Part V.

Terror is on every side.

Ron snuck out of his house, heading straight to Shego's hide out. When he got there, he was surprised to see her standing, in an overcoat, waiting for him.

"Let's get inside—as amusing as a chase would be right now… I don't want the cops involved." Inside, Ron told her everything, about Barkin, Kim, her reactions… Shego frowned.

"Yep, Kimmie's losing it, bigtime, I'd say." She sighed. "That Barkin of yours isn't dumb, but we may not have much time."

"Why don't Mr. and Ms. P see it?" Ron said. Shego shook her head.

"See what? Their Kimmie is falling apart?" Shego looked at Ron in annoyance. "The naïve act isn't gonna help you here, Stoppable. Kim's parents are seeing what they need to see—that Kimmie has had a real terrible experience, but the girl who 'can do anything' is pushing through it." She bit her lip, "And I don't know anyway to convince them otherwise that doesn't involve a complete meltdown…not to mention that I'm really not a…credible source."

"So what do we do?" Ron asked. Shego looked at him.

"For now, you keep watching. We need to figure out if this is… just a nervous breakdown, or something else. Your idea with Wade was good—but Kimmie also knows about Wade…so I don't know if she'd be dumb enough to break in…if she's scoring drugs."

"Search her room?"

"Maybe…but if we're wrong and you do that, you've probably driven her away…that's a pretty big betrayal of trust your talking about." Shego chewed her lower lip. "Tomorrow—we give her one more day, and if that doesn't work, we start kicking in doors." She gave a ghostly smile. "Go home and get some sleep before you fall over, Ron." Ron blinked, she'd never used his first name before. Before he could say anything, she made a shooing gesture with her hand, a flicker of green fire around it. "Go. Now. Before I have to beat you unconscious." Ron nodded, walking back, so deep in thought he almost missed his house…because when he did brainstorming, it was usually with Kim. Abruptly, Ron clenched his eyes shut against the hot tears that spilled out of them. Boys, didn't cry… but what else could he do? Not help Kim, that was certain… Ron stopped and waited. Waited until he was certain his sobs wouldn't wake his parents…until he could see again.

Then he went into his house.

The day was overcast, drizzling, when Kim woke up. Her night had been filled with half remembered nightmares, the tranquilizers hadn't done anything…except keep her from waking up. She was sweating and chilly at the same time… She took one pill and waited. To her horror…nothing happened.

What's wrong? Maybe I slipped some empties… Maybe that scientist you thought 'owed' you a favor is really working for me?

Kim shook her head frantically, a tiny whimper escaping. The shadows on the walls seemed to take on twisting and obscene forms, and she knew there was someone in her closet. Looking at her, leering at her, pawing her body with his mind. When she whipped it open… nothing. Nothing…. But a mocking whisper seemed to follow her as she turned around, trying to clear her head.

It wasn't working. It had to be defective… Kim took another pill, and then another. She started getting a new feeling, her nerves keyed up beyond belief. She could hear everyone talking… talking about her.

Plotting about her.

Kim bit her lip and tried to force herself to be calm. Nobody could know. If they did they would find the pills…and they would take her away. It was the excuse they wanted. Maybe… maybe that had been their plan all along, to get her to take the pills, so they could have the excuse they wanted to put her in a box, in a cell, lightless and airless, like a coffin… Kim's hand's were shaking so badly she couldn't pack her bag for school… where she had to go, or they'd know she was on to them. Another. One more. One more pill. That was only three more than the instructions. That would be okay. It would be fine. She would handle it…she would handle them… Then Kim paused, some ragged sense of self preservation screaming at her from her hind brain. She should wait... she should wait at least a few minutes..maybe hours.

Why? Take it now. Take them all now…

"Oh God…." Kim moaned. Nobody could help her…they were all waiting for her to fall.

When the Twins saw Kim walk down the stairs, they became quiet. There was something about her, something dangerous, the way her eyes seemed to glitter, the pupils huge against her pale face.

"Tim…Jim… I'm walking to school now." Kim said, "Tell Mom I left."

"But…"

"Tell her." Kim snarled. And the two fell silent, fear on their faces.

Kim ran out of the house, not bothering to eat. It was probably poisoned anyway. She'd have to be careful where she ate or drank… who knew how many people were in on this. Kim forced herself to be calm. She could do it. There was no practice today (That slut Bonnie sniffing around Ron), and so she could relax, come home, and make plans.

The day crawled as far as Ron was concerned. Kim wasn't as hyperactive as normal…but now she was almost worse. She watched everyone. When Ms. Trask handed her some papers, he could have sworn that Kim twitched into the beginning of an attack. When she looked at him, her eyes were hooded and suspicious and she didn't talk to him at all. The soft mutter of thunder from the storm outside, that had finally broken, kept Ron's nerves on edge.

Kim went to her locker and then almost slapped herself for her stupidity. Wade, with his microchips…he tracked Ron, he probably tracked her. Always smiling, always laughing, when they didn't know who he was…just what he showed. She let her teeth show. She'd make up accounts with him.

She turned and left. Ron was waiting for her at the front, so she'd go out the back.

Back at home, the Twins were considering a plan.

"I don't think we should…" Jim said,

"Something's weird about sis." Tim countered, "maybe its some mind control ray or something." The two looked at each other, and nodded. Their school was out, Kim wouldn't be back for at least thirty minutes, and well…it was in a good cause.

They snuck into her bedroom and were stopped in shock. The room was…oddly disorded. Mirrors had been turned to face the wall, the pillows and sheets were flung about, and the bed itself seemed to have been moved.

"I think…let's check the bed." Tim said, more nervously then before. The two walked up to the bed… and a moments search came up with two boxes, one of small black pills and one of white pills.

"What should we do?"

"Call mom?" Tim shook his head.

"We'll be in so much trouble…and we might get sis in trouble…let's call Wade and have him call Ron!"

"Hoo-Sha!"

"Where is she?" Ron muttered. The bus was getting ready to leave..and then his (well, actually Kim's spare, but he was holding it) Kimmunicator beeped.

"Go Wade." He blinked. Wade looked seriously worried.

"Ron…Is Kim with you?"

"No. Why?"

"Because the twins went into her room…and found some pills. They were hidden in the bed. " Wade continued, "They wanted me to call you." Ron's mind gibbered for a moment. Pills.

Oh God. If Kim had been supposed to have them, they would have been in the Kitchen, in her mom's medical bag…anywhere but her room. He should… No. He couldn't do this himself. He needed help.

"Wade, Call Shego, and tell her to go to the house and find out what those pills are… Call Mr. and Ms. P and tell them as well."

"But Ron…" Wade said, "Kim will…"

"I don't care, Wade. Kim's sick. She needs help, and we have to do this. I'm going to find Mr. Barken. Call me when you have something to tell me." Ron turned and ran up to Mr. Barkin who was chewing out a pair of freshmen for riding skateboards.

"Mr. B, I need to talk to you, right now. About Kim." Barkin, without missing a beat, sent the two on their way. The moment they were out of earshot, Ron told him everything.

"Damn." Barkin said. Ron blinked, Mr. B, never cussed. Then he jumped as Barkin turned and slammed a fist into the lockers. "I should have taken action immediately… I'd hoped…" He shook his head and pulled out his walkie-talkie. Minutes later, the intercoms spoke.

"Kim Possible, please report to the office. Kim Possible, to the office."

There was no answer.

Wade's frantic call had brought Ms. Possible and her husband back home in record time. What they found there shocked them. The Twins were in the living room and Shego was vanishing up into Kim's room.

"Shego…what are you doing?" Mr. Possible shouted. The "answer" caused everyone to blink.

"Oh shit." Another pause. "Get up here, now." The two adults came into Kim's room, blinking at the changes, then paling at the sight of the two boxes of pills on the bed.

"I don't know what this is." Shego said, tossing one box to Dr. Possible. She read it and blanced even whiter.

"Tranquilizers… powerful, ones." She blinked, "Kimmie shouldn't even be able to walk with this…much less be coherent. A single pill would last someone of her body weight at least 12 hours."

"Nope, not with this." Shego said. "I know what this is—this is Psychotropen. "

"I've seen the name…what does it do?" Ms. Possible asked.

"I'm not surprised—it's not a medical drug—it's a combat cocktail—take a soldier, turn him into an unstoppable force, stay awake for days, move like a cheetah, hit like a bull."

"Why isn't it used?" Mr. Possible asked, dreading the answer.

"Because unstoppable forces are not nice to have around if they're also psychotic forces." Suddenly, Ms. Possible fell to the bed, gasping.

"Oh God…oh God no….Kimmie." She shook her head. "Shego, I know why she could take the tranquilizers—she was taking the combat drug to stay awake but she couldn't sleep with it and so she took the…oh God…the interactions between the two drugs…"

"Could?" Shego asked.

"Enhance the effects of the Psychotropen." She paused, "especially psychological effects." The twins had come up and Jim spoke up.

"When Kim left, she was looking at us like we were…scary…she didn't eat or drink anything." Ms. Possible was a doctor, and now that she was thinking in the right vein, it didn't take long.

"She might be going paranoid—believing everyone is out to get her." Shego's phone rang.

"Yeah? Crap. Worse than that Ron… Keep looking for her, but be careful. I'm heading out" Shego put the phone back. "Kim's vanished. Ron and Barkin are looking for her."

"Well go-"

"No." Shego said.

"She's our d-" Mr. Possible started, but Shego overrode him.

"She's a better fighter than me, and you are telling me that she's possibly a paranoid crazy woman. In any case, you need to go to the hospital and figure out, what those two pills do in tandem, and how to undo it." She paused, and a smile played across her face. "You think that's bad? Do you know how often I've dreamed of taking Kim Possible down, and now I have to rescue her?" Shego didn't wait for an answer, but headed down the stairs and out into the rain. Mr. And Ms. Possible shared tear filled gazes. She was her daughter…but she might-

"Jim, Tim, you might be able to help us at the hospital." Mr. Possible said. Yes. That was true…and much better than saying he no longer trusted the safety of his twins to his only daughter.

Kim walked along, not feeling the rain. Her bag lay abandoned a block away. It had tracking devices in it, after all. In one hand she clenched a bottle of the pills. She should have taken the rest, she thought, she couldn't go back home.

No you can't. They'll be waiting for you… remember how close it was at the school? They wanted you in the office, where they could deal with you at their leaisure… like Ron, trying to get close to you.

Kim giggled, than gasped as a feeling of dizziness came over her. She needed another pill, and now, the only voices she heard were of her pursuers, legions of them. It had barely gone down her throat when she felt a warmth, and gasped. The storm was irrelevant now…but she knew where she was…and she would deal with her. The bitch. The bitch who had been against her all her life.

Bonnie.

Idly, Kim wondered what her neck would sound like when she broke it.

Ironically, there were tracking devices in her bag—and if Kim had been in her right mind, she would have remembered that she had Wade install them. Ron lept out of Barkin's car and looked at them.

"Where is she!" He screamed, and the clouds answered him with thunder. Then a green clad form had appeared by him.

"Get in the car." Shego ordered. Barkin looked at her when the two of them got in.

"You're…"

"Yeah, yeah… evil supervillaness. More important things right now. Kimmie is hopped up on a combination of tranquilizers and a combat drug that could keep a soldier on his feet with a fist sized hole in his head." She looked at Barkin. "She's also probably having a complete psychotic breakdown….and persecution complex."

"Great." Barkin muttered. "Where is she."

"Oh, God…I know."

"What?"

"Bonnie. Bonnie lives near here… you know how competitive they are…would that…"

"Oh yeah…" Shego said. "Punch it, teacher boy." Barkin didn't hesitate as the car leapt forward.

Bonnie was on the phone to Tara, listening to the storm behind her.

"I know Tara… No, I'm not mad…but Kim… She's, I don't know, she's not right. I know that would do it to anyone—I'd be gibbering, but." The cheerleader tried to phrase it correctly, "Kim has to be… the hero. I don't know if she can ask for help. Well, maybe from Ron, and-" Bonnie looked up in shock as the front door was kicked off its hinges, flying across the room. Kim stood, framed, her feverish, glittering eyes fixing Bonnie. Bonnie gave a squeak and dropped the phone.

"k-Kim?" She asked, and then cried out as Kim covered the distance between them in a single leap.

"Miss me, BonBon?" Kim hissed, her mad eyes terrifying Bonnie. "It didn't work, you know? You tried to bury me in that hole, with the maggots and the worms, but it didn't work… I dug my way out!" Kim started giggling, a shrill, unnatural sound. Bonnie whimpered, trying to back up, but Kim grabbed her, and slung her around into the wall, knocked the breath out of her, and incidentally pulling her shirt down, exposing her breasts.

"I knew you wanted it, you wanted Ron, you wanted my place…and you got sick of waiting, didn't you." Bonnie didn't say anything, as Kim reached up and viciously twisted her ear. Bonnie cried out in pain. "Didn't you!" She screamed, spittle flecking Bonnie's face.

"Oh God…Kim…something's wrong, you're sick…please, Kim, I didn't do anything." Bonnie tried to put together a more coherent sentence, but everytime she looked into those eyes…oh God, those eyes. They were empty, glittering, like a cobra she'd seen on a nature show as a small child…a show that had given her nightmares for months. Part of her mind saw that Tara had hung up the phone. Why?

"Yes, please, hurry!" Tara said, nearly gibbering. The operator didn't wait for verification. The girl was terrified.

"Ron!" Wade called. "There's a 911 Call to the Middleton police! Someone just broke into Bonnie's house!" Ron gave a groan.

"Why did I have to be right this time." He paused. "Anything else Wade?"

"Yeah…the operator has tried to call, but no answer."

Bonnie had gone beyond words. She couldn't talk, as Kim dragged her irresistibly back into the living room, and slammed her down on the floor, straddling her.

"Maybe I could fix things between us…" Kim said, and abruptly adopted a caring voice. "We shouldn't be enemies…should we?" She gripped Bonnie by the chin, so hard that Bonnie felt her jaw creek. Bonnie's wrists were imprisoned in Kim's other hand, already going numb from the incredible strength the teen was displaying. Sometimes she paused, like other people were talking to her. Once or twice, Kim even answered them.

"You're right! Bonnie thinks she's prettier than me. Maybe she is. Oh, thank you...you're too kind." She looked back down.

"Or maybe I could make you look… less attractive…yes…you have knives in the kitchen, I bet… did I ever mention Mom is a doctor when she isn't selling me out? She showed me knives, brighty flighty knives…" She said, her voice turning into a childish sing song.

Good, show the bitch.

Kim got up, and pulled Bonnie to her feet. The other girl could only moan, her legs limp as Kim started to pull her across the room.

"That's enough, Kimmie." The voice came from the door. Bonnie looked, blinking through her tears. There were three people in the doorway. Mr. Barkin, Ron and a woman clad in green and black, fire dancing along her hands. Barkin spoke next.

"Kimberly…put her down. We can work this out. You've had a drug over dose…but we can make it ok… You have to trust us." Barkin's voice was soft, calming. Ron joined in.

"KP…please. Listen to us. This isn't you."

Kim smiled. Shego gulped at the expression.

Oh yes. Now you understand. This was a trap. They set up Bonnie to get you.

And Kim knew what she had to do. The only way to get free…would to be Kill them.

Kill them all.

To be concluded.