Time index: 4:50pm US Central
Location: Possible residence, Middleton, Colorado
James T. Possible and the woman of his dreams refused to believe what the President of the United States and her husband were telling them. As far as he was concerned, this was the one thing that was impossible for a Possible. “Hillary, Bill, don’t even joke like that!” There was no way, just no way that Kim could be … no, he wasn’t even going to think it!
Mrs. Possible frowned as she thought over what she had just heard; she knew something had gone wrong with the mission, but she couldn’t place what because it did not feel like it had when her brother had died. They had been very close and one day she felt her heart all but stop, that had been the day he died in a plane crash. This time she felt worse, much worse, yet she did not feel like she had lost her daughter for good. “We appreciate what you’re both trying to do, honest we do, but until I see her … body, I refuse to accept that Kimmie is … dead.”
Bill looked to his wife and nodded; they knew how they would feel if they were told their daughter was dead, but no proof of the fact could be offered. Chelsea was their pride, their joy and if she were taken from them like … Kim, they wouldn’t be taking it anywhere nearly as well as the Possibles were. “I am sorry, but we’re working with the information we got from the few W.E.E. agents who were still alive when G.J made the second invasion sweep. Some of them were partially fused with the stone walls!” He thought he would be sick for the rest of his life after seeing those pictures and hearing the audio from that cavern.
Professor Ikari knocked on the door to the Possible’s house after fighting his way through a small army of security personnel; it didn’t take as much effort as he expected since he had critical information for the Possibles, which had profound political implications for the world at large. Once he was let past the front door, he found himself all but drug into the living room, where the President of the U.S. and Kim’s parents sat looking rather miserable.
With a nervous cough, he got their attention and hoped they wouldn’t think him uncaring. “I know this is a hard time for you all, but I think this might be very important to you.” He reached into the loose side pocket of his pants and dug out the cloth wrapped object carefully uncovering it as he stepped closer to the Possibles. “A dear friend of mine was working on an archeological dig in the western mountains of Japan when he made a most remarkable discovery. He didn’t know what exactly to make of it because it was found among the bones of a body that doesn’t fit the local population but when he started cleaning up the surface he saw something I think you will recognize right away.”
The Dr.’s Possible knew even before they could see what he wanted to show them exactly what the thing was, it was one of Kim’s Kimmunicators. The thing looked like it had seen better days a few decades prior, but much to their surprise when Professor Ikari hit one of the keys, it suddenly came to life.
“Hey, Mom, Dad. Hi, it’s me, Kim. I thought I’d leave a message for you, even though I know it’ll be a long time before you get it. Shego and I are doing ok. Ron is with Monkey Fist and they’re doing ok. Monique just delivered and Wade is still recovering from the first sight of their twins. We don’t know where all of the W.E.E. agents are, but Betty and Will are tracking them down so we can deal with them. Please, don’t worry, we’re actually pretty happy where we are. I lo…” The sound issuing forth from the small digital device degraded into unrecognizable static, which played for another minute after that before Ikari was able to figure out which key turned it off.
Sun dappled across her face, just catching her eyes waking Kim with a start; she had drifted into what started as a fitful sleep, but ended with her curled up under the blanket, a thumb wedged in her mouth. ‘Dammit, why do I always do that when I don’t have my Pandaroo?’ she asked berating herself as she took in the amber coloured fields just beyond the copse of trees she called shelter for the night. The vast expanse of open field before her confirmed her fears once more, she was definitely not in Kansas, let alone under it, anymore.
Her stomach was complaining bitterly this morning; this morning unlike the one prior she was on the last of her meager emergency rations. A person could only carry so much food in one pocket, which was all she could spare. Her mission gear and toolkit occupied the remaining six, her side pouch contained her hair drier come grapnel gun and her Kimmunicator was wedged in amongst the lot. She was keenly aware of her poor choice in leaving the backpack back on their G.J. jumpjet; it contained her personal tent, mini sleeping bag, and a month’s extreme survival food. It also held her canteen, which she was sorely missing just then; food she could go without for another day, but water was in short supply on the open trail.
She had ventured further into the valley rimmed with trees and beyond a certain point all she could see was the tall grasses on either side of her for most of the day prior. Kim was more than a bit relieved to emerge on the far side at sunset and find the tree lined hillside; she made her camp much more comfortably than the hack job she threw together that first night. This time she had plenty of free time to plan her next camp, if she cleared this field before nightfall. Realizing it might be a good idea to have a look around before she took off this time, Kim climbed one of the taller trees in the grove and gasped as she took in the view. The land was pristine for as far as she could see unaided. She could also make out a faint wisp of smoke in the direction she was headed and gauged she had a few days travel before she would reach whatever the source was.
On her way down the tree and moving a bit too fast, her foot slipped and Kim toppled the last few feet to the brush crying out as her rump hit rather solidly; to her surprise, she found herself grateful for the fall as it let her see something she had completely overlooked. She found a few large dark plums hanging from a nearby tree, as she gathered a few she sampled the first she picked. She very nearly cried out in happiness as the tangy sweetness filled her mouth and she quickly forgot about picking more just so she could eat a few of the ones she had in hand.
Before she set off, she had one of her smaller mylar blankets loaded with nearly a bushel of the wild plums. As she walked the trail that day, she began putting her mind to the other requirements for her long-term survival; if the smoke she saw that morning turned out to be a small wildfire or even a large one, she would likely be fending for herself for some time. Winter was setting in and she knew she would probably be in serious trouble if she couldn’t find a village or town that might take her in. As that was a thought for the future, she decided it best to focus on the here and now.
It was just past noon when she had her next encounter with good fortune; she came across a small shack used to store grain and other items for a short time after the fall harvest. It was about then that what she figured out that what she thought was a wild field of grass was a tall field of grains, wild yes, but harvested regularly it appeared. Inside the shack, she found a few items that would help her tremendously if she had to spend much time alone. She opted to leave them all alone however; it was clear they belonged to someone and it wouldn’t do to steal from the very hand that might be feeding her in the near future.
Consciousness came to Shego in a slow agonizing wave; unlike her first ‘awakening’ in recent memory, this one she knew was the result of a potent drug on her system. She knew this because shortly after she opened her eyes and tried to move, her stomach revolted and she spent a few minutes enduring dry heaves. Her head ached in new and far more violent ways as she tried to sit up and take in her current surroundings. Wherever she was, it was dark and the floor smelled … funny. She felt dirt or something dirt-like under her hands, but when she took a cautious sniff of her palm, she regretted it; the cave had some wildlife population and she did not wish to hang around long enough to get acquainted.
Sakamoto Tsubasa watched in a state of amazement as the green woman woke. His men assured him they hit her with enough of the powder they used to render opponents unconscious to put her down for a week or more, yet her she was sitting up and already examining her prison. “Woman, come here!” he ordered to get her attention and see how she would react. Before she turned to face him, he made a quick check of the sutras placed strategically around the circumference of the cave. It was fitting that the old priestess chose this cave for the demon woman’s prison as it was a demon cave to begin with. Many warriors entered, none ever returned. Only bats ever left the deep dark of this place. When after examining further into the cave the green skinned female finally turned to face him, he thought he might have erred, but he remained composed. Carefully, he slid a platter of food and water across the threshold denoted by the ring of sutras and he returned to waiting and observing.
Shego arched an eyebrow at the confident looking older man, who just ordered her like she was some common peasant. She could see a good way into the cave with her natural eyesight and was shocked to note near the furthest limits of her vision were what appeared to be human bones. Moving more confidently than she felt, Shego stood and marched resolutely towards the man only then noticing the sword he wore at his side. She made a few quick guesses about her situation assuming from the language that she was in Japan, somewhere in their feudal period, swords were outlawed in more recent times. She also noted the sword was not a typical samurai sword, it was a to. ‘Ninja, why the fuck did it have to be ninja?’ she asked herself as she approached the very tempting platter of food, ‘Oh well can’t be helped, I suppose.’ Sitting cross-legged, Shego stared directly into the eyes of her captor. Her stomach growled, but she ignored it and did not move her eyes from his; she did however, break the silence first.
“I don’t know who you think you are, Chuckles, but lets get a few things straight right now.” She scowled and carefully lit the plasma fire around her fists, which remained clenched, but unmoving from where she placed her arms when she sat down. “First, I am SHEGO got that?” He looked a bit surprised when she started speaking directly to him, but he nodded, “Good next item, if you ever and I do mean EVER try to order me around again, I will cook you alive.” The man scowled, but did not respond one way or another so she decided she would need to give a more fitting demonstration. Picking up one of the dumplings from the platter with a plasma-encased hand, she brought her fire to its highest temperature filling the cave with the acrid stench of burnt food. When she was done, the bread and meat were little more than a semi-solid mass of carbon, which she tossed at her captor.
Startled somewhat, Tsubasa jumped a bit, but deftly caught the remnants of the dumpling and decided to examine it closely in case it held some dark power. It fell apart under his fingers turning to just a fine black dust. He would not show it, but inside he was scared shitless. This demoness held a power far greater than anything he ever encountered and he was beginning to regret his decision to spare her life. “Wo … Shego, why have you come here, what does a demon such as yourself and the fire haired woman want with our small village?” To his utter disbelief, Shego simply smiled devilishly and began eating the food he offered her earlier. It seemed this woman worked to her on discretion and would not be easily controlled. He opted to let her answer in her own time; he did not wish to test the sutras just yet and if he could, he figured it would be better to get his answers as peacefully as possible.
Shego sampled a bit of all the food on the platter and drank nearly all of the water in one of the two small vases before she decided to respond; it gave her time to think of her own questions and like the man before her she decided to seek those answers peacefully at first. “By ‘fire hair’ I am going to assume you meant ‘Kim’ … she is … a … friend but nothing more, do you know where she is right now?” The man appeared to be examining her as much as she had examined him but she held the advantage, she knew far more about him by his appearance, his language, the food and the service ware it was delivered on than he could guess about her by her simple jumpsuit and unusual skin colour. He was already making potentially fatal errors by assuming she was a demon. She could be, but she was not like any demon he might know.
Elsewhere Kim sneezed suddenly wondering what brought it on considering that she had been walking for nearly two days amongst the grasses and grains without a sneeze one.
Tsubasa wondered if he should go along with the demoness’ question and answer deal; she was obviously concealing something about the other woman, but what, he could not guess. For now he would continue; he needed to know his village was safe and if this woman could assure him of that then his work would be much easier. “This … Kim, she is headed east towards a small farming village a few days walk from here. What was that … magic you used the other night, the night you beat my warriors and escaped them? Why did you not kill us?”
Shego grimaced as she remembered that night; she was lucky to have escaped them, they had numbers on their side, but she had fear and power on hers. The two combined within her made for a potent force in its own right. “That magic was the essence of my gift, my curse, you would do well to keep your distance if I say so or else you might find yourself dead and … I do not want that …” She was grateful for the knowledge he gave her. Kim managed to avoid her destructive outburst, now she just had to track the girl down and … and what?
‘She is … scared?’ Tsubasa asked himself as he witnessed the flurry of expression cross Shego’s face. ‘She is scared of herself, but why?’ Quickly, he stood from the rock he was seated on and knelt before Shego while staying on his side of the sutras. “You are a curious demon, Shego. Why would you not want the death of those who would do you harm?” All of his life he had been taught that demons acted of their own accord; some would not harm a soul unless provoked, but most were vile creatures that would kill when it suited them.
Shego snorted at that and picked up another of the few remaining dumplings. “I am not a demon or any other kind of monster, mister … er what is your name?” She had forgotten her manners when in polite company; her mother would have swatted her upside the head for that lapse if the woman were still alive. “Forgive me, but I only just realized I have not asked your name and it would be rude to continue without knowing it.” Her smile was mischievous and as she was feeling much improved now that she had a full stomach and her headache was fading; she decided to be more formal with this man.
Kim felt much better than she had since she woke the other evening with her long-term foe Shego in that grassy expanse; she had a full stomach and late in the afternoon of her second day, she found a well, which she spent a good long time at quenching her thirst. Her breakfast and lunch of plums did a good job of keeping her going, but what she really needed had been water, lots of it. Cold as it had been at night, the days had been downright hot and she sweated out more than the plums could replace. While she walked that day, she considered the options for her other needs, food shelter and clothing.
Shelter and clothing ranked up there with food in the long term, but as with water food ranked highest priority. Of course, this meant an unpleasant reality that she had to accept. Surrounded by the grains and wild vegetables, she could manage to a degree with that type of foraging, but she would end up needing more, more meant meat, which meant hunting or at the very least fishing, neither of which she excelled at. Of course, this all depended on her status in the coming days; if she found a village or town, she could figure out some way of fending for herself therein, if not then she would get a crash course in extreme survival.
Before leaving the well, Kim decided to put her brain to task and devise some form of container to carry some water with her for the coming trek. She was too far from the forest to use it for shelter in the coming night, so she would spend it walking and to do so she would need water to keep her going. After some quick brainstorming and a bit of effort, she managed to use her laser and multi-tool to weld some seams into one of her other mylar blankets, Kim had a moderate bag capable of holding a fair amount of water. A few lengths of the super strong cord she carried and she had yet another heavy pack strapped across her back, she would complain about neither however as they extended her resources for what might be a very long walk.
Dusk settled in before she found out her walk would not be as long as she expected. Kim dropped low to the ground and edged closer to the side of the trail as she saw the silhouette of a trio of men at the crest of a small rise on the trail. It didn’t take her long to shed her pack and move in closer; the only problem was she almost wished she hadn’t. There were two others with the trio and as she watched, they argued; the fading sunlight let them slip further into shadow and as she watched from her covert spot, she recognized the tell tale sign of campfires just beyond the rise. Night was fully set when it happened; Kim heard the sound of weapons being drawn, the desperate cries of the pair the trio had intercepted and the sickening noise of a violent death twice over. Her grasp of Japanese was bordering on pathetic, but she understood enough to know what happened and why; she also understood what lay between her and the smoke she had seen the day before.
The murderous trio set upon the fallen victims like vultures and Kim heard the jingle of metal, coin of the realm no doubt, she thought as she watched the men kick dirt over the bodies and turn to leave. She fought violently against the revolt in her stomach as she waited; she chastised herself for not acting when she had the chance, but her rational mind knew the chances of her saving the pair were slim. There was a small army of bandits camped just over the hill and if she had acted she would be facing them, alone.
She stood proud of her accomplishments in combat; she had never killed and where she could she saved every possible life, but in the last few years of her career the truth of such a life presented itself more than once. First to fall had been DNAmy; a fact she would have to live with for the rest of her life, just as she would have to live with the sight she witnessed just now burned into her mind.
Slipping back into the tall shadow of the grasses, Kim made her way back to her stash, collecting it quietly and returning to the limited safety the high grains provided. For the next few hours, Kim worked her way slowly around the rise and away from the encampment while trying to follow the general direction of the trail; she came across a small stand of trees just past the group of rugged, thuggish warriors and decided to make a cold camp for herself there. Once she managed to secure the site and stash her more cumbersome gear, Kim decided it was time to do some scouting.
The men she watched were not the simple brutes she expected initially, they had a well-organized sentry patrol and a decent defense for the main camp. She found herself thankful for the darkness of her uniform as it let her hide in the shadows cast by the roaring fires.
Her hair presented a unique challenge in her stealth mode, but she had been prepared for sneaky maneuvers when she and the rest of the team invaded any of the W.E.E. strongholds. Her hair was tied back and a tigercamo-patterned sandana hid all but the long end of her ponytail. Thusly configured she could move with relative ease around the outskirts of the camp all the while gathering information.
What she heard while scouting chilled her to the core, the bandits were not simply going to raid the village she was headed towards, they were going to wipe them out to the last person for not giving them the ‘tribute’ they demanded on their last visit. The moment she heard these details she changed her plan accordingly, the village had to be warned.
Carefully slipping away from the camp, Kim returned to her camp and collected her gear trying to decide the best way to proceed. She poured over her limited supplies, examining each carefully and trying to decide how it might be put to use. She had her grapnel gun and a few alternative loads for it, her lipstick laser and one of the laser scalpels her mother insisted she carry. She also had a small number of non-lethal items, smoke pellets, a pair of flash-bangs, and Wade’s patented knockout paste. Meager, but sufficient if she applied them correctly.
‘Think, Kim, dammit, think!’ she ordered to herself, she had to admit that the stress she put to the back of her mind was not helping her think straight, but she had to figure out something. People died this day because she did not act and she would not allow a repeat. She sat back and tried to recall all of the information she got while she was at the camp and it hit her like a thunderbolt, they had horses.
Calling up her memory of the camp, she tallied the number of men and horses; in total there were three men to every horse, and there were twenty horses. She decided she needed another look at the camp, but didn’t think risking another trip so close was wise, so she scrambled up the nearest tree and took out her Kimmunicator. ‘Thank you Wade!’
It only took her a few seconds to activate the devices long range thermal imager; once she had the focus right, she scanned the camp filtering out the glare from the fires and focusing on the body heat of men and animal. She let the scan run for a few minutes more, adjusting its settings to she could get a complete picture of the camps layout.
Once she was back on the ground, Kim thumbed the controls rapidly instructing the device to extrapolate out a three-dee image of the camp and project it for her to examine, then she began to plot. ‘This would be much easier if Shego were here.’
Shego stared angrily at the warrior kneeling in front of her; the conversation had been going nicely until he asked her to join his clan. She was flattered, but she tried to explain to him the impossibility of that request. That was when he informed her she had no choice. She did not like being told such things and said as much. Yet the man simply smiled and sat there. ‘Fine, it’s time this ass learned who it is he is pissing off.’
To his credit, Tsubasa did not flinch as he watched the woman jump into action. Shego stood with a swiftness not even he could muster and advanced towards him with the first sign of real menace she had displayed in her eyes. She only made it a single step before she encountered the powerful barrier the priestess established, but to his great surprise, she was not entirely stopped by it, her arms and a leg had crossed the line and he could see the radiant energy of the barrier flash around the limbs.
He became aware of her agonized cries over the wailing noise of the barrier, which would give in first he could not guess, but he did not expect it to be Shego. Needless to say he was once again surprised, instead of falling dead as a demon should after such an encounter, Shego merely sat down hard on her side of the barrier and cradled her smoking arms gently. “I did warn you, Shego.” He took no joy in her pain and let that show on his face; in the short time they had been talking, she had earned his respect. She was a true warrior, unlike most of the people he was pitted against.
Shego was as surprised as her captor was by the display; he explained the purpose of the small strips of paper she noted during their conversation and laughed them off as superstitious nonsense and was now re-evaluating that assumption. She looked her arms over carefully to make sure there was no serious damage. She would have a few blisters, but with her advanced healing ability, they would be gone by morning. Once she determined her condition was non-critical, she lit the fire she commanded around her fist and sent a focused stream at the barrier to gauge its strength. Once more she was surprised. It easily withstood her plasma.
Next she tried firing her plasma at one of the sutras only to watch as the barrier absorbed it, protecting the paper talisman. She was getting tired of magic and she didn’t even believe in it prior to this moment. On a whim, Shego decided to try a different tactic and aimed her plasma at the rock near the sutra on the far wall of the cave. Pouring everything she had into it, she melted the very stone, but the paper remained, that was when her captor revealed the reason the barrier seemed to work so well against her. ‘You had a small injury when we brought you here; the priestess used some of your blood with the ink on those sutras. Shego. They are proof against anything you can throw at them.’ he said smugly. Shego faced him with a look that sent a visible shiver through his body, “Is that so? Well Tsubasa-san we shall just have to see about that.”
Shego undid the impervious lock on her leg-pouch and grinned as a devil would. She built the lock and pouch herself, not even W.E.E.s best thief had been able to pick it, and since she was that ‘best thief’ she was rather confident in the design. Her confidence was not without merit, none of the ninja Tsubasa commanded had been able to open it and she was relieved to feel the small cylinder she ‘borrowed’ from Kim one mission. ‘Yes, we will have to see about that indeed!’
Without warning of any kind, Shego removed the small device and gave it a deft twist. To Tsubasa’s eyes, the light that burst forth was concentrated evil, pure and unstoppable, it burned the talisman without regard to the power vested in it. “Well, Tsubasa, it seems that I was able to throw something at it that it couldn’t handle … imagine that.” With a wicked chuckle, she proceeded to incinerate the remaining sutras.
Tsubasa swallowed his fear and sat rock still as the woman he thought contained stepped past the former barrier line with the ease and grace of a feline, a predator. Shego grinned down at him with that demon stick still in hand and he wondered if he would be next to feel its eerie touch, instead he saw Shego take a seat across from him on his side of the former barrier; it seemed she was in no hurry to leave or kill him. “Wha … What was that? What magic do you possess that so easily defeats us every time? Have you come to destroy my clan?” He would fight her if he must, he knew he would lose but he would fight anyway, for his people.
Before Shego could respond, a stiff breeze rushed into the cave bearing a light to further brighten the dim light provided by the lanterns they used when sealing Shego in. One of his scouts had returned, which meant more trouble. “Master Tsubasa, the Red has come across the Dogs of War. They have killed two of the villagers from Ichii and she has been studying them … to what end we can not say but …” The scout did not want to venture her guess, if she were wrong it would be a disgrace.
Shego scowled not liking what she had heard; Kim was apparently about to go a few rounds with some bad men, she guessed this from the dark expression on Tsubasa’s face when he heard the name of the group Kim encountered. In a single fluid motion, Shego moved from her seat to the ninja scout and yanked the young woman to her feet forcefully, “You will tell me everything or you will live to regret it!” When Tsubasa stood and started to draw his sword, she dropped the young ninja and advanced on the clan leader with true menace etched on her face. “If anything happens to her, Tsubasa, you will find out just how much of a demon I can be.”
Hand still gripping his sword, Tsubasa waited for her to strike, but she never did, instead she crossed her arms and waited for him to make the next move. This was a fickle demon if ever there was one. “We are not bound to do anything for you, Shego. Go if you must, but know this if you leave here, we will have no choice but to hunt you down and kill you. The village in shadow must never be exposed.” He doubted very much his clan would survive her, but for his people to survive only a handful of people beyond the veil could know of their location.
Shego scowled darkly before she spoke again. “Kim is far more important to me than anything you can threaten me with!”
“I thought she was ‘just a friend’ to you … demon.” Tsubasa knew there was more she was hiding about this Kim, but he would not risk the safety of his people for anything if he had no reason to do so.
Another stiff breeze heralded the arrival of yet another scout, which alarmed Tsubasa; there would be only three left to watch this outsider and the Dogs. “The Red has caused a great deal of chaos, Master. She has stolen the horse of the Wolf and let loose the rest of their heard, she wields the finger of death yet spills no blood. She lead the heard away from the village before turning back and evading the Dogs … she will be at Ichii by sunrise, the Dogs will be there by sunset.”
Shego smiled for a moment, but only for a moment. The way these people were speaking about the ‘Dogs’ she suspected Kim was in serious trouble, she just didn’t know it. ‘Dammit, Kimmie, I can’t leave you alone for a minute can I?’ “Tsubasa, I have a deal to offer you.” She was not smiling nor was she scowling; this was personal and she was in business mode. Tsubasa regarded this as the scariest sight yet.
He thought for a minute appearing to take little interest in her deal while secretly dying to know what it was she would offer. “I am listening, Shego.”
“Help Kim and I will serve under your command.” She had nothing else but her skill and power to barter with, but that was more than enough and she knew it. “Refuse this offer and you will not have to worry about hunting me because, if she gets hurt, I will be hunting you.” With that she did something she knew was foolish, but her fear for Kim and her anger at the redheaded pain-in-the-ass gave her the control she needed for the display. Her entire body began to emit the tell tale blobs and shimmering light of her meteor induced powers.
Tsubasa nodded, “Agreed, but you will remain here. I will send my best to her aide and they will report back to you.”
Shego nodded; she didn’t want to get too close to Kim if she didn’t have to and she had a feeling Tsubasa would keep his word. “Deal,” she gave a formal bow of respect to the warrior then cocked a mischievous grin on her face, “Just don’t expect me to call you ‘master’ and we can work the rest of this out.”