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Revelations of Destiny	By : Kellendros Category: Kim Possible > Threesomes/Moresomes Views: 63461 -:- Recommendations : 2 -:- Currently Reading : 2
Disclaimer: I do not own Kim Possible, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
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   “Booyeah!” Ron shouted enthusiastically as he came up behind Kim, jumping forwards to land next to her as she stood on the sidewalk in front of Middleton High waiting for the car that was coming to pick them up. Like Kim, Ron was in his mission gear, including a light winter coat, but he also had a backpack crammed full of weekend homework and seemed to be in exceptionally high spirits.
   “You’re still amped?” Kim asked with a disbelieving smile, taking note of Ron’s energetic glee.
   “And why not, KP? That had to be one of our bondiggityest practices yet! I was in the zone! It was like Mad Dog was speaking through me, a-booyeah! I think that even Bonnie is starting to appreciate the Ron-man after today.” Ron replied with a grin.
   “Don’t count on it loser.” The harsh reply came from behind the pair before Kim could respond, and both teens turned to see Bonnie Rockwaller coming up on them with a quiet Tara in tow. The girls were dressed warmly in high-end designer ski gear, and Bonnie looked particularly smug as she gave Kim and Ron the once-over with a depreciating eye. “So K, where are you and your freak friend off to this time? Not that I really care, it’s just that I feel sorry for you, having to go do some dirty little job while I’m heading to Château Trevane for the weekend and all.”
   Kim wouldn’t have believed it was possible for Bonnie to look any more pleased with herself than she already did if she hadn’t seen it right before her eyes, but somehow that’s exactly what happened when the girl announced she was going to the most exclusive ski resort in the tri-city area. As she was trying to come up with an appropriate response—as opposed to the full-armed slap the girl’s look was begging for—Kim was simultaneously interrupted by the spine-shivering crunch of tires grinding down hard, dense snow and Ron’s low, impressed “Whoa, KP; check it out…”
   All four teens stood silent as they watched the subtly stylish Rolls Royce Phantom pull up to the curb beside them. It was a short stretch model with double rear doors and black tinted windows. The blocky front grille stood polished to a blinding silver gleam, as did all the other chrome on the vehicle, and the rest of its slick ebon surface glistened as if the paint was still wet. Coming to a stop, the car rumbled with the purr of a fine precision automobile kept in perfect condition. A moment later, the driver’s door opened and a large, extremely handsome Latino man got out of the car wearing an immaculate chauffeur’s uniform, the only incongruity to which was the long ponytail of luxuriant, wavy black hair that sprouted from beneath the back of his chauffeur’s cap.
   Turning his attention to the group as he came around the car to the passenger’s side, the driver spoke in a rich, smooth voice; “Miss Possible, Mister Stoppable, my name is Raoul, and I shall be your driver for today. Would you like to depart now or shall I wait?”
   Looking around before responding, Kim said; “No thank you, Raoul; we’re ready to go now.”
   “Very well, Miss Possible.” Raoul answered before moving to the far back door and opening it, standing ready once he did so.
   Turning to Bonnie, Kim smirked as she said; “Might wanna close your mouth before you get a drool-sicle there Bonnie.”
   “Hunh? Wha?” Bonnie’s teeth clicked together sharply as she realized what Kim was talking about. She’d been staring in slack-jawed admiration of the beautifully handsome chauffeur since he’d stepped from the car.
   “Now as to where we’re going, well, you know how it is, Bonnie; the power-elite do so like their privacy… but I’d tell you if I could, really.” Kim said with mock sincerity while she ushered Ron into the limo. Standing in the doorway once her friend was inside, Kim looked back at Bonnie and added; “I know it’s a dirty job, but someone has to do it, after all.” Sliding onto the rich leather seat in the back of the car, Kim finished with a saccharin-sweet smile; “Have fun on your little trip, B,” before Raoul closed the door for her.
   Smiling, Raoul gave a tip of his cap to Bonnie and Tara, excusing himself with a warm “Ladies,” before heading back around the vehicle to get in the driver’s seat. Once he was inside, the car pulled away from the curb smoothly, heading for the street, and as it did, Kim couldn’t help waving at Bonnie with her fingers, even though she knew the other girl couldn’t see her through the tinted windows. She was eminently satisfied with the look of frustration and anger on her high school rival’s face; karma rocked hardcore sometimes.
   Turning away from the window as the limo pulled out into traffic, Kim saw that Ron had ensconced himself in the rear-facing seat across from her, settling into the plush leather with a deep smile of content relaxation while Rufus raided the mini-bar fridge built into the small ‘island’ between the two sets of seats.
   “I gotta say, Kim, if this turns out to be another villain we’re going to meet, we should seriously consider making upscale opposition our main focus. I mean, when’s the last time Drakken ever sent a car like this to come take us to him? Heck, when’s he ever sent us anything that didn’t involve major stress—Christmas presents aside. Jack Hench, Señor Senior Senior? Now those guys have class. They might be villains, but I’m telling you, they know style when they see it.”
   “Sure, Ron, we’ll get a whole new circle of enemies just for the perks.” Kim responded dryly.
   “Hey, c’mon KP, you gotta admit this is a pretty sweet ride—not as good as my gold-plated stretch was, but still pretty nice. It’s good to know the opposition appreciates quality. Makes ‘em less likely to slap together their latest doomsday thingy using a leaky fusion reactor and duct tape, which means that we don’t have to deal with them every other week, like we do with Drakken. A better class of villain just makes our lives easier, Kim; trust me.”
   “Well, we don’t even know if Ms. Mataii is anyone we have to worry about, so let’s just take it one step at a time, ok? I’d rather keep dealing with Drakken every other week than add another name to the list thank you very much.”
   “Well, yeah, there is that. Hey, Kim, how long do you figure it’ll take us to get to the airport anyway?”
   “Erm… I don’t know, maybe a half-hour, an hour at the most, why?” Kim responded, confused at the abrupt change in conversation.
   “Math homework. I wanna finish it before we get on the plane—I’m hoping they’ll have a TV or an in-flight movie or something, and I don’t want to be distracted.”
   Kim sighed. She knew Ron well enough to know that he meant having the homework distract him from the entertainment, not the other way around. Still, better he did it now than later; at least this way he wasn’t thinking about something else while doing the work, so he had the best chance of actually learning something from it—or at least of getting the most answers right failing that.
   About forty minutes and four tutoring questions from Ron later, the limo was pulling up to a secondary runway at the Middleton Airport after being waved through three security gates. At the end of the runway was a moderate sized, sleek looking private jet that resembled a Gulfstream V except that it had an extra two engines positioned under the normal two, and the wings were thicker, a touch shorter, and more sharply angled.
   With a soft hiss, the limo’s intercom came to life and Raoul’s voice said; “We have arrived, Ms. Possible.”
   It took Kim a few moments to track down the speaker and interface in the back of the car, but once she did, she responded; “Ok, thank you very much, Raoul.”
   The limo came to a smooth, easy stop just a few yards away from the short set of boarding steps that had been placed in front of the plane’s front hatch, which was obviously only partially closed, not fully sealed, as it stuck out from the plane by at least two inches. Once the car came to a full stop, Kim and Ron immediately got out before Raoul had time to get out of the vehicle himself and open their doors for them, so the chauffeur moved to the plane and opened that door instead, waiting to one side of it while they came up the steps.
   As they passed, Raoul gave a nod and a “Ms. Possible, Mr. Stoppable,” to each of them in turn.
   At the respectful farewell, Kim paused and said; “Thanks for the ride, Raoul,” to which the handsome man responded; “Thank you very much, madam; it was my pleasure,” before heading back to the car once Kim entered the plane.
   Inside the plane, Kim found Ron and Rufus already settling down on the couch that ran half the length of the left side of the aircraft. There were two pairs of incredibly comfortable looking seats at the front of the cabin, the first pair facing back towards the second pair, a small rectangular table was built into the right wall of the cabin across from the couch and formed an “island” between two more chairs, the floor was covered in thick carpeting, and the walls and ceiling were done in what appeared to be real wood paneling polished to a glassy shine.
   As Kim stood looking around the luxurious cabin, she heard a noise from behind her and turned in time to see the pilot exiting the cockpit. Moving back slightly, Kim noticed her boots were tracking dirt on the pale tan carpet. With a squeak of alarm, she quickly bent down and started taking them off while looking up at the pilot with an embarrassed blush. The pilot however didn’t give her a second glance, instead moving to the hatch and out of sight while Kim heard noises that she assumed were coming from him securing it. By the time he was done, Kim had her boots off and was standing once more, holding them in hand.
   Moving back to the narrow entrance of the cabin, the pilot tipped his hat and said; “Ms. Possible? I’m Shawn Wesker, and I’ll be your pilot today. The flight should take around an hour and a half depending on weather conditions, and we’ll be taking off shortly. It might be a good idea if you and your friend were to take your seats and buckle up; the Excalibur design has a much higher thrust than most private jets, and it takes a bit of getting used to before most people feel comfortable with the takeoff. It should only take about five minutes to reach cruising altitude, and then you can move about freely until it’s time for us to land.”
   “Digital video and music players are built into each seat, with earphones to the side of the armrest controls should you need them, and are capable of playing any media you brought with you as well as having a considerable on-board library to select from. In addition, Ms. Mataii ordered the galley stocked with a full assortment of food and drink in case you feel like eating during the flight. The washroom is to the rear of the plane, past the galley. Is there anything else you’d like to know before we prepare to get underway?”
   Before Kim could answer, Ron said; “Food? There’s food?” keenly from behind her.
   “Yes sir. Right back there through that sliding door is the galley, and I personally supervised it being stocked, as per Ms. Mataii’s orders.” The pilot responded, looking past Kim to where Ron was standing in front of the couch. Ron was already heading through the sliding door that the pilot had indicated before Kim had time to chastise him.
   “I’m sorry Mr. Wesker. Thank you for the information, I’ll make sure that Ron and I are in our seats right away.” Kim said as the pilot turned his attention back to her.
   “Alright Ms. Possible, I’ll get back to the cockpit and we’ll be underway shortly. Please have a nice flight,” the pilot responded.
   “Ok, thank you, and call me Kim…” Kim trailed off as the pilot entered the cockpit and closed the door behind him without responding, though he did at least nod and smile before he did so.
   Suddenly realizing she hadn’t asked about where she could put her boots, Kim took a step forward and looked around the small “foyer” formed by the twin partition walls separating the cabin and the cockpit from the area where the hatch was. Thankfully she saw a set of narrow grillwork shelves an inch off the floor that were obviously meant for that purpose, as they held Ron’s boots as well as two pair of rubber over-soles for, she assumed, the pilot & co-pilot’s shoes. In addition there was a rack and hangers for coats, so Kim left her own jacket on one alongside the pilots’ after she had stowed her boots away.
   Heading to the back of the plane, Kim went into the galley in order to collect Ron, but she had to stop and stare for a moment at the impressive layout of the economically designed kitchen. The right wall was a single unit of cabinets built into and above a counter that housed a small sink, narrow fridge, and both a microwave and a small conventional oven. Like the rest of the plane, the galley was done in beautifully polished natural wood, with the countertop appearing to be satin-finished marble.
   Looking over to Kim as she entered, Ron had a huge grin on his face while he closed the cabinet he was looking in. “Check it out KP; they’ve got everything here. Seriously. Chips, pretzels, soda, juice, foot long subs in the fridge…” Ron paused as he opened another cabinet and his eyes widened in surprise. “No way!” he murmured before shouting; “This plane totally rocks!”
   “What is it Ron?” Kim asked, curious as to the cause of the enthusiastic, almost awed reaction.
   “Check this Kim,” Ron pointed into the cabinet, and Kim moved closer so that she could see what he was looking at. “This thing’s got warming panels built into it and they’ve got two pizzas from Viatellie’s, a family meal from Wong’s House of Noodles, a half-dozen supersized burger meals from Burger Barn, and another half-dozen grande-sized meals from Bueno Nacho in here! It’s just so beautiful…” Ron finished with a sniff.
   Kim snorted with amusement. “Ok, calm down Ron; there’ll be plenty of time to eat after we’re off the ground. Speaking of which, the pilot said we’d better buckle up for the takeoff, and that should be happening any minute now, so let’s go.”
   “Ok Kim,” Ron answered as he closed the door carefully. Once out in the cabin Ron took the seat opposite the one on which Rufus was just finishing up a long struggle setting up the video screen all by himself.
   As Ron sat down he said; “Hey Rufus, major snackage in back; can’t wait ‘til we get in the air!” to which the rodent seemed to answer “score!” giving Ron a thumbs up before somehow managing to buckle himself into the seat just like his owner was doing across from him.
   Kim smiled at the banter as she sat down and strapped herself in too, and she couldn’t help but notice that the seat was indeed as comfortable as it looked. Kim didn’t want to admit it, but the plane impressed her, and she was even more impressed by the foresight Ms. Mataii showed in stocking the galley so well, considering they were sure to have missed supper during the trip otherwise.
   It also didn’t hurt that although only her family, Ron, and more recently, Monique, knew about it, Kim was a bottomless pit when it came to food. She usually didn’t eat a lot at once, but if she could, she ate constantly and ravenously. Since the time she’d turned thirteen she even managed to outlast Ron’s prodigious appetite so often that he didn’t even try to compete with her anymore. He could still beat her easily in the short run, but over a night Kim usually ended up putting away nearly twice what he did—though Rufus’ contribution tended to even the score between them. The fact that the woman had thought to feed her was a big point in Ms. Mataii’s favor in Kim’s book, despite Kim’s reservations about her motives.
   Kim sighed. The fact that Ms. Mataii had thought to feed them was also dangerous. So far every step of this trip seemed to be meticulously well thought out as to provide them with everything they might need, which was great for a travel agent but hardly a quality you wanted in a potential enemy. Kim shuddered to think what someone like Drakken could do if he had the common sense and foresight this woman seemed to have.
   Oh well, no sense in worrying about it ‘til we know, Kim thought to herself. So I’m just going to sit back and enjoy this as much as I can until we do, the girl concluded, determined not to let her reservations get her down.
   It was only a minute later that a soft ding announced the final preparations for takeoff were taking place, along with a very faint vibration from the rear of the plane as the engines powered up. A few moments later the jet was taxiing onto the runway and, once it was centered, screaming down the tarmac with no more than a quiet rumble heard inside the cabin.
   The force of takeoff was considerably noticeable compared to most planes Kim and Ron had flown on, though nothing compared to the occasional jet fighter they had gotten a ride from, and both teens could see why the pilot said it took some getting used to. The pressure quickly eased to nothing as the jet gained altitude however, and the pilot had been true to his word as another soft ding rang through the cabin about five minutes after they had started takeoff, announcing they could get up.
   Ron shot out of his seat not a moment after the ding, releasing his seatbelt as if by magic, and then paused in pre-dash to the galley, turning to Kim and asking; “You want me to get you something Kim or do you wanna look back there yourself?”
   “Thanks Ron. You’re taking the Bueno Nacho stuff I assume?” Kim answered.
   “Yep, unless you want some of it. And I figured the burgers too, since you don’t usually eat those, and a pizza… and maybe some Chinese… and a sub. Maybe a bag of chips…”
   “Ron, we might be fighting our way out of CI headquarters in a couple of hours; not a good idea to stuff yourself before we do, don’t you think?” Kim chastised.
   Ron’s face fell as he heard Kim’s words. “Awww… well that rots. Can I at least have a pizza too?”
   Kim smiled. “Sure Ron. Can you bring me the other one and the Chinese please? And something to drink too…”
   “Sure Kim, wha’d’ya want? They’ve got pretty much everything back there.”
   “Mountain Dew?” Kim asked.
   “Yep, I’m on it.” Ron responded, heading back to the galley.
   As Ron went back to get the food, Kim got up from her seat and relocated to the seat right behind it that faced the small table. When Ron returned, he was carrying both pizza boxes like trays, on top of which he had balanced the bags of Bueno Nacho meals on one, and put the bigger bag of Chinese food on the other.
   “Your meal madame,” Ron joked in a cheesy French accent as he slid the box onto the table in front of Kim with a flourish before continuing back to his seat and unloading his own food. After that he sprinted back to the galley once more and returned with glasses and soda for both Kim and himself.
   “Thank you Ron.” Kim said with a smile as she took her glass and the big bottle of Mountain Dew from Ron.
   “No prob’ KP,” Ron smiled back before returning to his seat, only to find that in the short time he’d been gone, Rufus had managed to drag two of the Bueno Nacho meals up onto his own seat, and was peeling one of the bags open while watching what looked like an Oh Boyz video on the plasma screen he’d set up before the plane had taken off.
   “Coolio,” Ron said as he looked at the setup for a moment before sitting down and setting up his own view screen as fast as he could and then plugging into the sound system. A few minutes messing around with the interface later and Ron was humming along to another Oh Boyz song as he sat back and began to go to work on his food with gusto.
   At the table Kim took out the individual containers of Chinese food and set them up in front of the pizza box before starting to eat as well, looking out the big round window next to her and letting her mind drift while she leaned back into the soft chair and enjoyed her food.
   Once her initial hunger was quelled, Kim took the time to check out the media center and find some music of her own to listen to before alternating between using her Kimmunicator to read today’s news, and slowly but surely making far more food than anyone who looked like her had any right to disappear from in front of her.
   A little over an hour later the pilot’s voice broke into the sound system as well as coming over speakers in the cabin, announcing that they were only ten minutes away from CI headquarters and that they should begin preparing to land, so Kim, Ron, and Rufus put their view screens away and then the two teens began collecting the garbage from their food.
   “Hey Kim,” Ron said, “I’ve got a couple of slices of pizza left over here, you want them?”
   “Ahhh… just one Ron, please and thank you.” Kim answered.
   After Kim took the slice, Ron offered the other one to Rufus, but the rodent declined with a shake of his head, remembering what Kim had said earlier. Looking at the slice and then the garbage, Ron decided he had room for it after all and bolted it before he finished collecting the wrappers and bags scattered between his and Rufus’ seats.
   Cramming everything in the pizza box, Ron turned and saw Kim standing behind him, waiting with her own pile of garbage, so he handed the box off to her at her gesture and then followed her back to the galley before continuing on to the bathroom while she put everything away. Once Ron was done in the bathroom Kim went in to use it and clean up before coming back out front and sitting down in her original seat.
   Looking out the widow at the countryside, Ron could see a city way off in the distance, but there was nothing other than rural land below them. After a moment he turned to Kim and asked; “Where are we going exactly anyway? I mean, what State are we in and what city is that over there?”
   “Wade said that CI’s US headquarters was in Georgia, about twenty miles east of Macon.” Kim responded.
   “Mmmm, I see. And where are we going to land exactly?”
   “Say what?”
   “Well, we’re definitely not headed towards Macon, if that’s it way over there, so where are we landing?”
   “Oh. Well, I guess they must have a private airstrip Ron. Not too surprising I guess, since they’re into vehicle development after all.”
   “So. We’re going to be miles out in the middle of nowhere, going into an isolated corporate facility we really know nothing about, with the way we got there controlled by the guys we’re going to see. Y’know KP, if we didn’t do what we do I’d probably be getting verrrry nervous right about now. If it were a movie, this would be about the time I’d be saying ‘maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all’ or something like that.” Ron laughed nervously.
   “Well, one, they’re not a corporation, remember? And two, it’s a little late for that now. Besides, I’m sure I’m just jumping at shadows Ron. Everything will work out fine; we’ll have a nice little talk with Ms. Mataii, and the worst that’ll happen is she’ll ask us to sign some kind of endorsement contract or something.” Kim reassured Ron.
   “You really think so Kim?” Ron said. “Hmmm… I wonder how much we’d get for that?”
   As Ron sat distracted by dreams of regaining a measure of the lost wealth of his Naco royalties, Kim thought to herself; I hope that’s all we have to deal with here Ron, I really do.
   Five minutes later there was another soft ding and Kim, Ron, and Rufus buckled up just before the jet went into a long, controlled descent that soon had them safely touching down on another airstrip. Once the plane rolled to a full stop, Kim and Ron got up, while Rufus relocated to his pocket nest in Ron’s pants.
   “So, what now?” Ron asked.
   “I guess we should wait for the pilot before we do anything.” Kim answered.
   It was only a few minutes before the pilot came out of the cockpit, and he immediately looked to Kim and said, “It will just be a few more minutes for the ground crew to finish securing the plane Ms. Possible, and then you and Mr. Stoppable can disembark.”
   “Ok, thank you Mr. Wesker,” Kim responded before turning to Ron and adding; “We’d better get ready then.”
   By the time Kim and Ron put their boots and jackets back on, the pilot had finished his post-flight check and returned to the small “foyer.” Going over to the exit, he quickly unsecured the hatch, pushing it open and letting a cool, damp breeze into the warmer climate-controlled plane. Even though it was night here and the breeze was cool, it was much warmer than in Middleton, and both teens unzipped their jackets as they headed outside.
   Kim thanked the pilot one last time before she and Ron went down the short boarding ramp. Once she was on the tarmac Kim stopped and took a moment to look at her surroundings, as did Ron, doing her best to stay out of the way as the ground crew continued to work on the plane.
   Nearby were a series of aircraft hangars that looked to be three very large ones and two more smaller ones like the one the jet was next to, though it was hard to tell as only the big ones were fully lit. Off in the distance were what appeared to be twin hurricane fences running ten feet apart from one another. The outer fence was eight feet tall and topped with another foot of outward-inclined barbed wire, while the inner fence was ten feet tall and topped with tight coils of nasty looking long-blade razorwire. The double fence went on in either direction until it vanished in the darkness, and by the way it looked it gave the impression that it ran around the entire property. The last remaining landmarks were in the opposite direction of the fence; a series of well-lit, interconnected buildings that looked like an office complex, though two things stood out as unusual. To the right of the complex was a huge outbuilding that looked like a warehouse, and rising from the left-hand side of the complex was a half-sphere geodesic dome that was about a hundred feet wide.
   It was from the direction of the sprawling complex that Kim and Ron could see the approach of a large, boxy black vehicle with tinted windows. The vehicle resembled a Hummer, but with subtle differences that made it simultaneously appear faster and more maneuverable than a regular Hummer as well as sturdier. Less than a minute later the vehicle pulled to a stop ten feet away from Kim and Ron, sitting with its engine rumbling more quietly than they would have expected, while a man got out of the front passenger side door.
   The man was black and ruggedly handsome in a severe sort of way, with piercing pale blue eyes, a narrow, full beard and mustache framing his mouth, and a flattop crewcut with the sides and back of his head shaved clean. His heavily muscled six-foot frame was broad shouldered, but hard, lean, and well proportioned, giving more the impression of an Olympic gymnast than a bodybuilder.
   He wore what appeared to be an advanced combat outfit; a thick, formfitting one (or possibly two) piece bodysuit covered him to his wrists and neck, over the top of which was a heavy segmented vest protecting his torso, and high combat boots were tightly laced to just past his mid-calf. A broad belt connected to twin shoulder holsters formed a full weapons harness that had numerous pouches attached to it, along with a heavy automatic hanging under each of his arms. The entire outfit was dull black except for the metal snap-buckles on the front of his vest.
   As he came towards them, Kim could tell by the way he moved and held himself that he was highly skilled in several “hard” styles of martial arts, and probably fought with an aggressive intensity—though she couldn’t tell how well he might stand up if he were forced into a defensive position. For some reason she thought of Dash Dumond as she watched him; his manner was strongly focused, alert, and professional, but unlike Dash, he didn’t seem to have that aura of smugness that had gotten under Kim’s skin so quickly, and if she had to, Kim would say that this man was much more dangerous than Dash could ever be.
   “Ms. Possible, Mr. Stoppable,” the man said in a strong, deep voice as he came to a stop in front of Kim and Ron, “my name is Damien Frost, and I’m the head of security for Corsair International. I’d like to welcome you to our US headquarters.”
   “Hey hey; Mr. Frost, cool name!” Ron said with nervous cheer, sticking out his hand. “I’m Ron and this is Kim… but… I guess you already knew that, heh heh.”
   “Indeed Mr. Stoppable, your reputations—and your security profiles—precede you. It’s truly a pleasure to meet you two.” Mr. Frost responded with a surprising hint of a smile while taking Ron’s hand and shaking it firmly.
   “Oh really?” Kim inquired as she shook Mr. Frost’s hand as well, blushing a split second later as she realized how that sounded and quickly stammering; “I meant about the security files, not that I was questioning whether you were— I mean I wasn’t…”
   “That’s quite all right Ms. Possible, and it’s my duty to protect the interests of Ms. Mataii. In that capacity I have to be aware of the details of anyone who comes into contact with her, whether they’re classified as a security threat or otherwise. And while I doubt I have cause to worry about you and Mr. Stoppable, you do bring a certain degree of… shall we say, peripheral hazard with your presence?”
   “Say what?” Ron asked.
   “Your enemies Mr. Stoppable. You and Ms. Possible have a considerable amount of them, and I have to be prepared to deal with the possibility, no matter how slim, that they might make an appearance during this or any future visits that may occur, as well as the fact that your being here may draw their attention to us outside of your actual presence.” Mr. Frost responded.
   “Ahhh, gotcha. Yeah, having Duff Killigan show up whorking exploding golf balls at us or something like that would probably be something you’d want to be ready for.” Ron said with a grin.
   “Exactly. Speaking of being ready,” Mr. Frost reached into a pouch and withdrew a pair of laminated metallic cards about three by six inches in size that hung off of woven synthetic cord loops long enough they could easily be worn around someone’s neck. Extending the cards to Kim and Ron, he continued; “you’ll need to wear these security passes at all times while you’re here. I hope you’ll excuse the need, but we’re currently in a heightened state of security due to certain experimental prototypes being on the property. Which is one of the reasons I had to greet you like this instead of wearing something less… intimidating.” Mr. Frost finished with a slight smile.
   “That’s alright Mr. Frost.” Kim said as she and Ron each took a card and hung them around their necks. “I hope you haven’t had to go to too much extra trouble over our visit. And please, call me Kim.”
   “And I’m Ron.” Ron added.
   Mr. Frost looked slightly uncomfortable as he answered; “I would really prefer not to Ms. Possible. I’m required to deal with a great variety of people during the course of my duties, and all but a handful of them would take my addressing them or anyone else casually while doing so askance, at the very least.”
   “I understand Mr. Frost.” Kim answered.
   “No problem…” Ron said with a cocky grin. “Besides, it’s kinda cool having someone besides Mr. Barkin calling me Mister Stoppable.”
   “All right then, if the two of you will follow me I’ll take you to Ms. Mataii right away.” Mr. Frost said.
   “Lead on my good man.” Ron said, and both he and Kim followed Mr. Frost back to the big vehicle. Once there, Mr. Frost opened the back door and the two teens climbed into the cavernous interior and sat down on the spacious if utilitarian back seat. Mr. Frost got in the front, and as he did Kim noted the driver was dressed in the same manner he was, though with only a single shoulder holster instead of two, and he was wearing a slim earpiece communicator.
   The drive to the back of the facility took less than two minutes, and passed in silence. As they neared the complex Kim observed several two-man patrols of guards armed with MP5/10 submachine guns moving around the large warehouse structure, along with three-man squads at the entrances. A small handful of single guards were spread out patrolling the actual complex as well, and appeared no less alert than the larger patrols.
   After the driver pulled to a stop at one of the larger entrances to the complex, Mr. Frost said; “If you’d please follow me,” before getting out of the vehicle, and Kim and Ron quickly followed him outside.
   “Ms. Mataii is working late in her third floor office, this way.” Mr. Frost said after they got out, heading towards the entrance, and Kim and Ron fell in step behind him.
   As they approached the door Ron quietly asked Kim; “So what’d’ya think so far Kim?”
   “Lotta guards, lotta guns, and these guys look really professional. I’m not too happy about that Ron. We’ve never really had to deal with bullets before. I’m pretty sure things get messy with automatic weapons, and they’ll be a lot harder to get out of the way of than energy blasts.” Kim responded.
   “Yeah, but they can’t blow up our cover or drop buildings on us like Duff or Shego can either; always an upside Kimbo, always an upside.” Ron said reassuringly.
   Kim smiled and shook her head before the two teens dropped into silence as Mr. Frost led them into the building. They passed a guard station and traveled down three corridors before getting on an elevator that took them to the third floor. Exiting the elevator, Mr. Frost turned right and took them down a short corridor that opened up into a small, stylish wood paneled lobby with two more halls running off it to the left and right and a large reception desk built into the far wall.
   Waiting in front of the reception desk was a beautiful, dark-skinned Asian woman who looked a little like the actress Kelly Hu, except her slender five-foot-five frame was much more athletic and muscular. Her sleek black hair was done up in a plaited bun at the crown, with elaborate looped braids and beading hanging from it, held in place by several long pins and jade combs. Her eyes were a brilliant, clear emerald green, and if she was wearing any makeup aside from her faint golden eyeshadow, it was so subtly blended as to be unnoticeable.
   She wore black, gum-soled tabi slippers and a shimmering black silk sleeveless sheath-dress with a high collar, slit to mid-thigh on the left and trimmed in gold with a gold Chinese dragon coiled on the side opposite the slit. She also had on a single-ear clip-on headset and carried a slim folder clipboard on top of which was a PDA that she was intently tapping away on with a slender stylus.
   Wow. She’s like, perfect, Kim thought to herself as she saw the exotic woman standing there. Or pretty darn close anyway…
   Kim almost never took note of how she looked or what she was wearing in comparison to other people while she was “on the job,” but with the lack of a real mission bringing her here, she wasn’t exactly “on the job,” and because of that and the surroundings, suddenly Kim was acutely and uncomfortably aware of her “casual” appearance compared to this woman.
   Beside Kim, Ron was making a wordless stammering sound best described as ha-ma-na ha-ma-na ha-ma-na, and, sensing the abrupt change in his mood and body language, Rufus stuck his head out of Ron’s pocket and looked around, but failed to see anything from his low position. A moment later the frustrated rodent scampered up the back of Ron’s jacket and perched on his shoulder, where he could finally see everything. Once he did the hairless mole rat grinned and chattered “ho-ho; pretty lady.”
   Coming to a stop, Mr. Frost stood to the side and indicated Kim and Ron as the woman looked up from her PDA at their arrival, saying; “Ms. Li, these are Ms. Mataii’s guests; Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable,” turning to Kim and Ron he continued; “Ms. Possible, Mr. Stoppable, this is Li Huizhong, Ms. Mataii’s personal assistant.”
   Oh thank god, Kim thought with relief. If that had been Ms. Mataii I’m not sure I could have handled this without looking like a complete idiot.
   Smiling warmly with perfect white teeth, the woman glided forward and offered her hand to Kim, saying; “It is a very great pleasure and honor to meet you Ms. Possible, the exploits of you and Mr. Stoppable are most well known and appreciated.”
   Kim was so shocked by the other woman’s voice that she had to mentally kick-start herself into taking Ms. Li’s hand as she offered it. Her voice was so high pitched and squeaky it sounded like something you might hear from a little girl cartoon character, not this exotic beauty that stood before her shaking her hand gracefully.
   Already a little embarrassed, the split second stall caused Kim to blush slightly as she responded; “Ummm, thank you, but it’s no big really; it’s what I do. And please, call me Kim Ms. Li.”
   “Very well, Kim.” Ms. Li said with another smile before turning to Ron and shaking his hand as well.
   “And you can call me Ron,” Ron said before looking at Kim and adding; “hear that Kim? I’ve got exploits,” with a cocky grin, causing her to snort softly in amusement.
   It seemed that Ms. Li’s incongruously pitched voice had considerably dampened Ron’s initial infatuation, but if anything, Rufus’ grin was even wider as he continued to stare at her with a dreamy-eyed expression. A few seconds after the introduction however, Rufus shook his head and seemed to snap out of it, until he turned to Ron and chirped “Hey!” sharply before smacking him in the ear with one paw.
   “Ow! What the heck was that for?” Ron said sharply as he turned to Rufus, but once he saw the dirty look the rodent was giving him, along with the way Rufus shot his eyes in the direction of Ms. Li once Ron was paying attention to him, he quickly caught on.
   “Oh, oh. Sorry. Ms. Li, this is my little buddy Rufus.” Ron said as he turned back to Ms. Li and introduced Rufus to her.
   “Oh yes, it is also a pleasure and honor to meet such an exceptional creature such as yourself.” Ms. Li said to Rufus, before offering the naked mole rat her finger, smiling when he happily shook it vigorously with both paws.
   “I need to return to my duties.” Mr. Frost said as Ms. Li finished with Rufus. “I’ll leave you two in Ms. Li’s capable hands Ms. Possible, Mr. Stoppable.” Mr. Frost nodded to each of them before he turned and headed back down the corridor towards the elevator.
   “Nice meeting you Mr. Frost,” Kim said as he left, and Ron added; “Yeah, see you later Mr. Frost.”
   “If you would follow me, I will take to you Ms. Mataii now,” Ms. Li said, gaining the teens’ attention once more.
   Gliding out of the lobby and into the right-hand corridor with Kim and Ron following behind her, Ms. Li passed a dozen doors on either side of the hallway before coming to a large set of paneled wooden double doors at the end of the hall. Opening the left, the exotic woman gestured for the two teens to precede her.
   Entering the room, Kim and Ron found themselves in the near corner of a large twenty-foot square corner office. The two far walls were heavy floor-to-ceiling glass, slightly tinted, and the two near walls and the ceiling were elaborately paneled in dark golden-brown oak, while the floor was thickly carpeted with a complex Persian rug design of black and various shades of brown. Several frosted dome lights in brass settings filled the room with a warm but very dim light.
   The right-hand wall had a fifty-six inch widescreen flat-panel TV in the center of it, which was currently displaying the Stock Channel on mute. The left-hand wall had a small, stylish marble-topped drink table placed in the center of it, with several crystal decanters arranged on top of it. A huge slab of an antique claw-foot mahogany desk dominated the left side of the room, on top of which was a flat-screen monitor in the left corner, a keyboard, a phone, and dozens of haphazardly piled folders and three-ring binders of varying thickness scattered across every inch of the remaining surface area. Two pairs of high-backed padded armchairs stood about a yard in front of the desk, and each pair was placed off-center, leaving a broad four-foot gap directly in front of the desk. The final piece of furniture in the room was behind the monolithic desk; a padded, high-backed swivel chair that was currently facing the window, away from Kim and Ron, and had a charcoal colored jacket hanging from its right corner.
   It was from behind this chair that the voice was coming from.
   Despite having a stressed and tired edge to it, the voice rolled over Kim and Ron like a velvet fog as they moved to the center of the room. It was smooth, deep, and throaty, like smoky honey, and had a southern accent that was noticeable, but not too thick. And, apparently, the voice was none too happy either…
   “Look, we’ve been over this already; Taragen’s designs only work in the lab. Under real-world conditions the power module becomes unstable an’ suffers catastrophic failure. What do you not understand about that?”
   The voice paused, and Kim saw a hand rise on the right side of the chair, holding a remote interface. The thumb pressed a button on the remote and then there was a deep sigh followed by a sharply growled; “Ugh. How the fuck can someone with three Doctorates be such a complete fuckin’ moron?”
   After a brief silence the button was pressed once more and the hand dropped back out of sight while the voice continued, no less irritated but at normal volume.
   “No, enough already Dr. Williams! I don’t care how brilliant you think Taragen is; he’s cost us nearly a year of time an’ millions in development stubbornly refusin’ to consider anythin’ other than pursuin’ his untenable designs. I want him off your team immediately an’ for you to return to workin’ with the original design specs before Taragen came up with his ‘brilliant’ solution to the problem, or you’ll be in the unemployment line right alongside him, do I make myself clear?”
   There was another short pause before the voice concluded; “I’m glad we finally understand one another Dr. Williams. I expect a full report on the restructurin’ of your team by no later than the end of business Monday. Good night.”
   The chair tilted back considerably and both teens saw an elbow poke out from the left side of it at shoulder height, while a very long, very frustrated sigh was vented from the unseen woman. Somehow Kim was positive she was squeezing the bridge of her nose tightly between her thumb and forefinger despite not being able to see it.
   Next to them, Ms. Li cleared her throat softly and said; “Your guests have arrived Ms. Mataii.”
   There was another sigh and the voice said; “Of course they have,” in a wry, bone dry tone tinged with resigned amusement. A moment later the chair straightened and swiveled to the left, revealing the woman they had traveled here to see as she stood up and turned towards them, coming around the desk with a hint of a smile while tossing the remote and a clip-on earpiece phone on top of a pile of folders.
   Kim wasn’t sure what she had been expecting, especially after hearing that unbelievably sultry voice, but she was fairly certain it hadn’t been what she was seeing now.
   Corscan Mataii was a big girl; around six-foot-two Kim would guess. She had broad shoulders and hips, with a waist that was narrow only in comparison, and if it weren’t for her height, the first word Kim would have used to describe her would have been stocky. It was hard to tell if she were fat or not, since she was wearing a billowy, cream colored long-sleeved blouse with a cascade of ruffles at the throat and shorter ones at the cuffs, as well as a charcoal colored pleated skirt that fell to mid-calf, but she definitely gave the impression of being… solid, at the very least.
   She had short dirty-blonde hair that was only two or three inches long on top and styled in spiky, unruly waves, while the sides were almost close-cropped and the back only slightly less so. Her eyes were a lively, gold-flecked hazel, and her lips were sharply defined and neither too full nor too thin, but her strong nose and jaw, cleft chin, and prominent cheekbones would forever relegate her to being described as “striking” or “handsome” instead of beautiful.
   Her skin was smooth and a rich walnut brown, like the color of a deep tan, though it seemed to be its natural shade, and it was impossible for Kim to pin down her ethnicity, because although her features initially seemed to be predominantly Nordic, the darker skin along with other subtle signs like a slight slant to her eyes suggested many other heritages as well.
   As Corscan rounded the desk Kim had to clamp down on an urge to snort or giggle; despite the reserved elegance of the woman’s outfit, she had on a pair of well-worn sneakers that seemed to have seen better days, and the sensibility of it sharply tickled Kim’s fancy. Added to the nervous tension running through her the impulse was extremely difficult to resist, and even though she did, she could not help the broad smile that crept across her face. Thankfully the expression fit the circumstances, so Kim was spared any embarrassment from it.
   “Well, it’s nice to finally meet you two,” Corscan said to Kim while smiling back and offering her hand. “I’ve been lookin’ forward to this all week… well, at least ‘til a few hours ago anyway.” Corscan’s handshake was smooth and firm as she continued; “Were my people able to get you some food for the trip before you took off?”
   “Yes, they were, thank you very much Ms. Mataii.” Kim answered while Ron chimed in with; “Absolutely! It was great.”
   “Good, good, I was worried they wouldn’t have enough time to get that done when I had them called. I was plannin’ on takin’ the two of you to dinner, but as you can probably guess,” Corscan gestured vaguely at the pile of folders strewn on the desk behind her, “I’ve had a busy an’ crap-filled afternoon here—an’ please, call me Corscan. Ms. Mataii sounds like a schoolmistress or somethin’…”
   “Only if you call me Kim. I hope we haven’t come at a bad time for you.”
   “No, not really Kim,” Corscan answered as she turned to Ron, offering him her hand. “Only nine months of research an’ about a hundred million in development down the drain. Just another day at the office…”
   “Ouch! That’s harsh…” Ron said as he stepped forward and shook Corscan’s hand.
   On Ron’s shoulder, Rufus had been staring at Corscan ever since she had revealed herself, and now that he was brought closer to her, to the shock of both teens he began growling, crouched down, and arched his back almost as if he were going to attack.
   “Ru-fus! Behave!” Ron said hard and low as soon as he recovered from his surprise.
   “No, it’s ok Ron—can I call you Ron? Sometimes animals react this way to me. Just hold still an’ let him be for a minute or two, ok?” Corscan said.
   “Ahhh… ok then.” Ron answered uneasily, a little weirded out by Rufus’ uncharacteristic behavior.
   As both teens looked on, Corscan carefully moved her hand up towards Ron’s shoulder, stopping about six inches away while saying; “That’s it little guy, it’s ok, I’m not gonna do anythin’, you just relax now, y’hear?” in a soft, soothing tone.
   Now Rufus had always been an almost impossibly intelligent animal, even before he’d been exposed to the projected energy wave of Project Phebus, but he knew there’d be no way in hell he could ever manage to communicate to his friends the way his instincts were screaming at him over the predatory scent this woman had, let alone the weird unnatural “vibe” she gave off, so he didn’t even try. It was so strong he could barely control himself, and honestly even he didn’t understand it, since everything else about Corscan’s body language and tone was telling him she was friendly, not a threat.
   As the uncomfortable moment stretched on, Corscan slowly, almost imperceptibly brought her hand closer and closer to Rufus while continuing to calmly talk to him, until the agitated rodent stopped growling and started to stretch out towards her in return. His eyes were narrowed and his whiskers were fanned forwards sharply as he sniffed at her fingers intently, and Kim bit her lower lip while Ron sweated as both teens thought that Rufus’ posture looked an awful lot like it usually did before he sank those huge incisors of his into someone.
   “There you go Rufus, that’s it; we’re all friends here.” Corscan said softly as she slowly began reaching closer. After a few more moments, the rodent hesitantly accepted her light touch on the side of his head, just behind his ear. Corscan gently began rubbing at the base of his jaw, and Rufus’ anxiety slowly but surely melted away until he sighed contentedly and began leaning into Corscan’s scratching fingers, his back leg thumping into Ron’s shoulder spastically.
   Even though Rufus was still uneasy about the way the woman smelled and “felt,” no one who could scratch him like this could be all bad, and that, coupled with the way everything else about her told him not to worry, allowed the naked mole rat to finally get control of himself. Once he did, Rufus pulled back reluctantly and stood up on Ron’s shoulder, chattering “sorry, sorry” while looking abashed at his earlier behavior.
   Both Kim and Ron let out relieved sighs as Rufus returned to normal. Ron’s was much louder than Kim’s barely noticeable one, and after it he said; “Damn Rufus, you had me worried there for a sec little buddy.” Looking up at Corscan as she lowered her hand, Ron continued; “I’m really, really sorry about that Ms. Mataii. I’ve never seen Rufus act like that before.”
   Corscan raised an eyebrow at Ron and he ruefully stammered; “Errr, Corscan; I meant Corscan, sorry.”
   Smiling, Corscan said; “That’s better. An’ really, it’s my fault. I should have thought to tell Hui to let you know this might happen with him. It’s just that I’m not around animals that often, so I kinda forget about it. I guess it’s just one of those days…”
   Moving back a little, Corscan leaned up against her desk and asked Kim; “So, what exactly brings you two here anyway? All I really know is that you wanted to meet with me?”
   “Well, Ron and I were just interested in meeting you, since you’ve been helping us out so much and we don’t even know you. We wanted to thank you for that help too.” Kim responded.
   The left side of Corscan’s mouth curled up in a deep, wry smile of amusement and she laughingly said; “Yeah, right; an’ I’m the Queen of England.”
   “Excuse me?” Kim said while Ron looked on nervously.
   Corscan looked Kim squarely in the eyes and continued smiling while she said; “You’re here because you’re worried I might be a Max Zorin or Elliot Carver, aren’t you?”
   Ron couldn’t help but snort in amusement, but Kim looked confused and said; “I’m not sure what you’re talking about; I don’t know who they are.”
   “Oh come on KP, we rented Tomorrow Never Dies just last year; they’re Bond villains,” Ron broke in. “Carver was the guy that was going to start a war in order to get a worldwide media empire? Zorin was the one in A View to a Kill who was planning on flooding Silicon Valley so he could have a monopoly on computer chips?”
   “Oh, ahhh…. well… ummm…” Kim hummed and hawed under Corscan’s amused, open gaze while blushing a little and looking embarrassed over being found out so easily.
   “It’s ok, I’d probably have the same worries if I were in your place. An’ I guess I should have picked someone a little more real world there. That would be who? Señor Senior Senior I think, isn’t it?”
   “Enh, not exactly,” Ron said. “He’s rich and all, but he’s pretty much retired now—I mean from business, not the world domination thing, and even that’s pretty much just a hobby for him. If I had to compare you to someone real world… well, actually… y’know, I don’t think there is anyone we’ve ever gone up against that would be close to what you are. And I’ve gotta admit you’ve got a pretty sweet setup if you did want to do something like that. I mean, you’re rich, you have a worldwide distribution network, access to advanced vehicles, and what looks like a private army. All you’d really need to do is—”
   “Ron!” Kim said sharply while Rufus slapped a paw to his forehead and dragged it down his face, moaning “Ohoy!” and shaking his head.
   “Oops, sorry.” Ron blushed and looked at Kim with embarrassment as he quickly clammed up.
   “What is it with you and super villain advice anyway?” Kim asked, still annoyed.
   “I’m sorry Kim, it just comes out; I can’t control it!” Ron apologized with genuine contrition.
   Kim sighed and turned back to Corscan, who was still leaning against her desk, only now she had a very intent, thoughtful expression on her face. Kim’s eyes widened slightly and the bottom of her stomach seemed to drop out as she thought to herself; Oh no! No! No! No! This is not happening! Not again!
   A few seconds later Corscan’s face broke into a broad smile as she chuckled and laughed. Holding her palms up to Kim she said; “Sorry, sorry, but you looked so serious there I just couldn’t help myself. I’m thinkin’ there’s a story here, but anyway, I’m the last person on the face of the earth who’ll be trying to take over the world, trust me Kim.”
   Kim’s eyes widened even further, and she stood balanced between indignation over the prank and relief that Ron hadn’t created another monster with his weird habit. At last relief won out, and with it came a rush of hilarity as the tension drained away. Kim smiled wryly and shook her head with a chuckle.
   “Ok, you got me,” Kim said.
   “So, looks like it’s one of those days for both of us then; nothin’ but a big waste a time all around. I suppose, since I’m your shit-storm I really should do somethin’ to make it up to you,” Corscan paused for a moment, then gave Kim a conspiratorial smile while raising an eyebrow invitingly. “Wanna see mine?”
   “What do you mean?” Kim asked curiously.
   “The project we’re working on that’s been giving me my headache today, you wanna see it?” Corscan responded.
   “Ummm… ok. What is it anyway?”
   “Now now; that would spoil the surprise.” Corscan replied with a teasing smile. “Come on, walk with me.”
   Corscan pushed off her desk and headed for the door, and after a glance at one another Kim and Ron fell in with her as she went.
   “So, tell me the story while we go…” Corscan asked.
   Corscan led Kim and Ron through the corridors of the complex with the teens walking alongside her while Ms. Li followed three steps behind and to the left, working on her PDA intently. As they went, they found themselves telling Corscan the story of how a few idle comments from Ron had inspired Señor Senior Senior to try taking over the world in his spare time. Despite the fact that both Ron and Kim had their issues over the incident, they found themselves relaxed and laughing as Corscan’s infectious easygoing manner affected them.
   Soon they found themselves crossing an enclosed third floor walkway connecting the main complex to the warehouse structure next to it. Reaching the heavy metal door on the far side, the group stopped while Corscan quickly punched a long sequence of numbers into the keypad lock next to it. With a deep metallic “thunk” the door opened an inch or so as Corscan finished entering the sequence, and a moment later she pulled it open so the group could enter one by one.
   The area beyond seemed to be a single cavernous room that must have been at least three times bigger than a football field. The door opened up onto a fifteen-foot wide metal grillwork balcony with a high railing at its edge. The balcony went around the entire length of the building, with several sets of stairs leading down to floor level at various intervals along it’s sprawling length. In addition, every two hundred feet there was a remote camera mounted to the railing that was trained on the floor below.
   Moving to the railing with Corscan, Kim and Ron looked down at the floor level, which appeared to be below ground level, as its surface was about thirty feet below them. Directly underneath them was what appeared to be a staging area that went about fifteen feet into the open area, and was marked off by a wall of heavy crash netting that separated it from the much larger space beyond. This wall of crash netting also continued along the length of the balcony, attached to its edge and separating the open area from the space underneath it. The crash netting was also attached to the floor so that it gently angled out into the open area, and though it was tightly secured at top and base, it had a good deal of slack in the middle of it.
   The greater open area was a single length of smooth concrete that was painted with several long, curved track lanes around its outer edge, and four straight run lanes up the center. The staging area had partition walls dividing it into many separate areas that looked like offices, research labs, work areas, and parts storage rooms, but the biggest area was right below where Kim and Ron now stood; a two hundred foot long open “room” that looked like a high-tech garage and machine shop. In this open area were four “bays” that had what looked like long, strangely shaped motorcycles in the center of each of them, every vehicle designed a little differently from the others.
   Looking closer, the teens saw that three of the machines were resting on some kind of supporting framework, but the fourth machine, which also had several technicians and mechanics working on it, seemed to be hanging unsupported in mid-air several feet above the framework underneath it. This appearance was confirmed a moment later when a tech swung the rear end several feet to the left just by putting his hand on it and pushing with what looked like little effort.
   “Man that would be so cool if it wasn’t going to—hey, wait a minute! It’s not going to hurt us! Ok then, that is one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen! You’ve got working hover-bikes?” Ron said with excitement.
   “Well, I wouldn’t exactly call them workin’.” Corscan answered dryly. “More like… functional.”
   “The problem is the power requirement in relation to the antigrav an’ propulsion units. So far we’ve come up with power sources that either last for about fifteen minutes before bein’ drained, last for over twelve hours… an’ put out enough radiation to hospitalize anyone using it for more than twenty minutes tops, an’ really, really long extension cords. Any way you slice it, until we figure out a way power them efficiently, all we have are some of the most expensive toys in the world.” Corscan explained.
   “Awww…” Ron and Rufus both said in unison.
   “Well, fifteen minutes is better than nothin’ at least, an’ they are really fun toys…” Corscan smiled and added; “Wanna try one?”
   “Really?” Ron said, his eyes widening in disbelief.
   “Sure. My people are getting ready to test the calibration on the last machine to make sure they’ve properly reset it for the short duration cells anyway. Why not you instead of a tech that’s run the course so many times its boring now?” Corscan answered.
   “That totally rocks! I’d love to try out one of those things!” Ron declared.
   “I don’t know Ron…” Kim broke in.
   “Awww come on Kim, she offered. Please?” Ron said plaintively.
   “Yeah, come on Kim, I offered.” Corscan said with a playful pout.
   Shaking her head in disbelief over the situation, Kim said; “Alright Ron, but be careful.”
   “Will do KP.” Ron answered before turning back to Corscan and asking; “So ahhh, what do I just go down there or something?”
   Corscan turned to Kim and asked; “Do you wanna take a ride on one too?”
   Kim shook her head and answered; “No, thanks anyway. I think I’ll just watch Ron for now.”
   “Alright then,” Corscan answered.
   Glancing behind her Corscan said; “Hui?” and Ms. Li stepped towards Ron. Looking to Ron Corscan continued; “Hui will take you down to the main floor an’ let everyone know what’s going on; just follow her.”
   “Alright Corscan, and thanks a lot! This is gonna be way cool!” Ron gushed before turning and heading off with Ms. Li.
   Turning back to Kim, Corscan asked; “Do you want to watch things from up here, or would you like to go to the monitorin’ room an’ watch through the observation cameras?”
   “I think I’ll stay up here if that’s ok. Ummm, I really don’t want to question you or anything, but are you sure this is a good idea?”
   “Don’t worry Kim, there’s almost no way your friend can hurt himself out there. The bike will be locked at a top speed of twenty miles an hour an’ the onboard computer has a variety of failsafe programs built into it to deal with someone losin’ control if they do.”
   “Ahhh, actually I was thinking more along the lines of Ron breaking something that I’m sure costs way more than what we’ve already cost you so far.” Kim said.
   Corscan laughed and answered; “Well, I won’t say they’re idiot-proof, but the bikes are designed to be as easy to use as a motorcycle, more or less, so I don’t really see how he could possibly break anythin’ as long as he’s careful.”
   “You don’t know Ron,” Kim said ruefully. “If there’s a way to break it, he’ll find it.”
   “Well, let’s just call it a field test then. If he can find a way to break it, that’s somethin’ we need to know about, right?”
   “Ok then.” Kim was silent for a few moments before she continued. “Corscan, I don’t want to sound ungrateful, but would you please tell me why you’ve been helping us?”
   Corscan raised an eyebrow and smiled playfully as she answered; “What, a girl can’t do somethin’ nice for someone without havin’ an agenda? Never would have expected such a sexist attitude from the great Kim Possible…”
   Kim knew Corscan was teasing her; her entire attitude and tone made it plain she was playing, but still, as much as she tried, she couldn’t help blushing and turning away at the comment. She’d come here for all the right reasons, but it didn’t change the fact that those reasons weren’t very nice ones, and Kim was having problems dealing with the way this woman had known the entire visit was about those reservations, and how she seemed more amused and playful over it than anything else.
   “Sorry.” Kim said, even though she didn’t really know why she was apologizing.
   “S’ok. Everyone can’t be as enlightened as I am after all…”
   Kim snorted and shook her head with an amused smile. It sounded like something Bonnie might say, except it was obviously meant entirely in fun, without even a hint of the seriousness it would have had if Bonnie had been the one saying it. Still, despite the amusement, Kim didn’t miss the fact that Corscan hadn’t really answered the question during the exchange, just deflected it.
   Kim spent the next few minutes standing in silence with Corscan as they both watched Ms. Li led Ron downstairs and into the staging area. Once there Ron had a short chat with a technician who looked to be explaining the controls to him while a mechanic brought over a set of protective pads and a helmet for him to wear while riding the hover-bike. A few minutes more and the techs opened up the crash netting so Ron could cautiously slide the machine out into the main area. After the netting was closed behind him, Ron got on the bike and began slowly pulling out into the big room, uncharacteristically careful as he got a feel for the controls.
   As Kim and Corscan watched Ron begin to drive the floating vehicle around the area, Corscan broke the silence without preamble or looking at Kim.
   “You’re not buying it, are you?”
   Kim knew exactly what Corscan was talking about, and for some reason, she decided to throw caution to the wind and answer Corscan with the same candor the woman had been showing her.
   “Nope.” Simple. Direct.
   “Because there’s no way someone does somethin’ like this without a reason, an’ I haven’t really told you mine, right?”
   “Yep.”
   “An’ you’re not goin’ to leave here happy unless you get a straight answer out of me, are you?”
   “Nope.”
   “An’ you know that Ron’s down there havin’ the time of his life on a quarter-billion dollars worth of experimental hardware just so I can talk to you alone, right?”
   “Yep.”
   “Well then, I’ve never been one to leave a girl unsatisfied, so…” Corscan smiled as she turned to look at Kim, and her eyes met the girl’s with a bright intensity as she finished; “it’s really simple Kim; I want to fight you.”
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Revelations of Destiny