Shego grunted and skidded backwards as the drone landed a solid biomechanical fist in her midsection; she expected to be slowed down some by the increase she set the controls to, but never expected so small a difference in gravitic load to be that much of a burden. It was only one point five g’s for crickets’ sake! However, she had to admit five minutes under the constant extra g-load she was beginning to breathe hard, thirty minutes in and she was sweating like a stuck pig. She hadn’t started the workout with the bio-droid until she finished her complete set of Katas, the normal set of exercises she used to retain her fine control over the lethal forces she wielded from within, namely her trademark plasma powers, and a full hour of weight training. She had been pushing herself hard for the better part of three and a half hours before she decided to take things up a notch and activated the HenchCo training routines.
She understood fully now why Hench felt his hired muscle was worth so damned much; she didn’t want to believe it, but those uniformed jack-thugs trained at higher levels than she did, worse yet they were all just … human. They didn’t share her gift (or curse depending on how she felt when thinking about it) and yet she found herself sprawled flat out on the floor, nearly panicked in her attempt to get to the over-ride that would discontinue the programmed training routine. She had been caught completely off guard and expected a great number of Hench’s rookies had been as well the first time they entered such a chamber, three g’s was just too much for a starting point in her opinion. She was surprised to learn that three g was indeed just that, a starting point, the more advanced levels went up to nearly eight. She had tried that just to see what it was like and quickly regretted it, though she did plan in advance for it. The cutoff was in her hand the whole time, but at seven point eight g, it took every bit of her endurance and strength to move her thumb the three inches from the bottom of the remote to the top and key it off. Yeah, she endured worse in her fighter jet, but only for brief moments. This was concentrated and extended, not to mention she wasn’t wearing the leggings of her g-suit to prevent her from blacking out as the blood was pulled into her legs.
Drakken found himself in utter glee as he watched the advanced stereo lithography machine fuse the powdered titanium into the skeletal form he spent the last twenty four hours designing. They had been at the lunar facility for less than a week and already he was able to produce the full body for the Bebe Prime and with it the synthetic being, the hive mind, began to grow once more. He managed to keep the Bebe under his control by incrementally improving her sensor functions and helping ‘her’ prepare for the most advanced part of his full plan.
The skeleton being created as he watched would be the next and critical step in that process for the Bebe, but it would also be crucial to the entire plan. He almost couldn’t wait for the process to finish; this new synthodrone would be unlike anything ever conceived and if it tested well, he would incorporate the design advances into the body-chassis he was constructing for himself.
An hour later and the skeleton was finished, which allowed the second phase to begin. Quickly donning the halo interface, he assumed control over the robotics that would assemble the extremely complex biotechnic control system. It was a thing Dr. Frankenstein would be proud of, Drakken mused as he set to work installing the fibreoptic spinal chord, which was attached to the most advanced artificial brain he had ever devised. He admitted he couldn’t take full credit for the brain; the Bebe helped him overcome many of the organic to technological interfaces, which allowed them to create the technorganic core. If things went according to plan, this monster would serve as the demonstrator necessary to convince the Bebes to help him recreate the other subject, a subject that was vastly more complicated than this simple Kim-bot. His smile was pure evil as he added the chip which contained the complete recordings made while Kim Possible wore his neural compliance chip. With all the pins seated in the receptacle, the core began to respond, the persona was already trying to manifest and he was prepared for that.
Drakken completed the installation of the Kim-bots central nervous system and immediately attached the external hard connection that linked the artificial brain to his mem-dex. The mem-dex initiated the overlord protocols and the persona recode began in earnest. This Kim-bot would be completely under his control. As he watched the recode from the safe distance of his organic mind, Drakken smiled, even a simulacra of Kim Possible contained an indomitable will, but the mem-dex had sheer power on its side and soon it had rewritten enough of the persona to tame the wild spirit that was trying to manifest. The minute he heard the Kim-bot persona address the Drakken simulacra contained within the mem-dex, he knew he had achieved the success he needed; he also knew that the Shego-bot would be just as well behaved.
He would have to deal with Shego before too much longer and he had an idea about that, an idea that would make full use of this tamed Kim. He would break Shego in every possible way starting with the redhead that infatuated her and infuriated him. He was going to enjoy every minute of this, savour it as one might a fine wine and there was nothing Shego could do; they were on the moon and he had her where he wanted her, contained.
Wade looked at Monique and stuck a nacho chip covered in guacamole in his mouth to prevent him from saying what he wanted to. Monique returned the gaze, equally intense and similar in choice of distraction, though she wasn’t a fan of the puke green concoction Wade seemed to like. They were in something of a quandary and had to decide their next move; it wasn’t going to be easy because it meant defying good friends and teammates. They had handled both before for various reasons and with varying results, but this was major big, as Kim might say it was ‘so the drama’ because they weren’t sure if they had what it took to do what they had in mind.
“So … are you sure you want to do this?” He couldn’t handle the silence anymore, they were friends, old friends in fact and not talking to her when they needed to talk was as bad as having his systems spiked again. “Ron will probably laugh himself sick over it and Kim … Kim might decide to take … drastic measures …” Wade might be the technical whiz behind Team Possible, he might technically be the smartest of the group not including Rufus. However, if Kim decided to go against him either she could match him by her own merits or with the help of the few others she knew, that when combined, were more than a match for him. If she decided against what they had planned, she could likely stop them; more to the point, if she knew they both felt, she would go out of her way to stop them.
Monique pondered the question for only less than a heartbeat; she knew the answer before he even asked, but she felt obliged to the ‘elder’ team member to let him put it out there. “Hell yeah, Wade. YFKI totally!” At his startled expression, she made note, he wasn’t as acronym savvy as he made himself out to be. “You Fucking Know It, Wade. Sheesh and I thought you had the netlingo down.” She dug up a large pile of nacho cheese and jalapeños, hoping the chili fire would help her get out of the follow up to that; it didn’t. Wade waited patiently for her to recover and continue. “Look, it’s like Kim always says, we’re a ‘team’ and as a team we gotta do this. It’s not exactly what I had in mind as a career, but, hey, if it keeps us together and the pay is good then I’m all for it. Period.”
Wade dug out more of the guacamole than the chip he was holding could handle, illustrating perfectly how distracted he was just then. What they were planning stood next to no chance of succeeding, but if Monique was this determined he would go along, not just because he wanted to make her happy, but also because he knew she was right, he just hoped he was in good enough shape physically to keep up. Between his recent stint of globetrotting with Team Possible and the growth spurt, he was no longer the short chubby boy he was when he joined Kim’s crew. “Ok, fine, Mo, but if we’re going to do this, we need to spend the rest of this week getting as ready as we can.” He had done the research necessary to explain what they would be facing and printed out two copies of the regimen they would have to take to heart if they hoped to stand even a remote chance.
Monique grimaced as she looked the paperwork over then smiled grimly, “Ok, let’s do this, Wade.”
Kim lashed out with a powerful series of punches and kicks; a determined smile graced her face as she anticipated the responses her sparring partner would use. Some were predictable, most were not; it was the way they practiced and she loved every minute of it. Few others saw this side of her partner, the few who did rarely recognized or acknowledged the prowess so oft displayed. Like her, this person was a warrior in the truest sense of the word and yet unlike her sought no praise or approval for it. True, she played off that she wasn’t in it for the praise or adulation, but privately … she loved it. She played it down because she knew she couldn’t let it go to her head; after all, she had plenty of examples why that was a bad thing. Still, she liked it.
Ron ducked and dodged as the punches came at him; he loved these sessions and his smile showed it for anyone to see. The pair had fought together against foes and each other for so long now, he could see each move his partner would make, every punch, every kick told him he faced one of the most competent fighters on the planet, even if said fighter was just out of high school. He felt a bit of sadness at the irony that kept bringing them to this dojo under the house they spent so much time at. Originally, they came to learn from the Seifu they adored, teachers who wanted them to be the best they possibly could in their chosen profession. They were allowed to devise their own strategy on how best to proceed and it lead to them perfecting their method to such a degree the persona he adopted seemed to be more him than he actually wanted to acknowledge.
The pair paused holding their final stances, breath came in ragged pants, sweat rolled off them reflecting the dim lights of the scented oil lanterns hung at each of the four corners of the room. The scent of sandalwood incense hung heavy in the air and neither of them moved; they were waiting, each for the single the other was ready to continue or quit. Neither would give the latter signal. They both wanted to see if their training paid off because they had to know if they were as accurate in their judgment of the other as they thought. She was hoping she had come to his level of skill in the style he preferred, if not then at least as capable of slipping past the formidable defense it presented as she could possibly be. He was hoping he could say he matched her stamina and endurance, even if he couldn’t match her exactly, he hoped he would be able to keep up, like he always tried to.
Ron was blessed, or cursed if you asked him, with the power of some mystical force tied to one of the things he actually feared. Monkeys were revered in many of the oldest places, yet for him, they held a stark terror for the longest time. He was mostly over that now, thanks to that damned magic and their many encounters with Monkey Fist; once he accepted the power he began to understand there was more to it than just the manifestation of a primal force, but he couldn’t tap the full of it. There was something missing, but what he did have gave him an edge even over Kim in some cases.
Kim knew she was good, she knew she could do anything she wanted, within reason, if she just put her mind to it, but she also recognized that for all her natural talent, there were those out there who would surpass her by luck, by skill, or by cosmic favour. Shego was better because she had experience, which honed her skill to a razors edge. Bonnie was better because she was bless with the fortune of a bombshell body and the attitude to take her places Kim could never go. Ron was better because the cosmos decided to give him something he never asked for. Of the three, she admired them each for different reasons, she wanted to tell Shego why she admired the woman, even though she was a hardened criminal and hoped to get the chance to do so one day. Bonnie would never know that Kim admired the fiery spirit and indomitable will she possessed; over the years Kim witnessed her rival do impressive things under the worst of conditions without the resources or encouragement she and Ron had.
Ron was the odd man out in the group; she could and did tell him how she admired him, after she got past the ‘make him into the person she wanted him to be’ phase. He was always nearby and she had the fortune of confiding in him whenever she felt like. Sometimes that didn’t help, but the fact that they had that proximity was always a comfort. So here she stood, across from him in the dim light of her parents’ dojo waiting to see who would make the next move. They didn’t have to wait long and neither were surprised, they both leapt back into the match at the same instant.
Some time later, they sat back to back breathing as if they had drained the air from the room, which they suspected they very well might have given the duration of their match. Bruises were massaged and joints tested as they tallied up the pain factor for the night to come, they would both find it hard to move tomorrow. “So, Ron … about the marathon …”
Ron knew that was coming, he knew Kim was worried about it because he wasn’t the ‘athlete’ of the pair and had never really put in the hours of training she did. She was in for a surprise or two. “What about it, KP?”
Kim stood and stretched trying to ease the stiffness in her body; it had been a great workout. “Are you sure you want to go through with this? I mean it’s not that I doubt you …” She bit her lip as the words came out, that’s exactly what it was, she knew he had the mystic monkey mojo working for him, but that didn’t translate into world class athlete, not by a long shot. “I know you want to keep the ‘team’ together, but Global Justice isn’t a place you get to decide what team you’re on, you know that … right?”
Ron looked over his shoulder at his girlfriend, the woman he loved and would do absolutely anything for. “Kim, I got it covered … ok?” She didn’t look very convinced and his attempt to stand wasn’t helping. She landed a few pressure point shots that left his legs about the consistency of tapioca. “You’ve had good reason to doubt me many times, KP, but this time there is no doubt. Yes, I know they can separate us, but come Monday they will see it would be a mistake to split us up. Do you trust me?”
Kim scowled, in all the time they had known each other that question had never come up, there had never been a point where she didn’t trust him, or at least trust him to come to his senses. She honestly couldn’t tell at times where his façade stopped and the Ron she knew in her heart started.
“With my life, Ron.”
The lair had surprises for everyone, Shego mused, as she made her way from the commissary to the room she was calling home for the time being. The henchmen had the benefit of the full training regimen and gym HenchCo provided with the lair, Drakken had a very secure laboratory with gadgets he probably never imagined before and she had a honkin big TV, in her room no less. In her tenure with Drakken, she picked up a considerable skill level with computers though she hid it well, she couldn’t very well fly the fancy jet she loved without being able to understand complex often cryptic systems and she applied that to the tasks Drakken had her carry out over the course of their partnership. It paid off in spades as she sat down and began adjusting the settings of the GUI that controlled the constellation of spy satellites that came with the lair as well as a few that didn’t.
It wasn’t exactly the picturesque view she enjoyed from the ‘dayside’ lair they usually used, nor was it the stunning panorama they had in the orbital lair, but the spysats offered their own ‘bright spots’ in what was becoming a rather dull experience. Right now she was scanning Middletown with the geo-synch satellite she was able to pirate. It was an old Soviet satellite, or perhaps a really old US satellite, but either way its optics were sufficient to resolve down to the centimeter range. She often wondered why the various governments of the world kept denying that such tech existed since anyone with a brain could figure out that such systems were not only possible, but could be built with of the shelf components. With a few more adjustments, she found herself waiting for a cloud to pass, nature, while beautiful, could be quite annoying at times. Once the cloud passed, she zoomed in and smiled broadly; the resolution was better than she anticipated when she hijacked the thing and she saw the object of her curiosity race out of the house, red mane flowing behind her like the tail of a comet. It wasn’t the glorious view of the earth she wanted, it was better.
Disgusting, that was the only way a human would describe the sounds issuing forth from the contraption pumping the viscous green fluid into the mould. Her calculations measurements and extrapolations were perfect, the scans she made of her foe during their last encounter compared against the original scan she made and contrasted against the footage Drakken provided combined to allow her this moment of achievement. Soon they would both know if his chassis and her modeling software were up to the task. Still the sounds were nauseating … or at least, they would be if Bebes had stomachs.
Drakken could barely contain himself and wondered how the Bebe could, granted the temporary chassis he fitted her with wasn’t as mobile as her old one, but he knew her emotion engine was likely to be all but cart-wheeling as her ‘baby’ drew close to its ‘birth’. The halo sent a pulse to his brain indicating the final fluid transfer was complete and the annealing of the synthetic skin, the containment vessel, would be over in mere moments. He felt like singing. There was a hiss and the sound of automatic bolts retracting, the mould split into its articulated parts withdrawing from around the form of his greatest creation.
There before him stood a perfect replica, complete with memories and a duplicate yet altered persona. An artificial Kim Possible, naked to the world, granted that world consisted of a perverted blue scientist and a robot without a sense of human aesthetics, but naked none the less. Drakken decided he liked her better this way, “Synth-Kim, you will follow my orders to the letter, confirm command!”
The biomechanical synapses of the Synth-Kim sparked to life as the command line order crossed its senses and triggered its activation. In picoseconds, it ran through its list of protocols directives and base instruction set, then the persona matrix booted up and loaded into the OS and the next round of checks and double checks began. A full second later it confirmed to the newly active ‘brain’ that all systems were functional and ready to carry out its operations. “Command confirmed. What’s the sitch, Drakken?”
If he could do so without slamming his head into the ceiling, Drakken would have jumped for joy; he didn’t because only the gym had the full artificial gravity.
Monique couldn’t help but grin as she wiped at her brow, it was two am and Wade was still going. She admitted she shouldn’t be surprised; he was used to the late hours now that he was old enough to set his own bedtime. It didn’t hurt that his patents paid him well enough to ensure he would never work a day in his life if he didn’t feel like it. She also had to admit his desire to carry out their plan; they had been working out for the last few days to condition themselves as best they could for what was to come. Still, she thought, there was such a thing as overdoing it and much as she admired his determination, enough was enough. “OK, Wade, time to call it a night, keep that up and you’ll be too wore out to keep up.” He was looking a bit ragged now that she really looked him over.
Nodding as he set the bar back on the weight bench, Wade accepted Monique’s offered hand and let he pull him upright; he was tired and since he wasn’t sure he could sit up at that point had no qualms with the assist. She was right and he knew it, but he wanted to be sure he could handle whatever G.J. threw at him come Monday. They had a little under three days at this point and he figured they could spend Saturday and Sunday resting, but keeping ready. He was still a bit on the chubby side, but he was muscling up steadily since his growth spurt really kicked in and if his father were any measure, he would be a giant. He refused to be a fat giant because he wanted to be able to help Kim should she ever need the help. His technical skills could only do so much when they faced things like they would be facing in the future.
Monique watched as Wade took his shirt off and pitched it over a shoulder before he headed for the gym’s drink station; she thought he was a bit young for her tastes, but he was definitely on his way to major hotty status. “So, same time tomorrow?” She had no problem admitting she was flat wore out, but she agreed to go along with him; hell, she almost pushed him into it by her account, so she would stick to it until they got to the end. When he nodded from behind the massive drink cup, he purchased she stifled a rude snicker, she could still see the tubby boy behind the computer desk just then.
“Yeah, Mo, only tomorrow we don’t push it so hard.” Wade downed the last of the energy drink he ordered as he handed a smaller one to her, she never could keep up with him when it came to beverage consumption. “We don’t want to be too spent come Monday. By the way, if you want to make sure we stick together during the race, wear that outfit again.” He snickered teasingly as she blushed and started swatting him with her gym towel. He wouldn’t deny she looked good in tight fitting spandex.
Sunday dawned with a drizzle that put a damp pawl across the Possible residence, the twins seemed the only ones unaffected by the dismal weather and the only reason they weren’t bummed by the conditions outside was because they were busy inputting maddeningly long complex strings of data into the latest simulation software their father brought for them to use.
James Possible couldn’t enjoy his Sunday paper like he usually did; the rain wasn’t a major annoyance aside from the fact that he hadn’t needed the extra morning shower. This Sunday he was stuck in an agitated mode waiting for ‘it’ to happen. He knew ‘it’ was inevitable, but he wanted to put that time off for as long as he could; she was his little girl, after all. She would always be his little girl even if it embarrassed her when he said so. Yeah, he could see that she was grown up; yeah, he knew she was a freshly graduated adult who routinely kicked badguy butt and saved the world on a nearly daily basis, but to him she would always be that happy, if sometimes destructive, child he loved with all his heart.
Michelle Possible was no less distraught over the situation but for somewhat different reasons. She knew her daughter was a strong mature young woman, well mostly mature, but she also knew that Kim was taking a path that would be exceptionally difficult even for someone who lived by the motto ‘She can do Anything’ so she worried. Sexual orientation wasn’t an issue for her, Michelle, being a medical doctor a neuro-specialist at that, understood that the foolish ideologies imposed by a close-minded group could not dictate who someone loved or even how they loved, but that didn’t change the fact that there were those people out there who would use that against her. Society had evolved and in the process those who could not grow past their own beliefs, those who would impose those beliefs on everyone else had also evolved. In some cases they became isolationists, in other cases they became dangerous factions as despicable in their own right as the people who felt it acceptable to kill others simply because they refused to believe the way they did. It was those people as much as the criminal element she worried over more than any of the regular nut cases Kim faced.
The doorbell sounded catching most of the people in the house by surprise; few people would be crazy enough to venture out in a mountainside downpour at this time of year. Kim dropped from the open stairwell leading to her room and dashed across the short distance to the front door, she loved that feature because it gave her the edge when she needed to get there first. “Hey, Ron … you look like a drowned …” She bit off the rest of that comment as Rufus scrambled up Ron’s shirt crossed his arms and leveled a glare at her. “Well, anyway, come in and go dry off.” She leaned in and whispered, “Go ahead and change for the dojo, I’ll go get Mom and Dad.” He nodded and trotted off to the guest bathroom.
James peaked over the edge of his paper as he saw his energetic daughter dash past, off in search of her mother no doubt. With a sigh, he silently admitted defeat and folded the paper up setting it aside for the call that was soon to follow. He didn’t have to wait long as shortly after the paper settled onto the table, he heard his wife calling for him. He stood and marched resolutely to their bedroom and closed the door, so he and Michelle could get changed in private.
Kim raced back up the stairs to her room and changed into her sparring outfit, all the while she repeated to herself ‘this is just a formality, this is just a formality’ because she didn’t want to think of it as a ‘finality’, her parents would always have something more to teach her. This was just a way of taking her studies to broader horizons. Once she was sure the gi was on tight and in proper form, she hopped down the stairs and met Ron. They checked each other over to make sure they were appropriately presentable before heading into the dojo where they would meet with their Seifu.
The room was as it had been the last time Kim and Ron were down in it only instead of the padding that covered floor ceiling and wall alike, there were two small patterned rugs in front of the small dais where sat Mr. and Mrs. Possible, both dressed in their training gi. They weren’t as flashy as some of the martial arts studios they had trained at and never would be but they were strict in their discipline. They waited until both Kim and Ron approached, bowed respectfully then knelt before them. Michelle was grateful for the dim illumination as, it hid the proud tears threatening to spill out, James was no less emotional.
Kim looked to Ron with a slight smile before she turned to face her parents, “Mom, Dad, I want you to know I am very grateful for all you have done for us. We haven’t always been the best of students ,but you kept us going and ensured that we would not fail, for that I must thank you from the bottom of my heart.” Ron nodded his head in agreement and they both bowed again for a moment before Kim started again. “We want you to know we hold no hard feelings about the secrets you have kept, given the circumstances we agree, we would have done the same. There was no other choice, but I’m glad you finally did tell us the whole story. That gives us the final information we needed to make the hardest decision we have come to yet, the decision of how to continue doing what we do.”
There was a collective pause; the very room seemed to hold its breath as they waited for Kim to finish. “Mother, Father we have to go beyond what we can learn from you, to protect our family and friends and to save those who need our help. We have to make new allies in our fight and the only way to do that is to join up with something bigger than ourselves. We have applied to Global Justice and they have accepted our application. We test tomorrow.”
James looked his daughter squarely in the eye, a stern frown on his face that melted into a proud smile. “You are our daughter, Kim, and we will support you in whatever decision you have to make. Go with our blessings and out love.” This time he bowed to her and when he rose to face her again, there was no hiding the tears that flowed free. He could no longer deny that his little girl wasn’t a child anymore, not even a teen, yes she was still in her teens, but she had a wisdom and experience far beyond her years, she didn’t always use it but the same could be said of just about anyone.
Michelle Possible had nothing to add to her husbands words; she felt very similar. She had admitted Kim was an adult a while back and now she was admitting it fully by following her husbands lead and bowing deeply before standing and moving to embrace the younger pair.
“You will always be welcome here visit when you can.”
Monday dawned with a dreary overcast sky; the weather report announced it might even rain during the race, which wasn’t unusual for this marathon as it was held during the tri-city areas rainy season. The gathers crowd ignored the miserable conditions, they weren’t there for the sky they were there for the thirty miles of hilly road that lay ahead. It was somewhat longer than a typical marathon, but the people who participated were somewhat beyond typical most of the time.
Kim stood next to Ron examining the competition; they could tell they would be in for a fight for the top places on the podium at the end. While she was looking, she came across something that made her jaw drop nearly off her face. Across the slowly gathering mass, she caught a glimpse of Bonnie Rockwaller and the foreign exchange student come boyfriend Hirotaku. Both were in racing gear and getting limber for the endurance challenge that lay ahead. Kim had wondered how Bonnie would handle Brick being gone at the end of their high school life; apparently, she handled it quite well.
Checking her watch, Kim grabbed Ron by the wrist and dragged him through the crowd towards the front line, as she did she realized they had tagalongs. To their left, Will Du in a GJ issued sweat suit, to their right, Dr. Director in an equally plush GJ issued sweat suit. When she got within a few feet of Dr. Director, she decided to take the direct approach, it seemed fitting with their new relationship. “What are you two doing here?”
Betty smirked as she slipped out of the soft suit and pitched it aside from one of her support crew to collect. “Well, we are here to monitor your performance in the race part of this test, Kim, as well demonstrate that everyone in the department you will be assigned can match you.” Her smirk grew even broader, “Also Will here bet me he could out pace you all day and I intend to collect my winnings when you prove me right. However the question you really need to ask is ‘What are they doing here?’ but I don’t think you will have time to hear the answer.”
Kim looked to where Betty pointed and once again her jaw dropped. Not more than a few yards away stood Wade and Monique, both in full Team Possible gear and looking very ready to go … as predicted before she could utter a single word or command the starter’s gun fired and the crowd surged forward, if she were going to protect Ron, it was time to go.