A/N: Here we go – it's time for the showdown. There is a song featured, so remember to look for the (*) to mark when the song starts. It's not necessary, but I like to include the songs that helped inspire me while I wrote certain scenes. I hope you enjoy this chapter.
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.
Songs: "Breathe Me" by Sia
TRIGGER WARNING: This chapter contains themes and vague descriptions of abuse and mild language.
After All This Time: Revenge
Chapter 13
Remote Arctic Lair
3 Hours Later
Krystal opened and shut the cell door as quickly and as quietly as she could. When she turned, she found Krista huddled in the corner with a threadbare blanket wrapped as tightly as she could around her shoulders. She was shivering, her uneven breaths materializing in the air. Another pang of guilt stabbed at the clone, but she pushed it down – this would all be over soon and Krista would be okay.
Hopefully.
Krystal knelt in front of the younger girl, her voice low. "It's almost time. They're going to come get you soon for the cure. If your parents mobilized as soon as I think, they should be here before it starts. I'll do my best to stall, but there's only so much I can do without raising suspicion, and I'm not –" She stopped, the words hanging unspoken, but understood, in the frigid early morning air. I'm not strong enough to fight. "Just hang in there." Krista nodded, her teeth chattering, an uneasy feeling growing in her stomach.
Please let them get here in time.
XXXXXXXXXX
Global Justice Aircraft, Somewhere Near the Arctic
Kim paced the small aisle in the plane, while Ron sat with his hands clasped, elbows on his knees, leg bouncing in anticipation. Adrena Lynn, who had managed to make it to GJ headquarters in time to join the mission (thanks to several favors Wade called in), sat near the back, nervously biting the skin around her thumb and absentmindedly looking out the window. According to Wade, they would be approaching Drakken's base in the next half hour. The closer they got, the more anxious they became.
Dr. Director stood, commanding the attention of the agents in the craft easily. "Alright. We've almost reached the coordinates. Remember the mission: sweep the base quickly and thoroughly. Try not to raise alarms. But don't hesitate to do what's necessary to find and rescue Krista Stoppable."
A grim determination settled among the agents. This was a high-stakes mission, perhaps their most important yet. They owed Kim and Ron a debt from their years of hero work and saving the world. Saving their daughter would be the least they could do.
As the aircraft approached the mountain base, the agents prepared themselves for whatever would happen next.
XXXXXXXXXX
Remote Arctic Lair
(*)
Keys jingled in the lock to her cell door, and Krista's heart picked up its pace when the visitors entered. One look at Drakken's giddy face told her all she needed – it was time. She was trembling, but not because it was freezing in the small, stone room. She glanced helplessly at Krystal, who stood at the back of the pack, her lips pursed together. She gave a minute shake of her head, saying without words, They're not here yet.
Panic began to set in, the familiar buzz in her ears and tingling in her fingers and face commanding her focus. She wanted so badly for her parents to be here, to stop this.
But things were starting to look dire.
Drakken snapped his fingers, giving the signal for the henchmen to approach Krista and drag her from her cell towards the makeshift operating room. Krista, weak as she was, tried with all her might to wriggle free, desperately begging her captors to let her go. Her pleas fell on deaf ears as she was escorted down hallway after hallway before entering a room that seemed to be pulled straight from her nightmares.
The room was brightly lit with harsh, fluorescent lights. Several machines were congregated in the middle of the room, forming a semi-circle around an unforgiving-looking metal exam table. Trays of sharp, terrifying medical instruments had been rolled next to the table, and several coolers were lined up on a countertop on the left side of the room.
Dr. Whitman and Dr. Henderson seemed to be conferencing about some notes on a clipboard, while Shego was making some adjustments to a monitor on one of the machines. Krista froze when she entered the room, the reality of what was about to happen hitting her like a truck. Her breathing quickened, and tears streamed unchecked down her face as she begged the villains to change their minds. The henchmen started to drag her towards the metal table. A sudden wave of strength coursed through her, and Krista thrashed in their grip, managing to set them off balance and struggle to continue pulling her forward. She kicked out her leg, making contact with the skinnier henchman's shin. He released his grip on the girl to tend to his throbbing leg, hopping up and down almost comically on one foot. Without wasting another moment, Krista thrust the heel of her hand up into the other henchman's face, the maneuver that her mother taught her cracking the man's nose and causing him to cry out. He reached up with one hand to cradle his now-bleeding nose, his other still loosely around Krista's upper arm. She yanked her arm out of his grip and turned, preparing to run, but before she could get two steps out the door, felt stinging agony as Shego's claws ripped three deep cuts into her side. Krista screamed and fell forward, blood already beginning to stain her shirt.
Krystal watched, desperately wanting to go to Krista's aid, but knowing it would get worse for her if she did. She glanced anxiously at the clock on the wall, silently praying that Team Possible arrived soon.
As Krista pushed herself up with shaky arms, Shego pulled her roughly upright, dragging her the rest of the way to the metal table and plopping her onto it. Before Krista could fight any further, a button was pushed, which caused shackles to appear from within the table and clasp around her wrists and ankles, holding her in place. She writhed, her increasing panic momentarily dulling the pain in her side.
"P-please let m-me go-o," she sobbed.
Drakken made his way around the metal table so he was in Krista's line of sight. He patted her arm, a gesture meant to be comforting, but that only increased her trepidation. "Now, now, my dear. It will all be over soon. And just think – you are saving a life today! We honor your sacrifice." He nodded to Dr. Whitman, who came forward and stood next to the blue-skinned mad scientist.
"Now, Krista, in a few minutes, you'll be nicely asleep and won't feel a thing. I promise. Your days of pain are almost over," Dr. Whitman explained gently. Krystal shuddered. Both men were using words and tones that should have been sympathetic and soothing. But with the situation as it was, she could see right through their faux façade to the psychopaths they truly were. It was sickening and terrifying.
How could she have ever wanted to be one of them?
The villains ignored Krista's continued cries for mercy as they prepped for the operation. Leads were applied to her wrists and temples to monitor her vitals during the procedure. Scalpels were disinfected and syringes were lined up. It was time.
Dr. Whitman gowned up before reaching for a clear, plastic mask which was attached to one of the machines by a long tube. "Alright, Krista, here we go." He attempted to put the mask over her face, but Krista turned her head this way and that to avoid it.
Growing increasingly impatient, Drakken shouted, "Hold still!" Shego stepped in, one clawed hand on Krista's forehead and the other on her chin, forcing her to stop moving her head (drawing more blood in the process) and allowing Dr. Whitman to apply the mask. Krista cried out once more as the sickly-sweet anesthetic began to cloud her senses. Her eyelids grew heavy, and she took one last pleading look at Krystal before unconsciousness claimed her. Krista's muscles relaxed and her whole body grew limp.
"Finally, we can begin," Drakken said. But before Dr. Whitman could even reach for a scalpel, an alarm began to blare.
"You've got to be kidding me," the mad scientist complained. "Krystal! Go find out what the issue is. We can't begin until we know we won't be interrupted. Be quick about it."
Feigning obedience, Krystal ran out of the operating room towards what she hoped was Krista's rescue team.
XXXXXXXXXX
A small group of GJ agents, led by Kim, Ron, and Adrena Lynn, made their way down a dimly lit hallway. The other agents had been ordered to spread out throughout and around the base to prevent any of the villains from escaping. Dr. Director led one contingent of agents, while Will Du led another. They were leaving nothing to chance.
Kim activated her wrist Kimmunicator, keeping her voice low. "Wade, we're in. What's the lowdown?"
The super-genius typed furiously, brows knit in concentration as he analyzed the information on his screen. "Infrared imaging is showing several heat signatures congregated in a room near the back of the base. I would start there." He typed a few more commands, his eyes widening. "Kim! Turn around! There's a-"
"Intruders! Sound the alarm!" Wade was cut off by a henchman doing his security rounds. Before any of the agents could react, he had activated a panel on the wall, a piercing siren echoing throughout the lair.
"Shit!" Kim mumbled, turning to apprehend the henchman before he could alert others to their location. A few other agents beat her to it, allowing her to refocus on making their way to the back room. The group turned a corner, fully prepared to be met with a wall of Drakken's goons, but found only one person making her way down the hall from the other end. Krystal paused as the image of the group of agents registered before breaking out into a run towards them.
"Thank God you're here!" she said.
Momentarily stunned by the sight of a near-perfect clone of his wife, Ron finally regained his senses and took a battle stance in front of the group, a slight blue glow beginning to form around him. "Stop right there!"
Krystal, realizing the stupidity of running full-speed at an armed group of trained tactile professionals, slowed her pace, raising her hands in surrender. "I'm not going to fight you. I'm the one who called you." Her words were met with the still-wary gaze of the agents in front of her. "Look, I'd love to give you the full 411, but we don't have time. Krista is in serious trouble, we have to –"
"Krystal! What on earth are you doing?!" Drakken demanded as he rounded the corner from the other side of the hall, flanked by Shego and dozens of henchmen. "Don't just stand there and chit-chat! Take them down!" Krystal didn't move, but instead folded her arms across her chest and lifted her chin in defiance.
"I gave you an order," Drakken spoke through gritted teeth. "Take. Them. Down!"
"Go to hell," Krystal spat at him. There was a stunned silence as the meaning of her words sunk in.
"But—you were created to be a ruthless minion! Why-? How-?"
"She was cloned after a Possible! Of course she turned out to be a goody-two-shoes!" Shego growled, igniting her deadly clawed hands. "Those hero genes just annihilate everything else. Well, I guess now we'll have to annihilate you entirely." The green-skinned villainess took a running start and somersaulted over the group of GJ agents, landing gracefully in front of Krystal. Wasting no time, she attacked, throwing a vicious punch straight at the clone's face. Krystal managed to block her before performing a back handspring to get some distance between herself and the infuriated villainess. Before Shego had a chance to advance on her again, she was grabbed from behind and slammed against the wall, Kim's death grip on her shoulders pinning her in place.
"Where. Is. My. Daughter?!" The former cheerleader's eyes were devoid of any emotion except stone-cold hatred and determination. Shego smirked, taking the opportunity to taunt her nemesis.
"Oh, she's just taking a little nap. One that will soon be permanent." With a cry of rage, Kim threw Shego to the ground. The ex-hero recovered easily, rolling backwards and getting to her feet. As the two women lunged at each other again, the rest of the agents began fights of their own with the hordes of henchmen. The battle spilled into the main lab, and Krystal snuck away to find her own target. She found him on one of the metal walkways that crossed over the main lab, staring down at the scene. Dr. Henderson's body language screamed confusion and anxiety – he was a scientist, not a soldier. Before he could make up his mind to beat a hasty escape, Krystal blocked his path. Anger radiated from every cell in her body as she took on a blue glow of her own.
"You think you can just waltz out of here unscathed, do you? After everything you've done?" she sneered, slowly advancing towards the terrified man. Dr. Henderson put his hands out in front of him, both a gesture of surrender and one to keep her at a distance from him.
"N-now Krystal, let's not b-be hasty—" He was cut off by a punch that sent him reeling backwards, the force of the blow dislocating his jaw. He cried out, using the railing to stabilize himself.
"Don't be hasty? Wasn't it you that was hasty when you decided you would just let me die, for science? Wasn't it you that was hasty when you forced me to drain energy from an innocent child to save myself, so I could perform your orders like some circus monkey? Wasn't it you that was hasty when you sentenced that girl to death to benefit your own sick agenda?" Krystal grabbed the man by the collar, lifting him off the ground with her enhanced strength and looking straight into his eyes. "Oh, no. I'm not the one being hasty here. This has been a long time coming."
She threw the scientist down, the force denting the metal walkway. She pounced on him, throwing punch after punch until the man's face was nearly unrecognizable. As she raised her arm to deliver another blow, a sharp pain in her chest caused her to double over herself. She groaned and fell to her knees, feeling as if her lungs and heart were constricting. Dr. Henderson, seeing her distracted with her own distress, tried desperately to inch himself away. The sight of this pathetic man attempting to escape his well-deserved fate gave Krystal a renewed bout of strength. She gripped the railing, shakily pulling herself up.
"Oh no… you… don't!" With a feral cry, waves of blue energy blasted from her person, sending the unfortunate scientist tumbling over the edge of the walkway and landing on the concrete floor below with a sickening crack. The cavernous room rumbled with the power of her blast. Chunks of stone from the wall of the base carved straight into the mountain began to tumble, causing more small quakes and piercing holes in several machines. A series of explosions rang out through the lair.
As fires began to break out, the battle below raged on, the GJ agents beginning to gain the upper hand. Several of Drakken's lackies began to jump ship, running from the scene once they realized that the odds of them winning were looking pretty bad. They weren't paid enough to deal with this, anyway.
Kim was still locked in hand-to-hand combat with Shego, while Ron was helping Adrena finish off a few of the braver henchmen. Drakken, it seemed, had mysteriously disappeared amidst the chaos.
Shego swiped at Kim with one of her claws. The former cheerleader managed to jump out of the way, retaliating with a roundhouse kick. The two women were equally matched, trading and blocking blow after blow. Very rarely one or the other would make contact, but each recovered quickly. Kim hadn't spoken a word through their battle, her rage and determination to defeat Shego and find her daughter claiming all her focus.
"Giving me the silent treatment, Princess?" Shego quipped. "After all these years? That hurts."
Kim jumped back to avoid another punch. "Not as much as someone kidnapping your child."
Shego laughed, a cold, heartless sound. "Please. That kid's a mess and a half. We did you a favor."
A fire ignited in Kim's eyes. No one talked about her daughter that way. She attacked the villainess again, with more force than before, finally landing several blows that sent the green woman sprawling backwards.
"Kimberly Ann, I believe your attention would be better focused on making your way to your daughter." Drakken appeared on one of the metal walkways above, holding an empty syringe. "She's almost out of time." His maniacal laugh sent icy fear rushing through Kim. What did they do to her?
"Shego! Let's go. It appears our plans have changed." Before Kim could apprehend her, Shego performed a series of flips and handsprings, landing next to her boss. She took aim at several key machines, blasting them with green energy, the ensuing explosions igniting a large blaze in the middle of the room. As the villains made their escape, Ron, Adrena Lynn, and the rest of the GJ agents joined Kim where she stood.
"We need to find Krista!" Kim exclaimed, nearly hysterical.
"You two go. We'll evacuate and apprehend the rest of these goons. Drakken and Shego won't get far – Dr. Director has the place surrounded," Adrena replied. "Go!"
Kim and Ron didn't waste another second. With Wade's help, they managed to pick their way through the growing blaze to a staircase at the back of the lair. They took the steps three at a time, adrenaline pushing them faster. Making their way through a maze of hallways, they finally came to a locked metal door, ominously labeled "Experimentation Chamber." Kim used her laser lipstick on the lock, and the door swung open.
Their relief at finding their daughter was quickly replaced by heartbreak at her condition. Krista was lying comatose on a metal table, her wrists and ankles shackled to keep her in place. Bruises and lacerations covered her little body, a small pool of blood growing at her right side. As Kim and Ron approached her, they were shocked at how pale her skin was and how thin she looked.
Tears stung Kim's eyes as she tentatively touched her daughter's tearstained cheek. "My baby… What have they done to you?"
Ron checked her pulse. "She's still alive, Kim, but fading fast. We need to go." Kim didn't need any more prodding. They made quick work of the shackles. Kim removed the mask from her daughter's face while Ron unhooked the leads. Grabbing a stack of gauze from a nearby tray, Kim applied pressure to the wound on Krista's side before gently lifting her up, cradling her in her arms. Ron led the way out, but the spreading fires made their escape much more difficult. By the time they reached the main lab again, every clear path was blocked by flames.
"What do we do?" Kim asked, frantically checking Krista's pulse again. Ron desperately looked around, but couldn't find an escape route.
A figure suddenly emerged from the smoke on their left. Krystal managed to make her way over to the Stoppable family, still clutching her chest.
"You! You're –"
"I'm Krystal, the clone, yes," Krystal cut Ron off. "I think I can get you out of here, but we have to hurry!" After what she had done earlier, they had no reason not to trust her. Besides, they didn't have any other choice.
Krystal used her astral projection to scan the labyrinth of hallways. She was beginning to lose hope from dead end after dead end when she finally found a way through. Her eyes popped open again, her spirit back in her body. "This way!" The clone led Team Possible through a maze of debris and flames, finally emerging into the frigid air outside the lair. A medical team was already waiting, and Kim and Ron made a beeline for them with their daughter, forgetting to thank Krystal.
Krystal, for her part, had other things on her agenda. She was so not about to be taken back to a GJ lab to be poked and prodded and questioned. The chaos around her provided her the perfect cover to slip away, off to search for a place to rest and recover before continuing her own personal mission.
As soon as Kim placed Krista on the gurney, GJ medics were hooking her up to IVs and oxygen. They loaded her into a helicopter with her parents, course set to airlift her to Middleton General Hospital. Kim and Ron each took one of their daughter's hands, desperately never wanting to let go again. As the chopper lifted off, Kim said a silent prayer.
Please be okay. I can't lose you again.
A/N: Ya'll have been so patient with my sporadic and short updates, I thought I'd reward you with a decently long chapter. Hope you enjoyed, and look for my next update soon.
