By: FortressMaximus Chapter 1
Authors Notes: You ever had a story that just sorta wrote itself - like you really don't know where it came from, why it wanted to be wrote, or where it was going to eventually lead? Well, for me, this is that story.
I honestly don't know where this sucker is going to go but I'll try to make the ride as enjoyable as possible! (erm...no pun intended. Honest!)
FM
The time of magic was long past.
Barbarian kings with mighty swords rested in eternal night.
Mages of ebony designs forever entombed by their own dark desires.
Cities of the ancient world torn asunder by decrees of nature and fate.
The time of magic was over.
The time of magic was now.
"Wuxtrey! Read all about it! Middleton Space Center opens! Over five hundred new jobs for city! 'Economic progress just around the corner by Christmas' says new Governor! Wuxtrey!"
Pausing in his sales pitch, eleven year old Ronald Stoppable tugged his jeans up a little; the thick rope that held them up had worked itself a little loose. At least I've never dropped my pants in public I guess thought the boy as he leaned over to tighten the dirty laces of his well-worn sneakers. His ragged red T-shirt with yellow trim around the sleeve holes was almost worthless in the chilly December air but his beat-up blue jacket helped compensate a little. Feeling a little warmer, the boy went back to his sales pitch. "I'll take a paper son" came a voice from within the bustling crowd in downtown Middleton, Colorado.
Looking around, Ron grinned when he saw who it was. He grinned even further when he saw who was accompanying the owner of the voice.
"Heya Mr. Possible!" he called back, rolling up a copy of the Middleton Gazette for his best customer. Dr. James Possible was well-known in the community and had been a major supporter for getting the Middleton Space Center opened as soon as it had. While most of the employees were super smart scientists, a lot of the people were from the local area and /everyone/ needed jobs. It wasn't going to help restore the town overnight, but it was a start. With a smile he handed over the paper, trying to not make eye contact with the shy twelve year old girl with red hair who stood a little behind her father. "Uhm..hi Kim..." he softly whispered, not wanting to come off as being rude.
"Uhm..heya Ronnie.." she replied, momentarily forgetting his recent decision to just go by 'Ron'. The girl smiled softly, looking more at the ground than the boy two feet away from her as she twirled a lock of red hair around her index finger. She shuffled her feet, not really caring if she scuffed her sneakers or not. Her hair whipped softly in the wind as she tugged her green heavy parka a little tighter to ward off the deepening chill.
Dr. James Possible watched the exchange with quiet thought. Oh to be young and figuring out that the opposite sex doesn't have cooties... he said to himself, trying once again to push back the nagging realization that his Kimmy-Cub was growing up and soon boys would be a pretty big part of her attentions.
But that was, thankfully, still off in the distant future.
Taking the paper, James forked over a twenty, shocking the young paper boy. "Uhm..Sir, this is way more than what the paper costs" he pointed out, not sure how a smart rocket scientist could make such a mistake.
"Not if I'm paying for the next month in advance!" smiled the elder of the two men.
"Sir?:
"I'm going to be really busy the next month or so Ron, so I won't be able to stop and chat on the way to work. So I'll just sneak in, grab a paper out of your stack and you can focus on your other customers!"
"Uhm..that's all cool and all Mr. Possible, but even with the monthly cost, I still owe you ..."
"Ron, you don't owe me any change, O.K?"
Blinking, he did the math once more and came up with the same answer. At least until his mental gears clicked and he understood what he was being told without it being said out loud.
"Uhm..Mr...Dr...P..." he stuttered for few moments trying to find the right words.
At that, Kim giggled. "Daddy, he just called you MrDrP...".
James himself laughed for a moment. "Hey..that's a pretty good one Ron..I like it!"
Rubbing the back of his neck, Ron was totally lost as to what he said was so funny but ran with it anyway. "Uhm..thanks Mr. Possible.. and I really mean it, but I can't..." he mouthed while Kim wasn't looking, distracted by a news report that the Pandaroo Cuddle Buddy was now officially the rarest of the toys to day with only 10 being made for the holiday season.
Kneeling down, James took Ron's hand with the twenty and wraps his own larger fingers around the youths and smiled. "Ron, I want you to take this...please? If not from me, pretend it's from Kimmy?"
At the sound of her name, the preteen looked over, a bit confused why her daddy was looking at Ronnie so weird. She wanted to ask, but something in the back of her mind told her to wait.
Ron was in a near panic; did Mr. Possible know the truth, or was he just playing a hunch? This might be a Christmas gift, but somehow it didn't quite feel that way. And if he did know about Ron's situation, would he turn him into the cops? Or even worse, Child Protection?
The look on the boy's face easily showed the internal conflict going on inside Ron. James had wanted to do this when Kim wasn't with him, but as the space center was now open and in full swing, little moments like what he had planned were going to have to be on hold for a long time.
"It's just a little something from all of us Ron, for you to have a nice Christmas...okay?"
Now Ron Stoppable wasn't the smartest bulb in a four pack at S-Mart, but you spell something out clear enough he's going to be on it like his ex-foster mom on a pack of Hank's Gourmet Cupcakes.
"Thanks Dr. Possible...thanks Kim..." he said, glancing at the girl with a lopsided but honest grin. Slowly he pocketed the money, not sure what else to day.
'Well, we gotta be off! You have a great Christmas!" urged James as he took his daughters hand in his.
"You too Dr. Possible! Have fun shooting rockets into space and stuff!"
Kim giggled. "Bye-Bye Ronnie! Maybe I can get daddy to name the first black hole he finds after you!" she called back before disappearing into the crowd.
"Uhm..oookay..." softly replied the boy. For some reason the thought of him being associated with a thing that was as evil sounding as a black hole-whatever it was-gave him the crummy-tummy.
It was then the snow that had been threatening all day finally started to fall and the crowded downtown started to empty. Realizing he was losing his customer base, Ron pulled the tattered remains of his old coat together and tried to sell a few more copies.
"Wuxtrey...!"
"Daddy, why were you acting so weird with Ron?"
James glanced over at his daughter in the car seat beside him, eyebrow raised in confusion. "What do you mean Kimmy-Cub?"
"Well, you gave him a whole twenty dollars, and the paper only costs six dollars a month! Plus you were acting all weird like cause you made him take the money when he didn't want too but he needed the money because his clothes were all icky."
Sighing, James took a moment to ponder his answer. Realizing that it would take some careful tweaking of the facts he pulled off the road and into a parking lot still a few blocks from their home.
"Kimmy, I'm going to tell you something very grown-up and it's a secret okay? So you can't tell anyone at school, not even your friends Monique and Wade."
Nodding, Kim sat there realizing that it must be super-important if her dad was talking like that, so she sat up straight and put on her best 'I'm an adult and you can trust me' look.
James smiled and ruffled his daughters' hair. "Good girl. Okay, now it's important for you to remember that not everyone is the same. Some are tall, others short. Some are thin, others fat. Some people have moms and dads; some only have one mom or dad. And there are some people like Ron who don't have a mom or dad anymore."
Kim nodded, understanding but she felt a weird fuzziness in her belly. Out of reflex she clutched tightly at her Flamingoat, her best stuffed friend in all the world. Bonnie and her stupid super-rare Pandaroo that she never hugged could just go and fall into a mud puddle for all she cared!
"You see Kimmy, Ron's mom and dad died a few years ago."
The girl blinked, then looked at the floor. "Oh..." was the soft reply.
A large hand reached over and gave her smaller one a reassuring squeeze. "Remember Kimmy, when Rufus your pet mole rat died we talked about that all animals and people only live a certain while before they die?"
Sniffling at the still-fresh memory at the loss of her pet Kim nodded. "I remember daddy. But I still really miss him."
"I know you do sweetie. But if you remember all the good times you had, the hurt does go away a little doesn't it?"
"Yea, it does a little. So Ron's got no parents? Then where does he live?"
It was then James Possible lied to his daughter point-blank; the subterfuge was necessary until Kim was older and could understand. Besides, he still needed to talk to Anne about his little plan before he said anything to Kim.
"After Ron's parents died, the police officers found him a home with some nice people. He's living with them" James explained, trying to ignore the feeling he was getting from adding onto the lie.
Kim replied with a small 'Oh' and nodded quietly.
The scientist knew full well from his own clandestine investigation that Ron was living on the streets; his foster family could care less about the boy. As long as the support check came on time the boy probably never crossed their thoughts. James would give his doctorate to know how they were getting away with it.
"Daddy, can Ron come over for Christmas dinner if his new mom and dad don't mind?" Kim asked suddenly, catching James off guard.
"Now where did that idea come from Kimmy-Cub?"
Blushing a little, the girl looked out the window as the car started moving once again. "Well, it is almost Christmas dad. And you say we should do nice things for people who haven't been as lucky as we have right? So maybe Ron would like to help decorate the tree and other stuff..." she suggested as her voice trailed off, her crimson cheeks telling James that she thought more of the boy than she was letting on.
"How about we ask your mom and she what she thinks first Kim?'
The young girl grinned and knew that was dad-code for he thought it was a great idea but wanted to make sure he wouldn't get in trouble with momma.
Kim nodded, the grin on her face growing a little even if she didn't understand why.
At least not yet.
"Thanks Mr. Parker!" Ron called to the 'Gazette' local coordinator.
"You showed a lot of hustle out there Ron m'boy! A fiver as a bonus ain't much but you sold all yer papers and that's worth rewarding! Now get on outta here and buy yourself something nice for Christmas!"
Ron beamed at the praise and put the money in his pocket, taking place with the twenty from Mr. Possible and the twelve-fifty he got for this weeks work. 'I will Mr. Parker, and tell Mrs. Parker I hope she has a great Christmas too!"
"Aye lad, I'll do that. Mary Jane wishes you and yours the same lad!" called back the mid-to-late 20's man before he rolled down the payment window and locked it tight.
With a an ear-to-ear grin, Ron walked along the sidewalk as the town started to become bathed in a odd mix of moonlight and streetlight. Soft snow filled the air and began to accumulate on the ground as it looked like it might be another white Christmas as long as temperatures didn't jump right back up over the next few days.
Taking a shot-cut through an ally, Ron came upon his home; a small cubbyhole inside the stairwell of an abandoned building. The bricks had crumbled around the stairwell supports and the iron railings were treacherous to climb but the reward was a whole apartment that was relative warm (at least compared to outside).
Sneaking in through the hole, Ron made his way over to the small sterno stove and pulled out a match. Lighting the fuel can, he warmed his hands for a moment before pulling out a battered pot, a can of Pork N' Beans, and a manual can opener.
"Been looking forward to this all day.." Ron muttered, his one hot meal a day was something of a treat he reserved for himself instead of a candy bar that would taste great but sap his limited funds. The beans he could get almost ten cans for a buck and that was worth more than any candy out there.
Well, except maybe a box of Popper Rocks he thought, dreaming of when the store put them on sale and he could get a box and just sit back with a few of the comic books he found in the garbage not too long ago and read them all with candy in hand.
The smell of warm beans pull Ron's attention back to reality and he quickly blew out the fire to save what was left of the fuel. Grabbing a spoon he stirred the beans and blew on a small bit before enjoying them. Leaning back against the dilapidated wall, Ron enjoyed his dinner until sleep started to overcome him. Fighting the groggy sensation growing behind his eyes, he carefully put the remaining food under some paper towels for breakfast. Snuggling up into a ball, Ron let sleep claim him for the night. As he clutched the small picture of his mom and dad close to his heart, a few stray tears trickled down his face.
"Help me! Oh...God..stay away from him you bastards!"
Ron immediately jerked away, his street senses forcing him up to his feet and in a defensive pose in seconds. Looking around to make sure he wasn't in immediate danger he ran to the hole to check the street below.
A deep frown crossed the boys' face at what he saw.
"Brick..." he mummered, fists tightening in anger as he saw the street gang leader advance on someone huddled in a corner. With a focused descent, Ron made his way down the iron railing and fell into a crouch on the new blanket of snow.
"Come on lady! I know you got cash on you! Mankey over there saw you talking to Dr. Lipsiki about your runt's leg there and the Doc don't take nothin' but cash! So tell me where you got your stash headed or me and da boys here will make his good leg match his bad!"
The gang, including the dirty-blond Josh Mankey, laughed at their leaders threat. "Yea..good one Brickster...".
Ms. Renton huddled in the corner of the alley, clutching her son close. The boy's eyes filled with anger at being unable to help his mom because of his stupid lame leg. His momma was gonna get hurt and he couldn't do anything about it!
"You know Brick, picking on women and kids is pretty low, even for you."
Growling, Brick Rockwaller turned around and looked at the owner of the new voice. "Stoppable. Still butting those huge ears in where they don't belong huh? Why don't you make like Dumbo and fly outta here before I sell you to the circus!?" he sneered, drawing another round cheers from his gang.
"Oooh, glad to see someone's up on their movie history! Maybe it'll do you good if they have 'Jock Week' on Jepordy!" Ron taunted back, edging closer to putting himself between Brick and the Rentons.
"Oh, you're so funny Stoppable. Let's see how much you laugh with your jaw wired shut!" the jock-jerk shouted and charged the wafer thin boy.
Ron froze for just a second, ready to run away but he couldn't; not with the Rentons counting on him! With Brick nearly on top of him, he did the only thing he could think of..
Brick's eyes crossed as the savage kick to his groin sent him to his knees, causing the rest of the gang to freeze in disbelief. Then, all at once, they looked at Ron with fists clenched.
"Uhm..Ms Renton..you better run now..."
"I can't leave you to face..."
"Go! Get Felix outta here!" Ron yelled, knowing her son's leg would slow them down enough in the snow as it was; he was going to have to give them every second at it was. That's why he kicked Brick in the family jewels; guys don't do that to guys but if you do, there's going to be hell to pay.
And hell was coming behind 10 clenched fists.
As Ms. Renton scooped up her son and ran, the boy could only look back through fear-filled eyes as the mob of street punks descended on Ron's form. Shoving his face into his mom's shoulder, Felix tried to block out the screams of agony that filled the alleyway.
He hurt all over, even in places he didn't know existed.
His bruises had bruises.
But despite the pain and agony, Ron Stoppable knew he had done the right thing. He had seen Felix around; he was a good kid who never let his lame leg get him down or keep him from trying his best to help his mom. Ms. Renton (that's all anyone knew her as) did odd jobs around the downtown area, took in laundry, worked to scrimp and save to give her son the operation he so desperately needed.
With a grin, Ron tried to push past the pain and make his way towards the fire escape and back up into his home. Slowly his fingers wrapped around the lower run as he tried to pull himself up, but the pain that shot down his arms and spine forced him to the snowy ground. Try as he might, the boy didn't have enough energy to even crawl another few feet let alone pull himself up a flight of metal steps.
As exhaustion claimed him, Ron knew he would not survive the night. The alley was deserted and there was no one to call for help. He knew Ms. Renton couldn't risk coming back and facing Brick's gang gain. Now with the temperatures plummeting and the snow falling harder, the boy knew it could be days before they found his lifeless body under the melting snow. But for some reason, the youth simply did not care. He felt warm--warmer than he had been in a very long time. As the final hints of conscious thought left him, he muttered what he knew would be his final words...
"It'll be great to see mom and dad again...".
A shadow stood over the unconscious youth, studying the dying boy with a mix of compassion and indifference.
He wasn't supposed to interfere with the daily concerns of the mortal realm and he had stuck to his cause for over a thousand years.
But his time was short and growing shorter; soon the last fragment of Fate would fall and with no champion in place the world would face it's greatest threats with no protector.
He could /not/ let that happen, no matter what.
Gingerly, he bent over and picked up the youth, cradling him close.
"Perhaps you are the one boy; perhaps you are the one I have been seeking..."
"Who...are...you..." whispered Ron suddenly, trapped somewhere between the vague sense of reality and the all-too-close finality of darkness.
And though the bearded old man spoke his name, Ron never heard it. The name..not spoken out loud since the pyramids were erected...was drowned out by the shriek of lightening and a roaring clap of thunder that seemed to echo on forever...
(To be continued...)