A/N: Let's get the legal issues out of the way. First, I do not own any of the characters appearing in this tale, they are owned by the Empire of the Mouse. Secondly this tale is not intended to generate profit, it's strictly for entertainment. Finally, the original characters are not meant to represent any person, real or fictional. Please keep an eye to the rating, as this tale is going to go on a dark path.
That said, please enjoy.
Sometimes, the real nerve-wracking part of a mission wasn't the mission itself; it was getting there and back. More to the point, it was getting back. Maybe that wasn't really the issue as much as trying to be as little of a bother to the ride provider as possible.
Such thoughts went through Kim Possible's mind, as her heart rate slowed down towards normal. Next to her, her boyfriend/best friend/mission partner was forcing his eyes to narrow to something smaller than dinner plates.
"I like my vegetables," Ron finally managed to gasp out. "But I prefer to not see them zipping by at that speed."
"Agreed," she nodded. "Mr. Brinder?" She addressed the pilot of the small plane they were currently in.
"Call me Jake," the man turned only slightly, keeping a close eye on his progress. "But what can I do for you?"
"I don't want to sound ungrateful for the ride," Kim admitted. "But next time, could you take us to where we're going before you dust crops?"
"I only have so many hours in a day," he shrugged. While the expression caused only a slight alteration to the plane's course, they weren't very high above the ground, so the slight weave had the teens jumping again...at least as much as they could.
"I can land the plane after dark, but I can't do this after dark," the pilot explained. "Besides, two more passes and I'm finished."
"That doesn't sound so bad," Ron managed to gasp; only to gasp louder when he realized that the two more passes were for a field wedged between hills on two sides and forests on the other two. Kim had to admit that he had grown up a great deal in the last year or so; he didn't shriek in terror.
Also, he didn't seem to be working any harder than she was to keep such distress vocalizations from sounding.
The two passes were finished in a few minutes, which corresponded to the last few minutes of daylight. Soon, they were heading to Middleton as the sky went dark.
"We'll be there in about thirty," Mr. Brinder informed her. "I can either land at the airport or I can drop you off over the park near your house. You have your parachutes, don't you?"
"Yeah," Ron interrupted. "As much as I prefer to actually land, I've had enough of sweeping down low to the ground in an airplane for today. We'll hit the silk."
Instead of looking offended, the pilot offered a wide grin. "The two of you held it together better than most passengers," he informed them. "Thanks again for helping with my flat last year."
"No big," she shrugged. "Anyone could have jumped from one aircraft to another, in flight, with a tire repair kit."
"Okay, we have a few minutes," Ron pointed out. "Since you accepted my offer, I've got some activities planned."
"Ron," she smiled and shook her head. "Didn't you know that when you have a girlfriend for close to a year, it's pretty much a done deal that she's going to say yes when you ask her to prom?"
"Well, it was the first time I actually asked a girl to a dance, and she said yes," he answered. "So, for dinner before..." he pulled out some cards he had made, showing the pluses and minuses of several restaurants.
Kim looked over the choices, smiling about the current situation. They had a few rough spots when they made the change from friends to boyfriend and girlfriend, but those were behind them; for the most part. They seemed to have found the right mix of what they had always enjoyed doing together and being a couple. Still, he had looked so nervous, yesterday, when he asked her to be his date for next month's prom...like she might say no. Now, he was going all out, trying to put together a complete evening that she would enjoy. Little did he know, she was putting together some preparations of her own.
She had already arranged to have a nice room at the motor lodge waiting for them and had gotten her parents' permission to spend the night at an all-night party. She had precautions waiting for when the time was right.
Ron had made the first move in taking them beyond friends and she was determined to wait him out and let him make the first move when it came to taking their romance to the next step...but she had no problem letting him know that she was ready for that next step and was going to go along with it when he made that move. Another girl might be a little confused that he hadn't made that move yet, but she understood that he was still nervous about screwing up their romance...and their friendship. She had had the same reluctance when it came to saying that she wanted more than friendship from him, so she didn't take it as an insult to her that he hadn't tried to get them in bed yet.
She was willing to wait, but only up to prom. If they hadn't taken that step by then, she was going to flat out ask him if he wanted to take the next step. In the meantime, she was setting up the scene so it would be perfect if it came to that. She thought about that night, and how she would let him know that she was more than ready to move things along. A little seduction sounded like fun.
It was surprising how much preparation was required for spontaneity.
"Kim, two minutes or so," Jake's voice pulled her out of her daydreams.
She caught the look on Ron's face, which said that he was not looking forward to the jump, but it was better than landing. She just smiled, checked her chute and looked out the window. Sure enough, the park was coming up quickly.
She was proud of Ron in that he didn't scream when they jumped out of the plane. The evening air was crisp and cold which, along with the short freefall, pushed her adrenaline level up. The park was well lit, tempting her to land next to a bench so she could end the drop by casually sitting on the outdoor furnishing. She decided that it wasn't time to show off, so she found an empty parking lot and landed with a short sprint. Looking up, she saw Ron perform a similar landing in an open field. He stumbled just a touch but stayed on his feet. Moment's later, the two had bundled up their chutes and were walking out of the park towards her house.
"Do you want to stay for dinner?" She offered. "I'm sure mom made enough for a sixth person."
"I'd love it," he told her. "But I have Hana duty tonight. I'll catch you tomorrow."
"On the way to school," she added. "I'll be waiting."
The goodbye kiss he gave her made her feel a little weak in the knees. He had recently started letting his hands wander a little more when they kissed in private, which had her thinking that she might not have to wait until prom. Still, there was a proper time and place; and outside her parents' front door wasn't the place to try to move things along. Instead, he said his goodnight and strode off into the night.
Her smile was probably overly wide when she stepped through her door; but she didn't care. She was happy; she was a senior, she was going to graduate with high marks, the missions were going great and her social life was coming along fine. Ron's football had generated some interest in schools near ones she wanted to attend, so she was going to be able to keep her relationship going past high school. Life was grand.
"It looks like the mission must have went well," her father commented from the kitchen, as she reached the stairs up to her room.
"Pretty much typical," she answered. "Dementor got away, but he left without the mutation chambers that DNAmy had in her old lair. I really wonder what he had planned for them."
"Who can say?" Her mother shrugged while stirring something in a steaming kettle. "Could you do us a big favor?"
"Sure," Kim told her. "What do you need?"
"Could you pick up the boys at school?" Her mom asked. "We're in the middle of making dinner."
"No big," Kim assured her. "But why are they still at that evening science lab? I thought that was over weeks ago."
"They moved on to bigger and more complicated projects," her father told her. "According to them, they might be producing something that can be mass produced and sold. Any patent rights would really help the school's budget and get them into a good school after graduation."
"I'm just glad there aren't any explosions in the house anymore," her mom confessed. "And none of my appliances have gotten up and walked around since they started these after-school activities." The older redhead paused just a moment. "I really appreciate what that teacher has been doing, but I can't help but feel sorry for her. She should be enjoying herself when she can, not spending so much of her free time in a lab with a couple of teen boys."
"Maybe that's what she enjoys doing," Kim's dad pointed out. "She's offered to drive them home from the lab, but we didn't want to impose on her any more than we already were. I was about to go pick them up."
"I'll get them," Kim assured him. "Just let me drop off my mission gear."
She skipped up the stairs to her room, dropped off her backpack and grabbed her keys. A few minutes later, she was in the sloth heading towards Middleton High. Wade's image popped up on her display.
"Hey Kim," he greeted her. "Your parents must have gotten a little confused with the time, you're going to be more than a half hour earlier than they usually get there to pick up your brothers."
"I should be a little creeped out that you keep such close watch on my family," she replied, but with a smile. "But I think that it is actually a good thing. Maybe I can get a description of what it is that they're working on...if I can understand it."
"It's a high powered drone that can lift up to 150 kilos and stay active for almost an hour," Wade told her. "They've borrowed parts that the space center isn't using anymore for it. While the prototype would be terribly expensive, mass production could drop the cost."
"Interesting," Kim noted. "But dad said something about about producing something that could be sold."
"It could have a major impact on product delivery," Wade told her. "Think of it, most grocery stores could use it to do home delivery; it wouldn't be affected by traffic jams and you wouldn't have to keep drivers on staff, not doing anything, in case they have a delivery order. That's just a start. I'm sure that most delivery services would be interested in this, if they can get the reliability high and the cost low enough. Think of hospitals or pharmacies, they could get medicines and other essential supplies shifted around a city, despite traffic and road conditions." He took a sip from his slurpster. "Remember when I had to make a delivery to you on Christmas day? There wouldn't be a need for drivers to be on stand-by."
"Isn't there a danger of collisions?" Kim asked. "A lot of drones buzzing everywhere, without pilots, doesn't sound like a great idea."
"Your brothers are modifying some self-driving car software to adapt it to a three dimensional environment," Wade answered. "This really has the chance of being a financial windfall to the school, the teacher and your brothers."
"And the family," Kim added. "There haven't been any major explosions at home ever since they started this. How's the teacher handling all this extra work?"
"Miss Allen seems to enjoy it," Wade shrugged. "I guess she's a tinkerer, kind of like me, who would rather work in a lab than go out and do things that most people her age enjoy."
"I don't think I've ever had her for a class," Kim noted.
"This is her first year at Middleton," Wade informed her. "In fact, it's her first job out of college. She's a very sharp scientist. Well, not compared to me, of course, but she's also a very good teacher."
"It's nice to see you have your ego under control," Kim quipped at him "But then again, I guess most people aren't the scientist that you are. Anyway, here I am. I'll catch you later."
"That's why I called you," Wade told her, from her Kimmunicator, after she had parked and exited her car. "The doors are locked and whatever they're doing in the science lab generates powerful fields that block their phones' signal. You can't call them, but I can unlock the school door for you."
"Please and thank-you," Kim said, with gratitude, as she approached the school's door. "I'd rather not wait out in the parking lot."
"Then, I'll sign off," Wade told her, once she had opened the aforementioned door and walked inside. "It's room S223, have a good evening."
"You too," she told her young friend, before replacing her Kimmunicator in its pouch and making her way to a staircase. While she had never been in that particular lab, she knew her way around the school and knew where the labs were. Even if she didn't know which lab was being used, only one had light spilling through the over-the-door window and under the door itself. That, and a mechanical sound, as well as a rhythmic, creaking sound, spilled out of the room. Deciding that it wouldn't be a good idea to disturb anyone working on powerful machinery, she quietly eased the door open and looked inside.
What she saw made her eyes fly open wide; first in confusion, then horror, then rage.
Dr. James Possible wasn't as naive as a lot of people thought he was. He knew he had a reputation for having an attitude more reminiscent of a 50's sitcom father than one in the modern world. It didn't bother him, he knew that he was smarter and more in touch than that. One such aspect was his daughter; he was fully aware of the dangers she put herself into but he allowed it because he knew that she couldn't walk away from it more than she could quit breathing. She was her grandmother's daughter, which meant that adventure and assisting people were bred into her very DNA. That didn't mean that he was happy with the situation; it meant that the had come to accept it.
At least it was better than her dating boys.
However, he knew that it was likely that he would eventually get a call with some very bad news about her. He just never thought that it would come after she had left to pick up his sons from the school. Still, when he picked up the phone and the caller introduced himself as an officer from the Middleton Police Department, his blood ran cold.
"Dr. Possible?" The voice prompted him. "Are you still there?"
"Y-yes," he managed to stammer. "Y-you said it was about my daughter."
"Yes," the voice told him. "She's here at the station."
"Is she okay?" The good doctor held his breath, catching his wife's eye and seeing that she was going as pale as he must be.
"Yes, doctor," the voice told him. "She wasn't the victim of a crime. She...well...it's complicated. I would very much appreciate if a parent were to come down here."
"Of course," he told the man. "I'm on my way right now. A moment though, she was going to pick up her brothers from Middleton High School. Are they there?"
"Yes," the man said. "They are also well and this is about them, as well. Please, doctor, if you could come down here, it will make things much easier to deal with."
"She isn't being charged with anything, is she?" James watches his wife's eyes fly even wider.
"The short answer is yes," the voice told him. "As she is a dependent and your sons are minors, we really need a parent here. Are you okay? If you are unable to drive, we can arrange..."
"No need," James assured the policeman. "We will be on our way momentarily."
It turned into a very long drive, as James concentrated on driving safely...knowing that if he were to leave his emotions run free he would probably be setting a land speed record. Instead, he managed to keep the car on the road and between the lines, managed to stop completely at every applicable sign and light, and kept himself under control until he was parked in the police station's lot.
"It has to be a mistake," his wife finally stated from next to him. He was glad, both for the distraction and for the fact that she waited until he had the car stopped before she distracted him.
"I'm sure it is," he agreed. "Kimmy only fights criminals and goes out of her way to follow the rules. We'll take care of this shortly."
The walk across the lot to the station itself seemed to take forever, but only took minutes. He idly wondered how many other parents had made this same walk and if they were as nervous as he was. To his shock, they ran into Ronald at the door.
"I came as soon as I could," he told them. "Do you know what happened?"
"That's what we're here to find out," James told him.
"Let me guess," his wife asked the boy. "Wade found out that she was here and arranged for your trip."
"Exactly," he told them. "If there's any way I can help..."
"Let's go in and find out," James told him, both irritated that this had gotten out of the family and relieved, since Ronald seemed to be able to get through to his daughter in ways that he and his wife couldn't.
The short walk from the door to the reception desk felt like a mile.
"Name and reason for your visit?" A bored-looking policeman asked him.
"Dr. James Possible," he replied, after struggling with a dry mouth. "I'm here about my daughter, and my sons."
"Okay, take a seat," the man told him, pointing at a row of plastic chairs. "She's currently being held on assault charges, but I'll let the arresting officers know that you're here."
"Ronald, what do you know?" His wife asked their daughter's boyfriend.
"Not much," he admitted. "According to Wade, she got to the school, couldn't contact the twins or the teacher, so Wade unlocked the door for her. Next thing we know, the police have been called."
"Is that all you know?" Anne asked, pointedly.
"Well..." Ron looked decidedly uncomfortable.
"This isn't the time to cover for your friend," Anne assured him. "We won't tell if Wade found something out by questionable means."
"Wade hacked the school security systems," he told the adults, after glancing around the waiting area. "He wasn't able to get footage from inside the lab, but he saw her go into the school and then go into the lab. The only ones that were inside when she got there were Jim, Tim and Miss Allen. Nobody left until Jim ran outside and used his cell phone."
"And he called the police?" Anne asked.
"He called 911," Ron said. "According to Wade, he called for an ambulance. When the dispatcher got the story, he sent both the police and an ambulance. Kim was put under arrest at the classroom and taken down here, along with the twins. Miss Allen was taken to the hospital."
"There must have been an accident," James decided. "And it's all just a mistake. We'll clear this up in no time."
Ron looked uncomfortable, but before Jame could ask him why, another policeman interrupted him.
"Dr. and Dr. Possible?" The man announced. "The arresting officers would like a word with you, in private, before you see your daughter."
James got to his feet, along with his wife and Ronald.
"Family members only," the man informed them, but it was a gentle statement. "I recognize you. If it's okay, I'll leave the twin boys with Mr. Stoppable here while they wait for you."
"That would be fine," he assured the policeman. "Ronald, we will see you shortly and let me say that I appreciate you coming here to help."
Another policeman showed up and led Ronald off somewhere else, while the original one ushered him and his wife into a small room. There, a familiar face rose from a desk.
"Officer Hobble," James shook hands with the man. "You work with my Kimmy quite a bit. I'm glad you're here. Could you tell me what happened?"
"It's a dark incident," the burly officer gestured towards a couple of chairs. "Let me tell you now, your daughter did, indeed, attack the teacher, Miss Allen."
"But...why?" James gasped at him, while his wife covered her mouth with a hand.
"I've insisted that she doesn't speak to anyone, yet," Hobble told him. "I want her to have a lawyer here before we start recording. However, I'd like you to go in and talk to her, so she can get her wits about her before the official questioning begins." The policeman took a deep breath. "Your daughter is a powerful young woman. She's used to throwing down with professional henchmen, mutants and super-villains. You have to understand that when she gets angry enough to throw a punch, she can inflict serious harm on someone who isn't trained to take a shot. This teacher, Miss Allen, has some serious injuries but will pull through. Now, I don't think that Miss Possible would do such a thing unless she had proper provocation but I want her to get her mind straight so she doesn't say something that could land her in prison."
James felt his heart drop down in his chest. He never thought that he'd ever hear that his daughter had attacked an innocent. He managed to nod his head when the officer asked he and his wife to follow him. His heart dropped even lower, something that he had thought was impossible, when he saw his daughter seated at an interrogation room, with one hand cuffed to a large, metal ring. She looked up, clearly both happy and scared to see her parents. Anne quickly ran to her and put a comforting arm around the teen's shoulders. James followed a little more slowly, putting his arms around both of them.
"It will be all right, Kimmy," he assured his daughter. Sobs were his only answer, his daughter was literally shaking with emotion.
"Officer?" he asked the kindly policeman. "Could we have this chain taken off?"
"I'm sorry, Dr. Possible," the man looked miserable, James had to give him credit for that. "But she's been brought in for a violent crime. Policy states that she must be restrained until she's been questioned...officially."
"We'll make do," Anne told him. The older redhead had pulled the teen's head down to her chest and was resting the side of her face on the top of Kim's head, patting her back.
For several minutes, Kim could only cry and murmur over and over that she was sorry. Finally, she cried herself out to some extent and could face them with a bit of composure.
"Kimmy," his wife asked their daughter. "Is it true that you attacked this teacher?"
The teen's mouth opened and closed several times as she tried to answer. In the end, she could only look down at the table and nod, miserably.
"Why?" Anne prompted, gently.
It took Kim several tries before she could continue. Several deep breaths, several false starts came and went before she finally managed to spit it out.
"Because," Kim started sobbing again but managed to groan out the answer. "Because she was having sex with Tim!"
A/N: I'd like to thank two people. First, Joe Stoppinghem for yet another beta-reading assist and second, mam162. This story was inspired by his tale, "The Bad Sitch" and he's generously given his permission to me to write this tale.
Thanks for all who have read and reviewed.
Best wishes to all
daccu65
