Kim Potential…
Summary: A desperate Dr. Drakken has sensibly reviewed his Files of Past Plots to find the most effective weapon yet used on KP and improve it with unexpected results. Ron and company find they have a new partner.
Disclaimer: No infringement intended.
Part XLVI…
"So…Let me get this straight…" Shego eyed Drakken as he hurriedly typed and voiced orders to various busy, somewhat harassedly so, henchpersons…Barclay beside him at the master viewscreen control panel monitoring the collection of drones at Middleton High and the Possible home.
"Now you want to let Dementor and his new chum know that our Kim is a clone? I thought we wanted to keep that secret…" she frowned.
Especially given Dementor and particularly Hitler Jr. might take it as a ticket to dissect our baby for info…
"It's sure to bring the Throwback to us. He might want a gander at any new mind control, personality-changer system I might've cooked up…But a man who believes he is the supreme prototype of perfection and wants to grind all others under his heel is sure to insist on acquiring this kind of human cloning technology. And when he shows…"
"We put on a show and then when he's well and inside…Ka-Boom?" she eyed him.
"Ka-Boom." Drakken nodded. "And even if Dementor isn't here to be caught with him, the playing field will be back in my…Our…Favor…"
Hmmn…
"It's got its points…But I don't like giving away Kimberly's secret. Can't we just see if he comes anyhow?"
"He'll be more cautious, less willing to come striding in…He might even just send henchthugs. Dementor's team is very capable and Bortel Labs, Inc has the dough-re-mi to cover a lot more of them than we do…"
"…Though ours of course make up in loyalty, team-spirit, and family-feeling what they lack in numbers and capability…" he quickly added, glance to Barclay… "An evil supervillain couldn't ask for better…"
"Thanks, Boss…" Barclay, nodding…
"Fine…But even if we take out Lindendon in a Big Bang…If word gets out…Our little girl's life is ruined." Shego noted. "And Dementor, especially if we beat him, is just the sort to leak it around to get back at us…Drew, she's in love. And what about high school?"
Hmmn…Ummn….He paused from typing…
"Well…Shego…If we'd won as planned…Before things took a temporary detour in the scheme…She'd've eventually had to break off her life as Possible to take on the mantle of Princess Drakken, our world-ruling heir."
"Yeah…Sure…But I figured she'd have time to finish high school, in familiar surroundings, with friends…And college would've been new for Possible, so no big d changing names and assuming false identities or going as 'Her Highness Princess Potential-Drakken…' sigh… "Drew, this could seriously screw up her already strained psyche at a critical time…And again…Honey, she's in love…How can we do this to her?"
"Well…" Uncertain look… "Short of threatening his family or torturing him or both, we'd've probably had trouble keeping the buffoon around for her…Once she reveals her turn to the Dark Blue Side…"
"Eh…A few months squiring our girl…I give it even money he'd stay with her…Plus she'd've had time to set him up for the 'oh, Ron, only you can keep me from becoming totally Evil and save the world from Kim Possible's dark side…And we're married, so…' thing.."
"What?!"
"After graduation, before we take over the world…"
"Before she even goes to college?...Shego?..."
"She needs the stability…And I've seen young marriages work…And of all possible son-in-law candidates…Though you are never to mention I said this to him…This kid's the one for my daughter." She noted, firmly. Stern glance to Barclay as well…
"And now, he'll know…Oh, she'll be heart-broken, especially after she kills him for turning on her…Drew?"
"Not necessarily…At least not for a while…And if we can get the Throwback here and blow him up quickly...No one else may ever know."
"I suppose I could kill Dementor and all his people before word got to Ronald…" she nodded…
"I may be able to keep even Dementor from learning the truth…If I tell only the Throwback…" Drakken eyed her.
"Oh, hmmn…" she pondered… "Well, that…WHAT?!"
So…I am loved…He beamed….
Wow…
Mom, you were right…I'm ashamed to say I was a little afraid it was mostly for Kimberly but…
"NO WAY! NO! No!...NO!" she glared. "You are not meeting the Throwback on your own! Not even to save Kimberly!"
"He won't be surprised that a fellow of my rep wants to win him over as an ally…" Drakken began… "I'd be perfectly…"
"I SAID, NO!" she fired up plasma… "And if I have to blast you unconscious…"
She went blank as Barclay put a hand on her forehead suddenly…
"Good thing I got her to take off the anti-compliance chip necklace earlier…" Drakken nodded. "Sheila, you know I love you and I'd never put you through this sort of thing again unless I had to for you and our girl…?"
"Yes, Dr. Drakken…" she beamed vacantly…Bortel's compliance chip glowing on her forehead…
"Barclay, all our other people are wearing their necklaces, right?" he asked… "We don't want Bortel or the Throwback coming in with them and making fools as well as slaves of us all…"
"Oh, yeah, Boss…" glance at the vacantly waiting Shego…
Hmmn, she really did a great job the other day at Bortel's faking it… "Is it a good idea to use Bortel's chip…?"
"I recalibrated it to my brainwave pattern…" Drakken shook head. "She'll only respond to me…Pity Bortel's too clever not to use his own protective device, but I've little doubt he can block it as well and he knows I'm familiar with the chip."
"I'll be fine, sweetheart…Just a business transaction and I'll have protections…I hope." Drakken patted the waiting, blank Shego.
"Yes, Dr. Drakken…" nod…
"I suppose you'll be terribly pissed at me, later?" sigh…
"Absolutely, Dr. Drakken…" beaming smile…
"But Boss…." Barclay, cautious look… "If you meet the Throwback…And he accepts a deal to come here and see the cloning system…And you're with him…When we are planning…?"
"I'll try…But…Sometimes it's what a good family man has to do, Barclay…There are worse ways for a supervillain to go, you know." Drakken, wan smile… "Are Ms. Possible's and Stanley's tanks secure and ready for transport to the new place?"
"In the truck, headed for the sub dock…Both tanks are stable and secure. Boss…?" Barclay, anxiously…
"It'll be all right, Barclay…Now, open the frequency Dementor and I used to communicate on, when we shared a lair…I have an appointment to make."
"Yeah, Wade?" Potential opened her buzzing Kimmunicator, leaning against her locker…Quick wave to a passing Monique who sighed at the Goth outfit.
"Status report, Kim. The UN's monitors say Dr. Avair got home and has been there since they released him. I've got a link to their monitor feed and he seems to be behaving himself.." cut to shot of Avair reading in chair in living room.
Or rather, synthodroid Avair reading…
"And Bortel's still in custody…Though they'll try to release him later today. Under surveillance…"
"So nothing showing on that end so far? Anything else on Drakken or the Throwback…?"
"Not a peep…Things ok there?"
"Quiet not counting a division or two of Army and UN troops and about 20 drones and helicopters patrolling…" she noted. "Ok, then…We'll stay in touch, Wade."
"Please…And don't hesitate to call in the troops if anything happens, even nothing that looks that important…"
"Right…"
"And is Ron ok?"
"Yeah, sure…" she eyed Wade's image…Frown… "Wade, you don't know something I don't?...Is Ron ok?...Wade?" narrow-eyed look…
If you and those UN boys ever got any ideas about using my boyfriend for bait…
"I guess he's fine…Kim, I really don't keep constant track of him via microchip, whatever he thinks."
"I could go for that…" she shrugged… "But not for Ron 'cannon fodder' Stoppable being your patsy, even if the Vice President or the Secretary General talked him into volunteering…Get me?" cold stare.
"Kim, we haven't done that…Yet…" Wade, hastily typing on screen…
Hold Operation Ron-bait…Owing to Kim factor.
"Rats…" Ron eyeing his Kimmunicator in hallway near his Chemistry classroom, his second class of the day… "Rufus…" sigh to said molerat emerging from inner pocket… "Looks like our hero moves need to go on hold for now…KP's on to us."
"…And it was just an idea…I was gonna discuss it with you in just…" Wade was continuing…
"A bad idea, Wade…A very bad idea that just got shelved eternally." She frowned at the screen.
Look at that face…
Please, you're trying to lie to the mistress, here, kid…
"So he did volunteer, didn't he?"
"Well…I think he was worried for you after the briefing on the Throwback and all that stuff about his hating women…"
And that talk he had with the Dalai Lama about the needs of the many didn't hurt…He thought…
"Well, I'll put an end to goofy ideas like that. Let the President or the Secretary put their lives on the line as bait. Besides, the Throwback's probably not even interested in me…" she started off, holding Kimmunicator open, grim stride.
"Drakken and Dementor sure are…And if he's allied to one of them now…" Wade noted, anxiously… "But it was only being considered…If the Throwback came to Middleton…Kim? Could you slow down? The bouncing around onscreen is making me nauseous…"
"Enough!" she turned a corner, stamping feet as she halted… "Ron! Where's Ron Stoppable?!" she addressed a group of students…
Who?...Several wondered to their friends. That blonde geek who hangs with her…Several hissed.
"Ronald!" she'd turned the next corner, catching sight…
"Hey…" he tried…Nervously…
Remember…The Lama said nothing…Nothing…
"What's the big idea? I…Bwhrrrr…" she gasped at sight of anxious Rufus peeking out of Ron's pocket.
"Sorry…Ruf was lonely…I picked him up when I went home to get my stuff after the conference this morning." Ron sighed. "I wasn't gonna bring him to your place…"
She put up a hand…Glaring…
"Kim?" Wade's voice…
"Stay…Right…Here…Ronald…" she choked out…Stumbling for girls' room…
"Kim?" Bonnie's voice… "Can I help you?"
Ron looking, blinking…Oh my God…Watching Bonnie helping Potential to the girls room…
"Ruf? Is that?"
No…He stared…
"Is she?...Not only offering assistance…But…"
"When did you get glasses?" Potential, a bit relieved now, stared at Bonnie in the bathroom…
"Ronald?" he looked over…And up…
At the sweet face of Anna Eleanor Roosevelt Kennedy above sweater and blouse…About six inches above his…Smiling down at him, concerned look…
"Is Kimberly ok?"
"Nerves, I think…Thanks." He nodded… "Bonnie's helping her."
Never in my history in the world thought I'd say that…
"Oh, good." Sweet smile if of somewhat bucked teeth… "I hear you're running for President this semester, is that true?"
"Huh?"
"Your candicacy papers were filed the other day. I think Kim handed them in."
"She did?" he blinked.
"It's great that you're taking an interest in class politics…So many of the guys don't see it as a big deal but I think we need more people getting involved…Commitment, you know?"
"Yeah, that's a good thing…Commitment…" he nodded.
Bonnie was wearing…Glasses? And helping Kim?
And Kim put me down to run for Class President? Without clearing with me?
"I'm looking forward to discussing the issues with you." Anna Eleanor beamed. "Say, you take tuba, right? What's your position on funding for the music program?"
"I've always needed glasses…But I got by with contacts." Bonnie sighed to Potential in the bathroom. "It hurt my grades 'cause I couldn't really see well with them…They irritate my eyes…But I wasn't anxious to keep my grades up. My outside school work was enough to get me in anywhere for grad school I really wanted to go."
"What are you…Reading?" Kim eyed the book cradled in Bonnie's arm.
Grad school?...
"Thermodynamic Principles…I'm gonna give a talk to the Science Club." Bonnie shrugged. "Oh, you may as well know…I'm brilliant…I mean…Really so…Genius level…In my real life, outside here."
Potential stared…
"And I've been a secret member of the Science Club for…"
A girl entered, staring at the two…
"Yeah, so Possible…If you're ok…I've gotta get to class…What?" Bonnie eyed the girl, withering glare. "I hurt my eyes, I need to wear these for a while. Be glad I can't see you well enough while holding them and make like smoke and blow." The girl backed away into a stall, closing door…
"And thanks…" hiss… "You saying you were going to join the Science Club made me re-evaluate my deception of my self…I've been trying to pass myself off as lead of the cool girls ever since I shot up after third grade, lost my chubbiness and we moved here…I've been living a lie for years, Kim." she hissed. "But thanks to you, I'm trying…Slowly…To come out of the closet. I mean if you can reveal an inner geek…The door is open for us all."
Potential, blinking…
"If you're still interested in joining…Maybe I can intro you to the gang, tonight? We try to hold our meetings in secret cause several of us didn't want to be tagged as nerds…But for me, that's changed now…Some." She eyed the stall. "But I don't want it to surface too fast…One step at a time, ya know? Make sure you drink some water, you're dehydrated after that." She headed off, out the door…
Hmmn…Potential stared after her…
The other girl, Imogen, emerged from the stall…Cautiously…
"Was that really Bonnie wearing glasses?"
"Yeah…She's like, really a total geek in real life, always has been…Just faking her cool for school…" Potential noted. "Well…I think it's brave of her to reveal her true self a little…But don't say a word, Imogen."
Uh-huh…All over school by ten…
"Oh, no…Wow. Bonnie a nerd? Who knew?"
Everybody, now…I'd say… Potential thought, contentedly.
Hey…It's what I do…
Oh, wait…I have something to deal with…
Right…
Heroic boyfriend to slap down…