AN: Well boys and girls, here we are with another exciting chapter in my story. I had hoped to get this one out before now, but several things conspired against me, one was the length of the chapter, another was a cross country move, and the most dramatic was when my computer crashed on me (but not to worry, I managed to save the all important file 2501). I've not only enjoyed writing it but have enjoyed receiving your reviews as well. I continue to feel saddened that no one has correctly guessed what show I got my idea from. Well not to worry, I will tell you at the end of this fic.
Kim Possible: There's No Place Like MiddletonI.
Josh Mankey woke up and looked over at the sleeping form next to him. The one that he cared for, the one that he cared about, and considered to be his wife, the former Kim Possible. Carefully climbing out of bed so as not to awaken Kim, Josh made his way to the bathroom to get himself cleaned up before making breakfast. The truth of the matter was that in addition to being a better painter, Josh was also a better cook than Kim, and probably would be for the rest of his life.
Looking at himself in the mirror while brushing his teeth, Josh contemplated what he had to do for the day. Today he was supposed to take Kim to see Dr. Malanie so he could hypnotize her and attempt to retrieve her buried memory. First on the list was to make sure that Kim arrived to Dr. Malanie on time. Josh knew that he didn't need to be there for that, but he planned on being there anyways. Besides, his orders were to make Kim as malleable as possible, they didn't say how to do that, and if his presence accomplished that, then so be it.
II.
Shego took a deep, slow breath as she attempted to find her center, both physically and mentally. Widening her stance, she began to go through the usual series of martial arts moves that composed her warm up and stretch out routine. After completing this, Shego suddenly leapt skyward and executed two summersaults before landing and doing a roundhouse sweep. Standing erect again after completing the sweep, an explosive use of leg muscles propelled her backwards and quickly morphed in to several more summersaults. During each summersault, as her feet hit the ground, Shego executed either a blocking or grappling move to ensure that her arms received a good work out too. Coming to a sudden stop, she then immediately dashed towards a wall. Jumping against it, she used the wall as a base to propel herself towards her real target, a nearby punching bag. Landing numerous kicks and punches to the rapidly disintegrating bag, Shego leapt skyward up and over the bag as she flung several plasma burst down towards it, effectively turning the bag in to a smoking heap. Taking a deep slow breath to find her center again, the green skinned, green clad woman, and considered the most dangerous woman in the world, became aware of the sound of clapping behind her.
"You know you're really quite good at all that acrobatic stuff." Senior Senior Junior said.
"Didn't think you would be up this early, after all I did wear you out pretty good last night." Shego smirked.
"Well it's been some time since I've had someone who can keep up with me in the disco tech." Junior replied with a smile.
"You know the old saying: dancing is like pizza, when it's good its great, but even when it's bad it's still good. And let's face it, I am good." Shego replied with a wink.
As Juinor and Shego continued their banter they were unaware that some one was unobtrusively watching them.
"Ahh, so the plot thickens here as well." Senior Senior Senior said to himself while watching the flirty conversation between the two young people. Senior had to admit that his son could do worse than falling for someone like Shego, after all she was quite beautiful, very intelligent and cunning, and a first class villain. As much as it pained him, Senior Senior Senior knew that soon he would not be around for his son forever and that as a father, he needed to make sure that his son went off in to the world on his own with every advantage he had.
III.
"Good morning Kim, how are you feeling today?" A kindly looking older man greeted the former teen heroine.
"I'm feeling pretty good this morning." Kim answered. Looking over Dr. Malanie, Kim could tell that he hadn't changed much. His hair appeared a little greyer than the last time she had seen him, but his glasses, his slacks, his blue shirt (as far as Kim knew he only wore blue shirts), his physique were all still the same. He still had the aura of a kindly old man, almost grandfatherly. Probably why he was a good child psychiatrist Kim thought.
"Glad to hear that." Dr. Malanie said as he watched Kim and Josh enter his office.
Looking around the office, Kim noticed that the walls weren't the usual white like in a normal office but instead they were a warm and inviting pinkish color. There were also several soothing paintings of scenes in the country side hanging on the wall. Her ears perking up slightly, Kim noticed a soft background noise, something that she had not heard when they first entered the room, it sounded like flowing water, like that from a small creek. Taking a deep breath, Kim finally became aware of the faint scent of lavender in the air. Glancing around she soon noticed three fat candles that were slowly burning and arranged in a V shape design that allowed them to hide the speaker that was producing the water sounds. Obviously this was all meant to help calm and set the patient at ease.
"Dr. Malanie, are you sure this will help Kim?" Josh asked.
"I am fairly confident. Even if we are not able to restore all of her memories we should be able to begin the process of recovery."
"I hope so too Dr. Malanie. But even if I'm not able to remember anything, I want to thank you for helping me." Kim said with a smile.
"It's my pleasure Mrs. Possible." Dr. Malanie started before Kim interrupted him.
"Please doctor, call me Mrs. Mankey." Kim said as she gently squeezed Josh's hand.
Smiling softly at the couple, Dr. Malanie indicated towards a chair for Kim to sit in. "I'll have to let Dr. Huxtable know that. Now Kim I'm sure that you're familiar with some of the popular misconceptions of hypnosis and probably wondering how it will help you."
"Well I am a little curious." Kim admitted.
"Let me put your mind at ease then." Dr. Malanie chuckled.
"What's so funny?" Kim asked.
"I'm sorry; it's just a little psychiatrist humor. I said I was going to set your mind at ease, well that's the whole point of hypnosis, it helps to relax the mind, to lower any barriers your mind may have set up and to help you to remember things you wouldn't otherwise recall." Dr. Malanie explained. "Now just sit back, relax, close your eyes and listen to my voice."
Seeing the reassuring smile on Josh's face, Kim did as she was instructed.
"Kim, I want you to take a deep breath and hold it for a count of two, I then want you to expel all of that air out of your lungs. Good, good, now do it again, inhale deeply and slowly, hold for a count of two, and now exhale fully." Dr. Malanie instructed. "Continue to breathe slowly and deeply like that, filling your lungs and then emptying them. Good. Now I want you to focus on your feet, imagine all your stress, all your worries and fears are leaving your body through your feet. Feel them flow outward from you through your toes. Focus on your knees, again imagine that all the stress and worries in your life are being pushed from your knees down your calves and out through your toes."
Dr. Malanie continued to coach Kim through the body relaxation techniques, slowly working up the body and relaxing all of her muscles. As more and more of Kim's muscles became relaxed, Kim began to slightly slump in her seat as her body put up less and less resistance to gravity. Seeing this, Dr. Malanie knew that he had finished physically preparing his patient, now he had to work on her mentally. Leaning in closer and in a softer, more soothing voice, Dr. Maline continued to speak.
"I want you to look in to your mind and find a happy place. Imagine that you are lying on a grassy hill. You can feel the sun shining on your face as you watch the clouds slowly drift by."
"Yes doctor." Kim said in a soft monotone.
"Good, now I want you to think of anything else that makes you happy and include that with you on the hill."
Watching as a smile grew on Kim's face, Dr. Malanie knew that she had done this, that her mental defenses were down and that she was now most susceptible to suggestion.
"Kim, we are going to go on a journey in your mind, just you and I. Recall back to the past, how you used to go on missions all the time to help people, and how you used to work with Global Justice to prevent villains from taking over the world."
"Yes, I remember." Kim murmured.
"And do you remember you mission to the small tropical island where you were to rescue Dr. Vanover?"
"Yes."
"Tell me, what do you remember about that mission?"
"Ron and I had just found Dr. Vanover and were about to call for extraction by Global Justice when we were attacked by henchmen." Kim stated in a monotone fashion as if she was recalling some facts for a history test.
"That's correct. You found Dr. Vanover and were able to rescue him. While you were with him, did he talk to you any, did he tell you anything?"
"Yes he did."
"And what did he tell you my dear?"
"He said that he was a chemist, that Drakken was using him to make some kind of new explosive."
"That's right he was. But he didn't write down the formula for Dr. Drakken did he?" Dr. Malanie continued with his leading questions.
"No he didn't."
"Do you know if he wrote it down at all?"
"I don't know if he wrote it on paper." Kim answered honestly.
Josh watched the back and forth between the Kim and Dr. Malanie with a sense of unease. It had taken almost half an hour to induce Kim in to a trance state, and now their back and forth question and answers had been going on for at least twenty minutes, and they were getting no where quick. Looking at his watch, Josh knew that Dr. Malanie only had about another hour to find what he needed before the "session" was supposed to be over. Kim had to go to work today, and if she didn't then she would know something was amiss and would become suspicious, effectively undoing all the work that Josh had done over the past few days to make her compliant and accepting of the situation.
"What about any other means? Did he save it to a computer or something?" Dr. Malanie asked.
"He put it in my mind. He used some kind of neural device that stored the information in my brain."
"Ahh I see, very cleaver of him. Do you remember anything about the formula he gave you?"
Shaking her head no, Kim explained. "Dr. Vanover said that it was stored in my subconscious."
"But can you find the information?" Dr. Malanie pressed.
"Yes, I see it but I can't read it."
"You can't read it? Please explain my dear."
At this both Dr. Malanie and Josh leaned forward as they awaited Kim's response.
"I see this item in my mind, it's like a box and it has a sign on it that says Dr. Vanover's formula. But the box is wrapped in chains with a lock on it."
"And you are unable to open this lock?" Dr. Malanie asked.
"No, he said that I would need a code word to unlock my memory."
"But you don't know the codeword is that correct?"
Kim simply nodded her head.
"Then do you know who does know the code word?"
"Only two people know the codeword. One of them is Dr. Vanover."
"And the other?" Dr. Malanie prompted after Kim had paused for several seconds.
"The other person…the other person…is…is Ron." Kim said haltingly as she began to cry. "Ron knows the codeword and…and he's… he's dead!" Kim finally screamed before breaking down in to sobs.
Josh quickly moved to be by Kim's side but was intercepted by Dr. Malanie. "What do you think you are doing?"
"I'm going to comfort Kim." Josh shot back.
"No, you can't do that now. Any outside stimuli, even from you, could break her trance; return her to full consciousness and awareness of what we are doing. I have to slowly calm her down and bring her out of the trance. If I don't then we will have failed in our task."
"All right doc, do it your way." Josh said as he sat back down in his chair. "But you only have one hour to do so before Kim has to go to work, so you had better get started."
Watching as Dr. Malanie attempted to calm the sobbing redhead, as small part of Josh's mind asked an interesting question of him self. He was supposed to comfort Kim and convince her of her new reality, but where did being her advocate fit in to this?
Fifty minutes later, a much calmer and quieter Kim sat in her chair rhythmically breathing.
"I'll let her stay like this for a few more minutes before I bring her out of her trance." Dr. Malanie explained. "If you have any suggestions you need to plant in to her mind now is the time to do it."
Nodding his head in understanding, Josh leaned forward in his chair as he spoke to Kim.
"Kim, how are you feeling?"
"I'm feeling good. I'm in my happy place." Kim said with a slight smile.
"That's good, I'm glad you're in your happy place. Can you tell me what it looks like, what do you see in your happy place?" Josh asked. While some might have considered this being a bit nosey, for Josh it was about doing what his creator had made him to do. Seek positive reinforcement that Kim Possible was becoming psychologically depended upon him.
"I'm lying on a grassy hill near a tree. The grass feels good and soft, not itchy, and there are flowers on the hill too. The sun is shining down on me and it feels good, warm but not hot, bright but not blinding. Just a few clouds are slowly floating by. I can see shapes in them; some of them look like cuddle buddies. And my best friend and the person I care about most in the world is lying next to me as we watch the clouds."
"Who do you see?"
With a growing smile Kim responded. "I see Ron."
IV.
Twenty minutes later as their car sat quietly idling at a red light, the couple inside also sat quietly, each we're lost in their own thoughts. The driver idly played with the radio tuner while looking for a decent station. The passenger simply looked out the window as the town of Middleton passed them by.
"Are you feeling ok Josh, you seem a little distant." Kim said as she stopped fiddling with the radio to look at Josh.
"Yeah I'm fine Kim." Josh lied. "I was just thinking about how I'm behind schedule on some paintings that the gallery wanted this week."
"Sorry for putting you behind schedule." Kim said with a bit of a sheepish grin.
"Don't be. It's not your fault." Josh said as he turned to face her. "But would you mind taking the bus home from work today? That way I can focus on getting caught up on my paintings."
"Hey no big, don't worry about me, I'll be fine." Kim said confidently as she pulled in to the Bueno Nacho parking lot.
Getting out of the car, Kim was ready for her second day of work at Bueno Nacho, or at least as ready as she could be. At least the hypnosis session had left her in a good mood.
Waving good bye to Kim, Josh pulled out of the parking lot and turned on to the main street leading to the subdivision where he lived. About half there Josh turned off the road entered a non-descript car wash. As his car entered, a ramp opened which allowed Josh to drive in to the facilities that were hidden underneath. Exiting his car, Josh walked through a serious of doors and hallways until he arrived at a small room with a single two way video screen in it. And on the screen was Dr. Drakken.
"Your report, synthodrone JM243." Drakken demanded.
"Subject is becoming more malleable everyday and continues to become compliant far more rapidly than was our projected timeline."
"Yes, and what about the formula, we're you able to get it today?"
"No, the formula is locked in her subconscious and requires a codeword to unlock the memory block."
"I know that! I have synthodrone DM 047's report of this morning's session right in front of me!" Drakken shouted as he tossed down a stack of papers. "How am I supposed to get the codeword?"
"Calm your self Dr. Drakken." A much calmer voice said from off screen. "Now that we know we lack the code word, we simply must expose Ms. Possible to every word till we find it."
"And how do you suggest we do that?" Drakken asked in annoyance.
"Simple, we must lightly sedate Kim Possible so that she will not put up any resistance, but will still be responsive to the codeword."
"The subject is willing to undergo hypnosis again." JM243 suggested.
"Very well then, synthodrone JM243, go and make any required preparations." An annoyed Dr. Drakken said and switched off the view screen before turning to face his partner, Senior Senior Senior.
"You realize that this will only take six to seven years to accomplish? Why I can come up with a dozen different ways to take over the world in that amount of time." Drakken said cynically.
"Patience my young Dr. Drakken." Senior Senior Senior said dismissively as he walked away from Drakken. "Youth today simply lacks patience."
"Patience? You said that you could extract the information in two or three days." Dr. Drakken complained as he hurried to catch up.
Suddenly turning to face the blue skinned mad genius, Senior Senior Senior let his displeasure be known.
"That was an estimate, not a promise. If you do not like the way things are working out Dr. Drakken then I am more than willing to end our partnership and escort you from my island. And if you think that is in your best interest, let me remind you that as of right now my lawyers are the only thing that is protecting the formula for your synthodrones. With a simple phone call I can tell them to public release that information, and I'm there is more than one or two intelligence and security agency out there who would love that information."
Knowing that he was backed in to a corner, Dr. Drakken could do little more than to make nice to the old man. "He he, yes I see. Well I have no intention of dissolving our partnership, after all it is keeping Kim Possible out of our hair is it not."
"Quite right." Senior Senior Senior smirked.
V.
"I want to see the manager."
"Kim it's for you." Ted, one of the younger part time workers at Bueno Nacho said as he stuck his head around the corner to inform Kim of the situation in the front of the restaurant.
"Hi Tara, it's nice to see you." Kim said with a smile. "Who's the hottie?" She asked as a very cute man walked up to stand besides Tara.
"Don't try to play nice with me Kim. It's your fault that your workers don't know what they are doing and screwed up my order." Tara responded. "What's the matter? Josh not enough for you, so you feel that you have to try and take another one of my boyfriends away from me?" Tara asked snidely as she quickly invaded Kim's personal space.
"Tara I have no idea of what you're talking about." Kim answered honestly.
"Yeah right, no idea that it was you who dragged Ron all over the world on those stupid missions until they cost him his life." Tara said as she suddenly shoved Kim. Taken by surprise, Kim fell backwards and knocked over a table that mother and her two children were eating at and sent food flying everywhere. Looking up, Kim was even more surprised to see Tara leaning down to get in to her face. "Bonnie was right about you, I'm glad you got what you deserved at the trial." Tara hissed before standing up right and putting her arm around the man that had been standing next to her. "Just stay away from me and my fiancé Kim!"
"I'm sorry about the disturbance here people." Ned announced to the remaining customers in the restaurant. "If any of you feel your dinning experience was ruined by this incident please see me and BN will gladly give you a coupon for one free grande Nacho."
Bending down to help Kim up off the floor, Ned spoke in a quieter voice. "Why did you say that to her, Kim? You know that Tara is still upset about losing Ron. You had better take the rest of the day off. I'll handle things here."
"But I didn't…."
"Mrs. Mankey, I will take no further discussion from you. I will over look reporting this to corporate because I can, now please clock out and return home or I will be forced to report this."
Knowing that she had little choice in the matter, Kim thanked Ned for his friendship before clocking out and heading home.
VI.
Kim, still wearing her Bueno Nacho assistant manager uniform, slowly walked down the street of downtown Middleton feeling depressed. Things in Bueno Nacho had not gone well at all, to put it mildly. It had been down right ugly. But how was she supposed to have known about Ron and Tara?
Getting ready to cross the street, Kim was suddenly cut off by a car as it rounded a corner and entered a non descript looking drive through car wash. Kim's initial anger at being nearly run over was quickly surpassed by surprise as her attention was caught by who was behind the wheel. Bonnie.
"Bonnie?" Kim said aloud. But Bonnie wasn't supposed to be here in Middleton. She was at some big college on the East Coast, Josh had told her so, Kim thought. Either that or I'm still so shook up from my encounter with Tara that I'm seeing things. Deciding to see if she really had seen Bonnie Rockwaller, or to find out if she was just being delusional, Kim decided to meet the driver when they exited the car wash.
Following the car as it entered the car wash; Kim soon lost sight of it behind a flurry of brushes and soap suds. Hurrying around the far end of the carwash, Kim waited for Bonnie to come out. And she waited, and waited.
After several minutes of waiting Kim realized that something was wrong, namely that Bonnie wasn't coming out of the carwash. So Kim decided to go in. Looking around the whole building she didn't see any other way in our out beside the carwash tunnel it self.
"Maybe I was seeing things." She muttered to herself. Maybe she really didn't see Bonnie drive a car. But she had seen a car, it had almost hit her. And that car had entered the car wash but hadn't come out? Why?
Seeing another car come her way, Kim ducked out of sight in order to watch the vehicle and see what happened, and was surprised at what she saw. About half way in to the car wash; the floor opened up to reveal a ramp that lead down to an underground complex of some kind. Quickly running after the disappearing car, Kim managed to clear the ramp just before it closed shut behind her.
"Ok, as if this doesn't scream odd and unusual." Kim said to herself.
Using several crates that were lying around as cover and concealment, Kim began to work her way to the end of what appeared to be a garage area and towards a the only door that lead in to or out of the place. Gently opening the door, Kim saw it lead to a single hallway with two doors on either side. Not wanting to stay in the exposed hallway, Kim quietly slipped in to the first door on her left, and was promptly surprised at what she saw.
At the far end of the room were several large clear cylinders that were full of some sort of liquid and in front of said cylinders stood one Kim hating Tara, and one Bonnie Rockwaller. With their backs facing the door, Tara and Bonnie were never aware that Kim was using a computer console to conceal herself, or that she saw what they were doing.
"Synthodrone BR023, you are no longer needed. Enter cylinder number three to be later reconstituted when needed." A generic computer sounding voice said from an overhead speaker.
Nodding its head in understanding, synthodrone BR023 stepped in to the cylinder and promptly went in to a dormant state as its fluids began to be drained away from it.
Watching in shock, Kim had to duck down low to avoid being seen by Tara as she turned and walked out of the room.
"Synthodrones?" Kim said aloud, the word almost making no sense to her. "Synthodrones." Kim said again as the pieces of the puzzle began to come together in her mind. The incident with Tara at Bueno Nacho had been a set up, done with synthodrones. "But why would someone want to do that?" Kim thought to her self. "And who would do it?"
There was only one person that Kim knew of who had mastered synthodrone technology.
As Kim sat and pondered these questions she became aware of a shadow that had fallen over her. Turning to see who or what was casting the shadow, Kim's eyes went wide and she gasped at who she saw was the source of it.