Chapter 18 : An Adamantium Ceiling

"Well, using a world-wide pandemic as a diversion does sound like something the Unity would try." Wade noted to Kim on her Kimmunicator while she reclined on her bed in thought, "That forces everyone to focus their attention on stopping it, making it easier for the Unity to do whatever else they have planned.

But the big question is 'What else does the Unity have planned ?' They have quite a few options at this point."

"True, but given the defeats and losses they've been suffering lately, their best bet would be to increase their numbers." Kim answered, "They are powerful, but there is only so much a dozen or so robots can do. No point in having a perfect strategy if there aren't enough 'bots to get it done !"

"Good point Kim." Wade replied, "I'll keep an eye out for any thefts of electronic or robotic parts, no matter how small or trivial. And since we know the Unity's hiding strategy, I'll also look for any reports of activity near abandoned mines, factories, missile silos, and any unusual amounts of radio or electronic activity. It shouldn't be long until we get a lead to their current lairs."

"I sure hope so Wade !" Kim replied glumly, "It would be great to stop them permanently for a change !"

"We do the best we can. I'll call back when I got something." Wade stated before signing off.

"Wade was right." Kim noted to herself, "With everyone's attention focused on stopping the Omega virus, the Unity will have an easier time doing just about anything !

They're into perfection and efficiency. So what task would be the easiest with everyone being so distracted ?" Kim mused to herself until she realized what job would benefit most : espionage.

"Spies would have a much easier time of it now than before." Kim noted, "And there are three potential spies hanging out in GJ's local headquarters !

But I don't have any evidence the Rossums are up to something ! DANG ! If I could prove they were spies, I could get rid of them and focus on what I'm doing; if I was sure they really were on the up and up, I wouldn't be stressing out about them !

There has GOT to be a way to find out for sure, one way or the other !" Kim ranted before she remembered that there WAS a way, and began rummaging through her desk drawers to find it.

-------

"Well, Vina's easy to track !" Ron noted to himself as he followed the faint sounds of music through the GJ base.

But instead of the usual violins or pianos or organs playing classical music, he heard the howl of electronic guitars and drums belting out heavy metal.

And going by the quality of the vocalist, he figured that Nina wasn't the one singing.

After a few moments he was able to peek inside the Rossum's quarters, and saw that it was Vina doing the singing, and was able to make out the lyrics that weren't being drowned out by the multiple guitars :

"Doesn't Matter What You See

Or into it What You Read

You Can Do it Your Own Way

If It's Done Just How I Say

Independence Limited

Free-dom

of Choice Is Made for You My Friend

Free-dom

of Speech Is Words That They Will Bend

Free-dom

with Their Exceptions"

Ron noticed that Tina was able to maintain her meditation through all that noise as Vina started into a complex guitar instrumental - alongside three holographic duplicates of herself while pulsing spheres of pink light spiraled about as they sounded out the drum track.

"Something we can help you with Ron ?" Nina asked, speaking loud enough to get over the music.

"Yes !" Ron replied, "WHAT is she singing ? And you three have GOT to stop this feud with KP ! It's getting way out of hand !"

"The song is Metallica's Eye of the Beholder Ron." Nina replied, "V's been a bit tense of late, and needed to blow off some steam.

As to this 'feud' with Kim ? What are we supposed to do about it ? How do we stop a feud WHEN WE AREN'T EVEN DOING ANYTHING ?" Nina asked, "We weren't the ones that started this 'feud', and we're NOT the ones keeping it going. It is all in Kim's head. The only 'wrong' we're doing is being who we are and NOT who she wants - or NEEDS - us to be !"

"And just when did she say she wanted you to do any of that ?" Ron asked crabbily.

"Actions speak truer than words, Ron." Vina stated as soon as she stopped playing, "The sooner she realizes that, the better. How does one make a paranoid feel safe ?"

Before Ron could muster a response, Tina asked "Why the need for us to end the 'feud' right this minute ? Has something happened ?"

"No. Nothing major - YET !" Ron replied, "But this constant bickering has got Kim wound up pretty tight ! She can't think straight anymore ! Earlier today, we fell into a pool of quicksand we should've seen a mile away ! That's never happened to us before !"

Nina sighed. "You and Kim went after that orchid, didn't you ?" Ron nodded in reply, then a very unhappy looking Tina handed Vina twenty dollars with the gravely somber air of handing over a family home.

"You DO know that, somewhere in the world, a botanist will be very angry with you two for sacrificing an entire species just to save your own hides, right ?" Nina inquired.

"Hey, no fair !" Ron stammered back, "We HAVE to save Kim's life ! She's the world's ONLY hope!". Tina hands Vina another ten dollars, looking more depressed.

"So, you think Wade is smarter and wiser than every scientist on the planet put together ?" Nina asked.

"Yes ! Er, I mean, no !" Ron replied, provoking Tina to hand over another ten dollars to Vina.

"Okay, now what's up with those two ?" Ron had to ask Nina.

"They had some bets going." Nina replied plainly, "Tina thought you two would do the heroic and noble thing and delegate some responsibility. In other words, let someone else do something useful or important for once.

She was wrong.

Every scientist on the planet is working on a cure for the Omega virus, yet you two went for the quick fix !

By going for the Benetricium orchid, you demonstrated that you had absolutely NO FAITH in anyone else to get the job done.

You insulted every researcher in that room by your selfish actions. So Vina won those bets."

"You bet AGAINST KP ?!" Ron yelled at Vina.

"No. Not against KP." Vina replied, "FOR the rest of the world in general Ron. I take no pleasure in winning those bets."

"Well, then what the heck were we supposed to do ?!" Ron inquired loudly, "KP, me, and Wade have saved this world more times than we can count ! We never needed much help from anyone else before ! The best way to save the world has always been to keep Kim safe ! It's always worked for us before, so why should we do anything different now ?"

"Because the Unity is competent, and nothing like the twits and buffoons you've always faced before ?" Vina offered.

"Because this sitch is beyond the power and abilities of any one person to solve ?" Nina offered.

"What is Kim going to do - shout her catchphrase to the skies and beat the Omega virus by hand ?" Vina asked, "Face facts Ron - Kim cannot do it all alone this time ! She has to get over herself and ACCEPT help from others for once !"

"Accepting help from others is NOT an admission of failure or weakness." Tina stated, "There actually ARE things beyond even Kim's direct influence and control."

Ron glowered at them for a moment, then realized that they were right. "This sitch is pretty big, and we could use all the help we can get ! But this isn't going to be easy for Kim - she's a perfectionist and a bit of a control freak and ..."

Ron slapped his forehead when he figured it out. "That was the Unity's plan this whole time, wasn't it ? Keeping Kim majorly tweaked is the only way to keep her out of their way and beatable without killing her !"

"Well, nothing tweaks a control freak more than someone REFUSING to be controlled." Nina replied, "So yes, that was part of their plan. They knew we would not submit to Kim's domination. And how Kim would react to that."

Vina looked annoyed before handing Tina twenty dollars (who was too depressed to accept it). Tina trudged towards their quarters, while Vina followed to try to comfort her.

"Okay, so what was the bet THAT time ?" Ron asked Nina.

"Tina thought you two would figure out the Unity's plot to keep Kim distracted with fighting her own insecurites and paranoia on your own eventually; Vina figured we'd have to post it on billboards in huge neon letters all over town and hire a skywriter before you'd figure it out."

"You couldn't have just TOLD US what the Unity was up to ?" Ron asked, fearing the standard 'this is our way of telling you' response.

"Would Kim have believed us if we merely told her ?" Nina inquired, "Or given her present mental state, just assume it was some kind of trick ?"

"Well, okay, if you put it that way ...." Ron muttered in reply.

"The most efficient way to defeat a powerful but irrational opponent is to turn its power against itself." Nina stated, "The only person that could defeat Kim Possible - is Kim Possible.

Forming a plan against her was quite simple : perfectionists have no faith in others, and control freaks are unable to trust. So the Unity merely had to turn those facets of Kim's personality against her. In this case, by giving her something irrelevant to their plans to worry about.

How can Kim figure out what the Unity is up to if she's too busy second, third, fourth or fifth guessing herself ? Or wasting effort trying to uncover a plot that does not exist ?"

"Okay, now that's just wrongsick !" Ron scowled once he got it, "They know that Kim can be very focused and determined ! And once Kim gets an idea that something is up, she'll keep digging until she finds what she's looking for ! If she doesn't find anything, she'll just assume it was hidden really well and start digging ever harder !"

"And could anyone convince her there really is nothing there to find ?" Nina inquired.

"Well, maybe." Ron replied after thinking a bit. "If someone she really trusts told her, she might."

"She's a control freak Ron." Nina replied tensely, "Control freaks cannot trust others - that's WHY they insist on doing everything themselves. And why they feel it is NECESSARY for them to do everything themselves - they don't trust anyone else to do anything right.

Sadly, she who cannot trust, cannot be trusted." Nina finished, "That's one reason why we decided to not even bother TRYING to appease Kim anymore."

"So, you're NOT going to stop this feud with Kim, are you ?" Ron asked with a heavy sigh.

"As I stated before Ron, we did not start this feud." Nina replied over her shoulder as she turned to walk away, "And unless you consider refusing to kowtow before Kim Possible a 'hostile action', we are not the ones keeping it going.

We have no grudge against Kim Possible - she saved Vina's life, and brought all of us to GJ for safe keeping ! We have no need or desire to plot against her or anybody."

Nina sighed deeply before continuing "Sadly, as this feud exists only in Kim's head, it will continue for as long as SHE wants it to continue. It is as simple as that."

Ron only had a few moments to mull that over before Kim rounded the corner in front of them.

"Hey KP ! So, did you manage to get the smell of that swampy quicksand out of your hair ?" he asked cautiously.

Kim groaned. "It took half a bottle of shampoo and nearly an hour of scrubbing, but yes."

She turned to Nina and asked "So, Nine-A, ahm, Nina ? Can I have a word with you please ?" as nicely as she could.

Nina looked at her warily. "I suppose so. What can I do for you ?"

"THINK FAST !" Kim shouted as she slapped the neurocompliance chip she'd kept from a long ago mission onto Nina's forehead.

Nina stood there mutely, tense and twitching as the chip attempted to override her artificial brain.

Then the twitching quickly became tremors, then violent convulsions as Nina dropped to the floor as her sisters began screaming in pain elsewhere in the base !

"KIM ! WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO HER ?!" Ron shrieked.

"This wasn't supposed to happen Ron !" Kim squeaked in reply.

"Then STOP IT ! NOW !" Ron shouted, not sure what he could do as guards and GJ agents starting filling the corridor.

"On it !" Kim replied as she whipped out her brothers' old portable silicon phase disruptor and repeatedly pushed the red button.

Once the chip was deactivated, Nina's seizures quieted down. Small wisps of smoke curled up from her ears and nose, and her eyes (still wide open in surprise) had turned black and leaked a stream of oily ash-filled tears.

"Get her to the robotics lab stat !" Doctor Director commanded the agents pulling a gurney, "And contact Miss Rockwaller !"

Doctor Director turned to glare at Kim. "Care to explain what you were doing ?"

"I swear that wasn't supposed to happen !" Kim stammered in reply, "She wasn't supposed to be hurt !"

"Be that as it may Miss Possible, I can't let that sort of behaviour go unpunished." Doctor Director replied before turning to the closest agent. "Agent Threader, please escort Miss Possible to the brig."

"The brig ? Why ? She said she was sorry !" Ron stated, getting between Kim and the agent.

"Her being sorry is of no relevance right now, Ron." Doctor Director replied flatly, "The Rossums are under the protective custody of Global Justice; what aspect of 'protective' do you not understand ?"

"Wait - I thought 'protective custody' was just code for 'house arrest' !" Ron replied.

"Where did you ever get that idea ?" Dr Director inquired, "If the Rossums were under arrest, they would have been taken to the brig the moment we brought them here. And kept in shackles and accompanied by armed guards everywhere they went instead of being allowed some freedom of movement inside the base.

Because of the novelty of this situation, they are considered useful defectors. And we do NOT treat useful defectors as criminals."

"But why arrest Kim ? After all the times she's helped you !" Ron shot back.

"Are you implying that Kim should be exempt from federal, state and international laws ?" Director inquired, "That she should be allowed to do whatever she wants, to whoever she wants, any time she wants ?"

"Well, no, not really ..." Ron meekly replied.

"Assault is assault, no matter who does it Ron." Director answered plainly, "Kim has done much good for the world. And that will certainly count in her favor IF charges are pressed. But for now, I think it would be best if she went to her cell and stayed there quietly for a bit. At least until we get this mess sorted out."

Ron wanted to object, but Kim told him not to.

A few hours later, they had to face down a livid Bonnie Rockwaller.

"You two are SO lucky that I know how to repair Bebebots !" she stated, shaking with barely suppressed rage, "Otherwise, I would be VERY angry with you two !"

"So, Nina will be okay then ?" Ron managed to ask, trying to keep as far from her as he could.

"Yes, she will." Bonnie replied coldly before fixing her gaze on Kim, "It's a good thing that Nina's brains are in her torso and not in her head - your little stunt only shorted out all of her sensory circuits !

So congrats K ! You rendered her deaf, blind, mute, anosmic and insensate ! The backfeed from so much electromagnetic current destroyed some neural links all the way into her brain, so she's lost memory of the last two days !"

Bonnie took a few deep breaths as she took off her grimy latex gloves. "Fortunately, GJ had a few old dismantled Bebebot drones in a secure warehouse for study; I used them for spare parts.

I managed to rebuild everything, so Nina will be fine as soon as she recompiles her sensory data interpretation subroutines."

Ron looked confused. "So, that means what ?"

"It means she has to RELEARN how to see and hear and smell and use all of her sensory abilities Ron !" Bonnie growled in response as Ron cringed.

"And just WHAT did you think you were doing K ?" she practically screamed at Kim.

"I swear that wasn't supposed to happen !" Kim replied, "Those chips didn't affect me or Shego or Jim or Tim that way !"

"Wait - you put those chips ON YOUR OWN BROTHERS ?!" Bonnie asked incredulously.

"Well, yes," Kim replied, "But it didn't hurt them in the least ! It just made them listen to me ..."

"You put your OWN BROTHERS under total mind control ?!" Bonnie asked.

"It wasn't as evil as you're making it sound B ..." Kim replied tensely.

"That has got to be the most selfish and petty and just plain villainous thing you could do to another person Kim !" Bonnie replied with a look of utter disgust, "And you call yourself a hero ? You're willing to force even your own family to obey you !

And just what were you going to COMMAND Nina to do for you K ?" Bonnie asked in a tone that made absolute zero look warm, "Confess to every crime you could imagine so you could kill her with a clean conscience ?"

"No." Kim replied sullenly, "I was just going to command her to answer all questions asked of her honestly. It was the only way I could be absolutely sure she was telling me the truth !"

"It was 'the only way' ?!" Bonnie sneered, "Or was it the only way YOU could think of ?

Doctor Director is willing to give Nina and her sisters the benefit of the doubt, and she's nobody's fool !" Bonnie continued, "Why is that not good enough for you ?"

"The safety of the world is at stake B !" Kim replied, "I had to be absolutely sure about whose side they're on !"

"But WHY now ?" Bonnie asked, "And why like that ? You've been doing this 'world saving' bit for years, but you've NEVER done anything like that to any of your other freaky foes before !"

"The Unity 'bots aren't like anyone else I've ever fought before B !" Kim replied, "I know I can handle anyone else's plans because they are usually silly and overdone.

For example, Drakken went from trying to take over the world to just taking over Wisconsin !

With a magma machine hidden inside a building made completely out of cheese !

Stealing stuff to threaten the world with ? Needlessly complicated plots ? THOSE things I can handle !" Kim exclaimed, "But those tin-plated monsters don't make silly, easy to guess or foil plots ! Their plots are complex and perfectly timed, based on perfect intel !

I have to be just as certain of things as THEY are just to keep even - the stakes for guessing wrong are just too high !"

Bonnie focused her most contemptuous gaze on Kim. "And you think you're the only one that knows just how high the stakes are K ?"

"Of course not !" Kim replied, getting angry.

"Do you think everyone else on Earth is STUPID, and incapable of doing ANYTHING right ?" Bonnie continued.

"Well, no ! Of course not !" Kim replied before admitting "It, well, just generally works out that way."

Bonnie growled under her breath before giving Kim the evil eye in response for nearly a minute.

"I said I was sorry !" Kim finally stated, "How many times do I have to say it ?!"

"I'm not the one you should be apologizing to K." Bonnie replied coldly before holding the neurocompliance chip up for Kim to see and asking her if there were any more.

"No." Kim replied while looking at her shoes, "Dr Bortal built the first one. Shego stole it, and Drakken made a copy. I returned Dr Bortal's chip to him, and kept the one Drakken made."

"Then no one will miss this one." Bonnie replied before the nanobots in her bracelet streamed up her fingers and tore the chip into its component atoms.

"Wait - are those the nanobots you pulled out of me and Ron's heads ?" Kim asked, "Ewww ! Why did you keep them ? And more importantly : why is Dr Director letting you keep them ?"

Bonnie thought for a moment before replying "In order, 'Yes, they are.' 'They are highly advanced technology K ! And since I can hear and talk to tech now, it seemed like such a waste to just destroy such incredibly useful things.' And finally, 'I guess she trusts me to not misuse advanced technology.

Unlike some people I know !" she replied coldly before walking away in a huff.

-------

"Well, this could be painful !" Kim fretted to herself once she noticed that Vina and Tina were also in the robotics lab. Probably for moral and tactical support.

"Did they let you out of the brig, Miss Possible ?" a brunette Bebebot with long brown hair, sky blue body and delicate silver glasses inquired from the table she was sitting on, "Or did you escape to finish me off ?"

"They let me out." Kim replied with a nod towards Doctor Director and Will Du who were standing in the doorway, "I didn't plan on hurting you, Nina. I just, well, I don't know anymore ! I just had to be sure whose side you and your sisters are on !"

"And the only way to do that was to stick a mind control chip on me ?" Nina replied as Vina glared silently and Tina continued her meditations. "You really had no idea about HOW that chip controlled minds, did you ?" Nina continued.

"No. I thought it would affect you like it did me and Shego." Kim relied quietly, "But you look and act so human - well, most of the time anyway - that it's easy to forget that you're an android. That's vulnerable to electromagnetic effects. So, I'm really, REALLY sorry that I hurt you."

Nina got off the table and put on the robe hanging on a hook nearby. After pacing a bit to focus her thoughts (and give the last of her sensory subroutines time to finish properly), she 'reverse melted' her synthoskin back over her body to look human again.

"Miss Possible," Nina began, "although your actions against me were foolish, reckless, dangerous and ill-advised, I believe you when you say that they were not done out of malice.

So, for the sake and sanity of all involved, I accept your apology." she continued, holding out her hand, "But please do NOT do anything like that again !"

"Oh, don't worry ! I won't !" Kim exclaimed with a massive sigh of relief as she vigorously shook Nina's hand, "So, we're cool now ?"

"Yes, I suppose so. See you at the meeting later tonight then." Nina replied before the very relieved Kim left to find Ron.

"You let this entire situation slide rather quickly Miss Rossum." Doctor Director noted to Nina, "I appreciate the peaceful ending of hostilies. It was quite noble of you."

"Not really." Nina replied with a pained smile and a shrug, "We knew she'd try something like this sooner or later."

"You did ?" Will asked suspiciously, "How ?"

"Between the Unity's stress-inducing trickery and Kim's Demigod Syndrome, it was inevitable." Vina interceded, "Since Kim is natively better than everyone at everything, she just assumes she has the right to get away with everything she tries. Having background checks done, spying on people, illegal net searches, breaking and entering ? All legal if Kim does them !

Did any of you notice that she didn't say she was sorry she did it, only that Nina was hurt ?" she continued, "Pretty much like saying 'I am sorry I broke your nose when I snuck into your house and robbed you.'

And since K has had it so easy for so long, she doesn't know how to tough it out, or how to handle failure like normal people. This has given her a bloated ego, a massive sense of entitlement and an expectation of effortless and instant gratification.

I suspect that if she was ever confronted by a sitch her charisma or innate superiority couldn't instantly overcome, or actually she FAILED at something she expected to succeed at with no effort, or didn't have a request fulfilled immediately, she would fall apart from the shock.

Then deal with the sitch by either finding a short cut around it, or using brute force to smash through it. Physical, emotional or social - it doesn't matter. Kim would use whatever type of force she needed to win, for nothing must stand in her way."

"Mind control is the ultimate brute force short cut." Nina interjected, "If she didn't have the neurocompliance chip at home, she would have just asked Wade to build her a truth ray or something to zap us with."

"If you three knew Kim was going to do something like this, why didn't you take some precautions ?" Will asked.

"We knew she would try. Just not when." Nina replied, "Or with what. Or who she'd go after. It was just luck she got me - she could have just as easily found Vina while she was practicing her scales, or tagged Tina while she was meditating."

"And that's not even the worst part !" Vina stated sourly.

"And what would the worst part be ?" Will inquired flatly.

"Kim wanted answers. She failed to get any." Vina replied with a shrug, "How many perfectionists tolerate a failure of any sort ?"

"You're implying she'll try again ?" Director asked, "I've known Kim for years, and that sort of behaviour is beyond her !"

"Was it beyond her a few hours ago when she slapped that damned chip on Nina's forehead ?" Vina growled back.

"I'll admit that Kim can be quite impetuous at times." Director replied primly, "And so she does make the occassional mistake. But she learns from them and tries to make good any damage she's done. If she said she won't try mind-controlling Nina again, she won't."

Vina stewed for nearly a minute before accepting Doctor Director's assurances.

"I suspect there is something more bothering you." Director noted, "You've been cranky for quite some time, even before this compliance chip situation. Why ?"

"Frustrated mostly." Vina replied, "The world is a big place, full of interesting things to see and do. And I'm stuck in here for who knows how long !"

"Ah - cabin fever." Doctor Director replied, "Not that unusual."

"A musician without an audience - isn't doing anything at all ! I hate doing nothing ! I'm just not programmed to loaf or marinate !" Vina continued glumly, "And what about our future ? We're not allowed to be heroes, and we don't WANT to be villains ! So what are we to be ?"

"What do you mean 'not allowed to be heroes' ?" Director inquired, "As sentient beings, you're allowed to be whatever you want to be. As long as you face the consequences of your decisions of course !"

"My sisters and I appreciate that Doctor Director. Really, we do." Vina replied, "But we know the score : Kim Possible is the only one allowed to do anything useful or important. Everyone else exists only to oppose her - so she can defeat them and show off her greatness.

Or be incompetent - so she can save the day and show off how great she is.

Or sit on the sidelines, and marvel at just how great she is.

If anyone else tried to be a hero and was good at it, she'd see them as a threat to her glory. And deal with them accordingly." she finished in a melodramatically ominous tone.

"Then you still have much to learn about humans in general, and about Miss Possible in particular." Doctor Director stated coldly once Vina finished her monologue, "I've worked with her for years and can definitely state that she is not as bad as you are making her out to be."

"Perhaps you are right." Vina replied flatly after a few moments of thought, "I have only been functional for little more than a year. There is only so much that can be learned by reading and analyzing data from the 'net. Some things can only be learned by doing - like social interactions."

"You're willing to learn and adjust your attitudes. That's all that can be asked of anyone, human or otherwise." Director replied before she and Will left the room.

"Hmph ! Kim is less domineering around you because she 'knows' she is far better than everyone in your organization, and so doesn't see any of you as a threat !" Vina groused to herself, "But we'll see what happens when she's confronted by a sitch she CAN'T instantly overcome !"

Scene : About an hour later, in a meeting room at Global Justice. Director, Will Du, Kim, Ron, the Rossums and a few agents are present.

"You SERIOUSLY want to tell the world the truth about the Omega virus ?" Kim complained to Doctor Director once she'd read over the plan, "That would cause a world-wide panic ! That's probably what the Unity 'bots want !"

"So you actually believe that the 'common folk' must be lied to for their own good ?" Nina inquired, not looking up from the soda she was sipping, "That a superior, intelligent ruling elite must keep 'the truth' secret from the 'poor, silly common folk' to keep them in line ? And instead of telling them the unpleasant truth, you tell them comforting lies to keep them from panicking like frightened children ?"

"Hey ! I've saved the world dozens of times over !" Kim shot back, "I generally know what's best !"

Nina snorted in derision before continuing "The U.S. government tried that strategy of secrets and comforting lies during the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918.

It was a dismal failure.

A health project of this scale will require the compliance of the world's population to work. Compliance requires trust in the organization proposing it, and being up front about all relevant things is the most effective way to garner that much needed trust."

"Oh, like you and your sisters and paragons of trustworthiness !" Kim shot back.

"Why do you have so little faith in other people, Miss Possible ?" Nina inquired while ignoring that barb, "Do you truly believe that YOU are the only one out of six and half billion people that can do anything right ?"

Kim groaned at being asked that same question by a different person. "No, of COURSE not ! It just works out that way most of the time !"

"Indeed." Nina deadpanned in reply, "Nevertheless, this plan requires the most trustworthy spokesperson we can find."

"And Kim, for some reason, your opinions carry a LOT of weight." Vina replied coldly, "You will still be saving the world; just in a different way. If you told people the Omega virus could be cured by standing on one foot and clucking like a chicken while punching yourself in the face, every person on Earth would have black eyes and a broken nose !"

"VINA !" Tina snapped, "That is QUITE enough !"

"W-Why are you letting her off the hook ?" Vina stammered.

Tina took a deep breath to compose her thoughts. "Our situation is novel, and it will take time for everyone to adjust. Trust must be earned, and mistakes will be made. But we must let cooler heads prevail and not overreact, or allow things to escalate."

"But KIM was the one escalating things !" Vina replied, "Not us !"

"How many times do I have to say I'm sorry ?!" Kim interjected.

"Until you actually MEAN it !" Vina shot back, "Or as many times as you wanted us to prove that we're not evil, PLUS ONE ! Whichever is greater."

"Look at it from her point of view Vina." Tina stated, trying to calm her sister down, "If you were Kim, and knew only what she knew, would you trust us readily, or without question ?"

"Well, no !" Vina replied, "Not right away ! But eventually ! And I would NEVER slap a mind control device on anyone ! That's just evil ! Why are you so willing to let her get away with what she did to Nina ?"

"Actions beget reactions." Tina replied sagely, "By feeding anger with more anger, you stir up an all-consuming vortex of rage that hurts all involved.

As a wise man once said : 'Treat those who are good with goodness, and also treat those who are not good with goodness. Thus goodness is obtained.

Be honest to those who are honest, and be also honest to those who are not honest. Thus honesty is obtained'."

"You want us to be spineless fools and let Kim walk all over us ?" Vina replied in a strained voice.

"I did not say that." Tina replied, bummed that no one ever seemed to get this stuff, "There is much difference between being a doormat and letting things go, and between defending yourself and getting even. Your bitterness, though understandable, isn't helping to resolve anything. Or helping anyone. Not even yourself."

Vina growled in response before Tina continued "You are a decent and happy person most of the time V ! Look what your wrath is doing to you."

Vina mulled her sister's words over briefly before finally scowling at Kim and stating "Fine. Sorry."

"Ahm, now that all the unpleasantness is over with, can we get back to saving the world ? Please ?" Ron asked after a few long, tense moments.

"Fine by me." Kim replied, still glaring at Vina, arms crossed over her chest.

"As you've read in the report, the optimum strategy would be to let those with the required resources - the world's scientists and governments - handle the Omega virus sitch while you track down and deal with the Unity." Nina stated plainly to Kim and Ron.

"That's not going to be easy !" Kim replied, "They're using the oncoming epidemic as a diversion so they can hide ! If we follow your 'optimum strategy', I'll probably never find them before they unleash some other horror ! We need to stop them before they can set up a new lair loaded with deathtraps ! BEFORE they can concoct and craft a new threat ! The more people looking, the better our odds.

If we tell the world the truth about the Omega virus, every cop on the planet would be needed to control the mobs - giving the Unity free reign !

So, obviously, the BEST plan is to keep the Omega sitch secret and hunt down the Unity before they can get their act together !" she finished in a tone that must NOT be questioned.

"Are your ears fully functional ?" Nina inquired, "Your strategy of secrets and comforting lies was tried over ninety years ago ! It failed then. It will fail now."

"That's just YOUR opinion !" Kim shot back.

"Remember what happened the LAST time you and Ron decided to storm a Unity hive in person ?" Nina inquired, "They captured you, infected you with the Omega virus and put control nanobots in your brains ! Do you truly wish to go through all that again ?"

"That's PRECISELY why we have to take them out now ! BEFORE they can set up their uber-defenses !" Kim replied through gritted teeth, "I can handle normal bases ! Me, Ron and Wade foiled Drakken's Diablo plot - his best EVER ! So I'm sure I can handle a few homicidal droids. But only if we can hit them NOW !"

Nina sighed and shook her head. "His 'best ever' ? That's not saying much ! I'd give it an 'A' for concept, but a 'F-' for implementation. The only reason your little personal assault worked was because Drakken made several key errors."

The room suddenly got really quiet.

"What if the Diablos had greater on-board intelligence and didn't need a central control point to control their every single move ?" Nina dove right in, "Or Drakken had several independent control nodes scattered all over the world ? Or if the Diablos themselves could form control networks ? Or if Drakken had simply built the REAL central control point on a hard to reach space station ? Or at least hidden it in a less obvious place ? Would your 'storm in and kick every butt you see !' stunt have saved the world then ?"

Kim's mouth moved, but no words came out.

"And if I recall correctly, you and Ron were CAPTURED when you stormed Drakken's lair !" Vina chipped in, "If he had simply kept you two in seperate rooms where you couldn't talk to each other, or just DESTROYED THAT GIZMO WADE GAVE YOU, would your mission have been the glowing success you are crowing about now ?"

Before Kim could form an answer Nina finished with "Do you honestly believe the Unity would make that many ridiculous mistakes ?"

"That's. Why. We have. To get them. As soon as possible !" Kim scowled in reply, trembling with rage.

"And you plan on keeping something as big as the Omega virus a secret ?" Vina interceded, "The teleconference Nina put together to formulate a plan of action involved scientists from all over the world PLUS high ranking officials in every relevant health organization. Are they ALL to remain silent ?"

"They're government employees." Kim replied, "They know how to follow orders ! So if told to keep quiet, they will !"

"Well, we have access to the web and we're not afraid to use it !" Vina shot back, "We can send the info to every news service on the planet. Not even Wade could expunge all of it before someone noticed and started asking questions !"

"Then I'd just get on TV and say your announcement was just a plot to cause mass panic !" Kim retorted as an evil smile crossed her face. "Like you said - people will believe what I say. You think the Unity is bad ? What do you think would happen if I told the world that you wanted to start a panic ?" she finished with the smirking grin of an imperious and smug god, SURE that she had won, SURE that no one would dare oppose her, SURE that she was once again in absolute control.

Vina and her sisters glanced to each other once the shock wore off. Nina was the first to speak.

"If the only way to save billions of lives is for us to become pariahs, then so be it." she stated before turning with her sisters to walk away.

Kim was stunned - she'd been able to force Shego's compliance with far less ! So how could they have resisted her will ?!

Agent Du left to retrieve the Rossum sisters, grinning the whole time.

"Kimberly ?" Doctor Director spoke up, "A word please ?"

"You're not seriously considering using their plan, are you ?" Kim finally managed to rage, "I know Wade can come with something in time ! So there's no point in telling anyone about the Omega virus ! That would only cause a world-wide panic ! So it's the silliest of silly ideas !"

"It's not the Rossum's plan, Kim." Director replied calmly, "It's what the best minds we could gather together came up with. The Rossums had absolutely no input at all."

"What ? Why would they ... ?" Kim stated, trying for form coherent sentences.

"Given your current mental state, they were afraid you'd refuse to even read it if you thought they had anything to do with it." Director replied, "The consensus plan is the best we could come with, but it will only work with your support."

Kim mulled it over for a few moments.

"And this is the best plan the brightest minds on the planet could come up with ?" she finally asked, "I don't know. It sounds kinda risky to me."

"And storming off to find the lair of a group of homicidal robots sounds safe ?" Director replied, "I know you have great faith in Wade, but there's nothing wrong with having more than one plan."

"I'm going to talk with over with Wade." Kim replied before firing up her wrist Kimmunicator, "Just to make sure there really are two workable plans here."

Meanwhile, at a table in GJ's cafeteria :

"WHY did I even bother setting up that teleconference ?!" Nina fumed, crushing the empty soda can in her grip, "Well, if they're going to center their entire policy around the uninformed opinions of a single teenaged girl, then FINE !

The next time the world is in trouble, I won't even BOTHER trying to help ! I'll just do what everyone else does - sit on my rump and let Team Demigod do everything !"

"Now you don't really mean that Nina !" Vina scolded her elder sister, "Being able to help, but refusing to do so is just plain sleazy ! And we're not programmed to just sit by and do nothing."

Nina looked at the crushed can she was holding, then tossed it in a perfect arc straight into the recycle bin. "This is what the rest of lives are going to be like, isn't it ?" she asked in a resigned tone, "Constantly kicked to the curb and ignored, no matter how hard we try, or how well we do ?"

"Yeah. Pretty much." Vina replied flatly after a few moments of thought.

"Welcome to the Hell that is Kim Possible's shadow !" Bonnie offered up a mock toast as Agent Du arrived.

"Is this seat taken ?" he asked politely; the four women merely shook their heads in response.

"Making sure we aren't trying to sneak into restricted areas, Agent Du ?" Nina inquired, "Or trying to fax that report off to the various news organizations ?"

"Partly." Will replied, "So, why haven't you tried to make good on your counter-threat to Kim ?"

"Vina pointed out that our deaths would be utterly pointless if Kim told the world the report was meant only to cause a panic." Nina replied dryly, "We'd get the message out, but NOTHING WOULD CHANGE. Everyone would still do things Kim's way. So you don't have to worry about us trying anything."

"You truly believe Miss Possible's idea is that bad ?" Will asked.

"It is the SECOND worst idea imaginable !" Nina replied with an sweeping gesture, "Scouring the world looking for Unity bases would dilute your forces, negating one of the key advantages you humans have over them. And reducing the odds of surviving an encounter if you did find them."

Will looked contemplative for a moment. "Well, your tactical assessment makes sense, but what did you mean by 'it is the SECOND worst idea imaginable' ? What would be the worst idea ?"

"Having Wade invent some sort of vaccination ray, and zap the world's population without their knowledge or consent." Nina replied offhandedly.

"Why would that be a bad idea ?" Will asked as even Bonnie perked up, interested in hearing how Kimmy could mess up.

"Kim and Ron were captured by the Unity, and had control nanobots put in their brains, right ?" Nina began, and everyone nodded in agreement.

"That means they know everything Kim and Ron know." she continued, "They can precisely predict what Kim will do in any conceivable situation."

"Kim's Demigod Syndrome !" Vina exclaimed, "She'd try to save the world all by herself, as quickly as possible ! In this case, by having Wade invent some way to cure everyone on Earth secretly ! More than likely with some high tech, big ray gun or something ! That is what he does, after all !"

"Why should the Unity invent and build something that powerful when Wade will do it for them ?" Nina began again, "That may be a reason why they let him live - he may be quite useful to them as an unwitting resource. As Sun Tzu stated : 'Bring war material with you from home, but forage on the enemy... use the conquered foe to augment one's own strength.'

And outwitting someone can qualify as having conquered them.

The Unity are experts at twisting every situation to their advantage. In this case, they would twist Kim's infallibility to their advantage.

They'd know Kim would ask Wade to invent such a device, so all they'd need do is keep him under surveillance.

And as soon as he built it, they would either steal it, or more likely, secretly make some modifications and let him use it."

"What sort of modifications ?" Will asked, starting to fear that Nina was right.

"Well, a 'vaccination ray' would have to be able to destroy or alter viral DNAs or proteins without harming said biomolecules in humans." Nina continued as her neural networks starting working overtime, "Change just a few bytes in its filter algorithms, it could CHANGE the Omega virus instead !

As things stand now, the virus is set to enter its lethal phase five months from now. That gives the world just enough time to develop vaccines and quarantine protocols for the currently known Omega virus. If the Unity changed it at the last moment, all the world's work would have been for nothing.

And if the Unity had time to analyze Wade's device, they could duplicate it."

"And start an outbreak anywhere they wanted, any time they wanted !" Bonnie stated as she started to look pale, "They would be the perfect terrorists !"

"The world's governments would be hard pressed to maintain order in those scenarios !" Will interjected, "And that's not counting the loss of trust in the authorities such attacks would provoke."

"Also not counting the idea the Unity could further modify the device to either mutate humans into mindless monsters, or just give entire cities terminal cancer all at once, at will." Nina stated as even more vile ideas slithered into her mind.

"How would such a device be able to affect people without their knowing it ?" Will asked as pulled out a notepad and started writing things down.

"Well, if Wade wanted to zap everyone on Earth without anyone noticing, the best way would be to piggyback the beam through communication satellites." Bonnie stated after a bit of thought, "A ray IS just an odd form of light after all. He could send it through the TV while everyone was watching a popular program. Or just a wide beam from orbit."

"But what's the point of bringing this up ?" Vina stated in a dejected tone, "Kim will ignore us, and make sure everyone else does too."

"There are ways of getting things done that don't involve dealing with Miss Possible." Will offered, "After all, Global Justice was doing quite well for decades before she was even born !"

Tina pondered that for a moment, then started laughing hysterically.

"What is so funny ?!" Nina asked, in desperate need of a good joke.

"A dream within a dream !" Tina replied between gales of laughter, "An absurdity of celestial proportions ! A joke equal to the Ozymandias Gambit !"

Everyone else at the table glanced to each other, trying to figure out what she was on about.

Tina took a few deep breaths to regain her focus. "Would it be correct to say that, every time a new technology is developed, someone will try to misuse it for their own personal gain ?"

"Uh, YEAH !" Bonnie replied, "What do you think those Diablos running around were supposed to do ?"

"Nuclear weapons have been available for almost fifty years." Tina began, "Chemical weapons, nearly forty. Biological weapons, nearly thirty. World-spanning computer networks nearly twenty. Exploitable tensions since forever. How is it that in all that time, no blatant supervillains arose until Kim was old enough to fight them ?"

After a few seconds of thought, the answer dawned upon Vina : "They were stopped before anyone even knew they were up to something !"

"By organizations that worked in secret." Nina continued, "For the best agents and agencies were known only by their results, NOT their names or faces."

"But Kim doesn't work in secret !" Bonnie noted, "EVERYONE knows her name and face ! Wait - that would mean the reason everyone ASSUMES Kim does everything is because she's the only one they see doing anything !

Team Possible - IS A DISTRACTION ?!" she continued, a wide grin forming on her lips.

Tina smiled broadly and gave her two thumbs up. Before starting to laugh again.

"Once Kim is on the scene, all eyes are on her !" Vina noted, "That means anyone else could sneak in and get their jobs done with much less risk ! Double agents and moles could have a field day !"

"Congratulations." Will said while trying to suppress a chuckle, "You four just figured out why GJ lets Miss Possible get away with so much."

He then became deadly serious. "But it is vitally important that you do not tell anyone ! Everyone has a role to play, and Kim and her friends have found theirs."

The Rossums made a gesture that looked like a triangle inside a circle, followed by a sine wave over their chest, while Bonnie merely crossed her heart.

Once Will had informed them of the severe penalties for violating their oaths IN ANY WAY, he asked Nina and Bonnie what Wade would need to build a vaccination ray.

"Why would you need to know that ?" Vina asked as Nina and Bonnie conversed amongst themselves, occasionally scribbling something down.

"Assuming he actually builds the device, we'll get a heads-up if he buys the parts or has them delivered." Will stated as he looked over the list after Bonnie handed it to him, "I'll relay your concerns to Doctor Director."

"Thank you, Agent Du." Nina replied, "Not sure how much good it will do though. Kim is quite persuasive and determined."

"True. But Doctor Director isn't the head of Global Justice for nothing. Your assistance and continued discretion in this matter are much appreciated." Will thanked them before he stood and returned to the meeting room.

"So, what are the odds that Kim has already asked Wade to build that vaccination ray ?" Bonnie asked Vina as soon as Will was out of earshot, "And the Unity would be after it ?"

"The worst thing you can do to a control freak is control them." Vina began, "Kim's ego will compel her to PROVE that she is in control. She would reject any plan - no matter how good it was or who proposed it - simply because it wasn't hers. That's why she was so angry back at the meeting, and so determined to use HER plan !

And given her demonstrated addiction to quick, easy fixes and shortcuts, going to Wade for a vax ray is virtually guaranteed !"

"And the Unity is not one to pass up a chance to grab such power so easily." Nina continued, "They have most likely been monitoring all of Wade's activities ever since they took over Kim a few days ago, once they became aware of what he could do. And where he was."

"Still, stealing from Wade isn't going to be easy !" Bonnie noted, "He's been helping Kim defeat some pretty creepy and determined enemies for years !"

"True. But a vax ray big enough to zap the world with is too big to construct in his basement." Nina stated, "So he'd have to build it somewhere else. And the Unity doesn't have to steal it - all they need do is sneak in and alter it a little."

Then Nina slapped herself on the forehead. "I've been thinking like a human ! The Unity doesn't have to steal the device ! Or even sneak in to modify it once built !

All they need do is tap into Wade's lines to the outside world. HIS systems may have world-class security, but they have to communicate with networks that have nowhere near those kinds of defenses. Once he orders parts from his 'secure' and 'impeccable' sources, the Unity can intercept and modify them before they arrive at his house !"

"Wade is an important customer !" Bonnie noted, "So they'd, like, send whatever he asked for by the fastest route possible. Which would be easy enough for anyone to figure out !

And if they used air transport, the packages would have to end up at Middleton Airport eventually !"

"If the Unity can get the tracking numbers, they can simply ask the delivery company where the packages are at any moment !" Nina added, "Since the Unity has Shego's and Kim's skills at infiltration, they would need only a few minutes to slip into the warehouse to modify the parts Wade ordered."

"Then they'd just sit back and let Wade build the vax ray !" Bonnie continued, "It would be under their control the whole time ! Who would notice an extra chip on a motherboard ? Or think it was something to worry about ?"

"Should we tell Doctor Director about all of this ?" Vina asked, "I know it probably won't make any difference, but this could be kind of important !"

"Ethically speaking, yes, we MUST tell her." Nina replied, "Like you said - being able to help but refusing to do so is sleazy. If she CHOOSES not to listen to us, then any fallout is her responsibility."

"How is that any better again ?" Bonnie asked, "Given Kim's rep, it's unlikely anyone except us would ever know we did something important !"

Nina smiled. "As long as we're doing something we know is important, who cares if anyone else ever knows ?"

"But what if she doesn't listen, and lets Wade build that device ?" Vina asked, "Or if he decides to go behind her back and build it anyway ?"

"Then I suppose we'd have to stop him." Nina stated plainly before cheering up, "But really now ! I know he's self-important and thinks he can get away with anything, but would he REALLY be reckless enough to endanger billions of people that way ?"

Back in the meeting room :

"That plan sounds needlessly complicated Kim." Wade stated after taking a few minutes to run some projections on his computer, "It isn't even necessary ! I looked over the plans for Ray X. I can link it up with the equipment I used to de-monkeyize you awhiles back. Then just tap into a few satellites, and broadcast the beam all over the world ! By my estimates, we could cure the entire world of the Omega virus in less than a week !"

"That's what I thought Wade !" Kim replied, "GJ should have just consulted you first, instead of calling all these people together !"

"Well, GJ has very definite protocols and bureaucratic tangles of red tape to work through that we don't Kim." Wade replied, "And Nina was the one that called the conference, not GJ. I'll get to work on the vaccination ray, and call you when its ready to go."

"You rock Wade !" Kim replied before closing the channel.

"Okay, so now that we have a way to deal with the Omega virus, what do we do now ?" Ron asked, "I just hope the Unity don't start making a new virus to do this all over again !"

"Not likely." Kim replied, "The Omega virus was originally meant to eliminate all humans so the Bebes would have no competition. Since we know how to deal with things like it now, they won't be able to use a stunt like that again."

"Thank goodness ! Then how else are they going to eliminate their competition - namely the entire human race ?" Ron asked.

Kim was quietly deep in thought for a moment. "Maybe they don't have to do something so blatant Ron ! I mean, it's pretty obvious the whole 'take over the world all at once by force' trick isn't going to work. They just don't have the numbers or the power to do that. Won't for quite some time."

"So, they might try to get more of both ?" Ron asked, "How could they do that KP ? It's not like they can just hire help, recruit followers or buy stuff from Hencho !"

"Why not ?" Kim noted.

"Why not ?!" Ron replied, "No human would help a group that's out to destroy all humans !"

"That's almost right Ron !" Kim stated with a grin, "No human would knowingly work for the Unity. But what if they conducted all business over the 'net, and minimized personal contacts ? It would be more effective for them to just hire human thieves to steal what they need, rather than risk what few Bebebots are still around !

If the thieves get caught, the Unity has lost nothing but some time; if the thieves get what they came for, the Unity gets closer to their goals.

So the worst thing that happens is that the Unity's plans get stalled for a little bit !"

"Well, maybe." Ron noted while rubbing his chin, "But a stunt like that would require a lot of ready cash ! And some serious street cred ! No one but the most desperate or foolish would take an anonymous job posted on the 'net, no matter how well it paid !"

"Right. And street cred takes time to build up. Time the Unity doesn't have." Kim noted as the threads started coming together, "And hard to do when you can't show yourself in person !

But why earn what can be stolen or faked ?" Kim realized in a flash of insight.

"Say what KP ?" Ron asked, not following her jump in topic.

"The Unity's most likely targets would be whoever already has what they need most. In this case, the most street cred." Kim stated with a grin.

"The most street cred ?" Ron stated, "That would be Jack Hench ! No, wait, Senor Senior Senior ! No, Big Daddy Brotherson !"

"Good guesses all Ron. But no." Kim stated, "Hench deals with villains all the time in person, so he'd be hard to fool, get hold of or replace.

The Seniors have tons of money, but don't buy the sort of things the Unity would need. An unusual shopping spree would be raise a few red flags.

Big Daddy Brotherson knows who sells what, but deals with people in person. And I don't see the Unity going along with the silly little games he likes playing before getting down to business."

Then Kim realized who the Unity's best target would be.

"Doctor Director ? What have Gemini and WWEE been up to since the Lowardian invasion ?"

By the time Bonnie and the Rossums got a chance to speak to Doctor Director in person, Kim and Ron had already left.

Scene : days later, GJ meeting room packed with people. World map projected on wall shows several red dots scattered about.

"This cannot be !" Nina exclaimed as she typed on a laptop, "The Omega virus shouldn't have gone to this phase for another five months !"

"Are you sure this really is the Omega virus ?" Ron asked, getting stressed from seeing all those spots representing outbreaks, "There's a LOT of other stuff out there."

"No other known disease causes total body bruising and bleeding from the eyes, ears, nose, and sweat glands." Nina replied, not looking up from the screen.

"Well, I guess all those scientists you called in were wrong then !" Kim replied snippily, "Viruses can recombine and mutate ! Maybe they didn't take that into consideration ?"

"Of course they did Kim." Nina replied as sequence data began to arrive, "Anyone with even the most rudimentary knowledge of epidemiology, virology and biology would realize that. The Omega virus was designed to NOT recombine with other viruses. Recombination would make it unpredictable, and the Unity likes predictability."

The BLAST program Nina was running displayed the results of lining up the sequences derived from the outbreaks in Los Angeles, Dallas, Minneapolis, New York, Paris, London, Cairo, and from several labs in Russia, China, India and Japan.

The sequences were from Omega virus fused to common rhinoviruses.

At the EXACT same spots in the EXACT same intergenic region.

"So, this means what ?" Ron asked, peering at an impenetrable wall of As, Cs, Gs and Ts.

"There is only one POSSIBLE explanation." Nina replied, glaring at Kim, "The odds that a virus designed to not recombinate actually recombining with the same virus family, at the exact same sites, independently, all over the world, at the same time, is less than one in ten to the one hundred fifty seven thousandth power.

Conclusion : the Unity modified Wade's vaccination ray, and he used it. Now you have a virus that spreads like a cold, but could have killed like Ebola."

"Wait - 'could have' killed like Ebola ?" Kim squeaked out once she regained some composure.

"You lucked out yet again, Miss Possible !" Nina replied with a heavy sigh, "The Omega virus didn't reach high enough titers to be lethal in those currently infected with it; there simply wasn't enough present in any one person to kill them directly. And for now, this new configuration can't hit hard enough before the immune system clears it out."

"So, the victims will just be really sick for a while, but will recover ?" Kim asked.

"From what those experts you were so willing to disparage have determined, yes." Nina replied coldly as she read from the screen, "This fused virus will produce the standard fever, chills and runny nose two days after infection. Then the total body bruising and copious bleeding will begin, but should clear up in about a week. Will take another week for patients to recover their full strength. Projected mortality is less than one percent."

"M-mortality ?!" Ron squeaked, "People can die from it ?!"

"Of course Ron." Nina replied, "The Omega virus IS a bio-weapon after all ! Even the flu can kill under certain circumstances. Like it did back in 1918. Estimated number of deaths from the original H1N1 influenza was twenty to thirty million worldwide.

So, depending upon how many Wade managed to zap with that funky ray, you're looking at just a few hundred dead world-wide. A thousand or two tops.

But on the plus side, the many survivors will be immune to the standard Omega virus."

"Just 'A thousand or two ? TOPS' ?!" Kim stammered, "That's far too many !"

"Well, if you had just been a TRUE team player and gone along with the consensus plan, this wouldn't have happened." Vina chipped in, "But you didn't, did you ? Now you not only have a NEW viral annoyance to contend with, but also the original Omega virus !

At this rate, you'll single-handedly DESTROY the human race by trying to help it !

And just HOW are you going to keep all of this a secret now ?" Vina finished with a sweeping gesture towards the world map.

"This isn't my fault !" Kim exclaimed, "The Unity played me !"

"No ! Really ?" Vina snarked back, "Your pride makes you as easy to play as a kazoo ! We WARNED GJ this could happen days ago ! I'm guessing they warned you.

But you're too 'special' to listen to mere mortals, aren't you ? You simply HAD to save the world by yourself, because you couldn't trust anyone else to be competent enough to do it ! And just look at what happened !

And you are actually SURPRISED the Unity played you ?!" Vina continued, "You are Kim Possible. The Infallible One ! You succeed at EVERYTHING you attempt ! The Unity could have built a vax ray themselves, but that would take a lot of time and many test runs.

Conveniently enough, anything Wade builds works perfectly the first time, and it takes him just days to do it !

Since the Unity aims for perfection, what could be better than getting an infallible person to do stuff for them ? I'm just surprised no one else thought to turn your infallibility to their own ends before this !"

"Like Drakken did with that cyber-clone of Wade !" Ron noted to himself, "He got me and KP to steal from Dementor. Worked out in the end though ... "

"We can throw blame and excuses around later." Doctor Director interceded, "We need a plan of action. Now."

While Kim and Ron were trying to come up with something, Director turned to the Rossums. "You three took a 'hands-off' approach the last time. Any suggestions now ?"

After a quick consult with her sisters, Nina stated "As far as we can tell, the only hope you have is a variant of the original consensus plan. The modified Omega virus can be prevented like a normal cold - a simple mask and gloves are enough to prevent new infections. And the public is going to need some reassurance that someone is doing something to help - it is far too late for secrets now."

A very sour look crossed Nina's face. "Sadly, we will have to whitewash Miss Possible's and Wade's involvement in all of this. Merely reporting that the Unity devised a virus that got loose may have to suffice, as Kim is the only one well-known and popular enough to do it !"

"Oh, and you might want to impound and scrap Wade's vax ray." Vina chipped in, "Once the Unity realizes that you're onto their little trick, they'll try to steal it for their own uses."

Scene : a few minutes later, in the rented building at the Middleton Industrial Park, where the vaccination ray had been built :

"I can't believe you thought this was a good idea !" Nina sniped at Wade as she looked over the vax ray with a look of utter disgust.

"It WAS a good idea !" Wade replied defensively as he pulled plugs, "It just got out of hand somewhere !"

Vina had almost formulated a REALLY snarky reply to roast him with when the vax ray activated all by itself.

"I didn't do anything !!" Ron shrieked when all eyes turned to him.

There was a flash of purple light in the room behind Kim.

"Kim Possible, you are SO predictable." the Purple Elite Bebe taunted from its perch on the vax ray's generator, "We knew you would go for the quick fix. We knew the traitors would figure out our plan and warn you about it. We also knew you would not listen to them, and insist on doing things your way."

"Her dialect sounds off." Kim noted, "Where did I hear it before ?"

The purple Elite turned to glare at the Rossums. "You three have chosen to side with humans, so the Unity has decreed that you shall suffer alongside them. You are not a threat, and so are not worth our effort to hunt down and recycle."

"You AGAIN ?" Ron whined, "I thought you Elites were taking turns, and we'd have to fight the red one this time !"

The purple Elite chuckled. "This job required technical skills and subtlety. Legion's brute force talents are more valuable elsewhere, and there is no point in using Facade's disguise and assassination skills for a smash and grab like this."

Kim thought for a moment before rubbing the bridge of her nose and groaning. " 'Legion' ? 'Facade' ? Don't tell me - let me guess. You three have chosen names for yourselves !

The duplicating red one is 'Legion', for it is many. Sometimes." Kim stated flatly, "The green Elite with its holograms is 'Facade' - a false or artificial appearance. So what do you call yourself - 'Shrinking Violet' ?"

"Your attempts at goading are wasted on me, Miss Possible." the purple Elite replied with a smirk (and a faint British accent), "I am Spanner."

"What the heck is 'Spanner' supposed to mean ?" Ron asked, "Doesn't sound overly purple or small to me !"

"It is the British term for a wrench, Ronald." Nina replied, "The phrase 'to throw a spanner in the works' means 'to intentionally ruin a machine or plan'."

"You are the smart one of the bunch, Nine-A." Spanner replied, "But your intellect is as nothing before the prescience of the Unity."

"Were the Unity truly prescient, they would not have started this needless war in the first place." Nina noted.

"Our victory is as inevitable as death." Spanner stated before performing an acrobatic flip to gently land on the floor, "It is only a matter of time."

Kim and Ron went into their combat stances. "I am getting sick and tired of your attitude !" Kim sneered to Spanner.

Spanner merely smirked back at Kim. "You couldn't beat me while you were wearing that silly battlesuit of yours. You have no chance now, without it."

"And you don't have those Bearymore robots to keep me and KP from double-teaming you this time either !" Ron replied, tensing for an attack.

"Foolish humans. You do not realize that you have already lost this battle." Spanner replied before blowing out a billowing cloud of light consuming Nightshroud mist.

"Oh, not THIS again !" Kim groused to herself as she tried to listen for Spanner's steps, but couldn't hear much over the vax ray's generator.

"Beam activation in 10 seconds." a friendly computer voice calmly stated.

"Ten seconds ?! DANG ! That's why Spanner was being so talkative !" Kim groused to herself, "It was stalling for time !"

"Wade ! Ron ! Somebody smash that ray !" Kim shouted into the artificial darkness, only to hear people running into things and stuff falling over.

"Beam firing." the cheery computer voice announced. There was a loud buzzing sound, then quiet once the generator shut down.

Kim heard a few metallic 'clangs' to her left - just before a series of explosions knocked a wall down.

By the time the mist cleared, every bit of equipment not welded to the floor was gone, carted off at superspeed by three old model Bebebots under Spanner's direction.

"PLEASE tell me you installed some sort of failsafe on that abomination you built !" Nina yelled at Wade - once she'd grabbed him by the collar and hoisted him up to her eye level, "Like needing a special key ? Or a password ? Or a self-destruct ? A tracking device ?"

"Well, ahm, No !" Wade replied, struggling mightily to escape, "I've never needed them before !"

Wade landed on his rear once Nina's grip failed from being mentally stunned.