Bedroom Chat

When Nana came in, Kim had already removed the super suit and had connected it to the generator. The suit seemed to be dividing, splitting down the middle.

"It's a good thing nanotech takes a lot of power to work fast." Kim said, "Or gray goo might really be a problem." Without looking at Nana, her wrinkled, knobby hands continuing to work, Kim continued, "So I take it the mob down there is horrified?"

"They worry about you."

"Hmph. Here to try and talk me out of my plan?"

"You mean suicide?"

"Yah." Kim said, "And I don't see it as suicide."

"Oh?"

"Is it suicide when a firefighter goes into certain death?"

"Not always, but firefighters don't start out thinking about certain death."

"Neither did I...but this situation can't have an upside- it's not just Protectors Nana, it's that insane idea of 'improving' the race, of making super soldiers." She paused, "Every time Drakken or Shego, or anyone else has made something, it's always to serve, to be pets, or slaves."

"Dr. Freeman wasn't like that-"

"He built a sentient car, without ever bothering to consider she might eventually want to be something else. At least humans are general purpose- if Jim or Tim decide to forget about science and become writers, they can. What could Sadie do? Do you really want to think that people would all be clueless, not malicious, if Freeman was able to iron out the bugs in his designs and make them generally available- or for that matter, that all AI's would be nice?" The protector paused, "But I can't fix that- I'm going to have to fix this mess and hope that somewhere in those monkey brains, people will remember that poking bushes sometimes just wakes up the tiger that's snoozing on the other side."

"And yet you're taking Monique and Tara...shouldn't Ron be the only one to come along?"

"None of them should be coming along, but I don't have a choice." Kim said, "There's too much for me to do myself."

"Well I-" Nana broke off. While they'd been talking the suits had been reproducing, the energy from the fusor letting the suit fabric convert the dust in the air and some random junk Kim had put on the suit itself.

That wasn't what Nana was looking at. The three suits were identical...knobby joints, a full hood that would obscure the face, they all looked like...

"Kimberly..." Nana started to speak, but Kim cut her off.

"Yeah, they look like protectors. Make 'em think there's more than one of us."

"Won't that make them likely to attack-"

"Not for more than a few seconds- they might be fooled by the appearance for a second, but Monique and Tara are too slow, weak, stupid, and merciful to ever be protectors. They'll realize it almost immediately."

"Then why-"

"Even seconds count."

"And if you're wrong, and they do decide they're protectors."

"Then Monique and Tara are dead." Kim stared at Nana, "Which is actually part of the plan. I'm taking them along for three reasons in addition to their undoubted utility as clay pigeons."

"First, if there are any survivors, they can get them to safety."

"And second?"

"They'll be scared shitless. Even if they aren't killed, I bet they'll be immediate converts to the church of "no protectors."

"And if they are killed..."

"Third reason- I can tell you what people will say if this comes to light: obviously the problem was Drew made bad protectors, unlike Kim Possible, who saved the world! So we just have to find some nice moral person to have the change and there won't be any danger."

"I..." Nana nodded, "I see."

"I think you do. What do you think people will say, when Kim Possible, sweet American teen who saves the world, not two weeks after this inhuman change, led her two best female friends, and her boy friend, into a fight that's going to have them all going to psychologists for months, best case. Worst case, one of them is going to get a sudden case of death. If Kim became a monster, who can we trust?"

"And so you're risking their lives."

"Yah. A monstrous and inhuman thing to do." Kim's voice had been the only expressive part of her other than her eyes, but now it was emotionless, leached of any warmth. "And the bad part is? It's still better than the alternative. But this is how protectors think." She looked at Nana, "So, still interested in convincing me to stick around?"

"I..."

"But it's good you're up here- I do have a plan that involves you- because no matter what I tell the others, if there's more than one protector on the other side, things could get sticky. I need a fallback. Interested?"

"Of course, Kimberly."