Disclaimer: I do not own Kim Possible, any of the other characters from that show, or those from any other media I may reference in my stories.
7-8-2010 Here I go again, but hopefully this itch is finally fully scratched. I have re-written chapters 37 through 40, and apologize if someone was actually in the midst of reading this part of the story.
My reasons are many, including stumbling upon my original notes for this part of the story. But mainly, certain things needed to be changed to set up the sequel. My first attempt was to add a chapter 40, two years after finishing the story originally. But it ended up sounding lame to my ears.
So this is it, I sincerely hope, the last re-write of this story. With full apologies to those who are rightfully tired of it all.
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The Stoppables had come over to stay at the Possible home as events unfolded in Go City. This was mostly for the convenience of Global Justice's local office, which was strapped for Agents to cover their responsibilities. Getting both Ron's and Kim's family members in one location made their job much easier. The Loads remained in their home, which was well-protected by Wade's own security measures as well as a team of agents.
The press had the Possible home staked out, as did the Middleton PD, and neighbors who could tear themselves away from their TV screens gathered in gossiping knots, speculating wildly.
James Possible had had to go to the Space Center to join the growing roster of scientists being consulted for information and advice by the Government. This left Anne and the boys to entertain their guests, and anxiously watch the television.
Jean Stoppable sat on the couch with her husband, with Hana dozing in her arms. Jim and Tim Possible sat restlessly on the floor in front of the plasma screen TV, to which all eyes were riveted. Anne was in the kitchen, brewing tea and cooking dinner while listening to the broadcast.
All the networks now had camera crews on top of the namesake bluff in Gold Bluff Park, which gave them their best view of both East and West Go Islands. And direct connections to communications networks that could transmit outside Go City.
They had also put crews aboard one of the two excursion boats that carried tour groups and occasional party crowds around the bay. Though for the moment these crews could not send video to their networks, they were recording events at much closer range, as close as the blockade around the two islands would let them.
And photographers seemingly occupied almost every high rooftop, trying to get the one special angle or shot that could make a magazine cover, and a career. Others shared the excursion boat with the network crews. There were also multitudes of independents and amateurs shooting pictures and video. All this despite the possibility that disaster loomed.
The image being viewed in the Possible home came from a national news network, the narrative coming from a young woman with a mild British accent.
"...we have no current explanation for what is obstructing our view of events on East Go Island. Yet obviously something unseen is doing just that, from what we saw when several helicopters carrying what we believe were US Special Forces soldiers approached the island earlier. Several were knocked from the sky violently by an unseen force, while the remainder vanished entirely. Yet it is not believed that they crashed, but passed behind some kind of camouflage screen, 'cloaking' whatever events are transpiring there."
"Team Possible's new ship followed the helicopters to the island, vanishing from sight as well. Two helicopters from the original force set down on the Davis Street Pier, both showing signs of engine trouble. The Davis Street Pier is where the Bay Excursion Company is located, one of whose excursion vessels is now on your screen, carrying a large contingent of reporters and cameramen as close to the island as they are allowed. And just moments ago, a US Army Chinook helicopter landed on the Davis Street Pier as well, but out of sight of our cameras. I understand the press is being kept a discreet distance from the Pier right now."
She paused to read some notes in her hands, "No accord has been reached as yet regarding the nature of the phenomena that has engulfed Go Tower. The surviving members of Team Go, however, are believed to be with Team Pos...Wait! I can see their ship again, it just popped into view, and has now come to a halt, midway between the two islands...a smaller craft has emerged from the ship's belly, and is descending to the water's surface...and appears to have submerged! Now the ship itself is speeding towards the Davis Street Pier, I believe flashing a Morse message with two lights under it's nose!" What she had actually seen was the drone from Thundagirl's starboard side, hidden from the reporter and her camera crew as it detached, took Doctor Director and Mego aboard, then descended into view.
Anne Possible had come to the door to watch when she heard the reporter mention Thundagirl. "That's a good sign, Mom!" Jim exclaimed. Anne nodded dubiously. Thundagirl could be evacuating wounded, or dying, people from the island. When Thundagirl dropped out of sight of the cameras onto the pier, she sighed, then turned and went back to her cooking.
Dean Stoppable whispered in his wife's ear, patting her on the arm. She nodded, forcing a confident smile on her face. The Tweebs put their heads together and whispered to each other for several minutes. The telecast was mainly ignored for now, the reporter's speculations and exchanges with an anchorman in another city being mere background noise for five people lost in their own thoughts, and one sleeping baby.
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The sentient ship settled quickly down on the pier. Navy SEALs and Marine Force Recon personnel had been offloading underwater gear from the Chinook, in anticipation of seeing if they could get under the mysterious shield around Go East Island. But now that plan was discarded in favor of new opportunity.
"I can take twenty-five to thirty of you inside!" Thundagirl boomed, "But put a priority on medical personnel! We have a lot of wounded from your first wave that need treatment, and I can always come back for more of you!" Decisions and allocations were hurriedly made, and T-Girl was airborne again in less then ten minutes, speeding back towards the island.
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Of sixty-eight personnel on the six helicopters that had gotten through, nineteen were dead and only ten uninjured, leaving thirty-nine casualties in total to be dealt with. With the exception of three of the uninjured, who were too shaken to be of use, Charley had everyone pitching in to care for the injured. Even Shego ignored her worry over Kim and the babies to help out. Only Roy was otherwise occupied, trying to manipulate the locking mechanism of the shelter to gain access.
Doctor Drakken knelt beside Charley as she worked to stabilize a UNIT trooper with severe abdominal injuries. "You shouldn't be so hard on yourself about not being able to correctly interpret what's been going on, Charley. I have a notion that there was never much chance of any of us being able to understand what's been happening."
"Because we've been pawns, in a big chess game between the Doctor and the Matrix?" Charlie replied levelly.
Drakken nodded, unsurprised that she'd made the deduction. "Well, no, not chess, exactly. That game that Ron, Rufus, and myself became so fascinated with, when we were in that alien world, is a better example. Every move a player makes can change the value of all of their pieces, and the value of their opponent's, as well. Whole strategies can be undone in one move, that took a dozen moves to set up. Every move in this 'game' has changed the parameters, and we have simply not been in a position to see that."
Charley nodded reluctantly. "I see your point, but still..." she sighed, "You're right, I know, but it still galls me, I always worry about things happening out of my sight, events I can't effect. But in this case, I thought it was all so clear, more than once! I hate being in this position!" She stood up, wiping her hands off on a piece of torn cloth. "All I can do for him, we need to get him to a hospital. Next task for T-Girl when she returns!" Looking around, her eyes locked onto Shego, who was now standing gazing at the door to the shelter intently, as if she could actually see inside. Charley consulted her bracer, scrolling through the data on all the wounded. The boys, save for Roy, were darting back and forth to update that info.
Drakken also regarded Shego with a puzzled frown. "I think she's still confused about her feelings for Kimberley, to be honest. I suspect they don't match whatever expectations she may have had, as far as being in love with someone."
Charley sighed. "There's still a possibility that it isn't truly love that they're feeling for each other, I don't know for sure, it's new to me, too." She looked at Ron, who had just finished splinting both of a man's arms, and smiled fondly. "Way too new, it almost scares me!"
Drakken nodded sagely. "You wouldn't be the first, my dear! But, back to business, how long do you think it'll be until you gain access to this structure?"
"We're not, or at least not through the front door." Charley replied flatly, smile vanishing. "It's deadlocked, the external mechanisms are no longer connected to the locks themselves. The only way we'll get inside is if Kim or somebody else lets us in. I don't think even the Doctor could get inside it, right now!" An odd noise caused her to look up, to see Thundagirl returning through the barrier. And then, the barrier abruptly vanishing.
A feeling of disorientation swept through all the people on the island, and many who were standing dropped to their knees, or to a squatting position, as their senses swam. And the noise level suddenly went up dramatically, as all the sounds generated by the flotilla surrounding the island, and coming from the city itself suddenly flooded in.
Drakken worked his jaw to try and pop his ears, then looked around. "I suppose it was no longer worth the energy to maintain, if Thundagirl can come and go as she pleases!"
"I hope that's the only reason!" Charley responded warily as she consulted her comm. "Communications are still out, though." T-Girl set down, and her passengers began to disembark. One snapped an order to a second, who pulled a signal light from his gear, and moving to the water's edge, began to flash signals at the circling ships.
At least eight medical personnel were among the new arrivals, and Charley headed over to brief them as best she could on treatment priorities. Drakken walked over to Shego, and stood silently for a moment, before putting a hand on her shoulder. "Not to be overly optimistic, but if anyone can survive, and bring them all out, it's Kimberley."
Shego nodded jerkily. "I know, if anyone can, Kim can! But, I don't know what I'll do if they don't. If I'm even still around to be worried, that is!" She spotted Charley talking to a young woman of African descent among the new arrivals. Then Charley suddenly stiffened and shook her head sharply. The woman she was speaking to then moved to meet JJ, who had noticed Charley's actions and started towards her. But after a few words from the strange woman, she too was left standing still, slowly shaking her head. The woman then headed towards Belle.
"Something's up!" Shego snapped, and headed to intercept the woman, Drakken trailing behind. Beth had noticed something amiss as well, and all parties concerned converged at once. "What's going on?" Shego asked the woman as she began to speak to Belle. She hesitated, then focused on the sisters, ignoring Shego.
In a British accent, she spoke very precisely, "End Game, a lamb never lies down twice with a hungry gvarrk." Both Reeder sisters' expressions went blank for a moment, then Belle grimaced, and Beth shook her head.
"Huh?" Shego directed a puzzled look at Drakken.
"Obviously some sort of code phrase, possibly to trigger the release of suppressed memories." The scientist speculated, looking inquiringly at the strange woman.
She grinned sheepishly, then looked at Shego. "I'm afraid I have one for you, too!" Then before Shego could say a word, the woman carefully enunciated, "Ridiculasaurus Rex!"
Shego flinched, and her eyes went out of focus briefly, before hardening, "That sawn-off, two-hearted, deceitful, manipulating, son of-Oh!" her angry tirade ended abruptly as her eyes went glassy, and her knees gave out, a look of wonder suddenly crossing her features. Ron and Drakken caught her as she collapsed, lowering her to a kneeling position. "I remember all of it..." she murmured.
"She remembers what?" Drakken asked the stranger sharply, eyes narrowed.
"Um..." she fidgeted briefly before replying, "The nine months worth of bonding between her and Kim Possible in the Rani's time-dilation machine." As they looked at her in astonishment, she held her hand out to Ron. "Martha Jones..Doctor Martha Jones, a friend of the Doctor, who asked me to do this for him." Ron grasped her hand rather limply, being distracted by too many things to pay full attention. Martha smiled, then looked around at the injured on the ground. "I can't explain everything, and need to get to work helping with the wounded, I think your friends will eventually be able to answer all your questions adequately, please excuse me." She said apologetically, then hurried away towards a frantically gesticulating medic.
Charley and the other girls seemed to have recovered, frowns on all their faces. Ron studied his girlfriend with concern. "Charley? What's wrong?" he asked anxiously.
The girl barely seemed to register the question, but muttered, "I was right, It wasn't me...it wasn't us, it never was!" JJ nodded as if in agreement, while the Reeders looked uncertain. Then the four girls went into a huddle, whispering fiercely.
Drakken and Ron exchanged glances, then looked down at Shego, who was now hugging her knees and rocking herself back and forth on the ground. Then Ron said "Must have been some Badical memories!" Ron observed.
"To say the least!" Drakken replied sourly.
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Doctor Director was not enjoying her dip into the bay. For summer, the water was surprisingly cold, though the lack of a wet suit contributed to her discomfort. She was in her underwear, with a KAPGun belted around her waist. "Any resemblance to Ursula Andress is solely present in a truly warped mind!" she thought sourly. She also couldn't see where they were going, lying prone on the drone's deck, forced to keep her head low as the vehicle sped downwards. Raising her head above the low shield in front of her could lead to the mouthpiece of her rebreather being torn out of her mouth by the water rushing past.
But soon enough the drone decelerated, and she could raise her head enough to see the airlock illuminated by the drone's lights. It consisted of a round steel hatch set in the face of a large concrete structure, just as T-Girl had described it.
It seemed to be well supported by the natural contours the island, though it didn't seem to meet the island around the back. She remembered Thundagirl's description of what she had scanned. "Some kind of concrete casement, lowered into position and welded to a large pipe embedded in the cave mouth. Definitely not a simple operation, or easily concealed, and from the looks of it, it's been down here a very long time. I hope the hatch isn't rusted shut, we haven't the means to force it at hand!"
The drone stopped about twenty feet from the hatch, and Betty pushed off from it and swam to the hatch, Mego trailing her, shining a light around them. The hatch had a simple wheel for opening, and it looked clean, which was an encouraging sign as far as getting inside. Betty took hold of it, braced herself, and gave it a turn. It was only slightly stiff, and she soon had the hatch open. Mego shone the light inside, detecting nothing, then gestured for Betty to enter first. He followed her inside, then turned to pull the hatch shut and secure it.
At which point, the sounds of machinery came from somewhere, and the water in the airlock began to drain out. The two occupants exchanged glances, and shrugs. At least they wouldn't have to release the water into the cave. When the water was low enough to remove their mouthpieces, Mego spoke first. "Automatic, maybe?" He asked, hopefully.
"I doubt it." Betty replied grimly. Mego grimaced and nodded agreement. When the water was down to six inches, he put his re breather aside and shrank to eight inches, then pressed himself against the inner wall, to one side of the hatch. When the water was drained, they waited for over a minute, Betty trying to ignore the goose flesh covering her exposed skin. When nothing happened, she reached out to gingerly touch the locking wheel on the inner hatch. When she wasn't immediately electrocuted, she grinned sheepishly and turned the wheel.
Warm air rushed into the lock when the hatch swung open, and Betty peered through it. She could clearly see the outline of the pipe, maybe ten foot in diameter originally, extending about thirty feet away from her. Someone had poured a concrete floor in the pipe, though it was somewhat the worse for wear. Beyond the end of the pipe, the cavern opened to the left, and from around the bend an orange glow emanated, and an odd thrumming.
Clambering through the hatch, KAPGun in hand, Betty advanced cautiously through the pipe, watchful for any traps or other devices. None were visible, but that mattered little, since it was obvious their presence was known to someone. "But hopefully not the Matrix!" Betty thought. Reaching the end of the pipe, she stepped onto the natural cavern floor, and peered around the bend. A large natural chamber, possibly modified by human hands, opened before her.
It contained three large objects of immediate interest. A large three-sided console of advanced design, a complicated machine that looked like a merging of a pipe organ and an old pot-bellied stove, from which the glow and the noise emanated...and the Doctor's TARDIS.
The tension in Betty shifted from wariness to annoyance as she walked boldly into the chamber. "Doctor! Where are you?" A muffled noise caused her to look at the console, and then down to it's base, from beneath which two legs protruded.
Walking over and crouching down, she saw the Seventh Doctor lying on his back, a small pair of pliers held between his teeth, working on some connections in the underside of the machine. "Doctor, what the hell is going on here, and what are you doing?"
The Doctor removed the pliers from his mouth and beamed at her. "I'll be finished in a minute!" He scowled at her state of undress, "If you're cold, my jacket is on top, you can put it on, but don't reach in the pockets, if you please!" He then resumed his work.
Vexed, but knowing better then to push things, Betty stood up. Mego, re-grown to his full size, was looking around, impressed. "Neat hide-out!" He spotted something beyond the machines, a large irregular lump, covered with tarpaulins. "What's that?" He asked, moving towards it.
Holding up the Doctor's jacket dubiously, Betty cast a glance in the direction Mego was moving. "No idea. Please don't touch any of the machinery, though." Shrugging, Betty slipped the coat on.
Mego rolled his eyes. "Like you needed to tell me that!" He muttered sourly, giving the glowing machine a wide berth as he proceeded with his investigation.
The Doctor suddenly popped out from beneath the machine, a satisfied look on his face. "Ah! That's done, we should be able to turn off the containment field around Go City shortly! Without it, the Matrix's plan can't succeed, so it should be forced to abandon it!" He scowled, "Unless it anticipated my move, and has a back-up!" His shoulders sagged, and he shook his head wearily. "There have been so many moves in this business that I'm no longer sure which ones were mine, anymore!"
"And just how long has this little 'game' between the two of you been going on?" Betty asked, frowning fiercely.
The Doctor made an impatient gesture. "How long is irrelevant, Brig...Doctor Director! From the moment I learned it's plan, I've been scrambling to catch up, then get ahead of it! My main advantage was not needing to work entirely through proxies, being able to intervene directly while the Matrix is stuck in one fixed location! Still, it's been a challenge, especially when the Valeyard doubled back in time, and set up this paradoxical confusion!" He looked Betty in the eye, as seriously as she'd ever seen him, "But it's the end game, now, very little room to maneuver, no time to come up with new moves, not any more!"
Betty met his gaze steadily, her anger undiminished. "And you couldn't try and obtain our voluntary cooperation, Doctor? You had to manipulate things from the shadows, pulling strings, causing confusion?"
"Yes!" He replied sharply, which caused her eyes to narrow dangerously. The Doctor quickly assumed a more placating tone. "Yes, I had to try and keep the Matrix from realizing that I'd caught on to it's game, if possible!" He sighed. "But in fact the first time I realized something was amiss I was far too late, resulting in the deaths of so many..Kim, Charley, Shego..." He shook himself. "The Valeyard's desperate act in using the Time Ring caught me off guard, but I managed to retain my memories of that world, which was no easy feat!" He reached over and plucked a large stained handkerchief from a pocket of the coat Betty was wearing, and mopped his brow. He then continued in a more conciliatory tone. "I'm sorry for the confusion, truly! I've tried not to force anyone to act in ignorance, or against their own best interests, but a great deal is at stake here, as usual! I had to act in the manner I did, and I can't apologize for trying to save humanity!"
Betty's anger didn't diminish. "All by yourself? No, you used other people, emphasis on used! But only you knew what was going on, nobody in place to replace you, if something went wrong!"
The Doctor shook his head in exasperation. "There was no one else who could have replaced me! No one else who could have matched the Matrix's moves!" he replied testily.
"Would you two stop wasting time arguing!" Mego shouted them both down, "Doctor Director, I think you should see this!" He indicated the tarp-covered mound he was standing beside.
Betty glared at him, then at the Doctor, then reluctantly strode over to Mego. Her eye popped wide when she saw what was under the tarp. "What the hell?" She reached down and picked up a gold ingot, a very crudely cast one. The entire stack seemed to be all gold. "Someone did a very fast melt-down and recasting of these ingots!" She surmised, "Probably to remove telltale markings from them! The question is, how long have they been down here, and do they have anything to do with this whole mess?"
"Since 1947, and no, Doctor Director, they have nothing to do with our problems today." The Doctor replied. "Well, except this place was built or modified to hide that gold, and the Matrix put the resulting chamber to use in it's own plan." He was studying one display on the three-sided console, which displayed three columns which were slowly decreasing. The Doctor pulled out a pocket watch and consulted it. "I hope this doesn't take too long, or the Matrix may detect us!"
"Why hasn't it detected us already, Doctor?" Mego asked, forestalling Betty's asking the same question.
The Doctor assumed a guilty look. "Well, you see, the pendant I had made for Miss Possible had other purposes besides hiding her excellent health. One of which was interfering with the systems inside the shelter in a specific manner."
"Did you arrange for her to be taken inside?" Betty asked, in a chilly tone.
"No, I was merely playing the odds! From what I know of Kim Possible, it was almost inevitable that she end up in close proximity to her enemy, and mine!" The Doctor explained with resignation.
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Kim hastily bundled Milly up in a blanket, listening to the grinding noise as something tried to force the cell door closed against the prop she'd found to brace it open. She'd barely been able to lift the metal beam, but she'd gotten it into place eventually. Now she was trying to get her daughters out of the cell quickly, in case it gave way.
She'd shed the heavy and embarrassing top of her costume in favor of a too-big sweater with leather shoulder patches that she'd come across. There'd been nothing to replace the rest, though, so she still looked ridiculous, in her opinion. But now was not the time to be worried about it.
With care she lifted first Amy, then Milly, and moved quickly out of the cell. Amy was frowning, Milly merely curious about events as she gazed around at her surroundings. Kim hurried into the monitoring room, where GoGore was still lying in a crumpled heap. "Hmm, don't think I killed him, or mortally hurt him, or he'd have regenerated again. Or can he, without being in his most current incarnation? No time to worry about that, Have to get the babies out!"
She paused to study the monitors. It was getting crowded outside, Kim could see several helicopters approaching, as well as several watercraft, including what appeared to be an old fire boat. "The shield's down, but I didn't feel anything? If time returned to normal...wasting time!" She saw Thundagirl, but none of Team Possible were visible. Of course, the cameras were fixed at the moment, and weren't covering many areas. Like the entrance.
Suddenly, things began to get rushed outside. Most of the people she could see were moving in a purposeful manner, with occasional glances out at the water. "Something's wrong out there! Have to get to them, try and let them in here!"
She hurried towards the stairs up. Behind her, GoGore's body began to glow softly...
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The alarm had come from Thundagirl. As the soldiers already present organized themselves for the arrival of three more Blackhawks full of men, and the chain-of-command was sorted out, the sentient ship suddenly broadcast at full volume.
"Attention, Everyone! I have a possible threat inbound! Numerous contacts, approaching along the harbor bottom, in an arc from southwest to southeast, now counting five contacts! Moving slowly, no estimate on landfall!"
Charley snapped out of her reverie and looked around. "I was afraid of that!" she muttered.
Drakken nodded. "The shield was lowered to allow whatever is approaching to enter." he said worriedly.
"Let the military make their preparations, until T-Girl can identify what we're up against." Charley ordered the rest of the team. She looked at the other girls. "We'll have to deal with all the memory stuff later, no time for it now!" Though dubious, the other girls nodded their agreement.
"Charley, what's going on?" Ron asked anxiously, "What's changed, this time? Not sure I sure I can handle many more changes, especially about you!"
Charley smiled ruefully. "Then we could be in trouble, Ron, because this was a big one!" Then her expression became alert as she cocked her head as if listening to something. Before Ron could say anything, he heard it as well, the unmistakable sound of the Doctor's TARDIS arriving. Others heard and recognized it as well. JJ and the Reeders gathered close to Charley, studying her reaction for a cue as to how she was going to react to this. And from the frown on her face, it wasn't going to be an entirely friendly reaction.
Martha Jones also heard it and came over, a puzzled frown on her face. "Didn't know he was planning to put in another appearance." She explained as the blue form of the TARDIS became solid. Then the door opened and out popped the tenth incarnation of the Doctor, looking very much in a hurry. As some of the military officers began to approach, he quickly strode up to Charley and the others. Ron noticed that they didn't seem to recognize this particular Doctor, and looked wary.
A sharp gesture from the Doctor preempted Martha's attempt to speak. "Sorry, Martha, no time to talk, must do this quickly!" Then he took Charley's hand rather forcefully, and shook it vigorously. "Charley Cob..or Ward, whichever you choose, pleased to meet you, I'm the Doctor!" Without waiting for a response, he released Charley and took JJ's hand. "Jennifer Jasmine Kobayashi, I'm pleased to meet you, I'm the Doctor!" He then repeated the process which each of the Reeder sisters individually, before clapping his hands. "There, that's done! Now, I must really get going, I have some matters of my own to wrap up!"
"But Doctor!" The senior UNIT man bellowed, "Aren't you going to help us with this problem?"
The Doctor halted his dash back towards the TARDIS, looking indecisive. "Well...yes, I am helping you...going to help you, that is to say, but not here, you understand!" He stammered out, then smiled reassuringly before ducking inside the TARDIS and slamming the door. Within moments, the timeship began it's dematerialization, leaving a crowd of puzzled faces behind.
They all looked at each other, but only shrugs were exchanged, before they turned their attention back to the problem at hand. Though Ron had to take one moment for matters of a personal nature. He took Charley by the arm and led her away from the others, then spoke quietly to her. "Charley, now what's going on? What did he mean, Cob, or Ward?"
"Ward is my real last name, Ron, that's part of what I now remember. The Doctor blocked a lot of our memories for our own safety. I've suspected something for a while, then had it confirmed when we were in the sphere." She replied, then frowned, "But why is it safe for us to remember, now?"
"You mean now you know the names of your real parents, the ones you were kidnapped from?" Ron asked excitedly.
Charley grimaced. "Ron...yes, I now know my parents' names again, and much more, but..." Then she was cut off as T-Girl broadcast an announcement for all to hear.
"Boss, I've identified our incoming, they're (-) Battle drones!" The absent word was a set of high-pitched notes. Charley turned to look at her friends, who now looked grim as they moved closer to her. "Class 5, from what I can detect." The sentient ship added.
"They're WHAT?" A military officer near them exclaimed.
"The race's name can't be pronounced by a human being, Sir!" Charley called to him. Suddenly aware that Ron was gripping her arm, hard enough to be felt through her armor, she turned to him. His face had gone very pale. "Ron, what's wrong?"
He pitched his voice low, an edge of panic in it. "I've heard that word before, Charley! I couldn't pronounce it, either, or figure out how to write it, so I substituted another name. Lorwardans!"
"The ones from your story? You've met them?" Belle asked incredulously, "The big ones?"
Ron's eyes bulged. "You mean, there really are giant ones? I mean...no, the ones I saw were only four feet tall, but try making something like that scary to people who have never seen one!" Then realization hit him, and he looked at the girls is surprise. "You've seen them, too?"
The senior UNIT officer was close enough to listen in, and now chose to interrupt. "You're referring to the Alien machines from the Scottish Incident, last summer?" He addressed the question to Ron, who nodded. His and Kim's real first encounters with extraterrestrials had occurred the previous summer, it had just taken him some time to produce a story that nobody objected to on the subject. The real live aliens hadn't much resembled the ones in his story, either.
The girls now huddled with Ron, Drakken, and the Wegos, who had completed a quick exploration of the island, as well as lending many helping hands to the troops. "Five class 5?" Beth mused aloud, "We can certainly take out two, but how do we deal with the other three?"
"First, how are you going to take out two?" Franklin Go asked. "...and are we really talking about giant alien war machines?" Theodore added.
Nodding, Belle and Beth exchanged knowing grins. "We have a couple of things in our personal stowage that will do the trick!" Beth declared, then they sighed deeply, "But they're one-shot weapons, so that'll leave three to go!" Belle remarked sourly.
"We'll have to see what weapons are available among these troops, and might penetrate their armor." Charley declared. "And you'd better hurry and get your stuff from the ship, we need her out of here with the wounded before the attack starts!" The two sisters nodded and ran towards Thundagirl.
The UNIT man hurried towards where the senior officers of the other forces on the island were gathered, to brief them. Charley fidgeted nervously until she saw the Reeders re-emerge from the ship, then she called Thundagirl, "T- Girl, I want you airborne before those things get here, how many more seriously wounded do you need to load?"
"All loaded and lifting now, Boss! If the Matrix closes the shield again, I'll bring the reinforcements through!" The sentient ship was indeed off the ground and headed shoreward. "I figure you have ten minutes until they come ashore, people!" She broadcast on her external speakers as she departed.
Watching her leave, Ron grit his teeth before declaring, "Guys, we still need to find a way to get inside, and save KP!"
"I'll second that!" A grim looking Shego, apparently recovered from her trip into memory, joined them.
Charley nodded grimly. "We'll find one..." She said with determination. But looking at the shelter, none came immediately to her mind...
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Well out of Mego's hearing, Betty Director stood with arms crossed, giving the Seventh Doctor her best intimidating glare. The fact the Doctor actually showed discomfort under it spoke volumes. "Doctor, for once can you start at the beginning, and tell me the whole truth?" She finally asked in exasperation, the slightest of pleas in her voice.
He didn't look at her for a moment, apparently weighing the decision in his mind, but eventually he nodded, and looked at her with a serious expression. "Yes, I suppose it's time for that. First, this whole situation is predominantly my own fault."
Betty rolled her eye, shaking her head slowly. "Somehow, that does not come as a complete surprise, Doctor." she replied levelly. How much effort it took to keep the sarcasm out of her voice, only she knew.
He acknowledged the comment with a sharp nod. "First, a little background." He began, while fishing out his watch and checking it. "There is a race that lives far away from your solar system. A popular name for them nowadays is 'The Cadres'. Their actual name, you'd never be able to pronounce. It's closest equivalent, in fact, is rather too similar to a popular Earth obscenity." He smiled briefly, but Doctor Director didn't return it in the slightest, so he continued.
"They have a great gift for the purely intellectual aspects of war. Strategy, Tactics, Logistics. They have found ways to beat several previously 'unbeatable' armies. But, to implement their plans, they had to go outside their species to acquire troops. They are completely unsuited physically for combat of any kind, you see. Now, they created synthetic soldiers, and some marvelous A.I.s! They even grant the latter citizenship if they develop a distinct personality and proven independent thought."
Betty interrupted for the first time. "But not their synthetic soldiers?"
The Doctor shook his head sadly. "Doctor Director, even by my admittedly broad standards, they are incapable of functioning as an independent society, for complex reasons. None of which are important with regard to this discussion!" Again, he checked his watch. "Now, even with A.I.s and synthetic soldiers like these, they still desired organic soldiers for several roles. So they've collected them from other worlds."
Betty nodded, her face creased by a severe scowl. "I believe the term is 'abducted' and I presume Earth is one of those worlds?" The Doctor confirmed her guess with a sharp nod. "And do our people know about this?"
"Yes, Doctor Director, they do." The Doctor replied, "They've known it for a fact for quite some time. You see, a very few of those abducted have returned to Earth, usually decades or even a century after being taken. The time involved being subject to the vagaries of Faster-then-Light travel both ways."
Betty's eye widened. "Just how long have these abductions been taking place, Doctor?"
"Since about 1217, give or take a decade." The Doctor replied. "Now, not all the Cadres like to use humans, in fact it's usually roughly a third of them who do. On average, one of their ships comes here every thirteen and a half years, and takes between one and two hundred candidates."
"And how do they choose these 'candidates'?" Betty asked, clearly having difficulty keeping her outrage out of her voice.
"Well, they're usually chosen by age and gender, and usually taken from the more civilized countries, to lessen the 'techno shock', even if just a little." He hesitated briefly before finishing. "They generally chose males between thirteen and sixteen years of age, and only take females if they are accompanying the males, and also within that age group, but merely to reduce the number of witnesses. Strangely, they seem to be sympathetic to the local governments' need to keep such things secret!" He waited for Doctor Director to process the facts and draw conclusions.
Betty thought it over for several minutes, before asking her first question. "Have our governments ever tried to interfere? Have you ever tried to interfere?"
The Doctor gave her a tired look. "I can't fix everything." He replied wearily, "And the answer to the first question is, unfortunately, yes! They have tried to interfere, but with the irregular nature of the Cadres' visits, and the difficulty detecting their ships, the efforts have mostly been in vain. One that wasn't occurred when the Chinese managed to pin one of the ships down, about fifteen years ago."
Interest piqued, Betty asked the obvious. "What happened?"
"They had to cover up the annihilation of an entire Motorized Rifle Battalion and some of their special operations troops." The Doctor replied with just a slight edge to his words. "Since then, other nations have taken the hint, as it were. They haven't stopped trying to find a way to stop them, but no one's made a serious try since. And they never need to cover up the abductions, as I said the Cadres themselves are very circumspect in their activities."
Betty was silent for nearly a minute before her next question. "How is it that any of these abductees ever return to Earth?"
"Ah, well, you have to understand the Cadres' mentality a bit, Doctor Director. You see, those taken are not considered slaves by them. The Cadres consider them 'contracted conscripts'. And under the terms of their standardized 'contract', they could earn a return trip to their home worlds. Mind you, after being told that due to the vagaries of FTL travel whole decades could have passed since they left, and their old lives as they knew them were long gone, many decline a return trip and choose to stay with the Cadres, or explore out there themselves."
"How many of the human ones have come back?" Betty asked.
"Oh, a couple of dozen in total, scattered from last year to...I believe the late fifteenth century." The Doctor responded offhandedly.
"And how exactly did they earn that return trip?"
"By service." The Doctor replied. "You see, earning a return trip meant accumulating 'points'. They accrued points for time in service, separately for time in combat, with those modified for intensity of combat. Points instead of decorations, citations, promotions in some cases. And for doing things that earned the Cadre as a whole any extra bonuses from their employers."
"The Cadres are mercenary?" Betty asked.
"Of a sort." The Doctor clarified, "You hire them to conduct a campaign, then step back. Once hired, they do it their way, without interference from anyone. Now, the Cadres have a Code of Ethics and Conduct for conducting warfare you might approve of yourself, and they are well known for sticking to it under all circumstances. So employers know what they are hiring, and had to live with any inconveniences they suffered due to the Cadres' method of prosecuting their campaign."
Betty decided that while this was interesting, it was time to discover it's relevance. "I have to assume that somehow Charley, and possibly her friends, were abducted by these 'Cadres'. With Charley not remembering her early years...but no, she'd have been too young to be taken, so it's not that..." She eyed the Doctor narrowly. "And I'd like to think that she didn't lie to me, that they all didn't lie."
The Doctor shook his head and waved his hands frantically. "No, no, no! They most certainly didn't lie to you, they just didn't tell you the truth! Because they don't know the truth, for their own sakes!"
"And why is that?" Betty asked dubiously.
Now the Doctor looked truly uneasy, avoiding eye contact, and shuffling his feet, but he did reply. "Because knowing the truth puts them under a death sentence."
Doctor Director's scowl was fierce. "Sentence of death from who?" It took the Doctor a long time to reply, almost exceeding Betty's patience.
"From my people, the Time Lords."
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"We really need to find a way inside quickly, Charley!" Shego snapped angrily, "Kim and the girls may be in all kinds of trouble!" She gestured at the shelter, "And it's not as if it's just going to open up on it's own, is it?"
At which point the door to the shelter did exactly that, causing most everyone's jaw to drop in surprise.
The opening door surprised Kim as much as it had those outside. She was six feet from it when it began to slide to one side, wondering if she could get it open. And then it opened on it's own. Kim stopped, momentarily blinded by the glare from outside. Then she made out Shego, and Ron standing besides her. The Wegos were flanking them, turning in surprise as well.
Then she felt something approaching behind her. Not someone, but something. And she realized what was about to happen. Blue energy blossomed around both of her hands, and both babies were suddenly enclosed in spheres of blue energy. As Shego suddenly lunged for the doorway, Kim threw...no propelled, with barely a movement of her arms, the two spheres through the door, towards the Wegos. Ron was also moving towards her, low and fast. As soon as the spheres settled safely in the hands of the two Wegos, Kim hurled herself to her right, clear of the doorway.
Ron made it through and dove to the his right, away from Kim. Shego simply lunged through to land sprawling on the floor directly in front of the door. She felt something graze her thigh before she rolled over to the left, towards Kim. But she hadn't rolled clear of the door when a wave of force hit, and she had to brace both feet against the door sill to prevent herself being thrown back out. It was not strong enough to be lethal in and of itself, just enough to have evicted Kim from the shelter had she still been in front of the open door. But as Shego resisted it's push, it seemed to increase in force.
Outside, both Wegos gazed in wonder at their nieces, the blue spheres having vanished once the boys had their arms positioned to cradle the babies. Two UNIT men ran towards the open door, only to be thrown back as the force wave hit the door. Saul dropped from above, and fought against the wave, forcing his way closer to the door. And apparently to deny him entrance, the door suddenly slammed shut.
The force wave vanished when the door closed. Ron, who had been slammed into the wall by it, groaned and slumped to the floor, rubbing his shoulder. He looked around and saw Shego lying in a heap in front of the door, apparently semi-conscious. then something caught his eye, six parallel groves, gouges even, in the floor between him and Shego. But then he spotted Kim, and alarm brought him to his feet instantly.
Ron had hit the wall shoulder first, but it looked as if Kim had impacted first with her head. A gash, bleeding freely, was visible just above her left temple, and she was obviously unconscious. And Ron knew exactly what to do. He grabbed Shego's arm, and tried to pull her glove off futilely, before remembering it needed to be released by it's wearer. "Shego! Gloves off! I mean, let me take your glove...Wait! Idiot!"
Ron grabbed Shego under the armpits and dragged her closer to Kim, then took Kim's bare hand and placed it against Shego's cheek. Immediately, green energy began to swirl around the point of contact, and flow up Kim's arm. After watching this for a minute, seeing the energy flow to the gash and gather there, Ron turned to survey the interior of the shelter. His first view was naturally of the rather innocuous upper level, but his eyes fixed quickly on the stairs. After taking anoyher quick glance at the grooves next to where Shego had lain, he turned and advanced silently towards the stairs.
Moments later, Shego stirred and opened her eyes, to see Kim laying in front of her, some of her hair matted with blood. "Kimmie!" She sat up, shrugging off the shoulder pack with Kim's armor in it. She took in the odd appearance of Kim's garb, but ignored that as she lifted the girl's head into her lap. She stroked Kim's cheek, and the girl's eyes fluttered open. "Shego?" Her lips twitched into a faint smile, "You got in!"
"Yeah, and before anything else, I really have to say something to you." Kim's gaze cleared, and she focused on Shego's face, curious, and a bit wary. Shego snorted, then carefully pronounced the trigger phrase, "Ridiculasaurus Rex."
Kim's eyes went glassy, and Shego grimaced. "Maybe this could have waited, it might take her a while..." Her train of thought was broken when Kim became very alert, eyes locked with Shego's, expression unreadable. "What, Prin..umpf!"
Shego's question was interrupted as Kim reached one hand behind Shego's head and pulled her down into a kiss. A major kiss.
And green energy blossomed and enveloped them, but no pain was involved this time. Quite the opposite, in fact.
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