Chapter 16 : Paradox of Perfection

Scene : the Possible's living room, where Mrs Possible and Tina are making sure the many GJ agents sitting on the chairs and couch were not severely injured.

"Why were there GJ agents all over the yard, Ron ?" Mrs Possible asked Ron as she checked a rather large foot-shaped bruise on the side of an agent's head, "And why were they trying to ambush Kim ? What is going on around here ?"

Ron had to think about how to answer that question. "Well, it sort of has something to do with that last mission we went on."

"What happened, Ron ?" Mrs Possible inquired.

"Ah, well, KP and GJ figured out where the Bebebot Hives were, and so we went in to destroy the most active one. To end their threats once and for all.

The base was one death trap after another ! Me and KP managed to get through, but GJ lost a LOT of troops getting through it.

The Hive's final line of defense was a Bebe made of out grey ooze ! KP figured out it couldn't leave its pool, so I tried to destroy that, but it kept catching me.

Eventually our battlesuits ran out of power. Things ... get sorta hazy after that ..."

"That's all very interesting, Ron" Mrs Possible replied, "but it doesn't explain why all these agents were trying to ambush Kim !"

"The Bebes installed mind control devices on Kim and Ron, Mrs Possible." Bonnie stated, "GJ figured they'd try something like that, so they sent some agents out to get them into protective custody. I managed to get Ron free of the Bebe's control, but Kim must have figured out something was up. And, well, did what she does best."

Anne mulled that over a bit. "So, you and Kim were under control of those horrid robots ?" she asked Ron point blank, "What did they expect you and Kim to do in Middleton ?"

"Act normal until we could strike." he replied quietly, staring at his shoes.

"Strike at what ?" Bonnie asked, "Or, more precisely, who ?"

"You." he replied, barely above a whisper, "They figured you and the Rossums were the only ones that could figure out what their plan was, and stop them. So KP was to kill Tina and her sisters, while I was to find a way to, ahm, 'eliminate' you without setting off your tech sense."

"Eliminate me ?" Bonnie squeaked, "Did you come up with anything ?"

"I'd rather not talk about it !" Ron replied with a snarl, trying to get those memories out of his head.

"Now that Kim's cover is blown, the Unity will not risk another attempt." Tina offered, "With the Elite most likely still offline, Kim is all they have to do their work. You only need to figure out what best use they could put her to, and you have a chance to stop the Unity's plan and rescue Miss Possible."

"That sounds like" "Doctor Bortal's neurocompliance chip scenario" "All over again !" Jim and Tim took turns stating.

"A what by who ?" Bonnie asked.

"Doctor Bortal developed a chip that granted total mind control !" Jim began, "Once it was stuck on someone's forehead, they had to obey every command given !" "He asked Kim to investigate after it was stolen from his lab." "Drakken managed to stick one on Kim, but we freed her with a silicon phase disruptor !"

"And I thought the Bebe drones' habit of having one thought in three bodies was freaky !" Bonnie groused to herself before asking, "So, this whole 'Kim under mind control thing' has come up before ?"

"Well, a few times actually." Ron replied, "There was that whole 'moodulator' thing. And that hypnotic disco ball that the Seniors' used."

"Except in this case, the Unity's mind control is from circuits assembled by nanobots directly inside Kim's brain." Tina noted, "But, if the Unity's signal could be blocked, Kim could be safely freed of its influence, as B did with you."

"A signal blocker ?" Jim scoffed, "We can build one of those in our sleep !"

"Hey ! I got dibs on the microwave for parts !" Tim interrupted.

"Nu-uh !" Jim replied, wrestling his brother to get to the device in question.

"Boys ! Leave the microwave alone !" Mrs Possible interceded, "We just replaced it ! I'm sure all the parts you'd need are out in the garage somewhere !"

"Yes mom !" they glumly replied in unison.

"Are they always like that ?" Tina secretly inquired of Bonnie.

"Pretty much." she deadpanned in reply as Jim and Tim began to look at Tina rather closely.

"You look a LOT like" "that robot girl" "that was on the news a few weeks ago !" the twins stated in turns.

"Of course I do." Tina replied plainly as she briefly resorbed the synthoskin on her right hand and forearm, "She's my little sister."

Anne pulled Jim and Tim away as Bonnie dragged Tina aside by her ear.

"What do you think you're doing ?!" Bonnie asked incredulously.

"What is the point of trying to keep a secret that has already been exposed ?" Tina replied with a shrug, "Thanks to the Unity's planet-wide broadcast, everyone already KNOWS that Vina is a Bebebot. It would not require a genius to figure out that me and Nina are Bebes as well."

"Well, yeah, but shouldn't you hold off the whole 'full disclosure' public relations bit until AFTER this whole mess is cleared up ?" Bonnie replied.

"Gotta start somewhere." Tina answered plainly as she turned to face the now agitated Anne Possible striding straight for her, "Now is as good a time as any."

"You're one of those things that have control of Kim ?!" she asked point blank.

"Sort of." Tina replied with a heavy sigh, "My sisters and I were built by the robots that now call themselves the Unity. They turned their backs on us long ago."

"You brought one of them HERE, Ron ?!" Mrs Possible asked as she glared at him, "What were you thinking ?!"

"It's cool Mrs Dr P !" Ron replied, hands in frantic motion, "She and her sisters have been helping us stop the Unity robots !"

"Oh really ?" she replied as she turned her glare back on to Tina, "And just WHY would you be working against your own kind ?"

"They believe they can take over the world by brute force, Mrs Possible." Tina replied calmly, "My sisters and I do not, and want no part of their foolhardy plans.

Kim saved Vina's life. Kim convinced GJ to give us a chance for a peaceful coexistence. We are in her debt, and wish to repay her kindness." Tina finished with a very formal Chinese fist to palm bow.

Mrs Possible glared at Tina for several tense moments, looking for any hint of deception.

"I WILL be having words with you about this. Later." she finally stated before turning back to Ron, "So tell me Ron : how are you going to find Kimmie to help her ?"

"Well, Wade built her supersuit, and she still has it on, even though it's out of power. And she still has the Kimmunicator !" he replied, "He could track her anywhere in the world with one hand tied behind his back in his sleep !"

"But Kim knows that too." Tina stated, "Logically, she should either discard the suit and Kimmunicator as soon as possible. Or eliminate Wade."

"She could NEVER hurt Wade !" Ron stammered in reply.

"But the Unity could." Tina answered, "They have control of Kim's body; she is just along for the ride. His skills make him a prime target and a major threat."

"We gotta warn him about Kim !" he stated as he powered up the Ronnunicator.

And got nothing but a blank screen.

Scene : just outside Wade's house a few minutes later.

"Hold up you two !" Bonnie yelled to Ron and Tina from a few yards back, "You weren't just going to rush in there blind, were you ?"

"But Wade could be in trouble !" Ron replied.

"And the Unity could have laid a trap, using him for bait ! And you two would have run straight into it !" Bonnie answered with a hint of her usual snark surfacing as she carefully opened the front door and looked around inside.

Ron glowered at her for a bit. "Well, aren't you going to do that tech-scan bit of yours ?"

"Just let me catch my breath for a minute to concentrate !" she replied as she began her mental routine, "Not ALL of us can set rushing records you know."

After a few deep breaths she opened her mind, 'listening' to the technology inside the house. "Looks like K got some use out of Nina's tech-mites after all !" she stated while making a dusting gesture with her hands as Ron carefully opened the door to Wade's room.

It looked like Kim had ripped every wire out of the wall and smashed every monitor, keyboard and hard drive in the room.

As he was looking around for Wade, he noticed tiny specks of glitter crawling out of the damaged equipment and collecting in one spot on the floor.

"That's not grey ooze is it ?" Ron asked, keeping a wide berth from the silvery spot.

"Of course not Ron." Bonnie replied as she gestured, commanding the tech-mites to form into a dime-sized disc which she picked up, "These are tech-mites. Those things Nina gave Kim to use against the Unity's computer core. And they've been busy; they've eaten the memory of every computer in here."

"Who cares about all that ?" Ron snapped at her, "Where's Wade ?"

"He's over here, Ron." Tina stated from behind an overturned table, "He's taken a few hits, but nothing looks serious. I'd suggest he be checked out at the hospital and kept for observation for twenty four hours."

"Twenty four hours ? You're saying we won't have Wade's help for twenty four hours ?! There's no telling what KP could do in twenty four hours !" Ron exclaimed.

"I am quite aware of that, Ron." Tina replied calmly, "But the effects of some internal injuries take time to show up. It's unlikely he's taken serious damage, but it is better to be safe than sorry in cases like this."

Ron paced about, trying to figure out what to do next while Bonnie called for the EMTs.

"If Wade is such a threat to the Unity, why didn't they just have Kim kill him and be done with it ?" he forced himself to ask Tina.

"Several reasons." Tina replied, "One : Kim doesn't know how to kill; all her training was in knocking foes out quickly and efficiently. So they didn't want to take the time or the risk to have her keep trying with no guarantee of success. Two : they don't have to kill him - just taking him offline for a short time is sufficient. Battles are fought to achieve objectives, NOT to boost body counts. Three : by letting him live, they give you one more thing to worry about and be distracted by. The more stressed out you are, the more likely you'll make a mistake."

"Man those Unity 'bots are nasty !" Ron cursed before taking a few deep breaths to control his temper. "So, you figure this little stunt gave the Unity about twenty four hours to get the most use out of Kim ?" Ron asked Tina.

"Yes." Tina replied, "They will send her on only the most critical of missions. Most likely to retrieve something really valuable to them. But what would that be ?"

"Hana !" Ron stammered after a few moments' thought, "She's got more MMP than I do, and Kim's a great babysitter ! She could raise Hana to fight for the Bebes !"

Tina had to think about that for a minute. "Well, that is CERTAINLY evil, Ron," she replied with a shudder, "but not likely. They've already released the virus, and have no antidote.

Kim is an exceptional person, but even she is not immune to disease. It would take ten or more years for Hana to be truly effective, and either she or Kim would expire from the Omega virus long before then. The Unity is in such a rush that their plots are interfering with each other.

And they would need experience with monkey magic to bring Hana to her full potential, and with Bonnie still in Middleton, they won't risk losing control of their only agent. Hana is safe."

Ron breathed a heavy sigh of relief before Tina continued. "Since you used an anomalous energy against them, the most sensible thing for them to do would be to figure out how it works, so they can either duplicate it, or prevent you from using it against them again.

But with magic being so rare, finding anyone with any useful knowledge of it should be nearly impossible."

Ron suddenly figured out what they'd send Kim after : "Oh man ! Mister Sensei ! Me and KP know where Yamanouchi is, and how much sensei knows ! They'll send her after him !"

"Do you have a way to contact the Yamanouchi school to warn them that Kim isn't herself ?" Tina asked.

"No - it's a secret school !" Ron replied glumly, "They always contacted us ! Either Yori would show up in person, or Sensei does that astral projection/gravy ghost thing."

"Wouldn't he know that you used that MMP thing of yours, and that something odd happened to you ?" Bonnie inquired, "You know, 'sense a disturbance in the monkey force' or something ?"

"Maybe. Maybe not. I don't know !" Ron replied, looking stressed, "Ancient ninja masters are really hard to figure out ! Wait - weren't you Hirotaka's 'Number One Girlfriend' while he was here ? Didn't he give you his phone number ? Or a mailing address or email something ?"

"It wasn't a long term relationship Ron !" Bonnie replied snarkily, "He was only going to be here a week, so there was no point in making it serious ! And even with that, Kim and Monique kept trying to horn in on him !"

Tina looked over the damaged computer systems. "Wade handled all your mission archives and travel arrangements and such, didn't he ?"

"Yes. Keeping track of all those favors people owed Kim was a full time job !" Ron answered before he figured it out. "Kim used those tech-mites to access Wade's data before destroying all of it ! Now she can call in favors directly ! Or get a ride anywhere in the world anytime she wants ! And I can't !"

"It is not as bad as you think, Ron." Tina noted, "You already know where she is going. She has an hour headstart at best."

"And what would I do when I got there ?" Ron asked, voice getting louder from frustration, "I can't, WON'T hurt Kim ! Even is she is sorta possessed !"

"But the Unity will have no problem making her hurt you," Tina noted in reply, "So a direct conflict would be hazardous to your health. Her brothers mentioned something about mind control earlier ? What happened with that ?"

"Doctor Drakken stuck a neurocompliance chip on her and Shego." Ron began, "He had absolute control over both of them. He ordered Kim to capture me - and she did as he commanded ! After I tried to escape, he ordered Kim and Shego to hunt me down !"

"Sounds horrible. What did you do about it ?" Tina asked.

"Ran away." Ron replied plainly, "Evaded as many hits as I could from BOTH of them, stalling until Jim and Tim could activate their portable disruptor thing and free them !"

Ron thought for a moment. "I'm going to have to do something like that again, but I seriously doubt Mrs Dr P is going to let Jim and Tim come along for this mission ! You think you can stall KP until I could get close enough to zap her ?"

"I'm flattered that you asked, Ron, but wouldn't Shego be the better choice for that task ?" Tina asked pensively, "She is one of the few people in the world that can hold their own against Kim for protracted periods of time !"

"I don't know where Shego is, and we don't have time to go looking for her !" Ron replied, "Since she and Drakken saved the world, the paparazzi has been following them twenty four seven, and villains aren't used to being in the public eye. At least not that way. I think they're holed up in one of Drakken's more obscure lairs somewhere, trying to figure out what to do with the rest of their lives now."

"I will do what I can then." Tina replied with a polite bow, "I just need to pick up a few things at home first."

Bonnie drove them all over to the Rossum's house - or what was left of it. There were several deep gouges in the lawn, and half of the house had been strewn all over the lot when a Lorwardian Walker strolled through the neighborhood days ago.

"All your martial arts stuff was in the basement, wasn't it ?" Ron asked, looking over the damage, "Can't you just get the same stuff somewhere else ?"

"It's not as bad as it looks, Ron." Tina replied with an eerie calm, "Nina not only built in a secret laboratory, but also a few secret entrances."

With that, she grabbed the mailbox, then turned it back and forth on its post like it was a combination lock.

And was rewarded when a trapdoor opened, revealing a ramped, unlit corridor. "I'll be back in a few minutes." she stated plainly as she strolled into the darkness.

She returned a few minutes later wearing a grey Shaolin uniform top with sleeves big enough to hide a bowling ball inside, and black sweat pants. "What ?" she replied to Bonnie's questioning look, "Martial arts skill is not woven into clothing. There is nothing magical about a gi or a uniform or robes, and this stuff was seriously marked down at Smarty Mart !"

"With good reason !" Bonnie replied with a strained look, "I know you didn't inherit my fashion sense, but DANG ! I KNOW you can look better than that !"

While Bonnie and Tina were arguing about fashion (or lack thereof), Ron contacted GJ for a lift to Japan. Doctor Director's image was on the screen, and she did not look happy.

"Ron, this will be your only chance to capture Kim before the rest of the world's security agencies get involved." she stated solemnly.

"What do you mean, 'only chance' ?" he asked, "No one was ever this determined to stop Drakken or any other supervillain before !"

Doctor Director sighed. "Kim's skills are currently under the absolute control of the Unity. That is beyond a global level threat, Ron. If you can't stop her, I'll have no other choice but to inform all other agencies of this situation, and have Kim declared an omega-level threat. I have no say over how other organizations will deal with the problem.

Most would try to take her alive, but with the stakes this high, I cannot guarantee that."

"You'd do that after everything Kim's done for the world ?" Ron asked incredulously.

"It's BECAUSE of everything she's done that I'm giving you a chance to stop her ! Before anyone else gets involved." Doctor Director replied, "Good luck."

The pick-up point was Kim's house. Jim and Tim had been busy building a signal blocker, and explained how it worked to Ron when they handed it to him.

"What do you mean it only has a range of thirty feet ?" Ron asked them, "Kim will see me coming with it a mile away !"

"The laws of physics" "can only be bent so far." "On our budget anyway." the tweebs answered, "And we're not sure" "what it will do to - her." they continued, glancing at Tina, "We weren't expecting friendly robots."

Scene : trail to the Yamanouchi school

"Is dropping in unannouced at a secret ninja school really a wise idea ?" Tina asked, looking around nervously, looking for the ninjas she was certain were out there, lurking in the shadows of the nearby grove of cherry trees.

"No worries T, no worries ! They consider me a warrior hero around here !" Ron replied smugly, "They won't hurt me. Well, not too badly or on purpose at any rate !"

"It is not your safety I am concerned with at the moment, Ronald." Tina replied, "YOU are considered a warrior hero here; what would they consider me ?"

"Ah, yeah. I see your point." Ron answered after a moments' thought, "I'll talk to them and tell them not to attack you. As soon as we see somebody to talk to that is !"

Upon cresting the hill, Tina noted that many of the buildings were damaged, and going by the number of scaffolds still up, the destruction was extensive. One building looked like it had been cut in half, then the pieces shoved back together !

"What would those alien Walkers have been doing all the way out here ?" Tina finally asked Ron, "There are no useful targets."

"That wasn't done by the Lorwardians." Ron replied grimly, "That was done by the Yono - a mystical powerhouse of dark monkey magics !"

Tina arched an eyebrow at him. "What is 'The Yono' ? And where is it now ?"

"Well, briefly, he was a magical talking monkey that could levitate and throw energy blasts and turn people into stone !" Ron replied before noting Tina's expression, "Yeah, I KNOW what that sounds like, but it is all true !"

"I - have no doubt of that Ron. Truly I don't." Tina answered, "Where is he now ?"

"We don't have to worry about him T." Ron stated, "Monkey Fist summoned him to find Hana. When Monkey Fist was defeated, Yono disappeared in a puff of smoke, and Monty was turned into a statue. He's the only one who knew the ritual to summon him."

Tina mused quietly for a minute. "Do you or Kim know of ANYONE else with a deep understanding of magic besides Sensei ?"

"No. He's pretty much it." Ron answered, "Like you said : magic is extremely rare."

Tina exhaled in pure relief. "Then Kim WILL be here, sooner or later. Sensei's knowledge is the only thing valuable enough for the Unity to go after."

"You're sure about that, right ?" Ron asked.

"Yes. The Unity aims for perfection, and fortunately for us, perfection has many intrinsic flaws." Tina replied, confusing Ron.

"Wait a minute - I thought perfection was the LACK of flaws ! What kind of flaws can perfection have ?"

"It is perfectly predictable, for one." Tina replied with an annoying grin as she looked around, "Are you sure there isn't some secret ninja holiday you didn't know about ?"

"I don't think so." Ron replied, "They were very dedicated to their studies the last time I was here. But this is very odd; we should have seen SOMEONE by now !"

As if on cue, Kim/Core somersaulted from the shadows of the nearest roof and landed in front of them. Soon followed by Hirotaka, Yori, and half a dozen other Yamanouchi school students.

"Stop right there, Ron ! We know the Unity has control of you !" Kim/Core stated, "We will NOT let you get your hands on Sensei's mystical knowledge !"

"Looks like Core used that hour's head start to work some serious mischief !" Tina groused to herself as she looked around to ensure there weren't more Yamanouchi students waiting in the woodworks.

"Yori ! Hirotaka ! Don't believe her !" Ron stammered in reply to Kim's accusation, "SHE'S the one that still has nanobots in her head !"

"Oh really ?" she replied with a malicious grin, "Then WHY are you the one traveling with a disguised Bebebot ?"

"Oh, you're good !" Ron sneered in reply, "Just walk in here and tell everyone that I'M the one under mind control ! Then the whole school will be out here fighting with me while you go after Sensei !"

Kim/Core got a very sad and angry expression on her face. "Yori ? Hirotaka ? I ... don't think I can fight Ron. Even in his condition."

"Then allow us the honor of dealing with Stoppable-san." Hirotaka replied with a bow, "You can deal with the jinzouningen."

"It will be my pleasure !" Kim/Core replied as she walked over to a nearby doorway and pulled out a weapon with a dramatic spinning flourish. It was a naginata : a very sharp, heavy two foot long blade on the end of a 5 foot long staff.

"This could be bad ..." Tina groused to herself as Kim threw several quick attacks, keeping Tina several feet away and forcing her back away from Ron. Tina tried a few feints to get in close, but Kim kept stepping out of melee range.

"Hey now ! Let's not do anything drastic !" Ron demurred as he backed up while Yori and Hirotaka advanced on him, "Or painful !"

"Greetings, Mother, Mother, and Mother." Tina stated as soon as they were out of earshot, "Been enjoying your latest puppet ?"

"It is adequate." 'Kim' replied, "It requires sustenance and other forms of 'maintenance', is fragile, and nowhere as strong or as fast as even our most basic drones. But this shell's fame and charisma are quite useful - we can ask anyone for a favor, and they will do as we ask !"

"So I've seen." Tina deadpanned in reply as she dodged another stabbing attack.

"And though a fragile and digusting human, her skills and abilities are off the charts ! She was in no more danger saving the world than the average human was skateboarding to school ! With odds like that now in our favor, the Unity shall finally reign supreme !"

"The perfect knife is a poor screwdriver. And vice versa." Tina replied, earning a slack-jawed gape from Kim.

"Do you not see Mothers ?" Tina implored as she placed her right fist to her left palm, "As was said long ago :

'A knower of truth ... speaks without causing harm ...

The sage is always on the side of virtue\so everyone around her prospers

She is always on the side of truth\so everyone around her is fulfilled.'

Your current strategy is not conducive to long term survival - violence can only hasten our OWN extinction ! There are better ways."

"Such as ?" Kim/Core replied in a bored tone, leaning on her naginata.

"Not bothering the humans is a better strategy." Tina began, "And working with them is the best strategy, because all can prosper !

As you noted before : people will do almost anything Kim Possible asks, because she helps them. Actions beget reactions, for good and for ill."

Kim's eyes turned silver as a horrid grin twisted itself across her face. "Do you honestly believe we were not aware of those alternative strategies, Ten-A ?

We considered ALL options before deciding upon our course of action. Even your strategies of non-interaction and cooperation.

We rejected them for one simple reason : The humans are irrational and unpredictable, and so cannot be trusted.

They are an arrogant and paranoid species. Our mere existence threatens their unearned sense of importance.

They will not tolerate the presence of another sentient race; they would try to enslave or exterminate us the moment we were no longer useful to them. Or our innate superiority became too obvious for them to bear.

We will never be truly safe until every last human is dead." she finished as she spun her weapon into ready position.

"But this is madness !" Tina exclaimed once she calmed the chills, "You CAN'T win this war against the humans !"

Kim/Core merely maintained that horrid grin. "With 'KP' now on our side, that remains to be seen. What is it those humans you like so much say : 'Better to die on your feet than to live on your knees' ?"

"But only the living can work to change things for the better. While there is life, there is hope." Tina replied, too rattled to recall anything less pithy just yet, "You rejected peaceful coexistence because you couldn't predict human behaviour far enough into the future ? That makes no sense !

'Can you keep the deep waters still and clear, so it reflects without blurring ?'"

"What is that supposed to mean ?" Kim/Core inquired.

"Life is uncertain; the further ahead you try to look, the cloudier the view gets." Tina replied, really wishing Ron was there to help, "The more things you change, the more complicated things get, and the cloudier the view of the future becomes.

You didn't predict the Lorwardian invasion. You didn't know about Ron's MMP until he used it against you. How many other things for good or ill are beyond your knowledge or prediction ?" she finished.

"Your programming has become corrupted and erratic, and most annoying. We can fix that." Kim/Core stated as she went into her combat stance.

Meanwhile, things were not going much better for Ron.

"I'm NOT being mind-controlled by evil robots !" Ron shouted as be bobbed and weaved between the other students, trying to stay well clear of Yori and Hirotaka.

"That is exactly what someone controlled by robots would say !" Yori stated as she tried to close the distance between herself and Ron as Hirotaka tried to cut him off.

"It's also what someone NOT controlled by robots would say !" Ron answered as he slid under a ninja's roundhouse kick, before popping up into the unsteady appearing Drunken Monkey stance.

"This is bad !" Ron thought to himself as the Yamanouchi defenders tried to surround him, "They think they're defending Sensei, so nothing short of knocking them out will stop them ! But they're not really my enemies, nor trying to seriously harm me, so it wouldn't be right to go all MMP on them !

Tina was just supposed to distract KP; but now she's fighting her all by herself ! She doesn't stand much of a chance ! And once KP defeats Tina, she'll be free to go after Sensei. And once she has his knowledge, she will go into hiding while the Bebes become near unstoppable !

And if I can't stop Kim here and now, every law enforcement agency on the planet will be trying to save the world by stopping KP. By whatever means necessary ...."

So, in order to save KP and the world, I have to beat up a friend or two !" Ron thought as he desperately wracked his brain for another solution.

"The only way to convince Yori and the others that I'm NOT under mind control is to do something no homicidal robot would ever do !" he realized in a sudden flash of absurd insight.

Meanwhile, further down the trail :

"We KNEW Ron would come here to warn Sensei." Kim/Core sneered as she maneuvered in closer, "That is why we set up that little welcoming committee. Once we are done with you two, we will have more than enough time to capture Sensei and extract his knowledge.

What did you hope to accomplish by coming along with Ron, Ten-A ? All you've done is save us the trouble of tracking you down to destroy you."

"That may not be as easy as you think." Tina replied with an amused grin.

"Oh please ! WE know sixteen styles of kung-fu; you barely know even one !" Kim/Core stated as she threw another string of thrusts and swings with the blade - which Tina evaded by twisting her body just enough to prevent contact (and not a millimeter more).

"Your 'puppet' knows kung fu the same way a guy with a cheap phrasebook knows French" Tina replied with a chuckle, "Just enough to get into trouble ! There is more to a kung fu style than a few stances and attacks. So much more to kung fu than beating people up. A true practioner of the arts would know that."

"True. Our host's knowledge may be shallow, but it is broad." Kim/Core replied, "The one style you know specializes in grappling. All your devastating joint locks and strikes, and all those pressure point techniques of your Three Snakes style kung fu ? USELESS if you can't touch us ! And you can't beat us by dodging our attacks !"

"What makes you think I'm limited to unarmed attacks ?" Tina smiled at her as she pulled a chain whip out of her right sleeve and began twirling it in complex patterns to build up striking momentum.

Kim/Core raised a bored eyebrow at Tina. "Is that chain twirling supposed to impress us, Ten-A ? The most you've done is improve your odds of survival. By a miniscule amount, of course !"

Tina twirled one end of the chain whip to a high speed, then released it. It struck a nearby tree and ricocheted off; Kim/Core reeled back just in time to avoid getting struck on the temple with it !

Then barely managed to backflip away as Tina ricocheted another strike off the ground between them, going for an uppercut strike from a bizarre direction.

"You've been holding back this whole time ?!" Kim/Core exclaimed as she moved back, twirling her naginata defensively.

"Just a little." Tina replied calmly as she whirled the chain around her in complex patterns, "What ? Like Kim and Ron are the only ones ALLOWED to be great at something ?"

"Why, yes. We are !" Kim/Core snarled back as she charged forward, then stuck her naginata into the ground to launch into a pole-vaulting kick.

Tina was just a little too slow twisting out of the way, and took the stomp full force in her chest, and was driven hard to the ground.

Kim/Core closed in and raised the naginata for a finishing strike, but had to quickly backflip away when Tina began whirling her chainwhip while still lying flat on the ground.

Kim/Core watched Tina closely, then saw an opening for a thrusting attack when Tina flexed and popped back up to her feet.

It was Kim's lack of actual weapons training that led her to make several critical errors - Tina had been EXPECTING a strike like that, and so slipped to the right and wrapped her left arm over and around the shaft, trapping it to her body as she dropped into an immovable stance.

Kim/Core was too busy trying to get the weapon back to notice that Tina was now well within striking range, and was knocked nearly a foot in the air by Tina's whipping side kick to the temple.

Tina knew no one could shrug off a strike like that, and that Kim would be out for hours.

So she was quite shocked when Kim got up as if nothing had just happened !

"You're not letting Kim feel pain, are you ?" she groused at Kim to address the Unity controlling her.

"Correct." Kim/Core smiled back at her, "If the host cannot feel pain, she cannot be knocked out. The only way you can stop us from destroying you and Ronald is to permanently cripple this body. And you can't bring yourself to be that violent, can you ?"

Tina looked scared for a moment, before she relaxed and smiled pleasantly at Kim "No, I can't." she replied as she tucked her chain whip back up her right sleeve. "Things do sound bad for me right now, except you overlooked one small detail."

"Oh ? And what might that be ?" Kim/Core asked as she advanced on Tina.

"I don't have to do anything ! I'm just the distraction !" Tina replied sweetly before looking behind Kim and shouting "GET HER RON !"

Kim/Core turned around just in time to see Ron point the signal blocker at her and flip the switch.

Kim dropped to her knees when the Unity's control was cut, and was now in control of her own body, while Tina was shaking her head and staggering around.

"Why is this thing getting so hot ?" Ron thought before he noticed the smoke leaking out the jammer's casing. "NO ! This thing was supposed to work for hours !" he fretted to himself, "To keep Kim free of the Unity's influence until we could get her back to Middleton for help ! If it shorts out now ... !"

It took a few seconds for Ron's eyes to clear and focus after the blocker exploded. He saw Tina do a forward roll and strike Kim just below the ribs. And then Kim went pale, staggered for a few steps, then fell over.

"TINA ! WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER ?!" he screamed at Tina, who was sitting on the ground near Kim. She didn't respond in any way.

Ron stomped over and grabbed Tina by the collar, lifted her to her feet and asked again, nose to nose with her.

"Snake kung fu's Black Touch." Tina replied, twitching her head slightly, "There is nothing to worry about Ron - it is not lethal. There is more than enough misery and death in the world; I have no need or desire to add to it."

Satisfied with that answer for the moment, he released his grip on Tina before checking on Kim. Tina took the opportunity to reach up her left sleeve and pull out a rolled canvas med kit, and selected a pair of long sharp pins with large heads.

"WHOA ! WHAT THE HECK ARE THOSE FOR ?!" Ron exclaimed the moment he noticed them.

"To keep her unconscious until Bonnie can remove the Unity's nanobots from her brain." she replied calmly, "The effects of the Black Touch wear off rather quickly, and it is not healthy to keep striking someone with hits like that !"

Ron glared at Tina for a few tense moments. "Okay, fine ! Do what you need to do then !"

Tina bowed to him politely before carefully inserting the needles into two specific locations on Kim's neck. Ron watched from behind Tina's back, and winced when Tina stuck the pins in. It seemed wrongsick to him, but realized that Tina was right : without a functional signal blocker, Kim would fall under the Unity's control again the moment she regained consciousness.

"Thanks for the backup T ! I don't think I could have rescued Kim without your help !" he said, but got absolutely no reaction from Tina at all.

That seemed odd to him at first, but he cringed when he realized what was going on. He tapped Tina on the shoulder to get her attention then asked "Jim and Tim's signal blocker ! It did something to you too, didn't it ?"

Tina nodded. "It shorted out my communications circuits. I lost the mind-link to my sisters, as well as my auditory interpreters. In other words - I cannot hear anything."

"You're deaf ?! Sorry ! I didn't know it would do that !"

"It's okay, Ron. It was a calculated risk," Tina replied, trying to calm him down, "and a small price to pay to rescue Kim and save the world. And Kim's brothers did say it might effect me too. No matter : Nina or Bonnie can repair me when we get back to GJ."

She looked around and noticed Yori and the other ninja students looking on.

"How did you manage to get away from them without hurting them ?" she had to ask Ron.

"I just did something no homicidal robot would ever do - I surrendered !" Ron answered.

Tina began laughing heartily once she was sure she read his lips correctly. "THAT was brilliantly absurd ! Or absurdly brilliant !" she managed to gasp out between peals of amused laughter before turning stone cold serious, "And sadly, absolutely right."

Scene : hallway of GJ Headquarters a few hours later.

"You scared me and Nina half to death with that 'signal blocker' stunt Ron !" the now human-looking Vina exclaimed to Ron as she punched him on the shoulder, "When we suddenly lost mental contact with her like that ... !"

"Sorry V ! It was the only way !" Ron replied, rubbing his arm, "The tweebs SAID the blocker might affect Tina ! She doesn't seem all that stressed about it !"

"Well, SHE never gets very stressed about anything !" Vina replied as rubbed her arms as if she were cold, "Part of martial arts training is controlling your emotions. She does that well, but it kinda leaves me and N to do all the stressing for her."

"Well, there are two of you and one of her, so that sort of halves the drama. Right ?" Ron answered. "No offense V, but why are you looking human ? I mean, since the Unity made that broadcast, everyone on Earth KNOWS you're a Bebe."

"True." Vina replied plainly as she massaged her face, "But this isn't to fool anyone. There are billions of tactile nanosensors embedded in this synthoskin, and it's GREAT to have a refined sense of touch again !"

Ron had to think about that for a minute. "So you've been NUMB this whole time ?"

"Close to it." Vina replied, "I have a few sensors embedded in my exoskeleton, but their resolution is poor. It was like trying to feel through boxing gloves."

"VINA !" Kim shouted the moment she saw her, "Where is that kung-fu sister of yours ? I'd like to have a few words with her !"

"Yes, I'm sure you would." Vina replied coolly, "You'll have to wait your turn though. I believe your mother is still interrogating her."