Chapter 29: Investigation
"Me officers have just reported," Officer Hobble told the others in the conference room. "They found Miss Go's vehicle but found neither hide nor hair o' the teacher or wee Hanna. We'll be needin' to bring the dogs out to confirm it, but Miss Go's already left."
"What now?" Dr. Director asked the assembled group.
"I've just come up with a couple of items," Wade informed everyone, from his monitor. "First, I've completed my analysis of the hair samples recovered from the Stoppables' residence. While the DNA has been extensively modified, there's no doubt…Miss Go is DNAmy."
"What!" Drew demanded. "A few months ago she was a behemoth!"
"And a few months before that, she was a short, chubby geneticist," Wade countered. "I can send you my data if you want to review it but I'm telling you that DNAmy has started to modify her body…at will…to support whatever she wants to do."
"Could this explain why she was able to shock Mrs. Stoppable, or overpower Mr. Stoppable?" Officer Hobble asked the young genius.
"It's possible," Wade nodded. "For one thing, I've found some piscine DNA spliced into the DNA structure. I'll have to look into it some more, but if this DNA matches that of shocking fishes, it might give her the ability to generate electric shocks." He frowned for a moment, "but it doesn't explain the other modifications."
"What would those be?" Dr. Director added.
"There's also some simian genetics in the mix," Wade reported. "Which might explain her extreme strength. On the other hand, there's also some reptile DNA mixed in, as well. What she's gained from this last addition…I can't even guess."
"You've already done quite well, young man," Officer Hobble told him. "But ye' said that you had a couple of items to tell us. While Miss Go's identity throws us a curve, it doesn't tell us where to look next. I'm hopin' that yer other information give us a path to follow."
"That it does. I've unraveled most of Miss Go…er DNAmy's financial cover. It looks like she has been pulling a great deal of income from the Seattle area. I've done some more digging and I've identified a probable location for the income's source…as well as two individuals who are most likely her most valued employees."
"That's getting results!" Officer Hobble congratulated the boy.
"Forward the information to our account," the first Agent Smith requested.
"And we'll arrange for warrants," the second agent finished. "With any luck, we'll recover the child shortly."
"I don't think it's as easy as that," Drakken protested. "I don't think Amy will work that way. Amy isn't interested in money…except as a means to purchase things to fund her research. Her Seattle operation is her cash source. Whatever she's up to, I'm sure she's going somewhere else to do it."
"So yer sayin' we shouldn't break down her Seattle operation?" Hobble demanded.
"Not at all! Her employees might know where she's heading, halting her moneymaking will hamper whatever she's up to and we may glean additional clues to her whereabouts. I'm just saying that we shouldn't get our hopes up that she's on her way to Seattle."
"I don't want to get Ron's hopes up for no reason," Wade told the group. "I have an idea, why don't we have Team Possible conduct an additional investigation at the ranch?"
"Don't you trust the combined expertise of Global Justice, the FBI and the Middleton Police Department?" Dr. Director sounded more amused than offended.
"Of course, but none of you have all of the analytic capacity I've built into the Kimmunicators I've given Kim and Ron," Wade replied. "And linked directly to my network, I might add. Besides that, Kim and Ron are probably going crazy with worry. Giving them a task will keep them busy while we check out Amy's assets in Seattle."
"I can't think of a better plan, me self," Hobble told his companions.
"In that case, I'll get them on the way."
Kim was feeling a little nervous as she opened the garage door. For one thing, the tweebs were in there, working on something, which made caution when entering the structure a wise thing. For another thing, Ron was with them and Kim was feeling more than a little edgy about her fiancé.
Kim sighed, yet again. While she knew that she wasn't as upset about Hanna being missing as Ron was, she was still very worried about the little girl. Last night, she had suggested that the two of them catch a nap, together, on the couch, only to have Ron dismiss the idea. Kim had come very close to losing her temper at that time. Whenever she was upset, Ron was ready to offer his support and comfort. Why couldn't he accept the same from her, when he was in duress? Kim could only guess that his mind just wouldn't let go of the notion that Hanna was missing because he had taken some time off to enjoy himself. Remembering to keep her temper in check, no matter what, she opened the door.
"Letting out the shoulders did the trick," Ron's voice announced, from where he was doing some simple katas while the tweebs were watching him. "It isn't binding me at all."
"Time for a field test," Tim announced, grabbing the leads of his father's arc welder.
"Charged!" Jim shouted, looking at some incomprehensible meters on the appliance.
To Kim's horror, her younger brother stepped forward and slapped the welder's leads into Ron's hands. The garage lights dimmed and Ron grimaced in pain…
…but only for a moment! The lights returned to their normal illumination while Ron looked at his palms, slightly puzzled and the tweebs exchanged a high five.
"Both the conductivity and the insulation are twice what we were aiming for," Jim declared.
"Alright, you three," Kim snarled at the assembled males.
"Hey!" A shout of protest sounded behind her.
"Alright, the four of you. Is this some gorchy self-torture thing? Are you trying to electrocute yourself because Amy shocked your mom?"
"No," Ron told her, looking a little smug.
"We're getting him ready," Tim added.
"How? By teaching him what electrocution feels like?"
"Ron's body absorbed less than two percent of the welder's wattage," Jim informed her, with a self-satisfied smile. "When we found out that Miss Go…I mean Amy, made use of electric shocks, Ron asked us if we could come up with something."
"Simplicity in itself," Tim waved negligently. "Electricity harms a body by flowing through the tissues, so we just give it another path."
"As well as shield the body," Jim added.
"I was getting to that!" Tim protested. "Anyway, we altered Ron's mission wear by saturating the material with insulating chemicals. Then we altered an oversized set with conductive materials, for him to wear over the top of the first set."
"A one-two punch," Jim concluded. "Give the electricity an alternate path while shielding the body and even an arc welder can't deliver a dangerous shock. If Amy tries to shock Ron out, she'll be the one who winds up getting surprised."
"The only challenge was altering the mission gear so it doesn't restrict his movements," Tim informed her. " Once we took care of that, the rest was easy. We can prep a set of mission wear for you, as well."
"Do it," she ordered. Then she turned to her fiancé, "Ron, did you get any sleep?"
"Not really. Since I couldn't sleep I meditated for awhile, then decided that I might as well try to get ready."
"You can get ready best by resting for what's coming up!" Kim informed him, curtly.
"I said that I couldn't sleep," Ron reminded her.
Fortunately for everyone in the garage, Kim's Kimmunicator sounded, interrupting her retort.
"Go, Wade," she answered.
"We discovered that Amy owns a ranch outside of town," Wade told the team. "And her car is still there."
"Hanna?" Ron demanded, hope coming into his voice.
"She's not there. The police, Global Justice and the FBI have already checked it out. However, they didn't have Kimmunicators and I'd like to have the two of you to perform some additional tests."
"What will that accomplish?" Ron demanded. He was clearly upset by Hanna not being there.
"I have samples of Hanna's DNA," Wade told the distraught teen. "The Kimmunicators will be able to scan for it and confirm that Amy actually took Hanna there. I'm trying to trace Amy's path."
"That makes sense to me," Ron mused. "When do we go?"
"I'll have your ride there in about ten minutes."
"Is there anything we can do?" Jim asked.
"Yeah, we feel really bad," Tim added. "We thought Miss Go was a great teacher, she gave us physics assignments."
"Aren't you two a little young to have to do physics assignments?" Ron asked.
"We don't have to do physics assignments," Tim replied.
"We get to do physics assignments," Jim concluded. "She gave us an assignment to track down an emitting radiation source."
"Yeah," Tim added. "The source changed frequencies and changed locations. We finally tracked it down to the Huehuetenango area in Guatemala."
"Modifying a set of my mission gear to resist her shocks will be enough," Kim told her brothers. "Other than that, stay out of it. If you see her, run your legs off, we don't need another kidnapping."
"Good thought," Ron told her. "Let's see if we can find anything out at the ranch."
"Agents out of our Seattle office have arrested two of Amy's accomplices," Agent Smith informed the assembly. "They were more technicians than criminals and the thought of having the…nightmare…we discovered pinned onto them prompted them to talk."
"What sort of nightmare?" Betty asked, concerned at what would have a couple of experienced FBI agents this upset.
"DNAmy had set up a drug production and distribution lab," the second smith informed everyone present. "She intimidated local gangs into distributing the product and as for production…she…" the agent gave a very pointed look towards Wade's image on the monitor. "Perhaps we shouldn't say it in front of everyone."
"Ron's my friend," Wade countered. "And if this has something to do with Hanna, I want to know."
"I agree," Dr. Director intervened. "Mr. Lode needs to know even the most horrific details."
"Very well," the first Agent Smith conceded. "DNAmy has placed several dozen people into chemically induced comas and is utilizing their bodies to produce narcotics."
"According to the technicians we caught, they use gene-splicing to promote certain hormone production," the second agent continued, in a very subdued voice. "Which they then distribute as narcotics. Apparently, each person can produce the hormones for somewhere between thirty and sixty days. After the body wears out, they incinerate it and find a new subject."
"Oh dear God!" Wade gasped. "That's what Amy's going to do to Hanna?"
"I doubt it," Drakken interrupted. "Young man, you aren't thinking like a criminal. For something like this travesty, you use people who the public either expects to, or won't notice, vanishing. I'm willing to bet that the poor souls are either criminals, homeless, or both."
"He's right," the first agent agreed. "According to the technicians, Amy hasn't actually been in Seattle for months. Also, she hasn't told them that she's about to arrive. Wherever Amy is taking, or has already taken Hanna, it isn't that lab."
"So where does that leave us, now?" Wade asked. "Where do we look next?"
"The technicians are talking with their lawyers, " the second agent told him. "With Officer Hobble's permission, our agents will cut a deal. According to the techs, they have information that we'll find very useful."
"Ye've got me go-ahead," the policeman said. "These additional crimes are outside o' me jurisdiction. I just want to find the wee lass."
"In that case, we might have additional information within minutes. Of course, I can't guarantee that it will lead to Hanna. We'll be best served by trying to uncover additional leads."
"Okay," Wade sighed. "I'll continue to uncover Amy's financial network. Maybe I can dig up another lead."
"Drew, what's on your mind?" Dr. Director asked her subordinate. "I can almost see the gears spinning in your head."
"I don't really know…not yet," the blue scientist answered. "But I think we're all missing something. Amy took a huge risk to abduct Hanna…but left the Stoppables alive to report it. She must think that there's something very special about that little girl and since we're dealing with Amy, it must be on a genetic level."
"But the wee tot's adopted and no one's the wiser towards her parents," Officer Hobble protested. "How does that help us?"
"It doesn't…at least not yet," Drew admitted. "Once I figure out why Amy grabbed the girl, we'll be a lot closer to finding out where they are."
"Well, that about does it," Kim told Wade. "We've swept the compound and Amy's car. We've got traces of Hanna's DNA here and it seems to be concentrated in Amy's trunk and in one of the holding pens. I guess that means that Amy carried Hanna out here in her trunk, confined her in the pen, then left sometime later."
"That's a good guess," Wade replied.
"Have you come up with anything on those weird feathers we found?"
"Not yet," Wade shrugged his shoulders. "My DNA analysis takes some time. The only thing I can say right now is what you already know; that they seem a strange mixture of feather and fur. Anyway, I'd like you to head over to the garage. The police and FBI said that there were some scorch marks on the floor and I'd like to see if they're chemically consistent with jet or rocket exhaust. If they are, we'll know how she left."
"I'm on it, Wade," Kim answered wearily. The fact that they hadn't found any solid clues was affecting Kim a great deal. She trudged out of the large building and across the open expanse to the garage. Just outside the building, she found Ron staring into Amy's open trunk. As she approached, she saw tears flowing from his eyes. Wordlessly, she placed a supportive hand on his shoulder.
"I know she was in this trunk," Ron sobbed. "The scanner found the DNA…probably from skin and hair cells but these dents really get to me."
"Dents?" Kim asked.
"These dents," he answered, pointing at the inside of the trunk cover. Sure enough, Kim spotted a multitude of small dents in insulating material under the thin metal.
"She fought," Ron sobbed. "She kicked and punched at her cage. She probably screamed and cried for help…but nobody came."
"I know," Kim whispered back. She gently turned him away from the car and into the garage, "Wade wants us to scan the residue in the garage."
"What good will it do?" Ron demanded. His voice was thick with misery.
"With Wade, who knows? He can dig up luck from the most unlikely places." Kim did her best to sound optimistic. It did a little good, prompting Ron to trudge into the aforementioned building and focus his own Kimmunicator's beam on some of the black, sooty markings.
"We're scanning, Wade," Kim reported. "What can you tell us?"
"Wait just a minute!" Kim and Ron both perked up at the sudden excitement in their young friend's voice. "I think we're on to something!"
"The technicians' lawyers and the investigative agents have reached a deal!" Agent Smith announced, while staring at his PDA. "They're ready to give us additional information."
"I'm instructing the agents on site to feed video directly to us," the second Smith added.
In response, a monitor on the wall suddenly came to life and showed a horrific scene. Two men in lab coats, accompanied by two men in suits, led another man in a suit through a warehouse full of full life support beds.
"To whomever may be listening," one of the suit-wearing men spoke to the camera. "I am the court appointed attorney for this man here." He gestured towards one of the men in a lab coat. "I want everyone to understand that my client, his companion and his companion's lawyer have made a deal with this FBI agent. My client is fulfilling his part of the bargain by uncovering evidence beneficial to the bureau. Perhaps introductions are in order."
"Those must be the poor souls providing the hormone drugs," Officer Hobble muttered, nodding at the life support beds while the lawyer introduced everyone visible on the monitor. "Tis a nightmare indeed."
"Okay, now that we've all 'fessed up," one of the technicians told the camera. "I'll show you what Bigfoot was really up to."
With this, the man reached under a control console and pressed a hidden button. A section of wall slid upwards, revealing a hidden staircase. The technicians led the way down the stairs, to another laboratory with a large vat and three life-support beds. One of the beds was occupied.
"Bigfoot didn't tell us everything," the technician declared. "We were here to run her operation. She ran this operation to fund other experiments. This is one of them," he pointed to the occupied bed.
The bed contained a comatose, but clearly pregnant, woman.
"Apparently, Bigfoot got on the wrong side of a couple of people in her past," the nervous man continued. "She didn't use names, but she called them 'the hussy' and 'the killer'. She'd rant now and then and we think that a former boyfriend or lover left her for 'the hussy' and 'the killer' killed another boyfriend or lover."
"She didn't encourage questions," the other tech continued the tale. "But she talked to herself a lot. "This 'subject'," he pointed to the pregnant woman, "Is carrying the hussy's child. I guess that this other woman needed to use artificial means to conceive a kid. Bigfoot managed to get a hold of some of the unused zygotes and implanted one."
"Here's a little bonus," the other technician took up the tale. "Bigfoot used this tank," he gestured to the vat, "to reform her body. She used some form of genetic manipulation to turn herself into a petite lady. According to her, she was going to use this new body to get close to the killer's family. She told us that she would make her move once he was out of the way."
"I don't think you're telling us everything," the accompanying FBI agent remarked, in a cold voice.
"Of course we aren't," the man snapped back. "We're living up to our side of the bargain."
"My client and his companion will provide further information based upon additional agreements," one of the lawyers claimed.
"Okay, where do we go from here?" Dr. Director asked the team assembled around her. "Does this get us any closer to finding Amy and Hanna?"
"Of course it does!" Dr. Drakken declared ignoring the on-screen negotiations between the lawyers and agents. "We know where Amy's going…if she isn't there already! She's going after Shego!"
"Why do you say that?"
"Amy looks at genetics the way the rest of us look at technology and hardware!" Drakken told the group. "Dr. Director, after Loward was defeated, didn't Global Justice examine the disabled walkers?"
"Drew! International agreements stipulated that all such devices would be destroyed without attempting to harness the technology."
Drakken didn't say anything, he just held his superior's gaze.
"Let's say…hypothetically…that Global Justice took such an action, what does it prove?" Dr. Director asked.
"You look at the technology that nearly defeated you. Amy looks at the genetics that defeated her. That's why she's recreated Shego's child, she wants to harness that ability! We all know about Shego's capabilities and we know that Stoppable has some strange ability, as well. Amy wants to harness it!"
"But Shego's powers aren't genetic," Wade protested. "She gained them when…"
"When the rainbow comet hit the tree house she and her brothers were playing in," Drakken interrupted. "Young man, the vast majority of the population would have died from the radiation. Somehow, Shego and her brothers absorbed it and became super powered. The ability to absorb the radiation has to be genetic in origin and that's what Amy wants!"
"Then what about the little girl?" Officer Hobble demanded. "She's adopted and shares no such genes with young Ronald."
"No, they're not related," Drew countered, his mind now moving very fast. "According to Fiske, Stoppable gained the Mystical Monkey Power a couple of years ago. However, the boy didn't exhibit any special powers until last spring. Shortly after that, this little girl comes up for adoption. Could she be genetically predisposed towards wielding this power and someone wants her close to Stoppable?"
"There's a great deal of speculation to that logic," Dr. Director commented. "So answer this; why would Amy be moving on Shego if she's already recreated Shego's child?"
"Two reasons," Drew countered. "Shego gained her power through a combination of genetics and radiation. Amy already has the genetics, so where does she go to get the radiation?"
"The only sources left are the residual radiation left in Team Go's bodies," Wade answered, with a shrug.
"Oh my God!" Dr. Director gasped. "Shego's unborn child has both the genetic disposition to harness the radiation and is being bathed in Shego's radiation."
"What be the other reason?" Officer Hobble asked.
"Revenge, of course," Drew told him. "Think of it! Shego took Amy's first paramour away from her. What better revenge than to take Shego's baby? Stoppable killed Amy's second lover so she gets even by taking away his sister. She gets revenge and power at the same time!"
"There's still one problem," Betty told him. "Shego's location is a closely guarded secret. I'm the only one in this room who knows where she is."
"I know that she's in either Central or South America," Drew countered. "I could figure that much out from when you let me attend her wedding. I don't know the country, but am I correct in my guess?"
"Drew, assuming you are correct…which I neither confirm or deny…Amy doesn't have even that information at her disposal. There's no way she could have deduced Shego's hiding place."
"She knows…if Shego's located near Huehuetenango, Guatemala," Wade interrupted, from his monitor. Dr. Director's gasp told everyone present that he was correct.
"Mr. Lode," Global Justice's head's voice was cold. "I do not appreciate you hacking Global Justice's computers and determining secrets."
"I didn't have to," Wade retorted. "I was talking to Jim and Tim Possible. Apparently, Miss Go gave them an extra-credit assignment over the Christmas break. They had to track down a variable radiation source. Using satellite telemetry, they deduced that the source spent most of its time in the Huehuetenango Area. It wasn't until Drakken referred to Shego's radiation and said that she had to be in that region that I figured out why Amy gave the twins that particular assignment. Wait a minute! Kim and Ron are on the line." Wade's image turned away from the screen while he spoke to his friends.
"But how could Amy know that Shego emitted a certain radiation?" Betty demanded of the others in the room. "Not even Global Justice understood the implications."
"Wasn't Aviarius able to track her to Rochester, even when she was moved secretly, to the Mayo Clinic?" Drew suggested. "I think we can conclude that my Go City counterpart knew that she emitted this radiation."
"And Miss Go volunteered to counsel Aviarius during his parole," Dr. Director finished, palming her face. "At least until he disappeared. Why didn't we put the pieces together before this?"
"Because the pieces were all disassociated until Amy made her move," Drew shrugged. "The important thing is what we do now. I believe that Amy must be moving against Shego."
"I agree. There's just too many coincidences coming together," Dr. Director nodded, before stabbing a button on the conference table.
"Operations Center," a voice responded.
"Emergency mission," Dr. Director curtly informed her subordinate. "I need a team at Subject 57's location, yesterday. Before you ask, she's located in Guatemala. What assets do we have nearby?"
"The only asset in the Central and South American zone of operations is Agent Du's team in the Amazon Basin."
"Establish contact immediately. Use priority one status to commandeer any available communication channel and inform me as soon as he responds."
"Yes, Dr. Director."
"What local assets do we have available?"
"We have transportation available, but no operatives."
"I happen to know of a pair of highly capable teenagers, who are more than ready to meet Amy," Wade interjected, from his monitor.
"Excellent," Dr. Director almost purred. "Operations, get transportation to pre-agent Red's domicile, ready to pick up her team in half an hour. You will immediately convey her to Subject 57's location. I'm releasing the exact location to your work station at this time."
"We're moving, Dr. Director," the operation officer assured her.
"Gentlemen," Dr. Director addressed the team. "I'd like to adjourn this meeting for an hour, while I make my arrangements. You're welcome to stay here, if you'd like. Drew, please accompany me to my office."
The assembled men stood as the lady strode out of the conference room, with the former mad scientist rushing to keep up with his boss.
A telephone rang in an apparently vacant house. The few bystanders nearby looked at the house for a few moments then studiously ignored the sound. Speculation, and there would be plenty of that, would take place well away from the building. Over the last couple of months, this house had gained an ill reputation in the neighborhood. It wasn't that anybody saw anything horrific…just odd and this oddness generated odd rumors.
For one thing, a local shopkeeper had been hired to deliver several bags of groceries to the house every week. As per his instructions, he left the bags on the back step every Wednesday evening and the bags were always gone by the next morning. While the lights occasionally came on at night, thick blinds obscured the interior, allowing only distorted shadows to be seen. Sometimes, several silhouettes were visible at the same time and when this happened, most of the silhouettes were the size of small children. Finally, there were the strange sounds at night.
At about the same time the shopkeeper started to deliver the groceries, the neighbors started to note strange sounds in the air at night. Sometimes, it sounded like large birds were flying through the darkness and at other times, it sounded as if monkeys were screeching from above. The more nervous and superstitious neighbors made dire warnings about what would happen soon.
Spurred on by the rumors, some of the more macho neighbors determined to get to the bottom of the mystery. Certainly, something wrong was taking place in the house…something that was either illegal or immoral…something that would bring fame and fortune to anyone bold enough to confront it. The forming mob stopped cold, however, when a band of smugglers showed up and placed themselves between the civic minded rabble and the target of its wrath. The smugglers' leader, a very articulate and cultured Englishman, informed the mob that whatever was inside the house posed no threat to the local community. The man went on to explain that the only harm that would come to the neighbors would be if they attempted to force their way inside…at which point the smugglers would be honor-bound to teach painful lessons. The mob, riding the crest of an alcohol-enhanced wave of civic pride, surged forward to let the man know that no popinjay of a foreigner was going to tell them what to do…
And quickly found out that the Englishman and his band weren't the sort to be trifled with. There were no fatalities, just numerous painful injuries that would take a long time to heal. Realizing that there were dire consequences involved in crossing the smugglers, the neighbors settled in to wait for the worst.
Yet the worst didn't happen. The shopkeeper continued to deliver the groceries, the strange sounds continued to call from the night sky, but people didn't vanish, possessions didn't disappear and property didn't become vandalized. After a few more weeks, the smugglers (who the locals discovered were paying for the groceries and utilities) hired a couple of local boys to keep the mystery house's yard in good repair. The locals quickly decided that there was nothing to gain by digging into the mystery, accepted the trickle of coin the house pumped into the neighborhood and went about their lives. Of course, they continued to speculate about just what was going on inside.
The few people present on this day would have a little something to report to their neighbors later on. They would report that a telephone rang four times before a high-pitched voice, speaking in English, answered it. Shrugging their shoulders, the bystanders considered just what was happening. None of them guessed that a small, winged man had answered the phone.
"This is a recorded message," a nauseatingly cheerful voice sounded in Aviarius's ear. "From number…"
The modified villain recognized Amy's cell phone number.
"Avers, seize your target immediately," the geneticist's voice instructed. Aviarius hung up the phone when the cheerful voice returned and asked him if he wanted to repeat the message.
Avers checked the clock to see that it was early afternoon. As per his previous instructions, he would wait until nightfall before making his move. He was more than ready, his minions and he had been scouting the area for weeks.
"We finish this tonight, Monty," the hybrid gloated, in his high-pitched voice. "Amy told me to bring Shego back alive, but I can do with you whatever I want. You'll learn a hard lesson about leaving me to rot in prison. I think I'll even let you know that it was your faithful service that allowed me to stay here, undisturbed, all these weeks."
Had there been any bystanders outside of the house now, they would have reported whistling laughter coming from inside.
"The gizmo confirms it, Agent Du," one of Will's team told him. "It's one of the orchids we need." The burly man snorted out a humorless laugh. "After spending yesterday and most of today not finding any of 'em, we find three all at once."
"Dig them all up," Du ordered. "And be careful with them. Since we found three, we'll have two spares in case the first one dies.
Du and the other two agents grabbed their shovels and started to dig; each one unearthing one of the rare flowers. Du was just about to pry his plant out of the ground and into a basket when his communicator chirped.
"Agent Du," he answered, stretching his sore back.
"This is Dr. Director," his commander's voice informed him. "I am overriding your mission. You will immediately cease operations and travel to Subject 57's location. Do you understand me?"
"Sheg…er, yes, Dr. Director," Du answered. He motioned for his team to continue unearthing the flowers while he spoke to the commander.
"Very well, I am transmitting her exact location. How long will it take you to depart your current location?"
"Four hours," answered Will, wincing as he said so.
"I don't like hearing that, Du."
"We're four hours from our aircraft," Will replied, honestly. "It will take us that long to get back. The jungle is too dense for us to set down just anywhere."
"Understood. Move as fast as you can. What's the status of your current project?"
"We're loading up orchids as we speak," Du answered, noting that his team was doing just that.'
"Excellent! Will, listen carefully. This is a guardian mission that may turn into a rescue mission. Miss Go, a teacher at Middleton High, is actually DNAmy in disguise. We have reason to believe that she will attempt to seize Subject 57. As we do not know her exact whereabouts, I can not tell you if you will arrive before such an attempt takes place."
"Understood, Dr. Director."
"That's not all. Amy seems to be genetically enhanced. She possesses enhanced strength and the ability to deliver electrical shocks. Furthermore, we suspect that she had given herself additional capabilities but we cannot even begin to guess what they happen to be."
"We'll be careful, Dr. Director."
"That's still not all. She has also kidnapped Hanna Stoppable and we suspect that she's working with Aviarius. You must work under the assumption that she has a hostage and multiple accomplices."
"Understood. Will we receive backup?"
"Team Possible will be in route shortly. They should arrive on location shortly after sundown. While satellite communications are unreliable, you will be able to contact them when you come into line-of-site proximity."
"I'll look for them."
"Very well. Will, I want you to understand your order of priorities. Your first priority is to assure that Subject 57 does not fall into Amy's hands. Your second priority is to recover Hanna Stoppable. Your third priority is to apprehend Amy and any of her accomplices." Static had started to intrude upon Dr. Director's words.
"This channel is becoming unstable," she concluded. "So I'm transmitting Subject 57's coordinates to you, now. This could be dangerous Will, so be careful."
The channel closed before Will could reply.
"Okay people," he announced, while picking up one of the orchids. "I want us back at the aircraft in two hours."
"It took us four hours to get here," one of the agents protested.
"So we'd better run, hadn't we?" Du retorted.
He did just that, hoping that they could reach the aircraft before night descended upon the jungle.
"I can't think of anything else," Wade, speaking through the Kimmunicator, told Kim. "We're kind of making this up as we go along."
"It's better than nothing," Kim, from her seat in the Global Justice aircraft. "Even if Amy isn't personally going after Shego, if we can catch her henchmen, it'll give us another lead to find her. Doing something has done wonders for Ron."
"Where is he, by the way?"
"He's in back," she answered, holding her Kimmunicator so the camera could see him. "He's trying to meditate and get ready for a confrontation."
"Well, I'm already losing signal so I'll say good luck. Keep me updated as often as you can. Wade out."
Kim put the device away and tried to relax. After a few minutes, Ron roused himself, got up and sat next to her.
"How did it go?" She asked.
"I was able to contact Sensei," Ron told her, with a subdued voice.
"I'm guessing it wasn't pleasant."
"He didn't sound upset," Ron frowned. "He said that it wasn't my fault that she's gone but that it's my duty to rescue her. After that, he told me that we've helped many over the years and that I should be prepared to accept their help in return. He seemed really pleased that Drakken has us on the trail."
"Anything else?"
"Yeah," Ron clutched her hand for support. "I managed to contact Hanna."
"Really? Were you able to learn anything?"
"No, Hanna doesn't have the skill to communicate. I could sort of read and exchange emotions. She was terrified! She just doesn't understand why all of this is happening to her."
"The poor dear," Kim whispered. "Wait, you said she was…"
"I managed to get her to understand that I was looking for her and that I thought I would find her. She calmed down…a little…after that. I was only able to maintain contact with her for a few minutes. I hope I helped."
"I'm sure you did. What now?"
"We find Amy and let her know that we really….REALLY…don't approve of villains who attack children."
Ron had delivered his last remark in a tone so icy that Kim became nervous. She recalled Ron's feelings of guilt in the past when Desi, Eric and Warrick Loward had fallen to his hand. Squeezing his hand, she promised herself to keep him from doing something he would regret later, when they finally caught up to Amy.
A/N:
Last week, the Kimmunity suffered yet another loss. Screaming Pheonix was a good friend of many of us and an avid reader and reviewer of this arc. I'll miss him terribly and I'm very sorry that I didn't finish this story while he was still with us to enjoy it. SP, I hope you're continuing to read, somewhere, and will tell me what you think when I'm finished.
On a happier note, I appreciate the continued hits, reviews and PMs that this story has generated. Thanks everyone.
My biggest thanks to Joe Stoppinghem for his continued beta efforts, since the first story in this arc. Thanks Joe.
Until my next posting, best wishes;
daccu65
