Author's Note: Here is another chapter. Please read, review, and enjoy!
Chapter Three: Moonlit Occurrence
To say Kim was put off by the fact that Drakken had a bio on her was an understatement. To her it was all sorts of creepy even by the cerulean mad scientist standards and that was saying something. As if having a bio on her was bad enough he also had bios on her mother, cousin, and friends. Considering he saw her as his nemesis, it was conceivable that he would have a bio on her. Even more disconcerting was the word 'extinction' scrawled on the inside of the manila folder.
It was likely referring to the destruction of the human race the blue doctor had talked about. Whatever the case it had frightened Drakken enough to trap twelve people in an exploding power plant.
"What did you know?" Kim murmured, entering the kitchen for a glass of water.
Her thoughts drifted to the conversation she had had with her mom and Shego when the green-hued thief had brought the folder of bios,
The villainess's arrival at their home had been surprising to say the least, but nevertheless they had let her in.
"I found this in the power plant." Shego handed Ann the charred folder as soon as the neurosurgeon had closed the door, "Drakken discovered something. He said it was an 'impending calamity.'"
Ann's eyes widened, "The survival of the human race depends on us?" She asked.
"Doc, I would appreciate it if you didn't read my mind." Shego growled albeit in a nonthreatening manner.
"Sorry Shego, won't happen again." Ann said sheepishly.
Kim looked between the two before speaking, "So does it?"
Shego looked nonplussed, "Does what?"
"Does humanity's survival depend on us?" Kim elaborated
"I believe so." Shego answered, "He called the Anomaly Gene the solution."
"In other words our powers are the solution." Kim stated matter-of-factly.
"Didn't think about it that way, but yeah, I guess so." The thief agreed.
"We need to inform the others." Ann asserted.
They had met up with the others and it was during this meeting that Shego declared she would search all of Drakken's old lairs. Understandably, the others had reacted poorly to the news that the fate of the world rested upon their shoulders, but each had agreed to hone and master their abilities. Kim had begun reading the ramblings of the cerulean doctor in case there was something important buried amongst them and so far had endured soliloquies on the mutation possibly resulting in gigantism, super strength, and color changing skin pigments. It was almost impressive how long he managed to go on about each topic.
She elected to take a break from reading so she could quench her thirst. Although, it was mainly because even in death Drakken was still a pain in the neck. She rose and entered the kitchen, heading for the cupboard that contained the cups.
Kim filled up a glass of water and returned to the couch where she had been poring over the self-proclaimed genius's notes. She took a sip, set the glass down on the coffee table and picked up the next paper and began to read.
"Log Entry# 33
Project: Anomaly
I have done further research concerning the Anomaly Gene and I am declaring my theory on gigantism null for a variety of reasons. First, none of my tests have yielded any thing that even vaguely resembles growth. Second, I have found evidence to suggest that when those with the Anomaly Gene mutate further, they will become lunar-powered warriors. While I was getting a midnight cup of 'cocoa-moo,' I found that the mutated Anomaly gene was reacting to the sliver of moonlight shining on it."
Kim stopped reading, remembering the silvery white glow that had surrounded her fingers. Could it have been lunar power? She shook her head dismissively, no, it couldn't be; perhaps she had been reading for too long. What she needed was fresh air and more water. She stood, letting the page flutter back onto the coffee table; yes, that was what she needed. She walked into the hall and opened the door.
Night had fallen while she had been reading and she stepped across the threshold. She shivered as a breeze flowed lazily by. Kim retreated into the house and went up to her room. She opened the closet, extracted a powder blue hoodie from it, closed the closet, and left her room. At the top of the stairs she double checked that she had her kimmunicator before descending to the floor below. She walked outside and closed the door behind her. She took a deep breath of the crisp night air before setting off down the street at a brisk pace.
Her feet carried her automatically along the route she took to school. Not that she was paying any particular attention to where she was going nor to her surroundings. She only looked around when moonlight washed over her as the moon peeked out from behind some somber-looking clouds. Kim looked up at the moon, then back down and nearly screamed. Her hands had begun to glow with a silvery white light which was creeping its way up her arms. There was flash of light the same color as the glow and then darkness.
She was still not used her powers Tara had decided. Apart from her phasing and infra-red vision, she had discovered that she raise and lower her senses, and had developed x-ray vision. Currently she was testing the range of her enhanced eyesight. So far she found that she could see clearly although it was night-time. She switched on her infra-red vision making the world a wide array of colors. She turned in a slow circle, identifying the different heat signatures she was picking up u Der her breath.
"Cat, dog, raccoon, tree, next door neighbor, and what is that?"
An unusually large bloom of heat had appeared in the vicinity of the school and was getting larger. Her vision returned to normal and she blinked a few times as her eyes adjusted to the dark. Tara ran out onto the street and started toward the school. She raised her hearing and heard a cry of alarm. She sped up, hoping she would arrive on time.
"Tara!" It was Bonnie.
"Did you see it too?" her fellow cheerleader asked, catching up to her.
Tara looked back in the direction of the school, a silver-white glow was now visible, "Yeah, via infra-red."
They ran on in silence and turned onto another street. Before long Josh joined them.
"What's that glow?" he asked, running up along side the two cheerleaders.
"Not sure, but we're going to investigate." Bonnie informed him.
"Well, it's not one of my illusions."
They rounded another corner and staggered backward, momentarily blinded. The glow was emanating from a point in front the school. Tara adjusted her vision and gradually she was able to make out a figure suspended in midair; arms opened wide and long hair billowing in an unfelt breeze. She crept closer and the girl came into sharper focus. Tara gasped and stopped, she knew that red hair.
It was Kim. Her eyes and mouth were circles of light– moonlight Tara realized.
"Kim!" She shouted, but the redhead made no indication she had heard her.
She made to grab Kim's wrist but jerked her hand back almost immediately. The heat was incredible, but didn't radiate very far.
Tara went back to the others, "Kim's in there as she's floating."
If not for the strangeness of the situation and the feeling of panic in her chest, Tara would have found the looks on her friends faces amusing.
"What's happening to her?" A wide-eyed Bonnie asked.
"I don't know." Tara answered helplessly.
She looked at Kim again, what could they do? Tara knew she could essentially turn off the ability to feel. Feel! That was it!
"Josh, stay here with Bonnie." Tara instructed, running off.
"Where are you going?" He shouted.
"To get Mrs. Possible!" She called back over her shoulder.
Thanks to the many years of cheerleading combined with adrenaline, Tara was able to run all the way to the Possible's home. Nevertheless, when she arrived she was slightly out of breath. Fate must have been smiling upon her because Ann Possible was the one to answer the door.
"Tara." She said with smile.
Tara pointed to her head, knowing it would be far simpler for the older woman to just read her mind.
Ann seemed to understand and a momentary silence passed between them in which Ann's eyes widened and she told Tara in her mind,
"Take me to my daughter."
Kim woke up with a 'yelp' as pain emanated from every inch of her body. The pained pulsed through her for a few seconds before being replaced with a warm tingling sensation which eventually faded. She looked around and discovered that she was lying in a gray stone cavern veined with lines of silvery white. They were pulsing softly much like a heart, glowing brighter then dimming with each thump. She got carefully to her feet,
"Where am I?" She muttered, glancing all around her.
The cavern was quite dark, but from what she could make out, it was large. Aside from dull thumping of the veins all was quiet. Kim lit a hand, casting a silvery white light through the darkness. Almost immediately a rumbling sound echoed through cavern and dust trickled down from the unseen ceiling. The veins in the stone were expanding and contracting now, brightening then dimming. A voice suddenly boomed out of the darkness seemingly from every direction, causing her to jump,
"I have waited millennia for you, Moon Mage." The voice was feminine and it rose and fell in sync with the pulsing veins.
"Who are you?" She asked.
"I am Artemis also called Diana, iNyanga, Coyolxāuhqui, Cynthia, and a myriad of other names." The voice replied.
"Artemis. As in the mythological Greek goddess of the moon, Artemis?" Kim wasn't sure what to think.
"Yes I am." Artemis said, sounding almost amused, "You are Kimberly Ann Possible and you will be my champion."
"Your champion?"
"Yes." Artemis started talking faster as if excited about the topic, "Many of the gods and goddesses of the various mythologies were real people. I was a Moon Mage and because of my abilities I was worshipped as were many others."
"You mean, Athena could have been real?" The Greek goddess of wisdom, handicraft and warfare had always been one of Kim's favorites.
"She went by Minerva, and is a dear friend." Kim could hear the smile behind the Moon goddess's words.
"What was she like?" Kim asked.
Artemis sighed happily, "She was brave and determined. There were times she could be a know-it-all, but she did try to not let her wisdom go to her head. She was pretty prideful when I first met her."
"How long ago was that?"
"Nearly eleven thousand years ago."
"Eleven thousand— how are you still alive?" Kim asked perplexed.
"My life force and now yours is connected to the moon." Artemis answered, "You will cease to age in another year and will remain alive in as much as the moon still lives."
"I'm immortal now?" That was as disconcerting as it was intriguing.
"Yes."
"But that is not why I summoned you here." Artemis added, "Evil is brewing. I don't know exactly who or what, but I do know you, and your fellow guardians are critical to humanities survival."
A shiver ran down Kim's spine, this was what the folder meant by extinction.
"To understand why you and the other guardians need to understand your unique gene." Artemis said and a model of a DNA strand made of moonlight materialized in front of the redhead.
"Yeah, I have a triple helix." Kim informed her.
The DNA strand expanded until the triple helix was visible before Artemis spoke again "This gene is found in an ancient race known as the Ansciens. The fact that you possess the Gene suggests you are descended from them."
"If that's true, then why hasn't the gene been found earlier and why don't my brothers have it?"
"The gene was present in your ancestors but it was dormant." The moon deity explained, that is until now."
Tara, closely followed by Ann arrived on the scene to reports that nothing had changed from Josh and Bonnie.
"She hasn't moved an inch." Bonnie informed them, "Is she okay?"
They all looked at Ann who in turn concentrated on Kim. Tara watched the elder woman's face carefully as it twisted in confusion, sagged in relief, and tensed is concern. After a few minutes, Ann looked back at the three teens,
"Her mental state is quite complicated right now." She looked back at her daughter, "It's almost like she's not here exactly. How long has she been like this?"
Tara was perplexed. How could Kim be here and yet not? She glanced at Kim before turning back to Ann.
"Around fifteen minutes or so." Tara said quickly.
The older woman was staring intently at the teen heroine then she blinked and gazed up at the moon above.
"Bonnie, I may have an idea of how to help Kim, and it requires your weather control abilities."
"I haven't been able to practice much, but I can try." Bonnie informed her.
"I need you to cover the moon." Ann said bracingly.
All eyes were on Bonnie now occasionally flicking in Kim's direction as Bonnie looked to the heavens. She raised a hand which began to glow with a pale blue light. The sky darkened as clouds began to form. First, small and wispy clouds appeared eventually giving way to foreboding larger ones. The clouds bunched around the moon, blocking it out little by little.
The cavern let out a loud, low groan and Artemis gasped, "They're severing our connection!"
"I take it that's bad?" Kim said as the cavern gave a low rumble.
"Yes, it means this cavern is collapsing and will cease to exist." Artemis explained in a rush, "When that happens you will return to the school."
"How soon until that happens?" The teen heroine asked, placing her hands on her hips.
Artemis didn't respond, but instead a hand that seemed to be composed entirely of moonlight materialized in front of Kim. The hand split into two hands which seized Kim by the shoulders in an icy cold grip. She shivered, then cried out as the spectral hands became so cold Kim felt as though her shoulders were on fire.
"You are now mine, Moon Mage." Artemis hissed as the cavern shook again.
There was a loud crack followed by a loud crash as a chunk of the ceiling broke off and fell to the ground. Kim yelped as stray stone shrapnel sliced her skin.
"What do mean?" Kim winced as more of the ceiling exploded again the cavern floor.
"You will see in time Moon Mage." Artemis's voice was fading as though she were walking away.
A small chunk of the ceiling connected with Kim's head, sending her into darkness.
Tara glanced at Kim in time to see the teen heroine's shoulders pulse momentarily then cuts began appearing on her arms and face.
"Hurry, Bonnie!" Tara cried out in alarm.
Bonnie's arms were trembling with the effort of forming the clouds. Less than half of the moon was visible now. Kim suddenly jerked and blood began to flow from under her hair.
"Bonnie, she's bleeding." Ann said urgently.
Tara glanced at Bonnie, who with a final 'hah!' finished covering the moon. The instant the moon vanished Kim slumped to the ground with a 'thud' Ann rushed to her side while Tara caught an exhausted and limp Bonnie.
"Well done, Bonnie." Tara squeezed one of her fellow cheerleader's shoulders.
Bonnie managed a small smile, "How's Kim?" She asked weakly.
Tara glanced over to where Ann was holding Kim while she called the hospital. Most of the redhead's right cheek was covered in blood, but she was breathing. Tara sighed in relief, they had saved Kim. She turned back to Bonnie,
"She's okay."
Bonnie closed her eyes, "Thank goodness." she mumbled before passing out.
Tara beckoned to Josh, "Can you watch her while I talk to Mrs. Possible?"
He smile good-naturedly and nodded. Tara lay Bonnie gently on the ground before walking over to Ann and an unconscious Kim. Unsure of what to say exactly, Tara contented herself with looking at Kim.
"She'll be fine, Tara." Ann assured her.
"Please don't read my mind like that." Tara uncomfortably.
"Sorry," Ann apologized, "but please, Tara, call me Ann."
"Okay, Mrs. Possi- Ann." Tara corrected herself.
"Tara, could you watch Kim while I call the hospital?" Ann asked aloud.
"You can count on me!" Tara chirped before sitting down and taking the unconscious heroine from her mother.
Tara sighed and gazed up at the clouds where they covered the moon. It stood to reason that Kim's powers were lunar based and that contact with the moonlight had triggered some sort of reaction.
Kim shifted and Tara glanced down. She gasped, Kim's eyes were open and staring up at her, her gaze boring it's way into Tara's soul.
"K-Kim?" She stuttered uneasily, "Kim?"
Kim's mouth opened and she spoke one word,
"Mine!"
The teen heroine's shoulders began to glow and Tara activated her X-ray vision. Spiraling lines of silvery white light were flowing from the base of Kim's neck, coiling around her arms like bioluminescent snakes. A siren pierced the night and Tara turned off her X-ray vision. Kim's eyes had shut again and the light vanished leaving her skin free of any indication that anything had happened.
A few minutes later Kim was loaded into an ambulance and whisked away. Bonnie, with aid from Josh, returned to her house and took her car to pick up Tara before heading to the hospital. Ann was waiting for them when the arrived.
"They say she's in a coma, but I read her mind and she is conscious." She informed them.
"How is that possible?" Josh asked, "No pun intended."
"From what I was able to gleam from her, her consciousness is somewhere else at the moment."
Kim opened her eyes and sat up, wincing as her head throbbed. How long had she been out? Last thing she remembered was getting clocked in the head by a piece of Artemis's cavern. Well, she was no longer there, but as to where she was she couldn't say. She lit a hand, illuminating her surroundings. She seemed to be in a forest of some kind.
"Well Kim, your not in Middleton anymore." She murmured.
"I should think not!" A voice barked.
The tree before her moved, a pair of knots blinked at her and a crack which formed grinned at her.
"Uuummmm..." Kim trailed away, lost for words.
"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Birch Treesworth and I am the keeper of the Forest of Limbo."