(-V-)
"Barbara, honey?" Kim inside the home asked, staring into the other Kim's eyes.
"Yes, Mama?" a little redheaded girl asked as she bounced up to her mother's side.
"Has mommy been drinking tonight?" Kim asked staring at her other self with slowly glazing over eyes.
"No more than usual, Mama," the child answered happily.
"I assure you you're not ...drunk," the doppelganger Kim said slowly, her eyes moving back and forth between Kim and Barbara. Holding up her hands the double said, "I know this is going to be hard to believe, but I'm you, from another dimension."
"How do I know you're not clones?" Kim asked, narrowing her eyes. "I know Drakken and Shego are locked up, but I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't have some clones or synthodrones put back for a rainy day."
The other Kim seemed to relax a bit. "You have a Drakken too, huh? Makes sense, I guess. But no. I'm neither a clone, nor a synthodrone." She glanced briefly at her companion, who looked exactly like Ron. "Neither is Ron."
"You'll understand if I'm a bit skeptical," Kim demurred. With a casual looking movement she turned slightly and changed the position of her right hand. Like all detectives she was armed on duty and off, a 9mm automatic nestled in a holster under her left arm. Given cause, she could draw and be ready to fire in an instant.
"Can't we just go inside and talk this over like reasonable adults?" the outside Kim asked with a genuine looking smile. Kim hesitated. She was suspicious, but at the same time there was something about this other Kim that seemed trustworthy. Maybe it was because she wasn't acting like Drakken's other synthodrones (with the exception of Eric, of course), who had always attacked on sight.
"Not until you prove to me you're not synthodrones or clones," Kim repeated firmly. "I have a family, and I'm not going to put them at risk."
"We understand," the other Ron said. He scratched his chin and frowned with comically intense thoughtfulness, looking so much like the Ron Kim had missed for so long that she almost laughed out loud. He looked up at her with a disarming grin. "I don't know how we can give you the proof you want, Ms. Possible," he said.
"There's no way we can prove that we're not clones," the other Kim agreed, "but I think we can prove we're not Dr. Drakken's Synthodrones though. Ron?"
"Gotcha, KP," the other Ron said. He raised an arm. As he did so his sleeve slipped down, revealing a bracer of greenish...was that stone?...around his wrist and lower forearm. The green material seemed to liquefy and flow up over his hand, consolidating itself into a long, wicked looking dagger. Kim's eyes widened. That was the Lotus Blade! It had to be! But how...? The other Ron's hand moved, and he winced as he poked his finger. "See?" he asked holding up his finger. "Real human blood. No clone fluids, no Syntho-goo, and I ain't melting."
"I've got one more test… Barbara honey, come here a second," Kim said, looking into the house.
"Hmm, Mama?" the little girl bounced back.
"Do you have Rufus on you, sweetie?" Kim asked squatting down to one knee.
"Uhuh, Mama, here," the little redhead said as she pulled the drowsy mole rat from her pocket.
Kim took Rufus gently, then held him out toward her doppelganger. "Check her out for me, who you, Rufus?"
Rufus yawned and stretched and looked at the person Kim was asking him to examine. He sniffed her. His eyes flew wide open and he took a good look at the person in front of him. Then he turned and looked at the person holding him. Much head turning and sniffing followed, with both Kim's looking on, one puzzled, the other fascinated.
"Is she a synthodrone, Rufus?" Kim finally asked.
Rufus shook his head, "Nope! No syntho-yuckie!"
"Is she a clone?"
Again Rufus shook his head in denial. Then he cocked his head and looked between the two Kims. "Uh … KP and KP … freaky …"
Rufus froze when another scent hit his nose and gave the other Ron a look that could kill. "Traitor!" he screeched.
"Huh?" the other Ron blinked, then realized what Rufus was talking about. "Oh, you probably smell Dex!" the other Ron said, lifting a naked mole rat from his pocket. "See, in our world you're a pop, Rufus, and this is one of your kids."
"Hi!" Dexter waved happily, before Rufus jumped from Kim's hands to Ron's to check the intruder out.
"Pop!" Dexter greeted, but Rufus just jumped to Barbara's head.
"Ohhh headache …" Rufus groaned as he scurried down into Barbara's pocket.
"Alright," Kim relented. "If nothing else, that convinced me. Let's go inside."
James Possible looked up as his daughter walked into the living room, his granddaughter Barbara on her heels. He almost turned back to resume his conversation with Jim Gordon when he noticed the odd look on Kim's face. She had gone to answer the door, and James had heard her talking with someone, but the conversation had been muted and he hadn't made any of it out. Little Barbara wore her usual happy expression, and as soon as she was back in the living room she peeled away from her mother to rejoin Helena and Dinah in the game they had been playing. So what had gotten into Kim? She didn't look upset, exactly, but...
Footsteps sounded in the hall behind Kim, heralding the arrival of two guests.
James Possible's coffee cup slipped from suddenly numb fingers, its contents splashing on the carpet as his eyes took in the sight of an exact duplicate of Kim, with Ron Stoppable in tow.
The other two adults present, Kim's mother Anne, and her father-in-law Jim Gordon, joined James in regarding the new arrivals in stunned silence.
"Mom, Dad, Jim, we've got company." Kim said quietly. "Allow me to introduce Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable." Kim felt a highly inappropriate giggle flutter at the back of her throat. What she had just said was so absurd that she was a bit surprised she had been able to say it with a straight face.
Kim could almost see her parents and Jim trying to process what they had just heard, as well as what they were seeing.
At that moment Bonnie walked in from the kitchen. She let out a yelp of surprise and stared wide eyed at the scene before her.
"Care to explain what's going on, Kimmie?" James managed finally, his eyes never leaving the other Kim's face.
"Well," Kim said bemusedly, "If we go by what they say, they're Ron and my counterparts from another dimension."
Jim Gordon and Anne Possible shared a glance, while James looked frankly skeptical.
"I'm sure they can explain everything," Kim added. Her counterpart nodded.
"That may take a while," the doppelganger warned.
"In that case," Kim mused, "I'd better put Barbara to bed." She looked at her daughter andher friends, who were curiously watching the proceedings. Bonnie, who had been standing as if frozen in place, shook herself out of her stupor and took her cue from Kim, bustling Helena and Dinah out of the room over their protests.
"Um … your daughter can stay if she wants," the other Kim said in an odd tone of voice as she looked at the little girl.
"Can I, Mama? Can I?" Barbara chipped excitedly.
"No, you're going straight to bed, it's already past your bedtime," Kim said firmly, planting her fists on her hips.
"Aw …" Barbara pouted.
"No aw's or but's," Kim declared before glancing to her doppelganger and her Ron. "You may as well make yourselves comfortable, while I get her off to bed."
Kim carried her daughter up to her room, and placed her in bed. "Sorry, munchkin, no time for a story tonight, I'll tell you two tomorrow to make up for it, okay?"
"'K … Mommy?" Barbara asked, looking up at her mother who nodded for her to continue. "Is that really another you and Uncle Ron down there?"
"Yes, I … think it is, from another place." Kim smiled softly.
"Is there another me? And …" Barbara bit her lip as if searching for the right words. "Is that other me Uncle Ron's daughter?"
"I don't know on either count, sweetie," Kim said kissing her forehead.
"One more question… think that other Ron is a Batman too?" Barbara asked as her eyes started to get heavy.
"I don't know, sweetie, but I intend to find out," Kim answered, smiling when she realized her five year old was already conked out.
Before leaving her daughter's bedroom Kim pulled out her cell. "Hey, Wade, is Ron patrolling? Can you patch me through? Ok …" Kim waited. "Hey, Ron something's … going on here … No, keep patrolling, I got it under control, I don't think it's anything I can't take care of … No, if I need you I'll 'call' you… You wouldn't believe me if I told you over the phone, baby …" Kim blushed scarlet, "Wade! Felix, get off the damned line!" Kim shook her head and sighed. "I'll contact you one way or another when I know something else. Bye, Ron, be careful …" She flipped down the phone and gave Barbara one last look before walking out of the bedroom.
(S)
"…Lets not freak her out anymore then we have to, Ron," Kim said in a barely audible aside. Sitting in the same room with people who looked just like her parents was a little unnerving. That they felt the same way, if the expressions on their faces were any indication, didn't do much to alleviate the awkwardness. "We'll just stick with the Team Possible thing for now." Ron answered with a barely perceptible nod. The other Kim walked down the stairs into the living area.
"Oh, hey, um … soundproof bedroom for the daughter, nice touch," Kim offered, her cheekbones heating as she recognized just how lame the her words sounded.
"How'd you know?" the other Kim asked, cocking an eyebrow.
Kim realized her mistake immediately and floundered to cover it up.
"Oh … uh …um … well, Mom soundproofed my walls, and I figure she did the same for you and, um, you kept the tradition!"
"Right …" the Kim of this world took a seat, her eyes on Ron. She seemed to be checking him out. Kim wondered what to make of that. She seemed to have a Ron of her own, so what was the deal? Did they look different? Her thoughts were cut off by the other Kim speaking.
"Anything to drink? Beer, soda, Cocomoo?"
"I don't drink hard drinks," Kim declined politely. "Diet cola for me, if you have it, and Ron's hooked on Cocomoo," she smiled, patting Ron's knee.
"So we're not exactly the same after all," the other Kim murmured, turning toward the kitchen.
"If you only knew …" Kim thought. "This was a bad idea Ron," she whispered, lacing her fingers with her fiancé's.
"You think you're nervous," Ron frowned, his own voice quiet. "It's like I'm not even here. No phone number. Not even a picture on this KP's walls."
"We'll ask," Kim resolved, "when the time is right."
"Cocomoo, diet cola, and one Bud Lite," this world's Kim replied as she set a tray on the coffee table in front of the couch. She took her beer and sat down on the couch. "You may not drink the hard stuff, but after this I have a feeling I'll be needing."
"Alright, start talking," the other Kim said, sitting back and drumming her fingers on the unopened beer can.
(-V-)
"Ok … I'll keep this as simple as I can," the doppelganger Kim said, leaning forward after taking a big swig from her soda. "Like I told Kim here," she began, gesturing at Kim, "We're from another dimension. Why are we here? A scientist in our world named Lex Luthor discovered the existence of parallel realities, and then the means to travel between them. This world is the first one he found, since it is, as he puts it, 'close' to our own. Unfortunately, a criminal from our world gained access to Dr. Luthor's device and used it to come to this world. His name is Francis Lehrman. He's a weapons designer, and we believe he brought both weapons and weapon designs with him. It's our belief that he's trying to make money by becoming a powerhouse in this world's underworld. He probably thinks because he's from another world he can pin everything on this world's version of him and then escape back to ours once he's gathered a fortune in blood money."
"Frugal Lucre!" Kim and Jim Gordon exclaimed as one.
"I'm sorry, who?" the other Kim asked, a puzzled look on her face.
"Frugal Lucre," Kim repeated, a bit surprised at her counterpart's lack of recognition. "You know, Francis Lehrman, Smarty-Mart clerk and computer wizard, tried to blackmail the world with an internet virus?"
The other Kim and Ron shared a blank look, then shrugged as one. "Never heard of him," the other Ron confessed.
"I took him down when I was sixteen," Kim related. "I guess your Francis Lehrman turned out differently. Anyway, my...our Francis Lehrman is still locked up for his little escapade. But lately someone using the same name has been selling advanced weapons here in Triton. We couldn't figure it out at first. We were leaning toward someone using the Frugal Lucre name to hide his real identity, but..." Kim's voice trailed off as she processed the idea.
"It makes so much sense now," she muttered. "It's freaky … but it makes sense."
"That's why we looked you up," the other world's Kim spoke up. "We thought we could team up with this world's Team Possible and take him down!"
"…"
(S)
"Um … what's wrong?" Ron asked. Even though the woman opposite him wasn't 'His KP' his Kim-sense went on high alert.
"I don't do the Team Possible hero thing anymore …" the other Kim said, popping open her beer and taking a big swig.
"Why not?" Kim asked in shock, unable to fathom any thing that could stop her from being a world level hero.
"Getting drugged and raped by a gang of thugs will have that effect on you," the other Kim said, taking another big gulp of beer.
"R-Ron," Kim breathed, squeezing Ron's hand so tightly he squeaked from the pain of it. The armrest of the couch wasn't so lucky, splintering beneath her fingers. Somehow, fortunately, none of the others paid any attention. In a way it was understandable, if the looks on the faces of the other Kim's parents were any indication. "Where was Ron … your Ron … when this happened?" Kim demanded.
"In Japan … or on the way to Japan …" Kim glanced away from them. "Depends really … not sure if I can trust Yori's words or not …" she said, spitting out the name.
"Let's … how about let's start at the beginning?" Ron gulped loudly, while making a mental note not to mention his own Yori.
"Fair enough …" the police detective nodded, "It all started with the night after graduation. That's when our world kind of got flipped upside down …" Detective Kim smiled sadly. "Ron's parents took him to see a movie to celebrate. He invited me, since we had been going steady since Junior Prom, but I was going out with my own family. To this day I wish I had ditched my fam and went with him … maybe I could have stopped it … coulda woulda shoulda …"
"Go on," Kim pressed, trying to ignore the cold tendril of dread flickering in her stomach.
"They came out of the theater, Ron being as goofy about as ever, he had a right… Nakashima had agreed to let him be the American rep for the Bueno Nacho Corporation after he graduated. Can't forget the Naco Royalties … Ron didn't even really have to go to college or work, he was rich and so very happy …" she continued, taking a break to breathe out a shaking breath. "Then … a gang approached Ron and his family at their car. They wanted it … crime and car robbery had been going up steadily at the time and … well … Mr. Stoppable was willing to give it to him … no fight … his family was more important then a stupid car … but Ron was a hero … which was my fault."
Kim and Ron nodded silently.
"Anyway, Ron tried to fight them off, like we did together so many times… but while he was fighting one of them pulled a gun on his parents… The gang didn't get the car, and most of them got away while Ron held his dieing parents in his arms."
Kim covered her mouth with her free hand while clinging to Ron's hand for dear life.
"It really messed Ron up," the other Kim went on. "He moved in with us, and I tried to comfort him as best I could. But he was so angry and hurt … I didn't really know what to do. Then when his parents' killer got off with a slap on the wrist … that was the breaking point for him. So many emotions rocked Ron that he hardly knew which way to go. I forgot about inhibitions the night after the trial … I went all out to comfort and love him … mind, body and soul …"
"I don't blame him for what happened next, I've heard his side of the story and I can understand why he did what he did …" the detective nodded firmly toward the wide brown eyes staring back at her. "He left the night we made love … and his parents' killer was found dead the next morning with a bullet from my father's gun. I'm still not sure if Ron did it or someone else … don't know if I'll ever know … but Ron … he traveled the world after that … searching for his center again."
"After that … well life goes on, I got in over my head and was… attacked by a gang working for Rupert Thorne, and was sent to live with Nana in Florida while I recovered," Kim continued hastily. "I came back a year … almost two years later and entered the police force. I still wanted to do good but … this isn't a world of heroes anymore … or at least it wasn't then…" she said with a strange smile.
"Anyway, while on the police force I met a nice guy, fell in love with him, got married and we had a beautiful baby girl whom you met." She nodded toward the second floor bedroom.
"What happened to your husband?" Kim asked more out of curiosity then anything.
"Shawn was a good cop, but was in the wrong place at the wrong time and was killed in the line of duty … around three years ago," Kim took another swig of beer, "Been me, Barbara and Rufus ever since, at least till Ron came home."
Ron narrowed his eyes, reading the confused emotions behind the words, but nodded with his fiancé.
"Ron was gone for seven years, no words, heck, I think Wade had him declared dead … then he showed up, his naco royalties had compounded to the point he was just under Oprah and Bill Gates in being rich. He knew he made a mistake in leaving; believe me I made SURE he knew that, but he's been doing his best since he came back to make up for his mistakes. Almost a bit too much … He bought out Thorne's company, renamed it after my family and named Daddy the CEO. Helped me get back on my feet financially, Barbara never wants for anything anymore … and he's … he … he does a lot of good for the town," the other Kim finished awkwardly. "I've decided to give him another chance, and so far he's been doing well with it… for a moody jerk."
"Dang …" Ron sat back rubbing his face.
"This world is a lot different then ours, more so than we thought," Kim breathed staring at her soda.
"I'm glad you two have had better lives then we've had," Kim said softly, even as she reached down to stop the recorder in her pocket. She turned to her father-in-law.
"What do you think, Jim? Do we help them out?"
Jim Gordon nodded slowly. "I think that might not be a bad idea, Kim," he said to her. Then to the other Kim and Ron: "The police will give you our full support with catching Lucre but … There is someone who can help you guys out … probably even better than us cops."
"Who?" the other Kim asked.
"I'll introduce you if you're up for a ride to Police HQ," Kim smiled slyly.
(-V-)
"So …" the other Ron said as Kim led him and his Kim to the roof of Police Headquarters. They had taken a back way to avoid being seen if at all possible. The other Kim had suggested that as long as Lehrman, or Lucre, or whatever they wanted to call him, didn't know that Team Possible was following him, they would have an advantage. It seemed reasonable to Kim, so she didn't argue. "This guy works on the roof. He like a sniper or something?"
"No, he never kills," Kim corrected, looking back at the two before walking toward a searchlight covered in a tarp. She pulled the tarp off the light and placed a key in the control board. "This is just how we call him."
"I hope you don't mind but I recorded our conversation, so you don't have to repeat it to him here," Kim added, listening as the light's circuits warmed up. "He's usually in a bit of a hurry," she said as the light came on, projecting the bat-signal high onto the overhanging clouds.
"Batman?" the other Kim asked blinking in surprise. "He helps the police?"
"You've heard of him?" Kim asked, surprised.
"Sort of," the other Kim allowed. "We know he exists, from some newspaper headlines Dr. Luthor saw, but that's about it. Although we were going to try and make contact with him if we couldn't find you."
"I see," Kim nodded. "In answer to the second half of your question, yes, on occasion he does help us." Kim paused. "He … does a lot of good for the town," she added with a strange little smile.
The minutes ticked by, five becoming ten and nearing fifteen. The other Kim shifted as if she was about to speak, when...
"You called, Detective," a gruff voice spoke from the shadows, directly behind the three, making the two members of Team Possible jump slightly. They all turned to see a man with a pointy eared cowl-mask stepping out of the shadows with his jagged bat-wing like cape wrapped around his body. He gave no sign that he even noticed that the other Kim and Ron were present, besides perhaps a quick, barely noticeable widening of his eyes.
(-V-)
"Mr. Stoppable," the Bat's growling voice spoke for Ron, masking his surprise and confusion as he stared at his own doppelganger. "And Detective, I didn't know you had a twin sister."
Kim snorted in reply before approaching the Dark Knight. "I found out why Lucre can be in the State Pen and controlling the crime here at the same time," she said drawing his curious yet brooding face to her. "I know it'll sound strange but I've dealt with weirder things in my teen years, and I know you seen weird stuff too … but in a nut shell, he's not from this world. And this Team Possible has come from their world to bring him back and to justice."
"Oh, really?" Batman challenged. He glanced at the Kim of his world before returning his gaze to the others.
"Really," the other Kim said flatly. She met his gaze with a cool, level stare of her own.
"I, uh, recorded the conversation I had where they gave the details on what he's doing here and how." Kim interjected, handing Batman her tape recorder.
The other Kim's lips quirked into a faintly amused expression. She certainly didn't seem surprised by the revelation, and Batman made a mental note of the fact.
"And in case that's not enough, 'Batman'," the other Kim said, "I have more data on him here, plus a description by Dr. Luthor about how his dimension bridge works." She produced a device that Batman recognized as a near duplicate of the Kimmunicators he and Kim had once carried, all those years ago. The other Kim touched a control and a tiny hatch popped open. She pulled out a memory stick and held it out. Batman reached out slowly and took the stick, tucking it into a pouch on his utility belt. The other Kim kept her eyes locked on him, and Batman found himself in the unusual position of feeling...exposed. It was almost as if the events of the last seven years hadn't happened, and he was back to being KP's sidekick. He gave himself a mental shake. Apparently this Kim had never had her spirit broken the way his had. She was still tough, strong, invincible...
He considered his own double. Just as with the other Kim, for all the similarities, there were slight, subtle differences. He was fit and lean, and moved with the silent grace of a ninja. He appeared to be totally relaxed, but his eyes never stopped moving, constantly scanning his surroundings. Batman felt a twinge of amusement. In that regard at least they were quite alike. The difference was that the other Ron wore an unfeigned grin that bordered on goofy, and his eyes sparkled with merriment.
"And Batman …" Kim said, distracting him, flashing her eyes for a moment, "I don't have any solid proof to back it up, but … you can trust them."
"I'll go over this and we'll see," Batman grunted. "Will they be staying with you, Detective?"
Kim glanced at her other self and the other's Ron. Her double seemed surprised by the question. "Well … we hadn't really thought about it … I mean we hoped you would help us out … or at least help us find a good hotel."
"I've got a guest room in my apartment," Kim offered, "It's just one bed so …"
"They're lovers and engaged, so it shouldn't be a problem," Batman stated not even glancing at the pair.
"What? How'd you know?" the other Kim blanched.
"You're standing very close together, showing a very high level of comfort without any signs of embarrassment, which leads one to believe you are lovers," Batman stated, staring coldly at the pair. "Also the diamond ring on your finger is a classic symbol of engagement of marriage, the letters RS and KP obviously stand for Ron Stoppable and Kim Possible, as well as the symbols on the sides: one is the symbol of Yamanouchi, while the other symbol I'm unfamiliar with."
Kim glanced down to the engagement ring her Ron had given her and that this Batman character had just described in detail, down to the initials on the side and the symbol of the Yamanouchi School and the symbol of her Kryptonian family. "Wow … good eye …"
"I'll be getting back to you, Detective." The Bat turned to the ledge of the roof and leapt off.
"Whoa!" the other Ron gasped running to the edge and looking down, only to find no trace of the Batman at all. "How'd … he do that?"
"Wondered that myself …" Kim nodded, before stretching, "Well … that's all we can do for the night. Let's go home."
(S)
Back at the other Kim's apartment, Kim and Ron retired to the room she made available to them. The ride back from police headquarters had been an interesting one. The first thing the other Kim had said when they got in her car was, "Yamanouchi?" She had tried to sound indifferent, but Ron had noticed the edge in her voice.
"Yeah," he'd admitted. "Apparently ours is a bit different than yours, big surprise. I go back there every summer for a few weeks to continue my training. Kim usually comes along. We kinda make a vacation out of it."
"Does your world have a Yori?" the other Kim probed.
"Again, yes. Ours is a good friend and ally. She's going to be one of Kim's bridesmaids next summer."
The other Kim hadn't said much after that.
"I want to have a good, long talk with my counterpart," Ron commented as he got into the bed.
"About what?" Kim asked as she brushed her hair. She had already changed into her sleeping attire: panties and one of Ron's old shirts for a nightgown.
"Leaving the way he did. I mean, sure, his parents were murdered, but running from your problems never did any good."
Ron paused, frowning thoughtfully. Then he gave a kind of snorting laugh. "I don't believe I just said that," he chuckled. "I used to run from my problems all the time."
"You grew up," Kim noted.
"From what this world's Kim says, he did too, just a bit later. I still want to talk to him, though."
Kim shrugged noncommittally, and slid into bed next to Ron, snuggling up against him.
"You totally know your counterpart is Batman, right?" she asked.
"Oh, yeah," Ron answered.
(-V-)
The Tumbler rolled to a halt in the Batcave and Ron climbed out of it, deep in thought.
"Hey, Ron," Wade called from the computer station. "I've been working on that comm glitch and I think..."
"...that it was a Kim from another dimension using her Kimmunicator to answer your call?" Ron offered.
Wade blinked. "What the heck are you talking about, Ron?"
For answer, Ron dipped into his utility belt and produced a memory stick. "This should answer all your questions."
-$-
Francis Lehrman looked up from the gun he was assembling. Unlike any of the others he'd made since coming to this new world, this was a new design. Well, not really. The plans had been finalized for some time. This was the first time, however, that any components had ever been made. So the gun was a prototype, even though Lehrman was confident it would work properly. He glanced at his surroundings. It was amazing, really, how much he'd accomplished in such a short time. True, advanced planning had figured into things, but he'd essentially set up a brand new weapons factory and started cranking out product in less than two months. Now he was ready to start introducing even better designs, despite the fact that his run-of-the-mill gear was still flying off the shelves.
Lehrman snorted. Back home he was just another weapons designer, nothing special at all. Here, he was like a god, handing out personal scale weapons that were two, even three generations ahead of anything these yahoos had seen. Of course, he was a god that lacked business acumen. He'd been woefully under pricing his ordnance, at least according to his new business partner.
Lehrman shuddered. Slade Wilson gave him the creeps. On all accounts the man was an ordinary mercenary, but there was something about him that set Lehrman's teeth on edge. Still, creepy or not, Slade knew the ins and outs of the Triton underworld. And he wasn't greedy, taking a mere fifteen percent for his cut of their sales. Of course, that probably meant he had his own agenda, but Lehrman didn't care. He'd happily leave Slade the means to keep making advanced weaponry, might even arrange to send new designs from time to time. And Slade seemed to know that. He'd served as Lehrman's front man in consolidating Lehrman's money from cash to other, more portable assets like gold, platinum, and diamonds.
The only thing that bothered Lehrman was Batman. Slade seemed confident that Batman would pose no obstacle, but Lehrman wasn't sure. He hadn't mentioned the Kim Possible of his world, but the mere fact that a costumed vigilante roamed Triton was enough to make him nervous.
Lehrman took a breath. It might not be necessary, but plans needed to be made. Plans for dealing with Batman and, if need be, this world's Kim Possible.