Kim Possible and associated characters property of Walt Disney corporation and used for non-profit purposes without their permission.
Gibbons and the rest of the Triple X story elements property of Sony Pictures and used for non-profit purposes without their permission.
PG-13, more serious then my other Kigo fics.
People who read the earlier version may note I have chopped the last section off. The reason for this is that I have decided that Chapter 3 will deal with more traiining. Please note that this a GoKi fic, IE the main characters are Shego and Kim. If you're exclusively a Kim/Ron fan, you're reading the wrong story and probably wouldn't enjoy any of the Kim Possible stories I've written.
Kim glanced at the black sedan waiting to take her to the airport. This, possibly the last time she would ever talk face to face with Ron, was the hardest thing she had to do during this brief trip back to Middleton.
Even her talk with her parents had been easier. Her parents had always expected her to become a professional world saver some day, they just hadn’t expected it to soon. There had been a lot she couldn’t tell them about her new job, a lot she didn’t even know herself. Fortunately, her father’s work with the government had taught him all about the importance of keeping some information secret. Her mom had made her promise to keep in contact as much as she could. Even Tim and Jim had been surprisingly mature for once, promising to keep an eye on mom and dad while Kim was gone.
Ron, however, was different. Her family had always known that she might have to leave, to do the greatest amount of good she could. Ron, however, had expected to be there at her side. How could she explain, when she couldn’t even tell him who she WOULD be working with?
“Kim, come on…” said Ron. “I don’t care who these guys are, splitting up the team isn’t the right decission.”
“Ron…” said Kim, her voice cracking. “You have the rest of your life ahead of you. The only reason you started world saving was to be with me. If we were just going against someone like Dr. Dementor, I’d want you there in a flash. But the guys I’m going to be going with carry guns. They don’t respect niceties, like always leaving an escape route in a death trap. Most of them don’t even USE death traps, they use bullets.”
Ron sighed. Kim had made her decission; as much as Ron might disagree with it, he couldn’t stop her. No one had ever managed to stop Kim and, Lord willing, no one ever would. “Ok, KP. If you need anything… you have my digits.”
“Right.” said Kim. She leaned forward, and kissed Ron on the cheek. “Good bye, Ron.”
“Bye, Kim.” said Ron, sadly, as Kim entered the back of the sedan. Rufus, standing on the table of the Buenos Nacho, took a paper napkin and noisily blew his nose. “I know, little buddy.” said Ron. “I miss her already, also.”
Shego paced the large, underground chamber that served for an urban combat practice range. The simulated targets were currently dormant, hiding behind a variety of simulated walls and obstacles until they were activated. “I don’t see why she needs so long to say goodbye to her family.” snapped Shego. “We could have started training a week ago.”
Agent Gibbons merely sat on a park bench, watching Shego. He knew the real reason Shego was so anxious; not to start training, but just to see Kim again. The red-haired woman was a link to Shego’s past life. As much as Shego might hide it, she had to feel uncomfortably in an entirely new environment; one that involved working for the government, instead of against it.
Shego rubbed the back of her neck as she paced. Gibbons saw a brief glimpse of a brilliant red and black tattoo on the back of Shego’s neck, where her hair would normally cover it. The tattoo was in the form of ‘xXx’. The vivid marking disguised electromagnetic and ultraviolet markings also mixed in with the tattoo. Once a special password and the tattoo’s marking were fed into a US Government computer, that computer would authorize anything Shego wanted… and immediately forward a report of the request to Gibbons and the President’s Special Projects Advisor. The tattoo and it’s encoding markings were “Conundrum Level”, a special clearance only a handful of very special government agents ever got.
After it was clear Shego wasn’t going to say anything else, Gibbons spoke. “Relax, Triple X. The plane is on it’s way. Even factoring in the detour to keep Kim Possible from knowing this facility’s exact location, she should be here in an hour.”
“It’s Shego, not Triple X.” snapped Shego, pacing. “Why the detour? You don’t trust letting Kimmy know where your secret club-house is?”
“The location of this facility is need to know only.” said Gibbons, calmly. “Until her team leader authorizes it, Kim Possible is not cleared to know where this place is.”
“So, no one tells her until you decide it?” said Shego.
“I’m just the mission director.” said Gibbons. “I’m not Miss Possible’s team leader.”. He turned and stared at Shego.
Shego frowned. “If not you, then who?”. She paused, and then realized what Gibbons meant. “ME? How can I decide? I don’t know where this place is, either!”
“It’s about three miles, south by south west from Smallville, Kansas.” said Gibbons. “The official mailing address is Rural Farming Experiment Station, 901 US Access Highway 20. I can give you the longitude and latitude coordinates if you like.”. He smiled as Shego stared at him in shock.
“Hold on…” said Shego. “If even KIM doesn’t know, why are you telling me?”
“You are the team leader. You are Triple X.” said Gibbons. “In my opinion, you have the right and the need for that information. Of course, it is completely up to you whether or not to share that information with any member of your team.”
“My team, which so far consists of Kim and that nerd-boy you dumped on me, Shavers.” said Shego.
“Shavers has served, with distinction, in providing equipment for both previous Triple X agents.” said Gibbons. “As I said, Triple X traditionally works with as few people as possible.”
“And I have total control over them?” said Shego. “I tell Kim and Shavers to hop on one leg, they’re supposed to do it?”
“Something like that.” said Gibbons.
Shego grinned. “Spanking.”
Gibbons smiled back.
Kim and Shego sat in the seats of a conference room. Shavers, who could be the dictionary definition of gadget geek if you gave him a pair of glasses, was briefing them both on the equipment he had prepared. He opened up a metal case. Inside were two metal pistols, complete with laser scopes.
Kim frowned, but before she could object Shego was already speaking. “I don’t do guns.”
“These aren’t ordinary guns.” said Shavers. He picked one of the guns up, then opened another compartment in the case. Rows and rows of various colored darts were revealed. “This baby can fire a dart through clothing and most types of body armor. We’ve got your knock-out darts, immobilizes, splatter darts which combine a knock-out dart with a false blood stain…”
“Along with high explosive and lethal shots.” said Gibbons, from where he had just stepped into the room. Kim and Shego both turned to look at him. “Ladies, the men you are going up against all use guns. You WILL carry these weapons, and you will learn to use them. Play time is definitely over.”
“Ah, right.” said Shavers. “I can fully brief you on the various ammo types later. Next up we have these Gecko climbing gloves. With these, you can climb up a sheet of glass. Electro-static charge ensures…”
Gibbons was working on his computer terminal when Kim Possible pushed her way into his office. She was dressed in a dark blue shirt and black skirt, complete with heals. Her hair was wild, as if she hadn’t combed it since last waking up.
“This has got to stop!” snarled Kim.
Gibbons saved what he was looking at and calmly turned to face Kim Possible. In truth, he was a little surprised it had taken this long for Kim to charge into his office. “What’s wrong?” he asked, calmly.
“I just woke up, again, with a killer headache from Shego shooting me with a knock-out dart!” snarled Kim, emphasizing the word ‘again’. “This time, it wasn’t even during a combat training exercise! She shot me in the middle of a climbing exercise.”
“A covert climbing exercise, which implies there may be hostiles.” said Gibbons. “I fail to see how what she did is outside the approved parameters for a Triple X agent.”
Kim growled. “Look, I am SICK and TIRED of Shego knocking me down. If it’s not using me as a living dart target, it’s punching me back and blue in the gym.”
“I assume she lets you fight back in the gym.” said Gibbons. “And you’re supposed to be carrying a dart pistol, also.” In fact, Gibbons had reviewed all of the training footage he could between Kim and Shego. Kim definitely gave back as good as she got; if it wasn’t for Shego’s accelerated healing factor, the black haired woman would have been in the infirmiry several times.
Kim wordlessly pulled her gun from a hidden holster and flipped the cylinder open. Inside the revolving cylinder were nestled a set of eight green tipped darts. The green fletching indicated they were harmless training darts, the equivalents of ‘blanks’. “Shego won’t let me use any yellows, but feels free to shoot me at any time for ‘sleepy time’.” snarled Kim. “It’s not fair.”
“We don’t do fair.” said Gibbons. He turned his head slightly, so the light glistened off his facial scars. “Was it ‘fair’ that I got this trying to save innocent civilians from a fire someone else started? All we do is our job. Your job, right now, is to train with Shego so you both can be the best agents you can be.”
“I don’t even see why you need me around.” said Kim. “:She’s supposed to be your Triple X, not me.”
Gibbons considered, it decided it was time to level with her. “Quite frankly, Kim, you’re the key to keeping Triple X in line.”
“So, if Shego goes rogue, I’m supposed to take her down for you guys?” said Kim. “Thanks, but I already figured that bit out for myself.”
“That’s only half of it.” said Gibbons. “Probably even the smaller half. You’re not just the stick, girl… you’re also the carrot.”
Kim frowned, and sat down in one of the visitor’s chairs. “I don’t understand.” she said.
“We did a psych profile of both Shego and you before I even contacted Shego.” said Gibbons. “I won’t show you the data, mostly because it would be meaningless to you. But the dynamics between you and Shego are fascinating. You have a strong desire to prove your abilities; you seem incapable of refusing a challenge. Shego, on the other hand, simply wants to know that she’s the best and be in control.”
“Still not explaining.” said Kim. “I already know all this.”
Gibbons leaned forward. “Shego, in order to know she’s the best, has to have someone to compare herself… a bench mark. That’s where you come in. You’re probably the one person she considers an equal… someone who, if she can beet you, she knows she’s as good as she thinks she is.”
“So she wants to use me as a punching bag.” said Kim.
“So she wants to use you as a punching bag.” said Gibbons. “And she wants you to punch back. As long as you two are both at the top of your respective games, Shego knows her benchmark is accurate… and that you two women really are ‘the most dangerous women alive’.”
“Fine.” said Kim. “That still doesn’t explain how I keep Shego in line, if not to stop her if and when she goes rogue.”
“Simple.” said Gibbons. “It’s the chain of command. If she wants to give you orders you’ll accept, she has to obey my orders. And she DOES love being able to order you around.”
Kim frowned. “So, that’s it? All I am to you guys is a way to control Shego?”
“Miss Possible, you have to know how rare someone with your talents and abilities are.” said Gibbons. “Quite frankly, there’s dozens of agencies, NSA and Global Justice included, that would love have you as an agent. It’s just we… and Shego… need you more. Even if Shego isn’t ready to admit it yet.”
Kim slumped, not quite convinced but getting there. Gibbons continues. “Kim, you provide Shego with something she needs. Someone she can measure herself against, someone who makes life challenging and worth living. Someone who will keep her from getting sloppy. Without you, Shego might continue working with us. But it would only be a matter of time before she did get sloppy and made a mistake. Then someone would shoot her, and not with a dart she would wake up from. Game over. Permenantly.”
Gibbons waited. Kim had straightened up as she listened. “Ok.” said Kim. She sighed. “But I want you to ask Shego to ease up a bit, ok? Or at least let ME carry some yellow darts also, ok?”
“I’ll talk with Shego.” Gibbons promised, watching Kim as she left the office. Gibbons smiled once he was sure Kim wouldn’t see it. What he HADN’T mentioned was the fact that Shego provided something Kim needed, as well. The two women complimented each other surprisingly well. Shego forced Kim to take chances, and made Kim aware of her own mortality. Without that balance, Kim would either fall into the trap of trying to find the perfect solution every time… an unachievable, time wasting goal… or would wind up dead because she had forgotten that part of being able to do anything also meant being able to die.