The Pursuit of Truth and Justice (part 1)
Disclaimer – I don't own Kim Possible.
A/N – Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed the first chapter. I know I promised some people to post sooner but this chapter took longer to write than planned. My muse didn't abandon me, instead she grabbed me by the brain and dragged me along. By the time I was finished the chapter was twice the planned length. I tried to cut it down but that didn't work so I split it into two part instead. This chapter gives more of the back story between Kim and Shego and also helps explain Kim's actions.
UPDATED VERSION—no major changes just minor spelling and grammar corrections.
Chapter 2 – Pursuing Truth and Justice (part 1)
Kim sat gathering her thoughts, while Shego fidgeted in her seat. After a moment, Kim started to haltingly speak.
"I don't know where to begin. I – it's complicated."
Kim paused for a moment and Shego jumped to her feet and started to pace the room, worry etched on her face. Abruptly, she stopped pacing and confronted Kim.
"Pumpkin, you better not be about to tell me you still love me." Shego resumed pacing as she continued, gesturing wildly as she talked. "I meant what I said when Betty took us into custody in Plantain. Breaking-up was for your own good. Giving up your old life to stay with me wasn't worth it. Once the initial excitement had worn off, once we weren't on the run, being hunted by the government with only each other to rely on, your feelings would have changed. You would have missed your family and friends and all the parts of your storybook life. Soon you would have been blaming me for your troubles."
"You were right." Kim's words were soft but stopped Shego in mid-tirade. Shego turned to look at her a mix of surprise and disappointment on her face.
Kim stood and went to her, placing a hand on one cheek. "Don't get me wrong, what we had was wonderful and I will never forget it, but you were right. It was based on the extreme situation we were in and would have faded once things went back to normal."
Shego regarded her for a moment, a gentle smile on her face, before setting her face in a serious look. "You still don't get it, Kimmie, do you? Things would never have been normal again. We would have been wanted and on the run for the rest of our lives. The life you would have had to lead would have hardened your heart and corroded your morals. You – you would have been corrupted."
As Shego stopped speaking, afraid she had revealed too much, Kim directed her back to her seat and gently pushed her into it. Kim resumed her seat across from her before she spoke. "You don't know how much hearing you say those things means to me. It seems you are the only person who actually cares for me. Everyone else either wants to use me for their own ends or is afraid to have anything to do with me for fear they will be labeled a criminal."
Shego stared at the look of heartbreak on Kim's face, a look that was swiftly hidden behind an affable mask, and resolved to press on. "OK, pumpkin, what happened to you? You were supposed to get your perfect life back," a look of self-pity flashed across Shego's face, "not become a villain."
Kim reached over and squeezed Shego's hand as she answered. "I want to tell you but its hard to know where to start. I mean, I have three years to cover and a lot happened." Kim exhaled loudly and muttered. "It was easier telling Betty."
"You told, Betty? What's the story with that? I would have thought she would know what was going on." Shego had clasped Kim's hand and leaned forward to look into her face.
Kim gave her a wry smile. "Well, she stopped by Smarty Mart when I was working in order to question me. I couldn't believe it when she started to act like she didn't know what was going on, so I kind of lost it as I told her what was happening."
Shego wondered why Betty had gone to visit Kim and what she wanted to ask her about. Even more she wanted to know why Kim was working at Smarty Mart, a place she knew Kim hated from listening to her complain about Ron's love of the store. An idea dawned on her, a way to get answers to both questions as well as giving Kim a place to start her explanation.
"Why don't you tell me about her visit? It will give you a place to start in telling me what had happened."
Kim nodded and started to talk.
~O~O~O~
Dr. Director hadn't believed the 'Where Are They Now?' news story she had seen, that reported that Kim Possible was currently working at Smarty Mart and living in a small, run down apartment on the edge of Lowerton, but she had to believe her eyes when she saw her wearing a Smarty Mart vest and helping customers in the local Middleton Smarty Mart. Once she finished with her last customer Dr. Director approached her, intending to find out what had happened to drive her into working here.
"Welcome to Smarty Mart, Where Smart Shoppers, Shop Smart. How may I help you?" Kim inquired, an insincere smile on her face and a dark fire hidden in here eyes.
"I came to see if what I had heard about you was true. Why are you working here? I would have thought you would be attending college."
Kim stifled a snort of disbelief. "You know very well why I'm working here. Now, if you don't have anything related to Smarty Mart I can help you with, I have to get back to work."
When Kim turned to leave Dr. Director grabbed her arm. She felt Kim tense and saw her hand form a fist and start to rise before Kim got control of herself and lower her hand. Kim turned to face her and was about to speak when they were interrupted by a voice from behind them.
"Is there a problem here?"
They turned and saw one of the managers standing there, a look of professional concern on his face. Once he saw Dr. Director's uniform, his face clouded and his demeanor of professional concern dropped.
"More of you people. You have been warned about harassing Miss Possible while she is at work. Let her go or I will have to call the police."
Dr. Director let Kim's arm go in surprise at the import of the manager's words. She hadn't expected either his hostility or his being willing to confront her head on. Kim observed her reaction and made a split second decision.
"Mr. Sala, I would like to take my break now. I think I can clear this up quickly." Kim kept her voice neutral but allowed her emotions to show on her face for a moment.
Seeing Kim's face convinced the manager to give into her request. "Very well, Possible. Go on your break."
Turning to Dr. Director, he spat at her. "Can't you people just leave her alone? She is one of my best employees and never has any trouble but regular as clockwork you people come poking around asking questions and bothering her."
Dr. Director watched him walk off, a bemused look on her face, before turning to Kim, her professional mask slipping back into place. Once Kim saw she had Dr. Director's attention, she turned and led her to the rear of the store where they went through a door marked 'Employees Only', down a short corridor and through another door into the rear parking lot.
Once the door had closed behind them and they were alone, Kim turned to face Dr. Director, a look of pure contempt on her face. "So, did you come to see the results of your handy work? Decided to pretend you didn't know what had happened so you could rub salt in the wound? Can you give me one reason I shouldn't just beat you senseless right now?"
Dr. Director had involuntarily taken a step back in shock at the intensity of Kim's emotion but, gathering her resolve, looked Kim in the eye and replied coolly. "I have no idea what you are talking about. The last I knew, you had been placed on probation until you turned twenty-one but, other than that, your life was supposed to go back to normal."
Kim stared at her for a minute in surprise before shaking her head and continuing. "If you are telling the truth, you're an idiot. I was placed on probation alright, but did you think about what that would mean? Not only was I forbidden to go on any more missions but I couldn't leave Middleton without permission. I was prohibited from have any more contact than necessary with my 'associates'. That meant I couldn't have anything to do with Wade and could only see Ron, my boyfriend, at school. In addition I was also forbidden from participating in any after school activities, so I had to quit cheerleading and all of my school clubs and community service work."
Dr. Director nodded in reply, so far everything she had heard were things she already knew, before she asked. "You had to pay for what you did. It still doesn't explain why you are working at Smarty Mart instead of attending college."
Kim gave her a look that seemed to say, you are a bigger idiot that I thought, before replying. "What college could I go to? I couldn't leave the Middleton area without permission and when I asked for it, I was told that attending college was not a valid reason to be allowed to leave the Middleton area. I couldn't go to Upperton University since the campus is 200 yards outside my allowed area. The Middleton Institute of Science and Technology was off limits since they handle many classified projects for various government agencies and my presence would have jeopardized those grants."
Kim started to pace as she talked. "That left Middleton Community College, the local cosmetology school and the Middleton Institute of Secretarial Sciences. I had no interest in either cosmetology or secretarial work so that left the community college. I started to enroll but they refused to take me when my probation officer demanded complete access to any work I did there as well as my person files and any other file deemed relevant."
"You want to know why I work here?" Kim glared at Dr. Director, who was looking troubled by what Kim had said so far.
"I am working here since I have to have a job to pay for rent and food. Maybe you have forgotten but normal human beings have to work to support themselves, they don't have a cushy, no work government job to live on. I tried to find other jobs but, with the conditions the probation board was setting, this was the only job I could get. What did you expect me to do, become homeless and starve to death on the streets?"
Dr. Director's mind was reeling with everything Kim had said. She grasped at an unanswered question, "Why didn't you just stay at your parent's house? I am certain they would have supported you no matter what."
Kim snorted in derision. "I had to move out as soon as I graduated. My father deals with many classified projects and my mother has a high security clearance in order to deal with high government officials. My probation meant they both would have lost their jobs if I had stayed at home. They let me stay with my family until I finished High School but after that, I had to live on my own. My parents couldn't even help me pay my bills without risking their careers. Any more stupid questions?"
Dr. Director gulped, realizing the situation was spiraling out of control, and asked the first question to cross her mind. "How – how about friends? I know Ron would do anything for you."
Kim's face clouded with anger, her hand clenching into fists as tears involuntarily started falling down her checks. "Friends, what friends? Once I graduated, I couldn't see Ron, my best friend since pre-K, at all. We had tried to stay boyfriend and girlfriend but your goons put a stop to that, saying it was a violation of my probation. He moved away soon after graduation so he could get on with his life. I don't even know where he is, since any contact would be a probation violation. With your thugs always hanging around, questioning anyone who came near me, no one else would give me the time of day, let alone help me."
Dr. Director stared at Kim's tear stained face, unable to believe that things had gotten this bad without her knowledge. Here mind raced, try desperately trying to find something, anything that would salvage the situation. "Why – why didn't you contact me or someone else at Global Justice? I am certain we could have fixed the situation, given you a job, something?"
Kim gave a bitter laugh, shaking her head in disbelief at Dr. Director's words. "You are a prize moron. I though your brother was crazy but you have him beat by a mile. Who do you think set the terms of my probation? I will give you a clue, it was Global Justice."
Kim's laugh stopped and her face hardened again. "Give me a job? Would have that been like the internship you offered me when I graduated? The one that limited me to support roles like cook and janitor because my probation made me a security risk. If I have to do menial labor to survive, I sure as hell wouldn't do it for the people who forced me into that situation. Even a whipped dog has some pride. There is no way I would put myself in a position to let you kick me while I was down."
Dr. Director shoulders slumped in defeat. When the conversation had started, she had felt certain Kim had been overreacting, blowing things out of proportion, but now she knew that things were far worse than she could have ever imagined. She wondered how thing had so out of hand and what could be done to fix them. A glimmer of hope grew in her as an idea started to form.
"How – how about fixing things for you? I can get the probation terminated, have you admitted to almost any school you want, even make you a full agent for Global Justice."
The hope was plain to see on Dr. Director's face and Kim took great pleasure in crushing it. "Can you get me my friends back? How about the last three years of my life? Maybe you can restore my reputation? If you make me an agent, will I be able to look into crimes against humanity in Plantain or would you expect me to be a good little German. No, Betty, that ship sailed long ago and you were at the helm."
An evil grin crossed her face as she continued. "You know what the best part is? Shego was actually right. Our relationship wouldn't have lasted. It was a product of the extreme situation we were in. After I got home, I though long and hard for the next few months about my life and the choices I had made. I realized that becoming a villain in order to stay with Shego was the wrong choice. I looked forward to picking up where I had left off, having Ron as my boyfriend, going off to college and spending the rest of my life helping others. It was a nice dream but you killed it Betty. You tore it to pieces, stomped it into the ground and laughed as you did it."
Kim moved closer to Dr. Director, until she stood only inches from her. Her voice was low and menacing as she spoke. "You should be proud Betty, you have done what even Shego wouldn't, you have made me a villain. In three months, my probation is over and you will no longer have any control over me or my life. As soon as that happens, I will disappear and you will never be able to find me. I will spend the rest of my life working to destroy you and Global Justice."
Kim gave an evil grin at the look of concern that crossed Dr. Director's face. "Oh, don't worry Betty. I won't do anything crude like bombing your headquarters or killing your agents. I have something far worse planned. I am going to expose you and your flunkies for the evil incompetents you really are. I will dig up every dirty secret you have and shout it to the world. Every time you make a mistake I will be there, pointing it out to the media."
Kim stared into her eye for a moment, an unholy delight shining in her eyes, before she continued. "I wonder who will destroy you first. Will it be your hidden backers, afraid of their secrets becoming public, or an angry public, disgusted with the evil of your actions."
Kim turned and started back into the building. "Sorry I have to go, but my break is over and I don't want to lose my job."
Dr. Director stood and silently watched Kim leave, her mind whirling with the reality of the situation, the menace Kim's of threats and the implication of the last words she had heard from Kim. They had been said in a low voice, almost as though to herself, but Dr. Director was certain Kim had intended for her to hear them.
"I may even look up an old girlfriend."
~O~O~O~
"Damn, Princess. Sounds like you really gave it to old Betts. Were thing really that bad?"
Kim, looking spent from reliving the emotion of her story, nodded at Shego. She took several deep breaths to steady herself before she answered. "Yes, they were. I didn't have any friends or family I could talk to. It looked like my life was on a downward spiral with no hope for things to get better. That why I decided to go after Global Justice, to give my self a goal to work toward."
Shego studied Kim for a moment before nodding. "OK. I can see that. Tell me you have a plan for dealing with GJ and are not just winging it."
Kim smiled at her. "Yes, I have a clever plan."
Shego started to nod before she froze and stared at Kim, who smiled at her with a playful twinkle in her eye. "Princess, tell me you did not just quote Blackadder at me? It was bad enough working for the big blue dork, I don't need you to starting acting loopy."
Kim laughed. "I'm just kidding. I found a complete DVD collection when I moved into the lair. Besides, you should have seen the look on your face." A thoughtful look crossed her face for a moment. "Your talk about plans reminded me that I need to contact the media."
"Media?" Shego asked, a look of confusion on her face as Kim jumped up from her seat and rushed to the communications equipment sitting against one wall. She watched several screens come to life as Kim typed on the keyboard. The screens displayed a satellite view of a large group working in front of a cliff face in the middle of the desert. Another showed the same scene from high on the cliff face, allowing the group to be identified as Global Justice agents using heavy equipment to force open a set of hidden doors. Shego glanced at the third screen, which showed the ruined equipment they had left in the ravine during their escape, as she realized all of the screens displayed the area around the prison. After several minutes of typing, Kim sat back with an evil grin on her face.
"What did you do and how did you get these videos?" Shego demanded, gesturing at the screens.
"I e-mailed links to all the feeds to most of the major media outlets as well as a list of questions about what they would see. Things like, what is Global Justice doing in the middle of the desert?, why are they breaking into this facility?, whose facility is it?, is the wreckage the remains of a Global Justice team that was ambushed? You know, things like that. Hopefully they will follow-up and give old Betty a huge PR headache."
Shego looked at the smile on Kim's face as she thought about what was likely to happen if the news showed up at the prison asking questions. The smooth way Kim had answered the easy question but left the hard one unanswered impressed her. She debated letting Kim get away with it for a moment until she decided she needed more information before she was willing to join in Kim's little crusade.
"That's cruel. You know Betty will go nuts once the press shows up. She is supposed to be running a secret agency not making the 6 o'clock news. But you didn't tell me how you got the videos in the first place."
"The satellite feed is French, they sell access to anyone with cash. The others are from cameras I set in the area, that use narrow band satellite connections that should be undetectable to casual scans. My original plan was to make a video of the escape and send it to the media. Once it became evident that GJ would have to break into their own prison, I though it would be a better idea to use the raw feeds to get the media's attention."
Shego nodded in acceptance and then froze as a thought occurred to her. "If you were going to make a video of the escape, does that mean you had cameras with you the whole time, that you filmed me during the escape."
Kim smirked at her, "Doy, of course I did. Don't worry, I would have edited out anything that was too embarrassing, although I think including the scenes of you changing would have really boosted the sales."
Shego stared at her, shock written plainly on her face. "You – you . . . I."
Kim collapsed to the floor laughing, unable to control her self. Shego stood watching her for several minute, a frown on her face, before she returned to her seat, a slight smile forming on her face as she realized the humor of the situation. Eventually, Kim's laughter stopped and she climbed back into her seat wiping tears from her eyes.
"I'm sorry sweetie, I just couldn't resist. Will you forgive me?"
Shego wanted to stay mad with Kim but couldn't. She was willing to bet that Kim had missed the easy camaraderie and joking between friends as much as she did. She grinned at Kim and replied. "Ha ha, Kimmie. I'll forgive you on the condition you tell me what your plan is. Just what are you going to do to Global Justice?"
"Just what I told Betty. I plan on exposing their secrets and mistakes. The whole escape was the first step in that plan. It would expose their top secret escape-proof prison, show that it wasn't escape-proof at all and rub in the fact I could get all that equipment and put it in place without them detecting it."
"So, I was just a convenient excuse for the first step of you plan. I though you cared for me, princess." Shego's tone was light and joking but her eyes betrayed a sense of hurt and betrayal.
When Kim saw the look Shego gave her, her manner turned serious. "Shego, I don't want there to be any misunderstanding between us. You are one of the few friends I have left in the world and I care for you very much, but I don't love you. I want you at my side for this, you have as much reason to hate GJ as I do, but I don't want your help if the only reason you are here is your feelings for me. "
Shego opened her mouth to make a smart answer but swiftly closed it as she realized that Kim was serious and so was the issue she raised. She dropped her eye and sat thinking for several minutes. She raised her eyes to meet Kim's and answered her. "You're right, I need to admit that I don't love you. I've been harping on you not loving me but refused to look at my own feelings. I needed the idea that I loved you and had done the noble thing in giving you up in order to survive being in prison. Now that I am free, I need to be honest with myself and with you. I care for you, Kim, but just as a friend. I – I think I loved you once but now, I'm not sure."
Shego stopped speaking. a look of confusion her face. Kim reached over and squeezed her shoulder, giving her an encouraging smile when she meets her gaze. "It's OK, you don't have to figure everything out all at once. Just so long we are honest with each other."
Shego reached up and placed her hand on Kim's, giving it a reassuring squeeze in return. "Then I'm in. It's about time someone took Betty down a notch. So what's the plan?"
"The first item is to get you back in shape," Kim held her hand up to stop Shego's protest, "We both know that no matter how much you worked out in your cell, you still will have lost your edge without a challenge to push you. I need you to get that back in the next two months."
"Two months?" Shego inquire, accepting the need for her to regain her edge first.
"Yep. That is when the Middleton Space Center will be launching a satellite that we will need to stop."
"OK. I'll bite, why do we want to stop this satellite in particular."
"Because, while it is allegedly designed to monitor weather and land use pattern, its real purpose is to provide real time, high-definition surveillance of the countryside and border."
Shego shook her head. "Enough with the games, cupcake. What's the real deal?"
Kim pouted briefly before continuing. "The satellite was supposedly funded and authorized through a UN program to help third world countries. It was approved for humanitarian use only. The real funding came from Global Justice as part of their counter-terrorism program. The country in question is the Democratic Republic of Plantain."
Shego grinned back at her as she teased. "Do I detect a hint of malice towards the lovely country of Plantain? According to the tourist brochures, they are a tropical paradise filled with happy locals."
Kim made a wry face. "Yea, sure. You and I know the truth about that place. Exposing them and Global Justice's support will be the first step."
"What about acting at the Space Center? Isn't that where you dad works? Won't that bother you?" Shego asking, hoping that Kim had worked out some way to avoid hurting her father or damaging his career.
"Don't worry, he has nothing to do with this launch, it is part of a program that allows grad students to help build and launch a satellite in order to give them real world experience. None of them should have their reputations damaged for not being able to stop a super-villain attack."
Shego saw the devious look on Kim's eye and wondered what she wasn't telling her. "And?"
Kim tried to look innocent for a moment but, when she saw that Shego was not believing it, she huffed and answered. "All right, the grad students in question are my brothers. This will be payback for all the jokes and teasing they gave me growing up, particularly after I returned."
Shego merely nodded and said, "Check, teaching your brothers a lesson.", before she continued. "And after that? Whats the next step?"
Kim leaned back in her seat before replying. "After that will partly depend on what GJ does. If nothing changes, the next step is to hijack an arms shipment from GJ to one of the Triads via some corrupt officials in the local government. Done correctly we can embarrass the local government, GJ and GJ's sponsors including the UN."
Shego grinned at her. "Sounds good. Now where did you say the bathroom was? I hope there's a tub in there. I have had to do with 60 second showers for the last three years so I would really like a nice long soak but I'll settle for a nice long hot shower if I have too."
~O~O~O~
A/N – This ends part one. The second part will cover what is happening with Global Justice as well as more back story and the start of the main plot.