Chapter 2: Inventive Ineffectuality Impressions
- - -
Putting one foot in front of another is something the vast majority does well without really paying attention. Our brain is wired in such a way as to order and control such repetitive and boring activities automatically and without conscious thought. However, when fatigue dominates the human body and the only thing it asks is to stop walking and simply collapse in exhaustion, putting one foot in front of another and actually walking can be a brutal experience.
The two figures staggering on the Possible estate's front porch would marvel at said experience if they could muster the brainpower required.
"Are we there yet?" whined more than asked Kim, an action quite unbecoming of her.
Ron, currently in a slightly better state of mind than his girlfriend, took a second to wonder who was supporting whom. While her arm was tight over his shoulders he was sure that if she were to remove it, they would both collapse face-first on the yellow-tiled walkway, a breath from their destination.
"Just a few more steps, KP. We are at your house."
Ron decided that if not for his currently not-so-latent Mystic Monkey Powers, they would still be in the Amazon swamps. He was awed she could keep up. Another part of his brain marveled yet again at how fast the Possibles had restored their house, within a mere three days. There was still debris to be cleaned around and the garden was barren, but the building itself looked better than ever.
"Too far" she mumbled half-conscious, collapsing completely a second later. Ron struggled a bit as her leg muscles lost all tension and, to his disbelief, he managed to stumble forward along with her, his head colliding audibly with the front door.
He couldn't tell if it was seconds or hours later, but the door opened abruptly and he hugged Kim, trying to shield her from the fall. That was too much for him and he too fell into deep, exhaustion-induced sleep. The last thing he noticed was Kim's arms coiling around his body.
The figure that had opened the door took some seconds to blink away the sleep from her eyes and take in the vision before her. Drs Anne Possible-Opposable recovered her wits faster than most people would at three in the morning. Taking a deep breath to calm down, she climbed back to her room.
"James wake up. I'm going to need your help for a few minutes."
- - -
Dr Robert Chen decided he was one lucky astronomer. Not only had he survived last week's alien invasion unscathed while his lab had collapsed around him, but he had also managed to extract enough founding from the space center to completely restore his great telescope in record time. He decided it was high time he succumbed to his favorite pastime, pulling an all-nighter exploring the universe.
Before turning his lens towards the unknown parts of the sky, he started his usual routine, almost a good luck ritual. Providing the correct coordinates to the targeting systems next to his seat, he started looking to each of the close-to-earth celestial bodies. Mercury was, as he expected, invisible and Venus shone bright enough to shame anything else but the Moon. Said satellite was boring as ever; Mars was shattered beyond recognition while Jupiter was as gaseous as always. Saturn's rings were still frozen and…
The astronomer blinked abruptly, his trance disrupted. Very slowly, he guided his telescope back to the source of his disbelief. After staring for a few minutes, he pinched himself for good measure. The scene failed to change. Mars was shattered beyond recognition, apparently separated in three large chunks with another major piece missing. Countless smaller shards were floating around the former planet, forming an extensive dust cloud.
Dr Chen took a deep breath and calmly reached for his mobile, calling the space center's director. "Robert here… Yes, George, it's me.. Yes I am aware it's four in the morning and you have been planning a picnic for today… Yes it is important… No, it's not a spider on my lens this time. Remember the Mars colonization project? We have to cancel it, I fear… yes I know I was a fervent supported, but it seems that unfortunately we are a planet short… No I don't DO mind-altering substances unless you count chocolate… Look, you won't believe me until you see for yourself so come here… Yes now. I think a destroyed planet within our solar system is quite important…"
- - -
The first thing registering in Kim's mind as the veils of sleep started receding was that she was snuggling next to something warm. Touch and smell made her realize that something was her best friend-boyfriend. That fact made her calm down quite a bit, prompting a silly smile on her face and causing her to wake up slower. The next thing she registered was an unusual fatigue and soreness all over her body. She wasn't quite able to remember the circumstances yet, but she knew it involved a very exhausting mission.
Her following observation was startling. Both she and Ron were in their underwear and nothing else, matching white cotton panties and bra and Fearless Ferret boxers respectively. Opening one eye carefully, she stared right into Ron's eyes.
"G'morning sleepyhead" he managed while also smiling, apparently not really awake himself.
She returned the smile then decided to look around. "Where are we?" she asked just before realization hit her. She was snuggled up with Ron while in her underwear on her living room's sofa. That woke her up for good and she tried to swiftly rise. She didn't quite make it, collapsing back to her initial position a moment later after her body screamed to her to stay still. The red-haired crimefighter let out a pained moan.
"Take it easy, Kimmie" came a very familiar voice from behind her. "After the stunt you two pulled yesterday, I'm surprised you are even awake so soon. It's only noon after all."
Resigned to the fact her body needed time to recuperate, Kim decided to ask questions instead of trying to bolt. "What happened, mom?" she asked, looking at Ron at the same time. "The last thing I remember is ricocheting inside an old plane in the middle of a hurricane after wading the Amazon swamps."
The older redhead sighed. "Apparently Ron managed to drag the both of you to our doorstep, where you collapsed. I wasn't about to let you in along with the ton of mud you had on your clothes and they were already dirty and torn beyond salvation. Some scissoring later, I carried you on the couch together because you were holding each other way too tightly and waking you up was out of the question at that point."
Kim blushed at that and Ron's sheepish glance did not exactly help, especially when she felt the combination of their proximity and his waking up pressing on her belly. A moment later, her eyes went wide. "Daddy can't see us like this!" she exclaimed and tried once more- ineffectually- to rise.
"Amp down, KP" provided Ron lazily, running the back of his palm along the outer side of her bare leg after making sure her mother was not looking and causing her goosebumps of delight. "Mr. Dr P. helped your mother to lift us. She could never handle both of us together."
Kim eyed her mother questioningly. Anne nodded. "Doctor's orders, dear. Your father was drafted to help and had to leave early for the space center. Some kind of emergency. You are to rest well, eat well and rest some more" she declared in a tone none of them could think of disobeying. A smirk graced her face a moment later. "You might want to take a shower first, though. You both need it and brown hair looks weird on you Kimmie."
Her daughter blinked blankly at that, then turned to regard Ron again. This time she noticed his hair was full of dried brown mud. Her face contracted in horror as she remembered the many times both of them had plunged into the mud and she brought a hand to gingerly touch her hair. The brief contact made her wince and retreat the appendage as if it was burning.
"I'm looking hideous, aren't I?" she hesitantly asked Ron.
He blinked and made a great show looking her up and down. "KP, you look good enough" he started. "…to eat" he added under his breath, causing her to blush again and smack him feebly on the arm.
"I appreciate the boyfriend response, Ron, but you can give me the best friend opinion now" she responded bleakly.
Ron repeated his former inspection. "Be sure not to clog the pipes with mud, KP" he admonished at length and Kim gulped.
"Worse than I feared" she whispered to herself.
A second later both Anne and Ron blinked in disbelief as the recently graduated redhead leaped to her feet and vanished upstairs.
"Isn't she supposed to be unable to move?" inquired Ron as he rose and stretched while yawning.
"It's a hair thing" provided Drs Possible, her eyes going wide a second later when she eyed Ron. "And for the record, aren't you supposed to be in even more pain than she is?" she added critically.
He responded with a sheepish laugh. "I think it's a mystic power thing" he explained and Anne nodded.
"I'm not going to comment on that, Ron. Go and take a shower in the second bathroom before the scientist in me decides to dissect you for humanity's benefit", she joked, giggling as he vanished just as fast before she could finish her sentence.
- - -
Dr Wade Load sat on his worn but very comfortable chair with a satisfied sigh, his milk and cereals on a tray next to him. His mother might be tolerant when it came to going outside, but she drew the line on healthy nutrition. Yawning lazily, he logged in his system and performed his daily check-up. He decided to forward the few not very important mission requests to Global Justice and give the rest of the team some down time.
The thirteen-year-old genius raised a brow as an incoming stream video connection requested his admission. He was even more surprised when James Possible appeared on the screen.
"Dr. Load", he acknowledged him with sincere respect.
"Dr. Possible", he responded, growing a bit worried. "Is Kim and Ron alright? Their last mission was… eventful."
James smiled. "No worries. They'll be out of it for a while but nothing too serious, although I'd really like to hear about that mission. No, the reason I contacted you is because the space center has need of your considerable talents for a matter of great importance. You also have access to… different sources than we do" he continued, a bit embarrassed at the last sentence.
Wade smirked knowingly. "Which system do you need to hack into, Dr. Possible?" he asked bluntly.
The other scientist fidgeted a bit. "A secret Chinese telescope satellite, code name MQEC-44. It's the only one currently in position and we'd have to wait twelve hours for an alternative. I understand the encryption is heavy and…"
"I'm in!" declared Wade, causing him to gawk for a full second before composing himself. "I'm passing you the controls through my network."
Dr. Possible typed for a while and Wade could see many more space center associates gathered behind him. He wasn't ready for the horrified visage on Kim's father's face.
"What's wrong?" he asked tentatively. A minute later he decided it would have been better not to know. "I'm coming there personally" he announced, doctoring his face to hide the fear that spiked in his mind. Said normally overwhelming fear of outdoors currently seemed very nonsensical.
- - -
Drs Possible couldn't help but smile at the two youths and one naked mole rat that were busy eating her pancakes as if they were going out of style. It was nothing new for Ron and Rufus, but seeing Kim joining in with abandon spoke volumes of last day's trials. Little by little, she managed to drag the story out of them. Five years ago, she had promised herself she would never try to stop her daughter from going on a mission. While it was too late to change her mind, she couldn't help but feel uneasy when she learned how close both of them had come to vaporization. She decided that the following events were far more amusing, especially since she hadn't had to endure the mud.
"There is a lesson about pride and modesty there, dear", she chided as she heard their encounter with agent Du. She noted with interest Ron would crack up whenever her daughter mentioned GJ's departure and decided he would ask him later about the full story.
Kim scowled at that. "The only real lesson here is about Global Justice's credibility. I've fought next to Dr. Director and I have seen their impressive resources, but any organization that allows someone like Will Du to go on the field as their best can't be all that!"
Ron nodded his affirmation. "It's a mystery alright, keeping Dr. Betty behind a desk and having him as the top dog. I mean, what are they thinking?"
"Uh-huh, mystery!" chirped the mole rat in accord.
Anne sighed, having a credible theory but hesitating to mention it. "Perhaps it's a politics thing" she proposed reluctantly. She sighed again at the blank stares. "I have seen it happening in and out of the hospital. Sometimes those best connected get better positions than those that are better at what they do."
Kim quirked a brow. "But GJ is a reasonably secret organization. The world might know its name in passing, but have no idea about the true extend of their capabilities."
The doctor shook her head dismissively. "Being a secret organization means Global Justice is immune to most of public criticism. If only few know the chain of command, there is more space for favoritism."
"Hink! Bad road!" responded Rufus causing her to gawk for a second. Even after so many years she was still puzzled by the mole rat's intellect.
Ron scratched his head in contemplation. "That would explain many things" he decided at length.
His girlfriend seemed less convinced. "I won't believe it until I see proof. Global Justice has too much responsibility. It would be horrible for Dr. Director to have to deal with... 'food chains'."
The blonde finished his third helping and yawned. "Anyway, what do you want to do today, KP? I hope you haven't any extreme sports planned."
Kim gave him an amused glance. "You look chipper enough for that, mystic boy", she replied with a little bit of envy. "Don't think I haven't noticed," she added stretching and wincing a bit. "I was thinking of 'dropping' by GJ headquarters. We need to give our official report and I have a few choice words about their information policies."
"Now, make sure to take it easy for today" advised Anne. "No freak fighting unless it's the end of the world-again", she added half seriously.
"Will do, Mrs. Dr. P", nodded Ron.
"Yep, yep!"
"We'll be fine mom."
As soon as they left, Ron turned to Kim. "My 'rents and Hannah are abroad, but I want to see if they've left a message. We can use the tube close to my house afterwards."
The redhead shrugged. "No big. I need to walk a bit and chase the soreness off my legs, anyway."
- - -
Half an hour later they left Ron's house, both sporting their mission clothes and wide smiles. "The little one sure recorded a performance for you, Ron" snickered Kim.
Ron wiped an errant tear from his left eye. "She grows on people, doesn't she?" he responded dreamily, causing his girlfriend to smirk.
"It took her some time to lose the 'intruder' status though", she teased as she activated her kimmunicator watch.
The blonde groaned at that. "The Rondo knows not what you mean, KP" he groused, his smile returning as Kim gave him a quick peck on the cheek.
"You there, Wade?" she asked, frowning as the line took more time than usual to connect. Her eyes went wide when Wade's face appeared on the screen. "Either you have another hologram in place to mess with us, or you left your room!" she exclaimed, causing Ron to also snap his attention to the barely-teen genius.
Wade managed a small smile. "It's the second guys. They needed my help at the space center," he added anxiously, causing Kim to quirk a brow.
"Badical! We'll pass by later. We haven't seen you face to face since graduation."
Kim filed Wade's uneasiness for further reference, then remembered the reason she had called. "We are outside Ron's house, Wade. Can you open us a tube to GJ?"
He quickly nodded. "Turn to your right, take five steps, then another four to your left. Whenever you are ready."
"Please and thank you!" she responded just before the ground opened beneath them. Seconds later they entered the Global Justice headquarters, Kim landing smoothly and Ron stumbling a bit but managing to remain erect and fully clothed for once.
The guard on duty almost fainted from the shock but quickly recovered his wits. "Miss Possible!" he exclaimed, hesitating a bit afterwards. "…and Mr. Stuffable?" he asked gingerly, causing both youths to groan.
"It's Stoppable" sighed Ron in resignation as Kim's hand found and squeezed his own. "You get props for the effort, though" he added, smiling weakly.
His red-haired girlfriend was not amused. "We are here to see Dr. Director", she stated, her voice sporting an edge that made the guard gulp.
"My shift is almost over", he replied frantically, anxious to make amends. "I can get you there myself in a jiffy."
"Lead the way", she returned, steel still in her voice.
"Lay off him, KP. He's about to wet his pants", whispered Ron, glancing at the guard who was now almost shaking.
Kim griped his hand tighter. "I take being your girlfriend very seriously, Ronnie", she replied affectionately. "It's high time you started getting the respect you deserve."
They soon reached the only wooden door in the complex, which promptly opened to accept them. "Kimberly, Ronald. Please come in", came the familiar voice from inside. The cozy-looking office seemed quite out of place in the otherwise technically advanced base, black leather, redwood and glass its main materials. As any respectable busy workspace, it was moderately cluttered with papers, folders and various other odds and ends. Kim and Ron sat down and returned Dr. Director's smile.
"We came to discuss yesterday's mission", started Kim, her face growing sober.
Betty Director's smile failed to wane. "Since Dr. Load passed us the mission data, you don't have to actually write a report, but I would hear your input. For the record, the fact that the AEGIS project did not fall into the wrong hands is considered a half-success. Recovering it would be nice, but under the circumstances I understand it was impossible."
Kim frowned. "I have to disagree with that, Dr. Director. I'm still puzzled about how agent Du managed to land next to the action before it could start but only showed up after everything was over. His overall attitude was quite impolite, too."
Betty sighed. "I would like to apologize for both of these points, as well as for the fact he failed to offer you a ride. I understand you had difficulty returning to Middleton."
"That would be an understatement, Dr. Betty" chirped Ron casually, causing the director to smile. She had always liked Ron's nonchalant attitude and still had trouble believing he had stopped an alien invasion single-handedly a week before. "We barely made it back."
Kim shook her head. "Dr. Director, we have been working as freelance agents for GJ for some time. We volunteer for the job, we can choose not to accept it and we expect nothing in return. Lack of back up and transportation are things that can happen. So not the drama. Where I draw the line is at the lack of vital information. We went in practically blind. We had no way to coordinate with your men and even Shego knew much more about project AEGIS than us. Wade had to conduct real time research on the fly and we lost precious minutes trying to break the shield containing Shego and the device. He might rock, but he is not omnipotent. We understand that some things are confidential, but in this case we ferociously needed to know."
Both Kim and Ron blinked at how ashamed the head of global Justice looked. After she made sure to school her features back to what was now the ghost of a smile, she sighed. "Everything you said has been true, Kimberly. I wish I could have coordinated that mission myself, but I had had my hands full overseeing five other missions. Perhaps leaving agent Du in charge was not the correct decision."
Dr. Elizabeth Director had to resist shrinking away when her two most effective associates and an intelligent naked mole rat eyeballed her with a three-way 'duh' stare.
"Anyway, we are sure next time we will have better intel", provided Kim, prompting Betty to almost sigh in relief.
A genuine smile graced the one-eyed woman's face once more. "Before you leave, I have an offer to make to team Possible. Right now, you are unofficially my most effective external agents. However, now that you have graduated and are both 18, I am running out of excuses to retain your unofficial status. The UN council from where we get most of our funding is quite impressed by your results. I want more than anything to actually draft you into GJ, but I understand if you are reluctant. The other alternative is to keep you as official freelance agents. The only difference to your current status will be that you'll actually get paid after every successful mission."
Kim quirked a brow at that. "As I said before, we've never asked for a reward", she started, but Betty's voice interrupted her.
"Please, Kimberly. Imagine what would happen to GJ if it got out team Possible, that has saved the world many times when we could not, has never been properly rewarded. The general public will demand our head on a silver platter", she joked. "As things stand, we will probably reward you for every mission you have done for us retroactively."
Kim and Ron looked at each other without exchanging words but Dr. Director knew they could communicate silently. Finally Ron spoke, startling her. "Hold that thought, Dr. Betty. We'll need to talk about that, but chances are we'll take the second option. We'll probably tell you next time you beep us."
They all rose to their feet and Betty shook both of their hands. "Kimberly, Ronald, I'll look forward to our next meeting", she declared.
All three of their heads almost hit the ceiling as Dr. Director's flat screen came to life. "Dr. Director, we have an emergency; Code Red. Please come to the operations center immediately."
Kim and Ron needed no invitation and Betty didn't bother to offer one either. They sprinted through the corridors, taking a shortcut through the medical ward and reaching the operations center in record time. The many screens were filled with what appeared to be telescope images. Half of them showed a collection of floating rocks and dust while the other half kept track of a very bright celestial object that would slowly change colors, passing through the whole light spectrum.
"Report!" commanded Betty, her game face on. "The abbreviated version first."
One of the older scientists decided to respond, trying and barely succeeding to retain his composure. "As you know, the abnormal reaction observed during the AEGIS project mission caused a very intense beam of energy to extend towards the outer atmospheric layers. It appears the beam reached plant Mars after some seconds and by sheer chance hit it in its middle, actually shattering it. What's worse, the remaining energy was amassed around one of the planet's shards, forming an unidentified energy signature. That shard is in direct collision course with earth and has an 80 percent chance of actually hitting us."
To her credit, Dr. Director remained calm. "How much time do we have until collision and what are the estimated effects?"
The scientist bit his lip nervously. "We have one day and two hours, plus-minus one hour and counting. As for the effects…"
Betty's glare did well to dispel his hesitation. "The truth, Dr. Hugo. As you said, we have no time", she demanded.
"The shard is a rough sphere with an average radius of 500 kilometers and weights a roughly estimated 1.5 quadrillion metric tons. Without accounting for the unknown energy it carries and with its current speed, it can smash cleanly through the Earth, should it hit. The estimated human survival rate is 0.0003 percent, and that's only in our special airtight nuclear vaults."
What seemed like an eternity of silence followed that statement. At long last, Betty Director took a deep breath. "I want all our facilities on red alert. Make sure to run interference with the media. Make them focus on the fact Mars is destroyed and mention nothing about the incoming shard. Discretely alert all governments and any expert that might be able to offer a solution. Suspend all of our internal research and funnel all efforts in stopping this rock", she barked rather than ordering.
Turning around, she allowed her face to soften and show a bit of emotion. Kim, that had remained frozen the whole time, managed to form a sentence. "What... what are we supposed to do, Dr. Director?" she asked hesitantly.
Betty sighed, shaking her head. "There is nothing more you or I can do about this mess, Kimberly. We can only hope that those with the knowledge can see us through."
- - -
As the couple slowly and quietly walked towards the space center, choosing to leave the Sloth behind, Ron could swear Kim was walking crooked enough to carry the incoming threat's weight. Said threat had been expressly named 'Lakhesis', after one of the ancient Fates, proving conclusively that there was still enough morbid humor around to make the world spin.
"Kim", he tried, frowning when the redhead in question proved to be too lost in thought to respond. "KP!" he demanded, gaining what sounded like an affirmative murmur for his trouble. "You need to snap out of this funk of yours."
"Of course, Ron", she responded passively, clearly not paying attention.
"Aw man…", he exclaimed snapping a hand on his forehead. "KP, a giant diablo robot is about to stomp us to death", he tried.
"Tell them to call next week…"
"Bonnie, Tara, Penny, Monique, Yori and Zita have invited me to a game of strip poker. Is it ok if I go alone?"
"Sure, have fun Ron…"
"Hink! Oh boy!" commented Rufus, while Kim remained self-absorbed.
Ron bit his lip, deciding it was time to use the big guns. "Kim! Your father and DNAmy are making out in our treehouse! Wade went on a three-year-long tour around the world! Shego is the new Mother Teresa! You cousin Joss and Sr. Senior Senior got married in Las Vegas! Cheese has been declared illegal all around the world!" he shouted, gasping at his lack of breath at the end.
"You can take care of it if you want…"
"Your hair is on fire!"
That had an effect, however miniscule. Kim responded by nodding and patting her hair but never stopped walking. Ron sighed, deciding there was only one other way left. He drew a large breath, then rushed his girlfriend, performing a very basic heel swipe. At the last possible moment, Kim sensed the attack, her body reacting by instinct and leaping away, counterattacking with a high roundhouse kick. Ron ducked and attempted a fast rabbit punch to her belly, which was promptly blocked. She responded with an artful reverse eagle kick that caused her to flip and land on her hands. Ron effectively dodged to the side, deciding to let the next attack hit him. Said attack was an upside-down split kick Kim performed while still on handstand. It hit him just below his neck, launching him in the air and would have let him unconscious if he hadn't rolled with it. As it was, he was stopped when his back hit a high fence and remained very still, regarding his girlfriend.
Kim blinked in confusion for a second, then her eyes went wide. "Ron!" she demanded, equally furious and concerned. "What were you thinking! For a second I thought I was fighting Shego. Are you okay?" she asked frantically.
"I am now that I have snapped you out of your little self-inflicted funk nation", he added proudly.
"Good", she responded, approaching and grabbing him from his shirt, almost lifting him off his feet. "Now, what was that about a strip poker game?" she demanded glaring.
The only way Ron could look more innocent would be with a floating halo. "Is that the only thing you heard me say?" he inquired.
Kim blinked again. "Something about my dad and DNAmy and…Eww… and Joss… double eww, gross and wrongsick. You just rotted my mind's eye, Ron", she complained.
"And you were immune to the cheese bannage?" he asked incredulously, laughing when she gave him a hairy eyeball.
"That would only shock you, Ron" she returned in her tweaked tone, but he noticed her features soon softened into sadness.
Her boyfriend wrapped his arm around her waist and drew her close. Instead of complaining, she snaked her own arms around him, reveling in the contact. "Talk about it?" he asked quietly and she nodded weakly, not daring to face him.
"I screwed up", she answered after a while. "I screwed up during the last mission and now everybody is in trouble."
"You weren't there alone, you know", he responded soberly, but she shook her head.
"That's the point! We are a team, Ron, but you always let me give the orders. My essential Kimness isn't helping things either, always wanting me to play leader", she added, laughing bitterly. Instead of responding, Ron simply massaged her back, easing some of the many stress knots present. She couldn't help but hiss in delight. "Part of being a leader is to take responsibility when things go south, Ron. It doesn't go much souther than 99.9997 percent estimated death rate on a global scale", she added bitterly.
Ron frowned. "Oh, come on! Drakken, Dementor and GJ are far more responsible for this mess and you know it. I don't know what it will take to break you out of this pity fiesta, but..."
Kim interrupted him with her lips, kissing him gently and sensually. Ron wasn't sure if it was a minute or an hour later when she drew back and honestly didn't give a stale nacho about it. "I'm definitely keeping you around", she cooed breathlessly, at last smiling in earnest. She grabbed his hand firmly and dragged him along at a faster pace.
"KP, about what you said earlier...", he tried, not yet comfortable with dropping the subject.
She shook her head in response. "This is neither the time nor the place. We will hurry to the space center, see if we can help in any way", she stated, some of her normal resolve returning.
"That's the spirit, Kimila. Race you!" he declared, running fast enough to remind Kim why he played rugby during their senior year.
"Hey, no fair, I'm still beat!", she complained, running after him anyway.
- - -
"Dr. Possible, we found the spare parts we needed. As soon as we weld them together we can start injecting the fuel."
"Very well, Brian. We will be using my new prototype RG-5000 fuel. It is still only half-way tested but it needs far less liquid oxygen to ignite than the others. Dr. Load, is the flight model ready?"
"I have the equations ready, but until you can give me the exact time of possible impact, I can only work with bracket values."
"Very well. Dr. Xandra, contact Chen and tell him we needed the exact times half an hour ago. I'll go once more through the plans…"
The great chamber was teeming with motion, resembling an anthill both in activity and in shape. In its center, under a giant hole, stood a fairly large rocket still under construction. As soon as Kim and Ron entered, they privately decided the scene gave a new twist in the expression 'ordered chaos'.
"Hi Kimmie-cub, Ronald. You look dandy. Sorry no time!" greeted James Possible, passing right next to them in a hurry. He stopped cold when a female in a lab coat stepped in his way. "Everything okay, Dr. Xandra?" he asked anxiously.
The researcher was probably half his age, by her looks just out of university. Her scowl was as fierce as they came though. "Chen said he will have what we need in ten minutes. As for you, Dr. Possible, it's high time you took a break."
"But I…", he tried weakly.
She didn't let him finish. "Ever since this morning you have been buzzing around like a hornet on jet fumes, Doctor. You will again be needed in half an hour so take the opportunity to unwind and collect your thoughts. Perhaps show them around. It wouldn't do if you were to collapse on us", she chided and he nodded resigned.
"It seems you two are in for a special tour", he announced to Kim and Ron, trying to lighten the mood. "This is our new prototype rocket, the 'Plank Thorn IV'", he added proudly. "I actually found the name in a fanfic by some Dragontamer-Larry", he finished whispering.
They both smiled knowingly at each other. "So, what is the plan Mr. Dr. P.?" inquired Ron, looking around intently. "Will you be sending a crew to set explosive charges like in the movies?"
The good doctor shook his head. "No Roland, we don't have the time for such subtlety. Plus, we still can't figure out what the energy cocoon around Lakhesis is. It could very well be lethal to humans. No, this baby is nothing more than a glorified missile. There are only two things special. The fact that we recheck the plans, specify the flight and assemble it at the same time and the special AM-warhead it will deliver."
"AM-warhead?" asked his daughter, suddenly very distraught.
He failed to notice the change. "AM as in Antimatter-Matter warhead. In theory, an antimatter reaction turns both matter and antimatter into pure energy. In practice, most of this energy reforms into particles that have no effect on actual matter. We have found a way to drop that reform rate by 40 percent."
Kim's eye twitched. "Dad, you never told us the space center conducts military research of that kind!"
Dr. Possible seemed uncomfortable. "The AM warhead was initial intended to fight the mysterious and notorious pickle jar phenomenon", he replied defensively.
"Pickle jar phenomenon?" repeated Ron incredulously.
James nodded. "It is fairly rare, but when it appears... Boy, do you know it's there! Many good scientists have lost their sanity trying to open invulnerable pickle jars, only to fail spectacularly. When they give up and lose hope, the jar usually becomes normal again. We have even erected a monument in the memory of those lost", he finished wiping a tear from his eyes.
"R-iight", countered Kim, hardly convinced.
Ron decided he had to talk fast for everybody's benefit. "What Kim is afraid of is that someone may steal the technology and use it… unethically."
Dr. Possible shook his head. "I doubt that, Ronald. This kind of missile would never be used close to earth."
"Needs vacuum to work?" hazarded his daughter.
"No, Kimmie-cub. If it's used anywhere close to earth, nothing will be left behind", he explained.
They both blinked owlishly, turning to their side just in time to see the warhead in question being nested inside the rocket's tip. "Nothing?" she repeated incredulously.
James nodded gravely. "We do go a bit overboard, but there is no room for mistakes here. This rocket is a literal planet-killer. When it reaches Lakhesis it will only leave fine dust behind."
Before he could add anything else, Dr. Xandra came to him running. "Dr. Possible, the Russians launched a fusion rocket towards Lakhesis. It will reach it any second now."
He swore in response. "They could at least warn us! Best case scenario, their bomb will alter its course so that it will miss us. Worst case scenario, it will split it in half and we'll have to deal with two separate pieces."
"Lakhesis on screen. Collision in five, four, three, two, one, zero!" announced another scientist. The explosion that followed caused all systems to reboot due to sensor overload.
"What happened out there", demanded Wade from his station at the other end of the room. "Somebody send me the spectrometer data!" Some frantic typing later, he leaped from his seat and dashed towards the three. With only a half-glance of acknowledgement to Kim and Ron, he practically shoved a piece of paper under Dr. Possible's nose. "The explosion was 50 times stronger than it should have been", he gasped, trying to regain his breath.
James' eyes went wide. "Did they use some new kind of technology?" he pondered.
Wade shook his head. "Their warhead was powerful but of pretty standard design. My theory is the field of energy around Lakhesis acted like a catalyst and magnified the explosion."
The older scientist scratched his head. "One way or another, I don't believe there will be anything bigger than a pebble left behind", he said, sounding amused.
Another scientist's voice interrupted what would have been the beginning of a celebration. "Sensors back online", he stated, then stopped. Ron could swear he could hear him gulp. "The Russian missile had no visible effect in Lakhesis in either course or mass. No effect whatsoever…"
- - -
End of the second chapter and I'm on a roll. I want to thank everybody reading and especially the ones that review. You guys really know to provide incentives. I hope you enjoyed this chapter despite the relative lack of excitement. In next chapter, things go even worse, believe it or not, as the earth gains some time but loses survival percentage.
