Chapter 32 Wondering

Back in Daeton, they ate lunch at the inn with the mayor.

"Kinnett has been moved to the hospital," said Mr. Johnson, "He's comatose now. The doctors don't know how long it will last."

At Kim's look, the mayor added, "Don't worry, we'll take good care of him."

Will spoke up, changing the subject. "I want to know how erasing our records and jamming the uplink was done."

The mayor smiled. "This town has protected the Dae since it was founded. And that's all you will get."

Will started to protest, then changed his mind and subsided. He made a mental note to recommend Daeton be put on the watch list. If they had people that good, GJ might benefit in the future.

"Are you all leaving today?" Mr. Johnson asked.

Will nodded, but said nothing.

"Yeah," said Kim, "We need to get back home. Never know when the world might need saving again."

The mayor started to answer when his cell phone rang. He answered it, and listened for a minute. "I see. Thank you," he answered, and hung up. He looked at his guests. "That was a report that the entrance to the city just closed. She said it now looks just like the side of the mountain, and unless you know where it is, you'd have a hard time finding it."

"I had been wondering about that," said Tara. "Is there some way of opening it again?"

"The Dae might know, but I don't," was the answer, and that finished the subject.

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An hour later, Will stood by the car he was taking back to GJ headquarters. He and Team Possible were being left alone, and the town had resumed its normal life.

"Kimberly," said Will, "It was a pleasure seeing you again. I hope we will work together in the future."

"That's a switch," said Kim, giving him a skeptical look.

"Last time you were an amateur," he clarified, "But now you're not. You have a good team."

"Thanks," said Kim, not quite sure she believed it.

Will got into his car, and with a final wave, drove off.

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There was a joyful reunion between Adrena and Yori when they got home to Middleton. Since it was near quitting time anyway, they closed early and went home. The mission had taken more out of all of them then they had thought, even though little action was involved.

Kim had finally decided there was no point to putting out a press release about the mission; the Dae were gone, as were the DaeWatch, and few people known of the Dae's existence anyway.

The presents they had brought back were much appreciated by the support staff.

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Kim was pensive over the next several days, and during lunch Ron finally asked her about it.

"I'm still thinking of L'ao and the Dae, Ron," she answered, "I'm still not sure how I feel about the way they took us out of the fight before it started, and what could have happened to the DaeWatch people."

"Yeah, I've been thinking about it too," he said.

"I mean, were we betrayed? Protected? Tricked somehow? What exactly happened?" she clarified.

"They protected us, Kim-chan," said Yori, coming into the dining area with Adrena, "They did say, more than once, that it was not our fight. Nor was it the business of Global Justice."

"I'm just not happy about it," said Kim.

"I understand," said Yori, "You are used to being in charge and helping people, not being kept on the sidelines when there is danger. But the king was right; you were them most important person in the world to them, and that was a very strong reason to keep you safe."

"Well, I suppose that's true," answered Kim, "And they took to heart the old saying of 'better safe than sorry'." She held up a hand and flipped a mental switch. Nothing happened. Her hand failed to be enveloped with green plasma.

"Huh?" said Kim, sitting straighter and staring at her hand. The other hand joined the first, and she concentrated. Nothing.

"Something wrong, KP?" asked Ron. He was in the kitchen, preparing a chicken salad for her.

"Yeah, the plasma isn't igniting," she said. She concentrated even harder, but it stubbornly refused to flare.

That's weird," said Bonnie, as everyone gathered around Kim.

She tried even harder, but nothing happened.

"Wade!" Kim called out to the room, and the monitor in the corner lit up.

"What's up, Kim?" he asked, looking over from another keyboard and monitor.

"The plasma isn't working," she answered.

Intrigued, he turned to face his camera. "Everyone move away from her; I'm gonna take some readings."

A red beam briefly washed over the green-eyed young woman, and Wade looked at the results. He frowned. "Hm... just from this I can tell something has changed in you. Your body temperature has dropped a few degrees. Do you feel any different?"

"No... not that I can tell. What happened?" she asked.

"I'd say opening the portal drained you," Wade replied.

"Well, am I going to get it back?" asked Kim, putting a hand on her stomach.

"I dunno. Maybe. Why don't you get the crystal, and see if that helps," he said.

"Good idea," she replied, and stood up. "Everyone, I'll be back shortly."

"I'm coming too," said Ron, "I remember what happened when you got Shego's plasma."

"Thanks, Ron. Always have my back," she said, and gave him a kiss.

"And always will, too," he replied, grinning.

"We'll be here if you need us," said Monique, and everyone agreed with her.

Ron and Kim went back to her office and got out the egg-shaped crystal filled with Shego's power. It still looked a bit dimmer than it had; apparently the energy didn't replenish itself after some was transferred to Kim.

She carefully picked it up from its resting place and held it between her hands, but nothing happened. She closed her eyes and tried willing the energy into herself, with no result. After a couple of minutes, she put the crystal down in its case with a sigh.

"Anything?" asked Ron.

She shook her head. "The changes made in me must still be there, because I still have the knowledge on how to use it. But I don't have anything to use. This is ferociously weird!"

She put the crystal's box away while Ron's forehead furrowed in thought. "KP, maybe you won't need it any more."

She blinked at him. "It's been very useful, Ron."

"Yeah, but I still worry about you getting cancer from it," he said, "But anyway, what I meant was that maybe you weren't meant to keep it."

"Maybe, but I don't think this was planned. The portal took all the energy, but maybe it will come back if I don't use it for a while." She looked at her hands. Then she smiled at her fianc . "But that's something we'll find out. In the meantime, we have our lives and our team, and a world to save when it needs it."

Kim took Ron's arm, and side by side they headed back to the dining room.

"I wonder how L'ao and the rest of the Dae are doing," said Tara as they came back into the room with the rest of Team Possible.

"We'll probably never know," said Bonnie.

"Lives cross and diverge, and we can only hope they do well," said Yori, taking Adrena's hand.

There was agreement from all at that.

Life returned to as normal as it gets for Team Possible, but it didn't last. It never did...

The End

Author's Note:

Shego's fate is the last remaining plot, so there will be one more story in this series.

I am very happy to finally finish this, and I hope all those who read it were entertained.