(S)
Before they reached the street, Kim paused and pulled her hair into a ponytail and then donned a ballcap and lightly tinted sunglasses. Her counterpart from this world favored her with a puzzled look, and Kim grinned.
"The sight of two Kim Possibles out in public might attract some attention, don't you think?"
The other Kim nodded in understanding. "If anybody asks," she said with a slight grin of her own, "I'll say you're my cousin from Montana."
"You have a cousin Joss, too, huh?" Kim rejoined. "Cool."
The two walked in silence for a bit, the Kim of this world occasionally glancing back the way they had come.
"Is he going to be okay?" Kim asked quietly. "Your Ron, I mean."
Kim's double gave a sigh that was equal parts resigned and regretful. "Yeah, " she said finally. "As well as he can be, given the circumstances, anyway."
Kim glanced around. The day was sunny and cool as promised, but even without a cloud in the sky, a pall seemed to hang over Triton. The people who shared the sidewalk with them were going about their business with expressions that struck Kim as serious, if not outright grim.
"Moodiness," she muttered. "Not something I'm used to seeing in Ron. It feels...unnatural."
"He wasn't always like this," the other Kim offered quickly. "He used to be...a lot more like your Ron. Carefree. Goofy." There was a slight catch in the other Kim's voice. "I miss that about him."
"It's hard to believe he could change so much."
"Well," the other Kim clarified, "He's better than he was. Right after his parents died, he was like a robot. Then, he left and when he came back, he was all dark and brooding. Now, he at least acts happy... sometimes, but that's mostly for show. Once in a while, though..."
"Mostly around Barbara, I'll bet," Kim suggested. That brought a genuine smile to her doppelganger's face.
"Yeah. She has that effect on people." The other Kim gave her double a sly look. "You should try it yourself."
Kim felt her cheeks heat. "Someday," she blushed. "After we're married."
The other Kim opened her mouth to say something else when her cell phone rang.
(-V-)
Ron and his counterpart from that other world were still in the alley, waiting for the Kims to return.
"Since we're in the clear on almost everything," the visiting Ron spoke up again, an oddly serious expression on his face, "What's with this Batman guy?"
"You've heard of him?" Ron asked blandly.
"Met him," the other Ron said gravely. "He's not much of a talker. Has an eye for detail, though."
"I've heard that," Ron snorted in reply. "Still, the guy dresses up like a bat. He obviously has issues."
"Don't we all," the other Ron agreed cryptically.
Ron's eyes narrowed and a slight shiver of anticipation ran down his spine. What was his double getting at? For all that he had the earmarks of a formidable fighter, he was a lousy actor. He was clearly hinting at something, but what? By his own admission, neither he nor his Kim had known anything of Batman besides the fact that he existed. But now, the other Ron seemed to be hinting that he was aware of Ron's dual identity. How could he know? Ron considered the obvious possibilities, that Kim, Bonnie, or Barbara had spilled the beans, but discounted them immediately. The Kimmunicator frequency glitch? Maybe, but he, as Batman, wouldn't have appeared on the screens. Had seeing Wade been enough for Team Possible to make the connection? Possible, but extremely unlikely. Wade always made his calls from in front of a blank background, so the other Kim and Ron would have had no idea the signal was originating from a cave. That and Wade had broken the contact almost instantly, essentially eliminating the prospect that the signal had been traced. Was the other Ron just guessing, making a stab in the dark? Or was he, Ron, reading too much into things?
"Quite," Ron countered. If his counterpart wanted to be cryptic, Ron would be laconic in return.
"Still, it's a nice costume," the other Ron commented. "Creepier than cousin Shawn in his worst years."
"I'm not sure I'd go that far," Ron smirked before his cell phone rang.
"Stoppable," he answered. "Wade, what's wrong… start the car; I'm on my way." He closed the cell, gripping it so tightly that the plastic cracked and broke.
"Come on," he growled to the other Ron and headed toward the two Kims, who were just entering the alley. His Kim was ashen faced, leaning heavily on her counterpart, who looked grim as death.
"Kim," he said, going to the Kim from this world. "You heard?." She nodded jerkily.
Ron turned to their counterparts. "Take her home," he commanded. "Commissioner Gordon is waiting for her there."
"What's wrong?" the other Ron asked, glancing between the visiting Kim and Ron worriedly.
"Don't ask questions. Just go," Ron said, turning and hurrying out of the alleyway.
"What are you doing?" the other Ron called after him.
"I have to go to work," Ron replied before he disappeared from view.
(S)
Ron pulled the other Kim's car up to her apartment building. Squad cars, an ambulance, and a couple of other emergency vehicles were parked on the street in front of it, as well as on the sidestreets and in the alley behind it. Basically, the building was surrounded.
"Oh, no …" the other Kim breathed. Then, collecting herself, she turned to Ron. "Park in the garage," she said, reaching up to press the button on the garage door remote. The lowest level of the building had several garage doors, one of which began to open. Ron guided the car toward it. The other Kim flashed her badge at the cops who moved to block the way, and they stepped aside. When the garage door was shut, the other Kim led them in to her apartment, ignoring the stares from the police officers inside as she quickly made her way to Commissioner Gordon.
(-V-)
"It's Barbara," her father-in-law said simply, and Kim felt her legs go out. Somehow, her doppelganger appeared behind her to catch her.
"Drakken and Shego again?" Kim asked worriedly.
"Don't think so," Jim Gordon shook his head, "It was too clean, besides… I think he taught them their lesson last time. Someone else's turn, it seems."
"Speaking of which, he's up in there now," Jim thumbed toward the stairs. "You should go see if he's found anything."
The detective glanced to her companions, and they nodded and began to scale the stairs to her loft bedroom.
Kim opened the door to her room and went right in, closely followed by her and Ron's counterparts. "Batman?"
"Over here," Batman's rough voice sounded, and the three found him beside the computer desk with a police-marked dagger stuck in the tabletop. "I know who has Barbara," he growled, glancing to his Kim.
"A katana-themed dagger? Is it Monkey Fist's?" Kim asked, pulling on a rubber glove to examine the knife without disturbing the finger prints.
"No, not Fiske. It's the Terminator," he growled.
"Dude! The Governor of California? I mean, how messed up is that?" the other Ron exclaimed, shaking his head in shock.
"No," Batman rasped, narrowing his eyes on his counterpart while noting that both Kims were rolling their eyes. "Deathstroke the Terminator. His real name is Slade Wilson. Age fifty-two. He's successfully combined Eastern and Western assassination techniques and has, by last count, assassinated or simply murdered at least a hundred thousand people. He's a master of almost all known martial arts techniques. He's dedicated his life to making the world the way he wants it to be … and killing all who stand in his way."
There was a lingering silence after Batman finished speaking, one in which the other Kim and Ron gaped at him in shock.
"A hundred thousand people?" the other Ron stammered. Batman nodded silently.
"Why is he still drawing breath?" the other Kim demanded. "I'd think he'd be on the hit lists of every major law enforcement agency on Earth."
"He is," Batman admitted with a tight, humorless smile. "Unfortunately, he's also on the 'Our Best Boy' list of most of the world's intelligence services and other criminal organizations, so he's a bit elusive."
"You certainly know a lot about this guy," the visiting Kim noted.
"I do," Batman confirmed, "because I trained under him for two years."
Both Kims and Ron gaped at him in disbelief. "It's a long story. We don't have time for it now." Batman turned toward the window. "I'm going to see what I can find out." Just before he ducked out the window, he said to Kim, "I'll be in touch." Then, he was gone. Seconds later, a turbine engine whined to life, and a large, black vehicle roared down the alley behind Kim's building and disappeared.
The other Ron stared after it wide-eyed, then turned to his Kim and said, "I got to get me one of those!"
-$-
Barbara's green eyes slowly blinked open. She was in a dimly lit room, lying on a cot. The only exit was a sturdy looking door with a large window in it.
"Well, the princess has finally rejoined us," a cold voice said through a speaker mounted on the ceiling. A camera was mounted there as well, watching her every move. "Did you have a nice nap?" the voice asked.
"Batman and my Mommy will save me," She said defiantly, glaring up at the camera.
There was a movement at the door. Slade, the one eyed man who had surprised her in her mother's room, was there, along with a dark haired man she didn't recognize.
"Kim Possible will die trying, as will Ron Stoppable," Slade said, his eye dancing with sick pleasure. "You've begun looking at Ronald as your father, haven't you? Don't look surprised, little girl. I've been watching you all for quite some time. Soon, I will kill your mother and your second father. Once that is finished, I will teach you to use the pain I cause to your advantage."
"You're wrong!" Barbara declared defiantly. "Mommy and Batman will come for me and they'll kick your butt," she added with a hateful glare.
"We shall see, young one, we shall see," he laughed as he and his companion walked away from her cell.
Barbara kept her defiant face up 'til she was sure the two men were well enough away. Once they were gone, her eyes swelled with fear and tears. "I want my mommy…" she whispered. "I want my daddy…"
Lehrman had wondered why Slade asked him to come along when he checked up on the Possible girl. Now, as they headed back toward the main part of Slade's lair, he puzzled over his associate's motives.
"You disapprove of my kidnapping the girl."
The words were delivered in a dispassionate tone and were clearly a statement rather than a question.
Lehrman shrugged. "Not as such," he denied truthfully. "I just don't see the point of it. If you want Possible and Stoppable dead, why not just put a bullet through their heads and have done with it?"
"That wouldn't suit my purposes, Francis," Slade returned calmly.
Lehrman frowned. "This isn't one of those 'it isn't enough that I win; my enemies must know that they have lost, and that it was me that beat them' things, is it?"
Slade halted and fixed Lehrman with his single eye. "And if it is?" he challenged.
Lehrman felt a stab of fear. He had no doubt that Slade could and would kill him if he decided it was necessary, but at the same time, he refused to let the man cow him.
"If it is, it's a totally unnecessary risk. An anonymous tip would be bait enough for any trap. This will ensure that Possible will be highly motivated when she comes after us, and Batman too, if what you've told me about him is accurate."
Slade gave Lehrman a condescendingly tolerant smile. "Which is just as I wish," he said. Then, his face went cool again. "Remember my advice, Francis: Do as I say, and you'll become a rich man." With that, Slade turned on his heel and strode off, leaving a fuming Lehrman behind him.
(-V-)
The Kim of the other world wasn't in nearly as good a mood as her Ron, who was still rambling on about the Batmobile.
"What the hell was that all about?" she demanded angrily. "A few cryptic remarks, some sullen moodiness, and poof! 'I'll be in touch'?"
"That's how Batman works," Kim explained a bit defensively. She could understand her counterpart's frustration, though. Ron, er, Batman, sometimes engaged in theatricality for what seemed like its own sake. While it was an important part of maintaining his secret identity, it could be a bit annoying at times. Kim had sort of learned to tolerate it, but her double obviously lacked that experience, as well as the psychological baggage that had made Kim a bit more passive than she had been in her youth.
The other Kim whirled to face her, green eyes flashing, almost smoldering with anger.
"I don't give a damn," she growled. "Batman knows more than he's telling, that's for sure, and I don't like it when my allies keep information about enemies to themselves."
Kim stared back at her double. As she did, something stirred within her, something she'd once thought she'd lost, had beaten out of her long ago, but that had resurfaced a time or two in the intervening years. The other Ron, who had gone silent at his Kim's outburst, looked back and forth between the two women. As he watched, the Kim of this world's expression changed, slowly morphing from one of helpless passivity to a determined glare. Dexter, who had been sleeping (as usual) in one of Ron's pockets, poked his head out and gulped.
"Uh oh!" he chirped. "Double Kimness!"
"Beware the Kimness," Ron agreed.
Neither Kim noticed.
"I have a feeling you know where Batman went," the other Kim asserted.
"I do," Kim confirmed. "Let's go get some answers."
(-V-)
The other Ron whistled as Kim pulled her car up to the ornate gate that closed off the driveway to her Ron's home. The lot was enormous, covering a whole block, with barriers of trees and shrubbery that all but obscured the home at the center.
"It's not much," Kim said sardonically, addressing the other Kim and Ron, "but Ron calls it home."
She launched into a brief description of the house. "Three stories, ten bedrooms, two dining rooms, a breakfast room, a ballroom, you name it." Kim suddenly smiled in embarrassment. "Sorry for rambling. I just gotta keep my mind moving. If I stop and think about the situation, I'll end up a useless mess, and that won't help Barbara at all."
There was a brief, awkward silence, then, as if to lighten the mood, Ron snapped his fingers and exclaimed, "I know this place! This is the home of that guy who played the Fearless Ferret on TV!"
"That's right, Timothy North. He left the place to Ron when he died," Kim explained as she pressed her thumb against a small panel by the gate, which opened silently.
Parking her car on the curved drive at the front of the house, Kim and her guests approached the massive wooden doors of Ron's mansion.
"Do we knock?" the other Ron asked, eying the sturdy looking door.
"Nah, I have a key," Kim supplied.
Once inside, Kim led them through the ornate front hall. The visiting Team Possible seemed overwhelmed by the mansion. "Ron lives here by himself?" the other Kim asked as she oogled the rich decor.
"No," Kim replied, taking a turn down a side hallway. "The study's this way," she explained before continuing, "Ron lives with Felix and Wade."
"Nice digs," the other Ron commented, taking his Kim's hand. "It seems a bit much, though. Does your Ron really like it?"
"Ron doesn't spend a lot of time up here," Kim told the visiting pair, entering a room that seemed to be a library. She headed toward one of the bookshelf covered walls. "He's usually downstairs."
"Downstairs?" the other Kim asked as Kim pulled a book, and the bookshelves slid aside, revealing a narrow stairway.
"Follow me," Kim said with a jerk of her head before leading her guests down the dimly lit stairway.
A steel door closed off the bottom of the stairs, but it slid aside as they approached.
"I'm sure he knows we're coming," Kim speculated for the other Kim's and Ron's benefit. "The fact that he hasn't tried to stop us tells me he's okay with you two knowing."
"Very spankin'," the visiting Kim said as they followed Kim into what turned out to be a large and extensive underground complex.
"So, what does he call this place?" the other Ron asked as he looked around, his eyes finally settling on identical versions of his and his Kim's old mission gear in a large glass case.
"A cave," Batman's voice growled, making him jump in surprise. The dark clad figure of Batman emerged from the shadows, an almost palpable aura of menace surrounding him.
"Why did you bring them here?" he asked, scowling at the Kim of this world. Kim shuddered despite herself.
"Well, uh, I," she stammered.
The other Ron cut in. "Nice trick," he said, grinning shrewdly. "Mystical monkey power, right?"
Almost as fast as it had manifested itself, the sense of menace dissipated, and Batman gave a nearly imperceptible start.
"Of course," Batman acknowledged. "I should have known you'd be familiar with that ability."
"Actually, I'm not," the other Ron clarified. "The aura of menace thing, that is. I use my version of the power differently."
Before the other Ron could expand on what he'd said, and before Batman could question him, two familiar figures emerged from the depths of the cave.
"Kim, Ron, meet our Wade and Felix," Kim introduced as her Wade and Felix stepped forward, expressions of surprise mixed with a touch of awe on their faces.
"I'll be damned," Wade breathed. "It really is true."
"What he said," Felix added softly.
Batman pulled off his cowl, shaking his head to get rid of his 'mask hair'. For a moment, a semi-goofy expression adorned his face, as if he was enjoying the odd humor of the situation. Then, all too quickly, the goofiness vanished.
"Follow me," he commanded, leading the others toward a workstation that sported a number of keyboards and monitors, all tied into a cluster of computers of various sizes.
"Anything yet?" Kim asked over her Ron's shoulder as he sat down in front of one of the terminals.
Wade, who had been staring at the other world's Kim and Ron, dragged his eyes away from them and looked at his Kim.
"Not yet," he said regretfully. "Slade is a worse case scenario on the search system. He does everything he can to hide the fact that he exists. Makes it a bit difficult to keep track of him, let alone pinpoint his location."
Ron turned his brown eyes away from the data streaming across the display in front of him, his expression much softer than it had been a moment earlier.
"He won't hurt her, KP. He needs her to get to me. As long as she's useful, she'll be ok. And we will get her back."
"But, how will we find him?" the visiting Kim asked, sounding as worried as if Barbara was her own daughter.
"I have other means of tracking," Ron answered calmly. "She should be getting back soon with some useful information." Ron stood up and wrapped his cape around his shoulders like a cloak.
"And do you mind telling me what this is about you training under him for two years?" Kim asked, her police detective training kicking in.
"Remember how I traveled for around seven years before I came back?" Ron reminded her. "I was only at Yamanouchi for two years, but before that, I received basic training from another League of Shadows member."
"Slade Wilson," Kim deduced, and Ron nodded.
"I was one of his best students," Ron elaborated. "Or so he told me," he added with a wry grin. "But the final test, before I was accepted as having mastered his teachings, was to kill a man. He was a farmer from the local village. His harvest had failed, and his wife was very sick. He robbed a grocer to get money for medicine and was caught by Slade. I was supposed to prove my 'dedication to justice' by killing him. I helped the man escape and then I walked away. End of story."
"So, Slade being here is just to get back at you for failing him?" the visiting Kim asked sharply.
"No, he's not that petty. He's probably here as a representative of the League of Shadows," Ron said, pulling his cowl back over his features, "I already know they want to burn Triton to the ground as an example to the world of what needs to be done to unjust cities. He just took Barbara as a way to control me."
"Rough world," the other Ron commented somberly.
"The cat's back," Felix announced suddenly. His words were followed by the sound of an engine and then a motorcycle roaring out of a tunnel on the other end of the cave. The motorcycle rolled to a halt, and its rider, a lithe woman in a shiny, black bodysuit, dismounted with what seemed to be calculated grace.
The visiting Kim scowled slightly when her Ron's eyes widened and his jaw went slack. "What kept you, Catwoman?" Batman asked as the leather clad woman stretched sensually. She looked at Batman through her goggled mask and smirked.
"You didn't exactly give me an easy job, handsome," she purred. "I had to scratch a little harder this time."
Kim felt the usual stir of jealousy that always accompanied her encounters with Catwoman. Ron, back in Batman mode, was seemingly indifferent to Catwoman's flirtatious behavior. The Ron of the other world was less guarded and was staring with undisguised admiration at the Cat and her attributes. His Kim gave him a brief, half-sour/half-amused look and then elbowed him in the ribs, after which, his face became as impassive as Batman's. Catwoman seemed to notice that and, in her shamelessly slinky way, sidled up to the other Ron and ran her finger along the line of his jaw.
"Ron Stoppable," she purred. "But not the one I know, unless my eyes are playing tricks on me."
The other Kim glared at Catwoman and snapped, "Did you find out anything useful, Bonnie, or did your need to flirt cause you to lose focus?"
Catwoman jerked as if she'd been slapped, and even Batman seemed shocked by the other Kim's pronouncement.
"Wow, you figured me out so quickly?" Catwoman stammered, trying to regain her poise. She pulled off her mask and said, "You're already proving to be better than our Kimmie."
Turning, she handed a piece of paper to Batman. "Don't worry, hon, I know where the psycho took Barb. Any chance of letting me tag along, Ronnie? This mama-cat would like to sink her claws into the jerk who took my baby's best friend."
"Just me, Kim and Team Possible." Batman said with a shake of his head. "Is the Batmobile ready to go, Felix?" he asked.
Felix answered with a nod, and Batman pressed a button on his belt, causing the canopy atop the huge, black vehicle to slide open. He turned his attention to Team Possible. "The fact that Slade is unaware of your presence should give us an edge."
"Agreed," the other Ron said. "We'll try not to show our hand too soon."
Batman nodded and then switched his attention to his Kim.
"I had Wade charge up your old battle suit," he said. He pointed behind her, and Kim turned to see the white and blue garment arrayed in a display case next to her old mission togs. "It's fully charged and stocked with all you old gadgets," Wade threw in, "ready for you to change into."
Batman watched impassively as Kim snagged the suit from its case and headed to another part of the cave to change. Then, he turned to the other Kim and Ron, "You have your mission gear?"
The other Kim nodded. She clipped her Kimmunicator and grapple gun to her belt and donned a combination earpiece/microphone. "I'm all set," she said. The other Ron, already wearing his mission clothes, mirrored his Kim, then went a little farther by pulling on a ninja hood and mask, though he left his face uncovered for the moment.
"We're good to go, Bats," the other Ron said to his masked double.
"I'm good to go as well," the Kim of this world chimed in, stepping somewhat shyly out of the gloom. The suit hugged every curve, as it always had, and Kim seemed a bit embarrassed that she wasn't in the same shape she'd been in her teens.
"Nice," the other Kim said, nodding approvingly.
"If we're done comparing combat gear, I'm leaving." Batman said, turning toward the Batmobile. "Anyone who wants to come, load up."
"Shotgun!" the other Ron exclaimed as he followed behind.