June 8, 2005
A bright flash of white light engulfed her, and for a moment, she felt as if her head would explode from the intense visual overload.
“KP! I got him!”
A male voice coming from behind her. She turned around. A blonde-haired boy with what is that poor-looking thing! Did he really shave that rat?
Why does that man have blue skin? That can’t be his natural color, can it?
And why am I standing in Club Banana?
Is that rodent speaking?
FLASH!
“I”ll be using a 2.0 Vicryl stitch.”
Oh god that’s a big needle. I hate needles. Is she really going to sew me up with that?
Kim turned her gaze away.
If I don’t look, it won’t hurt as badly.
She hissed inwardly as she felt a sharp pain shoot up her left side.
Well, screw THAT idea…
FLASH!
She was sitting up in bed. Was this her bedroom?
She shuddered as she felt the cool night breeze on her bare skin. She glanced over at the window, which was slightly ajar.
I didn’t open the window. Well, not that I can remember. It was a long day after all, and I’m tired. I better go and close it so I don’t get a chill.
Do I really have to go to cheerleading practice tomorrow morning? I don’t think I have the energy to deal with Bonnie.
Wait a minute. Who’s Bonnie?
FLASH!
A sharp white-hot searing pain made her flinch in midair, her extension falling short of what it needed to be.
The ground was rushing up to meet her.
There was pain. Oh, god, intense pain. And it wasn’t going away.
She wanted to die.
Correction:
She WAS dying.
Kim woke with a start, her breath caught in her throat, and her hands flying to her body as if to make sure she was still all in one piece. Letting out a long sigh of relief, Kim let herself flop back onto the bed. The bedside clock had a glowing green digital display, and it read 4:57 AM.
4:57 AM? Definitely not the best time to be awake…but it wasn’t as if she was having the most pleasant dreams as of late.
Kim looked around her only to notice that Shego was lying on the floor next to her. Her first reaction was something akin to panic, but upon closer inspection, she realized that Shego was prone on an air mattress with the requisite blanket and pillow, obviously asleep. Kim felt a stab of guiltiness for hogging the bed when it wasn’t even hers, but she reminded herself that it was Shego’s decision to put her there.
Suppressing a yawn, Kim let herself fall back onto the bed and took a deep breath. She was okay, everything was okay. She was safe, Shego was next to her, and that’s all that mattered.
Sleep came quickly.
And this time, it was dreamless.
“Time to get up Princess.”
5. More. Minutes.
Please?
“Mmmrrrrrrr?”
Well, that’s so not what I meant to say…
“Kimmie…Get up.”
With a small dissatisfied growl, Kim waved an arm in an attempt to shoo away whoever was trying to pull her out of the comforting darkness. A strong hand grabbed her flailing arm and held it still.
“If you keep this up Pumpkin, you’re going to smack the wall next to you and get yet another broken something. I don’t think you want that.”
Penetrating through her foggy brain, the warning made Kim halt her movement, and only through sheer strength of will, Kim was able to open an eye.
Shego was sitting on the edge of the bed, one of her hands holding fast (but gently) to Kim’s right wrist. Dressed in an olive green tee shirt and black slacks, Shego looked half amused and half annoyed.
“Good morning Princess.”
Kim strained her neck to glance over at the bedside clock.
8:00 AM.
“Its…early…” Kim muttered, her brain still fuzzy.
“Depends on your definition of ‘early’ Kimmie. I usually get up at 7:00. 8:00 is late for me.” Shego replied, a grin clearly dominating her expression.
“Five more minutes?”
“No way Princess.”
“Mmmrrrr…” growled Kim in response.
“Get up and get dressed. Then we’re going to begin.”
Kim hoisted herself upright and stretched. “Huh?”
“We’re going to play some games.”
“Huh?”
“And then I’ll be setting your hair on fire.” Shego replied casually, not missing a beat.
“Hu – No!” Kim exclaimed, frowning at Shego.
“Just wanted to see if you were paying attention.”
“I was.”
“If you insist.”
There was a playful sparkle in Shego’s eyes and a slight upturn in her mouth that made Kim think Shego was laughing at her. But before Kim could ponder on it further, Shego let go of her wrist, and in one fluid motion, stood up while offering a helping hand.
“Up Kimmie.”
Kim sighed in reluctant submission and took Shego’s extended hand to brace herself as she stood up. Together, Kim and Shego made the now familiar trek to the bathroom across the hall, Kim favoring her good leg. Once there, Kim observed that Shego had a new set of clothes under her free arm. Shego tossed the pile onto the edge of the sink and gently let go of Kim, staying near until she seemed convinced that Kim could stand on her own.
“Your clothes for today.” Shego gestured towards the sink. “I trust you’ll like them.”
Kim glanced over at the bundle of black and dark green resting on the sink. Shego’s fashion taste seemed pretty clear: everything was black and green. Not that those two colors didn’t compliment each other well, but, didn’t she favor at least some form of variation?
“Are you my own personal fashion consultant?” Kim laughed.
“You could call me that.” Shego winked.
“How do you know my preferences?”
“You wear the same outfit every time I see you. I have it down to an art by now.”
“Alright then. But if I don’t like it, you’re fired.”
“Fair enough.”
Kim chuckled and Shego took a step forward to quickly run a hand through Kim’s hair.
“Just get dressed Princess. And give me a call when you’re done.”
“Yes mother.” Kim rolled her eyes.
“I mean it.”
Shego glared at Kim with a gaze that could melt steel. But Kim was tougher than that.
“If I see you downstairs, you’re dead. And I mean that Pumpkin.”
Giving Kim another of her signature glares and tossing her long black tresses over her shoulder, Shego turned around and vanished. Kim watched her make her exit in silence, wondering if the mysterious woman always acted like that…
Turning towards the clothes, Kim began to inspect her supposed preferred fashion statement.
A black shirt with 3/4 sleeves and olive green cargo pants.
It seemed a bit strange for normal everyday use, but she would have to trust Shego that this is what she would have worn back before…before the accident.
Giving a mental shrug, Kim began to dress herself.
Hey! This actually is looking good on me…
As Shego walked out of the bathroom and down the hallway, she shook her head, trying to gather her focus.
What was she doing, what was she thinking? Is she really going to attempt this? Was she crazy? The concept of having Kim Possible here – with her – and with memory loss no less…it was mind-boggling. There were so many possibilities she could pursue, but there were so many ways a perfect plan could wrong.
She paused at the top of the steps before briskly changing direction and instead heading back to the bedroom. Glancing over her shoulder to make sure Kim wasn’t directly behind her (as that had a habit of happening when the two women were in close proximity), Shego reached under the bed and pulled out a shoebox, giving it a slight shake.
She smiled when she heard the familiar contents rattle inside. With her free hand, she reached even further under the bed, her fingers searching for something. Her hand felt a small, but respectable-sized, pile of books. She sighed in relief. Everything was as it should be.
A familiar voice sounded from the hallway.
“Shego?”
Quickly shoving the small box back under the bed next to the stack of books, Shego turned around and went to gather Kim as one thought kept repeating itself in her mind.
I’ll have to hide those in a better spot tonight…A spot where Kim will never find them.
With her right leg propped up on an extra chair, Kim took another sip of the herbal tea Shego had supplied for her. It was a tad bitter-tasting, but a teaspoon of honey solved that problem. At least it smelled nice. Kim took a deep breath and settled deeper into the small, but comfortable, deep green couch.
“What’s in this tea again?” Kim pondered, looking towards Shego, who had taken a seat on a matching green loveseat across the glass coffee table between them.
“I don’t know exactly. Its some kind of New Age herbal stuff.” Shego shrugged nonchalantly. “Its supposed to help your chakras or something like that.”
“What’s a chakra?”
Shego scoffed. “You tell me.”
“So, what’s going on?” Kim inquired.
“We’re going to play a game.”
“What kind of game? And…why?”
Shego idly twirled a strand of hair on her left index finger, but didn’t immediately answer. One of her legs hung off the side of the loveseat while the other one was braced on the edge. While utilizing her left arm to play with her hair, her right arm was slung over the back of the loveseat, giving Shego the aura and appearance of a large predatory cat.
Beauty. Grace. Innate power. And a certain bit of arrogance.
Kim couldn’t help but stare. Shego grinned back.
Correction: A large predatory cat that was ready to pounce.
“Like what you see Pumpkin?”
“No, I was, uh, just, you know, uh…” Kim stuttered, while quickly averting her gaze to the coffee table, staring at the glass chess set resting on top as if it were the newest and most radical piece of sculpture at the Museum of Modern Art.
“I see you’ve noticed the chess set.” Shego commented, deciding a change in subject might be best.
Kim nodded, not quite trusting her brain to formulate coherent sentences.
Shifting position, Shego crossed her legs and leaned forward to move the game set so it rested more squarely in the center of the table.
“Good. Do you know how to play?”
Kim shook her head. “No.”
“Okay. Then today, you’re going to learn.”
“Did I used to know how?”
Shego shrugged before softly answering. “I can’t answer that for you.”
Kim looked back at Shego, who was busily arranging the pieces. Kim watched as each piece was carefully and deliberately placed on the proper square of the proper color, and was overcome by sudden feeling of sadness. She blinked.
“Kimmie?”
Shego was looking at her again, concern and slight confusion showing through her dark eyes.
Kim quickly wiped her eyes, determined to not cry.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing, I just…just got something in my eye.”
It was a lame excuse, and Kim knew it. Apparently Shego did too, because she paused and put the black queen back on the table before straightening her posture.
“You suck at lying Kimmie. I’m going to ask again: What’s wrong?”
Kim took a deep breath and cast her gaze upwards towards the ceiling, her breath hitching in her throat.
“Its just that…I don’t know. Its hard to explain I guess. I’m sitting here, watching you put all the chess pieces back on the board, and I don’t even know if I knew how to play chess before I lost my memories. I can’t remember if I remember. And I’m watching as every piece goes where its supposed to, all fitting together like a nice puzzle you just solved. And I wish I could put everything in my life back together that easily, you know? Put every piece back where it belongs. But I can’t do that. And I don’t know if I ever will. I don’t even know HOW.”
Shego sat back and let Kim have her rant, nodding her head occasionally to acknowledge that she was still listening. After a few minutes of silence, Kim looked back at Shego, a ghost of a smile back on her face.
“I’m okay now.”
Shego inclined her head slightly, as if to ask “Are you really?” but remained quiet. Brushing her hand across her eyes, Kim sniffled and straightened up before shuffling forward and gesturing at the game set on the table before her.
“Chess huh? Are you really going to teach me?”
“If you want me to.”
“I do.”
Shego tilted her head sideways and took the moment to study the girl sitting across from her. Her long red hair was hanging behind her shoulders, resting in the small of her back. She was sitting on the couch as if to feign relaxation, but her posture radiated nervousness, tension, and agitation.
Actions speak louder than words Princess.
You don’t have to be so strong ALL the time…
Shego picked up the smallest piece on the board and held it out to Kim.
“Okay Kimmie. This is a pawn. It can move forward one space at a time, unless it is attacking, in which it moves diagonally…like this.”
Back in Middleton (Bueno Nacho more specifically) a certain dynamic duo had obtained a backup Kimmunicator from the necessary evil of breaking into Kim’s school locker.
“Wade, I’m starting to worry about KP.”
“Meeerrooo” Rufus added, his mouth currently stuffed with a Naco.
“The global positioning chip I installed in the Kimmunicator must have been destroyed on her last mission. I can’t pick up any signal, even with hacking into all the government satellites.” Wade explained, looking slightly exasperated as he furiously typed more coordinates into the GPS system. “Why didn’t you go with her last time?”
Ron quickly looked to the side and thoughtfully scratched his head, his expression that of the kid who just got caught with his hand in the cookie jar.
“I already told you.” He huffed.
Wade nodded. Ron obviously didn’t want to talk about it, and Wade guessed he was feeling extraordinarily guilty. All he knew was that Kim had gone on a solo mission three days ago and still hadn’t returned. Meanwhile, all attempts to contact and trace her had failed.
“What do Kim’s parents think of all this?” Wade inquired.
Ron shrugged and a hint of a frown appeared on his face.
“They’re a little worried, but not totally flipping out yet. I guess they’re pretty used to KP’s superhero routine.”
Wade nodded in understanding. It wasn’t the first time Kim was away on a mission for an extended period of time. It was; however, the first time she was away, hadn’t contacted anyone, and Ron wasn’t with her. Now, THAT was worrisome. But then again, anything was possible for a Possible.
“Just hang in there. There are a few more options I would like to pursue, and some more trace programs I want to run. We’ll find her.”
Ron nodded before letting Wade continue.
“Kim’s a tough girl. She can handle anything. In fact, she’ll probably reappear in a few days and laugh at us for worrying so much. But just in case that doesn’t happen, I have a couple last resorts.”
Ron smiled, but he didn’t look convinced.
“Checkmate.”
Shego smiled.
“You’re getting better Princess. You actually won this one. I think congratulations are in order.”
Kim scoffed. “Yeah right.”
Shego arched an eyebrow. “Care to explain that one?”
Kim laughed. “You let me win. I know I wasn’t that good.”
“Oh, don’t worry. With some practice, you WILL be good.” Shego grinned.
Kim quickly looked over at Shego in surprise, wondering what exactly she meant, and found Shego smirking at her as if she knew what a flushed Kim was thinking.
“What’s on your mind, Princess?” Shego practically purred.
“Nothing!” Kim answered, a little too quickly.
Shego didn’t reply, but her smirk grew wider.
“Well, how about another game?” Kim tried to change the subject.
“Another game of chess?”
“Do you have anything else in mind?”
“Actually, Pumpkin, I do.”
“Well? Don’t keep it to yourself.”
“Truth or Dare.”
“Truth or Dare? But Shego, I can’t remember anything. How are we supposed to be able to play?”
“Oh, don’t worry about that. I’ll think of a way…”
Shego blew an air kiss to Kim, but Kim had already decided that she didn’t quite like the predatory gleam in Shego’s eyes.
Back upstairs, in a box unknown to Kim, there were several sealed envelopes already addressed to Ron, Wade, the doctors Possible, Monique, and Kim’s school. Under the letters, there were two unlabeled vials of small round white tablets.
If Kim had known about these letters, she might have been shocked and surprised – appalled even – to see what had been written about her.
Ron Stoppable,
I am writing to you to regretfully inform you of the recent passing of Kim Possible.
Three days ago, Ms. Possible was rushed into the ER department suffering from severe and traumatic head injuries, several broken bones, and a collapsed lung. It appeared as though she was in a major impact collision.
The exact situation of the accident is unknown, as she was unconscious when brought in by a group of mountain hikers who had found her during their daily trek. Despite our best efforts to stabilize her vitals, she passed away within a couple hours of her arrival. An autopsy is being performed even as I write this.
Her parents, relatives, and other friends and colleagues have already been notified of the situation.
Due to her relative fame from being a superhero, and the suspicious circumstances of her death, her body is being kept under close surveillance and we regret to inform you that we are not accepting visitors at this time.
Again, my sincerest regrets and apologies,
Edward Lee, M.D.
To be continued…