Countdown

Disclaimer – I don't own Kim Possible.

A/N – Thanks to everyone who reads and reviews. Special thanks to the anonymous reviewer, I am sorry I accidentally delete your second review. He pointed out the large number of spelling and grammatical error. Apparently, I got lazy and was letting my word processor (which had a specialized add-on designed for proofreading that I obtained in grad school) handle most of the work. When my hard drive crashed recently I had to switch to a different program and its spelling and grammar checker sucks (it can't spot doubled words or multiple articles and claims the letter s is a valid word). Now that I am aware of this, I have started going over everything with a fine tooth comb. I have gone over the previous chapters to fix spelling error, extra articles, verb tense, etc. and posted the correct versions.

It looks like my muse is still working overtime. This chapter ran long and had to be split into two parts. It looks like this story is going to be much longer than planned with much more detail and character development. Some of the reviewers have noted the word games and puns in the story. I happen to love these (I think it is part of my training as an Engineer) and have put quite a few in the story. To find them, look for names in the KP tradition (like Kim's family where they all sound like impossible, Monty Fisk/Monkey Fist and Camille Leon) and acronyms.

Chapter 4 – Countdown

Shego wearily made her way to her quarters, her hair hanging limp, exhausted from the workout she had just finished under Kim's direction. As she stripped her clothes off and stepped into the shower to wash off the sweat and grime before soaking in the hot tub, she reflected on just how much of a slave driver Kim had been over the last six weeks. When Kim had said she needed to regain her edge, she had imagined some training, a bit of sparring and maybe few small crimes to get back in the swing of things. Instead, she had gotten eight hours a day of hard, sweaty work with Kim watching every step and pushing her if she slowed down.

Shego stepped from the shower and decided against a swimsuit, since the hot tub was in her suite and she was alone. If Kim barged in on her nude, that would be Kim's problem, not hers. She hated to admit it but Kim had been right, she had lost her edge. Her skills were only a little rusty and had been back to her old level in two weeks. It had been her mind that needed work. After sitting in that cell for three years, she had lost her drive and motivation. Kim's constant harping on her need to do better; as well as her repeated demonstrations of superiority had lit a fire in Shego. By making herself the target for Shego's hatred, she had helped restored Shego's drive and fighting spirit.

Climbing into the hot tub, Shego was thankful they were hiding out in a place with all the amenities. She had half expected to be staying in some abandoned villain's hideout or even a time-share lair but, once again, Kim had surprised her. After staying in the Dessert Fox's old lair for two days, Kim had led her down a hidden tunnel that surfaced in a garage containing a beat-up and mud caked Jeep. They climbed in and, once Kim started the engine, Shego's experienced ear told her the engine was in perfect condition even if the exterior was beaten and weathered. They had driven west for two day until they stopped in front of a gate, closed with a padlock, bearing a large no trespassing sign. Kim had gotten out, used a key to open the gate, and driven them through. Locking the gate behind them, she had driven down a dirt track that led to a blank stone wall. Kim had pulled a small device from her pack and pressed a button, causing a section of the wall to rise, revealing a large garage.

Once Kim had parked the Jeep inside, the wall returned to its original place. Climbing out of the Jeep, Kim had led her into an elevator against the far wall. The car rose for several minutes before stopping and depositing them in short hallway. Kim had led her down the hallway and into a huge room with a stunning view of the nearby mountains. Shego had looked around in shock. The room's furnishings were expensive, if out of style, reminding her of a villain's lair from the old Sean Connery James Bond films. More hallways could be seen leading to several more rooms, including a kitchen and a gym, while a large spiral stairway lead to an upper level.

Kim had turned to her with a mischievous look in her eyes. "Do you think this will do?"

Shego took a moment to look the room over before answering. "OK, pumpkin, where are we and how did you get access to it?"

Kim had given a short laugh. "It's mine; I've had it for about four years."

Shego glared at her. "Enough with the cute, princess. How did you get this place? I expect Blofeld to come walking out, stroking a cat, anytime now."

Kim sat on one of the couches and motioned for Shego to sit next to her. "About five years ago, there was a wildfire in the forest to the east of the mountains there. Me and Ron spent two day helping to evacuate people and set firebreaks. While we were there, we ran into an old superhero called Condor. Ever hear of him?"

At Shego's shake of her head, Kim continued. "He was originally active from the early seventies through the late nineties. His primary focus was on the saving the environment and stopping pollution. When the wildfires hit, he came out of retirement to help fight them, which is how we ran into him. He was impressed that people who were so young were doing what we did and said he wanted to help. I didn't think anything of it until about a month later when I was informed that I now owned this place."

Shego felt a moments panic. "If they know you own this place, it will be the first place they look."

Kim cut her off. "Don't worry, no one other than Ron and Wade know about his place. Condor had a secret identity and set this place up to protect it. When he gave it to me, he kept those protections. The only thing anybody knows is that I sit on the board of a wildlife protection trust. The other members of the board are dummies, so I run the trust. Through several shell companies, the trust owns several hundred acres of land as a wildlife refuge. This base is on that land."

Shego had calmed somewhat as Kim detailed the precautions that had been take to hide her connection to the base. "What about the base itself, someone must know of its existence?"

"Nope. Robots he confiscated from a villain did all of the tunneling and basic construction. It was designed to be invisible from above and all of the windows are protected using a Computerized Axial Multilayer Overlay holographic system. The actual furnishings and contents were routed through over a dozen shell companies and smuggled into the base by Condor personally. It has hidden solar, wind and geothermal generators so we have no need for a connection to the power grid. Communication is handled via an encrypted satellite feed located on the far side of those mountains." Kim pointed out the window to the mountains in the distance.

"If nerdlinger and the buffoon know about his place, could they have told anyone?"

Kim shook her head in both negation and annoyance. "Neither WADE nor RON would tell anyone about his place. Ron was only here once, when I first got the place, and I doubt if he even remembers its existence, let alone its location. Wade helped me inspect and upgrade the equipment, so he knows the location and how to enter, but he won't tell anyone. Remember Wade was a hacker. When I tried to find out what happened to him after my probation was over, I couldn't find any information on him at all."

Shego turned thoughtful, a worried look growing on her face. "Could he have been taken into custody? He might have been forced to work for GJ or someone like that, in order to stay out of prison."

Kim had an amused look on her face. "No. You don't understand, when I said there was no information on him, I meant no information at all. There was no record of his birth, no school records, not even a record of his family. My guess is someone got too close and he ghosted himself."

Shego looked relieved at the news. "That's good to hear. Maybe he is out there causing headaches, too. So just how large is this place?"

Kim leaned back in thought for a moment. "In the garage level there is the garage, a mechanics bay and a complete machine shop. This level has this main room, a kitchen with separate dining room, full gym with dojo and target range, library and several general-purpose rooms. The upper level has six bedroom suites, each with its own bath; a sauna and massage room; and complete laundry facilities including dry cleaning. Oh, the two main suites we will be using have balconies, mini-kitchens and hot tubs, also. A little upgrade I had installed when I got the place."

Shego smiled as she considered the possibilities. "Nice to see you are learning to appreciate the finer things in life cupcake."

The chime of the intercom broke Shego from her reverie. She rose from the tub and put on a robe. Muttering threats, she stomped her way across the room to the intercom and stabbed the button.

"Kimmie, you better have a damn good reason for getting me out of the hot tub or I'll show you who lost their edge."

"Poor baby, I didn't know you had gotten so old and fragile." Kim laughed as Shego cussed her out. "Hurry down stairs. It turns out they have pushed up the time for the launch by a week, so we need to start planning now."

Shego grumbled as she hurriedly threw on some clothes and headed down the stairs. Her grumbling only increased when she reached the lower level and Kim was nowhere in sight. After fruitlessly looking for her, she called. "Princess, where are you? Get your skinny ass out here so I can whip it."

"Down here," said a voice that seemed to float up from behind the large planter next to the stairs. Investigating, Shego found a narrow set of stairs, whose strictly utilitarian design did not fit with the rest of the base. Following them down and around a left hand turn, she was soon staring into a large room, cluttered with computers and communication equipment. Some of the equipment was reasonably new while other pieces looked old enough to be in a museum but all of it appeared to be functioning.

"What is this place and why haven't I seen if before? Keeping secrets from me, cupcake?" Shego's voice sounded angry she strode across the room to confront Kim.

"I wanted to keep this place a secret in case you had been compromised by Global Justice. Now that you are back to your old self, I think it's safe to show you."

Angered at Kim's off-hand tone, Shego angrily demanded. "You weren't sure you could trust me? After everything we've been through, you still have doubts about me? I should leave right now and let you continue your little crusade against GJ by yourself."

Kim's reply was just as angry. "You're one to talk about trust. When we were in Plantain running from the death squad, who said they thought I was part of the plan to get her, even after I helped you evade the gunships? Who still hasn't told me her real name? Betty knew I was going to break you out, so it would've made sense for her to offer you a deal to watch me in exchange for your freedom. Would you rather I had trusted you implicitly, like I used to trust Global Justice?"

The two stared at each other, bodies tense, each waiting for the other to do or say something first. For several minutes, they stood facing each other, neither willing to be the first to back down, to show the other weakness. Almost imperceptibly, Shego's demeanor started to change, her body relaxed and her face softened. Seeing this, Kim's manner abruptly changed, her face becoming a mask of hurt and confusion, as she reached out and pulled Shego into a hug.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean it. I – I'm just so used to everyone being against me and not being able to trust anyone. Please don't go. I need you, Shego. I need you so much."

Shego held Kim in her arms as she babbled on for several minute, an uncharacteristically gentle look on her face. Once Kim had finished, Shego led them to a couch and pulled her down next to her. Using her hand, she raised Kim's head and looked her in the eyes.

"It's OK, princess. I understand. It's just that for the past three years, the only human contact I had was various guards and interrogators whose only purpose was to get information out of me. They kept insisting that I was lying to them and trying to manipulate them. I reacted without thinking. Will you forgive me?"

"Forgive you? There is nothing to forgive. I'm the one who need forgiveness. I know your history, how neither your brothers nor law enforcement trusted you. I remember how GJ thought you might be a threat even before you became a villain. I promise I won't doubt you again."

Shego pulled Kim in for another hug, a smile on her face. The held each other for several minutes before Shego broke the embrace.

"Enough of the mushy stuff. You still haven't told me what all this equipment is for. Where did you get it? Some of it looks to be older the either of us."

Kim was glad Shego had brought them back to the business at hand and given them an excuse to ignore their feelings for a while. "The equipment is older than me, though I don't know about you." Kim gave a short laugh as Shego stuck out her tongue at her. "It was part of the original equipment that Condor installed. The newer stuff is modern equipment Wade and I installed."

"Why keep the older stuff? Wouldn't modern equipment be faster and more reliable?"

Kim gave a sly grin at Shego's question. "Normally you would be right but the older equipment can't be replaced. Condor was an agent for the Autonomous United Nations Tribunal."

"The what?" Shego interrupted, a baffled look on her face.

"The Autonomous United Nation Tribunal, they were one of the predecessors to Global Justice, formed in the early seventies to deal with the rising tide of terrorism as well as the new, more dangerous bread of super-villains. It was composed of a number of superheroes, as well as a variety of law enforcement and intelligence operatives. The idea was they would be given a free hand to stop threats without any of the political or jurisdictional disputes that had hampered previous efforts."

Shego frowned in thought for a moment before asking. "What happened? Weren't they effective enough?"

Kim gave a bitter laugh. "They were both too effective and not effective enough. A number of the superheroes used their authority to interfere with several oppressive governments. They also exposed corruption at the highest levels in a number of countries. In the other direction, you had some of the law enforcement and intelligence operatives using their authority to protect corrupt and repressive regimes. Obviously, the two groups came into conflict, which even resulted in open fighting on several occasions."

Shego nodded and gestured to the equipment. "That's all well and good but what does this have to do with why you still have this equipment."

Kim smirked and activated several of the terminals. "When the tribunal was shut down its assets were taken over by Global Justice and those members who hadn't been involved in the problems were asked to join. Condor was one of those."

Shego stared in disbelief at her terminals, which were now displaying status updates on current operations for Global Justice. "What?! Are you telling me that you have access to GJ's system?"

Kim laughed at Shego's obvious surprise. "Not all of the system. Condor is listed as inactive, not retired, so I have access to the system but that access is limited to non-sensitive data. It told me that the prison you were in existed and gave a general overview but I couldn't find out its location or exact details of construction or layout."

Shego started to laugh as she realized the possibilities of the situation. While they wouldn't know everything GJ's was doing, they would have enough information to give them a huge advantage. "Do you think you could hack further into the system? It sure would be nice to know all of Betty's secrets."

Kim mood suddenly changed, a hurt and contrite look coming over her face. "No, I always had Wade to do that. I know he used the system several times to get classified data but I don't have any idea how he did it. I should have been paying more attention to what he did so I could do it if I ever needed to."

Shego clasped Kim's hands in hers as she cut off her self-deprecating tirade. "That's enough, pumpkin, there is no need to beat yourself up over it. You had Wade to take care of these kinds of things so you could focus on other things like master nineteen forms of martial arts. Just because you can do anything doesn't mean you have to do anything."

Kim nodded and took several deep breaths to center herself. "Your right. Let's get back to the business at hand."

Kim turned back to the terminal and started typing. Soon the displays changed to show an update of the Middleton Space Center's launch schedule as well as the updated security assignments for the launch. "As you can see they must have found an earlier launch window which allowed them to move the launch date up by a week. We are going to have to move fast if we want to stop the launch and expose just what kind of satellite they are really launching."

Shego studied the monitors for a moment before pointing at an item. "Looks like we got lucky. Good old by the book Du is in charge of security. While that means they won't make any mistakes it also means they won't do anything that's not in the manual. We should know where every agent will be stationed and how they will react when we hit the place."

Kim nodded and pointed to another item. "It also seems the change in date means they will not have time to finish upgrading the security measures in the Center. If the system is only half functional, we should be able to exploit that to hide our presence and send false alarms to divert them."

Shego grinned. "This will be like taking candy from a baby."

~O~O~O~

Witnesses and staff members were filing out of the room where the United Nations Committee for Oversight of Law Activities had just finished its weekly meeting when the committee's official secretary, a short man with glasses and a comb over, spoke. "Please put the room in secure mode when everyone has left. The committee has classified business to attend."

The committee members exchanged covert glances as one of the staffers grunted their acknowledgment of the order and waited until everyone had exited before closing the door and activating the secure mode protocols. The room was now shielded from any form of electronic transmission; a low level EM filled the room, disrupting any electronic equipment and all entry point were secured.

The secretary regarded the committee with a pinched look on his face for a moment before addressing them, his voice now low, melodic instead of high, nasal. "Gentlemen, I want an update on the situation with Possible and Shego. Now."

The committee shuffled uneasily in their chairs as they realized who they were facing. Finally, the Chairman answered. "Global Justice is on high alert. They have identified several probable targets based on Possible's personality and have units on station near by to deal with them should they appear. A number of intelligence agencies worldwide are actively searching for them. The System for Networking, Interfacing and Tabulating Criminals Hidden Secrets is being used to check for any contact by either Possible or Shego with the normal villain community. Hench Co.'s accounts are being monitored as well as Evil-Bay and the In-terror-net."

The secretary was expressionless as he replied. "Very good. What about the situation with Global Justice? Ever since the prison break, they have been ignoring any form of political control."

The committee sat in tense silence for a moment before the secretary spoke again. "This wouldn't have anything to do with Director uncovering your little kickback schemes would it?" A cold reptilian smile flashed briefly on his face before the emotionless mask returned. "Did you think I wouldn't know? I told you when you started that I would know everything you did. I also warned you about getting greedy. This is a long term operation not a quick smash and grab."

The committee sat in silence as the secretary sat with his eyes closed, deep in though, none of the willing to risk his ire by interrupting. Finally, the secretary's eyes snapped open and he favored the committee with another cold humorless grin. "I believe I can turn this situation to my advantage. If you let Global Justice chase after Possible and Shego while Global Justice is also involved in disputes with you as well several intelligence agencies they will all be too busy too notice my real plan. I want you to continue to try to rein in Dr. Director as well as using back channels to encourage the intelligence agencies and other groups to oppose her."

No one on the committee replied, afraid of drawing his attention. While they were relieved that they were still part of his plan, they also noticed that he had not informed them of the rest of his plan. A sick feeling washed over them with the realization that, to him, they were simply pawns to be used in a greater game they could not understand. They were some of the most powerful men in the world, accustomed to manipulating others for their own ends, and it galled them to be treated in like fashion.

"What about the situation with the Democratic Republic of Plantain? They need to be controlled before they disrupt anymore of my plans."

"They – they refuse to listen to outside advice. They believe that the support of the US covert agencies gives them enough power to ignore us." The chairman glanced at the secretary to see his reaction after he spilled a glass of water across the table when he attempted to pick it up.

The secretary simply gave him a cold lifeless stare. "Have the head of the resistance prepared to take power. I will be reminding The Beloved Democratically Elected President For Life about the 'for life' part of his title."

"The – the resistance? But the CIA is backing the Military, surely they will . . . ." The committee member stopped as the secretary fixed his gaze on him. "Yes, sir. We will make sure the resistance leader is ready to take power."

The secretary rose from his seat and moved to the door where he input the code, known only to committee members, to end secure mode and unlock the door. "I will contact you if I have any new orders. Do not fail me."

With those words, the secretary slipped from the room and immediately was lost in the crowd in the hallway outside. The committee rose from their chairs and left the room slowly, lost in contemplation of both their new status and their orders.

~O~O~O~

Will Du stood ramrod straight in front of Dr. Director's desk as she reviewed his security plan for the upcoming satellite launch at the Middleton Space Center. Given the locations association with Kim Possible and the involvement of both Global Justice and the Democratic Republic of Plantain in the launch, it had been identified as a prime target for attack. While the rest of Global Justice, and most of the other agencies interested, had though Possible and Shego would strike immediately, Dr. Director believed they would wait and pick their target with care. While everyone else scrambled to find them, D. Director had her staff determining the most likely places they would strike and setting traps for them should they appear.

Finishing her review of the plan, Dr. Director slipped it back into its folder and handed it to agent Du. "Very though. I see you reviewed all of Kim's missions and Shego's crimes to determine the most likely routes of entry and have arranged to set your sensors for the Surveillance Network for Optimum Observation and Pacification to cover them. Good. Are your two teams ready?"

Du stood slightly straighter at the unaccustomed praise. "The first team has been briefed for a standard security mission. They will be placed in the regulation locations and have been given orders to follow standard protocols. They are not aware of the second team in order to prevent any leaks. The second team will cover all of the likely entry routes we have identified that are not covered by team one as well as providing back-up if needed."

"Good. Prepare both teams to deploy immediately. I want them in place by noon tomorrow. I expect Possible to strike sometime before the launch in order to gain access to the satellite and expose its true nature. Remember she wants to embarrass us most of all. If necessary, destroy the satellite rather than have its secret revealed." She waved her hand in dismissal and then waited for the door to close behind him before activating a secure channel on her computer.

"The two primary teams have been dispatched and will be in place by noon tomorrow. I am sending you the security plans. Review them and place your team to plug any holes you find. I want your team on site by 6PM." Dr. Director typed briefly on her computer as she spoke; sending the plans via encrypted e-mail.

"Yes, ma'am. How did my brother do in setting up his plan? You know he tends to be a little, unimaginative, shall we say." Ken Du, Will's older brother, smiled as he opened the e-mail and began reviewing the plans.

Dr. Director sighed. She had hoped Ken had matured but from his attitude, it seems he had not. The sibling rivalry between Ken and Will had grown tiresome years ago, with each brother striving to out perform the other. Neither seemed to realize that they were almost opposites, with vastly different talents that made direct head to head comparisons almost impossible. Will was very analytical and precise, following the rules to the letter, which made him the perfect agent for standard operations where the regulations and protocols worked best. Ken was more intuitive and creative, inclined to think out of the box and try wild ideas, which made him the perfect agent for covert operations.

"Will's plan is actually very good. He is using a layered approach designed to exploit what we know about Possible and Shego. He even designed it to exploit how they would expect him to handle the situation in case they discovered his assignment." Dr. Director smiled inwardly at Ken's annoyed grunt.

"I guess little brother did OK. This time. I will have my team in place on schedule." Without ceremony, he ended the connection.

~O~O~O~

A/N – A quick note. I got the name but not the personality of Ken Du from StarvingLunatic's Pariah story.