Chapter 8: The Less Traveled Path

There was a time when the only things Monique had in common with Bonnie Rockwaller were an undeniable flare for fashion and a love for all things Club Banana. They had never really gotten along so much as coexisted with as few words as possible exchanged, and that was mostly Bonnie's choice.

At least, it had been, until Bonnie had suddenly switched sides and become one of Kim Possible's most constant companions. This was perhaps the best choice of phrase, because it would've been a bit of a stretch to call them friends, exactly. Bonnie was known far and wide for her sharp tongue, and regular exposure to Kim hadn't dulled it in the least. However, Bonnie at least made an effort to be civil in Kim's presence, and even if that only meant being mildly sarcastic and irritating as opposed to being greatly so, everyone in Kim's circle found it to be a vast improvement.

The fact remained that Bonnie was still very much the same person she'd always been, and so Monique found it hard to let her guard down completely around Bonnie. For Kim's sake, though, they both gave off the general appearance of being largely comfortable with each other.

All of which meant that when Bonnie's 21st birthday rolled around, Monique was one of a small group of close friends invited to drag Bonnie (complaining all the way) to Bueno Nacho, where a Mijo Meal and a "cake" composed largely of beef, salsa, and six kinds of cheese awaited her. Bonnie had made a vow that she would never set foot in the place again, ever since Ron had squirted Diablo sauce on her favorite blue skirt by accident, but Kim had talked her into birthdays and lesser holidays.

After Monique and Ron competed in a burrito-eating contest to Bonnie's horror and everyone else's amusement, the presents were given. Monique had no visible gift, since she and Bonnie had fallen into a routine of arranging shopping sprees the day before their respective birthdays. Somehow, it was easier to stand each other when no one else was watching. Personally, Monique thought Bonnie was very restrained when she discovered that Ron had given her a pink t-shirt that proclaimed in silver glitter, "Lesbians R Hot." Tara, however, promised Ron that one of them would wear it the next time they made love. The look on Ron's face was revenge enough for Bonnie.

Tara and Bonnie had never really gone public with their relationship, but it was generally obvious to anyone who watched them for more than ten minutes that they were in love. Tara was the only one that could soothe Bonnie when she was really angry, though Kim had been known to argue with Bonnie for so long on occasion that they wore each other out. Tara was also openly affectionate, where Bonnie simply seemed to tolerate it, but then she rarely held her tongue if she didn't like something. Bonnie's rare acts of kindness were almost always directed at Tara, although these began to include Kim over time.

Even though Monique had once had her doubts about Bonnie's intentions, she was finally getting used to the idea that Kim and Bonnie had moved beyond any serious issues they'd had in the past. Bonnie had gotten over the passing of her aunt, and no longer blamed Kim for her involvement.

Of course, Monique had no idea that in a sense, Bonnie's aunt was far from dead.

"I don't see why I have to wait outside," Kim complained.

"I do, too," Tara pointed out. "And I'm the girlfriend. Just wait."

Kim started to say something, but fell silent as a neon green light flashed underneath the door and faded quickly. "What was that?"

"The reason we had to wait outside," Tara replied, opening the door after a moment's hesitation.

Kim wasn't sure what to expect as she followed Tara into Bonnie's bedroom. She certainly didn't expect to see Bonita staring at her with a welcoming smile. But it only took Kim a few seconds to realize she was looking at some sort of hologram. It didn't escape her notice that Bonita was preserved in the familiar green and black uniform, either.

"Hello again, Kim. That you're here must mean that Bonnie isn't as stubborn as I was at that age."

"She's definitely improved, if not new," Kim agreed. "So...is there a reason you three decided to let me in on this little secret?"

Bonita nodded. "Of course. You need to be here when I give Bonnie her birthday present. It concerns you, and both your immediate futures as well."

"I don't know if I like the sound of that," Kim murmured.

"You're wise to be wary. It's not all good news, and you definitely won't care for part of it."

A small compartment extended from the platform beneath Bonita's feet.

"Bonnie, pick up the remote and point it at any wall. Oh, and you might want to back up a bit first."

Bonnie bent down and removed a small, black remote from the compartment. There was only one button on it, so she aimed the remote at the far wall and clicked.

Kim's eyes widened as a bright blue tunnel popped into existence right in front of them. "Hey, isn't that-"

"Yes, Kim. It's a dimensional doorway. Or, as we've started calling them in my time, a Flanhole. At least, that's what we call the ones specifically invented by-"

"Justine Flanner," Kim supplied with a smirk. "Bet she got rich off of those things."

"No, but she should've. She refused to sell her ideas to Shego, and was promptly jailed for it. Of course, she escaped through a Flanhole, and hasn't been seen since. Flanholes have been illegal ever since."

"But you have one," Kim couldn't help but point out.

Bonita smiled. "Well, technically, they're not illegal at this point in time. I was a fan, and Justine learned to appreciate her fans. The ones who didn't try to get her arrested, anyway." She flicked her gaze over to the portal. "Oh, here they come now. Stand back, everyone."

"They?" Bonnie asked. "Who is-"

Bonnie's question was interrupted by the arrival of two panting versions of herself, clad in Kim's usual mission clothes and matching black collars. At once, the two Bonnies fell to all fours, their unusually long tongues wagging as they scanned the room. The instant they spotted Bonnie, their faces lit up and they began barking excitedly.

Bonnie let out a little shriek and scrambled onto the bed, only to have the two canine-like Bonnies follow her, where they eagerly began to lick her face.

Kim was so startled by the sight that she almost didn't notice the portal's next two arrivals. Like the first two, they looked almost exactly like Bonnie dressed in Kim's mission clothes. These latter two, however, walked a bit stiffly and were both wearing bright red running shoes. Both pursed their lips, as if whistling, but produced no sound that Kim could hear. Despite that, the two canine Bonnies instantly backed off and crouched on the floor, staring straight ahead.

"Okay, I think an explanation is in order," Kim said after a moment, making a face as Bonnie sat up with drool running down her cheeks.

"Not before I get a towel," Bonnie muttered.

The words were barely out of her mouth when one of the stiff Bonnies vanished, and almost instantly reappeared, holding out a towel. "Your towel, Bonnie Prime," she said in a robotic tone.

Still very unnerved, Bonnie made no move to take the towel, so Tara accepted it for her and began to dab at Bonnie's cheeks.

"Aren't they adorable?" Bonita asked, beaming.

"That's not the word I was thinking of," Kim murmured. "Um...I know the answer should be obvious, but...who are they?"

The two standing Bonnies saluted at once. "Bonnie Squad 52-D reporting for duty, Kim Prime!"

"Why do they keep adding 'Prime' to the end of everything they say?" Tara asked.

Bonita shook her head. "Not everything. It's just how they address the original Bonnie...and Kim. EVERY original Bonnie and Kim."

Kim frowned. "Original?"

"Virtually every Bonnie and Kim born through natural means before their production date is a Prime to them."

"But...shouldn't it just be us?"

Bonita chuckled. "It would be...if this were the only time they'd traveled to."

"Then where do they come from?" Bonnie asked.

"I don't exactly know," Bonita admitted.

"I do," Kim answered, staring at the crouching Bonnies. "Those two are definitely clones. Drakken's clones. A little soda, and they-"

"That won't work," Bonita interrupted. "Not anymore. And trust me, you'll want them around later on. Anyway, the other two are robots."

Tara looked confused. "How do you know that if you don't know where they came from?"

Bonita smiled patiently. "If you want a location or time, I don't know. I suspect they came from wherever Justine Flanner escaped to. At the time, she had a partner: Dr. Vivian Porter, who designed the androids. Somehow they manipulated Flanholes to stretch across time, not just dimensions. But if you're really curious, just ask them. They can speak for themselves. Well, two of them can."

Kim pointed to the standing Bonnie that had retrieved the towel. "You. Where do you come from?"

"This squad was deployed from BS Homebase approximately three years ago, Kim Prime," the android replied. "However, current location of Homebase is unknown."

"So even they don't know?" Kim asked, sounding suspicious.

"You have to remember, Kim, Flanner's technology was illegal and in high demand," Bonita reminded her. "It's very likely that she was prepared to move her entire operation at a moment's notice. If she couldn't, the only way to keep her troops from revealing the location was to keep them from knowing where it was themselves."

"If they're Justine's troops, then why do they all look like Bonnie?"

"You were partially right when you guessed they were Drakken's clones. In fact, I was the one who recovered the two surviving clones that spawned the rest. One was a Bonnie, the other was a Kim. They had to be improved, and luckily enough, I had some canine DNA borrowed from DNAmy. The androids had to look just like the clones, because they'll only obey people who look like their namesakes."

"Wait. You mean there's a bunch of drooling clones of me running around out there, too?" Kim demanded.

Bonita shrugged. "They can't help the drooling, it's the dog DNA. But probably, I haven't actually seen any."

One of the Bonnie androids snapped to attention. "This squad was last in contact with KP Corps 15-A only ten hours ago."

Kim suddenly seemed very tired. "So why aren't they here, too?"

The android paused and traded a glance with its twin. "We go only where we are summoned, Kim Prime. Their orders must have differed from ours."

"Um...not that I'm not...thrilled about all this," Bonnie said slowly, "but...why are they here?"

"Protection," Bonita replied. "It's going to get very dangerous very soon, and you'll need the help. The androids can move faster than you can blink, and the others make good guard dogs."

Instinctively, Bonnie almost found herself protesting that statement. But then she turned her head and found both canine Bonnies rolling on the floor with their tongues hanging out as Tara rubbed their bellies.

"Are you implying that I can't protect my friends?" Kim asked abruptly.

Bonnie's head whipped around, her eyes widening as she took in the scowl on Kim's face. She wasn't sure what surprised her more: that Kim wanted to protect her, or that she'd finally acknowledged Bonnie as a friend. Before, Kim had always introduced Bonnie as a "classmate" or "friend of the family" (which basically only meant the Doctors Possible liked her).

Bonita seemed pleased with the new distinction as well. "No, Kim. I'm saying you're not ready to deal with what's coming...yet. But you will be, in time...that is, you will if you take my advice."

"I'm listening," Kim said, but she still looked a bit insulted, as if Bonita had just called her inadequate.

"Sometime next month, you're going to start hearing big things about a healthy snack company called Banana-Fanna Foods."

It took a moment, but Kim's mind clicked. "NO!"

"Afraid so," Bonita chuckled. "And no, you can't do anything about it, since it's totally legit for the moment. I've got a list of companies that are going to be doing very, very well, only to suddenly shut down for no apparent reason. This will go on for a couple of years, until-"

"Shego gets rich," Kim supplied angrily.

"In a manner of speaking, yes. The next time you actually see her, she's going to be much, much stronger, in every sense of the word. Too strong for you to handle, in fact. For anyone to handle, really. Which is why I want all of you to go to the moon."

"What?" Kim asked blankly.

"It's the one place Shego won't bother to take over. You'll be safe, and you'll have more time to get ready."

"To do what?" Bonnie asked.

"To beat Shego, of course. It's not a vacation, it's a sanctuary where you can get stronger. Both of you."

"I don't fight," Bonnie said at once.

"Tell them that," Bonita replied smugly, nodding at the androids.

"Well then, let THEM fight!" Bonnie snapped.

"They will, when YOU lead them into battle."

"I am NOT-"

Bonita ignored her. "Kim, you'll want to start dropping hints. Tell your father you've been wondering what it would be like to live on the moon."

Kim blinked. "Why?"

"He's your ticket. Did you forget what his job is?"

"Of course not. Dad's a little absentminded from time to time, but don't you think he's going to be suspicious if I suddenly express interest in living on the moon?"

"No, actually," Bonita answered. "He's wondered the same thing himself. At the moment, he just doesn't think enough people would be interested. But once Shego starts conquering, and he has his family's safety to consider, all he'll need is that little extra push to get the ball rolling. Trust me, you don't want anyone you care about to be here when Shego comes to town, unless they're specifically intending to oppose her in some way, and also capable of doing it. Your brothers and Wade, for example."

Kim shook her head. "This is all just a little too nuts for me."

"She knows what she's talking about, Kim," Tara said softly. "She knew what would happen to Josh."

Some of the color seemed to drain out of Kim's face. "What?"

"I told you she was from the future," Bonnie reminded her.

Bonita shook her head. "What more proof do you need, Kim? The hyper-evolved Bonnie clones? The androids? The unknown content of Bonnie's blood? Or do you actually intend to sit here and wait on Shego to blast in your front door?"

"It'd make all this a lot more believable, at least," Kim muttered.

Bonita sighed. "Girls, leave the room, please. I need some time alone with Kim."

Kim stiffened at once. "Why? So you can brainwash me somehow?"

Bonita rolled her eyes. "I'm just memories in a box, Kim. The worst I could do is tell you something you didn't want to hear, and I've already done that."

"We'll just be downstairs," Tara said. "Bonnie?"

"Um, right." Bonnie hesitated at the door. "Uh...follow me?"

The canine Bonnies instantly bounded after her, followed by the androids and Tara, who closed the door behind her.

"Trying to convince people I'm right is always hard, you know," Bonita explained. "And for the sake of the time stream, I can only give away so much without completely unraveling their lives in front of them. But I know you, Kim, and I know you're stubborn enough to actually stay here, and if you do, it'll be way too late to stop Shego. So I'm going to tell you something I've never told Bonnie or Tara, and I hope I can trust you not to tell them, either. It would only scare and worry them, and I don't want that."

"So you're going to try to scare and worry me?" Kim asked.

"No. I'm going to tell you exactly why the moon is the only way you'll ever beat the Shego that's going to come after you. But you need to understand that I wouldn't be here, in this time, without her resources. As much as I owe her, I know having her rule the world isn't the best possible outcome for all of you, Bonnie in particular."

Kim frowned. "Okay, so let's hear it. What do you think could possibly make me change my mind about all this?"

"Think about the Shego that you know, Kim. Is she smart? Determined? Greedy? Manipulative?"

"Of course."

"Knowing all of that, do you really think she'd be satisfied working for Drakken forever? That she wouldn't turn on him, if the right opportunity presented itself? That she wouldn't only be concerned about her needs and wants above anyone else's?"

"I already know that. What's your point?"

"How do you think Shego is going to know what companies to start, when to buy and when to sell, when to get out before the market goes down for good? How do you think she's going to know exactly what moves to make, in order to gain as much power as she can?"

"Like you said, she's smart."

Bonita sighed. "Kim, being smart is one thing. What you're suggesting is bordering on psychic. Shego is one day going to have the means to freely enter the time stream, and emerge at whatever point she chooses. If she really wanted to, she could appear here right now, and take you out without breaking a sweat. But there's part of her that wants you to try and stop her, so she won't. That doesn't mean she's going to play by the rules the whole way through. Think about what I just told you. Who would want Shego to rule the world? Who would be willing to do for her what I've done for Bonnie?"

Kim stared at her for a few seconds, and then her eyes widened. "You can't mean..."

Bonita nodded. "I do."

"But...the only person who would ever help Shego that much is..."

"Is Shego herself. Bonnie isn't the only one with an Auntie, Kim. The only difference is that Shego's future self is teaching her how to take over the world. I'm trying to show you and Bonnie how to save it."

"But if Shego would do that, then why wouldn't I? Why isn't there some future version of me warning us instead?"

"From what I've seen, you're usually not around when Shego takes over. Which means that either she did something to temporarily take you out of the picture, or..."

"I took your advice after all?"

"See how nice that works out?" Bonita asked.

"What if YOU'RE how she takes me out of the picture?"

Bonita laughed. "If you really think I'm not trying to help you, ask your mother to take a look at your own blood content sometime. And then have her compare it to Bonnie's."

"This is really, really weird," Bonnie muttered for the third time.

"Well, I think they're cute," Tara replied firmly.

"Of course you do. If you didn't, it'd be like taking a shot at me."

"Bonnie, just because they look a little like you doesn't mean I can't tell the difference. I mean, I'm never going to mistake one of them for you. They don't like walking upright, they're always panting, and they're always going to have dog breath. That's hardly the way I think of you."

"Well, SOMEONE thought of me that way. Why else would they be called Bonnie Rottweilers?"

"It's a good name. What else would you call them, St. Bonnies?"

"This isn't something I want to discuss, Tara."

Sighing, Tara took Bonnie's hands in her own. "You really have to stop this, Bonnie. They're here to help, so let them do their job. The only possible impact they could have on my perception of you is that I get to see more of you everyday, and that's hardly a bad thing."

"But-"

"Hey." Tara drew Bonnie closer and kissed her nose. "I love you. I'm supposed to see you everywhere I look, aren't I?"

"Stop that," Bonnie muttered. "You can't smooch me out of this."

"It's either you or one of the Bonnie bots," Tara reasoned. "And I prefer the real thing myself, even if they're both a little stiff at times."

"I am NOT-"

"Prove it," Tara said, nuzzling Bonnie's neck. "Stop thinking about our nice new dogs and androids, and start telling me how glad you are that their being here means we get to be together a whole lot longer. And on the moon, no less. Tell me you're excited that Auntie's made sure we have a future together." She pulled back a bit and brushed her lips lightly over Bonnie's. "Tell me I still make you happy."

"You know you do," Bonnie murmured, hugging her tightly. "And you know how I feel about...saying things like that."

"No one's going to hear but me, and I need to hear it." Tara grinned a bit. "Besides, I won't tell anyone."

Bonnie closed her eyes. "Tara, Auntie didn't see a future for us. She lost her Tara, remember? That's what worries me. There's no way she could prepare for you to be in my life this long. I could lose you, and she'd never be able to tell me when or how to stop it."

"Why would you be afraid of losing me?" Tara asked.

"Because...I love you, Tara. I can't lose you again. It would hurt too much."

"Well, here's a crazy idea." Tara cupped Bonnie's face in her hands. "Show me and tell me that you love me while you still have me. I don't have any plans to leave you, and so long as you don't give me a reason to, I'll never do it voluntarily. But if you want to keep me here, you have to work at it, too, Bonnie. I know you love me, but I still like to hear you say it every now and then. Because I know you don't like saying it, and the fact that you would, for me, means so much to me. It's things like that that make me want to stay with you. That, and the cute little way you grunt in your sleep."

Bonnie scowled at her.

Tara smiled. "What? I said it was cute."

Next Chapter: Lunar Reflections

Bonnie's thoughts on her temporary new home.