10. Kim In The Balance (The Old Friend You Never Met)

Kimi sat in the chair in the kitchen for a long while, holding the phone in her hands and staring at the floor about thee feet in front of her. Her mind was still reeling from the proposal Mark had presented to her. Every time she started to rise from the chair, parts of his words slapped her back into it.

"What we need is a force that is small enough to get close without being detected...but strong enough to get in...and smart enough to know how to get it done..."

"A 15-year old girl who is a red belt in Kempo Karate at the adult level."

"Look...I wouldn't have brought this to you if I didn't have the confidence in you, Ki."

She kept shuffling them through her mind - and the same confusion that hit her when she first heard them from Mark kept hitting her as she sat in the chair - along with a vague uneasiness in her stomach.

Tuesday, June 18th, 10:44 AM, Eastgate time
Tuesday, June 18th, 6:44 PM, Cairo time
-26 Days
Kimi finally managed to put aside her quandary long enough to stand and hang up the phone. She opened the sliding glass door to the back deck, walking out into the mid-morning sun. Two yards away, two young children were playing with a labrador puppy, tossing a rubber ball back and forth while the blonde dog ran from one child to the other, yapping its request for the toy. Every so often, one of the children would miss a catch, and the puppy ran after the ball, snatching it up before they could and playing his own game of tease while the children chased after him, their laughter singing through the neighborhood.

Kimi remembered back to the previous week, when her life was as worry-free as those of the children, and the most dramatic thing on her mind was getting the next Nytra album or piece of Sarah Nayde paraphernalia before her friend Frannie, or practicing to perfect a move her black-belted mother may have shown her.

Her black-belted, captive, ill-fated mother.

Kimi watched the children at play for another moment, then went back inside, sliding the door slowly until it tapped against its stop, the click of the latch reassuring its closure. Kimi turned away from the door rather abruptly. There were many things on her mind at the moment - and she made an effort not to allow the concept of closure to be among those thoughts.

Tuesday, June 18th, 6:08 PM, Eastgate time
Wednesday, June 19th, 2:08 AM, Cairo time
-25 Days
Kimi had the house dark, shades drawn and lights out. After attempting half of a sliced turkey sandwich, she had laid on the living room couch for most of the afternoon, staring at a point on the ceiling. No stereo; no TV; no sound but the steady ticking of the small clock on the kitchen counter next to the stove, and the whisper of the air conditioning as it cycled cool air through the house.

She had been waging an internal battle of logic for most of the day - weighing the gravity of her wish to see her mother home and unharmed against fears of her level of emotion detracting from the focus and resolve she would need to even attempt the task that Mark had laid before her; and measuring that against a vague and distant yet at this point still tenacious faith that Mark could formulate a plan to rescue Kim that would not so directly involve and endanger even more members of her family.

It wasn't until the doorbell rang a second time that Kimi heard it, and realized that Normal Life had called a recess of deliberations and that the sequester of her mind's jury, at least until after dinner, had been interrupted. She rose quickly from the couch, turning on the lamp on the end table on the way to the foyer.

Marcy was standing at the door as Kimi opened it - a grocery sack in one arm, a large sack with the logo of a Chinese restaurant in the Market Square - "David Chiu's Hunan Bean Cuisine" - in the other hand. "There you are," she said. "Are you alright? I was just about to put these down and get out the spare house key."

"I'm sorry, Aunt Marcy," said Kimi, reaching for a fib. "I was just napping on the couch." She then reached for the grocery sack. "Let me take in."

Kimi took the sack and held the door for Marcy as she walked into the house. Marcy made note of the half-sandwich on the coffee table. "Didn't quite get through lunch?"

"Turkey," said Kimi. "It's all about that stuff in turkey that makes me sleepy..."

'Tryptophan," Marcy smirked. "It's why everyone wants to nap after Thanksgiving dinner."

They went into the kitchen and Kimi took a carton of milk, a half-dozen eggs, a head of lettuce and a small jar of peanut butter out ot the sack, putting the items away while Marcy got plates from the cupboard for their meal. She had gotten them each three crab rangoons, and two fried pork egg rolls.

Kimi brought the last item out of the sack - a thick cylinder shape, frozen, and wrapped in foil in a plastic Ziploc bag. "What's this, Aunt Marcy?" she asked, holding the item up.

"It's Lupes way of saying he's thinking of you and wishing the best," Marcy said, smiling. "They're burritos - the works."

"Mmmm," Kimi said, placing the package into the freezer, "all about tasty." She closed the freezer and opened the refrigerator, taking out "sweet 'n sour" sauce and hot mustard, and joining Marcy at the table, looking over her plate. "Crab rangoons are always all about diamond," she said, opening the hot mustard and letting a small pool form onto the plate next to the rangoons.

"I love Chiu's food," said Marcy as she put the cap back on the sweet 'n sour sauce and set it on the table, "but something in their fried rice just gives me terrible gas all the next day." She then dribbled a bit of the hot mustard on each of her rangoons and picked up an egg roll, biting into it. "Ohhhh, that's good," she purred, with Kimi nodding in agreement as she started on her own roll. Marcy finished her bite, then asked, "So what did you do all day?"

"...not much," Kimi admitted rather ashamedly.

Marcy placed a hand on Kimi's shoulder. "It's alright," she said. "Don't feel bad...I was just asking if you did anything to occupy your time. It's not like anyone has asked you to do anything...especially after the kind of weekend you had."

It's all about you have no idea, Kimi thought, remembering her phone call from that morning. "I actually slept half the day away," she said. "I'll try to do a few things around here tomorrow."

"It's a good thing to stay a bit busy," said Marcy. "I know when I work around the house, I always end up thinking up one more little thing here or there...and there never seems to be enough time to get to everything in one day."

Never seems to be enough time. Kimi let those words echo through her mind - then pushed them away.

"I can take a day off tomorrow and help you, if you want," Marcy offered.

"I need a temporary sparring partner!" Kimi perked with a teasing smirk.

"Ouch," Marcy smiled, wincing and holding up her hands. "I've seen how fast you move. My career as a sparring partner would be very temporary against you," she laughed, with Kimi joining her. "I can help you with just about anything else, though," Marcy added - then "Oh...did Captain Mark call you back?"

"Yep, he did," said Kimi. "It was about 10."

Marcy stared for a few seconds at Kimi as she picked up her egg roll. "Well?" she finally said, slightly exasperated. "What did he say??"

Kimi's expression changed to resemble that of a seven-year old whose parents had just asked if it was she who broke the lamp. "I'm...not sure I can tell you too much," she said. "It's all about confidentiality clause in his contract."

Marcy tried to hold back her frustration. "Well...can you at least tell me if it's good or bad news?" she breathed. "I've been on pins and needles since he called this morning, and said he had news."

"I..." Kimi hesitated. "Cap'n Mark got an intelligence report...they know where Drakken and Shego are holding Mom."

"Ki, that's great!" Marcy burst out. "So he'll go in and get her?"

"He can't, Aunt Marcy," Kimi said, a bit dejectedly.

"What? I thought he works in the military. They can't take a bunch of troops and storm the place?"

"That's what I thought at first, too. But the United Nations and the Cross Agents made up this piece-of-lead pact about the military from one environment helping the other...Cross-Environment-something--" she mentally searched for a few seconds "--Cross-Environment Non-Aggression Pact. Going in would be all about international incident..." Kimi's face fell a bit. "...and if a rescue attempt was found out before they could get in in time..."

"I get it, Ki," Marcy said quietly. "But hey...Cap'n Mark has a good head on his shoulders. I'd put money on him being able to come up with another way to save Kim."

Kimi could swear she felt a chill wind blow straight through her from Marcy's statement.

They finished dinner, and moved to the living room for a few games of backgammon. They played until around 9, then Marcy said she had to be going home, as she had another family at home to tend to, and tomorrow was another day at work. Kimi told Marcy that she shouldn't feel obligated to come by every single night, but that she could call any time she wished. She also said that she would try to "keep herself busy" the next day.

Marcy smiled and stood to leave. She gave Kimi a warm hug, telling her in her ear to be strong, and that her family was too close and special for anything truly tragic to happen to any one of them - and that she still believed that something just short of a miracle would swoop in before any real harm could come to her mother.

Kimi watched from the front porch as Marcy went to her car. She gave a short note on the horn as she drove off. Kimi waved and watched her drive up the street - then stepped a few feet out onto the front yard, feeling the light evening breeze teasing at her bangs. She looked up into the night sky, sparkling with countless thousands of stars. The moon was just rising over the house across the street, a thin crescent - the night's earring.

Kimi then saw a faint flash to her right, and caught sight of a small meteorite, a bright trail announcing its arrival into the atmosphere. Kimi focused hard on it, and several wishes flooded into the forefront of her mind, vying to be chosen. Kimi made her choice just as the trail of the "falling star" faded. "Please," she muttered as she watched the trail dissipate - then slowly turned toward the house, moving the palm of her hand to her stomach, still feeling the uneasiness.

Wednesday, June 19th, 6:41 AM, Eastgate time
Wednesday, June 19th, 2:41 PM, Cairo time
-25 Days
Kimi awoke early this morning after falling into an intermittent sleep on the couch shortly before midnight. After a small breakfast of one slice of buttered toast, a cup of black pekoe tea and a few orange slices, Kimi tried to "keep herself busy":

-She made several trips into the basement, taking every article of clothing in the house to the washing machine. When she fed one load into the dryer, she loaded the washer with another pile of clothes. When a load was dry, Kimi would sort out which clothes could go directly upstairs, hung up in the closets and folded into the dressers, and which would be left behind to be ironed.

-Between cycles, Kimi went upstairs and took every dish, plate, cup, saucer and bowl from the cupboards and washed them until every spare inch of counter space was brimming with clean dishes, which she then dried and put away. She then emptied the silverware and utensil drawers, washing each and setting them on a large towel, laying them out in sorted order before drying and putting them away.

-When there were no more dishes to wash, Kimi spent the time between wash cycles with paper towels and glass cleaner, spraying and wiping every glass surface in the house, including both sides of the half-glass front and sliding rear doors.

-She went through nearly half a can of furniture polish, dusting and polishing every piece of furniture and wood molding in the house

-She brought out the vacuum and went over the carpets in every room.

In the evening, Kimi took one of the burritos from the freezer and placed it into the microwave on a paper plate. The entire house had an aroma of "clean" that competed with that of the burrito as she sat at the table to eat.

After dinner, Kimi returned to the basement and did the ironing, carefully placing each article on a hanger, then slinging the stack over her shoulder and bringing it upstairs to put into the closets. A thought she immediately chased away was that, if the unthinkable worst happened, her mother's clothes would not have to be given away, as she and Kimi were nearly the same size.

After all was completed, Kimi went through each room in the house, giving it a visual inspection. When she was satisfied that no one could contest that she did not "keep herself busy" this day, she flopped, exhausted onto the couch as the clock neared 1 AM.

----------

Kimi slept late into Thursday morning, waking shortly before 11 AM when the phone rang. It was Marcy, asking how she was doing. Kimi told her of her tasks yesterday, and Marcy was amazed that she would attempt so much in one day. She said that keeping busy was one thing - but keeping impossibly busy could defeat the purpose. She then complimented Kimi by saying that she was lucky to have inherited her mother's trait of setting lofty goals and then applying herself to completing them.

Marcy then said goodbye, and asked Kimi if she would like to have dinner with her at their Mexican restaurant in the Market Square on Saturday. Kimi said that would be great, and she would be looking forward to it. Marcy silently said thanks that, given the tumult of events, that Kimi still had enough hope to be looking forward to anything. She then told Kimi that she would be calling again before Saturday - and that she was proud of the young girl for her strength and faith.

After the call, Kimi had a meal of the other frozen burrito and some juice. She then went into her room and, unplugging the keyboard from her computer, completely dismantled it, cleaning each separate key with a cleaning solution William had in his office. She then reassembled the keyboard, and gave the same treatment to her mouse. After this, she went over the surfaces of her monitor and computer with the cleaning solution. The entire time, she was trying to ignore the now-ever present queasy feeling in her midsection. It wasn't serious enough to give Kimi concern - but present enough to notice when she wasn't otherwise occupied.

After getting everything reassembled, Kimi went into the kitchen and put on a pot to boil water for tea, and fixed a salad for dinner with Bleu Cheese dressing, croutons and a hard-boiled egg from the refrigerator mixed in.

Thursday, June 20th, 7:58 PM, Eastgate time
Friday, June 21st, 3:58 AM, Cairo time
-23 Days
Kimi found she was a bit tired after dinner. While she hadn't really exerted herself today, she chalked up her fatigue to the full day of tasks from the day before. She took her tea into the living room, setting it on the coffee table, then retrieved her MD player from the bedroom, still containing the Rush disks Kim had given to her. With none but the small lamp on the end table giving light to the house,she reclined on the couch, and put on her earphones, pressing the "Random Shuffle" button on the player. A long instrumental from the group - "La Villa Strangiato" - began to play at a low volume, and Kimi felt herself settle into the cushions of the couch, feeling some of the anxiety she mistook for extra energy melting a bit from her body and her mind. While she knew that just laying there wasn't doing a thing to help her internal mental and emotional battle, she knew her body well enough to know that at the moment - just this moment - she needed this small respite, more for her mind and emotional strength, rather than physical renewal.

Kimi adjusted her head slightly - and felt the soft, warm fingers of sleep beginning to caress her. She began to slip into a dreamlike slumber as the MD player chose the next track - the song "Double Agent" from Rush's "Counterparts" album:

-Where would you rather be?
Anywhere...anywhere but here-
-When will the time be right?
Anytime but now...-

Kimi found herself on a darkened street at the corner of a rather small building with a door slightly ajar. She heard a sound from inside, and she leaned slightly in the doorway.

-'on the edge of sleep, I was drifting for half the night. Anxious and restless, pressed down by the darkness...bound up and wound up so tight...so tight...'-

Kimi opened the door slowly into a long dark hallway which seemed to go on for hundreds of feet. A closed door at the other end of the hall had an intense light seeping around the edges between the door and the frame.

-'so many decisions...a million revisions...caught between darkness and light...'-

Kimi reached to the wall of the hallway, lit by the faint light of the evening outside. The entire surface was a mirror, smooth and cold to the touch.

-Wilderness of mirrors
world of polished steel-
-Gears and iron chains
turn the grinding wheel-
-I run between the shadows
some are phantom, some are real-

Kimi heard the sound again, clearer now that she was inside. She cocked her head toward the end of the hall.

"Kiiiimmmiiii...."

The voice was weak and faint, but unmistakable as the last of the echo faded from the hall. Kimi took another step into the nearly-black hall. "...Mom?"

-Where would you rather be?
Anywhere...anywhere but here-
-When will the time be right?
Anytime but now...-
-Where would you rather be?
The doubt and the fear I know would all disappear-
-Anywhere but here
Anywhere but here...-

"Kiiiiimmiiii..." the voice came again.

"MOM!??" Kimi screamed into the hall, the echo of her emotional pitch seeming to reverberate off the walls incessantly.

The voice was louder now, clearer - but no stronger. "Kiiimmii..."

Kimi started into a dead run toward the door, faster with each step. "MOM!!" she shouted again, now running as fast as she could.

-'on the edge of sleep, I heard voices behind the door...the known and the nameless, familiar and faceless...my angels and my demons at war...'-

Kimi felt the pace of her heart pounding in her chest matching the pace of her feet against the floor as she flew down the hall. The door slowly began to open as she ran toward it, the light behind it now flooding the hallway. "Mom!" she called once more as she was now within yards of the open doorway. A shape stepped into that doorway, the shadow eclipsing much of the light - and causing Kimi to skid to a stop, her eyes wide and her jaw dropping slack--

Shego.

-'at war...'-

Kimi stared with a mix of disbelief and anger as Shego stepped into the hall, standing between Kimi and the doorway, her shrill laughter beginning to fill the hall. Kim's voice came from beyond the doorway again, fainter now, slipping away. "Kiiimmiii..."

The raven-haired woman snapped into a fighting stance, one hand drawing back against her body, her fists balled tight. "Lesson time, Princess," she sneered through a laugh, her expression turning to a snarl.

Kimi set herself, her body tensing, her own hands tightening. "It's all about step DOWN, slime," she growled, beginning to move to her left in the direction of the doorway. Shego moved to once again block her passage. Kimi could feel her rage burning in her gut, flowing out and tingling down her limbs, fighting for its explosive release trained on her opponent.

-'which one will lose depends on what I choose...'-

Kim's voice exploded first from beyond the doorway. "KIII!!!"

-'or maybe which voice I ignore...'-

Kimi lunged forward, coiling her right arm to strike. Shego instantly twisted to her left, pivoting on her right foot and moving faster than Kimi had ever seen anyone move. Kimi saw that Shego was raising her left leg for a spin kick. She instinctively began to duck - and then caught sight of the small pouch that Shego always wore in the show; but it was never revealed what it contained--

Extended from the bottom of the pouch as the green-skinned woman completed her turn, her leg raised high - a two foot double-edged blade - polished to a chrome-like finish, and gleaming like a jewel in the light from the doorway. Shego moved much more quickly than Kimi could move to defend.

Everything seemed to freeze; the scream of her mother; Shego's chilling laughter; and the frigid death of the blade as it sliced into the left side of Kimi's throat--

"gaa-aa-a-AA-AA-AAHH!!!" Kimi shrieked as she sprang to her feet from the couch in a cold sweat, breathing hard, her heart thrashing in her chest. The MD player fell to the coffee table as she stood, clattering open, the disks spilling across the table and onto the floor. Kimi swept the earphones from her head as if they were on fire, and she instantly grasped the left side of her neck, swearing she could still feel the icy touch of the blade.

"Lead...lead...lead...lead," she repeated between heaving breaths. "All about -no- sleep," she said, walking into the kitchen and grabbing the coffee decanter on the counter. She rubbed her neck and throat again as she took the carafe from the coffee machine to the sink, holding it under the faucet and shoving the lever forcefully upward. She gripped the edge of the counter tightly and stomped her foot hard against the floor as the carafe filled with water, as if trying to beat the experience she had just seen out of her. She poured the water into the coffeemaker, spilling some over the side as it neared the top, then slamming the lid and opening the coffee compartment on the coffeemaker. Kimi whipped a fresh filter from the tree on the counter, slapping it into the compartment, then took the lid off the coffee decanter and stabbed her hand inside, grabbing the scoop and filling the filter. "One...two," she counted scoops, grounds sprinkling onto the counter in her haste, "three...it's all about noooo sleep...four." She dropped the scoop into the decanter and swiped at the coffeemaker, slamming the compartment closed. Kimi then jabbed a finger at the "on" switch on the coffeemaker, and it began its brew cycle, making its usual slurping and gurgling noises. Kimi stood for a few seconds, watching the pot - and then she curled her fists tightly, her arms crossed, and stomped intently again on the floor, trying to shake out her tension.

Kimi stayed up the rest of the night, drinking coffee and keeping occupied by reading anything she could get her hands on - cookbooks - even some of the reports and financial forecasts from Meridian that William had on his desk. She frequently went into the bathroom to splash cold water on her face. A couple of times Kimi went out onto the front porch, listening to the sounds from downtown, a mile or so away - bus brakes farting in the distance, the occasional car horn, the sound of crickets in the front yard. Near dawn, Kimi went out onto the back deck and sat in one of the wooden cushioned chairs, sipping on her fifth cup of coffee and watching the sky lightening to herald the sun's approach.

Kimi got a call in the mid-morning from Marcy, who was just checking in to see how Kimi was doing. She could tell in Kimi's voice that something had shaken her, and she asked what was wrong. "I...just had a bad dream," was the girl's reply - then she gave Marcy a bit of shock by adding "No big." It was then that Marcy was further reminded how Kimi sounded very, very much like her mother - especially when using her phrases.

Marcy then asked if Kimi would like some company in the evening. Kimi thanked Marcy for her concern - but she was actually using this time to sort out everything that was on her mind since Kim's abduction. Marcy said that she understood, and told Kimi that she was "wise beyond her years." As they said goodbye, Marcy thought to herself how confident she felt that another thing Kimi inherited from her mother was her rock-solid common sense.

Kimi had a light lunch of a peanut butter sandwich in the early afternoon, to try to counter the attack of the acid from all the coffee she had drank since her horrifying dream. After lunch, she washed her face again with water, sliding a washcloth over the back of her neck, and paying a bit more attention to her throat, which she inspected in the mirror, silently wondering that even though it was only a dream, how the sensation of Shego's blade slashing into her flesh could be so vivid, and even remained with her after she awoke.

Friday, June 21st, 7:21 PM, Eastgate time
Saturday, June 22nd, 3:21 AM, Cairo time
-22 Days
Kimi cooked a can of turkey noodle soup for dinner with a slice of bread and butter and ate in the living room, on the couch. When she finished the soup, she sat for a moment, again noticing the sensation in her stomach. It felt the same as if something she ate didn't agree with her - but it was the most faint sensation she could remember - too faint, she thought, to be an upset stomach or, at worst, food poisoning. It didn't get worse when she moved in any certain direction, and didn't get any worse when she breathed deeply.

Her attention was diverted from the uneasiness when the soup bowl slipped from her hand, the spoon making a loud noise as it bounced around the bowl, which settled on her lap. She picked up the bowl, sitting forward to place it on the coffee table. It was then that Kimi noticed a slight wooziness. She tried to shake it, but it persisted. It was then that she realized that she had gone nearly 24 hours with no sleep - and with her belly full of warm soup, it only served to further the growing feeling of approaching sleep. "Maybe a short nap," Kimi said, moving back onto the couch, "just an hour or so to recharge..."

Kimi had just closed her eyes when the doorbell rang. She had to fight to overcome the irresistable draw of slumber to rise to her feet and walk to the front door, looking through the convex peep glass. No one was on the porch. Kimi heaved an exasperated sigh, thinking it might be one of the neighborhood children playing a prank - and her present fatigue had her in no mood for it. She grabbed the doorknob, twisting it quickly and giving the door a hard tug to open it. "I'll call the police if you don't stay away from this--"

"...door," she stammered out the last as she opened the door, staring wide-eyed at the scene that greeted her.

The sky appeared overcast, and even though it was late evening, it was a brilliant hue. The street was no longer concrete, but was now cobblestone, but instead of the normal weathered reddish tone, each stone appeared to have been sprayed a bright silver. The front yard, too, wasn't the bright summer green; each blade was the same tone of silver as the street. Silver leaves seemed to give off a shine as they slowly waved on silver trees from a light breeze. The trees, grass and houses for as far as Kimi could see -

The entire world seemed to have been made over in the same shade of silver.

Kimi stepped out to the edge of the front stoop and bent to cautiously touch the grass. It still had its usual soft, yielding touch; but the color it was now was skewing Kimi's sense of normalcy. She scooted her foot a few inches along the stoop, and it gave the same resistance against her shoe as it always had; it was just the wrong color.

A perky, slightly scratchy voice interrupted Kimi's wonder. "Whadda ya think? Some might say that the monochrome look is out, but...I've never been one for convention."

Kimi stood and looked to her right, where a smallish woman was sitting in the driveway on a short wooden stool. She too, was outfitted in a silver shirt and jeans, and sandals of the same color. Her arms were draped over a guitar, also silver. Kimi then noticed that the only items within her sight that were not silver - were herself and her clothes, and the woman, who raised a hand to flip a lock of bright blonde hair behind her ear.

Kimi began to slowly walk toward the woman. "Where...where did you come from?" she asked.

"Come from?" the woman said, making a slight motion toward the house. "I live here!"

Kimi raised an eyebrow at the woman. "I'm sorry, but...I'm afraid you're a bit confused. This is my...house..." She froze as she turned to motion back to her house. It had now become a narrow two-story dwelling - painted in silver - even the windows appeared to be mirrors. Kimi turned back to the woman. "How...where is this place? How did I get here? Where's my house?"

"Mmmm," the woman hummed, looking upward as to think, her eyes closing slightly. "I always did like a bit of the mystery thing." She then returned her eyes to Kimi and smiled. "I can't tell ya everything, Ki," she said, "but one thing I can tell ya for sure...ya didn't get here on the yellow brick road." She then gave a small chuckle.

Kimi took another step toward the woman. "I don't mean to sound rude," she started, "but--wait, how do you know my name? My nickname? 'A bit of mystery'," she said in a mocking tone. "Who are you?"

"Oh," the woman perked apologetically. "I'm sorry, I guess I was so pleased that ya made it here, I forgot to introduce myself." She extended her hand, which Kimi shook, immediately noting the intense warmth of her touch. "I'm an old friend of yer mom and dad. They might have even mentioned me once or twice. My name's Angelica...and the honor's all mine. I've been wanting to meet ya for years and years. It's amazing...ya look almost exactly like yer mom!"

The name instantly registered with Kimi. "An-gelica??" she perked, taking Angelica's hand into both of hers now. "You're...you're all about the one who brought my mom into the Flesher environment! You're where my middle name comes from! 'Mention' you?" she giggled, "All about more than 'once or twice'! Mom told me all about you the night she explained Cellers to me." She suddenly got a worried look on her face. "Wait...Mom and Dad said that you--" she looked around her "...am...am I...dead...too?"

Angelica cut loose a sudden laugh. "Nooo, silly...ye're not dead...ye're here!"

"Okay," Kimi stammered, "but...where is 'here'? Is...is this just a dream?"

Angelica smiled widely. "You tell me, kiddo." She let her hand slip from between Kimi's, and reached to pinch the girl's forearm.

"Hey! Ow!" Kimi exclaimed, jerking her arm away and holding it.

"Juuusst a bit of mystery," Angelica smirked. "I'm sorry I hadda do that, but hey - ya asked. That'll heal without a mark...might be red for a while, though."

Kimi managed a mocking smile. "Juusst a bit of pain."

Angelica hefted up the guitar while Kimi rubbed her arm. "Would a little music help ya forget about that?" She started to pluck a few notes with her fingernail. "I haven't been playing very long," the said, "but I can make pretty sounds sometimes."

Kimi recognized the sequence of notes. "I...I know that song...that's one of Sarah Nayde's covers...you like--"

"Just that album," said Angelica. "'Personal Effluvia, Volume 14'. It's mostly covers from earlier bands...closer to my era. Sarah is good when she lets her softer side out...but with the rest of the band...not that they're not great, too...it's just...I can't get into the newer stuff, ya know?"

Angelica then continued with the song, singing softly. slowly strumming chords with her fingertips, the music flowing from the instrument. "She's got a smile...that it seems to me--" she looked at the neck, searching for a second for the correct placement on the frets "--reminds me of childhood memories...where everything was as fresh as the bright blue sky...Now and then, when I see her face....she takes me away to that special place...and if I stared too long...I'd probably break down and...cry..."

"You're all about good, Angelica," Kimi said, smiling.

"Bah," said Angelica, waving her hand, "I just mess around." She then stood and placed the guitar on the ground, leaning against the stool. "Oookaayy," she groaned, looking at the stool, "I miss my chair. This thing just isn't comfortable," she said, reaching to rub her lower back with the heel of her hand. She then sighed, "Time for the not-so-fun part, I guess. C'mon, Ki," she said, holding out her hand. "I have something to show you." Kimi looked at Angelica with a bit of trepidation, after being pinched. "I promise, no more pinches," Angelica said.

Kimi moved to Angelica and took her hand, again noting how warm it was. Immediately, the scene around them began to change; the sky darkened from the overcast-like light silver to nearly black - dark, roiling clouds with streaks of deep blood-red. The ground around them became a steep, rough terrain of rocks and crags, sudden cliffs and jutting spires of rock; the light breeze went away, replaced by a stillness. There was a distant, ambient sound - a hiss, like steam escaping, mixed with the haunting note of thousands of people, moaning softly. weakly. It seemed to be coming from everywhere around them, as if it were part of the terrain. Instead of a driveway in front of a house, Kimi and Angelica were now standing a few feet back from the precipice of a cliff. The warmth of the summer evening had dissolved into a chill, like an autumn's first frosty night - a shivery harbinger of a particularly harsh winter.

Kimi looked around her, almost instantly crossing her arms around her, and noting a pulling inside of her, as if her soul were begging to escape from the dark, foreboding place they had come to. Kimi's brow furrowed as she turned to Angelica. "I...don't think I'll be asking what or where this place is...and I'm all about sure I don't want to be here again."

"Not to worry, Ki," Angelica replied, sliding an arm around the young girl and placing her hand on the top of her shoulder, where it and her neck meet. "You'll never see this place again. In fact...you're the only Flesher ever to see it...your mom knows this place exists, but wouldn't talk about it if you asked her. Your father doesn't know about it, and wouldn't believe you if you told him."

Kimi gave Angelica a puzzled look, which Angelica returned with a rather knowing expression - then moved her arm slowly out over the cliff in a sweeping motion. "This is the place that no Celler can bring themselves to speak of...and that no Flesher can dream of..." Angelica then pointed at the nearest crag, and dropped her eyes to the ground. "This...is where Cellers go when they die."

Kimi looked where Angelica had pointed. It was hard to see clearly through the layer of mist that surrounded the rocks. Kimi's eyes then became as wide as saucers, and she blinked twice, her eyes remaining wide as she made them out--

Tombstones. Rounded markers of granite, resting on small flat areas that seemed to have been cut into the side of the cliff.

Kimi looked at Angelica, shivering even more than before. I...know that Cellers can die in the Flesher environment," she said, "but...all about in the Celler enviro, too?"

"Yes," Angelica said, sadly. "It's the same in either environment...it's just that, in the Celler environment, Cellers don't age. They do in the Flesher environment, but very very slowly. I think you've noticed that your mother looks the same now as she did in the episodes of her show. When every iteration of a particular Celler either dies...or is...killed...that's it...no coming back."

"Mom is the only one left," Kimi stammered through a whisper. "The only 'Kim Possible' in existence, Cap'n Mark said."

"He's right," said Angelica. Then she thrust up her index finger. "BUT - if there is even one iteration alive in either environment, iterations in the other environment can be brought back, either through a DNA sample, or another Cross." She then led Kimi a few feet to her right to a gravestone, motioning her to read the name:

"Betty Rubble"

"Wait a minute," Kimi burst out. "I still see episodes of The Flintstones on TV! She's all about--"

"Ya see the show, hon," Angelica explained. "All those were made over fifty years ago. Ya can watch a movie at home with some Flesher star like Sean Penn or Winona Ryder in it...even though ya know they've passed on...and ya know that seein' 'em on TV doesn't mean they're still with us...right? Kimi slowly nodded in response. "They're images...not the actual actors. They're....memories," said Angelica.

Angelica now turned Kimi to face her, and brought her face close, speaking in a lower voice. "Out of all the Cellers I've ever known - and I know a lot--"

"You're one of the original Cross Agents," Kimi interjected. "It's all about you know all of them."

"Wow," Angelica smiled, surprised. "Kim didn't just give you the crash course when she told you where she came from...of course, she never does anything halfway. Anyway, as I started to tell you...out of all the Cellers I've ever known...your mom is my best friend, ever."

Kimi's expression dropped and her eyes began to glass over. "Shego and Drakken have Mom...they hacked a Cross....they're going to--"

Angelica placed a finger against Kimi's lips, stopping her from finishing. "Shhhh," she said. "I know about all that...no need to say it...saying it won't make it inevitable." She led Kimi to another gravestone a few feet away, motioning Kimi to read it. "Not everything has to end up like this." Kimi leaned to read:

"Peggy Hill"

Angelica then motioned to the right of that headstone, to one with an open grave in front of it. "Until it happens," she said, "nothing is inevitable."

Kimi was prepared to read "Judy Jetson" or "Hong Kong Phooey." She was careful to balance herself, and leaned to read what was engraved into the granite:

"Kim Possible"

Kimi leapt back from the stone, turning toward Angelica, her fists balled tightly, her eyes lit with a mix of rage and shock. "Why did you show me that!? I didn't have to read that! Mom's not dead! All about so not!!..." She fell against Angelica, her fists thudding against the woman's chest.

Angelica wrapped her arms warmly around Kimi, feeling the young girl begin to sob against her. "I'm sorry, Kimi...but...ya kinda hadda read it...but remember what I just told you - nothing is inevitable...it's not like your mom is scheduled to come here...I can't influence that - and I don't want to," she said, softly stroking Kimi's hair. "I gave life to your mother...flown on the wind of the Cross...and just look how far she's flown...you think I wanna see that come to an end, after coming so far?"

Kimi brought her head from Angelica's chest to look at her. Angelica gently brushed tears from under Kimi's eyes. "I'm sad to say that I can't keep someone with me for too long...I just don't have that kind of power yet. That's why, when I talk to someone--" she motioned back to the open grave "--I have to get to the point pretty quick." She then pulled back, taking Kimi's hands into hers, and smiling. "I'm glad I finally got to meet ya, Ki...ye're everything yer mom said ya were--"

"S--said?" Kimi asked. "You...you still talk to Mom?"

As often as I can," Angelica beamed, giggling slightly. "Hey - it's hard to just stop talking to friends as good as yer mom...and we've been friends for--" she stopped for a moment, trying to figure in her head "--well, I can't come up with an exact total time...I'm not good at math, but...I've known her for...one year, eight months, four days, 19 hours and...three minutes longer than ya have...give or take a few seconds." Kimi gave her another puzzled look "That's the time between Kim's first show and yer birth. ANY-way...she said to tell ya hi...that she's fine...except for being under alcohol...and that when she gets loose from that, she's gonna shred Shego finer than frog's hair."

Kimi opened her mouth to speak, but was stopped again by Angelica's finger on her lips. "I can't tell ya what to do...but what I can tell ya...is to let yer heart be the anchor...and...anything is possible."

Kimi looked at Angelica with wide, warm eyes - then threw her arms around her, hugging her tightly, tingling in the warmth of Angelica's embrace as she returned it. "I...I hope we get to talk again, Angelica." she said.

"Same here, kiddo," said Angelica, once again separating to arms' length, "Oh - I almost forgot...when ya see Captain Mark again...tell him I said...the answer is yes."

"...yyyess...to what?" Kimi said slowly. "And how do you know when...or even if I'll see him again?"

"Trust me," Angelica said, "he'll know what it's about. Just don't forget to tell him...he's been kinda praying for an answer." She then put a hand on Kimi's shoulder. "Now...ya got some wings ta spread." With that, Angelica tightened her hand on Kimi's shoulder--

--and shoved her over the edge of the cliff.

"AAANNNNNNNNNGELLLLLLLLIIIII--"

Saturday, June 22nd, 3:08 AM, Eastgate time
Saturday, June 22nd, 11:08 AM, Cairo time
-22 Days
"--CAA."

Kimi jumped awake, heaving breath mixed with small sobs, and sweating profusely. It wasn't a cold sweat, as from her dream with Shego - but a sweat as if from strenuous exercise or extreme fear.

Kimi brushed her damp hair back with a hand. "Ooookaaayyy, it's all about Planet Nightmare," she exhaled, remembering the strange events of her encounter with Angelica, and realizing that while under stress, some dreams can seem more real than even life itself. She suddenly noticed that for the first time in days, the strange uneasiness in her stomach was gone - replaced now with a rather pleasant warmth. It was also the first time she could ever remember crying in her sleep. She leaned forward, folding her arms on her knees and moving to rest her head on them--

Kimi stopped just short of her forehead touching against her arm, suddenly jerking back with a gasp, her eyes wide in disbelief as she slowly ran her fingers over the reddish mark on her left forearm.

Kimi held her hand against her closed eyes, the images flooding back to her; the strange-but-friendly blonde-haired Angelica; the world seeming turned entirely to silver; the surreal scene of the graveyard--

--the open grave with her mother's name on the stone.

Kimi stood and ran to her room, the sobs returning. She fell into her chair, pulling out the keyboard drawer under her desk and scrambled to grab her mouse, opening her mail program. She red down the list of unread messages, finding the one she was promised would be there, titled, "Encrypted Mail Message." She highlighted it and stabbed hard on her mouse with her finger, then picked up a notepad and pen from her desk. A box popped up on the screen: "Encrypted mail. Please enter code to unlock it." She sniffled and wiped her eyes as she punched in the security code she already knew - "99" - and coming down hard on the "enter" key with her index finger. She scanned the message quickly as it opened, and began to scrawl on the notepad, saying the last out loud; "8..1...4...2."

Kimi closed the email and rose from the chair to sit on the bed, lunging for the phone on her nightstand. She sobbed again, her hand shaking as she punched the number out on the keypad and then the "send" key, bringing the phone to her ear. She reached for a tissue as she waited, wiping her eyes and then her nose as the call connected. She heard a metallic click and a series of tones as before - then a recording :::You have reached the secure line of Captain Mark Broderson. Please enter your security code to leave a voice message. Your message will be sent immediately by a secure encrypted frequency:::

Kimi brought the phone from her ear, sobbing again as she pressed the keys for her code. She heard a tone as she brought the phone back to her ear and spoke, her voice heaving through her sobs. "Cap'n MA-rk...gRE-een light....green light." She sniffed back her tears as she heard another tone, then :::Please reenter your security code to confirm and close this message::: She tapped the keys again and listened. The same metallic click and series of tones - and the line went dead.

Kimi let the cell drop from her hand, bouncing off the edge of the bed and onto the floor. She spent a moment collecting herself, in case Mark should call back immediately. She then wondered if this was the "yes" she was to give to Mark...wait, she thought. Angelica said "when you see Captain Mark again--

Her thoughts were cut off by a tone from her computer indicating new mail. She quickly retrieved her cell and rose from the bed, walking to the chair and finding another "Encrypted Mail Message," clicked on it and once again enterered her security code, then reading the message as it opened on the screen:

-From: Cpt.MBrocairowest.airforce.gov
To:
RE: Green Light

Hiya Ki,

As you can probably tell by the speed of the reply, this is an automatic response to your phone call, so don't reply to it. This was sent the moment I got the voice message with your decision. By now, I'm already putting things into motion. Here's what you need to do:

- You have a little less than two hours before some men from the Air Guard base will come to pick you up. They'll take you to Eastgate Airport, where a helicopter like the one you came home in will be waiting to take you to the Guard base.

- Pack enough clothes for at least a week. You'll have access to full laundry facilities there.

- Do not tell anyone where you'll be. If there's anyone that might ask, tell them that you're spending some time with a relative out of town. That's so they won't worry about you disappearing suddenly, and no other potential bad guys know where you are either.

- If you have any special uniforms or clothes you prefer to spar or exercise in, bring them along. Otherwise, there will be clothes at the base you can wear for that.

I'll be on a Scram flight out of Cairo less than 20 minutes after you called. I should land at the base in Pennsylvania about a half hour before you get there. I'll already have your quarters ready and can show you around, and kind of go over what we'll be doing during your training.

I promise Ki, I'll never make you regret making this decision, and I'll do everything within my power to see that you get the best of everything you need to get this done and get your mother back home.

Thanks, Ki. I guess I don't have to say that I think you're making the right decision: and I think your mom would agree, even if she wasn't the hostage involved.

See you soon!
"Cap'n Mark"-

"Wow," Kimi said, reading the mail, "It's all about he doesn't fool around." She closed her mail program and stood, planning what she would take with her. She snapped her fingers, remembering that the luggage from the trip to Cairo was still packed and sitting near the front door, where the men had brought it into the house. "All I need is in there," she said, walking down the hallway into the living room, finding the MD player and its disks as she had left them, scattered over the floor. "Almost all I need," she sighed, kneeling to gather the disks. "It's all about priorities."

Saturday, June 22nd, 11:09 AM, Cairo time
Saturday, June 22nd, 3:09 AM, Eastgate time
-22 Days
Cairo West Air Base
Mark took another sip of coffee and set the cup on his desk, then turned his chair to return to typing. His secretary, Debbie, didn't come in on Saturdays, and it was days like this that he was glad he had a good grasp of diplomatic language, as well as good keyboard skills - and counted his blessings that he could efficiently employ both to the task before him this morning - a request to the United Nations as a last resort to rescind the CENAP treaty so that a military effort could be made to rescue Kim.

He ran his hand over his hair, proofreading the couple of paragraphs he had so far and correcting a couple of typos. Satisfied with the corrections, he scrolled to the bottom of the document and began to type, starting to list the reasons supporting his case for military intervention.

He listed a couple of points and stopped, going back over what he had entered. "Urrgh," he growled, moving the cursor up a couple of lines and backspacing. "For diplomatic presentation to the UN, it should be her full name. 'Kimi'...not 'Ki'."

He turned to his left, reaching again for his coffee cup. He was stopped short by a sudden high-pitched dit-dit-dit-dit from his desk phone. "...secure message..?" he said, cocking an eyebrow, wondering. He reached for the phone and punched in his security code, listening.

Mark's eyes suddenly became wide, and he pressed the hook to terminate the connection, still clutching the receiver. "Good girl...GOOD-girl!" he said with a growing smile. He turned to pick up his organizer with his other hand, flipping through a couple of pages and sliding his finger down a list, then returning to the phone, stabbing numbers on the keypad quickly.

"Tower," a voice came through the line.

"This is Captain Broderson," Mark said. "I need a Scram flight to The 111th in Willow grove, ASAP. Make it a priority one scramble."

There was a moment as the man in the control tower entered Mark's request into the computer. "That's affirmative, Sir. Runway Two-Six, Hangar Four. You're cleared hot in 15."

"Thanks, Tower," said Mark, pressing a finger on the hook to clear the line, then dialing another number. "I-love it when a plan comes together," he said as the call connected.

"111th, this is Lieutenant Graves."

"Dan, this is Broderson at Cairo West. I need a VH-60 and a security team in the air to Eastgate in 15 for a transport to Willow Grove. It's the plan we talked about. I'm leaving here in a few."

Dan flipped through his electronic Rolodex for a moment. "Got it, Captain...Kimmy...Hodge?"

"No no," Mark corrected. "It's 'Keeemeee'. It's a Japanese name. She'll be ready to go when you send a car to the house. She called pretty early...let her sleep in the chopper if she wants."

"Yes Sir," said Dan. "I'll make the call the second I hang up."

"Okay. Oh - set up a room for me, and quarters for Kimi. Make it kind of....homey, y'know?"

"You got it," Dan said. "I'm out." The line went dead. Mark stabbed the hook for a second, then made another call.

"Ettinger," came through the line.

"Craig," Mark said rather urgently, "You've got ten minutes. Pack your shorts and scramble. Hangar Four on Two-Six."

"Is...this what I think it is?"

"That's-a-rog," Mark replied. "KH-One Five Alpha Diamond is a go. I told you she'd say yes...I love it when a plan comes together."

Craig laughed, "I'm on the tarmac in ten."

"See you there," said Mark, hanging up the phone. He quickly turned to his computer, saving the document he was working on and putting his computer into secure mode. He then stood, bringing his attache from the floor and opening it on the desk, slipping a folder and a couple of picture frames from his desk into it. He then walked to a small closet near the front door, opening it and grabbing a small duffle-like ready bag from the floor and a folded garment bag from the rack, both already packed.

Mark turned to give his office a quick look while reaching to the inside knob, giving the lock a turn. "Time to go to work, Ki," he said, flipping off the light. "Let's go get your mom."

He then pulled the door closed.

to be continued....