Chapter Two: Shadow of the Past

The school bell rings, Kim and Ron walk along uneasily. Both haven't been acting like their usual selves—which is abundantly clear to both of them. Silence is their conversation topic. This goes on for almost a whole minute when Ron can't take it anymore. He stops dead in his tracks, "Kim, we need to talk." Kim halts.

"Kim, you've been acting weird all day. I mean with that Barkin note business, then with Bonnie, and when you were talking with Monique in the library—"

"Wait a minute, you were spying on me?" Kim asks, a little tweaked.

"What? No! No… I just went looking for you and I heard you and Monique talking…about me… and I was just… really interested in the conversation! And… and I didn't want you to know that I was listening." Ron spurts sheepishly.

"Ron, that is so spying." Kim appears to be officially tweaked.

"All right all right! You got me! I was spying, I'm sorry… but you're still hiding something."

"I'm not hiding anything Ron." Kim retorts, hardly convincing.

"Kim, do you remember last Halloween with the whole I-can't-lie-to-save-my-social-life? Lying isn't one of your strong points."

Kim now tweaked and more than a little steamed, "I'm not hiding anything Ron Stoppable!" Her aggression on the point could have been an indication that Ron was way off base, but Ron knew her better. He looked at her with a sad seriousness.

"I don't believe you." He says quietly.

Ron's words cut Kim; her face melts from angry to hurt. Ron could swear there was a faint smile as she bowed her head down. "Ron… looks let's just go to Bueno Nacho and celebrate like we were—"

"We've got a mission in New York, and I'm not hungry." She was trying to change the subject, now it's for sure she's not telling him something.

"How did you know—oh, right. The library."

Ron folds his arms and turns away.

"Ron. Please don't, I'm sorry I-AHAHAH!"

Ron spins around to catch the last bit of red mane falling through a quickly closing transport tube trapdoor. Ron rushes forward, but the hole closes right before him. He looks down at Rufus, "I hate when this happens. And where do these keep coming from?"

….

Once again, Kim lands in a less than graceful heap on the floor, of Global Justice Networks (not-quite-so-secret) underground HQ.

"Kim Possible, nice of you to drop in."

Kim rises and composes herself, "You just love that joke. Why can't you send a video-mail just like everyone else?"

GJN head Doctor Director smiles, "There was a surplus of transport tubing, and e-mails just aren't as fun. Follow me."

Inside the GJN briefing room, a very new looking holographic projector hums to life on the conference table, showing the Watts Industries crime scene.

"New gear? Spanking." Kim comments.

Doctor Director smiles, "just installed this week." Then she returns to business. "As you been informed, there was a break-in at Watts Industries last night, between twelve and one a.m."

"How'd you know I got an e-mail?" Kim inquires.

"Because I told Doctor Essence to send it. Watts Industries is GJN territory Kim, it's our case. Now the thief was quite versed in infiltration, a broken skylight and alarm disabled on the roof. She always did have a small flair for the dramatic though…"

"She?"

A monitor pipes in a security cam feed, showing the doorway to Dr. Essence's lab. Suddenly, the camera is taken out by a gloved hand, with a glowing energy aura around it.

"Shego," Kim's eyes narrow. "What was stolen?"

"That's classified." Doctor Director answers curtly.

"So I'm supposed to find it how?"

"You're not."

"I'm not?"

Doctor Director closed out the crime scene scenario. " I don't want you to follow up on the robbery Kim. I brought you down here for something far more important."

"What could possibly be more important than stopping Dr. Drakken from using the what-ever-it-is to take over the world?"

"Our Intel believes Drakken wasn't involved with the theft, Kim. There are just some irregularities that don't add up."

"Such as?"

"Normally Drakken would be present at the robbery when stealing tech of this kind and he wasn't. Shego also acted in a more… aggressive behavior than is her usual MO."

"Aggressive behavior? She can throw glowing green energy from her hands!"

"She also knocked one of our top agents out a fourth story window. Intel thinks, and so do I, that she's lent herself out to an unknown party."

"Who?" Kim asks.

"That is precisely why I don't want you investigating the robbery right now. I need you to do me a personal favor."

"What could possibly be so important?"

Doctor Director cues up another file. Instantly the holographic imager displays a young man. He looks like a regular GJN agent, but the colors of his uniform are wrong. They're black and grey instead of blue and red. He had brown hair and Kim thinks for a moment that he resembles agent Will Du, until she looks at his eyes. They were dark brown and…dangerous. This was no Will Du.

"This is former GJN agent Ben Dun. He is…was GJN's top field operative. He is also your target."

"Target?"

"Contact," the Director quickly replies as she slides a sealed envelope across the table. "Ben Dun has intimate knowledge of the device that was stolen and I need you to deliver this file to him and convince him to meet with GJN."

"You want me to play delivery girl? That's the big favor?" Kim asks, thoroughly unconvinced.

Doctor Director sighs a little, "Ben Dun…left GJN under strained conditions. He won't speak to a GJN agent."

"So you need a mediator."

"Exactly. Kim Possible, you are the only person I can trust outside of GJN with this assignment. Convincing Ben Dun to come in is of the utmost importance to global security. Will you do this, Kim, as a personal favor for me?"

"Having the head of GJN owing me one? How can I refuse?" Kim smiles.

Doctor Director nods, turning back to the monitors and holo-projector. "There are a few things you should know. Ex-agent Dun, codename: Shadow Run is slightly paranoid. He has relocated 68 times in the past three years. One week in London, the next in Sydney, two weeks in Tokyo… his current location seems to be Denver, Colorado. He's been staying there nearly two months and most likely planning on disappearing again. This is your only window of opportunity."

"No big."

"Secondly, Dun won't be likely to talk. He'll run if he feels threatened. It is imperative that you keep him from doing so."

"So no pressure…"

"We'll give your friend Wade a download of all the relevant files, a GJN jet will be rendezvous with you in two hours. Good luck Kim."

With that, Kim gasps as her chair quickly reclines, dumping her into a waiting transport tube, leaving the Director alone as a shadowy figure wheels into the briefing room.

"Are you sure it was wise to include Ms. Possible in this business?"

"She'll do exactly what we need her to do," Doctor Director answers.

"And that nonsense about 'owing her one?' "

"She'll use that favor by the time this fiasco is over. The world will be saved, and everything gets back to normal."

"Rather manipulative don't you think?"

"And just what kind of a dream-world have you been living in?" The Director snaps, "this is the way the real game is played."

Back at the Possible house kitchen table, Kim and Ron are pouring over the "relevant" files Wade had sent over. Kim leans out behind her pile, "Ron, about what I said before…"

Ron tilts his head around his pile, smiling, "Oh no big Kim, I know you're stressing. Your mom told me all about it."

"She did?"

Doctor Possible walks through the kitchen as if on cue, "Of course I did Kimmy. You really should have told Ron that some of your cousins are coming into town. Honestly Kim, you really should have confided in Ron."

Kim stares at her mother open-mouthed. "I…I…I'm so sorry…Ron."

"Hey no big, just let me in on the loop next time is all."

"Right, next time." She shares a small smile with her mother.

"You kids have fun now, and Kimmy? Don't worry both your father and I will be at the airport to pick up your cousins."

"Perfect. Thanks Mom."

"And don't stay out too late! It's still a school night."

"Later Mrs. P!" Ron waves as Mrs. Possible crosses for the door. He turns back to his tower of paper. "You know KP; this would be a whole lot more interesting if there weren't so many black lines across all the words…" Rufus nods in agreement then squeals as he's engulfed by an avalanche of office paper.

"I know," Kim says as she cradles her chin into her propped up hand. "Why would GJN bother giving us these files if they're all censored? They've always been so open with us before."

"A secret spy network keeping secrets? Who would've thought?"

Kim smirks, "okay, fair point. But still, why would they start now?"

"Whoa."

"What's up?" Kim looks up to see Ron staring and Rufus staring intently at a sheet of paper.

"I think it's Ben's transcripts…"

"You mean his training record?"

"Yeah, take a look…" Ron hands her the paper.

Kim scans the document, bearing GJN official seal and header. "Primary training: Infiltration. Secondary proficiency: CQC."

"CQC?"

"Close Quarters Combat."

Ron sighs, "another martial artist spy? Aren't Shego and Monkey Fist enough? Why don't we ever meet people trained in arts and crafts?"

"Oh it goes on."

"It does?"

"Well, it does and it doesn't."

"More black lines?"

"Oh yeah."

Ron takes back the paper, the page is nearly all blacked out. "You know, the lack of extra curricular activities is really going to hurt him when he's applying for spy colleges. This guy's bad road Kim, bad road."

"You may be right Ron; I can't help feeling this whole thing screams 'super-villain trap,' but who's the villain?"

Overhead, there is the sound of a GJN jet in VTOL.