This is the right location... Director thought, reading over the scrap of paper for the tenth time before hastily shoving it in her pocket. She had been waiting for close to an hour and there was still no sign of whoever gave them the message.

"It's not like we have a whole lot of options here." Director reminded herself. Her suspicions were that this was a trap, but the risk had to be taken. The note had told her to come alone, but she had an entire team in an unmarked van in case there was any trouble. She resisted the urge to jump to her feet and pace around impatiently.

They had received a message from someone who said he or she had the information that Director was looking for and to go to this location if they wanted to know more. It was an abandoned building that had been condemned for years. In fact, she was mildly concerned that it would fall on top of them.

I just hope this information will be able to help Kim get out of this... before it's too late. Director thought. She knew that her protege would be able to evade capture and death, at least for a while. Unfortunately, with Order 31 in effect, the best of the best would be hunting her, and sooner or later, they would succeed. Skilled as they were, Team Possible was not invincible.

A pair of footsteps nearly made Director jump out of her chair. Tristan moved into a crouch, ready to fire at the slightest provocation. Director raised a hand, but angled her body lower just in case their fears were correct.

The figure stopped at the door. He knocked four times... then twice... then twice again. The pre-arranged signal had been given. Director relaxed somewhat, but not entirely. She gestured at Tristan to move into the shadows and opened the door.

"Sorry I'm late, but I had to make sure that I wasn't being followed." Their informer explained. "If you knew even half of his insanity, you'd do the same?"

Director looked him over; he was not what she was expecting. She saw a Hispanic boy that couldn't have been any older than Kim was. "You're the person who sent the message?" Director's eyes widened, but she recovered quickly from the surprise. At this point, she'd take help from anyone. She gestured for him to come inside.

"Yes, I am." Gil nodded. "I take it you're the Director of Global Justice." Betty nodded, seeing little point in denying it. If they wanted to get anywhere, she knew that they had to speak honestly.

"So what do you know about all of this?" Director questioned. "Who's responsible?"

"Fukushima," Gil replied, and the very name sent a shudder through his body. He struggled against the memories of Fukushima torturing both him and his brother.

"I've never heard of him." Director admitted. Global Justice's files were quite thorough, but he wasn't in their records.

"He was a former student of...Yamanouchi, I think it was." Gil hesitated for a moment. He looked around, afraid that he was going to be caught at any moment. "I don't know much, but he was kicked out of the school for some reason, and he blames Stoppable for it. He wants both him and Kim dead."

That much I figured out, Director snarked to herself, and only just managed not to vocalize her thoughts. Her organization had a general idea of where Yamanouchi was located, but had never quite managed to pinpoint its exact location. Any agent who tried was grabbed and sent back to them, not that it deterred her from future efforts. "So why are you working for him?" Director wondered. Her suspicion was not entirely gone. She remembered that Gil once wanted revenge on Ron Stoppable because of a genetic mutation. Did he still hold a grudge?

"My brother is being held hostage, and he dies in agony if I do not cooperate." Gil informed. He had a feeling that she was suspicious of him, so he decided to put an end to that once and for all. "But... I can't watch anymore and do nothing. This might get be killed, but I can't watch another person be tortured to death... or worse."

"What are his plans?" Director inquired.

"He wants Possible and Stoppable dead and doesn't care about anything else right now." Gil informed. "I don't think he even knows what he wants outside of that."

"What information do you have that might help us defeat him?" Director wondered, wanting to get to the crux of the matter. Knowing his identity helped, but she remembered vividly the kind of losses Global Justice took facing Ambrose and did not want a repeat performance.

"He's not working alone; he has an ally who helped him set Kim and Stoppable up." Gil informed. "Fukushima mentioned the name Hench, but that's all I know."

It was one thing to suspect him, but quite another realizing that Jack Hench had set her protégé up to be killed. Only Hench or Sheldon would have the resources to do so. Director mused. However often she fought with her twin brother, she didn't consider it his style to pull this off. This situation was going to have to be handled carefully. Hench was formidable, slick, and highly intelligent. Global Justice had managed to weaken him on some occasions, but had never managed to shut him down entirely.

"Wish I had better news for you," Gil admitted. "He's powerful, but he can still be beaten if we're clever about it. Unfortunately, he's already charged off to deal with Stoppable."

"Why didn't you tell me that before?!" Director demanded. "Where did he go? How much time do we have?"

"How else did you think I was able to meet you?" Gil asked. "And I don't know where they're hiding, or I'd have mentioned it to you." He paused briefly and continued. "However... I can tell you where he's currently hiding. On one condition."

"What do you want?" Director wondered cautiously.

"Get my brother out of there." Gil ordered her. "Otherwise, you will not receive any further cooperation from me."

"You tell us first and then we'll rescue him." Director dismissed his proposal. She still was not entirely convinced that he was not going to lead them into some sort of trap.

"Or you'll do what?" Gil sneered. "What more can your people do to me? I've lived under the shadow of death and torture for far too long, not only for me, but for the last of my family. Rescue my brother and I'll give you everything you could possibly want. If you refuse, we have nothing left to discuss."

"Hold on!" Director ordered. She knew he wasn't about to leave; it was just a ploy to try and force her into cooperating. "I can't rescue your brother if you don't tell me where he is. I have a team that can quickly move in and out before Fukushima notices anything out of the ordinary."

"All right; do that and we have a deal." Gil agreed. "One last thing... try and... rescue the living victims as well, assuming there are any. I hope your team as a strong stomach."

"I'm quite accustomed to witnessing atrocities, Gil." Director reminded him coldly.

"We need to go; we don't have much time." Gil cut off the conversation and moved out as quickly as they could. Little did they know they were already being watched.

XXXXXXXXXX

Ron Stoppable was no stranger to combat. Even if he appeared untrained compared to Kim, he had learned plenty of tricks to keep him alive, even before his brief training at Yamanouchi. It had helped him build confidence in himself and his abilities, allowing him to fight as an equal, not just a sidekick. He was no stranger to pain or fear.

But now, fear filled every fiber of his being, magnified to a degree Ron had experienced only a few times in his life. He was separated from Kim, and wished dearly that he had her assistance in facing Fukushima. Since the circumstances were different, however, he knew that he and Shego would just have to do the best they could by themselves.

Only pure luck and quick reflexes saved him from what would have been a fatal show. He and Shego attacked Fukushima from two directions, hoping to overwhelm him before he could bring his true power to bear. Unfortunately, he anticipated such a tactic and dived to the right, firing one energy orb after another, sending the two scattering.

"You're pathetic, outsider!" Fukushima bragged. "Without Possible to protect you, you're nothing!" Ron opened his mouth to fire a retort, but was forced to withdraw because Fukushima attacked mid-sentence. Ron fired a few blue blasts in order to serve as a momentary distraction, even if the energy was considerably inferior to Fukushima's.

Shego took advantage of him losing his focus and attacked Fukushima physically, hoping to get in close. The first punch connected, but he managed to dodge or deflect every subsequent attack. Ron kept him off-balance by firing more energy shots, wishing his telekinesis was strong enough to hurl at least some of the objects in the room, rather than using them as cover. He was tempted to jump in there and get close himself, but understood that in closer-quarters combat, Shego was still his superior.

"You're the one too cowardly to face us alone!" Shego sneered in order to mask her fear. He was slightly off-balance, giving her a momentary advantage, but none of the blows she succeeded in landing were enough to cripple him. Punches and kicks were flying at the rate of eight-ten every second, faster than even she could keep up. One penetrated her defenses and slammed into her solar plexus. Without her enhanced strength, it would have ripped her internal organs apart. As it was, she gasped, having the wind knocked out of her.

Fukushima turned one of his hands towards Ron and fired a blast of lightning, forcing him to take cover. The stream was constant, keeping him pinned down and unable to help Shego, which was precisely what Fukushima had in mind. "I've got to do something," Ron muttered, his mind hastily coming up with a possible counter. It was risky, but it had to be done in order to have a fighting chance.

Shego used a leg sweep, followed by the strongest blast she could conjure, powerful enough to burn her in addition to Fukushima. He screamed in both frustration and pain, forcing him to back off momentarily and giving Ron the opportunity to jump back into the fray. Ron knew to keep his distance, since his enemy had the advantage up close, and fired a series of low-power, high speed shots in his direction.

Fukushima rolled away, wincing as some of the shots connected, and hastily got to his feet. "Perhaps you're not as weak as I thought, Stoppable." Fukushima chuckled. Neither bothered to reply; this was a lethal battle, and not the time for witty banter. They moved to surrounding him again, repeating the tactic they used in the beginning.

This time, though, Shego changed course at the last second, hitting him in the back of the neck. Nothing she threw was able to completely penetrate the shield he placed around himself, but at the very least, their attacks were at least hurting him, in sharp contrast to the way they fought Ambrose six months before.

Their luck was not going to last forever, though. Ron was hit with a dose of lightning, bringing him to his knees. Shego was telekinetically thrown into the wall repeatedly, smashing her head into the metal. Ron fired a weak blast, hoping to distract him before he ended up killing her. The strategy succeeded, but Ron was hit with another dose and this time, could not hold back his screams.

He was fully on the ground now, his body twitching as he willed his limbs to do something, anything, in order to escape his current predicament. Ron bit his lip to muffle his screams, but the sound still emerged from his lips nonetheless. Fukushima was drinking in his suffering with a grin more sinister and sadistic than any Ron had seen from his typical arch-foes.

"I want to hear your suffering; scream!" Fukushima demanded., pouring more lightning into his body. Ron closed his eyes, trying to focus, trying to conjure enough energy to stop the agony. His veins felt like they were on fire, experiencing more pain than he had ever felt in his life.

"Get away from him!" Shego screamed, with a measure of strength she did not realize she possessed. Fukushima's attention was so focused on Ron that he was unable to defend himself in time. Her hands glowed as she hit every square inch of his body that she could, her nails going for his eyes. Fukushima grabbed her right wrist and dislocated it, following with a vicious kick to the ribs, sending her flying into the air.

Ron slowly pushed himself to his feet, blue energy beginning to surround him once more. Every move sent new spikes of pain throughout his body, but the adrenaline was slowly neutralizing it, at least temporarily. Ignoring Fukushima's hand-to-hand superiority, he barreled into him, giving him a karate chop to the throat.

It was of the essence that Fukushima not be given a chance to recover, at least not until Shego was able to rejoin the fight... if she could. Ron's mind was beginning to wander to the possibility that he didn't want to even consider. The rational part of his brain, though, knew that it might be necessary. He might have to kill Fukushima before he killed them first.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Damn you, stay still!" Monkey Fist cursed as Kim evaded every one of his blows. The corridor was narrow, giving her little room to jump around, and he hoped that his approached would give him the advantage in such narrow quarters. At the moment, though, she still continued to dodge everything he threw her way, physical or energy.

"Yeah, that's not happening." Kim laughed, jumping over him and burying her feet in his back. Her greatest advantage were her speed and agility. Monkey Fist still had superior strength, at least unless she chose to access the hidden depths of her power. She ducked more blows, jumped over another, and punched him twice in the torso before backing away out of his reach once again.

Her mind quickly analyzed the way he fought and the appropriate method for beating him. It was something Kim was very skilled out even before being her superhero career, and now she had nearly perfected it. Monkey Fist was strong and brutal and while he could move quicker than his lumbering frame suggested, he was not in Kim's league. Indeed, Shego was harder to evade than he was.

The difference, however, was that however much Kim despised her, Shego wasn't likely to kill her. Based on how Monkey Fist was performing, that was more than likely her fate should the brawl turn against her. Kim's heart was pounding as she attempted to maneuver the fight into a larger area, where she could fully control her advantages.

She dived down to avoid a red blast, and flipped him overhead as he tried to reach for his pistol. Kim didn't know whether it would actually succeed in killing her, but refused to take the chance and find out the hard way. She grabbed it for herself, mentally debating on whether or not to pull the trigger.

The distraction was all Monkey Fist needed in order to send a punch straight at her temple. Kim managed to move quickly enough to avoid a direct hit, but even the reduced energy of the blow she received was more than enough to send her staggering, reminding her that such distractions could prove fatal if it happened again. The pace and ferocity of the blows was quickening, as Monkey Fist tried to end the brawl as quickly as he could.

However much she wanted to break away and assist Ron, Kim knew that was not an option at the moment. She slammed her feel into Monkey Fist's kneecap, sending him howling and making it difficult to keep his balance. She decided to alter her tactics, taking a more offensive role than she normally did with Shego. If he was attempting to kill her, Kim knew that she couldn't hold anything back with him.

Getting inside his defenses, Kim poked him in the nose and shoved her elbow in his nose, but not quite hard enough to break it. She again flipped him over his back and stomped on his leg. Nevertheless, he grabbed her clothing and sent her to the ground with him. One hand was around her neck, while she tried feebly to pull him off.

"Time to die, Kim Possible!" Monkey Fist laughed, pulling out another weapon, this time a dagger. Kim coughed, barely able to breathe and knew that he was counting on at least one of the methods finishing her off. "Wonder what your boyfriend will think when he sees your rotting corpse!"

Kim spat in his eye, partially out of anger, but it also gave her enough time to drive her knee into his crotch, weakening his grip and allowing her to break free. She shoved the arm wielding the knife against the wall and sent repeated kicks to the groin. Kim was well aware that such a tactic could cause permanent damage, but at the moment, she didn't care. All she wanted to do was to live.

To her surprise, he continued fighting, but his movement was noticeably slower, so she reverted back to her tried and true tactic of evasion. Kim was halfway tempted to smirk and would have had this been Shego she was fighting. Monkey Fist, though... a similar mistake and she would end up dead.

No matter how much she hit him, though, she was never able to bring him down entirely, even when she attacked vital areas of the human body. Monkey Fist's rage was only growing, canceling at the pain, and the red energy he poured out of his hands kept her from achieving total victory. She ducked under a tackle attempt, actually laughing at his clumsiness, in between sending a kick into his vertebrae.

Kim was reluctant to say it, but part of her was actually enjoying the pain she inflicted upon him. His face was soaked with blood, and Monkey Fist had a couple of head wounds as well. His left ear was bleeding, although not profusely. She forcibly buried the small amount of joy she was feeling from this, attempting to get control of her rapidly growing hatred.

Monkey Fist was completely astonished. Not only was he losing, but Kim Possible barely had a scratch on her! He did not remember her being this skilled and strong the last time he had encountered her. Knowing he couldn't win in a fair fight, he summoned the dagger back to himself and pulled out another pistol, firing as rapidly as he could.

Kim immediately dived to the ground the instant she saw the metal, rolling as far as the narrow corridor would take her. She absently wondered why nobody else was investigating the noise, but she didn't have time to worry about that at the moment. She kicked him in the back of the leg, and tried to rip the weapons from his grip. Monkey Fist succeeded in slashing her wrist, although thankfully not down to the vein.

She hissed and kicked him in the stomach, getting back to her feet before he managed and taking full advantage, stomping on his hands, although due to his genetic modification, it was insufficient to break any bones. Her kick, however, was still enough to make him gasp when her foot went into his throat. Every time he attempted to push himself up, she kicked him back down, intent on injuring him enough to where she could assist Ron and Shego before it was too late.

Eventually, he grabbed her foot and twisted, though again, she slipped out of his grip before he could do any damage. Even so, it was all the time he needed to rise and fight her on more even terms. Monkey Fist was by far the worse for wear, even with the weapons he was carrying. He tried firing his gun again, but found that he was out of bullets.

. Kim felt her impulses begin to return. She had mostly managed to suppress them once she managed to get away from Ambrose, but the battle with Monkey Fist was beginning to awaken them once again. Her blows were growing stronger and more vicious, and Monkey Fist had to all but forgo any attempts at taking the offensive.

She grabbed the pistol and smashed him across the face, breaking his nose completely and his eyelids drooping with blood. He snarled, but was unable to get out of the way. He swung the knife and the rest of his limbs as fast as he could, wanting to overwhelm her, but for Kim, it was a simple matter to leap over him, nearly sticking to the walls in her evasion.

Kim dislocated his wrist and grabbed the knife, impaling his arm with it. The loss of blood was beginning to effect him, although it did not reduce the pain any. He screamed in agony, collapsing to his knees.

"I've grown tired of this; it's time for you to die!" Kim snarled, adrenaline pumping through her veins at the prospect. She even had an evil smile directed as him as she uttered those words.

What am I doing? she asked herself, coming to her senses. What was wrong with her? Was she actually going to enjoy the prospect of killing Monkey Fist? She had come to terms with the fact that it might become necessary from time to time to take a life over the course of her missions, but to enjoy the kill? Apparently the darkness inside of her was not as conquered as she initially thought.

Unfortunately, her hesitation allowed Monkey Fist to regain the initiative and begin his assault anew. Rather than allow herself to fall into the abyss that she struggled with in the past, Kim opted to retreat and hide, at least until she calmed herself long enough for her evil thoughts to subside.

XXXXXXXXXX

How... how do we beat this guy? Shego wondered. He made Monkey Fist look like a cake walk in comparison. She was no stranger to pain, and knew how to force it to the back of her mind, but even so, it was beginning to overwhelm her. Already she was slowing down and her hand-to-hand combat lacked the finesse she had at the beginning.

If it wasn't for the fact that Fukushima's primary target was Ron, Shego knew that she would likely already be dead. Had she fought alone, the battle wouldn't have lasted as long as it had. Whenever he was on the verge of killing one, the other moved to intercept them, but in spite of that advantage, they were still losing.

"Where are you, Princess?" Shego muttered. Much as she hated her, they could use Kim's help about now. And where was Drakken? Even he couldn't ignore what was currently going on inside his lair.

Shego backflipped over another lightning blast, while Ron kicked Fukushima in the groin and fired the strongest blast he could currently muster right into Fukushima's torso. He fell to his knees, but a simple wave of the hand sent Ron flying to the other side of the room and unlike Shego, he was unable to land on his feet.

We've got to try something new. Shego threw some of the heavy objects in his direction. Fukushima caught them in mid-air, of course, but it informed Shego that his strength was merely that of a mortal, even if his powers were considerable.

"You two are nothing; is this all you can accomplish?" Fukushima laughed, waving them aside. "My master may have been foolish enough to spare you two, but I am not."

"Dude, can't you come up with any new lines?" Ron taunted. "Seriously, the 'my victory is inevitable and I can't be stopped' routine really gets old after a while."

"Yeah, and I thought Drakken was bad with that." Shego added, hoping that his anger would make him careless.

Before Fukushima could respond, the door opened and in poured a mixture of henchmen and synthrodrones, all armed to the teeth. None of them spoke a word; they merely started firing at Fukushima with everything they had. He screamed in frustration, firing shot after shot and while a couple of synthrodrones were destroyed, it did little to protect him against the barrage of firepower.

"Better late than never, huh?" Ron groaned, and only now could Shego truly appreciate how injured he was. She was amazed that he was even able to stand, much less fight.

"Drakken's surprisingly intelligent if he's pushed hard enough." Shego admitted. Indeed, he seemed far more competent against other villains than he was against heroes, for a reason that she had never understood.

However, while Fukushima had been taken by surprise, he was not dead, despite being riddled with hundreds of bullets. The henchmen began to retreat, while the synthrodrones stayed to cover their escape; robots were easier to replace than people.

The door was sealed, but Shego could see that it wouldn't hold for long. She headed to the nearest intercom and exclaimed: "Doctor D, I hope you've got better security measures than that! This isn't going to hold him long!"

"Don't worry, Shego; it's time to unleash my secret weapon!" Drakken laughed. The door began to buckle and all of them involuntarily took a step back. Fighting in a narrow corridor would be even more dangerous for them than in an open room. Their courage hung by a thread. Ron was terrified, in spite of his best efforts to conceal it from the others.

None of them could see what it was, but from the screams of agony, Shego deduced that it was at least moderately effective. "I've got to kind KP." Ron exclaimed, his eyes looking all around the room.

"Don't be silly; you can barely stand, much less run all around the lair." Shego interjected. While her injuries were considerable, and the pain was amplified now that her adrenaline was beginning the subside, she was still more capable than he was.

"I've already sent out an alert for that monkey follow." Drakken promised over the intercom. "He's not about to get away!"

"He does know that he can be heard through the entire lair, right?" Ron whispered. Shego shook her head in response.

XXXXXXXXXX

"You can't hide forever, Possible!" Monkey Fist promised.

Come on, get yourself together! Kim screamed at herself. Ron needed her help; she should be there fighting alongside him, not cowering behind a desk. Nonetheless, she couldn't will herself to move, not when her mental voice was screaming at her to kill.

The feeling of having someone's life in her hands... it was almost intoxicating. Kim had a rush of pleasure go through her veins from thinking about it, and was immediately horrified because she knew what that had meant. She swore never to become that, not to give in to the same temptation that Ambrose did, but it was far from easy.

Monkey Fist was still some distance away, but Kim knew that he would find her eventually, and her impulses were not subsiding. If anything, they were getting even worse the longer she was in danger. Her fists clenched tight, her fingernails beginning to draw blood from her palm. Her heart pounding so hard, she was amazed Monkey Fist couldn't hear it.

"Okay, maybe I can just take him by surprise and subdue him before he can fight back." Kim mused, her body becoming ready to pounce. She moved silently from the desk to one of Drakken's many devices. She peeked over the corner, ready to dive away the instant his eyes turned in her direction.

"You know, while you play hide-and-seek with me, Possible, Fukushima is busy killing your precious boyfriend." Monkey Fist gloated. It was all she could do not to scream in rage. Kim's face was turning red and she only just managed to refrain from pouncing on him. "I wonder if he'll simply kill him or if he'll savor the moment."

Kim grimaced, her body shaking with rage. She wanted nothing more than to tear open his intestines. Then why don't you? Her inner voice asked. Use your hate, and he will not be able to stand against you! Remember your power! Don't hide from it; use it!

"I remember the last time I fought Stoppable." Monkey Fist continued, still trying to draw her out. "I can't even describe the kind of pleasure I received from shoving a sword through his gut, seeing him whimper like a coward. He's nothing without you, Possible."

Kim knew she was close now. The logical part of her brain told her to simply continue with the original plan, and merely subdue him in order to help Ron. After all, she had little time to waste, considering that she could almost sense the power radiating from Fukushima. She shoved her logical thoughts to the back of her mind, but she didn't leap... not quite yet.

"And what about your family?" Monkey Fist continued. "They must be worried sick about you. Never fear, though; they won't be worrying for long. Perhaps I can even arrange a farewell."

That was it. If he dared try to harm her family...

"You're a dead man!" Kim screamed, losing what self control she had left and diving towards him, attacking with deadly intent. Monkey Fist only barely had the strength to block her first blow, the sheer force of it nearly knocking him off his feet.

Kim shed all traces of her morality and completely opened herself up to her hate. The advantage was hers and she pressed it, her mind focused on nothing but keeping her family safe, no matter what the cost might be. She felt power flow through her veins, and she no longer feared it. No, she welcomed it, fed upon it, nurtured it.

It was only too late that Monkey Fist understood his mistake. Yes, Kim Possible was a hero, someone who risked her life to save others, a woman who swore never to walk down the path of villainy.

The mistake he made was assuming that she would be unwilling to kill.

He attempted to recover, to at least buy himself enough time to run and get away from the demon that was currently enveloping him, but all he was able to accomplish was to dodge a kick that surely had enough power to crush his skull. There was no escape for him, and his eyes widened as that fact dawned on him.

The spectacle went on, but the fight was over. There could be no other outcome.

Deep inside the chaos of her mind, Kim knew that she shouldn't be doing this, shouldn't be trying to murder him, even if he was an enemy. She was a hero, wasn't he? Heroes didn't kill others, no matter what they said or threatened.

The image of her parents and twin brothers being killed by Fukushima was enough to silence her doubts. Kim Possible stood between death and her loved ones. Her mind was clear. There was only one thing to do: win.

The first blow shatters three of his ribs.

The second blow blinds Monkey Fist in his right eye.

The third blow ruptures his appendix.

The fourth blow crushes his larynx.

And The fifth blow breaks his femur, sending him collapsing beneath. His courage and bravado had been stripped from him. In his pain-riddled mind, Monkey Fist understood that he was completely at the mercy of Kim Possible. As he looked into her cold, dead eyes, he finally understood that there was no mercy to be had.

Ron walked in just as she broke his neck, leaving his corpse on the floor.

XXXXXXXXXX

Yeah, definitely not a good idea to threaten Kim's family; it might be hazardous to your health.

Next chapter: Kim deals with the consequences of her actions, while Director encounters a new obstacle in her efforts to clear Team Possible.