I do NOT own Kim Possible
Time: A week later.
The Mutator,... Cindy,... Motor Ed,... Jenny,...
He yawned and stretched as he woke up, careful not to disturb the woman next to him. Sliding down, and resting his head back on the pillow, he gazed at her. Each morning a brief interlude in what had been a hectic week. Hectic, but good. For one thing the nightmare hadn't visited him even once in the last week. It was gone. The creature that had spawned it was dead and the girl who had been its toy was no monster. He was still going to classes and taking notes. In the evenings he would sit down with Kim, in Jenny's room, and go through them. The three of them talked. At first it had just been him and Kim talking, taking a break from studying, but Jenny had been slowly drawn into the conversations and now freely partook in them. She was no monster. He still saw that look in her eyes when Miranda brought them coffee. He was pretty sure she didn't realize it herself yet. The expression was so cute he had to turn away each time he saw it so she wouldn't see his smile.
But the majority of his time had been taken up with the mutator. DNAmy was a genius, when it came to genetics. She was even pretty smart when it came to machines. But she wasn't a genius with them. She had described what she'd done when she'd found the alien device. Detailed drawings and photographs before it melted. Then she had determined what was likely to be the power source and attempted to recreated the device starting from that point. She had added to it a small bit at a time and researched physics to determine what it would do, developing theories as she went. The task must have been tedious and far from simple given she didn't have an innate understanding of machines like he and Wade did. His respect for the woman had increased.
Over DNAmy's protests Dr. Betty Director had insisted someone take a look at the mutator. She had reluctantly agreed to let him look at it. He guessed where they'd spent so much time together of late, and with Mrs. Dr. P speaking up for him, she had developed a bit of trust. The mad geneticist's protests had faded when after five minutes of looking at the machine he'd declared he could easily double, or even triple, the number of cybertronics circuits it could use. The part that did the merging and unmerging was as clear as mud to him. He guessed it was due to his lack of knowledge in the field of genetics. But the way the cybertronic circuits had been arranged was clearly not the work of someone who fully understood what they were doing.
She had been using simple fans to cool the circuits. Much like those found in a computer. He'd went with immersing the circuits in water. Water, being over eight hundred times denser than air, was much better at transporting heat. That had taken most of the week to accomplish. He had had to make sure the water didn't affect how the circuits worked. He had then started pulling out each circuit and adding a radiator so it would have more surface area to radiate heat from. There was still work to do. More circuits to add radiators too and he planned to arrange them in arrays with each array having an independent power supply. It would cut down on the total power that needed to flow through any one circuit.
He pushed the thoughts of the mutator out of his mind. There were more important things to think about right now. He turned his attention towards the woman who was his world and watched, listening to her breathing, waiting.
Much as he wanted to get it finished, the mutator wasn't on his to do list for today. He'd asked Wade to arrange a ride and had gotten a Global Justice jet along with a pilot. From what he understood it didn't cost Global Justice anything extra to provide those rides. It had a fleet of jet and pilots to pilot them. Pilots had to be trained and that is where the rides came in. For a pilot just learning it didn't cost any more to send them with a passenger to such and such an area than it did to just have them circle around in the air for a bit. The costs were the same. Global Justice gained the benefits of doing favors for people at what was no extra cost to them.
He walked the Boston streets, not entirely sure where he was going. Finding one person amidst the crowds of the city was daunting. He had tried her home address only to find no one was there. He'd asked Wade to try and find where she worked or went to school only to find her work place wasn't a set location. It changed with the job and it usually paid cash. It wasn't something usually kept on a computer. He'd asked her neighbours but they'd been suspicious.
The Kimmunicator beeped and he pulled it out. "Find her Wade?"
"Yeah. Maybe. No set working hours either so she might or might not be there." The genius answered, not looking up as he kept typing.
"Where is it?" He asked.
"Just three kilometers from where you are. Seems a school hired her for a job. I'm downloading directions now." Wade kept typing.
The display on the Kimmunicator changed, giving a small map of the area he was in. "Thanks Wade." He told the genius.
"No problems." The genius signed off.
Ron looked at the map and then up at the sky. It was clear and the slight breeze was cool, refreshing. Three kilometers wasn't too far to walk and he needed a stroll after spending the whole week inside the Middleton base. He set off.
The mural was interesting. It had obviously been put together with a theme in mind. He stood looking at it, trying to determine what it was. It showed a park with exquisitely drawn trees. Kids were playing on the rides the park offered and in the sandboxes. He studied it. There were two of each item, carefully put together to look natural. Whoever had designed it had put a lot of effort into the layout. He thought on it. Two of everything, but the two were different. On one swing set a child was sitting alone, on the other there were two with one child pushing another. In one sandbox a single child built a small castle, in the other two were working together on a larger sand sculpture. Cooperation, the thought came to him. People working together can accomplish more than a single person working alone. That was part of the theme. And from that there followed friendship.
He took a few steps and the scene gradually and naturally changed from a park setting to people sitting outside of a school. The design here was much the same, if a little different. It had the same theme. Groups of people working together. A single student trying to study with their face screwed up in frustration. A little distance away there were three students working together, one was explaining something to the others. Other students were working on what seemed to be science projects. Again the theme came through. Working together got more done. Cooperation and friendship, he decided was a large part of the theme.
He stood back to study the completed part of the painting as a whole. Some parts were exquisite with a lot of attention given to detail. Others were more roughly painted. Yet there was no discontinuity. It all flowed together into one complete whole. It was amazing and beautiful.
He turned his attention to the three women working on what seemed to be the last section. Two of them were energetic, practically bouncing around. They were for the most part helping the third person, handing her stuff and then replacing it when she was done with it. The three of them were obviously in a good mood. They laughed as they talked and seemed to be enjoying what they were doing. He lifted the Kimmunicator and filmed the mural along with the women for a few minutes. It must have drawn their attention as he noticed one of them point at him and the talking became quieter.
He stood back and studied the third woman. She moved slowly, carefully. She didn't hold the can of spray paint in her hand, but had it attached to her wrist by some device. She reached over with her other hand and pulled it free. One of the other woman took it and handed her another can. She inserted it into the device and continued her work after a glance in his direction.
He approached and pretended to study the mural. His attention was on the third woman. Cindy Calworth. Jenny's sister. It seemed she'd been wrong, her sister was still painting. It might not be in art shows and she might not be famous but that she loved what she was doing showed through. Both from the work itself and from the way she behaved as she painted.
He studied the can of spray paint she was holding. Her wrist let her move it around to aim with and it seemed two of her fingers worked enough to help with the direction. There was a contraption around the can that looked like something tore out of a child's remote control car. He figured that basically was what it was. Somewhere she had the controller and with the push of a button she could spray paint, and then stop just by releasing it. It wasn't held in either hand though.
"There's no need to stare." One of the woman spoke to him, angrily.
"Betty. No need to be like that." Cindy said. "It's not as though I'm not used to it."
"You're Cindy Calworth?" Ron asked, just to make sure.
"And you are?" The one named Betty demanded.
"Ron." He answered.
"And why are you staring?" She demanded of him.
He shrugged. "I've read her medical report. For someone who was brutalize as she was to be walking, let alone painting, is amazing."
Betty went to open her mouth again but Cindy reached over and hit her on the head with the can in her hand.
"Ouch!" Betty exclaimed, turning back towards Cindy.
"Just how did you get access to my medical reports?" Cindy asked.
"Was included in your sister's file." He explained.
She blinked. "My sister?" A mixture of emotions ran across her face. Fear was among them. So was sadness.
"No one ever told you she was captured seven years ago?" He asked. He knew no one had. Those who went into that particular prison usually just disappeared.
"No." She answered. "Where is she?"
"She'd being held at a hospital. She escaped a few months back and I was one of the people charged with finding her and capturing her again." He paused wondering if he was telling her too much. "She's tough. She nearly killed two of the people I work with."
The woman gulped. "Will they be okay?" She finally asked.
"They're both okay." He told her.
The woman thought for a long time. Betty was beside her with a hand on her shoulder for support. The other woman was standing close too, protectively.
"Is she okay?" She gulped again, worry on her face. "I mean, why a hospital and not a jail?"
Ron smiled. It had been the reaction he'd been hoping for. It seemed Cindy still cared about her sister. Was worried about her. What her sister had done hadn't broken her and while that night must haunt her dreams she still cared.
"Back when they first captured her they didn't know how to handle her other than put her in prison. This time though some experiments were done on her. There were abnormalities."
"Abnormalities? Like?" Her voiced demanded an answer.
"I can't give you all the details. But she's undergone a lot of medical procedures over the last few weeks. Not to mention a number of brain surgeries."
"There was something wrong with her? Wasn't there?" Cindy stated. "I can recall the way we used to stare into each others eyes. There was nothing but pure love in them until she turned eight. I think it eight. I was just twelve at the time. Then after that there was fear. She was always afraid of something. When she did this." She held up her hand and pointed to her eye. "She was crying the whole time and she threw up twice. It wasn't something she wanted to do. She was sick and horrified at what she was doing. I could tell she would rather have died than hurt me. That she was praying to die."
"You're right on all accounts." He told her. "As far as I know." He studied the eye she'd pointed to. He knew it had to be artificial.
"Is she okay?" The woman asked again.
"Physically she's fine. The surgeries went perfect. The problem that drove her to hurt people has been fixed. Of course that doesn't mean she will ever be free again. At least not totally free." He shrugged and fixed his gaze on her artificial eye. "She's strong and the people in charge will be afraid to ever let her go again. She hurt over a hundred people. Some of them permanently like with you." He pointed at the eye. "I can't blame them for that decision. It's the one I would make. Though in the end that might not matter. She's appalled at what she's done. Terrified she might do it again. There's a good chance once we remove the restraints we got on her she will commit suicide. She sees it as the only way to ensure she never hurts anyone again."
"A hundred? Suicide?" Cindy stood, face pale, for a long time. "Can I see her?" She asked.
Ron studied her. He could tell the thought of seeing her sister terrified her, but that she also loved her. "That could be arranged. If you're sure that is?" He shrugged. "No one would blame you if you just told me to go away."
"I want to see her." Despite the fear in her voice she sounded sure of herself.
"What about her parents?"
"I don't think that would be a good idea for now." She admitted, reluctantly. "They weren't hurt as bad as I was, but they saw her hurt me. I think that had more of an affect on them than if she'd hurt them more." She explained.
"I see." And he did. He would rather be hurt than see Shego get hurt.
He looked around. "She's at a military hospital, sort of. So only you will be allowed in to see her."
Betty immediately went to protest that but got hit on the head again with a paint can. She stared daggers at Cindy.
"That's fine." Cindy said.
He turned to look at the mural. "Friendship and cooperation." He said.
Cindy smiled. "Right. Glad someone can see it. The school has a bullying problem and they wanted something to show how working together benefits everyone." The smile disappeared and she sighed. "Of course within a week it will be painted over with graffiti as those same bullies just ignore it or deliberately destroy it."
He held up the Kimmunicator. "I've got a picture of it. It will make Jenny happy to see you painting."
The smile returned. "Good." She said. "When can I see her?" She asked.
"Tomorrow if you've got the time." He said. He didn't want to just spring her on her sister.
"I do." Fear and hope mixed together was what he heard in her voice.
"I will have Wade contact you and set it up." He told her.
"Okay." He could tell she'd hoped to leave right away.
Beep! Beep! Beep!
He sighed and backed away from the woman. "What's up Wade?" He asked.
"Two things. We've confirmed that Willow has return to her previous location. The animal mutilations have started again. Dr. Betty Director is getting everyone's opinion on what we should do."
"Leave her there. It's animals she's killing not people. Once Sara is unmerged from the Lorwardian we'll pick her up. It's too dangerous having two of them at the base at the same time. They could do a repeat of what they did when they escaped."
Wade nodded. "That's pretty much what everyone's agreeing on."
"The second item?" Ron asked.
"Motor Ed is terrorizing a junkyard in Middleton. The vehicle he has is boosted by cybertronic technology. We've been requested by Dr. Betty Director to apprehend him. Shego and Kim are getting ready. When will you be back?"
"As fast as the jet can get me there." he answered. "Have it locate me and pick me up."
"Will do." The genius signed off.
"Tomorrow morning sometime." He yelled over to Cindy. Then he turned and started a brisk walk away from the area. It wouldn't do to let them see the jet uncloak and then cloak. He also had to figure out a way to explain to her just why her sister was seven years too young. He wondered just how much Dr. Betty Director would let him tell her.
The junkyard was huge. Row upon row of cars and trucks piled on top of each other until the stacks reached thirty feet into the air. The paths between them appeared more like a labyrinth and a cold wind blew through. It seemed like the perfect place for a horror movie. A huge roar could be heard from somewhere in the colossal mass of wrecked vehicles. Motor Ed was on the prowl for something. Ron wondered what it was.
The three of them guessed the direction the roar was moving in and tried to get in front of it. They were lucky, or unlucky as the case may be, as a huge robot like truck zoomed around a corner and forced them to dive out of the way. It stopped moving and turned back towards them.
"Red." Came the voice of a blonde haired man sitting on top of the contraption. "Shego my babe." He added. "So you two are still together. Why don't you come back to me Shego. I'm much better for you than Red would be."
Shego and Kim looked at each other. "Didn't we already go through this once?" Shego asked.
"We did." Kim sighed.
Ron stood to one side, unnoticed as usual, and studied Motor Ed's new ride. It looked like a modified Diablo. It held a basic horizontal robot shape but the front arms were slanted down and ended in wheels. The thrusters on the feet were still there, but the knees were bent down towards the ground. There were huge wheels on them. The top of the robot seemed to be half hollow as that was where the mad mechanic was sitting. The cab that rose up to surround him appeared to be like that of any car,
Shego tossed plasma at the vehicle only to see it bounce off. Of course, she recalled, the basic Diablo design was plasma resistant. She sighed and tossed it at the maniac on top of the machine. He flinched but the windshield held. The plasma faded without leaving a single mark.
"Shego my babe, seriously, there's no need to be like that. You'll make the best ornament ever for a cool ride like my Diablomachine."
"Shut up about me and Princess being a couple you moron." Shego yelled. "And I'm not an ornament." She added, screaming, as she threw more plasma.
"We're not and never will be a couple." Kim yelled as she charged the truck. She hit it, but the hole disappeared in seconds just as it would on a normal Diablo robot. She turned to Shego. "And it's Kim. not Princess, Kermit."
"Sorry." Shego answered as she threw more plasma at the Diablomachine, as Motor Ed had called it. "Sort of forgot under the pressure of the situation." She explained.
"That's okay." Kim answered, dancing in to hit the vehicle once more. "I feel like ripping his head off too." She admitted. The hole she made once again vanished in seconds.
"Seriously." The crazed mechanic called down. "It's the perfect ride. Fast and when it gets a scratch it just repairs itself. Dudettes, this is one seriously perfect machine." He looked at Shego. "See, you would make the perfect ornament."
Shego sighed and threw more plasma. "You know, I would rather he call us a couple than call me an ornament." She said to Kim.
Kim sighed. "You know it makes me feel like chopped liver. I mean I'm just as attractive."
"So you wouldn't mind being called an ornament?" Shego asked, eyebrows raised.
"Hell yes I would mind." The redhead fumed. "I'll kick any guy who calls me that where it hurts."
The two of them made a combined assault on the machine by trying to run up to where Motor Ed was. Two arms popped up from the hood and started throwing fireballs at them. They dodged and retreated.
"Seriously Red." Motor Ed called down. "You know I got to be better for my main babe Shego than you are. If you love her, set her free."
"Buffoon." Shego yelled.
"Ron." Kim called out.
"A little help here." They said together.
Motor Ed looked around. "Hey dude." He said, spotting Ron. "What are you doing with my main babe Shego. Seriously dude, that is so wrong."
Ron sighed. "Are you really saying you need help with that overgrown youngster?" He asked, amused.
"Seriously dude?" The insane mechanic called down. "That's no way to talk to someone. Not when they got a serious ride like this. Seriously dude, it's wrong."
"Just do something." Shego ordered.
Ron sighed. Both women were smart. But it seemed they still held a grudge against the mad mechanic. It was hindering their reasoning. He let the plasma rise around him in full force. He then threw it, not at the Diablomachine, but at the rows of wrecked vehicles around it. He blasted the bottom vehicle in each stack, destroying their support. Shego followed suit and soon dozens of demolished trucks and cars were falling on top of Motor Ed's new ride.
The extra weight caused the wheels to explode and the machine settled to the ground. They tried to regrow but the extra weight was still there. Each time they tried there was a popping sound. The thrusters at the back of the vehicle were squatted together. They too tried to repair themselves but several tons of weight was on top of them. The cab Motor Ed was in was had been squashed. It too seemed to be trying to repair itself but once again the presence of the cars hindered it. The two fireball throwing cannons were also beneath several trucks.
"You know Shego." Ron started, with a small smile on his face. "You're going to have to start thinking better than that or I might start thinking of you as an or..."
Shego lit a fist. "Don't say it." She threatened.
"Never. " He said and pulled her in close for a kiss.
Kim waited a few minutes, politely staring in the opposite direction. After a while she interrupted them. "Guys. How do we get him out of there?" Yelling could be heard coming from the pile of trashed vehicles.
Ron and Shego reluctantly let their lips part. They both turned and stared daggers at her for the interruption.
She gulped and stepped back. "You know. Just pretend I'm not here." She said. "Nope. There's no Kim here."
Later that evening the three of them arrived at Jenny's room to find a frustrated Miranda trying to feed the teenager. It seemed Jenny had decided that if she couldn't kill herself in a normal fashion she would starve herself to death. She kept her mouth firmly closed and ignored the food.
Ron watched her. Much as she tried to ignore the food her eyes followed it. She was hungry.
"If you don't eat like this we will just have to use a feeding tube." Miranda told her.
Jenny shook her head. "I will just bite it in two." She warned, still keeping her teeth clenched.
Miranda sighed. "Please." She begged.
Jenny shook her head.
Ron let out a quiet sigh. He had hoped the way she partook in discussions when he studied with Kim and the way she enjoyed having Miranda around was helping her get over the desire to die. He guessed it was some, but the idea still resurfaced in her mind at times. Not that he could blame her. To her the only way to ensure she didn't hurt anyone ever again was if she didn't exist.
Miranda leaned forward and Jenny's eyes briefly took in the view before looking away. Her face was red and her eyes were no longer focused on the food. She seemed confused.
"I got a gift for you if you eat." Ron told her.
She looked at him. "Gift?" Curious, but noncommitted.
"You asked how your sister was doing right?"
Her eyes went wide as fear and need fought for dominance in them. She nodded.
He held up the Kimmunicator. "Got some pictures of her here. But only if you agree to eat."
He watched her as she thought it over. She was extremely afraid of what she would see. At the same time she needed to see it. Eventually she nodded.
"Okay." She said.
Miranda brought a spoon of mashed potatoes up to her mouth and she ate it, eyes focused on the Kimmunicator.
He sat down on her other side and pulled up the video he had taken. He let her watch. "Pretty nice work isn't it." He told her as the mural came into view.
She nodded and wondered what it had to do with her sister. Her sister couldn't paint. Then the three woman came into view and she felt her eyes go wide again. Her sister was painting. Her heart started pounded even harder than when Miranda leaned down around her. The three women on the screen were talking and laughing. Her sister was laughing. She didn't move like the other two woman, but she was painting. And the mural was beautiful. It was just the sort of thing her sister would paint. She started crying.
"She looks so old." She finally said.
End of Chapter.
Thanks to Ron the mutator will be receiving a nice boost. No more worrying if it will have enough power to unmerge the girls/aliens.
Jenny's sister seems to be doing okay after all.
Seems they know where Willow is, but for the moment would rather not allow their opponents the chance to combine forces.
Motor Ed still seems to have a few screws loose. If you're wondering what he was looking for I would bet it's a perfect place to look for Diablos. People grabbing a quick bite to eat and tossing the toy into the backseat or into the trunk and then forgetting about it. Given thousands of cars odds are one or two would be there. Not that Ron gave the mad mechanic a chance to give any reasons. We can only guess. And yes, they would have made sure to get him safely out.