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.
After All This Time: Revenge
Chapter 17
"Only twenty minutes to sleep, but you dream of some epiphany. Just one single glimpse of relief to make some sense of what you've seen."
Taylor Swift, "epiphany"
Intensive Care Unit, Middleton General Hospital
8:02am
The room was tense. Ron stood next to the hospital bed, while Kim, Wade, and Dr. Anne Possible stood a little ways off to the side. Out of an abundance of caution, they didn't want to be too close while the transfer took place. Wade and Dr. Possible made some final adjustments on a small tablet, which would be wirelessly monitoring both Ron's and Krista's vitals during the process.
"Okay, Ron. Whenever you're ready," Wade said.
Ron looked down at his daughter. She looked so small, so pale, so weak. This had to work. He took both of her hands in his, kneeling on the floor and closing his eyes. He focused on summoning the pure energy of his Mystical Monkey Power. Within moments, a soft, blue glow surrounded him. The lights flickered, as if the presence of such raw energy was too much for them to handle. Ron concentrated on passing the strength he felt to Krista. A blue glow began to envelope her body, at first so dim it was barely noticeable, then slowly growing in brightness. Wade and Dr. Possible looked anxiously at the tablet screen, keeping a sharp eye out for any change in the vital signs. Kim had her hands clasped in front of her face, holding her breath in anticipation.
After several long moments, Ron sensed the transfer was complete, and severed the connection. While his glow faded, the glow surrounding Krista remained for a few seconds longer before dissipating as well.
"Well?" Kim asked, a tremor in her voice, as Ron stood, somewhat shakily.
Wade looked at the tablet. "Too soon to tell. Now we wait."
XXXXXXXXXX
"Are you positive this will work?"
"It's our only shot."
"I don't care what the consequences are."
"Now we wait."
"Krista? Krista, baby, can you hear us?"
Distant voices seemed to flit in and out of her consciousness, echoing in her mind. After Ruthie pushed her through the final portal, Krista had found herself in a void of nothingness – not hot, not cold, not dark, not light, just… nothing. She waited there, silently, until she started hearing voices. Then, with the voices, other sounds. A beeping, a wheezing, footsteps pacing back and forth. Finally, a pinprick of light materialized in the void, growing larger and larger until it enveloped her.
Now she was aware of more – the mild temperature of the room, the soft sheets against her skin, the ache in her bones. She suddenly became aware of some sort of tube in her mouth, going down her throat. Panic rose up, and she choked. Blindly, she scratched at the thing, desperately trying to rid herself of the intrusion.
Gentle hands restrained her own frantic ones. "Don't fight the ventilator, honey. It's helping you breathe." That voice. She recognized that voice. With effort, Krista cracked her eyelids open. It took a minute to adjust to the bright light, but when she did, her vision became clearer.
She was in a white room. From what she could tell, she was lying in a bed, white sheets pulled over her. To her right, windows and an army of machines that she couldn't even begin to guess the functions of. To her left…
"She's awake!" Kim cried out, tears streaming down her cheeks, though she was smiling. Next to her, her father beamed, albeit wearily.
"Welcome back, kiddo," he said.
Krista tried to reply, but again, the tube choked her. Her Grandma Anne appeared in her field of vision. "Don't try to talk yet, sweetheart. We need to get that tube out first."
It took several minutes and a team of doctors and nurses to check and double check that she was strong enough to be taken off the ventilator. Finally, with her parents supporting her on either side, the tube was removed. A small cup of water was immediately brought to her lips, and she sipped, letting the coolness soothe her raw throat. She fell back on her pillows, surveying her family.
"I'm… alive?" she croaked.
Kim reached out and smoothed her daughter's hair back, careful not to disturb the bandage on her forehead. "You are, sweetie. And we're so, so happy you're back."
"How?"
Kim and Ron shared a look, then turned back to her. "We'll talk about that later. Right now, just focus on resting up and getting better."
Suddenly, Krista remembered something. "Krystal? Is… she…"
"She helped us get you out," Kim replied. "She helped us escape." She took one of Krista's hands in both of hers, tears brimming in her eyes again. "I'm so, so sorry we left you, baby. We never should have left you. You were right about… about everything. I'm so sorry, Krista. To think what they did to you…" Kim looked away, the images tearing at her heart.
"I'm… okay," Krista said. There was silence for a few moments before she spoke again.
"I knew you'd come."
Kim turned back to her only child, a smile on her face. "We'll always be there, baby girl. Always."
XXXXXXXXXX
It was several weeks before Krista was released from the hospital. Aside from her physical injuries needing rehabilitation, her mental health needed tending, too. Although she had learned so much from Ruthie, nightmares still plagued her. She still feared being left alone, perhaps now more than ever. The only comfort was knowing that those who tormented her were in Global Justice custody. The Moores still hadn't been found, but Adrena Lynn was hot on their trail, and she promised Krista they would never get close to her again.
As for Drakken, Shego, and Dr. Whitman, the three had been put on trial by Global Justice. Kim and Ron attended the sentencing, leaving Krista in the care of Adrena Lynn while they were out. They weren't about to repeat their past mistake.
The villains were led in to the imposing, cavernous courtroom inside Global Justice headquarters. Each had shackles around their wrists and ankles, Shego's being designed specially to block her powers. Ron could barely restrain himself as the trio were led to their places, his eyes taking on a soft, but threatening, blue glow. For their part, only Dr. Whitman seemed to be feeling regretful. He wouldn't meet the heroes' eyes. Drakken and Shego simply looked put out, as if their schedule were being rudely interrupted by the trial.
Dr. Director entered, flanked by several GJ agents and scientists. She made her way to a podium up front, facing the accused and the accusers. She rifled through a file containing several notes, then looked up at the group of villains. She huffed in disgust, not even trying to hide her sneer.
"Well, I don't think it's a surprise to anyone that you've all been found guilty on several accounts. Breaking and entering, kidnapping, illegal experimentation, attempted murder… shall I go on?"
Drakken and Shego remained silent, still giving off an air of indifference. Dr. Whitman bowed his head further.
Their silence infuriated Dr. Director. She pounded her fist on the podium, voice rising. "You attempted to kill a child, all for the sake of your twisted plans. What do you have to say for yourselves?!"
Drakken turned his head to stare coldly at the Stoppables. He spoke, his voice devoid of emotion. "They deserved it."
A shocked silence reverberated throughout the room. The Attitudinator really did drain every ounce of morality they had had. Dr. Director's voice shook with barely controlled anger. "Lifetime sentences, all of you. No, make that two lifetime sentences, each, in a special GJ maximum security prison. I don't know if we'll ever be able to reverse what the Attitudinator did, but by God, I'm going to try if it kills me. Regardless, you will never be released. Shego, our scientists will be working around the clock until they figure out a way to strip you of your powers. You can count on that." She turned to the guards standing off to the side, and waved her hand dismissively towards the villains. "Get them out of my sight."
As the trio were led from the courtroom, Shego stared menacingly at the Stoppables. "I should have killed your little brat when I had the chance." She got the reaction she was hoping for. Kim cried out in rage, leaping towards the green-skinned villainess. It took seven GJ agents and Ron to hold her back. Shego could be heard laughing all the way down the hallway. As Kim sat on one of the benches, taking deep breaths to calm herself, Dr. Director approached her.
"You have no idea how much I wish I could have let you pummel her."
Kim stood and faced her. "Sometimes taking the high road sucks."
Dr. Director huffed out a laugh, then became serious again. "How is your daughter?"
Kim seemed to deflate a bit. "She's okay. She's getting stronger, but… I don't think she'll ever be free from her nightmares. She'll learn to cope, but the fear will always be there, hiding in the shadows in her mind. Whatever they did to her… it's scarred her for life, even worse than before."
"Well, please know that you have access to the best mental health professionals GJ can procure. Anytime."
"Thank you, Dr. Director. That means a lot." Without anything else to say, Kim and Ron left Global Justice headquarters, returning home to care for their child.
XXXXXXXXXX
A Forest, Somewhere in Russia
9:13pm
A hunched figure made its way through the thick mass of trees. Glancing back down at the softly glowing device in their hands, they triple checked their location. Almost there. Just a few more yards. Finally, a light appeared ahead, coming from the windows of a small house. Really, it was more of a shack. The perfect place for someone to hide, completely off the grid.
Well, not quite.
Not bothering to be quiet, the traveler kicked the door in, startling the man inside. The man, shocked, rubbed his eyes and focused back on the figure before him, widening his eyes in disbelief.
"Krystal?!"
"Hello, Dr. Lee." Krystal shut the door behind her, and dropped gratefully into a chair across from the scientist.
Dr. Lee, for his part, was terrified. He knew what she could do. But he also knew her limits. "H-how are you still alive?"
Krystal studied her nails. "Honestly? By a miracle. But miracles don't last forever. Which is why I'm here." She leveled him with an intimidating look. "I need your help."
"M-my help? What could you possibly need me—"
"I need you to find a way to cure me."
Dr. Lee stood now, stuttering out excuses. "Well, now that's quite impossible. I-I couldn't—"
Krystal laughed, amused at the flustered old man. "Haven't you heard, doctor? Anything's possible for a Possible." She stood, striding forward until she had the scientist cornered, no way out.
"B-b-but why? Why do you wish to be cured so badly? I know what happened to your benefactors. I know you aren't acting for evil anymore." He gulped, hoping that part was true. "So… why?"
Krystal stepped back, sank into one hip, and crossed her arms over her chest. "Because, doctor. I have a mission to carry out."
"What mission?"
"I'm going to hunt down Thomas and Andrea Moore. I know they experimented on other children, like they did on Krista. I know there are others out there with powers like mine."
"How did you—"
"I have my ways," Krista interrupted. After she escaped from Drakken's lab, she managed to hack into one of the Moore's old databases. She had always known that Thomas dabbled in the black market, that he sold off children to be chemically experimented on. What surprised her were the reports that some of these children had developed mysterious powers as a result of the experiments.
"I'm going to find these other kids, I'm going to find the Moores, and then I am going to make them pay for what they did to us."
"But why me? Why not someone else from the old team?" Dr. Lee was desperately trying to find a reason not to get involved with this again.
"Because, Dr. Lee. Everyone else is dead. And you have a debt to settle." Krystal stepped forward again, getting right into the scientist's face. "You've committed some hefty crimes, Dr. Lee. It's time you paid for your sins. Help me, and you can right your wrongs."
Dr. Lee stared at the superpowered clone. He didn't really have much of a choice. And she was right about him needing to right his wrongs. His past work had haunted him these last few months.
"Alright. Let's get started."
A/N: Thanks for being so patient. Final chapter should be up next week. I'm quarantining because of a COVID exposure, so have plenty of free time to get this finished. Thanks for sticking around. Hope you enjoyed the chapter.
