Chapter 8 : Side Effects
Scene : evening at the Middleton Mall parking lot, where Bonnie is wending her way around detours, trying to find a parking spot.
"What kind of froog parks construction equipment at a mall ?" she groused to herself as she began yet another lap around the parking lot, "Now I'll have to park on the other side and WALK all the way through !"
It took almost twenty minutes for her to sneak past all the specialty and (shudder !) discount outlet stores to reach the apex of civilization : Club Banana. Tara was already there, looking over the just-in slacks, while Monique was setting up a display.
"Bonnie ! Where have you been ? Did you hear what happened ? Do you need to sit down or something ?" the blonde cheerleader began the instant she noticed Bonnie.
"What ARE you talking about Tara ?" Bonnie replied, not quite sure how respond to so many questions at once, "I just got here !"
"Oh, right !" Tara replied, "A bunch of robots blasted their way into the mall down by the multiplex ! A whole wall is gone ! Didn't you notice all the bulldozers and security guards and construction stuff on the way here ?"
"Uh, yeah ! Hard to miss !" Bonnie replied with a glare, "It's all inconvenient and that, but WHY would I need to sit down ?"
"They kidnapped Vina !" Tara squeaked.
"They what ?!" Bonnie stammered after grabbing Tara by her shoulders, "Wait ! Robots took her ? Oh, PLEASE tell me there weren't three of them, and they didn't look like women with long blonde hair !"
"I didn't see them personally !" Tara replied, "But that's what everyone's been saying ! That there were three of them. And they had blonde hair."
Tara valiantly managed to struggle free of Bonnie's grip before she lost feeling in her arms; she'd rarely seen Bonnie so angry.
"KIM POSSIBLE !!" Bonnie yelled to the skies, "WHEREVER YOU ARE, I KNOW THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT !!"
"Whoa ! Just a minute there B !" Monique interceded, "Where do you get off blaming Kim for this ?"
"She's ALWAYS to blame for things like this that happen to me !" Bonnie shrieked in reply, "Or Ron ! I've been gooped by mutagenic slime TWICE because of those two ! Cloned by some weirdo doctor ! Tied to some electrostatic thingy by a dwarf with a bad accent ! And those robot women ? They kidnapped ME last year because Kim said I was the bossiest person on the planet !"
Monique was about to agree with that assessment, but Tara shook her head to dissuade her.
"And now those SAME robots grabbed Vina ? Why ?" Bonnie raged before getting quiet, and looking scared. "Kim put them up to it !"
Monique and Tara glanced at each other and replied "Say what ?"
"It's all so clear now !" Bonnie began, looking around nervously, "Awful things happen to anyone that stands up to THE Kim Possible ! Prince Wally won the student body presidency over her - and was never heard from again ! Team Impossible's ads were once all over the 'net - now it's like they've fallen off the face of the Earth ! I was always in her way, and the robots grabbed me ! Vina stood up to Kim in the cafeteria, and three robot women kidnapped her ! Coincidence ? I THINK NOT !"
"If you think Kim sent them, you're certainly NOT thinking Bonnie !" Monique replied, not sure how to best deal with someone bugging as seriously as Bonnie was at the moment.
"Whatev !" Bonnie replied while making sure her back was to a wall, "Now Vina's out there somewhere ! Probably hooked to some weird machine for some freaky reason ! And I suppose Kim will want me to beg for her help !"
"Uhm, I think Vina's sisters already took care of that ..." Tara stated, "They were here at the time too. I think they already talked to Kim and Ron about getting Vina back."
"Well, she's STILL getting a piece of my mind !" Bonnie replied as she whipped out her cellphone and started stabbing out a number.
"Pardon me miss." a male voice stated, "Are you Bonnie Rockwaller ?"
Bonnie turned to look. There were two people in some sort of blue uniforms standing there. "Who wants to know ?"
"Agents Threader and Seaborne, from Global Justice." the male agent stated as he showed his ID, "We need to ask you a few questions about the incident with the robots."
"Me ? Why ?" Bonnie replied, "I wasn't even here !"
"That's not the incident we were referring to." the female agent stated, "The 'Bebebots' also captured you over a year ago, correct ?"
"How did you know about that ?" Bonnie replied in a suspicious tone, looking around, a bit paranoid.
"We're with Global Justice. It's our job to know things." Threader the male agent stated flatly, "We need you to come with us to answer a few questions."
"Shouldn't you two be out trying to rescue Vina instead of wasting time harassing me ?" Bonnie stated, "SHE'S the one in actual danger, and she might know something !"
Agent Threader eyed Bonnie suspiciously as Agent Seaborne pulled a notepad and pen from her vest. "Vina ? Are you referring to Lavinia Rossum ?"
"Well, doi !" Bonnie replied with one of her looks, "How many other girls named 'Vina' have been kidnapped by robots lately ?"
"None. But that is beside the point Miss Rockwaller." Agent Threader stated as he put on his dark glasses and motioned Bonnie out of the store, "You need to come with us to answer a few questions."
"I.N.B.D. Bonnie !" Monique stated as the agents led Bonnie away, "Kim works with GJ all the time."
"And that's supposed to make me feel better ?" Bonnie stated nervously, "These guys are beyond federal law ! What if they decide to, like, keep me in unofficial custody for years or something ?"
"Then I'll have Kim put in a good word for you !" Monique answered as Bonnie and the agents disappeared around the corner.
Bonnie thought they were escorting her outside to a car or a jet or something; instead, the agents took her to the narrow corridor where the mall offices were. They stopped in front of one of the non-descript doors.
"Wait a minute ! What are we doing at the Lost and Found ?" Bonnie managed to ask (while looking for an escape route) before the floor opened up, and she dropped into a GJ drop tube !
She screamed in mortal terror as she dropped at stomach-churning speed, knowing that, somehow, this was all Kim's fault.
After what seemed like an hour on an out of control roller coaster, the cylinder she was in finally hit bottom. She staggered out on rubbery legs, looking a little green, swallowing hard to return her stomach to where it belonged.
Agents Threader and Seaborne calmly walked up from their tubes just down the corridor, but before they could speak Bonnie raised her hand to silence them.
"Was. All that. Really necessary ?" she managed to croak out.
"The location of this base is top secret, Miss Rockwaller." agent Seaborne stated, "All the twists and turnsyoutook were to ensure you couldn't figure out exactly where you are."
"Fine." Bonnie replied snarkily, "Let's get this 'interview' thing over with then !"
Scene : a small room with a large table and two chairs. Bonnie and Agent Seaborne are seated, while Agent Threader stands near the door.
"You were abducted by the Bebebots over a year ago, correct ?" Agent Threader asked as Agent Seaborne took notes and checked the recorders.
"Uh, YEAH !" Bonnie replied while rolling her eyes, "I thought you said you knew that already !"
"Just verifying our data Miss Rockwaller." he replied. "What do you remember about the incident ?"
"What's to remember ?" Bonnie replied with a shrug, "One minute I was outside school, the next I was, well, someplace else.
Locked in chamber, strapped to a chair, with some weird device stuck on my head !"
"To make you the core of their hive mind." Seaborne stated, "What do you recall from the time you were connected ?"
"Actually, nothing." she replied, "They said the machine tapped directly into my subconscious mind. But I don't remember any weird thoughts."
Agent Threader's jaw tightened slightly. "Why, exactly, did the Bebebots make you their queen ?"
"Because Kim Possible called me the bossiest person on the planet !" Bonnie ranted in reply, "I guess they were looking for a competent leader, and they took Kim's word for who that might be. They said 'Bonnie rules'. Which I had to agree with by the way !"
"Did you actually hear Miss Possible say that you were the bossiest person on the planet ? Were you there when she stated that ?" Agent Seaborne asked.
Bonnie was about to reply sarcastically, but paused to think. "Well, no."
"Then HOW do you know that Miss Possible said anything at all about you ?" Threader asked as he leaned closer to Bonnie.
"Why DO I remember that ? " Bonnie thought to herself, "I remember seeing Kim say that to Ron. But where were they ? Where was I standing to see and hear them ? On a catwalk high above them ? But when was I ever on a catwalk ? Where was I ?
Oh god ! That's NOT ONE OF MY MEMORIES ! It's - ONE OF THEIRS ! "
"Are you feeling alright Miss Rockwaller ?" Agent Seaborne asked once she noticed the expression of terror growing on Bonnie's face.
"If I say I still have some Bebebot memories, they could hold me for questioning FOREVER ! I'd never get out of here ! " Bonnie fretted as she swallowed hard a few times to regain some composure.
"No, I'm NOT feeling alright !" Bonnie snapped haughtily as she began to shade the truth a bit, "There's a sale at Club Banana ! And I'm missing it because of you two ! So okay, I don't know if Kim actually said I was the bossiest person on the planet or not, but it is something she might say ! Why else would those robots go after me ? How could they have even known - or CARED - who I was unless Kim said something about me specifically ? I was just caught in one of her messes ! AGAIN !"
"There is no need to get testy, Miss Rockwaller" Seaborne stated with a heavy sigh, "Those robots are on a planet-wide rampage, and you are one of only two people in the world that may have any idea about how they think."
"But I already told you I don't remember anything !" Bonnie groused, "I don't even remember them doing anything at the hive they took me to ! I was strapped in that chair for, like, FOREVER. I didn't see anyone - robots or otherwise - the whole time. I think they were invisible or moving too fast to see or something. Then Stoppable came in, there were a few explosions, then Kim released me. That's all I know !"
Agent Seaborne checked her notes. "That would make sense. At the speeds they were functioning at, they could've accessed your mind and got the responses they needed before you could physically notice. They would get the answers they needed, and you would not recall anything.
As they were tapping directly into your subconscious, there may be no reliable way for your conscious mind to recall it. Or to recall it without surreal distortion."
"That's what I've been telling you !" Bonnie stated in a tone of suppressed rage, "Can I go home now ?"
"Not quite yet Miss Rockwaller" Threader stated as he pulled out a folder and handed Bonnie a few pictures, "How well do you know the people in these photos ?"
Bonnie looked at them. The first picture was of someone that looked like an older version of Vina, except with long brown hair and glasses. The second was of someone that looked like a slightly older version of Vina, except with braided red har. The last picture was of Vina.
"This one is Vina Rossum. You know - the girl that was kidnapped ?" Bonnie stated as she held up the last photo, "And the red-head is her older sister, Tina. I'm guessing this one is her other sister. Never met her."
"How well do you know them ?"
"V's in a few classes with me. One of the few people I know that doesn't fawn all over Kim Perfect." Bonnie replied coldly, "I met Tina once at the mall. Don't know much about her. She's into martial arts or something. Never met the other sister."
"You say these other two women are Vina's sisters. Why would you say that ?" Threader asked.
"Because Vina SAID she had two olders sisters, and said the red-head WAS her older sister !" Bonnie snarked back as she picked up the photos, "Notice the strong family resemblance ?"
Agent Seaborne pulled out a closeup of an old series Bebebot and showed it to Bonnie. "Notice the strong family resemblance ?"
Bonnie tore the photo from Seaborne's grasp and stared at it.
"What ? This is supposed to mean something to me ?" Bonnie harumphed as she tossed the pictures back at Agent Seaborne, "That robot looks just as much like Tara or Camille Leon - or any of a hundred other blonde women - as it does Vina or her sisters !"
"So you're claiming it's just a coincidence that the Rossums look EXACTLY like the Bebebots then ?" Agent Threader stated in a very cold tone.
"Uh, YEAH !" Bonnie snarked in reply, "Those 'bots had to look like SOMEBODY, didn't they ? Their features are so averaged that they sort of look 'exactly like' anybody you could name. Why are you getting all in my face about this ?"
"Fact : the Bebebots made you their queen to rule over them." Agent Threader began, pointing at Bonnie with each statement, "Fact : the Bebebots would NEVER consent to being ruled by a human.
Conclusion : You are probably not human."
"WHAT ?!?!?"Bonnie squeaked.
"We took the Rossums into protective custody a few hours ago, 'Miss' Rockwaller." Agent Seaborne began, "NONE of them are human."
"Y-you're lying !" Bonnie shrieked, "You're just doing this to torment me ! Kim put you up to this, didn't she ?"
"No, she did not." Seaborne replied, "Miss Possible asked us to take them into protective custody after she rescued Vina from the other Bebebots."
"Vina's safe then ?" a greatly relieved Bonnie managed to ask, "And just what, exactly, makes you 'think' that she isn't human ?"
"She's a Bebebot, Miss Rockwaller. Looks just like the older model now." Threader began, "She and her 'sisters' were specifically designed and built to study humans up close and personal.
And if three can be perfectly disguised," he continued, leaning in point blank to look menacing, "why not four ?"
It is a little appreciated fact that Bonnie is just as good at acrobatics as Kim; thus she was able to slam Agent Threader's forehead into the table and flip over him before diving out the door, well ahead of Agent Seaborne.
"I've SO got to get out of here !!" she fretted as she ran down the twisty corridors as the alarms began to sound, "THESE PEOPLE ARE NUTS"
She needed a place to hide out until she could devise an actual escape plan - but all of the doors were those futuristic sliding models with electronic key access ! Not a doorknob in sight !
"Well, this always works in the movies !" she muttered to herself as she pulled out one of her numerous credit cards and started swiping it through the reader, rapidly hammering buttons at random. "C'mon ! Open ! Open ! Open !!"
The LED changed from red to green, a friendly 'beep' sounded, and the door whooshed open for her.
"Bonnie ?!?! What are you doing here ?!" a startled female voice asked the moment the door closed behind her.
Bonnie turned to look for the familiar voice. A Bebebot was standing right in front of her !
Bonnie shrieked as she closed her eyes and hid her face behind her crossed arms in an attempt to protect herself.
"No one is going to hurt you B !" Bonnie heard Vina's voice state, "Well, at least no one currently in this room anyways."
Bonnie slowly lowered her arms to peek around them. That's when she noticed there was something different about the 'bot in front of her - it was shorter than usual, had a ponytail instead of straight hair and was wearing a pink with black trim two piece instead of black with pink trim.
"Vina ?" she asked tremulously, "What did they do to you ?"
"Who ?"
"Who ? The Bebebots that captured you of course ! All they did to me was strap me to a chair and put a dish on my head ! But - this !!" Bonnie stated, shuddering once she realized they COULD have done the same thing to her, if they had desired to.
"Wait - you think the Bebes did this to me ?" Vina replied, cocking her head slightly to the side to look confused.
"Yes ! It explains how those freaks out there could think you're not human ! You were modified by the robots before you got here !" Bonnie stated as she calmed down, "How much of you did those horrible things replace ?"
"So, how are you planning to resolve this situation V ?" Nina requested through her mindlink with Vina as she resumed looking for something to use as tools in the staff room they were presently in. They weren't under arrest (thus no guards at the door or in the room), but not completely trusted either (so no tools, computers or phones in there with them). And she really wanted to repair the damage to her telescoping wrist assemblies.
"Tell her the truth." Vina 'replied', "Of what further use is deception now ? It was only needed for the mission. Now that our mission is over, there is no real point in continuing our masquerade. Especially now that Kim Possible and GJ know the truth about us."
"Youdo realize she may react, poorly, to your revelation, right ?" Tina chimed in on the mindlink.
"OF COURSE I KNOW THAT " Vina transmitted back at full volume, "It's just a question of whether it would hurt her more to tell her now, or have her find out on her own later."
"Uh, V ? You feeling okay ?" Bonnie asked, noting that Vina was acting a bit spaced out.
"You could just let her keep believing that you were always human." Nina stated as she sat heavily upon a chair in defeat, "It would not require much deception on your part."
"I know. I just don't know if that's a good idea. What do you think Tina ?"
"A knower of truth speaks without causing harm.
The sage is always on the side of virtue, so everyone around her prospers.
The sage is always on the side of truth, so everything around her is fulfilled."
"Uhmmm, so, are you saying that telling Bonnie the truth is a good idea or a bad idea ?"
"Yes."
Bonnie saw Vina make a strangling gesture and grumble at her sister Tina, but had no idea why she'd do such a thing with no visible provocation.
"Tina, please ! I really need some good advice right now !" Vina pleaded with her.
"Would you ask a blind man which dress looks best on you ?" Tina replied, "You're the social interaction specialist, not me. You have a far better feel of what the best course of action should be than I ever could.
So I must leave this decision in your more capable hands. I will support whatever choice you make."
Vina looked to Nina, who nodded silently in agreement.
Vina sighed heavily to gather her nerve. "You may want to sit down for this B ..."
"Sir ! Miss Rockwaller has escaped from custody !" an agent reported to Doctor Director the moment he dashed into the control center.
"Apparently she didn't get far." Doctor Director replied, not taking her eye from the screen before her. It was the feed from the hidden camera in the room the Rossum sisters were staying in between debriefing sessions.
"How did she get in there, sir ?" the agent asked, "All the doors in that section have PIN codes and electronic key locks !"
"An excellent question." she replied.
The agent motioned for a few other armed guards to follow him to recapture Bonnie. "Wait. Not just yet." Doctor Director stated as she watched Bonnie sit down and Vina fidget a little, "I want to hear what the robots have to say to her."
"Uhm, Bonnie ? The Bebebots that kidnapped me didn't turn me into anything. I'm a seventh generation Bebebot. I've - always been this way." Vina stated with a shrug, doing a finger wave to show off the articulated plasto-ceramic she was made from.
"SO YOU WERE USING ME THIS WHOLE TIME ?!?!" Bonnie shrieked in reply, "You were just PRETENDING to be my friend ? Why would you do that ? To me ?! What have I done to deserve ANY of this ?!"
"Uhm, nothing, actually." Vina replied plainly, hoping a low-key response would calm her down, "The mission had NOTHING to do with you specifically ! We were to examine normal human behaviour. My part was to study social interactions up close. But hanging with you was a bonus ! You are one of the few people in the world to have ever bested Kim Possible at ANYTHING !"
"Wha ... you mean by becoming captain of the cheer squad ? But I resigned after two weeks !"
"True." Vina replied, "But you DID have to outdo Kim to get it. That's something few - if ANY - other people in the world can claim to have done !"
The compliments calmed Bonnie down considerably; calm enough to watch Vina's body language and gestures. They looked very familiar.
"Wait a minute !" Bonnie stated in a suspicious tone, "Are you trying to play me WITH MY OWN SKILLS ?"
"Certainly not !" Vina replied in a hurt tone, "One : there is no real point in playing anyone anymore. Two : you are the last person in the world I could - or WOULD - ever try to play. You'd recognize your own traits immediately. The mission required that we interact closely with humans, so we had to act like humans. You were part of the Hive Mind once, so the Others used your personality as a template to model ours on."
Meanwhile, back in the control center, Doctor Director was watching the conversation with interest. There were times to go in blasting, and times to just sit back and listen. And by holding back, she had chosen wisely once again !
Bonnie glared at Vina for a bit, mulling over everything she'd been told. "So how much of my mind do those two have ?" she asked, gesturing towards Nina and Tina.
"Almost none of it, actually." Nina replied, "A few of your basic personality traits were copied, modified and scattered between us, but not much else."
"So you don't have my memories then ?" Bonnie answered hesistantly.
"No. The Others needed your directive skills and capabilities; your 'bossiness' as it were, not your memories." Nina replied, "Those abilities were best accessed from your subconscious. We do have a few vague impressions though. The human subconscious appears to deal mostly in emotional memory, highly abstracted and surreal. The Others lacked the background needed to interpret most of the data, so they didn't incorporate it into our operating systems."
"But some of it, well, didn't need much interpretation ..." Vina continued with a shading of sorrow in her voice.
"So you know about ... THEM ?" Bonnie cringed as she recalled her sisters, Connie and Lonnie.
"Of course !" Vina answered, "When the Others noticed that triplets are rare amongst humans - and would draw unwanted attention - they decided to make us sisters of different ages instead. So they made Nina the oldest, then Tina, then myself. They accessed your feelings to determine how we should treat each other."
"And quickly determined that the best way was the exact OPPOSITE of the way your sisters treated you." Tina interjected.
" ... Can I move in with you guys ?" Bonnie asked the moment she realized what that meant.
"Ahm, well, we don't have a problem with it if you don't." Vina answered, sounding quite surprised as she looked to Nina and Tina for confirmation, "But I must say that you are taking all of this weirdness and bizarrosity quite well !"
Bonnie sighed. "With Kim and Ron around, these sorts of things keep happening. To me. Between snarling clones of myself and rampaging little toy robots that grew into rampaging GIGANTIC robots, this is probably one of the LEAST weird things that's happened !"
Tina smirked in sheer glee at such wondrous absurdity, while Nina arched an eyebrow and asked "Snarling Bonnie clones ?"
"Yeah. One of Kim's weirdo mad scientist enemies made some copies of me by accident or something. Less said about it, the better."
"Fair enough." Vina replied, "But I think we should leave any long term plans for later. The Others are plotting something truly horrible !"
"Like what ?"
"We don't know." Nina stated, "That data was not pertinent to our mission, and could only compromise it if ever revealed, so we were not provided with any of it."
"Ah, the old 'need to know basis !' routine from the spy movies."
"Exactly !" Vina answered.
"So who were the freaks out there that you were running from ?" Tina asked from out of the blue.
"Huh ? Oh, right ! A pair of GJ agents were asking me questions about my being made the Bebebot queen last year. THEY THINK I'M NOT HUMAN !"
"What ?! Why would they think that ?" Vina gasped in surprise.
"Well, mister Tough Dude said that the Bebes would never let themselves be ruled by a human. Since they made me their ruler, he thinks that means I'm not human or something !"
"His argument is structured correctly," Nina stated as she adjusted her glasses, "and his conclusion WOULD be valid - IF both of his starting premises were correct."
Vina and Bonnie looked at her blankly.
"The idea that the queen of an insect colony actually gives commands is erroneous." Nina began, "A bee hive is an example of what is now known as a swarm intelligence. An individual bee has almost no intelligence, but by communicating with other bees and following simple rules, the swarm can act in ways that look like they are being guided by a great, ruling intelligence.
But the only thing a queen bee actually does is produce offspring for the hive. That does not apply in your case."
Bonnie looked about as she tried to decipher what Nina said. "Wait - if all of that's true, what did they actually need me for ?"
"You were used like an add-on program of a net browser." Nina replied (as Vina cringed from sheer embarrassment at Nina's non-existent social grace), "They needed skills that you had, so you were 'plugged in' to the hive mind. THEY made all the actual decisions; they only needed you to organize them. They wanted to dominate your species; do you seriously believe they would've given you - a human - any kind of say in the matter, or any real power over them ?"
"So, why did they say 'Bonnie rules !' then ?"
"So you would be useful." Nina answered, "Since you believed you were in charge, you would act like it, thus giving them what they needed. You were just a figurehead - THEY decided what information you were given; THEY decided which of your commands - if any - to follow. They only needed your bossiness; gaining your personality was a side effect. One that ultimately led to their doom."
" ... Why does everybody feel the need to lie to and belittle me ?" Bonnie groused to herself.
"Ohhhkay, that's certainly food for thought there Nina !" Vina interrupted, "But if Bonnie just escaped from the GJ agents, how come none of them have come storming in here looking for her yet ?"
"Indeed." Nina replied flatly, "And just how DID you get in here anyway Bonnie ? All of these doors have electronic locks."
"Perhaps that is why." Tina stated, "Since there is no way she could have gotten in, they won't think to look for her in here, but instead keep searching the hallways."
"Maybe. I don't know. I guess I got lucky." Bonnie answered in an exasperated tone, "I just kept swiping a credit card through the slot and pushed buttons at random."
Nina looked at her oddly. "There is no way that could possibly have worked !" she thought to herself, "Credit cards and electronic keys use different magnetic signature protocols to ENSURE that one cannot substitute for the other. The probability of her actually finding a valid PIN number AND her credit card having something even close to the matching signature is therefore essentially nil.
After a few moments of thought, she had a few ideas about HOW Bonnie could've pulled that stunt off, but they were nearly as improbable as pure luck.
"As Detective Holmes noted," she thought to herself, "when one has ruled out the impossible, whatever remains - however improbable - must be the truth."
To begin ruling out competing hypotheses, Nina spoke in the electronic tones of her native Bebebot language, and asked Bonnie if she'd mentally commanded the lock to open while she was swiping her card and pushing buttons.
"I don't know. Maybe, I guess." Bonnie replied, "It's a common human habit. Like yelling at the TV to improve reception ... GAAAH !! WHY DID I UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU JUST SAID ?!?!"
"It is quite elementary, actually." Nina stated flatly, "You were not properly disconnected from the hive mind. The translation and interface software the Others installed is still functioning."
Tina managed to catch Bonnie and sit her in a chair before she fell.
Back in the control room :
"Well, this is unexpected." Doctor Director deadpanned to the nearest tech watching the scene, "But not too surprising. We figured there might be some side effects from being attached to a sentient computer network, but nothing like this !"
"Your orders, ma'am ?" one of the guards inquired.
"Stand by for now." she answered, "We don't know the extent of her abilities, or her level of control just yet. If she's panicked, she could set the base's automatic defense systems against us."
The guards looked amongst themselves nervously. "Does she really have that kind of power, ma'am ?"
"I don't know." Doctor Director replied, "And I would rather NOT find out the hard way.
At the moment, the 'people' best suited to finding the answers we need are currently talking with her."
"What are you talking about Nina ?" Vina asked, glaring at her sister suspiciously.
"The Others were functioning at several millions of times standard human speeds." Nina stated, "There would be no point in connecting Bonnie to the hive mind if her brain couldn't keep pace, or if she couldn't understand what they were asking, or if they couldn't understand her responses. The most efficient way to accomplish all of those tasks was to install translation and interface programs in her mind.
But since she was not properly 'uninstalled', those programs and whatever other data was passing through the system at the time are obviously still in there, and fully functional."
"Oh GREAT !!" Bonnie whined, "I'm doomed ! I don't WANT to speak computerese ! I hated shop class ! There's no such thing as 'nerd chic' ! And if those agents out there discover I've been 'altered', I'LL NEVER SEE DAYLIGHT AGAIN !!
SO GET THOSE PROGRAMS OUT OF MY HEAD ! NOW !!" she yelled at Nina after grabbing her by her collar.
"I can't !" Nina yelped in reply, "Humans can't UNLEARN skills ! Those programs were most likely permanent additions; I surmise the best that could be done is to deactivate them. But that would require access to a cerebral interface device like the one used to install them. And even then I'm not sure they could be deactivated properly - only the Others might know the correct de-installation protocols. Any attempt to remove those programs without the proper de-installation protocols could render you unable to speak. Or think. Or bereft of sanity. Or worse ! Do you really wish to take such risks with your life ?"
Bonnie sputtered and fumed for a few moments before releasing Nina in defeat, then wandered away in a daze to complain about her now even crappier life to herself.
"And she was doing so well too ... ! " Vina thought to herself.
"Bonnie, just because you have a new and unusual ability doesn't mean you HAVE to use it !" Vina stated in a calm tone as she gave Bonnie a comforting hug, "After all, Harry Potter accidentally got parseltongue, but it never did much for him, either for good or ill."
"Wait ! That's it !" Bonnie replied suddenly perky, "Hey, you ..."
"My name is Nina, not 'you'." Nina replied haughtily.
"Whatever ! If those programs are like normal skills, they can get rusty from not being used, right ?" Bonnie asked with an expression of manic hopefulness.
"Well, since they were meant to be in constant use, then yes, I suppose they could degrade from under utilization." Nina replied after thinking for a moment, "But I doubt it. I'd surmise that those programs were implanted pretty deep, and may be as hard to forget as walking or breathing. After all, it HAS been a year since they were installed, and they still seem to be functioning perfectly."
Bonnie's face fell as she became limp with despair.
"Oh, thank you SO much for getting her hopes up and then so expertly smashing them Nina !" Vina hissed in an icy tone as her eyes blazed brighter red.
"You would have preferred giving her false hope ?" Nina replied, "Or was I to lie to her about the chances of those programs fading ? It was YOUR idea to tell her the truth !"
"Well, okay, yes, it was !" Vina sputtered back, "But would it kill you to try to be a little more sensitive once in awhile ?"
"I thought I WAS being sensitive !" Nina replied, and then with a heavy sigh continued "Bonnie, I apologize if my under developed social skills have distressed you, but sugar coating awful news does not make it any less awful. You asked an important question, and deserved to know the truth."
Bonnie merely sat there, whimpering quietly.
Vina patted her on the back and spoke quietly to her. "It'll be okay B. Well, eventually. Although Nina has all the social graces of a brain-eating zombie," (Tina snorts and tries not to laugh; Nina quirks an eyebrow disdainfully at Vina) "she meant well. I'm sure we can work something out !"
"Work something out - of this place !" Bonnie replied as she stood, "Those agents are going to look in here eventually ! I don't want to be a lab rat ! OR have my brain dissected ! Since I have this geeky power I can't get rid of, I might as well use it. We can just walk right out of this high-tech prison !"
"And go where ?" Tina asked sagely, "How do you win a race when there is no finish line ? What is the point of running when there is no place to go ?"
Bonnie looked at her oddly, then at Vina. "Yes, she says things like that all of the time." Vina answered her implied question, "But it pays to listen !"
"The organization is called GLOBAL Justice." Tina continued, "There is nowhere on this planet we could go that they could not find us eventually. We would spend the rest of our lives hiding and looking over our shoulders. OUR ancestors and other sisters and relations have done - and are doing - criminal things. You have done nothing to deserve such a fate, so you have no reason to run."
"NO REASON ?!" Bonnie fumed, "Hello ? They already think I'm not fully human ! If they find out I've been 'upgraded', they'll probably remove my brain and put it in a jar for further study or something !"
Tina mused for a second. "Would Kim Possible associate with people that do such things ? Or would she try to stop them ?"
Bonnie stammered silently for a few moments before grousing "You put too much trust in other people !"
"'He who does not trust enough, will not be trusted.'" Tina replied, "We trusted her to rescue Vina from the Others. She came through."
"Can we PLEASE stop talking about Kim Perfect ?" Bonnie fumed, "I have a real problem here ! I escaped from two agents ! Who already think I'm guilty of something ! They could detain me until I confess !"
"Does anyone else know you're here ?" Vina asked in a serious tone.
Bonnie had to think for a moment. "Oh, yes ! Tara and Monique ! They were at Club Banana when those GJ agents showed up !"
"If you were to go missing, they would relay that bit of info to anyone asking about your whereabouts." Vina noted, "How did GJ get you here ? Arrest you and drag you out of the store in handcuffs, or ask you to come in for questioning ?"
"They asked me to follow them." Bonnie answered.
"Then you will be expected back." Vina replied, "If you do not return within a reasonable amount of time, many people will begin asking many annoying questions. Kim Possible among them. GJ would have to come up with a very convincing story to keep you in custody."
"How about 'We have discovered that Miss Rockwaller has a metahuman ability that requires further study. In a very secure facility. Maybe for a very long time' ?" Bonnie snarked back.
"Uhm, yeah, that would do ..." Vina replied apologetically.
"So, does ANYONE have any useful ideas ?" Bonnie asked with a sweeping gesture.
"Be up front and honest with GJ." Tina stated plainly. "Tell them about your ability, and ask for their help."
"Have your circuits rotted from all that ancient 'wisdom' you've been spouting ?" Bonnie stormed, "That's the most absurd idea I've ever heard ! GJ are the folks I need to GET. AWAY. FROM !"
"Would an organization that deals in secrets allow anyone else to have any ?" Tina replied cryptically, unmoved by Bonnie's insult.
The only response Bonnie could muster was a stunned " ... Heh ?"
"You cannot fight them, nor run, nor hide." Tina continued, "Your only hope, as far as I can see, is to be up front and honest. If you can convince them that you are honest and not a threat, AND if GJ actually IS interested in justice, then you have a chance."
"You expect me to TRUST them ?!" Bonnie replied incredulously, "When they think I'm in league with the other Bebebots ?"
"A few of the agents believe that." Vina chimed in, "But if you can get Doctor Director on your side, what the rest of them think is irrelevant !"
Bonnie looked at her suspiciously, then Vina continued "We're all sort of in the same boat here B. It galls me to say this, but if Kim trusts these people, maybe they are worth trusting. Not like we have much choice in the matter."
"Fine !" Bonnie sneers in reply, "I'll talk with this Director person then."
