Steel Swan

by Rocinante

Sequel to Anything Is Possible and Life With Kim. Part III of the Celler Series. Kim's daughter is faced with her worst nightmare. Fourth part in the Series is Gleam Surge.

19. Mission

19. Mission (A Swan's Steeled Fury)

"Keep the light of your power and knowledge focused, and it can guide you through any dark shadow your enemy casts before you."

-- Melfina Broderson - July 4th, 2019

The three spent the last of the flight in relative silence, first going back to their meal. Kimi did little more than pick at her salad as her mind filed through the techinques and sequences she had learned on the Sim Floor. Check your six. Peek around corners and doorways, and when re-entering a corridor. Train the sidearm on a window as you pass it. Let your eyes and your weapon follow each other so that you're aiming where you're scanning.

At one point, Mark's cell buzzed. He pulled it from his pocket and flipped it open. He glanced at his watch quickly, then rose to walk to the back of the cabin, turning on a video terminal and sitting in front of it. As he began to meet with the squad assmbled in the hangar, Kimi pulled her pistol from the compartment in front of her and unloaded it, pulling back the slide to make sure there was not a round in the chamber. She then went through arming and disarming the safety on the weapon several times, committing to memory the position of her thumb on that button. remembering that the one below it released the clip. Each time, she would check that the safety was on, trying to squeeze the trigger and noting that she was unable to pull it back.

Kimi decided that she was now under as much control as she could expect. She had come to realize that the priority of the approaching mission to rescue her mother outweighed the other increasing sensation in her head - the beats of time - marching steadily toward her, unaltered and unabated.

She could almost swear to another sensation of that same time marching steadily away from her mother.

----------

i. Saddle Up!
Saturday, July 13th, 9:36 PM, Cairo time
Saturday, July 13th, 1:36 PM, Eastgate time
-2 Hours, 24 Minutes
As the Scramship rolled along the tarmac to the hangar, Mark and Craig had already unhooked their belts and were gathering their equipment. Kimi reached forward and retrieved the black cloak, putting it over the seat next to her, then brought her holster from the compartment, sliding it up onto her left shoulder. She turned and pulled her Escrima sleeve from between the seat cushions, moving the sticks behind her and sliding it onto the same shoulder. She reached into the compartment a final time, retrieving the box of extra cartridges and the two belt clips, then stood, draping the cloak across her left forearm.

There was a slight lurch as the Scramship stopped, Kimi jutting out a foot to steady herself. Mark and Craig rose from their seats, with Mark placing an arm around the teen's shoulder. "Looks like you're even more ready than we are, Ki," he remarked.

Kimi looked toward the floor of the ship. "I know it's only been three weeks, Cap'n Mark," she said, then turning to look into the eyes of the tall Captain, "but somehow, it feels like I've been training all my life for this."

Mark's brow furrowed just a bit at Kimi's statement. He patted her upper arm. "I wish you didn't have to go through it at all, Ki," he said. "You shouldn't have to go through anything like this...no one should...and after you complete this mission, I'm taking you and your mother straight to the UN to tell them what you had to go through. When I was helping them to put together the CENAP Pact with the Cross Agents, I never envisioned anything like this would happen...that our hands would be tied from doing what should be handled by the military instead of...instead of relatives of the victim."

"...Or the spouses," Kimi added, remembering the terror Mark had been through.

Mark's grip tightened a little as they began to walk toward the archway at the front of the cabin. "Yeah..." he said quietly. "That's something else I have to work on, too...finding a way to thank you for telling me how to bring 'Fina back."

"You already have, Cap'n Mark," said Kimi. "Just by the smile I see on your face when you're with her." She then motioned her arms out a bit. "And by helping me to do what I know I have to do to get my mom back."

Mark swallowed back a small catch in his throat as they passed through the archway, where the uniformed man who greeted them at the beginning of the flight was unsealing the egress hatch. As he opened it, they were met by the sultry blast of the Egypt evening, the sky peppered with a few clouds which almost seemed to be drinking from the blackness of the Scramship. Kimi noticed a truck with a stairway racing toward the ship, slowing to align it to the hatch. Immediately behind it was a Hummer vehicle, pulling alongside to park to the right, at the foot of the stairway.

The second the stairway was in place, Mark burst out, "Okay, let's go!" and moved quickly to the hatch. Kimi took after him, with Craig directly behind her. They rapidly descended the 20-foot stairway, with Mark taking the steps two at a time and rushing to the vehicle, opening the two doors on the passenger side and climbing into the front. Kimi and Craig followed, with Kimi jumping the last few steps to the ground and hurrying to the back door, sliding across the seat to make room for Craig who took his seat to her right. Before he could even reach to pull the door closed, the large Hummer lurched forward, the door slamming shut as the vehicle circled to the right between the stairway truck and one of the Scramship's massive landing struts. The wheels seemed even taller than the Hummer which now raced past it, picking up speed across the tarmac, its halogen headlights piercing into the darkness unfolding across the base.

The driver turned to Mark, then looked in the rear-view mirror at Craig. "Good to have you back on base, Captain, Lieutenant. The squad is awaiting last-minute briefing."

Mark turned his head back to the teen, motioning his eyes to the driver, who was dressed in a uniform covered with a camouflage pattern, but instead of the green-and-brown Kimi had associated with the appearance of the "fatigues" at the base in Willow Grove, this was shades of dark gray and black. "Kimi, you remember Matt."

"The guy with me in the space in the restaurant," she said. "He found the bottle of alcohol they used on Mom. Hi again Matt...I...didn't recognize you in that outfit."

"Hey Kimi," said Matt. "Good to have you aboard."

The Hummer rounded a hangar which to Kimi, looked a bit small to fit the Scramship they had just flown in on, but was still large enough to house several aircraft. The Hummer roared through the open entrance to the inside of the hangar, which was awash with light, and toward an assemblage of vehicles near the far corner; three large straight trucks with canvas coverings on the back and another large truck which resembled an oversized ambulance. All the vehicles were, as was the Hummer, a deep shade of blue.

There were a large group of men in and around the vehicles, all in the same manner of uniform as Matt. Most of the men also had black helmets, either on their heads or carried in their hands. All had various weapons slung across their shoulders and backs - either rifles on straps or pistols in chest holsters much the same as Kimi's.

Mark had opened his door and his feet hit the ground nearly before the Hummer came to a rather abrupt stop a few feet from the other vehicles. Craig and Matt also swung their doors open, climbing out. Kimi hefted her holster and Escrima onto her shoulder and opened her door. As she exited the Hummer, Mark's voice was already booming through the hangar. "We are now at S-Minus 18...make sure your ammo is at the ready and your weapons are secure. Now is not the time to be unfocused...remember what you read in the CENAP forms you signed, and remember the Rules of Engagement with regard to hostiles...do not fire unless first fired upon." He then looked to the trucks, pointing at each in line. "The Hummer is Swan One. Your designations are now RSS One, RSS Two, Transport One, and Med One. We will leave the base in that order at five-minute intervals on my mark, starting at 2200. Upon arrival at the Hold Point, you will maintain radio silence until we get a call from Cell-Intel with status of the mission. We will not get that call until the Conduit Recall Event has been carried out. The unlikely event of a negative outcome will immediately be regarded--" he motioned back to Kimi "--as an attack on a guest of the base...and such attack will be retaliated under the Rules of Engagement."

Kimi leaned to Craig, her brow furrowed a bit. "...Negative outcome...?" she asked softly.

"It means if anything happens to you," said Craig. "It's a contingency to cover our bases under CENAP."

Kimi tried not to think about exactly what circumstances might necessitate a "negative outcome." The thoughts were shoved to the back of her mind by Mark's deep voice jumping through the hangar again. "I'm getting suited up. Let's saddle up and DO THIS!" he thundered. The rest of the uniformed men immediately answered with a loud, simultaneous, "HOOAH!" and began boarding into two of the covered trucks - two men in each of the cabs, and eight under the canvas in the back. Another two men climbed into the cab of the third covered truck, without anyone entering the back, and an additional four men boarded "Med One," two in front, two in back.

Mark came back to Kimi. "Craig and I have to get into camo suits," he said, motioning to a small room against the wall, with a small table and chair next to it. "You can gear up over there, too." He then began to walk to the small room, followed by Craig. Kimi followed, stopping at the table and setting her gear on it. "Be out in a few, Ki," Mark said, closing the door rather loudly.

Kimi glanced at the men as they filed into the straight trucks, grabbing handholds and pulling themselves in, some being assisted by fellow soldiers. A few of them glanced back at Kimi as she slipped off her belt and slid a few of the small utility pockets from it, then refastened it around her waist, positioning the pockets to allow space for the belt clips Craig had gotten for her, one at each hip. Kimi checked the remaining pockets to make sure they were secure, including the one which held the leather pouch containing the crystal and incantation, then snugged the belt up a little and gave it a tug here and there, satisfied it was in place and would remain so.

Kimi picked up her chest holster, sliding the pistol out onto the table and bringing the largest strap along her left arm to over her shoulder, making sure that her shirt was not wrinkled under the woven nylon material of the strap. She reached down and fastened the smaller straps around her midsection and under her right arm, noting that, because of the midriff shirt from her mother's "mission" outfit, the lower strap of the holster was against her bare skin, but the nylon seemed soft enough that it would not irritate her. It made her wonder about the strap for her Escrima sleeve as well, and why she didn't think about this when she first donned the black midriff shirt; but she was pleased to find that, with some adjustment to the length of the shoulder strap, the strap that went around her torso could be brought high enough to go over the shirt, and not cause any difference in the steadiness of the sticks against her back, or the angle at which they were mounted.

Kimi then reached to the table for her pistol and brought it close, looking it over. She pressed the button on the side of the frame to release the clip, sliding it from the weapon and, sighting along a slot in the edge, counted the cartridges. I hope the Ace darts work as good as Cap'n Mark said they would, she thought as she slid the clip back into the butt of the pistol, hefting it home the last inch with the heel of her hand. She set the safety and shoved the pistol into the holster, using her thumb to flip the strap around the back of the slide, pushing on it to hold in place. I also hope tonight is the last time I'll ever have to see this thing, she thought.

Kimi moved the box of cartridges to her and began to remove them two by two, sliding them carefully into the clamps on the belt clips until both were full. Ten Ace darts in the gun, she thought...another two clips in reserve...and ten more, ready on the belt.

The only item remaining was the long black cloak. Kimi gathered the cloth and slid it from the table, holding it up and unfurling it. I'll look like one of the local women...just to get me close enough to the building without being detected, she thought as she swept the garment over her shoulder, ruffling it a bit to slide it over the exposed end of her Escrima sticks. She gathered the loop clasp and hook together and fastened it, shaking her arms out loosely under the cloth to let it settle off her shoulders.

Kimi did a final run-through of her stock of equipment against evil. Sticks; Check. Sidearm, at the ready; Check. Free darts; Check. Kimmunicator; Check. Crystal and incantation; Check. Camouflage; Check.

Skill, attitude, and sense of virtue and justice?

All about check.

The Steel Swan was now in full plumage.

One of the men had walked from the truck and slightly startled Kimi as he approached. He was nearly as tall as Mark, but had nowhere near the build of the king-size Captain. "Miss Hodge?" he said. "My name is Staff Sergeant Darrin Engleman."

Kimi squared to the lanky Sergeant. "Hi," she returned, a slight shade of timidity in her voice.

"Miss Hodge...I've been asked by the rest of the men to speak for them...we all want you to know that we believe in what you're doing. We think you are very brave, and we're behind you 110 percent, Ma'am."

Kimi looked at the man for a second - then her eyes shifted past him to the trucks. Several of the men were peering out of the canvassed backs, and a few of them flashed a "thumbs-up" at her while others nodded at her.

Kimi looked back to the Sergeant. "This feeling is especially true from me, Ma'am," he said. "I got married to a Celler about six months ago...and if something like this happened to me, I'd be thankful for someone like you doing this, if I didn't do it myself." With this, he extended his hand. "Thank you for your courage, Miss Hodge."

Kimi took the man's hand, noting his strong grip. "Thanks for your support," she smiled, "and please...call me Kimi." She was startled again as another "HOOAH!" erupted simultaneously from the men in the trucks as they saw the handshake, the report booming through the hangar.

Mark and Craig emerged from the room as Kimi and the Sergeant broke the handshake. In the black hues of the camouflage uniform, Mark seemed to rival the light-stealing mass of the Scramship. The Sergeant turned to them, shifting to attention and bringing up his hand in a salute, which Mark and Craig returned. "Statement of support from the men, Sir," he said.

"I heard the last part of it," said Mark. "Well done, Sergeant."

"Yes Sir," the man said, and turned back for the truck he had come from.

Mark looked at his watch, then turned to the trucks. "2200...synchronize. RSS One, you're away, on my signal." He turned back to Kimi, and she immediately recognized the expression now on his face - it was the same serious, determined look she had seen the night she met him in Donna's restaurant - the stern expression of attention to business. "Get in front, Ki," he said, a guiding hand at her back as they moved toward the Hummer. He reached forward and opened the front passenger door of the vehicle as Craig opened the back and got in. Kimi climbed into the front seat, gathering her cloak and minding her Escrima against the seat back. Mark closed the door and crossed to the driver's side. Kimi muttered something under her breath, nearly silently as Mark climbed behind the wheel and turned the key. Nearly in unison, the other vehicles answered, their engines thundering to life. He swung the vehicle in a wide arc, its bulky tires sounding a barritone howl against the smooth cement of the hangar. They went through the same hangar entrance they had entered, and turned onto a road toward the front gate of the base.

----------

ii. Git Along, Little Kimi

10:05 PM.
-1 Hour, 55 Minutes
Mark slowed the Hummer as it neared an intersection. He looked in both directions, spotting a small car approaching from the left. He gauged its distance and speed - then tromped the throttle, twisting the wheel quickly to the right, the rear of the large truck yawing a bit over-center as it completed the turn. The horn of the small car, now behind them, sounded the criticism from its driver. Craig chuckled a bit. "Cairo traffic," he said. "Sometimes you have to drive like a crazy man just to keep from getting run over."

"Yeah," said Mark. "When in Rome..."

"Or in Cairo," Craig added.

Mark pulled a small microphone from the dash of the Hummer, bringing it close to his mouth and pressing a button on the side. His voice was lower, the pace increased. "KH-One-Five RSS One, Swan One."

The radio on the dash clicked and a spark of static preceded the metallic voice through the speaker. :::RSS One:::

"RSS One, Superman, 2205."

:::RSS One, 2205, copy that. Rawhide:::

The entire conversation was cryptic at best to Kimi. "All about more code," she said.

"It's in case anyone could be listening in," Mark said as he replaced the microphone to the hook on the dash. "They don't need to hear, 'RSS One, move into position'. The codes are from old, old TV shows...when Superman took off, he would say, 'Up, up and away'...'Superman' told the first unit to leave the base. The other code, 'Rawhide' acknowledges the first unit is on the way...it's from an old western...the words of the song at the beginning of the show went, 'Rollin' rollin' rollin'..."

"Keep them doggies rollin'," Craig echoed.

"Well, it's all about as long as you guys know what you're saying," Kimi said. She again said a few words in a bare whisper as the Hummer sped down the street.

10:09 PM.
-1 Hour, 51 Minutes
The Hummer rolled along a narrow street next to a low building, slowing to a stop about ten feet from the intersecting street. Mark slid the shifter out of gear and let the engine idle for a few seconds as he glanced at his watch. He reached to turn the igniiton key and the switch for the lights, then took the microphone from the dash. "KH-One-Five RSS Two, Swan One."

:::RSS Two::: came from the radio speaker.

"RSS Two, Superman 2210."

:::RSS Two, copy Superman 2210, Rawhide:::

Mark replaced the microphone on the hook, then pointed slightly behind him to his left to a domed tower jutting into the night. "That's the spire in the photo, Ki," he said as Kimi leaned to look past the shoulder of the large Captain. "It's at the west end of the warehouse...we're basically parked at the opposite of the view in the photos I showed you."

Mark then motioned past the front of the vehicle to the cross street. "This is Al-Gamaliyyaa Street," he said. "When you move out, you'll go left at this corner...then it's about a hundred yards to the east end of the warehouse...each door to the warehouse is about 40 feet back from the street."

"Umm, Cap'n Mark?" asked Kimi. "Which is...the best way in?"

"When you call Wade back for another scan, ask him where the largest concentration of guards is...if they're mostly near the front of the building, go in the back...or vice versa. I remember him saying there are two guards at each of the entrances...that means that, either way you go, you should have your sidearm at the ready when you approach the building, but hidden under your cloak."

Kimi turned to the front of the vehicle and nodded slowly, her head lowering. She once again muttered something, the only perceptable sound was her breath catching as her mouth formed a consonant.

10:14 PM.
-1 Hour, 46 Minutes
- Kimi startled to the side view mirror on her door as it became alight with the glare of headlights from behind them. Her head whipped around to Mark as they went out. "It's RSS One," he said, "right on time." He tapped the brake pedal twice, the rear lights of the Hummer accentuating the grille of the large truck behind it in a dull hue of red. The answer came from the truck; a single flash of its running lights. "As each vehicle arrives," Mark said, "the vehicle in front of it will give the same signal I just did...and the one arriving will answer the way you saw."

"Ummm...what if it's someone other than your trucks...and they don't give the signal?"

"Then at that point," Mark said, "whoever it is will probably be wishing they weren't anywhere near here."

Kimi turned toward the dash and again muttered barely above a breath as Mark reached for the microphone. "KH-One-Five Trans One, Swan One."

10:26 PM.
-94 Minutes
Mark glanced in his rear-view mirror and each of the side-view mirrors, then turned to Kimi. "The last vehicle will be here in a few minutes...might be a good time to get a hold of Wade."

Kimi swallowed and reached into her thigh pocket, sliding out the Kimmunicator. She brought the device up to face her, and pressed the center red button with the tip of a finger. The screen flickered for a second, and then snapped into focus with the image of the stocky Celler. "Hey Kimi," he said.

"Hi Wade," Kimi answered. "I'm...just about ready to go in, and I would like another scan of the warehouse."

Wade turned to the screen to his left. "I've still got the same scan going from this morning," he said, studying the screen. "It still looks like there's no change in their numbers."

"Where..." Kimi started, "where are the most guards?"

Wade looked for a moment. "I'm still showing two just outside the front entrance, on the north side...and two at the back...that's four...there are--" he counted "--another six are at various places...but they're all inside, on the first level. It looks like, other than when they meet in a hallway, there haven't been more than two of them in the same place for more than a minute or so."

"Is there any way the guards communicate other than face-to-face, Wade?" asked Mark.

"I've detected communication within the building," said Wade. "They could have walkie-talkies. I haven't been able to hack the frequency between environments...they're probably scrambling after every transmission. Something else I've been detecting in the last couple of hours...one of the Celler signatures has been leaving the second level and moving about the building...it's probably Shego, making rounds. The last time was about a half-hour ago."

Kimi inhaled slowly, closing her eyes - then huffed out an exhale. "Okay..." she said. "I think I know how I'm going in. I'll deal with the two slugs at the front...then take out the two at the back, and go in that way."

There was a light behind them. "That's Med One," Mark said, looking to the side-view mirror. He then leaned slightly to the Kimmunicator. "We're all in place here, Wade...keep an eye on the scan."

"Will do, Captain," replied Wade, "Good luck, Kimi. Kick butt and take names."

"It's all about kick butt," Kimi said with a hint of a masking smirk.

"Call me when you complete the Anamnesis Event, Kimi," Wade said. "I'll send a recovery team to pick up Drakken and Shego on this side of the portal the minute you do, and then call in the squad to pick up you and Kim." The screen flashed and went dark. Kimi swallowed in the middle of an exhale and slid the Kimmunicator past the flap on her pocket.

Mark turned to Kimi, and started to say, "This is--" then stopped. "Ki...you've been mumbling something since we left the base...is there anything wrong? Or...are you praying...?"

Kimi looked up. "It's something I've been practicing for a couple of nights," she said. "It's some Arabic I learned from a site on the base Intranet...something I think I can use."

Mark's brow raised a little. "On the mission, you mean? Is this some cursing or something? Say it out loud."

A small smile spread along Kimi's mouth. "All about not bad words, Cap'n Mark," she said, raising her hand from her thigh pocket, looking first at it, then to Mark. "Hounaka jourhoun fee hadi." As she said the last, her hand curled into a loose fist.

At hearing that simple phrase, Mark realized that the young teen had not only achieved a high level of readiness for her mission, but was employing an on-her-feet savvy that would guide her through. "Chamber a round in your sidearm, Ki," he said, trying to check a father's-pride grin. "It's time to go get your mom, hon,"

Kimi remained motionless for a few seconds, looking into the large man's eyes - then reached for him. "And thanks to you, Cap'n Mark, and Craig, and Carole, and Wade, and everybody else," she said on his shoulder as they hugged, "that's exactly what I'm going to do." She then pulled back, lifting one side of her cloak and withdrawing her pistol, pointing it toward the floor between her feet, toggling off the safety and gripping the slide with the second knuckles of her first two fingers. She felt the round slide into place, and let the slide jerk forward with a now-meaningful snap. "All about lock n' load, Cap'n Mark," she said, slipping the pistol back into her holster.

Mark straightened, his right hand snapping to a salute. "Godspeed, Steel Swan," he said. "We'll be waiting for the call from Wade telling us you've cleaned out the warehouse." He brought his hand down quickly. "Shred the Wind, Ki."

Kimi's eyes were just a bit glassy as she returned the salute. "It's all about shred," she smiled. She reached to bring her hood around her head, and turned to the back seat before reaching for the door handle. "Thanks, Craig."

"Liquid Murder," Craig grinned. "Tear it up, Kimi,"

Kimi opened the door of the Hummer and stepped into the street, the oppression of the Egyptian summer night immediately encircling her like an intense lover's desperate embrace. She turned to her left as she caught a flash of the running lights of the truck directly behind Mark's vehicle - and saw each of the other trucks in turn blip the pale yellow lights once at her in a signal wishing her well. She squared to the trucks and gave them a salute - then turned and began walking the ten feet or so for the corner of Al-Gamaliyya Street.

Mark keyed the mic from the dash. "KH-One-Five Swan's Nest, Swan One," he said. "2232...the Swan is on the Lake."

Craig opened the front door and climbed into the seat. Mark turned to him. "Ki's waited long enough for this," he said. "Now it's our turn to wait."

Craig reached into the back seat and brought up a styrofoam cup. "I could use some of that real coffee, if you're still offering,"

----------

iii. Reward

10:33 PM.
-87 Minutes
Kimi noted the lack of any breeze as she rounded the corner and turned to the north. Just as well, she thought. It's all about no wind to blow the cloak open and expose my gun...or blow my cover.

Take down the two slugs at the front, she repeated in her mind as she picked up her pace a little, her shoes making a slight "pat" sound against the pavement of the sidewalk. Then take down the two at the back...and go in. Hounaka jourhoun fee hadi...hounaka jourhoun fee hadi. There's a chance I might not even have to use any karate on the first floor.

All I have to do is count to ten. Ten slugs - ten Ace darts.

They freeze - and it's nappy-bye in less than three seconds. That's what Cap'n Mark said. Less than three seconds. Wow, if all the slugs were in one place, it'd be all about ten napping slugs in 30 seconds--

Focus. That's lead math. It's all about take longer than that to dart them all even if they were all in the same place...and I only really know for sure where four of them are. I have to hunt down the rest...but it's all about that's what I trained for...hunting down slugs and sending them to Planet Nap.

Kimi reached the next corner of the building she had been walking next to. Her step caught for the briefest second as she thought about stopping there, but she continued. As she passed the corner of the building, a large area opened to her left, mostly sand and low brush. Drakken's Courtyard, she thought. At the northern end of the area was the back of another building - the warehouse.

Kimi got her first "live" look at the Al-Hakim warehouse. "Drakken's latest lair" crossed her mind. Her gaze slid along the face of the building, lit by a couple of dim streetlights, and stopped at a pair of doors, with a figure on either side of them. Diamond, she thought. No windows on the back of the warehouse. No slugs peeking out at me. It's all about if any of the slugs inside want to see what's up outside, they'll have to come to the doors.

Kimi got her first look at some of the men holding her mother. The men were dressed in what looked like military uniforms of a pale beige Their heads were topped with headdresses in the same shade of beige, the cloth at the back extending just past their collars. She didn't see them carrying rifles, but she spotted thick belts at their midsection, which she guessed to be holster belts.

Slug guards. Dirty, evil, slug slug slug.

Even with the ebony of the cloak masking her and the dull light from the streetlamps, Kimi suddenly felt exposed walking the open expanse of sidewalk between buildings. She could not make out their faces at this distance - but she was sure she could feel their eyes on her. Burning on her. Undressing her--

Focus, Ki. Focusfocusfocusfocus. Just a local woman here, you slugs. Nothing to see here. Just a local woman, walking down the street...not a teenage bomb, coming to drop on your lead slug asses. Are either of you the guys who burrowed through the ground and took my mom out of Aunt Donna's restaurant? Did you hold her and tie her down for Drakken? Did you get rough? If you tortured her, if you touc--

FOCUS Ki, nobody touched her like that. It's all about so not that. There is no past. No 30 days. It's all about now. Tonight. It's all about all these slugs are going to jail tonight. It's all about Drakken and Shego are going back tonight. It's all about Mom is coming home.

Tonight.

With me.

Kimi reached a point between two of the lights along the street a little more than halfway to the near corner of the warehouse, and slid her pistol slowly from its holster, swearing the stiff nylon was making too much noise against the frame of her sidearm as she freed it under her cloak. Her thumb instinctively felt for the upper safety button on the side of the pistol, making sure it was in the "fire" position.

Focus focus focus. Slug slug slug.

The near corner of the warehouse came closer and closer. Kimi turned her head slightly to the left several times as she approached the corner. If the guards at the back doors began to move in her direction, she would have to engage them first, and possibly forget the guards at the front for the moment.

At that moment, as she looked, one of the guards did exactly that, stepping away from the double doors and turning to walk in her direction.

Kimi's insides seemed to turn to ice and begin to condense as sweat on her skin. Her grip tightened on the pistol, her index finger sliding back slowly past the trigger guard and curling around the trigger. Too far? Too far away to hit?

The guard still at the door said something to the other, motioning him to come back to the door when he got his attention.

That's right slug, Kimi thought. Back to your post. It's all about you have a job to do, and it's not bothering the local women.

10:36 PM
-84 Minutes
Kimi turned the corner to the front of the warehouse, her left hand holding the edge of the cloak, the pistol resting on that hand, still hidden beneath the black cloth. 40 feet to go.

As she continued along the sidewalk, her eyes trained on the men at the doors, Kimi's mind suddenly flashed back to an incident when she was but six years old. She had turned her bedroom inside-out one day looking for a small pin she loved to wear and had misplaced. She eventually found the pin, which had fallen between her bed and the wall, and had become stuck on the fabric of the box spring - but her bedroom was a shambles afterward. After about a week of waiting for the renovation, Kim had awakened Kimi early the following Saturday and ordered her to restore order. "But I found my pin, Mommy," she said. "Why can't I leave my room like this? Throwing all this stuff around looking for it made me tired."

"Because bedrooms are not kept like this," her mother retorted.

"Will you help me clean it up?"

"I don't think so. After all, I didn't help you mess it up. But I will give you something that will help you keep from losing things from now on. It's a saying...'there's a time and a place for everything'."

After two days of toiling, Kimi presented the cleaned room to her mother. "Now this is more like it," said Kim. "You now know where everything is. There's a time and a place for everything...and now, everything is in its place."

"But...what does that have to do with time, Mommy?"

"Well now that everything is in its place...the time has come for a reward. I will bake you any kind of cake you want."

Reward.

This snapped Kimi back to reality as she was less than fifteen feet from crossing in front of the doors and the guards now making note of her approach along the sidewalk. The flashback focused her determination to an even more laser-hewn edge. There's a time and a place for everything, she thought.

The place for my mom is not here.

The place for my mom is back home, safe with Dad and me and friends, and away from the evil people who want her dead and gone forever.

And the time to bring that reward to reality - brought by my hands - is now.

Right now.

----------

iv. Cry Havoc, and Let Slip the Darts of War

10:37 PM.
-83 Minutes
-tfff-
-tfff-
The pistol spat twice from the narrow gap in the front of Kimi's cloak. The first shot hit the guard nearest her in the upper leg. He looked down and opened his mouth to utter a cry of pain from the needle piercing his flesh, but all that came out was a tiny gurgle as the Acepromazine flooded into his system. He immediately fell forward onto the cement in front of the entrance.

The other man had been struck in the side, and had barely time to turn his head to his accomplice before the drug froze him. He collapsed to his right, falling over the lower back of the other guard.

Kimi watched the scene as if someone else had pulled the trigger, and she was just a spectator. It's all about almost like magic, Kimi thought. These guys fell like wet clothes.

Guys.

--The guys at the back doors...!--

Kimi felt a quick chill jump down the base of her neck. Check the six! She turned to her left quickly, looking to the corner of the building. That slug was headed this way once...his buddy stopped him.

Once.

She gripped her pistol in both hands and took off in a dash to the corner of the warehouse, stopping just before the corner. Her heart was now racing with panic, her breath coming rapidly. Kimi tipped the edge of her head past the corner, looking.

The guard was standing at the back corner, his head turned in the direction of the rear doors, as if listening to the stationary guard. Kimi jerked her head back, her eyes wide.

Focus focus focus all about Oscar focus--

She holstered her pistol - took one more deep huff of breath - and turned the corner. The guard was a little taller than he first looked. His head snapped to Kimi as the teen rounded the corner, her left hand palm-up and limp as she grasped her wrist. "Hounaka-jour-HOun-feE-hadi," she said in a small pained voice, "hounaka jourhoun fee haaaa-di."

Yes, Mr. Slug check out the lovely hurt local wooo-maaannn...

The man had put his hand to his pistol when he first saw Kimi, but slid from it as he heard her plea and walked toward her. "What is wdrong, young one?" he asked in a thick accent. "You adre injudred? Some-thing stuck in youdr hand? Madha fee yadik? Let me see."

As they met, the man reached out slowly, and noticed the small yellowish circle in her hand - which suddenly coiled into an open-palmed fist and lashed at him. Kimi turned her shoulders as she put her upper body into the punch, thrusting the needle of the cartridge deep into the side of the man's neck. He had tried to reach up to block or repel Kimi's arm as she threw the punch, but his hand froze just as his fingers touched to her forearm, his eyes locked on her in a wide expression of surprise, his mouth open in a mix of pain and disbelief as the drug streamed through the needle.

"...Nap dart," Kimi said with a slightly sadistic grin as the man succumbed to the tranquilizer. His fingers slipped from Kimi's forearm and he thudded to the ground, a small trail of saliva beginning to trickle from the corner of his mouth. She made note of this as she patted the hip of the now-unconscious guard. "Sleep well...Ab-drool," she whispered as she straightened, drawing her pistol again and moving to the wall of the warehouse, sliding along it, her weapon locked on the edge of the back corner. Was he coming WAS HE COMING?? She lowered her pistol, turned and poked a bit of her head past the corner, as she had done before. The other guard was still stationed at the door. Stuck at your slug post, she thought. All about duty.

40 feet to the door. I can't make it to the door before Slug Boy sees me...Cap'n Mark said the range of the darts is 20 to 25 yards...quick math three feet to the yard 40 divided by three is--about 13 yards. It's all about you're soooo in range, Slug Boy.

Kimi brought the pistol from under the cloak, steadying her left hand under the butt of the weapon and, crouching slightly, edged her arms and her head around the corner. The guard was faced away from her as she looked - then turned his head to scan the empty area behind the warehouse. As his head turned toward Kimi, his arms raised from his sides and he stepped away from the door as he spotted the slight shape against the dimly-lit corner, his right hand stabbing downward to the holster at his hip.

Kimi took the shot. She saw the man jerk slightly as the cartridge struck him in the upper right chest. His motion turned him a bit as he crumpled to the ground, a small cloud of dust rising as he hit the dirt in front of the entrance.

Kimi straightened, her head whipping to the right to check the front corner of the warehouse. She then turned and started for the rear doors at a brisk pace, reaching for the clasp of the cloak with her left hand, pulling the fabric away when it unhooked. Though still in the mid-90's, the Egyptian night air felt relatively cool against the now-uncovered skin of her forearms, face and mid-section.

Ace darts, she thought as she reached the guard on the ground near the doors. Shiznekkin' Acey-Ace darts to send aaall the sluggy-slugs to nappy-bye. Thank-youuu, Cap'n Mark.

Kimi gathered the cloak into a ball and dropped it, pushing it with her foot near the head of the guard. She then looked at the double doors - a dull gray metal flecked with rust. There was a lock cylinder above the handle. Her gaze shifted to the belt of the unconscious man.

All about key ring on the slug-belt. The door might not even be locked...but it's all about extra trip to Nap Boy for the keys if it is.

Kimi reached for the clip on the guard's belt, pulling the small ring free with a light "snick" and turned back to the doors. No hinges, she thought. The doors are all about open in. She tried to isolate a key from the others with a minimum of noise, and brought it to the lock cylinder. No, that's not it...not this one either. What is that? Way too small, that's to like, a briefcase or something. Why would these guys even have briefcases? No...no...ching!

Kimi inserted the key slowly, quietly until it stopped, then gave it a slow turn to the right, feeling a bit of resistance as the cylinder began to slide back the latch until the door slipped open an inch or so. Kimi readied her pistol, steadying herself - and pushed lightly against the door with the side of her foot.

10:40 PM.
-80 Minutes
Two Blocks South of Al-Hakim Warehouse
Mark set his coffee on the dash as his cell began to buzz in his pocket. He slipped it out and opened it. "Broderson," he said in a low voice, then pausing for a moment. "Yeah?...Hah!" He then chuckled slightly. "...You expected less?" There was an extended pause as he listened. Then, "Okay...stay on top of that scan, and call me with any other developments." He then snapped the cell closed and set it on the dash, picking up his cup and turning to Craig. "Talk about Shred the Wind," he said. "Wade said that within ten minutes, Kimi has dropped four of the guards, and she's now inside the building." He brought up his cup, touching it to Craig's as the Lieutenant let out a low whistle. "Interesting thing, though..." Mark continued, "Wade says that because of Kimi's skin...she's showing up on the scan as a Celler signature instead of Flesher...she's easy to track right now because she's the only Celler signature on the first floor...but it could get dicey when she gets to the second level. He's keeping a close watch."

10:43 PM.
-77 Minutes
Al-Hakim Warehouse
South Entrance
Kimi edged into the doorway, which opened to a small vestibule about six feet deep. She brought her pistol up, trained on an open space in the wall to the left of the doorway, with a small counter at the bottom and a small room on the other side. She relaxed slightly as she found the small room empty. Must be where they check in things they want to store in the warehouse, she thought.

Kimi slipped around the door, closing it softly, turning the inside knob so the latch wouldn't click against the strike when it closed. She moved against the right wall of the vestibule, glancing back into the small room as she passed it. The other end of the vestibule opened into a hallway on either side, and while not dark, the lighting was a bit dim and subdued.

Left or right? If I have to turn around to dart a slug, it's all about quicker to tuck my arm under and turn to my left than it is to swing my arm and turn right...with an inside corner to my left, my left side is against the wall. Swing bad.

All about go left.

As she neared the end of the vestibule, she did a series of quick peeks, leaning toward the end of the wall to peer down the hallway. Clear. Check the six. She turned and leaned quickly, checking the hallway to her right.

Clear.

Kimi moved into the hallway, almost on tip-toe until she reached the far wall. She leaned a bit against the wall and held her breath for a moment, listening. Slugs are very quiet, she thought...or very not move around much--

A shadow moved and grew at the wall of the corridor leading to the right. Kimi snapped to, snuggling closer to the wall and bringing her pistol up to lock on the inside corner. Here we go. Let him get around the corner, in case he has buddy-slugs back there who could see him fall.

A man rounded the corner into the hallway. He was slightly shorter than the men she had encountered outside, and was not wearing a headdress, nor did he have a holster belt. He was carrying a small bag, which he was looking into as he walked . He had taken a few steps into the hallway and crossed it to a door. Most likely a door to the small room, Kimi thought This guy must have gone away from his post to get a snack.

The man looked up as he reached for the door knob - straight into the eyes of Kimi against the other wall, about ten feet away. His mouth opened in surprise at the sight of the teen - then curled into a snarl as he turned toward her, reaching for a small walkie-talkie clipped to his pants. That expression melted into a blank stare as the Acepromazine cartridge slammed into his left shoulder. His legs collapsed beneath him and he hit the floor rump-first, then onto his back.

Kimi flashed a look back over her left shoulder, then crossed quickly to the man, bending to pick up the bag he had dropped and peering at a dish inside it. Ugh, what is that? Beetles in a light sauce? All about bugs for slugs, she thought as she straightened and crossed back to hug the inside wall leading to the corner. Halfway there, she thought. Five slugs down - five to go. They're not even snoring...must be a peaceful nap. Four darts out of this clip, she thought, looking down at the two unused clips on the shoulder strap of her holster...six left in this clip.

Kimi reached to within a foot of the inside corner. She turned and did the corner peek she had practiced so many times. She did a second, slower look. All about nothing but doors and corridor. There was a large overhead door in the outer wall, and a pair of wide doors across from it in the inside wall. Has to be the side of the warehouse I haven't seen the outside of, she thought. I don't remember passing a garage door. This must be how they transport stuff in and out...when it's not all about evil slug lair.

There was a door a couple of feet past the corner on the inside wall. All about I've almost been here before, Kimi thought. Did Cap'n Mark get the floor plan for the warehouse and have the Sim Floor set up the same way? He never said anything about it if he did...and if he did, he forgot the garage door in this corridor. Kimi moved slowly to the door, her left hand reaching for the doorknob. Clear a room. No cardboard cutouts here. It's all about real live slugs...and if they're in here, they'll probably be all about pizzled that I interrupted them...until I give them the rest of the night off.

10:48 PM.
-72 Minutes
Kimi's fingers drifted over the knob. She tightened her shoulder, thinking. Surprise is the best tactic, she remembered from her training. It's all about open the door quickly and scan the room as you--

The doorknob flew from Kimi's hand as the door opened, and Kimi was now face-to-face with - a stomach. She straightened. Still stomach? You're all about on a chair changing a light bulb, right?

The stomach moved forward a few steps into the doorway and into Kimi and her disbelief. Not on a chair, she thought. This blob starts at the ground and keeps going! That's at least seven feet up there!

A voice behind the blob spoke out. "Hamid! I told you to go to Imidr and get watedr fdrom him!"

The blob spoke, his voice sounding like distant thunder. "Hamid cannot. Gidrl in fdront of Hamid has gun."

"What??" came the voice behind. "You and youdr stupid drdugs. What gidrl? What gun? Let me see!"

The wall of flesh in front of Kimi began to move to her left, out of the doorway. Behind it was the man sitting behind a desk who was moving to stand as he became visible.

All about decision time, Kimi's mind raced. Slug or Blob? Slug or Blob? Slug can probably move faster, but Blob's got hands bigger than tennis rackets...he's got to be at least 450 pou--SLUGHASAGUNOUT--!!

The man at the desk had pulled a pistol from the holster on his hip and was bringing it up quickly from his side. Kimi gasped and jumped to her left, trying to use the enormous man as a shield. She fired on the man behind the desk as he had trained his weapon on her, the cartridge striking him in the stomach. The man's eyes widened as the Acepromazine froze his movement - he then sank quickly, his gun dropped on the desk as he fell to the floor behind it.

The mass called Hamid looked over at his fallen comrade. "You have kill Moqtar Aziz?" he said.

Kimi also looked to the unconscious heap on the floor, the man's head next to a leg of the desk. "No...it's all about drug to make him sle--GAAAKK!"

Kimi tried to move out of the grip of the tennis-racket sized hand which had closed around her waist and hoisted her off the floor. "Let me...go...Meat-Vise...!" she grunted as she struggled against the enormous clutch, her left hand pounding on his forearm. She tightened her grip on her pistol, firing into the massive expanse of flesh.

Kimi's mind raced. The Ace-dart didn't stop Blob!??? Why am I not having to get out of the way of falling Blob?? He's on some kind of drug that makes the Ace-dart work slower!

"Youdr pin does not hudrt Hamid bin Al-Qiri," Hamid growled. "You have kill Moqtar Aziz."

-tfff-tfff-tfff- Kimi squeezed off three more rounds into the mountainous stomach in front of her. Her eyes grew wider as they seemed to have no effect. She dug her left hand into the sticky, gelatinous skin of Hamid's forearm. the material of the gloves scratching into his skin. "All about lay-DOWN, Super Chunk!" she huffed as she felt the towering man's grip tighten on her midsection.

"You have kill Moqtar Aziz," Hamid thundered again. "Hamid now kill you...cdrush you like leetle bidrd!"

Kimi's left hand dug and tore harder, beginning to draw blood from the scraped flesh of the giant. The pistol slipped from her hand, clattering to the floor as Hamid applied more pressure. Kimi struggled, trying to hold breath in her lungs against the tightening.

Bird...!

Kimi reared her right leg back and drove her foot hard into the giant's crotch, producing a deep growl from him. She repeated the kick, her voice straining, punctuating each strike between the man's legs. "...Can't...crUSh...a steel...BIRD!"

Kimi felt Hamid's grip loosen with the fifth kick. His hand slipped from around her as she dropped to the floor in a crouch, regaining her bearings. The giant's hands moved between his legs, a dark stain appearing on the fabric of his pants.

Kimi coughed twice as she took in a rush of air to refill her lungs. Her hands flashed to her hips and she leaped into the air, two Acepromazine cartridges clenched in her raised fists. Kimi nearly reached the ceiling as her hands lunged forward. She burst forth with an "...rrrRRGH!!" as she embedded the cartridges deep into the titanic man's closed eyes.

Hamid stood straight, his mouth opening as his hands moved from his crotch toward his face, a deep gurgling moan coming from his throat. He stuttered a bit to his left against the desk - then sank to his knees - and finally collapsed to the floor, thudding heavily against the dark tile.

Kimi hesitantly reached for her pistol, which was partially under the shoulder of the behemoth. As she withdrew the weapon, a deep small moan escaped Hamid's yawning maw, which startled the teen. She took a step back and discharged two more cartridges into the the motionless hulk.

10:54 PM.
-66 Minutes
Kimi staggered a bit as she made her way back to the doorway, peeking in both directions, then leaning her back against the outside of the frame of the door, sliding to her haunches to catch her breath. She ran her hand over her side, rubbing where the huge man had held her. Six darts and that thing was still moving, she thought. If there are any more slugs this size, I'm going to run out of darts.

Darts. This clip is all about empty.

Kimi brought up the pistol, moving the heel of her left hand to stop the spent clip as she pressed the release on the side of the weapon, sliding the clip from the butt of the gun. One clip empty. Two on the holster...and seven left on the belt clips. She set the empty clip quietly on the floor. Twenty-seven Ace darts left. Three slugs left. I remember when it was all about going to be one Ace dart per sl--

Kimi felt a tug at the sleeve of her Escrima, and a sudden "ssffffh" sound of the sticks sliding out of it.

...Shit...!

Kimi's first instinct was to dive forward, launching from the door frame. She tumbled and rolled as she heard the sharp "clack" of the Escrima being struck against the floor behind her. Kimi put out her hands to catch herself.

Her now-empty hands.

She turned quickly to see the bare-footed man who was now standing next to the door frame. His complexion was dark and a bit weathered, further accenting the anger in his face. A large, bushy moustache of stiff, bristly black hair grew thick on his upper lip, partially obscuring the jagged-toothed snarl he was now breathing through. One of Kimi's Escrima was clutched tightly in his right hand.

At his feet next to the door frame lay the dart pistol and empty clip.

...Shitshitshitallaboutshhhhhhit...

"Who adre you?" the man snarled. "How did you get in hedre?" He took a quick glance into the room at the two unconscious men. "You have felled Hamid bin Al-Qiri? And what have you done to Moqtar Aziz?"

His gaze turned to the weapon on the floor, studying it for a second. His voice softened, the harsh confrontational edge slipping from his tone. "This is tdranquilizer gun, yes?"

"Yeah," Kimi said, her voice easing ever so slightly as she tried to mask a lurking twinge of resignation. "I...wanted to do this without...you know...killing anybody. They're...sleeping."

The man glanced into the room again at the leviathan on the floor. "Hamid bin Al-Qiri is a huge man," he said. "He is slave to the PCP. It masks pain fdrom the body. You did not defeat him with a single dadrt, no?"

"Eight darts," said Kimi, "including two in his eyes."

The man turned his stare back to Kimi, nodding slowly. "You adre bdrave wardrior fodr such a young gidrl..." his tone now became more stern, his expression growing into one of increasing anger. "...but what now, young gidrl? Now youdr cdrusade against El-Dok Ali-bin Drak is ended. Youdr gun has no bullets..." He brought his left foot to the pistol, sliding it behind him along the floor. "...you have not youdr gun..." He then raised his right hand, tightening around the blue Escrima to punctuate his point. "...and I have youdr STEEK!"

Kimi's mind roiled with thoughts. It can't be ended - I haven't saved my mom yet! I'm so close now...three slugs left, and this one has a brain? He snuck up on me 'cause I couldn't hear his bare feet on the flooorrRRRR! Leadleadlead-uh-D'UH, Ki it's all about check. The. Six! You should deserve a beating for lack of focus like this.

Focus. Light against the dark shadow of my enemy.

Kimi's expression softened into a small smile. "Alright," she sighed. "you have my gun...but you only have one of my...steecks." She brought up her left hand slowly in a calming motion, her right hand also moving slowly to her right shoulder. "I will walk to you and let you have my other steeck...okay?"

"Thedre will be no tdricks, young one," the man said in a stern voice. "You will move slowly. Let me have the othedr steeck."

Kimi curled her hand around the remaining Escrima and drew it slowly from its sleeve, taking a step toward the man. As it cleared her shoulder, she rotated her wrist and let it slide down through her fingers, catching it at the middle. This caused the man to jerk, raising his right hand back. Kimi put her left hand up quickly, emphasizing calm to the man as she lowered her right hand, slowly turning it palm-up, taking another step toward him. She was now within three feet of the man as she slowly extended her hand holding the Escrima.

The man brought his left hand up to reach. "Let me have the steeck."

In less than the blink of an eye, Kimi suddenly twitched her wrist counter-clockwise, one end of the Escrima lurching from the man's grasp, the other end of the stick banging hard into the left side of his neck. The man's snarl had become a frozen grimace of pain as Kimi turned in a spinning kick, her right foot crashing against the right side of his head, sprawling the man face-down to the floor. "Beat me with my own stick??" Kimi growled, pulling a cartridge from her belt clip. "All about so not!" She pounded the charge into the man's back. "Have a Clue Dart." The man shuddered for a second - then his head made a small thud as it settled to the floor.

Kimi stepped over the man, retrieving her pistol from the floor behind him. She took a fresh clip from her holster strap and loaded it forcefully into the weapon. She tried to cleanse the anger of her mistake from her mind as she grabbed the slide, thrusting it backward to load a cartridge.

Kimi huffed out a breath to steady herself as she bent to retrieve her Escrima from the floor, transferring the pistol to her left hand for a moment as she slid the sticks back into their sleeve. Back to work, Ki, she thought. Two slugs to go. No more mistakes from this Steel Swan. It's all about focus. Focus and confidence.

She moved against the inside wall of the hallway, continuing past the overhead door. She began to sing softly to herself as she neared the rear corner of the corridor, "...I'm your basic teenage bomb...and I'm here to save my mom...you can't stop me, 'cause I'm--"

A man rounded the corner, also shoeless. He caught only a flash of the teen as she reached for his shirt, catching her leg against his calves and throwing him prone to the floor. She leveled her pistol and discharged a cartridge into his buttock, straightening as the man succumbed.

"--Li-quid Mur-der," she finished, moving to the corner.

----------

The second level of the Al-Hakim warehouse was only about half the area of the first level. There was no space set aside for storage - rather it consisted mostly of offices and a couple of small rooms where records and religious documents were kept.

There was a single open wooden stairway to the second level which led to a short corridor lined with office doors on one side, and an occasional window every fifteen feet or so overlooking the storage area of the first level. The largest room on the level was at the end of the corridor opposite the stairs. It was more than 25 feet to a side, and more than ten feet to the ceiling. It was possibly a conference room or storage when the warehouse was part of the adjoining mosque.

v. Meanwhile, Up at The Lair

11:06 PM.
-54 Minutes
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"

A burst of thick-throated laughter resounded through the confines of the room, pealing against the sheets of stainless steel which had been fastened over the walls and ceiling. The sinister mockery was accented by a black-gloved fist thumping against a small table near the back wall of the room. The fist then uncurled, extending across the table to reach into a bowl, plucking a few small crackers from it and depositing them into another gloved hand before bringing one up to a waiting wide sneer, surrounded by skin of a light blue hue.

Light blue Celler skin.

A breath of slight exasperation came from the opposite side of the table, sighed through a thick, plunging mane of pitch-black hair being repeatedly caressed with a brush held by a third black glove. The gloved hand set the brush on the table, then joined the fingers of another hand gloved in neon green slipped into the ebony flow to divide it, revealing a woman's face tinged in a hint of pale beryl-green, framing two ample Celler eyes of a piercing emerald.

The woman set a slightly displeased look through the screen of hair to across the table. "...Now what are you laughing about, Dr. D?" she uttered.

The blue figure leaned back in his chair. "I'm just enjoying the sheer evil of this entire plan, Shego," he said. "There is now less than an hour to go before the last of Kim Possible is washed away forever! Haaaa, HAHAHAHAHA!!!"

Shego's eyes followed Drakken as he continued, rising from his chair and crossing the room to an enclosure in the corner to the right of the door, about eight feet square, the walls, floor and ceiling made of a thick clear material. "I must admit, Shego, I have to give you your...props on your contributions to the plan...using the promise of a night of tawdry pleasures with Daphne from 'Scooby-Doo' to bribe one of the lesser Cross Agents to tell us about the Resonance Stream so we could hack that Cross to Maine and gain entry into the Flesher environment..." he moved to pat his hand against the wall of the enclosure. "...devising this enclosure of inch-thick sealed Lexan to keep our dear Kimberly in...and leaving an open container of rubbing alcohol in there with her to keep her too weak to escape...having the Flesher guards enter the enclosure to feed her...even oxygen masks in case we were to be exposed to some of the alcohol fumes..." he rubbed his finger over his chin. "Yes, Shego, your part of the plan to execute Kim Possible was a stroke of genius...although, if you had let me carry it out my way and kill Kim the night we kidnapped her from the restaurant, we'd have been long rid of her by now."

Shego flung her hair back and eased back in her chair, balancing on the back legs. "Yeah-yeah-" she blurted, "and if we had--" she wiggled her fingers in the air, noting quotation marks "--'carried it out your way', we wouldn't have a chance of getting any of the 20 million you asked for in the first place. That's why I said to wait out the entire 30 days to the deadline."

Drakken's face soured. "Pfffft, Shego. While the money would be a nice perk and would help in future plans, there's no way Kim's Flesher friends could possibly gather that large an amount. The 30 days was merely delaying the inevitable."

"Don't be so sure about that," replied Shego. "Her Flesher husband is a big shot at some insurance company. He'll have the resources to scratch up that kind of cash."

"You really did a lot of research on Kim's little life here in the Flesher environment didn't you, Shego...it's almost as if you were enjoying yourself spending all those hours at the computer before we hijacked the Cross."

"It's like I said all along, Dr. D...it pays to do a little bit of research before hatching any plan, especcially a plan this big. That's how I came up with such a foolproof method for Kim's execution...the only thing I didn't include was a chance to thrash her a little before her demise."

Drakken patted his hand along the Lexan wall of the enclosure, grinning widely. "Yes...in the Celler enviroment, our resources are severely limited...almost like the shows...everything is scripted. The 'bad guy' is written to lose from the get go...but here, we can actually get things done! I like this Flesher environment, very much."

Drakken turned to look into the enclosure. Inside was a small table with a bottle of rubbing alcohol, the cap beside it. About four feet from the table, a metal chair was bolted to the floor. In the chair was a very wan Kim, her wrists tied to the back legs of the chair. Though she had been fed at least twice each day of her captivity, her face appeared pale and weak from prolonged exposure to the alcohol. Her head had remained hung forward as Drakken talked, but when she heard his hand against the Lexan, she raised her head slightly, her auburn hair dishevelled, hanging over her face in disarrayed strings. "Won't...get...away with...thisssss..." she muttered, her voice slow, weak, almost distant as it came through a small speaker mounted on the ceiling near the enclosure.

"Oh, shut up, Kimmy," Shego snarled. "That's the only thing you've said the whole time you've been in there."

Drakken turned to Shego, then back to the enclosure. "Yesss, dear ill-fated Kimmy," he growled smoothly, "I'm afraid we've already 'gotten away with it.' Your Celler iteration is already gone...and you're soon to follow." His hand motioned first to a control panel on the wall near the door, then to the top of the enclosure and an array of pipes around three inches in diameter. "A little under an hour from now, your sentence runs out. At exactly Midnight, the switch will trip, and your little prison will flood with one thousand gallons of rubbing alcohol from a tank on the roof...not only will you drown--you'll DISSOLVE! AHHHHAHAAAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"

----------

vi. Reunion (no, not that one)
11:11 PM.
-49 Minutes
First Level
Kimi had followed the corridor to its end, opening into a "break area" of sorts - tables and chairs, a refrigerator, stove and counter space - even a radio. There were two large windows through which Kimi took a moment to scan the storage area of the warehouse, which was well-lit and took up the balance of the first level. There were boxes of varying shapes and sizes, both wooden crates and cardboard boxes; filing cabinets and other pieces of office furniture. There was also a small collection of clothing of the Middle Eastern culture; robes, headdresses and even an outfit which looked regal enough to be worn by a prince or other head of state. At the far corner Kimi saw a door. Probably leads to the corridor next to the stairs.

Not even the dust is moving, Kimi thought as she exited the break area, closing the door as quietly as she could. The front doors must lead directly to the warehouse part...good thing I came in the back. It would have been all about too easy to get spotted. The stairs to the second floor must be in the corridor to the right of the back doors...but I went left first. I cleared this whole side of the building first...now there's just one slug left. I hope he's not upstairs. I don't want to be all about deal with Shego and anybody else at the same time.

Kimi peeked, then slowly rounded the first corner, advancing slowly through the corridor, noting the position of the men she had tranquilized. She stepped over the man who had threatened her with her Escrima and dragged the tip of her left foot against his rib cage. Ooopsie, she thought mockingly. No no, don't get up, I'm all about just passing through. She looked into the small office where Hamid bin Al-Qiri lay still, like some silent hulking monument.

Kimi reached the inside corner to the main corridor and did a quick peek around it, then moved into the corridor, nearing the vestibule she had entered. Will the other corridor be like the first one? she thought. A couple of offices to check? Or is the slug waiting upstairs? If any of the others had time to call on their walkie-talkies, they would have all come at me at once.

Maybe even with Shego.

But it's all about didn't happen that way. Other than almost getting my head blown off by the guy in the office with the Blob, and Mr. 'Steeck,' things have been fairly diamond.

Kimi moved to the inside wall, sliding steadily along it with her pistol aimed to the edge of the approaching unsearched corridor. "...Heerre, sluggy sluggy sluggy..." she whispered.

11:14 PM.
-46 Minutes
Kimi had moved around the corner to the right of the vestibule, noting a turn to the left at the far end of the corridor, and a door just before it. That's the door I saw from the breakroom thingy. The stairs have to be around that corner...but clear each room as I go, she thought, remembering Mark's extensive training during the house-clearing sessions. Any room I miss could contain a bad guy that could sneak up behind me.

Kimi reached an open office just off the inside corner. Unlike the last one she had an encounter in, this office was dark. She cautiously stepped inside, moving quickly next to the doorway, using the light from the hallway to check the inside wall, then behind the desk.

Not in here. It's all about must be guarding the bottom of the stairs.

Kimi moved to just inside the doorway, edging to the frame to take a peek. There's no one to the right who isn't conked, so look lef--

Kimi suddenly jerked back from the low "whoosh" in the air as the gleaming flash of a two-foot sabre sliced across the wooden door frame like a hand-held guillotine, carving into near the bottom of the frame with a deep "thwack."

The second the blade stuck into the door jamb, Kimi lashed out quickly with her left foot, striking the man's arm holding the weapon. The arm withdrew accompanied by a cry of pain and the heel of the sabre banging to the floor, an inch-thick wedge of the door frame falling away as the blade clanged against the tile. Kimi advanced through the doorway as the man swung a left at her head. She dropped her pistol, grasping the man's forearm with her left hand, jerking it toward her as her right arm curled around and under it, trapping his wrist under the pit of her arm, her hand gathering a thick clutch of the man's shirt--

Exactly the same way she had done when he grabbed her arm outside the Cairo airport a month ago.

As their eyes met, there was a shared quick gasp and split-second of surprise between Kimi and the slightly shorter man, their eyes widening - then their expressions became individual reactions of recognition; Kimi's eyes narrowing into sharp slits of revulsion and venom - the man's face stiffening into a look of expectant horror.

For the first time since the beginning of the mission to save her mother, Kimi's emotions premiered her actions.

The fabric of her glove gnarred as her fist curled against his shirt and her mouth tightened to a gritted taut-lipped snarl. "...I remember-yooouuuUU..." she growled through a breath, the silver in her eyes igniting the azure in her irises like wildfire as they burned into the eyes of the man. His frantic wild-eyed stare shifted quickly back and forth between the flame of her eyes and her left arm, rising and coiling back, her fingers locked tightly against the top of her open palm. Kimi punctuated her words with the heel of her hand slamming hard against the bottom of Khalid bin Azrul's nose. "...you, and your-Nice! Clean! TAXI!!"

Khalid's head recoiled as the first punch shattered the bridge of his nose against his skull. His head returned upright just as the second blow exploded against his face, aggravating the concussion from the first, the shards of bone splintering to rupture blood vessels behind the front of his skull. Kimi's third blow struck against the now-bloodied and unconscious Khalid, the heel of her gloved hand making a slight "splat" noise against the rush of crimson from his nostrils. The inertia of the last punch and his weight pulled him from her grip, his body thudding heavily to the floor, his small walkie-talkie breaking free of his belt and skidding a couple of feet.

Kimi reached to Khalid's body, smearing the front of her blood-stained glove against his shirt to dry it. She then retrieved her pistol from the floor and fired a cartridge into the motionless man's chest. "Take that with you...Kha-lead," she said in a low voice.

Focus and confidence, Kimi reminded herself as she set the safety on the pistol and slid it into her holster, wrapping the Velcro strap around the back of the weapon. Ten slugs up - ten slugs down and out. And not much karate.

Thank yoouu, Cap'n Mark.

----------

vii. She-who?
11:16 PM.
-44 Minutes
Second Level
Drakken picked another cracker from the bowl and brought it to his mouth, his expression shifting to a wide grin of pleasure. "Mmmmm," he moaned deeply, "Shego, are you sure you won't have some of these crackers? They're just...exquisite! I can't leave them alone!"

Shego rolled her eyes to the ceiling. "They're just wheat crackers, Dr. D," she said. "With all the other Flesher food we've had over the last month, you're going nuts over crackers?? Remember the shrimp that Khalid brought us that one night? In fact, that's about all you've done since we crossed, is eat! You must have put on at least ten pounds since you've been here!"

Drakken gave the charcoal-haired vixen a scowl of disapproval at her admonishment - then he glanced at a clock on the control panel and turned to the enclosure. "Speaking of food, Shego," he said, "There is a little over a half-hour to go...do you think we should have one of the guards bring Kim a...last meal?" His expression of deceiving concern melted into a sneering grin. "After all...it is convention to grant a person a last wish just before their execution..."

Shego looked past the blue Doctor to the enclosure and Kim. "Yeah...yeah, you're right," she cooed. Her brow then lowered as she reached into the bowl of crackers, flinging one at the Lexan wall. "Here'ya go, Kimmy," she said in a mocking sneer as the cracker clacked off the thick plastic. "Bon Appetit."

Drakken looked at Shego, then burst into laughter. "HAhahahaha! It's good to see you still have your evil edge, Shego. I was being sarcastic, of course...with the little time that's left, a last meal wouldn't be completely digested before the alcohol floods the enclosure. Any food in Kim's stomach would be freed as she dissolves, and--" he turned his head "--yeaugggh..."

Shego slid her chair away from the table and planted her hands on her knees, preparing to stand. "Welp...I should do one last round of the building..."

"Sit down, Shego," Drakken interjected. "Don't trouble yourself...we are completely safe and secure. According to the documents you showed me, the Flesher military is prohibited from taking any action against Cellers while in their environment...and if any other type of rescue were being planned, it would have happened before now." He motioned a thumb to the enclosure behind him. "Just sit back and wait for the show...have a few crackers--"

Drakken was interrupted by the walkie-talkie on the table next to the bowl clicking to life, the background hiss of "live air" now coming from the small speaker. "See? I told you," Drakken said, flipping his finger toward the device. "There's one of the guards now, reporting in to tell us all is--"

A female voice came over the speaker. :::Drakken:::

The resemblance in the voice caused both Cellers seated at the table to flash a look to each other - then to Kim, encased in the Lexan - and back to the walkie-talkie.

The device clicked again, a teasing, almost lyrical tone to the voice. :::Draaakkenn...:::

Shego motioned to the table. "Well? Pick it up! Somebody wants to talk to you! Probably a hacker or some kid who's been listening in."

Drakken plucked the device from the table, bringing it near his mouth and pressing the transmit button. "Hello?" he asked, "This is Doctor Drakken..."

:::Can Drakkie come out and play?:::

Shego couldn't help but burst into a snicker. "Aw-haw-haww...Dr. D has a secret admirer. Talk to her...'Drakkie'."

Drakken eyed the device with a perplexed expression as he pressed the button again. "May I ask how you got on this frequency? Is this some sort of...prank call? Who is this? And what is this about?"

:::You'd never believe me if I told you who I am...::: the voice giggled - then became more serious. :::...and this is all about your blue-lead-ASS:::

At the word "ass," Kim lolled her head to her shoulder, listening in recognition. "...Khhiiiii..." she slurred.

Drakken dropped the walkie-talkie to the table and jumped to his feet. "An intruder! Shego! Call the guards!"

Shego shot the blue villain an annoyed sneer. "Re-LAX, Dr. D...there's nobody in the building but the guards. If whoever-it-is on the radio were trying to get in, they would have stopped her. That's what you hired them for...remember? 'Safe and secure'? It's like I said, she's some hacker on a ham radio or something."

The voice from the speaker returned to a more sprightly, youthful pitch. :::Ye-hesss, Drakkie-poo...it's all about your ass tonight...so come out and play:::

Shego turned her head, trying to hide a giggle at the young voice on the walkie-talkie taunting her evil cohort.

:::Oh, and bring your little girlfriend, too...what's her name? 'She-ho,' or something?:::

At this, Shego's head shot to the device. "She-HO!???"

Now it was Drakken who succumbed to a low chuckle. "Now who has a 'secret admirer,' hmmm?"

:::Love those green pajamas you wore on the show there, Shegy baby. What shade was that? SNOT green? Or was it PUKE green??:::

"GRRRrrr!" Shego leaped to her feet, growling deep in her throat, her eyes wide with infuriation. "She IS in the building!" she exclaimed. Her hand flashed to her hip, pulling her own walkie-talkie from a clip and stabbing the button. "GUARDS!" she yelled. "Guards! Come in! Someone's in the building! Haven't you heard any of this??? Hel-LOO!??"

:::Sorry...the guards are all out right now - -way- out. Please leave a message at the tone!::: The air in the room was then shattered as a shrill, piercing whistle came over the speaker.

Shego dropped her walkie-talkie and threw her hands up over her ears at the sound. Drakken turned his head from the table. The whistling stopped, and Drakken jerked the comm device from the table, tightly gripping the button, his face growing more enraged. "Ten men, and you--? What have you done with my guards? How dare you thwart my defenses and then mock me! I--"

Kim interrupted him, her moan coming louder through the enclosure speaker. "K-Kiiimmiii..."

Drakken's hand was still tightly closed over the transmit button as his head quickly turned over his shoulder to the enclosure. "SHUT-UP, Possible!!!" he screamed, then turned back to the walkie-talkie. "I DEMAND to know who you are!"

Hearing Kim cry her name over the small speaker instantly threw Kimi back to the horrible dream she had a few nights before Mark's call to tell her of the mission he had laid out for her. It was echoes of that dream that continued throughout her weeks of training. Training driven by Mark's incisive and exact instruction.

It was that training which gave Kimi the confidence to overcome the terror of the dream - the ability and courage to take on the mission to face her mother's enemies - and the resolve to defeat them.

The strained plea of her mother - and the heated, caustic response of her captor - was the last that Kimi could stand.

There were a few seconds of pregnant silence from the device in Drakken's hand; then it clicked again - but the lilting, playful edge in the voice from the speaker had disappeared, now replaced with a measured, somber tone;

:::I am the dark, screaming, sweat-soaked nightmare from which you will neither wake nor escape:::

With this, there was a final "thffffft" of static - and the walkie-talkie went silent.

Drakken stood for a moment, his anger visibly shaking his entire body. "How--? Who--? Wh-- I--" He suddenly hurled the device to the floor, stomping on it as his rage exploded. "SHEGO!!! We are far too close to our goal to be threatened or delayed by distractions like this! Turn the warehouse inside out...search every nook and cranny! Find this interloper! This...meddler! This...PEST! Bring her to me! We'll do away with both her AND Kim Possible at the stroke of Midnight!"

Shego stuffed her walkie-talkie back onto the clip on her belt and gathered her hair back, letting it cascade over the back of her shoulders, then reached to her leg. pulling what looked like a small club about 18 inches long from a sheath strapped to her calf. She brought it up and pressed a button. The other end of the club erupted in a splay of electrical arcs, crackling and hissing at the air around it like an electrified cobra. "With pleasure, Dr. D," Shego said as she turned for the door. "...'She-ho'!? GRRRR!" she huffed as she slammed the door forcefully.

----------

11:22 PM.
-38 Minutes
Two Blocks South of Al-Hakim Warehouse
Mark slid his hand over his forehead, moving it back to sweep over his hair and wipe some of the Egypt evening from his face.

"You should get out and stretch," said Craig. "We've been here nearly an hour. Most of the men have been out of the trucks and moved around. You're going to get a cramp sitting much longer."

"I'm just itching to get a call to go in," Mark sighed. "It's hell just sitting here with no wo--"

He was stopped short by the cell buzzing on the dash. He grasped for it, opening it quickly. "Broderson." There passed a moment as Mark listened - then he burst to the right, slapping the back of his large hand against Craig's arm as he continued listening to the cell. "Stay all over it, Wade," he said. "We'll be hanging on every word, waiting for your green light."

Mark slapped his cell closed, beaming widely. "Hot DAMN!" he erupted. "Ready for this? Kimi has taken out all ten of the guards...and Wade says that she must have created some sort of diversion. He picked up communication between the first and second levels via walkie-talkie...and directly afterward, one of the Cellers has left the second level. He thinks it's Shego, gone to search the warehouse for Kimi. Ki's probably setting it up so that only Drakken is on the second level when she goes up there. He won't stand a chance against Ki."

"I'm still trying to get over watching her slice 'n dice through all her opponents in the gym back at the 111th," said Craig. "Hell with Drakken...I don't know of too many people who could stand a chance against a tidal wave of Liquid Murder."

Mark slipped his cell into the pocket of his shirt and opened the door of the Hummer. "I think I will take that stretch, Craig," he smiled. "I'll go back and relay the update to the rest of the guys. Judging by Ki's progress, I have a feeling we won't have to be sitting here much longer."

----------

viii. Reunion (yes, that one)
11:26 PM.
-34 Minutes
Al-Hakim Warehouse
Second Level
The door to the large room opened slowly, quietly. Drakken was facing away from the door, casually leaning against the enclosure wall with one hand, studying Kim and the effects the fumes from the alcohol were having on her strength and actions. "It's almost like she's drunk," he mused softly, "but...without having even drank any of the alcohol...which would, of course, be almost immediately f--" He stopped as he heard the door close. "Well Shego?" he asked. "What do you have to report? Did you find the -- GAAAH!" He jumped with a start as he turned around, met not by his green-and-black-clad accomplice - but by one very displeased Kimi Angelina Hodge.

In the same manner he had been studying his prisoner, Kimi was studying Drakken, taking in the variances of the form before her; the rounded, jutting chin and jawline, and the curious cyan hue of his skin. "Y--You're not...Shego," Drakken stuttered, taking a step backward.

"All about bingo," said Kimi. "There's just no getting one by you, is there--" she hissed out the last "--Drakkie-poo...?"

Drakken's expression was a mix of shock and curiosity. "You're the one on the walkie-talkie from before." he uttered. His head turned back and forth several times between Kimi and Kim, trying to compare and contrast the two. "The resemblance is amazing! What are you...some sort of...clone? Are you a...a Celler, too?"

Kimi's brow lowered, the corners of her mouth turning upward into a slightly sadistic grin. "No, Drakken," she said, her fists slowly tightening at her sides. "I'm the new 'Buffoon'!" She then snapped rigid, coiling back her left hand.

Drakken jolted, his hands lifting in front of him, his voice shaking with fright. "Not in the face! Not in the face!"

Kimi froze for a second, incredulous at the Doctor's statement. "...You were going to kill my -mother-, and you're all about 'not in the face'!?"

Drakken hesitantly lowered his hands as he made the realization. "...Mother...? Yes, I can see the--!" His comment was severed as Kimi's gloved fist landed hard to his jaw. The force of the blow reeled him to his left and he slammed face-first against the stainless-steel sheeting of the wall, his eyes rolling back as he bounced from it and toppled to the floor, unconscious.

At the commotion, Kim struggled to raise her head, her eyes bleary behind messed strings of hair. "Kiiiiiii...h-heerrre," she forced, her voice breaking slightly.

Kimi rushed to the enclosure, her hands slapping against the door, her own eyes now glassing over at the sight of her mother. "Mom! Mom, I'm here!"

"Kiii--hiiimmmiiiii," Kim's weak voice stuttered from a sob.

"Mom, I'm here for you!" the teen said. "Hang on, I'm going to get you out of there!" She looked around the seal of the door for a second - then started trying to claw at the edge of the door, leaning into a push against the structure. "I can't get this door open, Mom!"

"C-Cooode..." Kim drew out.

Kimi looked down at a small keypad at the edge of the door. "Code..." She then took a half-step back, bracing into a stance. "I know the code, Mom," she said, curling her fists, "...it's 7 1/2!" She suddenly twisted clockwise, thrusting her left foot hard against the keypad lock. The door jolted from the blow, but remained closed. Kimi set again, spinning to slam her right foot into the lock. There was more of a shudder, but the door still held.

Kimi backed from the Lexan door. I kicked down a wall that wasn't meant to open, she thought. It's all about I can certainly kick down a door that is meant to open! She took another two steps away - then set and launched herself at the door, hurling herself into the air with her left leg, twisting and throwing her right leg out as a rigid ram as she leaped. "Rrrryeaah-HAAA!!"

The increased force of the third strike overcame the lock. It burst it free of its catch, the door flinging open. Kimi caught herself against the opening as the door banged against the wall it was hinged to and began to swing slowly back.

The thick, cutting odor of rubbing alcohol immediately hit Kimi with a small wave of nausea as she set her feet in the opening, causing her to cough from the stench. She moved quickly to reach the small table, keeping one leg out behind her to stop the door from reclosing. She reached for the dark amber plastic bottle on the table and a small cap beside it, screwing it on tightly and setting it to the left of the enclosure opening. She then grabbed the table, pulling it to rest against the door to hold it open.

Kimi moved to Kim, bringing her head up in her hands, her fingers combing her thick mane from her face. partly moist from perspiring, partly from streaks of tears - and partly moist from the tears of her daughter as she leaned over her. "Mom?" she cried. "Mom, it's alright, I'm here!"

Kim was still in a stupor from inhaling the alcohol, the movement of her head labored. "Kiiii..." she repeated through a breath at the caress of Kimi's gloved hand against her pale skin. She attempted to move her head to the left, trying to indicate outside of the enclosure. "...Aiirrr..."

Kimi suddenly turned, catching sight of one of the oxygen masks and small tanks sitting just outside the enclosure. "Hang on, Mom," she said, rushing out to pick up the apparatus. She cranked the valve on top of the tank as she reentered the enclosure and heard the rush of oxygen from the clear plastic mask. She took one deep breath from the mask, then again brushed the remaining hair from her mother's face, setting the tank on the floor beside the chair and moving the mask over her nose and mouth, sliding the elastic band over her head to keep it in place. "BREATHE, Mom!" Kimi burst out. "Breathe! I'm going to untie you!" She shot a look over her shoulder at the door to the room. then dropped to her knees, moving behind the chair. Kim took in huge gasps of the oxygen as Kimi began to dig at the knots of the nylon ropes which held her mother's wrists to the back legs.

As her left hand became free of her bond, Kim brought her arm up, coughing through a moan against the cramping from being in the same position for so long, flexing and curling her fingers. As Kimi moved to untie her right hand, she took another swift intake of the oxygen and pulled the mask down over her chin. "Ki--" she heaved, "Ki, I--can't--believe--how did--"

"Keep the mask on, Mom," Kimi wavered, trying to fight back her emotion as she worked a length of rope through the tight knot. "You have to get some strength back so we can get out of here."

Kim replaced the oxygen mask over her face, taking another deep breath. The last of the rope fell away from Kim's hand and she lifted her arm, pulling it across her body, her fingers extending. Kimi moved along the floor to the front of the chair, checking to see if her mother's feet were also bound. "They didn't tie your legs to the chair," she said, placing a hand to Kim's shoulder and rising to her feet in front of the chair.

Kim brought a hand to Kimi's forearm, pulling as she began to rise from the chair. Kimi reached to gather her mother to her feet, holding as she stuttered a bit, one leg wobbling slightly. The two women then locked into a tight, embrace, clawing, holding desperately onto one another, welcoming the warmth of each other's body for the first time in nearly a month - a warmth both had feared they would never feel again. The emotion spilled from both of them, Kim giving to open crying as she held tighter. "My G-Od," Kim sobbed behind the mask, "I can't believe you're h-ERE, Ki!"

"Moo-OOmmMM," Kimi drew out, her voice cracking, "Drakken and Shego hacked a Cross a couple of months ago just to come here and kill you! I HAD to come! It's all about I couldn't let them do this to you--I couldn't let you just-d-dIIEee," she heaved as she burrowed farther against her mother's shoulder.

"But...why...you? Why didn't the Army or somebody do this?"

"They couldn't, Mom! There's some pact-thingy that says the military couldn't do anything, because it was Cellers behind this."

"How d-did you-get in here?" Kim asked, her voice shuddering. "Who let you in? How did you get past the guards? How did you get past Shego? I heard you talking to Drakken on the walkie-talkie, but I thought I was hallucinating until you came through the door."

"No one let me in," Kimi replied. "It's all about I fought my way in. I took out all the guards...all ten of them." Kimi turned a bit toward the entrance of the enclosure, reaching next to the chair to pick up the oxygen tank. "Let's go to the table, Mom...the air is fresher out there." She slipped one arm under Kim's shoulders, helping her move slowly through the opening of the enclosure and eased her into one of the chairs at the table. "I knew Shego would come looking for me after I called them on the walkie-talkie, and she couldn't talk to any of the guards. I hid in one of the boxes in the warehouse until after she came down the stairs...then I came up here after I heard the back doors slam."

"I couldn't believe it was Drakken and Shego when I was first brought here and saw them," Kim said.

"They, umm...did away with your iteration in the Celler enviro...and they came here to do the same to you." She looked into her mother's eyes, which were beginning to clear as the oxygen worked the alcohol from her system. "Mom...you're the only one left."

Kim took note of her daughter's attire. "Where...where did you get one of my mission outfits?"

"It's from the Celler community," Kimi said, reaching into her thigh pocket. "They even sent me this!"

Kim took the blue communication device as Kimi passed it to her, her eyes widening in memory. "A...a Kimmunicator? I haven't seen one of these in-years."

Kim took a few more welcome deep breaths from the mask as Kimi unfastened her Escrima sleeve and hooked it over the back of the other chair, then began to undo her chest holster. Kim's eyes shot open as she noticed the large pistol strapped to her daughter's side. "A--a GUN? Ki, where did you get that!? You shot your way in here?? You killed all the guards to get up here?"

"No Mom," Kimi said as she slipped the holster over the other corner of the chair, "it's all about tranquilizer gun. It shoots darts...sleep darts. I didn't kill anybody--" she suddenly thought back to her encounter with Khalid bin Azrul "--well...maybe one...but it wasn't with the gun. Remember the slug who grabbed my arm at the airport? It was him. He was in on this, too."

Kim studied her daughter's face, wondering if the abduction was the sole drive behind the transformation into the apparent fighting machine before her. "...What did you go through this past month, Ki...?"

"It's all about would take hours to tell," replied Kimi, "but things were Planet Hell after you got kidnapped. They left a note asking for 20 million dollars, or they were gonna kill you. We thought it was terrorists at first, but the guy from the base where Uncle Ben works found out about Drakken and Shego, and that they were going to kill you no matter if Dad got the money or not. Dad, he's-- ...he checked into the mental ward at the hospital after that."

William.

Kim's mind reeled with thoughts of the scope of Drakken and Shego's terror - inflicted not only on her, but her famly. "M-my GOD, Ki," she stammered through the mask. "I...I have to get word home to your father...to Marcy or somebody...to let them know I'm alright..."

"We can do that after we get out of here," said Kimi. "Cap'n Mark can--"

"...Cap'n-who?"

"Cap'n Mark," Kimi began explaining at a rapid pace. "He's just shizznekkin' sugoi, Mom! He's the guy who works with Uncle Ben on the base near here. He found out everything about what Drakken and Shego were doing and how they got here and how they took you, but I was all about found how they got into the restaurant and after Dad went to the hospital Cap'n Mark called and he trained me for three weeks to come rescue you and beat Drakken and Shego--" At the utterance of the vixen's name, Kimi's voice froze, and her expression returned to one of determined resolve. "I've got to get Shego, Mom--" her gaze slid to the still-unconscious blue form on the floor, her brow lowering "--but first it's all about bag up the rest of the trash."

Kimi walked to the motionless Drakken and began to drag him into the enclosure. "Lead-butt...lead-BUTT," she grunted as she moved him next to the chair. "Lead-blue-ASS," she huffed as she uncerimoniously dropped his upper body to the floor. She then turned and reached for the bottle of alcohol, leaving it on the floor and unscrewing the cap with her other hand, wrinkling her nose and feeling a slight lightheadedness as the odor again rose from the reopened bottle. She then quickly leaned to the table, shoving it from the door, which she gathered as it began to swing closed. She stepped out of the enclosure, steadying the door with her hand until the latch of the lock just touched the frame. "I want to leave this unlocked until I go get Shego," she said, motioning to the enclosure. "The fumes won't come out here, but keep your mask on for a bit."

She then returned to the table, reaching to the chair for her Escrima. She was stopped by her mother's hand on her forearm. "Ki?"

"Yeah Mom?"

Kim looked to the table for a second, then to her daughter. "You've pretty much done more for me than I thought was possible, coming out here and battling these evil people to save me...and I probably shouldn't ask, but... could you do me just one more little favor...?"

Kimi looked to her mother - her now-freed mother. "Anything, Mom...you know that. It's all about name it."

Kim canted her head ever so slightly, a grin crossing her face. A grin Kimi had missed greatly in the past month. A grin which Kimi had come to know usually prefaced one of her mother's more ingenious thoughts. "...You still like Caesar Green...don't you?" Kim asked through that grin.

11:34 PM.
-26 Minutes
Kim looked up at her daughter as if she were looking into a mirror, watching as she snugged the straps of her sleeve to her waist. Her face broadened into a smile. "I sure love you, Ki."

Kimi returned a warm wrinkled-nose smile. "I love you, Mom, she said. "My diamond mom." She then turned for the door. "Back in a bit."

Kim motioned to the holster still on the back of the chair. "Aren't you taking your gun??"

"I don't need it any more," Kimi said. "The Ace darts don't work on Cellers."

"Be careful, Ki," said Kim. "Shego went out of here pretty mad."

Kimi stopped at the door, her hand on the knob and turning back to Kim, her face serious and resolute. "It's all about she couldn't be as mad as I am, Mom," she said, and opened the door.

----------

ix. Dammit Anyway!
11:22 PM.
-38 Minutes
First Level
As she reached the bottom of the stairwell, Shego stopped as she spotted the form of Khalid bin Azrul on the floor near the end of the corridor, a pool of blood around his head, his sabre on the floor near him. No point in checking to see if he's just out cold, she thought. Okay, so...she dropped at least one of the guards.

Her eye caught the open door next to the stairwell that led to the warehouse area. That door's usually closed, she thought as she edged around the bannister and moved to the wall. Either one of the guards left it open...or it could be our lucky little smart-mouthed friend. She inched up on the edge of the door and peered inside the large storage area, scanning the assortment of boxes, crates and furniture stacked across the floor. The stuff in here probably hasn't been moved in years, she thought

Shego backed slowly out of the storage area, quietly closing the door, noting there was no lock to set. It's okay. If this door is open when I come back through, I'll at least have some idea of what side of the building she's in...if I can just head her off before she gets upstairs.

Shego made her way along the hall to the body of Khalid bin Azrul, first peering into the small office he lay in front of. She looked past the doorway, turning her head to the inside wall of the office. The indirect light from the hallway was a bit dim for her searching taste. She raised her club toward the desk, pressing the button on the handle. The intense, popping arcs of electricity acted as a frantic, flickering flashlight as she moved it to the far edge of the desk, then released the button, the hissing light from the club vanishing and plunging the office into a dim afterthought.

Shego backed out of the office, crouching to study the man on the floor. His nose was nearly flat against his face and the thick trail of blood near his nostrils had begun to coagulate on the skin of his mouth and jaw, where it had flowed to form the pool on the floor around his head. Did he trip? Did she run him into the wall? No, there would be signs of impact. What's that in his chest? A dart? Some drug? Okay. So, she drugged him, then stomped him. Pretty cheesy. Shego then noticed the slice missing from the door frame, lying near the point of his sabre. At least he tried to put up some kind of fight before she wasted him. She saw that the walkie-talkie was missing from his belt clip. Probably the radio she used when she called upstairs, she thought. 'She-ho.' Cute, missy. Real cute.

Shego rose from the body, turning toward the corner leading to the rear entrance. She's using drugged darts, she thought. There's no way she could have killed them all. If they're just drugged, maybe I can wake one of them up.

Dammit.

11:25 PM.
-35 Minutes
Shego padded around the corner, seeing the guard on the floor near the rear entrance. She crossed to him, glancing at the doors of the entrance and the small countered opening into the small room near the doors, then crouched near the man at the edge of the vestibule. Shego looked at the cartridge in his left shoulder. His chest is moving, she thought. He's still alive. She cautiously reached for the cartridge with two fingers, slowly withdrawing it from the man's flesh and studying it for a second before dropping it to the floor on the other side of him. She then placed her hand against the sleeping man's chest and shook him, gingerly at first, then more forcefully. I don't know what's in these darts, but this guy's out like a fat kid in a game of dodgeball. "Dammit," she hissed under her breath.

Shego stood and moved toward the rear entrance of the building, looking through the open space into the small room, then slipped her club into the sheath on her lower leg before she turned the small knob above the handle to hold the latch back and pulled the door open. She saw the man on the ground in front of the entrance and, leaving the door open, went out to him, rolling him to his shoulder, then releasing him back to the ground as she discovered the cartridge in his chest.

Okay, if she came in this way, there might still be guards at the front, she thought as she reached for the walkie-talkie on her belt. But if that's true, why wasn't there any of the usual bit of chatter earlier? They were always saying a few words on this thing about the top of each hour. I need to learn some Arabic. She looked at the device, pressing the transmit button. "Guards, report," she said in a quiet tone. "Guards? Hello?" Nothing but dead air. She dropped her hand to her side and looked around the brush of the empty area behind the building, and then the edges of the building to the south at the other end of the sandy lot, trying to spot any movement. She has to have help, she thought as she moved back toward the entrance. There's no way that chick on the radio could have done all this by herself. "Dammit," she huffed again as she entered the vestibule, turning the latch and pushing the door closed with a slam.

11:29 PM.
-31 Minutes
Shego reached the corner to the left of the entrance vestibule, peeking around it, then advancing into the corridor, seeing the body of the man who had tried to engage Kimi with her own Escrima, and the body at the far end of the corridor. She looked into the small office, uttering a quick gasp as she saw Moqtar Aziz crumpled behind the desk, and the enormous body of Hamid bin Al-Qiri on the floor in front of it, with two cartridges in his side, and two more sticking in his bloodied eye sockets. "...What-the-hell went through this place???" Shego said in slow wonderment. "This can't be just that one little smart-assed bitch on the radio!"

...And why did the kid sound so much like Kim? she thought as she moved back into the corridor, reaching again for her walkie-talkie. "Guys?" she said. "C'mon, somebody wake up and answer me, Dammit!"

11:34 PM.
-26 Minutes
Shego continued around the last corner of the corridor and moved toward the door to the break area, slipping the walkie-talkie onto her belt clip and drawing the club from her calf. Oh please let her be in here, she thought. I'll present my little trophy to Dr. D even if I have to drag her up all those stairs.

She slipped her hand around the doorknob - then thrust quickly into the room. "You're MINE, you little--" she burst - then huffed out the rest of her breath into the vacant room. She quickly scanned across the tables, looking for a shadow beneath one of them. She looked to see if any of the vending machines had been moved to allow a narrow hiding place. Get your head on, Sheg, she thought. There's no way she could move any of those heavy machines by herself--

Well, she took out ten guards by herself.

No, forget that. She's got a helper somewhere. But I'll find her first, and deal with the leftovers after her and Kim are history.

She moved further into the break area to the large windows, sweeping her head slowly across the large storage area, looking for any sign of presence--

Her eyes froze on a large open cardboard box on its side near the far door next to the stairwell.

The door she had just closed moments before.

"...Shit!" Shego spat.

She's UPSTAIRS.

She turned quickly, slamming her club down onto a table and roughly clutched the walkie-talkie from the clip, stabbing the transmit button. "Dr. D!" she barked. "Dr. D, come in! Lock the door! All the guards are out cold, and the--

She stopped in mid-sentence, remembering the scene of Drakken destroying the other walkie-talkie in his fit of rage. Her eyes erupted into anger as she reared her arm back. "Ahhh, DAMMIT!!" she roared through gritted teeth as she hurled the device across the room to shatter open against the metal front of a coffee dispenser. She snapped up the club from the table and stormed out of the break area. "No-WAY," she growled as she rounded the corner from the break area, quickening her pace as she stepped over the unconscious man lying there.

11:35 PM.
-25 Minutes
Shego had turned the last corner before the stairwell, fuming all the way from the break area. "Little Miss Smart Mouth is sneaky too," she grumbled. "Hid down in the warehouse until I came out to look for her--" she threw one hand upward, looking up toward the ceiling in frustration "--then just danced upstairs. Probably gave me the finger on the way up, too...sneaky smart-mouthed little...I'll break that finger off and shove it straight up--Whoaa-WHOA!"

In her enraged haste, Shego had stepped in the edge of the pool of blood from Khalid bin Azrul. She tried to catch herself as she slipped, twisting at an awkward angle and landing in a sitting position on the dead man's stomach. She growled as she regained her bearings, seeing the bottom of her boot now with a thin coat of the man's blood. "What did--AAK!" She got to her feet, cleaning her boot on Khalid's shirt - then setting herself, she turned again for the stairwell. "Just wait 'til I get my hands on that brat," she hissed as she set her foot on the bottom stair. I gotta cut back on the Flesher food, she thought. It's putting too much weight on me. I don't like being slowed down. I can't afford to be slowed down.

----------

x. Arrogance and Black Lipstick
11:35 PM.
-25 Minutes
Second Level
Kimi turned to steal one more look at Kim before she closed the door quietly. Seeing a smile on Mom's face after what she's probably been through? I'd have gone through a hundred slugs to see that if I had to.

Now there was only one more to go through, she thought. Don't let her be tough like the dream...don't let her be that quick...don't let her have the sword-thingy on her leg--wait, that little green pouch isn't big enough to hide a two-foot sword! Ooooo, why didn't I ask Mom what was in that thing? Maybe it's just makeup...as if any makeup could help that fa--

Kimi froze and her head shot to a distant sharp noise from downstairs.

Shego.

-"It's all about I'm ready, Cap'n Mark. It's all over but the waiting."-

Now even the waiting was over.

Kimi felt the icy hand of alarm rake its fingernails along the back of her neck as the voice from the lower level suddenly echoed clearer, closer.

-"Surprise is the best tactic."-

Kimi flashed to her left, grabbing the knob of the door nearest the end of the corridor. Locked! She hurried to the second door, twisting the knob and pulling it open, turning to back in as she slipped inside. Her mind roiled in a frenzied torrent as she brought the door to within an inch of the frame and peered through the crack.

Don't move your hand the doorknob will make noise waiting waiting waiting oh shiznek she's coming up the stairs Don't. Move. Yet. All about surprise is the best tactic I can beat a brown belt I almost AM a brown belt myself and I know some things I shouldn't can't we do this next week? No I'm Liquid Murder and I can take this biznek just like I did her fat blue buddy and all the other--theresheis! She can't be that big is she that big? No Ki it's the hair the wide hair she's no taller than Mom all about don't psyche yourself out I trained for this for three weeks it's just Carole in a Shego suit stepallabouttimeittimeitsteppastthedoortimeitrightstepNOW!

Kimi gripped the knob tightly, tightened her arm against her side and thrust the door open, feeling the "thud" of resistanace she wanted and a yelp of surprise behind it as her foe tumbled, her club rattling onto the floor. She released the door and quickly continued past it into the corridor as Shego flipped to her feet, facing the teen, her hair splaying across her shoulders. Kimi's first impression was of the woman's pale, almost white Celler skin, reminding her almost of the makeup in a kabuki theatre, a sharp contrast to the disarrayed raven mane which now framed her. It was as if she were standing against the black of the night sky.

Shego's expression of surprise from being toppled slipped back into one of anger. "YOU!" she snarled as she saw Kimi. "How did you get out?? ...And what happened to your hair?"

Kimi's own brow lowered as she flipped her bangs from her face. "My hair is all about fine...She-ho."

Shego raised an eyebrow. "She-h--? You're not K--? You're the one on the radio! Aw man, it was cheesy enough when Drakken messed around with clones on the show!"

"All not about cloning," Kimi returned. "It's genetic selection through natural process."

Shego nodded, speaking in a curt tone. "Yeah-yeah-uh-huh," she said, slowly spreading into a fight stance. "...and that's exactly how I'm going to pound you...through natural-PROCESS!" As her voice raised, her eyes shot wide in fury and she burst forward, lashing at the teen with a quick left at her head and a right to the midsection. Kimi flashed into a defensive posture, blocking both punches, then suddenly swiped her open right hand hard across her opponent's face.

Shego recoiled from the slap, fighting back the reflex of a pained wince and taking a couple steps back. Okay, she thought, the chick knows a few moves...but that STUNG. A slap has never hurt like that. What did she slap me with? There's nothing in her hand. She shook off the stinging in the left side of her face and took a step to her right.

Kimi moved to adjust as the two squared again. "Careful, She-ho--"

"Stop calling me that!" Shego blurted. "It's She-GO...'G,' not 'H'."

"Ooooh, sorry...'She-Gooooo," Kimi dripped in a tone of sarcastic apology. "As I was saying, be careful," she started again. "You don't have those glowing freak gloves that you had on the show."

"Yeah..." Shego reflected softly, but still with an edge to her voice, "it was pretty cool on the show, but you're right, it was still just a visual effect...not real at all. I don't have that--" She suddenly twisted, rolling to her right shoulder and quickly to her feet again, turning to face the teen. "But I do have this!" she said, now brandishing the 18-inch black club tightly in her right hand, a slight curl to her lip.

Is this just bravado on her part? Kimi thought as she eyed the villain's weapon. Even in the Flesher environment, she's playing her role. It's all about no way she's as good with one as I am with two.

Kimi reached above her right shoulder, sliding the blue Escrima from their sleeve, a slight smirk pursing her mouth. "Mine's bigger," she said as she brought her left hand in a steady motion to take one of the sticks and cross them into an "X" in front of her.

Shego seemed to be a bit taken back at Kimi's reply. "You might know a little karate...but you're as naive as you are young, kid," she said, slowly arcing the club into her left hand, now holding it at each end. "Size isn't everything."

Kimi set herself inside, readying for the fight which she had prepared for and knew for weeks was certain to take place upon meeting the coal-haired vixen. "Neither is arrogance and black lipstick," she said.

The curl in Shego's lip became a gritted snarl. She crouched slightly - then let out a sharp growl and launched at the teen. Kimi took a half-step back, bracing herself against her opponent's attack, the Escrima barking against the club in a flurry of blocks. Shego's hands shifted and mixed over the club, twisting and twirling it like a wooden bolo, altering her attack almost faster than Kimi could move to fend it off. The corridor reverberated with a frenetic staccato symphony of "KLEK-klekklek-klek-KLEKKLEK."

Kimi kept up her spirited defensive moves as Shego continued her salvo of swings and jabs. The three sticks were a black-and-blue blur between and around the two as the persistent offensive of the black-haired tigress continued to slowly back Kimi in the direction of the stairwell.

Through the entire fierce assault, the same phrase repeatedly battered at the back of Kimi's mind with a building weight:

Lesson time, Princess.

----------

The past 30 days' ordeal had begun to take its toll on William, as it would on anyone else - the emotional shock of having a loved one seem to disappear without a trace, without a clear motive - then to have that motive disclosed, the ultimate intent of which was to be the death of that loved one, without negotiation, aversion or recourse. In the past two weeks, William's physical stature had begun to show signs of the effects from emotional pain. Eating sparingly and the loss of nearly twenty pounds had brought a lean, gaunt appearance to his face, which was now covered with a thin coating of dark hair, the electric razor in his bathroom having gone silent and untouched.

Without the benefit of a calendar, William had tried to keep track of the passing of the days by counting each sunrise and marking them off on the back pages of a small pad he had asked for early on in his period of confinment. He had written down each time one of the "Kim" nurses had entered his room to administer his medication or honor his meager and few requests. He had greeted each of them with a stable demeanor, even if a subdued facade. Sometimes during the evenings he would have talks with the newest nurse, Christine, who was still attending her residency at the hospital. To William, Chrstine seemed the most like his wife if at least from a social standpoint, with boundless energy to complete her tasks, yet appreciative to a few quiet moments' respite of conversation over a cup of tea she would bring him from the nurses' station or to engage in a game of cards.

xi. Hello, I Must Be Going
3:37 PM, Eastgate time
11:37 PM, Cairo time
-23 Minutes
Eastgate General Hospital
4th Floor - Psychiatric Wing
Room 412
William was toying with a word puzzle when he turned in his chair as a nurse passed his door. "Kim?" he called. "Kim?"

Tracey, the day nurse he had called to, stopped at his voice, backtracking a couple of steps. She placed a hand on the frame of his door, leaning her head in. "Hi there, William," she smiled, "what can I get for you?"

"Just curious about what time it is, Kim," said William.

Tracey brought her hand from the door frame and looked at her watch. "It's about 20 to 4," she said. She thought she could see William's face seem to change at learning the time.

"...Okay," William finally said softly. "Thanks...Kim."

"Dinner will be in about two hours," Tracey said. "If you need anything, just ring in." She turned back into the hall, walking toward the nurses' station.

Kim.

The gift, thought William as he slowly rose from his chair to sit on the side of his bed. I didn't have any idea it was this late in the day. Four O'Clock here is Midnight in Cairo.

Twenty minutes left...after sixteen years. More than one-third of my life...but they've been the best sixteen years I could ever have hoped for...Angelica's gift, that became my wife.

My forever.

William's mind flashed back to the day of the wedding, when he produced Kim's capless crystal from his tuxedo and shattered it under his foot, bringing about the "Self-Sustaining Termination" described to him in the emailed report Wade had sent explaining the workings and quirks of the Resonance Conduit. That moment was to have made Kim a permanent gift to William's life.

-"Just like the rings...just like my love for you, Kim...this is just part of Forever."-

A tear slid from William's eye as he sat. "We made a promise to be together forever, Kim. I know it's not your choice," he said softly, his voice beginning to waver. "I know you're not going away of your own will. We were going to be together...forever...and in a few minutes, you're going away. You're leaving to go to a very lonely place...to be there forever--"

William reached to his small table to pour a glass of water. "--but you won't be alone, Kim," he said, setting the pitcher down. His now-tear-moistened eyes remained on the glass as he moved his hand along the side of his mattress, slipping his fingers beneath it. "I'll be there for you, Kim...just like I always have." He slid out a small plastic bag which originally held a bar of soap among his toiletries, but now contained 21 pills - three weeks of his sleep medication, Ambien. For the last three weeks he had been at the facility, William had carefully moved the tablet between his teeth and cheek each night while the nurse watched him drink the water - then spit it out and placed it in the bag after she would leave the room. For the last three weeks, William had been making ready for what he felt was as inevitable as his wife's own death.

William continued to weep softly as he shook the tablets into his hand and stood next to the bed, looking down to the night table to reach for the glass of water. "I'll be-- waiting there for you, Kim," he said through a halting breath. "I'll be waiting on the other side to catch you...then we will be together again...forever...nothing will ever take us away from each other agai--"

A teacup crashed to the floor just inside the doorway. "William, what are you doing?" Tracey said, rushing toward the bed. "Where did you get those!? William, stop!"

"I can't, Kim!" replied William. "Kim is going away at exactly Four O'Clock, and I have to meet her there!"

Tracey lunged for William's right hand, struggling with him as he tightened his hand into a fist to keep the tablets. "I don't know how you got so many pills William, but you have to give them to me! I can't let you take those!"

William's expression changed from one of resigned destiny to enraged desperation. "You don't understand, Kim!" he said, his voice raising against the nurse's efforts. "I have to catch Kim when she falls on the other side! Kim NEEDS me, Kim!" He suddenly splashed the water against Tracey's face. It broke her concentration long enough for William to break her hold. He used the opportunity to thrust both arms in front of him, pushing her to the floor about six feet away. William looked down at her as if he were surprised that she didn't understand the nature of his intent. "Now don't stop me again, Kim," he said.

Tracey turned to her hip on the floor to look at William. In the entire time he had been at the facility, this was the first incident in which he had become violent in any way. "I'm sorry, William," she said, "...but I have to do my job." She reached to her waist and pressed a small switch. A light in the hall over the doorway flashed and an alarm shrilled through the hall.

William turned back to the table, refilling his water glass. "...So do I, Kim," he said above the alarm, "...so do I." He brought the now-full glass from the table, turning to the nurse. "Kim is my universe, Kim."

A man came through the door, also a bit surprised at the sudden change in William's behavior. He looked at the nurse, who had backed to the wall and was moving to her feet. "You alright, Tracey?" he asked. She nodded, and the man turned now to William, who had opened his right hand, preparing to swallow the collection of pills. "C'mon William," he said, taking a step toward the bed, "you have to put those down and give--"

"I won't be denied!" William interrupted, his voice now more tinged with desperation and anger. The man took another step toward him, motioning toward the hand of tablets. William suddenly tightened his left hand into a fist around the plastic glass and swung viciously at the man's jaw, the water exploding into a shower. The man recoiled from the blow, twisting to thud heavily to the floor. The nurse made a motion to advance from the wall. "NO!" William now screamed, turning to the nurse as another of the staff came to the doorway, "I have to GO now, Kim! Kim is waiting."

----------

--Cairo, 11:39
Shego spun the black club like a cheerleader's baton in front of her - then quickly lashed out in a swing at her opponent. Kimi could do little more than continue to throw block after block against the fury of the weapon's motion. Can't even...go on offense, she thought. Can't...get hit...need distance--"

Her focus was splintered as she took another step back and her right foot slid across the edge of the top step of the stairway. Her first instinct was to regain balance. She turned to grab the railing to her right, the Escrima flying from her hand as she made a wild backhand swing for the railing.

The railing slipped along her fingers, just out of a solid reach. She curled her hand, trying to get any kind of hold, but her hand snapped closed as her momentum snatched the railing from her. Her thoughts now turned to trying to control her fall down the stairwell.

Those thoughts were broken by the clutch of a hand on her forearm, stopping her teeter at the brink of the stairwell. The move surprised Kimi enough that her other Escrima slipped from her grasp, tumbling and pitching down the stairs. Her head turned from the stairwell back to the green gloved-hand gripping her forearm - and then to the eyes of its owner. "That's a long way down," Shego said in a friendly, almost affable tone, glancing down the steps, "you'd get hurt pretty bad by the time you hit bottom."

Kimi flashed a look back down the stairwell - then gave a wide-eyed, incredulous stare into the face of the woman she had been engaged in a furious battle with just seconds before. "You--you...saved me...?" she stammered through her confusion, trying to catch her breath. "You were just...all about shred me, and you...saved me from falling down the stairs...?

Shego's smile widened slightly. "I'm an evil villain," she said, pulling Kimi upright, "not a ruthless murderer."

Kimi was still sorting out her bewilderment at her foe's change in attitude. "Umm...th-thanks?" she stumbled.

Shego led Kimi a bit to her left away from the stairwell. "Hey, think nothing of it," she said. Kimi felt the sudden sensation of pain as Shego whipped her hand from around her forearm, the material of the glove over her curled fingers clawing across her skin. She turned to look down - and froze in an explosion of intense, greater pain as Shego thrust the club to her chest and stabbed the button to release its current into her. "The pleasure's all mine," the vixen snarled, her smile becoming a sadistic sneer as she looked into the terrified, quivering eyes of the now-helpless teen. "Oh...did I mention that I'm an -evil- villain?"

----------

--Eastgate, 3:39
"William, give me the pills!"

"Tracey, clear!" a third man in the doorway shouted, pulling a device from his belt and raising it toward William.

Tracey looked into William's eyes as she took a step from him. William turned now toward the yelling just as the man fired the device, two wires shimmering from the light of the afternoon sun through the window as they shot across the room. The instant their barbs pierced the skin of William's chest, he was incapacitated by the intense charge from the instrument. He dropped to his knees, his hands now in gnarled claws, the glass and the tablets scattering on the floor.

--Cairo
Shego ground the club against Kimi's chest, pushing her to the floor as the massive jolt of electricity continued to course through her. "Yeah, that's it," she hissed, curious satisfaction edging her voice as she leaned over the teen, "70,000 volts, all for you...you can't fight it...that's right, take it all..."

Kimi tried to cry out, but only a pained, broken, barely-perceptible squeal slipped from her throat as every muscle in her body remained fiercely, uncontrollably contracted. Even her basic motor functions were fixed, prohibiting her breathing. Fear in her mind inflamed into panic as the corridor, the lights above, the gritted, smiling Shego over her - even the constricting pain searing every inch of her - began to swim and melt away.

Shego straightened, standing over the quiet, immobile Kimi. She gave the teen's body a final push with the club, then brought it up, pushing the button. barely a spark now emitted from the weapon as she looked at it. "Hmm...burned out the kid and the stick."

Shego slid the now-inert club back into the sheath on her calf. "NO-body slaps me and gets away with it," she snarled.

I'd still love to know why that slap hurt so much, she thought as she reached for Kimi's arm and began to lug her down the corridor.

----------

xii. CENAP Or Not CENAP, That Is The Question
11:44 PM.
16 Minutes
Two Blocks South of Al-Hakim Warehouse
The radio on the dash of the Hummer came to life. :::KH-One-Five Swan One, Swan's Nest.:::

Mark snatched the microphone roughly from its clip on the dash. "Swan One," he said.

:::Secured frequency, Captain::: the voice said. :::Lieutenant Paice:::

"Roger the secure freq," said Mark, reaching for a switch on the radio to block the conversation from the other units in the squad. "Go Matt."

:::The storms off the coast have been scrambling satellite transmissions...we can't reach your phone, Sir...I have a direct patch from Cell-Intel:::

Mark spat a silent curse at the cell atop the dash, then keyed the mic. "Roger the patch."

:::Here it comes...give a second for the encoder to sort the cypher:::

There was a short, high-pitched "blip" from the radio - then Wade's voice. :::I've been trying to get an update to you, Captain, but communication between environments by phone is nearly impossible right now:::

"Understood, Wade," Mark said. "Whatcha got?"

:::Well first, since I was dealing with four Celler signatures, I electronically painted them to tell them apart. I painted the mostly stationary signature in red...that's Kim. As Kimi was on the first floor, I isolated her and painted her in white. When Shego went to search the first floor, I painted her signature in green. The remaining signature just has to be Drakken...he's in blue. If I have to make any more transmissions over the radio, I'll use those color codes, to save the encryption time:::

"Copy that...you've got the players sorted...what's the latest?"

:::I tried to call you about three minutes ago. There's been a lot of activity in the last 15 or 20 minutes. Kimi and Shego must have fought on the second level in the last five minutes or so...but...now Kimi's signature is weak...she may be hurt, or unconscious...they're both moving toward the end of the second level where Kim and Drakken are...Shego must be pulling or dragging her with--:::

Mark keyed the mic over his Celler counterpart. "Okay, that's enough," he said. "We're going in and clean this up--"

There was a sudden burst of static from the radio - then a different voice came over the speaker, this one deeper, more forceful. :::This is Brigadier General Martin Everhart. You're at ready standby, Captain. You will hold your position until the green light comes from Cell-Intel...is that clear?:::

Mark and Craig looked at each other disbelievingly. "...How the-hell--" Mark started.

:::You've done exemplary work putting this together, Captain. So far, you've done everything within the guidelines and restrictions of CENAP...and when this work is completed, I'm putting you in for an immediate commission to major. I approve of the mission you've formulated, and I understand your reasoning behind it. I also realize your concern for the girl and I'm in your corner on that, too...but you go in now and you'll blow the whole thing to hell. You'll throw yourself and your entire squad to the wolves at the UN...and since this was not an officially sanctioned military operation, I won't lift a finger to save a blessed one of you. It'll be instant courtsmartial and long prison terms for everyone involved with this rescue operation...do you copy, Captain?:::

Mark's face soured into a scowl. He started to key the mic - then stopped, instead curling his left fist and pounding hard three times against the rim of the steering wheel. His mouth formed an "F" he never finished as hey keyed the mic. "Copy that, Sir," he huffed, trying to control his voice. "We're at ready standby here...asking the General's permission, how did you learn of KH-One-Five, Sir?"

:::Info from concerned non-participative parties, Captain:::

"...Sir?"

:::Cross Agents...other than Miss Visione, of course, being that she not only furnished the items from the Cellers which Miss Hodge took on her mission, but also authorized and initiated the unscheduled encrypted Cross which brought them over...and, returned your wife to you. Congratulations on that, by the way. I remember the incident in Cairo that claimed her life:::

"Thank you, Sir," said Mark.

:::I'm turning the conversation back to Cell-Intel::: the General said. :::I understand there's more info on mission status. I'll be listening in for further word. Good luck to you and your men, Captain:::

There was another spurt of static, and Wade returned to the speaker. :::Sorry, Captain...I didn't think about you wanting to jump the gun when you found out about Kimi. I should have given you the other news first. This is far from over yet. In the room Shego is moving toward, it's...it's almost as if the roles were reversed. Now it's Drakken that's stationary, from my readings, and Kim is active. Her signature is reading strong. If Kimi is unconscious, perhaps Kim can activate the portal to send Drakken and Shego back:::

Mark's expression immediately lightened as he heard this. "Roger that," he said. "We'll remain on standby here...if you get an update, skip the phone. contact me straight on the radio."

:::Will do, Captain:::

With this, the radio again went silent. Mark replaced the microphone on the clip and returned the switch on the radio, then turned to Craig with a wide grin. "Oohh-ho-ho-hooo," he drew out in a low voice. "Kim is a fourth-degree black belt. If she's up and around...Shego's going to wish she was anywhere but here."

Craig turned to Mark, bringing up the thermos and unscrewing the lid. "...More coffee...Major?" he smirked.

----------

xiii. Flesher Enviro 101
11:46 PM.
-14 Minutes
Al-Hakim Warehouse
Second Level
Shego gave another pull on Kimi's arm. "You sure didn't--look this heavy," she grunted down at the unresponsive teen. "It was bad enough I had to burn out my stick to knock you out...now I need a new battery...but that's after we take care of you and Possible. You can just stew in her juices until you drown in the alcohol."

Shego dragged Kimi to the end of the corridor. "Finally," she breathed out as she reached the door, turning her shoulder against it and turning the knob, swinging the door open, then turning and pulling Kimi along the floor near the table as she backed into the room. "Hey Dr. D," she said a bit breathlessly, letting Kimi's arm flop to the floor, "Look what I got for you...Dr. D...?--" She stopped as she looked to her left, seeing the unconscious blue heap on the floor of the enclosure, next to the chair. Shego swept her hand up, brushing back her hair. "What!?" she said disbelievingly, looking quickly around the room, then back to the enclosure. "How did-- Where's--??"

A low, sweet hiss came from behind the dark-haired villiain. "Looking for me, Shego?"

The loud bang of the door slamming shut caused Shego to spin quickly, and her mouth was thrown open by a gasp at the sight which met her disbelieving stare:

Standing next to the now-closed door was a wide-awake and alert Kim - in her full mission outfit. "Things not going quite as you pla--?"

Kim stopped in mid-sentence, her jaw slowly dropping and her expression melting into pained concern as she recognized Kimi's motionless form on the floor. "...K- Ki..?" she stuttered haltingly, her mouth souring. "Ki?"

Shego recovered from her discovery, shifting her hands to her hips, her face slipping into a perverse grin. "Yeah...your clone here was--" she glanced down at the silent teen "--how would you put it...'No big'..."

Kim slowly moved a step forward, trying to dam her rising grief and fight for control. "...That...'clone'..." she said, her voice beginning to fracture, "was my daughter..." She sank softly to a knee near Kimi, her bottom lip and her voice further quivering with emotion as she pulled off one of her gloves, reaching for her shoulder. "Ki? don't be..."

"Oh, calm down," said Shego. "She's not dead...just knocked cold from a little zap..."

Kim slipped her fingers to Kimi's neck, feeling a slow but steady pulse - then began to rise from her knee, raising her eyes to see Shego had slipped her club from its sheath, swinging it up to strike at her red-haired foe. Kim sprang from the floor toward Shego quickly, bringing one leg over Kimi and grabbing the club before Shego could bring it upright, landing the knuckles of her other fist against the hellcat's wrist. The blow shocked Shego's arm and the club broke free of her grasp.

Shego retreated a step and grasped her arm, trying to shake off the sudden shot of pain in her wrist as Kim retracted her leg, moving slowly to her left, foot over foot into the open space of the room. Her face was devoid of the emotion she had shown just seconds before, and had now stiffened into a repulsed scowl of resolution and rising anger, her eyes alight with a growing seething rage and locked onto the green-and-black villainess. She flung the club behind her as she passed the table, her arm remaining outstretched in emphasis as the weapon tipped end-over-end, clattering across the floor and into the far wall, rolling to a stop. "Come on, Shego," she said in a low voice, her tone heavy, suspenseful like the air before an approaching fierce summer storm, "you wanted to 'thrash me a little'?" She began to pick at the fingers of her remaining glove. "One fight--" she motioned in the direction of the club across the room "--no toys...no gloves...just you--" she pulled off the other glove and hurled it to the floor in the same manner as the club "--and me."

Shego looked at Kim for a second - then her mouth slid into a snickering grin. "What," she spat, "you wanna throw each other around a little like on the show, before I waste you?"

Kim's tone remained the same. "We're not on the show, Shego. You don't have the advantages here that you had on the show. You don't have your 'Go Team glow'."

"Pfffft," Shego hissed. "Advantages, Adschmantages." She began to move slowly around the table toward Kim, slipping off the long green glove on her left hand and setting it on the table. "I was always better than you at karate. The only 'advantage' you ever had over me was during fights that were scripted from the first swing to the last kick and rehearsed until everything came out right for you. Hell, I taught you most of the karate you know!"

"That was a long...time...ago," said Kim, bringing her right hand up slowly as Shego moved clear of the table and into the open area of the room. "A lot of things have changed...starting with me." She curled her left arm near her waist, slowly shifting into a primary stance as Shego pulled off her other glove and tossed it to the table, her eyes never leaving the auburn-haired woman. She advanced cautiously, slipping slightly to her right into the same stance, grinding her left foot against the floor a bit, testing the traction of the surface.

"As long as you're here, let me tell you about some things I've learned about the Flesher environment," Kim said as the two approached each other. "The first thing you need to know about is Flesher mass...in the Celler environment, things have nearly no mass. That's how characters like Atom Ant can pick up tanks and buildings...but not here. Things actually have weight."

They were now within arms' length of each other, standing slightly offset. Each could feel the tension in her opponent as their touch met with building tension, the outsides of their right wrists against each other at eye level. "It takes time to adjust to the difference, after a Cross," Kim continued. "You've been here, what - a couple of months?--" her tone tightened a bit "...I've had over fifteen years--"

With the speed and fury of a lightning strike, Kim suddenly flashed up at Shego, grabbing her right forearm with her left hand. Simultaneously, her right hand snapped into a tight fist, firing forward to slam hard against the vixen's cheek.

The impact sent Shego reeling back, losing her balance to land on one knee and bringing a hand to her face, which was already turning a deep red from the strike. Kim remained in position, looking down at her opponent. "That's the next thing I wanted to teach you about...Flesher pain. Since mass is much higher here, it actually hurts when you get hit with things, like a club - or even a fist."

Shego drew her hand from the new throbbing welt on her cheek. Her alabaster fingertips were now tinged with the crimson of her own blood. She raised her head, her eyes emblazoned with a new hatred which, while fueled by the pain of the blow to her face, also served to mask it somewhat. "My...face...? You......BITCH!!" she shrieked as she catapulted from the floor at Kim, swinging viciously with a right. Kim immediately ducked to her left from the punch and threw her right knee deep into Shego's midsection, the room pealing with a deeply forced "DUUUUUUUU" from the raven-haired harridan as she doubled. Kim's leg was still planted in Shego's stomach as she twisted to her right, uncoiling her right arm and slamming the back of her fist against Shego's already-wounded face, causing her foe to burst forth a new grimaced cry of pain.

Kim roughly grabbed Shego as she was trying to recover. She took a violent backhand swipe at the midriff-shirted woman. Kim blocked the swing with her right, giving Shego a sudden shove into the table with her left. The green-and-black evil landed against the table, sending a chair scooting across the floor, careening and tumbling off the corner of the Lexan enclosure.

Kim walked up as Shego tried to right herself. "All I need is my second...wind...and you're...toas--Ah--AHHH!" Shego huffed as Kim grabbed her arm, wrenching it behind her, grabbing a thick handful of coal-black hair with her other hand. The injury on Shego's cheek was now bleeding a bit more as her head was pulled from the table.

Kim leaned forward, her face near the villain's, both women breathing heavily from their mix of anger and pain. "I'm torn, Shego," she said. "On one hand, I know I should be teaching you all about the Flesher environment, and how things are so different here...on the other hand, I know I should be beating you within an inch of your life for what you've done...and then taking you another half-inch." Kim's eyes drifted toward the ceiling in thought. "What to do, what to do..." Her expression snapped to one of mock joyous epiphany. "Wait a minute! I'm Kim Possible! THE Kim Possible! I can do anything! Including multitasking!" She gripped the black mane tighter. "Back to Flesher Enviro 101, Shego. The next lesson is a correlation between the first two lessons. Flesher mass...can cause Flesher pain. Let me demonstrate so you're perfectly clear on the concept. Flesher mass--" she rammed Shego face-down hard onto the table "--Flesher pain." Kim brought the vixen's head up again. "Reiterating...Flesher mass?--" another painful collision between Shego's face and the hardwood of the tabletop "--Flesher pain..."

----------

xiv. Dirge Acapella
3:48 PM, Eastgate time
11:48 PM, Cairo time
-12 Minutes
Meridian Insurance Company Assembly Hall
Third Floor
"Marcy...Marcy? Every seat is full. There are still more people outside, but they're filing into the side entrances and standing in the aisles. It's getting near time...we should start."

Tina Drexel raised her hand to knock on the dressing room door again, but stopped as it slowly opened and a very solemn and resigned Marcy Alvarez-Delgado emerged. While black was more often than not a high choice in her wardrobe, the ebony three-quarter length dress and stiff button-down long-sleeve blouse she had chosen for this purpose accurately conveyed the heavy cloud that hung over her demeanor. "...Hi," she managed weakly. "I...had to put my face togther again..."

"You look fine," said Tina, bringing up a hand of reassurance toward Marcy's shoulder.

Marcy reached to stop her, brushing the back of her hand softly against Tina's wrist. "No," she said. While her mouth had formed an attemped smile of understanding, her eyes were beginning to mist over, conveying a silent plea. "Please, Tina...I know you mean well...but if I let anyone hug or even touch me right now, I'll never...get through this."

Tina's understanding rivaled the compassion she felt for Marcy. She nodded, fighting back her own tears. "I wish you didn't have to do this, Marcy," she said, "I know it's terrible...but...you've known Kim longer than anyone else except her own family. I don't think there's anyone who could do this as well as you."

Marcy looked down slightly, letting out a long exhale to give another tug on the reins of her control. "...Sucks to be me...sometimes," she said barely above a whisper.

TIna gave Marcy another look of solace, conveying her support. "I'll head down to sit with the others," she said, turning for the short stairway leading to the seating area.

Marcy brushed her fingers along the front of her hair, giving it a last adjustment. She had made the short walk from the backstage area to the stage of the assembly hall countless times over her years at Meridian, for announcements and other, happier occasions - but this time, it seemed like walking a last mile. She reached the wings of the stage, giving herself one last internal strengthening, patted a collection of small cards in her hands - and began the walk to a small podium and microphone at the front of the stage.

Tina did not exaggerate the attendance - the 1,500-seat auditorium had been filled to over capacity, with people still entering and standing along the sides of the room. The center of the front row of seats held people whose lives that Kim had touched the most since making her Cross to William nearly sixteen years before; Emma Paige, who had lived next door to Kim and William in the apartment on Eastgate Drive before the arrival of Kimi; Mary Drexel, who had guided Kim through her entry process when she first applied at Meridian, and her sister, Tina; A frail, wheelchair-bound but staunch Michael Hawkins, the former chairman of the Board of Directors, who had a particular fondness and respect for Kim and William's inter-environmental pairing; Marcy's husband, Lupe Delgado, and their daughter Valencia, now 12 years of age; even Donna and Ben Aaronson, who had been notified of this event, and had flown in from Cairo to express their deep feelings for the Hodges.

The balance of the hall was filled with coworkers and aquaintances - people whom Kim and William had either met, hired, promoted or instructed at Meridian. A couple of videographers from local television stations had also made their way into the assembly hall, having been notified of the gathering shortly after announcements were handed through the company. Their cameras had been panning the mass of people since the moment the doors opened early that afternoon - but they now trained on the lone woman dressed in black as she crossed the stage, capturing the gravity of a wake service and prayer vigil for a well-known family at the largest insurance claim processing corporation in the Western Hemisphere.

Marcy stood for a moment at the podium looking over the assembled crowd, giving those who had just entered a chance to settle, and to take one more attempt to abate the building storm clouds of grief within herself. She set the cards on the podium and turned her head from the microphone to clear her throat - then reached inside herself.

"I would like to thank you all for coming this afternoon. The scope of this attendance...is beyond anything I could ever have imagined...just as the very reason we are all here today is far beyond any horror I would ever want to imagine--" Marcy stopped at this for a few seconds, swallowing back her emotion, trying not to allow her face to sour. "We are here this afternoon in prayer and a show of support...prayer for the lives of three people most of us have known, and worked with...and...loved for many, many years...prayer for each of them as they are now going through the darkest, most difficult, most terrible time in their lives." Marcy took another slow look across the faces of the people she addressed, the distraught expressions making her swear she could feel an emotional symbiosis beginning to flow throughout the entire hall. "We are also here in support for and to each other...to be strong for those of us who will need it...for those of us who will dearly miss these three wonderful people, should our prayers not be heard...and should they not return to us--" She stopped again, feeling a tear stinging at her eye for escape. Dios Mio, she thought. Deme fuerza a hacer esto. Lord, give me the strength to do this.

----------

--Cairo, 11:52 PM.
-8 Minutes
Shego had not fared well against Kim's determined and methodical assault. Her face was now streaked with blood from repeated blows. One of her eyes had swollen nearly shut in a bulbous purple sphere. The ache which had started at her cheek from the first strike had spread nearly throughout her body.

Shego had deteriorated from her beating to the point where she was barely on her feet. Kim had had to gather a thick clutch of the green-and-black fabric from her foe's chest to keep her upright. Kim's punches had now become a sequence of heavy-handed slaps, working her slowly past the table and in the direction of the enclosure as she addressed the dishevelled woman, each strike punctuating her words as she took the villain to task. "You have no i-DEA of the hurt you've caused my entire-FAMILY..."

--Eastgate
"Let us extend our prayers to William Hodge...a truly inspiring man I have worked with and known for nearly 18 years, ever since he started with Meridian as a Claims and Reconciliation clerk...who, upon learning of the potential fate of his wife after she was abducted, resigned himself to psychiatric supervision - not for his own sake, but out of a sense of protection for those around him...to insulate them from the damage to his spirit, caused by this terrible ordeal--"

--Cairo
Kim delivered a series of scathing backhands to Shego's face. "...my husband is in an in-SANE asylum...because he thinks I'm surely DEAD...be-cause of YOU..."

--Eastgate
"Let us extend our prayers to Kimberly Possible-Hodge...a woman originally from the Celler environment, as most of you know...a woman of unyielding spirit and bountiful, caring heart--"

--Cairo
Another screaming slap, Shego's face recoiling to the left, her hair splaying in reaction. "...You were going to kill-ME..."

--Eastgate
"Let us also give our prayers to young Kimi Hodge, Kim and William's daughter...an amazing child, the first ever to be produced from a love which spanned not only hearts, but environments. She is with relatives at this moment...but, should the worst come to be...I have offered my home...my family...my heart to her--"

--Cairo
"You were going to kill my-DAUGHTER--"

Kim's eyes had become burning lasers of hatred and malignance. She coiled back her left arm, her hand curling into a tight fist, shaking slightly and damp with the blood of her adversary.

Kim stopped, studying the Celler she had beaten to a bloody pulp, her face now resembling that of the loser in a heavyweight bout.

She slowly lowered her fist and loosened her grip on the beaten woman. "Done and done, Shego," she said, her expression a mix of disgust and pity. "Your reign of terror against my family is over." Her hand slid from Shego's outfit, leaving the bedraggled vixen wavering on her feet.

Kim turned slightly away - then turned her face back to the now-disfigured Shego, her voice calmer. "Oh...there's just one more thing to teach you," she said, "and if you forget everything else...you need to remember this little factoid about the Flesher environment--" she turned to her left "--YOU DON'T BELONG IN IT." She underlined the point by suddenly bringing up her right leg and firing her foot hard against Shego's chest. The blow took the battered vixen from her feet, slamming against and through the door of the enclosure, twisting as she crashed into the chair and rolled onto her stomach over the hip of the still-out Drakken. The force of Shego's flight through the door caused it to fly open, banging against the wall of the enclosure and swinging back, the latch of the lock catching against the opening as it slammed shut.

Kim took a step back, catching the faint odor of alcohol as it wafted from the breeze of the door's motion. She turned and staggered a bit as she reached to the chair for the oxygen tank, twisting the valve and taking a couple of sharp intakes through the mask. "You wouldn't like it here anyway, Shego," she said toward the enclosure, pulling the mask away between breaths. "You haven't even been here three months, and you'd already be up on charges of kidnapping, ransom and terroristic threats..." She looked toward Kimi as she stirred slightly, then took another deep breath of the oxygen. "...not to mention two counts of attempted murder."

----------

xv. Cellabyss
11:54 PM.
-6 Minutes
Kimi awoke slowly to a metallic banging. She brought herself to a sitting position to see her mother take another strike against the control panel with the black club. "Mom...?"

Kim looked back to her daughter, turning to kneel next to her and embracing her. "Hi, Baby," she said in an exhale of relief. "I'm so glad you're awake. How do you feel?"

"I'm a little fuzzy," Kimi said, "but it's all about I'm okay." She motioned to the control panel. "What were you doing?"

"I'm trying to get the control panel open," said Kim. "They must have that thing on the wall with bolts or something." Her brow lowered as her gaze turned to the enclosure and the unconscious villainy inside. "I'm going to do to them what they were going to do to me."

Kimi slipped her hand from her mother's shoulder to her right pocket. "No, Mom," she said as she began to rise to her feet, Kim moving with her, giving support. "I've gotta do this. The Cross Agents sent this." She pulled the leather pouch from her pocket. "They sent this and all the other stuff with Melfina when she crossed. It'll make a portal to take Drakken and Shego back to--"

Kim's brow raised in surprise. "Melfina?" she interrupted. "You met Melfina??"

"Yeah!" Kimi perked. "She's diamond, Mom. She's also Cap'n Mark's wife."

Kim's expression broadened into a wide smile. "She's also the one who taught me how to cook Flesher food," she beamed. "And she's married to--? I'm going to have to meet this 'Cap'n Mark' of yours."

"You will, Mom," Kimi said, "I promise...but I have to do this first." She trailed her hand over Kim's as they separated. She walked to the wall opposite the door, turning to the wall of the enclosure. She pulled on the flap of the pouch, opening it and drawing the black crystal from it. "You have to go now, Mom."

Kim looked toward the enclosure again. "No, Ki...I want to see the end to this. I want to watch them go back."

Kimi's expression set in a bit of exasperation at her mother, her arms dropping to her sides. "You can't, Mom. You have to get out of here. They told me the portal will send every Celler back into--"

"Ki," Kim interjected again, grinning, "Did you forget? My crystal was destroyed long ago. I can't be sent--"

"NO, Mom!" Kimi shot back in a still exasperated, but more firm tone. "That won't stop it! They told me you can't be in here! It's an RAE...an Anam- Anamees--" she shook for a second from frustration over the term - then blurted "--it's all about suck EVERY Celler within 25 feet into the portal the crystal thingy's gonna make! You have to get-out! It's all about catch up with you outside after I do this and call Wade! Please Mom, you gotta GO!" Her expression lightened for the briefest second, a slight smirkish grin pulling at the corners of her mouth. "Hey...it's all about I didn't fight everybody to save you just so you could go away again." She punctuated this with a small, playful "shoo" motion with her fingers toward the door.

Kim was hit with a realization at that moment. Beating bad guys, saving people, being the hero - in just three short weeks, her daughter had become a living Flesher legacy of the heroine she had portrayed on her show. Just like "Kim Possible" - Kimi Angelina Hodge could do anything.

She turned for the door, turning back as she reached for the knob, pulling the door open. "I so way love you, Kimi," she said through a proud smile.

"I love you, Diamond Mom," Kimi returned, her mouth managing a short smile before returning to a look of concentration. "I'll count to ten after you close the door, so you can at least get down the stairs...but go all the way outside, just to be safe. I'll be out in a few." Kim was still smiling as she stepped through the door, closing it slowly behind her.

11:55 PM.
-5 Minutes
Seven...eight...nine, Kimi counted slowly to herself. She could almost swear her thoughts were audible in the room, which now had the macabre, eerie silence of a mausoleum. Ten. That's all the head start you get, Mom. You'd better be all about downstairs and safe outside. I can't wait to see your face when you meet Cap'n--

Safe!

Holy shiznek! I did it! It's all about I shredded all the bad guys and Mom is safe! Well, all except for Shego...but Mom took her to Black Belt Hell. You'll have to wait to meet Cap'n Mark, Mom...because I'll be busy giving him the biggest, most shiny diamond hug ever for everything he's done for us. Him, and Melfina, and Craig, and Carole, and Misty, and all the Cellers and and--

I better be all about this portal thingy first.

Kimi hefted the black crystal in her left hand, remembering the instruction Melfina had given her; "It is a recollection even of the Resonance Conduit...it will create a portal into the Conduit...you use it by throwing the crystal against a wall..."

Kimi slipped the small scroll from the leather pouch, holding it rolled in her right hand as she let the empty pouch drop to the floor. She raised her left arm, bringing her hand back and looking at the clear wall of the enclosure. Make it count, Ki, she thought. Right in the middle. She took in a breath - huffed it out through puffed cheeks - then cocked her arm and hurled the crystal hard to the wall.

The crystal spintered and shattered as it smashed against the enclosure, scattering across the Lexan, releasing a cascade of a silverish, metallic liquid which began to flow and expand over the wall, connecting into a solid, nearly perfect circle of fluid about six feet in diameter. Kimi continued to stare as she saw her reflection shimmering in the liquid mirror which had formed, with streaks and small patterns of a darker shade of silver. Her eyes widened in amazement as the streaks and patterns swirled to mix and merge toward the center of the pool, darkening to a somber, murky obsidian and expanding outward, seeming to devour the metallic liquid, streaks being pulled to the center and disappearing, save for a narrow boundary gleaming around the circumference. The black area then seemed to fall into itself, darkening even more and stretching away, beyond the wall of the enclosure, dissolving to become the intense, forboding blackness of deep space, replete with stars. A swirl of mist emanated from what remained of the silvery fluid at the edge of the new opening.

The portal, Kimi moved her mouth to say, not even in a whisper.

Just as she wondered for a second if the portal would still perform its function if Drakken and Shego were positioned behind it, the mist began to move and take shape, silhouetting the two villains inside the enclosure. All about gonna work, Kimi thought. Time to read the scroll.

She reached into her pocket for the Kimmunicator, turning it over. Call Wade after the Anam-- portal thingy works. She unrolled the scroll against the back of the device, scanning her eyes over the text on it, the handwriting in thick strokes and curls:

"Read EXACTLY what follows on the scroll, from beginning to end - don't leave out anything. Say the words with all that is in your heart. Speak NOTHING ELSE aloud but what follows on the scroll."

Kimi brought the scroll up in front of her, looking over it into the portal. Time to take out all the Celler trash, she thought. Evil isn't going to hurt my mom, or me, or anyone else here ever again. She then looked to the scroll and began to read in a firm tone, still with a hint of wavering amazement of the gateway which had formed before her:

"Drakken and Shego - Evil before us; Countered with crystal, to cleanse and restore us..."

A small light appeared in the distance within the portal, first looking like part of the abundance of stars - then it began to grow in size and intensity, looking as if it were moving closer through the blackness. The scroll began to flit in Kimi's hand as a light breeze emanated from the portal, slowly gaining strength. She gripped the scroll against the Kimmunicator a bit tighter and continued reading.

"Evil through a...Cross;..."

Kimi's voice slowed from a tingling in her feet as a low thunder rolled through the floor. She looked again to the portal. The approaching light was expanding as it closed in on the opening, revealing that it was not merely a light, but a tube, worming through space. It appeared to be lined with a thin gossamer film, billowing and undulating as it moved. The mist which had outlined the two criminals inside the enclosure seemed to be feeding off the light from the tube as it continued to approach.

It's a Cross, Kimi thought. Flight now boarding, Drakken and She-ho. Destination...Justice City. No return flight. She set herself and read the next line.

"Resonance tarnished...defamed..."

The light was now searing in its intensity. It reflected from the stainless steel on the walls and the clear Lexan, coating the room in a relentless glare. Kimi squinted - then steeled against the rising wind from the portal, her voice strong and resolved as she shouted the last line on the scroll with all that was in her heart--

"Begone through the Portal! Return whence you came!"

----------

11:55 PM.
-5 Minutes
Outside Al-Hakim Warehouse
Kim turned the knob on the inside to keep the bolt retracted, and slipped through the rear entrance into the sultry Egypt night air. Even though the desert's fiery day still had the temperature in the 90's, it felt good to Kim.

Freedom felt good to Kim, no matter the temperature. There would be time later to complain about the heat.

Kim looked down to the man on the concrete near the doors, seeing the Acepromazine dart in his chest, as she had the other men her daughter had disposed with. A wave of surprised pride washed over her as she returned to the doors, leaning against the wall. Aside from the strong love she felt from her, Kimi was not quite the same tossled-haired teen she remembered before the trip to Cairo a month ago. I'm looking forward to that story, Ki, she thought. And now, because of you, I'll have the hours you said it would take to tell me.

Kim looked down at her "mission outfit," noting that the added two inches from sixteen years in the Flesher environment had made the dark olive cargo pants appear to have shrunk a bit. Sure looked great on Ki though, she thought - then joked in a small snicker, "Wonder if I could talk her into growing her hair back out--" Kim stopped as the ground beneath her began to growl and the building rumbled against her shoulder. A thin smile of recognition spread over her face as her eyes slid upward toward the second story of the warehouse. "My diamond daughter," she beamed.

----------

11:56 PM.
-4 Minutes
Two Blocks South of Al-Hakim Warehouse
Craig tipped the thermos nearly upside down against the lip of his cup, watching the trickle abate to a series of quick drops. "Thanks for the last of the coffee, Mark," he said, righting the thermos between his legs as he reached to set his cup on the dash of the Hummer.

Mark sipped at his cup. "No problem, Craig," he said. "I don't know if it's just because I'm used to drinking the mud on the base for so long...but after three cups of the stuff 'Fina brewed...I think I'm about coffee'd out for the night."

Craig chuckled slightly. "There's something I never thought I'd hear from you," he said.

Craig reached to get the lid to the thermos from the dash when he felt a low rumble against the seat. He reached for his cup instead as the thermos lid began to dance and clatter on the dash, skittering to fall to the floor of the vehicle. "...the hell?" he muttered as he leaned forward, looking through the windshield, craning to look into the sky. "That can't be from the storms off the coast...a plane...?"

The lens of the street light just in front of the Hummer broke free and crashed to the sidewalk. Mark's hand slipped to the steering wheel, his other hand steadying his coffee as the rumbling increased. His eyes searched the street - then he turned his head to the left, to the spire at the east end of the warehouse. "No, Craig," he said in a low voice, "...that's...that's Liquid Murder on a mean streak."

Mark's attention was caught by a motion in the side-view mirror. He quickly turned, grabbing the microphone from the dash. "KH-One-Five Squad, Swan One - get those men back in the vehicles! This is an expected event! Repeat, this is an expected event. Squad now at Red Ready - Red Ready on my mark and direction." He replaced the mic on its clip and turned the ignition, the Hummer bringing forth its own thunder as it roared to life, joined quickly by the line of trucks behind it, their running lights flashing in series.

Mark returned to his coffee, turning to Craig. "You might want to get into the back," he said. "We won't be here too much longer now...and if we have to move out fast..."

Craig had already pulled the handle to open the door. "All over it, Chief," he said, sliding out of the front seat.

----------

11:57 PM.
-3 Minutes
Al-Hakim Warehouse
Second Level
"...Ki?"

Kim started up the stairs. She had stood outside of the building for a couple of moments after she had felt the rumbling subside. The portal is closed, she thought, but Ki hasn't come out yet. Either she's gone out a different way...or...she looked like she was still a tiny bit wobbly from being unconscious...perhaps the power of the portal was a bit more than she was ready for. Kim looked down the corridor as she reached the top of the stairs. "Ki?" she called again as she began down the corridor. I'll check the end room first, she thought. If the portal knocked her down, she'd most likely be in there. After everything she's done tonight, I'll be more than happy to carry my darling daughter down a flight of stairs...then we can go home, get William out of the hospital, and begin the celebration. A smile crossed her face as she thought the last and walked to the end of the corridor, turning the doorknob and opening the door. "C'mon, Hero Girl," she said, "we are sooo out of--"

"...here...?"

The room was empty at first glance.

The room looked like someone had thrown in a grenade. The table and chairs which had been near the door had been dashed against the wall to the left of the door and reduced to a collection of splintered kindling. One of the oxygen tanks had had the valve snapped off, the other having ruptured, propelled into the wall near the pile of wood. One of the masks and its tubing was snaked violently around the overhead light fixture, which was now hanging by its electrical cord instead of the heavier nylon strands it had been suspeneded from.

Kim scanned the room, looking to the right. The once-solidly-built Lexan enclosure which had been her prison cell for a month had been all but dismantled. The door which opened into the structure had been forced through its opening, torn from its full-length hinge, and hanging at a crazy angle from the bottom. The wall Kimi had stood in front of to initiate the portal was all but gone, leaving a gaping hole, the edge smooth and curled, slightly blackened as if the inch-thick plastic had been burned away.

Kim took another step into the room, turning to look behind the door. No Kimi.

Kim's expression began to slide into one of concern. "Ki?" she said softly. "Ki...where are you...?"

Her eyes shifted over the room again, spotting the blue Kimmunicator in the far corner, near where Kimi had been standing when she sent her mother from the room. Kim crossed quickly, picking up the device which was largely undamaged from the event in the room. She turned it over, brushing her fingers across the small screen - and pressed the center button.

It crackled to life and Wade's face burst onto the screen. He turned to face it, and his face immediately lit up. "Kim!" he burst. "You're free! Omigosh, it's good to see you! Are you alright?"

Kim brushed her hair back. "I'm mostly fine, Wade," she smiled. "I could use a bath, though..."

"She did it?" said Wade. "Did Kimi open the portal to send Drakken and Shego back?"

Kim looked up at the gaping cavity in the wall of the enclosure. "Boy, did she ever," she giggled, turning the Kimmunicator to the site, then back.

"That's beautiful," Wade smiled, his fingers flying over a keyboard just to the right of the screen. "I'll send a recovery team to pick up Drakken and Shego. They're headed straight to prison...I bet Kimi just loved watching them get sucked into the portal...where is she?"

"That's...kind of why I'm calling you," said Kim. "I went outside the building to get some distance from the portal. I thought Kimi would come right out after. I waited for a minute...then I came back in to meet her in the building...then I started to think she might have been shook up from the force of the portal. I came up here, and the place is a wreck...but she wasn't in here."

"Maybe she went outside, looking for you?"

"There's only one set of stairs to the second level," Kim said. If she came down that way, I would have met her...the only other thing I can think of is that she dived out a window when the portal cut loose...but I think I might have heard the glass breaking if she did that...plus, it's on the second story. I hope she didn't jump out."

Wade turned now to his left to a different terminal. "Let me do a quick scan." He pressed a few keys, then pored over the screen for a few seconds. "She doesn't show up outside," he said, "and there are only ten energy signatures in the building...nine unconscious guards, and you. You're the only Celler signature I show anywhere near the building."

Kim's eyes narrowed at the screen. "Uhhh...doi, Wade. That's because I'm the only Celler anywhere near the building."

"Nonono," Wade cut in. "Because of Kimi's Celler skin, she shows up on the scan as a Celler. When she was on her mission, I had to paint all the Cellers different colors so I could tell--" Wade stopped mid-sentence. His eyes slowly lowered away from the screen, his face falling a bit. "Kim..." he started, turning to the keyboard to his right again, typing slowly, "I...I'm going to send out another recovery team...there's--" he stopped, swallowing "--...there's a chance that...that Kimi was drawn into the portal."

Kim's mind screamed in denial of what Wade had just said. Her Celler skin - what Ki came to regard as the most beautiful physical gift I could ever have given her - had now become the very thing which caused her death as a result of a mission to save me??? My daughter died because of her love for me??

Kim felt a dark shadow cross her heart. Her hands began to shake as she tried to look into the device through welling tears. "W-Wade, that c-can't be," she started, her voice already beginning to break. "She's not a Celler - she can't-- The Conduit is full of-- A Cross would--" her voice broke off there as her mouth twisted into a quivering grimace of emotional pain. She lowered her head and brought her hand to her face to wipe the sudden spill of tears from her eyes, then gasped a deep wheezing sob, her shoulders heaving. "W--aa-AAAaaade..." she wailed into the Kimmunicator through crimson eyes, "you...you h-AVE to return her to this environment--...--no matter wh-AT you find," her voice jumped and stuttered through her sobs. "Sh--she saved my life, Wade...the very least...the only thing I ca-AN-DO now...is to bring as...as much honor and dignity to her death as is possible--" As she said the last, Kim slowly sank to her knees on the floor, her hands slumping into her lap, her sobs racking her body into open crying.

Wade's eyes had also glassed over at Kim's grief. "I'm....I'm sorry, Kim," he said softly, going back to the scan of the building. "I'm still looking over the grounds, of course--" He stopped as the screen suddenly tinted his face in a bright red. His voice became urgent with alarm. "Kim, you've got to get out of the building! The alcohol I've been detecting all along, I thought it was in the enclosure with you..but it would have been destroyed when the portal went off. I'm still picking up a signature of alcohol on the scan - a big signature, on the roof. It must be connected to the timer I'm picking up in the room! You've got to get out, Kim!"

Kim lifted her moist, reddened eyes to the enclosure and saw the grid of large pipes in the ceiling. Her eyes then shifted to the control panel near the door. While it had been loosened from its mounting, now hanging by one corner, the LED display was still active with two sets of numbers - the top set steadily showed the time - 11:58--

The bottom set of numbers was steadily counting down.

1:08
1:07
1:06

The only thing which had the strength to fight through Kim's anguish was a single thought--

...why bother?

:58
:57
:56

William is in a psychiatric facility, she thought. From what Ki said went on at home after my disappearance, he's probably more grief-stricken than I am over this entire thing. If the thought that I'm dead takes him over, he'll just want to curl up and die, too. I'm just too far away to do anything to stop that.

"Kim!? Kim!" came from the Kimmunicator, now in her lap, Wade repeatedly sounding the "peep-peep-bee-deep" notes on the device to get Kim's attention.

My daughter is dead because she saved me...killed by one of the things she was most proud to have - my Celler skin. Part of my legacy, I guess...my daughter is dead because of my gift.

:45
:44
:43

"Kim! Answer me! You've got to get out NOW!"

Why? Kim thought. I'll just wash away in the alcohol...then I can join my husband and my daughter. There's no one left here to miss me...no one to go home to. I'll wash away and complete the set.

:35
:34
:33

"I'm calling the squad, Kim," Wade said hurriedly, picking up the microphone to a radio on the desk to his right. "If you won't make sure your daughter didn't die for nothing, then I will!"

Die for nothing? Kim thought. My Ki would never "die for nothing"! She was stronger than that! She took on an entire building full of evil men AND two Celler villains! She'd never leave a legacy of "dying for nothing"!

:24
:23
:22

Legacy.

THAT'S what I have to live for now. Telling the world - BOTH worlds - that my daughter didn't just "die for nothing." I have to live for her honor - for her legacy.

Kim wiped her eyes, then sprang to her feet. She brought the blue Kimmunicator up quickly, staring intently into the screen. "GOING!" she shouted, then shoved the device into her mid-thigh pocket and made a rush for the corridor.

:16
:15

:14

----------

11:59 PM.
-1 Minute
Two Blocks South of Al-Hakim Warehouse
Mark checked his watch for the third time within a minute, then brought his hand down hard on the steering wheel. He sat for a moment as he and Craig looked at each other in the rear-view mirror - then Mark checked his watch again. "Screw waiting, Craig," he said. "The Anamnesis went...you felt it. We should be up there by now instead of still sitting here." He pointed at the radio, his tone raising a bit in frustration. "If this thing or the phone doesn't bark in the next 15 seconds, I'm going. If I have a thing to say about it, Kimi will have her mother back, goddammit. The UN can just have my captain's bars after th--"

The radio on the dash of the Hummer jumped to life, Wade's voice frantic over the speaker. :::KH-One-Five Swan One, C-I Ten! Priority Red One Extraction! Repeat, Priority Red One Extraction! One Celler to extract at the south entrance - imminent danger. Repeat, imminent danger - hazardous material:::

Mark swiped his hand across the dash to pick up the microphone, keying it. "CI-Ten, Swan One, please clarify the nature of hazardous material..."

Wade screamed through the speaker. :::Kim's trying to make it out the back door with a thousand gallons of alcohol chasing her!:::

Mark's eyes sprang wide. He dropped the microphone onto the seat, rowed the shifter harshly into gear and floored the accelerator. The Hummer's wide tires howled like the bray of four sea lions as the transmission caught against the racing engine and the vehicle bolted its hulk from the curb. He picked up the microphone again as the Hummer rounded the corner. "KH-One-Five Squad, Swan One...you heard the man! Advance on foot, Med team at the front...weapons safe. Repeat, weapons safe! One spark and the whole block goes up. Keep an eye for the Swan."

:::RSS One, roger that:::

Mark re-keyed the mic as the truck picked up speed. "KH-One-Five Swan's Nest, Swan One. I'm going in for extraction. Get a HazMat team out here, ASAP."

:::Roger HazMat::: came from the speaker. :::Chopper ETA ten:::

As they cleared the building to the south of the warehouse, Mark looked toward the doors just as Kim flung one open and ran, leaping over the body of the man near the entrance. He shot out his arm. "There she is!--"

His mouth stopped at what he saw next, as a three-foot deep cascade of alcohol flooded through the door no more than ten feet behind Kim. A window on the east side of the building exploded outward with a torrent of the clear liquid. "Good Jesus," Mark said, "she'll never outrun that...if the fumes overtake her, she's--" Mark stomped the brake and gave the steering wheel a wild twist to the left. "Hang on Craig!"

The back of the truck yawed to the right, the tires roaring against the pavement as Mark sawed at the wheel to keep control. He hammered the gas and the Hummer shot to the left, launching a foot over the sidewalk into the open lot, its horn blaring as it raced to intercept Kim's race across the lot. "Get out when the truck stops!" he called back to Craig as they bounced across the sand and brush. "She doesn't have that much of a lead over the alcohol. I'll get her out of here...you head for the building...Kimi is still in there somewhere."

Mark turned the vehicle to the left about fifteen feet in front of Kim, stopping with a violent jolt, and leaned to his right, pushing the door open. "Kim!" he shouted as Craig jumped out of the back, "Get in!"

The fevered run out of the building so soon after her long exposure to alcohol left Kim breathless. She reached for a handhold near the top of the door frame and set a foot on the running board, preparing to haul herself into the truck, hearing the rush of the alcohol behind her. As Mark leaned to grab for her arm, Kim's eyes began to roll upward and her grip slipped from the handhold. "...Al-co--" she wheezed.

Suddenly Kim was launched into the front seat under Craig's arms. He placed her into the seat and slammed the door as the current of alcohol began to splash like tide against the large tires of the Hummer.

Mark turned to quickly roll up his window, then back to Craig. "Go with the recov team," he yelled, glancing down to Kim, now weak from the alcohol around the vehicle and the physical activity of outrunning it. "I'm going for O2 from the Med team." Craig nodded, then turned to begin the wade to the warehouse.

Mark brought the Hummer about, heading back toward the street as the rest of the men began rounding the corner of the building to the south. He spotted a couple of medics and their cases and laid on the horn as he approached. He stopped over the sidewalk as one of the medics opened the passenger door to check Kim. "O2 here," he said, turning his head toward the rest of the med crew. Another man passed a small oxygen tank and mask to the man looking Kim over. He took the mask, positioning it over Kim's face and twisted the valve wide open on the tank. "O2 flowing Sir," the man said.

Kim took in a deep breath of the oxygen, then again. She brought her hand up to pat the forearm of the medic as he secured the oxygen tank beside her seat. "Thank you," she managed through the mask.

Mark nodded, thanking the medic, then motioned to the warehouse. "Watch yourselves...that's pure alcohol," he said. "I'm going back to the trucks. I've got to get her as far away from here as possible." The medic shut the door of the Hummer and Mark brought it into the street, going back where the other vehicles were parked. He brought the vehicle to a stop as Kim turned to him, her eyes becoming more alert now. Mark extended his hand to hers. "How do you do, Kim...Captain Mark Broderson, United States Air Force Special Forces. Welcome back to freedom."

"C-Captain..." Kim stammered as she took the large man's hand warmly, a tear moving along her right cheek. "You're...you're 'Cap'n...Mark'?"

"Yes Ma'am," Mark smiled slightly.

"...You're the one who trained...who trained Kimi for her mission," Kim said. "You trained her to save me...Kimiii--" She lifted the mask as her face screwed into weeping again. She suddenly took in a huge sob. "She...she got pulled into the p-ORTal when it went off...herrr Cellerr s-ski-i-i-inn..." Kim's voice deteriorated into an inconsolable squeak. She slumped back into the seat as emotion racked her once again.

Mark - said nothing. His grip remained on Kim's hand as she wept. My malestrom will wait, he thought. This is time reserved for Kim's grieving.

The recent feeling of success Mark had felt just a moment ago had turned into a hollow, burnt shell. Kim was safe, he thought - but the price paid was too high, too wrong - and paid by the wrong person. Now the roles are reversed, in a way...and Time collected on the wrong account.

The Steel Swan had Mercury's wings, thought Mark. She soared high to save her mother - and flew straight into the sun. Drakken had gotten his comeuppance - but he took his arrestor with him as compensation.

Was it worth it, Brody? he thought. Was it worth it to be so concise in the writing of the CENAP Pact that the first draft was accepted with no revisions? Was such an overstepping law worth the life of a young woman whose determination overshadowed the abilities of the entire military? Was it worth being the hero-mentor, Brody?

The hell with major, Mark thought. I don't think I even want to be a captain anymore. We can go back to the States. 'Fina and I will be happy as civilians...I could sell cars in a quiet Midwestern city. Hell, nobody gets blown up just for selling a Buick--"

Mark's train of thought was brought to a stop by the notes of the Kimmunicator sounding in Kim's pants pocket.

Kim's hand slipped from Mark's. "That'll be Wade," she said, "to tell me they've located Kimi's..." She sniffled deeply, trying to recover. "I want a grand service for her...I want her to...be there." The device beeped again as she reached into her pocket and pulled it out. She hesitated for a second, wiping her eyes again - then pressed the button to activate the screen.

The light of the screen set the front of the Hummer's interior in a soft blue glow as Wade's face appeared on it. "Hey Kim," he said. "Where are you?"

"I'm in a truck," Kim said. "The military came in just in time. I'm here with a Captain who pulled me clear of the alcohol." Her tone changed slightly with the subject. "Do you have any word on the search for Kimi's--" she fought it back this time, for the sake of getting clear information on her daughter's remains "--body?"

Wade leaned toward the screen. "I have more than a word, Kim. I have five words."

Kim and Mark looked up from the screen to each other at Wade's statement. Kim turned back to the screen, confused. "...Wade...?" she asked slowly.

"I-do-not-believe-it," Wade said.

Kim lowered her brow. "Wade...do you really think this is the time for dramatics? Tell me what you 'don't believe'."

Wade's expression slipped into a grin of amazement as he spoke. "The recovery team picked up Kimi in the Resonance stream a few minutes ago. Kim...Kimi is alive."

Kim's eyes shot wide as saucers at the screen. "She's...she's alive?" she stammered in disbelief. "Alive in the Celler environment?"

"Yeah," Wade replied. "I don't have anything but preliminary reports...but she is alive. The only possible thing I can think of to explain it is that her Celler skin and eyes acted as...a kind of seal or shield against the radiation of the Resonance stream and the effects here. They've told me that she's a little shook up...and...all her hair was burned off--"

"She's got Flesher hair," Kim cut in, her face broadening.

"--yeah...but other than that, she's fine, for the most part."

Kim's tears of sorrow began to sweeten into tears of joy. Her daughter survived a Cross into the Celler environment! "Is...is there any way she can return here?" she asked.

"I'll have to run some tests," said Wade. "But, if she survived the Resonance stream...I can't see why she wouldn't be able to return--"

Wade was again interrupted by Kim's squeal of delight and relief at hearing the news. She turned and threw her arms around Mark. "She's alive! Ki is alive!" she burst as she hugged him tightly.

Mark was again speechless at the turn of events. Wrenched from the bittersweet news that Kim was alive at the expense of Kimi's life - to this most astounding revelation in the space of a few moments - tugged at even his heart strings. A tear slid toward his smile as he patted Kim's shoulder.

Kim was awash in the amazing news and roller-coaster of emotion she had ridden in the past half-hour; and now, the realization reached her that this latest news was also a reversal of what had motivated her from the warehouse just moments ago - she no longer had to live to preserve the posterity of her daughter's legacy--

She had many, many more reasons to live now. Kimi had become a living benchmark of her mother's legacy from the show.

Just like "Kim Possible," Kim thought - Kimi Angelina Hodge can do anything - even cross between environments.

"I'll call back when Kimi gets in," said Wade. "I'll bet she has a lot to tell." With this, the screen went dark, and Kim slid the device back into her thigh pocket.

Mark slid the Hummer into gear. "Let's get you home, Kim," he said. "I imagine there is much to do there."

"You got that right," said Kim, shaking her head, still in amazement.

"I'll help in any way I can with anything you need to do," Mark said as he pulled the truck away from the curb and into the street. He slipped the microphone from the clip and pressed the transmit switch. "KH-One-Five Swan's Nest, Swan One."

:::Swan's Nest::: the speaker replied. :::Go, Swan One:::

"Matt...mission accomplished. I have Kim here, safe and sound...Ki's been through a wild ride, but she's safe. I'm headed back to the base...Craig is with the recov team...get suited up for departure. I need a Nightwing on the tarmac in about twenty, after Kim gets a shower. I'll brief you fully on the way back to the States."

:::Roger the mission accomplished::: Matt's voice came from the speaker amid a wave of applause. :::Good to hear, Captain. You have a Nightwing ready hot in 20:::

Kim turned to Mark as they moved onto a wider road. "...Nightwing?"

"It's a Scramjet tactical fighter-bomber," said Mark. "Part of the Air Force's 'Quick Response' force. It holds a crew of four...and it makes a commercial Scramship look like a turtle. We'll be on the ground in Eastgate within about an hour."

Kim chuckled slightly. "Heh...'Cap'n Mark'..."

Mark burst into laughter. "Yeah. Ki called me that from the moment she met me on the night that you disappeared...I've kind of adopted it as a nickname."

"She mentioned you when she released me," said Kim. "She didn't have time to go into detail, but she said that you trained her to take on this mission. Just from the fact that Ki was there at all, let alone the fact that she rescued me, I got the impression that you can do some pretty amazing things." Her face slid into a sly grin. "She also said that you're married to Melfina."

Mark again laughed. "I guess Ki isn't the only one with a long story for you," he chuckled. "I can tell you everything when we're settled on the plane."

Kim caught sight of the cell on the seat between them. "Tell me...Cap'n Mark," she mused, still with the sly grin, "...can you set up international calls to non-military personnel on that...?"

to be continued...