Showdown at the Lazy C
Disclaimer – I don't own Kim Possible.
A/N – Thanks to all my readers and reviewers. This chapter took longer than usual to post due to its length. At over 13,000 words, this is by far the longest chapter yet. It includes explanations for most of what has been going on and reveals many but not all of people's secrets.
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 – 18 – Showdown at the Lazy C
Ann and Nancy were sitting in the living room of the Lazy C ranch reminiscing with Slim about some of James's antics in college. Betty was sitting on a couch, flanked by the Du brothers, quietly waiting for the small talk to end so they could get around to telling Slim their real business at the ranch. They were interrupted when Joss came into the room from Slim's 'den', which Betty's brief glimpse of had shown to contain more computer and surveillance equipment than the average Global Justice office.
"Pa, we got guests. Unidentified aircraft landing near the north fence line." Joss told her father while covertly glancing at the visitors to see their reaction.
"What type of craft?" Slim asked, his glances mirroring his daughter's.
"A stealth aircraft running ECM and having changed transponder signals several times." Joss replied, her attention focused on her Aunt and Grandmother now.
Slim turned to his mother. "Ma, I recon this has something to do with you and your friends?"
Nancy caught Betty's eye before answering. "It probably does. Betty, why don't you and the Du brothers check things out. Ann and I will follow as soon as we change."
Betty gave a knowing nod and motioned for the Du brothers to follow her as she rose to leave. Nancy rose and headed to her room with Ann in tow. "Son, you and Joss keep your eyes open. This could be just a feint."
Slim nodded and headed into the den to help his daughter.
~o~o~
Kim and Shego descended the ladder of the jet and stood waiting for Ron and Yori as Hirotaka shut the jet down. They surveyed the small clearing they were in but saw no sign of anyone. Shego turned to Kim.
"How long do you think it will take, pumpkin? I don't want to sit here for too long."
Kim gave her a smile. "Don't worry, sweetie. I am certain Slim detected us as we landed. It should only be an hour or less before someone comes to meet us."
Shego nodded absently as she watched Ron and Yori join them followed by Hirotaka a few minutes later, once he had finished shutting down the plane. They settled down to wait for someone to greet them. Ron, Yori and Hirotaka sat together and conversed quietly in Japanese while Kim and Shego sat together in silence. The quiet of the clearing was broken about half an hour later when two figures entered the clearing to greet them.
"I shouldn't be surprised it was you Possible. You always did have a way of showing up where you were least expected." The two figures that entered the clearing were wearing normal civilian clothes but that did not prevent the Du brothers from being instantly recognized.
Kim and Shego leapt to their feet followed more slowly by Ron, Yori and Hirotaka. Kim glared at the Du brothers as they approached, then lunged at Will as he spoke again.
"You need to come with -." His words were cut off, as Kim's fist impacted his nose with a shower of blood. As he crumpled to the ground, Kim delivered several kicks to his side. Ken was moving to protect his brother, as Kim looked ready to finish him off when they were all brought to a halt by a piercing voice from the edge of the clearing.
"That will be enough, Kimberly."
They all turned to see Nancy Possible stride into the clearing with Dr. Director, in civilian clothes, on one side of her and a woman clad in a skintight bodysuit, covered with a pattern of shifting colors that seemed to catch and keep ones attention, on the other. Kim stared at the three in bafflement for a moment before her face grew hard.
"Have you sided with them again, Nana? One more betrayal?" Kim's voice dripped with venom. The rest of her group were shocked at Kim's reaction but Shego understood and stepped forward to stand at Kim's side, the plasma wreathing her hands flaring brighter.
"I have never betrayed you, Kimberly, and I never will. I was lied to earlier, by people I trusted with my life. That will never happen again." Nancy looked Kim in the eyes, letting her see the determination in them.
"I have heard the like before. You know what they say, fool me once, shame on me, fool me twice, shame on you."
Nancy opened her mouth to reply but was stopped by the figure in the bodysuit. She reached up and removed her mask to reveal, to everyone in Kim's group's surprise, the face of Ann Possible.
"Kimberly Anne Possible, that will be enough. We raised you to be better than that."
Kim simply stared at her open mouthed for several moments as the rest wondered what was happening. Yori and Hirotaka were merely baffled by the situation since they had no idea who Ann was. Ron and Shego were stunned, their brains unable to process what they were seeing, the contradiction between the Ann Possible they knew and the woman standing in front of them.
"Mom!?" Kim exclaimed as she found her voice again. "What are you doing here?"
"I am visiting your Uncle Slim with your Nana and Betty and her friends. I take it you are here for a reason?" Ann replied as though they were standing in the hall at home.
"I came to get you and Uncle Slim's help." Kim's voice was confused for a moment but then became hard again, as the confused look left her face and was replace by one of determination. "Are you siding with GJ against me two? Joining Nana and the boys? Have you turned Dad against me, too? Is that why you are here, to turn Uncle Slim and Joss against me?"
Everyone tensed at the tone of Kim's voice and the look on her face. Shego knew that tone all too well, the tone of someone betrayed repeatedly, that of someone who would throw everything away, even family, to get revenge. It was a tone her voice once had, a tone that had ruined her life and made her into the villain she had become. She knew she had to do whatever it took to spare Kim that fate.
Shego moved behind Kim and pressed herself against Kim, wrapping her arms around her. She leaned in close and rested her head on Kim's shoulder. "Princess, think about what you are doing. Do you want to throw away what family you have left? Do you want to cut yourself off from everyone who won't join your quest for revenge?"
She felt Kim tense and, before she could speak, Shego spoke into her ear in a low voice. "Don't worry Kimmie; I will never leave you, ever. I will stay with you and help you no matter what. I promise."
Shego waited anxiously for a moment before Kim relaxed and snuggled back against her. "Fine. I'll give them a chance to explain. Happy?"
She ignored Kim's familiar, snarky tone and hugged her tight. "Good choice, cupcake, now let's get Wade out of the plane and into your mom's care."
Kim nodded and reluctantly left Shego's arms. The two ignored the looks everyone, particularly Ann, gave them as Kim turned to Hirotaka. "Hirotaka-san, if you would get our friend from the jet, please and thank you."
She turned to face her mom as he headed back into the jet. "Mom, we are going to need your help, as well as Uncle Slim's, with Wade. He has been given numerous cybernetic implants, including several in his brain. They are keeping him in a fantasy world and we need to get him out."
Ann rushed over to ladder of the jet, where Hirotaka was carrying Wade. "We need to get him to the main house immediately. Is the jet ready to move or would it be quicker to carry him?"
Ron lifted Wade in his arms, a faint blue glow surrounding him, as he spoke. "The jet will take almost an hour to get ready to fly. It will be quicker if I carry him."
Ron ignored the stares from the others as he started for the ranch house with Kim, Shego, Yori and Hirotaka in tow. Ann marched after them, keeping pace with Ron so she could check on Wade's condition. Betty and Nancy exchanged quizzical looks before starting after them. Betty called over her shoulder to Ken.
"Help your brother to the house; I will have Ann look after him when she is finished with Wade." She didn't look back as Ken helped Will to his feet. He looked at his face, covered in blood from a broken nose, and saw the way he held his side as he moved, a sign of broken or at least bruised ribs.
"Brother, your mouth is going to get you killed one of these days if you don't start thinking before you speak."
~o~o~
The living room of Slim's house was filled with a tense silence, the occupants waiting for news and avoiding confrontation with each other. Kim and Shego sat together on one couch with Ron and Yori in seats behind them, Hirotaka standing guard next to them. Across from them sat Nancy and Betty on another couch with a nervous Ken standing behind them. In the 'den', Joss split her attention between the screens in front of her and wondering about the newest visitors. They were all waiting for news from Ann.
As soon as they had arrived at the house, Ann had called Slim to assist her as they took Wade to Slim's advanced medical center. Everyone had crowded in to find out what was happening, getting in Ann and Slim's way, until Ann ordered everyone but Slim out. They had tried to argue but Ann had brooked no argument and simply pushed them out. Since then they had sat silently waiting, worry for Wade mixed with curiosity and dread at what the other would have to say.
Time seemed to crawl with nothing to do but wait and worry but no obvious distraction was at hand. They all breathed a sigh of relief when, several hours later, Ann walked into room, removing the scrubs she wore over her body suit. She ignored everyone in the room and went to the door to the 'den'.
"Joss, could you go to the infirmary and help your father for a moment?" At Joss's nod, she turned back into the main room and went to take a seat next to Nancy. She seemed unconcerned with the tension in the room as she settled into the couch. Finally comfortable, she addressed the room.
"Wade is all right. He is awake and will be joining us in a moment. We managed to deactivate the cybernetic implants and I removed the ones I could. There are some implants in his brain that cannot be removed. Slim says it is some form of organic technology that had grown along his synaptic pathways. The only way to remove it would be to dissect Wade's brain. We made certain none of the control or artificial reality programs are present.
"I suggest we wait for him before we start so we don't have to repeat ourselves." The others reluctantly nodded their agreement, anxious to start their discussion but also glad for a moment to gather their thoughts without worry for Wade clouding their judgment. Several minutes later, they looked up to see Will Du enter the room and move to stand with his brother, his bruised ribs taped, his broken nose set, and his eyes already blackening. A minute later Slim entered and took a seat on the side of the room. He was followed by Wade, who slowly walked into the room leaning heavily on Joss, who had an arm wrapped around his waist. She led him to a small bench at the back of the room and helped to gently lower him into the seat.
Kim and Ron had stared at him in fascination, amazed at the change in their friend in the last few years. Gone was the short, fat computer geek that had been the tech brains behind Team Possible. Now Wade was tall, almost as tall as Slim, and muscular with a heavy beard. He looked around the room with tired, bewildered eyes as he settled into the cushions on the bench. He gave a weary smile of thanks to Joss as she went to resume her post on monitor duty in the 'den'.
Once she saw that he was settled in, Nancy turned to face her granddaughter and her friends. "I suppose I should start since I know the most and have guessed much of the rest. I know we all have a lot of questions but I would like to ask everyone to hold them for a while. We have a great deal to talk about and the best way to handle it is to start at the beginning. That would be Ann."
Everyone turned to look at Ann, who stood to address the room. "It starts when I was in Medical School, before I married your father."
Everyone looked at her as she paused in embarrassment, wondering what had given the normally unflappable brain surgeon pause. Ron took in her costume and the time frame mentioned and jumped to a conclusion. "You were a hero, like Kim?"
Nancy gave derisive snort and Ann blushed. Kim and Ron struggled to figure out what was going on when Shego broke out in a grin as she figured out what Nancy's snort meant. "Close, monkey boy, but no cigar. What Kim's mother and grandmother are trying to say is that Ann wasn't a hero but a villain."
Kim and Ron had shocked, baffled looks on their faces. After a moment, Kim exclaimed. "No way my mom was a villain. I don't believe it."
Nancy gave a rueful shake of her head and Ann looked down in embarrassment for a moment before answering. "Shego is right, I was a villain. Don't look so shocked dear; you are the one dating a villain, who you broke out of prison."
"I'm not dating Shego." Everyone smiled at Kim's too quick denial, Shego's smile being rather sad and full of pain.
Nancy interrupted before they could get side tracked anymore. "That is enough, let Ann continue her story or we will never get through this."
Ann took a deep breath and started again. "Shego is right, I was a villain. It started as a lark; I accidentally discovered a formula that made people very suggestible. At first, I used it on a professor at the university and several local politicians. Some of my 'fans' encouraged me to expand my horizon, so I improved my formula, started to wear a costume and adopted the name Brainchild.
"I worked to embarrass and humiliate those who abused their position. I targeted pompous politician, greedy businessmen and arrogant pundits, bring them all down a notch or two. I was quite proud when I had made the global top 25 most wanted list." Ann gave a wistful smile at the memory.
"Mom." Kim protested.
"Hush, Kimberly, let her continue." Nancy scolded.
Ann gave her daughter a reassuring smile. "Of course, later I would be the unofficial most wanted villain in the world and hunted by every intelligence and law enforcement agency in the world." Shego gave as low whistle of appreciation, knowing how difficult that would be. She herself had never been listed higher than number five. "What I didn't know was that several of the people who helped me pick targets and the like were working for someone else. They were manipulating me into taking out targets that allowed their boss's agents to slip into positions of power."
Ann started to pace. "I never found out the identity of the mysterious Master who was behind it all but I found out enough to take out the majority of his agents. It was just as I was moving to remove the last of the agents that Nancy came after me. I'll let her tell her side of the story."
Nancy picked up the tale. "I was retired from active duty when Ann started her career as Brainchild. She wasn't deemed too great a threat when she was just embarrassing politicians and CEO's. It was when she started to move against the unknown person's agents that she started to move up the most wanted list. To the public, she remained a social activist villain that many supported but in government circle she was seen as dangerous agent of chaos that threatened to plunge the world into war."
She saw the startled looks on the others faces. "You have to understand, Brainchild had manipulated some of the most powerful people in the world. She put them into power and removed them just as easily. Once she started to take out the agents she had put in place, those same agents started to panic. They added their voice to the calls for her capture. The CIA analysis deemed her the greatest threat to world safety in the last thirty years.
"Unfortunately for the powers that be, stopping her proved to be a tougher job than they expected. You have to understand, Brainchild was a master at manipulating people and getting them to do what she wanted." She gave tiny smirk at the uncomprehending look on Kim and Ron's faces. "She had perfected her formula that allowed her to control others and developed other means of making people do what she wants."
Nancy gave a tired sigh. "The CIA was so worried; they called me back to active duty to deal with Brainchild. I spent six months on the case before I got close to her."
Ann laughed. "Now, Nancy, you know you got close several times before that, you just don't remember it."
Nancy had a sour look on her face as she saw the questioning looks on Kim and her friends' faces. "Ann had a formula called Lethe that allowed her to remove short term memories. If you got too close and she found out, she would remove your memory of it." Nancy gave put upon sigh as Ann snickered. "She once used it to remove so much of my memory I didn't even remember the tip that sent me to the city where I encountered her."
Nancy endured the snickers and grins from everyone. "Talk about embarrassing. I woke up in a strange city with no memory of how or why I got there. I had to call headquarters to find out what was going on. I quickly realized that getting close to her was not the way to handle her. I started to track her movements and figure out who she was and where she was based. Imagine my surprise, when I discovered that the most dangerous villain in the world was my son's fiance. I was torn about what to do but decided to give her the benefit of the doubt. Over the holidays I got her alone and questioned her."
Ann took over the story again. "I had been shocked the first time James took me home to meet his mother and I saw the woman who had been chasing me for months. At first it was a rush; sitting unknown right under her nose, but soon I was constantly worrying about betraying myself. It was actually a relief when she confronted me. I told her everything about how I had been used and how I fought back."
Nancy continued the story. "Once I heard her story and her promise to retire, I decided to trust her and my son. I reported to the CIA that I had dealt with Brainchild. Since she was never seen again, they believed me and didn't ask any question in order to preserve plausible deniability. That was how thing sat until the incident at the Space Center. I had your mother use her connections to find out what had really happened in Plantain and who was responsible."
Seeing that they had moved on from the past to more recent events, Kim interrupted. "Just a minute, I have few questions." She looked her mom in the eye. "You were a villain who manipulated and embarrassed people?"
At Ann's nod she continued. "You had a way to remove memories?" Ann nodded again. "Is that what happened to those people in the government? And the Oversight Committee, you controlled them to confess?"
Nancy cut off Kim's budding tirade. "You're correct Kimberly, but let's not go into that until later. For now, it is Betty's turn to talk. Start with what happened in Plantain."
Betty stood, unconsciously standing at parade rest. "I only learned the truth about Plantain after the fact. The government of Plantain worked with the CIA in order to set up Kim and Shego. They had both interfered in too many operations, so they decided to take both out. When you contacted me, I was given orders to take you into custody. I wasn't allowed to investigate the real situation and was told what your punishment would be."
Betty looked Kim, Ron and Shego square in the face. "I am sorry for what happened to you. I was too caught up in cutting deals and working the system to worry about justice. I know that doesn't begin to make up for what happened but I can assure you I will do whatever I can to prevent something like this from happening again."
Nancy took up the tale. "My contacts in the Agency lied about what had happened in Plantain and showed me doctored videos to support their story. I had trusted them with my life but they betrayed me. They have paid for that betrayal."
"I used my contacts in the villain world to learn the truth about what happened in Plantain. I confronted Nancy with the truth and we discovered she had been lied to. From there we started to talk to Nancy's friends, the ones who lied to her. My improved formula insured they neither lied nor omitted anything. Those who knew nothing had their memory of our meeting removed but were otherwise left alone."
She turned to look at Kim and Shego. "Those who knew about what happened in Plantain and did nothing about it were punished. Their actions took four years of my daughter's life so I removed four years of their memories, taking four years of their lives. An eye for an eye."
Shego felt a shiver run up her spine as she looked into Ann Possible's eyes as she uttered her threat. She knew that Ann's words were also for her, that if she hurt Kim, Ann would hurt her, an eye for an eye. Ann held her gaze for a moment before continuing.
"All of the deaths were apparently the work of the Master behind all of this, removing links between his agents and himself. We ran out of leads in the Agency so we talked to Betty. She didn't know anything but did remind us about the Oversight Committee. Since she was innocent we only removed the memory of the meeting and left."
She pointedly looked her daughter in the eye, silently challenging her to accept Dr. Director's innocents, at least of actively working against her.
"Talking to the Oversight Committee convinced us that the person behind this was the same one I had faced all those years ago. It also revealed the existence of the main agent of this unseen Master, a shape shifter who seems to be the main contact and control. We contacted Betty to combine out forces to find and stop him."
Kim and Shego shared a long look then checked to see if Ron had anything to add. Kim took in his almost imperceptible shrug and turned to address her mother and grandmother. "We will accept what you say for now but we have a few questions. The first concerns Wade. In his message to us, he links Nana, SNITCHeS and Dulce to himself. What is the conception?"
Betty and Keen's face showed confusion as Nancy exclaimed, with a startled look on her face. "You were at Dulce?"
Kim gave them a smirk worth of Shego. "Of course we were. It was where we rescued Wade. It is also why we are now the most wanted people in the world, unofficially of course. Why was he there and what is the connection to Nana?"
They were all startled when Wade, who had silently watched the discussion with haunted all-knowing eyes. "That is simple, Kim, your Nana is the one who arranged for me to be there as part of the SNITCHeS program."
~O~O~O~
Jack Hench stared at his division heads with growing disgust as they reported on their plans to deal with current unrest in the world and its effects on the super villain community. All he heard was weak-willed ideas to avoid risk. It seemed none of them had the guts to take a chance and make it work. His anger increased as his patience vanished until he rose to his feet and slammed his hand down on the desk.
"Enough. I can't believe the lot of you are advocating pulling back and ass covering instead of seizing the opportunity we have. I must be slipping if you are the people I chose to run this company. Perhaps I should resign and find someone else to do the job. Better yet, I should fire the lot of you and get managers from the local fast food restaurant to replace you. They couldn't do any worse than you."
The division heads stared at him like deer caught in a head light, no trace of fight in their gazes. Jack knew he would have to replace the lot in the next few months but for now, he needed to motivate them to do their jobs. He put an insincere smile on his face and adopted a more conciliatory tone.
"Now that I have your attention, we can get down to business. I hope I have impressed the importance of this issue on you. The current situation is a once in a lifetime opportunity and we need to grab it with both hands. No holding back or playing it safe. This is the time we bet everything and play to win."
He flashed his skeptical division heads a broad, confident smile. "We just need to change how we look at things. Once we implement new policy, we will be making money hand over fist."
He turned to address his head of Hench Services. "This is a prime time for Henches. Those on the offense will need to hire more Henches for their new operations. Those on the defensive will need more to insure security. The increased demand will mean we can increase prices."
He gave him a sly grin. "With so many groups failing or being damaged, there will be a lot of agents and operatives looking for jobs. We can provide those jobs and, since there are so many looking for work, we can lower the starting pay. Lower cost, higher prices and increased volume mean higher profits."
He turned to the head of Lair Services. "With the increase in hostilities, we can push for upgrades in security and weaponry. Increased staffing means we can sell lair expansions. With more work we can increase the fees for early completion and rush."
Next was the head of the Research Division. "With all the rivalry, lots of people will be looking for an edge, something no one else has. Use that to have our customers do beta testing. Sell it as cutting edge tech fresh from the labs. If it has some bugs, you can use their vanity to sell it. Point out that it only needs someone with talent to get it working and they will snap it up. If they fail to get it working their own vanity will keep them from complaining. We can charge high fees for the cutting edge tech and reduce costs by getting free development work and field testing."
He decided to finish the little pep session with his Head of Computer Operations, Sylvester 'Sy' Sop. "The increase in hostilities will require increased computer security. Those on the offense will need the latest hacker's tools and increased resources to handle everyone's increased security. Enlarged lairs and Hench deployments will need increased management resources."
He surveyed their faces, now shining with avarice and determination. "I take it these examples have shown you what we need to do. Now go out there and make us proud."
He hated having to do this, the false smile, the cheerful demeanor, the use of we as though he was part of the problem but it was what worked so he did it. He couldn't wait for the day he replaced them with new, more competent people. At least this crisis had exposed the problem before it seriously damaged the company. He mental kicked himself for getting lazy, letting his deal with the authorities and the special protections that entailed, substitute for canny business savvy and risk taking.
His mental recriminations were interrupted by his head of special projects, Dr. Amy Ting, who approached him as the other division heads left. "Mr. Hench, I have the update on Project Chimera."
The other division heads hid their smiles and smirks as they filed out, glad they would not be present for the resulting briefing. Project Chimera was a long running attempt to develop a method of finding the genetic source of superpowers and to then develop a means of transferring them to another person. So far, the program had been unbroken string of failures. It had become an informal, running joke in the company that being assigned to the program was code for being fired.
What they didn't know, of course, was the projects use as a cover for real covert projects. This gave a convenient cover for talking to Jack about the projects without exposing them. Of course there was a real Project Chimera, but most of its research was focused on the mapping of genetic anomalies and abnormalities. The data was then funneled to one of Jack's legitimate companies and used in bio-medical research.
Once they were alone in the conference room, Jack activated the secure mode, cutting of all outside contact. He watched Dr. Ting use a device she pulled from her purse to scan the room. Once she nodded to indicate no bugs or surveillance devices, he motioned her into a chair across from him and leaned back.
"What do you have for me?" Jack cut right to business.
"The first phase of the special project is complete. We have developed a new encryption algorithm and other needed software infrastructure to replace the In-Terror-Net. It uses a lattice method that is unlike anything currently in use and is immune to even quantum-computing attempts to crack. It will require a month to retool production for e-phones, e-tops and lair computer equipment. Two months after that we will have enough inventory to replace all units currently in the field."
She paused for a moments to consult her notes. "The implementation in the servers in the big unknown. If we manufacture new encryption modules and replace the existing ones, it will three months to manufacture and another six months to get them installed and the entire network up and synchronized. If we start from scratch with new servers, it will take two months manufacture the servers but eight months to replace all of the current servers and get the entire network up and synchronized. The real problem is the need to keep the old system in place and running while we install the new one."
Jack gave her a happy smile. "If you had a complete network in place, that only needed severs to operate, how long would it take."
She quirked an eyebrow at him. "If the only thing needed is to install the servers and bring them up it would take three months to get the entire network up. With manufacturing that is five month total."
Jack nodded pleasantly. "Good. Start work on it immediately. When time comes to install the servers you will find the network in place."
"If I may ask, where are we getting a spare high-speed global network?"
"Do you remember the Photon Celerity project from 10 years ago?"
She nodded. "Yes, wasn't that the attempt to make a radically new fiber optic network to replace the existing ones? Didn't it turn out to be more expensive by a factor of 4 than regular networks?"
Jack nodded a happy smile on his face. "That's it. It did offer a threefold increase in performance but the cost was prohibitive. We had rolled out 90% of the network when the project shut down. I made certain the network was finished, betting we would need a spare high-speed network sometime in a hurry. This will have the added bonus of confusing our enemies and rivals, who will have forgotten the existence of the project all together."
She returned Jack's smile. "I will start everything immediately. Is there anything else?"
Jack took the room out of secure mode and escorted her to the door. "Tell everyone good job and pay the early completion bonuses. If we meet the schedule you outlined everyone will get another bonus when the new network comes on line."
Dr. Ting nodded and headed off to her office to get the next phase of the project started, while Jack made his way to his office, startling those he passed with his broad smile and genuine good humor. Once there he poured himself a snifter of brandy and sat back in his chair with a contented sigh. Today had been a good day and portended more to come.
Once the new network was up and running he could tell Nancy Possible and the rest of the world to go jump in a lake. The leverage of the very existence of their taps into the In-Terror-Net would be enough to keep them from cracking down on him. If the world found out they had access to the villain's most secret communications and still failed to stop them without help from various heroes, they would throw them out and probably charge them as accomplices.
Without the UN, GJ and every two-bit intelligence agent in the world looking over his shoulder, he would be able to really manipulate his customers for his own profit. He would throw the law dogs a bone and still refuse to sell nuclear, biological and chemical weapons. That should help their defeat go down easier. Yes, today was a good day and better were to come.
~O~O~O~
They were all startled when Wade, who had silently watched the discussion with haunted, all-knowing eyes. "That is simple, Kim. Your Nana is the one who arranged for me to be there as part of the SNITCHeS program."
Everyone's eyes turned to Nancy Possible as they processed Wade's words. Nancy sighed and stood to address them. "I swear that when I recruited Wade for the SNITCHeS program I did not know they would use him as a test subject. I just wanted to get the NSA off his back and keep his talents working for the good guys. If I had known what would happen I would never have approached him."
Nancy glanced at Betty before continuing. "To understand what I am going to tell you I need to explain what SNITCHeS is. You have to understand, before the Oversight Committee went public with the name less than 10,000 people had even heard of SNITCHeS. Less that 1,000 knew what the program was about and less than 100 know exactly what it does."
She ignored Ken's indrawn breath. "Like much of this story, it starts with Brainchild's career. Her career had the intelligence community truly worried about the villain community for the first time. They finally decided to do something to monitor it."
She started to slowly pace the room as she talked, acutely aware of Wade's eyes fixed on her. "Back then the villain community was very different from what exists now. There were several communities, most clustered around an idea or place, but no overall one. Communication was mostly via private circulation magazines and small bulletin boards.
"In some ways it was easier to keep watch on the villains since they rarely worked together or shared info but in others it was harder since every group had to be monitored individually. It was decided to use one of the existing members of the villain community as a way to monitor the others. Unlike most of the suppliers and recruiters, this person was a Harvard trained MBA not a mad scientist or villain trying to raise capital. He worked to make a profit not destroy the world and looked at the long term.
"I was selected to approach him and offer a deal. We would turn a blind eye to his operation and focus on his customers not him. In exchange, he would stay away from nuclear, biological and chemical weapons. He would also provide access to his network and customer communications."
Shego swore under her breath. "I always knew Jack was a slimy, money-grubbing, huckster but I never figured he would sell the whole villain community out."
Kim stared at Shego, then her Nana. "You mean?"
Nancy smirked. "Yes, Kimberly, Jack Hench has been working with us for the last twenty years. He provides access to the In-Terror-Net and stays away from the more dangerous items and we not only don't target him, we take out his competition. Of course, most communications on the In-Terror-Net is protected by multiple layers of encryption but we can still analyze traffic patterns and the like."
Wade gave a derisive snort. "We can read everything on the In-Terror-Net in real time. If they change the encryption, it is only a matter of days to break it. Just like we have reverse engineered most of the capture mad scientists equipment."
Nancy looked at him in bafflement. "But the reports the agency receives . . ."
Dr. Director echoed her complaint. "We were told they could only provide the most general information."
Wade nodded. "They lied. The question is why."
Ann spoke up. "Wade is right. Why are they lying about their success and who is pulling the strings? With the information at their command they could shut down the villain world is they wanted but they let it flourish. With the technology they have, they could change the world for the better but instead they keep it for themselves. Why?"
Shego nodded. "Ann is right. If they can read the In-Terror-Net, they can know everything that is happening in the villain world. Villain gossip about their next plan and what their rivals are doing like little old ladies. If they knew all of that, they should never be surprised by anything that happens."
Will spoke for the first time. "It might be helpful to know exactly what goes on in the SNITCHeS program. What they focus on and how they approach problems could give us clues to their purpose and identity."
Kim reluctantly nodded. "I hate to say it but Will is right. Whoever is behind this is too good to leave any obvious clues. We are going to have to look at little things, subtle hints as to their true purpose."
After a moment's thought, Ann, Betty and Nancy nodded their agreement. Everyone made their way back to their seats as Nancy asked Slim to bring them something to eat while they worked. Several of them pulled out tablets or laptops while others used paper and pencil. Shego gave a low whistle of appreciation when she saw Ann pull out her E-top.
"Is that new E-top? Sweet." Shego's face fell as a thought occurred to her. "Is it safe to use that thing? If they can read everything on the In-Terror-Net, can they read what you have on your E-top?"
Ann paused in thought. "That is a good question. I don't know enough about how their system works to answer that question. Wade, do you think they can read what is on my E-top?"
Wade thought for a moment then leaned forward. "Let me see it, please."
Ann passed him the E-top and he sat it in his lap and started to type. His hands stopped moving and simply rested on the keyboard. His face got a distant look on it for a moment as his eyes rapidly flicked from side to side as though reading at warp speed. He let out a slow breath as his eyes focused on the room again. He gave them a crocked grin.
"Seems the stuff stuck in my head has some uses. The E-top is clear. As long as you don't connect to the In-Terror-Net, you are safe. Just how much have you used the In-Terror-Net and what information did you send?"
Ann, Nancy and Dr. Director all froze in thought as their faces went pale. Ann spoke first. "I have conducted most of my searches using the In-Terror-Net. I upgraded my lair using Hench Co."
"Lair!?" Kim squealed, her face turning bright red.
Shego laughed as Ann shushed her. "Quiet dear. This means we should assume the opposition knows everything me and Nancy have done. They probably have my lair under surveillance and know of our alliance with Betty. He has to know of our search for the persons responsible for what happened to Kim. He probably has also worked out the purpose of the searches we did looking for the shape shifter."
Slim brought a tray of drinks and sandwiches in and set it on the table. "You should be safe here. They won't be able to tap or trace any of your activities while you are here but I can't help you when you leave. Do y'all have anywhere else you can use as a base?"
Nancy and Dr. Director started to deny having any such place when Kim interrupted. "Actually, I have a place we can use. No one not even Dr. Director knows about it."
Ann, Betty and Nancy turned to look at Kim as Shego continued. "Ann's not the only one who has a secret lair."
Kim swatted her on the shoulder. "It is a secret base not a lair. There is a difference."
"Whatever you say, princess." Shego dodged Kim's next attack.
Dr. Director cleared her throat. "You have a base? Somewhere secure? I didn't know."
Kim gave Dr. Director a smirk that reminded her of Shego's as she answered. "Yep, totally have a secret hidden base; I have had it for years, from before I went to Plantain."
Dr. Director leaned forward in interest. "Do you mind telling me where you got it and how you kept it secret?"
Kim and Shego exchanged a look before Kim answered. "Do you remember the wild fires out west about five years ago that Ron and I fought?" At Dr. Director's nod, she continued. "On that mission we ran into an old hero named Condor. He was impressed with what Ron and I were doing and decided to help us out. He gave us his old secret base.
"He used several shell companies to make the transfer. As far as the world knows, I sit on the board of a non-profit natural conservancy group that controls an animal sanctuary. No one but the people in this room and Condor know of the bases existence."
Will's face had grown clouded as she spoke. "Condor, the former member of AUNT?" Kim nodded. "You had access to the Global Justice computer system all along, didn't you?"
Kim laughed. "Yep, although it was pretty limited access once Betty cracked down on security."
Wade spoke up again. "Actually you had much greater access than you should have. One of the things that got me chosen to be used as a test subject was hacking your system to give you better access to Global Justice's system."
Ann looked thoughtful. "If we have access to the Global Justice system, we can use Betty's access codes to get full control of the system. We just need a way to link Kim's system to Slim's so we can complete our search."
Kim smiled sweetly at her super villain mother. "It had an encrypted satellite link hidden on a nearby mountain. Wade should be able to give details of the system."
Wade nodded a familiar smile creeping across his face. "I can give Slim the details and we can work out a protocol to synchronize the systems. We should update the encryption algorithm, too. Given the way SNITCHeS breaks code we need to make certain we only use the best. Luckily, I know all of their strengths and weaknesses."
Slim nodded and called over his shoulder. "Joss, take Wade to the satellite link center and help him hook up with Kim's system. Look into the encryption routines, too."
Joss came into the room and wrapped her arm around his waist as she helped him to stand. "Come on, let me help you. The satellite room is down the hall."
Wade leaned on her as they made their way out of the room. Once they were gone, Slim turned to Ann and asked, "What's the deal with your computer? I was russlin' up some grub and only caught the end of the conversation."
"He went to check my computer to see if the SNITCHeS program could trace it. As soon as he started typing, he went into some type of trance where he looked like he was reading something at high speed. When he came out he said the computer was clear and made a remark about getting some use out of the stuff in his head." Ann replied in the clinical voice of a doctor asking a colleague for a second opinion.
Slim picked up a sandwich and took a bite. "Could be. There is still a lot of stuff in his head and body, all of it tied into his brain and nervous system. From what I saw, the cybernetics use a near field EM effect to communicate with outside electronics. If he can tap into that system to access electronics he could be able to interface directly with the computer."
Slim muttered to himself as he stared absently at the room, his sandwich forgotten in his hand. The others sat in silence for a moment digesting his words when Ron spoke up. "I guess we have found 'the son of machine' the prophecy talks about."
"That means we have all the pieces we need to save the world. We just need to get organized. Nana, how long will it take you mom and GJ people to get to my base and can you do it unobserved?" Kim asked, taking charge of the situation.
"Assuming your base is in Northern California, we get there in three days with minimal chance of being spotted. Do you think it is wise to trust us with the location? It may be advisable to have us meet you somewhere nearby and then take us to the base in person."
Hirotaka agreed. "I can use the jet to ferry people to a designated rendezvous without them knowing the location of the rendezvous of the base. I will also employ a semi-random flight path that has me landing in several places. That should confuse anyone who is tracking me as to the real location of drop-off point."
Kim and Nancy both nodded their agreement. "That is an excellent plan. It keeps information compartmentalized without risking operational efficiency and makes any tracking more difficult. Ron, you have very good people helping you. I am glad to see that Yaminouchi is keeping up with the times."
Ron beamed in pride, knowing that praise from Nana Possible was nigh impossible to earn. Yori and Hirotaka silently wondered as her tone of familiarity with Yaminouchi, as though she had known of them for years. The planning was interrupted when Slim rose and headed after Wade and Joss.
"I am going to check on Wade. It would be a good idea to know exactly what he can do. If he can access systems over a communication line that could be a great advantage."
~O~O~O~
The Master sat in the sanctuary of his new headquarters, contemplating the current state of his plan. In his mind's eye, he could see the web of influence and power his agents represented. He could feel the forces of history moving through the web, the sense of destiny that those forces represented. Through all the challenges and setbacks that had occurred in recent days, he could still feel the forces working under his direction and that still his plan stood. The one major challenge was the Possibles. At every turn, they surprised him, the recent news being only the latest proof of that.
Ever since he had involved Ann Possible in his plan over twenty years ago, the Possibles had been a thorn in his side. He worked and planned to avoid and contain them but they always seemed to do what was unexpected. He needed to take the time, now that he had finished the latest phase of his plan, to review his plan and the Possibles place in it.
Just six months ago, everything seemed to be on track. Nancy was retired and mostly out of the loop, while Ann was immersed in her life and family. Kim had seemed the greatest threat to his plan but her probation should have removed her from consideration. Of course, the plan had failed but that was due to those idiots in Plantain, not the plan. Kim was supposed to be isolated, leaving her vulnerable. When she left home for college, his agents would be in place to become her friends and then recruit her to his cause, all under the guise of helping others, of course.
When he had heard she was not going to college but staying in Middleton and working at Smarty Mart, he thought she had been broken and dismissed her from consideration. That had been a major mistake; he should have known that no Possible woman broke that easy. If he had investigated, he would have discovered what Plantain had done and been able to fix it. That was all water under the bridge now, but served as a reminder to always check his assumptions, particularly when they fit his prejudices.
When Kim had broken Shego out of prison and started her crusade against Global Justice, he had used that in his plan but ignored the danger that Ann and Nancy would become involved. Once they had become involved, he had been forced to change his plan radically but still he had underestimated them. He needed to examine every possibility carefully to make certain he had missed nothing.
Kim and Shego's appearance at Dulce had been a shock, their rescue of their friend Wade less so. Several questions needed to be answered, the first of which was, how had they known where Wade was? His participation in the SNITCHeS program and others was a closely guarded secret and the projects location at Dulce, an even more closely guarded secret. The chance that they had gone there for some other purpose and just chanced across Wade and rescued him without doing anything else was tiny.
No, they had known exactly what they were looking for and exactly where to find it. The main question was how they had found out where he was. He froze in thought as a notion tickled his curiosity until he sudden started typing on his computer, checking something he had just remembered. He smiled at the screen as the fact of Nancy Possible's involvement in setting up the SNITCHeS program was confirmed. With her recent return to activity, it would have been easy for her to check old contacts for Wade's location and send Kim and Shego after him.
That left three unsettled questions: one, who were the ninjas that were report to be helping them; two, why had they chosen now to rescue him; and three, where would they take him to remove the cybernetics? The ninjas worried him the most, there was no obvious link between them and Kim and Shego. He wondered at the identity of the ninjas, which clan they worked for. He reviewed what he knew of the ninja clans, mostly rumor and second hand gossip given their secrecy. Most of the so-called ninjas were nothing of the sort, simply using the name to give themselves a reputation.
He knew of only three that would have the skill needed to help Kim and Shego in penetrating the Dulce base. Yaminouchi was the oldest and largest clan, with a network of agents that spanned the world, but they were mostly focused on their own mystical concerns. You also needed to practically be born into the clan to have any dealings with them, so he could not see how they would have any reason to help Possible.
The second largest clan was the Taneda but they were tightly aligned with several Yakuza groups and involved in a longstanding rivalry with several Triads. They would have neither the interest nor the resources to help Possible. That left the Deno clan, the smallest and weakest of the three. They would gladly be willing to work for Possible if she paid enough and if she had a way to contact them. Another thought occurred to him and he once more typed briefly on his computer. Exactly as he remembered, the Deno had connections to several martial arts groups that Shego had trained with and, given the money she had undoubtedly hidden away before being imprisoned, she could afford to hire them. He was surprised that Shego would take such initiative after all he had put her through; perhaps Kim Possible had been using her contacts when needed.
That still left the question of why the ninjas were hired in the first place but he would assume it was to get reliable, skilled back up that would be hard for anyone to find or trace. It would do if no better explanation came up but he had the unsettling feeling of forces move just outside his sight. As for why they rescued Wade, he calculated it was a combination of saving a friend and gaining access to the information he had. He gave a satisfied smile at the thought of them following the information they got from Wade and the SNITCHeS program.
The main reasons he monitored the super villain was to guard against someone like Brainchild coming along to oppose him and to be able to manipulate the villains for his own ends. The villains were too unreliable to be used as agents but were perfect to use as a distraction from his real plan. The chaos they caused helped to justify what his agents did but other than creating problems for his people to solve they had no other place in his plan. He might occasionally use villain such as Gemini and Dementor to further his ends but even then, they were simple pointed at a target and set loose, a tool to use and forget.
Gemini's attack on Global Justice had served three purposes. The first had been to add to the general chaos and instability his other agents were creating, something Gemini excelled at. The second had been to distract Global Justice and keep them occupied while the rest of his plan was put in motion. The third was to create a cover for some of his agents to infiltrate Global Justice and start to bend it to his own ends. That had all changed when he found out Dr. Director was working with Nancy Possible and Brainchild.
Thanks to his access to the SNITCHeS system, he knew about Brainchild's recent activities including her base and its recent upgrades. He had remote surveillance in place that had detected Dr. Director's meetings with the Possible women. He knew if they cooperated, it would reduce the effectiveness of his distraction and jeopardize his plan, so he had contacted Dementor and offered him as large bounty to capture Dr. Director for him. His chances of success were insignificant but the real purpose of having him attack was to use him as a feint. His other teams had crippled Global Justice's computer, communication and surveillance systems while Dementor was showboating and getting captured as usual. Of course, Dementor's capture saved him from having to pay the fee he promised.
If the Possibles used the data from SNITCHeS to go after the super villain world, they would be chasing the distractions he had created just for that purpose. Their rescue of Wade and access to the data he had would only put them further off the trail of his real plan. Still, the presence of the ninjas bothered him, when he contemplated his web of agents concerning them he could almost feel unseen force and influences moving against him. The feeling bothered him, making him worry he was over thinking or under thinking things. That may have been the whole point of having them present, to introduce a random unexpected element into the equation.
He shook himself to break the train of thought, knowing it only lead to doubt and indecision. There was still the question of where would they take Wade to have the cybernetics removed. Obviously, they would have Ann Possible to perform any surgery that was needed but they would still need a cybernetics expert to deal with the implants. There was no shortage of choices both in Middleton itself as well as among Kim's acquaintances from her missions. Most of those could be removed from consideration due to the need for secrecy while the others would be needed to be watched.
Once again, a hunch had him typing briefly on his computer. He leaned back with a smug expression on his face, Slim Possible, Nancy's oldest son, was an expert in cybernetics and had a secluded, secure ranch were Wade could be worked on without drawing unwanted attention. If both Kim and Nancy Possible's groups were there, that represented a chance to remove them once and for all. The problem would be insuring that all of the targets were accounted for. Any survivors would cause untold damage as they sought revenge. There was also the difficulty of finding people capable of taking out the Possible's that could not be traced back to him or his agents.
He knew it would require a large, highly trained group to even have a chance of success and such a group would be hard to find, let alone find and use traceless. He decided to leave them be for now, judging the risk to be too great for the possible benefits. Any information they got from Wade or had obtained from the Dulce base would only lead them to chase distractions.
There was still the matter of Mask to consider. Given their resources, if the two groups joined forces, they would be able to investigate both Mask and anything they learned from Wade. He had set Mask as a stalking horse for Nancy Possible and Brainchild, hoping to lure them into working against him and the agents he controlled while another layer of his plan proceeded undetected. There was risk in this, as Mask knew a great deal about him and how he worked but he counted on the effort needed to handle Mask and the information he represented to blind them to the real plan happening unnoticed around them.
While Mask had been his main agent for recruiting and control, he was not his only one. Others had worked in secret to create a second network of agents, one unknown to the first. Not only did this provide a backup in case the first network was compromised, it was also an integral feature of his plan to secure his victory.
He gave an ironic smile at the thought that his current plan hinged on changes that were the direct result on the Possible's interference. In the original plan, the two networks served different purposes and were to perform very different functions. The main network, the one controlled by Mask, was to seize power and remove any opposition to his rule. This was a necessary step but one that would rouse a great deal of anger from the population.
He has taken Machiavelli's advice on this as on so many points. His second network would step in when the first's work was done. Unconnected with and unknown to the first network, they would lead the fight against the 'oppressors' and liberate the world from their tyranny. Hailed as heroes, they would institute a new, more benevolent rule that the purges of the first network made possible. Of course, unknown to all but a select few, he would have been behind the scenes, stage-managing the whole affair.
The Possible's interference had changed all that. They would work to undermine his first network, limiting its effectiveness, and lead the fight against their pogroms, taking the second networks leadership position in the opposition. The resulting uncertainty rendered his plan untenable, so changes had been made.
In the new plan, the first network would still work for power but in a cruder, more violent manner than before. The second network would work to oppose them and thus be in position to take control when the time came. Both networks would move to neutralize certain threats, such as the Possibles. While not as certain or elegant as the first plan, the second had the great advantage of limiting the amount of interference the Possibles, and those like them, could cause.
He once again meditated on his web of influence, his globe spanning reach and visualized the forces on power and history as them moved through the people to create destiny. In his mind's eye, the course of current and future events was played out, the variations and possibilities made real. He contemplates the fate of the world from his heavenly perch and reached a decision on the course to take with the Possibles.
He sent an e-mail to Mask, instructing him on his latest assignment, one that, unknown to him, was designed to take him into contact and conflict with the Possibles. He then picked up his phone and dialed one of his hidden agents. When the call was answered, he spoke without introduction or preamble.
"Activate Dioskouri and have them in Long Beach by Thursday."
~O~O~O~
The next morning everyone once again gathered in the main room of Slim's ranch to review their plans. Slim had spent most of the last day and night in evaluating Wade's new found abilities, testing their extent and limitations. The rest had spent the time looking over various permutations of actions to take. The Du brothers had reviewed Ann's data on possible leads to the shape shifter and, using Slim's system, had narrowed their choices to two: a member of a Triad in Singapore and an oil equipment sales man in Long Beach.
Wade had looked stronger that day but still needed help walking. Kim had watched as he came in, leaning on Joss again, and noticed that his arm draped across her broad shoulders and her arm wrapped around his waist seemed to be there for reasons other than support. She suppressed a small smile, glad that her friend and her cousin seem to be making new friends, if not more.
Once everyone was present, Nancy took charge and asked Ann and Slim to give an update on Wade's health and abilities. Slim pressed a button to lower the high definition large screen TV from the ceiling and called up some charts before nodding to Ann.
"Wade is in almost perfect health except for some muscle deterioration and some coordination problems, both due to his use in the project. The muscles should return to normal in two or three weeks with regular exercise. The coordination problem is already improving," she pointed to several of the charts on the screen, "and should be back to normal in another day or two. The cybernetic systems that are still implanted do not seem to be doing any harm but need to be monitored just in case."
Slim nodded and Ann sat down. "Me and Joss have done some tests on Wade's new abilities and reached some preliminary conclusions. It seems that he can access and control any type of computer system that is in close proximity to him. He can't access system's remotely but he can use a local system he can access to hack a remote one. I'll let him tell you more about what he can do."
Wade slowly stood to address the room, giving Joss a smile, which she returned, in thanks for her help. Slim offered him the remote but he waved it away. With a smile on his face, he looked at his friends as various graphs and charts came up on the screen.
"As you can see I can access systems within about five feet for unshielded systems and one foot for shielded ones. I am limited by what the hardware can do but can effectively circumvent any type of software protections. For remote systems, I am still limited to normal hacking but at increased speed. We are still learning what I can do."
Dr. Director looked interestedly at him. "You can override any software?"
Wade gave her a smug smile. "Yes. Remember I can control the hardware directly. I can read data out of memory or off a disk; I can control exactly what the machine does and control any subsystem independently. Even encryption is easily circumvented, since I can read the software and data, including keys, directly. The only encryption that would work is where the data is stored on a separate system from the encryption software."
"That could be a great help to us."
"It sure could. I think it would be best if I stayed here for a while so Slim can monitor my progress and help if anything goes wrong with the cybernetics." Ann and Kim noticed that Wade's eyes went to Joss and not Slim when he mentioned staying.
"This probably a good idea, gallivanting around would not be good for your recovery." Ann agreed.
"Besides, you were always the tech support for Team Possible not a field agent." Kim chimed in.
Nancy spoke up from where she had been quietly consulting with the Du brothers. "I think the best plan is for us to move to Kim's base and monitor our two suspects. Once we determine which one is real, we can move against the other one." Seeing the nods from everyone, she continued. "How is the link between here and Kim's base?"
"Me and Wade have the systems linked and have upgraded the security to where he reckons not even SNITCHeS can break it."
Wade took over for Slim. "We are using a new lattice based system that is immune to even quantum-computing efforts to crack. We should be safe from eavesdropping for a while."
Nancy stood up briskly. "Sounds like a plan. Let's get cracking."
Dr. Director interrupted before everyone could get moving. "I think we need to figure out what we will do once we find the man behind all of this."
Kim looked at her with a hard expression on her face. "When we find him we take him out. Him and all of his agents. A clean sweep."
"I don't think we can remove all of his agents. He has people in most of the governments of the world as well as other powerful organizations. Removing all of them could destabilize several governments, we may have to leave some of them in power." Nancy objected.
"You can't fix every problem, pumpkin." Shego added.
Kim had jumped to her feet and glared at the room. "I am not stupid, you know. I am well aware that we can't save everyone and that we can't fix all of the world's problems. The problem with all of you is you don't even try. You cut deals and let things slide, all in the name of expediency."
The rest looked at her with startled or shameful looks on their faces as she continued. "Sometimes you have to make tough decisions, when you can only save one person or when you can only catch one crook. But, those should be rare times of agonizing decision not business as usual. If being a hero means anything, if being good guy is about more than our ego, it has to be about doing the right thing.
"Just because we can't help everyone doesn't mean we shouldn't try. With every case, we should do everything in our power to help, not cut corners in the name of expediency or business as usual. Once you start to cut corners and play the political game, you are just another problem to be dealt with. These people have worked to not only take over the world but to subvert their own governments. They have betrayed their countries and their oaths.
"If we start cutting them deals and letting them go they will simply start conspiring with someone to take over the world. They will still be the same venal, corrupt scum that they always were and we would have help keep them in power. There may be a few we can't remove from power and send to jail but if we start making list of who to keep and who to remove, how does that make us any different than the villain we are replacing?
"What's saying, 'Meet the new boss, same as the old boss'?"
Kim looked them over disdain written on her face. "The whole reason for the sitch Shego and I are in, is politics and expediency. If just one person had worked for justice, pure and simple, we would not have had the problem we did. But Betty had to follow orders, even though she knew there was more to the sitch than she was told. Luckily for the other side, Betty was a good little German and did what she was told.
"And you Nana, you chose to believe your friends at the Agency, people you knew lied for a living, rather than your granddaughter. God forbid, you trust someone outside your special little circle." Kim glared at Nancy, who squirmed in her seat.
"All those people I did things for turned their back as soon as the governments said so. People who were calling me to save their lives or countries one day were turning their backs on me the next. Everyone was more concerned with covering their own ass, 'working' with other agencies and business as usual than with doing what was right. Not one of them would take a risk to help me. If that is what we are going to do then, no thanks, I am out."
The room stared at her in stunned silence before Shego spoke. "Damn, princess. That was some rant."
Kim whirled and glared as Shego, who shrank back from her. "It is not a rant, Shego, it is what I am. I had a lot of time to think while I was working at Smarty Mart," she glanced at Betty, who looked away, "and I decided that from then on I was not compromising anymore, no matter what. I was going to fight for justice with everything I had, without worrying about politics. There would be no more looking the other way or going along to get along, from now on it was going to be justice first, last and always. Everyone can either get on board or get the hell out of the way."
The room sat in stunned silence for a moment before a voice broke them out of their reverie. "Kim is right. We cannot afford to do anything less or we are as bad as they are."
The looked on shock at Will Du, who moved stiffly thanks to his bruised ribs, to stand next to Kim. "I am partially responsible for what happened to Kim. I let my jealousy cloud my judgment. Even if I had not been prejudiced, I still would have followed orders and not questioned anything." He turned to face Kim. "I know I can never undo what I did to you but I swear I will do whatever it takes to fix what I can. I promise to help eliminate this threat without thought of politics or favor."
Kim searched his face for a moment and nodded. She looked questioningly at the others for a moment before Shego rose to stand with her. "I will always be there for you, princess, no matter what."
Ron joined them, with Yori and Hirotaka in tow. "I'll always have your back, KP."
Ann and Slim moved to stand with Kim, Slim muttering under his breath. "As though you had to ask."
Ann placed a hand on Kim's arm. "I am sorry if I ever gave you the impression I didn't believe you. I will be there for you, I promise."
Everyone looked at Nancy and Betty, with Ken standing behind Betty. No one spoke or moved for several minutes until Nancy stood. "I will join you if you will have me. In the last several minutes, I have gone over my life and discovered some unpleasant truths. I thought I fought the good fight for truth and justice but instead I played all of the political games and cut all of the conventional corners. I believed my friends over my granddaughter and was more outraged that they lied to me than anything."
Kim checked with her group with a look before holding out her hand to Nancy, who stepped over and took it with a relieved smile.
They all turned to look at Dr. Director and Ken. "I will go where Dr. Director goes." Ken said briefly.
Dr. Director stood ramrod straight. "Like Nancy, I have come to realize that most of my life has been a lie. I wanted to work for justice but instead I worked to enforce the law even when it was unjust and follow orders no matter how unjust. Before Dementor struck, I was trying to remake Global Justice into an actual force for justice in the world, not just the strong arm of the law. I want to continue that under you Kim. If you will have me."
Kim gave her a nod of acceptance. "Thank you all for your vote of confidence, it means a lot. I don't expect perfection, I know we will all make mistakes but as long as we follow Will's example, admit the mistakes and work to correct them then we will be all right."
Shego gave her a smirk. "OK, Kimmie, now that we have this crusade organized can we start with executing the plan."
~o~o~
As everyone packed to leave, Joss got Kim alone. "Cousin, I want to go with you and help. I have been training and I know I can be an asset. I have got four black belts and have worked out for years. I can bench press 250 lbs. Let me help."
Kim gave her a rueful smile. "Joss, I know you can be a help but I need you to stay here for several reasons. Your father and Wade will need your help with the computer systems and I want someone here who can provide physical protection if the need arises."
Joss noticed her omission. "You said several reasons, what are they?"
Kim looked at her with regret. "Joss, if this was a normal mission you would be more than ready to help but this is no normal mission. The people we are going after will not hesitate to kill if they have to." Seeing the defiance in Joss's eyes, she elaborated. "The sent two groups of special forces in Apache attack helicopters to kill me and Shego. When Mom and Nana where on their trail they didn't hesitate to kill their own agents. All of us are highly trained, with years of experience, but even we are worried about this. Please believe me; I am only worried about safety."
Joss searched Kim's face for a moment before her shoulders slumped in defeat. "I guess you are right. I just wanted to help is all."
Kim gave her a hug. "Joss, if this was any other mission I would be glad to have you but for now, I need you here taking care of your dad and Wade."
Joss gave her a weak smile. "If that is what you want I reckon I can do it."
Kim gave Joss a playful shove on the shoulder. "I know taking care of Wade will be a burden for you but you will just have to bear it."
Joss didn't say anything, only blushing as she helped Kim carry her stuff to where Hirotaka had moved the plane.
~o~o~
Ann maneuvered Shego into helping her get something out of the barn, getting them alone without anyone, even Shego noticing. Shego had the items Ann had wanted and turned to see Ann looking at her with a serious expression on her face. "Oh crap, this was a setup. All right. What do you want to talk about?"
Ann waited until Shego had put the items down and stood glaring at her, one hip cocked to the side. "I wanted to talk to you about Kim. It is obvious you two love each other."
"Whoa, you heard Kim; we are just working together, nothing more." Shego raised her hands in protest.
Ann gave her a hard look. "You can lie to each other about your feelings, you can even lie to yourself about them but they are still there. You love Kim and she loves you. Don't lose that or throw it away."
Shego gave her a somber look. "OK, I love Kim but she doesn't love me. You heard her; she is only working with me, nothing more."
"Don't be stupid, Kim loves you but, like you, she won't admit it. Give her time to realize how she feels."
Shego nodded sheepishly. "If you say so."
"I do." Ann looked at her for a moment. "Just remember to never hurt her. If you do, I will make your life a living hell."
Shego looked her directly in the eye. "Don't worry, I never will."
~o~o~
Nancy and Dr. Director conferred with Slim and Wade about the computer system link up and coordinating their online efforts. Once they finished Slim left to prepare lunch, while Dr. Director went to check on the Du brothers. Wade looked and Nancy Possible for a moment before Nancy spoke.
"I am sorry for what happened to you, Wade. If I had known what was going on at Dulce, I would have tried to stop it."
Wade smiled slightly at her. "It is OK. I know now you did not do that deliberately. Luckily Kim and Ron managed to save me and bring me here where I can get the best care."
Nancy gave him a mock glare. "Just remember one of those giving you care is my granddaughter."
Wade gave her a grin. "Don't worry, I would have to survive what Joss did to me before you or Slim got a shot at me."
Nancy returned his grin. "True, very true. She is definitely a Possible."
~O~O~O~
A/N – In the next chapter, We're Hunting Wabbits, the search for Mask starts.