Kim Possible and associated characters are © Disney, and used here without permission, for non-profit purposes.
HIDDEN AGENDA
"He who would travel happily must travel light."
Antoine de Saint-Exupery (1900 – 1944)
Chapter seven, which shows the start of a journey, and some rocks on the road.
Kim Possible had made up her mind.
She could be very determined once she had decided what had to be done. She knew Ron would rather call her 'stubborn' and 'single-minded', and begin to mutter something about 'natural Kimness', but she preferred to see it as perseverance and the ability to focus.
And she really needed all of that in her current situation.
She had lain awake for quite a few hours, wrestling with her options. As a result, she was now extremely tired. It hadn't helped that Shego had woken her up twice, after she did manage fall asleep, needing to be carried to the bathroom.
Yes, she was tired. But she had thought things through, and was now almost her usual confident self again. What was done couldn't be changed, but she had had found a way out. She had a mission plan in her head, even if she wasn't sure that Shego would entirely approve. Still, she knew what to do, now.
Yes, Kim Possible had made up her mind.
==##0##==
So, Kim Possible could be very determined once she had decided what had to be done.
Fortunately, she was also quite strong. Both strength and determination was sorely needed at the moment.
The VW Bug had performed well for several hours. Kim had packed their few belongings and carried Shego out to the passenger seat in the early hours of the morning. Shego, or rather Dolores, was wearing a tight red top, a short jacket, and a long, black skirt. This was not her usual style, which she did not hesitate to point out, but there wasn't much choice. The casts on her legs made trousers an impossible alternative.
Kim was wearing jeans, t-shirt and a blue hoodie with UCLA written on the chest.
She was considering removing the hoodie now, though, because she was getting very hot and sweaty.
"Hey, Sue!" Shego hollered from the driver's seat, "can you put a little more 'vrooom' into it? I want to overtake that hedgehog ahead of us!"
"I'll put a little 'Vrooom' upside your head!" Kim muttered at the back of the car, from where she had been pushing it along for quite some time now.
Buying a car from the junk-yard had turned out to be less than a bargain. It was now in the middle of the afternoon, and the engine had quite emphatically died about half an hour ago. Since they had decided to go by the back roads, they now found themselves stuck in the middle of nowhere, out on the plains south-east of Lowerton. They couldn't very well use Kim's cell phone to call for assistance. They couldn't just get out and start walking, either, because of Shego's broken legs.
It was a sitch that really needed all her determination and Kimness, especially since Shego didn't stop needling her about the choice of car and her lack of judgement. Shego was behind the wheel, steering and prepared to use the handbrake if necessary. She didn't need to use her feet for that.
Kim, on the other hand, was using her feet rather extensively. Luckily, the landscape was flat as a pancake so she did not need to push the car uphill any time soon. Unfortunately, on the other hand, the landscape was flat as a pancake, and they could easily see that there were no houses or gas stations for miles in any direction.
There wasn't much traffic on the dirt road they had taken, either, and it had been more than an hour since they had seen the last car.
==##0##==
Kim was actually on the verge of giving up when they finally heard a car approaching. She straightened up and prepared to flag it down. Their disguises should be good for at least getting a lift to the nearest town, and they would just have to figure out how to get some new transport when they got there.
Amazingly enough, though, the car turned out to be a small tow truck. It was fairly old and battered, but the faded letters on the doors spelled "Mike's Garage", and there were stickers advertising brands of engine oil, spark plugs, tires and the like all over the vehicle.
The truck pulled in by the roadside just ahead of them, and the driver, presumably Mike himself, got out. He was a rather fat, middle-aged man in greasy coveralls, with short blond hair and very red skin, but he was a welcome sight in Kim's eyes.
"Hi there, ladies! Outta gas?"
"Oh, Could you help?" Kim asked sweetly. ""We have plenty of gas, but the engine just kind of totally seized on us."
"Why didn't you just call for assistance with your cell phone? I'm in the book, you know, could have been here real quick for you!"
"Yeah, dead battery, unfortunately. Should teach me not to forget the charger at home, shouldn't it?"
Mike the mechanic opened the hood at the back of the car, and whistled softly. "Lady, what have you been doing to the poor thing? It looks like you've set off a bomb, back here, or something!"
"Looks bad, huh? Is there anything you can do?"
"Not out here, there ain't! I'll need to tow it in. You can all ride up in the front with me, although it'll be a bit of a squeeze."
"Well, you see, my friend doesn't do squeezing all that well at the moment, she's hurt her legs..."
Shego helpfully waved the crutches Kim had gotten for her the evening before, but left in the car for the night.
"Oh, that's all right, she can stay where she is, then, I'll just get your front wheels up on the dolly, and off we go!"
Kim giggled a bit at that, giving Dolores 'Dolly' Gomez a wink. "That'll be just spankin!"
==##0##==
Mike's Garage was located just on the outskirts of the first small town they came to. It looked as old and weathered as the tow truck, and also sold used cars. Very used cars, by the look of it. The VW would feel right at home.
Mike towed the VW up to the middle of the lot and jumped out of the cab, carrying a small briefcase.
He set it by the driver's door of the Bug and took out a book of receipts.
"So, ladies, that'll be twenty bucks for the tow. For the rest, I'll be honest. I could try to repair the car for you, but I seriously doubt it would be worth it. You would be much better off with a new car, and as you can see I have a bit of a choice for you right here."
Kim got out from the passenger side of the VW, and looked around the lot. It might be a wide choice, but mostly between old and older, and more or less crappy.
"Thanks," she said with an innocent smile, "but I'm not sure we can actually afford a new car..."
"Oh, don't worry, I'm sure I have something here that I can make you a good offer on. How about this, for instance? Jeep Cherokee? Not new, granted, but it runs!"
The Cherokee was incredibly rusty. It was a wonder it held together at all. And 'not new' seemed to translate to it being the 1976 model.
"Oh, I' don't know much about cars," Kim said, giving a good impression of air-headed blond. "Is it any good, d'you think?"
"Oh, way better than what you have now. And, come on, I'll give you a good price. What do you say to 4 grand?"
Shego gave a sharp intake of breath. Even Kim could easily see that the quoted price was nothing short of highway robbery.
"A little too expensive, huh? Well, don't you worry, I'm sure we can work something out."
Kim was suddenly very aware of the fact that Mike's Garage was quite a distance from the closest neighbours, and that they were now in the back behind the building itself, not easily visible from the road.
Mike stepped up close beside her.
"Lets make a deal, shall we? I'll swap it for your VW, if only... you could see your way to showing some … proper gratitude, if you take my meaning?"
The meaning was quite clear, especially as Mike now brought up a greasy hand and grabbed her ass.
"Oh, come on, now! Good-looking girl like you! Ain't no other way you can easily buy a car around this town! Just half an hour and you can be on your way!"
His voice had dropped to a soft whisper probably intended to be seductive. He backed Kim up against a large stack of tires and leaned in, clearly intending to kiss her. The hand not groping her behind grabbed her t-shirt and pulled hard.
Oh, shit, Kim thought. Why did this have to happen?
==##0##==
Suddenly, a flash went off, making the mechanic snap his head around towards the Bug.
"Oops!" Shego said innocently. "Just playing around with your cell phone camera, here!"
She had dumped the contents of Mike's briefcase on the ground beside the car and had been lucky enough to find something useful.
"Give me that, you bitch!" the garage owner shouted, all traces softness gone from his voice. He was so red in the face that Kim almost though he might have a heart seizure.
"Uh-huh!" Shego said, closing and looking the door of the little car. "Not if you can't ask nicely!"
She started quickly pressing the keys on the phone, while Mike furiously pulled at the door-handle, swearing and sweating.
"Now," Shego said sharply. "Listen up, dip-stick! With this button I just sent the snapshot of you and my girlfriend here to a friend of mine! You can't get at it and you can't erase it! I've got it safe!! Now … let's talk about this deal, hm?"
"You dam' bitch! Who do you think you are? Thelma and bloody Louise? Just get the hell out of there and I'll teach you a lesson!"
"Tsk, tsk, tsk! Let's just see what you have, here, on speed dial. Is there a Mrs. Mike, do you think? Or a doting mother, perhaps?"
The colour left the face of the irate mechanic. He went from stop-signal red to white as a sheet, except for the reddish blood vessels on his nose and cheeks. The effect was much like the make-up of a clown, and Kim almost let out a nervous giggle.
"No? Shall we perhaps go over the deal on the Cherokee again then, shall we? I believe you said you'd do a straight swap for the bug?"
Mike leaned his head on the roof of the VW, panting. "OK, take the dam' car. Let's just forget all this, shall we? Just get out of here!"
"We'll take the car, and also a receipt, please! Make it out for … what did you say it was worth? Four thousand? Yeah, write that, date it and sign it, thank yo'!"
The block of receipts was on the ground by the drivers door. Mike grabbed it and wrote quickly.
"Good boy! Now, keys, please? Give them to Sue, there, and let her check that it starts!"
Kim took the keys, and started the Jeep. She left the engine running and got out again, looking at Shego for instructions.
"Very good, Piggy-Boy! Now, give Sue the keys to the truck, and get inside it! … Excellent. Sue, throw them out in the lot, as far as you can, and then come and get me!"
Kim did just that, and then carried Shego over to the Jeep. She got their belongings from the back of the Bug, and jumped in behind the wheel.
"Is there any gas in it? Half full, is it? Then step on it and lets get out of here!"
Kim turned the car around. When she had turned it pointing towards the exit of the lot, Mike had gotten out of his truck again, and was beginning to run after them. It was uncertain what he was hoping to achieve, but he probably wasn't thinking all too clearly.
Shego waved happily with her hand out of the window. "Bye, then, Mikey! Pleasure doing business with you!" she sang out sweetly as Kim pulled out of the lot and on to road with a spin of the tires.
==##0##==
A few miles out of town, Kim pulled over. She went out of the car and started vomiting by the roadside. Shego could only wait for her to finish, not being able to get out of the car on her own.
After a while, Kim came back in and resumed driving. She was pale and shivering, with streaks of tears down her cheeks.
"Kim, we gotta talk," Shego said after a while. Kim said nothing.
"Kim, listen, we've got to decide what we are doing, here."
Still no response.
"Look, I have a suggestion. Just help me get in contact with someone I can trust, and that can lend me some money, and I can get out of the country. There are some places in South America where I could easily disappear. You could walk into any Police Station afterwards, and say I made you do it! You're a hero, they will believe you, And I'll be out of your life, for good!"
"No."
"Huh? No? Pumpkin, you're not thinking straight, here!"
"I said no! I don't want to do that. Look, I understand these people with the black jets are dangerous. And I get it, the GJ is now obviously not Mr. Nice Guy anymore. But I refuse to accept what just happened! I just can't accept it! We'll find the black-ops and take them down, and there must be a way to blow the whistle on this new-style GJ bastards!"
"Kim, stop! Do you understand what you are saying? Do you understand how difficult - no, downright impossible - it will be to pull that off?"
"Shut it, Dolly! 'Impossible' is so not my name! Best case scenario, it's just that bastard of a Lieutenant who's a bad apple, and we can easily flush him out! Worst case, the whole bloody agency is bent, and we'll just have to take it elsewhere. I don't know where; Congress perhaps? The press?"
Shego thought for a while, and then sighed.
"Kim, I understand what you want to do, and I sympathise! Believe me, I do! But please think about what it will put you through! Life on the run, without friends, without money, is no picnic! Just think what that filthy sleaze-bag back at the garage nearly did to you!"
"We can get us some money. And I think I have a friend. Don't I?"
Shego groaned and covered her face with both hands.
"Yes, Kim, you have. And don't think I'm not grateful for what you've already done for me. And yeah, I'll regret it, but I will stay with you if you want me to! I owe you that! But please be very sure you want to do this! And be sure to remember it, also, when things start going south! 'Cause, mark my words, they will! This can go so badly, you really have no idea!"
"All right! I'm sure! Can we get on with it, now?"
Shego peeked at Kim over the fingers still covering her face.
"Aw, come on, Dolly! I can do anything, remember?"
"That was a green-eyed, red-head teenage hero, if I recall. Now I'm stuck with this hot young blond and blue-eyed woman. Can she do anything at all, you think?"
"Wait and see! You'll be surprised!"
==##0##==
They continued driving, mostly in silence. After a while, Shego brought up an important question.
"Hey, Princess, where are we going, anyway? You have some place in mind?"
"Yep! I figure we need to lay low for a while, and get us some time to figure things out. And I know just the place."
"You do, huh? Somewhere nobody will think of looking, I hope?"
"I think so. You see, my uncle Slim has a small hunting lodge that he doesn't use all that much. It's really out in the wilderness, up in Wyoming. That's why I've turned us 'round, heading north. There'll be nobody around, I can promise!"
"A bit risky, Pumpkin! He's a relative, after all, and your family must know that you know about it!"
"Dad will never tell. And uncle Slim? He's not really all that keen on talking to the authorities. Nothing special, it's just that people around where he lives like to mind their own business…"
"Hm…"
"Yeah, and there's always a good supply of food and stuff, and some hunting rifles, at the lodge! And we'll hear anyone coming for miles!"
"OK, I give! Food sounds good, at the moment! Let's make for Uncle Slim's cabin, by all means. But if we can't think of a good plan for what you want to do, then promise me that you'll reconsider your options!"
"Oh, we'll think of something! Just look at how brilliant you were, coming up with how to handle Gross Guy, back there!"
"That was luck, Kimmie, just luck! What if he hadn't left his cell phone at my feet, huh? What then?"
"Aw, you'd have thought of something else! Still, a question? Who did you send the photo to?"
"Why, to your Mum, of course! Where did you think I'd send it?"
"Ha-ha, Dolly! I very much doubt you have the number of my mother's cell!"
"Could have!! But no, you're right. I actually sent it to ole man Senior! I figured it would be safe with him. The GJ is not likely to get close enough to snoop in his affairs."
"Good call. I'm not too sure I like the idea of him seeing that picture of me, though."
"Don't worry, he's a gentleman and he has probably seen worse in his days. Now, if Junior were to get hold of it, …"
"Shego!!"
==##0##==
That night, they slept in the car. The less traces they left of their movements, the better. Also, they had to save the very little money they had left.
Kim had learned early on that it could be a very good idea to carry some cash on her missions. She could never be too certain of where she'd end up, or if she would need some money for food, transport or something else.
She hadn't taken all that much on this latest mission, though, mostly expecting it to be no more than a day's flying over the power lines.
The little they had left had to be used for putting gas in the car, first of all. And if they had anything left after that, they could consider eating. All else was a luxury they could ill afford.
Luckily, the Cherokee was quite a big car, much bigger than the VW Bug, Kim had to admit, and they could make themselves more or less comfortable for the night.
"Hey, Kimmie, look!" Shego said just as they had settled in. She held up her hand. Although there were no flames around it, it did take on a pale green light, a bit like the luminous numbers on an old-fashioned alarm clock. "Hey, it's coming back!"
"Booyah! That's a good sign, isn't it?"
"Sure is! I probably shouldn't go about flinging green bolts of plasma around, but if the fire comes back, that means I can start healing fast again!"
"Spankin! If that means that I won't have to carry you out into the bush every time you need to pee, I'm all for it!"
==##0##==
Things were not going too bad, Kim thought. OK, the VW had been a disaster, but now they had a much better car. They knew where they were going. Shego hadn't outright refused to go along with her plan, even if she hadn't exactly been enthusiastic. And if Shego's powers were coming back, she'd soon be on her feet again, wouldn't she?
Yes, all in all, Kim was satisfied with the choices she had made. She couldn't really have done anything else. She wouldn't forget Mike in a hurry, though, and what he had wanted to do to her. Nothing like that had ever happened during any of her previous missions. And she'd make damn sure it never happened again.
Shego's even breathing was testimony to her having fallen quickly asleep. Kim lay awake far a long time that night, too.
==##0##==
A/N. Life on the run is not that easy and not that glamorous. Life sure has a lot of nasty knocks prepared for poor Kim. At least they have some sort of a plan.
Anyway, please read and review! And if I get something wrong about the geography of the US, for instance, please let me know! I've never been to Wyoming in my life!
