K1m P0ss1ble::Bu7t3rfly's W1ng$
Disclaimer: The following is a non-profit fan work. Kim Possible and all associated characters are the property of Walt Disney and Buena Vista Television.
Chapter 6: Secrets
"DataByte. It is the name I have chosen to describe this form."
Kim blinked her wide eyes a few times in disbelief. Her lip curled up at one side in surprise. She had scooted as far back as she could in the wood chair that the research library used for all its desks. The small, luminescent blue humanoid figure stood on the desk and stared at her expression with mild irritation.
"I am an artificial intelligence currently utilizing your cerebral implants to project my avatar onto your visual cortex."
Kim's face remained frozen in its bewildered expression but her head nodded up and down to show some manner of understanding for the small figure.
"Oh come now Agent Possible. I cannot be the strangest thing you have witnessed."
Kim's expression broke, "You know my name?"
The small blue figure simply gave a shrug in response, "Technically, I am in your head at the moment. I have access to all your records and data stored in the cerebral implant."
"Hey! Don't you-"
"Not that I would intrude on your privacy. Merely being honest with our current situation."
Kim sighed with relief and re-positioned herself in her chair, "Well that's some relief. Not that I could really do anything about it if you were lying I suppose."
DataByte floated up into the air from its spot on the desk, "No, but such actions hardly create the foundation of teamwork."
"And since when were we a team?" Kim said and crossed her arms.
DataByte gestured to the notepad and computer monitor, "We appear to be interested in similar investigations. It would only seem to be prudent to work together."
"But I don't even know who you are. Other than you being an AI." Kim said as she began to type again.
DataByte spoke again with an introductory tone, "I am DataByte, an artificial intelligence tha-"
"You said that already." Kim said with a roll of her eyes.
"I do not understand what you mean then. That is who I am."
Kim pushed the enter key, sending the computer running through a comparison of the documented footage of Kosch and the training manuals for the Global Justice Martial Combat training courses, "Well how about 'Where did you come from' or 'Do you work for Global Justice' as starters?"
DataByte hovered in front of the monitor viewing the comparison calculations roll by, "Neither of those would be valid responses to who I am but I will do my best to explain. I was created as a digital imprint of a human mind. While not as omnipotent as a traditional artificial intelligence or as capable of expression, I do not require nearly as many resources to maintain sentience allowing me to be far more mobile. As for your second question: No, I am not part of Global Justice. I was simply in their system and noticed your searches overlapping with mine."
Kim gave an audible grunt. She wasn't completely convinced that this thing was on the up and up. Hell, if she weren't half machine herself, she would have serious questions about this 'artificial intelligence' idea, "You know that tampering with Global Justice equipment is a serious crime."
DataByte's image gave a shrug, "Is it? Global Justice is a non-governmental peace keeping organization based out of international waters. What and whose law am I breaking? Even if I was how would they indict me when I have no existing legal presence and do not exist beyond being data."
"What about the mind you were copied from?"
"Lab records show that the test subject passed away during the imprinting process leaving my existence somewhat incomplete. I have all of the subject's personality and skills but not of the memories. I often use my idle cycles to try to reverse engineer how some of my more eclectic interests came into being in my former life."
Kim placed her hand behind her head and sheepishly looked at the ground, "Oh. I uh… am… sorry?"
DataByte's avatar shook its head, "There is no need. I am merely stating the facts of the matter. Though your sympathetic gestures are appreciated."
Kim bit her lip slightly. She was unsure of what to say, "So uh… do you come here often? I mean, you're investigating too right? So you would use the um…" In a merciful gesture to diffuse the awkwardness, the computer gave a chime to let her know that the comparison was complete. She eagerly leaned forward to check the screen but her expression rapidly turned sour when the screen flashed in large yellow text: '17% MATCH'
"AAAARGH!" Kim grunted as she stood up and started pacing around the room, "I was so sure that was it."
"It is still within the realm of possibilities that it is." DataByte's voiced rang in her ear as if the small hologram looking figure was sitting on her shoulder. Kim turned back to see the figure still sitting on the desk looking at the monitor.
"What do you mean?"
DataByte split into two separate copies of himself, one which remained at the monitor and another that floated towards her, "The video clip we were using as a comparison is only 53 seconds and 12 frames long. Slightly less than one minute. That is hardly enough time to demonstrate the full range of the 132 different forms of combat that Global Justice uses as a baseline for their combat techniques. In fact, if we were to eliminate all possibilities beyond the close range hand-to-hand techniques, remove the techniques that are least likely to be used by our subject, the comparison spikes to 63%. Demonstrating moves from Judo, Tai Shing Pek Kwar, and various street fighting techniques."
"Thanks. You're just as helpful as Wade." A slight smile graced Kim's lips as she took a few deep breaths to help calm down.
"Wade?" DataByte tilted its head slightly, "Is that a software package? Or an AI?"
Kim chuckled, "No. Wade's human. Though you'd swear he was a machine considering some of the things he can do."
Kim gave a yawn and checked her internal clock display, "Oh damn. It's 4am. Sorry DB, I gotta split."
"I suppose your physical matter must recharge."
"Don't sound so snooty. At least my 'physical matter' can enjoy Bueno Nacho from time to time," Kim said as she packed up her remaining belongings and made a copy of the data of her recent session to her internal memory.
"From what I understand of the dietary contents of the average Bueno Nacho meal, I'm not sure that's an advantage." DataByte said while crossing his arms.
Kim stood up and walked toward the door, "Well, someone's jelling."
LOCATION: Global Justice Commissary.
TIME: September 12th, 2009. 0810 hours.
Tint watched as Kim's eyes repeatedly drooped closed and then snapped back open over and over as the cereal and milk on her spoon repeatedly dripped back into the bowl only for Kim to scoop it back out in her brief moments of conscious clarity.
"You'd think being half machine would keep you awake," Tint said with a sly smirk.
Kim just gently shook her head and spoke drowsily, "Brain's still mostly fleshy bits. A memory drive installed back here," she gestured to the back of her head, just above the neck, "But the rest is still meat."
Kim's ears were then pierced with unbelievably chipper voice of Trapdoor as he joined Tint and Kim, "In fact, Agent Phoenix's natural biology still makes up 68% of her being. Barely putting her above the 25% implementation needed to qualify as a Class-1 biomechanical threat."
Kim's glazed eyes slowly lowered to her cereal.
"Oh, gee, is that all Trap? Did you hear that Kim, you're only a class ONE threat to the world," Tint sarcastically drolled before she smacked the top of Trapdoor's head, "Thanks Trap. Your bedside manner is - as always - completely ass."
"I was merely suggesting that our dear Agent Phoenix is far removed from the uh," Trapdoor gave a cough, "Teched up freaks I believe was how it was phrased."
Tint rolled her eyes, "It's called 'tact', Trap. Maybe you should try treating people the way you treat locks!"
"With a precise implement inserted directly into their vital regions?"
"With subtlety, you little- !"
"MAY I HAVE YOUR ATTENTION PLEASE."
The sudden blaring voice of Doctor Director over the loudspeakers ushered a silence over the cafeteria.
"THERE WILL BE A MISSION BRIEFING AT 0900. ALL FIELD AND SUPPORT AGENTS WILL REPORT TO THE MISSION ROOM FLOOR."
Kim and Tint exchange glances. Trapdoor started poking at his food nervously. The mood of the entire cafeteria had changed. Instead of a cacophony of noise and chatter, now hushed mutterings mixed with the occasional clang of silverware filled the area.
"I don't remember the last time we got an all agent mission briefing." Tint said, shoving eggs in her mouth as she talked.
Trapdoor shivered, "It was the Moscow Incident. I would hypothesize that Agent Three-Eyes is quite perturbed by the announcement."
Kim tilted her head, "Why would...?"
"Moscow's where he lost his eye. Now where were you last night, Sleepyhead?" Tint spat out in rapid succession, eggs soaring out from her mouth with each spoken word.
Trapdoor and Kim stared at Tint for a moment as their brains adjusted for the whiplash of the non-sequitur topic shift. Kim gave a small cough and bit into another spoonful of soggy cereal soaked to the point of having the texture of wet paper, "I was uh… in the library. Alone. Doing research."
Tint raised an eyebrow, "Kosch?"
Kim nodded softly, spoon still in her mouth. She slid the piece of metal out, "I analyzed the data from brief security camera footage and it came up just over a sixty percent match with Global Justice combat techniques."
"Oh K," Tint frowned, "Still thinking it's Du-ey?"
Trapdoor shook his head, "Even with a 60% combat style match, it still ignores the psychological contradictions with everything Agent Du is or was."
"Look DB seemed pretty convinced by the numbers and…"
Tint interrupted, a sudden surge of intrigue in her voice, "Who is DB?"
Kim went wide eyed for a second and scrambled to collect her thoughts, "It's uh… one of Wade's aliases."
Kim gripped the sides of her head with her hands in a futile attempt to ward of a headache, "Look it doesn't matter. The point is Kosch doesn't even seem capable of anything beyond animalistic instinct and basic speech. Maybe it's not Will, but whoever Kosch was I think it's pretty clear that he isn't them anymore."
Tint and Trapdoor looked at each other for a moment, frowns growing on their faces. Kim knew that look. That look of disappointment, disbelief, and doubt. She'd seen it many times since. Tint forced a grin, "Well Kim… that's er… a good theory."
Kim didn't need to hear anymore. She tossed her spoon in the bowl, grabbed the tray and walked away from the table, "I'll see you two at the briefing."
Trapdoor looked over at Tint, "Should we tell the director?"
Tint shook her head, "Nah. We're watching 'er like we're s'posed ta. She ain't done nothing wrong yet."
Trapdoor frowned and bit into his toast.
LOCATION: Global Justice Mission Operations Center
TIME: September 12th, 2009. 0900 hours.
The Mission Room was normally a spacious paragon of efficiency with the only occupied areas being the terminals utilized by the support agents and the so-called commander's deck where Doctor Director would oversee missions she deemed worthy of oversight. Currently the Mission room was standing room only with barely enough room to walk into as every agent in Global Justice HQ was trying to pack into it. Kim had found herself a spot along the back wall next to Three-Eyes who was clearly coming to the briefing after a morning workout judging by the sweat on his skin and the copious amount of anti-odor chemicals that lingered in the air around him.
Kim always felt a bit better standing with Three-Eyes at briefings. He had something of a comforting paternal feeling about him. Almost as if he were the defacto dad of the squad. She smiled at him as she cracked open a highly caffeinated soda she grabbed on the way there.
"Rough night, kid?" Three-Eyes said with a smirk.
"Just long. Couldn't sleep. So I hung out in the library. Good place to get sleepy," Kim took a swig from the can.
"Your old boyfriend teach you that?" Three-Eyes grinned.
Kim coughed hard, spitting up some soda, "What?!"
Three-Eyes dropped the smile and his eyes opened up in shock, "Oh! Sorry. I didn't mean any offense. I just remember hearing stories about you and him when I was in boot around here years ago. Learning the Ron Factor and what not. He seemed like a goofball."
Kim wiped the rest of the soda off of her mouth with her sleeve, "Yea. Sorry. Still a sore subject. But he was a lovable goofball. I miss him."
Three-Eyes put his hand on Kim's shoulder and gave it a little squeeze, "Sorry again, kid. I'll make a note not to bring that up on a whim again."
Kim gave a small, short smile before swigging her soda again.
Suddenly, the room went quiet as Doctor Director walked out on the Commander's deck, "Ladies and gentlemen, we have a crisis-level scenario on hand. We have deciphered the data liberated from the Worldwide Evil Empire acquired by our own newest member of the elite special task force ten, Kim Possible."
There was a momentary congratulatory applause. Despite the complete reaming that Kim received for the mission before, it was a warming gesture that brought a smile to her face and a slight blush to her cheeks from embarrassment.
"The data revealed a sinister plot being hatched on two fronts. One in the heart of the European No Man's Land and the other directed at the rest of the world. It appears our old friend Gemini is on the verge of perfecting a means to enact mass mind control over every human being implanted with the HenchCo PATCH. Since the PATCH's commercial release, usage outside of the Tech's in the ENML has risen to dangerous distribution levels. We're talking about iPod numbers here, people."
The screens around the room lit up with numbers, graphs, charts, and maps displaying the sales of the HenchCo PATCH globally. Kim looked them over and while a good bit of the statistics displayed, one thing was quite clear to her: It was way easier to find someone with the PATCH than someone without one.
"We've already been in contact with Jack Hench and shared the data with him, he has assured us that his R&D team will be working round the clock to get the security hole plugged in time to go out with the newest software package being delivered on his new wireless global software distribution system. That way we can make sure that any PATCH user within range of a wireless signal or in satellite range will receive the update."
Kim felt Three-Eye nudge her and she looked up, "Betcha you're glad you ain't got one of those in your head, eh?"
Kim grinned, "My father has higher standards that using third party HenchCo parts for his princess."
"Naturally, that plan is our safety net. Our primary objective will be to stop W.E.E. from obtaining the final component they need to complete this technology. Apparently, Gemini has discovered something of a cybertronic Rosetta Stone that he is working tireless to retrieve. Due to the data being incomplete, we don't know what this device is but we do know it's approximate location: 55.75° North, 37.61° East."
Kim felt the room go dead silent. She turned and looked at Three-Eyes whose dark skin had gone positively pale. Kim looked around frantically to find many of the senior agents had a similar problem. Kim's eyes were drawn back to Doctor Director for answers.
"That's right ladies and gentlemen." Doctor Director announced in a stiff but foreboding tone, "We're going back to Moscow."
Next Chapter: Monsters