Pink Sloth
Out of the night, on a lonely stretch of blacktop, in the middle of nowhere an unusual vehicle destroys the silence. The hot pink exterior pronouncing it a girl's car, if such labels can truly be applied to an inanimate object. Its shaped like an overturned "U" with mag wheels in the rear. The frame is that of a Roth SL Coupe, but the rest of the vehicle could put most military aircraft to shame. This unusual vehicle, is now cruising at close to the speed of sound, and following the curves of the road, like it was on rails.
The interior of this unusual automobile is equipped with the latest navigation GPS systems. Systems that are not even available on the space shuttle, indeed one could be forgiven for imagining that they were on the space shuttle. What is unforgivable is the fact that nobody appears to be driving this unusual vehicle, known around the world as The Sloth, or Kim Possible's car.
At the moment, the vehicle is being controlled remotely from the room of a fifteen-year-old super genius, while the vehicle's occupants are otherwise occupied in the back seat. A wealth of flame red-hair, drapes down around her shoulders, and a pair of intense emerald-green eyes, stared down at the face of a young man. He has sunny-blonde hair, and if his eyes were open, he would have the deepest chocolate-brown eyes one could ever see. A depth not of color but of soul, and spirit. A spirit that hangs on the edge of a knife, from injuries sustained on a mission just recently accomplished.
While by no means a routine mission, the danger was such that Ron Stoppable decided to go solo, since Kim Possible, his girlfriend turned fiancée, seemed to have more important priorities these days. Ever the supporting fiancé, Ron decided to go it alone without telling his lover, because he always tried to make things easier for her, whether she liked it or not. The mission involved his arch-foe, Monkey Fist, somehow returned to human visage. Monkey Fist had been alone and just wanted to draw Ron into a fight to the death.
When Kim had heard about the solo mission, she was so angry with Ron, she almost decided not to go get him. However, her love for Ron Stoppable finally triumphed over her anger. She got there just in time to see Ron, defeat Monkey Fist, once and for all. Kim could determine the intensity of the battle, from the debris sprinkled all over the lair.
Kim was overjoyed to see Ron, because it had been a couple of weeks, since they could be in the same room together. Kim had been too busy with extracurricular activities at the college they attended, to have time for him recently. They lived in the same dorm room, sleeping in a pair of twin beds, but rarely saw each other.
"Hey, KP, long time no see," he said in a wistful voice.
"I'm glad you're okay, Ron…" but just as she said that, his eyes went flat and he fell to his knees. Kim was there to catch him, but only just. She whipped out her Kimmunicator and scanned him, sending the information to Wade and her mother.
BEEP-BEEP
Kim hit the call-button to accept the transmission, and her mother appeared on the screen. "Kimmie, you need to get Ron to a hospital immediately, the scans from the Kimmunicator indicate Ron has internal bleeding!" Kim's chest nearly caved in when she heard her mother. Depending on severity, people with internal bleeding can bleed to death in as little as fifteen minutes. She did not waste any time with questions, she literally picked up her world, and bodily carried him out to the hot Pink Sloth.
She punched up Wade, "Wade, I need you to take control of the driving, and get us to the nearest hospital, like yesterday!"
Wade was already typing on his computer and taking control. "The nearest hospital is 30 minutes away at the Sloth's top speed, and the flight capabilities are down, we're gonna have to go by ground."
"Just do what you have to do, Wade, I'm getting Ron to a hospital," she snapped!
"On it, Kim," Wade replied!
Kim sat in the backseat stroking her fingers through Ron's hair, his pulse was thready, and his breathing was shallow. Kim could not keep the tears from leaking down her face, as she watched him struggle to live. It had been fifteen minutes, since they left Monkey Fist's lair, it was nothing short of a miracle that he had lasted this long. No not just a miracle, its Ron's inhuman tenacity. She kept stroking and caressing his face. What have I been doing these last two weeks? I had barely even seen him for the last month, he had to go on this mission by himself, because he thought I was too busy for him. It's not as if I had done anything, since we started at the university together, to let him know how much he means to me, how just being in the same room as him, makes me so happy.
Kim lowered her head to his face, planting a soft kiss on his lips. She cradled his head in her arms and began rocking him gently. Why am I always doing this to him? Kim began to sob as she leaned her temple against his. Why is it so important for everybody to like me? I have never thought of myself as a people pleaser, but that's just what I am. She gazes down at his face. She can see he is in pain. I have always thought of myself as strong and independent, not afraid of anything. Now I know how wrong I was, I am afraid. Afraid that someday somebody will look at me and say, 'I don't like you'. Kim plants another kiss, and her tears drip down on his cheek. Ron however has never had to wonder about whether anybody likes him, because they usually don't. He knows most people don't like him, and he couldn't care less. If I stay by him, giving him my love, he could give a rat's ass what anybody thinks. The only person's opinion he cares about is mine, and even that won't stop him from doing what he believes is right.
The Sloth is coming into an urban center now, and a police escort begins moving with them, along the streets. Wade had called ahead and informed the town and hospital of an impending arrival by Team Possible. Feeling tears falling on him, Ron opens his eyes and smiles up at the woman, he loves the most in this life. Their eyes never blink or waver from the other, intense emerald-green stares lovingly into deep brown. He reaches up to touch her face, she leans down to give him better access, relishing his touch. He uses his finger to wipe the tears from her face. "Can't have the most beautiful face in the world marred by tears, KP."
Kim gives him a little smile, "We're almost there, Ron, please hold on for a little while longer."
"You're wish is my command, KP," he replied, his voice barely a whisper, "but I'm really tired, maybe if I close my eyes for just a little."
"No, Ron, keep your eyes open, do you hear me, Ron, please!"
"I will always love… KP," he breathed his last word.
Wade Load, sitting in Middleton, Colorado concentrates on maneuvering the Sloth through the streets in another city. When he hears a scream of unending sorrow and pain wash over his sound system, it was a visceral, almost animalistic sound that went beyond heartbreak, right into soul wrenching agony.
"RON, NOOOOOOOOOO!"
As much as he wanted to, Wade could not spare any concentration in maneuvering the car to provide any comfort to his best-friend, over the loss of his other best-friend. He brought the car to a complete stop in front of the hospital's emergency entrance. Not that there was any need for it now, he thought as he sent out one email to several people at once. Then he called in a favor and within half an hour he was flying in a GJ hypersonic aircraft headed to take care of his two best-friends.
Kim Possible sat in the back of the Sloth, rocking his body, her screams of agony now etched forever, on her young, beautiful face. When the hospital staff came out to take him, she would growl an almost atavistic, "Leave us alone!" No amount of persuasion they tried ever worked, she would just sit there rocking back and forth. Finally, a young African-American boy walked through the crowd and got in the Sloth. He just sat there looking at the ruins of the two greatest people he had ever known. One gone from this world forever, the other probably wishing she could join him. Tears began forming at the corners of his eyes, he lowered his head in his hands and anyone could see he was shaking from silent weeping. Suddenly, a pair of trembling, feminine arms wrapped themselves around the teenager, he looked-up to see Kim Possible's eyes, brimming with sorrow, and another emotion, reach out to the one person in the world who might understand her pain.
It was not just sorrow they were feeling, although there was plenty of that, it was guilt. They felt, they had both, let Ron Stoppable down. Kim had all but abandoned him, for the last month, too caught up in college life and peer groups, to pay attention to the man who should have been her highest priority. The last two weeks were just the worst, because she practically told him other people; strangers, were more important to her than her own fiancé. She always thought, there would be time for him later, and she would make it up to him. It never occurred to Kim that later might never come, that sometimes it's too late to make up. The last two weeks, Ron must've felt so alone, and tonight he had to fight alone. Wade's guilt was smaller, but no less profound, because he agreed to let Ron go on this mission alone, when he should have called Kim immediately and told her about the mission. He had only called after Ron's Kimmunicator went down.
For someone who often thought he only had one friend, Ronald Michael Stoppable's funeral had quite a turn out. In addition to Kim, who kept fingering her engagement ring, Wade, The Stoppables and the Possibles; Felix Renton, Monique, Tara, and Josh Mankey all attended. Tara was nearly as inconsolable as Kim and Mrs. Stoppable, she had long since put her crush over him to rest, turning her heart over to Josh, but Ron had a way of working his way into people's hearts and staying there, no matter what. Yori and Sensei attended in traditional Japanese mourning clothes, there was pain in Yori's eyes and they were bloodshot, but it was dishonorable to weep openly at a fellow warrior's passing.
Ron's coffin had been draped in an American flag, though he was not military his efforts to save the world granted him the right to a hero's funeral, and Mr. Barkin, along with a company of Marine's from Mr. Stoppable's old unit acted as pallbearers and folded the flag. When the flag was presented to Mrs. Stoppable, she shook her head, and indicated they give it to Kim. Who looked shocked and turned to look at the older woman. "As far as I'm concerned Kimberly, you were his wife in all but name, your name might not be Stoppable, but you were closer to my son than anybody. You're one of us," Kim accepted the flag with humility, from Barkin and bowed her head.
All the traditional Jewish rites were observed, from Taha rah, to K'reeah. Kim refused to leave the grave site, she had failed her world in life, and would be damned, if she was going to abandon him again. As the coffin began descending into the cold earth, it felt like Kim was descending with it, and she began calling out his name. "Ron, Ron. RON!
Kim Possible bolts upright with a cry, "RON!", she looks over at Ron's empty bed.
This is the nightmare Kim woke up from in Priorities, though she remembers it differently this was the dream she had.