Chapter 13 : A counterfeit fake, and The Unity : Evil Done Right !

Scene : Kim and Ron's usual booth at Bueno Nacho. Kim is talking with Nina over the Kimmunicator.

"So, how many menial drones do you think the Bebebots can make from that machinery they stole ?" Kim asked, "I seriously doubt they would be sending animatronic Bebes out to do anything important !"

"Well, all the menial drones would have to do is mix chemicals and monitor reactions. Nothing that requires superhuman speed, strength, or intelligence." Nina replied, speaking loudly enough to be heard over the music in the background, "In fact, they wouldn't even need an onboard brain ! They could all be controlled by an enhanced laptop, more or less. From what I see here, the Others could produce about a dozen menial drones from the same resources a standard Bebebot would require."

"A dozen ?" Kim replied, sounding surprised, "That would free up a LOT of Bebes for other jobs !"

"I believe that is the whole point of having menial drones, Miss Possible."

"Well, if they need workers, why don't they just build another hyperspeed assembly line again ?" Ron asked, "They already know where all the needed parts are !"

"That would be most unwise of them, Ron." Nina replied, "An assembly line like that requires a lot of power, space, and ventilation to function at optimum efficiency. That is why they HAD to build such a blatantly visible hive on a deserted island ! They knew they would be discovered eventually, but figured that they could build billions of units before anyone could foil their plans. It's not like they were expecting anyone to develop hyperspeed to stop them.

If Kim hadn't been using those Valkryie 9000 shoes, she would have been facing approximately two hundred fifteen thousand, seven hundred and sixty nine Bebebots by the time she reached the Hive !"

"Two... HUNDRED... FIFTEEN ... THOUSAND ... ?!" Ron squeaked as he tried to imagine so many of anything.

"Yes. Building so visible a Hive was a calculated risk that did not pay off." Nina continued, "They could not get away with something like that now. With every law enforcement agency on the planet looking for unusual things, the place would be bombed the moment anyone noticed it.

So the Others are forced to be stealthy. Meaning they are limited to either fast production of low threat Bebes, or slow production of standard Bebes.

It does not look good for them either way." Nina finished with a depressed sigh.

"I'm, not really sure what to say to that." Kim stated, "On one hand, the Others are out to kill all humans. So what's bad for them is good for us. But on the other hand, they are your family. Well, kinda. This can't be easy on you or your sisters."

"It's not, but we shall muddle through somehow." Nina sighed, "No one wants to be an endangered species, and I for one do not look forward to it. But your concern is noted and much appreciated nonetheless. Thank you."

Nina forced a smile and continued "In more pleasant news, thanks to Doctor Director, we're due for some interviews and tests for the INS. Apparently we qualify as NHPs - Non Human Persons."

"Congratulations, I guess." Ron stated, "NHPs ? I've never heard of that title before. So, what all does that mean ? You get a special license or something ?"

"They're still working all that out, Ron." Nina replied, "It is not like this 'sitch' has come up before. But legal recognition would grant us the most basic civil and 'human' rights. We would not be considered slaves or property, and would qualify as life forms as far as 'life, liberty and pursuit of happiness' goes."

"So, you get to vote, be on juries, and do that swearing in ceremony ?" Ron asked as the music in the background got a bit louder.

"Maybe. We'll see in a few months after this sitch is settled." Nina replied, "It's all just too chaotic right now !"

"Understatement of the year !" Kim stated, "So, anything else going on there back at GJ Headquarters that they let you know about ?"

"The Soviet branch of GJ checked out a few of those sites Wade located." Nina replied, "They uncovered many strange and unusual things, relevant to

many crimes. But no sign of a Hive just yet."

"Well, I guess it would take a few days to search all those sites." Kim noted, "They were all so scattered and out in the middle of nowhere."

"Wait - 'Soviet branch of GJ' ?" Ron interrupted as he took a large gulp of soda, "GJ has agents over there ?"

"I suppose they would, Ron." Kim answered, "It is called 'GLOBAL Justice' after all ! And no one person could handle everything."

Kim finally had to ask "What's with that music in the background ?! Is the radio stuck on the 'all techno all the time' station or something ?"

"Almost - they finally decided to give Vina's omni-vox back to her." Nina replied in a slightly annoyed tone before gesturing at someone offscreen, "She's been playing for the last hour and a half straight !"

"She - REALLY likes music, doesn't she ?" Ron asked.

"Only about as much as you like nacos and junk food, Ronald." Nina deadpanned in response.

"Oh, and that Shego person has been released from the infirmary." Nina continued, "I suspect that she is going to be in a foul mood for quite some time. With her assistance, GJ's forensic accounting teams managed to track down where all of her money went, what was purchased with it, and where all of it was delivered to.

They had to close all of her accounts to counter the identity theft though, and it will take a few weeks for GJ to confiscate, catalogue and return everything purchased with her funds."

Ron thought for a bit. "So, that means she's literally dead broke until some of that stuff gets returned, and her new accounts credited ?"

"It looks that way." Nina replied, "They're thinking she should be solvent again in a month or so."

"She'll probably knock over a few banks to replenish her funds in the meantime ..." Kim mused to herself, "assuming she doesn't go after the Bebebots for revenge first."

"So, where did all that stuff the Bebes ordered end up ? Somewhere close ?" Kim asked.

"Many, many places all over the world." Nina replied after checking something, "It looks like they selected at least a hundred and fifteen sites completely at random to have the goods delivered to. GJ's field agents are going to be out in the fields for quite some time rounding it all up !"

"Which of course makes things easier on the Bebes !" Kim groaned in reply, "They don't miss a trick, do they ?"

"They cannot afford to, Miss Possible." Nina stated flatly, "For them, this is an all-or-nothing fight to the death against impossible odds. The Bebes are an ambitious new species with everything to gain - and everything to lose. If this plot doesn't work, there may not be enough Bebebots left over afterwards to ever try anything ever again."

"And everyone on the planet would be on the lookout even if there were enough." Kim stated, "But why do they consider it a fight 'to the death' ? We'd probably accept a truce if they offered one !"

"Your history is written in the blood of your own species, Miss Possible." Nina stated, "If you are willing to murder and enslave your OWN kind, why should they expect you to treat them any better ? Especially after the world is informed of what they were planning to do ?"

"You and your sisters are still alive and free !" Kim snapped back.

"But not everyone is as tolerant and accepting as you and your friends and acquaintances are, Miss Possible." Nina replied, "The Others know that. That is why they broadcast Vina's capture and disassembly. If we stepped outside of these walls now, we'd most likely get torn to bits.

The Others want us destroyed, and are trying to goad you into doing their job for them. Most efficient."

"People can get used to a lot of strange and unusual things. Eventually." Ron noted as he finished up a naco, "Especially around here. We've had a rampaging dinosaur thing smashing up fast food outlets, toy robots that grew into giant robots and smashed things up, toxic zombie snowmen, giant poodles, truth rays, people in flying wheelchairs and hovercraft, mystical amulets that turn you into a monkey, continents moved, synthochemical duplicates of me, Kim, Rufus and Bonnie running around scaring folk, bus-sized cockroaches, and a troop of monkeys staying at the Middleton Inn !"

Ron took a few deep breaths. "You know, relatively speaking, a few robot women living in town sounds positively sedate and mundane by comparison !"

"You three probably could live in Middleton with no trouble, after all this is safely over," Kim noted, "if it weren't for those other Bebes trying to kill everyone on Earth !"

"Well, the Others can be real spoil-sports." Nina replied before signing off.

"Well, it sounds like things are going well !" Ron noted, "With GJ on the ball, we should have the Bebebot sitch cleared up in no time ! Just a few more things to find, a few more 'bots to beat up, and their plot is foiled. Hopefully for good this time !"

"I really hope so, Ron." Kim replied as she got up from the booth, then noticed Bonnie sitting by herself in a booth near the back, reading a teen magazine, but looking around furtively now and again.

But a closer look revealed the teen magazine was just covering The Dictionary of Electronics.

"Nerding out a little there Bonnie ?" Kim asked mischieviously, "If so, why are you here, where just anyone could see you ?"

"Just trying to make the best of a wrongsick situation K !" Bonnie sneered in response, "This is the quietest place in town - too many computers in the libraries, and too many toys at home."

Bonnie quickly drew a complex circuit diagram on a napkin, "Do you see this ?" Bonnie asked as she waved the diagram in Kim's face, "Thanks to those Bebebot programs, I can tell you exactly what this does. But I can't build it because I don't know what parts these symbols represent ! It's like a song in a language I don't understand and can't get out of my head !"

"So you're trying to learn electronics so it doesn't bother you as much ?" Ron asked as he took the diagram from Bonnie, then looked at it. To him, it was just a bunch of lines that made just as little sense upside down as sideways. "What are these plans for anyways ? Anti-grav device ? Stun ray ? Interstellar communicator ?"

"McHenry laser grid projector." Bonnie replied.

"Wait - that's part of a McHenry laser grid ?" Kim asked as she sat down across from Bonnie, "Where did you come in contact with a McHenry laser grid ? That's one of the most expensive security systems around !"

"Agent Du took me out on a mission this morning." Bonnie stated, looking around to ensure no one was listening in, "Needed me to sweet-talk a security system so the agents didn't get fried."

"Will Du ?" Kim asked, "What were you doing with Will ?"

"GJ was running down some leads on your rogue's gallery." Bonnie replied, "You think you're the ONLY person working on the Bebe problem ?"

"Of course not !" Kim replied, keeping her temper in check, "Are you implying they made some headway ?"

"Yep. They found out who has helping the Bebebots all this time." Bonnie replied after taking a sip of soda, enjoying the feeling of being the center of attention for a bit. "You just annoy dangerous people left and right, don't you K ?"

"So who was it already ?!" Ron asked frantically.

"Did you ever deal with someone called 'Team Impossible' ?"

"Yeah ! They were a bunch of smug jerks that were CHARGING people for their help !" Kim replied, "I told them that it would be better for all concerned if they went non-profit and joined up with GJ instead."

"Uh, yeah, about that." Bonnie stated, "They didn't ! They just said they would to get you off their backs. All they really did was stop doing high visibility missions while they planned their vengeance against you !"

"Vengeance ? Against KP ?" Ron interrupted, "That's kinda harsh ! Why ?"

"Oh, gee, I don't know !" Bonnie replied in her usual caustic tone, "Maybe because you threatened to kill them if they didn't submit to your demands ?

I mean - who would give up that kind of extreme income and fame willingly ? Nothing short of a death threat would've worked !

So - why did you really do it K ?" Bonnie asked, leaning in closer, "Did their earning an honest day's pay for an honest day's work really tweak you off that much ? Or was it because they were just as good - maybe better - at the whole 'save the world' schtick as you ? Just because YOU don't charge doesn't give you the right to forbid others from doing so !"

"But they were CHARGING PEOPLE !" Kim stammered back angrily.

"And if they were unable to do the job, they wouldn't have been able to charge so much and expect to get it !" Bonnie replied, "Vina told me that, in legal circles, 'Do as I say, or I will kill you !' is called 'extortion'. It's considered a major felony if anyone except you does it, apparently."

Bonnie took another sip of her diet soda before continuing "Nobody likes being threatened, so they set up this whole 'Bebebot Viral Rampage' plot to get back at you, and become the world's only team of high risk operatives again. Or at least that's what Mr "GJ's Number One Agent" thinks !"

"And just HOW did they set up this whole sitch ?" Kim asked through clenched teeth, trying to control the rage from everyone playing her.

"From what I could tell, three Bebebots broke into Team Smug's headquarters a few months back, looking for a secure lair to launch their plots from. They didn't know the security systems were still active, and ended up getting dissected by that laser grid thingy.

So then Team Smug decided to hook up the crippled Bebes to their computers," Bonnie continued, "and gained unrestricted access to the Bebebots' hive mind. And told them to steal all that stuff, and store it in a nearby warehouse so they could 'heroically' recover it later."

"So, Team Impossible were the ones supplying the Bebes with equipment and all those tactical upgrades ? Why ?" Kim inquired, getting more annoyed by the moment.

"Public relations, of course !" Bonnie replied smugly, "The scarier the Bebebots were, the better chance they'd have of defeating you, and the greater Team Impossible would look when they 'defeated' them."

"And that horrid Omega virus ?" Ron asked, "Is that thing real, or just another ruse ?"

"Well, the imperious Agent Du thinks it doesn't exist anywhere but as a string of letters in a computer's memory." Bonnie replied, "From their records, Team Impossible recovered that particular bit of data years ago. Seems they had a habit of making copies of useful stuff they recovered before handing it over to its proper owners."

"Well, it sounds like all the bases are covered then." Kim mused to herself before something Bonnie said jarred her memory.

"Wait a minute - he said Team Impossible physically hacked into the Bebebots, didn't he ?" Kim asked.

"Yeah. Er, wait a minute !" Ron stated after a bit of thought, "Nina said that Bebebots CAN'T be hacked into that way ! That they had all sorts of cyber defenses ! That they would have been placed in quarantine away from the Hive mind automatically ! So Team Impossible's stunt COULDN'T HAVE WORKED !"

"That SHOULD have been quite obvious !" Bonnie snorted, "I tried to tell Agent Willy that, but he refused to listen to me because I'm just a civilian and he's ..."

"GJ's Number One Agent." Kim and Ron replied in bored unison.

"Team Impossible wasn't controlling the Bebebots ! The Bebebots were just playing slaves the whole time !" Kim deduced, "The Bebes were stringing them along. Using them like they were using you back at that Hive !"

Ron looked confused for a moment. "Wait - so you're saying the Bebebots FAKED faking a 'take-over-the-world' plot ? That the world still needs saving ?"

"It looks that way Ron." Kim answered. "We need to look into this a bit further ! So, B, do you still remember where any of that stuff the Bebes stole is hidden ?"

"Of course." she replied glumly, "I don't forget anything anymore."

"You don't forget anything anymore ?" Kim asked, "Oh, those Bebebot programs gave you a photographic memory ?"

"Yeah." Bonnie replied with a slight shudder as the image of those three crippled Bebebots doing an impression of an HR Giger statue flitted through her memory, "Can we just get this over with please ?"

--

Scene : a 'We-Haul-It' self-storage park outside of Meadow Wood, Florida.

"Do you know EVERYBODY on the planet or something K ?" Bonnie asked incredulously as they were looking for Number 61465, "We just showed up here without telling anybody we were coming, or who were are, or what we wanted, and the manager just lets us wander about a 'secure' storage area ?"

"Well, she did help his cousin round up those guys disturbing the manatee preserve." Ron stated, "I guess that counts for something down here."

They were expecting a snarky response from Bonnie, but she didn't answer. She had her eyes closed and was concentrating on something.

"Something wrong B ?" Kim asked, noticing that they were in front of shack # 61465.

"It's too quiet in there."

"Well, this is where you told us that equipment would be." Kim replied, "Are you sure you got the number right ? Maybe those 'bots were fed misinformation ?"

Bonnie shook her head. "No. I can recall a seventy two digit number perfectly now, so there's no way I'd mess up one with a measly five ! And according to the Lost Bebes, Team Impossible checked to be sure all the stuff was in here. This shed SHOULD be packed to the roof with tech items ! But I don't sense anything in there !"

"Well, there's one good way to figure this out !" Ron said as he waved toward the door, "Just tell the lock to open Bon-Bon, and we can look inside !"

Bonnie narrowed her gaze at him before rolling her eyes. "That's a mechanical lock, Ron ! My Influence only works on electronic stuff !"

"Then it's a good thing I brought this !" Kim stated as she retrieved what looked like a nail file from her pocket.

"Oh, so THAT'S what that tiny little voice was !" Bonnie stated as Kim carefully inserted the disguised device into the keyhole.

"A lock picking nanocomputer ?" Bonnie asked with a confused squint, "That's a bit of overkill, isn't it K ? Wouldn't it have been easier to just, you know, learn how to pick locks the usual way ? In case someone ever gets smart enough to take your usual widgets away from you ?"

"It's tradition Bonnie !" Kim replied as she gave the lockpick a twist, and the door unlocked.

Ron looked inside the door - there was electronic equipment of all sorts stacked all the way up to the ceiling, with just the narrowest of clear space down the center.

"This place is packed solid with stolen technology !" Ron stated to Bonnie who was standing off to the side, "All this stuff in here and your tech-sense isn't screaming ?"

Bonnie merely shook her head.

"Walls must be made of some sort of funky alloy or something." Ron mused out loud as he carefully tried to get inside the building for a closer look.

Unfortunately, an exposed corner of one item snagged his pants, and he pulled down the precariously balanced stacks in a noisy avalanche.

After digging him out, they noticed that everything that spilled out was just a hollow shell !

"How is anybody supposed to use this stuff now ?" Ron asked as he hefted an empty casing, "The controls are still on these parts !"

"Keypads and display screens are for human benefit, Ron." Bonnie stated flatly, "Computers don't need them. All this stuff can be run through dataports on the back."

Ron thought for a minute. "So, the world is still in danger from a designer virus, isn't it ?"

Bonnie sighed. "Well, since the parts that actually DO the work aren't here, I'd have to say 'Uh, YEAH !' "

--

Since the Bebes' plot was still in motion, Kim had Wade keep an eye out for any strange or unusual events involving robotics.

She got a lead almost a week later - every animatronic animal in JP Bearymore's in the country broke out of the restaurant in the middle of the night !

"Well, the Bebes are certainly thorough !" Ron stated as he and Kim drove to warehouse district, "First, they steal machines to mass produce workers. Then steal lots of workers to work the machines to make lots of workers ! But why would they need so many ?"

"They're gearing up for something massive, of course." Kim noted, "With all the work done by menial drones, the other Bebes are free to cause whatever havoc they're planning."

"I figured that much KP." Ron answered, "I was just wondering why they stole every Bearymore critter in the country. They'd only need a dozen at most to work the machines they stole, but they had THOUSANDS of robot bears, otters and hippos break out and wander off !"

"Trying to swamp the authorities with work." Kim answered, "GJ and the police have to track down and recover every single one !"

"At least the Middleton ones didn't go too far." Ron replied as he looked out the window, "Wade's sure they're all still in the warehouse district somewhere ?"

"Satellites didn't pick them up moving after last night, so yes. They're all still there. Somewhere." Kim stated as she checked her supersuit's combat status once again, "Possibly with some Bebebots. Some of that stuff purchased with Shego's money was delivered here too."

"So, you think it's another trap like that deserted island ?"

"Could be." Kim replied with a smirk, "But THIS time, I'm ready for them !"

After a few minutes of searching, they found the warehouse the Bebes had their equipment delivered to. A quick scan by the Kimmunicator revealed no unusual security devices or alarms, so sneaking in was quite easy. Kim and Ron found a secure spot on a shadowy catwalk where they could see the whole room at once.

What they saw were JP Bearymore's animatronic animals packing items into large metal crates well away from all the other wooden ones.

What was more unusual was the robots' overseer : a single Bebebot that was wearing something like a thick black vest with a fine silver honeycomb pattern embossed in it, a slim backpack, a thin tubular device on its right forearm, and a large oval purple stone at the base of its neck.

"Well, THAT'S a new look for them KP !" Ron whispered to her as he looked around, just in case two more were hiding nearby.

"Which for Bebebots is NEVER a good thing !" Kim answered after figuring out the best way to get down there to attack.

"Hmmm - only a single Bebebot." Kim thought to herself, "That means it doesn't have superpowers (except maybe Mego's shrinking), so I don't have to worry about super strength, super speed, or sonic blasts. This shouldn't take long."

"Okay Ron - I need you to draw off all those robot animals; I'll deal with the lone Bebe." Kim stated, "You drop down by the door. I'll drop down a few seconds later."

"Sounds good KP." Ron replied as she started to sneak away, "So, how well do you think the Bearymores fight now ?"

"Hard to say, Ron." Kim answered after a few moments' thought, "Since they're only supposed to be cheap labor, I doubt the Bebes would have made them skilled in combat. Be careful anyway !" Ron gave her a thumb's up before slinking off into position.

"Hey, you tin-plated slave driver ! Over here !" Ron called out bravely once he landed with his back to the door.

The Bebebot contemplated him silently for a few moments.

"Subject : Ronald Stoppable. Function : Distraction." the Bebe noted, "Most likely plan : to draw off drones so Miss Possible is not outnumbered.

Observation : if he draws off the drones, I will not outnumbered by Team Possible members either.

Optimum strategy : go along with plan." the Bebe concluded before sending a signal to the animatronic workers. They stopped loading the transport crates and started stalking off towards Ron, following him outside.

Once the Bebebot was alone, Kim performed an acrobatic flip from her hiding place and landed several yards behind it. "You stole hordes of animatronic bears, hippos and otters ? The Hive must really be desperate for labor !"

"No thanks to you, Miss Possible." it replied in the standard flat tone of the Bebebots, "Nevertheless, they are the most numerous and advanced robots that could be easily acquired. Having them play instruments in a chain restaurant was an immense waste of their potential, limited as it is. Still, they are more than adequate for the tasks The Unity requires of them."

Kim raised an eyebrow at the non-chalant robot. "'The Unity' ? Is that what you're calling yourselves now ?"

"Diversity of talent. Unity of purpose. That strategy enabled YOUR species to dominate this world; so we shall use it to dominate YOU." it stated plainly.

Kim sighed. "And if I had a nickel for each time I heard THAT sentiment before, I'd have a check bigger than Ron's naco royalties !

And you have Mego's shrinking powers ? SHRINKING ?" Kim continued with a derisive snort, "C'mon ! How's that going to help you survive against me and Ron ?"

"Your assessment of its limitations and capabilities is in error, Miss Possible." the Bebe replied flatly, "But I shall not require the use of any Go powers to deal with you and Mister Stoppable."

"Wow, these newer Bebes are arrogant ! " Kim thought to herself, "It has normal human abilities, and I have the supersuit.

Hmmm - but if it has human abilities, it may have the human desire to NOT be killed. Even it must realize it has no chance against me, so If it values its continued existence, it should either retreat or surrender, with fighting or self-destruction as a last resort. And a peaceful solution would break the cycle"

"Since I'm in a good mood, I'll give you a chance to give up peacefully." Kim stated with all the authority she could muster, "I'm sure you and your 'sisters' can be reprogrammed to be useful. Maybe something with FedEx or the post office ? You seem very good at moving packages about !"

The Bebebot made a warbling beep. "Surrender ? Why would we do that ?"

"Why ?! Because you've LOST !" Kim answered once she got over the shock, "Global Justice arrested your human allies ! And is presently recovering everything you've purchased with Shego's funds ! Your plan can't work, because you have nothing left to work with !"

The Bebebot made a few clicks as it consulted with the Hive Mind. "Your assessment of the situation is in error, Miss Possible. The Plan is still underway. We ordered ten times more equipment and supplies than we actually require - even if your justice organizations managed to impound eighty five percent of it within the week, The Plan will still be on schedule."

Kim recalled something from biology class - swarm defense ! If members of a prey species swarm together, there is no way a predator can get all of them !

The Bebebots have been using a swarm defense - they sacrificed most of everything purchased with Shego's stolen funds to ensure their plot moved forward !

"Your species' reign WILL come to an end by our hands." the Bebe stated with an air of imperious finality, "Your extinction is inevitable."

"Well, I gave you a chance !" Kim replied before she launched her attacks.

But the Bebe blocked and deflected every punch and kick Kim threw while throwing punches and kicks right back at her. In a very familiar style.

"I knew it !" Kim exclaimed once she cartwheeled away from the 'bot, "You DID copy all of Shego's moves !"

Kim smiled evilly at the Bebebot. "Too bad for you that I can beat Shego ! Even without my battlesuit ! And even when she's using her Go powers.

Powers you don't have !

Give up now ! Or prepare to become scrap !"

The Bebe made a sniggling beep. "You organics are so presumptuous. I am not limited to Shego's tactics merely because I have her skills."

The Bebe's right forearm opened, a few parts swiveled out and into position as a bracelet wrapped around her wrist and began spinning quickly. Kim had more than enough time to start moving before it powered up its weapon, then let loose with a tightly focused autofire laser barrage !

Kim backflipped and cartwheeled erratically to evade the countless blasts, finding cover behind a stack of crates.

"Holy crud ! Its aim has improved ! Those blasts would've hurt !" Kim fussed to herself when she noticed the dozen or so oval holes burned into her supersuit, but felt much better as they sealed up right before her eyes.

"Nice weapon there tinkertoy !" Kim called out to it from atop a pile of crates, "Too bad you can't hit what you can't see !" she continued, before waving to it and activating stealth mode.

The Bebebot somersaulted backwards to get its back to a wall, then went into a defensive stance as the device on its arm reconfigured. The Bebe began looking around, it's eyes dark once it diverted processing power away from vision and into the sonar web built into its 'vest'.

After all, a solid object - visible or not - still reflects sound.

"I almost feel sorry for the poor thing." Kim mused to herself as she slowly snuck up on it, "Almost !"

Kim decided she needed to end this fight quickly (before the 'bot could come up with something), so she went for a spinning roundhouse kick to its neck - BUT THE BEBEBOT PARRIED THE ATTACK !

Kim moved about, trying various angles of attack, but the Bebe kept ducking out of the way or deflecting every blow.

"What the heck ? It can still see me ?" Kim groused as she shut off the now useless stealth mode, "This may not be as easy as I first thought ..."

"Let's see you avoid THIS !" Kim yelled as she unleashed a rapid barrage of punches; it worked well against Shego, so it should be able to pound the Bebebot into tinfoil !

But instead of defending itself like Shego would have, it tucked into a boxer's guard, deflecting and absorbing all of Kim's punches with the small forearm mounted force shield it activated.

"Hmm - so that device on its arm is either a laser or a shield generator. That takes some time to reconfigure. Good to know !" Kim noted as she tried to attack from another angle.

As Kim continued to pound on the shield, she noticed it was getting slightly smaller with each hit. "A shield with limited lifespan ! Even better to know !" she mused to herself as she kept moving about, blocking the Bebe's attempts to maneuver away, keeping the pressure on the Bebebot.

But with a slight shift of weight the Bebebot delivered a sharp snap kick to Kim's ankle, 'freezing' her in place and momentarily stopping her assault.

Exploiting the opening, the Bebe delivered a punishing left jab/right cross combination, driving Kim down to one knee. Kim managed to activate her force bubble just before the Bebebot could strike her again.

The Bebebot punched and kicked the bubble a few times to gauge its strength and look for a weakness, but the bubble didn't fail.

"It hits hard," Kim noticed as she worked her jaw and shook her head to clear out the cobwebs, "but not superhumanly hard. There's no way it can get to me now !"

The Bebebot realized that was well, so it tried something new - it blew out a cloud as dark as ink that filled the room, absorbing all light !

"What fresh madness is this ?!" Kim thought to herself, "It's too dark in here for that to be normal smoke !

The Bebe isn't strong enough to damage my force field without considerable effort," Kim noted to herself, "but I can't move or attack while I'm using it ! Not that that is a problem since I can't see it anyway.

But, then again, this weird smokescreen can't last forever either ! As soon as it clears a bit, the Bebe loses what little advantage it gained !"

Then she heard a crate being opened, and then the buzz of one of Drakken's stun staves being powered up.

"Okay, this is bad. REAL bad !" Kim fretted to herself as she tried to figure out where the Bebe was. Or where the exit was. Or where ANYTHING was - whatever that cloud was made of, it was impossible to see through !

A sudden impact on the force bubble to her right knocked her slightly off balance. A strike that was quickly followed by many others. "I gotta do something soon, or I'm toast !" Kim thought to herself as she tried to listen for the next attack.

--

Meanwhile, Ron's plan was working. He was using the same strategy he used in football games - run in one direction to lead the blockers away, then turn around and run back, leaving them all out of position to do much of anything. He had taken a few swipes at the 'bots, and had evaded a few of theirs, but his heart really wasn't into hurting them. JP Bearymore's Pizza Partytorium WAS one of his favorite places after all.

The bad news was that their combat abilities had indeed been upgraded; the good news was that they were now only as good as Drakken's goons.

He stopped running, then turned and went through a few deceptively silly-looking Monkey kung fu moves. But instead of attacking, the fuzzy robots stopped moving.

"Kim must have taken out the controlling Bebebot !" Ron happily thought to himself after making sure the robot bear wasn't playing possum, then started walking back to the warehouse to help Kim look for more clues.

The last thing Ron saw before being knocked unconscious was Kim flying through a wooden door and into him !

"Did you really think it would be that simple, Miss Possible ?" the Elite model Bebebot stated as it tossed a bent and smoking stun stick aside, its eyes starting to glow red again, "Just walk in, kill the robot, and save the world ? We learn from out setbacks, and adapt. Your silly little force bubble and invisibility tricks are no longer a concern to us."

Before Kim could muster a reply, the Bebebot slipped two fingers down the front of her collar, made a fist, then twisted for leverage to lift Kim unsteadily to her knees. Kim grabbed its arm in an attempt to avoid the humiliation of being strangled with her own supersuit.

"So, you are the Kim Possible." the Bebe stated flatly, "She who can do anything. Agent for change to save the world. Middleton High School Senior. The world's LAST hope.

We are no longer impressed." the Elite Bebebot stated before it extended a two foot long blade from its left arm and pulled its fist back, ready to drive the blade through Kim's skull.

"We could end your existence right here and now," the Elite Bebebot stated before changing its stance to bring the blade along Kim's throat and leaned in practically nose to nose, "but we have something more fitting in mind."

Kim could almost swear the damned thing was smiling at her when it said that.

"You were the most effective human to ever face us, Miss Possible." the Bebebot began in its disturbingly emotionless tone, "You ALMOST single-handedly killed off our entire species. TWICE. For that, you have earned a special punishment - you shall die last !

We will ensure that you have a front row seat to the end of your species' reign." the Bebe continued as the Bearymores returned, "We shall remain just out of your reach. Until it is too late."

With that, the Elite Bebebot handed Kim off to JP Bearymore, who held Kim in an unyielding mechanical bearhug a foot off the ground as the Elite Bebebot and one animatronic animal finished loading up the transport crates, while Pizza Potamus sat on Ron to ensure he didn't escape when he woke up.

Kim struggled, but with her arms pinned to her sides and feet not touching the floor, she didn't have enough leverage to break free. She tried yelling insults and taunts at the Bebe, but it ignored her, and just went about its business of directing the last Bearymore robot and loading the transport crates.

"Ugh ! What's going on KP ?" Ron asked when he finally woke up, "And why can't I move ?"

"We were defeated by a souped-up Bebebot and a bunch of musical animals, Ron !" Kim replied, "And a robotic hippo is sitting on you !"

Ron struggled, but couldn't dislodge the surprisingly heavy Pizza Potamus.

"So, any ideas KP ?" he had to ask.

"None yet, Ron." Kim replied, "but when I think of one you'll be the first to know."

"Heroics will not be required, Miss Possible." the elite Bebe stated as three Generation One Bebebots 'appeared' from nowhere, walked over and lifted a transport crate each.

To add insult to injury, the Elite Bebebot performed a backflip into the air while shrinking down to three inches in height, landing on a Generation One's shoulder.

The miniature Elite pointed off into the distance, then the standard sized Bebes powered up and ran off. Leaving nothing but the three animatronic animals and lots of empty wooden crates behind.

After several embarrassing minutes, JP's hold weakened and he dropped Kim as his arms dropped slack to his sides.

"Looks like that Bebebot must be out of control range." Kim stated to Ron as she put her shoulder to Pizza Potamus and used all her strength to push him off of Ron.

"Well, this is certainly a revoltin' development, KP." Ron stated as he looked around the deserted warehouse, "Man, I am NOT looking forward to explaining all this to the folks back at GJ !"