Kim couldn’t believe what she was hearing, it didn’t matter that she knew her parents weren’t liars, it didn’t help that she knew Wade was trustworthy it didn’t even register that she was not surprised to find that her own parents were active participants of a global cover up. It was more of a shock to her that there was a point in history where ninety percent of the entire human species were in complete agreement than it was to find out that her parents were big players in the ‘purge’ as they called it.
She heard her father out, she knew he was being sincere. He didn’t have a dishonest bone in his body, a bit of hubris perhaps but no deceit. At least that how she felt just a few hours ago, now she was having to re-evaluate that belief. Her mother was another matter entirely and her role in all this wasn’t as surprising to Kim as most would likely expect. Kim knew her mother could be deceitful when she had to but she also knew that those times were usually reserved for the most dire of circumstances. Weighing in with those mixed feelings was the conviction she had that regardless of what role her parents played in the events they described they were good people. She still had her doubts about the events as they happened, it seemed all to fantastic to believe and those doubts were what lead her to this moment. She was standing there in a modified version of the Centurion Project along side her parents and Ron, also wearing modified versions of the infamous combat suit. The version was markedly different than the version she had worn a few years ago, most notably the oversized helmet and back pack that were separate from the ultra-compact wrist mounted unit. It was a space suit.
“Are you sure this is all necessary dad?” Kim scowled as they gathered together and stood in front of the fireplace. She felt a bit foolish to say the least, seriously, how could they get into space by way of their fireplace?
James just smiled behind the visor of his suit, he tapped the side of it near his ear and watched as Kim scowled even deeper than she had while she fidgeted with the controls until the coms squelched and her voice could be heard. “Listen Kimmie extraordinary claims demand extraordinary proof correct?” She nodded behind her visor, Kim dealt with the extraordinary on a regular basis as he well knew but he also knew that until she saw with her own eyes she would remain skeptical… “Well this will provide that proof, irrefutably. Ok so is everyone ready?” When they all nodded he keyed the lights on the shoulders of his suit then activated the gate. A moment later the portal had established itself and he stepped through followed closely by his wife Kim and Ron.
Dr. Director fumed as she listened to the talking heads that she answered most directly to, the whole night had been spent being talked down to by these people most of whom had no real idea what it took to fulfill her organizations obligations. Truth be told they didn’t know because they could not remember the reason for its formation, only a handful of the total population retained complete memories of the time prior. Still, the one who mattered most did remember, she remembered and prodded the council at every turn which resulted in her feet being held to the fire. Betty was rapidly growing tired of the old harridan. When at last the council had run out of steam she was exhausted though she refused to show them any sign of weakness, doing so now would be tantamount to asking for replacement. She was ready to retire but it would be on her terms, she would be the one to choose her successor come hell or high water. “What is the councils recommendation on this matter?” It was a formality, a question asked on wrote, she knew they would demand she step up her efforts once again. Of course when she put in the budget request they would hastily retreat from those ludicrous demands, they always did when the bottom line came into play.
“We want Ashley Goterez neutralized, Shego has been an annoyance for far too long and now that she has decided to dredge up those archaic devices she has become the number one threat to the relative stability we have created.” The entire council nodded in unisons as the spokesperson laid out the declaration they settled on the minute they received the initial incident report.
“With all due respect to the Council … are you out of your flipping minds?” To say that she was shocked was an understatement, in nearly twenty years of service Dr. Betty Director had not recalled a single incident that merited the termination of anyone. Not even the close call with the dirty bomb, an event that could have killed thousands and rendered a large portion of Go city uninhabitable for decades, warranted this extreme measure.
“The Council has made its decision, Shego has brought undue attention to weapons we want forgotten forever.”
“Then find someone else to do your dirty work! I’ll quit before I take to assassinating people who may actually be innocent!”
“Do you believe Shego innocent Agent Director?” The council found itself in a very difficult position, Dr. Director was their most respected agent, her service record was impeccable. There were so few blemishes to her record in fact, that she had more standing with the council than some of the people seated on their side of the table.
“I do not know, but Kim believes Shego is not a part of this.”
“Shego’s plasma was found on the gun was it not?”
“Yes but the full recount from forensics has not been delivered, until I know for certain she pulled the trigger I will not abide any demand on her life. Not from you not even from God itself.”
There was a moment of obvious distress, murmurs echoed throughout the as the council discussed this declaration. Betty was a devout religious person, she never invoked the deity lightly.
“We will accept this for now, the neutralization order is rescinded however …”
Betty scowled as she waited, patience was a virtue but she was drained of the commodity this night. “What?”
“We will issue a global warrant, Shego is to be placed on the most wanted list in every nation as of this moment.”
“You cant do that!” Outraged Dr. Director flipped her modest table over and stormed to the large ornate table the council reigned from, slamming a fist against its polished surface she got their undivided attention. “You want her brought in fine, I will bring her in. Personally if I must but you will not make her more of a fugitive than she already is. Putting her name on that fucking list is no better than hiring hit men to take her out and you fucking know it!”
“Are you accepting responsibility for her Agent Director?”
“Yes, if that’s what it takes to give her a ‘fair trial’ then that’s what I will do.” She noted the look of outrage on several members of the council, they baulked at the notion that they might not be being ‘fair’ and she could see they did not want that perception to continue. “Remember the name of the organization you charged me with overseeing, Global JUSTICE! Assassinations are not justice, they are murder, putting her name on that list is the same damn thing, you know it is.”
“She was party to the Little Diablo event was she not?”
“That is bullshit! She was not in command and she had no idea the full scope of the damage until it was too late to stop it.” With every passing moment she was growing more furious, these people were so far removed from the street it made her sick to think they were calling the shots. “When she finally did know the score she acted in the worlds interest did she not?” Surveillance footage showed clearly Shego deliberately ignoring the laser Kim used in her escape. “She knew ropes alone would not hold Kim or Ron. Shego knew the laser would make short work of the bonds, she also knew that the dart was capable of destroying the control tower or did you forget that she made sure it was undamaged before she returned it to Kim’s holster?”
Again there was an uncomfortable murmur in the room, the council could not dispute the facts, Shego could have ended any chance Kim Possible had of stopping them yet she did not. It could be argued she actually helped the hero without letting her actions become suspect to her employer. “As you wish Agent Director we will not issue the warrant as a global writ, the US however will place her at the top of the list, they insist. A highly decorated covert agent has been injured in this affair and she played some part in that.” When Betty nodded in agreement the council spokesperson concluded the edict. “We place you in charge of her apprehension, G.J. will take the lead in the investigation and will focus all its resources on this matter. Any further objections will force this council to ask for your resignation.”
Betty could only gape as she heard the last of the order. In all of her time she had threatened to quit only twice not including this instance, this however, was the first time they informed her they would replace her over an issue. When the rest of the council departed she found herself with some unexpected company, the old bat was still there. “Mrs. Possible?”
Ann Marie Possible stood and made her way from the platform her high office seat was situated on behind the main council table, “I heard the story from James, now that I have heard your version I want to thank you. The extra precaution taken at the service is greatly appreciated.” Betty nodded as she leaned against the well polished oak table and waited for the elder Possible to get to the point. “Apparently there was nothing more you could have done so do not blame yourself for this failing. We all knew there would be incidents like this, I am rather put out that you denied me attendance but in light of the event I understand and hold no issue with it. However I do want to know how my granddaughter and Shego are connected.”
“You have a day free Mrs. Possible because that is a very long story.” Dr. Director smirked as she crossed her arms, she didn’t particularly care for Nanna Possible but the woman had a right to know.
Nanna smiled rakishly and dug through her small purse producing a small flask and a pair of shot glasses. “I’ve got all night care for a shot?”
Betty snorted and held out her hand to take the short glass, “After this day you have to ask?”
Shego was slow to wake, the physical excesses of the day before weren’t terribly taxing on her yet she felt drained, exhausted even. As she forced herself into a seated position and opened her eyes her gaze settled on the remnants of her collection, how the jewelry box survived her freak-out session she wasn’t sure but she was thankful it had. She had few things left from her days pre-comet and fewer still were the things that belonged to her parents, specifically her mother. The jewelry box had been precious to them both, it was an heirloom of sorts handed down for at least four generations with each passing daughter adding to the history it contained. When she saw that roach scurrying over it she kind of freaked and swatted wildly it was only her finely honed reflexes that spared the box from meeting the same fate the roach was dealt. She shuddered at the reminder, she had been barefoot at the time and afterwards hopped back to her private bathroom for another shower. Yeah the roach guts were only on the sole of her foot but she felt icky for hours after.
Once she changed into her uniform and had freshened up from sleeping Shego went directly for Drakken’s office, it was time to collect her pay and head out. She was washing her hands for the last time of the blue reject. Much to her surprise the lair seemed buzzing with activity, Drakken must have decided not to waste any time sulking and get back to work with his next ludicrous scheme. When she reached his office she found yet another surprise, he was notably absent. With all the goons running around he typically spent his time locked away in his office or wandering the halls and since she hadn’t come across his on the trek to his office she assumed that’s where he would be holed up. That was when she remembered the private lab he used when he needed to hide from her, by mutual consent she never went there. They had come to terms about private space and mostly out of fear she might accidentally find him doing something disturbing she generally stuck to the agreement. This did not mean she lacked access to the secret room, which she did, it just meant that she refused to risk losing her eyesight should she inadvertently discover him naked. Well now was as good a time as any to bring their arrangement on that and all other matters to an end.
Drakken was so preoccupied with his work on the new android chassis he failed to hear the initial knock at the door. Only when Shego took to punching at it with her plasma enhanced strength and the room started to ring like an enormous bell did he finally realize she was there, of course by that point Shego was past the point of polite and well into kick the door down which was exactly what she did. It was his ingrained cowardice and the fear induced reaction that saved his neck that time, the door hit the far wall of his lab so hard it stuck into the solid stone like a well thrown dagger stuck into a tree. “SHEGO! WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?” He demanded as she sauntered uninvited into the room. At once he noticed the ice cold gaze she was sending his way and he dropped into coward mode again, she was going to kill him this time he could just tell.
Shego stopped a few paces away from the quivering scientist, genius he might be he was sadly lacking in all the areas that typically defined his gender. “I QUIT!” Those words never felt so good to her as just then. Sticking out her hand she scowled menacingly at him, “It’s payday give me my check and all the records of my communication contacts, now!” She watched as he worked his mouth like a fish out of water, the panic she could see in his eyes almost forced a smile onto her face but she would not give him that pleasure ever again. “MOVE IT DREWBY!”
Drakken yelped and backpedaled away from her, his mind was racing as he tried to salvage the situation. If she left now all his planning was useless. The plan he hatched depened entirely on keeping her contained. “I … I … I cant Shego, not right now at least!” He curled up as she advanced on him with her hands ablaze. “You know very well that the bank here puts a twelve hour hold on the wired finances, we still have …” He cast a quick glance at his wall clock and picked a random time, he lied about the hold several times and she bought it, the island always opened for him on demand. He kept her in the dark on that because she would demand her paycheck on Thursdays otherwise and he would end up having to go to karaoke alone if she knew different. “Two hours … t-t-two hours Shego!”
Dropping her fist she looked at the clock, the lying bastard was lucky she thought. Giving him the two hours wouldn’t bother her since it would take that long for her to pack. “Listen you piece of shit, I want my paycheck written in two hours I will be back in exactly that long, if it is not here waiting for me you will not have to worry about it or anything else ever again do I make myself clear?” For emphasis she lit a finger in plasma and took aim at the wall clock, her shot hit exactly where she intended leaving a green glow on the wall next to the clock face. When the hour hand of the clock reached the mark the time would be up. Turning on her heal she stormed out of the room the gathered crowd of curious henchmen and women parted giving her wide berth lest they incur her wrath.
Shock and awe were the only words Kim could think of to describe the feeling she was enduring, they had been making their way from the edge of the mass they arrived at a short time ago. Everywhere she looked tall buildings stood barely illuminated by the distant star she knew as the sun. Someone had placed a few lights here and there to bolster the dim light that reached them Saturn hung above their head reflecting more light and the three sources combined to give the dead city an ominous surreal feeling. ‘Kimmie-cub don’t wander too far.” She heard over the suit’s com system. “I … I can’t believe it … who would do such a thing? She asked no one in particular.
The street to her left still had cars parked just as they were when the city was displaced. Here and there a stray truck or van drifted silently in the vacuum dislodged by some event that happened after the city arrived so far from its planet of origin. A quick glance at her suit’s internal display told her what she could have guess without the reading, the city couldn’t be alive, no one could have survived the incident, the temperature alone would have been instantly fatal at nearly absolute zero in shadow. The radiation from Saturn above would have killed anyone unfortunate enough to be stuck in an airtight chamber and if that didn’t do it then solar flares or back ground cosmic radiation would have. There was no way anyone caught here could have survived. It was with that thought in her mind that she saw the first bodies. Frozen in mute testimony to the unavoidable death exposure to open space guaranteed, people remained where they stood, dead. She was thankful there was some distance between her and them Kim turned to face her parents and Ron.
Ron was appalled at the sight before him in ways he never imagined he could feel. He knew his species had a savage streak that dated back to before people formed nations, before they were more than simple clans or tribes but this was more than he could bear. A dimly sparkling drop of water drifted off the corner of his eye as he turned from the scene and looked into the darkness away from the city. Tears would serve no good here but he couldn’t stop them from coming. “Why?” He asked the man he could see stepping in front of him. “Why do you let monsters like Drakken keep going if they can do shit like this?”
“Ronald Stoppable I will not tolerate such language no matter how appropriate it may be do I make myself clear young man?” James scowled fiercely behind his visor. With a sigh he clapped the man before him on the shoulder gently and turned to join him in looking at the stars. “To answer your question though, I don’t have any say in that matter but I can give you a partial answer.” Kneeling carefully he pointed to a newspaper that lay frozen to the spot it was in when the city and the puddle of water it was in arrived. “If we tried to control everyone, tried to force them to conform to a certain standard then we would engender far worse than the relatively tame baddies you and Kim deal with.” He focused the mini-laser built into the wrist unit of his suit on the paper and began slowly heating the frozen water off the surface so they could see the image it concealed. “The purge was a unanimous decision, nearly everyone good and bad alike agreed. However there were holdouts on both sides. People who wanted to fight to the bitter end. Those are the kind of people we would galvanize by the millions if we forced more than just a minor alteration to the collective memories of humanity.” Turning off the laser he waited and watched along with Ron as the water solidified again into a clear sheet over the papers surface leaving the image it concealed in pristine clarity.
In the image were two people practically at each others throats, one was a head of state hell bent on continuing the war no matter how many lives it cost. The other was an equally hell bent figure only James knew this one had far grander machinations in the works. “The guy who made the device that did all of this …” He made a sweeping gesture encompassing the whole of the city. “That guy would have set the planets very air on fire if he could see a way to profit from the carnage. He died when Nanna chased him to ground.” He heard his daughter gasp over the mic and almost regretted mentioning it, a look from his wife and a shake of her head behind her helmet comforted him as he pressed on. “Lipsky wouldn’t be taken alive, he swore it every time an agent got within earshot. He sold the transporter tech he used for his escapes to a country interested in weaponizing it, which lead to this. Shortly after that he slipped up and Nanna along with her commando squad caught up.” Standing again he turned to face his daughter, “They took out his transport unit fairly easily, once the weaponized version was confiscated from the fools who used it we figured out how to disrupt its function. Since he couldn’t escape he made good on his oath and turned a plasma cannon on himself. No one could stop it and in a fraction of a second he was vapourized.”
“So you knew, you knew it was Drakken’s father and you never mentioned this connection?” Kim was furious, her own father knew Drakken came from a family of lunatics and did nothing to prevent a recurrence. Worse yet he played a role in creating the next generation. “Well?” she demanded as she began to make her way back to them. The knot in her stomach was tightening with every passing second. This was too much, she wanted to go home and curl up so she could cry until she passed out but that wouldn’t help anything, she wouldn’t be able to forget. Something drifted close to her right just as she heard her mother telling something that sounded an awful lot like ‘Don’t look honey!’ but it was too late. She could see the look of indefinable horror permanently frozen on the face of the child’s head as it tumbled ever so slowly past her. She screamed as she tried to leap back away from the nightmare before her eyes. Suddenly her mother was there shoving the head off into the blackness of space, Kim felt her stomach revolt, panic gripped her in ways she never experienced before and she started to gag as bile rose from her stomach.
“Hold it together Kim!” Being a doctor Kim’s mother knew a few things about the reaction her daughter was having and none of them were good, it wouldn’t be a big problem if they were at home but where they were currently it could be fatal. “JAMES GET THE GATE OPEN!” She didn’t panic easily but right then it was all she could do to avoid losing it. If they didn’t hurry she might have to watch her daughter die without being able to lift a finger to prevent it. “JAMES!” She couldn’t believe he was ignoring her, instead of getting the gate open he was using the suit jets to propel himself across the distance towards them. “WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU…”
“Listen Michelle calm down!” He landed gracefully beside her and grabbed their daughter forcefully, with quick precise motions he spun the panic stricken woman in his arms until he could see the controls on the back of her suit. Without hesitation he keyed the purge and began venting her air into space. He ignored the outraged screams from his wife and Ron while he fought to keep them from pulling his hand off the valve control. He was watching the vital sign display for Kim projected on the inside of his visor, her eeg was spiking as the o2 level dropped below the point she could remain conscious and he felt her sag in his arms. Immediately he released the purge control and the suit began to restore her air supply, only when he was sure she was stable did he release her to his wife. “There was no time to get the gate open and get her home Michelle, the only way to save her was to knock her out as fast as possible. If she had vomited in the helmet she would have drowned before we could get her to safety.” He matched the furious glare his wife was giving him. “Don’t you dare think I was acting out of line! This is MY area of expertise, out here I know the score not you.” With that he stood and marched to the gate controls where he called up the coordinates that would see them safely home. “Come on lets get back.”
Nanna Possible thought she had seen nearly everything imaginable in her years but the sight that she was witness to as her son his wife their daughter and her boyfriend stepped from the gate proved that idea false. She had never seen James look as upset nor had she seen Michelle in such a hostile state. Of the four only Ron seemed to be stable, his sole focus was the red head he reverently carried to the living room sofa. She decided to leave the older couple alone and tend her granddaughter who was apparently unconscious. “Dear heavens what happened to you out there?” She asked as Ron began removing Kim’s helmet. She waited until he removed his before asking again, it wasn’t until she heard the hiss of the broken seal on Kim’s helmet that she realized Ron couldn’t hear her.
Once he was sure Kim was ok Ron let out a relieved sigh and leaned against the edge of the couch before removing his helmet and deactivating the suit which collapsed down to the wrist unit it started out as. He acknowledged Nanna Possibles question with a nod before he did the same for Kim’s suit, as soon as it was collapsed he removed it and set in on the coffee table then turned to answer the elder Possible. “Few hundred million miles of really bad road Nanna P. Really bad, but Kim will be ok.” He leaned over and brushed a stray lock of hair back into place then kissed Kim on the forehead. “We saw some bad … stuff, Kim got a bit to close with some of it. Nothing dangerous on its own but she kinda … panicked. Mr. P had to knock her out or she …” He couldn’t bring himself to say it, he didn’t even want to think it but he couldn’t keep from remembering how close they came to losing her just then. Suddenly he felt a warm pair of arms wrap him in a close hug as Nanna Possible pulled him to her.
“Don’t you hold it in young man, it wont help you or her to bottle this up.” She knew they were going to a place that would tear apart the soul of lesser people, she wanted to object but she didn’t. Kim was living a very dangerous life and she needed to know how serious things would be from now on. Yeah the sniper would make an impression but even thought the intent was probably directed at her Kim didn’t get the first hand experience of death being so close, out there in the city lost to space she would have to face it head on which would give her the perspective she would need from this point on. She could feel Ron shaking in her arms and smiled warmly as she looked at Kim who held a finger to her lips and smiled softly. Kim was a strong one she knew, Ron was the one who needed help right then and Kim had been the reason. “I’m sure she is alright Ron you had the two best people in the universe there with you when it happened. Between James and Michelle they would have been able to handle any emergency that was beyond your scope.”
Ron pulled back from the elderly Possible and sniffled behind his smile. “I know Nanna P, I know.” He felt a firm but gentle hand grip his shoulder and turned to see Kim smiling warmly at him. “Hey KP you had me scared there girl.” He put a hand over her and just sat there enjoying the quiet moment in her presence. He was afraid if he said anything he might crack and start crying again, not that Kim would mind or be ashamed of him for it but he wanted to be stronger, for her.
In their bedroom James sat on the edge of their large bed head in his hands, he was kicking himself pretty hard for that mishap when he felt a strong hands of his wife begin massaging his shoulders. “Honey I’m sorry I snapped at you back there I …” He felt her hands tense for a moment then ease up as she let go of his shoulders and slip down beside him on the mattress.
“Don’t James, you don’t have to apologize for anything.” She looked to the floor and let out a long breath, they had a close call and she lost it. “You were right, if anything I should be apologizing to you for not keeping it together when you really needed me.” He had been right, out there in the depths of space he knew far more than she could ever hope to. Her area was specialized, she dealt with the brain and body in normal environments. In space her expertise was limited to keeping a person from losing too much bone mass and dealing with fluid displacement and loss from being weightless, when it came to suited E.V.A.’s she only knew the basics because a spacesuit is more a private spaceship than a medical device.
“It’s ok honey I think we both made a few mistakes, like taking them out there to begin with.” He snorted as he thought about how it seemed like such a brilliant idea at the beginning. Kim had already been to space several times so he expected her to have experience enough to handle herself under any circumstance that might arise. In truth, he actually expected Ron to be the source of problems. There was a soft knock at their door which brought them both out of their deep thoughts. Kim and Ron entered hand in hand.
It caught the pair off guard how fast Mr. and Mrs. Possible stood and ran to them hugging them both close and apologizing for putting them in such danger. Kim was the first to break free and she had to smile at the expressions they wore. “There is no need to say you’re sorry about that guys, there was no way you could have known that was going to happen. Besides, if Ron or I ever get stuck in space again we know what to do should one of us begin to get sick like I was.” She threw her arms around her father and pulled him close. “Don’t beat yourself up over it ok? I knew it was risky when I asked you to show us and if it hadn’t been for you things would have been much worse so let’s just drop it for now, ok?”
James and Michelle Possible smiled and hugged her close drawing Ron in as well, things could have been much worse but they came out on top, that was all that mattered in the end. Nanna stood in the door smiling at her family, they never ceased to amaze her and if what Dr. Director suspected was true then she was in for a few more revelations still.