I do not own any Disney Character named herein, and am only using them for a tale meant for entertainment purposes only.

Kim Possible: Hearts & Minds

By LJ58

6

Ron Stoppable had his own role to play, and knew just how to play it.

Even as he walked into Dr. Director's office, who had just returned, he shoved past a sputtering Will Du, and demanded, "Who did it? Why did you let them?"

"Do what, Ronald," she said, eyeing him from behind her desk, now very aware that her entire office, and her computer, were compromised. Just as she had intuited.

She had also learned her secretary possessed a cyber-brain, but Will did not.

He was, though, carrying some kind of transceiver that didn't seem like ordinary equipment. Especially as she found it hidden in his collar.

Will's eyes had rounded incredulously when she had simply tore it out, and gestured for his silence.

Right before Ron had burst into the office.

"Kim," Ron seethed very believably considering she now knew that he was inside a very small loop. "You let someone kill her! And after she was finally getting better!"

"That's what Will is trying to find out for me," Betty told him. "Unfortunately, so far we're not finding out much."

"Bull," Ron spat. "You're telling me a top secret spy ring can't find out something that they did? You're the boss, make someone tell you," he demanded.

"It's not that easy," Will told him, catching onto the ploy because he did know Dr. Director so well. "The orders came in encrypted, and our drone operations commander simply followed them since the orders were confirmed by a high-ranking official."

"What official?"

"I'm not at liberty to say," Will drawled. "You might be a provisional agent, Mr. Stoppable, but you still remain outside the aegis of…"

Will suddenly found himself spun around, and slammed into a nearby wall.

"Agent Stoppable, put him down," Dr. Director shouted at him.

"Someone killed Kim. In cold blood. You're going to tell me something, or…"

"Or what," Will huffed. "You have to know we don't answer to you. And you certainly cannot just invade the Pentagon…"

"Pentagon," Ron growled. "It came from those guys?"

"I'm not at liberty to confirm, or deny….."

"Just save it. I'm done with you guys. Done. But this isn't over. And someone is going to pay," Ron swore, and stormed out.

"That…..could have gone better," Betty told Will blandly after Ron stormed out.

"You don't honestly think even he would dare try to…..?"

"This is Ronald, Agent Du. And he is….. Was very close to Agent Possible. Who can say what grief might make him do. We'd better warn the generals, when you call to ask them why the hell someone sent that order."

"I'll go over myself, ma'am. I am curious myself, since only one of the Joint Chiefs could have authorized that drone strike."

"Find out. And find out before Stoppable goes to war with them," she added grimly, still thinking of the best way to exploit what little she had learned to date.

"I'll be in touch," Will nodded.

"Use the usual contact point," Betty stressed, digging out an old code known only to the pair of them.

"Understood. I shouldn't be too long," Will nodded, and left her office again.

Betty sat back, and continued her day as usual, not wanting anyone to suspect she was starting to put some pieces together herself. Especially with the new weapons she now had in her possession thanks to her secret research team.

KP

"This is….bizarre. So, Monkey-boy is really a legendary mystic warrior fated to save the world from ultimate evil?"

"That's Ron. Potential-boy, and then some," Kim grinned.

"I can honestly say I would have never guessed," Shego quipped.

"Well, I always knew he was a hero. Still, even I didn't realize how much of one until, you know, later," Kim admitted as Shego settled her bags on the end of a tatami and eyed the small, Spartan room she had been given.

"So, what now? We just wait?"

"We wait. And if we're lucky, Master Sensei with let us train while we're here. I don't know about you, but I'm afraid after a nap like mine that I might be a little rusty," Kim declared earnestly.

"I'm just surprised to find my old mentor is really the head of a band of mystic ninja secretly defending the world from…weirder than usual stuff," she amended after thinking about it.

"You should have been here for the YoNo," Kim grimaced.

"That sounds….weird."

"He was weird. And he damn near killed all of us. Ron and Hana saved us," Kim admitted.

"Hana. The kid sister you talked about?"

"Yeah. She's….kind of a hero, too."

"She's a freaking kid!"

"And when did you start your career," Kim grinned.

"I was hit by a comet. And had four idiot brothers who doted on comic book fantasies."

"And I just wanted to help people," Kim smiled. "Still do," she shrugged.

Shego sighed.

"I can honestly say, Kimmie, that you are probably one of a kind."

Kim only smiled happily at her.

"That wasn't a compliment," she huffed in turn.

"Sure it was. C'mon, let's go find Yori. Maybe we can talk her into sparring," she grinned.

"That kid?"

"That woman is as good as I am. Or as good as I was. I'm not sure how good I am now, but I do want to find out. Actually, I need to find out."

"And you're babbling again," Shego rolled her eyes.

"C'mon, I'm not one for sitting around waiting," Kim complained, and all but dragged her out of the room.

"Were you ever," Shego complained knowingly.

"Don't be like that," Kim complained. "Now you're sounding like Ron."

"Never say that again," Shego swore as she followed Kim into the exercise yard where a skinny, older man without a hair on his head except for a goatee was tormenting younger students.

Kim only laughed.

"I think I know that guy, too," Shego frowned.

"C'mon, I see Yori," Kim pointed, and ran off.

Shego glanced back at the instructor again, who seemed to be paying no attention to her, and then followed the animated redhead who seemed as impatient, and energetic as ever.

Shego still wasn't sure what was really going on, but she knew two things for certain.

Someone owed her an island, and Kim was completely insane.

She had to be.

KP

Ron sat in the Possible living room with Anne, James, the tweebs, and Dr. Director, waiting on Will who had just called in on a new frequency provided by Wade after he had been cleared.

Much as Will disdained the presence of amateurs in what he deemed a professional vocation, the code had once been set up in private to aim him at Wade if they were compromised. Just then, even Will had to see the value in an outside agent that could be trusted.

Of course, his first question had been to wonder over Wade's trustworthiness, wondering if they knew if he had been compromised. Betty assured him the twins and Wade all checked each other out. They were likely the safest people on the planet as far as trust was concerned.

Next to Ronald.

Or Kimberly, who just now, everyone considered MIA, likely dead. Unless they knew better.

"That's him," Jim declared, hearing a knock at the back door.

"How can you be sure," Ron asked.

Jim just held up his laptop, showing an array of small windows, one of them showing a screenshot of the back door, and a man in a plain ball cap, and jacket standing outside looking around as he stuck to the shadows.

Yet the image was very clear.

"Spotted him a quarter mile out. He took his time," Jim informed them, "But there's not tail. He's clean."

"I'll let him in before the defenses blast him," Tim grinned, but didn't move too fast.

Betty had to admit their security system was very good as she noted the monitor also showed a complete vitals' scan, along with a brain-wave monitor. Their system was obviously better than her own. She would have to see about having them upgrade GJ HQ later.

"Okay, we're all here," Wade said as he appeared on the TV via his private computer a moment later. "Ron's playacting earlier helped. The Pentagon just went on full alert, and I definitely detected at least two cyber-brains among the command staff there. Someone is definitely aiming at high offices here."

"If they've compromised the White House," Will frowned.

"Like they have to bother," Jim huffed. "That guy is so incompetent, I'm pretty sure he must be related to Lipsky!"

"Ouch," Ron grimaced.

"Politics aside, is Kim still safe," James demanded of them.

"Very," Ron assured him. "Of course, Shego is with her….."

Anne only sighed at hearing that.

"And she's...that is, Kim, is already driving everyone crazy," Ron added. "You know, again."

The twins sniggered at that.

"So, same old," Jim asked.

"Jim," Anne sighed. "Just tell me you boys can fix this."

"We do have a better means of detecting cyber-brains now," Wade told them. "What we need, though, is an active brain we can test for their operating frequency so we can back-trace them."

"Of course," Jim and Tim nodded as Ron's eyes clouded.

"Of course, what," the ninja asked. "What good does it do to trace someone you already know is a robo-brain?"

"What they mean, Stoppable," Will drawled in his monotone as he eyed the group after settling near Dr. Director after coming inside. "Is that if we can discover the exact frequency at which they operate, we might be able to find out if someone is remote-controlling them, and trace the transmission signal back to its source."

"Oh. Why didn't you say so," Ron asked Wade.

Who rolled his eyes now.

"Considering all the effort that has obviously gone into this one, we have to be careful who we trust. And we have to be very careful of how we approach this one. We don't know what kind of defenses they might have waiting on whoever found their base of operations. What happened to Kimberly….."

"Won't happen again," Ron spat at Dr. Director.

"Definitely," Wade agreed. "I'm sending over a little upgrade I made for everyone. I already sent it out to Kim, and Shego. Instant brain protection," he called it.

"You made brain-coats," Ron asked reverently.

Will was not the only one that groaned.

"Actually, I call it a cyber-cortex defense net," Wade sighed. "I was trying to explain it simply for…. The less technical of us," Wade told him.

"So….brain-coats," Ron nodded knowingly.

"Yes, Ron," Wade sighed. "It's a brain-coat."

"How does it work," Ron asked.

"Duh," Tim sputtered. "It creates an anti-synchronous vibration that interferes with the frequency of the brain-ray, so you can't damage our minds. Which means, they can't shut us down, and replace them with cyber-brains."

"So, anyone that tries," Jim said, "It's obviously going to be a bad guy…"

"And going down," Tim smiled ominously, patting the bulging equipment belt both twins wore now.

"Boys," Anne sighed. "No killing….."

"Mom, anyone with a cyber-brain is already dead," they told her in one voice.

"They are right, Dr. Possible," Betty told her. "Based on all Wade has uncovered, the entire brain is replaced with organic tech, suggesting that the people they were are…..gone. Replaced by simulacrums in their own bodies. And from the scope of this unknown madman's reach, we are obviously dealing with potential genocide here. We cannot allow it spread, or Mankind is doomed."

"So, then all we need is a cyber-brain for you guys to hack," Ron asked.

"Right," the twins nodded, as Wade nodded from the TV.

"Okay, get my brain-coat ready, guys. Because the Ron-Man will deliver."

"Dr. Possible," Wade glanced from onscreen at Anne. "If you'll do the honors?"

"It's a mild injection, guys," she smiled, holding up a pneumatic syringed loaded with a sealed vial. "It implants the CCD, which, as I understand it, creates the frequency that is replicated throughout the host's nervous system, ensuring no one can shut down our own minds. Ready," she asked Ron.

Ron grimaced, but held out his arm. As he looked pointedly away, and tightly closed his eyes.

"My hero," Anne smiled, and pressed the device to his bared bicep.

"Okay," she told him. "It should start broadcasting in….two minutes. Right, Wade," she turned to eye him.

"That's right," Wade nodded.

"As we've already gotten ours," Anne told Betty. "We'd better inject you two now," she told her and Will. Wade sent more to use on those we know are normal as we find them. Just in case," she added, holding out spare cartridges she lay on a table.

"We already know some of my own staff is compromised," Betty said grimly, rolling up her sleeve. "Still, it'll be nice to be able to protect the others we know are still normal."

Wade nodded somberly to her.

"Meanwhile, I'll start working on something to manage those already controlled by cyber-brains, too, as a failsafe. If necessary, we may have to just go to my ultimate failsafe?"

"Which is…..?"

"It's obvious, Agent Du. He means an EMP."

"Yes."

"Which would effectively kill anyone and everyone now hosting a cyber-brain," Anne told them.

"Right."

"So, why not use it now," James asked. "If they're already dead anyway?"

"Because if we do," Betty told the rocket scientist. "Then we tip our hands, and whoever is out there may decide to accelerate whatever timetable they're using. And we still don't know their final gambit. But it's obviously not a good one if they're plotting to subvert the entire species based on what we now know."

"Man, it's never easy," Ron groaned.

"No, Ronald. It's not," Betty agreed.

"One cyber-pulse detector," Jim told Ron, handing him what looked like a walkie-talkie. "Go find us one to work on, monkey-boy," the twin said bluntly.

Ron took the device, and noted it had a GPS screen.

And it was covered with blinking dots.

"Oh, man. Are those….?"

"Middleton isn't looking good," Tim admitted. "So, take this. If you find someone not infected, vaccinate them," he suggested.

"And, Ron. All we really need is an intact head," Jim stated bluntly. "So, if necessary," he said, slicing a finger across his own neck.

Even Anne looked ill at that one, but she didn't say anything.

Betty scooped up the spare syringe, and the cartridges, and eyed Wade.

"I'm going to HQ. It's time we start cleaning house. Keep me informed, and let us know what you find."

"You're carrying the spare Kimmunicator," Wade asked.

Will blinked in surprise at that.

"Always," Betty nodded.

"Watch your back," Wade suggested. "If someone realizes they can't attack your brain, they may use the traditional methods of getting rid of you," he added.

"Obvoiusly," Betty nodded, and pocketed the cartridges before she headed for the door. "Watch you own backs, too," she told them all. "It looks like we're all at war with an unknown enemy."

Ron said nothing as he took the devices from the twins, then slipped out the back without hesitation.

To Be Continued…