I do not own any Disney characters named herein, and am only borrowing them to tell a nonprofit tale meant for entertainment purposes only.
Kim Possible: Impossible Journey
By LJ58
4
"No…way," Kim rasped, staring at the thick, lush jungle before them as they finally staggered out of the seemingly endless tunnel that just opened into what appeared to be a huge valley of some kind.
"Whoa," Shego murmured, staring up at the glowing crystal high over their heads in a very high, vaulted ceiling. "This is….. Well, I don't know what this is," she exclaimed as she looked around.
"Suddenly, I feel like Otto Lidenbrock!"
"Who?"
"You know? Jules Verne?"
"Okay, he was a writer, right," Shego asked.
Kim sighed.
"Professor Lidenbrock was the character that found a volcanic tube that led him to a world under the earth where…..all kinds of creatures still lived. Of course, the inferior reprint called him Hardwigg, but that wasn't the original story," Kim remarked. She knew that because of Wade, who took his science fiction seriously.
"Uh, more importantly, what kind of creatures," Shego asked, staring at the thick jungle before them.
"Uhm, dinosaurs, mostly," Kim recalled, suddenly feeling a bit nervous herself. "But still, that was just….science fiction. Emphasis on fiction."
"Right. And who thought we would find an underground jungle with a weird glowing rock in ceiling to light up this place?"
Kim said nothing to that as she walked out into the jungle, and looked around.
"There seems to be a path this way. Maybe we can find water. We definitely need some, and food, or we aren't going to be going much farther."
"I'm all for water. And a hot bath," Shego complained.
Kim rolled her eyes as she kept studying the vista before them.
"So, what happened to that book guy?"
"The professor and his friends fought their way through jungles, beasts, and other dangers, and finally found, mostly by accident, a way out," Kim informed her after a moment.
"Where," Shego asked, obviously interested.
"A volcano erupted, and spit them out in Italy," the redhead admitted with a straight face.
"I think I did see that movie," she scowled. "Only how do you get spit out by a volcano without getting baked? I never got that part."
"Let's not worry about that. Since I don't think it's too likely. Right now, let's focus on getting through here alive….."
"Alive?"
Kim didn't reply. She as staring at part of the rock wall again.
"What now," Shego complained, still not liking this new development one bit.
"Look," the redhead gestured in awe.
Shego looked.
"So, what? Someone carved their initials down here. I guess someone really was down here before us," Shego muttered.
"Shego, in the book, the professor was following the path of Arne Saknussemm, an Icelandic mythological figure, who was supposed to have been the first recorded explorer down here." She pointed at the initials carved into the rock, rubbing her finger over the faint indentions that were still legible. "A.S. For Arne Saknussemm."
"Holy….unbelievable...crap," Shego muttered, staring at the old, weathered initials. "So, that book might be…..real?"
"If it was….."
"Then everything else….."
"The roar of something big echoed from far out over the valley, and Kim tensed.
"Suddenly, I'm feeling less than confident," Shego rasped. "Tell me you know what comes next? You know, like the way out?"
"Yes. We follow Arne," she said, and pointed at the arrow just visible beneath the initials that had been carved into the rock.
"Suddenly, I wish I had read more classics," Shego grimaced.
"If someone else made it, so can we," Kim told her. "Let's go. We do still need food and water, and then….."
Another distant roar interrupted her.
"I changed my mind. When we get back, I'm dropping Drew down one of his own damn holes. Head first, I swear," Shego promised her.
Kim said nothing to that as they started out across the jungle floor, and kept their eyes open.
She pointedly said nothing of the twelve foot proto-men, and all the other dangers that were also mentioned in the book.
Shego, for such a badass in their world, was very close to cracking. She could tell.
"Look at it this way," Kim finally said as they moved through the jungle, careful of every step. "I wager you'll be doubly famous when we get back, and you write up this memoir."
"Princess, you get us back, and I swear, I'm retired for good. Word of honor," the green woman promised earnestly.
Kim knew Shego took her promises seriously. If she offered that one, she knew the woman was worried.
"I know a dozen scientists that would kill to trade places with you just now," Kim told her, trying to lighten the mood.
"I wish they were here," Shego quipped.
Kim could only chuckle at that one as they kept moving, and she wracked her memory for every detail of that old book she had read so long ago.
What came next?
Unfortunately, while she recalled the overview of the tale, the details were hazy. It had been too long since she had read Verne. Still, she knew there was nothing in it about that giant glowing rock up in the sky. Not a word.
KP
"Let me get this straight," Dr. Director asked, having been asked to personally step in when a multi-billion dollar space vehicle had inexplicably vanished from the Middleton Science Center.
With all the usual suspects currently behind bars thanks to a very effective Team Possible that had been rebooted under Ron's hand, she had her own ideas, and went right to the Possibles' house, where she found their cars parked outside the garage where a suspicious canvass-covered shape protruded from that space.
"You really think that after more than three months, Kimberly is still alive? Underground? Following some literary character's fictional journey under the crust of this planet more than…..fifty kilometers down?"
"Show her," James Possible told his boys.
They grinned, and held up a small computer that projected an overhead display that would have her own tech department drooling in envy.
"Watch carefully," she was told. "This was recorded by our explorer just seventeen hours ago."
She watched. Keeping an eye on the sidebars, and the extrapolated data even as she gaped at the apparent initials carved into rock that shouldn't have been there when they showed on the film.
"What you're showing me….. This is… It's…."
"Impossible," James asked with a knowing grin.
"You know what they say," Jim grinned.
"Do you have any solid confirmation on her current location," Betty asked as they shut down the feed.
"Not yet, but we sent the probe to bore through that tunnel that obviously collapsed after they passed, and are now inside….. Well, there," he went on, the screen now changing to show the most unlikely view of all time.
The monitor now showed her a flash of green jungle. Then nothing.
"That's it?"
"Whatever is down there shut off our video link the minute the mole left the tunnel. We're pretty sure that the explorer is still operating, but we can't get an active video signal from it any longer. That interference Wade first picked up is really strong after you leave the tunnel."
Betty nodded at them, and then at James.
"And you hope that space probe can actually be refitted to take you down there," Betty mused incredulously.
"I know it can," James told her. "We have five of our best working on it now."
Dr. Director eyed the twins, glanced at the rocket scientist, and shook her head.
"You do know I still have to deal with a stolen prototype?"
"Technically, it's not stolen," Jim smirked.
"Just borrowed," Tim agreed.
"After all, it is my design," James reminded her. "They couldn't launch it anyway without my programming codes. Which…..I might have misplaced at the moment," the scientist declared with a careless shrug.
The one-eyed woman sighed, and just shook her head.
"All right. I would be the last to deny this does look like it could be another Possible miracle at work. But to cover all bases, I want to bring you in under GJ's aegis, and….."
"No," a grim, utterly implacable tone spat as Betty turned to see Ron had walked into the house, and had been standing behind her all along without her noticing.
"Ronald, we can offer….."
"More sabotage? More spite? More backstabbing?"
"What?"
"Who led the rescue teams," Ron demanded.
Betty stared at him.
"Who?" he barked curtly.
"Commander Du….."
"The same Du who ignored Wade, and cut into the heart of the mountain at severe lateral angles, collapsing all the original pits. Quite the accident, don't you think? A month later, he tries to have us arrested as vigilantes after constantly undermining our missions, and then wants to confiscate our jet, and our gear when we cut ties with him," Ron added.
Ron walked over and stood in front of her with just inches between them as the ninja now eyed her even more grimly.
"No," he growled again. "You let Will Du even get wind of this, and I'll…..I'll neutralize him. He's been trying to shut us down from the start. We have had one too many accidents even before that last sitch, and even Kim was starting to wonder about him again. You let him get anywhere near us, Dr. Director, and I will put him down," Ron told her so coldly that Betty didn't doubt him. "That is a promise," he added.
"If what you're saying is true….."
"I don't care for his reasons. I don't care what crawled up his backside this time. You, and GJ, will all stay away from this operation. If I see a single blue uniform, I'll put them down, Dr. Director. No offense, but I just don't think we can trust you with this one," Ron told her curtly.
"Is this true," James exclaimed curtly as Betty just stared at the young monkey-master who wasn't flinching from her own glare this time.
"I'll find out what is going on," Betty assured him. "Meanwhile….. Good luck. And that is sincere, gentlemen," she told them. "Because from what I recall of reading Verne myself, that underground world is a deathtrap in itself."
"If some loopy professor made it, Kim can, too," Jim declared, Tim nodding in tandem.
Betty just sighed, and walked toward the door.
She paused, her hand on the knob, and looked back at Ron.
"Will Wade share his findings with me about your….other suspicions?"
"Ask him," Ron said, and said nothing more then they had only just gotten Wade back on board after the boy's shared the newest video.
The woman walked out, and they turned to eye one another, and Ron said, "Good thing the decoy worked. I spotted three GJ agents out there in stealth gear on my way in just now. They obviously still want to shut us down."
"What will you do," Anne asked them as she spoke up only then, looking hopeful for the first time in months.
"Just as we said. First, you boys get to the warehouse, and help get that machine ready to go. I'm going to find Will Du, and make sure he's too busy to bother us. Meanwhile, watch your backs. I don't know Du's problem, but he obviously has a serious issue with KP of late if he is willing to go this far," Ron remarked somberly.
"We could just take care of him next," Jim murmured coolly.
"Just leave him to me for now. Let's get going. I reread that book myself, and Dr. Director was right about one thing. It's not going to be a cakewalk even for Kim," Ron told them.
"She does have Shego with her," Anne said quietly. "Right?"
Ron only scowled at that.
"I don't think that really helps," James murmured as Ron left.
Anne said nothing to that.
KP
"Time to get up," Kim told her companion as she lightly shook the woman dozing where they had finally stopped.
"Already? Jeez, and it's still light?"
"I don't think it really gets dark down here," Kim told Shego. "The crystal sun thingy. Funny how that wasn't in the book," she mused.
"Maybe they just took it for granted, or something?"
"Or chose not to remark on it. Whatever it is, it's obviously the source of whatever is interfering with getting a signal to Wade. Maybe it's why this whole bizarre ecosphere even exists," Kim speculated.
"Because your Nerdlinger is going to be so much help down here even if you could talk to him," Shego muttered sourly, and sat up to stare around with bleary eyes.
Kim sighed, then pointed.
"Come on, I found breakfast," the redhead informed her.
Shego forced herself to her feet, and eyed the huge berries the size of large grapefruits that Kim pointed out.
"Are you sure….?"
"They're fine. In fact, I think they described in the book, too. They're delicious, by the way," Kim added, pulling one off the bush, and handing it to her. "I think I finally found the lake, too."
"Lake?"
"Yeah," Kim nodded, ripping into the bittersweet fruit, and taking a large bite. "Well, lake, sea, or whatever. It's water."
She swallowed several mouthfuls before she went on.
"In the story, the explorers found themselves on a beach. I think that's where we are. A narrow part of the beach," Kim told her.
"Narrow?"
"Well, compared to what's probably still out there. We get across the lake, and we should reach the main valley, and the tunnels on the far side that….hopefully….take us back home," she told her, not adding that it was also where all the big, and really dangerous creatures were reportedly located.
Aside from those in the lake.
"So, how do we get across this lake?"
"We'll have to build a raft," Kim admitted.
Shego sighed, and went back to eating.
"Don't give up, Shego. We'll make it."
"Have I ever said how much I really hate that cheerful optimism of yours," she grumbled.
Kim eyed her.
"I'd like to think it's kept us alive this far," the redhead smiled.
Shego paused in eating her third berry, eyed her for a moment, and then shook her head.
"Nope. Still hating it. You just keep thinking your happy thoughts, Princess. I'll just keep focusing on all the things I'm going to do to Dr. D when I get back."
"You said when," Kim grinned at her.
"Oh, just stuff it, Possible," she growled, and turned to pick another berry.
Just about the time something roared again.
"So, how do we build that raft," she asked uneasily.
"Don't worry. I think we're hearing echoes from across the lake," Kim told her.
Shego stared at her again.
"The same place we are trying to go," the green-skinned woman asked uneasily.
"Yep," Kim smiled.
"The same place filled with your storybook monsters?"
"Probably."
"Snap. I so did not see ending up as some monster's snack."
"We won't," Kim told her firmly.
Shego said nothing to that as they went to the shallow creek they had found to wash down her meal, and then followed Kim back into the jungle to start gathering material for a raft.
She was trying very hard not to think of the things Kim had eventually said about the lake.
Very hard.
To Be Continued….