Please don't forget to read the disclaimer in chapter one before you ask any questions. Bet one of you won't, and miss their answer to their question.

Previously

"I will see how good they are?" said Brotherson as he clapped his hand. Three ladies then stepped forward, and Tara and her friend knew them well; they were Brotherson's best fighters.

"Oh shit!" said Hope

The Bounty Hunters

Chapter 7

"Yes, I would like to see if you can beat my best fighters," laughed Brotherson.

"Then I will take on Betsy, Brotherson. I always wanted to see how good she really is," said Tara.

"I am sure she would like to find that out as well. Maybe Hope would like to fight Mary Lin Tan," said Brotherson. Knowing the last time they met, Mary had humiliated Hope.

"Sure, I would like a little payback," said Hope

"Cool, that means I get to knock Betty's head off," said Jessica, and Brotherson roared laughing.

"Very well then, you three will be the last three matches if that pleases your master," said Brotherson.

"That would be pleasurable," said Ron, and they bowed to Brotherson, and they all headed for their seats. By the time Tara and the girls' fight came along, Ronald's warriors had secured the compound well and truly. None of the criminals knew just how much trouble they were in until the dagger hit Brotherson's throat, then they knew something was very wrong.

Hope's anger was well under control when her match came along. Hope surprised her opposition with a perfect punch to Mary's face, dropping her to the floor the instant they stepped in to fight. Mary Lin Tan was the woman that Hope had lost against many times before. Still a very low-ranked fighter and had the old Hope buttons already to push. Mary would start her verbal abuse from the side of the ring when they announced the fight, but this time, it did not affect Hope. She was calm and focused as soon as the makeshift bell sounded. Hope quickly ducked under two of Mary's punches and clearly saw an opening. Before Mary could react, Hope's punch hit her square in the face, breaking her nose and knocking her out. Mary hit the floor unconscious, with blood pouring out of her nose. The fight was over, and Brotherson was impressed.

But that changed when Jessica entered the ring with Knockout Betty. Jessica's fight lasted the same length of time. Jess was classed as a second-rate fighter before her training. Now, all three girls were rated far higher than those they were fighting. Jess just approached Betty and blocked her first swing at her face. Then Jess head-butted Betty in the face so hard that it broke her nose and knocked her out.

"I am sorry for deceiving you, Brotherson. I wanted my girls to fight in the state official matches, but they insisted on coming here first," said Ron's interpreter. That was when the mood changed in the auditorium; all bets changed to Tara winning the next fight by knockout.

"I understand Sensei. These are my best fighters, and I have no hope in those matches. I think you will do well in these matches," said Brotherson.

"We can cancel the last fight if you wish?" said Ron's interpreter.

"No, that will be okay. You always had taken my best fighters for those fights. Betsy kept asking me if she could go to the state fights, but I told her she was too old and weak. Maybe Tara here can show her what it is needed to enter the state fights," said Brotherson.

"Very well," said Ron. Tara was up against Brotherson's best fighter, and everyone knew Tara would win. The girls were introduced, and Betsy nervously entered the ring when the bell sounded. Tara walked into the ring and took her stance. Betsy quickly tried every trick in the book, sweeping Tara's legs.

Tara saw it coming a mile away and jumped and came down on Betsy's sweeping leg, breaking it. With a scream, Betsy fell to the floor with a badly broken leg. A millisecond later, Tara's foot came down on her face and knocked Betsy out cold. Ron then nodded towards Tara, and she jumped in the air to celebrate, only to remove a small dagger from her boot and throw it at Brotherson's throat, killing Brotherson on the spot.

Meka, Sakura, and Ron's warrior bodyguards began firing their concealed knockout darts at their selected targets. No one knew what was happening until they were either knocked out or surrounded by Ron's warriors. The compound was secured an hour after Tara's fight.

The plan had worked better than Ron had hoped. His warriors had secured the compound towers before any of the matches started. All the criminals that lived in old Middleton were surrounded and captured by the police and National Guard. By the end of the day, thousands of criminals were either being led or carried away to prisons and hospitals. It was the largest bounty cash prize in all of Ronald's time as a bounty hunter.

Ron and the girls started to search the well-hidden areas of the old school and found the elevator that led down to tunnels. They were dug out for an easy escape for Brotherson and an area to hide all of his secret contraband. Now, he would never use the tunnels again. But what they found! had Ronald and Yori in total shock. Cages of captive young children and woman prisoners, "I was afraid of this!" said Ron

"What are these people in here for?" asked Hope

"I would say as payment?" said Wade

"Payment for what!" asked Jessica

"Brotherson is involved in slavery, and if he is involved with these Arthrillians! He would be selling these people to them," said Ron.

"You mean they are slaves?" asked Hope

"Not slaves, food!" said Ron, "The Arthrillians are reptiles, and they need living prey to plant an egg inside them. Once these eggs are hatched, the victim will be eaten alive!"

"That is horrible!" said Hope

"That is why most of the galaxy has wiped them out," said Ron as Jessica was about to open the cages, "NO! They need to be examined before they are released," and Ron pointed to part of the tunnel behind the cages, there they all saw human bodies with dead humanoid reptiles larvae. Both human and reptile bodies had gunshot wounds in their heads. "Looks like someone had a conscious,"

"OH, NO!" said Tara,

"And you are saying these people could have an egg inside them!" asked Jessica. And Ron and Wade nodded, "What about those who that Cult fella took off this world?"

"Cult is more of a mercenary type Bounty hunter mercenary for hire by many species in this galaxy. If he ever turned on a client and gave them to the Arthrillians, he would find himself atomized very quickly," said Ron.

Wade then contacted the council to have every human removed from the compound quarantine for testing, even if they were innocent. It would take nearly two weeks to check everyone; even Brotherson's Body and those who were killed checked.

Weeks later, everyone was cleared to be released from hospital.

Middleton had to be incinerated when hundreds of Human and Arthrillian skeletons were dug up and burnt. Brotherson's files had told the whole story of what had happened to these people. Most of the victims were drug addicts and had deformed the larvae. It was funny how criminals started to have a conscious when the horror of deformed larvae appeared from their bodies.

Two days later.

Kim and Bonnie had returned to Middleton and were met by a black limousine as they stepped off the plane. "Kim Possible and Bonnie Rockwaller?" asked the driver in a black military uniform.

"Yes, what can we do for you?" asked Kim.

"I am here to take you to the director," he said and opened the back door, "Your luggage will be taken to your quarters while you see the director,"

"Okay, thank you," said Kim, and both ladies sat in the limo's back seat.

"So you still think the loser is this director?" asked Bonnie.

"I still don't know! But if he is, you won't be calling him a loser anymore," said Kim

"Gee, I hope he is not. It was bad enough for him to be part of the cheer squad all those years ago. I am so glad I won you over," said Bonnie.

"You won me over?" said Kim.

"Yeah, if I didn't kiss you that day, you would still be with him," said Bonnie

"I guess I realized that something was missing after I tried all those other boys," said Kim

"You were always a lot better with me than any boy! I heard that Middleton was retaken. Wonder if they found Tara yet?" asked Bonnie.

"You always had a thing for that girl," said Kim.

"Yes, she was somewhat better than the other girls," said Bonnie

"Well, I hope they found the rest of our friends," said Kim

"We should have stayed and helped them leave Middleton. At least it would be better when we see them again," said Bonnie

"I know," said Kim as the two hugged each other, "At least we had your training as an excuse,"

"Do you think my training was an excuse?"

"You want to tell them we got scared and ran out on them?" said Kim.

"I guess not," finished Bonnie as they drove for an hour before entering Middleton. Thousands of guards manned the border into old Middleton, wearing the same black uniform. The car stopped at a guard booth and a barrier gate, and a guard walked up to the driver's window.

"Papers," he said, and the driver handed him his ID. The guard asked the driver, "Who are your passengers private?"

"Kim Possible and Bonnie Rockwaller," replied the driver, and Kim and Bonnie gave him their IDs.

"What is the purpose of your visit?"

"We don't know yet, but we are here to see the director," said Kim.

"One minute, please," said the guard, walked into his booth and picked up the phone; soon, he returned and gave back their papers, "You may pass; please do not stop in the town and do what you are told," and the small wooden gate rose to let the car pass. The director had instructed the driver to bring Kim and Bonnie to the new Middleton military base. What they saw as they drove through old Middleton had both of them in tears. It was nothing like when they grew up. They saw soldiers with flame throwers setting buildings on fire. Others were leading prisoners towards trucks, and bulldozers knocked other buildings down. Excavators picked up bricks and timbers and loaded the rubbish into trucks. Soon, the scene changed to show these soldiers leading people by gunpoint to trucks to be driven away. There were also gunfights in the streets of old Middleton. Soldiers were in a shootout with other people shooting back at them.

"I thought Middleton was secured?" asked Kim to the driver.

"Most of the town is secured, ma'am, but there are still a few pockets of criminals resisting arrest," said the driver. The two ladies watched as the soldiers handcuffed the people who were surrendering. Kim could see construction trucks passing them as they headed towards a bridge.

"Where are those trucks going?" asked Kim.

"Old Middleton, it's the biggest operation since the invasion. Once all the criminals are removed, Middleton will be rebuilt into the country's biggest military base," said the driver. The two watched the convoy as their car drove over the bridge. Kim and Bonnie started to cry as they saw the smoke and fire rising over old Middleton and wondered who their old friend had survived as the car headed over the bridge and towards the island.

"Do you know who is in charge?" asked Bonnie.

"I am not at liberty to inform you, ma'am. I was told to pick you two up from the airport and bring both of you here," said the Driver as he pulled the limo up to the steps of a mansion. Kim and Bonnie saw soldiers walking to and from the building. The driver then climbed out of the car and removed Kim and Bonnie's bags from the trunk as another soldier came and opened the back door for the girls.

"Please go to the reception, and she will direct you to where you are supposed to go," said the guard. With their duffle bags over their shoulders, Kim and Bonnie walked up the stairs and into the foyer to meet a young girl at a large desk. Unknown to the girls, even inside the mansion had changed since Tara and the girls arrived.

TBC