KP All Grown Up v2.0: Future Stoppable for Team Tri Stoppable
AN: Prepare for some surprises coming up in this and the following chapters!
Chapter 56: Trouble Comes in Droves!
(At King Rat's Island)
Jesse knew that given the high security going on at the castle, his best friend, a girl whom he had known practically all his life and that had also recently found out that loved him was definitely in the castle. Plus a strong feeling in his gut told him that she was waiting for him in there.
Jesse still was undecided as to how he felt about Cindy but that didn't matter at the moment. She needed him and seeing how he had never let her down before, he wasn't planning on starting. He was surprised however that his idea not only been welcomed but surprisingly implemented very quickly. He had thought that at least his own mother would have griped about it but she didn't even do that.
He knew that his mother was both very worried and extremely upset about his father and Cindy being in the hands of dangerous villains. He guesses now that she was even more upset than she was letting on and she had already begun to worry everyone there.
Jesse is brought out of his thoughts as a hand is placed on his shoulder and he looks to see Mindy beside him with a reassuring smile for him.
Mindy says, "Don't worry, the plan is a good one. We'll rescue sis and then you can take her into your arms and…"
Jesse frowns as he wonders why she wouldn't give it up. She had also tried to convince him that he loved her on the ride over. He says, "MS, I love you like a sister but please stop! Now isn't really the time for this."
Mindy pouts and says somehow with her lower lip stuck out, "Aww, you know I'm just trying to support you and my sister. I totally think you'd make a cute couple."
Jesse sighs and says, "I know, I know but you're not really helping with the situation between your sister and me. I just feel more frustrated and confused."
Just then over the radio earpiece that he was wearing a new voice says, "I hate to break up the soap opera but did we come here to rescue her or not?"
Jesse nods and says, "Yes. Is everyone in position? I don't want King Rat to have a chance to respond and move Cindy before we can get to her."
The voice over the earpiece says, "Don't you worry… they won't know what hit them! Remember, we've been at this hero thing a bit longer than you have."
Mindy says, "Maybe so but some of you also retired to raise your family too"
Another new voice over the earpiece says, "Hey! Is that a shot? It sounded like a shot to me! What do you guys say? I don't have to take this after all."
The first voice says, "Stop it, you know that you're not going to leave any more than the rest of us. Besides… this is good training."
Mindy says, "Can we cut the chatter before they pick up our transmissions?"
The first two voices suddenly and quickly say, "Sorry!"
Jesse rolls his eyes and says, "Ok, let's start this. I'm anxious to get Cindy back before King Rat or Animal can do anything to her." He sees Mindy as she looks like she is about to say something and he mouths, "Don't you start!" which gets another pout from her before she mouths back at him, "spoilsport!"
Jesse turns back to the castle as the traveling caravan makes it's way up to the castle doors and just like the Trojan horse, it was accepted into the walls which would have kept them out.
A few moments later Jesse and Mindy could see explosions of color come from inside, causing the lights along the walls to go out and even the lasers surrounding the walls shut off.
Jesse grins and runs straight at the wall, activating the matter-attractor devices on his feet so he could quite literally run straight up the all without having to slow down. He had suction cups and grappling hooks on standby in case he needed them though. As Kim had once told him, sometimes old school was better than all the fancy technology and certainly less expected in these days of high technology.
Jesse runs straight up the wall with Mindy by his side and he glances at her, thinking about how he wished it was Cindy by his side and just for a moment he could see Cindy there instead of Mindy.
Jesse shakes his head, focusing on getting to the 'real' Cindy. He really needed to talk to her about their situation.
Mindy looks over at Jesse and wonders if he would really be so stupid as to break her sister's heart and turn her down. Mindy shakes her head and knows that Jesse cares more about her sister than even he realizes. She had noticed in the little slip ups that he makes every now and then.
Jesse dives in through a window and immediately knocks out two guards that round the corner as they were coming to investigate the noise. He looks down at them for a moment as Mindy comes through the same window behind him.
While the guards that Jesse had knocked out were human, the next five that came next around the corner were not.
Mindy says, "Aw man… not these things! I hate rat-people!" The rat-guards apparently didn't have any love for her either as two of them attack Jesse while the remaining three attack her.
Mindy powers up and uses her mystical powers to leap up to just above the window, putting herself out of the range of the three attacking her before she uses her legs to leap down with glowing fists out to instantly knock out the two in her path. She then opens her hands to land on them and stop any forward motion long enough to look over her shoulder to see the last one coming directly behind her for an attack so she thrusts out her legs in a powerful kick, sending the last one sailing out the window!
Mindy hops back to her feet, ready to help Jesse if he needed it but all she found was two knocked out rats and no Jesse. She hesitantly says, "Uh… Jesse? Where are you?"
Jesse sticks his head out from around the corner and tosses another rat guard over his shoulder to slam upside down, unconscious before he says, "Come on, we don't have time to waste."
Mindy was impressed by how fast he had taken out that rat guard and she had thought she had handled her three fairly fast. She runs to catch up, and pauses as she rounds the corner to see more unconscious rats in the hallway! She says, "Hey Jesse! Wait up!"
Mindy saw some blood on the ground as she runs towards Jesse and since the guards didn't look hurt, she begins to worry that the blood was coming from Jesse. She catches up to him at the next corner and her eyes nearly pop out as she sees Jesse under two of the giant rats with one of them trying to use its tail to choke him!
Mindy cries out, "Jesse! I am coming!" She powers up again and slams two glowing fists into their faces to send them flying into the nearby walls where they slumped downward unconscious.
Jesse coughs for a moment as he stands up and pulls the tail free from his neck. He had been clawed and bitten by the rats, but even as he rubbed his throat his wounds disappeared quickly right before Mindy's eyes but there was still blood on the ground and the rats. He turns and says, "Thanks Mindy. I guess my impatience finally got the better of me."
Mindy looks at him with worry and says, "Jesse, I am worried about my sister too but I think she can handle herself for a bit. So don't push yourself too hard ok?"
Jesse nods and says, "Ok, ok…"
Mindy says, "Besides, we don't even know where she is exactly."
Jesse nods and says, "I know…"
Mindy was worried mostly about he blood loss that he was showing from his cuts but he didn't look any more pale for it so she guesses his healing factor was taking care of that as well. She says, "Wait, how do you know?"
Jesse stops for a second and considers taking back what he said but then he had always been honest with the girls so he says, "I don't really know to be honest. I just feel… drawn in a direction. Like the closer I get the stronger the feelings are."
Mindy tilts her head to the right in thought as she looks at her best friend and wonders if it was really possible but then she had seen stranger things happen in their line of work. She says, "Ok… so which way is this feeling telling you to go now?"
Jesse starts to rotate himself in the hallway and finally stops with a look of concentration on his face. He says, "That way and we are getting closer."
Mindy looks in the direction and says, "Ok, Northeast it is." She then says, "Did you guys hear that? My sister is Northeast of our location."
The one of the others on their team say, "Affirmative! We are still a bit busy down here but we'll clean up quickly and head your way." As if proof of that, an explosion flashes past a window.
Mindy didn't want to admit it but now that she was aware of that bond between her friend and sister, she could feel that he was right. She was Northeast of their location. All it took was becoming aware of it and she could feel her sister's feelings and if Jesse could as well, then she was not surprised that Jesse was acting the way he was.
Jesse runs ahead and out of the shadows another mutant rat guard attacks him from behind, clawing and biting and whipping at him with the long tail it had at his legs, trying to get him to buckle and fall where it could work to finish him off more easily.
Jesse grits his teeth and smashes the rat on the nose, causing it to cry out in pain and pause in what it was doing long enough for Mindy to grab its tail and pull it off of him! He does a spin-kick as soon as it is off his back to send it flying into a nearby wall and with a crack in the wall, it falls to the ground unconscious.
Mindy watches as Jesse heals up but because of all the attacking by the mutant rat guards, he was having less and less clothing in the way to protect himself with. As it was, his arms were almost bare and his top looked like he had taken on Freddy Kruger. His legs from the ankles up to his knees didn't look much better as they were beginning to look like cats were using his pant legs for a scratching post. While she, herself was relatively unscathed for the most part.
She didn't know what he was doing taking up the lead and subjecting himself to such pain from all the attacks but it was unnecessary since she could handle the mutant rats of King Rat… it suddenly dawns on her! He was protecting her! He could deal with any of the punishment with his increased healing ability and when King Rat showed up personally, she would have the perfect chance to slip on by and rescue her sister!
Mindy had to admire both Jesse's guts and brains for coming up with that secret plan that he didn't let anyone else on. Mostly because she knew they would have fought against such a plan.
Mindy stays far back enough to help him with the mutants but let him get ahead enough that she wouldn't spoil his plans. She pauses to look at the Minmunicator and see where the rest of the team was as well as to look at the map to see which way would take them to her sister the fastest.
Suddenly she hears a loud cry of pain and a burst of static come over the earpiece. She says, "Who is that? Jesse? Was that you?" When no answer comes forth she fears the worse and runs forward to the corner Jesse had just gone around and sees a bunch of dust blocking her view.
Mindy's blood goes cold as she suddenly hears a voice that she knew she'd never forget, "I am so glad you came boy! You and I have some unfinished business. Namely the part where I destroy you once and for all!"
Mindy stares as the dust begins to settle and she did not like to even think about what had caused the stone dust to begin with. She can start to make out the form of King Rat and thinks that if she started right away, she could slip past him to rescue her sister but that would also mean leaving Jesse alone with someone who had tried to destroy him on more than one occasion and almost successfully at that.
A hand taps her on the shoulder and she almost cries out before she spins, expecting more trouble but instead sees the rest of the team with a finger to their lips. She whispers, "Follow me and quietly… Jesse is biding us time."
Mindy takes the lead and goes quickly along the wall as quietly as she can, praying that she wasn't making the wrong decision in going after her sister instead of helping Jesse. She hoped that with his new powers would hopefully give him the edge he needed against his mystical rat-powered adversary.
Mindy continues down the path, letting her own feelings guide her until finally they come to the last door in corridor. Mindy powers up and approaches the thick, wooden door and is about to put her hand on it to open it when suddenly a hand bursts through it, fingers out and it was only by using her monkey-enhanced powers to move back away faster than the wood flew from the hole that she was spared from being speared in the throat.
The others behind her immediately go into defensive postures, not having anticipated trouble coming through the thick door.
Mindy puts her hand on the wall and sends a blast to the door to catch the person off guard and is not surprised that hand disappears before she can make the door explode inward so as to hit the person.
The first thing Mindy sees a woman whose hand looked very familiar and is surprised to see her eyes go wide in shock.
Karen shouts, "You! I…" She stops herself and glances back to see the unconscious Cindy on the bed. She turns and says, "You're the twin!"
Mindy glowers at the unknown woman before her and says, "That's right and I want her back!"
AN: Well everyone, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. It looks like things are getting worse aren't they? What do you think of the way it started? Who do you think was on the other end of the earpieces? What do you think of Jesse and his reactions or thoughts about Cindy? What do you think of Jesse's plan? Is it really characteristic of him? Do you think King Rat has already 'touched' Cindy? Anyway, what do you think of the decision to leave Jesse alone against King Rat? Does he stand a chance? What do you think of the odds are with team MASK versus Mindy and the others with her?
As usual all reviews, votes, ideas, suggestions, thoughts, feelings, and more are always welcome.