Sitch of a Wish
Chapter 8 - Monkey Master vs Monkey Fist
"Does this seem a little too easy, considering how many Henches we've seen on the way in so far?" Kim muttered as they climbed down the rope into the inner courtyard of Jack Hench's mansion.
"KP, we've passed at least ten times as many guards as Gemini had, even before the coup." Ron pointed out.
"Yeah, and he could have ten times more than that." Kim watched a patrol pass by the shadows they were hiding in. When the guards were far enough away, she continued. "He has to know that with Gemini locked up, we'd be after him next."
"And that's why all his guys are on the border." He argued. "Lots of them there means fewer here."
"I'm with Kimmie, something about this reeks." Shego spoke up, surprising Kim as it was the first time in a while that the genie had said anything.
"Shego-san is right." Yori nodded. "Lord Hench is many things, but he is not a fool. I feel like we are missing an important detail here."
"Okay, so it's probably a trap, we just gotta be careful." Ron gave in. "Once we get him, does it really matter what he planned?"
"True." Kim agreed.
The four dashed to the main palace as soon as the guard patrol was out of sight. She peered in entrance. "Well, this explains where his elite guards are. It looks like he's got them all stationed inside and waiting for us or someone like us. I guess he doesn't want to get arrested the same way that Gemini did."
Ron took his own look inside. "Good thing we weren't planning on going in through the front door anyway."
Yori secured their lines from the roof and they swiftly climbed to the roof. Hench had some guards posted there, but they were no match for the four of them. Once they cleared the roof, they swiftly found a window that wasn't secured as tightly as the others around it and slipped in the third floor. They took out another group of guards patrolling the floor, leaving them unconscious in the room they'd broken into.
The second floor was handled the same way, but they still found no sign of Jack Hench. The more they searched without sign of the renegade lord, the more worried Kim got. "I don't get this at all. Where is Hench? This is his palace, his elite guards are here, so where is he?"
" 'Kay, so you were right, this is a trap, but how?" Ron shrugged. "This whole thing seems so weird, KP. You'd think that now would be the ideal time to spring it. Why wait?"
"Let's keep looking, then." Kim led them onward, the sense of unease growing.
Their luck held for most of the search of the second floor, but eventually a Hench walked up the stairs, clearly on break, took one look at the four of them and dropped his sandwich, calling out an alarm. Boots pounded on the stairs and Henches ran up to engage the teens. The four of them fell back into a loose circle, covering each other's backs.
Kim and Shego led the counterattack, diving forward under the sword strikes before rolling out and lauching kicks of their own. The first line of Henches fell to them, but more flooded the hall, forcing the girls to slowly retreat. Meanwhile, Ron and Yori took the opportunity to take out the few that made it past their friends.
Shego surged onward, missing her plasma powers greatly, but happy to finally have opponents to fight. The tension of the past few days flowed out of her as she unleased her frustrations on the unfortunate Henches. As the fight continued, she gravitated towards Kim, ending up back to back with the redhead. The Henches pressed in, trying to finish the two stronger fighters.
A kick from one of the Henches sent Shego stumbling backwards into Kim, nearly knocking the shorter girl off her feet. She turned and helped the genie up, and Shego tried to ignore just how good even that brief contact felt. She turned back towards the grinning Hench, her snarl wiping the smile off his face.
After she dropped him, she looked around and spotted a couple Henches readying their bows and aiming at Ron and Yori. Once again wishing she still had her powers, she grabbed a nearby vase and threw it at them, the shattering pottery distracting them. Their arrows went wide, missing her friends. The green girl vaulted over another Hench and threw some punches at the stunned bowmen, sending them crashing down to the ground.
"Booyah!" Ron's cry cut through the melee. The telltale glow of his monkey magic surrounded him as he slammed a fist into the floor. Cracks spread from the impact and the floor started crumbling, the faults heading towards the stairs the Henches were coming from. Finally a large chunk of floor broke free and collapsed, cutting the four of them off from the stairway. With no more reinforcements, the remaining few Henches were easily taken care of.
"Nice, Ron!" Kim cheered her best friend.
"Maybe this monkey thing isn't so bad. Though it's still creepy." He shrugged. "So, finish searching this floor before they find a way back up here?"
"Please and thank you." She nodded towards the last few rooms they hadn't searched yet. "Take the ones on the right?"
"On it."
Two of the three remaining rooms were opened quickly, but when she reached the third, she found a complex lock securing it. She listened and heard some muffled thumps as well as someone calling out from inside. "Hey! If you're not with Hench, help please!"
"Yori, can you get this lock open? Sounds like Hench is keeping prisoners here." Kim waved the ninja over.
The lock proved no match for Yori's skills, and they soon had the door open. Inside, two men, one older and one about Kim and Ron's age stood facing the door, glaring defiantly. "Are you more of Hench's goons? You can tell him we're still not giving him what he wants."
"We're not with Hench. In fact, we're here to bring him in." Kim told the older man.
"You're with Sultan Betty then? She finally sent a rescue team for us?" The young man spoke up, smiling brilliantly at Kim. She felt her face heat up and returned a shy smile of her own.
"Sultan Betty sent us, but we're supposed to find Jack Hench, we didn't know you were here, ah...?" She trailed off.
"I am Lord Monty Fiske, and this is my nephew Josh. We were on our way to negotiate a trade deal with the sultan when Hench's goons ambushed our caravan and captured us." The lord bowed. "I am grateful for the rescue, even if it is unplanned."
"No big. I'm Kim Possible, this is Yori, Ron Stoppable and Shego." Kim introduced the team, blushing again when Josh kept his eyes on her.
"A pleasure. I wish I could be of more assistance in your mission, but I can at least tell you that Jack Hench left his men here to hold us while he brought the majority of his forces to scout our lands to the west two days ago. I assume that he is still there." Lord Fiske told them.
"Snap." Kim sighed. "If he's with an army, I guess we're not arresting him this time. We'll get you out of here safely and escort you to see the sultan."
"Thank you. I regret that you can't arrest him now. He has much to answer for."
"He does." She agreed. "Are you two good to travel now? We need to get to the roof and over the wall before more of his men find a way back up here."
"We are ready to leave." The lord replied, Josh nodding too. "I am more than ready to be done with Lord Hench's hospitality."
"Follow us." Kim led them out of the room, ignoring the glare from Shego.
Shego felt a stab of irritation run through her as Josh helped Kim set up the camp that night. The lanky boy had stuck by Kim as much as possible, and the redhead had let him, pointedly ignoring her. Deep down, she knew it was partly her fault for not making the effort to talk with Kim earlier, but right now, she didn't care. Something about that boy bothered her a lot.
"This whole thing is sick-wrong." Ron spoke up from beside her. "I really don't trust those two."
"Tell me about it." The genie agreed. "What's got you so worried anyway? At least the boytoy isn't making nice with your girl."
"Both of them just happen to be in Hench's palace and know exactly what he's up to?" He pointed out. "And why were they travelling to the capital now anyway? Every other lord has holed up in their palace during all this chaos. They can hardly have missed Gemini's attempted coup. So why try for a trade deal now?"
"That... You have some good points, monkey boy." The green girl paused, thinking. "It is awfully convenient that Hench just happened to leave them there for us to find."
"Yeah. And I just know that Lord Fiske," He invested the name with loads of scorn. "is hiding something else. I dunno what, but call it a gut feeling."
"Not arguing with ya." Shego's eyes narrowed when Josh rested his hand on Kim's forearm briefly. "I'm really not liking this at all. So what's the plan?"
"You keep an eye on him, I'll watch Lord Fiske." Ron nodded to where the older man was discussing the outline of his trade deal with Yori. "When this all goes wrong, we back each other up?"
"Yeah, okay." The genie agreed. "Is there any way you could warn Kim away from him? She'll just think I'm jealous if I say anything."
"Well you totally are." The sandy haired boy nodded sagely.
"Not the point." Shego growled. "Will you?"
"I can try, but KP can be kinda stubborn." Ron sighed. "I'll see what I can do."
"Thanks Ron." The genie managed a small smile. "How are things going with Yori?"
"I... Good, I think. She volunteered to help me practice my new powers, and she's been hanging around when she can." He grinned. "I even cooked her dinner one night, just us two."
"Nice." She told him. "I'm glad one of us is having some luck."
"I'm sure things will work out for you, Shego."
"You've heard the stories, Ron." Shego shook her head and sighed sadly. "I'm the genie, it's everyone else who gets the happily ever after, not me."
Kim exhaled in relief when she spotted the comforting glow of the lights at the Senior's estate. They'd evaded Hench's patrols and made it across the river, but ever since then, they'd spotted dust in the distance, no doubt more of the rebel lord's men pursuing them. She'd pushed their small party hard, rushing to make it to safety.
"KP, please tell me we can stop for the night." Ron groaned. "I think all of us could do with a nice bed and some real food."
"Sorta the plan, Ron. I want to ask him if he can send a message on ahead anyway, have the sultan send some troops our way."
"Booyah! Lookin' forward to being the ones with all the troops helping for once."
"This Lord Senior, he's a friend?" Josh spoke up from beside her.
"Um, yeah, he hosted us on our way out." Kim told him, ignoring the glare Ron sent the other boy. She still didn't get why her best friend had such a problem with the prisoners they'd rescued, but ever since they'd found them, he'd kept a wary eye on the two.
"Sweet. I'm sure Uncle Monty will be glad to hear it." The boy frowned a little. "Do you think he'd let us send a message back home? Let everyone know we're okay, I mean?"
She watched the young man walk over to where his uncle was talking with Yori. "Kim, I know you don't want to hear this, but there's something seriously wrong with those two."
"You're right, Ron. I don't want to hear it." She walked away from him before she said something she'd regret. Between Shego being weird and avoiding her and a whole day of this nonsense from her best friend, Kim was tired of it all. She just wanted this mission done with.
Her eyes drifted to where Shego was sulking on a rock, shooting glares at Josh when she thought the boy wasn't looking. Stupid genie. I... I think I like her, but how can I know if she won't give me a chance? Even though I know she wants to. Her hands itched and before she knew it, she had her pack out and was digging through it for the lamp. She held it for a moment, her mind racing furiously. She pulls this 'genie rules' nonsense on me... two can play that game!
Kim caught Shego's eye and spoke up, somehow knowing the green girl would hear it. "I wish I knew those genie rules you told me about the other day."
"Granted!" The reply came from two voices.
Ron spun around, dropping into his combat stance as he scanned for the source of the unfamiliar voice. A ring with a large sapphire that was spewing blue smoke rested half buried in the sand. The smoke sputtered and out stepped a young man. Even without the blue glow surrounding him, the resemblance to Shego was too obvious to miss.
"Doy, I was just wondering how today could get any worse." The green girl muttered loud enough to be heard by everyone.
"Pleasant greetings to all! Never fear, Hego the genie is here to help!" Ron stared at the newcomer, vaguely aware that Josh and Lord Fiske were likewise completely stunned by the unexpected arrival. "Someone here wished for information on the laws and rules governing genies and their conduct?"
"Yeah, that would be the redhead, who really should know better than to make stupid wishes with huge loopholes for things to go wrong!" Shego growled, frowning at Kim.
"Sister, you really should comport yourself better. It never hurts to be polite to the master of your lamp." Hego scolded her.
"And that's why you're here in a ring rather than your own lamp." She replied sarcastically.
"Uh... so you two are..." Ron spoke up.
"Right, introductions." The green girl sighed. "Hego, this is Kim, Ron and Yori. The two others behind the rock back there are Lord Fiske and Josh. Guys, this idiot is Hego, my brother." She faced the blue genie. "Please tell me Mego and the Wegos aren't with you too."
"Of course not. Obviously I am the only one who is needed to explain the proper rules and behavior governing the conduct of genies. I assume my sister failed to inform you of all the details?" Hego looked around and nodded to himself when no one spoke up. "Of course if she behaved like a proper genie, I wouldn't have to be here like this."
"I follow the rules... most of the time anyway!" Shego growled. "Just... hurry up and get this wish over with so you can go away. Far away."
"That is no way to speak to family, Shego." Hego frowned. "I see I'm going to have to do a lot of work here..."
"...and so that is why the limitation on wishes was put in place." Hego's voice droned on and on. "Now, we need to look at why lamps are the most common item chosen for genies..."
"I'm so bored." Ron yawned and Kim nodded agreement. Any chance at making progress towards the Senior's estate seemed pretty hopeless at the moment. The blue genie had been lecturing them for hours and yet showed no sign of stopping any time soon. Her friend turned to Shego. "Does he ever shut up?"
"Unfortunately, no." The green girl glared at Kim. "Why did you wish him here?"
"I didn't wish for him to appear." Kim shot back.
"What was your wish exactly? My magic reacted, but I couldn't hear it too well."
"I, ah, wanted to know what the rules for genies were." Kim squashed the growing embarrassment before the misplaced plasma powers could flare up.
"Why would you... oh. Oh!" Shego's face flushed. "You know, you could have just asked me."
"Maybe I would have, if you hadn't been avoiding me!" The redhead snapped.
"You weren't exactly eager to talk to me before. What's the matter, not getting along with your boytoy?"
"My... what?" Kim stared at the other girl.
"Uh, I'm gonna make sure Yori didn't fall asleep." Ron backed away from the two of them, though Kim was barely aware of him leaving.
"He is not my... my... Ugh, I can't believe you think I'd -" She could feel the anger rising inside herself. "You're the one who said we can't... can't..."
"I never said to latch onto the first new face we ran into!" Shego's voice sounded angry as well.
"Look, who I hang out with is my business, not yours." Kim declared.
"Fine, whatever." The genie turned away.
"Fine."
"Fine!"
In the midst of their argument, neither noticed a figure step out of the lengthening shadows and pick up the small ring resting forgotten on the sand...
Ron ducked under a blade that shot out from the wall, narrowly missing his head. He turned towards the main gate, but the massive doors swung shut with a loud thud. Guards wearing the colors of the Seniors leaped into position on the wall, levelling arrows at their team while the heroes were busy avoiding the traps in the courtyard. "What happened here?"
"How should I know?" Kim yelled back. "Everything looked normal on the way in!"
"Well, did you make any more wishes? Cause this is sick-wrong. We should be having dinner, not arrows." He worked his way towards where Kim and Yori were busy subduing a squad of guards trying to cut them off from cover.
"No, I didn't make any more wishes." The redhead glared at the green girl who was just joining them. "Unless someone decided to grant some for free..."
"Hey, this is not me. Can't even sense any magic here at all. Whatever happened is all mortal." The genie growled back. "So you can stop blaming me, cupcake."
"Right, the one friendly lord in the area decides to go crazy in the space of a few days and you have nothing to do with it?" His best friend replied sarcastically.
"Uh, can you two stop fighting and... um, fight?" Ron gestured at the massing guards preparing to rush them.
Kim dropped into her fighting stance but let out a pained yelp as green fire erupted from her fists. She collapsed to her knees, clutching her hands to her chest, but her friends had no time to check on her. The guards took advantage of their distraction and rushed the teens.
Ron ached to help Kim, but there were too many guards attacking. He called forth his monkey magic, the familiar yet still creepy sensation flowing through him...
Lord Fiske watched the unfolding battle from the hill outside the gate, his critical eye following the four heroes as they regrouped at the gate. He was about to turn away and prepare to break camp and return home, when something caught his gaze. A faint glow surrounded Ron Stoppable.
His eyes narrowed. He had never seen it before, but here it was. Jack Hench had not lied to him, it seemed. Someone had indeed claimed the Mystical Monkey Magic. The legends were true. His life's goal was within reach, and it was wasted on an unworthy youth who despised the blessing he'd received.
He turned to his 'nephew', keeping the majority of his attention on the fight below. "Give me the ring, boy. I know you took it."
"No way, dude. I need something to give Hench." Josh stepped away from him.
"I don't care." Fiske glared at the boy. "I have no interest in whatever little deal you may have made with Hench, nor that you failed in breaking Possible away from her team. You will give me that ring, now. After I make my wish, you can have it back."
"Fine, it's on your head." The boy pulled the ring from his belt pouch and tossed it over. "Hench warned us about making wishes."
"Hench wants no competition. And unlike you, I am not afraid to seize my destiny." He slipped the ring on his finger and rubbed the gem.
"Hego the genie is here!" Blue smoke swirled out from the gem. "The master of the ring may have three wishes, and only three. Also, the following rules apply-"
"I suffered through your moronic lecture the first time, you blue fool. Be silent and hear my wish." Fiske interrupted the genie. "I wish that I too possessed the Mystical Monkey Magic, with full control over that power."
"Granted." The blue boy frowned. Streams of blue magic glowed in the fading light and shot towards Fiske, crawling up his legs. The power bit into him, digging in deep, and the ring tumbled off his finger, once again landing on the sand...
Ron paused after dropping the guard who'd been fighting him, his monkey powers demanding attention. He looked around, but couldn't spot any threat that warranted such a strong reaction from his unwanted magic. Still, the flaring glow of the power surrounding him drove the remaining guards back a few paces and let him reach Kim to check on her.
The redhead gasped and staggered to her feet with his assistance. Her eyes watered up as she met his gaze. "It's getting worse, Ron. And this time, I wasn't even embarrassed."
"Will you be okay, KP?" He shared a worried look with Shego, who'd also rushed over during the lull of combat. The green girl tentatively reached out to comfort the shorter girl, but Kim's glare made it clear that their earlier argument hadn't been forgotten.
"It feels stronger than last time... gyaaahhh!" Kim clutched her arms again, the fire flaring up. "Make... make it stop..." The anger drained from her expression as she pleaded to Shego.
"You gotta do something!" Ron reluctantly stood up and resumed his combat stance as a fresh wave of guards emerged from the barracks. "Shego, help her."
He advanced to rejoin Yori, and the two of them worked together to hold off the guards. They fought off two more waves before a loud crash shook the courtyard. Stones tumbled from the wall and a gaping hole opened up in it. As the dust settled, a man emerged from the cloud, pointing at Ron. "Pretender! Surrender your power to Monkey Fist!"
"Snap! Is that Lord Fiske?" He stared at the lord, noting the now-monkey-like hands and feet. He was so caught up studying the new intruder that the lord's attack almost caught him off guard. "Dude! What happened to you?"
"I have claimed the destiny you are too scared to embrace!" Fiske landed easily, focusing on him. "Once I defeat you, I alone will wield the Mystical Monkey Magic. I alone will control the Han!"
Yori paled, then her face flushed with anger and she lauched the most undisciplined attack Ron had ever seen her perform. "You dishonorable scum will not have my sister!"
"What?" Ron stared at Yori before leaping in to help her. Lord Fiske - Monkey Fist as he'd named himself - fell back before their combined assault. Ron focused on covering Yori, as all her attention was on the evil lord.
"What was that all about?" Shego watched her friends attack Monkey Fist. "I haven't known her that long, but I don't think I've ever seen ninja girl freak like that."
"I'm not - gnyyayh - not sure either. Yori has always been the calm, in contol one of us." Kim replied, wincing as another wave of fire flickered across her skin. Shego noted that at least it did seem to be fading. Another couple of minutes and Kim would be okay for now, if she had the chance to recover.
Belatedly, Shego also noted that the guards had fallen back, watching them but making no move to interfere. "Uh, cupcake, why are the guards not attacking us right now?"
"Because I ordered them to stand down. Combat with you now, while Miss Possible is seriously injured from another source would be regrettable. Also, I must admit a certain distaste for this new interloper who is wrecking my home." A cultured voice spoke up from the doorway nearby. Lord Senior's gaze settled on Monkey Fist and his brow furrowed in anger. "Would a truce in order to deal with a greater threat be acceptable to you, Miss Possible?"
"Uh..." Kim looked just as confused as Shego felt for a moment before smiling at the older lord. "A truce would be good, please and thank you."
"Excellent. In anticipation, I sent Junior to summon the doctor. He should be here momentarily." Lord Senior bowed to them. "Please accept my apologies. Had I known you would be attacked like this, I would have saved my death traps and ambushes for your next visit."
"Wait, you want to help us despite trying to have us killed just a few minutes ago?" The genie stared skeptically at the older lord.
"Oh, that was not serious. I was intrigued by Mr Stoppable's stories and wished to try my hand at such endeavours. I have been bored recently and searching for purpose, and I had every confidence that you four could have easily dealt with such simple obstacles." The lord graciously offered Kim a hand up.
"That's - You mortals are so weird." Shego shook her head tiredly. "You're serious about the truce thing?"
"Of course." Lord Senior smiled tightly. "We have a common enemy now, after all."
Next Chapter: The fight between the monkey masters continues! More wishes go wrong.
A/N: For story purposes, Hanna is Yori's sister, not Ron's. Though the Monkey Master will still need to help guide her!
Also, I had to have SSS show up again. I like having him as that whole polite, honorable villain.