Sweet Dreams, Kimmie - Part Two
Usual disclaimers: Disney owns the Kimmiverse, Catrlgirl owns her stories, I own my stories.
Chapter Three: Restructure
Betty Director stood with Hirotaka on the balcony overlooking the gymnasium at the Global Justice facility in Middleton. Below them, Kim was sparring with Yori. The young ninja was keeping up with the redhead, but just barely. In only two weeks, Kim had returned to more than ninety per cent physically. But that wasn't the only factor. It did not explain why she could even hold her own against one of the best of the Yamanouchi ninja, a woman who had been training for the past years while Kim was captive.
"Kim's concentration is total." Hirotaka watched the sparring pair with a critical eye. "Yori is very, very good, but like most people, she cannot completely shut out other concerns. She wonders what we think, how we are judging her performance. She considers Kim's improvement. Maybe she even worries a little bit about how she looks. Kim doesn't care. All she is thinking about is fighting."
The two ninja were guests of Global Justice. Three days after Kim had returned, they had appeared at the entrance to Global Justice headquarters, despite the nominal secrecy of the organization. Dr. Director knew better than to ask how they found that Kim was there. It might have been Wade, it might have been someone or something else. She would try to find out, but it really didn't matter. Yamanouchi just was. You accepted it like you accepted the existence of the Yakuza in Japan or the tongs in Hong Kong. At least Yamanouchi was nominally on the side of justice.
The ninja were always outwardly calm, but Betty knew that Yori, at least, burned with a hatred of Shego. The fire was low, banked, a bed of coals in her heart, but it was there and real and the girl would do all that she could to help defeat the villainess. She had loved Ron with the intensity of a teenage crush, and had never had the opportunity to get beyond it. What she could do now was help Kim reach her maximum ability. And so she trained the redhead, sparred with the redhead, and looked forward to the day that the redhead once again stood against Shego.
Hirotaka was less intense, less invested. But Ron had been of Yamanouchi, and Kim a friend of Yamanouchi, and Yamanouchi did not forget nor forgive. They were ninja, and ninja undertook dangerous tasks and sometimes were injured or killed. But Shego had sought Kim outside of business, and killed Ron when it was not necessary. Yamanouchi was patient, but now that they had a path through which to attack, they were there to help.
"Yori is tiring. I will ask them to take a break, and then I will work with Kim."
~o~o~o~
"My report, Dr. Director."
"Thank you, Francine. I'm short on time. Summarize for me, please."
The elderly psychologist took a seat in the director's office. Sighing deeply, she began. "Kimberly is stable, focused, disciplined, capable. Other than her obsession with Shego, she displays no signs of delusion, paranoia, or neuroticism. In many ways, she is perfect for Global Justice. The problem isn't what she is. The problem is what she isn't."
The blonde behind the desk nodded. "Explicate, please."
"There is nothing there beyond the surface. She wakes in the morning and exercises. She eats a perfectly balanced breakfast. She studies subjects such as cryptography, that are useful in going after Shego. She practices combat skills. She eats and sleeps. Nothing else. She speaks when spoken to. She answers questions. That's all."
"Has she seen her parents?"
"Not since the one time, shortly after she was picked up. She called them 'Mother' and 'Father', and didn't even ask about her brothers. She also has expressed no interest in seeing Tara, her lover from a few months ago."
Betty recalled the meeting. It had been at Global Justice, as taking Kim out of GJ headquarters risked an assault by Shego to get her back. Kim had stood at parade rest, greeted her parents, and said that she was well. It had been a painful experience.
"What happened?"
"I don't know. The first time she came back, she would talk about what Shego had done to her. You remember, she just walked away. Her guilt was deep, and she did not believe she deserved her freedom. I can only guess what punishment she was given for having escaped. But she doesn't talk about any of that. If I ask, she just ignores the question. The only thing she has said is that she left Shego because 'it was necessary'. And she came to Global Justice because it is here that she can be useful.
"My guess is that somehow, Shego went too far. She pushed Kim into a corner where she couldn't live with what she was, or what she had done. She had convinced Kim that she was responsible for Ron's death, that she was a killer. Maybe the guilt over that finally pushed her over the edge.
"Whatever it was, the result is what you have now. She's completely focused. Nothing exists for her other than finding and stopping Shego."
"Will she recover?"
The grey haired woman looked at Betty curiously. "I don't know what that means. Every experience changes us. Kim has been through things most of us could not imagine. She'll never be what she was. If you mean, will she again be able to experience and display emotion, I have no idea. Maybe. But the old Kimmie, from before the Little Diablos? Before Shego kidnaped and raped her? No. She's gone forever."
~o~o~o~
"She is not as dangerous as she believes she is."
Dr. Director looked across the table at the redhead. Kim was relaxed as always, her face calm, despite the topic of conversation. "Why do you think that?"
"She tells herself that she never killed Kimmie because she never actually wanted to. That is not correct. It is a rationalization to avoid admitting defeat. I have reviewed all of her fights with Kimmie, and the reason she lost is that using her power requires a great deal of concentration."
"Go on." Will Du was focused on the young woman, analysing every word and making notes.
"When she uses her power effectively, that's all she's doing. She can cut through steel, but that has to be her focus. If she has to pay attention to other things, such as dodging punches, she can't bring to bear the concentration required to use her plasma at high temperature or force. Kimmie was able to hold her wrists even when her hands were lit with plasma. That was because the plasma was at low intensity.
"Also, it seems that she can only use her power through her hands, from the palms and fingers. Never in all the fights, nor when she would show off when Kimmie was captive, did Kimmie ever see her bring plasma from anywhere else on her body. It sometimes seemed to encompass her wrists as well, but it did not emanate from there.
"Finally, her powers are not instantaneous. It takes from one to several seconds, I believe, for her to bring her powers to full intensity. This probably depends on how free she is to concentrate."
"What about her strength?" Du looked up from his notepad at Hirotaka's question.
"She's strong, but she's Olympic gymnast strong, not superhuman strong. Kimmie could nearly match her. When she uses her powers, she can punch through rock and steel, and she can appear to be incredibly strong, but that's the glow, not muscle. And as I said, the glow requires concentration. She believes she's superhuman, but she is not."
Dr. Director glanced at the wall clock. "Summarize for us, Possible."
"Even without her powers, she is a ninja-level fighter. She is better than she was before the Li'l Diablos incident. Against the usual trained agent, she has little difficulty, and has the time and concentration left over to use her powers. Against a ninja, her skill and strength is enough. Yori and Hirotaka together could take her." A nod here towards the two ninja. "I can defeat her. Perhaps there are a few others at Yamanouchi. I don't think so."
"'Could' and 'can'? Give me odds, Possible."
A pause for thought. "Fifty-fifty for Hirotaka and Yori. Eighty-twenty if they're willing to chance killing her. Ninety-ten if they're not only willing to kill her, but willing to sacrifice one of themselves in the fight. Sixty-forty for me, based on skill. Better if she's sloppy or careless. She won't be sloppy. She might be careless."
"Do your odds increase if you're willing to chance killing her?" Du's question was urgent.
Kim's eyes did not waver. "No. That's already included."
Betty nodded. "Okay. Her security is nearly complete. We haven't been able to get a lead on her, even though we've had Emory under a microscope. Let's figure a way to get Shego to come to us."
~o~o~o~
"The odds aren't good enough, Possible. Sixty-forty, you said."
"You said we have to find a way to get her to come to us. The only thing she hates enough to break cover is Kimmie. So we make her think she has a chance to recapture Kimmie."
"And if you lose?"
"If I lose, use a missile to destroy her flier, then come in with your best manpower. It is very doubtful that you will be able to capture her, but you should try. But don't do anything until after we fight. She'll be in touch with Spider, and Spider will be watching. She'll let Shego know if anything is going on, and Shego will escape."
~o~o~o~
*I've found her.* Shego read the line from Spider and snorted.
"We knew where she was. She's with Global Justice." While Spider refused to use voice unless she absolutely had to, Shego's replies were spoken. "Probably buried in a basement somewhere. They won't let her go home, not after I just walked out with her."
*She's not home. She's in the Nevada desert.* Latitude and longitude flashed on the screen. Shego brought up the location in another display, seeing nothing but barren waste. In the middle of the screen, as she zoomed in, she saw a single low building, the roof almost the same color as the desert floor. The satellite photo had been taken in late afternoon, and the building cast a shadow. If not for that, she might have missed it. *She has been there four weeks.*
"What the fuck is she doing out there?"
*Probably not _that_, but I'm always available ;)*
Shego chuckled. "But currently, I'm not. Let's talk about the little runaway, okay?"
*Okay, Heartbreaker. She's training. On Monday morning, two ninja come to work with her. They leave Saturday. Occasionally another instructor comes. They seem to be firearms, demolition, or cyber specialists.*
"Shit. She's training to come after me. What the fuck is wrong with her? She can't beat me, and she can't live without me. I own that bitch."
A picture replaced the position information on the screen. The sun was higher in this one, and Kim was visible. She had cut her hair, and wore a form-fitting suit of off-white. She was running, and Shego assumed it was part of her daily workout routine.
"What's she wearing?"
*Standard Global Justice battle suit. No markings, but otherwise identical. Carbon fiber, so it will stop knives and small bullets. Flame resistant. Just body armor. They gave up on strength enhancements when Dementor hacked one of the suits. No electronics in them any more. Usually worn under a uniform, but doesn't have to be.*
"Tell me about this place she's at."
*The building is an old barracks. Probably emptied and turned into a dojo. She lives there. I have satpics of her outside, but mostly she stays inside. The area is a US Air Force test range. There are missiles nearby. Full radar coverage. Flat for miles. Even cloaked, nobody can fly in. USAF has Hench's tech now, so they can see through it.*
"A small flyer could get in by staying in the ground clutter."
After a pause, the hacker replied, *Yes. I think so. But only one or two.*
"How did you find her?"
*I traced Will Du. He went there. The site is officially listed as closed. I investigated.*
"How did you find out he went there?"
*I was tracing her parents and friends, but there was no contact. Du was my next try. GJ transport records had him checking out a flyer from their base in Utah. No record where to. USAF records showed a 'open to GJ IFR' order for that area that day.*
*That's the only records I can find. No supply reqs or anything else. No assignments or trip reports. They're using ninja copters so they don't have checkout records. GJ is completely tight on this. USAF has to transmit the IFR open reqs, and they submit one Monday morning, Saturday night, and once or twice each week. Each time for one of a few IFR codes. There was only the first time that it was GJ. Probably Du checking the place out to make sure it was still usable.*
*The only time she's ever alone is Sunday.*
"How did you get into the records at GJ? Shouldn't they be classified? Was it bait?"
*I don't think so. Everything at GJ is classified, but transport records are in the main system, not the partitioned systems. I could read those, too, but it's harder and more likely to be detected.*
"I still don't like it. It's too perfect. One day I can be there, I'd have to come alone, et cetera. It smells like trap."
*I've looked at a week of satpics. There's no evidence of anybody else there. If it's a trap, there's only Kim to spring it.*
"Well, fuck it. She can wait. I've got other things to deal with at the moment."
~o~o~o~
"It's been eight weeks." Betty Director looked angry. "Shego hasn't made a move that we can see. Wade?"
The hacker reported. "There haven't been any intrusions into the records systems since the one I reported three weeks ago. Like I said then, the hacker definitely read the transport logs, and all the supply requistions he could. Du's trip out there was found. But there's no further activity."
"Spider is female, Wade." Kim's emotionless voice sounded mechanical over the encrypted connection from Nevada. The land line had been installed when the installation was built over five decades in the past, and was buried to protect it from desert sandstorms. The broadcast signal actually emanated from a station more than five miles away. The team was certain that it was secure, and could not be connected with the barracks where Kim stayed. The plans for the installation were so old that they were only on paper, and probably could not be found even if the proper authorities tried. There was an excellent chance that they no longer even existed.
"Could you have missed it?"
Wade looked offended. "Whoever this person is, she's good, but she isn't that good. I can't trace her back, but I know if she's gotten in."
"What about surveillance of the site?"
"Hacking into the NASA and Air Force satellite feeds is so easy, everyone does it. It's like the first test for a serious hacker. About fifty people did it later the same day that the GJ records were poked. I traced all but four. They were easy, so they aren't anybody we care about. Our person is one of the others. I didn't push too hard on those. The satellite links aren't very well protected, so there's less information to use in tracing intrusions. If I can't trace the GJ break-in, I won't be able to trace the NASA jack."
"So, we can't find Shego, and we can't find this Spider person. And Shego hasn't taken the bait. And the longer we wait, the farther she gets with whatever she's doing. All we know is that she's trying to become a major player in rubidium. And that she's willing to be completely ruthless."
Kim's voice came again from the speaker. "She is better at containing her hatred than I anticipated. She was never focused before the Bueno Nacho incident. Now, she is fanatical."
Du interjected, "Maybe she's building up her anticipation."
"Possibly," Kim agreed, with no evidence that she noticed her unintentional pun. "But I have an idea that may force her hand."
Betty Director leaned forward with a feral smile. "Let's hear it."
"It needs Wade, and Yamanouchi, and probably Will. Will, you'll have to separate from Global Justice. I don't think GJ can be officially involved in this."
The agent's voice was grim. "Anything it takes. I was supposed to protect you from Shego, and I failed. I'm ready to do anything."
"Kimmie never blamed you. Now let me tell you what I have in mind. Betty, you should leave."
"Indeed? Hypothetically, if I should happen to overhear a conversation about hypothetical actions in a hypothetical case, I would not be likely to consider them evidence of intent. I'll be over here in the corner doing paperwork. I am no longer part of this conversation."
"Dr. Director?"
"Yes, Will?"
"I hereby resign from Global Justice. I will clear my desk later today."
"I light of your years of service, I think we can give you the courtesy of a couple of weeks to clear things out, Will. And of course should you reconsider, I'm sure your old job would be available."
"Thank you, ma'am."
The legalities having been taken care of, Kim outlined her plan. It took only a few moments.
"I'll need a few days to prepare, Kim. That kind of thing is more difficult than you might think."
"But you can do it, Wade?"
"Absolutely. You just want it done quickly and completely. Preliminary work will help."
"Her tactics have left her no friends, so there aren't many likely targets. Will?"
"I'll need a couple of days, as well. I can think of only two probables. I'll talk to some people in France and Spain, and lay the groundwork for a response. Yamanouchi can deal with any physical records that need to be altered." Yori nodded, her face grim. Du rose from the table. "Thank you, Kim. I haven't felt this good in months."