Disclaimer: I do not own Kim Possible. It belongs to Disney and its creators. If it was in the show, I don't own it. Any songs mentioned are the property of their respective owners and artists. I am not doing this for compensation, simply for enjoyment and practice.

Claimer: Krista Ruthie Stoppable is my OC. If you want to use her, please ask. Krysta-L (aka Krystal) was created by StormChaser90 and used with permission. If you want to use her, please contact him for permission.

TRIGGER WARNING: This chapter contains themes and vague descriptions of abuse and mild language.

After All This Time: Revenge

Chapter 12

Remote Arctic Lair, Location Unknown

"I'm getting you out of here."

Krista stared at the older girl. A range of emotions played across her battered face – shock, hope, confusion, disbelief. "Wh-what?"

Krystal huffed impatiently. "I said, I'm getting you out of here."

Krista opened her mouth as if to respond, then seemed to change her mind. She shook her head, her whole body deflating. "No… this is a trick. It has to be. You're trying to get me to try and escape so… so they'll hurt me again."

Krystal put a hand to her forehead as she turned, the knot in her stomach growing tighter. "I—I totally get why you'd think that. And I'm sorry. But I'm not lying. I am going to get you out of here."

"But what about—"

"The cure?" The words tasted sour in Krystal's mouth. "I can't do it." A few beats of silence passed before Krystal turned back to her original, a look in her eyes Krista hadn't seen there before. "This… connection that we have. The spiritual bond? You've seen glimpses of my life, and I've seen glimpses of yours. We've both experienced pain and torment. But you… you've experienced other things. Love. Compassion. And even though you've been trapped in this hellhole, enduring pain at my expense, you've still shown me kindness. I want to live, but if it means you die, I can't go through with it. I won't." Krista sat speechless, still not quite daring to let the small glimmer of hope rise to the surface.

Krystal knelt down to her level, her face now serious. "You said your parents could find another way to cure me. Do you really think they can?"

Krista nodded, finding her voice once again. "Absolutely."

Krystal let the possibility sink in for a moment before continuing. "Okay. We have to go about this the right way. Drakken can't suspect anything. We'll play along, make him think nothing's changed. I'll find a way to get a message to your parents without him knowing. Do you know how to contact them?"

Krista rattled off a few phone numbers and email addresses – her parents' and Miss Lynn's.

"It might be best to contact Adrena Lynn first. I'm sure Drakken has all sorts of security scanning for any type of communication with Team Possible. This could help us fly under the radar, at least a bit longer." Krystal gave the younger girl a few more instructions, then left her alone again. For the first time in a long time, Krista finally felt hope.

She just prayed it wasn't misplaced.

XXXXXXXXXX

Communications Room, Remote Arctic Lair, Location Unknown

A Few Hours Later

Dawn was approaching, so Krystal had to be quick. She had spent the last several hours analyzing the communication system, looking for weaknesses to exploit and ways to cover her tracks. Finally, she had gone over every contingency and was ready to make the call. She punched in the number Krista had given her and waited as the phone rang.

"Hello?" a groggy voice answered.

"Adrena Lynn. I don't have much time, so listen carefully. Krista is in danger."

Adrena Lynn was suddenly alert. "Who is this? What do you know about Krista?"

"There's no time to get into the details. I know where Krista is, and you have to rescue her."

"If this is a trap—"

"It's not," Krystal snapped, impatient. "Look, we're running out of time. You're just going to have to trust me. If you want to save Krista, you have to get moving. I'm sending the location coordinates to you now. Hurry."

Krystal hung up, leaving the blonde on the other end of the phone completely baffled. She typed in several commands to the main computer, wiping any trace of her conversation and contact with Adrena. As she turned to leave, a sharp pain shot through her. Krystal clutched her chest, gripping the back of a nearby chair and doubling over in agony. It took longer than it ever had for this wave to pass. She knew she was weakening, and no amount of energy transfer or special compound would fix it this time. There was no way she would be in any condition to battle it out with Drakken and Shego once the rescue team arrived. All she could do was play dumb and go along with the plan, and hope that Adrena Lynn and Team Possible got there in time.

XXXXXXXXXX

Global Justice Headquarters, Location Classified

Kim and Ron were in the midst of a fretful sleep when an agent burst through the door, awakening them with a start.

"Sorry to intrude, Mr. and Mrs. Stoppable, but Dr. Director needs you immediately." The agent's urgent tone spurred them out of their remaining slumber and towards the main conference room. Dr. Director was waiting there, a grave expression on her face. The video screen was on, the faces of Wade and Adrena Lynn filling up the screen.

"What's the sitch?" Kim asked as she entered the room.

"We know where Krista is," Dr. Director said. "Adrena Lynn received a phone call from what appears to be an inside source who leaked Drakken's location."

"An inside source? But who—"

"I did a scan of the audio from the call," Wade cut her off. "Kim, the voice is an almost identical match to yours. I think the person who called Adrena was Krista's clone."

"The clone? But why would she leak the location?" Ron asked, dumbfounded. "This has to be a trap."

"Trap or not, it's the best lead we've got. We did some satellite recon. The base is located deep in the arctic. Imaging shows several personnel guarding the perimeter. An unknown aircraft seems to have dropped off a package. It certainly looks like someone is going to great lengths to keep this location a secret and under the radar. We're preparing a mission to leave within the hour. We're covering all bases. We're leaving nothing to chance. If this is some sort of set-up, we'll be ready," Dr. Director said.

"We're going with," Kim stated, her face hardened with determination.

"Kim, no. You're too emotionally involved. What if—"

"I don't care!" Kim roared. "Our daughter's life is on the line! This is the most substantive lead we've had. If it's real, I want to be there to bring my child home and rain hell on Drakken and Shego!"

One look at Kim's face, and Dr. Director knew she wasn't going to win this fight. "Fine. Go get ready. Meet in the aircraft hangar in 15 minutes for debriefing." Without a second to lose, Kim and Ron hurried out of the room to prepare. Dr. Director sighed and rubbed her temples, turning back to the video monitor.

"Krista better be alive and well, or hell is going to sound like a beach vacation for Drakken and Shego."

A/N: Another late, and very short, update, I know. I'm finishing up some things that have been keeping me busy in the next few weeks, and hopefully I'll post another longer update soon. Thanks for reading.