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 LII…
White room….Bright…Too bright…Squeak…
Aw, thank God…
"Rufus? You're ok?!"
Happy squeal…Scamper on chest… "Yeah, me too, I guess."
"I'm ok, too." Wanly amused voice…
Ron peering over rail to see Potential in chair…Handcuffed…
"Hey."
"Hey. How are you?" anxious tone. "They told me you had a skull fracture, you've been out for two days."
"I'm ok…I guess…For boy with skull crack."
"Ron, I'm sorry…But you should've known enough to fasten your seat belt..." sigh…
"Yeah. Thanks for saving my life, I guess."
"Anytime…" weak smile.
"So they're holding us, huh?" he eyed her.
"Looking like it…At least we're not dead." Smile.
"Your boss wouldn't like that, I'm sure." Frown…
God…Was hoping the skull fracture might've put that notion and the last two days outta his head…
"Ron…" she began… "Ok, fine." She eyed his set look, he lying flat on back in the bed…Eyeing ceiling as Rufus eyed her from his chest.
"…You don't believe me….Fine, let that pass for now…" she waved a hand. "We still need to work together to get outta here…"
"Uh-huh…" he replied, not looking at her.
God, he would have to be ten times sexier in defiant, clever mode. If I coulda just turned him a little more to the Evil side…
Eh, who's kidding whom?…He had me at good.
"…And I love you, no matter what you think…"
"I suppose you still think you do…" he shrugged. "Or maybe you're just a very good liar now."
"I wasn't bad even when you trusted me…" she grinned.
"C'mon, Ron…"sigh…
"Is she dead?" he replied after a pause…
"Uh…Who?"
"You know who…Is Kim dead?" coolly.
God…I better signal for an "interrogation" quick…This ultra cool posing of his is destroying me…
"Ron…You're being ridiculous…"
And oh, so studly…
Oh, gosh…God…This is all cause…He really does think I might be…
"Ron, you love me so much…?" she trembled…
"Of course I love Kim…" cool reply. "And if she's dead…"
Whoa…She blinked…
"Where is this coming from?" she blurted…
"You and your boss think I don't love Kim that much?..." he frowned. Rising in bed
"Of course you do…I know you do…But…" smile… "It's just…"
"Wow…" beam…
Ok, I don't wanna disappoint Dad but if I hafta fake goodness for the next 80 years…
"Enough…If you're not gonna tell me, please leave me alone."
"I'm right here, Ron." She tried. "What can I do to make you believe me?"
"Hand Drakken, Dementor, and the rest over to the UN and let me see clone Kim alive telling me she's the clone…Not that hard." He replied.
Hmmn…Actually…
If Dad could get that electroshock amnesia to work…Or maybe do another portable Attitudinator…Or maybe the compliance chip?
Yes…Ron…I…am Kim…The…Clone…
It's one thing to try…If cicle sis can do a convincing job under brainwashing.
"I'm trying to escape first…Can you let me do things in sequence?" she frowned at him…
"Ok. But why don't you go do that outside?" he looked up at the ceiling. "You won't hafta do the fake escape and all that, mucho easier…"
"Right. Ron…I don't know why you can't believe me but if there is a Kim clone walkin' around, I'll find her and bring her to you in one piece and prove to you which of us is the real thing, ok? But for now, at least give me the benefit of the doubt. You know I love you…Not even a first-rate clone could fake that."
"You might believe it…I dunno…" he shrugged.
"Ok, and if I love you, I'll help you no matter what, right?"
"Till Drakken tells you not to, maybe…"
"Ok…Then until Drakken shows and I go all slobbery 'Yes, Master'…You can expect I'd choose you over the others, right?"
"If he ordered you to help them…"
Hmmphf… "Ok…But if I defy them, arrest them, and save you…And then add Drakken to the new/returned felons' list?"
Avairius eyeing Lindendon, Dementor, and "Shego"/535 as they watched in the main cabin on monitor.
"Should we be worried? She's awfully convincing…"
"If the doctor's on board with you, she'll follow him." "Shego"/535, confidently. "She loves the sidekick, there's no denying that but she's a Drakken, in the end."
I dunno…Drakken, listening in from his still trailing submersible…She's a good girl and loves me well enough but it wouldn't be all that hard for her to convince herself Daddy might be better off and safer in prison.
"I'm confident Dr. Drakken has full control over the clone." Lindendon shrugged. "But in any case I think we can deal with her should problems arise." Brief smile.
Avairius eyeing Dementor…Who gave noncommittal look.
My boy, in for a penny, in for a pound I'm afraid…
"How long till we reach our destination, Commander?" Dementor turned to the henchthug commander.
"About four more hours, sir. But we do seem to be fully clear from pursuit."
"Good. Ms. Shego? I should think dear Drew must be a bit ready to see the surface by now after two days underwater in our wake? Perhaps now that we can risk a brief stop…A chance to remind his 'daughter' that he ist, indeed, 'on board' with us?" Dementor eyed her.
"He's fine with that…" "Shego"/535, nodding.
Well, "fine" is a relative term in this context…Drakken thought. Reluctantly heading for the surface…
"And I should like an interview with Miss Drakken…" Lindendon beamed. "With your permission, Professor?" he turned to Dementor.
"My dear friend…" nod…
"And of course, yours, Ms. Go…" smile to the worried "Shego"/535.
"You may be present, naturally…I merely wish to have the chance to study her behavior in more detail…" polite nod… "Shego"/535 nodding a bit nervously in acknowledgement.
"Barclay?" Drakken hissed… "You are still screening any comments directed at Kimberly by the Throwback since the other night."
When he discussed with Avairius at dinner how interesting it would be to compare Kimberly's abilities to some eagles? And Avairius seemed to get disturbingly queasy?
"Uh…Sure, boss…" Barclay noted.
"Good. I'm on the surface, I'll be boarding in a moment. She's not…?"
"Not right now, boss…" Barclay, a bit hesitant.
"Good…Don't wake her if she's sleeping."
Sleeping…Right…Barclay thought…
"Take care, boss…That guy is nuts."
"But loyal to friends, Barclay…Don't worry I have Shego II and Kim II to look out for me. I'll be fine. And keep everyone on highest alert, ready to pull out, ok?"
"Ok, boss…" sigh…
"God, when he finds out…" he eyed Sally.
"Nothing he shouldn't expect from a loving wife and mother…" she shook her head. "And were any of us gonna stop her?"
"It was inevitable…" Walter in his best Vader…
"Come with us…" the three henchthugs now menacing Potential told her, unclasping one set of handcuffs attached to the chair in which she'd sat. Her hands still chained.
"Fine, what now?" she glared. They pulled her along to the door…
"One second…" she paused… "You make sure he takes his meds!" she insisted to a henchthug entering with tray.
"Ron? Would it hurt to at least fake a little concern for me?" she frowned back at him in the bed. He shrugged…
"Sure, take care…Whatever…"
"Thanks, loads, lover." Grim stare. "I want my ashes in your coffin, or I promise you …'I'll be back'…" she went out the door, two thugs ahead, one following.
"Nice girl…She seems to like you a lot." The henchthug now offering pills and a glass of water addressed Ron who sighed in the bed. A woman, he noted…Familiar, actually.
Oh…The one from the archive, yeah…
"Hey, lil' feller…" Wendy patted Rufus, who stood on guard duty on Ron's chest, glaring at her…
"So?..." Potential took the seat she'd been offered. "Shego"/535 eyeing her from her own seat as Lindendon stood waiting, then took his reinforced chair.
"Dr. Drakken should be with us shortly…" he smiled at her. "But I'd wanted to discuss the situation with you before hand…We not having had a chance to talk a bit more privately."
"Ok…" she nodded. Glance to "Shego"/535 who gave a reassuring look.
"I'm impressed with your creator's success in providing you with such an independent functionality…And yet…" smile. "It will be important to me to know that our future army will heed all commands out of devotion to its creators. It would hardly to do to create an army of dangerously independent rivals to our authority…Your father's as well as mine and my associates, I mean, of course…" expansive wave of hand…
"I get that…Thanks, for Dad's stake in this."
"So…My dear girl…Just how devoted are you to your father?"
"Meaning? Would I betray him?" she eyed him.
"You did seem quite convincing with young Mr. Stoppable a moment ago…"
"I wasn't fakin'…If that's what you mean…But I wouldn't let Dad down either…" she eyed him.
"I see." Nod. "Yet if you had…Or have…To make a choice…?"
She sat up in chair, eyes on him, tense… "Are you threatening them…Either one of them?"
"I might be…" pleasant smile. "And if I were, say…Threatening one…But left the choice to you?"
She eyed "Shego"/535…
"Colonel…" "Shego"/535 began…
"Please…" he raised a hand. "This is important, Ms. Go….Well, young lady? Of the two, who is your choice?"
"I'd kill you before I'd have to make a choice. End of problem." She replied, coolly.
"Spirit…Very good… But not what I need here. Miss Possible…Pardon, Miss Drakken…" Lindendon smiled at her frown… "Have you ever heard the story of how I acquired that rather quaintly insulting name, which I preserve as both a badge of honor and a reminder?"
She shrugged, eyeing him…
"In my last interview with President Roosevelt, the miserable cripple having summoned me to the White House…I was not yet the fine figure of a man I am today, mind you, and not yet ostracized by my own country…Accused me before a select group including my own wife and his 'minority', is that the polite term nowadays?-loving wife, of betraying my country to Germany. That although he did not wish to harm American morale for the war effort by exposing me as a...'traitor worse than Benedict Arnold' I believe were his words…And would allow me to serve in a subordinate role in the war which had just begun in the Pacific, under surveillance, that I was a traitor to everything that America stood for and that I had once exemplified. That when my record was fully known after the wartime crisis I would be despised, disavowed, and disgraced as a man whose vanity and contempt for Humankind had led him into the arms of the enemies of all decent men and women. Naturally, despite being more limited physically than now I attempted to take my just revenge on the cripple, the real traitor to his nation and race…And was struck down by…" reddening look…
"Bwwah…" Potential, desperately repressing… "Eleanor Roosevelt beat you up?"
"Never say that name again in my presence, dear." coldly. "But…I wasn't expecting the woman to have such strength, even in her husband's defense, I was taken by surprise…I told you I wasn't what I am today…" he glared.
"I've seen your pictures, you were big enough then…So America's great hero tried to beat up a paralyzed man in a wheelchair and his tall wife clobbered you, please go on?"
"With my wife watching…She'd brought my wife to the meeting…" he trembled. "To 'show her what I really was'…Her words. After his secret service agents managed to restrain me…And I had told the woman what I thought of her, in my turn…She told me, as my wife listened, without a word in my defense, I was a throwback to all that was darkest in Humanity. While her crippled husband laughed in his chair… 'Good one, Babs' he'd said, I believe…"
Say that again…She repressed a grin.
"A throwback…Me, the personification of the Superior Man…As my wife, the one woman I'd ever…Listened…Silent…" he tensed, trembled…Reddened…
"Uh-huh…Must've stung…"
"On the principle of that which does not kill us making stronger, I decided to keep the name…And when I escaped my confinements, made it my own title of honor."
"As opposed to greatest American hero…?" she noted… "Well…"
"I AM THE GREATEST AMERICAN HERO STILL, child!" he raged…Red-faced. "No one…NO ONE! Will ever take that from me!" standing now….Eyes bulging.
"Shego"/535 rising, gamely taking position…
Not Shego's plasma or able to keep it up for long but still…
But, immediately, to their surprise, he calming, resuming seat…
"Forgive me, ladies…Please, Ms. Go…I am a bit sensitive on that score, as you see…And you, also, Miss Drakken, after all are an acknowledged ally…Or at least…" smile… "The instrument of one…And a most valuable one, to me, I assure you…" polite nod. "Shego"/535 taking seat, carefully…
"Right, thanks…" Potential, brittle smile.
"But I tell you this little tale so that we understand each other…That I value honor…Particularly the honor of pledged friends to me and of me to them…Above all things…And that while nothing will stop me from destroying anything that gets in the way of my achieving the perfection of Humanity, I value my pledged friends…And so I must know…What do you value most, Miss Drakken?"
"Whom would you choose, if you could save but one?" hard stare.