
Okay, straight to the Disclaimer: I do not own Kim Possible, or any other characters from that show, or any other media that I may reference in my stories.
This chapter might get a little rough in spots.
Once again emerging from the cell area into the main passage, Shego cautiously checked both directions before signaling Kim to join her. "Well, we don't know where either of the doors flanking this one lead, or the right hand one opposite us. Odds are, the exit from this place is uphill, so that is probably up this passage to the left. And that leaves to the right still a mystery."
Kim gestured directly across the passage. "The babies were in the central room, last we saw them." Her priorities were obvious.
"Yeah, and they will still be there for a while, I think. Let's explore before we burden ourselves with them." Kim frowned at the 'burden'. Shego rolled her eyes, "Kimmie, can we fight effectively if we're carrying two babies? We need to make sure we aren't going to be jumped, before we try and take them out." The frown remained, but the girl nodded. "Okay, let's try to the right, first, and look in that doorway." The no longer pale thief suited her actions to her words, moving along the wall to the right, and peering into the next opening. Kim kept a ten foot distance between them, and kept up a constant visual sweep of the rear. At least the air in the central passage seemed warmer, somehow, an important point when one is half-naked, and already weak.
Apparently all the side doors had the same structure, and Shego moved cautiously down the short hallway towards the room at the opposite end. She saw crates and boxes of various sizes stacked within, and soon discovered that the single large chamber the hallway opened into was in fact just a storeroom. And one box drew her attention almost immediately. "Well, Kimmie, I think our wardrobe problems are over with." The box was already open, and just half full, but Shego reached in and pulled out a plastic bag containing folded green cloth. "Surgical greens, Princess, catch!" The girl actually had to brace herself to insure the lightweight package didn't unbalance her, she felt so weak. And using both hands to make the catch also resulted in a sitch familiar to her, though usually suffered by Ron. Shego's smirk didn't help, as Kim flamed red again.
Pulling out another set of greens, Shego pulled them on over her underwear. "No sign of footwear, I'm afraid, Kimmie." Perusing some of the other boxes, Shego's eyes widened, "Still hungry, Princess? Got some canned Vienna sausage here. Also some crackers." She grinned, "Kimmie want a cracker? Gah!, sorry I said that!" Kim had pulled on a set of greens with obvious relief, but still had the bush pants slung over one shoulder. Responding to Shego's jibe with a mere rolling of the eyes, she zeroed in on the food crate.
Twenty minutes later, keeping wary eyes fixed on the doorway, the two had polished off a fair amount of food. Taking so much time might not have been smart, but at the moment, the need for a full stomach overrode common sense. Then something occurred to Shego. "Hey, Possible, how did you know that Reithan was a Time Lord?"
"Oh, that drug she gave me to knock me out didn't do a good job. Maybe the stuff already in my system fouled it up, I don't know. Anyway, I was sort of conscious the whole time she was bringing us here. And the sound a TARDIS makes isn't something you forget easily." She didn't mention the curious pawing she received from one of the Rani's pets in transit, before it was ordered to behave itself. "The Rani's sounds a bit smoother, and definitely quieter than the Doctor's."
Shego nodded, "Probably takes better care of it, or it's newer, doesn't really matter, I just wonder where she is, now."
(In point of fact, working her way through the complete vocabulary of Tetrap profanity, while trying to enter a working code to unlock her TARDIS)
"Okay, break time is up, let's get on with this, before she turns up." Shego led the way again, out into the main passage, and to the right again, downslope. After thirty or so feet, she vaguely saw a wall cutting off the passage, but there was an entrance on either side, roughly forty feet ahead. "T-junction ahead, Kimmie." She checked over her shoulder, and wasn't surprised to see Kim's eyes lingering on one particular entrance. "I know, Princess, we'll be back for them, I promise."
Approaching the right side entrance, Shego first looked across and down the opposite one, and saw a dim light coming from it. Looking down the near one, she saw the same thing, a distant light source, and not a very bright one. She slipped into the passage and advanced cautiously. She impulsively tried her new plasma as a light source, and found it marginally better than her old. She didn't keep it on long, of course, only a few seconds, to avoid making a target of herself.
When she reached the end of the passage, she estimated it's length at just over one hundred feet. It ended in what she first dismissed as just an empty chamber, until she noticed a square outline in the dust. "Ah! Here's where she parks her TARDIS, Kimmie, which means she isn't home at the moment." She looked around. "Wish there was a way to set up an alarm, or something. Still, we should be able to hear her when she arrives, quieter model TARDIS or not."
They returned to the T-junction, then headed down the opposite passage, Kim again trailing Shego. As they moved down the passage, Shego began to smell something strong. The Rani's beasts. Then, at the sixty foot mark, she suddenly was hit with noise! A cacophony of roars, screeches, and other animal-like noises. It was so loud, she recoiled physically. Behind her, Kim stopped, then checked the rear quickly, before returning her attention to Shego. The woman backed up, looking at the walls and ceiling. She spotted something, and gestured for Kim to come closer.
What she had found appeared to be a row of small metal triangles, running up both walls, and across the ceiling. "I don't know how, but these are generating some form of sound-suppression field, Princess. Step across this line, but be prepared."
Kim did as instructed, but didn't stay long, stepping quickly back with her hands slapped over her ears. "Ouch! There must be a lot of those creatures down there!"
Shego nodded grimly, "Yep! The Rani's, and maybe Amy's as well. Ah, Hell, I need to see if there's one of these barriers down the other passage. If there is, we won't be hearing the Rani when she comes back. Meet me at the junction, Okay?" When Kim nodded, Shego took off at a jog. Kim followed more slowly, and stopped at the junction, leaning back against the wall, facing up the main passage. "Weak, but I'm going to find those little girls, they're not going to be the Rani's pets, or lab rats, or whatever. Are we on our own? I know Ron and Wade won't stop looking for me, but how can they find me here, wherever I am?"
Shego's return brought her out of her musings. "Yep, there's one down that way, too. The TARDIS returning isn't going to warn us."
"Well, we still have some rooms to explore, shall we?"
"Might as well, didn't bring a deck of cards."
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Charley Cob was out of things to distract her from her worries. Since her latest interaction with the Gallifreyan Matrix, her swimming lessons had been put on hold so she could rest up, as well as any other physical activities. The other girls were being taught chess by Sam in the house, but for some reason, Charley couldn't get interested in the game. So she was currently sitting outside, soaking up some sun, and trying not to give in to her doubts about her plan.
Thinking of her swimming lessons did cause her eyes to stray guiltily to her bikini, still hanging from a short clothesline near the pool entrance, where she had left it to dry after her last lesson, the night Ron had encountered the Rani. She usually was very tidy, and leaving something like that undone was uncharacteristic of her. But, she just couldn't seem to gather the energy to just go over and take it down and back to her room.
And it wasn't the Matrix's effect on her that was holding her back. With things so very uncertain about Kim, Shego, and the Rani, she was beginning to fear doing anything, even the most normal of things. Almost as if she didn't want to draw attention to herself by moving. Reminding people that it was her plan in operation, having them look to her for reassurance, scared her.
She was drawn out of her pessimistic thoughts by the appearance of Jen Paladin, approaching from the direction of the outdoor firing range. Dressed in cut-offs and a sports bra, the tall mercenary was hauling two five-gallon buckets, which from the strain showing in her muscles were quite heavy. Ben and Roy floated alongside her. She saw Charley, and came over, setting the two buckets down before dropping into another chair. Charley saw that the buckets were both full of spent bullets.
"Those little guys are pretty useful, this was a lot easier then digging up the bank, and sifting the dirt to retrieve the bullets." Jen commented.
Charley grinned, "Yeah, well, I'm glad they have something to occupy themselves, I..." And she was then interrupted by a loud shout from the direction of the workshop. "Who the Hell has been messing with these Guns!?" There then followed a string of nine words you shouldn't say to a Nun. Both women jumped halfway to their feet, looking at the figure approaching them.
About Five Eight, and nearly 230 pounds, most of it muscle, "Abe" Aberdeen was the mercenaries' personal gunsmith and armorer. Thick red hair, with a matching beard and mustache, crowned his head. Handsome he was not, with a very large nose dominating his face, and too much intensity in his blue eyes for most people's comfort. The fact his clothes always looked as if he slept in them, and a preference for ratty looking, open toed sandals didn't help his appearance. And in a temper, as he was now, his forehead had furrows in it that looked like they could hold the pencil that was stuck behind his right ear, or two or three spare ones.
"Aberdeen, what are you talking about?" Jen asked the irate gunsmith.
"Your new weapon system, that's what I'm talking about! Someone has been at it, making changes! Come see for yourself!" And he spun about and stormed back to the workshop, with both Jen and Charley trailing behind.
Once inside, they examined the three-barreled monster Abe had been building for Jen. They easily noticed that several metal parts of the recoil system were now blue, instead of their original color. And that a short magazine was inserted into the lower, .50 caliber, weapon. "I don't know who did that, but it's fixed!" Abe pointed at the magazine, "And it can't hold more than five rounds, for certain, half what I promised you!" Charley found another piece of the blue metal on the bench, and began examining it. "This is odd, it's lighter then steel, and I think this is it's natural color."
Abe took the metal from her, hefting it, "I have never seen metal that had this shade of blue as it's 'natural' color, young lady. It has a solid 'feel' to it, though." He frowned as he looked more closely at the piece. Jen, meanwhile, was looking at the magazine. "This has a hinged bottom on it, Abe." She flicked a catch, and the bottom fell open.
"Hmm? Well, what would that be for? Not for replacing the spring, for certain."
Jen suddenly stood up, eyes widening. "There is no spring inside, Abe. Just a minute." She walked over to the ammo vault, while Charley tried to get a look up into the magazine, but there wasn't enough clearance between the bottom and the bench. Jen returned with a box of fifty-caliber ammunition. Opening it, she took one round, and placing it below the magazine, pushed it up into the slot. When she took her hand away, the bullet didn't fall out. As Abe blinked in surprise, she then pushed five more rounds into the magazine. Watching the gunsmith's dumbfounded face, she then began to insert more. At twelve, the bottom abruptly snapped shut. "Well, I guess she's full."
Abe's jaw worked for several seconds with nothing coming out. Charley simply looked at the weapon with a puzzled look, not about what had been done, or even who had done it, but why? "What the devil kind of trickery is this?!" Abe finally spat out, "How did you do that?" He examined the bullets still in the box to see if they were some kind of trick.
"Don't look at me, I think some friends of Charley's have been at work here." Jen looked to the girl for confirmation.
She shrugged, "Only answer I can think of, but why would they?" Then she looked at Jen, "And is that all they did?"
The mercenary studied the weapon a moment longer, then nodded, "Only one way to find out." She unclamped the assembly from the bench and lifted it. "Hmm, didn't make it that much lighter, I...wait a sec." She seemed to be trying to elevate the weapon, then depress it, but it stayed level, though she had no trouble traversing it from side to side. "Huh? How is this supposed to work, it isn't much good...Hold it, let me try something." She put the weapon down, and began putting on the support harness. Abe helped her settle it properly. She then lifted the weapon again, and took hold of the two handgrips, one besides the fifty-caliber's breech, which included the trigger for the bigger weapon, and one on the opposite side, at the midpoint of the system, with the trigger for the twin-linked P90s. With both grips firmly grasped, she had no trouble moving the weapon around as she pleased. "I think I know what's going on here, let's head out to the range."
Despite his confusion, Abe didn't forget the basics. "If you're planning to fire that, you should put a blouse on, or those straps are going to rub your shoulders raw."
"One shot is all I need to test my theory, Abe, don't worry." She then led the others out to the range. When they arrived, she gave Abe a sheepish look. "Eh, you were probably right, bare skin wasn't a good idea." She ran a finger under the straps over here shoulders, which were leaving red indentations in her skin. "Better get this over with." She took a well-braced stance, and leveled the weapon at the target. A small red dot appeared in the center of it. And then she fired, as Charley covered her ears. The weapons muzzle barely seemed to jump. Abe, studying the weapon, not the target, looked pleased, but puzzled. "Now that didn't look like much at all."
"No, didn't feel like much, either. All the blue parts are in line, I notice. I think something is running through them, something that keeps them aligned horizontally, unless I have the grips squeezed. Oh, there's a switch here." She fiddled with something below the rear trigger, and suddenly the gun drooped in her hands. "And that switched it off." She leveled the weapon again, and fired. The recoil this time was substantial, but she rode it well, as if from experience. "Ah, just like the last test firing. So, someone improved the recoil suppression, and gave me a fixed, reloadable magazine. Did you see if your ammo hopper for the 5.7mm ammo was messed with?"
Abe shook his head, "Not yet. Now, let's get that off you, before you cut off circulation to something important."
The removed harness had left some notable marks on the woman. "Okay, I don't often make such a mistake, but no harm done." Jen said, while rubbing at some of the marks, "Let's go back to the workshop, and check the hopper."
But they never made it there. Belle Reeder ran out of the house and called to them, "Guys, come here, quick! There's something on the TV you should see, about Kim Possible!"
It wasn't what one wanted to come home to after a successful morning. Anne Possible had finally gotten 'back in the saddle' at the hospital, performing her first surgical procedure since Kim's disappearance. There was no choice in the matter, as far as she was concerned, the patient was one who she had personally invested a great deal of time persuading them that the surgery was the right thing to do. She had been up at four, and at the hospital by six. The surgery and post-op procedures had kept her there until ten-thirty, and she had returned home tired but happy with the whole matter. Until she turned on the television.
Nearly two months ago, now, Kim had taken two women to find and talk to Shego. All four had then ended up going to Go City, to deal with some kind of white slavery ring involving an orphanage there. And the next thing Anne knew, she was flying there in response to reports that her daughter had been badly injured by some villain running some kind of SM 'show', apparently involving teenagers as victims, and younger children were somehow involved.
She had been relieved on arrival to be told the actual physical damage was minor, but shocked to discover it's nature. Though Kim's 'crucifixion' had been symbolic rather then literal, It was still a disturbing image to Anne. Her daughter's hands had been nailed to a wooden panel, with two wooden pegs under her armpits actually supporting her body weight. Her positioning had been in the classic pose, however. Though physically not too badly hurt, psychologically, Kim had been a complete wreck when Anne first saw her, even with significant sedation.
And then the Reverend Willward and his sister had arrived. Anne hadn't paid much attention to the scandalous details of their father's death, or how badly shaken his spiritual empire had been. She and her family preferred a simple church service, not the big rallies and stadium shows that some large religious groups seemed to think were necessary.
Sarah Willward had been very nice, but then so had her brother at first, all sincere concern for Kim, requesting to speak with her, which Anne couldn't seem to muster any reason to forbid. But, minutes later, Sarah had begun to frown during their friendly chat, and insisted on going into Kim's room, where they found the Reverend manhandling the terrified girl, and saying horrible things to her. If it weren't for Anne's immediate concern, that Kim's IV had been torn out, she might have given the Reverend quite a lesson in what violence maternal protective instincts could generate. Not that his own sister was any too gentle. She had been an MP in the US Army, and knew how to subdue someone, forcibly.
After Hospital security had dragged the man away to await the police, Anne had held Kim for what seemed to be hours, as the girl told her everything that had happened to her, how she had gotten herself into the whole mess, which subsequently turned out not to be entirely true.
Anne had found herself torn over the simple question of whether or not to convince her daughter not to give up, with the risk that it would lead to greater harm in the future, and the desire to let her take her fears to heart, and turn away from her dangerous life and be safe. Of course, in the end, she did the right thing. Letting Kim's spirit be crushed, even slightly, was something she would probably not have been able to live with.
Any hope that her daughter's ordeal would be kept from the public died the next morning, when a blurred video clip of her being menaced by Shego began to appear on the Internet, and subsequently on TV news programs, albeit edited for content. The possible existence of a more detailed and longer clip had been rumored ever since. Federal and Police authorities had requested that any such video be turned over to them, since it constituted evidence in the ongoing investigation. But it was nearly inevitable, according to some, that it would instead go to the highest bidder behind the scenes. And now, apparently, it had.
The program Anne tuned into unintentionally was going to be a debate between legal experts concerning the ongoing arguments on whether or not the villain, Armand Macheles, had 'controlled' his audience, or merely 'influenced' them, and whether or not their attendance had been voluntary or not. But first, the commentator moderating the debate was offering a summary of what the tape would show.
"We, of course, cannot show the uncensored version of the clip on this station, and even with the traditional pixelation, or 'blurring', many parts still cannot be shown. There is no audio accompanying the clip, but an audio recording is believed to be in the hands of the United States Attorney's office, which has been charged with supervising this case, since local Prosecutors are believed to be compromised. So, with apologies for those who prefer seeing things with their own eyes, I will merely be describing the content of the recording, rather then displaying it."
"To begin, the clip shows Armand Macheles, who is claimed by many concerned to have had some form of 'psychic' power, on the stage of the old Dunn Theater, in Bayborough, the western district of Go City. The Dunn was converted to a dinner theater nine years ago, but this failed to save the institution, which closed it's doors four years later. It has since belonged to a holding company owned in turn by Macheles, and was just one of the venues he used for his shows."
"In the middle of a spiel to his audience, Macheles is interrupted by Shego, who has since been credited with assisting the Federal authorities in closing Macheles down, though they also say that her actions here were premature and unnecessarily endangered many people. In any event, she is clearly angry at Macheles, approaching him with her hands enveloped by her green energy and clearly shouting at him. But suddenly, she stops, her energy vanishes, and she suddenly seems to be unfocused, actually acting as if drugged."
"Macheles then summons two of his female employees, also indecently dressed, and they are accompanied by two female minors. They remove Shego's clothing, making a show of it, and without resistance. Throughout this, Shego seems confused, which seems to support those who claim 'control' as Macheles' power. After a brief speech to his audience, Macheles makes the most shocking revelation of the evening." Even in the absence of any illustration accompanying the narration, Anne winced.
"A revolving panel turns to show teen heroine Kim Possible, naked or nearly so, and apparently crucified, though on a flat panel, rather then a cross. She is obviously in great pain, but aware of her surroundings. It is at this point that prosecutors say that Macheles is not controlling Shego, since it takes considerable time and coaxing to get her to approach Kim Possible, though with what intent is unknown."
"At this point, out of frame, an individual identified as Jennifer Paladin enters the stage, and orders Macheles to halt his activities. It is to be noticed that at this point, Shego stops her approach to Kim Possible, and in fact backs away from her. Macheles' bodyguard, one time pro prospect Anthony Belacost, AKA Anthony Bell, AKA Anthony Belk, steps up besides his boss, confronting Miss Paladin. Another point in the prosecutors' favor is the fact that Macheles apparently could not control, or even influence, Miss Paladin, so he and his bodyguard resorted to violence, both drawing handguns. In the case of Belacost, two handguns at once."
"It is during this exchange of shots, in which both men are killed without firing their own weapons, that the camera is dislodged from whatever place it was secured, and falls to the floor amidst the audience, who at this point tried to flee the premises, only to find all entrances secured by Federal Agents and Marshals. There is no more relevant content on the video, before the camera is discovered by an FBI agent several minutes later." As he turned to address one of the debating groups, Anne switched the TV off.
Her face was angry, yet tears ran down her face. "Please, don't let that be the last image of my little girl that people see! After all she has done, why couldn't they give her some consideration? Most of those people aren't even being charged with serious crimes, they are just trying to save their reputations! Oh, God, if...when she gets back, how will she deal with this?" The ringing of the doorbell interrupted her thoughts. She scowled at the door, then stood and marched angrily towards it. Had a reporter, of any kind, been on her doorstep, what happened next might have become R-Rated for violence. But it was no reporter. To her astonishment, it was Wade Load.
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Jen Paladin stalked slowly away from her house, arms folded across her chest, a scowl on her face. She remembered all too well the events just described on the TV. And those that weren't...
"We are waiting for Special Agent in Charge Deal to get here, he should be here in five minutes or so." The voice came through Jen's cellphone, her only means of coordinating with the Federal/Global Justice Task Force hastily assembled for this raid. The mercenary was already running short of patience, the fact that it had been Wade Load who had directed them to the Dunn, instead of Kim and Shego, already had her thinking that somebody wasn't being a team player, and she had a good idea it was Shego. "Only interested in avenging her friend." she thought. Getting in had been suspiciously easy, the man guarding the rear door, a local villain known as Pseudo Sumo, had abruptly walked away and left it unguarded, allowing the pair to sneak in.
She peered through the side curtains out at the stage, and saw what was about to happen. Shifting her .45 in it's holster, she nodded at Sam, who gave her a grin, and a thumb's up, before heading for the backstage area.
Jen raised her cell to her mouth. "Five minutes are too long, but we can probably hold the fort until then, Paladin, out." She quickly pocketed it before stepping through the curtains onto the stage. Macheles saw her immediately, and his bodyguard stepped up, all six-eight and 290 pounds of him, with two four-inch .44 Magnum revolvers holstered on his hips, butt forward for a double cross draw. Macheles also had a gun, a far too fancy 9mm he wore openly. Probably to better hide the drabness of his clothes. His fancy 'show' suit was somewhere in the back, covered with Kim's vomit. He had gotten too close to her, taunting her with is plans for the evening after she was nailed to the wall. Now he just wore a plain black suit and white shirt.
Shego was four feet from Kim, and Jen could clearly see the wide-eyed look of terror on the girl's face. She was trying to talk, trying to plead with Shego, but for some reason she wasn't making any sound. Jen moved to her left, to clear her line of fire past Shego. "That's Enough of this!" She proclaimed, not very loudly, but her voice carried well by it's nature, and she knew how to use it. Shego stopped, then staggered back a step or two.
Macheles didn't seem fazed, though. "Well, well, what have we here? Another player for our play? A Black Knight, by her dress, not a shining one? And with a knight on her breast..." He suddenly faltered, as he realized something was wrong. He wasn't getting anger, or rage, from his foe. She was regarding him with as much dispassion as she would a cockroach, it seemed. There was nothing there to manipulate...so he panicked. His bodyguard sensed it, too, and reached for his guns. Hoping the big lug was fast enough, or at least that he would draw the first fire, Macheles clawed for the gun at his own waist.
It wasn't even close. The long barrel of Jen's .45 was at eye level before Belacost got his guns clear, her body turned to reduce her silhouette, and then two bullets, in rapid succession, hit the bodyguard in the throat and mouth. And without hesitation, she switched aim to Macheles, and put one through his forehead, just above his right eyebrow. She was still aware of other things, like Shego's plasma flaring as she regained control of her own mind. And the audience surging to their feet, and flooding towards the exits, knocking over chairs and a couple of tables in their wake. And two muffled reports from backstage, which she was fairly sure were from Sam's own .45.
And then it happened. As her two targets collapsed to the floor, Shego suddenly turned and lunged towards Kim. She grabbed hold of the nails through Kim's palms and tore them out of the wood, and the girl's hands, all at once. Then she caught the teenager in her arms, and collapsed to her knees, embracing her. Jen strode towards them. She could see the terrified look still in Kim's eyes, the stiffness of her body. Jen was going to pull them apart, and she even had adjusted her grip on her gun, prior to possibly slugging Shego with it, when something happened that stopped her dead in her tracks.
She became aware that Shego was crying, sobs causing visible convulsions. And then the fear suddenly left Kim's eyes, and her body relaxed. She then put her arms around the older woman, blood dripping from her hands, and patted her on the back with one, while hugging her with the other. And she said, so softly Jen barely caught it, "Don't cry, Ana." And then she passed out. Shego panicked, just for a moment, before she realized the girl was just unconscious. She started to shout, but Jen beat her to it, calling for a medic, and so Shego subsided, and held the unconscious teen until paramedics arrived.
Sam emerged from backstage with a blanket, and Shego's clothes. A female Marshal, or possibly a disguised GJ agent, hovered nervously around trying to decide what to do about Shego. Fortunately, she decided on discretion. Jen wasn't able to lie in Shego's defense, not after what she had done, so she stayed silent later when asked if Shego had been on their side. Sam had fielded the question, answering with a half-truth that allowed the pale thief to go free for that night, at least.
And now, the tall merc was trying to deal with those memories. "How could Kim...after all that had been done to her, and with an enemy, whose fault it was she had that done to her..." Jen shook her head, angrily. "Of course, she didn't know Shego had let her down, or did she? Did she figure it out when she saw Shego on the stage alone? And if so, how the Hell could she forgive her for that?!" But the answer wasn't that hard to see. "Because she's Kim Possible, that's why. She isn't a big, cynical bitch of a mercenary like you, Paladin!"
"Well, are you finally going to tell me what has been biting you about that night, or do I have to threaten to withhold sexual favors?" Jen turned to give Sam her most sarcastic look. The blond shrugged, "Hey, it's that, or threaten to cut my hair short, so you can't braid it in the nude anymore."
Jen blushed slightly at that, then just expelled her breath in a huff, and leaned against the wall of the pool house "Nothing new, just another lesson on how deficient I am in forgiveness."
Sam nodded sagely, "Oh, that old problem! Can't understand how Kim can forgive Shego, and apparently trust her now?" She paused for a moment, "Well, to tell the truth, that is a little much for me, too. But, oddly, I trust her judgment. I mean, her plan that night wasn't bad, it wasn't her fault it went wrong. We should have anticipated Shego's actions."
Jen gave her a look, "I did anticipate them, but we had some interference...never mind, that's past!" She gestured towards the house, "But those four girls in there are right, you know, Kim is worth an extra effort to save." She suddenly grinned, "And I need to field-test my new weapon system..." then her face went back to grim, "But we need a client, we have to be compensated. And besides, we can't go for the same reason they aren't taking Stoppable, they might need to evacuate more then two people from wherever they are going, so they need all the tubes on their ship free that they can manage."
She sighed, long and loudly. Then perked up a bit. "Oh, you need to see the weapon. Someone, possibly the same 'people' responsible for the girls' guns, seems to have modified it."
Sam's eyes widened, and she gave Jen a skeptical look, "Really?" At her taller partner's nod, she smiled widely, "Well, what are we standing here for, let's take a look!"
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Anne Possible returned from the kitchen, setting a soda, glass with ice, and a wrapped straw down in front of her surprise guest. She sat down, and waited patiently while Wade prepared his drink. As soon as he took his first sip, however, she cut to the chase, "Wade, do you have any news at all of Kim?"
A guilty look crossed the boy's face. "Yes, Ma'am. I had hoped to have just good news, I mean, I didn't want to come until I did, or rather, call you, but I wasn't sure the lines weren't tapped, I mean..."
Anne patted him on the shoulder, "Relax, Wade, calm down, and tell me what you do know, please?"
The boy genius nodded and took a deep breath, "Well, you, me, Ron and Charley know why Kim really disappeared. Did you tell Kim's dad?" Anne nodded. "The boys?" She shook her head, "Oh, okay then. We were right, Shego had a doctor she knew from her childhood treating Kim, which is why we can't let the truth get to the authorities, because it would get the doctor in trouble, and she's a nice woman." He looked pleadingly at Anne as he said this, and she didn't hesitate to nod agreement. "Anyway, the treatment was starting to work, but, then someone kidnapped Kim and Shego." he finished in a rush, and braced himself for her response.
"What!" The bracing wasn't enough, Wade winced and recoiled visibly at the shout. Anne calmed herself, "Sorry Wade, but...how does she manage it? Even when it isn't a villain threatening her...sometimes, I wonder what karma I passed to her, I've had such an easy life, that I sometimes think she is getting all the knocks I didn't." She smiled, ruefully, "Sounds silly, doesn't it?" Not waiting for a reply, her face grew serious again. "Do we know who kidnapped her?"
"Well...Uh, I am not sure how much to tell you, there are some serious secrets involved..."
"Note Uncaring Face!" She snapped. Wade recoiled, and Anne relented again, "Don't tell me anything that will get you in trouble, Wade."
"Not me, Doctor Possible, Charley! She's trying to keep Global Justice, and some other top secret guys, partially in the dark, because both might not put Kim's safety at the top of their priorities!"
Anne frowned at that, "And what are you doing to help her do that, Wade?"
"Not enough!" the frown deepened. "I mean it, I would do anything for Kim! But, Charley won't let me...never mind. She just asked me to plant some evidence that Kim went to DNAmy's house here in Middleton the day she disappeared, and that Shego went there, later."
"And you did?" Wade nodded, so she asked, "Why DNAmy? What does she have to do with it?"
"Well, the real villain is using Amy's lair and equipment, we think. Me and Zita are both trying to figure out where that lair is, but so far, no luck! I had to get away from my computers, and I thought of you...I should have thought to tell you earlier, I'm sorry."
He hung his head, but Anne smiled sympathetically, "It's Okay, Wade, as long as you were trying to find Kim, telling me could wait. Just, try not to do it again, if something comes up? And, as much as I appreciate what you say, please don't get yourself in trouble breaking the law, Wade, even for Kim. She really would blame herself if you were to get hurt, in any way, helping her."
He nodded contritely, "I know. We have had fights about how far I go sometimes. When she started, she didn't seem to worry about it, but I guess it was actually that she didn't really think about what I might be doing."
"Yes, she can be rather self-centered, or focused at times, even now. She really should have been more aware in the beginning, but I guess just doing what she did took too much of her attention. When she 'graduated' from cats in trees to supervillains, and you started helping her, I guess she had enough to worry about with just her, and Ron." She looked at the boy genius, "I do thank you for coming here to tell me, Wade."
"It's No Big, Doctor Possible. Well, I better get back to my computers. If Charley's plan works, I need to be there."
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Now moving upslope in the main passage, Shego and Kim were following what was now the right hand wall. Approaching one of the remaining unseen passages, they were still practicing caution. Even though the Rani was apparently not present, they had already killed the one spider outside their cell, and needed to be ready for any more patrolling, or guarding a particular place.
The next passage led to living quarters, and obviously DNAmy's, not the Rani's. Cuddlebunny posters and other paraphernalia decorated the room, though there were no representatives of Amy's vast collection. "The Rani either sleeps in her TARDIS, or down that last passage, Princess." Shego opined, "unless there is more farther up the main passage." Nothing useful was found in a quick search, save that Shego forced Kim to put on one of the mad geneticist's extra sweaters for greater warmth. Kim wrinkled her nose at the flowery scent clinging to it, but obeyed.
And then they reached the room Kim had been anxiously waiting to search. The rolling tables they had been brought in on were both pushed against one wall, and the equipment that had been used to extract the babies had been collapsed into more compact forms, and pushed into the corner. But Kim's eyes fell on the two cylinders she believed the babies had been transported into. But to her disappointment, the lids were ajar, and the cylinders obviously empty. Then she spotted a computer console at the rear of the room, and moved quickly towards it. It was half hidden by a curtain, and attached to one end of it was a large, boxy chamber on a wheeled carriage. Several cables went from the chamber to the console, in the center of which was a screen filled with symbols in a language that wasn't even vaguely familiar. "Do you think they're in there, Shego?" she asked, pointing at the wheeled chamber.
"No idea, Kimmie, and even if they are, how do we safely get them out?" Shego replied reasonably. Kim's face fell. "Listen, Princess, you stay here, while I check out that last passage." She held up her hand as Kim started to protest, "Hey, I've been doing this sort of sneaking around for years, trust me, okay? Stay here, and try and save your strength." After a moment, a frowning Kim nodded reluctant agreement. "Good! Stay here, and don't fool with anything." The thief turned and headed for the door. Behind her, Kim wagged her head and mimicked Shego's last words, silently.
After Shego had gone, Kim turned back to the console and looked at the screen again. And suddenly spotted a row of tabs along the bottom. One said 'English'. After looking around for some kind of mouse, she decided to try touching the tab with her finger. It worked, and the writing was immediately translated.
Subject Status: both fully viable. Both subjects now aged eight months, seven days.
Kim studied the screen, and spotted a tab labeled 'options'. She tapped it.
Option: Revival. Option may be safely initiated. Recommended course. Time limit until initiation: 3 days, before damage to subjects occurs.
Option: Stasis. Option may be safely initiated. Revival recommended first, as switch from one mode of suspension to a second may cause brain chemical imbalance.
Option: Termination. Option may be safely initiated. No tissue or chemical damage will result, dissection should follow.
Option: Destruction. Option may be safely initiated. Total reduction of mass to approximately three ounces residue.
Kim was appalled at the implications of the last two options. Anger hardened her expression, and she selected the first option.
Revival selected. Twenty minutes to full revival. Process can be accelerated 90 percent, with moderate risk of damage to subjects for first ten minutes, and slight risk for remaining ten minutes. Confirm revival option to start process.
Kim selected the first option again, and a countdown timer began to run. She watched it for three minutes before she started to fidget, glancing towards the door, and wondering whether Shego was all right. Then she took a look along the console, behind the curtain. And her eyes widened. Grabbing the curtain, she pulled it aside. At the opposite end of the console was another Chamber, but this one was on the floor, and stood fourteen feet high, at least. And had identical markings on it's front as the wheeled one. "Oh, Snap!"
Shego returned nine minutes later, to find Kim with a guilty look on her face. Suspicion bloomed on the thief's face, "Kimmie, did you do something we may regret?"
Kim grimaced. "Well, maybe. You see, I found out how to change the language, and I started the machine on 'revival', but then I saw that..." she pointed at the large chamber, "And I wondered which chamber I sent the command to."
Shego looked from one chamber to the other. "Yeah, Princess, that might be a problem." She rolled her eyes, "So, how long 'til we find out which one?"
Kim pointed at the timer display on the screen, "About seven and a half minutes."
"Okay, why don't you come over here, closer to the door, and get behind me? IN fact, since you might need a head start, why don't you go out in the main passage?" Kim shook her head, "Not the passage, but I'll get behind you, and give you a clear field of fire." Which she proceeded to do, but kept a clear line of sight to the timer display.
Six minutes later, a series of noises emanated from the smaller chamber. Not quite relaxing completely, Shego moved towards it. She sensed Kim right behind her as she advanced. As the timer counted down the final thirty seconds, Shego found herself holding her breath, and suspected Kim was, too. Then a buzz sounded from the chamber, and the lid cracked open. A hissing sound went on for a few seconds, then the lid rose to a vertical position. She felt Kim take hold of her arm as they both stepped up and looked in the chamber. "My God, Kim, they're..." and words failed her.
The two little girls in the chamber were both apparently asleep, though one was kicking out with her feet. One had dark red hair, the other black. The black haired girl had slightly darker skin, and seemed a bit larger. She had a small diamond shaped birthmark on her left hip. They both rested on a layer of blue padding, which lined the sides of the chamber as well.
Both women stared at the babies for nearly three minutes before Shego finally rediscovered her voice. "Well, we know who had which one, don't we?" She turned her head to look at Kim, but when the girl suddenly caught her breath, her gaze snapped back to the babies. The little red haired girl had opened her eyes, and was looking at the two of them. Then the second little girl followed suit. Both pairs of eyes were a deep, clear blue. "Not green..." Kim murmured, "Or, not yet, maybe." A smile spread across her face, and to her surprise, it was returned, by both little girls. They looked back and forth between the two faces before them, Kim's smiling one, and Shego's awestruck one. "Smile for them, Shego!" Kim hissed, and the older woman's expression began to transform into one of joy, though she still looked slightly dazed.
After a couple minutes, however, Kim noticed that goosebumps were appearing on the babies, and their smiles began to falter. "Shego, we need blankets, or something, for them!" Looking around the room produced no results, and as the babies began to fuss, Kim pulled the sweater over her head, and Shego quickly followed suit with the top to her greens. Looking at the sweater, however, and taking another sniff of it, Kim set it aside, and pulled her top off, instead. She leaned into the chamber and bundled one baby in it, then took Shego's top and wrapped the other little girl, then picking the first up, she handed her to Shego, and took up the second. Turning towards Shego, she began to speak, and then froze, staring towards the door.
Shego spun around. The Rani stood in the doorway, holding the same red and silver pistol she had frozen Shego with back in the jungle. She was disheveled, and had scratches on her face. And the look on her face was one of near rage. "What have you two done?! You've ruined them!" She raised her pistol. "And you are going to pay for it!"
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