"Video cameras?"

"Check."

"Motion detectors?"

"Check."

"Emergency generator?"

"Check."

"TV and DVD player?"

"Check."

"DVD message?"

"Check."

"No less than six locks on each door, including your bedroom?"

"Check."

"Stocked fridge?"

"Check."

"Okay then," Kim said, as she and Ron entered the back room of the basement apartment they had set up as a base of operations to deal with Kim's other self. It had taken a little finessing by Wade, but they had managed to get a three bedroom apartment. One bedroom had been set up for Kim, one for Ron, and the third was designed for one particular purpose.

The bedroom was tiled and lit with fluorescent lighting. A large desk off to one side held a computer, and a small filing cabinet. The center of the room was taken up by a large mahogany chair. Leather harnesses and buckles hung from the sides of the chair. Leather cuffs surrounded the front legs, and the armrests. A keypad with unmarked keys was installed at the end of the right hand armrest.

On a small stand in front of the chair was a TV with a DVD player attached to it. Ron turned both on and slid the DVD into the player, as Kim sat down in the chair and began buckling herself in.

"Now, whatever you do, do not let her out unless she agrees to the rules." she said as she buckled the straps around her ankles.

"Right, KP," Ron said. "Um, and what if she does agree to the rules?"

"Let her out then and give her this." Kim sat up and took the Kimmunicator off her wrist. She tossed it to Ron. "Make sure she has this on. And then, get ahold of Wade and make sure he keeps tabs on where she goes. Whatever you do though, don't mess with her."

"You sure? I mean, I could follow her and make sure she doesn't, y'know...DO anything." Ron said uncomfortably. Kim noted the tone in his voice and looked up at him.

"This is about Rule Six, isn't it?" she asked softly. Ron blushed and nodded.

Kim smiled ruefully. "Come here."

Ron knelt down next to Kim, who took his face in her hands and brought it close to her own. "Ron, at this point, we're two different people. What she does has nothing to do with how I feel about you, understand? And if I give a little on that, then she might be easier to deal with, rather than telling her she can't do anything at all."

Ron nodded. "But I was hoping that you and me...we could..." Ron's face turned a deep crimson and he began hyperventalting. Kim pulled his face close and kissed him deeply. When they seperated, Kim smiled wickedly at Ron.

"Once this is all over, Ron, I promise you, it will be SO worth it." she said. Ron smiled, and turned yet another shade of red. Kim grinned and leansed back, strapping the harness across her chest. She slid her left hand into the left cuff, and her right hand into the right cuff. Suddenly, her head snapped up and she looked at Ron.

"I can feel her coming. You ready?" she asked. She tapped several of the keys on the keypad under her right hand. When she finished, the cuffs on the arms of the chair strapped her wrists to the arms.

Ron stood back up and stepped back to the TV, picking up the remote control. "As ready as I'll ever be."

"I love you."

"I love you too, KP."

"Good luck, Ron."

"Good night, Kim."

Green eyes closed. Purple eyes opened.

The woman who had taken Kim's place looked around slowly, taking in her surroundings, the restraints keeping her in the chair, and then at Ron standing in front of her. Her lips parted in a slow, wicked smile.

"You and Kimmie decided to jump past the vanilla sex and right into the kinky stuff? Boy, the shine must be wearing off the relationship at a pretty fair clip."

Ron frowned, and tried to keep from blushing. "Kim has a message for you."

The woman's grin widened. "Does she now, ACTually? And the hardcore bondage gear is here because...?"

"To make sure you pay attention, first of all." Ron answered. "Because I'm not letting you out until you hear what Kim has to say."

The woman leanded back in her chair with a petualnt sigh. "All right. Let's hear what Princess Perfect has on her so-called mind."

Ron held up the DVD remote from the TV stand and pressed a button. The blue screen on the TV flickered then resolved into a picture of Kim sitting in the chair, unrestrained.

"Hello." Kim said. "Obviously I can't see you, but I know you're listening, especially since we set this up so you aren't going anywhere until you've heard this message."

"Oh for God's sake, just get to the point already." The woman said, rolling her eyes. "God, talk talk talk. No wonder she drives Shego nuts."

Kim on the screen continued. "Clearly, we're going to need some ground rules if this is going to work for both of us. I've come up with those ground rules. If you agree with these rules, Ron will release you from the chair. If not, he will record your counterproposal, and you will remain in the chair until the next change happens and I can review it. We wil continue this way until the rules are established to our mutual satisfaction.

"Now, onto the rules:

"Rule One: My family, Ron, his family, Wade, his family and Monique and her family are all off limits. This is strictly between us and there's no need to involve them. You leave them alone, and I will keep your existence a secret from them.

"Rule Two: No killing. From what I've seen, hurting people doesn't bother you, so I doubt killing will either. If you kill someone, anyone, I will turn myself in and make it clear to the authorities about what has been happening."

"Oh SURE," the woman replied to the screen. "Just take ALL the fun out of everything."

"Rule Three:" Kim said. "We both keep the Kimmunicator on our person or in our general vicinity at all times. It will record our activity and be uploaded into the computer on your left every twelve hours. You will have access to what I'm doing, and I will have acess to what you're doing. If the footage shows you've been complying with the rules, I'm willing to negotiate blocks of time without surveillance.

"Rule Four: As it seems one of us is awake while the other sleeps, I propose working out a schedule for what times of day we both agree to go to sleep to allow the other to be in control. Leave your proposed times on the Kimmunicator. However, if I am on a mission when a change is scheduled to occur, then obviously it can't happen. If that is the case, then any time that you are shorted on will be returned to you later, and I will even agree to make this lost time surveillance free."

"My God, she actually IS trying to be fair about this, isn't she?" the woman laughed. "She is SUCH a Pollyanna."

"However," Kim continued. "If I am knocked out during a mission and it proves to be enough to allow you to take control, you will follow Ron's instructions and comply with the other rules to bring the mission to a successful conclusion, at which point you may continue with whatever plans you have, with the lost time due to mission completion refunded to you.

"Rule Five: No drugs, no cigarettes. I am willing to concede alcohol, provided it doesn't go to excess. When you've decided on a name, Wade is ready to provide you with identification. From what I've been told and from the video I've seen, it shouldn't be too hard for you to convince people you're 21.

"Finally, Rule Six..." Kim paused, as if she was steeling herself for this one. "Sex."

The woman in the chair perked up and leaned forward. "Really?" she murmured.

"I'm not stupid." Kim said, "I'm reasonably certain that you're going to have sex when you're in control, sooner or later. There's three boxes of condoms in the bathroom. Each condom in each box is numbered. If you decide to have sex, use them in order. I want to know how often it's happening. If you need more, leave a note. I'll get more. If you don't use them, I will know.

Kim sighed and shifted in the chair. "Now, if, after an agreement on the rules is met, you violate any of them, you will be punished. Most likely by being restrained in the chair during your times in control.But, there may be other, more...severe methods used."

"Oh, gee whiz, Mom, do ya have to be so strict?" the woman said in a whiny voice. She looked at Ron. "She really doesn't trust me, does she?"

"No, I don't." came Kim's voice from the TV. The woman looked sharply at the screen.

"I figure you've just made some comment about me not trusting you. And you're right. I don't." Kim said, "But, since we appear to be stuck with each other, I would rather we are able to work with each other, rather than fighting.

"Now," Kim continued. "Let's talk about what's in this for you."

"FINALLY! The good stuff!" The woman leaned forward again as far as she was able to.

"I've decided to let you choose your own name. Once that's done, as I mentioned, Wade will provide you with identification. Legitimate identification. Driver's license, social security card, the works. You're also welcome to the car. The key to this apartment is the square one on the keychain. You can come and go as you please. There are cameras and motion detectors set up throughout the apartment. They stay on all the time. This is non-negotiable and for your protection as much as mine."

At this point, Ron went over to the desk and opened a drawer, pulling out an envelope. He held it up as Kim went on.

"Ron is now showing you an envelope. There's approximately 1500 dollars in there for you, taken from my college fund. I will provide another 200 dollars per week for you, once again, provided you follow the rules."

Ron opened the envelope and showed the woman the wad of bills. He put them back in the envelope and set it on the desk. He then pointed back at the screen.

"These are my terms. As I said, I am open to negotiation if you do not accept. I should point out though, that Ron will not release you from the chair until the rules are agreed on. I believe I've been more than fair in creating these rules so that we both can have some semblance of a normal life, split though it may be. I strongly urge you to consider accepting. Good luck."

The DVD ended, and Ron switched off the TV. The woman looked up at him slowly.

"So," she said, "Those are the rules, huh?"

"Yes," Ron replied. "Those are the rules."

The wicked grin returned. "You really think you can take me if I say I agree, then change my mind once I'm out of the chair?"

"I've...been through some changes recently." Ron replied.

"Oh, I know." the woman replied. "I still don't think you can take me. I could rip your spine out through your nostrils, if I felt like it."

Ron frowned. "Do you accept the rules, or not?"

"Let me out of the chair, and I will."

"Accept the rules and I'll let you out."

"Release me first."

"Not part of the deal. You accept the rules and you get out. That's the deal." Ron said, firmly.

"LET ME OUT OF THE GOD DAMN CHAIR!"

The woman's face twisted into a mask of rage and anger, and she let out a loud inhuman roar that caused Ron to jump back in surprise. He fought down the raw primal terror that had been triggered in his brain, and walked back to the woman and knelt down in front of her, meeting her gaze.

"No." he said, quietly. "You can scream and howl all you want, but unless you accept the rules, you aren't going anywhere. Deal with it."

The two held the gaze for a full minute before the woman leaned back and smiled again. "Well, maybe you aren't a spinless wimp after all. Okay, Ronnie, you and Kimmie have a deal. The rules are fair, and I can live with them."

"Good." Ron came forward and leaned over the keypad. He paused and looked up at the woman, who was glancing at the keypad. "Look up."

She snorted amudsedly, and looked pointedly at Ron's crotch. Ron blushed.

"Higher please." he said.

"Oh, you're no fun at all." the woman replied, pointing her gaze at the ceiling. Ron inputed the code into the pad. The cuffs loosened and he backed away from the chair. The woman looke dstraight at him as she slid her hands free and began undoing the restraints. She stood up slowly and began walking towards Ron.

"Okay, Ronnie, now a little friendly advice," she said sweetly. "As long as the power is flowing to this apartment, and as long as Kimmie can see us, you're okay. But I don't like being talked to in that tone of voice. So..."

The woman's hand shot out faster than Ron could see and yuanked himclose. ROn sucked in his breath as he felt the strength in the arm that held him, and as he saw the madness lstaring at him out of those weird violet eyes.

She continued speaking. "You better hope the power never goes out here. If the lights go out, and Kimmie can't see us...the lights are going out for you. Understand?"

Ron swallowed. "Yeah...I got it."

Her expression brightened. "Good! Gonna go watch TV for a while before I go out. Bring me something to drink will you? Thanks."

She picked up the envelope of cash from the desk and pocketed it before leaving the room. Ron let the air out of his lungs and turned to move the TV and DVD player. As he turned, the woman appeared in front of him, her face having changed into a mask of murderous hate and rage again. She let out another inhuman roar and Ron leaped a full three feet in the air.

Her face returned to normal and she smiled again. "Gotcha!"

--

It was about two hours later, and Ron was finally relaxing. Kim's alter-ego had departed, and he was getting ready to leave the apartment and go back to his house.

He honestly didn't know what to do. Kim seemed to think that sharing the time with her other self was the best solution, but he wasn't so sure. And he didn't trust the other one. She was too wild, too mean, and definitely worse than Kim with no morals.

They needed to find a cure, and fast. He looked down at Rufus, who was munching on some leftover corn chips. The hairless rodent swallowed an dlooke dup at his owner with a quizzical noise.

"I don't know what to do, buddy. It's not like we can just pound her into submission. And Kim's not around to offer ideas. We need to find a cure, and fast."

He got to his feet and put Rufus in his pocket. "Time to go. Mom's probably freaking out wondering where we are."

As Ron threw the chips away, and was making his way to the apartment door, he heard the familiar four note chime of the Kimmunicator. His eyes widened, and he began quickly looking for the source of the noise, convinced that somehow, Kim darker half had managed to leave without it.

As it turned out, the beeping was coming from the computer in the restraint room. He sat down at the desk and moved the mouse. A window popped open and Wade appeared on the screen.

"Hey, Ron. Is Kim there?" he wasked.

Ron shook his head. "She changed. The other one just left."

Wade nodded. "Well, I managed to get Lord Utterson on the line, want me to patch him through?"

Ron considered for a moment. "Put him through, Wade. The sooner we get some answers the sooner we can find a cure for Kim."

Wade tapped a few keys and his image was replaced with the English nobleman's.

"Ah, Mr. Stoppable. So good to hear from you again. How are you and Miss Possible?"

"Um, I'm doing fine, your Lordship...and so is Kim." Ron answered, uncomfortably.

"Excellent, excellent." Lord Utterson replied. "Now then, Mr. Load informs me that Miss Possible had some questions for me concering the issue you recently helped me with?"

"Umm yeah. Kim's not available right now, Lord Utterson, but she asked me to ask you those questions, if it's okay?"

"Capital, dear boy. Fire away."

"Well, it was pretty much just one question, if you don't mind us asking, but what was in that journal you asked us to retrieve?"

Lord Utterson frowned, suspicion registering on his features. "Why exactly do you want to know that, Mr. Stoppable? Has something happened?"

"No no, nothing major!" Ron said quickly, "We just think that, whatever formula was in the journal, DNAmy may have synthesized some of it before we got there. We're pretty sure it was all destroyed, but we thought we'd better be on the safe side just in case it turns up somewhere. You know, have the antidote ready or something."

Lord Utterson's expression turned grim. "Mr. Stoppable, I want to make this very clear to you. If there IS some of that formula out there, you MUST find it and destroy it immediately. It is far too dangerous to be allowed to exist."

"How dangerous?" Ron asked.

There was an awkward pause as Lord Utterson collected his thoughts. "Tell me, Mr. Stoppable, are you familiar with the works of Robert Louis Stevenson?"

"What? Treasure Island and all that? Yeah, I tried reading it but I couldn't really get into it. I mean, why DID they call himn Long John Silver if he only had one leg?"

Lord Utterson cleared his throat, interrupting Ron's ramble. "Sorry," Ron said, "Go on?"

"Are you familiar with The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde?"

"I...saw the movie?" Ron said, before coughing in embarassment.

"That will do for the purposes of our discussion." Lord Utterson said. "What most people don't realize is that the story is based on actual events. My great-grandfather was the personal solicitor of the man who wrote that notebook.

"Mr. Stoppable, that notebook contained the only set of notes concerning the infamous experiments of Dr. Henry Jekyll."

Ron sat at the desk, stunned. After a moment he opened his mouth. "In the movie, didn't Mr. Hyde eventually...?"

"Yes, Mr. Stoppable, he did. And, as in the films and the novel, Dr. Jekyll died as Mr. Hyde, who, by that point, had taken complete control. And, like in the novel, Dr. Jekyll never found an antidote for his formula. My great-grandfather took it upon himself to ensure that his experiments would never be duplicated. I truly wish now, we had destroyed the notebook long before now."

"So you're absolute sure there's no antidote? Not even some sort of half formula he put together?" Ron asked, trying to keep the panic out of his voice.

"No, Mr. Stoppable. In fact, we tried a few times to create an antidote,. All our attempts ended in failure." Lord Utterson answered. "Which is why, once again, I must impress upon you to make it clear to Miss Possible that if any of that formula has been synthesized, it must be found and destroyed. The 19th Century wasn't ready for Hyde's brand of evil, and I fear that the 21st century is just as ill-prepared."

Ron's expression now mirrored that of the nobleman's. "Don't worry, Lord Utterson. Like I said, we're pretty sure it all was destroyed in the lab explosion. And if any of it survived, we'll make sure it's destroyed."

Lord Utterosn's face relaxed. "Thank you very much, Mr. Stoppable. It's good to know you both run such a thorough service. Anything else I can help you with?"

"No, I think that's everything. I'll let Kim know. Thanks for your time." Ron replied.

"Glad to be of service. Have a good evening, Mr. Stoppable."

"You too, Lord Utterson. Good-bye."

"Good-bye."

Lord Utterson disappeared from the screen and Wade reappeared. Ron looked at him, the serious expression now replaced by one of panic.

"Did you hear that, Wade?" he asked.

Wade nodded. "I'm tracking her now. She's at the mall. Doesn't appear to be doing much but browsing."

"Okay, um...you can run a scan on her, right?"

"Already done. I'm analyzing it now. It's doing it without her knowing about it that's going to be the tricky part." Wade answered. "Look, go home, relax, and get some sleep. We can let Kim know what's happening in the morning."

Ron sighed. "All right. God, I hope we still have time."

"We'll make time." Wade said. "I'll work on finding an antidote, you just keep and eye on both of them."

"Right. G'night, Wade."

"Night, Ron."

Wade signed off. Ron slumped in the chair, reached down into his pocket, and held up Rufus.

"There's no other way to say this, buddy, but I think we're in some deep shit this time."

"Uh HUH." Rufus agreed.

Ron then proceeded to have his customary bad news freakout.

---

Across town, the woman who had been Kim Possible was browsing through a bookstore. She had been trying to think of a name, and really wanted something special. She passed over the names in the fiction, myster, and fantasy/sci-fi sections, dismissing them as too plain, too trite, or just plain too stupid.

She was in the Classics section now, and was perusing the offerings there. As she passed her eyes over the titles, she picked up a copy of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde. She pondered the title for a few moments, then put the book back on the shelf.

"Nah," she said, "Edwina Hyde sounds TOO old fashioned...and just plain ugly" She left Classis and went to the other side of the shelf, where the Mythology books rested. She didn't expect to find much, but then she spotted a copy of L'Morte du Arthur.

Intrigued, she picked up the book and skimmed through it. She stopped as she got to a section discussing Mordred and the circumstances of his birth. As she read, she spotted a name that held her interest.

Oooh! A little tweaking and rearranging...yes, that will do quite nicely, she thought. She put the book back on the shelf and made her way back tot he mall. She had to make som purchases for the surprise she had in mind for Kimmie.

---

Kim's eyes snapped open as she felt the pressure of her own weight pulling down on her spine. She also felt coarse hemp around her throat that was constricting rapidly. She felt something in her right hand and brought it up to her rapidly darkening field of vision.

It was a sharp serrated kitchen knife. Kim quickly grabbed the rope with her free hand and pulled, giving herslef some slack, which she quickly used the knife to saw through the rope. The rope snapped and Kim fell to the floor, ripping the noose off her head an coughing loudly, triny not to force too much air into her lungs too fast.

Eventually, her vision cleared, and the lightheadedness left her. But she elected to lay on the floor for a little while, until she felt able to sit up. As she cast her eyes around the ceiling, she realized she was in her bedroom in the apartment. The rope she had been hanging from was attached to a large steel hook that had been installed in the ceiling. An overturned chair was lying on the floor next to her.

That little... Kim thought. She must have felt the change coming, then set things up so that I'd end up hanging to death unless I cut the rope. The question is...

She sat up and noticed the icon on the Kimmunicator that indicated a message was waiting. She leaned up against the bed, took a few more breaths to clear her head, and retrieved the message.

Her alter ego appeared on the screen, grinning wickedly.

"Hi there, Kimmie! Now that I have your attention, let's talk about MY rules."

Kim frowned, preparing for the worst.

"Your rules, I have to admit, are pretty fair, so I don't really have a problem with them...except for the one about killing, but, eh, you can't have everything. So, I only have one rule."

The alter's expression changed form bright and open to dark and ominous.

"If you try to cure the changes, I will blow my brains out. You can look for one all you want, but if you try to use one..." Kim's face paled as she saw her darker half hold up a pistol. "KABLAM!

"And make no mistake, Kimmie, I WILL find out." The alter's face returned to an open expression. "Now that that's taken care of, some pleasant news. I found my name! I was in the bookstore and found this,"

The pistol disappeared and was replaced by the copy of L'Morte du Arthur. "I foudn a character I really liked, and after tweaking a few things so it didn't sound so pretentious, I have a name I really like.

"So," she said, her expression turnning predatory, "From now on, you can call me Faye. Faye Morgan. Have a nice day!"

The image disappeared as the screen went dark. Kim stared at the blank screen for a while, mulling over her next move.

So she has a name. Okay then...Faye. Let the games begin.