Chaos isn't a pit.
Chaos is a ladder.
Many who try to climb it fail and never get to try again.
The fall breaks them.
And when some are given a chance to climb,
They cling to the realm or the gods or love.
Only the ladder is real.
The climb is all there is.
July 9th, 2012
Middleton, Colorado
9:03 P.M.
It rose from the horizon, a pale, worn, empty sight.
An enormous tendril of Nothing jetted into the night sky and raced out into the cosmos, erasing anything that it came into contact with.
A sight of despair, desolation and madness.
On the Middleton Space Station, Fredrick the Monkey only had moments to scan the approaching tendril before it passed through the space station, instantly erasing him and the entire space station from ever having existed.
The Nothing continued through the space station and deeper into the recesses of space, swallowing all the untold wonders of the universe.
A sight of chaos.
Another tendril jutted out into the heavens, expanding outwards as the entirety of the universe fell before it. Rushing into the expanse, the Nothing cut an ever expanding swath of Nothing until the Universe started to collapse in on itself.
A sight of death.
On Earth, a streamer of Nothing rose into the air, silently wafting through the night sky that was now devoid of any and all light.
The stars had gone out long ago, long since consumed by the endless extinguishing force of Nothing.
Crumbling ruins of a bygone age now long forgotten were slowly being erased as tendrils of Nothing tugged and pulled at their very foundations.
Eons of civilization gone in mere moments, never more existing nor would they ever have existed again.
July 9th, 2012
Middleton, Colorado
9:03 P.M.
A lone couple sat on a scenic out that overlooked the city of Middleton. Their coming here had been no accident as this outlook had been used as the lover's lane as the entire vast city was arrayed beneath them. For many it was the ideal romantic date when you had to be at work or school the next day but for the lone couple, it was their last chance to say goodbye.
Tonight the two sat and watched the approaching apocalypse just on the edge of the horizon.
The two rested on the hood of her car, a blanket spread out on the hood of the Sloth as the two watched the destruction of the moon and stars overhead.
A tendril of Nothing rose lethargically and plunged an empty tentacle directly into the center of the planet, never once letting a sound be heard.
Cracks and fissures slowly appeared as the Nothing consumed the planet and with titanic strength, another tentacle of Nothing rose into the sky and raced for the moon. With hardly any effort, the Nothing plucked the moon from its orbit as easily as one plucks an apple from a tree and pulled the rock towards the Earth.
The two watched in muted amazement as the Nothing disintegrated the moon miles above the Earth, bits of debris falling to the Earth only to be scooped up and consumed by the onslaught of Nothing.
The two watched the edge of oblivion approaching, an all-consuming entity that never stopped.
Silence reigned as the world ended just beyond the horizon.
It was moving slowly now, The Nothing knew it would consume this world and leave Nothing behind.
This universe would collapse like a house of cards and The Nothing was taking its time.
After all, what did it have to fear?
The Nothing was here.
The end is now.
…it was all gone.
July 9th, 2012
Middleton, Colorado
9:03 P.M.
The Abomination's eyes snapped open, the pupils dilating as he gasped for breath while struggling to push through the pain of that last jump.
He looked up at the night sky framed by trees. An empty blackness with debris falling towards the Earth, his eyes tightened in anger as he saw a thin strand of Nothing rise into the empty blackness and replace it with colorless nothing.
Before his eyes, paradoxes appeared in the heavens as the utter chaos of Nothing tore this universe apart.
The Abomination sat up with a groan, his entire body aching from the jump but he let out a sigh of relief as his being here meant the jump had worked.
He stood to his feet, blinking away the flash of light that had accompanied the jump momentarily blinding him.
"Sound off," he called out, waiting patiently for his team to report in as he stepped out of the newly formed crater that was in the shape of his body.
"All present and accounted for," came the woman's reply.
The man turned to his second in command, a short woman with a fiery grin and a near manic energy blazing in both of her eyes.
"Well done Betty," he praised before nodding to a light beyond the horizon.
She joined him in looking to the horizon, her twin eyes seeing the end of humanity, "We have eleven minutes until complete collapse," she paused and checked her watch before turning to him, "Relative time."
He glanced at his now still watch and nodded in agreement.
"Why is it always 9:03?" he asked her.
Betty shook her head, "I don't know but every time we've jumped it's been 9:03 P.M."
The man was silent for a moment before turning to Betty and the assembled team behind her, "Get the pillars up and running. We have eleven minutes to find Kim and Ron before the universe collapses."
He saw a hand raise as the group dispersed and he turned to the owner, "Will?"
Will Du took a step forward, "Permission to scout for them?"
A curt nod, "Take Rockwaller with you."
Will nodded before turning to Bonnie Rockwaller and disappearing into the trees, eager to leave the Abomination's side.
The man turned back to the working group that was now opening large silver crates. He watched momentarily as Wade and Olivia Load pulled out a large pillar and pointed it up at the sky.
They flicked a switch and a rhythmic hum sounded in the clearing.
"First tower up," came the report.
The man nodded, his Global Science Uniform shaking in the act.
He gestured towards a set of abandoned buildings in the distance, "Wade, what's that?"
Wade looked up from the pillars he and Olivia were constructing, "Middleton Observatory."
The man nodded and turned to the man next to him, "Felix, I want you to lead a team and secure those buildings," he paused as Felix motioned for a group of soldiers to follow him, "Clear out a place that we can set up headquarters."
Felix nodded and disappeared out of sight with the soldiers and left the Abomination in peaceful solitude.
The man's peace was for naught as his steel blue eyes sensed movement beyond the trees.
Walking through the trees, the Abomination's gaze fell upon a lone scientist that shifted several large, metallic crates that had been secured together.
"Give me good news Justine," he called out as the woman tightened several straps while checking an image on the holographic display projected on her wrist.
"The good news is that the Hammer is still functioning and in one piece," Justine Flanner reported without facing the Abomination standing behind her.
"And the bad news?" the Abomination asked.
She pointed up at the sky, "We're still here."
He nodded dismissively and turned away, "Make sure the Hammer is ready for the next jump."
Before Justine could respond Betty Director appeared next to the Abomination and lightly touched him on the shoulder, "Will reported that they found Kim and Ron."
He nodded silently as another pillar rose into the night sky, joining the first in the rhythmic humming.
"Are you going to be-" she asked before being cut off.
"I'm fine," the man answered, the lie evident in his voice, "We just need to find Kim and end this."
Betty shook her head, "How do you know she'll have it?"
He smiled knowingly, "Because Kim was always his favorite," his smile turned dark and Betty shuddered internally at the darkness she saw in his soul, "He cared for her more than any other of his creations."
"But you can't know for certain," she prodded gently.
"I know Betty," he answered confidently before turning away, "I know because I was there on the day of her creation."
Betty turned to face the man but he was gone, lost in the chaos of this night.
July 9th, 2012
Middleton, Colorado
9:03 P.M.
Flick-woosh
She turned her head, watching in curiosity as her boyfriend struck a match.
"What are you doing?" Kim Possible asked as she pulled her eyes from impending doom and focused them on Ron Stoppable.
Ron held the lit match in his hands and watched the flame spread slowly along the wooden stick.
With a grin Ron turned to Kim, "Betcha a Naco I can't throw this into that."
Kim followed his gaze and smiled as he saw he was looking to the Nothing several miles away.
"You think you can throw a match at least several miles away?" she asked skeptically.
"Know," Ron corrected as the flame continued to burn, "I know I can, not think I can."
"And when you fail?" Kim teased as Ron drew his arm back and flicked the match towards the approaching onslaught.
A smile.
"I won't," He smirked as the match soared through the air towards the Nothing.
Kim's smile froze on her face as she saw the match defy the very laws of physics and continue to float through the night air, the flame never flickering out.
"How?" she asked, confusion permeating her tone for the second time that night.
Ron smiled, "Wade said physics go out the door once that shows up."
Kim laughed and nodded, "Well, wherever we end up," she watched as the flame was consumed by the Nothing before leaning against Ron, "I'll make sure the first Naco is on me."
Silence descended on the two of them in the night air.
"Do you have any regrets?" Ron asked.
"I would have liked to have been married," Kim asked without missing a beat.
Ron shrugged sheepishly, "I guess I dropped the ball on that one."
Kim smiled and leaned against Ron, her head resting on his shoulder, "There was no way you could've known that…thing was coming here to consume all life."
A pause.
"Although after seven years of dating, I figured we would have been married or at least engaged by this time," she softly murmured into his shoulder.
Ron was silent at her words and together they watched as the Nothing approached the outskirts of Middleton and started consuming the city.
Distant screams arose from the city beneath them as fissures appeared and citizens of Middleton screamed in terror as they tumbled into the city that was rapidly being disintegrated.
"I'm sorry," Ron murmured to Kim, "For waiting so long," he choked back a sniff as Middleton crumbled into Nothing beneath them, "For never getting a chance to make you mine."
He felt Kim stir and kiss his neck, "There was never a time when I wasn't yours."
Ron smiled and was silent for a moment, "Although we did have our apartment together…" he trailed off and looked down at Kim, "So in a sense we were married."
She looked up at him and held up her ring finger, "No ring, no marriage."
He laughed and looked back at the Nothing that had torn through the city and was now racing towards them, "Wherever we end up," he paused as the hill they were on rumbled ominously.
She looked up at him, "Yes?"
Ron turned back to her and kissed her lightly on the forehead, "Wherever we end up, the first thing we're doing is getting married."
Kim smiled and kissed Ron back.
"And then you're buying Nacos," he added with a laugh in his voice.
Kim laughed as she kissed him and wrapped her arms around his neck, drawing him down to her where they kissed passionately.
They kissed for several minutes before she pushed him off with a grunt, "Do you Ronald Eugene Stoppable take me Kimberly Anne Possible to be your lawful wife?"
The Nothing raced up the hill, erasing all in its path.
Ron nodded earnestly as he realized what she was doing, "For better or for worse," Kim looked up at the Nothing for a moment before adding, "With worse being more likely."
"I do," came his heartfelt reply.
Kim smiled and plucked a thread from her shirt.
She held his ring finger aloft and wrapped the thread around his finger as Ron started to speak, "Do you Kimberly Anne Possible take me-"
Ron never got a chance to finish as Kim interrupted to kiss him fervently, "I do, and always will."
Ron wiped away a tear as he plucked a thread from his red jersey, "Kimberly Anne Stoppable," he smiled as he wrapped the cord around her finger, "I like the sound of that,"
Kim raised an eyebrow as she eyed her ring, "Ronald Eugene Possible," she smirked as she turned back to him, "Sounds better."
A kiss.
"Not happening."
All movement stopped in the Universe and slowly Kim and Ron turned from their wedded bliss and came face to Nothing.
"Kim," Ron said as his hand found Kim's.
"Yes?" she replied, fear at the edge of her tone.
"I'll see you on the other side," he replied as the Nothing fell on the two of them and erased them from exist-
FWEE-ORP
A wave of iridescent pink energy passed through the two of them and stopped the Nothing mere inches from erasing them from existence.
The Nothing slammed into the swirling pink energy barrier but the barrier held fast. For several moments, the Nothing swirled against the barrier but to no avail.
Something had finally held against The Nothing.
July 9th, 2012
Middleton, Colorado
9:03 P.M.
Kim and Ron tentatively opened their eyes, unsure of what would be greeting them.
"We have them!" a voice called out from their left and immediately hands grabbed at Ron and Kim, separating them and pulling them from the edge of the barrier.
Kim fought against her attacker and found herself looking into the face of-
"Will Du?" Kim asked hesitantly, "I thought you were in Go City when it was erased."
Will called out over his shoulder, "Possible and Stoppable-"
"Just Stoppable," Kim corrected, a thin edge in her voice.
"Kim?" Doctor Betty Director called out as a squad of Global Science officers appeared around them.
Kim turned to Betty, bewilderment written across her features, "What are you doing here?" she shook her head, "No. I saw you die, erased by that…thing," she gestured out to the Nothing being held at bay by the iridescent wave of energy.
Betty shook her head, "Not me. I'm still here."
She turned to the man standing beside her, a man who had been silent the entire conversation and who now stepped up to speak.
"Kimberly Anne Possible," he asked, more of a statement than a question.
"Stoppable," Kim corrected for the second time that night.
He didn't even acknowledge her name change but instead nodded to Betty and the Global Science troops in the area, "Prep her for interrogation," he turned back to Kim and pointed directly at her, "No one talks to her until I get a chance to."
Kim turned to Betty, "Betty, what's going on-"
"Now," the man said calmly, "I want her prepped."
Global Science officers swarmed Kim and Ron and secured the two of them in a manner of seconds, cinching metal links over their wrists.
"Who are you?" Kim shouted as she resisted the Officers.
"Wait," a calm voice interrupted, almost as if he was discussing the weather. All movement ceased as the man turned back and approached Kim.
As he neared a light illuminated his face. It was only for a moment but it was more than enough for Kim to identify him and that recognition sent shivers down her spine.
"You," she said fearfully as she instantly recognized him.
He smiled, "So you do remember me," the smile darkened, "I'm touched."
Silence for a heartbeat.
"Take her away."
Within moments, his men had taken the Kim from his presence, leaving him alone with Ron on the edge of oblivion.
"What do you want with us?" Ron asked his captor.
"Us?" the Abomination questioned back, "There is no us."
Ron looked at the observatory where Kim had been taken before turning back to the man, "Then why am I here?"
The Abomination didn't answer but instead lightly grabbed Ron's wrist and lifted it up until he was able to see Ron's ring finger and the cord wrapped around it.
Ron didn't say anything as the cloth strand was unwrapped from his finger slowly and then held aloft between the two of them as the hand returned to Ron's side.
The Abomination stared at the cord with silence as he contemplated the love and devotion between Ron and Kim.
His eyes returned to Ron's before he asked, "Why are you here?"
Before Ron could respond the Abomination shoved Ron through the iridescent pink wall that kept the Nothing at bay and watched in fascination as Ron simply ceased to exist.
The sound of Nothing filled his ears and with a wary glance, the Abomination watched The Nothing stalking behind the iridescent pink shield.
He stared into the Nothing, fully aware that the Nothing was staring back into him.
For several moments there was only silence before the man picked up a stone from the gravel beneath his feet.
He hefted the stone in his hands for a moment, getting a feel for the weight and for the texture of the rock before he leaned back and threw the rock at the Nothing.
The stone whistled as it flew through the air and passed through the barrier with hardly any resistance. It was instantly gobbled up by the Nothing and within a microsecond, the stone was lost.
A satisfied scoff erupted from the man and with a turn of his heel he turned his back on the Nothing.
You can't keep her from me forever, Abomination.
The man paused mid-step, fear permeating his very being.
He turned, shaking in at the voice.
"W-what?" he tried to speak.
One way or another, she will be mine.
The man shook visibly as The Nothing spoke to him, a voice as rough as gravel in an oil drum and as smooth as oil on a hot day.
"I didn't know He gave you a voice," the man spoke to the Nothing his fear diminishing.
You won't stop me.
He was silent and took a step away from the barrier.
"You can have her," another step, "Once we're finished with her."
You have one hour.
July 9th, 2012
Middleton, Colorado
9:03 P.M.
Kim sat in a dank and abandoned room.
She tugged at the handcuffs that kept her hands behind her back but the cold metal refused to break.
She rocked in the old wooden chair, the wood creaking in protest as her weight shifted on the thin wooden legs.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," a man's voice echoed as the door to her room opened behind her.
Kim stopped rocking and craned her neck to see her captor, "What do you want with me? Where's Ron?"
He didn't answer but pulled out an old wooden chair and sat opposite of her.
"What do you want?" she repeated and nodded towards a wall, "Have you forgotten that the end of everything is out there?"
"Where is He?" the man asked, continually ignoring her questions.
"Who?" she countered.
"You know who," he replied, "Everyone of you knows where He is or at least how to find him."
"Who?" Kim repeated angrily.
He sighed.
Kim leaned forward expectantly, "What do you want from me?"
"Where. Is. He?" the man repeated, venom dripping off his every word.
"Who?" Kim asked, anger rising in her.
"That ring?" the man gestured to Kim's hand, the change of subjects catching her off guard, "Did Ron give that to you?"
A hesitant nod.
"It's nice," he commented before reaching into his pocket and pulling out an identical strand of thread and he dangled it in front of her, "Reminds me of the one I have here."
Kim stared, an anxious feeling washing over her, "Where's Ron?"
The man leaned forward, "Who? Ron Stoppable?" he waved the thread around, "Never existed, never will exist."
Kim felt a dull pain in her stomach as she struggled to understand this man, "Why?" she asked in a monotone voice as shock overtook her system.
"He may have had a purpose to you but I didn't need him," he shrugged nonchalantly as he let go of the thread and let it waft to the floor, "I don't keep what I don't need," he stood to his feet and walked slowly around the room to stretch his legs, "Do you know how hard it is to jump with just the bare essentials I have?"
Kim shook her head, unsure of what the man was even speaking about.
"It is incredibly hard," he returned to his chair but didn't sit down, "To jump with what I have now. Why complicate it with things I don't need?"
Kim was silent at the man's words even as he walked slowly behind her.
Kim felt his hands at the back of her chair and she felt herself tip back as he pulled the chair out of the room and through the empty building.
She struggled in the chair as he pulled her along but she stopped as several soldier appeared out of the darkness, all carrying guns and eyeing her with disdain.
She looked over her shoulder and watched as Betty Director pushed open a door and held it open until Kim was through the door way.
"He always liked you more than anyone else," the man commented to Kim as he pulled her chair out of the building and onto a gravel path that led away from the Middleton Observatory.
"Who?" she asked in anger as she plotted how she was going to escape and make this man pay for taking Ron away.
He stopped pulling her and Kim ventured a look over her shoulder, instantly wishing she had not.
Nothing.
They were on the border of the Nothing; the only thing that separated her from nonexistence was the iridescent pink barrier that somehow kept the Nothing at bay.
The man stopped and walked back around until he was facing Kim and to her surprise he knelt before her, "Where is he?"
Kim's fists tightened in anger, "Who?"
The man's placid demeanor changed in an instant and with a shout of anger he stood up and kicked at her chair, nudging her towards the barrier, "YOU KNOW WHO!" he shouted into her face, "YOU WERE ALWAYS HIS FAVORITE! EVEN MORE THAN THEM!" he gestured to the Global Science soldiers before pointing to himself, "EVEN MORE THAN ME!"
Kim leaned back in the chair, shock on her face, "I don't-"
She tried to speak but he kicked the base of her chair, the thin, frail legs collapsing in response.
With a grunt of pain she tumbled to the ground, "DON'T LIE TO ME!" he shouted over her as the Nothing screamed from the other side of the barrier, "I KNOW IN EACH VERSION OF YOU HE PUT THE KEY TO FINDING HIM!"
"WHO?" Kim shouted back, "WHO ARE YOU LOOKING FOR TAM?"
Tam Agmiln stood over Kim, his breath ragged as he knelt down next to her fallen form, "Where is The Real Sidekick?"
Disclaimer: I own Nothing. Disney owns the rest.
Author's Notes: This is it, the start of Act 3. The final act, the act that I had to stop midway through last time. I promise you that we will finish it the way we started it: together. I know we're all in for a wild ride and I hope you all enjoy it.
Special thanks this chapter goes to Mr. Wizard (Don't forget your umbrella), Twuscany (A chapter without dialogue? Challenge accepted), Joe Stoppinghem (I feel like a jerk putting Ron through it but it's for the greater good), Darev (Glad to see you enjoyed the playlist), Sentinel103 (Even immortals have to die sometime), Eddy13 (Immortality is great, provided you have someone to share it with), Taechunsa (Smarty-Mart clothes are surprisingly resilient), CajunBear73 (It's just a ploy, soon death will return with 73 bears), Katsumara (I hope you're ready, because this is it), and gonekrazy3000 (Kim's landing ushers in the end of all).
Of course my thanks goes out to you, the ever silent reader. Thank you for tuning in week after week to read this tale. If you have any questions, comments, concerns or just wish to sing my praises, review.
Until next time,
TRS