I do not own the Disney characters named herein, and am only using them for a nonprofit tale meant to entertain only.
Kim Possible: Rogue
By LJ58
4
Five Years Ago:
"We have incoming targets all around the globe," Commander Du informed Betty. "Definitely not domestic."
"Do we have eyes on them?"
"Multiple touchdowns," a man near a digital map shouted. "We have targets impacting around the globe."
"We have eyes on the mother ship now, Dr. Director," another shouted. "It just came in range of the ISS. My…..God."
"Tell me NATO is getting this," Dr. Director demanded, sharing at the massive ship through the static on the monitor. A ship that was obviously of alien origin.
"Something's interfering with all satellite and radio communication. We're lucky to even be seeing this," the tech near the global monitor told her.
"Touchdown in Middleton," someone called out. "We have a confirmed impact."
"The ship is obviously dropping….something as it orbits the planet," Will realized. "Wait, the ship is now moving into the atmosphere," he realized as he tracked its flight path.
"It's….landing?"
"No. It's flying over…. Ma'am," the tech on the global map told her needlessly as they watched. "The ship just flew over Middleton, pausing over the local high school before it went back up into standard orbit."
"Middleton," Dr. Director frowned, and looked toward Will. "Possible?"
"Do you think Dr. Possible inadvertently brought them here," one of her scientists asked. "He is always launching….."
"Get me a close-up on that ship. There. Near the port engine module. Focus on that marking."
Dr. Director felt something cold etch her spine with icy fingers as she stared at the ironically familiar markings.
"Where is Drew Lipski," she asked far too casually not to be furious.
"We've not seen him since Shego broke him out of jail. Again."
"Everyone in here just got promoted to Delta level security," she told them. "Will, that mark is the same one Possible described on the alien warrior woman that Lipski drew here over six months ago. We thought she left the system, but…."
"She obviously came back," the priggish agent concluded.
"The ship is also ten times larger than the one Kimberly described," Dr. Director told him. "Have we gotten through to the President?"
"All communications are all but shut down, ma'am."
"Then use Morse code! We have to get word out…."
The entire complex shook violently just then.
Considering they were over fifty feet underground, inside a hardened facility, that was beyond troubling.
"They aren't nuking us," someone asked fretfully.
"That wasn't nuclear. It was a reverberation," Will pointed out. "Do we still have active cameras on the street?"
"They're fuzzy, but I think….."
The tripods that loomed over a smaller buildings on the monitor looked like something out of a bad dream. The massive engines of war were literally leveling the city around them, and capturing any human that came too close to the electric sensors that activated some kind of net device. Once caught, the tripod shed it's lower limbs, grew new ones, and kept going, leaving the helpless captives in place. Likely for a later pickup.
Even as they watched, fuzzy as the image was, they saw tanks from the local National Guard Armory roll into the streets. They opened fire with furious intensity.
And didn't even scratch the paint of whatever those things were.
"This isn't good," Will grimaced as something flashed from one of the tripods, and all their remaining cameras went down. Then, their last satellite went blank.
"No, Will, it's not," Dr. Director said, looking genuinely overwhelmed for one of the few times in her life.
"Dr. Director," a harried man that looked genuinely terrified almost whimpered. "What do we do? What can we do?"
She ignored him.
She stared at the blank screen, her good eye narrowed thoughtfully, and considered all options.
"Will, I don't think those things are manned."
"Ma'am," Will asked.
"I don't think they're manned," she echoed. "They were dropped from high orbit. Whatever their tech, impacts like that would have shattered the bones of any living creature. They're drones, Will. Automated war machines."
"Which suggests a central command signal from a master computer," he realized.
"Exactly. I want a squad in orbit now to intercept that ship. Then find, and shut down whatever is controlling those things, one way, or another. Understand?"
"It's probably going to be a suicide run," Will realized grimly.
"Right now, it's all I've got," Betty told him honestly. "It may be all Earth has got."
"I'll lead the team myself," Will declared. "To be frank, I'm the one best versed with the modular tech we recovered from Drakken's lair. I know how to read it better than anyone else. If the ship is based on similar principles…."
"Just shut them down, Will. While we still have a planet left to save."
"If they paused in Middleton," he pointed out. "There's a chance Possible may already be on board, too."
"If she can help, conscript her. Don't seek her out, though. We don't have the time. If it comes down to the mission, or your lives….."
"I know our mandate, Dr. Director. I won't fail," he told her, and turned to head for a hatch that led deeper into the Agency. "Dugan, Stark. You're with me," he called to two special agents.
"Go heavy, Will. Remember, these are very real giants," Dr. Director told him as the men stepped into the lift that would take them to the hangar below them. "Give them a chance, and they will step on you."
"Not if we don't give them the chance," he said as those doors closed, carrying him to a very special hangar.
Where GJ's first experimental rocket pod was awaiting it's first launch.
KP
"Good God, look at the size of that thing," Agent Stark gaped as he eased the pod into the shadow of the massive ship, using the wreckage of the blasted satellites to mask their own approach.
So far, the ISS had been untouched for reasons known only to the invaders, but anything else remotely digital in orbit had been blasted if it got too close to the ship.
"We have incoming," Agent Dugan told them as he eyed their own radar screens. "Signal is definitely civilian. It's one of Middleton's space plane prototypes the eggheads there were building. I didn't know they had one up, and ready."
"It doesn't matter."
"Do we contact them," Stark asked, angling for a rear entry near one of the engine ports.
"No. Whoever they are, they can help distract our guests long enough for us to do our jobs. Remember, this isn't about our lives. It's about the planet. We either win this one, or we all go down."
"Understood, Commander Du," Dugan nodded. "Shall I arm the failsafe?"
"Yes," he said, and the man threw the switch that activated a baby nuke loaded into the cargo bay behind them.
If all else failed, even an alien ship likely couldn't protect itself from a nuke going off right next to its primary drive.
"All right, Dugan. Keep this thing parked right next to that vent. Stark, you're with me. We go in, track down the primary communications center, and shut down whatever is controlling those things down on Earth. With any luck, we can also put a sizeable dent in this thing either way."
"What if we encounter….?"
Will pulled down a blue laser that was twice the size of the usual sidearm. He tossed it to Stark after pulling on his own helmet, and grabbed another weapon.
"Shoot to kill," Will told him. "We're not playing, and we can't risk being stopped. Dugan, if we do fail, trigger the bomb at once. Don't hesitate."
"How will I know….?"
"Look," he said, tapping on a few keys on the panel beside him after he took the pilot's seat once Stark left it to get suited up. "Those are our vitals. If they fail, then we're dead. Keep your eye on it. If someone comes out after you, that also means we failed. So watch for any signs of counterattack. In either case, hit the trigger. No hesitation. No delays."
"Good luck," Dugan told them.
"You, too," Stark nodded.
"We make our own luck, gentlemen. Now, let's go," Will told Stark as he headed for the airlock. "And don't forget to activate your suit's gyro-stabilizers. The moment we step out, we'll be in zero…."
"I know, sir. I built these damn suits," Stark sputtered.
"So you did. But I know these aliens. At least, as well as any of us can. So if I say something, you listen to me. Let's go," he said, and the hatch closed.
KP
"That looked like…."
"Never mind," Will spat as he glanced back disbelievingly at the sight of Drakken and Shego, flying past with Stoppable and Possible in tow. With two very large, very angry Lorwardians in pursuit. "While the amateurs keep them busy, we can hit the bridge, and take out that command signal. Move," he said, and raced down the corridor the way the aliens had come.
"This thing is definitely going down," Stark swore as they emerged onto the bridge to find a configuration that was obviously built for giants.
"Never mind. We have to make sure nothing survives impact. Plant your explosives, and I'll find the communications center."
"How will you….?"
Will ignored him as he raced around the bridge, eyeing panels, and studying consoles before he paused near one of the giant chairs, and knelt down.
"I'm betting this is what we want," he said with an uncharacteristic grin as he pressed several blinking lights at the base of the console where he knelt.
The ship suddenly shuddered violently, and the wide ports were filled with fiery backwash when both men looked up.
"We are definitely going down. We about to hit atmosphere. Do you think Dugan….?"
"We'll find out when we bail," Wade said, and pulled out a large, square covered with blinking lights.
"Is that…."
"I'm guessing it's this vessel's brain, and the source of any commands. Now, let's move, or we both go down with this tub whatever else happens," Will spat, and raced back the way they had come, Dugan close on his heels.
Even as they forced their way out of the hatch, almost impacting the rear stabilizer as their inertia drew them out and back so fast it was as if they were jerked out on strings, Will spotted a flash of laser fire, and a green burst of familiar plasma that suggested the amateurs were still in the fight.
"Looks like they're still fighting," Stark grinned even as Dugan flew in behind them, maneuvering to let them get inside the straining pod even as they maneuvered on the very cusp of falling into the atmosphere, and feeling the first tugs of gravity on them again.
"You've got it," Dugan grinned as Will and Stark buckled in after securing the alien module.
"We got something," Stark agreed, watching the alien ship slide down across the atmosphere even as four smaller figures cut across their bow, and continued a running aerial battle down toward the planet.
"Whatever they're doing, it seems to be working. They're keeping those things distracted," Dugan told Will. "Orders?"
"Get us back to HQ. Fast."
Even as they returned to base, they saw enough to know that the tripods weren't shutting down. If anything, they remained as fixed on conquering the planet as ever.
"Damn. They must have some kind of backup system on board," Will realized as they landed on the street, and jumped out rather than wait on the hangar chute to open. "We have to get this thing to Dr. Director, and hopefully we can use it to….stop those things," he said as he carried the module, looking back even as a massive explosion went off somewhere across town.
He paused to glance back across town, and both agents had to stare, too, as they heard the crash and bang of metal on metal.
"Wow, what was that?"
"It has to be Possible," Will smiled. "She does specialize in chaos, recall. Now, let's go," he said, ducking a mangled car suddenly flying past them after being thrown from elsewhere, and rushing for the shelter of the salon entrance into Global Justice.
Two men lay near the door, one out cold. One obviously dead.
"Help him," he shouted at Dugan, indicating the unconscious man. "I'm taking this thing down to the labs."
Stark grabbed Dugan even as he knelt over the man, and jerked him back.
"Down," he shouted even as the rear half of a tractor trailer bounced past them. Narrowly missing the unconscious man.
"Go," Dugan shouted at Will when he glanced back to check on them.
Will forced open the hatch that should have had a car waiting, and jumped.
His suit's jets were more than powerful enough to lower him in spite of being made primarily for maneuvering in zero gravity.
He forced his way onto the lab level once he was down far enough, and ran right into Dr. Director.
"We got in touch with Wade. Or rather, he got in touch with us," she told him as she eyed the device he held. "He briefed us on Possible, and an ongoing plan by Lipski, God help us. How are things going?"
"Not well. This is obviously some kind of critical component, but I noted the tripods are still active."
"We have to consider that they might have to be fed an active kill signal," one of the scientists that eyed the box as if he were about salivate said. "If we can extrapolate the program….."
"No," Will shouted, jerking the box back too late, as the man tapped one of the colored panels at random.
The box suddenly increased its mass tenfold, and Will wisely let it go. Even as it hit the floor, it began to hum, and the very air shimmered ominously as Dr. Director recoiled from the heat that began to grow around it. Will leapt forward, grateful for his suit's protection, and quickly tapped out a reverse key on the panel which began to grow still, and silent. The superheated air cooling gradually as whatever it had started to do faded.
"Do not touch that again, you imbecile," Will spat. "You almost instigated a self-destruct!"
"I….? What," the man frowned.
"Was he even on the Lorwardian study team," Will demanded as he lifted the box, and carried it into the nearest lab.
"No," Dr. Director frowned, feeling her exposed skin tingling as if from a bad sunburn just then. "He's in bio-tech."
"You're a janitor now. Get out of here," Will spat at the man.
"You cannot just….!"
Dr. Director's cold glare had the man backpedaling when he would have followed them into the lab.
"Will, do you think you can program a kill signal?"
Will eyed the box, then looked grimly at Dr. Director.
"Ma'am, I don't know. While I know enough to shut things off based on what little we got out of that ruined tech we recovered, I'm still not sure about the more complicated sequences."
"Do you think you can try? Without blowing us up?"
"I think so…."
"Dr. Director," another agent burst into the lab at that very moment. "The alien ship just exploded over the city. And….. Stoppable…."
"What is it?"
"He….killed the aliens. Both of them."
"Stoppable," Will frowned, unable to believe his ears.
"We have a satellite back up, and all comms are coming back up. The signal came back on just in time to give us the last few minutes of footage of the…..battle. Stoppable killed both of them. The tripods are falling over like broken toys, thanks to Drakken's mutagen, and…. It looks like it's over," the man exclaimed, obviously relieved.
Will frowned, but rather than follow her at once, he first locked up the alien box, and put a personal encryption on the vault holding it.
Five minutes later, he was gaping himself as he watched the final moments of battle on screen as the two massive invaders were literally thrown into the wake of their self-destructing spacecraft.
"When did Stoppable get so powerful," Will frowned as he watched the disturbing footage.
"If half of what I know about Yamanouchi is right," Dr. Director told him somberly. "We haven't seen anything yet."
Will found he had absolutely nothing to say to that.
KP
Wade shocked Dr. Director when he walked into GJ headquarters in person just one day later.
"Wade. This is…unexpected. What can I do for you," she asked, knowing just how clever, and useful the young genius could be at times. She still envisioned conscripting him, and the rest of Team Possible, which was why she gave him the leeway she often did.
"This is serious," Wade said, and the young man put a small computer notepad in front of her on her desk. "Press play."
She stared at the device, pressed the prompt.
She frowned as she saw the representation of the planet. She guessed it was a simulation of the planet from the look of it, and did as he said. For a moment, the planet just turned as usual in orbit; just before it seemed to crack, shatter, and then fall apart before imploding, and being swallowed into a vortex of some kind.
"What is this?"
"This is what happens if you don't get rid of whatever you brought back from that Lorwardian ship," he told her bluntly.
"What is this," she asked him again just as bluntly.
"I know you have something here. I detected the power source when it surged from across town. Whatever it is, it's still active. And it's fueled by some kind of anti-matter matrix that is dangerously unstable. As it is, I calculate it will detonate in less than fourteen hours."
Dr. Director gaped at him.
"I won't ask if you're certain. Can you deactivate it?"
"Based on my own earlier work, probably. With all due respect, our best recourse is to get rid of it, though. We can turn it off, but you know as well as I do, there is always someone else willing to turn things on. I have to ask you to let me get rid of it. Now."
"How?"
"I would say we could launch it into space, but even that's not a guarantee these days. I know you have one of Justine Flanner's dimensional gates. Throw it through a portal. It's the only way to be sure….."
"And how do we know it won't cause mayhem…..wherever it goes?"
"I can calculate a dimensional gate to send it through the multiverse between dimensions. Even if it explodes there, it won't do any harm."
"How can you be sure?"
Wade sighed.
"Quantum tunneling," he told her.
"I…..see."
Wade sighed at her blank expression.
"Let's just say even if it detonated there, it would be a minor hiccup compared to the forces that theoretically exist on that plane."
"You're right," Dr. Director finally told him. "I do have a dimensional gate here. I'll have to contact my superiors, but considering we all know you're probably the brightest mind on the planet, I'm sure they'll accept your advice."
"Advice," Wade frowned.
"Especially if I put in a manner they can understand. Don't worry. I'll have it disposed of before the day is out."
"You'd better. Now, let me see it. I need to make sure it doesn't go off before your bosses get around to agreeing with us."
She led him out of her office, down two floors, and into a secure lab where four armed men stood in front of a locked equipment vault.
"We're taking no chances with this one, of course. But all the recovered tech to date is in here," she told him, and opened the vault.
Wade walked in the vault behind her, and went unerringly to the device as he stared at the blinking lights on the box she pulled it off a shelf, and set it on an examining table.
"Are you sure you can deactivate the sequence. Will thought he did so when one of our less…capable researchers accidentally started up what appeared to be a destruct sequence."
Wade scanned the device, tapped a few keys on his computer pad, and then eyed the box.
"He didn't shut it off. He only put it in standby. It's definitely still counting down. Less than fourteen hours, now," he said, "And….boom," he grumbled, and began tapping panels.
He turned the box over several times, continuing to tap out a complex pattern Betty couldn't hope to follow, then the lights stilled, and the entire box went dark.
"Alright, now the...Matrix is shut down, and it should be safe to dispose of without issues. I suggest you do it now, and report later."
"I still need to get a gate up in the Pit for demolition," she told him, naming a top secret underground arms disposal project Wade had helped her set up for some of the more dangerous tech they acquired. "Once ready, I'll have it sent down at once. Don't worry. I will see it handled, Wade. The last thing I want left laying around is something that can destroy our entire planet."
Wade only eyed her, but said nothing.
"I'm trusting you on this one, ma'am," he finally said.
"I can see how seriously you take this, Wade. Anything that makes you contact me in person has to be something that even I take seriously. Don't worry. I'll be getting rid of this thing the moment I get the gate up, and ready. Meanwhile, I do need to go through the motions. Even I have to keep my bosses happy."
"Just remind them that everyone loses if they keep that thing around where the wrong hands might grab it. Which we both know will happen."
"I won't let that happen."
Wade just eyed her again, nodded, and then turned to go.
"I'll be in touch."
And he was gone.
KP
Today:
"So, all this time….?"
"We all thought the Matrix was gone," Dr. Director told Ron. "I thought it was gone. If half of what Wade suspected is accurate, that thing could destroy the globe if someone sets it off."
"You're saying the Army had it all this time," Ron asked as he frowned thoughtfully. "What were they doing with it?"
"We don't know. Yet. I've got two teams trying to find out now. Because I'm willing to bet that whoever knows about the Matrix just might lead us to who has it now. Or….so I'm hoping."
Ron swore, then shook his head.
"Do you know how much half our missions had to do with reclaiming dangerous tech your people let get stolen? You should have known better," Ron told her. "You should have just let Wade deal with it."
"Hindsight, Ron."
"Yeah, well, you're supposed to be the smart one here. How could you not guess someone would pull something like this off?"
"Under my own nose? Inside my own agency?"
"How often did Shego steal right from your own desk," he asked.
"Don't remind me," she grumbled.
"Besides, you should have known the military would want a peek. It's what they do. Try to build bigger and better weapons that they hope will make them the baddest boys on the block. Never mind, they end up doing more harm that good in the end."
"I'm not doubting you," Dr. Director grimaced. "I am asking you help us. As you said, we're all in this one together."
"All right," Ron sighed after a moment. "I'm in. Because this is obviously bigger than some assassin, but this Viper obviously has some kind of plan of his own going. So, we find him, and we find who hired him, and why."
"If we're right, something is going down tomorrow at Middleton Science Center."
"Then I suggest we get ready. Viper has to know he lost his lair by now, which means he likely has plans for that, too, considering the way everything else has gone," Ron remarked.
"Probably. I want you in place tomorrow as a civilian guest. Go in with Dr. Possible, if you can manage it. He'll be leading the tours that lead up to Dr. Romanski's reactor being powered up."
"Right. I'll go over, and talk to him now. I was meaning to see him sooner, but…."
"I'm sure your mother wanted to give you a real welcome home," Dr. Director told him. "By the way, how is Hana?"
Ron rose to his feet, and just eyed her.
"Just keep your people away from her, Dr. Director. I mean that. Don't interfere. Ever. You wouldn't like the consequences."
The senior agent said nothing as Ron walked past her, jumped outside into the night, and promptly vanished.
Dr. Director walked over to the pilot's seat, sat down, and switched on the radio. "This is Director. Has Will Du reported in as yet?"
"No, ma'am," came the immediate reply. "We haven't heard from his team since they landed in D.C."
"All right. Keep me posted. The moment you hear from him, I want to be notified."
She sat back, frowning.
Dead military officers that were apparently under secret cover?
Supposedly recycled military tech that was supposedly destroyed only to end up in enemy hands?
Something was going on. Something she was missing. So what was it? What were those idiots out there doing now?
To Be Continued…