoping to persuade it to retreat. Between the wind and the awkwardness of her stance, it fell far short of its target, and then slipped over the edge falling to the stream below. The wolf growled again and moved forward. Kim limped back closer to the fire and began rummaging through her backpack looking for something she could use to defend herself. She briefly considered the knockout gas, but the wind was against her. At the bottom, she found the laser ring she used to cut her way out of Drakken's steel chest. There were some overhanging rocks between her and the wolf. She took careful aim and triggered the beam. The bright flash caused the wolf to retreat, but the beam fell short of its target.

Kim fell back behind her fire. She had gathered plenty of fuel for the cold night and she began piling it on, hoping to build a barricade of fire across the narrow ledge. The fire quickly grew as the wolf remained on the other side, ears erect and fur bristling as it snarled at the barrier between itself and its' dinner.

This was the scene that greeted Ron as he rounded a bend in the stream. He saw the light of Kim's fire and saw her standing behind it, prepared to defend herself. Ron called to her across the stream. Kim answered, "There's a wolf up here, Ron. My leg is hurt so I can't move around much. Get me out of here, please and thank you."

Ron looked across at the ledge. There was nothing there that would hold the grapple. He could shoot it into the trees at the edge of the cliff, but that left no way to recover it. He checked his suit readings and saw that he had enough fuel left in the jet pack to get them both back across the stream. After that the pack would be useless. Ron aimed the grapple at the trees above Kim and fired. The first shot fell short, so he recovered the line, moved upstream to higher ground and tried again. This time the grapple held. In the distance Ron could hear the faint whine of engines upstream from their location. He released the trigger and let the grapple pull him up and across the stream. He landed safely on the ledge a few feet from Kim.

Reaching into his backpack, he pulled out several emergency flares. He lit one and tossed it toward the wolf. Two more followed. The wolf cowered before the fire and sound of the flares and headed back down the ledge.

Turning to Kim he asked, "Are you OK? What happened?"

"Something happened to the jet pack. I couldn't stay airborne, but I managed to steer myself away from the stream and onto this ledge. The jet pack quit completely maybe 10 or 20 feet up. I was able to cushion my landing, but I hit my head on the rocks and apparently twisted my knee when I landed. I can't stand on my left leg," she replied. "And I feel a little dizzy."

Ron keyed the kimmunicator. "Wade, I've got her."

"Boo-yah," Wade exclaimed. "Plug the kimmunicator into her suit so I can get a full set of readings." Ron complied. "Full diagnostics indicate she has a slight concussion and has probably blown out her left knee. Anything else I can't see?"

Kim responded, "I have a big cut on my forehead, but it's not bleeding. No other damage I can see. This suit rocks. Without it I would be a bundle of scrapes and bruises if not frozen."

"Wade," Ron interjected, "I heard engine noises from upstream before I came across. How much time before Dementor's goons get here?"

"At most 10 minutes," came the unwelcome reply, "and GJ is still behind them. When Dementor's goons stop it will probably take GJ five minutes to close the gap."

"They're still on our side of the stream?" Ron asked as he piled snow onto the fire, hoping to kill the heat signature.

"Affirmative." Wade replied.

"Let GJ and the rescue team know we're moving. We'll use my jet pack and get to the other side, as far down stream as we can with the fuel I have left. Ron out."

Ron used the harness from Kim's jet pack to rig a carrier for her, allowing him to keep his hands free to operate the jet pack. The roar of engines was much too close for comfort before the two teens were again airborne. They were some 500 yards downstream when Dementor's force reached the edge of the cliff above Kim's makeshift camp. They scanned the area around them looking for a heat signature. Ron and Kim were able to put a little more distance between themselves and their pursuers before the heat of the jet pack was detected. Part of Dementor's force remained at the edge of the cliff firing in the direction of the retreating heroes, while the remainder mounted their snowmobiles and set off down stream.

The contour of the land changed about a mile downstream. Cliffs now flanked both sides of the stream. Ron selected a peak of rock on the opposite bank, steered the jet pack behind it and landed. He helped Kim to a place of relative safety behind the peak. "What's the plan?" Kim asked.

"We hold the high ground, so as long as the storm holds off we can see anybody who might be coming after us." Ron said. "Dementor's men are on the other side of the stream. The stream is in a small canyon at this point, so they have no good way to get across. Hopefully we can hold out here until either search and rescue or GJ get here."

Just then the kimmunicator beeped. "Go, Wade," Ron answered.

"Just an update. GJ caught up with some of Dementor's goons who were taking pot shots at you guys. They have them in custody, and have moved out after the rest of Dementor's force. They can't bring their hoverjet closer because there's no clear space big enough to land it. There is an unidentified aircraft approaching from upstream, probably Dementor's. You need to find some overhead cover now."

"Ron, take the fusion generator and get out of here," Kim told him. "I'll be alright until the rescue team shows up."

"Sorry, KP, being the distraction is my job. I'm staying. But we need to move back into the trees. Dementor has eyes in the sky." Ron looked around to make they left nothing important behind, then picked Kim up and headed into the trees.

Kim tugged at his arm, pointing. "Over their, Ron," she said. "It looks like some kind of a shelter."

Ron moved in the direction she indicated. They reached a stone shelter big enough for perhaps four people. "Must be a rest station for hikers," Ron said as he carefully lowered Kim to one of the wooden benches inside the shelter. Unfortunately the shelter was not designed for winter comfort. It did little to block the chill winds of the approaching storm. There was a small fire pit in the far corner of the shelter and a small supply of wood. Ron quickly built a fire and lit it with Kim's lipstick laser. He helped Kim to a seat near the fire, and then turned his attention back to the outside world.

"Give me an update, Wade." Ron spoke into the kimmunicator.

"GJ is on top of the goons on the far bank as we speak. They shouldn't give you any trouble. The unidentified aircraft is definitely Dementor's but I have no idea what if any weapons it carries. The rescue team is holding up about half a mile downstream until all the bad guys are handled."

"Thanks, Wade. Ron out." He turned to Kim and said, "looks like we might get out of this after all."

She smiled at him saying, "I never doubted it."

Just then Dementor's hoverjet flew overhead. They relaxed momentarily as the engines faded into the distance, but then tensed as it circled back. Fortunately the narrow stream bank offered no opportunity to land, and Dementor's instructions to recover the fusion generator intact precluded destruction of the shelter and those inside. Four of Dementor's henchmen rappelled down from the hoverjet and began to move toward the shelter, firing lasers in an attempt to force Ron and Kim to keep their heads down until they could get close enough for a capture.

Kim noticed a faint glow surround Ron. She was surprised when a sword appeared in his hand, immediately transforming itself into a large shield with a mirror finish. He moved out from the shelter toward the approaching henchmen. Ron's first target was the hoverjet. He angled the shield so that the beams from all four of the henchmen's weapons were directed upward toward the hoverjet. At least one of the beams found a critical target, and the hoverjet spun into the trees on the far side of the stream. Now only the henchmen remained.

Kim watched from the relative safety of the shelter, silently cursing her jet pack, damaged knee, and Dementor for putting Ron in such danger. 'I should be out there with him, but there's not a damn thing I can do.'

'Yes there is. Take the two on the left.'

'Where did that come from?' she asked herself as the four henchmen moved into the trees, attempting to surround Ron. Bracing herself against the wall, Kim moved painfully to the door of the shelter. She saw the henchmen had separated, two of them approaching across the clearing and two attempting to sneak through the woods to surround them. The tree branches were covered with snow. As two of the henchmen moved under a particularly large tree, Kim fired her grapple into its higher branches and pulled, causing the top of the tree to bend and shake. This triggered a cascade of snow all the way down the tree, burying the two unfortunate henchmen in snow up to their necks. Ron was no longer in danger of being surrounded.

The remaining henchmen moved toward Ron, still firing. Ron's shield was taking multiple hits from the laser rifles. The two henchmen had separated enough that he couldn't use their fire against them without exposing himself. Ron dropped and rolled to the left with laser bursts following him. 'Either this works or I'm a dead man,' he thought to himself, hoping the blade could change into more than just antique weapons. Fortunately it could. Two laser bolts flashed close to him as a taser appeared in his hand. Ron took careful aim and dropped both henchmen.

Meanwhile Dementor's other two goons managed to dig their way out of the snow Kim dumped on them and began moving toward the shelter. Kim ducked behind the low stone wall of the shelter, while Ron attempted to draw their attention. He fired at them, but they were out of range, moving to put the shelter between themselves and Ron, firing lasers in his direction. As Kim watched, Ron stood as if in meditation. The glow surrounding him grew brighter. She saw several laser blasts strike with no apparent effect. The sword was back in his hand, pointed toward the henchmen. Kim's eyes went wide as she saw the blue glow travel down the length of the blade, forming two blue orbs which flashed from the tip of the blade, stunning the two remaining henchmen.

Ron slowly staggered toward the shelter. He leaned briefly against the doorframe, and then collapsed. The glow surrounding him and the sword ceased. Kim felt her feeling of safety and comfort fade. She crawled over to him, calling, "Ron are you alright?" When he didn't answer, she did a quick check for pulse and breathing. Both were extremely slow. She activated the kimmunicator. "Ron's down, Wade. How much longer before we get some help?"