A/N: This chapter explains how Blight's found out something that our heroes have tried to keep a secret. But it's out now!

Chapter 1: Past and future

-In the future-

It was morning on Hope Island and Kim was in her hut, in front of the mirror applying some moisturizer to her face. The woman took a closer look and frowned. She knew she should've had some indication of the number of years gone by on her face by now. Aside from some faint laughter lines at the corners of her eyes, there was nothing to indicate her age. She knew she should've been happy about it but couldn't help but wonder. This just wasn't normal. The brunette wondered why it had taken her this long to notice.

Cap, who was lounging on their bed, taking it easy after an early mission, sensed her confusion. What it was about, the superhero didn't know, since he didn't want to poke that deeply in her head, respecting the privacy of her thoughts.

"What's up, love?" he asked, sitting up.

"More like what's not up," Kim said, meeting his eyes via the mirror as he joined her.

A slight crease appeared between his eyebrows at her comment, indicating his confusion as to what she meant.

"Don't you think I should have something to show for the years that we've been together on my face? Like a few wrinkles at least."

Years that had seen both ups and downs. The downs had mostly had to do with the passing of Buddy the dog. The animal had been loved by everyone on the island and his death had been a sad affair. But none had taken it as hard as Kim. The animal had been her companion for so many years that she didn't know how she would manage without him. With the support of her boyfriend and the Planeteers, Kim had gotten over the worst of it. The painting the woman had of her pet at the cabin had been brought to the island and it had found a place in the common hut. The love between the couple was as strong as ever. Every time she had thought her boyfriend couldn't surprise her anymore, he had managed to do just that.

Time didn't really mean that much to the superhero, unaffected by it as he seemingly was but he had to admit she was right, knowing how time should affect the human body. And now that she mentioned it, there clearly were no normal signs of the years gone by anywhere on his girlfriend. Why hadn't he noticed it before?

Cap was going to lighten the situation with some witty comment as was his M.O. but for once thought it best not to. He could see she was serious.

He wrapped his arms around the woman's waist, getting an idea. "Maybe we should go and see Gaia. See if she can shed some light into this."

That had been his solution to every problem when he didn't know the answer to something himself.

"I'd think she has more important things to worry about," Kim argued. Looking at their reflection, she thought the moment was very immortalizing-worthy. If she had the chance, maybe she could try out painting this. Even if she hadn't had much time for that since becoming the island's official mechanic.

The superhero smiled, looking at her via the mirror. "Honey, I can tell how much this is bothering you. So that makes it important to me." Her puzzlement and concern were indeed palpable. In addition to wanting her to get some answers, he wanted to know what was up, as well.

Kim did want to know the answer to this mystery, so she agreed to go and see the spirit. As the couple entered the Chamber, Gaia appeared as if she had known they were coming.

"Good morning," she greeted them.

After the initial pleasantries, they told the spirit why they had come to see her. "It just couldn't be thanks to the moisturizer I'm using," Kim finished. The stuff was effective, sure, but it had its limits.

Gaia looked at Cap. "What do I have to do with it?" the superhero asked in surprise, getting the meaning of the spirit's look.

"I'm surprised you haven't figured it out by now," she said to him.

The couple looked at each other and then back at the spirit. "What's he done to me?" Kim wanted to know.

"And when did I do it?" the eco-hero asked, totally confused now.

Gaia sighed. There were times her son was so clueless despite his good memory. "Remember the time when she was in the hospital?" she asked patiently.

At his nod, the spirit was going to continue but Cap beat her to it. Now that she had mentioned it, he had figured out the rest on his own. The matter had been forgotten, even by him when nothing seemed to have had come up. "You mean that that dose I gave her of my blood back then did this?" He had done it on Gaia's prompting. How she had known it would help, he hadn't known. And hadn't asked, only glad that it had done the trick. But as it now had turned out, it had also had some kind of a side effect.

The spirit nodded. "It would appear so."

"Has his blood made me… like him?" Kim asked with wide eyes.

That he would have noticed. Not to mention everyone else, if it had been anything like the time his own powers had emerged. "I wouldn't go that far, love," Cap argued. "You haven't displayed any powers, have you?"

The woman admitted nothing of that sort had cropped up, having just jumped to conclusions. Not that she would have wanted any powers. It might have been nice to get such powers for a little while but not for life.

"So we have to conclude that in addition to helping you recover," Gaia said to Kim. "It seems his blood has given you a longer lifespan."

Kim and Cap exchanged another look. "Longer by how much?" the former wanted to know. She didn't know what to think about this new development.

"We won't know that until later," the spirit said.

Unbeknownst to the trio, the conversation was picked up by the audio sensors of a certain computer via a bug spy. MAL saved the conversation in his memory banks. He was sure Doctor Blight would find it interesting.

Elsewhere in the ship, Doctor Barbara Blight was busy taking her frustrations out on her equipment. Her latest experiment wasn't going as well as she had hoped. Time had not been good to her, the doctor's face far from smooth.

MAL's face appeared onto a screen in the room. He cleared his proverbial throat. "Excuse me, Doctor."

"Not now, MAL," Blight snapped. "I'm busy."

"I really think you should see this," her sidekick insisted, playing back the recording.

"To think he actually has blood in him," Blight mused after the clip ended. "Interesting kind of blood at that… MAL, bring up an image of her then and now for comparison."

MAL did as he was told, showing her an image of Kim as she had been when they had kidnapped her years before and bringing up an image of her today beside it. There were no signs of her having aged a day.

"No noticeable changes, Doctor," MAL said needlessly.

Blight looked at her reflection and didn't like what she saw. Despite her best efforts to stay beautiful, nothing had worked. Maybe this was what she had been waiting for. A grin spread itself on the doctor's face. One that MAL knew very well, having seen it many times. "This gives me an idea…"

"Do tell, Doctor," he said, curious as to what the doctor's idea was.

"Well, MAL, baby," the doctor said. "It involves going back in time…"

-In the past. Or present, however you want to look at it-

A hole in time appeared in the ship and Blight from the future stepped through it. MAL was the first to become aware of her. The computer was surprised to see her but quickly having looked her over came to the conclusion she was clearly from the future. His Blight had done enough time travel that the computer had become used to this.

"Hello, MAL," future Blight said pleasantly, turning off her portable controller for the portal. The hole closed itself for the moment. "Where might I find the younger me?"

"Doctor future dear," the computer said. "Haven't you noticed it's night time?"

For the first time Blight looked out the cockpit window and sure enough, it was dark although it was slowly beginning to brighten, marking the beginning of a new day.

"I don't care," Blight said. "Go and wake her up." She didn't want to wait.

"Not without a good reason I won't," MAL told her. "You know how cranky you get when I wake you prematurely."

She sighed, knowing this too well but didn't care right now. "Trust me, byte head. She would want to hear what I have to tell her. So move it, or she'll wake up to having a dismantled computer!"

MAL gulped. "Perish the thought." It must have been very important for her to make the trip back to the past. Important to her at least. "I will do my best." With that, he disappeared from the screen only to appear on the screen in the room serving as Blight's bedroom on the ship. The woman was snoring like no tomorrow.

MAL let loose a sound that imitated an alarm clock. A very loud alarm clock. Blight's snoring became disconnected until she woke up fully with a start.

"What's the big idea, MAL?" she demanded, annoyed at the rude awakening.

"Sorry to interrupt your beauty-sleep, but you have a visitor," MAL replied. "She was very insistent to talk with you."

"Who would want to visit me?" Blight asked, not really listening. "Especially at this hour."

MAL didn't disclose any more information. Curiosity won and she went to investigate. And came face to face with herself. Older, but it was her. As a scientist, time travel wasn't a strange concept to her.

After it was explained why she was there, Blight was all ears. Her future-self told her what she had seen and heard about Captain Planet and his girl. When asked if she had proof, Blight from the future produced a tape and popped it in, telling MAL to play it. She had had to go through the trouble of putting the clip into an older recording because of this trip. The computer did so, also curious about this new development.

"So that's how Planthead was able to save that woman of his after Bleak shot her," Blight mused when the method how the superhero had helped her was mentioned. 'To think he actually has blood in him…' If anything, she would have thought there was some kind of sap running inside the superhero. That would have fit better.

A devious grin spread itself on the woman's face as a plan was taking shape in her mind. Namely how she could use his blood to her advantage.

"Not a bad plan at all," future Blight commended her younger self. That was precisely why she had come to the past.

"How do you know what my plan is?" Blight asked in surprise. "I haven't told you about it yet."

"I'm you, remember," future Blight reminded her with a smirk. "I know everything you think because I already thought it." Blight figured that made sense so didn't comment further.

"Might I be let in on the plan, too?" MAL interjected.

"I'd think you would already have guessed, MAL, baby," Blight said. "I want to get my hands on Bluefus's blood."

"Maybe even drain him dry," future Blight put in.

"Sounds delicious," the computer praised.

Blight grinned. "Doesn't it?" Her brain was working to perfect the plan she had come up with. "If I pull this off, I won't end up looking like that." She indicated her older self.

"And as a bonus, if you pull it off, we probably won't have to deal with Blue Boy ever again," future Blight added. She was looking forward to looking young again. And continue her work without anyone trying to stop her. Without the superhero the Planetpains would be easy to take out.

Blight grinned. "That's music to my ears." Both of them laughed their signature laughs, ending with the typical sigh.

After her future self had left, Blight watched the island for a while for an opportunity to strike and capture the superhero. It didn't bother her if his girl was taken as well. She was needed too. But the ultimate experiment would be to get the superhero's blood. The doctor knew he wouldn't do anything voluntarily but she could think of ways to "persuade" him to do what she wanted.

Blight contacted Nukem, wanting the mutant to do something he would enjoy for her. But the yellow giant wasn't interested, still remembering the last time they had captured Planet. So the scientist had to do the job herself. She knew where to get stuff that would help her in reaching her goal, weakening the superhero. Nowadays there were quite many of those available despite the growing number of nature nerds. They would not be as fast as radiation but would get the job done, nonetheless. The end result was what mattered here.

A/N: So what do you think? Please R&R and let me know.