Of all the places for Shego to meet with her nefarious employer, the last place she expects is a seedy tavern in Florida. Even stranger, Drakken asks her to meet him there. Generally the duo would travel together, but she hardly sees him at the lair anymore.
It all points towards one thing: He's letting her go.
It's an odd reversal of their relationship. Her strong personality and scathing wit have lasted her for a long time, but now it's Drakken who holds all the cards. It makes her uncomfortable.
Doopley's: Miami, Florida
October 2nd: 10:00PM
She runs through the Bermuda Triangle caper again and again in her mind, wondering what the Hell it is she did that was so bad. They played the longcon for months, and Global Justice had no idea. Drakken and Shego struck suddenly and swiftly, took what they needed—
—and broke the Princess's heart along the way. Kim advocated for Shego and Doctor D. Without Kim Possible, there wouldn't have been a pardon. Yet despite that, they betrayed Kim. Even worse, Kim thinks Shego is her ally , when that couldn't be further from the truth.
The shot Kim took at Drakken echoes in Shego's mind. It's not the first time ol' Kimmie has let her rage loose. After all, she kicked Shego into an electrical tower. But this is different. That time, Kim must have known that wouldn't be enough to kill someone as powerful as Shego.
But a shot from a gun? At an old, mortal man like Drakken?
She knew.
Shego wonders if Kim's okay with that.
But apparently, the Bad Doctor wanted Kim Possible to shoot him. Either for terrible, dastardly reasons, or for something entirely stupid—like, maybe Drakken just wanted an excuse to wear an eyepatch. It's impossible to know with him, he can be so hit or miss with the whole "Evil" thing.
Fifteen minutes after they were supposed to meet, Doctor Drakken struts in with an eyepatch strapped to the left side of his face. Dark fissures in his skin gather around the eyepatch, scarring his face forever.
He walks with an imposing expression, his hands clenched behind his back. She has to admit, he looks quite intimidating like this—
—and he walks straight into some tattooed beast waiting at the bar. The guy whirls on Drakken, and the blue man cowers.
"Nyeh, I apologize, uh, sir—my archfoe just shot my eye out, and I'm still getting used to the eyepatch!"
Tattoo-Man's mustache droops. He throws his hands on his hips. Sizes Drakken up, then breaks out into a big, toothy smile. He jabs his fist in the air.
"Badass, mate!" the guy cheers.
Drakken blinks stupidly and looks to Shego for help.
" Pound it !" she whisper-shouts from their booth.
Drakken arches his unibrow. Eyes the hanging fist, and with a lot of hesitance, he pounds it.
"HELL YEAH!" the guy cheers, raising his fists into the air. He tries to amp up the bar in Drakken's honor, but only a few patrons raise a glass before resuming their nightly drinking. The guy's hands fall to his knees. "Aw man."
Drakken smirks and looks at the bartender. "Innkeeper! One Coco Moo please!"
Drakken slides into the seat across Shego, only for her to get up.
"I should get something…" she mutters.
"Time is of the essence, Shego," he says. "We can go splitsies on the Coco Moo. Garçon ! Two straws please!"
Shego shakes her head. "You are so embarrassing." Drakken smirks at her playfully, practicing some self-awareness for the first time in his life. She grins and continues, "So what's the deal, Doc? Should I hit the unemployment line?"
"Not quite," Drakken says. "We need to lay low for a while. However, we'll be working independently of one another."
"Ah," Shego says. "You hired all those new meatheads to protect you while I do all the dirty work, eh?
Drakken wags a finger smugly. "They have their own independent assignments. As do you."
He reaches into his lab coat and pulls a manilla folder out. He lazily tosses it onto the table. Shego eyes it curiously.
"Go on," Drakken urges.
She sighs and opens it up. She expects blueprints of museums to steal from and profiles on scientists to "outsource" from. Instead, it's mugshots. She recognizes some of the faces. It's all politicians and billionaires. She looks up at Drakken, mystified.
"Wait… these aren't hit jobs are they?" she asks. "That's kinda dark, even considering the vibe lately."
He doesn't skip a beat. "You're auditioning, Shego."
She leans back, affronted. "Okay, Drak, I don't do auditions . You either want me or you don't."
Drakken crosses his arms at his chest. "It's for the Bermuda Triangle. You'll need to."
"What?!" Shego blurts out. The bartender slides the frothy Coco Moo onto the table. "Doc. Those Triangle guys want us dead."
"I doubt it," Drakken says carelessly, taking small sips from his chocolate milk. "They have more worldly concerns than us."
She narrows her eyes. "Are we… not taking over the world?"
Drakken shakes his head.
"Is it…" Shego discreetly looks from side-to-side. Leans into her elbows. "...is this a destroy Kim Possible thing?"
Drakken cringes. "Somewhat."
"Somewhat," Shego repeats tonelessly. She gives Drakken a cold, hard stare, and when that fails to penetrate, she leans over the table, aggressively grabs onto his straw, and furiously blows bubbles into the Coco Moo.
"Shego!" Drakken whines. "Please, be considerate! The splitsies was a formality!"
"Earth to Drakken!" Shego yells. "Kimmie just tried to kill you. Last time we did one of these stupid schemes, she kicked me into an electrical tower. This time, she shot you. She's a Global Justice agent now, I think the last person we want to mess with is Kimberly Ann Possible."
Drakken leans back, his expression obnoxious and coy.
"I think she'll be quite thankful actually," he says.
She rolls her eyes. "If this is more teen scene junk—"
"It's a little more nuanced than that," he shoots right back.
"Well, then—" Shego sputters. "You got Princess to shoot your eye out, great. Now you're going to spread all your guys out so they can do "assignments." Meanwhile, you're turning me into a hitman all off-the-cuff. And you're fucking off to do… something. I mean, are we not even using the Attitudinator?"
He shakes his head. "If you can't figure it out—"
"—she can't figure it out," Shego finishes. "Yeah. I know. But you gotta level with me—"
Drakken silently pulls out a checkbook, humming along with what she says.
She scoffs. "—I mean we agreed a few years ago when you got me off the streets that we'd be fifty-fifty partners. I was hoping you'd still respect that."
"I know," Drakken chirps, sliding the checkbook across the table. "The plan is contingent on you . Hence, you might be pleased to see what I just wrote down." He motions for her to take a look.
Shego looks down, and her mouth pops open at the astronomically high number. "Where did you… what? What?! Okay, you gotta start talking. How?"
"Don't worry about it."
She looks at him oddly. Sets the checkbook aside. "You tellin' me straight?"
He nods. "You get my share and yours in advance . If you do well, you'll even get the bounties. You'll be filthy rich, Shego. Isn't that what you've wanted this whole time?"
"Yeah, but…" Her voice trails off.
There's only one kind of life for someone like Shego. She's been in The Game ever since she was a child, and now, she wants out. All she needs to do is sign the check and ice a few of the real villains of the world. Then… retirement.
All this capitalistic exploitation of her body could end.
She could live the life she was supposed to have.
But it comes at a high price: The Blood Ledger.
"I know what you're thinking, Shego," he says. "All this just to destroy Kim Possible? It's not that, I promise you. This is about creating Kim Possible. It's for the greater good. We're not bad guys anymore."
Shego frowns. "But the hit jobs…"
Drakken shrugs. "It's a necessary evil, I suppose." He checks for a reaction. Sensing the need for more, he gets grandiose and theatrical. He extends a hand to her. "Will you cut this bloody path with me?"
Shego holds herself very still. Tries not to react. "What the Hell was on that disc, dude?"
He grins. "Everything she'll need."
Shego considers him one final time, then takes his hand.
The flight back home is long and awkward.
Kim and Ron don't sit together. They both trudge along to their respective seats in a trance, hardly capable of any thought beyond grief. As she watches the night sky pass her by, she considers crying. She'd cry the whole way home if she could, but apparently she's cried all the tears she can shed.
Another time maybe.
Instead, she looks out the window for hours, thinking about nothing in particular. Will interrupts her reprieve towards the end. Asks if she wants to free fall home like usual.
She smiles weakly. "Not this time."
Ron takes the free fall though. He probably just wants to get away from her. That's fine. She would too.
It's very late at night when she shows up at a home that's not quite hers anymore.
The Possible Residence: Lowerton, Colorado
August 2nd: 3:05AM
Kim's childhood home was destroyed in the Lowardian Invasion. Blown into oblivion, destroyed beyond recognition. All she could find through the rubble was her favorite stuffed animal, Pandaroo. It felt like a sign. Though she never cuddles with him, she leaves him beside her pillow always.
She takes a deep breath outside her parents' apartment in Lowerton. It's a complex occupied by people who lost everything in the invasion. The housing is cheap and temporary. Her parents wanted to stay in Middleton, but landlords and corporations upscaled the rent to all those homes drastically.
Crickets chirp and all is quiet. She prays that her parents aren't awake because the last thing she needs right now is—
"Hey Kimmie! Good to see you," her mother calls out right away.
Kim freezes on the hardwood floors, so different from the carpet she's accustomed to. She looks over at her parents. They both sit on the sofa. Kim looks at her bedroom wishfully, and sighs loudly. She drags her feet over to her parents, and takes a seat opposite them.
It's a three-bedroom apartment, though Kim hardly has time to sleep here. While her childhood home was large and modern, this new apartment is cramped tight with a dark-wood aesthetic. The living room connects directly to the dining space and the kitchen.
She looks at her parents.
Kim takes the most after her mother, Doctor Ann Possible. She's a neurosurgeon. The main difference is that her mother has blue eyes while Kim has green. They share the same skin tone and hair color. Ann herself has short hair, cut into a bob. Her eyebrows are finely trimmed and deeply expressive. Kim finds her easy to read because of that.
Kim's younger brothers, the Tweebs, take more after their father, Doctor James Timothy Possible. He's a rocket scientist. He's tall, a few years older than his wife. His hair is gray with white hairs creeping in. His jaw is pointed and his eyes are kind and loving. Kim finds him unpredictable. He rotates from trusting his daughter with all his heart to hovering over her at every turn. She hates herself for it, but she tends to think the worst of him.
"Hi," Kim says quietly. "I know I broke curfew, but I kinda assumed we were past that with the whole internship thing."
Ann nods gently. "We got a phone call from uh—oh, he had a silly name, what was it…"
"William Du," James fills in. "He said he was your Handler ."
"He also said something about you going on an unsanctioned mission ?" Ann fills in.
Kim sighs. Shakes her head towards the floor, eyes glazing over. She mutters, "He's like my supervisor, kind of like what I'm doing for Ron. And the mission… I don't know, it's just something we had to do." She looks up, cringing. "Am I… in trouble?"
"No, he said this call was off-the-books," James says. "He knows we have a good relationship with you, and well… he's worried about you."
"We're worried about you," Ann jumps in.
Kim blinks. Why should anyone be worried about her?
Ann continues. "We know how badly you've wanted to be a Global Justice agent, and it sounds like… things aren't going well?" She grabs her husband's shoulder. "Nice dress, by the way. Were you undercover?"
Kim nods without much recognition "You might hear about it in the news. It was this villains' nightclub, the Bermuda Triangle. Place burned down at the end." She lets that settle for a moment. Sensing a need for further explanation, she continues. "Ron and I got a hit on the old site. It sounded really important, and we didn't have time to consult with GJ over it."
Her parents look at her with wide eyes, still awaiting a real explanation.
Kim bites her lip, hands anxiously fidgeting at her waist. "I can't get too into specifics anymore, guys, I've signed an NDA. I already told you more than I should have. It's not personal."
Ann tilts her head to the side. Something in her wide blue eyes tells Kim that it is personal.
Kim stands up. "I'm sorry. I have a big training session with Ron tomorrow, and I really need to catch some sleep before—"
"Kim," her mother interrupts her. Gets to her feet and looks Kim in the eye. "We know you're lying."
"What?" Kim leans back, offended. Slowly, her voice rises in volume. "I'm not—I have a training session with Ron tomorrow, the mission was a disaster, and I need some sleep. How is that a lie?"
James cringes, getting to his feet too, holding his hands out to hopefully placate the situation.
"You just haven't been yourself lately," Ann says weakly. James turns towards her, to get her to stop. Ann ignores him. "It's not an accusation, honey, it's the truth. Did something happen with you and Ron?"
Kim flinches.
Ann notices and jumps right on it. "I'm sure it's difficult working with someone you're, uh, intimate with—James, don't make that face, Kimmie's an adult."
Kim looks down and clenches her fists. It all plays back in her mind. The gunshot. The disc. Rufus getting sick. Ron touching her face, begging her not to destroy them. It all congeals into one monstrosity that claws at her heart. It longs to yank her soul away and cast her into the darkness. She can't submit. She can't.
"Ann, I think Kimmie-cub needs some sleep," James says gently. "I think we all need some sleep."
Kim's expression twists with conflict. If her parents knew about the misconduct allegations made against her, they'd go to war with Global Justice. Her career would be over.
She makes her decision: It's called two truths and a lie.
"I've never been intimate with Ron," Kim says, her voice hitching in pitch.
Truth.
"We broke up tonight."
Truth.
"And I need to be alone right now."
Lie.
Kim's bedroom is barren. She has a queen sized bed wedged into the corner of her room, a bedside table, a lamp, an alarm clock, a desk, and a dresser. There is nothing on the walls. No pictures, no memorabilia, just Pandaroo laying beside her pillow.
She just doesn't see the point in decorating when she's probably going to leave this place sometime soon… as for where, who really knows? She just knows that eventually their time will come. Global Justice will run out of patience, and Kim will be disavowed. Unless she makes her move.
She takes a seat at her desk. Boots up her computer. Reaches into her dress pocket and pulls out the disc Shego passed onto her. She turns it around, staring at the backside blankly.
She reaches for the Kimmunicator. Calls Wade.
Wade always answers within seconds. Sometimes, she takes it for granted. Tonight, she's thankful.
"Hey, Kim, what's up ?" he asks, dressed in his button-down pajamas.
"Hey," she rasps. Fatigue drips into her voice. She remembers to emote properly this time. "I need to ask you a few questions."
" Um…okay! Go ahead ."
"Is my room soundproof?" she asks.
"Yes."
"Is this call encrypted from Global Justice?"
"It can be."
"I need you to do that. Right now," she says. Weakly, she adds on, "Please and thank you."
"Um…" Wade gives Kim an odd look while he taps away at his keyboard. "Done. Anything else?"
Kim looks at Wade hard. "Is my computer encrypted from Global Justice?"
"Yeah, I finished that a few days ago. Kim, is something going on—"
Kim swallows, her eyes dropping to her lap. "Is my computer encrypted from you?"
Wade raises an eyebrow. "After the diary incident? Yes. But Kim…"
Kim struggles to look Wade in the eye. When their gazes meet each other, Wade's voice trails off. His jaw hangs slightly open in anticipation of whatever it is Kim has to say.
Meekly, she brings her hand into frame. She shows Wade the disc.
"This is whatever Global Justice was trading for the Attitudinator," she says carefully. "Shego gave it to me." She waits for a reaction, but Wade fixates more on the whole treason thing.
Which is fair.
"I have no idea what's on it," she says. "But I think whatever knowledge it gives me will make me a target. I don't want you involved, do you understand?"
"But…" Wade stammers. "...does Ron know ?"
She looks away. "No. He'd freak if he knew about this, and he's under enough pressure right now." She stares at Wade, hundreds of thoughts swirling in her brain. It's difficult to separate what Wade needs to know versus what he doesn't, then factoring in what she's capable of talking about. "There's more. Ron and I broke up. I can explain… later. I'm just… it's been a really bad day for me, Wade." She clamps her lips tight for a moment, thinking. "I'm sorry," she adds on with a hint of desperation.
Wade's expression softens. "Oh no… you and Ron? Kim, I'm so sorry." She turns away from him. He frowns. "Listen. Whatever is going on, you don't have to do it alone."
She feels tears come in, but she resists the dry, scabby feeling in her throat. She cannot cry. She cannot show weakness. At least to her friends.
She can do anything, that's what the world keeps saying. And if she can truly do anything, then she can do this.
"Wade, I love you so much," she says. "You are one of my most trusted friends. You didn't need to follow Ron and I to GJ, but you did. Because you want to protect us. Now it's time for me to protect you. Please, just… give me some time, okay?"
Wade gives her a sad look. He clicks out of their video chat without a word, hesitating just before pulling the string. Kim stares at her reflection on the screen and sees a stranger looking back. She wonders briefly if her parents are right about her, but she stows it away just like all her feelings. She closes her eyes and inserts the disc.
A window opens on her desktop. The file is called _DAL_. Her screen lights up green. Hundreds of faces populate on her screen, faces that she's never seen before. All mugshots.
Kim's eyes scroll up to the top of the screen.
It reads: DISAVOWED AGENT LIST.
She pulls up a random profile. It's a Greek man in his thirties with dark skin, a hawkish nose, warm eyes, a fuzzy beard, and a curly, black mane that settles on his shoulders. His name is Jason Drakos. Alias: Bonekiller McGee.
He was an assassin for Global Justice. His Hit Count reads at one-hundred-and-eighty-four. She squirms in her seat at the notion. She once had an argument with Will about it. She claimed that killing was wrong, because villains can be redeemed. At the time, her example was Doctor Drakken and Shego. Of course… that's no longer the case.
It's possible she did in fact kill Doctor Drakken with that single gunshot, she prays for his recovery. It was a mistake. Just another stupid mistake of many.
Jason Drakos is a skilled sniper. Adept at knife fighting. On his final mission, he was assigned to assassinate…
…the Chancellor of Austria.
Kim double checks to make sure she read that right.
She did.
Instead, Jason aka Bonekiller killed his Handler, Agent Lydia Lawrence, who had been assigned to take the shot if he couldn't. He's now on the run, allegedly working as a mercenary.
Why would Global Justice…
Kim clicks on the next profile. Blonde woman with a small, round face and sunken eye sockets. Agent Kennedy Quint. She's killed seven people for GJ. She was supposed to assassinate an up-and-coming civil rights leader in Hong Kong. Kennedy instead became the leader's personal bodyguard. She survived but was unable to protect him.
She's on the run now. From Global Justice. From the CIA. From the militia that killed her mark. From everyone. Whereabouts are unknown.
Nearly every profile on the DAL is like this. Sure, there's some offshoots. Sexual misconduct, money laundering, harassment, and more. Those profiles are oddly sparse. Kim gets the impression these cases are cover-ups for something much more evil.
More and more, Kim finds sympathy for the Disavowed. At least for Bonekiller, Kennedy, and the rest.
And then Kim finds her own profile: Agent Kimberly Ann Possible.
She gulps and briefly considers breaking the disc in two. But no, she needs to do this. She needs to know.
The DAL claims that she's killed two people. She can only assume that means Warhok and Warmonga, who were murdered by Ron during the Invasion.
Her eyes catch on a date. June 30th. That was the day she was sworn in, and according to the DAL, it was the same day she was disavowed.
Her heart beats faster. That's impossible because that would mean Global Justice intentionally set Kim up to fail. That would mean they've only had eyes for Ron this entire time.
She's wanted to be a Global Justice agent ever since she was a little girl, and to be betrayed like this… it makes her feel so small. Especially when she was the one who trained her whole life in preparation for this, not Ron. No. All Ron Stoppable did was stumble into his magic powers. He takes them for granted, having no idea what it's like to need to try so hard to prove yourself.
At least, that's how she feels about it.
She keeps reading. Quickly, she finds another grievance: She's marked as a Class C threat. The DAL claims that Kim Possible has done little to save the world beyond stopping a few unhinged supervillains, who are largely considered Class D threats, if not less. At a bare minimum, she has at least prevented Global Justice from needing to waste its time on foolishness.
She blinks back tears that blur her vision. It doesn't work, because the tears keep flowing. She grits her teeth and wipes the tears away with her sleeve. Starts skimming her profile rapidly, unable to fully process information. She wants to rush through, get to the end, and burn the damned thing.
That is… until she reaches the three words that change everything.
DO NOT RECRUIT.
"Do not recruit," Kim repeats to herself, frozen in thought. "Oh my God."
Jack Hench gave Global Justice the Attitudinator so that GJ could unethically convert supervillains into agents.
Global Justice tried to give Jack Hench the DAL so that he could recruit ex-agents for his villainous enterprise. He could target morally flexible agents or ones like Kennedy Quint who have nowhere else to turn.
Then Kim's eyes fall on something worse.
Agent Possible is considered a flight risk. She will serve her time with Global Justice until her trial approaches on August 31st.
For the second time that day, Kim's heart breaks in two.
As long as Global Justice has Kim Possible in their clutches, then they have Ron Stoppable. What better way to ensure that Ron stays on as an agent than to have Kim permanently held at gunpoint by imprisoning her?
There's no escape. While she feels so hard for Ron, and for the loneliness that he's doomed to, she feels fear for herself. To be trapped in prison, potentially for the rest of her life, surrounded by the people she's put away. It's her own personal Hell. And for what? What did she do that was so wrong that could possibly justify any of this? All she's done is give her best, and apparently, it's not enough.
Her hand twitches towards the Kimmunicator. She needs Ron right now, she needs—
—she broke up with Ron, right. She thought she could save him, but evidently, she can't. Unless…
Unless she ensures that Ron hates her forever. If she can accomplish that, then his Mystical Monkey Magic may never again see the light of the day. But for her to drive the wedge further between him and her?
It's unconscionable, but what choice does she have?
The only way to save Ron Stoppable is to break him, and then maybe Global Justice will lose interest in the two of them.
Her heart pounds. The high-pitched keening in her ears gets louder and louder. She falls over her bed, entire body suddenly caked in sweat. All the while, she shivers from head-to-toe. Her legs scrunch into her chest, her teeth chatter, and her fingers tremble, caving around some invisible plaything.
Tears stream down her cheeks.
This is it, she thinks. Let it all out now, because tomorrow, you're back to being Agent Kim Possible, and you'll have to go save the world.
Kim screams, but the pain doesn't go away.
" I'm searching for someone… I know I can trust… "
A familiar song from a familiar lounge singer. Magenta curtains drape around the stage, flanking the main floor.
The Bermuda Triangle: Miami, Florida
October 2: 11:47AM
It's before the fire, but it's also after the fire. Waiters patrol the floor, balancing the finest of dishes on large platters. Meanwhile, men in suits lurk in every corner, blatantly concealing their firearms. But here, in the Villain's Villa, no one bats an eye… except for Agent Ron Stoppable, who fiddles with his tie.
"This is, uh, some simulation, huh?"
Global Justice HQ: Denver, Colorado
October 2: 11:47AM
"Yes," Kim says through Ron's earpiece. " This is a redo of last night. Your mission, Ron, is to stop Doctor Drakken from stealing the Attitudinator and the disc. "
Ron furrows his brow. "A disc? Who said anything about a disc?"
"Oh!" Kim makes a panicked cry. "I heard it was a data thing, I just, uh, assumed. Yeah."
"Huh… oh! I got an idea!" Ron shouts with inspiration. He rushes over to a table and tests something. Lifts up a glass of ice water, there's an electronic flicker as he raises it up. Swish swish! goes the glass, but the water does not swish swish! back.
"Good," Ron chirps. "See, I've always wanted to do this and…"
He grabs onto the tablecloth and yanks it, attempting to pull off the classic trick, and instead drags everything off the table and onto the floor. Plates shatter and food splatters.
"Aw man!" Ron whines. Freezes. Cracks an eye open. Smirks expectantly.
Kim remains silent.
Ron is not about that. "Oh, so all of a sudden, you're gonna stop laughing at my jokes, too?"
"What?" Kim sputters. "No, I just—I just need some space, Ron. "
Ron rolls his eyes. "The space is felt, Kim. Believe me."
"Well, maybe I need a bit more space than you, I'm sorry—"
"Pardon me," Will Du cuts in.
Both Kim and Ron groan loudly. There's a silent beat where one of them would normally go, " Jynx !"
They both sense its absence.
Will continues, "Geez, I feel so unwanted. Uh, are you two going through it right now? Because if so, maybe we should do, er, team building exercises?"
"Uh…" Ron trails off, wondering if he should tell Will about the break-up. He squints through the simulation and finds the operating booth overhanging the room. Kim stands up in the window, waving at him frantically.
"No!" she mouths. "I am under investigation! For MISCONDUCT! Don't! "
Ron nods. "We had an argument last night."
"An argument?" Will asks.
"It wasn't that bad," Kim cuts in.
Ron shakes his head. "See, I want to talk to Betty. She'll listen to me and see reason. But Kim just wants to blow it all to heck."
"Blow it all to…" Will repeats under his breath. " Possible. Start talking. "
"I, uh…" Kim stammers.
Ron comes in with the save.
Or at least he thinks he does.
"Kim wants us to do so poorly that we both just get fired," he explains.
"Ron!" Kim shouts.
"What?!" Will squawks.
" No, it's not that ," she groans with an extra edge of agitation. "It's more like… I want out, Will. I don't want to be doing this anymore."
"Aw geez," Will sighs. " Okay, maybe we should call this session off so the three of us can—"
"No time," Kim grunts. "We've been talking too long. Simulations are moving in."
Six burly men in suits surround Ron, arms poised to brawl.
"Not the simulations!" Ron cries out sarcastically. "I get that you guys want to see me fix what went wrong last night, but can't we just hit the streets and stop a bank robbery or something?"
"Ron. Focus," Kim growls. "They're going to—"
The goons move in to strike.
"I can't believe you didn't tell me about the investigation, KP!" Ron spits. Sparks fly from the soles of his boots—"Mystical Monkey Moonjump!"—ejecting him high, high into the air. Blue light hugs his mortal form, slowing his descent. "I mean, please tell me there's no other secrets."
"Um," Kim growls as a migraine settles in.
"Possible, you gotta work on your poker face," Will sighs. "Your, uh, audible poker face."
"Okay, fine, I do have one more secret," Kim says. "Let me just make sure this line is encrypted…"
Ron drops into the center of the ring of goons. Blue light trails up and down his arms in double helixes. He lunges at a goon's feet, snaps onto their ankles, and drags them into the air.
"Mystical Monkey, uh, Mario Spin!" he cries out, spinning the goon 'round and 'round, knocking over all the goons around him.
"That one's a stretch," Will comments.
"I got three M words in there, gimme a break," Ron groans and hurls the goon into the air. "—so long gay Bowser!" The goon flies across the room until he slams headfirst into a wall and collapses to the floor.
"I managed to swipe the disc Betty was trading off of Shego," Kim admits breathily. " It's a complete list of every agent who's ever been disavowed from Global Justice." A sudden surge of emotion. She suppresses it. "It's a pool for bad guys to recruit from."
Ron turns away from the pile of goons he's created and makes his way towards the bouncer, Rhino. Rhino towers several feet over Ron, all with the girth of two men.
"And why didn't you tell us about that?" Ron shouts.
"I don't know!" Kim yells back.
"Guys, guys, settle," Will pleads.
Rhino roars and throws off his leather trench coat, revealing bare arms with muscles bigger than Ron's head. The scary mobster grins from ear-to-ear, and makes the first blow. He swings his fist at Ron's head.
"Mystical Monkey Muscle!" Ron cries out. Ron catches the fist like he would a blow from a child. And he twists it. He twists so hard that Rhino falls to his knees.
Meanwhile, back in Global Justice offices, Kim shoves herself up to her feet. This office is packed with control panels, computers, and desktops galore. The simulation room down below is a remarkable facility measured out to an acre of land, allowing for full reconstructions of mission sites.
A compulsion runs through her arms, begging her to smash the control panel in rage. Whatever it is she's trying to do with Ron, it's not working. His powers seem fine.
She considers the tantrum, wanting for some kind of release. Her hands shake, but she stills herself. She turns around, throws off the headset, and freezes. Turns out Will Du was sitting adjacent to her this whole time. He even brought in a tray of coffees for the three of them!
Will looks up at Kim. Checks his monitor to see Ron using Mystical Monkey Momentum to run circles around Rhino. Will sighs and removes his headset.
"Kim," he says. "I, uh—need to talk to you."
Kim physically stammers, her body trying to move ten different directions at once.
Will continues, "Kim, you can beat this. You just need to… slow down. Think things over."
"And tell Global Justice about the disc?" she asks.
"God, no," Will grunts. "Just… play by the rules. Don't take risks like last night. Train Stoppable. Do what you've been doing, produce good work, and you'll be fine. I promise you."
Kim suddenly decides she can't handle this specific conversation right now. She marches past Will with an aggressive gait.
"Where are you going?!" Will snaps.
Kim stops in place. Rolls back her shoulders, thinking. Squeezes the bridge of her nose.
"I need to… need to train him," she mutters. Raises her voice. "This simulation thing isn't working."
"But…" Will stutters. "What did I just tell you about playing by the rules? Maybe Doctor Director won't be able to backlog our audio, thanks for that, by the way. It'll be great explaining away that one… but she'll have the security camera footage. You really want to do something stupid right now?"
"...Kinda?" she admits.
Will deflates. Gets closer to her. "You're in love with Ron, right?"
Kim hesitates. The thought of loving Ron… it sends heat rising into her cheeks. Makes her weak at the knees. Warm tears well up. Her childhood best friend and her, together forever.
Such strange sensations for someone like her. For a moment, she considers Will. Maybe she's destroying herself, maybe she has done something horribly wrong.
Will continues, lulling Kim in. "You two have been best friends forever, and if you just brave this storm, it'll pass. I promise you that."
Her mouth briefly lifts into a smile. Then remembers the court date. August 31st.
The warm, fuzzy feeling becomes cold and hollow.
"It's done, Will," she says. "There's only one way out of this. Please don't get in my way."
She steps away, turning back with a wince on her face.
"I know what I'm doing."
Down below, Ron yells into his earpiece continuously, wondering why Kim and Will just suddenly went radio silent.
"Hello?!" Ron rests his foot on Rhino's stomach. "Anyone home? Earth to Kim? Earth to Will? Uh. Mayday!" He smacks his headset twice. "Alright, uh, I guess I'll just… go behind the curtain and—"
He looks into Big Daddy's simulated meeting room, only to find it empty. He frowns. "Wait… did Drakken already take thingamajigs?"
Ploomph!
A chill runs down the back of his neck. He whirls around and—
—a well-polished shoe kicks him right in the chest. Ron falls backwards. He looks ahead and sees Kim.
Gone is the Global Justice uniform, the simulation casts a charcoal black suit onto her body. She wears her blazer open with a blood red blouse. She cracks her knuckles.
Ron frowns. "Wait… I'm… fighting you?"
"No more simulations." Kim throws her hands on her hips. "I'm Big "Big" Daddy Brotherson, and I'm here to kick your ass."
Ron pales. "Aw geez."
Kim smirks, then throws herself into a bullrush. She comes in swinging. Ron, terrified beyond comprehension at his rogue ex-girlfriend, focuses on dodging. He pivots left. Right. Somersaults backwards and lands. He takes a moment too long to regain his bearings, leaving him vulnerable. Kim goes for a swift high kick to his neck.
She pauses just before impact. Her foot stammers in the air. She needs to hurt Ron, but she—
Ron doesn't notice her internal dilemma. He swats her ankle away and mirrors her high kick. She ducks.
His leg swings back and he falls into a lean crouch.
She comes at him again. Pirouettes herself into a series of spin kicks. Ron squeaks and throws his arms up in defense.
He cries out, "Okay, after yesterday—ooh!—this—ah!—this feels—whoa!—a little too soon—oof!"
A kick to the stomach hits home, knocking Ron down to his knees.
He looks up at her while she approaches him menacingly.
"Like," he chokes. "I know you're mad at me, but…"
She reaches forward and grabs Ron by the lapels. Yanks him into the air. He grapples with her, desperately trying to peel her hands off him.
"Kim, let me go," he growls.
Kim gnashes her teeth, trying to look as imposing as possible. He pales at the sight, causing her to falter for just the slightest second.
Let me go, he said.
Can she?
Her mind is whirling again. What the Hell is she doing? This is so wrong, this isn't her, but then again—maybe it is. Maybe it's who she has to be.
She forces an inspired grin onto her face. "Okay!"
She tosses him across the room. He lands hard on his elbow, rolling onto his back. She scoffs at him and approaches slowly.
Ron leers at her. "What's gotten into you? Kim, are you okay?"
There it is again. Unknowingly, he makes precision strikes at her soul.
Are you okay?
Is she?
Ron gets up, staring her down. "Seriously. I don't even know what you're trying to prove here."
She grits her teeth, angry with herself, because she doesn't know what she's doing. Doctor Director will watch this footage later today most likely, and she'll wonder what the Hell Kim was thinking too.
Kim spreads her arms threateningly. "If I can beat you, Doctor Director will see you for what you really are… my sidekick ."
Ron roars and charges her like a bull. She manhandles him with ease, twirling him around and throwing him with the twist of a hip. He hits the floor again.
"Kim," Ron says. "I don't want to use my powers on you."
Kim smirks. "Well, you just might have to," she taunts.
Ron leers at her. She's mere feet away. Any closer and she'll strike. An odd calm comes over him, he delves into a happy place he can't quite envision. Then, he makes his play. Ron bobs forward, Kim goes for a kick. He throws himself backwards, she misses. Ron darts in, blue light sparks off his gnarled hands, and he swings his fist at her head.
She grabs him by the wrist, thumb resting just below his spark. He resists, but she still manages to shove him down to the floor. He falls on his back. Tries to get up, but she stops him, pushing down and down on his body, trapping him against the floor.
He stares into her eyes and sees someone he doesn't recognize anymore.
She stares into his eyes and sees someone she loves more than anything.
"KP," Ron rasps. "I love you. I know you love me, and I know things are scary. But can we just talk?"
She grinds her teeth, hesitating again. "Fight back, Ron. Show me what you got." Hesitates. Bites her lip. "If you have anything at all."
Ron looks up at her, a bead of sweat dripping down his forehead. Blue light builds around his hands.
"Mystical Monkey Moonjump!" he shouts.
Ron launches himself into the air. The sudden force plows Kim over. She falls on her back.
Ron's feet spark, and he throttles downwards, whole body falling into a deadly dropkick. She rolls out of the way just in time, and his foot fractures the floor of the actual simulation room, the hologram glitching.
She smirks, cheek besides his heel. "That's more like it, Ron."
Ron's left leg lights up bright blue, and he kicks the floor at his feet. Pieces of tile and ceramic break off the floor, surging forward with the torrent of Mystical Monkey Magic. It blasts towards Kim like a tidal wave. She somersaults to the side, the blast smashing against the wall.
Ron goes again, this time without the tile. It's weaker, but faster. She dodges it—he kicks again, sooner than she expects—and she takes a wave to the chest. She falls backwards onto all fours. Ron kicks again, and she leaps high over the blast. She spins a full 360° in the air and lands on her feet.
"You didn't even earn your powers," Kim spits. "You stumbled into them."
"Is that what this is about?!" he screams and kicks harder than ever. Unlike the rest, this wave stretches out far, holding the girth of six men. It's too wide for Kim to dodge. It plows her backwards.
Her back slams hard against the wall, and the wave crashes against her body. Pain crackles through her flesh, burning her body. It's enough to decimate the base of the wall… which finally gives way. It starts to tip backwards…
Ron rushes her, speeding across the floor in the span of a second. He pushes his hand up against her chest, using his Mystical Monkey Muscle to hold her against the collapsing wall. So dead set on Kim, he doesn't notice that the wall they're on is quickly becoming the floor.
"You're jealous of me?!" Ron shouts. "Haven't you had enough attention?! Why is it so wrong that I'm the one with the powers?"
A very real flare of anger surges through Kim; she can't help herself.
"You think I like the attention?! You think I like being a celebrity?!" Kim roars. The wall tips to a 45° angle. Kim senses her moment, and knees Ron right in the groin. He yowls, and she scoops him off her with her legs. He hits the wall above her, and she rolls off. Just in time for—
Ron finally notices the wall about to crash into the floor. "Oh no."
CRASH.
Ron gets up, the glow from his Mystical Monkey Mitigation vanishing. Bits of simulated rubble fall off his body. He rushes Kim again, throwing himself into a flurry of punches. She dodges them again and again. He swings left, she goes right. He goes forward, she goes backwards. Every single movement she knows, because she's the one who taught him how to fight at all.
It's so… boring .
Fighting Shego isn't like this.
Heat rises into Kim's cheeks at the thought, and she grimaces, trying to get back into character.
"Ron, I hate being famous!" she yells. "I can't do anything without people noticing. I don't get to live beyond Kim Possible, I don't get to just be Kim."
"Kim, you got it all wrong," Ron says. Mystical Monkey Momentum builds, and he blurs in motion, blue flames kicking off his heels. His fists fly at her ,faster and faster. "When you're with me, you're just Kim. And I'm just Ron."
"No!" She dodges and dodges, but with every swing, he gets closer. Closer. She can't keep up, not like this this. "I'm still Kim Possible! Look at what we're doing right now! We're Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable. At war. The mission never ends."
Faster. Faster.
Closer. Closer.
"I don't want to fight supervillains anymore! I don't want to have to defuse nuclear missiles at the last second, I'm sick of nearly dying every day! I need to let someone else take the risk!" she cries out. "I want to live my life!"
"You mean a life without me!" Ron shouts. "What do you even want, Kim?!"
"I don't know!"
She suddenly side steps backwards, and Ron slips forward. She jabs her arms at his sides, manages to get past his arms, and throws him across the room. The extra speed shoots him ahead like a rocket, and he crashes into yet another wall that collapses.
"That's the whole fucking point," she seethes. Walks towards him slowly. He gets up, seething. She continues, "I don't know what I want, I've never given myself a second to ask that. And you … you've known me my whole life, and you can't tell how miserable I've been?"
Ron glares at her, and she remembers: She's guilty of the same crime, she has no idea what it is that hurts Ron so much. But she can't think about that right now, she needs to keep this energy up, loathe as she is to admit it.
Ron charges her again. "Mystical Monkey Mind Read!"
Suddenly, tendrils grip onto her brain. They dig through her thoughts, her ideas. He gropes through her mind, looking for answers.
He goes for a punch. She goes for a block—a block which he predicts, and he grabs her by the arm. Throws her across the room. She hits the floor. Hard. Gets up. Charges him, goes for a kick, and he grabs her by the ankle.
"Mystical Monkey Mario Spin!"
He whirls her around and tosses her across the room. She crashes into a couch. She rolls backwards into the cushion, and knocks the whole thing over. It collapses, and she hits the floor. She tries to get up, but Ron is faster. He grabs her by the front of her blouse, and throws her across the room again. Her elbows catch her fall.
"Y'know, all you think about is yourself," Ron shouts. She grimaces. "You don't have any boundaries with me, I mean, you didn't even ask if it was okay if we tried breaking up to stop this investigation thing!"
She turns over onto her hip. "It's because I love you, Ron! More than anything!"
"Oh yeah?" Ron snarks. "You never think about how I feel about anything. Yes, Kim, I'm terrified of my powers, but do you seriously not know what my deal is? I've lived my whole life as just Ron. In your shadow, and you didn't step aside for me. There is no Ron Stoppable! It's just you!"
She runs at him, crying, her fist raised in the air. He shakes his head. Lets her take the swing, dodges it, then grabs her by the back of the shirt. Whips her against the ground. Leans over her.
"Is this what you want, Kim?" Ron asks, and she finally notices he's crying. "I still know you a little, and I know how this is making you feel right now."
She grinds her teeth, tears streaking her cheeks. "No, you don't."
"You're feeling sensitive. You feel like a panicked little girl who doesn't know what to do. I understand, I feel the same way," Ron gulps.
Kim's eyes widen, her resistance weakening.
Ron continues, "We were never afraid, but now we are. We're terrified, you're terrified, and you hate yourself for it. But it's okay, Kim. We can get through this together."
It hurts. He takes the words that would break her, and he weaponizes them. Cuts clean through to her heart. But she can't let him win, she can't let him get away this.
She needs him to hate her.
So she grits her teeth, and suddenly goes for a punch to his face. Ron predicts it, grabbing her wrist, forcing it back.
Ron continues, "I love you, and I want to be with you. We can fix this. You just gotta have some faith in yourself, alright?"
She looks at him hard, and it suddenly strikes her: He just read her mind to block that punch.
Ron didn't know to say those things because he knows her that well, it's because he read her mind. Whether or not he did it consciously or not, she feels violated. Despite having him as a close companion for so long, she's always considered herself private. For him to just reach inside and take what he wants from her is a complete betrayal of her trust.
"How dare you," she hisses. "You want to read my mind, Ron? Then read this."
These subconscious notions from Kim hit Ron in rapid flashes of memory. He sees a bullet going through a Chancellor's head. He sees himself killing the Lowardians. He sees a dirt-covered Kim in tattered graduation robes looking at him like she's never seen before him. He sees Kim staring into a pool of her own blood and smiling.
And then suddenly, he gets the distinct feeling that he's seeing the future. He sees her bolted down to a slab of concrete, dressed down to a prison uniform. Her face is trapped in a cage, and she screams. She's in a courthouse, packed with strangers.
He sees Kim in that prison uniform again. Curled up into a ball on her prison cot, cuddling with Pandaroo, crying her eyes out.
He sees Kim in a red and black suit, much like the one the simulation designed for her. She grapples onto an airplane, fighting for her life.
He sees Kim with the Attitudinator. She holds it high over her head, like a trophy.
Meanwhile, Ron's grip is like iron. He holds her down, and though he's not fully present, he dominates.
She needs to escape. She needs to beat him. Once and for all.
Kim looks hard into Ron's blank eyes. Focuses. She tries triggering Operation: Blue Eye, she imagines that link between them. She's a conduit for his powers, but can she do this?
She focuses and then, she wills it. She longs for it.
And she does the only thing she can think to do, the only thing that could possibly connect their souls right now.
She kisses him.
Her chapped lips touch his soft ones. Ron's eyes slowly open, and he finds himself kissing back. The images that roll through his mind fade away. He releases his hold on her and cups her jaw. The kiss is gentle and chaste. He pulls his lips away an inch and whispers.
"KP," he chokes. "I knew you felt the same way… hey, why are your eyes blue?"
Kim blinks back tears. She pushes with all she has, and a wave of blue expels from her palms. The force of it sends Ron flying backwards. He crashes into another wall. It explodes into rubble, collapsing around him.
Kim extends herself to her full height. Looks down at Ron with a cold, distant look in her eye. What little power she stole from him leaves her, coursing back into Ron's body.
He leers at her, his expression fixed into one of hatred.
Doesn't he understand? He's free of her now. She saved him.
She broke him but—No. She didn't break him at all. His powers were fine the entire time. In fact, his powers worked stronger than ever. But why?! She played it right. She made him hate her, and she made herself hate—
She looks at Ron. Beautiful, precious Ron. Staring at her with contempt in his eyes, and she feels the sudden urge to cry and take it all back.
The simulation fades. Kim slouches over herself, the black suit disappearing into her Global Justice uniform. Ron kneels against the ground, panting loudly. She frowns and looks up at the security camera. Looks deep into the lens then back at Ron.
She remembers kissing him on Prom night. She remembers how safe she feels when she's around him. She knows she can't have him back, but that doesn't mean she can't…
…love him.
She can't stop loving him…
She will never stop loving him.
Ron spits at the floor. "Kim, can we talk?"
She stares at him. Then turns away without a word, without a flicker of emotion. She walks off. Once she's far enough away, she bursts into tears. Finds a bathroom stall to cry in. Uses toilet paper to blow her nose.
Ten minutes later, she makes a phone call.
A high, regal voice answers on the other end. " Kim Possible ?!" he shrieks.
"I know," Kim sighs from the toilet she sits on. Tears are dried onto her skin. "Listen, I have something you want."
" What could you possibly have that I could want ?" Montgomery Fiske AKA Monkey Fist sneers. Formerly Ron's archfoe, Monkey Fist made the Classic Evil Villain choice of allying himself with an Evil God. This resulted in him being turned into a block of stone. He has since been revived. He then made the smartest choice of his evil career: He gave up on Ron Stoppable. No more Mystical Monkey Magic for him. " Not worth it, " he said for Villain's Weekly. " Bad use of my time. "
She nods weakly. "I have Ron Stoppable. I have the key to getting his powers."
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Okay! A couple notes from me.
I've retconned the characters a little for the sake of telling a stronger story. In the show, Kim stumbles into Team Possible whereas in my depiction, it's a little more intentional. She's always wanted to be a Global Justice agent, and she's been training to be one for a long time. Shego is also a little different. Instead of being drastically older than Kim (as someone who is 30 at the time of writing, Shego reads to me as someone in her mid-thirties), Shego is 18. She probably left Team Go when she was a preteen. We'll delve into it more later.
For anyone who's like "We're 20k in, where's the Kigo?" It's coming very soon, have patience. Also, hopefully not every chapter is this long haha.
Last thing, I'm marking this as a 24-chapter story. That's a rough estimate from me, I'm only outlined up to Chapter 9 right now. I have a good idea as to where this is going, but I'm letting the story grow organically. Also as a heads up, this story is a trilogy, like the original I'm Scared Too. Though I think the sequels are going to be called something else.