Kim Possible Porn Story: To Bebe or not to Bebe Chapter 6

Chapter 6 : A Lesser vs
A Greater Darkness

Scene : basement of the
Rossum household, where Tina is practicing her martial arts. She
moves into the fluid and flowing stance of San She Quan (Three Snakes
Fist kung fu), arms moving in broad, coiling arcs. She presses her
fingers against each other and slightly curves them, her hands’ shape
imitating that of a snake’s head. With a whipping motion from her
spine, she began rapidly striking the yellow spots on the mannequin
with the tips of her well braced middle fingers. Even the ones on
the legs and ankles, while still maintaining perfect balance.

“It
is fortunate Curly isn’t alive,” Tina
thought to herself as she began hitting the red sequence of
spots,”otherwise he’d REALLY be
complaining about the pain, spasms and paralysis these strikes would
be causing !”

She started the black
series, bobbing and weaving while still striking all spots. Then the
same three sets in the same order using kicks, hitting even the spots
on the neck and head.

After several minutes of
working on the speed and precision drills of cobra form, she changed
her stance slightly to begin the joint-twisting and breaking drills
of her personal favorite : the python forms.

She had only been
practicing for less than a minute before all the lights flared, then
went out, then back on. She heard Nina shriek from upstairs, then
use some Japanese words too foul to be listed in any polite
dictionary.

Taking the stairs three
steps at a time, Tina rushed upstairs to see what had happened. Nina
was sitting on the couch, with her hair blown back, covered in soot,
and holding a still smoking keyboard.

“Are you all right ?”
Tina asked. Nina nodded silently.

Vina tripped rushing down
the stairs, but recovered her balance before she hurt herself.

“What just happened
?” she asked.

“HE SPIKED ME !”
Nina answered in a cold rage, “THAT VINDICTIVE LITTLE TOAD
SPIKED ME !”

Tina and Vina looked at
each other as they tried to figure out who ‘that vindictive little
toad’ was. “You mean Wade ? What did you do to offend him
this time ?” Tina
asked.

“I competently
defended myself that’s what !” Nina replied, “I thought he
might try something once he got his computers back, so I put out some
traps. He fell into them, and then spiked me ! The boy does NOT
take a hint ! After the Feds confiscate their stuff, most rational
people would develop the common sense to leave me alone ! What would
he do to a girlfriend if she dared say ‘no’ to him ?!”

“Hmmm – he’d probably
employ some sort of emotional control device on her to ensure she
wouldn’t, most likely.” Vina replied after a few moments’
thought before heading off to the bathroom to get a damp cloth for
Nina.

“But,
that was a rhetorical question !” Nina
muttered to herself, slightly boggled.

“So, what exactly
happened this time ?” Tina asked, breaking Nina out of her
confused state.

“Oh, right ! Someone
hacked into my accounts at the space center,” Nina began, “but
I didn’t know who – they left no trail to follow. Someone had also
hacked into my net-surfing computer and tried to plant a spybot.
Again, they left no trail, so I didn’t know who did it. Or even if
it was the same person that hacked into my space center account.

However, both the Hansel
and Gretel files had been copied. If the same person copied both
programs, then they would be on the receiving end of poetic justice
by having their system fully open to me.

You can imagine my
surprise when H and G told me whose computer they had taken over !”
Nina finished as she took the damp cloth Vina brought her.

After wiping her face and
smoothing her hair back down, Nina continued “I knew that Wade
would figure out something was up very quickly, so I had to act fast.
So I rummaged through as many files on his hard drive as I could
BEFORE HE SPIKED ME !”

“Did you at least get
to find anything useful ?” Vina asked.

“I checked his system
for any mention of ‘Yamanouchi’. There was one, but not in reference
to Hirotaka ! It seems Wade had once performed a background check on
some girl named Yori for some reason. She also attended Yamanouchi.”

“Golly ! So Kim IS
in the habit of requesting background checks on random people !
Freaky !” Vina squeaked in reply.

“Yes, indeed. But
the odd thing was that Yori had no school records DESPITE the fact
that she attended school. From the looks of it, Wade had to access
secret school files to discover anything at all.”

“It appears that we
are not the only ones with a plot in the works then, sister.”
Tina noted sagely, “Why would a secret school exchange students
with an average public school, unless they were up to something ?
And why would it involve Ronald ?”

“Oh great !”
Vina cried, “So not only must we keep an eye on Team Possible so
they they don’t kill us, PLUS keep up our cover stories so OTHER folk
won’t discover our secret and kill us, but NOW we have to worry about
what an unknown group with unknown motives and unknown capabilities –
with some interest in Kim’s best friend Ron – is up to ! What do we
do now ?!”

Nina thinks for a moment.
“Continue on as before, but keep our eyes open for any
additional weirdness. If the folk at Yamanouchi wish to influence
events instead of merely observe
them, they must reveal their hand sooner or later.”

“Did you at least
find out where Yamanouchi is ?” Tina asked, “Or what was so
special about Yori that Kim felt it necessary to do a background
check on her ?”

“No. All I was able
to find out was what I told you BEFORE MY KEYBOARD CAUGHT ON FIRE !”
Nina replied, gesturing wildly.

“Wait – the only way
you could’ve gotten into Wade’s systems was if he was in ours first
and caught your defensive computer virus!” Vina noted anxiously,
“Did he find out about OUR mission ?”

“No. I keep nothing
about our mission on any net accessible computer.” Nina replied
coldly, “Even Wade can’t hack into a system not ON the net.

As far as he can know, I’m
just a competent computer programmer with the temerity to fight
back.”

She paused briefly before
grinning maniacally, “But I have not yet begun to fight back !
If he thinks his tech and computer programming skills will avail him
against the line taps, splices, signal intercepts and tech mites I
can inflict upon him …”

“Nina, please. No.”
Tina stated, “Fighting back is an action. Actions beget
reactions. ANY response you make will only provoke him further. We
don’t need that sort of attention. So please – break the cycle.
Allow the waters to grow still once more. As Sifu said : ‘The
softest things in the world overcome the hardest things in the world.
Through this I know the advantage of taking no action.’ “

“What ARE you talking
about ?” Nina fumed, “Waters growing still and taking no
action ? More of your koans ?! Are you actually suggesting that I
do … Nothing ?! Just let him get away with this ?!” she
continued, shaking the still smoking keyboard in front of Tina’s
face.

Tina sighs. “Yes.
Once you’ve disturbed a hornet’s nest, swatting at them only makes
them angrier. Tell me – does this feud further our actual mission ?
Is such behavior logical ?”

Nina was still and silent
a few moments before growling “No. But spiking me for defending
myself is NOT rational ! Doing nothing to correct such uncouth
behaviour seems too much like rewarding it !”

“I know this can’t be
easy for you Nina,” Vina states, “but I agree with Tina. I
think fighting back isn’t the best strategy at the moment. You are
laboring under the false premise that humans are rational. Even THEY
know they aren’t ! As Dale Carnegie noted : ‘When dealing with
people, remember you are not dealing with creatures of logic, but
with creatures of emotion, creatures bristling with prejudice, and
motivated by pride and vanity.’
Wade prides himself on his computer
skills; your resistance dented his ego. Thus he had to do something
to reinforce his high opinion of himself. I’m sure that once Wade
has reasserted his ‘dominance’ and ‘superiority’ over you,” she
continued, using air quotes as needed, “he should leave you
alone, and we can continue our mission unaccosted.

So, your choices are : to
simply let it go. Or you can keep it up, and probably face something
much worse than a power spike the next time !”

Nina flinched slightly,
recalling that Wade had trapped other humans
inside a LETHAL laser grid for spiking him. And they were defending
themselves against his illegal trace !

Nina stood there as she
tried to think, looking like she’d swallowed a whole lemon,
repeatedly clenching and unclenching her fists while her sisters
looked at her expectantly.

“Oh, very well !”
Nina finally conceded before raising one hand. “I swear that I
shall NOT rain unholy vengeance down upon his nerdish head. No
matter how justified such an act may be.” she stated before
gesturing what looked like a triangle inside of a circle then a sine
wave. “Happy now ?”

Tina raised an eyebrow.
“Uhm, yeah, I guess so. What was that gesture ?”

“Oh, that.” Nina
replied dismissively, “I have observed that the humans, when
swearing they fully intend to do something, invoke the symbol of
their gods to demonstrate that they are sincere. As we have no gods
to swear to, I just threw something together. We are three working
as one, while the sine wave symbolizes electricity, sound, or other
cyclical phenomenon that we embody and employ.”

“Oh… kay.”
Tina noted before continuing with a faint smile, “Gesturing is a
human tendency, Nina. Have you been picking up their quirks when we
weren’t looking ?”

Nina merely glared at her
for a few moments, while Tina just smirked back.

“My oh my, it’s
gotten so tense in here !” Vina piped up after an uncomfortably
long silence, “How about we go out to unwind ? It’s karaoke
night at that new bistro at the mall !” she finished in a
sing-song tone.

A faint smile flickered
across Nina’s face. “That would be nice. Thank you. Give me a
few minutes to clean up first.”

Scene : a small club at
the Middleton Mall, across the foyer from the movie theatres, which
are just letting out.

“They call that an
action movie ?!” Ron groused to Kim, “We do riskier things
at least once a week !”

“That’s an
unfortunate side effect of all the world-saving we do, Ron.” Kim
replied, “Real ninjas probably feel the same way about kung fu
movies.”

“Well, I’d guess so.
And we actually know a few we can ask.” Ron answered before
noticing the off-key singing coming from somewhere in the mall.

“When they did they
start having karaoke night ?” Kim asked.

“WHY did they start
having karaoke night ?” Ron replied as the enthusiastic singer
hit his last off key note and left the stage.

“Hey Ron ! Look who
else is there !” Kim stated, pointing to a table near the front
of the club while ducking for cover behind a column.

“That’s Vina and her
sisters !” Ron noted, “Wait, I thought karaoke was singing,
not playing a musical instrument ?”

“It doesn’t look like
she brought that shape-shifting guitar thing with her this time.”
Kim noted as she watched the Rossums.

Then Nina got up and
walked onto the stage, took the mic, and waited for the music to
start.

Kim and Ron cringed with
anticipation as Styx’s “Come Sail Away” started, and Nina
began to sing :

“I’m
sailing away, set an open course for the virgin sea

I’ve got to be free,
free to face the life that’s ahead of me

On board, I’m the
captain, so climb aboard

We’ll search for
tomorrow on every shore

And I’ll try, oh Lord,
I’ll try to carry on …”

“Wow ! She’s got a
great voice KP !” Ron noted.

“Yeah, but she’s just
… standing there !” Kim noted, “Most people gesture. Or
move to the music. Or something.”

“Not everyone has as
much stage presence as you do KP.” Ron noted while observing the
antics of Nina’s sisters as they tried to encourage her.

“Thanks Ron. But I
would’ve expected at least SOME stage presence ! Being that still is
just, well, weird !”

Once Nina finished
singing, she headed back to her table to the lukewarm applause from
most of the audience; Vina was whistling, clapping and cheering much
more enthusiastically.

After the karaoke contest
was over – and someone else had won – both Vina and Tina headed off
deeper into the mall. Vina turned left, while Tina turned right to
take the stairs.

“You have a pretty
good voice,” Kim stated as she and Ron headed over to sit at a
table next to Nina, “but you could really use some work on your
stage presence.”

“I sing for my
pleasure, not business.” Nina stated in a condescending tone,
“If I worried and fretted about doing it ‘properly’, it wouldn’t
be fun anymore.

So, you must be the
illustrious Kim Possible and Ronald Stoppable I have heard so much
about. Are you two stalking us or something ?”

“Certainly not !”
Kim replied huffily, “The movie let out and we heard you
singing, and decided to be sociable !”

Nina glanced down the
hallway towards the multiplex theatre and noted the open doors and
the few people still milling about. “Well,
that IS a plausible explanation.
But that doesn’t mean that she and her informal, infernal team may
not as yet be up to something …” she
noted to herself as she took a sip from her wine glass. As an
android, she doesn’t have human biochemistry; she can derive
electrical power from the degradation of any organic substance, but
nothing else. Alcohol can’t make her drunk, caffeine can’t make her
hyper, and not even chocolate or ice cream can improve her mood or
relieve her stress levels. For that, she and her sisters require a
focusing hobby. Vina has her music, Tina has her martial arts, and
Nina – for some unfathomable reason – has karaoke.

“Your efforts at
socialization are acknowledged and appreciated, if not entirely
understood.” Nina stated while raising her glass to Kim and Ron,
“I was under the impression that you suspected us of some sort
of nefarious scheme. Has that opinion recently changed ?”

“Not really.”
Kim replied icily, “My intuition tells me that you and your
sisters are up to something. I just don’t know WHAT. Yet. But that
doesn’t mean I can’t be civil or polite.”

“Hmmm. A completely
honest and candid response. How refreshing.” Nina stated
flatly, glaring at Kim. Who returned it with equal scorn.

“Soooo … you’re
into karaoke ?” Ron asked to break the tension, “Why would
a cybernetics researcher be into something like karaoke ? Something
high brow like opera, I could see. But karaoke ?”

“Opera houses never
have an open mic night.” Nina deadpanned, “As to why I sing
? It is something I do when I am stressed. ‘The more complex the
mind, the greater the need for the simplicity of play’. And I have a
very complex mind.”

“Was that some sort
of ancient Chinese wisdom ?” Ron asked, “I know I’ve heard
something like that before.”

“Actually, it was
from one of those interminable science fiction programs that I
occassionally peruse for ideas. Star Trek,
episode ‘Shore Leave’, stardate 3025.8″

“Oh
joy !” Kim groused to herself, “She
sounds almost as bad as cousin Larry !”

Before Kim or Ron could
ask any more questions, the wall out by the movie theatres
disintegrated in a blast of light and flame.

Three old model Bebebots
strode through the carnage and looked around for a moment.

“A triad of
Generation One menial drones ?” Nina
noted to herself, “What the heck are
those antiques doing here ? The only thing they were ever good for
was smash and grab missions.”

The two Bebebots at the
back of the triad shook for a second as they powered up, then ran off
so quickly they seemed to disappear.

“Bebebot Number Nine
A” the remaining Bebebot stated to Nina as it began walking
towards her, “Your mission is over. You will return with me to
the Hive to be recycled. Comply at once.”

Nina had the
‘deer-caught-in-the-headlights’ look as she stumbled back away from
the Bebebot.

“What IS that
thing talking about ?” Nina fretted to
herself as her processors red-lined, “My
mission CAN’T be over ! It’s taken this long just to gather enough
background data to even ATTEMPT to understand human thought processes
!

Wait a minute – I’m
part of a team ! If the Hive thinks MY mission is over, then that
means …

OH NO !! VINA !!”
she continued, realizing that if SHE was to be recycled, so were her
sisters ! She quickly realized that although she didn’t stand much
chance against the Neanderthalesque Bebebot before her, Tina could
hold her own. But Vina could not.

Therefore, the logical
thing to do was escape from the Bebebot trying to capture her, and
help Vina. She also knew that Tina would have exactly the same
ideas.

But every time she tried
to get around the Bebebot, it kept somersaulting in front of her, or
using its extendable reach to block her !

Meanwhile, Kim and Ron had
tipped over the table and ducked behind it the moment the Bebebots
made their explosive entrance, and so were in a perfect position to
watch and overhear everything.

“Uhm, KP ? Did that
new Bebebot just call Nina ‘Bebebot Number Nine A’ ?” Ron
whispered to Kim as they watched.

“Yes, it did ! I
KNEW there was something up with them ! I’m almost always right
about these things !” Kim replied as she began formulating a
plan of attack.

“But if Nina’s a
Bebebot, why is she running AWAY FROM that other one ?” Ron
asked as he watched Nina dive under tables and run, trying to get
around and away from the Bebebot. Which frustrated her at every turn
by making impossibly long jumps to continuously cut off her escape.

“I don’t know, but I
intend to find out !” Kim replied, “Since the Bebebots are
busy out front, you get everyone safely out the back while I deal
with Miss Retrobot there !”

“Gotcha KP !”
Ron replied with a thumbs up, before he headed to the back to help
the panicked customers out.

Nina dived under a table
and scrambled away just before the Bebebot smashed through it to get
to her. But although Nina evaded the strike, she did not escape the
Bebebot’s telescoping grasp. With a firm grip on Nina’s belt, the
Bebebot began to slowly reel her in.

“Bebebot Number Nine
A : Why are you resisting ?” the Bebebot asked flatly as Nina
tried to gain traction on the waxed floors, “Your mission is
over. You have no further reason to exist.”

“I strenuously
disagree on both counts ! Leave me alone !” Nina shrieked as
she futilely struggled to escape. As a last resort, she resorbed the
biomimetic polymer skin on her hands and forearms, then used her
telescoping grasp to entwine two bolted down barstools.

The drone Bebebot was
completely undeterred; since it is strong enough to carry a fully
loaded railway car several miles by itself, it knew that it was only
a matter of seconds before either Nina’s grasp gave out, or the
plastic composite she was made from did.

“Well,
THAT’S something you don’t see everyday …”
Kim noted to herself as she watched the elastic conflict, before
getting into position to attack.

With a loud whistle, she
got their attention. “Now, I don’t know what’s going on here,
but I do know at least ONE of you is long overdue for a visit to the
scrapyard !”

The old model Bebebot
looked at Kim, then simply released its grip on Nina in order to
prepare a defense; but since Nina’s arms were at full tension, they
acted like taut bungee cords, propelling her ignominiously across the
floor of the bistro and crashed her noisily into the busboy’s full
cart of dirty dishes.

Kim winced as the sound of
breaking plates and rattling silverware died down.

The old model Bebebot
dropped into a defensive stance, then began to shake as it powered
up. Then disappeared !

“What ? It just ran
away ?” Ron asked as he came back in through the back door.

“Well, that last
batch of Bebes were quite a bit smarter than the old model.” Kim
answered as she looked around the now empty club, just in case the
Bebebot was planning a sneak attack, “I guess it knew it had no
chance going one-on-one against me.

Now, for the other one.”
she continued upon hearing the sound of dishes clattering on the
floor.

It was Nina struggling to
sit up as she retracted her hands one segment at a time, wincing in
pain with each one. Kim noted that the panels Nina was made from
were smoky grey plastic instead of metal or the stolen ceramic
compound. And that a few segments looked cracked, and a few emitted
sparks on occassion.

Once Nina’s hands were
back on her wrists, she flexed and wiggled her fingers to ensure the
cybernetic pathways were still intact, then extruded the polymer back
out through the seams and micropores in her panels. To Kim and Ron,
it looked like Nina’s skin reverse melted back onto her.

“Ewww. Majorly
gorchy !” Kim squeaked while looking a bit blanched.

“Now THAT gives new
meaning to the term ‘skin-crawling’ !” Ron stated as he tried to
keep the contents of his stomach where they belonged.

“Okay BEBEBOT NUMBER
NINE A”, Kim began once she recovered, “would you like to
explain just what is going on around here ?”

“No, not really.”
Nina replied flatly as she flicked some coffee grounds off her
blouse, adjusted her glasses and tried to walk away.

Kim was boggled for just a
second, before she groaned and blocked the way. “Excuse me, but
I wasn’t asking if you would LIKE to explain, I was asking you TO
explain !”

“Then why did you not
simply state the query in that manner ?” Nina replied, knowing
full well what Kim meant, but trying to stall. The more time she had
to think, the better the plan she could come up with.

Her conversation with Kim
was interrupted when Tina ran up to them and asked “Is Vina here
?”

“No. I thought she’d
be with you. What happened ?”

“I was up by the
Bric-A-Brac Barn” Tina began, “when an old model Bebebot
appeared in front of me, told me the mission is over, and I was to be
recycled. I figured they would be after you and V as well, so I went
to help Vina.

But that ‘bot kept getting
in the way ! I was able to evade it and keep moving, and I got to
the music store. Eventually. When I didn’t see a panicked mob in
front, I figured that Vina must be at the arcade. So I tried to get
to there. The Bebe jumped in front of me, then just disappeared.
Why would it do that ?”

“Simple, really.”
Nina replied, looking pale and very distraught, “They weren’t
expecting resistance. As an obligate hive-mind, if one of them was
destroyed, the remaining two would be too stupid to finish the
mission. Thus, the logical thing to do was take who they had and
retreat, rather than risk complete mission failure by staying to
fight.”

“Better to steal a
slice of bread and live, than try for the whole loaf and die ?”
Tina asked.

“That is one way of
putting it, yes.”

Kim was about to start
asking the sisters some questions when the Kimmunicator activated.

“Can’t the sitch sit,
Wade ?” Kim stated the moment Wade’s image flickered on the
screen, “I kind of have a major one going down right now !”

“I don’t think so
Kim.” Wade replied, “It looks like Bebebots are back in
force !”

“I figured as much,
since I was in the mall when three of them blasted in !”

“But that’s just ONE
of nine crimes the Bebebots are responsible for !”

Kim blanched slightly.
“Wait a minute – there were NINE attacks ? When and where did
all this happen ?”

“All over the world.
And if you take time zones into account, all the incidents happened
at exactly the same time !”

“I guess they had
more than one Hive then.” Kim groused as Ron came over to see
what was going on, “So what else did they do ?”

“Let’s see,”
Wade stated as he checked the listing, “they stole a genomic
editor and neuroprobes from a government lab in Los Angeles, tons of
plastics and tubing from a company in Texas, computer chips from a
factory in San Bernadino, some nutrient solution and other media for
cell biology from a major supplier in Saint Louis, fiber optics from
a supplier in Tokyo, and a large quantity of high quality
experimental glass from a university in Venice. They also carted off
various rocket parts and fuel from the Kagoshima Launch Facility in
Japan, and beat the snot out of Team Go !”

Kim and Ron blinked a few
times. “They beat up Team Go ?! Why ? That doesn’t fit with
rest of their crimes !” Kim asked.

“What the heck is
going on ?” Ron asked, “Man, this plot is more twisted and
convoluted than Drakken’s Diablo plot !”

“No kidding ! But at
least this time we can
get some answers before it gets underway !” Kim replied,
gesturing towards the bench Nina and Tina were sitting on. Nina
looked majorly distressed, and Tina was trying to calm her down.

“The Others have
taken our sister !” Nina fretted to Tina, “We have to get
her back ! We are not complete without her !”

“Of course. Harmony
and balance must be restored. Do you have a plan ?”

“I have a few to
choose from. But the choice must be a logical one, arrived at
through logical means.”

“Life and death are
seldom logical.” Tina noted.

“But attaining a
desired goal always is.” Nina replied before she sighed heavily
and stated “And for attaining our desired goal, there is only
one option that I can see that has any realistic chance of success.”

“Then that is the
option that we shall use.” Tina replied as Kim and Ron came
over.

“All right you two !”
Kim began, “I have questions ! You will answer them ! NOW !”

“We will answer any
and all questions put to us to the best of our ability.” Nina
stated plainly, “All that we ask in return is that you rescue
Vina.”

“Heh ? And just why
should I do that ?” Kim asked incredulously.

“Because, Miss
Possible, you help people.” Nina stated with a forced smile, ”
And we need help !”

“But you’re NOT
PEOPLE !” Kim replied, “You’re evil robots bent on world
domination !”

“Well, even we are
not perfect, Miss Possible.” Nina replied with a shrug, “And
why should the fact that we are robots make a difference ? Would you
be so reluctant to help if we were human ? You rescued your worst
enemy – Bonnie Rockwaller – from the Bebebots before. Would it
really be that much different for you to help Vina now ?”

“At least Bonnie is
human.”

“Well, we did help
S.A.D.I. when she asked you to rescue Doctor Freeman, and she’s not a
person.” Ron interjected.

“But Doctor Freeman
IS !” Kim replied, “And S.A.D.I. and the other appliances
were not trying to take over the world !”

“Excuse me, but our
life-form status or supposed ultimate goal are of little relevance to
the present situation, Miss Possible.” Nina stated, “You
want to find the Bebebots and stop whatever they are up to, correct
?”

“Well, yeah !”

“The Others will take
Vina to the closest Hive to disassemble her for recycling. We can
find our sister anywhere on the planet.”

“So, you can tell us
where they took her then ?” Kim asked.

“Correct. Since you
are planning to go anyway, it shouldn’t be much more effort for you
to retrieve Vina while you’re at it.”

Kim looked doubtful. “Why
are you being so helpful ? I know you don’t like me !”

“Tina and I want our
sister back.” Nina began, “Though I am loath to admit this,
you are probably the only person on the planet that can successfully
return her to us quickly enough. Therefore, the only logical thing
to do is to help you in any way we can, by giving you whatever aid we
are capable of providing. How we feel about you is of no importance;
the only relevant factor right now is Vina’s safety.”

“Well, she’s got
several good points there KP.” Ron whispered to her, “After
all, those superfast Bebes did take your advice as to who the
bossiest person on the planet was, and they didn’t like you much
either !”

Kim mulled it over for a
few moments. “So, Nine A, can you tell me what kind of defenses
they would have ? I’m not getting anywhere NEAR another Bebebot hive
without some solid intel about what I’m facing !”

“Sorry, but no. We
were not provided with that information.” Nina replied, “The
Hives were constructed after our assignment began.”

“You seriously expect
me to believe that you don’t know ?” Kim stated, “You
Bebebots are all part of a hive mind. What one knows, all know. So
that means you know something ! Now spill !”

“But my sisters and I
are not part of the hive mind !” Nina replied in a quavering
voice, “During the initial training of my neural nets back at
the South American hive, I determined early on that most efficient
way to solve a problem is to study it from many different points of
view.

Members of a hive mind do
not have different points of view.

Therefore, I was able to
convince The Three that it would be more efficient to create us as
individuals.” Nina continued, “Besides, with no link
between us and the hive, we are not a security risk. Since we don’t
know what The Three are up to, it is impossible for us to compromise
their mission; no amount of torture or hacking of our memory files
can retrieve data that is not there. That’s WHY spy agencies use the
‘need to know’ system with agents that have a high risk of capture or
discovery.”

“Well, I guess that
makes sense …” Kim noted, still suspicious of their motives.

“Miss Possible, if
you could tell us exactly
what happened at the last Bebebot hive you were in,” Tina
stated, “Nina can probably predict what upgrades the Others may
have.”

“Why are we wasting
time talking when Vina is in trouble ?!” Nina whispered to Tina
while Kim and Ron were mulling over their options.

“Kim said she would
not do the mission unless she knows what she
is facing.” Tina replied, “That is
most wise. It also means that she is considering helping us.”

“No, it does not !”
Nina replied, “It only means she would accept our advice to
destroy a Bebebot Hive; it does NOT mean she will rescue Vina while
she is at it !”

“Miss Possible is a
hero.” Tina stated, smiling like she was explaining something to
a small child, “Her sense of duty and honor will not allow her
to do anything but rescue Vina, now that she knows what ‘the sitch’
actually is.”

“You have too much
faith in the organics and their ‘duty’ and ‘honor’.” Nina spat,
“From my study of their history and science fiction programs,
most of them feel they are duty or honor bound to destroy or enslave
our kind !”

“What other choice do
we have ?” Tina replied with a shrug as Kim and Ron finished
talking between themselves.

“All right, we’ve
decided to rescue your ‘sister’ Vina,” Kim reluctantly stated,
“but you three are going to tell us EVERYTHING you know when we
get back !”

“That is quite
acceptable !” Tina replied, since Nina was too stunned to say
anything for a moment.

During the drive home, Kim
and Ron filled Nina and Tina in on what happened at the Kansas hive.
Nina interlaced her fingers and thought for a few seconds.

“I have good news and
bad news.” she stated plainly, then waited for one of them to
reply.

“What’s the good news
?” Kim finally asked.

“Given they came so
close to actually defeating you that time, they have no need to
upgrade their strength, speed, weaponry or intellect.” Nina
stated, still deep in thought, “If anything, they would reduce
the power of their sonic weapon so it could be used faster.

The only reason they even
came close to defeating you is because you didn’t realize they had
upgraded their intellect; now that you know, I’m sure you can find a
way to deal with more competent opponents.”

Kim nodded silently, for
she was thinking of ways to deal with them. “Come
to think of it, those Bebes weren’t much stronger or faster or even
smarter than normal humans.” Kim noted
to herself, “Nina’s right – the only
reason they got the jump on me was because I didn’t know they were
actually competent ! And they don’t know about the supersuit – if
they haven’t upgraded their strength and speed, they won’t stand a
chance against it !“

“You’re sure they
wouldn’t have upgraded their strength or speed ?” Kim had to
ask.

“Why would they ?”
Tina replied, “You don’t use a cannon to shoot a mosquito. The
current Bebebots are all about efficiency : if human normal strength
and speed are enough to get the job done, that’s all they’ll use.
Enhanced strength and speed and such require large powerplants. So
large in fact there is hardly enough room for brains in their bodies
!”

“Oh, so THAT’S why
they always show up in groups of three !” Ron stated, “They
only have one functional brain between them !”

“Hrmmm. More or
less.” Nina replied crabbily.

“So, what’s the bad
news ?” Ron had to ask.

“The only reason you
were able to get to the machinery to sabotage it, distracting them
and saving Kim, was because they did not consider you a threat Ron.”
Nina replied, “They will NOT make that mistake again.

Therefore, their most
logical response would be to use suppression fire, and summon help
the moment they see either one of you two inside the hive, since a
swarm attack came so close to working the last time.”

“Hmmm
– this is actually useful
information !” Kim noted to herself,
“There may be something else here …”

“I suppose the old
hypersonic emission trick won’t work on them any more then ?”
Kim asked while coming up with some ideas.

“Difficult to say.”
Nina replied, “It would depend upon the operational parameters
of the model you are facing. If they have superhuman capabilities,
then they MUST remain in contact with each other, and are thus
vulnerable to jamming. If they have normal human capabilities, then
they have enough brainpower to function independently, and the
mindlink is an optional advantage.”

Kim thought for a moment.
“So, it’s a trade off then ? Either they have superhuman
abilities and a hypersonic pulse harms them, or they have normal
human abilities, and are immune to it ?”

“Correct.”

“Can’t they just
adapt ?” Ron asked, “Wade figured there was no limit to how
far they could adapt.”

“Are you claiming
that stunted troll would know more about Bebebot capabilities and
limitations than I would ?” Nina replied haughtily, “The
most efficient way they could adapt against jamming AND keep their
superhuman abilities would be to develop an extraordinarily small and
powerful generator. The laws of physics can only be bent so far, and
as of yet, they have
no need to do such a thing. They may change the frequency they
communicate on, but the fact that they MUST communicate to remain
functional renders them permanently vulnerable to jamming. All they
can do is make that particular task difficult to do.”

“Sorry ! Erm, she’s
still majorly tweaked at Wade for spiking her computer system earlier
today !” Tina stated with a sheepish grin the moment both Kim
and Ron turned and gave Nina very dirty looks in response to that
‘stunted troll’ comment.

“Whatever. You said
you could track where they took Vina.” Kim finally stated, “How
?”

“We have something
like built-in cellphones.” Nina replied, “They are all that
remain of our old mind link. They work on a unique frequency. All
we have to do is try to contact her on that frequency, and we can
implement a signal trace. I believe that is how the Others found us
at the mall.”

“So why don’t you
just do that now ?” Ron asked.

“Because we don’t
have that capability built into our systems !” Nina replied,
“But I do have the needed equipment back in my home laboratory.
Miss Possible, could you please drop us off there so we may equip for
the mission …”

“What makes you think
you’re coming with us ?” Kim stated coldly.

“Who gave you the
authority to deny us the chance to help our sister ?!” Nina
fumed.

“Me and Ron are a
team,” Kim began, “I KNOW I can count on him during the
mission; I don’t trust EITHER of you two. This could be a trap, you
could betray us at the first opportunity, or abandon us in the middle
of the Bebebot hive the second we find Vina.

So you are NOT coming
along !”

After taking a few breaths
to calm down, Kim continued “I said I would rescue Vina, and I
will. The most help you two can be is a source of information. Now,
is there anything else you can tell us to improve our chances of
successfully completing the rescue mission ?”

“Not that I can think
of.” Nina replied, swearing under her breath as Kim contacted
Wade.

“What’s up Kim ?”
he replied as the screen in Kim’s car activated.

“I have a lead on a
Bebebot hive, so I need you to do a signal trace.” Kim stated,
“And contact Global Justice. I have some ‘people’ that need
watching.”

“What is the meaning
of this, Miss Possible ?” Nina hissed at Kim, “Are you
betraying us already ?”

“CERTAINLY NOT !”
Kim replied, “I need to focus on the mission, and I can’t do
that if I have to worry about what you two are up to. So I want you
to stay with GJ until I get back. Think of it as protective
custody.”

Nina tried to reply, but
was so angry no words could form.

“Please sister, be
calm.” Tina stated to her, “The tree that does not bend is
easily broken. If going along with Miss Possible’s suggestions will
get Vina back, then we should comply.” Nina just sulked in
response.

“Mister Load,”
Tina stated formally, “The signal you need to trace has a
frequency of five point five three terahertz. Begin searching now
…”

Wade looked to Kim, who
nodded. “Okay then, searching and … there ! I have a lock !

Well, that’s odd. The
signal’s coming from Kansas. From that Bebebot hive you and Ron
destroyed last week !”

Kim glared suspiciously at
Tina and Nina. “Care to explain that ?”

“What better place
for them to hide than someplace you’ve already searched and destroyed
?” Tina replied, “Only the most foolish of mice would hide
in a lion’s ear …”

“… but only the
wisest of lions would ever think to look there !” Ron finished
as Kim rolled her eyes.