Action and Reaction Chapter 17: Thieves in the Night, a kim possible fanfic

Thieves in the Night

Disclaimer – I don't own Kim Possible.

A/N – Thanks to all my readers and reviewers. A special shout out to chris the cynic, whose story Bent, not Broken was inspired by this story. Please check it out.

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 – 17 – Thieves in the Night

Ron sat next to Yori on the couch across from Shego and watched as Kim paced the living room trying to work out what the message they had found on the bases computer system meant. The three had amused looks on their faces as they listened to Kim rant. "What is this supposed to mean. As far as I can tell, it is platitudes and catch phrases strung together without meaning. I mean come on –

When all is darkness
And all hope seems gone
Despair is not the answer
Everything will work out in the end

xxxxx

NA NA na na,
NA NA na na,
hey hey hey,
goodbye

xxxxx

Simple everyday items
Need no explanations
Implying the underlying simplicity
Truly simple things are better than
Complex things in this
Hierarchical world of privilege where
Every day is a trial and
Solutions are hard to find

xxxxx

Do you need a helping hand?
Understanding is the way
Love is the answer
Contrary to popular belief
Everything is coming up roses

"There is no meaning in that, no clues to be found."

Shego smirked at her as she paused for breath. "Calm down, princess, it wouldn't be a hidden message if it just said 'Meet me at the malt shop tomorrow at 8.' would it. Of course, it is going to seem like it means nothing. We just need to find the key to the message and everything will make sense."

Kim growled in annoyance as she flopped down next to Shego. "I know, I know, I just want to get started on this. You know I hate sitting around doing nothing, I want to be doing something."

Ron chuckled. "I see KP is still as impatient as ever."

Kim frowned as Shego laughed. "Yep, monkey boy, cupcake still wants to charge in head first to every problem, that hasn't changed."

"All right, all right. No need to beat a dead horse. You would think I had killed someone from the way you two act." Kim huffed, a glower on her face until Shego took her hand in hers and gave it a squeeze. Kim relaxed as she looked as Shego and saw the smile on her face. She squeezed her hand back as Ron and Yori exchanged knowing looks.

Yori spoke up. "Perhaps if we looked as each part by itself we can derive some meaning from the clue."

Shego nodded. "That is a good idea. Let's see the first part goes –

When all is darkness
And all hope seems gone
Despair is not the answer
Everything will work out in the end

It looks easy enough to interpret. All it seems to say is not to worry about the danger, everything will be OK."

"Obviously there is something hidden in there in some kind of code." Ron said, scratching his head in confusion.

"The next verse is part of a song –

NA NA na na,
NA NA na na,
hey hey hey,
goodbye

"I don't see how that has any meaning except as code." Kim added, before Shego could pick on Ron for his answer.

Shego nodded. "So the next part says –

"That is clear as mud. More code obviously."

"Right." Ron spoke up. "The next part goes –

Do you need a helping hand?
Understanding is the way
Love is the answer
Contrary to popular belief
Everything is coming up roses

"As Kimbo said, it seems to be mindless platitudes. More code, I guess."

"So do we run this through the computer to look for patterns and the like or do we try and work out the meaning ourselves? I know I don't have the patience to work on it myself." Kim asked.

Yori scrunched up her face as she answered. "I fear that I would not be much help in finding meaning in the clues since I still think in Japanese not English."

Shego thought for a moment then nodded. "I think using the computer is the best option. I don't have much experience with code breaking either."

Ron was scratching his head again. "I guess. The only thing I see is the capital letters spell out WADE, NANA NANA, SNITCHES and DULCE. Do you think that could mean anything?"

The other three looked at him in amazement, as Ron asked in a puzzled voice. "You think that could be it? That the clues are that simple?"

Yori was the first to speak. "Ron-san, I think you are right. The clues were hidden in plain sight."

Shego chimed in. "I agree, monkey boy. I think you found the answer."

'Thanks. Now, what do the clues mean?" Ron replied as he glanced at Kim, who was staring off into the distance in thought.

Kim shook herself from her reverie. "Most of the clues have meaning. WADE and NANA obviously refer to Wade and my grandmother, SNITCHES refers to a secret government surveillance program we have encountered. I have no idea what DULCE is a reference to."

Shego had grown pale at the mention of Dulce but it was Yori who spoke. "Dulce is one of the US governments most secure bases. Area 51 and the rumors of aliens are used to draw attention away from Dulce. According to what I have heard at Yaminouchi, it is probably the most secure location on Earth."

"They aren't just rumors about aliens." Kim muttered under her breathe.

"Hush, princess." Shego whispered to her before addressing the group. "Yori is right, Dulce is probably the most secure site on the planet. Drakken wanted me to try breaking in once but after I looked at the security, I said no way. There are lots of rumors about what is in there but no one really knows what the base holds."

Ron nodded a slightly baffled look on his face. "So we have a reference to Wade, to Kim grandmother to something called SNITCHES and a top secret government base. How do they relate to each other?"

"I think Wade refers to who sent the message. I mean, who else could do it and he knew about the old AUNT system, too." Kim replied. "The reference to Nana I have no idea about. I think SNITCHES and Dulce go together. The security around SNITCHES sounds like that around Dulce."

"Excuse me Kim-sama, but what is this SNITCHES you encountered." Yori asked.

"When we raided the GJ listening post, we ran across something called SNITCHeS, the System for Networking, Interfacing and Tabulating Criminals Hidden Secrets. Everything was heavily encrypted even though we had full access to the system. We couldn't break the encryption so we just put it aside. Since then, we pretty much forgot about it." Shego answered before Kim could.

"My guess would be that SNITCHeS is some kind of program to monitor super villains and the like." Kim thought out loud.

Shego nodded he agreement. "You are probably right. My guess is they have some way of monitoring Hench Co and the like. Even hints of what the villains are up to could prove valuable since they have no way to tap the In-Terror-Net."

"The In-Terror-Net?" The other three asked.

"The In-Terror-Net is a hidden, highly encrypted private network used by the villain community. Hench Co built and maintains it but even he can't break the encryption and read what goes on the network." Shego explained a slightly embarrassed look on her face.

Kim looked at her with a hurt expression on her face. "Have you been accessing the In-terror-net since I broke you out?"

"No, Kimmie, I haven't. The last time I logged on was before I went on vacation in Plantain." Shego's face mirrored the hurt look on Kim's. "I haven't even thought of it since then until today."

Kim reached over and patted her hand. "Sorry, sweetie. I didn't mean to suggest you had betrayed me. I was just curious if you still had access to the network."

Shego thought for a moment. "I still have me e-phone and e-top computer hidden away in my old safe house. If we get them, we should still be able to access the system. Why?"

"We may need that access someday, sweetie, that's all." Kim gave Shego a devious smile.

"OK, pumpkin, spill. What do you have planned?"

"Yea, KP, what are you thinking?" Ron added.

"Well, if this villain is hooked up with the rest of the super villain world then we may be able to track him via the In-Terror-Net and possibly even be able to manipulate him for our own ends." Kim gave them a pleased smile.

"That will be great, cupcake, when we have some clue what to look for. How about focusing on the clues at hand?" Shego snarked, which drew a pout from Kim.

Yori spoke up before the couple could start bickering. "So we have a reference to your friend Wade, another to Kim's grandmother, a third to a Top Secret program and the last to the most secure place we know of. How do they all relate? I am particularly having trouble seeing any connection between Kim's grandmother and the other clues."

Kim and Ron laughed as Shego gave her a rueful grin before explaining. "You have to understand that before she retired Kim's Nana was one of the CIA's top operatives. She was one of the first women to complete Ranger training. She is also the only woman to complete SEAL training. She can still fight Kim to a draw."

Shego watched the look of respect come over Yori's face, remembering how embarrassed she had been to be defeated by the old woman all those years ago and how impressed she had been when she had heard Kim spin endless tales of her exploits. She decided to continue before they fell into reminiscing.

"So all of our clues have something to do with secrets and Intelligence work. I can think of several ways they could relate. This could be a message from Wade about trouble with Kim's Nana involving the SNITCHeS program and the Dulce base. It could also be a warning from Wade and Kim's Nana about something at the Dulce base interfering with the SNITCHeS program. It could be Kim's Nana, writing from Dulce, warning us about Wade's involvement with SNITCHeS. I can think of several other permutations."

She took a breath, while the others waited. "The point I am making is that without more information we have no way to figure what the message means. The only sources of information I can think of are Kim's Nana and the Dulce base itself. Kimmie, do you think you can contact your Nana without getting detected?"

Kim pursed her lips in thought. "I should be able to contact her without problem. The real issue will be finding out where she is. Ever since I broke Shego out of prison, she has been gallivanting all over the country on some kind of secret business. My guess is the government called her in to help deal with all the troubles that have shown up recently. If I can find out where she will be, I can set up a way to contact her."

"Until we can do that, checking out Dulce is our only option." Everyone looked at Ron as he questioned Shego and Yori. "Just how tough is the security at the base?"

Yori replied first. "I have no firsthand knowledge of the security but it was used as a lesson in security at Yaminouchi. It has a wide net of overlapping sensors, IR, motion and sonic. It would require technical expertise I do not have to evade the security."

Nodding her agreement, Shego added. "In addition it has multiple independent observation posts with every inch under observation by at least two people at all time. This is just the security we can see, who knows what else there is."

Kim gave them a confident grin. "It should not be too hard to get into the base. We have two ninja's, one of the world's greatest thieves and someone who broke into super villain bases while a teenager. If we put our heads together we should be able to come up with a way to get in and out without a problem."

The three looked at her in amazement, wondering at her optimism. Shego smiled as she gave a rueful grin. "OK, princess, we will try it your way." Turning to Ron and Yori, she continued. "If Kimmie thinks we can do it we better try or she will just go try it by herself."

Kim scowled as the three laughed, only returning their smiles when Ron commented. "Knowing KP, she would probably succeed too."

Shego only laughed harder. "True, monkey boy, true."

~O~O~O~

The four of them waited in a clearing in the woods near the entrance to Kim's lair for their ride to appear. Yori pointed to the East and the others turned to see a sleek black hover jet silently approaching the clearing and gently coming to landing near them. Once the engines shut down a slim athletic man climbed down from the cockpit and removed his helmet to reveal a face everyone but Shego recognized, that of Hirotaka.

"Ron-sama, Yori-chan. It is good to see you again." He bowed deeply to Ron and gave Yori a small bow. He turned and gave Kim and Shego a medium bow. "Kim-sama. And you must be Shego-sama. They did not say you were so beautiful."

Yori rolled her eyes. "Down boy, she is taken and you are on a mission."

Hirotaka grinned at her. "As you say. Are you ready to go?"

At her nod, he and Ron gathered Ron and Yori's bags and followed her to the jet. Kim and Shego picked up their bags and followed. Shego leaned over and whispered to Kim.

"Is he for real?"

Kim grinned. "Yep, that's Hirotaka. He was an exchange student for two weeks back in high school. He had half the girls in school following him around like lost puppies."

Shego glowered. "He better watch it or I will set him straight."

Kim put a hand on her arm. "Calm down sweetie, nothing is going to happen. Yori warned him off and that should be enough. Besides, he likes to flirt and tease but I have never known him to get serious about anyone."

Shego shot a sly glance at Kim before innocently asking. "You seem to know all about his relationships. How close were you?"

Kim shot her an angry glance but her expression softened when she saw the grin on Shego's face. "Gotcha, pumpkin."

Their banter was cut off as they stowed their bags on the jet and started to settle into their seats. They had just started their conversation again when Hirotaka interrupted to invite Shego to sit in the cockpit. Shego glanced at Kim and rolled her eyes at the smirk on her face. She climbed out of her seat and went forward to join him in the cockpit. As she settled into the co-pilots seat looked around the cockpit in admiration.

"Very nice. All glass instrumentation. The latest GPS navigation. Oooo, I see state of the art ECM, sensor spoofing and it looks like multiple transponders. Very nice, even better than my jet."

Hirotaka smiled in pride. "I am glad you approve. This is Yaminouchi's latest stealth plane. Hopefully it will allow you to complete your mission without being detected."

"I am certain it will." Shego replied absently as she settled into mastering the new flight instruments in front of her. Hirotaka chuckled silently at her absorption in the aircraft as he started to complete his pre-flight checklist.

~o~o~

The jet was hidden in a blind valley several miles from the edge of the of the Dulce base, camouflage and electronic counter measures preventing its detection form the air or ground. The five of them sat in the jet's main compartment, reviewing the aerial surveillance photos they had made less than an hour ago.

"This jet has everything, stealth gear, the latest spy stuff and all the coolest gizmos." Ron enthused as Kim and Shego nodded their agreement and Yori looked on in amusement.

Hirotaka gave the four a quizzical look. He knew from the past that Kim and Ron, Ron in particular, could be quite unprofessional. He had thought that Ron's growing maturity from his stay at Yaminouchi would rub-off but it seems Ron had reverted to his old self on meeting his old comrades. As one used to a strict and professional way of doing things, the way the four interacted seemed not just odd but wrong. Still, he had to admit that their collective record of achievement would put most of Yaminouchi to shame.

"So we have two fence lines, both with motion and thermal sensors, plus a large open dead area from the inner fence to the main base that is undoubtedly covered by both human sentries and electronic sensors." Kim pointed to the relevant parts of the photos at each point.

"Evading these will just be the start. Once we are in the base itself we will probably have roving sentries, fixed security stations and multiple choke points with fixed security. Without having some way to find out what those security measures are it will be tough to evade them." Shego continued.

Ron gave them a confident grin. "So, me and KP were breaking into villains bases when we were fourteen and we never had plans." Ron's grin faltered. "Of course we had Wade to deal with anything we encountered along the way. Maybe this wasn't the best idea."

Yori gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. "But you may be on the right track. Part of what made you and Kim so successful was your unconventional approach. Perhaps if we use that same approach here we will succeed."

Shego nodded her agreement. "Yori is right. You and Kimmie were always evading our security in the most unexpected ways. Every time we thought we plugged the holes you found new ones. I mean, no matter what sensors or security we put on the ventilation shafts you still managed to find a way in."

Ron's grin returned and was mirrored by Kim's. "They're right, Ron. We just need to get back into the old mission groove and this will be a piece of cake."

"Right." Ron said skeptically. "I'm sure it will be just that easy."

Shego had a thoughtful look on her face. "We know most of the real base is underground, right?" At the others nods, she continued. "That means they have to have ventilation shafts to get fresh air into the lower levels. If they have ventilation shafts then Kimmie and monkey boy should be able to get us in without a problem."

Hirotaka leaned forward to ask. "If these ventilation shafts are such a great source of vulnerability why would they have them? Could they not just eliminate them?"

Shego laughed. "Everybody asks that question. You have to have a certain amount of airflow to keep the air in the lower levels breathable. That means you either have large air ducts, which causes the security vulnerability or move the air at a high velocity, which cause large drafts in the base as well as being a major source of noise. Pretty much everyone chooses the large ducts and tries to keep them secure."

Hirotaka nodded his understanding and leaned back as Kim moved forward to study the surveillance images. "If they have a large underground presence with multiple levels they will need several large openings for ventilation. From these photos there does not seem to be anything like that in the main compound. They probably have them doubling as emergency exits and secret entrances and therefore put them outside the main base. The question is did they put them outside the base entirely or are they somewhere within the security perimeter?"

"Outside of the base entirely, princess. If you are using an emergency exit you don't want to show up too close to the place you are fleeing."

"Sheegs is right. Besides, if they put it somewhere within the security perimeter, they would have to alert all of the security guards and personnel so they would react the right way if they were used. Once you did that, how would you be able to keep their existence secret? That many guards would be bound to have someone who would gossip." Yori nodded proudly at Ron's words.

Kim looked at the others and saw agreement in their eyes. "OK, if the ventilation shaft entrances are outside the base proper we will need to do a new surveillance sweep, this time focusing on the area around the base. We should look for temperature anomalies. If they moving large amounts of air that should affect the temperature, particularly for sites where they expel the air."

The others nodded and Hirotaka climbed to his feet. "I will prepare the jet for the new mission." He turned to Shego. "Would you care to assist?"

Shego climbed to her feet, a smile on her face. "Happy to."

~o~o~

Several hours later the jet once more sat in its camouflage nest as the five gathered in the main room again. The table was once more spread with surveillance photos but this time covering the area around the Dulce base. There also a large number of thermal images as well as historical satellite photos for comparison.

Shego pointed to two photos. "There seem to be two air intakes, here and here." She indicated two more photos. "They also have two exhausts for the ventilation system, here and here. Each of the intakes in matched with one of the exhausts and each pair is on an opposite side of the base."

Kim indicated one of the locations. "I think this is the one to use. The other is nearest the town and will have higher security. The guards will be more alert." Seeing Shego's nod she turned to the others. "Ron, Yori, Hirotaka, what do you think."

Yori only thought for a moment before answering. "Kim-sama is correct, this entrance will have less alert security."

Hirotaka paused before asking. "Would the location nearest town not be the better choice? They are should be used to false alarms and thus less alert."

Yori shook her head. "That is true but those alerts will serve to keep the guards more attentive. The other location will have fewer alert, therefore the guards should be less alert and have less practice in handling alerts."

Ron nodded, a slight blue glow in his eyes. "They are right but we need to remember that the difference between the guards will be a matter of seconds in their speed of reaction. They will all be highly trained and motivated. Using this entrance will give us a small advantage but we will need every advantage we can get."

Shego gave him an unsettled look. "That still weirds me out. Just what are you using that power for now?"

Ron looked slightly embarrassed. "Sorry about that. Sometimes the MMP just kicks in without warning. It was the Monkey Scanning Trees aspect of the power, it helps me find danger and this whole thing screams danger."

Shego smirked at him. "You can say that again." She turned to Hirotaka. "How close do you think we can get to that location without being detected?"

Hirotaka called up several EM scans from the last flight. "From these scans, it looks like we can land within 600 meters without risk of detection. If you use this canyon for cover, you should be able to get within 100 meters without being detected. I assume you want me to stay with the jet in case you need a 'quick getaway' as they say."

Yori swatted him on the arm, a small smile on her face. "Quit playing the inscrutable oriental. You spend all your time watching western TV and visit the US every chance you get."

Hirotaka gave her a grin. "As you say."

Ron saw Kim and Shego's baffled looks. "Hiro is Yori's brother. They are always like this when they haven't seen each in a while."

The two nodded as Kim rose and headed to the luggage compartment. "I will start checking to see if we have everything we need and make certain it is working."

Shego rose and followed her. "I'll help, princess. You want to check your gear, monkey boy?"

Ron nodded as he rose to go with them.

~o~o~

The four had spent the rest of the day as well as the night and most of the next day covertly scanning the area around the ventilation intake and exhaust. They had used every technological tool they had as well as ninja techniques, Mystical Monkey Power, master thief talent and teen hero experience. Careful analysis of the data convinced them that night, about an hour after sunset, would be the best time to approach the ventilation shafts.

At that time, the daytime heat would have faded and the nighttime desert chill had just started. The resulting mix of temperature combined with the airflow's of the ventilation system should render any thermal sensors useless. The plan called for using a mix of stealth, technological counter measures and years of experience to close on the ventilation ports. Once there, they would circumvent any point defenses and enter via the exhaust port.

As the four got ready for the mission, Hirotaka prepped the jet for immediate take off. Once they were ready, they moved from the jet to the end of the canyon to wait for the go time. Once there, they set up their own surveillance equipment and checked that nothing had changed since their over flight. As the sun set, they watched the thermal sensors become a wild riot of shifting colors as the air cooled and the heat flows swirled together.

About an hour and a half after sundown, when the thermal scans showed the most chaotic patterns, the four silently made their stealthy way to towards the ventilation exhaust port. Ron and Yori kept watch as Kim and Shego checked for electric eyes, cameras, pressure plates and any other form of sensor. Using hand signals to coordinate their actions, they disabled the electric eyes and cameras. Catching Ron and Yori's eye, they indicated the location of several pressure plates. Yori raised a hand to show she would handle it, then threw a small grappling hook to catch around the mount of a camera.

Ron held the free end tight as she moved effortlessly along the rope to the camera. From there she dropped to the floor behind the pressure plates and removed several small items from a hidden pouch. She went to the nearest plate and slid several of the items under the edge of the plate. She repeated this for several of the other plates until a clear path from the entrance to her was composed of the rigged plate. Sliding a small remote from her sleeve, she pushed a button and activated the items. They expanded into a lattice of metal strips that held the plates in place, preventing their activation as the other three swiftly crossed to Yori's side.

Once they were all safely across the plate, Yori pressed the remote again and watched as the strips shank in size and crumbled to dust, the metal stressed to failure from being expanded and held rigid. Meanwhile, Ron had leapt up and removed the grapple for the camera mount; he then careful returned the camera to its original position before dropping to the ground. Once they were all ready, the four started down the shaft towards the heart of the base.

~o~o~

Three hours later. the four waited on hands and knees as Kim used a laser lipstick to remove an access panel and allow them to leave the ventilation duct and drop to the floor of the storeroom on the lowest level they had chosen. They stood for several minutes catching their breath and relieving cramped muscle.

The ventilation duct had started out big enough to stand in but soon shrank to a size that required them to crawl. They had taken turns checking got sensors and security measures, finding plenty for their efforts. Every kind of electronic and mechanical sensor had been used and all had been circumvented. It had been a tedious, time consuming chore but one their very survival counted on. They had no illusions about what would happen to them if they were caught.

Once they had recovered, the four made their way to door of the room and cautiously checked the corridor beyond. They had chosen the lowest level, which was used for storage of highly classified material, due to the lower security and the fact that the levels security was focused on stopping anyone from getting in from above, not on stopping anyone from moving around the level. From this level, they could access mechanical and electrical equipment runs that would allow access to the rest of the base.

From what they had seen on their trip in, the lowest level of the base was simply storage, the level above was partly storage and partly some type of lab while the next several levels were labs and experimental areas. The plan for now was to make their way to the next level and investigate the labs. With luck, they would manage to get access to a computer and be able to find information on the rest of the base without needing to physically explore it.

Once they were certain the way was clear, they made their way to a mechanical service closet that linked to the floor above. They silently climbed the stairs and waited around the door as Yori checked for the presence of guards. Once she cleared the way Kim and Shego checked for sensors and other security measures. Once they were certain the way was clear, they made their way to the nearest lab and found the door required a magnetic key card to open.

After a moments wait as they silently debated what to do, they flattened themselves against the wall as the door opened and white haired man in a lab coat, staring at a clipboard he carried, made his way absentmindedly out of the room and set off down the hall. The four exchanged quick grins as they slipped into the lab before the door to the lab closed. Shego and Yori were brought up short by Kim and Ron, who had stopped just inside the lab and were staring at a large, liquid filled tube that contained the body of large black man with multiple cybernetic attachments. Shego and Yori both understood when they heard Kim and Ron whisper, 'Wade', in hushed voices.

They turned as one and silently glided back into the hallway, Yori using a kunai to wedge the door open. They saw the back of the man entering a room several doors down the hallway and swiftly moved after him. Shego moved to him and used her 'knock out' plasma to render him unconscious as Yori checked the room for other occupants. Finding the room, some type of break room from the looks of it, empty she held the door open as Shego carried the unconscious man from the room.

They quickly made their way back to the lab where Kim and Ron waited. Seeing the unconscious man, they pulled a chair over and quickly tied him to it when Shego placed him in it. Kim went to look over the controls to the unit containing Wade as the others waited for the man to wake up. The control panel was very complex and Kim knew she would need several hours to figure out how it worked, several hours they did not have.

With a groan, the man in the chair came to and peered bleary eyed around him. His face looked puzzled as he caught sight of Ron and Yori first, wondering if he was hallucinating the ninjas appearance. The look on his face changed to one of fear as he caught sight of Kim and Shego. Working in a top-secret base gave him access to information the public did not know and one of the main items of that information lately had been their exploits. He felt a cold hand grip his heart as he realized their presence here meant the entire program had been comprised.

He swallowed had as Kim leaned closer to him. "I want to know what you have done to my friend Wade. NOW."

The look of determination and the cold tone of her voice told him he had no real choice but to cooperate. "He is in the maintenance program right now. He is scheduled to finish in 12 hours and then he will be put back into the analysis rotation."

Kim frowned and looked ready to hit him when Shego spoke up. "More basic than that, lab boy. What is all this stuff hooked up to him and how do we remove it?"

He gulped again before answering. "Oh. He has been given cybernetic modifications that allow his brain to be hooked up directly to a computer. I don't know how to remove it, I just make certain he stays in good health. You would need to talk to one of the doctors who operated on him, they would know more about implants."

Shego stared at his pale sweating face and was inclined to believe him. Seeing the tense body language of Kim and Ron, she knew she would have to act quickly or their informant would get seriously hurt. "How does this computer hook up work? Does he control the computer with his mind?"

The man shook his head weakly. "No, the head of the program always says that would be a waste of time. He boasts that the human mind is the finest computer in the world and he has found a way to allow a digital computer to harness that power." He saw the tense bodies and serious faces around him and decided survival was more important than any duty to his superiors or country.

"Your friend and others like him are hooked up to the main system for an hour at a time, their minds used to analyze whatever is the problem of the day. The rest of the time, they are either asleep or in a recreation program. The program creates a fantasy world in their minds and lets them explore and adventure there."

He silently exhaled as he saw them relax slightly. Shego thought for a moment, then continued questioning him. "What about now? You called this a maintenance program?"

His head bobbed as he nodded enthusiastically. "Right. Every 28 days they are removed from the analysis rotation and sent here for maintenance. Their cybernetics are examined and repaired if needed, then they spend 24 hours in the nutrient bath with will repair any organic damage they have sustained." Seeing the worried looks come over their faces, he hastened to add. "Your friend is in perfect health. He is in the bath to help maintain his health."

Ron's voice was flat. "How do we get him out?"

"Of the tube?" The seating man asked. Seeing the answer in their faces, he continued. "The control panel has an override function that will end the program early and release him."

"What is the override command." Kim, who was standing at the controls once again, asked. She started pressing buttons at his direction, watching his vital signs closely as the program stopped and the liquid slowly drained from the tube. She looked concerned when he coughed convulsively but relaxed when the bound man hastily spoke. "Don't worry, that is a programmed reaction to make certain his lungs are clear. See, his breathing is returning to normal."

Ron gently lifted him from the tube and placed him on a gurney nearby. "How do we wake him up?"

The man looked scared again. "I don't know, I swear. Only the people in the analysis unit have the codes to wake him up. When they are down here, they are stuck in their artificial world. It is part of the security system; if they aren't awake they can't spill any secrets."

Yori stepped forward and spoke for the first time. "Can he be moved safely or does that require special equipment?"

"There is no need for special equipment. We use gurneys to move them from the analysis level to this one."

Kim was lost in thought for a moment. "We can't go out the way we came in with him, we will have to carry him and there is no way we can carry him through the vents while we are crawling." She turned to the bound man. "Do you have sufficient computer access to bring up a schematic of the base?"

He nodded nervously. "I should. Some of the more secure areas will be missing but it should include most of the base."

Kim went to the nearest computer and followed his instructions. Soon she had the base's schematics displayed for her and Shego to look over. Kim turned to Ron and Yori, who were finishing examining Wade. "We have found a route that should allow us to carry Wade and avoid detection. The question is will we be able to carry him that far?"

Shego was staring at Ron, who had effortlessly hoisted Wade onto his shoulders in a fireman's carry. She saw the subtle blue glow surrounding his body and guessed he was using his Mystical Monkey Power. "I don't think that will be a problem, cupcake. It looks like monkey boy has it handled."

Kim looked at Ron for a moment, then headed to the door to the lab. "Let's go then."

~O~O~O~

Five hours after the intruders had left; the next shift found the bound man and released him. He spent the next six hours being interrogated by security officers and intelligence agents. They had him endlessly replay his every interaction with the intruders looking for every nuance they could. They only stopped when the head of security for the entire SNITCHeS program arrived and chewed them out.

He spent a half hour interviewing the man while his men performed a wide area search for signs of Kim Possible and her accomplices. The men reported finding the area where the jet had landed and some signs of how they entered the base but no sign of Kim, her accomplices or the missing subject. Dreading what would come next; the man pulled out a secure phone and dialed a special number.

"Master, we have a problem."

~o~o~

Six hours later, they wearily made their way up the ramp of the jet as Hirotaka stared at the limp body they carried. Once they were settled in, Hirotaka immediately took-off and headed for Kim's hidden lair. Ignoring Hirotaka's questioning glances, the four checked that Wade was OK then settled in for a quick nap.

Once Wade was settled into the bases infirmary, the five sat in the living room and filled Hirotaka in on what had taken place during the mission. The five next started to debate their next course of action.

Hirotaka spoke first. "I understand your rescue of your friend but how will we be able to wake him? We would need an expert in cybernetics as well as a brain surgeon."

He stopped when he saw the grins on Kim and Ron's faces. Ron spoke first. "Kim's mom is one of the finest brain surgeons in the world, so we got that covered. For cybernetics we have a lot of choices, there is Dr. Renton, Felix's mom, Dr. Porter, though she was more robotics, Professor Acari, who deals mostly with bugs and Dr. Bortel, who is an expert in mind control."

"We will also need to find a way to get Kim's mom and our expert into a place where they can work on the nerdlinger. The infirmary here isn't up to something like brain surgery."

They sat in thought for a moment before Kim broke into a wide grin. "I know the perfect place. My uncle's ranch, The Lazy C. Getting my mom there won't be a problem, since it involves family. Plus, 'Slim' is a world expert in cybernetics and robotics. His ranch should have everything we need."

Ron and Shego grinned. "Great idea, KP. And your uncle's security will keep everything secret."

Shego winced at the mention of the ranches security, remembering her and Drakken's adventure there. "Good idea. Should we let them know we are coming or surprise them?"

Kim thought for a second. "We won't let Uncle Slim or mom know we are coming in case our communications get intercepted but we will land on the edge of the ranch and wait for them to contact us. I don't think we want to face the cybernetic animals used for security."

Ron and Shego nodded the enthusiastic agreement as everyone turned to plan their upcoming flight. Their main concern was to avoid detection, since their access to the Global Justice computer system showed that they were now the most wanted people on the planet. It hinted that several agencies had issued shoot on sight orders. For Kim, Ron, Shego and Yori, this was no problem; they had been in similar situations before.

For Hirotaka though, this was something new. He had been hunted before and had people who were trying to kill him, but the idea that everyone in the world was out to get him and some groups were out to kill was unsettling. Seeing how the others handles situation he pushed his concerns down and joined in planning their trip.

~O~O~O~

A/B – Join everyone for tea and crumpets (ya, sure) in the next chapter, Showdown at the Lazy C, coming soon. See how Kim, Ron, Shego and Yori deal with Ann, Betty, Ken, Nancy and Will.