"Yo, Kimberly Possible, I am challenging you. I am challenging you to find me before I strike again, ya' dig what I am saying here. I'm making a new faith and if you don't find me, it is going to be nothin'." there was a large explosion in the background causing the man to go "Whoa!"
Kim raised a brow, she was just watching TV when this came on suddenly without warning. The man, who looked about in his mid sixties with a bit of a shaggy beard and wide and round glasses, grinned at the camera. "See, this is real."
"Wade, are you there?" Kim saw her overweight friend already typing into the computer.
"I saw it Kim, and I already have the position of the transmission," he brought up a map on the screen. "He's coming from Texas, a place called Ulmelrya City.
"Found him, he's at Ulmelrya City, TX."
She turn to face him as the images appeared on the vast screens, both replaying his message and the map of the surrounding area. Why do the crazy people always make themselves known to the world? It made things so much harder to deal with them, as the pubic eye was always trained on their course of actions. "Black Op. this one," she said. "I want no one to trace it back to us. Understand?"
"Yes ma'am," the man said as he went to send the order out.
Dr. Director fell back into her seat, letting herself slid down a bit as she placed her fingers against her temple. "This never gets any easier."
"Ma'am?" the man asked as he looked at her with concern written on his face. "Is there something wrong?"
"No, not really." she shifted a bit, "I was just thinking of the things we do to maintain peace, one against the many often rears it's ugly head when you are in my seat. No wonder no one wants it."
"I see," the man return to his station slightly unnerved by the actions of his boss. She has been like this since these "things" started to appear all over the place, she has been rather moody and acting off as the casualties count was going up. "Why do it then, is there anything we can learn from this?"
"My dear," Dr. Director cooed as she lean forward. "There is many things we can learn from him, since he was once associated with her, the one of the greatest heroines of my time."
"Ma'am."
"Yes?"
"Why do you have your gun aimed at yourself?"
It was the first thing she had noticed when she had left the airport and came to the main road was this large billboard with the man looking buzzed, smiling and giving a thumbs up with that message "spray painted" off to the side. Kind of a local celebrity, as it seems.
This could make things easier, Kim walked into town noticing how sparse the buildings are. Was this really a "city", this place could not even pass for a ghost town. But she set these thoughts aside as she approach a man leaning against a support pillar of a restaurant. He was dressed frumpy with overalls and checkered shirt, his face was aged and stubbled. "Excuse me," she said as he looked up. "I am looking for the man on that billboard over there," she pointed over to the billboard she had just passed.
"I am sorry," he said. "I cannot help you there, but the girl at the pharmacy can help. She is suppose to be his employee or something."
"Thanks," Kim smiled fakely and headed down the street. Suddenly a man from the shadows stepped out in front of her and waved, she was taken off guard and almost dropped into a defensive stance. "Hey, watch it!"
"Sorry miss," the new man said as he rubbed the back of neck. He was older then the first man but in better health, he wore jeans and a simple shirt. "I did not mean to scare you, but have you heard about Tomoe? He blew up one of our buildings."
"Tomoe? I am sorry but I am not from around here," Kim looked over her shoulder a bit to see the other man still standing in same spot. "Can you help me here a bit?"
"Oh, sorry miss." he held up his hands defensively while walking back, "I thought I had seen you before. But I guess with that accent you do seem out of place, anyway that guy that runs the company that owns this place had taken out one of buildings."
"That would be Tomoe, right?"
"Yeah, hey. Can you go talk to him, being Japanese and all he might listen to you."
"What?" Kim raised both of her brows as she step back. Is this guy dumb or insane? "I am not Japanese."
"Sure have an accent." Kim eyed him before walking by, she was distancing herself away from those two, from the moment she set foot on the plane she knew this was going to be odd and right now it was being top tier for "ODDEST. MISSION. EVER." Kim had to shove these thoughts out of her mind again as she looked up at the front window sign, Happy Nippon Pharmacy. A good guess this was the place the older, sane man talked about.
"Hi there," the woman greeted, a blonde with very revealing clothes standing behind the counter. Kim looked around the store, there several shelves aligned with odd items such as bottles filled with unusual things. Some of it probably is not legal, but she was not here for that. "What can I do for you?"
Kim was not sure how to ask which question she had running around her mind at moment. "Where is Tomoe?" "who is Tomoe?" and "why did that guy think I am Asian?" were running about her head a bit but Kim had forced herself to speak. "I am looking for Tomoe, would you know where he is?"
"Tomoe? He's in his office at the HGR building, he's almost always at that place." she smiled while resting her head on one hand, "he rarely leaves that place. But what else can I do for you hun?"
"Do you know where the HGR building is?"
The woman looked somewhat displeased but smiled, there was something off about her. She leaned forward a bit to show a bit of her cleavage to Kim, "you see, we do know where it is we just cannot get to it. It is like some sort of prison there with guards and barbed wires and all that crap. But sweety, I heard there is some sort of secret entrance hidden around this place that keeps you from being pumped full of holes."
Kim felt a little nervous as the woman stood up, "thanks."
"Are you sure you don't need anything else? Because I can be happy to do anything," she licked her lips. Kim just stumbled out of the store and back out onto the streets, "how do you say goodbye in Japanese?" the woman shouted out to her causing Kim to walk away really fast from the store. Now it was officially the strangest mission she has ever been on, and it was not even more then twenty minutes since she entered this town. Now she has to find some sort of secret passage to some large building that is filled with guards, typical.
"Wade," Kim pulled out the Kimmunicator. "Can you use the satellites to see if there is any unnatural underground tunnel formations under this town? I am looking for one that leads to a place called HGR." Wade looked at his friend quizzically as his fingers typed something out, "what?"
"What's with the accent?"
"I do not have an accent!" Kim's face was turning various shades of red as Wade flinch from her shout, she took a few deep breaths as her body was shaking from anger. "Just find those tunnels."
Wade, fearful of another outburst, brought up a map. "There is appears to be one about several feet away from you, in a small shack from what it appears to be."
"I might need your help if there is some kind of lock on it," Wade nodded before turn off the communications. Heading straight where the map indicated she came to a small concrete hut with several vending machines inside, all lined up to one side perfectly. Except for one.
It sat in the center wall facing the door, it seemed very out of place among the others. A quick inspection had revealed three things, there were scuff marks on the floor as if it was slid out repeatedly and while that might meant the machine was constantly maintenanced there was a draft. And she could see the edges of the passageway behind it for crying out loud. She held up the Kimmunicator to the coin slot after calling Wade for assistance on this, he had several probes extend from the device and into the coin slot.
"Okay, from what I can tell it is a sequences of button presses that cannot be tripped by what I have right now. And unless you want to wait a few hours to get there with the right equipment here's how it goes, first you put some change in then press Tempura, Tanuki ramen and Udon."
"Couldn't you just trick it into thinking it has coins?" Kim gave the puppy dog pout. Wade countered with a stern look, "oh fine, Jimmy cricket." she put the device away as she retrieved some change, first few of the coins went in all right as Kim reminded herself of the combination. The last one was rejected, Kim picked it up as she looked it over. It appeared to be fine and the right about, she put it back in. Again rejecting it, stupid Wade and morals.
Kim checked her pocket to find she only had the coin in hand, again she tried and only to see it spit out again. Out of frustration Kim smacked the machine before trying again. "Come on, work." a smile came across her face as the coin slid in and was not rejected, the smile fell when she noticed it became stuck. "Oh, you stupid son of a, idiot, take the damn coin." Kim punched and kick the machine, she had not noticed the people behind her giving strange looks. She finally calmed down enough, maybe she can call Wade on last time.
"Hey, come take a look at this," she heard someone shout. "There is a Japanese lady beating up a vending machine."
That what pushed her over the edge, she lifted one leg as she rushed towards the machine. To say the machine was totaled after being kicked by Kim Possible was an understatement, it was demolished to the point of beyond recognition as it was folded upon itself at a single point with it's tempura and ramen sprayed upon the walls. It was a brutal CSI: Vending crime scene at its worst, Kim was dumb struck at what she had done. But the passageway was exposed and there was enough room to get through so it worked out.
Crawling over the wreckage she found herself in a narrow stairway leading down into subway station. She lucked out as there was a subway ready to go to HGR in five minutes, she shrugged. Why not.
"So, she's awake?"
"Not quite, they are stirring within her psyche but soon they will snap out of it." he looked over the chess board before looking back up at Dr. Director, "what is the purpose of Tomoe's involvement?"
"He has Demon blood in him," she said as she planned her next move. "He had injected himself with several different types of diseases and survived, we hope that he can survive this one and study him."
"Military purposes?"
"Of course," she finally moved a rook. "For world peace of course," she looked up at the man in the wheelchair. "But what is your purpose with Kim?"
"She's my special piece," he said. "The one that is going to break his iron grip on our little game, she's almost like a queen."
"I see, and if she get's captured?"
"Then there is always the next incarnation," he moved. "Check."
Kim emerge from the subway to encounter a bit of people, she headed up the stairs to see tall skyscrapers and crowds going up and down the sidewalks of this place. Kim was a bit taken back, wondering if this was the right place. Off to one side a man dressed in an uniform became suspicious of the new comer. "Hey, you," the officer caught her attention. "Only HGR employees are allowed into this city." he was interrupted by the ringing of his cell phone, answering it he nodded and hung up. "Are you Kim Possible?"
"Yes, I am."
"Sorry about that, the boss has requested you to meet him at the gates," he bowed. "He had sent transportation to pick you up."
Kim nodded just a bright red car pulled up, it was a sporty rocket car that appeared to have cost a pretty penny. The door open to reveal a man in the driver seat dressed as an astronaut, she could not tell if he was looking directly at her or staring straight ahead. His door opened and he climbed out, in the process of walking over to the redheaded hero he had stopped a young man with short, curly orangey blonde hair and bright violet eyes. "Hey, Hirotaka, isn't it?"
"Yeah," the young man, Hirotaka, said timidly.
"Here," the spaceman pulled out the young man's hand and placed something in it. Stepping back he waved at the car, "it's yours." The young man blinked in disbelief as he looked over the rocket car, along the way he was making noises and squeaking out what sounded like words. "Hey, hey. Because, man, you don't want to scare away Lady luck."
"Thank!" he shouted before climbing into the driver's seat, the doors closed as the engine warmed up. Kim and the spaceman saw nothing but taillights and heard the excited yelp of a young man doing at least Mach one. The man lifted his helmet.
"How long do you think he will last, or will he make it to the finish line," he turn to Kim with a smile. "I could not wait to meet ya, Kimberly."
"Tomoe?"
"Hey, how ya' doin'?" he set down the helmet. "Thanks for coming, I was not expecting ya' to show and all. But you did, so then it must be very important."
"You could have just contacted me instead of broadcasting yourself you know," Kim was a bit testy with this man. He challenges him to find him, runs her on a goose chase and acts like he is all "buddy-buddy" with her. "What is this all about?"
"Faith, man. It's all about faith."
Kim looked at him oddly, "what does that mean?"
"I was scared, scared because this illusion we live in. We are not safe, we're never safe since those damn laws showed up, man. The laws of the moon goddess, they are vicious."
Laws of the moon goddess, she saw there a fear in the man's eyes. He was being serious, which made her more nervous. "Laws?"
"The Artemis Canon, they are real pieces of work. If you don't agree with the ideal then you ever are forcefully converted or killed," he shivered as he shook his head. "They seem like a minor threat now, but just wait. They'll grow, and destroy the world."
"Where do I fact into this?"
"Simple, you killed them at the Harman Complex. You have a power no other possess yet, you can stop them before they spread. But if they do, promise me, Kimberly Ann Possible." reaching out and taking her hand and collapsing the other on it only impacted his words, "take them out. I had lost one daughter, and I only got two kids now. I don't need them hurt."
Kim swallowed hard, "I promise."
"Thanks, why don't you go home. I left some money with someone at the airport for your trouble," Kim nodded as she turned away. "And one last thing, what happen to the lovely accent you had a moment ago?"
Kim looked at him, "I don't know."
He was back into his office, holding up a needle filled with a clear pink liquid. It was a "fuck you" to GJ when they come for him, he knew they are near. That is why he called out Kim and gave Hirotaka the car. He was standing out on the balcony watching large cargo planes fly over head. They were parachuting out, preparing to capture him. Quickly injecting himself Tomoe laughed, he had not laughed in so long it kind of felt good. His eyes rolled up into his head as he fell back onto the floor, motionless.
Several miles out of the city limits, a red rocket car was slicing through the desert as if it was water. The car slowed down, coming to a stop as the driver stepped out. Tomoe was standing only an inch away from the bumper. "Hey there, I came to talk to you."
"Sire?" Hirotaka was stunned, how had his father come out here?
"I am sorry to say, I've died but don't worry. I am old, and I had lived out my life expectancy. Whatever I am going to hell or heaven is not a problem, I just want to leave you something." he smiled while waving his arms towards the desert. "Remember, what I always said. Never give up, always walk tall and, what do I always say?"
Hirotaka climbed back into the car, his father was gone but it did not stop him from turning the car back on. "Always take big risk." He spun off into the sunset.