The living room of the Kim Possible household had been converted into a war room. Satellite images of what Kim now knew to be the private island base of the Evil Brotherhood were scattered on the table. A list of equipment that Shego and Kim might need had been written out, and most of the items were scattered around the room or already onboard the Kiminator. Only one item remained missing, and both Kim and Shego were busy trying to locate it.
“No good.” said Shego. “I tried offering Motor Ed a full pardon AND a job as chief mechanic of the Kimminator, replacing Mouse. Motor Ed said no way, he heard about those two.”
“Come on, Wade… If you won’t do it, then who?” Kim demanded at the vid-phone.
Wade merely kept his arms crossed over his chest, shaking his head. “Uh-uh. Kim, there’s a lot I’d do for you… but there’s no way I’m going to risk my computers with that.”
“Oh come on, they’re not THAT destructive.” said Kim.
“Oh no?” said Wade. He pressed a button on the keyboard.
Image after horrifying image flashed on the screen, of wanton mayhem and destruction.
In one scene, a Tickle Me Two Thousand Elmo giggled it’s last giggle as it burned in dark green flames; then, a shot of the carefully laid out and categorized remains of a Toddler Tutor Computer. The ending shot; a pile of metal Erector-set pieces, now carefully welded into a crude vase.
Kim and Shego glanced half guiltily at where the same vase stood on the table, several dried flowers poking out of it and a hand-made card that showed a crudely drawn picture of Kim, Shego, Kasy, and Sheki inside a big heart.
“Oh, come on.” said Shego. “If Kasy hadn’t plasma-blasted that Elmo doll, I would have! And the way those two worked together on the vase, that was sweet.”
“Well I don’t want to find out what they do to my systems.” said Wade.
“Ok, ok…” said Kim. “My parents are at a medical conference, Monique and Ron are on vacation, Shego’s brothers are too busy helping ‘Captain Go’ with Mayor Down’s reelection campaign, Wade’s too chicken, Dr. Director says she’s too busy, Team Possible claims they have a mission on Asterisk 8, …”
The list of various allies Kim had picked up over her years of world saving was impressive, as was the creativity (and sometimes desperation) of the excuses those allies had created to keep from getting stuck helping with two plasma-shooting preschoolers.
“They’re not that bad.” grumbled Shego. “It’s not like they’ve ever killed anybody.”
“What happened?” said Gemini, hurrying into the conference room. “Why is Dr. Drakken dead?”
Noir turned to face Gemini. Noir was sitting at the head of the table, dressed in a totally black business suit. His fingernails, sharpened to points, had been dyed black. In yet another experiment in his appearance, Noir’s hair was fastened into a bun in the back, bisected by two sharpened wooden picks. In Noir’s lap, licking blood-stained whiskers, sat Suffer.
“It appears, my dear Gemini, that Dr. Drakken was betraying us.” said Noir. “Words cannot express how truly shocked I was upon discovering this. While I was paralyzed with dismay, Suffer here took matters into his own… fangs, so to speak.”
Noir reached down, stroking the ferociously fanged rodent. In response, Suffer arched his pink, hairless body up against Noir’s hand, like some form of housecat. To add to the felinity of the image, Suffer produced a sound, half growl and half purr.
“What does Senor Senior Sr. feel about this?” snapped Gemini.
“That Suffer may have acted in haste, but correctly.”
Gemini turned, startled to see Senor Senior Sr. walking up to him. The man, the oldest of the Evil Brotherhood, was leaning heavily upon his cane. “I have just come from the late Dr. Drakken’s lab.” said Senor Senior Sr. “As Noir said, the not-so-good doctor was contacting Mrs. and Mrs. Possible.”
“We have to move.” said Gemini. “Set up base elsewhere.”
“Not so fast, my dear Gemini.” said Senor Senior Sr., raising a hand. “Let us hear what our noble leader has to say.”
Noir smiled. “I believe that we can make this work to our advantage. While Kim and Shego know, and we know that they know, they do not know that we know that they know. But, since we know that they don’t know that we know that they know, we can set a trap for them… if you know what I mean.”
“We must act quickly.” said Senor Senior Sr. “No doubt, they are already on their way.”
“Are you SURE you can’t watch over Kasy and Sheki?” said Kim.
“Look, Kimmy…” said Mrs. Dr. Possible. “Normally we’d love to spend more time with our granddaughters. But this international seminar of zero-gravitational medicine is taking up both your father’s time and mine.”
“Look, dear!” said Dr. Possible. While Kim could not see him on the vid phone, she could clearly hear her father. “I won the zero-g apple bobbing contest!”
“Congratulations, honey.” said Mrs. Dr. Possible, then she turned back to Kim. “Why can’t Monique baby-sit?”
“She and Ron are on vacation.” said Kim. “We don’t even know where they are, it’s like they dropped off the face of the Earth.” Kim sighed. She REALLY didn’t want to ask this, but she had no choice. “Who did you leave the twee… Jim and Tim with?”
“The goons, of course, will merely be cannon fodder.” said Noir. “If Kim and Shego kill off a few dozen or so, there’s always more.”
“Actually, both Kim and Shego tend to avoid killing.” said Gemini.
“Oh? Pity.” said Noir. He shrugged. “In any case, I doubt the two will be slowed down by the henchman. The late Dr. Drakken’s little metal arachnids may give them a few minute’s delay. “
He pointed at the plans. “I will fight them there…. In the chamber I was created.”
“Ah, yes.” said Senor Senior Sr. “A most fittingly dramatic place for your confrontation.”
“Isn’t that where we installed the central ventilation shaft?” said Gemini, frowning at the blueprints. “I seem to remember a complaint from the Henchmen Union of Rejects, Tough, and Soldiers (HURTS) about there not being any safety railing.”
“Safety railings aren’t dramatic.” said Senor Senior Sr, waving a hand dismissively.
“And with this…” said Noir, drawing a wickedly edged Lotus Blade from a scabbard at his side. “I can not fail! Even now, Kim and Shego rush to their doom!”
Noir, Senor Senior Sr., and Suffer began to laugh maniacally. With a shrug, Gemini joined in.
“I can’t believe we’re doing this.” said Kim.
“Come on…” said Shego. “We’ve exhausted every other option. We don’t have a choice.”
“Do you really think this will work?” said Kim. “I mean, we’ve done some pretty risky things before… but this…”
“What’s the worst that could happen?” said Shego, landing the Kimminator in VTOL mode. “Ok, I’ll be right behind you. Signal if you run into booby traps.”
“Booby traps?” said Kim, startled.
“I know those two.” said Shego. “Maybe not as well as you do, but my experience says to expect traps.”
“Mmm… good point.” said Kim. “Especially since they know we’re coming.”
Kim stepped out of the Kimminator, glancing left and right. She moved to the door of the building, checking for trip wires or any obvious sensors. Spotting none, she slowly pushed the door open, then jumped back. When nothing happened, she stepped through the open doorway…
SPLAT
Kim gasped, staring at the spreading red stain appearing on the front of her white blouse. She looked up, spotting the two culprits responsible for what had just happened to her.
“JIM! TIM!” she snapped.
The tweebs, now in their early teens, gave each other a high five. “Hey, sis!” said Jim.
“Where’s the twins?” said Tim. “We wanna show them…”
“Our new plasma targets!” finished Jim.
“Oh, hello there, Kimberly Ann” said Nanna Possible, coming from the kitchen with a pan of freshly baked lemon squares.
“Hi, Nanna.” said Kim, glaring at her two younger brothers. “Are you sure you’ll be able to handle watching Kasy and Sheki, along with the tweebs here?”
“Oh, of course, Kimberly.” said Nanna. “If not, I’m sure Bertha Director would be glad to help out… she came with us for a jog this morning.”
Jim and Tim groaned. “Don’t remind us!” said Jim.
“This must be the only retirement home in Florida with a military grade obstacle course!” said Tim.
“And explosives…” said Jim.
“Yeah, but they didn’t have that before we installed them” pointed out Tim.
“Hey, all.” said Shego, leading the twins in. Kasy and Sheki pulled out of Shego’s grip. Kasy eagerly hugged Nana. “Great-Nana!” she said happily.
Sheki in the mean time was looking at the delayed action trap that had splattered Kim’s chest with ketchup. Her lips moved silently as she worked out how the fiendish mechanism had worked.
“Let’s go, Kim.” said Shego. She shrugged off a large duffle bag, containing the girls’ clothing.
“Ok, Nanna…” said Kim. “This mission should only take a few days at the most. “
“Ms. Lipsky said if you see Drewby, tell him to come visit her before his next attempt to take over the world.” said Nanna.
“We’ll be sure to tell ‘Drewby’ that.” promised Shego, not knowing that Dr. Drakken had already met his demise.
Kim and Shego climbed back into the Kimminator, Kim making a face as she looked at her stained blouse. “I’ve got ketchup over this!” she complained.
“Tell you what…” said Shego. “After we break into the base, we’ll leave the girls with Nanna for another night and I’ll lick that clean for you… while you’re wearing it.”
Kim blushed, then grinned. “You’re on, Shego.” she said. “But until then…” Kim pulled the shirt off, her now rounded breasts covered only by a lacy green half bra that Shego had bought for her. “I think it’s time we get into mission gear.” said Kim.
Kim strode to one of the lockers, opening it to find…
“SHEGO!”
“What?” said Shego, innocently. “You said it’d be nice if we dressed more like a couple.”
“On a mission?” said Kim, hauling out a one-piece, tight fitting cat suit which matched Shego’s… except where Shego’s suit was green, the one Kim held was bright pink.
Noir, Senor Senior Sr., and Gemini were sitting at the lunch table when the alarm rang. “Warning: Intruder alert. Intruder alert.” a synthesized voice called out. “This is not a drill. -pause- This would be a drill.” The alarm and voice faded out, replaced by the sound of an electric motor whirring.
Noir frowned, glancing at Gemini. “Humor is very important in dealing with stressful workplace situations.” explained Gemini.
“Let us finish eating.” suggested Senor Senior Sr. “We can follow their progress on the security sector diagram; Noir can get into position in plenty of time, and I have been informed the chef has prepared a divine cheesecake.”
Suffer, sitting on the table at Noir’s right, growled a question.
“No, Suffer.” said Noir calmly. “The only cheese involved is cream cheese.”
Suffer nodded happily.
A large display lit up, showing the different rooms and levels of the base. An area near the top of the diagram was already flashing red.
“Ah, an approach from the air.” said Senor Senior Sr. “Hardly unexpected.”
“My men would do better with jet packs.” grumbled Gemini.
“Ah, but we WANT them to come inside.” said Noir. He picked up a glass, holding it high. “A toast, gentlemen. To the death of Kim and Shego Possible… and the triumph of the Evil Brotherhood!”
Agent Zed backed up. “Sir! We can’t hold them back!” he screamed into his walkie talkie. “It’s…”
A fist lashed out turning the high tech handheld communication device into so much scrap metal, and then a second blow sent Zed into unconsciousness; joining twenty-five other Worldwide Evil Empire henchman.
Gemini nodded at the screen. “Less then five minutes to dispatch my group. I suspect the young ladies are rather in a hurry.”
“True.” admitted Noir. He stood up. “I will go prepare myself. Please inform the chef to keep the cheesecake refrigerated until Suffer and I return.”
The Cyber Divider Spiders, mark 2, saw using a combination of motion sensors and infrared vision. They stared at the heat image of two women, waiting for them to enter the chamber.
“Robot spiders? Come on, that is SO cliché’. And only two of them? I’m insulted.” commented one woman. The other woman stepped forward, drawing a metal edged weapon.
Seeing the woman approach, the spiders went into combat mode. Both spiders suddenly split into eight identical segments, each segment with one leg. Then, those legs each split, separating into eight individual thin, metal legs.
“Oooh-kay….” said the first woman. “Sixteen spiders. Now I’m not feeling insulted.”
“Doesn’t matter how many they are.” said a gruff voice behind her. “We’ll just squash ‘em all.”
Noir sat in the room, in the exact spot his gestation chamber had once been. For this combat, he was dressed in a unitard made up of hundreds of tiny red metallic plates, giving him a reptilian appearance. The scales were different shades of red, giving Noir the appearance of being on fire as he walked. Noir’s eyes were closed, his body drawn up in the position of meditation. The Lotus Blade was held in Noir’s right hand, and Suffer sat crouched, coiled on Noir‘s left shoulder. Only the random shifting of the blade revealed Noir’s eager desire for the confrontation to come.
Defeating Kim Possible and Shego would prove that Noir Stoppable was no mere copy of a buffoon, but truly the Supremely Evil One. Once he had dealt with those two, he would take his rightful place at the head of the Evil Brotherhood’s army, and then… the world!!!
The metal doors protecting the entrance to the room slid open. A single figure stood back lit in the doorway, holding one metal leg torn from the cyber divider spiders like a club. Noir stood slowly, gracefully; seeming more to rise then to stand. He slid the Lotus Blade into the sheath at his side. “Ah. Kim Possible, I presume. I have eagerly awaited when we would meet, both for the first and the last time.”
“Keep waiting, jerk.”
Noir frowned. The voice was masculine, not feminine. And oddly familiar… “Lights!” Noir commanded.
Instantly, the lighting in the room rose from their dramatic, twilight levels to full brightness. Noir had to narrow his eyes to adjust to the sudden increased luminescence; the figure in front of him merely grinned.
“YOU!” gasped Noir Goable. On his shoulder, Suffer growled angrily.
“Me.” agreed Ron Stoppable. On his shoulder, Rufus squeaked “An’ me!”
“So… “ said Noir. “Shego and Kim sent you in first, while they finish off the spiders? Perhaps to make sure I ‘don’t escape’?”
“Shego and Kim are coming?” said Monique, stepping into the room after Ron. The African American woman had two holsters strapped to her thigh. The right holster held a large caliber pistol; a matching pistol was in Monique’s hands. She inspected it quickly. “I hope they brought some more ammo, I’m starting to run low.”
Behind her came Yori, folding her metal fans back into normal carrying position. “It is one weakness of a gun, Monique-san… they may extend your reach, but only as long as you have bullets. Much better to trust a weapon which will last as long as you do.”
Noir frowned. “They sent the second string? The second string after ME? The SUPREMELY EVIL ONE?!?”
“Oh, please.” snapped Ron. “No one sent us. We chased you down ourselves. As for the supremely evil one… you’re just a bad copy of me. And I mean ‘bad’ in all senses of the word.”.
To add emphasis, Rufus reached out and held his nose. “Stinky!” the mole rat squeaked.
“Suffer! Attack!” ordered Noir, pointing at where Ron casually stood in front of them.
Apparently casual, that is.
As Suffer leapt for Ron’s throat, Ron and Rufus swung into action. Rufus leapt from Ron’s shoulders, giving the young man room to act. The metal leg came up into a baseball hitter’s stance, then swung…. Sending Suffer flying against one wall. The genetically created creature screamed in pain as it slammed into the wall, before slumping.
“Suffer!” screamed Noir. He reached for the Lotus Blade, whipping it out.
Monique pointed her gun at Noir. “Put the sword down, boy, or I’ll put my last two bullets right through your eyes.”
Noir turned to look at Monique. He darted forward, before Ron or Yori could react. The Lotus Blade effortlessly sliced through the pistol in Monique’s hand, cutting her hand deeply, then twisted back to stab Monique in the stomach.
“Monique-san!” cried Yori rushing to Monique’s side.
Ron merely growled, his eyes never leaving Noir. “That’s another reason you’re going down.”
“One girlfriend down, Stoppable.” said Noir. He moved his son to point at Yori, who was tearing the hem of her jacket to make bandages for Monique’s bleeding body. “Should I stab your other girlfriend.”
“She’s not my girlfriend.” said Ron. “She’s here to take the sword back.”
“And what are you here for?” sneered Noir.
“To wipe that stupid look off my face!” snapped Ron.
And…. The end, for this chapter. Yeah, I’m mean for leaving it at a cliff hanger. Obviously, only one copy of the Ron Stoppable genes are going to survive this fight; but which one? Where’s Kim and Shego? Can the first two women to pass the Navy’s Underwater Demolitions Team training manage to handle two sets of twin Possibilities? What will Jim and Tim do with Kasy and Sheki, and versa visa? And have I asked enough questions to make you want to read the next chapter?
Lemme know…. The more feedback, the faster I get around to writing the final chapter of…
<Overly dramatic reverb> “MONKEYING WITH THE SIDEKICK!!!” </Overly dramatic reverb>