Chapter 3 – With Power Comes Great Responsibility

The very next morning, Rhonda woke up early and got ready before she headed downstairs. The first thing she saw upon entering the kitchen was her aunt Rebecca sitting at the table with her parents and stepsister as they were eating breakfast.

"Morning, kiddo," Rebecca greeted her with a warm smile as Rhonda went over to the counter and got a box of Honey Nut Cheerios and a bowl before serving herself.

"Morning, Aunt Rebecca," Rhonda replied as she walked over to the refrigerator and opened it in order to retrieve a bottle of milk.

"We're leaving as soon as you finish eating," Rebecca informed her briskly.

"Okay," Rhonda nodded as she poured milk into her cereal and brought it over to the table before she sat down and began eating.

A short time later, Rhonda was done eating as she and Rebecca exited the flat and headed straight for her IDA-issued van just as the sun was rising on the horizon. Rhonda then jumped into the back and clicked on her seatbelt before the doors slammed shut and she looked over to see Rebecca enter the driver's side of the vehicle. Then as soon as she slammed her door shut, Rebecca started the engine as the car roared to life and pulled away from the Buchanan residence.

TLSTLSTLSTLS

A little over an hour and a half later, Rebecca and the kids arrived at the IDA headquarters in central London as they got out of the car and headed for the front entrance. Then as soon as they entered the lobby, they went over to the seats and sat down for several minutes as they waited for someone to greet them.

After what seemed like an eternity, Jack Manning arrived with Esther, Jasmine, Nick Fury and a middle-aged Caucasian man with a receding hairline and wearing a suit and a tie.

"So good to see you, Special Agent Petrie," Jack greeted Rebecca warmly. "I see that you've brought the youngsters with you."

"I have, Mr. Manning," Rebecca affirmed while gesturing over to Rhonda, Katie and Luthor.

"Children, these are Agents Nick Fury and Phil Coulson; they are part of an organization known as S.H.I.E.L.D. They dedicate their very lives to protecting the Earth from all kinds of superhuman threats," Jack Manning said while gesturing over to the two men standing next to him.

"Hello, children; it's such a pleasure to meet you," Agent Coulson greeted them with a polite smile.

"Why do you guys even need S.H.I.E.L.D. around anyway?" Rhonda retorted quizzically.

"You kids better come with me to the conference room and I'll explain everything," Jack Manning answered as he turned around and led everyone out of the lobby.

A few minutes later, everyone was at the conference room as Jack was standing in front of a big computer screen showing an image of the Earth with a green ball of fire heading straight towards it.

"Many years ago, long before any of you were even born, a green, glowing ball of light crashed into the Earth and released a huge burst of energy that caused a powerful and devastating series of earthquakes to rock the entire planet and for our world to fuse together with the fictional world into a mega dimension in an event known as the Great Dimensional Merge. It wasn't long before we got numerous reports of mysterious beings known as 'sentients' popping up all over the world and in the interest of national security, we felt that it was best to create a government agency that was well-equipped to deal with such particular matters. And that was how our organization came to be."

"So what exactly do you need us for then?" Katie asked suspiciously.

"Well, you see, the Inter-dimensional Defense Agency deals with threats pertaining to the Multiverse while S.H.I.E.L.D. deals with threats mainly having to do with the Earth," Jack explained while rubbing his head anxiously. "We need superheroes to not just defend and protect the Earth from all kinds of threats but also the Multiverse. And that's where you kids come in."

"What Jack is trying to say is that we need young superheroes like you and since your powers have officially manifested themselves, we need to get you into training as soon as possible," Esther interjected.

"So how does this training thing work exactly?" Luthor inquired with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, typically it consists of an obstacle course that tests your speed, endurance, strength and stamina and you also get to fight training robots so that you would be able to hone and practice using your powers. Simple really," Jack replied with a shrug.

"I'm sure that it's nothing that you kids can't handle; no pressure," Rebecca added with a gentle and encouraging smile.

"Oh great, I love it when grown-ups say that," Rhonda groaned sarcastically with an eye roll while face-palming herself.

"So… any further questions before we begin our training session for today?" Jack announced.

"So is there ever a time when you guys have to deal with a sentient that might have accidentally wandered into our universe?" Katie inquired curiously.

"Also what in the bloody hell is a sentient anyway?" Luthor demanded with narrowed eyes.

"I'm glad you asked," Jack replied with a big, confident grin as he looked at Luthor. "Basically a sentient is what we would describe a being that originates from the fictional world. Sometimes that being would be a normal, regular human just like you and me; other times they would be a talking animal, monster, robot, or God knows what else exists out there. Like for example…"

He then turned around to see a group of IDA agents stepping into the room as they were carrying a small metal cage with a strange cat-like creature in it. She was wearing a light beige hooded cloak outfit with braided pigtails hanging from her head and yellow cat-like ears. She also had a completely shrouded black face with only her red eyes and mouth visible from her hood along with a long grey tail. She appeared to be greatly agitated and on edge as she was pacing in her cage while itching to break free.

"Hey, I'm dying over here! I haven't eaten anything all day meow!" she pouted in a whiny voice.

"What… the hell… is that?" Luthor balked as he pointed at the strange cat-like creature with wide eyes.

"She calls herself Taokaka," Jack explained pithily, not even looking at her. "According to our data she originates from a universe where she dwells in a small village filled with genetically engineered cat-like creatures just like her. But don't let her innocent demeanor fool you; she's a deadly one."

"You got anything to eat around here, Chief? Tao could use some meatbuns and rice balls right about neow," Taokaka whimpered while hanging her head sadly.

"Take her back to the lab, boys; I'll deal with her later," Jack ordered while waving his hand dismissively.

"Yes, sir!" one of the IDA agents saluted as he and his comrades turned around and carried Taokaka out of the room.

"I hope you kids are ready, because you have many days and weeks of grueling training ahead of you," Jack declared as he looked over at the children with a wicked and sadistic grin.

"I don't think I like the sound of that," Rhonda groaned as she exchanged apprehensive glances at her friends.

TLSTLSTLSTLS

It wasn't long before it became apparent that Rhonda and her friends had a very hard time adjusting to their new training regime; even though they were able to complete the tire course and other similar courses with little to no difficulty, Rhonda had a very difficult time going through the monkey bar and the rope wall and would even sometimes fall off half-way. To make matters worse, Rhonda would often panic and run around screaming whenever she was confronted by one of the training robots, raising grave concerns among the senior high-ranking agents.

"Are you sure she's even ready for this, Esther?" Jack frowned worriedly as he, Esther and Rebecca watched Rhonda race around the training room screaming her head off while being chased and shot at by a training robot.

"She just needs more time, Jack; she's just a child for God's sake," Esther pleaded.

"They're all children, Esther," Rebecca interjected, glaring pointedly at Esther.

"Goddamn it, ladies, we don't have time to screw around here. We need these kids to be combat ready as soon as possible because we don't know when the Syndicate or Organization XIII is going to strike. And we sure as hell don't need an international incident on our heads," Jack snapped tersely.

"They are not going to be ready when you want them to be, Jack, and you know it!" Rebecca snarled at him abrasively, her face contorted into furious anger.

"Well I'll make damn sure that they'll be ready, whenever they like it or not!" Jack shot back at her furiously as he turned around and stormed out of the room, seething.

Rebecca exhaled sharply with frustration and leaned over the windowsill while hanging her head with deep resignation on her face. Esther approached her with a sympathetic yet rueful smile on her lips as she stood next to her and placed a comforting hand on her right shoulder.

"Don't be so hard on yourself, Rebecca; I know you're trying your best."

"He just doesn't get it, Esther; he just doesn't understand. He thinks that for some reason that just because they have newly found powers that we should just treat them like soldiers of war; they're children for God's sake!" Rebecca growled sullenly.

"I know you're worried about Rhonda especially because she's your niece and your sister's child…" Esther continued softly.

"I just don't know what else to do, Esther. I feel like I have so much weighing on me and I don't want to let everyone else down," Rebecca fretted anxiously.

"You let me worry about that; Jack forgets that I'm the one in charge now. I'll just ask King Mickey to send in his best agents to assist our young rookies should they need to be summoned to battle," Esther reassured her with a confident smirk.

"Thank you, Esther; that really means a lot," Rebecca expressed her gratitude with a smile.

The two said nothing more for a few minutes as they continued to watch Rhonda attempt to fend off the training robot to no avail.

"I'm sorry for ending things with you the way that I did; I didn't mean to make you believe for all of these years that you were nothing more than a good time," Esther suddenly confessed, her face wrecked with guilt and remorse. "The truth is, there's a part of me that loves you and always will. But I had a duty to my family to uphold and I didn't have much of a choice in the matter."

"That's all part of the past now, Esther," Rebecca replied with a soft smile as she locked eyes with the older Iranian woman. "I have a family now that I love and cherish dearly. Whatever we did have then doesn't exist anymore. All we can do now is co-exist as friends and colleagues regardless of our shared past. I don't hold any bitter feelings or ill will against you, not anymore at least. Maybe it's time that you forgave yourself."

"If you say so, Rebecca," Esther smiled at her wearily.

Just as she says this, Esther and Rebecca looked back at the window just in time to see Rhonda let out a terrified scream as she recoiled at the sight of a training dummy self-destructing and collapsing into a heap of scrap metal, nuts and bolts.

"We have a LOT of work cut out for us," Rebecca groaned.

"Agreed," Esther concurred, sharing her sentiments.

TLSTLSTLSTLS

Several hours later, Rhonda finally arrived home as she ate dinner, showered and changed into her pajamas before climbing into bed and settling into an uneasy and fitful sleep. As the hours ticked by and the moon shone brightly through the window, Rhonda lay wide awake in her bed as she continued to stare at the ceiling, her mind swirling with endless doubt and worry.

Just then, she suddenly snapped out of her thoughts as she noticed a familiar-looking cat creature standing on her chest with a goofy and earnest smile.

"Hiya, red shorty, meow!" Taokaka greeted her with a wave of her tail.

Rhonda then let out a terrified and blood-curling scream as she whipped out her pillow from behind her and slapped Taokaka with it, sending her flying across the room. Taokaka then landed on the wall on all fours as she looked on at her with a confused and puzzled face.

"Hey! I was just saying hello! Why do you have to be so mean to Tao, meow?"

"How the hell did you get in here?" Rhonda growled while still holding her pillow threateningly in the air.

"Meow?" Taokaka just gawked at her with an even more confused and bewildered face.

"I said… how… did… you… get… in… here?" Rhonda reiterated while slowly enunciating each word that she spoke.

"Oh, Tao just snuck in here through a window, shorty, meow," Taokaka replied, her expression largely unchanged.

"Okay; you need to get out of here before the IDA or my parents see you. My mum will go spare if she sees a cat in my room; she hates cats," Rhonda admonished her sternly.

"Awww, but I'm so hungry, meow! Those IDA guys have given me nothing to eat for days! Tao's starving!" Taokaka whined while folding her ears against her head with a sad frown.

"Okay, fine; I'll find you something to eat. Now follow me; maybe I'll find something in the kitchen," Rhonda sighed irritably with an eye roll as she beckoned Taokaka to follow her.

Taokaka then quickly perked up as she landed onto the floor and followed Rhonda out of her room.

Several minutes later, Rhonda and Taokaka were sitting in the kitchen table as Taokaka was munching on some goldfish crackers while Rhonda was sipping gingerly on a glass of chocolate milk.

"So how exactly did you wind up in my universe?" Rhonda asked.

"Oh, well… Taokaka was playing in the Kaka village with the other Kakas when suddenly a large blue portal popped up out of nowhere and Taokaka decided to enter it to see what lay ahead," Taokaka explained while still chewing on her food.

"Oh, okay… random," Rhonda mused.

"So what's got red shorty so down, meow?" Taokaka asked curiously.

"I just don't think I'm cut out for this superhero business," Rhonda sighed as she stared at her half-finished glass of chocolate milk pensively. "I'm falling so behind in the obstacle courses that the IDA is making us do and whenever I have to go against a training robot, I just can't help but fly into an utter panic. It's like my first instinct is to get the hell out of there whenever I'm faced with an enemy. What kind of hero am I if I can't even gather up the courage to defend the people that matter the most to me?"

"Taokaka believes in you, meow," Taokaka encouraged her enthusiastically as she stuffed her mouth some more with goldfish crackers. "You just need to have more faith and confidence in yourself."

"Yeah I think I'm going to need a hell lot more than that," Rhonda scoffed derisively as she continued to gulp down her chocolate milk.

Taokaka just stared down at the table thoughtfully with her tail whisking to and fro.

"You know, Taokaka is brave because she believes in herself and she wants to protect her friends from danger. And as long as you have friends, there's nothing that you can't do, meow!"

"You really think it's that simple?" Rhonda retorted with a quizzical eyebrow.

"Yep! All shorty has to do is believe!" Taokaka cheered enthusiastically, her face brightening with a toothy grin. "Believe in herself!"

"Rhonda, why is there a talking cat in the kitchen?" a soft female child-like voice inquired and Rhonda quickly whipped around to see Abigail standing just a few feet away from her.

"Aw, crap!" Rhonda hissed in a low voice as she soon realized that Abigail had seen Taokaka in the house.

She then jumped out of her seat and rushed over to her younger stepsister as she quickly escorted her back up the stairs to their room.

"It's just your imagination playing tricks on you, Abby; go back to sleep."

"Okay," Abigail mumbled with a yawn, not inclined to argue.

Taokaka then continued to sit alone in the kitchen table as she finished out the bag of goldfish crackers.

TLSTLSTLSTLS

THE NEXT DAY

KIMBERLY BRADY'S HOUSE

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA

It was about mid-afternoon as Jeannie Donovan and her siblings had just gotten home from school for the day and she was now sitting on her bed while playing a game on her Gameboy Color. Just then a huge black mist materialized in the air as it began swirling and rotating rapidly before quickly dissipating into a flash of green light, revealing Maleficent, who was accompanied by a black raven perched on her right shoulder and a young boy with gray spiky hair and pale blue eyes who was roughly the same age as her.

Jeannie then noticed Maleficent approaching her as she looked up from her Gameboy with a startled yet wary expression.

"Who are you and what are you doing here in my room?" she demanded.

"Hello there, little girl; do not be afraid. I am here to help you," Maleficent informed her with a cool smile.

"What could you possibly help me with?" Jeannie scoffed disdainfully with an eye roll.

"I can't imagine how lonely and alone you must be," Maleficent replied with a knowing stare. "A father who wants nothing to do with you and cares more about his illustrious and glamorous career as a superspy and a mother who prefers her golden child that can do no wrong in her eyes."

"Yeah," Jeannie nodded, her face faltering as her expression fell.

"How unfortunate is it to be unwanted… unloved… forgotten…" Maleficent mused. "The product of a broken home… Abandoned by friends that have moved on and forgotten all about you…"

"Yeah," Jeannie sighed sadly, hugging her knees to her chest. "I never see Rhonda anymore these days. Not since she found new friends to hang out with. What does she even need me for?"

She then paused for a moment as she glanced up at Maleficent with a suspicious and wary expression.

"Why are you here anyway? What do you need me for?"

"How perceptive of you," Maleficent smirked evilly at her, caressing her raven gingerly. "I can give you whatever you want. I can introduce you to new friends that would desire to be in your company. I can have you accompany me on many adventures through countless worlds. I can even give you the power that you desire. That way you will never have to feel lonely ever again. You will never again have to feel powerless, weak and useless."

"Really? There are other worlds out there?" Jeannie marveled in awe, her eyes widening with intrigue.

"Correct," Maleficent concurred, her smirk widening. "You are Shane Donovan's daughter, are you not? Adventure is indeed in your blood."

"Are you kidding me? Of course I want to go on an adventure with you! It would be so much more exciting and awesome than going to a boring old school all day long!" Jeannie exclaimed excitedly.

"Excellent," Maleficent nodded in approval, seeing that she has now gotten Jeannie's cooperation and attention.

She then motioned over to the grey haired boy and gestured over to him. "This is Riku from the Destiny Islands. He is my new apprentice and your new friend."

"Hey," Riku waved at Jeannie as he walked over to her. "You're Jeannie, right?"

"Yeah," Jeannie nodded. "N-Nice to meet you, Riku."

"Now that you two are getting better acquainted, I have a present for you," Maleficent added as she took out a small Poke Ball.

Suddenly a red flash of light erupted from the Poke Ball as a small figure appeared, revealing a Pokemon named Litten.

"Wow…" Jeannie murmured in awe as she put her game down and got off her bed before walking over to Litten. "Is that for me?"

"Yes; she's your new companion now. Unfortunately Riku and I must take our leave now. We will be contacting you shortly with new instructions. Bye for now," Maleficent explained as she watched Jeannie stroke Litten's head lovingly with deep affection.

"See you around, Jeannie," Riku waved politely as he walked over back to Maleficent.

Within a matter of minutes, Maleficent and Riku disappeared into a flash of green light and black smoke as they were soon gone. Jeannie then turned around with a sad sigh as she climbed onto her bed again and picked up her game console.

"Well, it's just you and me, Litten," she said as Litten vaulted over to the bed and sauntered over to Jeannie before rubbing her head against her side reassuringly.

TLSTLSTLSTLS

Meanwhile, in Disney Castle, King Mickey was pacing around the throne room anxiously as his wife Queen Minnie looked on from her throne chair.

"Oh, Mickey, what's wrong?" Minnie frowned worriedly.

"I don't like this, Min; Organization XIII is planning something, I'm sure of it; I just don't know exactly what," Mickey replied tersely, still pacing. "I've gotten a report from Chip and Dale that Maleficent is making several trips throughout the Earth to recruit as many new followers as possible and she might have already set her sights on Shane Donovan's daughter. I don't like this."

"Oh, Mickey; whatever Organization XIII might be planning, you know that Sora, Donald and Goofy will be able to handle it," Minnie tried to reassure him.

"I know that, Minnie; if Organization XIII is planning an attack somewhere on Earth, I'm going to send Sora and his friends down there to deal with it. Goodness knows that the IDA's newest recruits might need all of the help they can get," Mickey replied.

"Hello there, Your Majesty; anything you need help with?" a young male voice hollered.

Mickey then turned around to see a young brown-haired boy approaching him while accompanied by Donald Duck and Goofy.

"Actually, Sora, there might be something you can do for me," Mickey replied as he walked over to the trio. "I just got a message from the IDA director Esther Shirvani that she might need you three on Earth in case Organization XIII decides to strike. She needs your help keeping an eye on some new heroes that just recently discovered their powers."

"Sure thing, Mickey; you can count on us," Sora declared with a confident smile. "Just say the word and we'll be there."

Just then Mickey's space cell began to ring as he answered it. "Hello?"

"Hey, Mickey; we got a problem," Chip informed him with a nervous and apprehensive expression. "We just got some preliminary intel that Maleficent and her friends might be planning something big."

"It's a major heist, Mickey!" Dale exclaimed in terror. "They're planning to break into the IDA headquarters laboratory in London and steal something really important. Whatever it is, if they get their hands on it, it's going to create a lot of chaos and mayhem the likes of which we've never seen!"

"Oh my gosh!" Mickey gasped in horror as he quickly ended the call and turned to look at Sora and his friends. "Sora, Donald, Goofy… you guys go right now and board the first ship to Earth. We need to stop whatever Maleficent and her cronies are doing before it's too late."

"You got it, Your Majesty!" Sora nodded with a salute as he and his friends took off.

"Oh my gosh… Oh my gosh… Oh my gosh…" Mickey groaned as he held his head while continuing to pace even more frantically. "This is bad… this is bad… this is bad…"

TLSTLSTLSTLS

"Are ya sure this plan is even gonna work, Maleficent?" Pete asked in an uncertain tone as he, Maleficent, Jafar, Hades, Yzma, Kronk, Scar, Ursula, Zira, Frollo, Colonel Rourke and a bunch of other assorted villains were gathered around at a table in Hollow Bastion.

"Of course it's going to work, you bumbling fool. I'm certain of it," Maleficent declared arrogantly while shooting a pointed glare at her henchman.

"So remind me again how exactly are we going to carry out this heist?" Scar asked in a seemingly bored and disinterested voice as Ed giggled absentmindedly while scratching and biting his hind quarter.

"Simple; we are going to sneak into the IDA headquarters at around midnight and we are going to break into the laboratory and retrieve the eight Dimensional Stones," Maleficent explained coolly. "Once we have them in our possession, there is nothing stopping us from taking over the whole world. With all eight stones we can even open a massive rift in the space-time continuum in order to summon anyone that we wish into the real world."

"So when exactly are we going to do this?" Hades demanded impatiently.

"Tonight we strike, my friends; in a few hours, we will be heading to Earth to carry out our wicked and diabolical scheme. And we have a special little helper joining us," Maleficent answered as she turned around and gestured towards a mysterious female figure.

The female figure then emerged out of the shadows and everyone was surprised to see that it was none other than Jen Deson!

"Oh I'll join you people all right. I'm going to make that dumb retarded bitch rue the day that she ever decided to mess with me," she declared with an evil sneer.

TO BE CONTINUED…

Author's Note:

Well, that's it! I'm sorry that I had to end this story on a pesky cliffhanger but I promise you that there will be a lot more exciting stuff to come down the pipeline. Hopefully sometime by the end of this week I will get the first chapter of Episode 2 up and running. See you soon!