After the cheerleading session, Kim headed for the school newspaper. Ron and Bonnie were working out, since Bonnie had decided that if she was to have "Mystical Monkey Power" (and Kim couldn't help giggling at the very word), Ron would instruct her in actual martial arts. Given how much necking Kim had seen at one "practice" she wasn't certain how much training, at least in martial arts, was getting done. Josh was having to finish up some work on the school year book art section, which left her to do some work on the newest story—the one she'd just decided to do.

Kim rolled up the compute, flipped it on, and started with GOOGLE. Before she went to the internet site, she wanted some background information.

"This is weird." She muttered a few minutes later. Nothing. Nothing at all. Then, she sighed and went to the site. A cheery tune sounded, as the site came up with a brightly colored screen.

MEMORY, BRAIN POWER, AND WIT—THE WAY TO GET AHEAD. It started up with a dozen testimonials, official sounding statements on how the new BrainPower™ pills would revolutionize the world, with better memory, and better thought processes, and how they could be hers for only 4.95 for a bottle of fifty.

And then there was a place to put in her email address. No order form. No place to put her real address. No address for the company, not even a PO box. Kim looked at the screen in distrust, then left the site.

"That's…"

Not right. She thought. In a lot of states, companies were required to have their address on the screen, somewhere, or at least contact information. Maybe it wasn't a U.S. company?

Next, Kim started checking out other sites. Nothing in the FDA database, nothing in the federal Trademark registration data base… she even did a copyright search for anything relating to the pill.

That took nearly an hour, as Kim waded through hundreds of ads for herbal teas, pills, vitamins, and in one case brain licorice. Kim made a face. She hated licorice…especially black licorice.

So, it looked like a scam….

Except Tara had been better in class. A lot better. If it was a scam, it was one using official FDA seals, so she could….

No. Kim groaned and banged her head lightly against the desk. Yeah, she could, but if it was decided that it was a drug, Tara was dog meat. All the assemblies and the forms about zero tolerance that got sent home every year made that plain. Hell, one kid had been sent home and forced to go to continuation school because he'd brought some prescription pain killers that his doctor had given him. Tara would certainly be kicked off the cheer team, even if nothing worse happened.

And of course, that meant she couldn't go to anyone at school for information, and in fact… Kim purged the internet cache, to make certain nobody might stumble across her web search.

But if it wasn't a scam…. Why here? Why sell it for 4.95? That made absolutely no sense. She thought about it, checked the time, and nodded. He would still be up. Kim put the call in over the internet vidphone, and moments later, a dignified older man appeared.

"Well, this is a pleasant surprise, young lady." Senior Senor Senior said. "I trust Josh is doing well."

"He's doing great." Kim said. "Monkey Fist paid him for those paintings."

"As expected—madman he may be, but he is still of British nobility." The rich man said. "But I sense you are calling me for another reason."

"How did you know?"

"My dear, you are in your school's newspaper office—hardly the place for a traditional casual call." Kim blinked. Senior's perceptivity still caught her off guard at times.

"Um, yeah." Kim said, and started to explain what she was thinking about. It was odd, since he was the oldest person she knew (other than Nana), but Senior understood some things better than anyone else she knew.

"Ah yes." He said, "zero tolerance…it is always easier for appointed officials to tie their own hands and say 'this is the law, I can do nothing', rather than accept that their job carries certain risks and make the decisions they are paid to make." A mild flicker of annoyance passed his face. "When I was building my fortune, I never let such people work for me. Taking risks is the only way to achieve victory, after all." He paused, "I will launch inquiries among my own sources…but I believe there is someone who may be able to aid you, a consultant, quite young, yes."

"My age?"

"Younger my dear—and he has already obtained several university degrees." Senior paused, "But he is very shy—so it is unlikely you will meet him in person. I will ask him if he is willing to help you."

"Please and Thank you." Kim said, and frustrated, "But I can't believe Tara would just take them on their word!" Senior softly laughed.

"Have you ever heard of the Nigerian Bank swindle?" Kim nodded, that was an old internet fraud.

"Most of the people who fall for it are wealthy in their own rights—doctors, lawyers, engineers… quite intelligent, in their own way." Senior shrugged, "But because they hear what they wish to hear, they fall for a transparent scam."

"And they wish to?"

"Get something for, if not nothing, far less than they would have to actually pay for it." He paused, "If anything, the small charge makes sense—if it is some form of swindle, making them pay something is less likely to raise alarm than a free distribution."

"But what swindle?" Kim said in frustration, "If it works, it's not paying them nearly what they could offer…if it doesn't work…it's not making enough money to well, be worth their time."

"I do not know about that." Senior cautioned. "If they are only selling to this school, no, but as you have pointed out, American drug policies would keep most students quiet—so if they are selling one bottle a month to ten students at every high school…"

"I hadn't thought of that." Kim said, face reddening. She was supposed to be the reporter.

"It is to be expected—besides, Kim Possible, if you had thought of everything, where would that leave me and my sage advice?" Kim laughed at that. After she said goodbye, she sat looking at the screen, a frown returning to her face.

So, she might have some help on the internet front… But that still left this pill. Well, Josh was having to help his parents tonight, and Ron and Bonnie were off on one of their dates after their workout…and that gave her some time for a serious talk with her mother.


Later that night, after the dinner had been cleared away, and her father was working on a new project having to do with outfitting a rat in powered armor for space exploration—although, Dr. Possible had explained, his superiors had specifically told him there were to be no plasma blasters this time, Kim wheeled into the kitchen and started talking to her mother. Mom often cleaned up after dinner—she said that there was a time when it was just relaxing to do something that did not require painfully exact reflexes and cooking dinner and the resultant cleaning fit the bill. Fortunately, the Tweebs were being… sort of quiet tonight.

"Mom… this is going to sound odd—but can anyone call anything a vitamin and get away with it?" Dr. Possible looked at her daughter, and shook her head.

"It's not that easy, Kimmie—there are new regulations out, and while a food supplement does have less testing than an actual drug, the penalties for trying to claim on as the other are…severe."

"Oh." Kim paused, "And if it was a drug, would zero tolerance kick in?"

"Are you taking something, Kimmie?" Her mother asked, slight concern on her face. Kim shook her head.

"There's a new pill…it's supposedly a memory enhancing vitamin…but I don't know."

"Those are all frauds, Kimmie, maybe not in a literal sense—some vitamins do help your ability to remember, but nothing like they advertise." Now Kim looked nervous.

"But what if they did.. if say, someone I knew was taking it really did get a better memory." Her mother put the silverware down and frowned.

"Then I'd have to say it was a drug, not a vitamin…and we need to know who, Kimmie. I'm a brain surgeon, so I hope you believe me when I say that the last thing anyone wants to be doing is ingesting some drug that has an effect on their brain."

"But what could it do that would be so bad if its helping memory?" Kim asked, trying to find an out. Her mother without missing a beat responded.

"Well, just off the top of my head, one way to "help" your memory might be to increase the flow of blood to the brain—but that could also lead to problems down the line—like say a stroke. Kimmie, I think you need to tell me more."

"Well…" Kim started telling her the entire story, without mentioning Tara's name, and then went to the part about the FDA stickers and lack of any other information. By the time she had finished her mother had stopped cleaning up and was sitting down, lips pressed together in firm disapproval.

"May I see the pill?" She asked. Kim handed to her. Dr. Possible frowned as she looked at it. "There could be several possibilities, Kim. The first is that Bonnie is right—it's just a real vitamin or caffeine tablet." She shrugged, "The effect would be a placebo—the individual thinks it's helping, so in some ways, it does."

"And the other?"

"It could be having a real effect—in which case, and I know you don't like to hear this, it needs to be dealt with—even if it is a placebo, the fraudulent FDA notices need legal action."

"But Mom…" Kim said, thinking of what might happen to Tara.

"No buts, Kimmie—falsifying FDA approval is very serious—do you know that most drugs can take over ten years to be approved? That's because they are tested—tested thoroughly, so that I, as a doctor, or you, as a layperson, can be confident that they're safe so long as they are used properly." She sighed, "But we have no idea if this received any testing—what if it's poisonous? What if there are side effects? We don't know." Kim groaned.

What was I thinking? Mom, give a pass on a medical ethics question?

"Could you…test it?"

"When?"

"Tomorrow?" Her mother shook her head.

"No. By rights I should call the police right now, but I will give you this much—if it is just a placebo, I don't want to ruin a life over this. We're going to go to the hospital now." She paused, "And if there is anything—I mean anything in this pill other than sugar and food coloring, Kimberly, I expect you to tell me, and the authorities, who you know has taken it. Is that understood?"

"Yes Mom." Her mother's eyes softened.

"I'm sorry Kimmie…but people like this…" Her hand indicated the pill and by extension its makers, "It's important that we stop them."

"I know…but…" Kim sighed, "I just hope it isn't going to hurt my friends."

"Kimmie…if it is a placebo, it really isn't a drug, so your friends aren't violating any rules… if it is, then they're victims of fraud, and I promise you I will do everything to prevent them from being unfairly treated."

"OK." Kim sighed, "Ready?"

"Let me get my coat."

Outside, they headed towards her mothers car. Kim opened her door, reached out and levered herself into the car, leaving her mother to fold the wheelchair and rack it in the back of the car, like a bike. Her mother sighed. At times they'd considered getting a powered lift…but Kim was dead set against it. She understood that she couldn't do everything she had…but she wasn't about to give in any more than needed—or let others try to make her give in. Andrea shook her head as a memory came flooding back.


"Kimmie?" Andrea asked. That morning, Kim had been excited, wearing her best clothes, going out, with Ron. Something had gone wrong.

Something had gone very wrong.

"Ron left for home."

"I don't care! I never want to see him again!" Kim said, sobbing. Andrea had only heard her daughter this distraught on a very few occasions—like when she'd been told that she likely would never walk again in her life. Kim hadn't made it all the way into her room. She'd tried to fling herself onto her bed, missed, slid back down, useless legs sprawled out underneath her. She was shaking with sobs, holding the covers of the bed to her face, hiding from the world, the cheerful colors of her shirt and skirt terribly inappropriate.

Andrea sat on the floor next to her daughter.

"He… he… grabbed the wheelchair and pulled me out. I told him not to, and everyone was, was…watching me…" The humiliation in her voice was almost too much for her mother to bear.

"I know, Kimmie." She said softly. She didn't bother to mention she'd gotten a phone call from Mr. Barkin, the principal of the high school who had seen the incident and quickly called her. He hadn't intervened, the older administrator correctly deciding that the only thing that would have done would have redoubled Kim's humiliation—but he had followed them back home, with surprising stealth, until they were at Kim's house. According to Barkin, it had been some sort of confrontation with some kids who thought it was funny to make fun of Kim, Ron had decided to get her out of there, which was, precisely, the wrong thing to do. She shook her head. He was young, like Kim…

"And then when we came back…" Kim choked, "I tried to get here fast, but he just walked besides me." Andrea nodded. Before the accident, Ron could barely keep up with Kim.

She pulled Kim into her, her daughter not resisting as she gave vent, sobbing into her mother's body. Kim didn't say anything, and neither did her mother, just rocking the girl. Slowly, the sobbing slowed, as exhaustion caught up with her daughter.

"I…I was so happy this morning, Mom…" Kim said, her voice now tired and sorrowful rather than hysterical. "I…I was going to the mall for the first time, alone, with Ron… and I could almost pretend that nothing had happened…that I was… ok… that I…" She couldn't complete the sentence.

"I know, Kimmie." Her mother sighed, "And Ron destroyed it. I'm going to speak to him about that."

"Are you going to yell…"

"Does it matter?" She said, "I thought you never wanted to see him again." Kim looked at her, rubbing her emerald eyes. She shook her head slightly.

"I…"

"It's alright to be angry with him Kimmie—to be furious, even. I am going to talk to Ron…but do you think he did this to hurt you?" Kim shook her head, again.

"Nor do I. He made a stupid mistake, but everyone does. I want to make certain he knows what it was he did…and why you're so angry about it." She paused, "And later, you need to tell him as well."

"Now?"

"Oh no… right now you're still too angry, tired, and I guarantee you that if you did it now, Ron would manage to put his foot in his mouth right up to the knee." A fragile smile flashed across Kim's face at the image. Andrea decided to continue. "And then he'd run around in circles trying to make things better, only they'd get worse…" Something that could have been a giggle came from Kim, and then she started speaking, Kim's voice was soft, but the anger was fading from it.

"He really does do that a lot." She said. Andrea nodded.

"Kimmie, Ron blames himself… I know it's not fair, but it is natural, because yes, your father and I blame ourselves sometimes." She paused, "And that makes people do stupid things, because they so desperately want to protect the person… that they can forget what you want."

"I…" Kim closed her eyes, "I hate being like this."

"I know." Kim's body was trembling, but given that she'd wheeled herself all the way back from the mall, and had the fury and humiliation to deal with, Andrea judged it was from exhaustion.

"Can I… Can I just rest for a while?" Kim asked. Her mother nodded. Andrea waited as Kim got her hands under her, and levered herself up onto and into the bed. She didn't offer to help, but got the covers and pulled them over her daughter. Kim's eyes were still damp as she rolled over and grabbed her Pandaroo, holding it to her. Andrea kissed her daughter on the forehead.

"I'll get you up in time for Dinner." The doctor said, but Kim was already falling asleep.

Outside, the Twins were also sleeping during their nap, and her husband wasn't back yet, so Andrea sat at the dining room table and put her face in her hands, feeling the hot tears trickle down her cheeks.

Blaming themselves. Oh yes, especially Dr. Possible. Andrea was the best neurosurgeon in the state…and yet, that tiny break in Kim's spinal cord, less than the thickness of a single sheet of paper, could have been the grand canyon for all she could do to bridge it. Kim would remain paralyzed, and her mother, the doctor, could do nothing more than help her with the aftermath.


"Mom?" Andrea started.

"Yes, Kim?"

"You've been sitting in the drivers seat for the last minute." Kim said, "Are you zoning on me again?"

"Um…" Andrea rubbed her eyes. "Just some dust."

"You are zoning again." Kim said in a no-nonsense voice. "Let's focus on our mystery pills." She continued. And stop feeling bad about me. Kim said to herself, but actually mentioning it would only make her mother feel worse, so she'd pretend that mom was just zoning about something else, like a hospital case.

"Okay, Kimmie." Andrea said, smiling. "Pills first, zoning second." And with that, she started the car, heading for the hospital.

TBC.