Happy New Year to all those in the Kimmunity, and welcome to a new decade as well. Sorry for being offline lately, but life (and death) happens, which has left little time for writing. But the new year brings fresh hope. And that hope is to finally finish this novel by year's end!. So thanks to everyone who is still sticking with this fanfic. Hope springs eternal as they say… But now for some good news, Across the Stars has hit a unique landmark: 100,000 views! Booyah!

This week, our Prime universe heroes complete the probe and are ready to break through to the alternate dimension in an attempt to solve the mystery of who or what is behind the planetary nebulae realignment. And our AU Ron will continue his attempt to locate the missing Kepler while searching for the elusive Conchita, with a little help from Rufus and his Yamanouchi friends.

But first, hats off to last chapter's reviewers: CajunBear73, airauralintensity, Eddy13, Bobtrumpet, MrDrP, and SuperSaiyajin4Vegeta. Now read on, gentlepersons…

The Probe

I. (Prime)

Kim woke up with a start, moist with sweat. Groggily, she looked over at the clock and let out a small moan.

"3:30 in the morning? Oh, it's going to be another long night, I can tell."

Ron stirred slightly. "You okay, Kim?" he mumbled.

"Oh, yeah, I guess…"

"What, another bad dream?"

"Uh huh. But this one was even stranger than the ones I've been having lately."

Ron sat up, now a little more awake. "Yeah? How so?"

"Well, it was really weird. I had this overwhelming urge not to care. About anything! Team Possible, crime fighting, even… even you. But you were right there trying to encourage me. Then you put some kind of weird helmet on my head, and I was suddenly all better. I was happy again, and so were you. Then I woke up."

Ron wrapped his arms around her in a warm hug. "I'm glad it all turned out okay, KP. And that even in your dreams, I was able to help."

She heaved a sentimental sigh. "Yeah, you sure have a way with that, awake or asleep."

She snuggled a little closer to him. "Which is just spankin.' I just feel so secure when I'm close to you."

"Yeah, me too. But I've been having some weird dreams too."

"Really? What about?"

"Well, it's kinda recurring…" he waffled. "And it's closer to a nightmare than just plain gorchy."

"How so?"

"Well, it's like I'm trying to save the world single-handed, and from the Lorwardians for some really weird reason. And you were in it too, but blissfully unaware of the sitch. In fact, I got the impression that I was keeping a secret from you, something that would really bug you if you knew. But I can't remember what it was…"

"Well, just as long as you're not keeping anything from me in real life…"

"Oh no, of course not!" he hastily replied. And even if I did, you'd catch on real quick that there was something wrong. Besides, between my mind reading skills and your mental attenuation to me, we both know it's impossible to keep anything from each other anyway."

She shot him a saucy look. "And don't you forget it, Mr. Stoppable."

"Heh. Roger that, KP."

Kim continued, "You know, Shego has been having some weird dreams and feelings too, lately."

"Really? What about?"

"They all seem to have one thing in common: all of us are experiencing things that have never happened. Well, not to us at least."

"True. But if not us, then who?"

"Good question. I really don't know."

"Well, I wouldn't worry about it too much, KP, especially since they're just dreams. So, now that we're both awake, anything I can get you? Any weird cravings?"

"Nah, no pickles and ice cream, if that's what you mean."

"Well, you're eating for three now, remember?"

She patted her tummy. "Yeah, don't remind me. And the closer I get to my due date, the more I'm gonna feel it."

"Maybe, but I'll be there for you all the way, until…"

"The bitter end?"

Ron raised both eyebrows. "Nah, not bitter at all. Maybe a little uncomfortable for you, but once you give birth, it'll be pure joy for both of us."

"That is, until we start enduring those 2 am feedings and sleepless nights with two crying kids…"

"Kim, Kim, Kim. Look on the bright side: we'll both be parents, and helping each other every step of the way. And, we'll be continuing the Possible tradition: nothing is impossible for a Possible. And I'll add my own saying to that: Nothing can stop a Stoppable."

"Hey, that's actually pretty good. And you've certainly proven that over and over the past few years."

"That's because I've got you as my role model, Kim. Heroine through and through."

"Thanks for the props, Ron. You've always been so supportive. And that's just one of the many things I love about you."

She gave him a tender kiss.

"And that goes double for me. Rescuing me on the astral plane, and coming up with all of those wild ideas to save the earth from those humongous asteroids. Compared to that, raising two kids should be a piece of cake."

Kim scrunched up her face slightly. "Well, we'll see. I sure hope so, but it's going to be quite a marathon, I'm sure."

"Yeah, but I'll always have you're back, and you know you can always count on me for that."

"Thanks, Sweetie. And I do know that, and truly believe it. Otherwise, I wouldn't have nearly the self-confidence to face not only the future, but the day to day stuff as well."

Ron nearly gasped. "You mean your own confidence is dependent on me? Gee, I always thought it was the other way around, what with all my goofing off for so many years, and you being the strong and responsible one."

"Well, I have to admit, you were that way for a long time. But I never let that get in the way of our friendship, because I knew that deep down, you really cared. And that I knew you'd always come through when the chips were down, and that I could trust you, even with my very life."

She paused for a moment, letting that sink in. Ron rocked her gently in his arms.

"That's absolutely true, Kim. And I know now that nothing will ever change that, no matter what happens." He continued with a chuckle, "Now I don't want to jinx anything or tempt fate in any way, but even if the whole world were to end, I'd still be there for you until the very end, until time itself stopped."

Kim snuggled closer to him. "I know I've said this before when you've said something tragically romantic, but it just makes my heart melt. And this is definitely one of those times."

She gave him a languorous kiss, this time much longer than before.

Finally relaxing into each other's arms, they were both soon peacefully back to sleep.

II.

The next day, Shego gave Kim a call. "Morning, Princess. Just though I'd give you a heads-up that Warmonga approved the loan of a space cruiser for this interdimensional attempt Drew and your father have planned, and it's on its way."

"That's great news, Shego. I'm meeting with them this morning to get an update on their progress."

"Yeah, I'll be there too. I think the sooner this mystery is solved, the happier we'll all be. Or at the very least, relieved."

"You've got that right. See you all shortly."

Later that morning, the mood at the Middleton Space Center was cautious, but still upbeat. Kim, Ron, Drew and Shego walked into the conference room where Dr. Possible was waiting.

"Good morning everyone," began Dr. Possible. "If everyone will take a seat, we can begin."

But no sooner had everyone sat down, when in walked the chairman of the space center, Dr. Wanda Wong.

Drew and Shego immediately became distinctly uncomfortable, both of them instantly recalling their kidnapping of Dr. Wong several years prior, and their failed attempt at prying any information from her about top secret projects at the center. Shego also remembered when she and Motor Ed had stolen the original Kepler after he had sprung her from prison. But she also couldn't help from smiling at the recollection that he had only freed her from Cell Block D, and not Drakken, in spite of him being Drew's cousin.

The chairman gave them a both a cold look as she sat down at the conference table. James tried to remain upbeat in spite of the suddenly tense mood.

"Well, Dr. Wong! So nice of you to join us this morning."

Ever professional and totally unflappable, she replied, "Thank you, James. So, what's the situation with this probe you've been so hard at work on? And with Dr. Drakken's help, I understand."

Drew began tugging at his collar, which now seemed several sizes too small.

He muttered, "Actually, I go by Drew Lipsky, now that I've gone straight."

Suddenly, a daffodil popped out from under his collar. This elicited a trace of a smile from the chairman.

Not missing a beat, she queried, "James, I assume that everyone here has top secret clearance? I'm aware that Drew and Shego have turned over a new leaf, but it's my job to double-check any kind of potential security risk."

"Totally understandable," James easily replied. "And yes, they've been cleared both by the space center, as well as all the major law enforcement agencies, including Global Justice."

Kim chimed in, "And they were also instrumental in helping us during the recent asteroid attack by those renegade Lorwardians. And don't forget that Shego is now our ambassador to the planet Lorwardia. I'll vouch 100% for both of them."

Dr. Wong nodded. "Yes, I've read the brief on that event. The world is indeed in great debt to all of you."

Drew and Shego looked visibly relieved.

"However, this project is of the utmost importance, as you are attempting to break through to another dimension to learn, if possible, who or what is behind the amazing planetary nebulae realignment we've been experiencing. And as this probe could turn out to be a devastating weapon, should it fall into the wrong hands through either accident or temptation to fall back into old patterns, it behooves me to investigate the matter personally. Likewise, Drew's abysmal record of failed doomsday inventions has also given me cause for concern. I'm sure you understand all this, James?"

Now feeling the pressure, James carefully responded, "Yes, I do understand. But Drew is quite a different person now, and he and I are now the world's leading experts on the Kimpossibility Drive. And I agree with my daughter in having 100% confidence in him. Your concerns are naturally warranted given Drew's past. But I give you my personal assurance that everything is on the up and up here. Additionally, many of our top scientists have double-checked our work and have given it a green light."

Drew gave a slight nod and said, "Thank you James, and Kim, for your vote of confidence." He turned to Dr. Wong and stated unequivocally, "Yes, it's true that Shego and I were once their adversaries, and you as well, but that's been over for years now, when we all joined forces against the initial Lorwardian invasion of Earth. And I'm completely behind our attempt to unravel this current mystery, if anything, to at least make up for my past."

Dr. Wong waited for a moment, then smiled and gave an approving nod. "I'm pleased to here that, Drew. So, James, if you will begin your presentation, I'm all ears."

"Thanks, Dr. Wong. I'm happy to report that the probe is now complete, and once we finish its communication interface, we'll be ready to roll. We'll also be using a scaled down version of Dr. Justine Flanner's Kinematic Continuum Disruptor to create and widen the necessary wormhole through which the probe will travel. Then, in conjunction with the Lorwardian cruiser's hyperlight engine, the probe's Kimpossibilty Drive will be activated, and easily propel the probe into the next dimension."

Dr. Wong frowned. "All well and good, James, but how do you know which dimension it will be traveling too? Even your closest astronomer associates postulate several such possible dimensions."

"A good question. That's why we will be trying to locate the weakest area of space around which we've had definitive sightings of alien incursions into our universe. Our best hope is the area around the Butterfly Nebula, where Kim and Ron spotted a rapidly closing wormhole, and detected an alien presence of some kind. We believe this is the best possible location, no pun intended."

"And what message will you be sending?"

"We've actually given that a lot of thought. Our current plan is to leave a concise message stating that we've observed the nebulae realignment in our galaxy, and we would like to make contact to discuss what this all means, what their intention is, and how to most effectively communicate with them. Also, that we mean no harm, but that we are naturally quite curious, and look forward to meeting them face to face if at all possible. I'm encoding the message in every human language, both verbally and written, and storing it on the probe's onboard computer. And just to cover all the bases, written down on paper as well. Perhaps this is overkill, considering that we're probably dealing with an intelligence far beyond ours, but I'm just trying to make sure we don't miss anything in this attempt."

"Very well then," Dr. Wong answered. "You've made a significant attempt to try and think this entire situation out, from soup to nuts as the saying goes."

James was inwardly relieved. "Drew, anything else you'd like to add?"

The former supervillain perked up. "Yes, thanks James. We believe that we've finally also solved the mystery of how the original Kimpossibility Drive was sabotaged, and how to exactly replicate the conditions under which we can create this temporary interdimensional portal. This relatively small scale test will also be extremely helpful in confirming all of our theories without a full scale attempt. We have confidence that no matter what, we'll be learning a great deal from this first small step, even should this not succeed 100%."

Ron now spoke up. "Hey Dr. D, let's be positive here. You guys have worked hard to crack all the dimensional problems, and we've all done this before by the way, just more by accident. Now we finally get a shot at learning what's really happening on the other side."

"Thanks Ron. I'm just trying to be realistic, you understand. As with any experiment, there's always the possibility that the end result may not be what's expected. And my life up to now has been living proof of that."

Shego snorted. "I'll say, Doc. But you're obviously getting wiser in your old age."

Chagrined at the memory, he continued, "Yes, I certainly hope so. A dimensional jump like what we're attempting is, well, problematic. We've tried to anticipate all the difficulties as well as likely outcomes, and I maintain a reasonable belief in our ultimate success. And I for one am just as eager as the rest of us to crack this mystery. Someone has gone to a lot of trouble to attract Kimberly Ann's attention, and now they've got it. Now it's time to find out what in the world, or the universe for that matter, is going on."

James picked up from there. "So to wrap this up, once the Lorwardian star cruiser arrives later today, we'll make the necessary modifications in order to operate the continuum disruptor, then load the probe. As for the crew for this mission, I would normally have asked Kim and Shego along, but in their current delicate condition, I think it would be wise if they sat this one out. Even at hyperlight velocities, it will take several weeks to reach the Butterfly Nebula."

Kim and Shego both nodded in agreement. "Fine with me, Dad."

"Ya got that right," Shego chimed in.

"Very well. I'll be piloting the ship, and I'd like Ronald to copilot and operate the continuum disruptor, while Drew activates and guides the probe into the portal."

Ron gave him a smart salute. "Aye aye, Captain!"

"And lastly, I've decided to temporarily rename the Lorwardian ship Discovery, and name the probe Explorer, as this is is an entirely new universe we're trying to contact. I thought that these names would signify our hope for a positive outcome, and might even provide us a bit of good luck. Now, unless there's anything else…" He looked over at Dr. Wong, who gave a slight shake of her head.

"Nothing else, James. And good luck to all of you."

Just then, a loud roar was heard as the Lorwardian star cruiser touched down on the space center's landing pad.

James grinned. "Right on time. Meeting adjourned, now let's get to work."

An hour later, Drew smiled in approval. Not his usual evil smile after concocting his latest take-over-the-world scheme, but a rather pleasant, satisfied grin.

"James, I've checked out the space cruiser's cargo bay, and there's plenty of room for both our probe and the continuum disruptor, as well as enough supplies for our trip."

"As well there should be. It could carry quite a few of those Destructo Bots that Warhok and Warmonga used in their attempt to conquer Earth, so our equipment shouldn't pose any problem."

"Yes. And it's ironic that we're now using one of their war cruisers to solve a purely scientific mystery. Way to go, Warmonga girl..."

III.

A few days later and with all testing now complete, Ron, James and Drew were finally ready to begin their momentous mission. Technicians had just completed the installation and final testing of the Kinematic Continuum Disruptor, and were now manhandling the probe onto a huge mobile platform which would load it into the cruiser's cargo bay. Other staff busied themselves by loading supplies for the estimated six week round trip.

Kim, Ron and Shego looked on with anticipation.

"Well Princess, it shouldn't be long now. I just hope this thing works like we hope and we finally get some answers."

"You said it, Shego. The suspense is killing me."

Ron chimed in, "Yuppity-yup-yup, totally agree-a-mundo on that. Just as long as Jim and Tim don't try to stow away again like they're so fond of doing."

Kim grinned back, "No chance of that. Mom has locked the Tweebs in their room and warned them of the standing orders to have them shot-on-sight should they try and sneak out."

Ron was taken aback. "Shot-on-sight? Really?"

"Only stun weapons. Not to worry, nothing lethal."

He wagged his head at the futility of those orders, even if true. "Oh, but you know them, they'd find a way if they really wanted."

Kim snickered, "Not with several GJ agents in both the front and back yards, and one on the roof, so I think we're covered."

"Wow. A little overkill, don't you think?"

She gave him a look that explained all.

"Ooh, yeah, I see your point…"

After a moment, he continued on a different tack. "Kim, I've been thinking about what we were talking about a few nights ago, about the dreams and visions we've been having lately. Have you considered what they might be trying to tell us?"

Kim answered, "No, not really. They're just dreams, right?"

With a small shrug, Shego added, "Yeah, I figured it was just another weird symptom caused by our pregnancies."

Ron pointed out, "Except that I'm not pregnant, but I've had some really peculiar dreams too. So I got to thinking that it might be related somehow to these badical nebula realignments."

Kim felt a cold chill. "Uh, okay, go on…"

"If our dreams are any indication, it sounds like we've been picking up on what our dimensional counterparts might be experiencing concurrently. And if so, they've been real busy. But what I don't get is, if their Earth was destroyed and they all lost their lives, why are we picking up on all of these vibes from them, way after the fact?"

"That's a million dollar question, Ron," Kim answered.

Ron's voice dropped to a whisper, but lost none of its intensity. "Yes, it sure is... Remember that I briefly joined minds with my double, so I have a pretty good idea what happened before the alternate Earth's destruction. Or not, as the case may be. And nothing about what we've all been dreaming about actually happened in that alternate universe, at least that I know of."

"So you think we're experiencing events from what, another parallel universe, just one that we've never visited before? That's just what Dr. Wong had theorized the other day."

"Maybe. But there's a much more likely possibility to me."

Ron frowned as he realized what seemed to be an inescapable conclusion. "Okay, I'm going to go out on a badical limb here, but there's only one thing that really makes sense."

Shego gave a slow roll of her eyes. "Uh, oh. Get ready folks, cuz here it comes…"

"I think somebody there must have found the timeship and used it to travel into their own past."

Kim was startled by Ron's statement, but slowly began to consider that possibility.

"Yeah, but who? Sadie has some pretty spankin' intruder alert systems, which narrows the field down quite a lot…"

"Yeah, it sure does."

He took a deep breath. "It's me. Or rather, my counterpart."

Shego immediately threw both hands up. "Whoa there Ronster, just slow down a minute! This is all just hypothetical, isn't it?"

"Well, all the facts we know fit that possibility. When we visited there, the Earth was already destroyed, but the spirits of the alternate Ron and Yori were still floating around."

"That's right!" agreed Kim. "And he took over your body so that he could see me one last time, and ask for our help against their Lorwardia."

"Yup. And I doubt that Yori could pass through Sadie's badical defenses, but even if she could, Sadie wouldn't turn control of the ship over to her. And as smart as she is, I don't think Yori has the technical knowhow to operate the Kepler without Sadie's help. On the other hand, Ron certainly could. So, he's our prime suspect."

Kim suddenly had a horrible thought. "Unless Zorpox found the Kepler first…"

Ron wagged his head. "Nah, because we're all still here. If he had, we'd all be toast by now. And besides, none of us have had a Zorpox dream or vision, only dreams about our own doppelgangers."

"Okay, assuming your theory is correct," Shego supposed, "What does he do then? Take the Kepler on a suicide mission to destroy Lorwardia?"

"No, that wouldn't be his style. If I were him, and I kinda am, I'd take the ship into the past and try to fix things, armed with the fact I knew everything that was going to happen, and when. But I'd sure keep a bon-diggity low profile, so as not to draw attention to myself."

Kim blurted out, "Ron! Maybe that's the secret that you dreamt about! The one that the parallel Ron was keeping from the other Kim!"

Ron scratched his chin. "That makes sense. But if it were me, I'd find a way to tell you as soon as possible. However, you'd probably think I'd gone stark raving bonkers, so I'd have to back up my claim with some heavy duty proof, which might be hard to come by."

Kim chuckled, "And given your wild imagination, I'd probably demand you see a shrink, asap."

Shego folded her arms. "Personally, I think you're both getting way ahead of yourselves, but since I've been having these weird dreams and feelings too, I can't just dismiss them out of hand. Which means, I sure hope the heck this probe does whatever it's supposed to do."

The sound of the cargo bay door being closed and latched was heard as James walked up, with Drew close behind.

"All right Ronald, we're ready for launch. Rockets are go!"

Ron turned to Kim with a tender look. "Well Kim, it's time. See you in about six weeks." He gave her a warm hug and an even warmer kiss.

"Just be careful, okay Ron?"

"You've got it, KP. Remember that we're not going into that wormhole ourselves, only the probe. And we'll be in regular touch, I promise."

"I'm just a thought away," she coyly replied.

Meanwhile, Shego and Drew were saying their own farewells. "Now, take good care of yourself and our son-to-be while I'm away."

"You can count on it, Doc. And good luck. I'm excited about what you might find, but I've gotta say I'm a little worried too."

"As am I, Shego. But that's all part of exploration, finding out answers to all these unknown questions."

She placed her hands on his shoulders. "I'll miss you."

"And I'll miss you too. But we'll remain in daily radio contact, even though there will be a delay of about two days once we reach extreme distances, even with the Lorwardian's exceptional communication technology."

As she pulled him into a tight embrace, a tiny rose popped out from beneath his collar. He plucked it off and handed it to her.

"There. Just something to remember me by until I return."

"Thanks, Drew." They kissed for a long moment before she added, "Now, no unusual risks. We've been on quite an emotional rollercoaster ride these past few years, so don't push your luck."

He gently caressed her mint green cheek. "I wouldn't even consider it."

Ron and Drew turned and joined James as they all walked toward the star cruiser. As he did, Ron picked up a stray thought from Kim.

"Come back to me, Ron…"

"You can count on it, KP…" he softly answered within her mind.

Each of them gave a friendly wave as they climbed aboard. Fifteen minutes later, the Discovery finally launched and began to climb into the sky, ever faster, until it was out of sight.

Kim gave them a parting thought. "Good luck to you all…"

IV. (AU)

Ron had been pacing his bedroom for several minutes. Finally he sat down at his desk and took a few deep breaths. He tried to center himself, but that did little to help his mood. Instead, he placed his chin in one hand and with his other started to drum his fingers on the table. Rufus climbed up and sent him a concerned thought.

"A little distracted today?"

"You said it, Rufus. I think it's so coolio that Kim is back to normal, but with a missing Kepler, and no idea where Conchita is, I'm a nervous wreck."

"I can see that. But the more you just sit here doing nothing, the more anxious you're going to get."

"Yeah, I know, sorry. I guess spending some time with Kim would put me in a better mood, but she and her family are off to visit her Uncle Slim out on his ranch this week. And a funny thing about that, Kim said that MrDrP was dead set against going, something about deadlines at the space center. But MrsDrP was really insistent, and said if they didn't go there, she'd invite them all over here. So MrDrP caved. Kim asked if I wanted to come along, but I begged off, saying I had stuff I'd promised Mom and Dad to do around the house, which fortunately gives me some more time to hunt for the Kepler."

"Just so long as you're not out of your body more than three days at a time, unless you want your alter-ego to make a reappearance."

"Don't remind me. I still can't believe how I got out of that sitch in one piece."

"Well, you did have a little help from me and Wade."

"Yup. And that was very much appreciated, my little friend."

"You're welcome. So, how is Hirotaka doing?"

"He's improving daily. And MrsDrP believes that if he continues this way, he may make a nearly complete recovery."

"That's great news! And I'm sure that Yori is quite pleased."

"And relieved too, let me tell you. Not to mention yours truly."

"Indeed. If he had not, that would have left you with quite a complication."

"You're telling me? That's what nearly derailed everything in the other timeline, so I'm glad at least that's resolved for the moment. But what I really need to focus on now is the Kepler. So, any bright ideas jumping into that supercharged brain of yours for hunting it down?"

"Well, you suspected that the Lorwardians had found it, which, fortunately, turned out to be a total bust. So it stands to reason that either an unknown alien race has discovered it, or else someone a lot closer to home."

"Well, I'm hoping it's the latter rather than the former. If it's the former, then we may never see it again. It's a really big universe out there, you know."

"True. So let's assume for the moment that there's a terrestrial explanation for its disappearance, and if so, then we may have better odds in locating it."

"Yeah, but where? Could the Russians have discovered it, or maybe the Chinese?"

"Possible, but doubtful. Both have the technology to reach the Moon, but we would have heard of any such attempts from either NASA, the CIA or the NSA. Not to mention that our Department of Defense would go tilt."

"Yeah, good point. So maybe I should focus on some of our top secret installations?"

"Agreed, that would be a good place to start. Area 51 would be the most logical location to check out first."

"Sure! If there were any extraterrestrial high tech floating around, that would be just the place to keep it! So it looks like another recon mission, Rufus. Say, tonight while everyone's asleep? That way you can watch over my body just in case my suppressed alter-ego decides to do some sleepwalking."

"Sounds like a good plan. But we shouldn't forget about Conchita either."

"Ooh, good point. But I want to wait until Hiro is totally recovered, then we can all get in on the action. And with all four of us on her trail, we can definitely cover a lot more ground."

"That's a reasonable assumption, Ron."

"Yup. Let's hope it all pans out."

V.

Later that evening, Ron prepared for his ghostly trip to Area 51, just southwest of Groom Lake in Nevada.

"Okay Rufus, you keep an eye on my body, and I'll keep an eye out for the Kepler. As opposed to my Lorwardian recon, this should be a piece of Seven Layers of Heaven cake. See you in a few hours."

Rufus chirruped in agreement as Ron left for his new recon. He made good time and was soon floating about the mysterious facility. He checked out the largest hangers first, thinking that would be his best bet. He was therefore not surprised when he spotted not just one, but two flying saucers inside. But although one looked in absolutely pristine condition, the other looked very much like a work still in process, with wires and support struts randomly tossed about, giving the impression of a giant child's toy box.

"Hmm, maybe an attempt at reverse engineering?"

But other than a few guards, the rest of the hanger was empty. A quick surreptitious scan of their brains turned up no additional intel. Obviously they weren't privy to knowledge of any the technology on the base, let alone anything top secret.

"Well, just doing their job I guess. Obviously anything here's on a need to know basis, which makes perfect sense."

Ron continued to float around the base, unaware he was now being tracked.

A guard operating a peculiar mechanism with some very sophisticated looking antennas extruding from it whispered to his fellow guard.

"Hey, Ralph. There it is again."

"Uh, I still don't see anything, Dave."

"Yeah, it's either cloaked or spectral. And this new gismo can pick either up on this tracking screen. Better notify the Major."

Ron continued his exploration of the base, and although he did spot some rather highly advanced and exotic-looking aircraft, the Kepler was nowhere to be found.

"And no alien bodies either. Unless they're hidden in a freezer somewhere… well, time to go home I guess."

But no sooner had he floated through the hanger wall, when he was hit with what felt like a powerful electric shock.

"WOW! Boy, that smarts! What in the heck was that?"

Ralph grinned up at the Major. "Thanks for allowing us to deploy this new weapon. And we sure got its attention, whatever it is."

"Good. This is our first field test of this technology. Something we just received from one of our top operatives. Hit it again, Corporal. I want that thing brought down and thoroughly analyzed."

"Yes, sir!"

Ralph looked over at Dave for his cue, still tracking Ron with his own device.

"Okay Ralph, two feet to the left, same elevation."

Adjusting the targeting reticule, Ralph hit the red firing button once again.

Ron again screamed in terrible pain. "All right, that does it, I'm out of here!"

Quickly picking up speed, he took off toward Groom Lake to get his bearings. "Okay, a northwest heading should take me right home, unless I run into something else unexpected."

Just then, an F-35 Lightning was being vectored in to intercept Ron.

"This is base. Target is directly over Groom Lake at 150 feet, heading northwest at… Holy crap! That bogie's doing Mach 3 and increasing speed!"

The pilot laconically asked, "Base, permission to fire?"

"Granted!" was the hasty reply.

"Roger that, but unfortunately I have nothing on radar. Firing in the blind… FOX-2, now, now, now."

Flipping up his firing button, he loosed two Sidewinder AIM-9Y missiles at the hapless Ron. With a top speed of Mach 3.5, they would reach Ron within seconds.

Ron spotted the flash of the air-to-air missile launch, and nearly panicked.

"GAAHH! They're shooting at me! Hey! I'm one of the good guys!"

Even firing blind, the pilot's aim was true. But upon reaching Ron, they passed harmlessly right through him.

"Oh, yeah! When I'm in my spirit form, nothing physical can touch me. What a relief..."

He watched as the two missiles harmlessly streaked off toward the horizon.

"But something was tracking me down there. Well, let's give 'em a good show…"

Changing his direction, he shot straight up, increasing his speed as rapidly as possible. Back on the ground, the corporal tracking Ron was astounded.

"That bogie's just made a 90 degree turn without slowing down! It's now going straight up at Mach 4… 5… 7… Holy sh..! It's at Mach 10 and still increasing!"

Ron disappeared from the corporal's screen. Dave just stared at it blankly, unable to believe what he had just witnessed. He felt a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"Good job in tracking that UFO, Corporal. It was just too fast for us. But now we know that both this new tracking tech and the new weapon works in the real world. I'll file a report with the base commander tomorrow, no need for any paperwork from either of you. Carry on."

Both saluted and nervously said, "Thank you, Major."

Ron soon returned to Middleton, again dismayed at his failure to locate the Kepler, but thankful that he had escaped whatever weapon had been used against him. Reentering his body, he awoke to see Rufus staring at him with an expectant look.

"So, any luck?"

"Nope, nada once again. But there are a whole lot of other top secret facilities out there, and Kim and I have been to quite a few of them, so I'm not giving up quite yet."

"That's the spirit, Ron."

"Yeah literally and figuratively..."

Meanwhile, back at Area 51...

General Sims walked into the hanger that Ron had just surveyed and marched up to the two guards. Both snapped to attention and saluted.

The general returned the salute and began to speak. "As you were. Be on particular alert tonight as we just had a weird sighting on the base, possibly a UFO. Ironic, since we're usually the ones responsible for these kinds of sightings. We don't even have a code word for this yet, but I'll have to create one now I suppose. But forewarned is forearmed, as they say. Also, a small detail will be arriving shortly to do some clean up to make room for another craft we're investigating. I wanted to give the order to you directly so that as few people know about it as possible, and that you know my order is valid."

"Sir, yes, sir!" they dutifully replied.

"As usual, this is top secret and not to be discussed with anyone else, even those on base. Understood?"

"Understood, sir!" was their quick response. They had both learned that stock answers were best, especially when the base commander gave a direct order, and that any questions or request for clarification would likely end in reassignment, or worse.

The cleaning detail arrived just as the general was walking out of the hanger. As he walked back to his office, he thought to himself, "Soon we'll get to the bottom of where this Kepler duplicate came from, and who's behind it. But I won't be sleeping very well until we do. And that weird sighting tonight really concerns me. Someone or something knows what's going on here, I just hope it's not a breach of our own security."

However, he could take comfort in one thing. "Oh well, at least Wade's new devices got their first unexpected field test tonight. Now, where did he say he got this tech, or if he developed it himself? Eh, doesn't really matter, since they both worked perfectly..."

VI. (Prime)

"Now approaching the Butterfly Nebula," James announced.

"Coolio," Ron replied. "And I'm real glad our trip here was uneventful for once, especially after all the excitement we've had over the past year."

"Amen to that," Drew agreed.

"So, MrDrP, what's next on the interdimensional hit parade?"

"Well, Ronald, this is where you come in. We need to locate that area of space where you and Kim last spotted that portal, and the alien intelligence within it. Once we find that, we'll try to force open a new portal with Dr. Flanner's continuum disruptor and send the probe through."

"Check. Now scanning for any spatial anenomes."

This elicited a strange look from both James and Drew. Ron offered a weak smile in return.

"Maybe that's, uh, anomalies?"

James chuckled as he thought to himself, "Ah, once Ronald, always Ronald..."

After a few minutes, Ron jerked upright in his seat. "Hey, I think I got something! Powerful gravimetric waves emanating from this point."

He pointed to a bright red blinking light on his viewscreen.

"And there's nothing physically there. Just empty space, no matter there at all."

There eyes locked. "Then this is it, Ronald. Drew, prepare to launch the probe just as soon as we're close enough, and Ronald has widened the portal enough with the continuum disruptor. We have our target, now let's solve this mystery once and for all."

James maneuvered the ship closer to the anomaly as Ron prepared to deploy the continuum disruptor. "Just a few more seconds... All right, we're in range."

James replied, "Very well, all engines stop."

"Deploying disruptor." The huge dish slid out of the from cargo bay and clicked into place. "Dr. D, you ready?"

"Yes, all systems nominal. Opening rear bay doors and launching probe."

"Activating disruptor." Ron punched a button, and a bright beam of blue tinged light shot out, gradually opening up the portal to just over 10 meters wide.

"Now, if our calculations are correct, the gravimetric forces will simply pull the probe into it."

"May all your calculations be spot on, James," replied Drew.

Ever so slowly, the probe's velocity increased as it approached the portal. "Velocity now at 15 meters per second. Contact in 10 seconds. Now activating the Kimpossibility Drive. Contact in 5... 4... 3... 2... 1..."

With a bright flash, the probe disappeared into the artificial anomaly.

Janms ordered, "All right, Ron, shut down the continuum disruptor."

"Yes, sir!" Hitting the off button, the portal began to close, finally popping out of existence.

"Now what, MrDrP?"

"Now we wait, Ronald. Not that I'm expecting anything immediately, but if nothing happens within the next day, we'll leave a monitor behind that will alert us to any changes, or should it reappear."

"Sounds good. But waiting is hard."

James chuckled. "Yes, especially after all we've gone through to get to this point. And unfortunately we have no guarantees that our little messenger will even make it to the right, uh, lifeforms."

"Well, my battery is all charged for Zombie Mayhem IV, so I'll keep busy no matter how long it takes."

"Sounds good, Ronald." James activated the Lorwardian communication device. "This is Discovery, calling Earth. Phase One is complete, portal successfully opened and Explorer has been deployed through it. We'll stand by for 24 hours for any developments. If no contact is made in that time..."

Ron cut him off, excitement in his voice. "MrDrP, something's happening!"

The anomaly had reappeared.

"Now picking up even stronger gravimetric waves than before!"

As the turbulence increased, powerful shock waves began hitting the Discovery, seriously convulsing the ship.

James warned, "Hold on everybody! Setting stabilizers to maximum!"

They gaped at the new portal, now roiling with a sickly blue color. A moment later, the Explorer reappeared, but now it was seriously damaged and barely recognizable.

"Holy Fuji!" Ron's mouth hung open at the terrifying sight. "That's absolutely my definition of sick and wrong..."

As the portal closed, the waves subsided, and James began to relax. "Drew, any readings from the Explorer?"

He toggled a few controls in an attempt to get a response, but after several seconds he sadly wagged his head.

"Sorry James, I'm not picking up anything at all. It appears totally dead."

"But what could have wrecked it?" Ron wondered. "We've made tons of trips through portals like these without any problem. Why now?"

"A very good question. We'll need to take it back to Earth for an in-depth inspection and try to find any clues to the cause. Hopefully some of the memory chips survived the transition and will reveal what happened. But just to cover all our bases, I'm going to leave our electronic monitor right here, just in case anything or anyone shows up. I don't know yet if this was accidental or deliberate, but I mean to find out. Our entire future may depend on this."

Ron ventured a question. "Uh, MrDrP, could the gravimetric forces in the portal ripped it apart? Or could something else be responsible?"

"I don't know yet, but I fully intend to find out."

Drew mumbled, "Here be dragons."

"What was that, Drew?"

"Back in the early days of oceanic exploration, if navigators didn't have a clear idea of what was already on their maps, they would simply draw a picture of of sea monster on the edge and state, 'Here be dragons.' And we're obviously dealing with one hell of a dragon."

"I'm forced to agree. Well, let's bring it back on board and give it the once over. And once we're back at the center, we'll be able to give it a more thorough inspection."

Ron grumbled, "Man, Kim sure isn't going to like this, that's for sure..."

So, a fresh mystery has left our valiant team perplexed and disappointed. And how will Kim take this setback? Not very well I'm afraid, but as we all know. she is rather resilient. So stay tuned for the answers to this and more, next time...

TBC...