6:30 a.m., Monday, June 15, Possible Residence

"Okay...here goes nothing..."

Seated in her breakfast nook as the morning sun slowly rose in the East, Kim took a deep breath and steadied herself for the ordeal to come - not the mission...but Monique's dubious-looking energy drink. Trembling, she lifted the glass bottle to her lips, slowly opened her mouth wide and then forcefully gulped down a swig while pinching her nose and shutting her eyes.

Texture-wise, it was like drinking cold egg whites with the occasional hard lumps here and there. With each nauseating lump that passed her gullet, she wondered again and again if she should have drawn up a last will and testament, or at the very least, said goodbye to her loved ones.

Her parents, Dr. James Possible and Dr. Ann Possible, her twin brothers Tim and Jim, Ron and Rufus all watched closely and tightly held in their breath while wearing grave expressions of unbearable suspense; Ron was prepared to dial 911 or administer activated charcoal to induce vomiting at any given moment, just in case.

Kim took another sizeable draft - valiantly enduring the lumps - and then gingerly replaced the plastic cap on the bottle, a strange, greasy texture now permeating her fingers as well as her mouth. She had slammed down half of the bottle's contents, and that was more than enough for now - probably more than enough for a lifetime, even. She opened her eyes and un-pinched her nose, allowing her tastebuds to contact her olfactory bulb with the bad news: the flavor really sucked.

"She survived..." thought Ron. "Thank you, God..."

The flavor - if you even wanted to call it that - was indescribably bad, tasting like something medicinal or astringent you would have treated an open wound (or scrubbed a toilet) with. She took another slow, deep breath and let out a strong, loud exhale, her nostrils burning intensely from the potent, acrid aftertaste.

There was a long pause.

"...Verdict?" asked James, breathlessly.

"Bet it tastes like crap" laughed Jim. "And I'll bet you liked it..."

Kim scowled and seethed at the 'tweebs' as she preferred to call them. "Just WHY are you and Tim up so early during Summer break?" she asked, her voice sharp with annoyance. "You two usually sleep in til' around 11 when school's out!"

"Cause' we wanted to see if you'd survive drinking that stuff!" said Tim. "Looks like you did. Too bad..."

"Tim!" admonished Ann, sternly. Tim and Jim glanced at each other and giggled.

"Sooooooo, how was it, KP?" asked Ron, looking extremely relieved as Rufus, poking out from Ron's hip pocket, nibbled happily on a rasher of bacon. "Thought you might explode and take us all out with you..."

"No comment" said Kim, flatly. "Monique's heart's in the right place, but I don't know where on Earth her sanity is."

"Honestly, Kim, that stuff looks like crude oil" said Ann, her lips curling back in revulsion. "Hope it tasted better than it looked."

"It didn't" said Kim without hesitation as she quickly gulped down alternating mouthfuls of orange juice and coffee to kill the terrible aftertaste. "Well, Mom...you know how after a tsunami, you see all of that dirty water and debris getting sucked back into the ocean?"

"Yeah?" asked Ann.

"It tastes like that."

"Oh dear..." said Ann, shuddering.

James laughed as he flopped down in his seat next to Kim and opened up his morning paper.

"Well, at least you probably won't need any more vaccinations for about ten years!" said James. "You're probably now immune to diseases that haven't even been discovered by medical science yet!"

Everyone burst out laughing, except, of course, for Kim.

"Oh, James, you crack me up!" said Ann.

"Good one, Doctor P!" laughed Ron.

"Let's hope it didn't GIVE me some kind of disease..." said Kim, glaring darkly at the label. "I can't pronounce half of these ingredients, and...what the...'Product of the Republic of Magoodahmahamagalesh'? Where in the world is that?"

"Kim, were you drinking this stuff to help steady your nerves after your bad experience at the McDougall mansion the other day?" asked Ann with concern. "I'd heard stories that Silas fellow was a bit eerie, but don't you think that you're overreacting and taking it all a bit too far?"

Kim closed her eyes and sighed; she was beginning to accept the notion that maybe she really HAD just overreacted that day for some odd reason. No one seemed to believe her, anyway. Hell, not even her own mother understood her. Screw it.

"I'd told Monique about all the weirdness that happened that day, so she just tried to be a good friend and get me something that she thought would help settle me down a bit...which, uhhhh, remains to be seen..."

"That was awfully nice of her, but maybe you should just sit this one out, Kim?" asked Ann. "Perhaps you're just doing too much if you feel that terribly anxious."

"Mom, I can't back out now" said Kim, resolutely. "I won't."

"That's my girl!" said James from behind his newspaper. "When our Kimmie sets her sights on a goal, she follows through to the end - no matter what!"

"Oooooh, guard duty for Silly McDoo-Doo!" laughed Tim and Jim as they fought over the bacon and sausage, even though there was more than enough of it. "What's next, Kim? Gonna' walk his dogs for him, too?"

"Now, boys" said James good-naturedly, "there is NO shame in dog-walking!...unless..." He suddenly put down his paper and looked thoughtfully at the ceiling as he rubbed his chin. "I mean, not unless it's one of those little frou-frou, fuzzy poodles who look like topiary shrubs...oooh, those obnoxious little things just drive me batty!"

"Drakken's got one of those, Dr P" laughed Ron.

James gasped. "He DOES? Drew owns a poodle?"

"Yup! Named it 'Commodore Puddles' or something. And he's pink!"

"Pink?" cried James.

"Like cotton candy..." said Ron.

"You know, that reminds me" said Ann, as she poured herself a mug of coffee. "Many years ago, Silas McDougall used to breed and race greyhounds, and it was a BIG deal around here, too. In fact, he used to sponsor many of the local events and sometimes even oversee them personally. He was very passionate about the whole enterprise."

James' face suddenly lit up. "Hey, that's right!" he said, enthusiastically. "I'd forgotten ALL about that! Remember back when we were dating, and we both went to the races that one time? What a treat THAT was! Man alive, those things ran like the WIND!"

"I wonder why he stopped..." mused Ann as she sipped her coffee.

Ron looked puzzled. "Whaddaya' mean, 'shtopped', Mishush P?" asked Ron through a mouthful of hash browns.

"Honestly, Ron, it's the funniest thing, now that I think about it" said Ann as she crossed her arms, her face darkening. "Around ten years ago, I remembered hearing that he suddenly sold off all of his prized greyhounds and then stopped all involvement with the racing circuit. He also stopped donating to all of these various charities, and he became much more withdrawn and secluded, rarely - if ever - leaving his mansion on the outskirts of town."

"Huh. Maybe he evolved into a cat person!" laughed James as he flipped through his paper, while Kim's ears suddenly perked up at her mother's odd recollection.

"So, Mom" began Kim, solemnly, "Silas used to be just another rich guy who was fairly normal...but then...something happened...and he just suddenly got rid of all of his racing dogs for no specific reason, quit with the donations, and then became a cloistered recluse?"

"Pretty much" answered Ann as she slipped on her white lab coat and then fluffed out her bouncy red hair. "Yeah, this was all around a decade ago...apparently around the same time that he took on that ever-present assistant of his."

"...Klaus..." said Kim, distantly.

"Who?" asked Tim, through a mouthful of buttered toast.

"His name's Klaus" said Ron with an amused grin as he spread jam on a croissant. "He's McDougall's tubby little weirdo sidekick with glasses so thick that they could probably see the dark side of the moon...and a toupee that looks like fresh roadkill...I mean, like, SUPER fresh, like 'scraped-off-the-interstate-with-a-spatula-five-minutes-ago' fresh..."

Tim and Jim burst out into hysterical laughter. Even James started to snicker from behind his newspaper until he too started guffawing wildly along with his sons.

"G-good one, Ron! Bwa ha ha haaaaaa!" howled James as his eyes started to tear up. Ann buried her face in her hands as even she began to giggle uncontrollably. Kim, a barren island of dour, sullen mood in a sea of cheerfulness, stared into space looking like, as Ron had described her the other day, "one of those grumpy statues at the cemetery".

"Well, I'm glad you all find this so funny" said Kim, humorlessly. "After all, you don't have to deal with him...or his boss."

At that moment, the kimmunicator went off. With a sigh, Kim yanked it out and flipped on the screen, a grinning image of Wade staring back. "What's the sitch, Wade?" she asked.

"Hey, Kim! Just wanted to let you know that I've updated your website and told everyone that you'll be busy with a month-long mission from today through July 15. I also wanted to...hey, is there a party going on or something?" Everyone was still in stitches and cackling maniacally over Ron's ridiculous toupee-roadkill comparison.

"No, not a party, Wade." said Kim, wearily. "My family's just gone insane."

"Sounds like fun. Sorry I missed it!" laughed Wade.

"Wade, my brother's laughing so hard he just shot juice out of his nostrils into my lap..." said Kim. "One goofy joke, and my whole family just goes COMPLETELY over the edge-"

"Mornin', Wade!" said Ron as he shoved his face into Wade's view, much to Kim's irritation. "Today's the day! Gonna' wish us luck?" he garbled through a mouthful of half-chewed pastry.

"I was just gonna tell you and Kim to be careful, today" replied Wade. "After all, I never DID figure out exactly what caused your website to crash or what blocked the kimmunicator's signal the other day...so just stay alert out there!"

"We will" said Kim, gravely. "After all, Mr. McDougall SAID that it would be a high-risk job to undertake, hence the reason that Ron and I would be earning a thousand dollars each day-"

"A THOUSAND DOLLARS EACH DAY?!" cried her family, their faces frozen in shock.

"Yowzers!" cried James as he dropped his paper into his lap, his face stunned and goggle-eyed. "Y-you'll be making more money than your mother and I! And we're both doctors!"

"Kim, you never mentioned that!" said Ann, in surprise. "I mean, you did tell us that you were getting compensated for helping to guard the - what was it called...the 'Neptune diamond' or something - but bringing in a grand each day? What will you and Ron do with all of that money?"

Kim suddenly noticed that Tim and Jim had both snuggled up to her on each side with exaggerated, pouty expressions on their faces.

"You know, Kim, we've never really told you just how much we LOVE and look up to you..." mewled Tim.

"Yeah" said Jim, sweetly, "you're our big sister, and it seems that we ALWAYS take it for granted-"

"You guys want me to buy you that new computer, don't you?" asked Kim in a low, suspicious tone.

"The one with the transparent outer shell, so we can see its 'guts', please" said Tim, the sweetness immediately wearing off. Jim nodded exuberantly in agreement with a crazed grin.

Kim felt the mother of all migraines coming on when she noticed that Wade was still patiently standing by on her device.

"Oh, s-sorry Wade, got sidetracked there..."

"It's cool, Kim. Just stay safe and CALL me if any kind of weirdness pops up. Promise?"

"Promise."

"Cool. Over and out!" Wade's image vanished and the screen went dark.

There was a loud honking from the front of the house.

"Hey, KP, I think our ride's here!" said Ron as he noticed a large Humvee rolling into the driveway through the kitchen window. "Oooh, and it's a DOOZY!"

Ann looked extremely worried as she glanced back and forth between her daughter and her lifelong best friend-turned-boyfriend, never truly realizing until now just how increasingly dangerous Kim's escapades were becoming. "Who gets paid a thousand dollars a day for simply being a guard? thought Ann, ominously. "That doesn't sound like an offer. That sounds more like a...lure." She felt her blood begin to run cold.

As Kim devoured one last grapefruit slice while Ron stuffed his pockets with croissants and donuts wrapped in napkins, Ann finally gave voice to her inner concerns:

"Kim...I'm not trying to discourage you and Ron from this new job of yours, but for some reason, I have a very bad feeling about this-"

Kim abruptly spun around to face everyone, her face flushed with sudden anger. "Well so did I, but NO ONE BELIEVED ME!" she shouted, her voice heavy with frustration and resentment. "DOESN'T ANYONE UNDERSTAND OR CARE ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED TO ME THAT DAY?!"

The whole room immediately went dead silent. Everyone froze, wide-eyed in fright at Kim's sudden violent outburst as the incessant honking continued from the driveway. "Yooooo-hooooo, anyone theeeerrre?" came a strange but funny voice from the humvee, though no one seemed to feel like laughing anymore.

"...Kimmie?" asked James, quietly. "Is...something wrong?

"...I..." stammered Kim, her voice cracking. "I...I'm sorry...R-ron, are you all set?"

"...y-yeah, sure KP..." answered Ron, meekly, looking a little bit afraid as Rufus nervously poked his head out of Ron's pocket.

"Are you ready to goooooooooo?" came the strange voice again from outside, as the car horn played 'La Cucaracha'.

Kim walked briskly toward the front door with heavy, aggressive footfalls as Ron clumsily dashed after her, a croissant wedged between his teeth and a napkin stuck to his left shoe.

"Kim, wait!" called Ann, frantically, as she and James hurried after them, both of their faces tense and troubled.

Kim opened the front door but halted on the threshold with a sigh. "Ron...just go on ahead" she said, softly. "Tell Mrs. Lippman I'll be there in a second."

"You bet!" said Ron with a gentle smile as he headed out the door.

Kim slowly turned around to face her parents, looking very weary and remorseful. "Mom, Dad...I'm...sorry I lost it back there. I...just don't know what's been going on with me the past few days-"

"Kim!" said James, tenderly. "Is there...something you're not telling us?"

"What's been going on?" asked Ann as she gently placed her hands on Kim's shoulders.

"Look...all I can say" began Kim, slowly, "is that I have been DREADING this day ever since Ron and I accepted this mission. My alarm bells started ringing the moment I met Silas and Klaus, and it seems that they just keep ringing louder and LOUDER...like I'm being warned...that something...just...TERRIBLE is about to happen..."

James and Ann exchanged fearful glances as off in the background, Ron greeted their "chauffer" to the museum.

"Mornin', Mrs. Lippman!" said Ron, happily.

"Mornin', son!" said Mrs. Lippman, a surprisingly vital elderly woman with electric blue hair, mirror shades and punk leathers. "Got yourself a napkin stuck to yer' shoe, there."

"Kim, just don't do this" said Ann, firmly. "There's no shame in backing out."

"That's just it, Mom" said Kim, distantly. "I think...that I need to do this."

"You...need to?" answered James and Ann, simultaneously, with puzzled expressions. "Kim, what do you mean that you NEED to?" asked James.

"Yeah...I...I just have this sneaking suspicion that there's something much BIGGER going on behind the scenes, here. Something that I just can't ignore. Something far too IMPORTANT to ignore, and it probably couldn't have LESS to do with a gemstone, no matter HOW valuable it might be. I don't know what it is...but I get the notion that if I don't at least attempt to stop it...no one else will."

Her parents slowly nodded, though they still looked terribly worried. "Kim, I trust your judgment" said James, gravely. "But now...even I'M feeling uneasy about all of this!" he said, deeply furrowing his brows. Ann looked up from her daughter's face and noticed, in spite of it still being early morning, dark clouds gathering menacingly on the far Southern horizon. She felt a chill and took it as a premonition - and certainly not a good one.

Kim suddenly stifled a laugh. "And..."

"A-And?" repeated James and Ann, turning back to face Kim.

"AND we've already taken some of the payment in advance...and spent it...soooooo, there's also that..."

"Thank you and Kim for getting my cat out of the tree last week!" said Mrs. Lippman to Ron, gratefully, in a voice raspy from decades of heavy smoking and drinking. "Offering you kids a ride here and there seems like poor recompense for saving my little Mr. Lemmy!"

Kim spun around as her attention was shifted over to Ron and Mrs. Lippman's conversation behind her. James and Ann followed suit as they watched Ron chatting with the unusual old woman who looked more than able to handle herself in a back alley brawl.

"Hey, no problemo, Mrs. L!" said Ron, merrily. "All in a day's work for Team Possible!"

"Well, I AM sorry about your pants, son" said Mrs. Lippman. "Those tree branches are like little HOOKS, you know, so small wonder that Mr. Lemmy got trapped in em'. In fact...I think that yer' britches are still stuck up in the treetops..."

"O-oh, don't worry about it!" said Ron, sheepishly, as he waved his hands about. "That's why I, uh, buy my 'britches' in bulk, now...heh heh...*sigh*"

Kim suddenly erupted into raucous laughter at Ron's humorous response, with both James and Ann joining in moments later. Ron spun around in surprise, immediately registering what exactly they found so funny.

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up" he muttered, with crossed arms and his eyes downcast as his cheeks began to turn red.

"Ron, are you coming by for dinner tonight?" called James from the doorway, cupping his hands to his mouth. "Ann's making fajitas, and you KNOW how good THOSE are!"

"And I am SO there, Dr. P!" answered Ron eagerly, completely forgetting his embarrassment as he gave James a thumbs-up and a wink.

James returned Ron's thumbs-up with a huge grin as Kim collected herself and smiled benignly. "I have to go now" she said. "But I think...I think that things are going to be alright. I've got Ron with me. And you guys. And Wade's practically stalking me to make sure that we stay safe during this mission."

"Alright, Kimberly" said Ann, soberly. "I don't like what you and Ron are doing - that's my women's intuition kicking in, I guess - but I'll still back you up."

"Same here" said James as he hugged her tightly. "Now, if anything, and I mean ANYTHING goes South today, or tomorrow, or three weeks from now - you CALL us. Alright?"

"I will. Love you guys!" said Kim as she scuttled down the porch steps to join Ron. "I'll pick you guys up a plastic replica of the Neptune diamond from the gift shop, okay?" she cried out.

"We can't wait!" laughed Ann. "Better get one for your father, too!" she yelled, as she amiably elbowed the grinning James in his side.

"All set, KP?" asked Ron as she ran up alongside him. "Check out the sweet ride we're gonna be getting to and from the museum for the next month!" he said, as he motioned venerably towards the camouflage-pattered Humvee idling in her driveway.

"It used to be my husband's" said Mrs. Lippman as she gave the hood a good slap while boasting a sweet smile. "The tree shredder in my backyard ALSO used to be my husband's...that's where he DIED, you see..."

"Oh, well that's...tragic" said Kim, uncomfortably, not entirely sure whether she should laugh ironically or sincerely apologize.

Lippman just kept on smiling, her spiky blue hair and shades making her look like some kind of bizarre 'cool punk grandma' caricature. "Naw, I really appreciate all of the extra room I've got now...so does Mr. Lemmy...well, shall we be off?"

"Ah, uh, yes...let's!" said Kim and Ron together, marveling to themselves as to how they seemed to keep getting mixed up with nothing but weirdos.

"Kim...you ARE alright, aren't you?" asked Ron in a low, serious tone as he opened the rear passenger door for her, his normally lighthearted, freckled face drawn with concern. "Please...don't push yourself too hard!"

"I'm fine, Ron" she said as she pecked him on the cheek and took him in a warm embrace. "I'm so sorry I went all psycho in the kitchen! Maybe next time I should try the decaf..."

"Oooooooorrrrrr, maybe just forgo the wacky hippy drinks?" laughed Ron.

Tim and Jim watched everything from the kitchen window as they continued to stuff themselves with bacon and donuts. It wasn't the first time they'd seen their sister act like a drama queen, so they were hardly perturbed by the whole affair - if at all.

"Ugghh, they're getting all mushy and hugging..." said Tim.

"YUCK!" said Jim, as he cautiously eyed the half-full bottle of Kim's caustic-looking beverage, a potentially sinister light suddenly coming on in his attic.

"Hey..." said Jim, as a thoughtful expression settled across his face, "remember that rocket we built last week that just couldn't get off the ground?"

"Yeah?" said Tim, flopping back down into his seat. "What about it?"

"Maybe we should try using THIS crud for fuel..."

Tim smiled devilishly. "Ooooooohhh, let's do it..."

James and Ann smiled and waved goodbye to Kim and Ron as crazy old Mrs. Lippman ferried them off to the museum. James affectionately put his arm around Ann's shoulder as he happily savored the morning air with gratitude and gusto.

"Boy oh boy...our Kimmie sure has grown up, hasn't she?" he said, his voice warm with admiration and endearment. "And I couldn't be ANY more proud of her...OR our boys!...Ann?...Ann?"

James turned to face his wife and saw that Ann was staring solemnly at the black clouds far down to the South, which already seemed to be spreading across the sky at an alarmingly brisk rate. Tiny white forks of lightning occasionally flashed across the inky blots as an unusually cold breeze suddenly cut through the warm June air.

"H-honey?" he asked.

"James" she said in a low, far-off pitch that genuinely startled him to his core.

"Y-yeah?"

"I don't like this" she uttered in a pitch so soft he could barely hear it.

He pulled her in close and gently laid her head across his chest.

"I don't like this at all..."