Ups and Downs
Disclaimer – I don't own Kim Possible.
A/N – Thanks to all my readers and reviewers.
This chapter marks 100,000 words in this story. Technically, the last chapter reached 100,000 words but that included authors notes and other extras, so I figured this chapter marks the 100,000 milestone. Not bad for a story that was supposed to be 80,000 words total.
Note that ~O~O~O~ indicates major shift in time and place, while ~o~o~ indicates small shifts in time or place.
This story is an AU and diverges from canon early in the fourth season before Mad Dogs and Aliens or Big Brother, so there are no Lowardians in this universe and no Hana.
Chapter – 16 – Ups and Downs
Dr. Director checked to be certain she was not being followed as she made her circuitous way to Brainchild's hidden lair. The last week had been exhausting for her. In addition to running Global Justice, she also had to deal with the extra work of taking out her brother and most of WEE using information the Du brothers had obtained, and meeting with the Possible women after hours to work on finding the person behind the current crisis.
She didn't dare trust anyone at Global Justice with her extracurricular activities for fear they could be working for the other side. Normally she would have trusted the Du brothers, especially Will, implicitly, but Will's actions concerning Kim Possible's probation had left a nagging suspicion of him in her mind. Knowing that the enemy employed shape-shifters and seemed to have agents in every intelligence and law enforcement agency in the world only reinforced her paranoia.
As she slipped into the hidden entrance of the lair after checking for observers she vowed, for the sixth time this week, to find someone at Global Justice she could trust and add them to her work with the Possibles, just as soon as life settled down, say in ten or fifteen years. Sighing wearily, she entered the main room of the lair, where Ann and Nancy were waiting and sank tiredly into a chair.
Ann smiled at her in sympathy. "Tough day?"
Betty nodded tiredly. "Yes, but I think the worst is over. This last sweep seems to have caught the few remaining WEE agents at large. Hopefully, things will calm down for a while."
Nancy nodded slightly then turned to look at Ann. "Tell Betty what you have found."
Ann called up several graphs on the main computer screen. "I have managed to trace portions of the network of agents he is using. The first time I encountered him he had arranged his agents to be able to take over when the time was right but he had no backup if things went wrong. That was how I defeated him, by taking out enough of his agents to render his plan impossible."
She swiveled around in her chair to look at Nancy and Betty. "If you look at his current networks you will find that he definitely learned from his mistakes. He seems to have multiple agents in almost every agency in the world. Those he doesn't have agents in he controls by having agents in allied agencies or superior organization. He doesn't seem to have any agents in Global Justice but we know he controlled the Oversight Committee.
"The good news is that this means it will be very easy to find agents of his. The bad news is that with so many agents in so many agencies it will be almost impossible to find a control structure or higher echelon except by chance."
Betty nodded. "That is what I thought. From what knew about his organization he seems to have planned for every contingency. Look at the CIA, if everyone he eliminated was an agent then he had over twenty agents in place with backups ready to take over if one was caught. I would be willing to bet that most of the agents never knew about the others."
Nancy gave a short laugh. "That is a sucker bet. This guy seems to have taken preparation and planning to an extreme. We will have to be very lucky or very smart to get a lead on his organization."
The other two women nodded in agreement, as the room fell quiet for a moment. Betty shifted in her chair as she spoke up. "With things winding down with WEE, I hope to get Global Justice focused on what is happening with a lot of the agencies involved. That should give us an increased chance of finding a clue." She looked Ann in the eye. "Any leads from the In-Terror-Net?"
Ann and Nancy shook their heads in unison. "Nothing useful. Plenty of vague rumors about shape shifters and conspiracies but they all lead to dead ends. I don't think he has any overt contact with the super-villain world, although I would bet anything he has agents all over Hench Co and its competitors."
"That makes sense. Most of the villain world is too unstable to place agents in, at least long term ones. Using Hench Co to monitor them would be the best solution to the problem." Nancy answered. "From my contacts in the intelligence world I have learned nothing of any worth. They are either in the dark or one of his agents. I don't think we have the time to check them all out."
"Do we have any way to track the agents of this villain?" Nancy asked Ann.
Ann paused in thought before answering. "Not that I can think of immediately. He is very good at covering his tracks."
Betty broke in. "How about tracking the shape shifter? If he is traveling the world on his master's business he should leave some kind of trail."
Nancy shook her head. "That won't work. If he constantly shifts his form there will be-."
"Actually, there should a way to track him." Ann interrupted. "With the way airport security is now he would need a bulletproof identity to travel. Even if he has multiple identities, he can only have so many, otherwise he wouldn't be able to carry them all with him without being detected. If there are a limited number to follow, we can cross-reference them with the shape shifter's known activities and that should give us a lead on him"
"I can get you access to government travel logs and flight manifests. Is there anything else that would help?" Betty asked.
Ann considered her answer for a moment. "That should be enough for a start. If we need more data we can get it later."
"Look for anomalous sightings of people. If he is using other peoples identities, there should be times when he is noticed in one location while the original is seen somewhere else." Ann nodded at Nancy's suggestion and turned to start typing on the keyboard of the EBM Mastermind 5000. After several minutes, she finished typing and turned to face Nancy and Betty.
"I have set up a basic search for now. Once Betty gets me more data, I will refine the search. Can either of you think of any other way to track them?"
Nancy shook her head. "Not that I can think of. How about you Betty, do you have any more ideas?"
Betty shook her head. "Not right now. Have you had any luck locating Kim or Ron?"
"Nothing on Kim. Ron was last seen in Venice, talking to some old friends from High School, friends Kim and Shego spent time with when they were in Venice. Since then there has been nothing on either of them."
Nancy continued. "Betty, do you have anyone in your organization you can trust to help us?"
Betty paused in thought for a moment. "Normally I would suggest the Du brothers but in this case I don't know if I can trust them."
"Why?" Ann leaned forward curiously.
"I worry that Will's treatment of Kim when she was on probation indicates that he is compromised." Betty got an evil grin on her face. "Of course, I could just bring him here and let you find out if he or his brother is an enemy agent."
Ann looked slightly shocked while Nancy nodded her head in agreement. "That is a good idea. We may need to do that with most of the people we bring to help us. The enemy's organization is so widespread it would be the only way to insure we aren't compromised."
Ann now nodded in agreement. "She is right. When do you want me to examine them?"
Betty thought for a moment. "I will bring them by after work in two days. Should I bring them here or do you want to meet somewhere else?"
"Bring them by here; just give me an hour's notice so I will be ready."
~o~o~
The Du brothers stood at attention in front of Dr. Director's desk, waiting for her to finish reading their report on the past weeks actions against WEE. When she had finished reading the reports, she scrutinized them for a moment before speaking. "Good job on neutralizing WEE. I especially like the tactics you used to get the data from Kim Possible and Shego. It shows you can learn from past mistakes and put the mission ahead of your own ego."
The brothers suppressed tight little grins at her praise. The grins turned to surprised looks as she stood and shook each of their hands in turns. Their surprise grew at her words.
"Both of you have gone above and beyond over the last couple of weeks. You handled the situation with Possible and Shego as well as could be expected and your work against WEE has been superb."
The surprise at her action and words covered the surprise as she conveyed a message to each of the brothers using a subtle touch code under the cover of the handshake. Each brother received the same message.
"Meet. 8PM. Tonight. Culvert. Middleton Park. Rear Entrance. TS NTK."
The brothers still had the bemused look on their faces as Dr. Director escorted them out of the room with instructions to take the rest of the day off and rest since they had an important assignment tomorrow. The brothers made their way through the command center and entered the corridor to the bases living quarters. Neither said a word to the other about the secret message they had received. After a wordless goodbye, they each entered their quarters.
~o~o~
Will made his way through the Middleton Park, taking care to stay in the shadows and constantly checking to make certain he was not being followed. Approaching the culvert and seeing no one near, he cautiously stepped into the open and looked to see who, if anyone would meet him. He held himself ready to fight or flee as needed, his senses alert for any sign.
The whole situation had him on edge, Dr. Director's strange behavior and the cryptic message sent by a means that was only used when they were under surveillance. For the last week, Dr. Director had been . . . off was the only word that fit. She had seemed slightly distracted, as though something important was always at the back of her mind. In addition, on several occasions, she had been slower than usual to respond to alerts when not on duty.
His ruminations were interrupted when his brother silently slide from the nearby shadows to stand next to him. They shared a quizzical look then went back to scanning the surrounding area for signs of the person they were to meet. They were both startled when a voice from the shadows in the culvert called to them.
"This way gentlemen." They were shocked when they turned and saw Dr. Director step from the shadows and motion for them to follow her. Without waiting for an answer, she turned and headed back into the shadows. The brothers followed, shocked when they found a hidden door and corridor concealed in the darkness. They hurried after Dr. Director, their uneasy growing as they recognized the tunnel as a standard Hench Co Hide-It Secret Entrance from their pre-made lair business.
They were even more surprised when they stepped into the control room and saw Dr. Director standing next to Nancy Possible near the main computer console. They were about question the women when they were hit with a spray of mist from an atomizer in the hand of a masked figure moving around from behind them. Their eyes were drawn to the hypnotic shifting pattern of her costume as she strutted over to stand beside the women at the computer console.
Before they could speak, the masked figure interrupted. "Do not speak. Sit over there." She pointed to chairs positioned near on wall of the lair. She turned to Dr. Director. "Which one should we do first?"
"Ken Du."
The masked woman nodded and sauntered over to stand in front of Ken. Both he and his brother had their eyes lock on her every movement, their minds caught by the ACCORD formula as well as the hypnotic pattern and the subtle suggestion field of her costume. She looked Ken in the eyes.
"Ken Du, you will answer all questions put to you fully and completely." At his vacant nod, she called over her shoulder. "You can ask your questions know. Just remember he will be very literal in his answers."
Nodding absently, Dr. Director stepped forward, "Ken, are you in the employ of any agency or power other than Global Justice?"
Ken's voice was soft and listless. "No."
"Have you ever given information from Global Justice to anyone outside of authorized channels?"
"Several times I have mentioned or discussed my work with my brother Will even though those disclosures were not authorized."
Dr. Director spent a moment in thought. "Are you now or have you ever been associated with any person or group, other than Global Justice, that is involved in law enforcement, intelligence or politics?"
"I was a member of the College Republicans Club when -."
"That is fine. Are there any others?"
Ken lazily shook his head. "No."
Dr. Director looked to Brainchild and Nancy to see if they had any questions to add. When none were forthcoming, she motioned for Brainchild to proceed. Taking Ken by the arm, Brainchild had him stand and then guided him to the other side of the room where she told him to sit quietly after she gave him an injection.
Returning to Dr. Director's side, she caught Will Du's attention. "Will Du, you will answer all questions fully and completely. Do you understand?" Once Will gave a lazy nod. "He is ready for your questions."
A hard look on her face, Dr. Director started questioning him. "Will, are you in the employ of any agency or power other than Global Justice?"
"No." Will's voice was slightly slurred but still focused.
"Have you ever given information from Global Justice to anyone outside of authorized channels?"
"Several times I have discussed current events and the possible future needs of Global Justice with Dr. Martin Aster and several other employees of THINK."
Dr. Director frowned, lost in thought for a moment, before continuing as planned. "Are you now or have you ever been associated with any person or group, other than Global Justice, that is involved in law enforcement, intelligence or politics?"
"No." Will's answer was forceful, his stubborn pride showing through Brainchild's control.
"Why did you give information to THINK?"
"I was worried about the danger Kim Possible might pose if she was corrupted by Shego. I asked Dr. Aster to evaluate the probabilities with regard to her relationship with Shego and the possibility of her turning to evil."
Dr. Director frowned. "What caused you to worry so much about something that was not your concern?"
A slight sneer appeared on Will's face. "I knew of your fascination with her and was concerned that you would ignore her faults. I hoped Dr. Aster would provide the information needed to convince you of the danger she represented."
Ken, who was coming out from under the influence of ACCORD, had a bewildered look on his face at his brother's words. Dr. Director's face was stony. "What was your reason for not bringing your concerns to me first?"
Will's face was slightly twisted in spite of the effect of the ACCORD serum. "I was concerned that your fascination for Kim Possible would blind you to the truth about her and consequently you would ignore your normal agents in favor of her."
Nancy interjected, her face twisted in anger. "You were jealous of her? That is what caused all of this?"
"Yes. She has supplanted me as Global Justice's number one agent in Dr. Director's eyes. I was afraid Dr. Director's trust in an untrained agent who refused to follow orders would endanger everything."
Dr. Director pursed her lips and glared at him for a moment before continuing. "What information did you give to Dr. Aster and THINK?"
"I gave them Kim personnel file and all of the reports that we had on her missions. I also gave them all of the files we had on Kim's associates."
"What did Dr. Aster say?"
"He indicated that she was a potential danger to Global Justice unless she was brought under our control. He advised isolating and humiliating her, then bringing her into Global Justice and training her to follow orders."
Ken, who had fully recovered from the effects of the ACCORD serum thanks to the antidote Brainchild had given him, started to rise to confront his brother but was pushed back into place by Nancy Possible. He eyed her critically for a moment then settled in place. He opened his mouth to speak but snapped it shut at Nancy's stern look.
"How did his advice influence your treatment of Kim Possible?" Dr. Director's voice was flat and unemotional.
"I chose not to give her any leeway on her parole. I made certain that every restriction and condition was fully implemented and adhered to. I did not interfere when other agencies imposed additional conditions on her parole."
Dr. Director remembered something he had told once. "Did you know about the refusal to let Kim Possible leave Middleton to attend college?"
Will shook his head slightly. "No, I was not aware of that restriction. I though she stayed in Middleton by choice."
"And the other restrictions, did you know about them? Did you approve them?"
"Yes."
Dr. Director exchanged looks with Nancy and Brainchild, and then proceeded. "In light of what has happened since Kim Possible's parole ended, do you think that your action were useful or counterproductive?"
Will's face took on a sour look. "My actions were counterproductive. They did not subdue Kim Possible but instead made her the greatest enemy Global Justice has ever faced. I have been responsible for more damage to Global Justice than Gemini."
Seeing the tears starting to trickle down Will's face, Dr. Director checked the other woman's faces, and then nodded to Brainchild. Brainchild strode over and knelt at Will's side, where she quickly prepared and gave him an injection of the antidote to the ACCORD serum. The room was quiet as everyone waited for the antidote to take effect.
Will shook his head as the serum's effect faded, as though he was trying to dispel a bad dream. He looked around the room with haunted eyes. Seeing the hard look on the three woman's faces and the stunned look on his brother's face, he dropped his head to stare at his shoes in shame.
"Dr. . . . Dr. Director, I have failed in my duties and endangered Global Justice and many innocent civilian lives. I resign immediately."
A snort from Nancy brought him up short. "You don't get off that easy, pup. You made the mistake and now it is your job to fix it."
Dr. Director nodded. "She is right. No easy way out for you, Will. Man up and accept what you did and work to fix thing, it's what adults do."
Will took a deep breath and held it for a moment before slowly letting out. "All right. Now, what is this meeting about? Who is the woman with Nancy Possible and why are we in a Hench Co lair?"
Dr. Director and Nancy gave slight smiles of approval at his rapid return to business. "We brought you and your brother here to check your loyalty before asking for your help."
Dr. Director motioned for Will to take a seat. "For the last week I have been working with Nancy Possible and here ally, Brainchild." The three women watched the Du brothers' reaction to the name. "Yes, she is the original Brainchild."
Nancy took up the tale. "I told everyone that I had taken care of Brainchild and no one wanted to know the details. The truth is I had discovered her real identity and purpose. She had been used by a person unknown in an attempt to place his agents in positions of power. Once she discovered this, she worked to remove all of the agents she knew about.
"That was one reason I allowed her to retire." She nodded to Brainchild, who removed her mask to startled gasps from Will and Ken. "Obviously, the other was that she was in love with my son. She stayed retired until thing heated up with Kim, when she joined me in investigating exactly what had happened to her in Plantain."
Dr. Director took over. "Given the situation with the Oversight Committee, I approached Nancy about working together and she in turn brought in Ann. Since then we have been working to find some clue as to who was behind the upheaval we have seen worldwide lately. Unfortunately, it is proving more difficult than expected, so we decided to bring the two of you in to help. Of course we had to make certain we could trust you first, thus Brainchild's questioning of you."
The Du brothers nodded their understanding as they worked to process what they had just learned. After a minute's thought, Ken spoke up. "What do you want us to do?"
Ann typed quickly on the keyboard to the EBM Mastermind 5000 and waited for the main screen to display a list of items. "The main agent we have identified is a shape shifter. We have found a way to potentially track him but need extra manpower to help winnow the possibilities."
Will leaned forward, interest flashing in his eyes as he got used to still having a job. "What exactly do you need us to do?"
Dr. Director answered. "We have tracked a number of people who seemed out of place or in two places at once. The heuristic we used searched for possible suspects but we need actual human eyes and brains to check each one."
The brothers nodded in unison. "When do we start?" Ken asked. "And where do you want us to work, here or Global Justice?" Will added.
Ann passed them a pair of flash drives. "These contain all of the data we have on our candidates. We need you to use Global Justice's resources to track each individual and see if they are who they seem to be. My system doesn't have access to the type of surveillance that is needed but Global Justice does."
Will was about to speak when a loud screech came from his, Ken's and Dr. Director's wrist communicator. A harsh voice blared, "GJ HQ under attack, repeat GJ HQ under attack. Multiple incursions detect. Enemy unknown."
The three all shot to their feet and headed for the exit, Dr. Director calling over her shoulder. "I'll update you when I can."
~o~o~
Dr. Director rolled out of the Global Justice transport tube and started yelling orders to the agents defending the headquarters. The Du brothers followed her out of the tube and shot to their feet, furiously directing their team in the defense effort. Once the immediate situation was taken care of, Dr. Director headed to the main command center with the Du brothers hot on her heels.
"Sitrep."
"We have two major incursions by heavily armed forces of henchman. One is on the main communications array, the other is on the main hanger. Several smaller diversionary attacks have been repulsed. Still no ID on the forces allegiance."
Turning to the brothers, Dr. Director asked. "Gentlemen, your thoughts."
Ken spoke first. "The hanger attack is a feint, designed to draw off resources and limit pursuit. The real attack is the one on the communications array."
"I agree. From the communications array they can access the main computer systems as well as this control center. We have sent our team to help with the defense there." Will added.
Dr. Director nodded her agreement. "Good. I want you here to help monitor the attack and to see if you can identify who is behind the attack."
The brothers took seats at the main console, slipping headset on as they started to coordinate the defense. For the next several minutes, the center was a hive of activity as agents were moved to meet the main thrusts of the attack and shore up weak points. As the attackers slowly were pushed back, Dr. Director started to breathe easier, but was shocked out of her calm by an explosion at the rear of the command center.
As everyone turned to see the source of the explosion a voice rang out. "You vill surrender now or you vill be destroyed."
They saw the short helmeted figure of Professor Dementor coming through the hole in the wall surrounded by henchmen. He made several quick gestures, sending his men to secure the room. "Now dear Fraulein, you vill surrender to me or your people vill get hurt. Ve do not vant that do ve?"
The Du brothers called their team to assist, then leapt in between Dr. Director and the approaching henchmen. "Not while we are here." They said in unison.
"Nein, you vill fall like all the others." Dementor shouted as he watched his men move into position and attack. The first two henches were dropped by snap kick/back-fist combos from the brothers. As the rest of the henches moved in, Dr. Director moved to defend the brothers' backs. The two groups shift for position for several moments before Ken went on the attack.
He faked a high kick to one henches head and dropped into a leg sweep against the hench next to him. The hench leapt over his leg but was met by Will's lunging punch as he landed. The hench Ken had launched the feint against had moved in to exploit Ken's limited mobility due to his crouch but was stopped by Ken's foot as he converted his sweep into a low groin kick.
The two henches crashed into each other and were easily knocked out by the brothers. The other henches paused to regard the brothers for a moment, seeking a weakness in their defense.
"Vhat are you vaiting for, you dummkopfs. Attack them now. Subdue them and take the Fraulein captive so we can finish vith this mission." Dementor was pacing in front of the hole his explosion had caused, gesturing wildly as he shouted at his men.
The henches went into action, hoping to exploit the surprise they saw on the brothers faces. The brothers responded immediately, holding the henches at bay for a moment before moving to attack. Will used a variety of kicks and leg sweeps to hold the henches near him at bay as Ken launched an attack on the hench nearest him. The hench was struggling to blocks Kens flurry of punches when he was caught by surprise by a low kick to the shin. As he flinched, Ken hit him with an elbow strike to the temple that dropped him unconscious to the ground.
As Ken shifted to a more defensive posture, Will shifted to a more aggressive attack. He used a combination of punches and hand/wrist grabs to throw one hench into another as he launched a spin kick at a third, catching him on the jaw and sending him reeling. Will moved to follow up but stopped when Dr. Director caught the hench with an axe kick to the top of the head that dropped him to the floor. Once again, the henches pulled back as they tried to regroup.
"You are supposed to be the best in the vorld, but you are getting beaten by two pretty boys and a voman. I am very disappointed and vill be docking your pay if you do not finish this NOW!" Dementor had stopped pacing and stood shouting at the henches as he flailed his arms wildly.
"How about you stop hiding behind your flunkies and face us yourself. Or are you afraid to face two pretty boys and a woman by yourself." Dr. Director's voice dripped with scorn as she taunted the midget maniac.
The Professor's eyes bulged and his face grew red in anger. "You think I am afraid of you. I vill show you that I am not afraid of you or your pretty boys."
The Du brothers smirked as the henches fell back to allow Professor Dementor to storm past. As he approached the three, he activated the heavy gauntlets that he wore. They emitted a loud hum and shimmering wave of energy could be seen coming off them. The Professor smirked back at the Du brothers as they drew back slightly from his approach. "I see you are not that brave, are you. Don't vorry, it will be over quickly."
He moved to attack Ken when he suddenly stiffened with a scream and fell to the ground unconscious. The henches stared in amazement at Dr. Director, whose out stretched arm was pointed at Dementor's position, her Stop Watches cables retracting into the case. She glared at the henches. "Well."
The henches took a moment to look at the Du brothers, Dr. Director and the fallen Professor Dementor before they turned and fled through the hole in the wall. The threes celebration was cut short as a series of explosions rocked the base. As the Du brothers rushed to the nearest console, Dr. Director shouted to the remaining agents in the room. "Someone secure the prisoner. Everyone else tell me what is going on. Now!"
"The main computer is down, ma'am, no information on if it is temporary or not."
"The henches are retreating from the hanger area."
"So are the henches attacking the communications array."
"Reports indicate the array was damage by the explosions, no information on the extent of the damage."
Dr. Director sat back in thought as the reports came in. Communications and computer systems damaged, moderate casualties and no clear idea of the purpose of the raid or who was behind it. She knew Dementor was only a pawn, his comments about a mission made that clear. She watched as Dementor and the henches were taken to the holding area to await interrogation. She did not anticipate much success, the henches would know nothing and Dementor would never talk.
Agent Osborne, the local head of computer services, approached with a sheath of note in his hand. "I have preliminary reports on the damage to the main computer systems. Most of the on-site backups were destroyed. Several of the main servers were damage but only one was destroyed."
He flipped through his notes for a moment. "There is also evidence that several virus and other malicious programs were placed on the system. We are still trying to detect and analyze exactly what was done."
Dr. Director nodded. "Very well. Continue working on the system and alert all other bases to rely on their local system and not the main one until it is cleared." She turned to address Will momentarily. "Check on the off-site back-ups. If they have not been compromised, have copies sent here to help with recovery of the system." She turned back to Osborne. "With luck we will be able to get the system repaired and running in several days. Dismissed."
She turned to query Ken. "Any information on the array?"
Ken looked up from his notes. "Before the sabotage, the system was hacked and control signals were sent to most of our satellites. We are still trying to determine what commands were sent. The damage to the array was extensive. Both the structural integrity of the system and the control system were compromised. Current estimates are at least two months to restore full function to the system."
Dr. Director sighed. "For now alert Beta base that they are taking over primary responsibility for communications. Tell the damage control teams to make discovering what was done to the satellites the main priority. We need those birds working or we are blind. With things as they are, there is no way we could get time on another agencies system."
Ken nodded as he turned back to his notes and started to relay her order to the damage control and repair teams. Dr. Director leaned back in her chair and stared at the ceiling in thought. This would make life even more complicated that before, even without her extracurricular activities. She briefly pondered curtailing them but swiftly realized that had probably been the main purpose of the attack. If that was true, this was probably the best chance of finding out what was going on and stopping it.
~o~o~
Ann and Nancy sat in front of the monitor in Ann's lair, looking over the In-Terror-Net postings about the assault on the Global Justice headquarters. So far, they had found lots of wild theory, rumor and speculation but little solid information. Other than the attack being launched by Professor Dementor and causing major structural damage to the base, no information was available.
They were about quit for the night or morning rather, as it was almost 8AM, when Dr. Director entered the base followed by the Du brothers. All three looked bone tired and dropped heavily into chair where they slumped wearily. After a moment, Dr. Director looked up at Ann and Nancy.
"It looks like the attack was designed to cripple Global Justice and it worked very well. Our satellites were given orders to shut down, our communications were crippled and the computer system was compromised."
"Was this Dementor's idea or was he working for someone?" Nancy asked.
Will replied. "From what Dementor said, he was working for someone since he referred to the attack as a mission. There was also another group of unknown origin that sabotaged the satellites and computers before Dementor's henches did the physical damage."
Ken took up the damage assessment. "The computers were infected with multiple viruses that moved and rewrote data seemingly at random. Both on-site and off-site backups were destroyed."
"The off-site were destroyed, too?" Nancy interrupted.
Ken continued. "Yes, in a separate coordinated attack. The satellites were fully shut down and will require a shuttle visit to restart. In addition, the main communications array will have to be rebuilt, which will require at least three months. We can use other arrays but with inter-agency relations being what they are, coverage will be spotty."
Ann shook her head in annoyance. "Sounds like our villain deliberately took GJ out of the action. He blinded you and compromised your data systems. So, you can't trust what you already know and you can't get more information easily. This will make finding him almost impossible."
Dr. Director tiredly agreed. "You are right. We needed the surveillance resources and records of Global Justice to weed through the candidates for the shape shifter. Without those resources I don't think we can do it."
"You are both wrong."Everyone turned to see Nancy calmly sitting there with a smug smile on her face. "We have access to a system with as good if not better surveillance capabilities. There should also be records of recent events we can use, too."
Recognition slowly dawned on Ann's face as the Du brothers and Dr. Director looked baffled. Ann ended their confusion. "She is talking about her other son, 'Slim', James older brother. He owns a ranch in Montana, where he works on his cybernetic creations. He also has his own satellite network. He should be able to help us."
Dr. Director exchanged startled looks with the Du brothers before replying. "Are you certain? No disrespect but I need to be certain the security is adequate and the system as capable as you say."
Nancy smiled. "I am certain. I know he has used third parties as cover to provide information to several intelligence agencies when he discovered something they missed. Security is handled by his cybernetic systems including horses and other animals."
Dr. Director nodded wearily. "We will consider it once we have had some sleep."
~O~O~O~
Dr. Director and the Du brothers looked decidedly uncomfortable in their civilian clothes as they stepped out the van they had traveled in with Ann and Nancy Possible. They looked on as a tall lean mustached man grabbed each in a hug as he greeted them. "Ma, Ann, it's great to see you. I ain't seen you in a passel of years. Not since the trouble with that Drakken varmint. Now who are your guests?"
Ann moved to introduce the three. "This is Elizabeth Director and these two are Will Du and Ken Du."
Slim greeted each with a firm handshake and hearty 'Howdy'. Once the introductions were finished, he turned to Nancy. "Alright Ma, what is the scheme this time? I know Lizzy here is head of GJ so I assume the two boys are with them as well."
Nancy headed for the house. "We have been working on what happened to Kim in Plantain. We uncovered a major villains plot and brought these three in to help. With the recent attack on GJ, we need your help to stop him."
Slim only grinned and followed her to the house. "We can talk more about it later; first you all need to get settled."
As they reached the porch, a young woman came out of the house. She was slightly taller than Ann, almost as tall as her father, with a heavy muscular build. Her hair was brown and caught in a ponytail, her skin was tanned and she moved with a natural grace. One look at her face told you she was a Possible, as she heavily resembled Ann, Nancy and especially Kim. "Pa, I see we got guests. Should I get-."
She stopped in mid-sentence as she saw Ann and Nancy. "Gran-ma. Aunt Annie." She exclaimed happily, as she, like her father, gave them big hugs. Turning to the other three. "Nice to meet you."
Turning to her father, she asked. "You want rooms made up for all five?"
Ann spoke up before Slim could answer. "You can put me, your gran-ma and Elizabeth in one room and the two boys in another, Joss. We will be fine."
At her father's nod, Joss went back into the house to get the rooms ready as Slim led his visitors into the living room.
~O~O~O~
The next chapter, Thieve in the Night, returns to Kim, Ron, Shego and Yori as they struggle with the clue left on their computer. Who left it and what does it mean? Read to find out.