Chapter 3: Questions and Answers… and more Questions
The chapter name says it all!
Kim was hoping that going home was a good idea. She would be back in the place she was raised, away from a college she was starting to think she didn't belong in. However, she wasn't the only one. Because the motorcycle Nev had given Ron - who gave it to Kim because he was still used to a scooter – wasn't big enough to take a dorm room's load of equipment, her mom bought the SUV. On the way back, Kim and her mom talked a lot about what was going on.
Kim may have talked to Jen about hero business, she may have talked to Monique about the latest on fashion and trends, but she still went to her mom on advice on life. In this case, she asked her mom how she went through college. Her mom didn't go into a lot of detail about it, telling her daughter that when she didn't study, she had sports and was pretty active. However, she didn't enter college knowing what career she'd pursue, unaware of how smart and intelligent she really was. She had a better social life in college than she did in high school, and she always wanted to help people. Halfway through the four-year college she realized she wanted to be a doctor and wound up a brain surgeon. She had more problems in high school than Kim did, but had a much better college life than her daughter did.
Not to the surprise of anyone else on the planet, out of all the people worried for Kim, she was worried the most. She knew Kim wasn't doing as well as she hoped and was in a depressed state, but tried to assure her again and again that if she felt the need to go someplace else, then to go for it. She wouldn't be upset about it; she knew that was exactly what was on Kim's mind. Yet, even though it was the truth, Kim felt that going to another place was probably giving up, and because of all the brochures she got in the mail after graduation, Upperton U. was the best place to go for medicine and science, even if it was the top party school in the state. She knew her mother meant well, but she wanted to keep at it and not give up. She had already registered for next semester's classes, anyway.
Only a day after getting back, she and her mom had gone grocery shopping since the tweebs used a lot of food in the refrigerator for their rocket experiments. However, there was a man in a giant cereal box that was following her, and Kim was fully aware of it. When she finally decided to confront him, he attacked her with a samurai's sword. A man in a giant cereal box with a samurai's sword. In his attempts to kill Kim, he revealed that he was sent by Peace Order, another sister company of Global Justice. The irony in the name spoke for itself. The fight was a short one; all Kim had to do was kick him down and he couldn't get up. Security handled the rest. The interviews and interrogations following the incident were brief.
When Kim got home, Upperton authorities informed her that her mad professor, Myers, had confessed that he was a hack, sent to kill her under the orders of another sister company of GJ: Hell Cops. Three assassins in three days. Something was already wrong as it was, but Kim knew there was a lot more to this. Even though her entire family was worried about what was going on, she was going to get to the bottom of this even if it meant sacrificing her break.
Destination: Bueno Nacho. It the only entrance Kim knew of that led to Global Justice. She took careful steps in trying to find the hidden entrance, even though the door only opened when they needed her. She wasn't surprised when the door slid open before she had even set foot on it. She stepped right in.
After a ride through the tubes, much to her agony, the agent that greeted her was none other than Will Du.
"Ah. Kim Possible. Dr. Director has been expecting you."
Unfortunately, an embarrassing memory came to mind the last time they met here. Will noticed that both Kim and Ron had lipstick on their lips. He knew the answer to a question he wished he never thought of. Clearly the other two were beyond embarrassed.
"Just follow me."
Will led her into a room she hadn't seen before: Director's office. It was a huge office, mostly an empty room minus an office chair, a laptop, and a fancy desk. Director was standing in the middle, facing away. Will left the two alone, closing the door behind him. He didn't close it gently, though.
"I only wish he would learn better manners," Director started before turning around to face Kim. "I'm glad to see that you're okay."
Kim had other thoughts about it. Physically, yes, otherwise, no. But she didn't come for a therapy appointment. "Dr. Director, what's going on?"
"Follow me, please."
Kim got a worse feeling about everything. If Director went straight to the point, it couldn't be good, but then again things weren't good as they already were. There were no other doors in the room, but wasn't surprised that the huge GJ emblem on the floor opened up, revealing a trap door. Both of them fell in. When it was all over, both were in a dark room with only two dim spotlights.
"Sorry about the fall, but this is a secret room only I have access to. No one can hear us or trace us. It's just the two of us."
Yep, this was something big all right. Kim was becoming more and more skeptical about coming here, but it was better to try to get any information she could than run away.
"Doctor, I want to know what's going on. Why are sister organizations of GJ trying to kill me? First there's some jerk from Hard Police pretending to be a college student, I find out my so-called professor was part of Hell Cops, and today I was attacked by a guy in a giant cereal box who works for Peace Order! I want answers."
Director sighed. "First of all I want to apologize for everything that's been going on, but I first wish to explain why all the recent events have occurred."
"Please, explain."
"Three words, Kim: Senator Kathryn Brown."
Everything fell like a ton of bricks. Senator Kathryn Brown. Over a year ago the senator devised a plan to create a new world by destroying the current one with nuclear weapons. But before that, she would arm herself with the latest hi-tech military weapons so she would rule with an iron fist. These included the Judgments, five walking battle tanks with the strongest impenetrable armor ever created, and bio-mechs, artificial humans believed to be indestructible and could be controlled like puppets, derived from the Syntho-Drones.
However, for it to work, she needed one person to steal and deliver the weapons, and destroy the one obstacle that was guaranteed to interfere: Kim Possible. For this, the senator sent out an old enemy of Kim's that was believed to be dead: Valia Ryan. While he first fought Kim and Ron as a mere high school graduate with a hatred of human emotions and fairy tale relationships, he was smarter and tougher than the two combined. He used mind control in an attempt to make the two lovebirds kill each other, but was thwarted and defeated. For unknown reasons at the time, he told Kim and Ron how to escape the sinking and collapsing underwater lair, and chose to stay and sink with it. The two didn't understand why he had a change of heart after a fight that nearly killed them.
After he faked his death, Val was found by the senator and was ordered to not only steal the weapons, but to kill Kim and take the blame. He refused to oblige to these orders, and it cost him his entire left arm before he agreed. However, he devised his own plan to take matters into his own hands and destroy the weapons he was to retrieve and deliver. He couldn't do it himself as he was infected with nanomachines that would blow up and kill him if he did it himself or revealed that the Senator was the one behind it all. This was a personal battle, and he wanted the Senator dead.
Ryan devised his own plan to screw the senator, but he had to disguise himself as the true villain. He orchestrated a false threat that would have his puppets do the job for him. This included Team Possible, Kim, Ron, Wade and Rufus. Also involved was Jen Ferno, the daughter of Bueno Nacho's president who was nearly killed but saved by Ron, Nev Killbourne, an ally and expert in hardware who met the world-saving couple the same time they met Ryan. However, he was much more familiar with the bio-mech technology than he ever hoped, since the truth was that the technology existed inside of him, a last resort for saving his life. Lastly, Ron's old squeeze, Yori.
However, Yori originally joined Ryan in this in hopes to go into exile with Ron and live happily ever after, unconvinced that he was dating his best friend. Even if it was true, she still wanted to live a life with Ron happily ever after, even if it meant separating him from Kim. However, this would do nothing but interfere in Ryan's plan, so he erased a part or Yori's memory so she wouldn't play such a role, but sent her out to play another kind. He wanted for her to see the truth of Kim and Ron's relationship for herself, and she had been nothing but depressed the entire journey because of the couple. Yori would later remember her involvement, due to the fact that she was a mind-reader much like Ron's mystical monkey power, and after encountering Ryan who had himself disguised as a gas-mask wearing blonde called "Dive". Before she could reclaim her glory after confessing, it was too late for her. Ryan was infuriated at Yori's reasons for her betrayal, putting more blame on him, and put her in her place. Yori would later save the couple's life before realizing she needed to go on some kind of soul-searching journey. Kim hadn't heard from Yori since, but she wished her the best, even if she was slightly annoyed.
However, the one thing Val didn't fake was demanding a final fight. Kim narrowly beat him in a brutal hand-to-hand fight with no weapons or outside interference. Later to be imprisoned, he would reveal to her the truth. This was after he used her Kimmunicator to fry the nanomachines that made him a bomb if he explained the truth or tried to assault the senator. He explained the detail of his plans that that he really didn't want to do any of this, having a newfound respect for Kim. It was because she handed him a real defeat opposed to their first final fight in which he tried to kill himself afterward. Although Yori was injured and Ron was almost killed numerous times throughout the journey, he also revealed that he carefully orchestrated everything so no one would die, but pretty close. He wanted Kim to know these things, and mere words wouldn't help it, so he made her experience it. The entire time he kept his cover convincingly. He wanted revenge against the senator, and believed if he killed her he was doing the world a favor since she was the reason behind the political influence and war of ideals people had these days, all for the worse.
Kim wasn't sure if she would buy the entire story, and it didn't help that Ryan escaped his cell right in front of her, but not before handing Kim two tickets to a karaoke bar for unknown reasons. Kim and Ron were exhausted by the end of this long journey, so they used the tickets on a date. Before they left, they heard on the news that the Senator was attacked by a neurotoxin that left a permanent side effect of hysterical insanity and fear. There was no cure on earth for it. Val called Kim's home later and informed her that he was behind it, but he also thanked her for giving him the opportunity and for saving his life, and Kim didn't even know it. Ryan told her to go on and live her life, and that someday he'd repay her. But there was much more to those tickets than he gave off.
Even though the senator was confirmed to be behind this, it was given a cover story. Kim still had a hard time believing it, but when it came to finger-pointing, they knew it was him. Val. However, since he escaped on Kim's watch, people thought she might have had some involvement, especially since she had prior history with him. But those accusations were based from those who thought Kim should have lived a regular life as opposed to a 'wild' one. They convinced themselves that Kim's lifestyle would influence others and get them killed.
Was all of this because of the Senator? Why all this a year later?
"I had nothing to do with the condition she's in," Kim told Director.
"I know. The problem is, someone wants you terminated because they see you as a threat-"
"And obviously want that threat terminated," Kim guessed. "But they send justice organizations to do it? And why now?"
"I'm not sure about the timing. But as for your first question, truth moment, Kim: GJ was officially ordered to capture you dead or alive, and that includes our many sister organizations. However, I knew the truth of Brown's wrongdoings and that you were in no way involved. There's an extremely high price on your head that GJ can well benefit from, but I absolutely refuse to sell out to capture someone like you. You've helped us and so many others throughout these past few years more than any amount of money ever will. Sadly, our sister organizations don't agree. I trust you, Kim."
"Thanks," Kim replied. "I was starting to think that people forgot what I did."
"Another thing concerns me, however. We were faxed the orders from the head branch, and that was how I learned who else was ordered to find you. But Hard Police wasn't one of them."
"You're sure? Sean told me that he was sent by them as an assassin."
"Hard Police never hires or uses assassins. If that were the case you'd see assassins here, too."
This left Kim perplexed. Director pulled out a sheet of paper and handed it to Kim. It was the fax she was talking about, and it looked legit. Orders from head office declared that Kim Possible must be captured, suspected in poisoning the senator some time back. Many justice organizations were involved, but she was right, Hard Police wasn't among them.
"However, since you're here, we can claim that you're in our possession, but it will take some time before you will be taken to the proper authorities," Betty finished with a wink that was really, really hard to miss. She would set up a diversion that would mislead everyone into thinking Kim was in custody. It would buy Kim some time to think of something. "However… I think I know of a way to prove your innocence…" Director told her.
Aware of the plan, Kim knew where this was going. "Find and capture the one responsible. Val himself."
When the incident came to an end, he told Kim that he wanted to start a new life after all that's happened, wishing to leave his government and high school aches behind. She really thought Val might have gone from bad to good since he was held captive the entire time in the Senator fiasco. He willingly told her everything and appeared to have become a new person.
Kim now told herself she was stupid for believing him.
He was still responsible for several crimes outside of the senator's demands in the incident, and he still hadn't done time for his first encounter with the two. Then of course there was the fight for the eight artifacts. Kim hadn't seen him since the separation, believing he might have had something to do with it.
Betty sighed. "I wish I could say we've taken Ryan off of your hands, but our past efforts haven't been successful."
"You've sent agents after him?"
"Of course. We were on it the same day the Senator was poisoned. Unfortunately, he made our top agents look like chump change throughout the months, especially in the days of The Circle of Blood."
October to December 2005
Val had realized that his true calling in life was to fight, and he always believed that the only reason to live was to help others and the future generations. He was the kind of person that believed that if you lived only for yourself, you were better off grabbing a paintball gun, pointing it at your crotch, and firing it. Repeatedly. But being one who hated any kind of corruption in the world, even if it was just mere thoughts, he wanted to rid the world of it, or at least rid a huge portion of it.
"I'm going to form the biggest terrorist underground in Japan."
Val hit the outskirts of Tokyo, which soon evolved into its own town. In appearance it was similar to the Bronx of New York. Because most of the 'city' lay in construction in iron, it was dubbed "Iron Hell." Perfect for the HQ. But Val kept his name quiet, and no one other than his three bodyguards saw him. Leon, Tang, and Koji. No one else outside his lair knew who the leader of the terrorists were.
Val chose the name: "Circle of Blood."
It wasn't long before some of the world's worst names became a part of it, although many on Kim's list stayed away. You didn't need to have a specific belief system, nationality or race. You just needed the urge to kill and destroy. It grew massively in weeks, consisting of the worst of the worst, those who craved on the lives of the innocent. But that wasn't all.
Okay, so the thing about Val's bodyguards being the only people who knew his identity wasn't true. Many Japanese schoolgirls wanted to join the group, and they needed approval from Val himself. With everyone else, the criminal would give the guards his resume, and they would hand it to Val. But these were all girls without criminal records and the guards didn't know how to handle them.
The girls were pleasantly surprised to see that the leader of the organization was someone who wasn't that much older than them. Many of the girls grew tired of boys who were either too gentlemanly or perverted, and they fell in love with Val's appearance. They all tried to woo him, but as pretty and cute as they were, Val saw past their act. The girls claimed they wanted wild excitement in their life. They didn't want to be held back by traditions and customs. Val found himself sickened with these girls and didn't let them in. He warned them that they were much better off living a life they hated than to pursue their selfish ambitions. They refused to accept this and continued to woo him, and it got to the point where he had to throw all of them across the room to prove how serious he was. Considering that even someone like Val hoped to fall in love again, he grew disgusted with these rather pretty and attractive young women. They were thrown out the door and told to stay away for their own good.
Word didn't spread outside Japan about the Circle of Blood until they were ready to initialize their first action. Within two months Val had everyone smuggle all kinds of illegal weapons and arms to the hideout. There was no trading involved, just theft. But these weren't simply melee weapons and guns. These were giant walking tanks that could roam on any terrain, robots with arms and legs filled with ammunition and bombs, and very big, big weapons. Val was going to wage a war on mankind and against world rulers, but they didn't even know who he was, what he looked like, or what he truly stood for. Orders were orders and it was left at that.
He finally revealed himself when he went public, interrupting television feeds around the world. He complained about the state the world was going in, what the Circle of Blood was and who was in it.
However, he made his announcement around Christmas. Kim and Ron were back at her parents' house, and Ron was infuriated. Snowman Hank came back on the air after Drakken started a petition that spread throughout the world. Of course, Ron was the first to sign it. It had finally come back on the air, just to be interrupted by a shady figure with eyes that were almost glowing. Meanwhile, Kim was preparing the mistletoe in her room when this occurred… err, mistletoes. As in four. Teen. Alerted by Ron's enraged yell, she listened in. They didn't listen to the entire thing, packing their equipment and getting ready to leave. Just as they were about to head out the door, Val dropped the bombshell of the season.
"Actually, everything I just told you was bull."
He then explained that he gathered up the worst criminal minds in the underworld and had them steal all kinds of weapons that could quickly destroy the world. While he told his followers that they were to wage a war against the world, it wasn't why he created it. The truth was, he gathered all of the criminals in one place so he could destroy them using the very weapons they stole.
The whole thing was a trap for everyone who joined.
Val not only gave the police and Wade the coordinates to the place, but he also disbanded the organization. Kim and Ron still ran out the door and went straight to the airport, but during their flight, everyone involved in the Circle had their own plans separate from their leader. They refused to be taken in by the police and revolted against the one who betrayed them. Among those who revolted were Val's three bodyguards. But he was not one who didn't plan things out. He had rigged the entire area with explosives and made sure everyone heard. Many members tried to run for their lives but were taken down by Tokyo police.
By the time Team Possible had arrived, more than three thousand members had been put in custody. The two ran into the flaming city to see if they could find anymore survivors. Long before, Val drove through the place with the mechs and blew up everything in his past. But to avoid casualties, he used the arms and legs on the mech to attack them. And these were mechs with impenetrable armor. He was attacked with everything from handguns to missile launchers, and they did nothing. Some challenged him in other mechs, but they were easily taken down. One person, however, managed to find a weakness in the back of Val's mech, but just as the machine was destroyed, Val jumped out and took on the rest himself, armed to the core with his arsenal of melee weaponry.
Team Possible couldn't see anything other than flames and ruins. It was like the apocalypse had taken place. Rufus pointed out some action taking place on the top floor of a small building a few blocks down, and the two made their move.
When they got there, Val was already in the middle of a final confrontation with his three bodyguards, two of which he had already taken out. But the last one was losing his mind. He was armed to the teeth it all kinds of weapons; swords, knives, grenades, a Twinkie, smoke bombs, a taser and a handgun. But no matter what he used, Val knocked the weapon out of his hand, destroyed it, or moved aside. He deflected a few bullets with a sword while he was at it, but was totally unscathed. Leon went hysterical and in a desperate fit tried to attack his leader with a punch.
Kim and Ron flinched repeatedly as the guy was beaten to a pulp and thrown around the room.
Barely conscious, Leon demanded an explanation. Why did he have a change of heart? Val was more than happy to spill the details as usual. It wasn't that he had a change of heart; this was the objective the entire time, to gather several of the world's worst criminals in one place and rid them from society. Because not a single person died, it meant jail time. Val didn't think much of any justice system of the world, but if it would clean the streets for a few months, then it was worth it. As for the weapons, Val figured they were best used as they were originally intended to be: To fight evil. He would have them destroyed to prevent them from falling into the wrong hands as well.
After that, Val kicked Leon in the face and knocked him out. However, he noticed that Kim and Ron were in the same room. They were just as confused as Leon was, but Val was done fighting. Knowing that they came to save everyone they could, Val tossed his unconscious guards towards the couple. He also told them to leave, revealing that he had a detonator in his hand. He was going to destroy every weapon, hideout and computer database in Iron Hell. Kim and Ron ran knowing that Val wasn't kidding, and just as they crossed back into Tokyo territory, the entire place blew up.
The two watched as the police cuffed Leon, who regained consciousness and wet himself. Seriously. The police demanded to know who the leader of the Circle was.
"No… nothing can stop him… no matter what weapons… you use! He… can do ALL… EVERYTHING! He KNOWS all! He… He is LEGION! For HE… IS… MANY…!"
Leon went hysterical with tears and was thrown into a jail truck. Kim sighed; Val might have been a super ninja, but his skills were heavily exaggerated. Compared to her, he was simply on a higher level, at least to her. Tokyo police couldn't find Val's body and presumed him to be dead. Kim and Ron knew otherwise.
From then on throughout the world, Val was known as Legion. That is, after he was confirmed to be alive two months later; February, when the fight for the artifacts began. He thought the name was exaggerated as well, but he found a nice ring to it.
"With that said, don't say anything that sounds like his name to Agent Du," Director finished.
"Wait, you mean you sent GJ agents over there? When did that happen?" Kim asked. She sure didn't see any when she was there.
"We knew about the organization and sent agents to stop Ryan before he made his announcement. Agent Du was assigned to handle the threat, but he didn't take his failure well. He would have preferred it if Ryan killed him instead of sparing him like he did."
"Let me guess, he got overconfident, Val used it against him and beat him in a fight, and Will couldn't even comprehend the fact that he failed. I'm also guessing he was so mad that he started breaking stuff."
"Yes, you would be right. Agent Du had not failed a mission prior, and he was forced to be put under an anger management program for it. It got out of hand."
"Why didn't you tell me about it? We would have helped."
"It was supposed to be top secret, and I'm sorry for saying this, but the cameras and media have their way with you. We thought we could handle it before word spread out, but we couldn't. I'm just relieved that it came to an end."
Kim changed the subject. "Let me ask you something. When was the last time you heard of him? The Circle of Blood was disbanded almost exactly a year ago. It wasn't the end of him."
"He was last seen seven months ago. We haven't been able to locate him since."
"I haven't seen him in six. Do we even know he's still alive?"
"I wish I knew," Director replied with concern, "but right now he's your best bet for getting you out of this situation. Your friend Wade has better technology than we do, that's a given." Oh, how long it took for Betty to admit that one throughout the years. "We can only buy you some time."
"But what if the head branch finds out you lied about having me in custody? Won't you be removed from GJ permanently?"
Betty simply continued to walk around. "This is a risk I'm willing to take after all you've done to help us and the world. I'm not going to sell out my ideals and do the wrong thing just because of money. I joined GJ because I wanted to do the right thing, and I have no intention whatsoever of turning in a hero like you. Besides, we can simply say that you escaped. I only tell you this because you're the only one I know who has beaten him in the past. Even if it was twice, it's better than what I've seen others accomplish. If you can find a way to stop him now, then rest assure I'll do the best I can to help clean this mess up."
Kim wasn't so sure. "I'll do what I can."
"Good luck, Kim Possible."
Kim acknowledged and before she knew it, she was sucked into another tube.
She found herself back in front of Bueno Nacho. At the thought of the name, Kim got an odd craving for it. She went inside to be greeted by Ned, who she hadn't seen in some time. She was surprised he didn't mention Ron and ordered the usual. But Kim didn't realize until the order arrived that she grande-sized her meal and also ordered for two as she always did. A habit she hadn't broken. Again, the thought of Ron came to mind and she didn't want to eat, but actually wound up eating the entire thing.
"Oh man… I am so going to regret that later."
She was already feeling a motion sickness from it, noticing the torn packets of Diablo sauce. She hadn't been here in nearly a year and had so many memories of dates here. It was flooding her mind, so she tossed away the garbage and left. She decided that to take her mind off of this, she would call Wade on the Kimmunicator to inform him of what Director told her, and probably a Ron Report.
Instead, a person in his fifties wearing shades and a black suit answered, reading lines from a paper. "We apologize but this line has been taken offline. We apologize for the incon-"
"Hey, who are you?" Kim demanded.
Bad idea, as he took his eyes off the paper he was reading. "You're Kim Possible!"
"No kidding. What gave me away?"
"Your friend Wade Load has been arrested on the act of treason. You are-"
"Whoa, back up! Wade? Treason?"
He wasn't listening. "Kimberly Ann Possible, you are under arrest for the act of attempted murder and treason. We are now tracing the signal to your communications device. You are to stay where you are until the proper authorities arrive at your locati-"
Before he finished, Kim turned off the Kimmunicator and removed the batteries so the signal couldn't be traced. She couldn't understand why something like this was happening a year later, but she didn't have anywhere to go. Her car was at home, which they probably had surrounded, same with Ron's house and everyone else she knew.
Not knowing what to do, Kim ran for it. She didn't run long before a car caught up with her and the passenger window opened.
"Kim!" It was a young female voice Kim was familiar with.
"Monique?"
"Jump in!"
Kim opened the door of Monique's rather uber-fancy purple car, buckled her seat belt, and held on. Monique slammed on the gas, and the car drove away from Bueno Nacho. The first few seconds was quiet, confusing Kim as to where they were going.
"Well, I can see that you're back in town," Kim started. "I thought you had a few more days in Go City?"
"And I was going to miss the beginning of Club Banana's Middleton Winter sale? As if!"
That was definitely not the reason Monique was back in Middleton, and Kim knew it. She made a fast and sharp left, almost knocking her passenger into her side window. Kim heard something in the back move to all sorts of places.
"Kim, there's a bag with all your stuff in the back. Disguise, fake ID, clothes, survival gear and equipment, the whole enchilada."
Kim had to unbuckle herself to grab it, and noticed how light it was for so much equipment. She couldn't help but wonder what was going on and what Monique knew.
"Wade told me what was going on before the black suits got him," Monique told her before almost running a red light.
"So you knew they were after him?"
"Actually, I ran into some at the mall yesterday, asking everyone if they knew you. Believe me, they weren't friendly faces. I told'em I had no idea who you were, then called Wade to warn him. He asked me to drop by his place to grab all of your equipment, old and new, and just hope I would run into you. He also told me what was going on about that Sean guy and your teacher. I think he tried to clean up his tracks, but the black suits got him… least I think they did."
"They did. But yesterday? Why didn't he tell me?"
"He said you were attacked by your professor only a few hours before. I couldn't understand half of what he said, no offense to him. I don't understand all the techno babble, but it sounded like they jammed his signal. I tried to call your cell phone but there was no service."
Kim didn't even realize that she never called Wade on the cereal box attacker. But still, she was worried about him. What would they do to him?
"Kim, if you need a place to stay,-"
"Sorry Monique, but my list of priorities just got bigger. And no doubt they're already looking for you."
First there was Ron, then Val, and now Wade. Wade was Kim's top priority right now, as he probably wasn't used to danger situations like this in person. There was no telling what kind of psychological effects this would have on him. Before she spilled the details to Monique about what Director told her, Kim noticed something in the rear view mirror.
"Monique, I think we're being followed."
"Hang on."
Monique stepped on the gas further, and the first thing Kim noticed was that her friend was a better driver than she was. Roads were icy in some areas but Monique was able to go in and out of lanes like a pro. Everyone knew that Monique watched wrestling, but Kim wondered if she also watched NASCAR. It wasn't long before she realized that Monique was going in circles around the block. The motorcycle had followed them the entire way without the lights on.
"Is he still on us?"
"Yep."
Monique changed course and it wasn't long before they reached the outskirts of town near the mountains. Just as they passed the Middleton City Limit sign, Monique hit the gas and drove at full speed. Fortunately the streets were completely empty, but it didn't stop the person behind them. Kim kept her eye on the person following, but the change in scenery made her realize something.
"Monique, we're in the mountains!"
"I know, girlfriend. I know the roads are bad, but the biker behind us should have a harder time than us!"
"You have night blindness! Let me take the wheel!"
"No way! I gotta get my hands dirty! Besides, it's not everyday I can see what my baby is made out of!"
Kim slouched in the passenger seat. She knew exactly where this was going. They're on a narrow two-lane road on steep rock. Any mistake and the car would be sent flying. Sure, Kim could pull out a parachute from her bag and save herself and Monique, but she'd have to listen to Monique cry about her car for weeks to come. She'd rather not have that or any kind of destruction, since it would undoubtedly attract attention. She didn't need that right now, either.
All of a sudden, an eighteen-wheeler came from around the corner with his high beams on, blinding Monique.
"Shoot! I can't see!"
Kim quickly grabbed the wheel and swerved the car back into the right lane, only inches away from putting a long scratch on her friend's car. Unfortunately, since she had no control over the gas and the brake, the car slid on the ice. Kim turned the wheel back and forth in an attempt to regain control, but the ice didn't let her have things her way. After a few seconds of spinning on ice, the car had finally come to a stop off the road and away from oncoming traffic.
Both girls let out long relieved sighs.
"Okay, I am never ever going to do that again. I am so not ready for this action thing. How's the car?"
"Fine. We didn't hit anything, just slid on ice, that's all."
Monique let out a huge sigh, inadvertently letting out a squeak. "It's going to take me twenty years of training to get used to that." She was breathing heavily.
"Monique, why on earth did you do something like this?"
Monique looked away with an embarrassed look on her face. "I needed some excitement in my life?"
Kim glared at her. "Look, Monique, I know sometimes you want to try what I do, but I don't want you to put yourself in anymore danger, okay?"
"Okay. You make things look so easy that sometimes I wonder if they are." She noticed Kim was struggling to get her seatbelt off. "Where are you going?"
Kim didn't answer as she got out of the car.
Since Kim wasn't watching, Monique held the steering wheel tightly like a newborn child. "Don't worry baby, I'm never going to do that to you again!"
Outside, Kim looked out for anything suspicious. The roads were quiet with no signs of police sirens of any kind. No helicopters, anything. She was sure that the close call would attract some kind of attention. She felt a cold wind behind her, turning back to Monique's car. She was still hugging the steering wheel. Seeing that Monique was fine, she looked back to the-
"Hi."
… roads only to find their follower right in front of her. Kim somersaulted backwards and got into a fighting stance.
"Relax. I'm not here to fight you." It was a female voice.
Kim lowered her guard. "Who are you and what do you want?"
"Just to warn you," the girl in the helmet answered. "Don't pursue Load or anybody else."
"Why?"
"The prison they are holding Load in-"
Kim's eyes widened. "Whoa, back up. Did you just say 'prison'?"
"That I did. It's a new penitentiary they built between Middleton and Lowerton, but right now he's the only one there."
And to think Monique drove north. "I see. So why should I just leave him there?"
"It's a trap, obviously. The place is on high security, looking out for you and armed to the teeth."
"Guns and sniper rifles?"
"That, grenade and rocket launchers, and stingers. Not even someone like you will survive alone."
"Shoot. So what does this have to do with you?"
"Nothing," the girl answered. "I am only doing what I am told."
"Who sent you?"
"That is none of your concern."
"Oh really? So what if I don't listen to what you tell me, and try to go after Wade?"
The girl took off her helmet and unzipped her jacket. She was a bit shorter than Kim was, had purple hair with pigtails with eyes of the same color. She was a pretty one, but had two scars in the shape of an X between her eyes. After tossing the helmet aside, the girl pulled out two kitana swords.
"Then, I'll have to kill you."
Kim backed up. "Hold on, I thought you said you didn't come to fight."
"To fight? No. To kill? Only if you fail to do what I tell you."
Without missing a beat, the girl lunged her blades at her. Kim dove aside before the girl attempted to strike, but upon landing noticed some of her hair was on the ground. Kim couldn't even tell herself that she was facing a quick opponent before the girl stuck again. Kim somersaulted out of the way as she had done many times before, but this time, she found her shirt cut open. Her skin wasn't cut, but she hoped more than anything no boys would drive by, as part of her bra was revealed.
'Holy crap,' Kim thought to herself. She had no weapons on her, and the ice was anything but solid terrain. "Just who are you?" she asked as she tried to cover her shirt.
The girl chuckled. "Impressed? Here's the deal, you stay away from Load and I'll leave you alone."
"Why is that important?"
"I told you, I'm only following orders."
"Tell me your name, at least?"
"What's the point of telling you my name when you're about to die?"
Without waiting for an answer, the girl sprinted towards Kim on the ice, almost as if it were concrete. Again she used both of her blades to hack and slash Kim, who used every evasion move she had to avoid them. But every time the girl managed to cut something; Kim's hair or part of her clothes. Unfortunately for Kim, it was getting more embarrassing by the second, and she couldn't help but wonder why Monique hadn't noticed anything at all. But she couldn't look towards Monique's car, as that would leave her open for attack. Finally, the girl tried to strike again, but Kim grabbed her wrists. The girl tried to struggle out, but Kim had quite a grip on her.
"Let go!"
"And let you kill me? Uh, no, miss tries too hard. You were better off keeping that helmet on."
Kim twisted the girl's wrists as hard as she could, but the girl showed no signs of pain whatsoever, smiling at the redhead's attempt to hurt her. Realizing this was going nowhere, Kim head-butted the girl and shoved her knee into her abdomen, not only knocking her back but also freeing the blades from her grip. However, the girl tried to regain her balance on the ice that covered both lanes of the road, but she couldn't stop sliding. She freaked out when she noticed this, and flew over the guardrail. Unable to grab onto anything, she was sent into the depths below. Kim ran to the edge to see what happened, but the girl was nowhere to be seen, as it was a steep fall.
"Who was she?"
Kim then let out a shiver. There was more breezes in her outfit than she would ever want to remember. She was grateful to any and all higher powers that this wasn't in public and no boys were around. No doubt if anyone drove by they'd honk the horn. She turned back to Monique's car, seeing her struggle with her seatbelt and the front door to help out. So she did notice. Kim simply walked around, opened the passenger door and got back in.
"Who was that?" Monique asked, freaked out.
Kim sighed. "I have no idea. All she said was not to go after Wade, only that security's tight, but nothing on why that was important." She noticed Monique was still breathing heavily. "You think you're going to be okay?"
"I need another 20 years of training to get used to that. Oh, sorry to worry you back there Kim-girl, but I thought this would've helped."
"It did, Monique. It did. But you don't need to go out of your way for me anymore. I can take care of myself from here. Thanks a ton, anyway."
Monique sounded queasy. "No problem. Oh, wait, I've got something Wade wanted me to give you."
She opened the glove compartment and pulled out two devices that looked like Kimmunicators, only with a more obsolete look. "I don't remember all the details, but Wade said it's only audio and the signal can't be traced. You keep one, and I keep the other in case things get hairy here. I guess Wade wanted me to be the informer here or something."
Wade must have thought that Kim was going to leave the area. But knowing this, she had no intention of leaving him in a prison cell.
"I've got a disguise now, Monique. I've got to find and free Wade. I don't care what that assassin says."
She clearly disagreed. "Bad idea, girlfriend. They grabbed him to lure you in. You'll be a moth to the flame."
"Wade told you that too, huh?"
"Yup."
Kim sighed. If Wade said something, "He might be right…"
Thinking about the situation further, she realized that they were probably expecting her immediately after Wade's capture. It might have been better to wait until their suspicions ease, but at the same time, she was wondering if they would do anything to him. She quickly opened the bag up and looked for something to wear, since it was cold outside and she needed a new outfit.
"Do you mind if I, uh, you know, change in here?" Kim sheepishly asked.
"Go ahead, but close the door! I don't want all the cold air coming in here!" Monique cried.
Kim didn't realize she never closed the door in the first place. She quickly did as told, turned up the heater and jumped in the back. Even though Monique didn't watch, Kim could see that she looked baffled the whole time. She only knew a part of what was going on, but not everything. As she changed, Kim told Monique everything she knew, from Sean's betrayal to what Director told her, and exactly what happened on the roof of the Tower at Bay City over a year ago.
Monique was rather quick to form an opinion, sharing the same sentiments as Director. "Girl, sounds to me like you've got to take out the source of the problem. That Val guy has been nothing but bad news since he arrived on the scene."
"Back when I thought high school was harder than hero work. But that's the thing, Monique. We haven't heard or seen him in the last six months. I don't even know if he's still alive."
Monique didn't appear concerned. "You know, there was another thing Wade wanted me to give you, and he said he just finished it."
She had a small device in the cup holder of her car and gave it to Kim. It looked like her handheld mirror, only that it had a radar screen and was beeping madly, visually though. It made no noise. But Kim already had something like this.
"He said it detects the titanium-like metal of Val's left arm." Monique explained. "Denteressen or something like that."
Kim was familiar with the word. Val had told her a long time ago that the metal in his arm, Denteressen, was preventing Wade from getting a lock on him. Wade didn't think the metal actually existed, since a search for the word – which took him some time to spell correctly – revealed that it was a rare metal believed to be created by the demons of hell. Val was also an expert on rare treasures; the proof was in his successful search for the eight relics. So even if it existed, it was no wonder that it was in Val's possession.
But the dot was beeping madly to a location that was very close by. Did Wade actually manage to successfully create a tracking device for it? Could Val really be there? Maybe it was a good idea that Monique drove all the way up to the mountains. Could the girl who attacked Kim have some kind of connection to Val? It would be hard to believe considering how much Val hated women, seeing most of them as teasing heartbreakers, fakers, or wild party goers. But he was still alive, at least according to this device. Kim thought that searching him out could take a long time, but if Val had something to do with this, Kim was more than certain he had everything to do with it.
She could end this tonight. According to the radar, he was located at the Tri-City Electric Plant. It was about thirty miles south.
"I'm going after him."
Monique didn't even need to ask Kim what she was going to do. Kim got out of the car, wearing a white and blue outfit that covered her neck to toe. It was underneath a silver trenchcoat, and Kim was now donning a brunette wig with blue contacts. It was so against her fashion, but that was the point. See someone in bad fashion, and Kim Possible was the last person you would think of, as long as you agreed with her sense of fashion in the first place. Kim carried the bag onto the motorcycle of the girl who ambushed her. Clearly she wouldn't be needing it anymore, same went with her kitana blades. After securing the bag on it, she had Monique lower the window.
"Monique, here's what I want you to do. I want you to go back to Middleton."
Monique had a hard time believing it was Kim. "Back to Middleton? Are you crazy? They probably have Black Suits waiting for me just like you said there would be!"
"Exactly. They'll become way more suspicious if you're running away from them, and no doubt they'll come after you. Just go home like you always do and take it easy. I'm only hoping they don't do anything to you. And if they do, call and I'll be there."
"Are you sure about this?"
"I'd rather have you safe at home with black suits surrounding the place than you driving on icy mountains at 60 MPH. I'm the one they're after, and they used Wade as bait because they know he's my tech-guy."
Monique sighed. "Okay, I'll do what you say. Just… give me a moment here." She still needed breathing time.
"Sure. But drive slowly. You don't want them to get suspicious and draw attention. Stay in the speed limit this time. Remember, it's icy around here. But if you see sirens, just pull over. Just don't say you've seen me, of course."
"I gotcha. But you be careful out there, too. And you'd better call, girl. You'd better keep in touch and don't you dare skip the details."
"I won't."
After that, Monique put the window back up as Kim turned on the motorcycle. It took her a moment to rev it up and drive off.
As for Kim, it was time to pay an old 'friend' a visit.
Further below Monique's car, it was a long and steep drop from the guardrail. Along the way were several sharp shattered rocks, bushes and many broken trees. It was a long but bloodless trail to the rough surface below. There lay a girl on the ground, upside down with all of her limbs out of place. We're talking broken bones and dislocated limbs, all of them.
"Damn."
Her eyes shot wide open, following a vehicle that was heading back towards Middleton. She would soon get up as if nothing happened.
