Team Possible Inc. Recruiting and Recovery
Chapter 4: Say Goodbye, Joss
A Kim Possible Fan Fic by the Pharaoh Rutin Tutin
Kim Possible and all related characters copyright © Disney.
This is a work of Fan Fiction. I receive no compensation for this story.
Please do not edit, sell, repost, or redistribute without my permission.
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In the story "After Action", several friends, relatives, and acquaintances of Team Possible take a more active roll in the rescue / crime-fighting / save-the-world business while Ron recovers from serious injuries. And when the original members of Team Possible are back in fighting shape, the new members stand along side them. Together they create a force for justice and peace rarely seen outside cartoons.
These are the stories of that recovery, as well as the basic, average girls and guys of Middleton and what inspires them to save the world.
You can't stop them 'cause they're TEAM POSSIBLE, INC.
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Sunrise
Dr Mills "Slim" Possible was staring down the interstate over the hood of his favorite heavy-duty pickup. Curled up asleep on the wide bench next to him was his only daughter, fourteen year old Joss Possible. This pickup, the trailer they were towing, and about half a dozen trucks and trailers being driven by ranch hands and interns contained all that was left of the Possible family estate, The Lazy C Ranch.
"Lipski" the tall man cursed softly as the classical music on the radio gave way to the morning news.
"And in local news, a toxic materials accident forced the evacuation of nearly 3,000 square miles of rural Montana. This largely uninhabited area includes almost everything within a 30-mile radius of The Lazy C Ranch. The small town of Joseph City accounted for over 90 percent of the evacuees. The Montana National Guard, under the command of Major General Gilbert Sullivan is directing the evacuation. To facilitate the process, the Governor has declared five counties to be disaster areas and that a state of Martial Law exists within those counties. Military affairs correspondent, Donner Blitzen spoke to General Sullivan and filed this report."
"General Sullivan, can you tell us what happened at the Lazy C?"
"Mr. Blitzen, the details of the explosion are still under investigation. While we do know that Dr. Possible was engaged in high energy physics experiments at his ranch, we can not confirm or deny that the accident was a result of his work."
CLICK
"Damn," Slim Possible said just a little to loudly.
"Daddy?" Joss groggily asked as she roused herself from a fetal position contained by a seatbelt.
"Sorry baby, didn't mean to wake you up yet."
"What happened?"
"Joss, we just lost our home. And if I understood the subtle message on Montana National Radio, it sounds like the Army is blackmailing us as well." Looking out the windshield, Slim spotted a billboard for a truck stop at a nearby exit. "How about I tell you the whole story over breakfast? The rest of the hands need to know what's happening as well."
Picking up the CB microphone, Slim hit the airwaves with, "This is LC One to LC Fleet. We're pullin' over to the 67 Truck Stop at the Hannah exit five miles down the road fer breakfast. Y'all copy that?"
"LC Two, Yassir."
"LC Three, Chow-time, check."
"LC Four, Ack-knowledged!"
"LC Five, Ah-yep."
"LC Six, Gas and grub. Gotcha."
"LC Seven, Sweet niblets! Breakfast!"
As the Lazy C refugees were being served ham and red eye gravy, buckwheat flapjacks, eggs fried in bacon grease, buttermilk biscuits with sausage gravy, and black coffee that's hot enough to sterilize surgical tools as well as thick enough to use as ink, Slim Possible began his story.
"I know you're wondering what happened. Most of you have heard the reports on the radio. Well let me say for the record that the line the National Guard is feeding the press could keep the whole state fertilized for a year."
"I reckon it all began a little over two years ago when an anonymous investor bought the Crooked D sight unseen for a song. Turned out the "investor" was the criminal known as Dr. Draken. My little brother's college classmate, Drew Lipski."
"Lipski's gang began setting up all kinds of electronics and security. Apparently with no other goal than to make it a back up lair for the blue-skinned tin-horn."
"Then last year, he dropped in on his 200 acre investment for the first time when he decided to pull that 'Silly Hat' stunt on the top minds of the scientific community. It's a good thing my little brother and his kids were visitin' the Lazy C at the time. We got his operation shut down before anyone from the government even showed up."
"When the law did get there, they seized it for 'security'. The Governor transferred it to the National Guard. And they began testing the 'Toys' that Draken left behind. Soon the whole Department of Defense was involved with the investigations."
I'm sure you noticed that the first evacuation order reached Joseph City and the Ranch several HOURS before anyone saw an explosion. That's because the explosion had nothing to do with the accident."
"You see, even before the first official announcement, I got a call from the Crooked D, but I can't say what I heard. Well after that call, the phone lines to the ranch were cut and all the radio and satellite transmitters jammed. And I know y'all saw the Air National Guard Jet that buzzed our convoy just as we left the ranch. I'm pretty sure that was the source of the explosion we saw over the north 40."
"We all know how hard we worked loading the animals, research equipment, and all my family heirlooms. And I want to thank all of ya from the bottom of my heart for savin' all that you could."
"Ok, what I've said so far you could probably figure out on your own. The real story is classified. I'd like to tell you everything, but that would only end up hurting you in the long run."
"So for now, I guess what I have to say is you're all fired. We're going to drive into Billings and sell the live stock and the ranch equipment for whatever we can get. I'll settle up accounts with each of you and buy you airline tickets to wherever you want to go. I'm sure gonna miss working with you guys."
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The next day, in the parking lot of a federal courthouse, Slim and Joss Possible can be seen in his pick up that's hooked to a horse trailer filled with his research, the family treasures, their personal necessities, and Ol' Tornado."
"Ok daddy, we're alone now. What's really going on?"
"What's going on is that the Army messed up and instead of taking the blame, they're implying that I did it."
"That's plum loco, daddy!"
"No Joss, that's politics. Do you really want to know? You'll have to be very careful to not tell anyone. Ever."
"Tell me."
"Ok, the things I'm about to tell you are classified. If you repeat them, I'll deny saying anything, and the Army may take drastic measures."
"Just after sunset last night, I got a call from General Sullivan over at the Crooked D. He said, and I quote, 'Dr. Possible, load your daughter, your hands, your livestock, and anything worth saving into as many trucks and trailers you have. Have the whole kit and caboodle on the road and headed for Billings before midnight. Someone from the DOD will meet you and your lawyer at the federal courthouse in a few days. Slim, you're never going to see the Lazy C again.'"
"As we were about to leave, I noticed this letter taped on the front gate addressed to me. I'm glad no one tried to open it."
Handing the letter to Joss, she began to read.
Dr. Possible,
It is with regret that I must inform you that there has been an accident at the Crooked D.
While investigating the abandoned equipment of Drew "Draken" Lipski, a previously unnoticed security feature, a self-destruct-button if you will, was activated. This started a chain reaction. The result will be a radioactive hot-zone that will cover most of the Crooked D and Lazy C by one a.m. The nearby town of Joseph City will also be evacuated as a precaution, but is not expected to suffer serious damage.
The Lazy C, however, will be unfit for human habitation for decades.
We suspect that Draken designed this device to allow himself a chance to escape while drawing as many investigators as possible into a kill zone.
Dr. Possible, as the terms of several disarmament treaties prohibit the DOD from working directly with this kind of research, we will need to find an alternate means of explaining this. Unfortunately, you are our alternate explanation.
The story will be released that there was an explosion in the vicinity of your ranch, forcing the evacuation of Joseph City.
No charges will be brought against you, and the government will be very generous in compensating you financially for the loss of your ranch. All that can change, however, if you publicly challenge the Army's story.
My advice for you is to take the check and shut up. Move far away from Montana so that no one who knows about the Lazy C will ask questions that you and your daughter might be tempted to answer.
The good news is that the radiation has a very short half-life. In 50 years, your grandchildren will be able to reclaim your family estate.
Unsigned,
Major General Gilbert Sullivan
PS. This fax was sent without letterhead or signature for a reason. No record of this message exists on my end. I wanted to send you this in writing because you deserve to know the truth. Once you read it, I suggest you destroy it.
"So what are we going to do?"
"Well, we're not poor. All our accounts are still intact and I can support us and send you to college just on the royalties from my patents."
"According to my lawyer, we'll meet with the judge and the DOD lawyer in about an hour to discuss the settlement. After that, we'll get back on the road."
"To where?"
"Middleton. I called Squirt while you were sleeping and he and Aunt Anne invited us in. I think we'll buy a place there with what the government gives us today."
"Why move there?"
"Well, the school year is about to start, and you're just about to start high school. Since you can't be there with your friends, I figure the next best thing is to be there with relatives. Kim and Ron are seniors, and Jim and Tim are going to be freshmen just like you. Also, there's a lot of cutting edge research that goes on in that town. My little brother has asked me to move my operation there before."
"What are we gonna tell them about the Lazy C?"
"Joss, we will all sit down and talk about it, you, Uncle James Aunt Anne, Kim, and me. We might even bring in Ron. We'll tell them the whole story. And then we'll never speak of it again."
"Wow. That's a LOT to take in."
Slim leaned over and held his daughter tightly and kissed her on the forehead. Then he said, "Joss, I didn't want this. I know you didn't want this. I'm pretty sure that our friends in Joseph City and our relatives in Middleton didn't want this. But now we have it, and we need to do something with it."
"It's just that I…"
"What Joss?"
"Daddy, I haven't been outside Montana for more than two days at a time since I was five years old."
"Then there's just one thing you need to do."
"What?"
"Say goodbye, Joss."
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fin
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Author's note
First, I wouldn't even begin to think of including Joss as a regular member of Team Possible Inc if it weren't for the brilliant work of cpneb in the Blue Eyes Shining / Jade-verse stories. Thank you, sir.
Sorry I had to shut down the Lazy C, Montana fans. But I had to drive out Joss and Slim and send them to Middleton. I though a cherubim with a flaming sword would be over the top.
Let's see now. That makes four Possibles in Middleton High School in the upcoming year. Bonnie, do you have something to say about that?