All characters and places in this story belong to the Disney Corporation. Original creators, Mark McCorkle and Robert Schooley I receive nothing for the writing of this story.
Make sure that you've read the intro to this Chapter. It was posted the day before this one.
Pop Quiz at the bottom of the page! Your answers will determine whether this story continues or ends.
Previously
"Ron, I know all of this and you know I totally agree with you about everything. I just meant," and her face took on a mischievous, pouty look. "Do you have to rub their noses in it?"
Ron pretended to think about it and replied, "Just Will Du, and that's because of the way he treated us the first time we worked together. I find him so irk-able."
Kim didn't even pause a second before she said, "Oh well, that's alright then. Come on, We don't want to be late for this meeting."
She took his arm in her's and they walked up the hill to the door. Or what was left of the door rather. It had been a two inch steel door but it looked like it had been smashed in with a wrecking ball. Kim started to say something to Ron, but he just looked at her and said "Hanna."
Kim gave him a knowing nod and they moved into the main room.
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Once in the main room, they saw that five long tables had been set up in the room with two chairs around each. Wade sat at one with several stacks of paperwork in front of him as he sorted through them adding to one smaller stack in to his side front of him. He also had a portable console of some kind that they couldn't tell what it was. Kim's brothers sat at another table piled high with papers going through them. Every once in a while, one of them would take a page over to Wade who would look it over and add it to one of his. One of the tables had been set aside for Director Betty and Agent Du to sit at and one had been setup for Kim and Ron. Those two tables formed a V so both face the remaining table that was in-between the widest part of the open V. On that table sat an old slide projector and old style Over Head Viewer, both aimed at movie screen set up so everybody could see it. (Sort of like looking at the "5," side of a 6 sided die.)
As the two groups moved into the room, Wade looked up from his consol which had started beeping and said, "All cell phones need to be turned off and any communication equipment. Kim, Ron, sorry but you need to turn off your kimunicators if you have them. Director, Agent Du, same thing for your GJ Mobile Databases."
When Agent Du started to argue that their rules forbade turning off the databases, Wade told him to turn it off or leave.
Director Betty said to Du. "Turn. It. Off. Now. Put those brief cases on the twins' table and get the rest of them. Those are my orders. Am I understood?"
After he left, Wade informed everybody that it would take a few more minutes to finish going over everything but probably by the time Agent Du returned they would be ready.
Drew came into the room with a box and set it on the table with the slide projector. Looking over at Kim, he had an astonished look on his face and it looked like he was going to say something, but he just looked around and saw that the other people were here also.
He walked over to Wade's table and started talking to him in a low voice and examining some of the papers that were in one stack. Jim and Tim brought some other papers over and they all conferred there.
By the time that Du had returned, Drew, Wade and the twins had finished talking.
Drew Lipski addressed the small group by saying, "I am sorry about some of the information that I will be revealing today but I must insist that if there are any repercussions from any past doings, that I and only I will be held responsible. My wife Shego had no part in any of this."
Director Betty looked at the man and said, "We will have to wait to see what information is revealed before I can make that decision."
Drew looked at her and replied, "I'm sorry but you misunderstand. This point is not negotiable. Either you agree now or I am sorry to have called you all out here and wasted your time. My wife and the mother of my newly borne daughter, was not involved in any of this."
There were a few tense moments before Betty agreed to his condition.
Drew then yielded the floor to Wade. "We need to ask some questions to confirm what we now believe has been happening for the last three months and how this ties back to Global Justice. We've compared the inventory of your storage room 52 from your most recent copy to one made four years ago. Were there any additions or subtractions during this interval?"
"No." Betty replied flatly. "The storage space was filled to capacity five years ago and the items that were stored in it were deemed either too dangerous or still in need of further study to be moved to any other location."
Checking one of the sheets he had in his hand, Wade said, "Eight years ago, your scientists recovered three damaged BeBe type androids from an island off the Gulf coast." (A slide appeared on the screen of a BeBe Android.) They were then reassembled in an attempt to reprogram them. Why? Weren't they too dangerous?"
"We were attempting to reprogram them for use in reconnaissance because of their speed and strength, but unfortunately their programming was hard wired into them and it was flawed. Those flaws were a part of the very attributes that we wanted them for. They were deactivated and stored in that room in the hopes that at some point we could overcome those problems." the Director explained.
Wade continued. "Are you aware that according to your most up to date inventory of that room going back one year, they are not stored in that room and they do not show up on any of your storage manifests for any storage facility?"
"That's impossible. I saw to their deactivation and storage myself."
"Ah, people. We've got cell phones and data bases reactivating in the room." said Jim Possible from Wade's consol station as he interrupted Director Betty Barkin. "Just the ones from Global Justice."
Both Betty and Will Du pulled out their phones and tried to turn them off, but they couldn't. Finally they had to remove the batteries from them and their Mobil Data Bases in order to shut them down. Both Kim and Ron had left theirs in the Sloth.
Tim Possible then stood up and read off of another sheet, "Five years ago, an alien computer module was delivered to you for disposal. It was from the Lowardian battle cruiser that crashed and it was salvaged from the wreckage."(The slide changed to a picture of the doomed ship just before Warhawk and Warmonger's impact. It then changed to show a glowing cube divided into sections. Mostly resembling a giant Rubik's cube with all white sections, about four foot by four foot.) This was identified as their long term battle computer for sieges taking longer than one of their solar years. It was hardly ever used by them since they prided themselves on quick and brutal conquests, but this computer system was found to contain plotting and scheming tactics that were such horrific atrocities against any type of sentient being that the President ordered it to be destroyed. It could not be turned off because it had its own power source. The closest we could come was to remove the AI (Artificial Intelligence) system which it needed to operate. Yet, we found it listed in the manifest for this room. I thought it was supposed to be destroyed?"
"One question first young Mr. Possible, before I answer." Betty stated. "How do you know so much about this system?"
"I was the one that identified it, its purpose and contents. I was a part of the team that discovered that it communicated with the AI system through an uncommon fixed signal. We were able to disconnect the AI system from it and turned into a chunk of non thinking data storage. Most of us still have nightmares about what we found on it and what it was capable of."
Betty, satisfied with his answer said, "The problem with simply trying to destroy it was that we had no idea then, or now, about what that internal power source is. For all our scientists know at this time, it could be powered by a micro singularity (black hole) and by breaching its outer containment, doom the planet or solar system to be destroyed. We couldn't even risk sending it into the sun for fear of dousing its fires and since it was such a terrible item, we couldn't send it into deep space for fear of someone or something else finding it. The President was informed of this. If he didn't inform you, I had no control or input over that decision."
"Dr. Director," said Agent Will Du standing up. This is sounding more like a witch hunt than an investigation. They are clearly trying to lay blame on Global Justice by bringing up all of these circumstances, which have no influence of the original problem, that someone tried to brain wash one of our probationary agents. It was probably someone from back when she, and her "team," were nothing more than a bunch of amateurs. Not that she, or any of them have progressed that much further."
As Betty ordered Agent Du to sit down and shut up, his final comment brought Ron to his feet, which forced Kim to place herself in-between him and Du. Even though she felt like letting Ron show Du some of his amateur "whoop ass," she also knew that Ron was being overly protective of her since her ordeal. Normally he would let her lead by following her reaction to the insult.
It was Drew, moving to stand in between them and saying loudly, "Ah, but all of these circumstance do have an influence on the original problem." and he then added, "And if there is any witch to be hunted here, it will probably be me. Now sit down, all of you."
After everyone sat back down, even though some people were still glaring at each other, Drew continued. This has all been a fact finding question and answer session to verify what we thought had happened. All the items that we have discussed so far are now missing from that storage room, something that had been hidden by some very cleaver manipulation of your computer records and the missing agent in charge of doing the inventory count. These and one other item which I will cover in a moment. Doctor Dementor's hover platform is in storage there, I assume you're still trying to discover it's apparent anti gravity drive, and some drugs that were to be used in a covert operation in conjunction with the CIA, which we will not discuss here at this time."
"Now, item number 83976-54 on your inventory list, which is also missing." Drew paused as the slide projector advanced and showed a metal tank standing on end, about four feet wide and eight feet tall. Several smaller tanks were attached to its sides with a large box also attached. They were all supported by a base. The most notable thing about the object was that there didn't appear to be any disconnects for anything. Everything appeared to be one solid piece with no dial, gauges or panels for opening. "This is an item that you confiscated after a world domination plan by my former self (Dr Drakken,) failed seven years ago. It was found in the Middleton Bueno Nacho restaurant and was labeled as a "deep fryer grease storage tank."" Drew now looked directly at the agents and asked, "Did you ever figure out what it even was? I thought that it had been destroyed a long time ago." he said with regret in his voice.
"No. We didn't. Since the threat was averted by the "amateur," Team Possible." and there was scorn in Betty's voice that was directed at Agent Will Du, "it was put into storage until the funding and manpower could be allocated to properly study it. Since the Lowardian invasion attempt though, most of that has gone towards studying their technology. Every once in a while, someone would have an idea and look at it, but no serious studies have been done on it."
With regret written all over his face and body language, Drew walked over to the table that Kim and Ron sat at. Looking at a spot on the table in front of their hands he put his hands on the top and leaned down to them and said, "I am truly sorry. What I'm going to be covering next may dig up some old hurt feelings and resentment towards me on your part. I thought they had destroyed it."
"Drew," said Kim as she covered one of his hands with one of hers, "if it s what I think it is, it s okay. It got Ron to tell me how he felt about me."
Looking at her, Drew saw a sad but encouraging smile. Looking at Ron, he saw the same thing, as he did when he looked over at Wade, who indicated for him to get on with it.
Moving back between the two tables and facing the screen, he pulled a laser pointer out of his pocket and pointed to the box part of the item. "Someone at some point in the last five months reattached a standard 110v cord to this and fed power to the unit. This activated Contingency Plan 900."
Contingency Plan 900 was meant to be a diversion for Team Possible. To attack her at her then weakest point and deflect her attention from my "take over the world," Little Diablo scheme. Her weakest point was a teenage girl's obsession with boys and the peer pressure brought on by picking the perfect date for the prom. That decision also said where that girl stood in the food chain. Kimberly had her safe fall back date with Ron Stoppable, but that wouldn't make any statement other than she could not advance beyond where she had been throughout high school. He was considered to be the bottom of the barrel at the time. So I introduced a new "person" into the equation. One made to order syntho-hottie, the SYNTHODRONE 900 series, or Eric."
"The SYNTHODRONE 900 series was state of the art in programming, able to mimic human emotions and reactions without supervision. It was able to adapt to changes and give the proper responses within the parameters I set for it, which was to woo Kim Possible and win her affections, thus taking her out of the picture. It was as close to an AI as anyone had yet achieved. Its body was stronger and faster than any normal human. Its face and general outward appearance shaped to be the most appealing to any teenage female along with its personality, but more specifically for Kim Possible herself. For all of its crowning achievements, it still had one major drawback. Its neural relays and memories had to be conducted through an isomorphic fluid totally necessary for the programming to work at all. Bottom line; you could defeat it with a small puncture in it s the outer skin. This is what necessitated the construction of this, (he indicated the slide picture,) and its placement in Middleton."
"Each drone of this series carried a small micro chip that allowed it to communicate with this computer placed on the side of the unit. If it lost communication with the computer, they would switch frequencies and scan until they picked up the signal again. This computer recorded all conversation and actions by the drone so that it could learn and prevent any mistakes in the future or the reproduction process."
"Ah Drew," said Ron. "What do you mean "reproduction process?" Ron asked with an edge in his voice. A different meaning had crept into his thoughts about the after prom.
"As I said, a pin prick could defeat the drone. Synthodrone 900 was the first one you meet at school and it lasted for far longer than I thought it would at the time. When you showed signs of having an emotional breakdown during your TV interview," Drew continued talking more to Ron than anybody else, "you retreated to your old tree house and Kim came to you to talk to you, her best friend. Synthodrone 900 was suppose to intercept her and prevent that talk to send you deeper into despair, but a garden rake left in your neighbor's yard prevented that. 900 didn't see it and stepped on it. He deflated almost immediately. That information was sent to this computer which finished programming 901 and released it from its stasis chamber."
The movie projector started up and showed the tank part of it opening up and an Eric, or Synthodrone 901, walked out of it. The chamber then closed again.
"Synthodrone 901 then found and disposed of what was left of 900 and then went to the tree house, but it was too late to stop you two from having most of your talk."
"After 901 left, the replicator then started the process over again. It created a Synthodrone 902 and kept its programming updated every second. If you'll recall the events, Kim and Ron decided to interfere with my plans and they destroyed the transmitter at the Middleton location. That transmitter's destruction shorted out and tripped the breaker for the replicator part of the unit. The computer was on a separate circuit so it kept updating up to and including the destruction of 901 by your little naked mole rat buddy. But, the system could not release the 902. I had always assumed that it had been confiscated and destroyed afterwards. I never thought you would simple put it into storage."
"This is where your paper work was needed Director." Drew said as he moved to the side and Jim Possible took the floor with a bunch of papers in his hands.
"Five months ago, a Dr I. Nomore filled out and presented a work order request wanting to have power restored to item number 83976-54. First the 110 voltage hook up and then if nothing happened in the next twenty four hours, he requested that the 277 voltage be hooked up."
"No." said Betty as she shook her head. "Such a request would have had to have gone through my office since it would have involved an object in that room. I authorized no such request."
Jim looked at the paper in his hand and said, "The request was authorized and signed by William Du."
Turning to her right, she looked at Agent Du who was currently wishing he could make himself invisible. "It...must have been while you were on vacation with Mr. Barkin and his daughter." He then sat up straight taking a totally justified posture. "The Doctor had an idea about the item and I thought that any progress towards getting rid of the clutter in that room was worth it."
"Agent Du." Betty started saying as she searched her pockets, "I seem to have forgotten something. Would you go down to the hover jet and see if you can find it please?"
"Certainly Director. What will I be looking for?"
"The reason why I put up with you and why I think you still belong in Global Justice!" she almost yelled. "And if you don't find it there, I suggest you wait there until I return!"
As he got up and left the room, Ron almost felt bad for Agent Du.
Almost.
Naaaa. Not really.
Betty sat there for a moment, while she composed herself and then addressed Jim, "Alright. Power was restored to the item. For how long?"
"We have found no request asking for it to be disconnected. Only a notation from Agent Crackshell that he was to check on the item during the time he was in the room and report anything odd. We also found some footage of the maintenance entrance that he normally used to enter and leave the facility. I can't show it to you but we did get some stills of him earlier today before we shut down Wade's computer at his home. These were taken when his badge was used to open the door. They are not of the same person that the badge was issued to. We also think that this is the person that put the aspirin in Kim's car when she was at GJ Headquarters for a meeting."
Almost beyond showing any reaction to this new development, she examined the stills and compared them to the picture of Fenton Crackshell as he appeared on his records. They were not the same person. Crackshell was a tall, skinny blond haired man in his late forties. The stills showed a much younger man in his early twenties at most, dark hair and he wore a cap. He never really showed his face to the camera.
Betty handed the stills back to Jim and asked, "Alright. Who is that then?"
Jim then handed to stills to Kim and Ron. Even thought you could not really see the face, they both gasped and said "Eric."
"Alright." said Betty as she started to reassess the situation and come up with a status. "We have a Synthodrone 902, or another Eric, running around loose in Global Justice causing havoc."
Drew then said very slowly and with care, "If that's all we have then we are very, very lucky."
"What do you mean Mr. Lipski?"
"When they first connected the 110 voltage, that would have restarted the computer that controlled the programming of the Synthodrone. After it restarted the first thing it would have done would be to start scanning for a signal from the previous drone or any other information source. It probably would have found the wifi signal in the room first and been able to access it from the password that Crackshell would have transmitted when he logged in on his PDA. It would have kept on scanning until..." and then he stopped talking, having a hard time dealing with what they think happened.
Tim carried on when Drew started to falter. "It would have kept scanning for the previous drone until it made connection with the alien Battle computer. The AI stored in Drakken's computer would have been good enough to activate that computer and allow it access to the Synthodrone, Global Justice's computer systems and the entire internet. We believe it tried to fulfill Drakken's original programming intent, to distract the now "Team Possible," or eliminate it entirely. It would have been able to gain knowledge of every item in the same room with it through the files kept in your own computer system and it would have been able to figure out how to use them best for its own goals. This is the Mark nine part of "Contingency Plan Nine, Zero, Zero Mark Nine." The updated and upgraded version of the original plan."
Kim and Ron remembered the drawings they saw on the bathroom wall when their spirits were merged. One was of Eric and the other was the Lowardian insignia that had been carved in golf courses around the world.
After letting all the information soak in that she had been exposed to, Betty asked. "Are you sure about all of this?"
Wade spoke for all of them when he replied, "We're fairly sure. It's the only explanation that fits all of the facts as we know them. With it having access to all of your computers it could change or rewrite any electronic video feeds from your surveillance cameras so it or they could move around without being detected. That's probably how everything went missing from that area. It was moved someplace else and they substituted a video loop to hide it with. Electronic locks, doors, alarms and elevators could have all been overridden. They could be anywhere. "
"They?" asked Betty.
"Remember, the BeBes are missing too. If the two computers had been able to reprogram them, then there could be up to four mobile units to move things anywhere, and we all remember how well just the BeBes were able to steal huge pieces of equipment in less than a second."
Betty then asked of everybody, "Have you got any good news for me?"
Everybody looked around and at each other with none of them saying anything.
Finally Kim stood up and slammed her hand on the table top saying, "I don't know if it's good news for us, but right now, I know they've got me pissed off and that's bad news for them. They tried to break up my wedding."
Ron then stood up and said, "Ya know, I'm pretty pissed off at them myself. They tried to break up my wedding and kill Kim. I've been wanting someone to take out some of the frustration on I've built up over the last couple of days. How about you Wade?"
"Oh, you know I'm pissed off. Nobody outdoes me on the computer to hurt my friends for very long and gets away with it."
Then both Jim and Tim piped in together, "Well we're pissed off because no one screws around with our sister's or our future brother-in-law's heads. That's our job."
Drew then stood and said, "And I'm highly perturbed because no one messes with my friends or my happiness. Not when I just started having both."
"Great!" said Betty now caught up in the excitement. "What are we going to do about it?"
Ron looked at her and gave her a great big smile and said, "I don't know! But I'm hungry! Drew, have you got anything to eat around here?"
Drew thought for a second and asked "How about some waffles? I've got a whole refrigerator full of them."
"Great!" said Ron as the room started to empty of everybody but Betty, as they all headed to the kitchen. "But this time Drew, hold the dill pickles."
Betty sat down and tried to understand what just happened in the room and how in the world they were going to defeat the two computers that had merged into one unit that could make Hitler look like a baby crying for his mother.
But the one question in her mind that over rode them all was, "Dill pickles and waffles?"
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Hey, What can I say? I couldn't figure out how to wrap this chapter up before moving on, and I'm hungry.
Pop Quiz!
Now that you know who the villians are and how they came about, etc. do you think they are a viable villian(s) for Kim, Ron, Wade and friends, or did I just create something more lamer than Francis Lurmen (Frugal Lucre)? PM or Review your answer please. [Viable] or [Lame] Even if you like Francis Lurmen.
As always, if you have a question about something or you find an error, PM me or put it in a review.
I will answer you.
There is always room for improvement and nothing is written in stone. Stone has no spell checker.
