Chapter 14

The next morning at the Middleton Space Center, they assembled in a conference room near Mr. Possible's office. Two men in dark suits were waiting for them.

"Good morning," said the taller man, "We are here as the government's liasons for this mission. My name's Thompson, and this is Young." The other man nodded.

He opened his briefcase, and pulled out some papers.

"First, you should know that we are not happy with the presence of an internationally wanted criminal on this mission," he said.

The others looked at each other, but said nothing.

"We feel there is a high probability this is a trick, to appropriate a nuclear weapon for her employer, Drew Lipsky, aka Dr. Drakken," he added.

"Your intelligence is outdated," said Mr. Possible, "Shego, Kim, and Ronald just returned from a mission that brought Lipsky to justice."

Thompson stared at them, then made a note on a yellow pad.

"Be that as it may," he said, "The device is in a location unknown to any of you, and under heavy guard. It will remain so until the last minute, when it will be taken aboard and secured."

Shego looked amused, then shrugged. "I don't care if you trust me or not. In fact, I don't blame you for not. But I'm not after your precious bomb, and I never wanted to be here anyway."

"Then why ARE you here?" asked Thompson.

"She works for me, and this is a job," interjected Kim, and Shego nodded.

"Her role on this mission is vital," said Mrs. Possible.

"I know it is," said Thompson, "But believe me, if there was a way to do this without her, she'd be behind bars where she belongs."

Shego lifted an eyebrow, then pointed at Thompson. She started to ignite her hand, but Kim stopped her with a hand on her arm.

"I'll vouch for her," Kim said.

Thompson wrote on his pad. "Kim Possible vouches for Shego," he muttered, then looked at Kim. "Very well, then. But understand this clearly: you will be held equally responsible if anything happens she is the cause of."

Kim nodded. "I understand."

Unable to resist provoking someone, Shego stroked her chin and looked thoughtful. "Hmmm..." she said.

Kim glanced at her sharply. "So not the time, Shego."

Shego grinned. "Sorry, I couldn't help myself."

Thompson looked from one young woman to the other, then back to his papers. "Moving on. The cover story is that this is the first manned scientific expedition to an asteroid, which it is. But the real objective is secret. Is that understood?"

Ron raised his hand. "I wanted to ask about that. Why all the secrecy? I mean, we ARE going to save the world."

Thompson had been briefed on the family and others before him, and knew from the reports that Ron Stoppable could be very dense at times.

"Because you won't be able to save the world, Mr. Stoppable. At least, not all of it. Even if everything goes as planned, there will still be major damage to the earth, and millions of people will still die," said Thompson.

"Yeah, but I still don't get it. What does that have to do with keeping it a secret?" he asked, confusion plain on his face.

"Ron," said Kim, "What do you think people would do if they were told the world was about to end?"

"Uh... throw a party?" he answered, and everybody, including Thompson and Young, groaned.

Kim whispered in Ron's ear for a minute, and his expression changed from confusion to shock.

"Do you get it now, Mr. Stoppable?" asked Thompson.

"Yes, sir," answered Ron, "But I still like my idea better."

Thompson put away his papers. "That's all I have for now. Are there any questions?"

"I have," said Mr. Possible, "Is the government taking steps to protect anyone?"

"That's not your concern, Dr. Possible. You need to concentrate on the task at hand," answered Thompson. "Anything else?"

There were no other questions.

"Then I bid you good day, and good luck. I'll be in touch," he said, then looked at Kim. "Miss Possible, you keep in mind what I said."

"I will, sir. But don't worry, nothing will happen," answered Kim.

The Doctors Possible had left the room, followed by Young and Thompson.

Shego glared at the man's retreating back, then looked at Kim. "How do you know I won't do anything?"

"Because I trust you," Kim answered.

"Y-you do?" asked Shego, shocked.

"Mmm hmmm," said Kim.

"I always knew I could trust you because you're the good girl. But when did you start trusting me?" asked Shego, not quite beliving it.

Kim looked at her. "We're friends, and friendship is built partially on trust. You've been slowly gaining my trust since you moved in. But what clinched it was when you used your plasma to heal me instead of hurt me."

"Kim, the last person to say they trusted me was a little boy in Go City years ago," said Shego, with sadness.

"It's overdue, then," said Kim.

Shego looked at Ron. "What about you? Do you trust me?"

Ron grinned at her. "If KP says she trusts you, that's good enough for me."

When he saw the eagerness and hope in Shego's face fade a little, he quickly added, "But I trusted you at least a little long before now. There were lots of times you could have blasted me, and didn't."

Shego looked embarrassed. "That's because I never thought you were worth the energy."

"Let's go to the cafateria," said Ron, a little too loudly, "I'm ready for snackage!" And he quickly exited the room.

"I'm with Ron on that one," said Kim, standing up, "Let's go eat, Shego."

"Sheila," was the reply.

Kim looked at her. "What?"

"My name is Sheila, but don't tell anyone," said Shego.

"...I won't," promised Kim.

They left the room, Kim thinking about the gift she had just been given.

The next three weeks passed in a blur of activity. They were able to go back home each night, although sometimes very late.

They were all outfitted with space suits, and taught how to operate them. One small enough for Rufus was out of the question, so they constructed an airtight cage for him.

Mr. Possible spent time reviewing and practicing with the Space Plane's controls, both the real thing and in the simulator. Shego spent time there as well, as she was the backup pilot.

Mrs. Possible learned to use the telemetry station aboard the Plane. She would be monitoring the suits and the condition of those wearing them. She had additional sensors installed in Shego's suit to keep better tabs on her. She ordered every medicine and medical device it was practical to have aboard for the sole purpose of keeping Shego going.

Kim and Ron learned the setup and operation of the experiments they would be taking with them. They also practiced setting up the bomb for use. For this they used a mockup.

Once she was comfortable with her suit, Shego was taken out to an isolated spot, and practiced drilling using her power while in it. Mrs. Possible monitored her from the Plane, which gave her experience, and it gave the scientists an idea of how rapidly Shego could melt the hole.

Shego did have a bad few days, but recovered quickly. "Better to have it now, while still on earth, than on the asteroid," she said, rather philosophically.

One evening they met again in the conference room. There was a computer there, and Wade appeared on the monitor.

"Okay, guys, this is a final briefing," he said, and glanced at another monitor out of camera range.

"You leave tomorrow. The trip will take two days, and you will meet the asteroid just inside the Moon's orbit, when it is still four days from impact. Two days have been set aside for the drilling and destruction, and you will dock with the Space Station to ride it out," said Wade.

"No, we're coming home," said Mrs. Possible, "I'm not going to let my boys be alone when it happens."

Wade opened his mouth, then closed it. "Okay. Then you'll be home just one day before it hits."

"If we die, it will be as a family," she added. "Shego, that includes you."

Shego looked at her, eyes wide, then a green blush came to her cheeks.

"Are there any questions?" asked Wade. There were none. "Then go home, get lots of sleep, and see you in the morning."