Disclaimer: Don't own anyone, just doing different takes on once-or-twice-seen characters.
A nosy (yet well-meaning) cheerleader noticed the sirens heading towards the Renton house and immediately put on her jacket. By the time she got there, though, she could only just make out the woman in the back of the cop car. She immediately went to try and find Felix, who was still talking to the police officers about what happened. There was something heavy about his posture, and she waited until they were alone. He nodded when she invited him to her house, so he wouldn't have to face the night alone. It was the sort of kind gesture he came to expect from Kim Possible.
"I knew she wasn't happy, but I had no idea it was to this degree." Mrs. Dr. Possible murmured. Mr. Dr. Possible nodded.
"Well, you know what they say; more often than not it's just a cry for help."
Felix sipped half-heartedly at something warm, his body and emotions numb (shock, maybe). He wished Kim would stop staring at him; it was worse than her getting used to the wheelchair. Yes, a bomb had exploded in his nice world, but the last thing he and his mother needed were sympathy. His mother wanted to die…maybe.
Mrs. Dr. Possible reached out and touched his shoulder. If his reactions had been a bit more timely, he might've jumped.
"You did the right thing, Felix," she murmured. He shook his head.
"I dunno… Maybe she wasn't trying to kill herself." The Possible clan seemed to take a moment to register this. Felix set his mug down and sighed, "There wasn't a note; she didn't quit her job or make a will or anything. She had time to pull the trigger before the cops came… She's never really even talked about her own death."
They looked pitying at him, as though he was catching the crazies, too.
"If she wanted to do her own research on the Lowardian death ray, all she had to do was get clearance." Mr. Dr. Possible said softly. Mrs. Dr. Possible squeezed his shoulder lightly.
"She's going to get help now," she murmured. He nodded.
Maybe it was denial; maybe it was a hunch. Maybe it was the memory of her watching the news about a teen suicide and muttering under her breath how selfish they were. Maybe he just knew his mother would've planned it out better. Maybe it was because he couldn't get the image of her, begging him, crying, on her knees, promising she had a reason and she'd tell him everything… He wheeled off to the Possible guest room, trying to clear his head.
He didn't have room to take chances, not with her. Whatever issues she was having, she'd be watched and cared for at the hospital.
By the next morning, he still didn't have any answers for the event.
Kim came into the kitchen, glancing between Felix's bloodshot eyes and his untouched plate of bacon and eggs.
"Didn't sleep?" She guessed. He shook his head.
"Nah, though I went through the eight stages of grief."
"…I thought there was only five?"
"Really? Huh." He played with his fork, "Least I stopped trying to figure out why she did it."
"That's good."
It was no use trying to come up with an answer, he had realized eventually. Some things just were. He poked at his eggs.
"Mom's going to check on her once she gets a break," Kim offered bleakly, "She says if everything goes well you might even be able to visit her tomorrow… If you wanted to."
"I do," he murmured, pushing the eggs a little.
For awhile, the only sounds were of the two teens picking at their food, unsure what to say or do. Then, the phone rang, and Kim jumped out of her seat, grabbing the nearest phone.
"Hey…hang on, Mom, I'll put you on speaker."
She set the phone down on the table. Felix glanced at it with mild interest, and Kim hit the speaker button.
"Alright, go ahead, Mom."
"…as I was saying, I have to be the bearer of bad news," Mrs. Dr. Possible took a deep breath, "There's no "Elena Renton" here."
"What?" Felix snapped, "How? That's the nearest hospital to here, isn't it?"
"Let me correct myself; none here now," There was the sound of shuffling papers, "There was one here last night, but she was transferred out within fifteen minutes."
"Transferred? To where?" Mrs. Dr. Possible paused.
"…the Lowerton Female Penitentiary." Felix's stomach dropped.
"You mean prison?"
"…yes."
"Why?" Kim exclaimed.
"I'm sorry, I don't have that kind of information," she murmured, "I'll talk to the E.R. nurses; they'll blab if there's anything worth saying."
The calm that he had obtained from surrendering to not knowing why had suddenly disappeared. Now, the news had settled into the pit of his stomach; his mother was in a very different kind of cell now.
The rest of the day passed by in a slow, fitful way. Kim had contacted Wade to see if she could dig up anything, but besides that there was nothing they could do but wait.
Eventually, the Kimmunicator went off, and Wade got straight to the point.
"She's got an outstanding warrant," he murmured, gesturing at his computer screen, "She wasn't supposed to have weapons of any kind, apparently including alien technology. Her record's got some higher authority's fingerprints all over it."
"Did you hack it?" Kim asked. Wade nodded gravely, before glancing at Felix.
"You sure you want to hear this?" Felix nodded firmly. Wade sighed.
"…she's got quite the criminal record…" he said slowly, "Assault, theft, electrical terrorism… Her last arrest was during spring break…but it doesn't say where, just "corruption of justice"."
"What?" Felix snapped, "How? She's never been in prison while I was alive…"
He closed his eyes, rubbing at his forehead. Just last night he was trying to accept that maybe his mother had some underlying depression he wasn't aware of… Now they were telling him his mother was some major criminal?
"Not "how"; who." Wade corrected, before turning to Kim, "I've traced some encrypted RSS feed… Global Justice has been monitoring her file since Day One." Felix opened his eyes again.
"Global Justice?"
"Maybe they're the ones covering her." Kim mused, before turning to Felix, "A secret organization whose mission is to ensure-"
"International morality?" Felix guessed. She smirked and nodded.
Felix wheeled back from the small screen.
"There's only one thing to do now. Ask her about all this," he said bluntly. Kim bit her lip.
"You sure about this? We might just be scratching the surface," she pointed out. Felix looked her in the eye.
"It's a little late to back out now. Hopefully we hit it during visiting time."
III
Neither side of Dr. Elena Renton's personality could stand fundraising dinners. They felt like a humorless joke forced upon her, because she just so happened to be good at public speaking and was one of the most (if not the most) attractive personnel at Go City's Research and Development Center. She was little more than a harlot trying to earn money for her lover, spewing out information that sounded impressive and flew over the heads of the philanthropists seated at their dinner tables. If she had money, she'd be eager to invest in the sciences, but unfortunately her hobby was expensive. Things blew up more often than not, and black market dealers only accepted cash.
She left the stage during polite applause and made her way towards the back of the room, where her own table would be reserved. She did enjoy the dress she had been given for the occasion; a strapless silver number that shimmered like liquid mercury every time she moved. A mild train followed behind, the slits up to her pelvis adding more to her "come hither" appearance. As if her strut and confidence weren't enough.
She was surprised to see someone sitting at her table; a young man with his dark hair slicked back and looking oddly comfortable in his business suit. The air he gave off shook away the notion that he was simply mistaken as to where his seat was. He glanced up at her, then bowed his head respectfully.
"Dr. Renton." He acknowledged. She slid into her seat, watching him warily, "I am Agent Beta, sent here from WEE as a messenger. I am also a personal fan of your work." Elena's lips curled up in a sneer.
"You're a cyberrobotics aficionado as well?" He hesitated, choosing his words carefully.
"Not an aficionado; more of an appreciator of those more capable than I with technology. The work I'm here to discuss is of a less…legal type." Elena arched a sculpted eyebrow.
"I wasn't aware I was so obvious." Agent Beta smirked.
"You're only obvious because you've been on our radar for quite some time."
Elena leaned back in her seat, draping an arm over the top of the chair.
"The Worldwide Evil Empire, huh? And what do they have to tell me, messenger boy?"
"They are offering you a position, head of electronic development." Smoothly, almost as though it was practiced, he pulled out a business card and placed it in front of her, "Bias aside, they pay very well, and have excellent benefits." Elena snorted.
"I don't work under contract." She said bluntly pushing the business card away from herself. He shrugged.
"Fair enough. It was worth a try, and I'm sure they'll make room for you immediately if you change your mind," he glanced around, "May I buy you a drink?" Elena looked him over.
"Isn't this the part where you disappear in some mysterious manner?"
"Usually yes, but I was hoping I could spend the remainder of this evening in the presence of an intelligent, lovely lady such as yourself." He grinned, "Not only would I escape the monotony of desk work, but I could attempt to convince you to accept my boss's offer. I can be quite persuasive."
Elena sized him up predatorily. It was the first attractive man that had hit on her in quite some time, and a secret agent at that. There was something about him she liked; his charm perhaps, or maybe that smirk…? It couldn't hurt to let him stay.
"I like a good red wine." She said and he grinned.
"I'll make sure it is."
Elena's eyes opened slowly as she returned to consciousness. Another lovely dream/memory, something to hold onto while she was losing footholds. This one wasn't nearly as disappointing to wake from, because even if it had been a nice evening, it wasn't one of their best. She shivered as she sat up, looking around. A padded cell, windowless, lightless, and almost devoid of heat.
So, they weren't letting her near any form of electricity. That was awfully clever of them, but it was also a cruelty. It was just cold enough to be annoying.
She drew her knees up to her chest, her mind replaying Felix's reaction yet again. Would he try to visit her in the hospital? Would they tell him where she went? Or was he so hurt he didn't even want to see her? She rested her head back against the wall. This wasn't the way she wanted him to learn about her. She wanted to sit him down, to speak softly and tell him who she had been, who she was now. Now she had been robbed of it by her carelessness.
But maybe…just maybe he hadn't learned about Electronique yet. In that case, she still had a chance.
There was a rap at the door and her eyes flicked towards it, otherwise motionless.
"Ms. Renton, you have a visitor." Doctor, she corrected him mentally. She had a PHD in engineering because of the money she made thieving and she was damn proud of it.
She got to her feet and allowed herself to be cuffed, the vague hope that Felix was this visitor surfacing. He led her through the corridors to the visiting center, the one where she didn't have to use a phone to talk to someone on the other side of the glass.
She grimaced as she was led over to her "visitor", not sure if she should feel relieved or disappointed.
"Afternoon, Betty. Or is it evening? I have no way of knowing," she remarked offhandedly. The director of Global Justice glanced up from her steepled fingers, glaring as Elena took a seat. Dr. Director waved the guard off and, hesitantly, he stepped away.
"Just what were you trying to pull with that gun?" She asked crisply. Elena frowned.
"Nothing," she said honestly, "I was just playing with it; it's been so long… And then Felix came home and everything was blown out of proportion."
"Bullshit," Dr. Director snarled, leaning across the table "I know you better than that, and after this spring's incident in Go City, you've made one strike too many."
Elena shifted at the invasion of her personal space, glancing distractedly at a cluster of men towards the door.
"…I don't follow sports, but doesn't it take three strikes for a player to be considered "out"?"
"You've had way more than three strikes, and I've bailed you out each and every time." No, not always, Electronique corrected her. More often than not she had slipped out of custody before Global Justice even knew an incident had occurred. But Betty was in no mood for technicalities, "I'm going to leave you in here and let the courts decide what to do with you. If they're kind, you might be let out in time to see your grandkids get married."
"And what about Felix?" She asked, her eyes not leaving the men. Dr. Director snorted.
"Your chance to be a mother is done. You messed up and broke our agreement, and now I'll make sure he's kept away from both of his parents." She growled. Elena clenched her teeth, resisting the temptation to lunge at her and rip her throat out.
Elena managed to control her urge, playing with her handcuffs instead.
"I suppose I will be safer in prison, if the security is as tight as they claim." She stated with a calm she didn't have, "I just worry about Felix; I doubt I'm WEE's only target." Dr. Director's eye narrowed at the mention of the opposing organization.
"What are you getting at, Electronique?"
Elena glanced back at Betty, explaining levelly.
"There's four WEE agents; two at that door and two at the exit to the cells. I would think a top GJ spy would've smelled them out, but what do I know? I only dated one." Dr. Director went pale, before casually slipping a hand into her pocket.
Their cover blown, the men charged towards them, but Electronique had already shifted into gear. On her feet in an instant, she kicked her chair at the ones the director was targeting with her taser. Back-up would be on its way, no doubt, and Electronique didn't like how small this room was. She ran for it, dodging the other pair and ducking through the doorway.
Run little vixen run, she thought morbidly. Get away before the hounds catch you. And run she did, not bothering with thoughts of retribution for escaping. Right now the threat of being dragged away without her consent was much greater. They followed her relentlessly, threatening to overwhelm her in the tight quarters. She was used to relying on her stamina to outlast her pursuers; here it didn't look like that was an option, with at least a dozen men trying to box her in.
She noticed a metal detector and sprinted through it, falling to her knees and pressing her back against the main circuitry. Her fingers grasped the wires and went to work, her brow furrowed in concentration as she went by feel and experience. She could hear them closing in on her, ready for the kill. She finished her rerouting in the nick of time and she sprang to her feet.
The agents funneled through the metal detector like cattle, or at least tried to. There was a satisfying "zzzz" sound and then cries of pain as they scrambled away from the impromptu electrocuting trap. Electronique allowed herself a quick second to bask in her accomplishment before she ran towards the prison's front doors. She wasn't sure how much time she had bought herself, but surely it would be enough for a head start. That was all a villain could ask for.
Sprinting down the road, she didn't even recognize the car pulling over until she heard "Mom!". She turned on instinct towards the voice and saw, in the passenger's seat, what she insisted had to be an illusion.
"Get in!" Felix urged. Not an illusion, a coincidence, she corrected herself. The backseat door swung open of its own accord and she didn't think twice before hopping inside.
Elena chanced a glance back through the window and saw the prison erupted into chaos, people and agents alike running around and shouting at each other. Perhaps Betty would take her a bit more seriously, and be a bit quicker to offer help to Felix in the future, she mused.
III
Oi. Finals sure take the time out of a writer's life and, of course, this chapter needed some major editing, so that's what's up with the wait in case y'all were wondering (which you probably weren't). Anyway, you'll finally get some blunt answers next chapter; Electronique's got nowhere to tip-toe around Felix anymore, especially with agents swarming Middleton like fan girls on a celeb. Please review and stay tuned!