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

26

Dr. Betty Director walked into the cell, and stared at the man sitting on a cot with a sour expression on his face.

"You, of all people," she growled at the prisoner.

The man didn't even look up.

"Would you at least explain yourself," she demanded. "Why? Why would you so blatantly betray us? Your own world? Why?"

The big man slowly looked up, scowling at he did.

"You think I didn't see what was coming?"

"What," she frowned.

"Possible. It always comes back to Possible."

"You betrayed us because…..of her?"

"I knew what you were planning. Years of hard work, dedication, and pushing myself to the limit. For what? So you could bring that amateur back in even though she had quit? So you could use her to replace us?"

"Us," Will Du asked, still standing in the door.

"You know what I mean," Burn Burnmen growled. "That bitch has ruined us from the start. I wasn't going to let her come back, and just walk over us again."

"So, you sold your planet out for a….grudge," Will exclaimed.

"I'd think you would have understood. You can't tell me you don't feel the same," the redhead spat.

"I may have my own opinions about a great many things," Will told him somberly. "I have never, and will never, let my subjective opinions get in the way of my duty," he stated evenly.

Burn just glowered at him.

"What about your teammates? Were they part of this?"

The man looked back up at Betty, and just glowered.

"You should know. We already have a lot of the truth. A lot of the answers you tried to hide have been found. This is your chance to earn a little redemption by coming clean from the start. Lying won't win you any points."

"The guys weren't in this one," he told her finally. "Crash didn't have the brains to grasp the overall plan. And….Dash….."

"Dash?"

"He's too straight. He never would have gone along."

"You obviously didn't compromise us on your own. You don't have the ability. In spite of your own admitted skills, you had help, and we both know it. Who was it? Who backed you?"

"General Hardcastle," he finally grumbled. "When he first went looking for specialists on Lorwardian tech, I knew what he was up to, and likely why."

"How could you have guessed?"

"I'm the one that slipped him the Matrix in the first place after arranging to replace it with a bunch of junk when you had it sealed for disposal."

Dr. Director swore softly.

All that trouble because of a disgruntled agent who had pulled one off right under her nose.

"You still signed on with the invaders. You actually worked against your own species," she shot. "How did you think you could overcome that?"

"I….. I had a ploy to reprogram their computers, and send their incoming agents into deep space. I would be able to reveal it was me who saved the world, and stopped the invasion. Then….Team Impossible would have been back on top. I'd have been back on top. Only...I was cut out of the loop when things suddenly accelerated," he grumbled.

"And Hardcastle backed you?"

"He had his own agenda. He was only worried about all these new preternatural powers cropping up lately. Possible was bad enough, but have you seen what some of those people out there can do?"

"Of course I have. I intended to recruit many of them. Before you blundered into ruining my own plans. And nearly costing us our planet," she spat, her legendary calm very close to snapping just then as her good eye narrowed on him.

"Well…. I still pulled off the biggest job ever known. I helped put down Possible," he smirked. "I helped Hardcastle get her, and at least she's…."

"Haven't you heard? She's back," Will Du drawled so blandly the words were almost inaudible as he carelessly dropped them.

Burn stared.

"No," he rasped, looking beyond miserable. "That's…..impossible."

"Haven't you heard, Burnmen," Dr. Director smiled curtly. "Anything is possible…."

The man's scream was hellish.

KP

General Eugene Hardcastle woke with a pounding skull, and an inability to move any of his limbs.

"He obviously doesn't have Drew Lipski's unique regenerative abilities," Nurse Greer remarked as a young, Japanese girl turned from the grizzled soldier to put something away in a small, leather pouch.

"That is not my concern," the young ninja told her. "I was asked to cure this man, and it has been done. Best he never draw Yamanouchi's eyes again after this incident."

"Do yourself a favor," a grim, implacable face said as Eugene Hardcastle managed to turn his head to see the other person in the hospital room with him. "Confess. Because next time, you won't see me coming."

The older man scowled, but said nothing as the two ninja left, and two men in uniform walked into the room after them.

"Glad to see you are still in one piece, Gene," General Flagg told him. "But, buddy, you went way over the line this time. Way over. You'll be lucky if you can even keep your rank, let alone your career."

"What are you talking about, Rick? What happened? We were about to shut down those unnatural vigilantes once, and for all. What is going on here?"

"The man you thought was me, wasn't me," the officer growled as he eyed his longtime friend and peer. "Or didn't you realize what those things were? Or what they were planning?"

"Things? What are you talking about?"

The other officer said nothing as he merely stared at the man in the bed.

"I'm leaving a guard on him. Meanwhile, let's keep this under the radar for now. The last thing we need is for word of America's senior officers actually plotting against private citizens for personal vendettas."

Hardcastle just stared, still not sure what was going on since he had apparently passed out.

"Understood. I'll just stay here, and bring the general up to speed. He needs to understand just what he almost allowed to happen."

"Agreed. But it won't spare either of you when this hits Congress," the other man told them. "And I suggest you make no mention of Lilac Valley ever again."

"I'd prefer to forget it entirely," he agreed as the other man in a stiff uniform, and wearing an eye patch like someone else he knew, walked out of the room.

KP

"I can't convince you to come back," Betty Director asked Wade as she studied the young man on the monitor.

"I think we both know I'm better off on the sidelines, and out of the public eye. If you need help, call, but I think I'm going to stay off anyone's employment lists for now," Wade told her bluntly. "You understand?"

Dr. Director nodded.

"Unfortunately, I do. What about those agents you trapped?"

"I'm shipping them back to you this evening. The usual means. Your own techs can restore them with one of Drakken's old shrink rays I reengineered for two-way use. I'd still be careful of them. Some of them seemed rather eager to kill me."

"That goes without saying. I'm still thinning out active sympathizers here since I reactivated the agency," she grumbled.

"Have you heard from Kim since they blew up Killigan's island," he asked.

"Haven't you?"

"There's a lot of electromagnetic interference over Senior's island now. I'm guessing it's the Matrix, but I can't get in touch with any of them."

"I'll let you know when I hear from them, if they don't call you first. We still have to consider that Matrix. And clean up any strays left out there."

"I've got satellites locked on wherever I can conscript them," Wade assured her. "I'll let you know the minute I find anything that isn't….homegrown."

"Good. Keep in touch, Wade."

"Just promise me Burn won't get away with this with only a slap on the hand."

"Oh, no. He's going to learn how seriously we take his kind of betrayal," Dr. Director assured him.

She swiveled in her chair after the monitor went blank, and sighed.

"All right, Du," she spoke into the intercom. "Send them in."

There was a pause, then her door opened.

The two men were some of her best, and while she knew what they intended, she hoped to talk them out of it.

"Stark. Dugan," she nodded.

"Dr. Director," Agent Stark drawled, looking just a little smug just then.

"I understand you wish to retire?"

"That's right. I think this one has to teach us the dangers of putting too much under one roof."

"I can understand why you would think so. I can't talk you out of this," she asked bluntly.

"Sorry, ma'am," Dugan smiled thinly. "It's done."

"So, what do you intend?"

"My old man has been trying to get me into the family business for a while. I think I'll give it a try," Stark told her. "See what….pops up."

"I see. Dugan?"

"Let's just say an old service buddy asked if I might join him in a new agency the government is putting together. Something with a little more teeth in it. No offense."

"None taken. You're both good men, and I'm glad you've served with us. Good luck, gentlemen."

"You, too. I hear the U.N. is still screaming for your retirement," Stark remarked.

"It's not the first time. It won't be the last."

Both men dropped their official IDs on her desk, and then simply nodded before walking out.

"Stark," she called after him.

"Yeah?"

"Try not to blow anything up out there. I won't be there to cover for you any more."

"No promises," he grinned, and waved his farewell.

"You let them go?"

"Global Justice is volunteer, Will," he was told as he came into her office after the men departed. "I don't want to change that."

"After all our trouble, we seriously understaffed. We still haven't finished vetting the agents on staff, either. We could still end up dismissing even more."

"I know," she sighed.

"So, what will you do?"

"I intend to ask for new provisional agents to fill the void."

"Let me guess," he sighed.

"That goes without saying," she told Will. "I always eyed Kimberly as a possible replacement, Agent Du. That was never a secret. I'm hoping that this incident will help her see the necessity of….stepping up, and associating herself with us as more than a part-time adventurer."

"There is still her association with Shego. And rumored connections to a certain warlord in one of the bigger Triads."

"Incidentals. You'd be surprised how many Yakuza I know. Would that make you reconsider your loyalty to me?"

"You know….Yakuza?"

Dr. Director said nothing. Her stare was blank, and even.

"No. No I would not reconsider my loyalty, ma'am."

"Good. That proves you are a genuine professional."

Will said nothing to that.

Clearing his throat, he glanced at her computer, and asked, "And the Matrix? What will we be doing about that device now that it seems the immediate danger is over?"

"That," she told him, "Is our next stop. Something is going on out on that island, and we need to find out what. Get a jet ready. You have one more trip to make."

"You're not coming?"

"I've got too much to do here," she told him frankly. "Take Dash, and go check out the island. I want the Matrix neutralized permanently this time. I'm sure Kimberly will understand the necessity of that one herself after all this."

"Do I extend your….invitation to her?"

"To both of them," Dr. Director told him. "But don't elaborate. Just tell them we need to talk. Otherwise, they may both bolt. They are remarkably similar in their personalities."

"In other words, they're both...stubborn," he remarked.

"Let's not insult them before we have them signed on," she suggested.

"I shall do my best to be professional," he remarked dryly. "In spite of my own opinions," he added even more dryly.

"That's why I trust you, Agent Du. Get out of here. We both have work to do."

"I'll collect Dash, and take off at once."

"I believe he's with….."

"I know," he nodded, knowing both members of the defunct Team Impossible had both been visiting Burn. The redhead had been badly bruised after Crash's last visit.

KP

"I can't believe you actually blew up Killigan's lair, and saved the planet," Drew muttered. "Her, I expect it of," the blue man said as he argued with James, glancing over at Kim who walked past her father with a nod on her way into the villa.

Behind them, the roar of another jet leaving the island could be heard. Ron had left days earlier with his own parents, and Hana after dropping them off at the island, and was likely already headed back to help Betty take care of certain loose ends. Shego had asked if she wanted to join him.

Kim still wasn't sure if she wanted to bother with Dr. Director, or Global Justice. Not after all she had heard had happened of late.

Besides, she had a few questions of her own that needed answering as yet, and she could only find those answers her. With the Tweebs, ironically. Only they were still holed up in their borrowed lab with the Matrix, and refused to come out as yet, claiming their own need to see to certain details that had to be managed without interference.

Curiously enough, Senor Senior, Sr. didn't seem to mind at all. He even seemed to enjoy playing host as he shared a few rather embarrassing stories with her parents. He even pointed out his now defunct spinning tops of doom.

Naturally, her dad only chortled, and then suggested improvements that would make them less haphazard, and more controllable.

She hoped the old man wasn't paying too much attention. This time.

Then, too, there were her own parents. Who had yet to say a word about her and Shego, though they seemed to have accepted the fact that they were together.

In the interim, her mom was stuffing her every time she turned around, and she was pretty sure she had gained at least ten pounds in the past few days. The rest of the civilians, and several of the Henches had left by now, and the last human sympathizers found among Senior's own staff had been sent off.

Bonnie had suggested the only severance they needed, or deserved, was their lives. And a head start.

She took betrayal poorly.

Especially when she learned that it was one of them that let the last infiltrators onto the island for a quick payday on the side. That fellow had been lucky Bonnie let him get away at all. The look in her eyes suggested that he might not be off the hook just yet, though. Kim suspected a lot of trouble in that guy's future.

Meanwhile, Senor Senior's admittedly admirable connections were coming back, and he was hearing things faster than Wade could relay them to her when he could get through the haze of whatever the Tweebs were doing now.

She had heard by then that Hardcastle was awake, but Congress was yet again dragging feet as they focused on the military sifting the new alien wreckage. It turned out that he and Burn Burmen had been the direct impetus behind allowing the shape-shifters to get any kind of hold on their planet. They both saw a scapegoat they had hoped to use for their agendas, and ended up getting used themselves.

Meanwhile, she noted on the now very overt media broadcasts that there were new heroes rising out of the proverbial ashes almost daily. One particularly colorfully clad man had appeared almost the day after the news of the startling secret invasion had been crushed was all but everywhere, doing things even Kim couldn't imagine possible.

Shego came up behind her as she walked aimlessly through the villa just then, lost in her thoughts, and slid an arm around her.

"How are you feeling, Princess?"

"Better. Seriously, much better. Between a few days genuine rest, and mom stuffing enough food in me to feed an army, I'm almost back to normal. Ish," she amended at Shego's knowing glance.

"You sure you didn't want to go with Stoppable?"

"Ron's got his own thing. He has for a long time now. I accepted that even before…. Well, all of this."

"You can't tell me you didn't get a little tweaked that Cyclops took all the glory for this one. Again."

"Well, it's her job," she sighed, still a little bitter that her name wasn't even mentioned in the official press relief when Dr. Director appeared with Will Du, and several politicos at her side to give the public the 'official' story.

"Tell me another one," Shego smirked.

"Honestly, part of me is glad," she told her, walking toward a particular door as Shego walked with her, arm still around her.

"Tell me another one," Shego echoed. "Face it, Kimberly," she called her, using her name for a rare instance. "You thrive on the adrenalin as much as you do the fame. It's your bread-and-butter, as they used to say in my day."

Kim smirked, glancing up at the green-skinned woman who was a little taller than her.

"Yeah, because you're soooooo old, aren't you?"

"You'll pay for that, Possible," she growled.

"Promises, promises," Kim quipped.

"Did I tell you old man Li called? Ron's tip helped save him a lot of trouble in his neck of the woods. Ron's people didn't have much to do in his region by the time they arrived. Mostly cleanup. The old man still has some serious chops. He even thanked us for remembering him. And trust me, that guy thanks no one," she said seriously.

"Well, at least something good came out of that," she sighed.

"Feeling up to a little exercise?"

"Thought you'd never ask," Kim smiled now, and hugged Shego back. "Let's go."

Anne and Senor Senior watched the pair head out the back door, and Anne sighed.

"Not that I mind the company," the older man smiled as he poured the neurosurgeon fresh tea. "But dare I suggest you are getting weary of the vacation?"

"Well, I do have a job, and a home of my own, Mr. Senior…."

"Please, call me….."

"Honey, there you are," James exclaimed. "Have you talked to Kimberly yet?"

"I don't think they're ready," Anne told him, knowing exactly what he meant. "Have you talked to Shego?"

"Well, we did….talk. You'd be surprised how much she knows about aerodynamics, and space flight. Why she had the most amazing idea for…."

"James," Anne sighed.

"Uh, well, we didn't talk about that," he admitted.

"Problems, Mr. and Mrs. Possible," their host asked, gesturing for James to sit with them.

Which he did.

"We're still trying to understand our daughter's…..choice," Anne Possible admitted. "We heard some of the….. Well, not the details, so much as…."

"I quite understand. Would it help you understand if I said that adversarial relationships are hardly uncommon in our lifestyle? Why, in my day, I've seen more than one enemy turn around, and fall in love with a sworn rival."

"Have you," James blinked.

"Indeed. I also happen to know a certain Chinese gentlemen I understand….hosted your daughter and Miss Shego, and I can assure you, he is the sort that makes telling him 'no' rather difficult. Still, I believe your daughter was already quite set on her choice long before Sheng Li chose to sponsor their union."

"I'm just a little concerned that a…..a hoodlum has that kind of hold over my daughter," Anne frowned.

Senor Senior now chortled.

Loudly.

"My dear, dear Anne," he smiled. "You are missing the point entirely. Master Li did not host Kimberly to sway her with some tenuous bonds you imagine."

"No," she and James both asked.

"Of course not. Sheng Li, as myself, is a very canny businessman. Naturally, your daughter is very well known in most of the world. Very well known. And with due cause."

"Goes without saying," James smiled with a degree of pride.

"Exactly," the old man nodded. "Master Li knew, as I did, that sooner or later, Miss Possible would be jumping back into her own inestimable lifestyle once she satisfied her educational pursuits. Only when she did, Shego would likely be with her."

"Are you saying….. He was afraid of them," Anne asked quietly.

"Terrified," Senor Senior nodded. "In all these years, has anything, even this rather dreadful experience, slowed that inestimable young woman down? Even for an instant?"

The two Possibles eyed one another, then slowly shook their heads.

"Neither will this. He knew that. I know that. So he gambled, and chose to extend a hand of friendship to show the pair he held no enmity for them. It is, after all, only good business."

"And you," James asked.

The old man chortled again.

"You must have realized I had already retired a few years ago. I am anticipating my first grandchild, to be honest, and had been focusing only on my legitimate businesses until this entire fiasco rose before us."

"And, your son," James asked.

"You have met my son," the elder Senior asked. "His concept of villainy is a bit….."

"Father! Father, come quick," Junior shouted as he burst into the room just then.

"What is wrong, my son," he asked, wondering what had panicked him this time, and knowing him well enough to know it was likely of little concern.

"It is Kim Possible, and Shego! I thought you said they had buried their hatchets! Only now they are fighting again, and they are doing terrible things to the landscaping," he wailed.

"Fighting," Anne frowned, rising to her feet.

"Do not let it concern you," Senor Senior told her as he sat there, still blandly sipping his tea. "I believe the young ladies are merely…..venting. It is, as they say, their way."

"But, father! They are fighting!"

"Junior, calm down. It is how they show their love to one another," the older man told him.

"Their…..love? Father, that honestly makes absolutely no sense at all. How can fists and feet pounding things show anyone love? Honestly, it's a wonder you are not in a home of late, because it's obvious you are getting senile. Love," he snorted, and walked off shouting for Bonnie to help him.

"My son," Senior, Sr. sighed. "And now you know why I am still awaiting my grandchild."

Anne gave him a weak smile, and turned for the hall leading out back.

"I still need to see this," she said.

"Trust me, my dear," he said. "Shego is the one woman on this planet that would never risk harming Kimberly Anne. She truly is quite fond of the young woman."

Anne said nothing as she headed down the hall as Junior's voice continued to echo through the villa.

"So, Dr. Possible," Senior, Sr. smiled. "About those gyroscopic upgrades you mentioned to give direct control over my little tops?"

James beamed, and quickly forgot everything else.

To Be Continued…