October 14th, 2005
Middleton, Colorado
7:50 A.M.
Creak
Kim cringed inwardly as he tried to quietly make 'his' way down the loft stairs without making a sound.
Creak
Realizing that it was in fact impossible for such a feat to be accomplished, Kim decided to forgo stealth and just act casual.
"Sometimes the best way to hide is to do so in plain sight," she said in a masculine voice.
Kim paused in front of a mirror and simply stared at his reflection for a moment, "That'll take some getting used to," Kim shook his head and relished the feeling of not having a full head of hair to weigh her down.
"Well I guess that is something," Kim observed dryly as she felt a strong thirst on the back of her throat.
"Ken!" Rhonda's voice wafted up from the kitchen, "breakfast is ready."
Kim continued to look in the mirror and nodded to herself, "It's all right…" a deep breath, "You can do this…provided you don't use the bathroom," Kim glanced down as the implications of being a guy suddenly hit her, "…and I have new body parts."
"KEN!" Rhonda shouted angrily, "I SPENT ALL MORNING SLAVING OVER THESE EGGS AND IF YOU DON'T GET DOWN HERE I'M GIVING YOUR FOOD TO YOUR SISTERS!"
Kim glanced towards the kitchen and with a deep breath nodded to mentally psyche herself up, "You can do this."
A final deep breath and Kim entered the world of the Possible kitchen.
October 14th, 2005
Middleton, Colorado
7:55 A.M.
Apart from the glaring fact that Kim was now Ken and Ron was now Rhonda, this universe was the closest universe to her own Kim had been to yet. In fact, it appeared to be the exact same as her universe.
"Good morning guys," Kim/Ken announced as she entered the bustling kitchen.
A flurry of greetings greeted her as Kim searched for a place to sit at the table and eventually found an empty seat by the front of the table.
"How you doing today Kenny Cub?" Kim heard her father ask.
Kim looked up from her empty place mat in shock, "I'm sorry?"
"How's your morning?" James Possible asked as he leafed through his newspaper without really reading a thing.
"Uh…great…fine," 'Ken' answered almost unsure of his answer.
"You sure doesn't sound great," Anne Possible countered as placed a plate of eggs in front of Kim/Ken before sitting on the opposite side of the table.
"Yeah," Rhonda agreed as she sat next to Kim and gave a quick peck on the cheek to him, "You seem really out of it this morning," she took a bite of Ken's eggs, "I didn't wear you out last night did I?"
Kim coughed loudly as she choked on the eggs she had just started eating and for several seconds the only noise in the kitchen was Kim's coughing. When she had finally cleared her throat she turned to Rhonda, her face matching the color of her hair, "What?"
"I know you said you had homework last night but Drakken needed to be stopped from his latest scheme," Rhonda took a drink of some orange juice, "I kinda guilted you into going but c'mon, you have to admit it was fun getting out of the house."
Kim took a deep breath as she felt her nerves calm. This was Ron but at the same time it wasn't and Kim wasn't sure how she was supposed to feel about this Universe's version of her.
"Of course what happened on the flight back…" Rhonda said in a voice too low for Kim's parent's to hear as she placed a hand on Ken's thigh.
BAM
The table jumped as Kim's knee rocketed into the underside of the wooden table and shook the items on top.
A loud chittering sounded from beneath the table and before her eyes Kim saw Rufus clamber on top of the table and shake a tiny fist at Kim. It didn't take a rocket scientist to tell that he was upset about being woken up this early in the morning from a nap.
"C'mon buddy," Rhonda said lightly as she offered some of her eggs to the mole rat, "You know it's too late in the morning for a nap."
Rufus growled angrily at 'Ken' but begrudgingly took Rhonda's suggestion and voraciously dug into the eggs.
"Ken," James Possible asked in concerned tone, "Are you all right? You're acting very strange this morning."
"I'm fine," Kim answered, her deep voice making her sound gruffer than she meant it to be, "Just a spider or something on my leg."
"A spider?" a gleeful voice asked from beyond the kitchen.
"We have something new to-" a second voice started.
"To take care of them," the first voice finished.
As if on cue, both Jan and Tammy Possible ran into the kitchen holding a device no larger than the television remote and they pointed it threateningly at the table and its occupants, "Where is it?"
Kim stared at her brothers, now sisters, for a long minute before she shrugged nonchalantly and reached for a glass of orange juice, "I don't know, gone now."
Different gender and I swear they're still the same she thought to herself, "Good eggs Rhonda."
Rhonda opened her mouth to answer-
KnockKnockKnock
The glass of orange juice stopped almost as Kim was about to drink it.
KnockKnockKnock
Everyone at the table turned towards the main door, "Who could that be at 8:00 in the morning?" Anne asked in confusion.
Kim shrugged as she set the orange juice down on the table, "I'll get it, see who it is."
James looked up from his paper, "Good for you Ken, glad to see you taking the initiative."
"Yeah…sure," Kim agreed halfheartedly as he left the kitchen.
KnockKnockKnock
"Yeah, I'm coming," she shouted at the door.
KnockKnockKnock
"I said I was coming, hold your horses," she angrily said as she unlocked the door and came face to face with-
"Good morning Kim," Tam Agmiln said with a smile on his face as his eyes roamed up and down Kim's new body, "Or should I say Ken?" the smile grew, "And how are we feeling this morning?"
October 14th, 2005
Middleton, Colorado
8:03 A.M.
"I…uh…you…how…" Kim stammered in confusion at the new face of the creator who was standing on her porch with an almost cavalier pose.
In the previous universe Tam had been almost larger than life, here he was almost average by comparison. He was shorter she remembered him, his hair still that deep brown but his skin was paler, almost chalky compared to hers. He tugged at the collar of his button up shirt, the blue fabric appearing darker than it actually was when compared to him skin.
One thing about him that hadn't changed was his eyes. They still carried that fire that burned bright, almost manically but it was held back by sheer force of will.
Seeing Kim/Ken's gaze Tam smiled and gestured to himself, "I sorta took over your tale the last time we met and I apologize for that. So to ensure that I don't take back complete control of events, I'm keeping myself average and more to the background."
Tam's grin grew as he watched her reaction with amusement, "I'll say we're feeling good this morning. And adjusting to life as a guy well I might add," he inhaled deeply and let it out slowly, "Mmm, Rhonda is cooking eggs again."
"Why are you here?" Kim finally was able to get a question off.
"I was bored and I thought I'd come see how my investment is doing," another tooth showing grin as he passed through Kim's body and continued walking through the house towards the kitchen, "Besides, Rhonda makes eggs here that are to die for. Quite literally your case."
Kim spun around to face the creator, "What am I doing here?"
"Hmm," Tam answered as he held Kim's wallet in his hand.
Instinctively Kim reached for her back pocket and felt the missing spot where the leather wallet had once been, "Give it back."
"Let's see, 6 foot 3 inches tall, weight 195 lbs," Tam glanced at Kim and then back to the driver's license he was now comparing her too, "Yeah that seems about right," he fished through the wallet and pulled out a picture and looked at it for a moment before showing it to Kim, "Aww, the happy couple on their prom night last year."
Kim snatched the picture away from Tam and stared at the tiny piece of paper with Rhonda and her at the prom. Rhonda had worn a light blue strapless dress that Kim instantly recognized as the one she had worn to her prom with Ron. Ken stood next to Rhonda with his arm wrapped around the woman and a look of joy on his face. Kim noted with disdain that Ken was wearing the same sky blue polyester suit Ron had worn to their prom.
Kim looked up, "So the only difference between this universe and my own is that I'm a guy?"
Tam shook his head, "No. In this one, you play the part Ron usually does and 'Rhonda' plays the part you normally do," her creator shrugged, "It was an idea I had that really never panned out I suppose," he held up Kim/Ken's driver's license, "Did you know you're an organ donor?"
Kim shook her head, "I don't have time for this Tam. I need answers."
"Oh I'm sorry Kim," Tam answered with a hint of anger in his voice, "Maybe if you did what you were supposed to we wouldn't be having this problem right now."
"I am not going to sleep with Felix," Kim said loudly but instantly brought her voice down as she glanced towards the kitchen where everyone was working on breakfast.
"Wouldn't matter if you wanted to," Tam replied almost nonchalantly, "He's gone now."
Kim looked at Tam with shock, "Felix is dead?"
"No," he laughed, but Kim could hear the frustration in his laugh, "Just erased from all history, never existed," Tam paused, "Well actually there's no proof he actually existed, how about that?"
"Ken!" Anne Possible called from kitchen, "You need to eat your eggs and get ready for school."
Kim pinched the bridge of his nose, "Why am I here?"
"Punishment for constantly disobeying me? Purgatory? A mad effort to pad the story so I reach 250 reviews? I don't know," Tam replied in an almost self-referential way as he threw up his hands, "But I do suggest that you find that machine before you run out of time," just to further his point, Tam poked Kim lightly on the chest, "Without an anchor you're liable to jump at any time."
"Kenneth Andrew Possible you get in this kitchen and eat your breakfast before going off to school!" Anne Possible shouted from the kitchen.
"All right Mom!" Ken shouted back in a deep voice.
Kim raised an eyebrow at Tam, "Aren't you supposed to be going or something?"
Tam looked shocked but Kim could tell he was only mocking her, "What? And miss breakfast?"
October 14th, 2005
Middleton, Colorado
8:45 A.M.
Breakfast had finished and everyone was getting ready for their busy day but for Kim and Tam, they were stuck in the kitchen. Kim stood at the sink cleaning dishes and passing them to Tam who stood next to her. He took the plates provided and dried them off before setting them in a stack on the counter.
Much to Kim's surprise, Tam had been welcome with open arms by her family and a place had been set for him. Within moments of arrival, Tam had joined the bustling table and was given some of the eggs Rhonda had created.
She had raised an eyebrow as a question but Tam responded with quietly with, "Tam and you are really good friends in this universe."
Before another question could be asked Tam resumed scarfing down eggs and Kim realized questions would have to be conducted later.
When they had finished breakfast, Tam had volunteered Ken to help him clean the dishes as everyone prepared for the day.
Before Kim could protest, Tam had whisked her away to the sink and handed her a dirty plate.
He saw her open mouth of anger and pointed to the plate, "Clean."
"But I-"
"Clean," he ordered sternly.
Much like when a child knows they have no choice but to do what they are told, Kim set about cleaning the mountain of dishes next to the sink and waited silently for everyone to leave so she could talk to Tam.
When the last person had cleared out of the kitchen, Ken finally let out a sigh of relief and looked at her partner.
"Where's the machine Tam?" Ken asked the man standing next to the Creator who held a damp towel in one hand and was meticulously cleaning a plate in the other.
"You know, I've never tried being like you...mortal," he saw her look and nodded, "Don't get me wrong, I've been in a body that can die before but making my body purposely week like this," he paused with a smile as he wiped away droplets of water, "It makes me…appreciate I suppose is the word," he set the now dry plate on the counter, "I appreciate what you all go through on a daily basis."
"Where's the machine Tam?" Ken repeated.
"You know," Tam held up his hands and looked at the wrinkles forming, "It's weird being confined to one of your bodies," he grinned, "It makes me feel-"
CRASH
A plate smashed into the ground, instantly throwing shards of glass everywhere.
"You're like a little child sometimes," Ken growled, "You know that?"
"Oh I'm sorry," Tam said slowly, "Did you say something? I wasn't paying attention."
CRASH
"Actually I think you're more like a little kid with a magnifying glass and we're your ant farm," Kim retorted as she dried off her hands with a hand towel and threw the towel on the stack of plates.
"Perhaps," Tam agreed as the shards of plates formed back into whole plates without any defects. He leaned down and picked up the now whole plates and placed them on the stack of clean plates.
Kim looked around, "Why isn't anyone saying anything about me breaking plates?"
Tam shrugged, "Could be that they've all left for school thinking that you're already with them."
Kim set a plate in the dish water, "Then why am I still here if you don't want me to visit this universe outside of my house?"
"You know this universe, apart from your Y chromosome, everything is the same," Tam shrugged, "You've seen everything. I'm keeping you here so we can talk."
A heartbeat passed between them.
"Now what would you like to talk about?" he asked as he snapped his fingers and the remaining plates started to clean themselves without any assistance, "You've had questions ever since I've arrived but I haven't had a chance to answer them."
"Why was it so important that Felix and I sleep together?" Kim asked.
"You two were going to sleep together and if everything goes according to plan, you would start a friendship when everything resets," Tam shrugged, "It would spark a memory of you two being close and that would forge a bond between the two of you. Since you two just talked, I'm not sure if you two will be good friends or just acquaintances through Ron," Tam coughed lightly, "What else is on your mind?"
Kim pointed at the self-cleaning plates, "If you can do that why can't you stop this? Why do you even need me?"
Tam pointed at the plates, a look of sadness suddenly clouding his features, "Truthfully?"
"After all I've been through I think I've earned it," Kim replied angrily.
Tam was silent and sat down at the kitchen table. Kim stared at Tam for a moment but jumped as a chair formed out of nothing and pulled back far enough for her to sit across from Tam.
Seeing his look, Kim sat down silently.
Tam took a deep breath before letting it out. He stared out the window for a while as he chose his words.
July 9th, 2012
Los Angeles, California
8:50 P.M.
In his room, the Real Sidekick looked out his window, mirroring Tam's motions, as he heard a car pull into the parking lot.
He watched as three figures stepped out and into the moonlight, instantly recognizing them.
He sighed, "It can't end like this."
SilverWolf pulled on her handcuffs again, "That decision was made for you long ago, when you decided to rebel."
The Real Sidekick took a deep breath and spoke to Kim.
October 14th, 2005
Middleton, Colorado
8:57 A.M.
"You're a fictional being," Tam said plainly.
To her credit, Kim kept her mouth from opening in shock but instead asked in a breathless tone, "What?"
"You were a cartoon that was created by the Walt Disney Corporation in 2002," Tam looked around as if he was looking for something, "You were canceled in 2005 but brought back in 2007 after a petition by your fans."
Kim felt her head begin to reel, "No…no, I was born June 7th-"
"No," Tam interrupted, "June 7th, 2002, that was the day of your first episode. You graduated September 7th, 2007 after fighting off an alien invasion by Lowardians."
"You're lying," she countered.
"Kim Possible, first episode released Friday, June 7th, 2002 on the Disney Channel," Tam recited, "An instant hit and becoming the most watched and highest rated show on Disney Channel at the time," he looked at Kim while leaning forward, "You were thought up in an elevator," Tam held his hand up as if gesturing to a marquee, "Kim Possible: she can do anything and her friend Ron Stoppable: he can't do anything."
"No," Kim shook her head her mind screaming in denial yet her soul knowing Tam spoke the truth, "That's not true!" Kim stood up quickly, knocking her chair over in the process, "That's impossible!"
Even as Tam watched, Kim grabbed the stack of self-cleaning plates and threw them to the ground where they shattered into tiny little pieces.
"I AM A HUMAN BEING," Kim shouted.
"No," Tam countered softly.
"MY NAME IS KIMBERLY ANNE POSSIBLE!" she shouted as she tore apart the kitchen.
"You're not real," came the whisper.
"I AM REAL!" she screamed as her rage turned to sorrow.
"Fiction," Tam barely breathed.
With tears streaming down her face, Kim looked at Tam, "Tell me you're lying."
Kim grasped the table at its edge and hefted it away as if it weighed nothing.
The table slammed against the wall but no one noticed as Kim was in Tam's face, "TELL ME YOU'RE LYING!"
Tam's look was all the confirmation she needed and she burst into tears again.
Without caring where she landed, Kim fell roughly to the ground but didn't feel the stinging bite of glass cutting into her body. She looked around and saw Tam had maneuvered the plate fragments away from her so she wouldn't be hurt.
"Why me?" Kim asked, "What do you need me for?"
Tam walked across the glass shards without making a sound, "Three months ago the Founders wanted to delete all the work all us Creators had done."
Kim stared blankly at Tam.
Tam closed his eyes in frustration, "After your show was canceled in 2007, other Creators, myself included, continued your story although it was done unofficially on a website where Creators could swap stories about your adventures."
"Some adventures you had…" he trailed off, the wonder of past adventures blazed through his mind, "You were lost in time, saved the world against Unshaping," he smiled, "You died but came back. Ron died but he came back…you and Ron both lived forever. Zorpox won, you fell in love," Tam chuckled as he remembered a thousand adventures instantaneously, "You even fought little black ants but couldn't stop them," Tam's gaze sharpened again and he looked back at Kim, "I could go on forever but thousands of adventures were written about you. You literally were the girl who could do anything, and you did it all."
Kim shook her head, "But why me?"
"The Founders decided you were done and wanted you ended," Tam explained sadly, "Three months ago they erased all your stories and chose me to write your end before that too would be erased. I'd write your end and that would be my final work before I die. In a way it would give us all closure. All the Universes collapsing are the stories ever written about you being erased by them."
Kim looked at Tam as he conjured up a box of tissues for her.
She took the box and dabbed at her eyes, "What happened that caused you to change your mind?"
Tam smiled, "Legacy happened," Kim raised an eyebrow, "I wrote your ending but I realized that you were unique, something that cannot be erased or forgotten just because one person or three wants it over. You're a part of every Creator Kim. We write your life," he paused and looked out the window, "But in a way you write ours."
Kim looked at Tam, "But if I'm just a cartoon, I'm nothing."
"You're more than that," He smiled, "Your end was to be my greatest creation and if I let you die, I cease to be remembered along with you," he paused, "Just another author writing a non-canonical story about your life."
"So you're a glory seeker?" Kim asked.
Tam laughed mirthlessly, "We all want to believe that when we die we're remembered in the years to pass. But the sad fact is that after five years, no one remembers us except our family. If you die, I'm forgotten and I won't have anyone to remember me when my fans move on," Tam paused and helped Kim to her feet, "So are you being kept alive simply so I won't be forgotten when they leave? Yes. Is it selfish of me? You better believe it."
Kim was silent, "If you're trying to keep me alive, what is your plan now? Why bring me here?"
"My plan is to have you appeal to the Founders before you're erased and the sooner you find the final piece, the sooner you can appeal to them."
Kim nodded slowly, "As for why I brought you here…" Tam shrugged, "I guess I wanted to talk to you and I felt more comfortable talking to a guy."
"So you created me?" She asked hesitantly.
Tam shook his head, "Not you. You're Kim Prime from Universe 1," he smiled, "I created one version of you many years ago, just you, Ron and Tam in a tropic paradise, that was Kim from Universe 15," he looked away in shame, "She was killed by my beta."
"Killed?" Kim peered at her creator, "How many of me died?"
Tam's stare cut her to the core, "Countless versions of you died to get you to this point," he continued to stare, "Their dying allowed you, the prime to walk on the other path, the one that got you here to this conversation."
"How did I die?" Kim asked softly.
Tam opened his mouth to speak but shut it just as quickly and took Kim's hand in his...
December 15th, 2015 A.D.
Minsk, Belarus
4:57 P.M.
Rain.
Sheets of rain drenched Kim's body as she crouched next to the bombed out building. In fact, the half wall she hid behind was the only real reminder that a building had once existed here.
Crack
Kim Possible looked up in confusion as lightning tore across the darkened sky.
Kim looked from the sky to the ground in shock as she took in the world around her. She was crouched in the middle of what looked to be the remains of a city. Piles of rubble marked the remains of buildings but Kim had no earthly idea where she was.
In fact, she couldn't even be sure she was still on Earth.
Turning her head, Kim saw what looked to be strings of barbed wire hanging from a scaffold but as the lightning faded she saw they were in fact bones. Bones of countless humans. Each skull from the largest to the tiniest bore the mark of a winged creature that vaguely resembled a bat and they swayed in the wind as they hung suspended for all to see.
Her eyes traveled up and she saw that there were rows upon rows of these skeletal markers and their twisted markings. Anything taller than fifteen feet held a grisly trophy and they clacked grotesquely in the wind. The rain continued to come down and only dripped down the bones before a final drop to the earthy mud.
Kim's shock forced her to look down to avoid throwing up but that presented her with a shock: her clothes.
Gone was the white wedding dress, in it's place: a black form fitting jumpsuit. In many ways it resembled her super suit back home but instead of twin neon versions of white and blue, this was black and brown with mottled gray thrown in for good measure. She felt something pressing on her right forearm and found a metal bracelet attached to her arm that refused to move despite how much she tugged at it.
BOOM
She leaned against the wall as the thunder nearly deafened her and she clutched her ears. Slowly the sound faded away until only the sound of the wind and rain could be heard. She pushed her back against the wall but a metallic clinking alerted her to the plate sized object strapped to her back. Grabbing at the object Kim pulled it out and gasped audibly as the object hummed and a countdown appeared in the center of the device.
Before Kim could contemplate the sudden and abrupt changes a hand broke through the wall with a crash. The titanic hand seized her neck, pulled her through the remnant of the wall even before the debris landed on the ground. The gun was tossed aside, lost in the scuffle and Kim heard the clacking of the plate as it shrank back to it's tiny size. A large boot suddenly stomped the countdown until it was nothing but dust.
A fist descended from the sky and pummeled Kim to near unconsciousness. As she struggled to stay awake, Kim squinted and saw that there was more than just one boots. There were hundreds.
A boot crunched the dirt mixed with debris next to Kim's head and she looked up through the rain and gasped as a man well over nine feet tall loomed over her. His reptilian skin was covered in olive scales and his yellow eyes shone with a ferocity Kim had not seen since Shego on that radio tower. His pointed ears glinted with the numerous piercings and on his chest was emblazoned the same markings as those on the skulls. His raven colored hair covered his pointed ears but it was clipped short and a red band covered his arm.
The fist descended from the rain and pulled Kim up off the ground, her feet leaving the ground and the fist ever tightening around her throat.
"...Please," she gasped as spots appeared in her vision, "...P...lease..."
She tugged lightly at the Lowardian's hand as her strength failed but it was no use, after several more seconds Kim had passed out.
The Lowardian holding Kim gazed into the face for a moment before twisting his wrist savagely and with a sickening crack, dropped Kim's now still body to the muddy ground.
"Move out," the Lowardians called out as the assembled squad of Lowardians rose to their feet and marched on, leaving Kim's body alone among the foundations of a ruined planet.
October 14th, 2005
Middleton, Colorado
9:15 A.M.
Kim looked up from the memory and shook her head, "No," she argued, "I couldn't have died there," she paused, "I couldn't..."
She looked up to Tam but he squeezed her hand and she felt another memory surface.
August 18th, 1257 A.D.
Great Wall, Kingdom of Middleton
12:20 A.M.
KA-BOOM
With an explosive boom that everyone within several miles felt, the dragon slammed into the gate. It was simple physics really, a 70 ton dragon with scales stronger than any known metal, traveling at 120 miles per hour slammed into a 40 ton solid steel door.
Needless to say the dragon ripped through the door as easily as one punches through tissue paper.
The doors were ripped explosively from their hinges and flung into Monkey Fist's retreating army, their twisted steel shattering upon impact and tumbling end over end through the crowd, tearing through the retreating army like a scythe through wheat. The army stopped their flight of terror and instead turned to see the chaos unfolding before them.
The dragon couldn't be saved and augured into the ground, instantly tumbling end over end through the field like a meteorite come to Earth. The rider was flung from the dragon's back upon the first impact and landed limply on the ground, the only thing that would save her was her cheer leading skills that taught her to before impact, but instead she had smacked her head on the dragon's neck and knew no more. Kim's body tumbled off the dragon, where she flopped and tumbled across the ground before coming to a stop several hundred feet from the gate.
The dragon tumbled end over end, crushing all underfoot and Kim came to just long enough to see the scaly back of the dragon roll over her, crushing her as easily as one does an insect underfoot.
October 14th, 2005
Middleton, Colorado
9:25 A.M.
Kim rocked back in her chair, trying to forget the feeling of disgust rising in her stomach, "You did this to me. You killed others for me"
"I saved you," Tam argued, "I looked down from on high and I saw one worth saving."
Kim shook her head, "For your own gain. Don't try and pass yourself off as a savior here," She pointed an accusing finger at her creator, "You killed all those other versions of me to keep me alive; alive for your own personal gain."
December 20th, 2015 A.D.
Paris, France
7:07 P.M.
Kim heard Ron's voice mere moments before bright white lights blasted the interior of the tunnels, instantly blinding everything in them as their night vision goggles amplified the light to near blinding levels.
Kim blinked her eyes as a dull white blur was all she could see and she tore at her mask to take off the night vision. Finally she succeeded in tearing the night vision off and started blinking rapidly to see again.
As her vision focused, she saw a dark mass in front of her that appeared to be stumbling around as well. Kim rubbed at her eyes and moments later the dark mass came into focus and-
"Betty?" Kim asked in confusion, "What are you doing down here?"
Dr. Elizabeth Director turned to stare at Kim with her two healed eyes and cocked her head to the side in confusion, "Kim?"
Kim nodded as she tightened her grip on her gun, "Aren't you supposed to be on the surface leading the diversion?"
Betty nodded, "I can't explain why I'm down here but I need to be down here."
"For what?" Felix asked as he struggled to see clearly.
"For this," Betty said as she pulled the pistol from its holster on her side and proceeded to shoot Kim twice in the chest.
BOOM BOOM
Kim placed a hand on her chest and looked questionly at the hand that came back soaked in blood, "Betty?"
"Forgive me," Betty said emotionlessly as she held the gun to her head, "Now the universe will go back to how it's supposed to be."
She pulled the trigger.
Kim stared in shock at Betty's bloody form before turning back to Felix, "Felix, I don't feel so..."
Kim didn't finish as her legs refused to work and she collapsed to the ground in a heap even as she felt Felix struggle to catch her.
Kim looked into Felix's face and lightly cupped his cheek as he pulled her into his lap, "Not me," she gasped, "Not…"
The last thing Kim saw was Felix's face screaming into hers but then Kim's world went white and she knew no more.
"No," Felix breathed, blinking through tears that blocked his vision, "Please don't go."
He hugged Kim close and cried even as Bonnie tried to press a bandage against Kim's wounds. Several seconds later Bonnie realized the futility of her actions as she saw Kim's lifeless eyes.
"I'm sorry," Bonnie apologized as Felix's gaze snapped to the woman, "Kim is…Kim is dead."
October 14th, 2005
Middleton, Colorado
9:38 A.M.
Kim looked at Tam, horror written on her features, "How many more?"
"Countless," Tam replied as he took a sip of water.
"So I'm here-"
"Because your other versions showed me the proper ways to save you," Tam set the cup on the table, "I'm trying to save your life Kim."
"Maybe it didn't need to be saved," Kim argued, "Maybe I'm supposed to die," she gripped his hand tightly, "Did you ever think of that?"
Tam shook his head and stood to his feet, "No. Absolutely not. That is not the way it's supposed to be," Tam pointed at Kim, "I can save you. I can fix it and make it all better."
"Everything ends," Kim said defiantly, "Everyone dies."
"NO!" Tam shouted angrily, "You don't have to die. We don't have to die!"
The kitchen was silent as Kim pondered her Creator's words.
"We?" she asked meekly, fearing the answer.
Tam was about to retort but stopped, the words faltering on his tongue.
"We?" Kim probed, "What we?"
For several seconds Tam debated on what he should say before sinking back into the chair with his head bowed down. When he raised his head again, the defiance, the pride, all the pomp that had given him the appearance of a god in human form was stripped away and sitting before her was a thin shell of a man.
His eyes drawn in, the toll of countless failed treatments tugged at his skin and Kim saw the fatigue from broken promises and failed dreams hanging wearily on his body. The toll of constant failure weighed heavily on his body and with a sigh he looked up at Kim, the act causing Kim to cringe and involuntarily pull back.
His eyes, once proud and haughty, filled with pride and defiance were now clouded, the deep blue now clouded and milky white.
"I'm dying."
Kim watched the creator with shock on her face, "What?"
Tam conjured a glass of water from nothing and slowly sipped it, the glass trembling in his weak hand, "I have a tumor. It's growing right in the center of my parietal lobe."
Thinking back to what her Mother had told her about brain tumors Kim peered at him, "What kind of tumor?"
Tam met her gaze, "You know the kind where doctors give you medicine, operate on you and then make you all better?"
Kim nodded hopefully.
"Well, not that kind."
Tam saw her piercing gaze soften, "Doctors tell me it's completely inoperable. They told me I had six months to live three months ago." Tam smiled morosely, "If I create too much, help you by doing your job for you, it makes my tumor grow faster than doctors can keep it at bay," another sip of water, "But even then, I'm only delaying the inevitable."
Tam fingered his temple, "I'm a Walking Corpse," he chuckled, "A dying god."
Kim silently gazed upon Tam as ran his finger across the lip of his cup, "What does this have to do with me?" she asked.
"For the last six years I've been your Universe's Creator," Tam explained through another sip, "I've poured my ability to create entire adventures, entire stories…" he paused and looked at her, "Everything I once was, I poured into your creation."
"And now that you're about to die you don't want that to be forgotten," Kim surmised.
Tam was silent as Kim leaned forward across the table, "Everyone dies Tam," her eyes narrowed, "Even Creators."
"Not me," Tam countered, the argument sounding weak in his own mind.
Kim's mouth dropped open at his statement before she realized what Tam was saying, "You're scared of dying aren't you?"
Silence.
Kim knew she had hit a nerve, "This isn't about me, it never was," another piece fell into place, "You're trying to cheat death."
"I think it's time for you to go now," Tam said, darkness permeating his quiet voice as the kitchen began to rumble as a dull hum filled the air.
"You really had me going there," Kim scoffed as the humming grew, "Ever since Paris I've been trusting you because you were a higher power but this," Kim gestured around the room, "All this: the jumping, Paris, my friends dying," Kim shook with rage, "All of this was because you can't face the fact that you are going to die."
"I said it's time for you to go," Tam snarled as everything in the kitchen not secured to the ground suddenly rose from the ground and started to swirl around Tam and Kim.
The swirling objects spun around Kim, faster and faster they moved, colliding but never stopping as their pieces stirred silently through the air.
In the center of the storm Kim hardly noticed the movements but continued to stare down her creator, "I thought my Creator was someone to look up to but you're nothing more than a scared man," a scoff, "A man with a god complex forced to face his own mortality."
"GET OUT OF HERE!" Tam shouted angrily as the Universe was torn open beneath Kim and before she could scream she fell through the crack and into the emptiness below.
And then...
Earth
25,987,354 A.D.
CRACK-KABOOM-WHUMP
…it was all gone.
Whistling air, enormous pain on her body and for some reason, golden smoke.
She was falling.
Wind whipped past Kim's face as she tumbled through the air.
She twisted her body around in midair as she tumbled towards the ground but for some reason could only see blood red sand.
Looking towards the ground, Kim saw what could only be described as a hurricane of sand swirling below her but for some reason it was quickly dissipating as an invisible shockwave cleared the sand in every direction.
The blood red sand stretched below her for as far as the eye could see and for a moment Kim could have sworn that she saw a person standing amidst the sand but the ground was approaching ever faster. Looking over her shoulder, Kim saw a golden trail of smoke following her, marking her trail through the heavens towards the ground.
Surrounding her, trailing their own golden smoke was the machine and her backpack that must have come loose in the tumble.
Kim neared the ground, her red hair whipping around her head as the wind buffeted her face and body.
The ground rose up and with a scream, Kim slammed into the ground but the blow was softened by the loose sand below her.
Whump
Then nothing.
Earth
25,987,354 A.D.
He had been walking for several hours but Ron Stoppable was confident that the origin of the golden smoke trail would eventually be found.
Ron took a deep sigh as he neared the top of another scarlet sand dune and as he neared the top he glanced behind him at his home in the rocks and smiled as he noticed the quiet on the Earth.
For the first time in thousands of years, the wind was still and Ron was simply awestruck at the silence pervading his life.
Whistling softly, Ron resumed his trek up the dune and finally came to the top of the mountain of sand...and stopped in awe.
Bright gleaming glassy sand that had been turned to glass, the falling rays of the ruby sun gave off the appearance that the sun was touching Earth.
An enormous crater of glass stretched out before him, glimmering in the sand like a lost mirror reflecting the sun.
He ran down the side of dune and stopped at the edge of the still cooling glass.
A hesitant footstep onto the glass, cringing as the glass creaked and cracked beneath his weight.
He took another hesitant step onto the glass but it appeared that the glass was cooling as the sounds lessened.
Another cautious step.
Ron gave up all caution and sprinted towards the center of the crater, the glass objecting to his running with every foot fall.
As he neared the center of the crater, Ron slowed to a stop. His prior apathy replaced with genuine curiosity as he saw the middle of the crater, the point of impact was empty.
He crouched down near the center of the crater and tilted his head to the side in wonderment as he saw the outline of a body in the center.
"But where is the body?" he muttered to himself.
Ron stood to his feet and looked around and stopped as his gaze was fixed on a mysterious sight.
A trail of cracked glass led away from the center and away from him.
Ron followed the cracked glass to the edge of the crater and stopped where the glass turned back into sand.
Leading away from the glass, in the direction of another cloud of golden smoke were a set of footprints.
Ron looked at the prints quizzically, his mind refusing to believe what his eyes were showing him.
"It's not possible," Ron spoke but with a deep breath he stood to his feet.
A pause.
"But then again," for the first time in millions of years Ron smiled, "It just might."
Earth
25,987,354 A.D.
Kim gasped as she struggled through the sand, the cold wind biting through her clothes and chilling her to the bone.
She looked down at her attire, the block midriff and brown cargo pants, her original outfit and let out a contented sigh, "At least I'm a woman again," she licked her lips and swallowed as she took another step forward, "I am really thirsty."
She crested a sand dune and took a moment to stare out at the seeming endless sand. She didn't know where she was, only that she needed to find the backpack and Machine.
As she continued to stare out at the sand dunes she felt her head begin to swim and before she knew it, she was tumbling down the sand dune.
The air was forced from her lungs as she tumbled to a stop at the base of the dune and she struggled to breathe.
She felt herself gasping for air but as she gasped she could only feel a dying desire to quench her thirst.
"Help," she called to the dead world, "Help me..."
Earth
25,987,354 A.D.
Ron perched atop the sand dune, the Lotus Blade strapped to his back lightly rocking in the cold wind. For several minutes his eyes scanned the sand, hoping and praying for a path.
The Creator heard his prayer as Ron turned his head and saw a dark shape move in the sand.
His eyes narrowed before shrugging and pulling the blade from his back, "Sled," he commanded as the blade transformed into a sled seconds later.
Ron sat on the sled and gripping both sides of the device he slid down the side of the dune, momentarily forgetting about his troubles as he raced faster and faster over the sands.
Near the base of the dune Ron slowed the sled as he neared the body that stopped moving.
Ron rose from the sled and grabbed at the device, the sled transforming back into the Lotus Blade back into a blade before stowing it on his back in one fluid motion.
With a nervousness in his soul, Ron approached the body that was emitting smoke and he sighed as he noticed the body in a black tank top with tan cargo pants.
He placed a hand on the shoulder of the body, brushing aside the long red hair.
"Now who are..." Ron trailed off as he stared into the teenage face of his wife, Kim Possible, "...you?"
Ron took a step back and shook his head, his eyes wide not seeing anything but only thinking about Kim.
"You're here," he whispered in joy, "You're finally here."
July 9th, 2012
Los Angeles, California
8:53 P.M.
"Well it's about time," Wolf remarked from the radiator.
"Hmm?" Sidekick asked as he turned in his chair to face her.
"It seems like a year since you introduced him and and they're now just meeting?" she asked in disbelief, "There's stretching something out for a long time and then there's you."
Sidekick allowed a chuckle to escape his lips, "Well I had to build up the tension somehow."
"Yeah," a sarcastic taunt, "And I must say that you handled that scene in the kitchen well."
Sidekick turned away in embarrassment, "It wasn't my finest hour," Sidekick said defensively, "Besides you...remember... that...one..."
"Remember that one what?" Wolf asked at Sidekick's trailing off in mid sentence.
Sidekick didn't answer but instead fingered his temple lightly, "That's new," he whispered almost so quiet it could hardly be heard.
"What's new?" she asked.
He opened his mouth to respond but instead a pain filled scream burst forth and the Real Sidekick clutched at his head as immeasurable pain burst forth from his skull and he rolled from his chair as the pain only increased.
Thankfully the pain was so intense that Sidekick could feel unconsciousness come to claim him and quickly his vision started to dim as he toppled to the ground.
His eyes focusing but then unfocusing, The Real Sidekick watched his sister scream his name even if he couldn't hear her over his pain.
Then the darkness claimed him.
Disclaimer: I own Nothing. Disney owns the rest.
Author's Notes: So here we are again. It only took 7 months but it's finally the beginning again.
This chapter might bring up some questions about my health so I'll respond preemptively with the statement, write what you know.
Special thanks this week goes out to CajunBear73 (Tune in Tuesdays for Crossing Over with Tam Agmiln), Eddy13 (Hopefully a few of your questions were answered here), temporaryinsantiy91 (Voila! Answers), Twuscany (Do you really want me to tell you now?), Sentinel103 (Words will be exchanged and I'm sure one of us will end up in tears), Joe Stoppinghem (Thanks for the offer but some battles are meant to be fought alone), Darev (Sometimes the children must pay for the sins of their father).
And my heartfelt thanks goes out to you, the silent reader for continually reading and reviewing this story. Thank you. If you have any questions, feel free to leave me a question, comment, concern or review in the review box below. I will respond before the next chapter is up.
Until next time,
TRS