Her recent doubts about her present and future aside, Kim didn’t let her personal concerns interfere with keeping house. She took her role as ’domestic goddess’ very seriously. Rooms were cleaned, bills paid, children cleaned, and occasionally Kim logged into her website to check her messages.
At one time, her website, as well as her original ‘Kimmunicator’, were the best way to receive notification of an impending worldwide disaster. The site, however, had long since been reduced to an archive of media articles and testimonials from Kim’s past exploits. From time to time, friends and acquaintances would leave her messages. Today there was nothing.
No matter, thought Kim. She returned to her chores and her thoughts strayed to what the ideal kindergarten would be for her children. She had heard rumors of a place in Westchester County, New York that might be worth looking into. Carrying her laundry through the living room, Kim turned on the television to catch the mid-morning news for some background noise.
“… rupt this program for a live feed from our affiliate in Middleton. Terry, tell us what’s happening out there.”
“Well, Margo, it seems that a group of unknown assailants have stolen a stockpile of weapons and munitions from the Middleton Armory. It is not know at this time if this is the work of terrorists, but the assailants were first observed moving around inside the high-security area with no evidence as to how they breached the perimeter. There appears to be a large section of disturbed earth, leading officials to believe that the assailants may have tunneled their way up through the ground. We have a camera standing by and can show some of the scenes from outside the perimeter. I have to advise our viewers that the image is a little grainy and we cannot be sure if anyone inside is living or dead… ”
Kim’s attention was riveted on the screen. Dollars to doughnuts, she’d bet money that this was the emergency that Shego had been summoned to deal with.
An image appeared on the television screen, overexposed in the harsh glare of late morning sunlight. Typical army base, Kim thought. Quonset huts, munitions depots, motor pool, large open pit surrounded by dark mounds of fresh earth… Huh??
Suddenly, there was movement. Dark figures were running from the huts and garages. They looked small. Were they midgets? They were apparently making their way towards the open pit, but for the most part none of them were moving in a straight line. They almost seemed to be running about in apparent confusion. They were either wrapped in dark rags or whatever it was they were wearing was so tattered and filthy as to make them appear almost bestial. Most of the figures dragged or carried boxes with them; probably weapons, Kim guessed.
Then, Kim saw Shego.
In the video transmission Shego could be seen moving everywhere at once. She was keeping her distance from the weird, little creatures, but instead of fighting hand-to-hand Shego was throwing super-heated plasma bolts. Whenever she struck a direct hit, the dark, ragged things went flying head over heels. From the video image, it appeared to Kim as if the creatures would regroup just long enough to collect fallen comrades, leaving their stolen prizes where they had landed on the grass. If this was supposed to be a weapons theft, it was certainly a strangely executed one.
After what was only a few seconds of real time, all of the creatures had managed to climb (or fall) down into the earthen pit. With both hands blazing, Shego made as if to follow them, but hung back, apparently wondering if the true threat was over or if she should pursue. At that moment, some unknown force caused the television camera to pitch wildly. When the image finally stabilized, the pit had collapsed slightly and an expanding cloud of dirt obscured any sign of Shego
Kim had sunk down into a seated position on the floor. Her heart felt dead and her blood seemed frozen in her veins. Kim wondered what was making the picture get so blurry, then she realized that here eyes were tearing up.
“Once the base was considered safe, the authorities discovered that base personnel were alive and unharmed, but had been rendered unconscious by some unknown means. Amazingly, there were no casualties and very few wounded. Those rendered unconscious responded to medical treatment immediately. Several cases of grenades and disposable rocket launchers were missing. There were no bodies left at the scene of these mysterious beings, and the fate of an unnamed government law enforcement agent remains unknown… ”
The house was silent. In the washroom, the dryer made an occasional ticking noise as the metal cooled after having run a load of clothes. Kim slowly reached for the remote control and turned the television set off. An empty husk in the shape of Kim Possible sat crumpled in a heap on her living room floor, staring at a blank screen. She stayed like that for several moments. Then she heard her children playing in the back yard, maybe on the swings or in the sand box.
Their children. Kim rose to her feet and walked to the telephone where she made two quick calls.
“Mom, this is Kim. Yes, I was… I was watching. I need to go. May I bring the girls over to stay with you? Thank you. I’ll be there very shortly.”
“Wade, this is Kim. No, I know you don’t know any details yet. Yes, I know that I’ve been out of the game. Just tell the authorities on the scene that I’m on my way. Please do this for me, Wade. Thank you.”
Kim ran up to her (their) bedroom, taking three stairs at a time. She reached into the closet and found a hanger that she hardly ever glanced at anymore. Onto her (their) bed she laid out a slightly worn, but otherwise intact, outfit of clothes. Specifically, one pair of cargo utility pants and one reinforced Kevlar weave t-shirt. Her high-traction, impact resistant footwear was already on her feet from that morning’s run; she could never have found a better pair of running shoes.
In less than half of an hour, Kim was attempting to explain her presence to the Military Police posted at the armory gates. Without her own ‘Kimmunicator’, Kim didn’t have the luxury of contacting Global Justice to obtain the proper credentials. Even her old friend Wade, now himself an agent in training with Global Justice, no longer ad free-reign to assist her.
Kim was becoming desperate to gain access and assist in the search for Shego. Fortunately, help quickly arrived in an unexpected form.
“Officer, I am Special Agent Du, Will Du of Global Justice. Here is my identification. I will be overseeing operations from this point forward, and I will take care of Ms. Possible.”
Kim had turned at the sound of the familiar voice behind her. Will had changed very little since she had lasted worked with him. Already superior and a little smug for such a young man, Will carried himself with a presence of someone twice his age. Kim was surprised to see a few wrinkles around Will’s eyes, giving his face a slightly softer look. More than that, she was shocked to see him smiling.
“Ms. Possible… Kim. It’s very good to see you again, although not under these circumstances. Please, follow me. I’ve been given full authority to brief you on the situation here and can assure of our support. Now, I’m sure you’re more than a little anxious to get started, but we do need to talk first.”
Kim was startled at this unexpected development. She was anxious, sure, and that was only after her decision to take personal action had calmed her down from the edge of near-hysteria.
As if sensing her doubt, Will extended his hand. “Please, while there is hope.” Kim took a deep breath and accepted the preferred hand. The cloud over her heart lifted slightly. She was going to find and save her lover, no matter what the cost.
The base of operations was simply the Quonset hut closest to the collapsed pit. ‘GJ’ technical specialists and agents were working at some pretty elaborate monitoring equipment. Kim was puzzled when she recognized most of the equipment as being used to measure seismic disturbances. Agent Du led her to a small office furnished with only the standard military issue desks and chairs, but also a ‘GJ’ communication transmitter. The device was already activated, and a familiar face greeted Kim as she entered the room.
“Kimberly, since I doubt that we have time for pleasantries, let’s commence the briefing, shall we?” The strong and clipped voice of Dr. Director, chief administrator of Global Justice, was only slightly distorted by the transmitter.
“Yes, please, Dr. Director. I’d like to get started ‘ASAP’.” Kim perched herself atop a desk while Will Du remained standing.
“First, I am compelled to congratulate you on the success of your personal life since leaving full time active duty as ‘world saver’. You were” (Kim winced inwardly at the use of the word were) “a major source of inspiration to many of our younger, female agents. Not to mention how proud we all were (wince) of your accomplishments and the immense debt of gratitude Global Justice, indeed, the entire World, owes you.”
At one time, Kim would have responded with ‘No Big’, but her heart was occupied solely with the prospect of saving Shego. Instead, she nodded her head and said nothing.
Noting the preoccupation on Kim’s face, Dr. Director continued. “The situation is as follows… for the past several weeks, Global Justice has been investigating thefts of weaponry by unknown forces who have gained access to the various storage facilities by means of traveling underground. After the first few events, we’ve had our agents, including Shego, on constant standby. They were to report to wherever the next theft would take place. We’ve been using seismic monitoring sensors in an attempt to alert us of the next event. Apparently, we were right to have done so.”
“Shego never told me about any of this” Kim said softly, more to herself than to anyone else.
“And she was absolutely right not to. Technically you are a civilian and this was a matter of top security.” Not wanting to upset or offend the younger woman, Dr. Director temporarily lowered her military bearing and spoke in tones that expressed genuine empathy. “Kimberly, it’s only because of our trust and faith in you and your abilities that we were are able to bend the rules and be meeting like this at all. You are not the brash cheerleader you once were. You have become something so much better. You have become a wife and mother, and apparently perfect at being both, or so Shego would have me believe.”
Hearing these words brought tears to Kim’s eyes. Then the deeper meaning of what was just said sank into her consciousness.
“You mean, Shego talks about me… about our home life… to you?” Kim would never have imagined Shego actually sharing personal information like that with anybody; Shego was fiercely private about her feelings and about her love with Kim.
“Well, of course she does, dear girl! Not exactly around the water cooler or anything like that, but she’s always saying how proud she is of you. You are the most important thing in her life.” Dr. Directors single good eye seemed to look into the center of Kim’s brain. “Did you have reason to doubt this?”
Again, Kim had nothing to say. The mix of love she felt for Shego and the disgust she felt at herself or her recent feelings of worthlessness gave her firm resolve to see this matter through successfully. She would not fail.
As if sensing this, Dr. Director resumed control of the briefing.
“Special Agent Du, please outfit Acting Agent Possible with her equipment. We’ve wasted enough time as it is. Kimberly, good fortune and Godspeed.” With that, the communications receiver deactivated.
Will Du moved from where he had been hovering near the wall and motioned Kim to following him from the office. They walked to a table loaded with various tools and harnesses. And something that looked like a rocket-powered surfboard.
“Kim, the challenge is not that we don’t know where Shego is, but we have no easy way to get down to her.” Will held a computer printout to Kim. It appeared to be an aerial representation of the base. There was a large black ‘X’ marked in the vicinity of the motor pool. There was also a smaller green ‘x’ several hundred yards to he east.
“The black mark represents the pit, and the green mark is Shego’s location. All ‘GJ’ agents are fitted with a tracking emitter in their field uniforms.”
Like a magician practicing legerdemain, Will produced a tiny silver button and clipped it to Kim’s collar. “Now we’ll be able to monitor you as well.”
Will gestured to several technicians waiting around them. The ‘techs’ closed in on Kim and they were finished with her so fast that she hadn’t even reacted to their presence.
“You are now outfitted with an infrared imaging viewer, climbing gear, wrist compass with chronometer, water-purification tablets and several days worth of protein concentrates.” Will let Kim take a moment to inspect the gear herself and familiarize herself with it’s operation. He was pleasantly surprised to see how efficiently she did so. Will had little doubt in Kim’s competence.
“Now, let me show you this… ” Will led Kim over to the ‘surfboard’. It was indeed a reinforced fiberglass board, with a small nozzle fitted at the aft end for thrust.
“Since the earth around the pit is so loose, the entire thing could totally collapse at any time or at the slightly disturbance. To that end, we propose that you will ‘surf’ down the tunnel at a high rate of speed, using the naturally existing contours of the loose soil. You will surface the same way.”
Even under the current situation, Kim had to marvel at the ingenuity in developing such a device. “Is this as hydro… um, aero… no, wait… ‘geodynamic’ as it looks?”
“Very. In fact, Dr. Director personally tested it herself a few months ago when she took a recreational leave of absence.” Will’s eyes lost some of their focus and adopted a wistful look.
Kim pointed to something written on the underside of the board. “Was it she that stenciled ‘Moon Doggie’ here?” This question generated a few muffled snickers from the technicians, causing Will to snap to attention. “Hm, I don’t seem to recall… ”
If anything, this brief moment of levity made Kim acknowledge that he had hope of her success. A few minor adjustments and system checks later, Kim was escorted to the pit. The dark, loose earth was raggedly piled around the opening. Looking down the length of the angled decent, Kim wondered of Shego could see the light from the hole in whatever dank cave she’d become trapped in. Kim shuddered and prepared herself to use the board as the ‘techs’ had shown her.
“Two questions, and then I’d better be going” Kim said. Will waited respectfully for her to finish. “You gave me water-purification tablets, but no water. Also, what about weapons? Those little critters I watched on the news report didn’t even see human. What do I do if I run into any?”
“As for water, the assailants are using an ancient system of caves that were originally carved from the living rock by the passage of water. You should find plenty of it already down there. As for weapons, the wrist compass has a stunner like the one I used on your friend Ron several years ago.” Will smiled at that memory.
“You should be able to stand up to just about anything down there. But, Kim” Will reached out and placed his hand on her shoulder, “please remember that this is a rescue mission, not a counter-attack. You are to locate Shego and then return to the surface immediately. We have outfitted you with supplies and equipment just in case the ‘Moon Doggie’ (Will’s quick glare stifled the giggles of a nearby technician) fails to bring you back up. In that event, ‘GJ’ will devise an alternate plan, though it may take a few hours or days to implement.”
Prompted by her gratitude for the unexpected support and assistance from this one-time annoying agent, and her sudden desire to ‘irk’ him for old time’s sake, Kim stepped forward and gave Will a big hug, accompanied by an equally big kiss on the cheek. It took several seconds for Special Agent Du to compose himself.
“Thanks, Agent Du, for everything. Really, I won’t let ‘GJ’ down.”
Having regained control, Will said, “One last item… if for any reason the pit should completely collapse, there is still hope of returning to the surface. Every time these creatures attacked, they apparently made use of natural cave systems, even though we don’t know what methods they used to tunnel to the surface. These caves are therefore interconnected and likely have multiple points of egress. We may not be able to help you but we can monitor your location with the tracking devices.”
The time was now. Less than one hour had elapsed from the heart-wrenching image on the television until this moment, but Kim needed to move. Her earlier feelings of hope were slowly being eroded by images of Shego, hurt and trapped, maybe without any hope of seeing daylight again, stuck at he bottom of this awful hole. Kim offered Agent Du a simple salute and climbed on the ‘Moon Doggie’.
Standing on the machine much like she would a normal surfboard, Kim placed her hind foot into a stirrup. Her front foot slipped into a smaller, looser stirrup, from which she would steer. With a well-balanced motion, Kim jerked the board up off the ground, pointed the front edge of the board into the mouth of the pit and activated the rocket. In a subdued flash of flame, she was gone.
Will Du stood by the edge of the pit for a moment longer, then walked back to the base to monitor the rescue operation.
To Be Continued…