Chapter 1 Calamity
PEW PEW PEW pervades the air as the sound of automated laser point defense systems fills the air. Dr. Drakkens newest lair had several upgrades from his previous setups and top of the line laser cannons were one of them. However unknown to our heroes was the fact these laser cannons had a state of the art AI system that linked them with the other base defenses.
"KP is it just me or are these laser cannons actually close to hitting us?" Ron yells to his parkouring redhead companion. He himself is only staying out of danger thanks in part to his full awakening and attunement of his mystical monkey powers.
"Focus Ron!" Kim scolds him as a bolt from the cannons lands millimeters from her palm singeing the flesh. This causes her to lose her grip and begin to fall barely able to kick off the wall and behind a small amount of cover to regain her bearings.
"KP! Rufus you know what to do!" Ron screams as he sees his girlfriend fall. Rufus hearing the command from his friend and owner pokes out of the side cargo pocket in Ron's pants.
Rufus climbs around Ron's body and makes it to his shoulder where he leaps towards the wall to begin his ascent. He scurries up the stonewalls using his claws to secure each step and leaps out of the way of various blasts from the cannons as they crack and splinter the surfaces they impact. He reaches a cable that runs up the wall and around the ceiling that he can use like he has previously to mount and disarm the cannons manually or cause them to attack each other. Rufus scurries as fast as his paws will carry him and is within a jump distance away when he sees Ron and Kim in trouble and knows there isn't much time. He leaps and is inches away from the first laser cannon when he notices something's not right.
The next closest cannon about 6 feet away that was tracking him suddenly diverts itself and moves the arc of its shot in front of the naked mole rat. Rufus then looks down again and sees the cannon beneath him starting to smoke and light up. Without a second more to think the cannon explodes sending Rufus flying from the concussive shock wave when suddenly he feels a horrible burn in abdomen. He squeals in agony as he opens his eyes to see the cannon that had diverted its gaze prior had set up along his new trajectory from the other cannons detonation and had been waiting to intercept him with a bolt of its own. The cannons all disengage and deactivate as he hears a familiar voice screaming in the background but it isn't from one of his friends. As the remaining cannons barrels all drop Rufus continues his fall to the ground below in what feels like slow motion as his life flashes in front of him and the ground quickly approaches. Everything fades to black as his body collides with the floor.
"Rufus!" Ron screams extending his arm to catch his friend in vain as he watches his small pink body as it collides with the floor. Kim backflips from the ledge she had been grasping landing beside Ron who has now reached Rufus's body.
From the now exposed control platform the form of Dr. Drakken and Shego can be seen both with a look of absolute bewilderment on the their face at what has transpired. Dr. Drakken is stammering and looking back and forth between his companion and the scene that has unfolded below. Suddenly catching everyone by surprise a deep guttural yowl comes from Ron pervading the air as his stare moves from the form he is holding in his arms to the elevated platform above.
The sound resonates through the lair causing all to cower from its intensity including Kim who starts to back away incase she needs to clear the area from a Mystical Monkey Power she hasn't seen before.
"I never… thought that could happen… I don't… I… I am sorry Stoppable… I…" Drakken is cut off as Shego grabs his collar and drags him away from the piercing glare of the blonde haired man, "Lets Go Dr. D now is not the time!"
Kim rushes up and throws her arms around Ron briefly causing him to tense every muscle and begin glowing blue before relaxing some and accepting the embrace as they both begin to shed tears over their teammate. Ron suddenly jerks as he feels a movement in his arms and looks down to see the small form twitch slightly indicating some sign of life.
"Kim we gotta go now!" He screams as the two heroes jump to their feet and make for their ride. The sloth sputters as it is quickly thrown into acceleration mode after the rapid vertical take off as it heads back towards civilization.
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Two anxious individuals look upon a small, bandaged pink rodent waiting to hear a status update from the veterinarian on any change in condition of their teammate. Tubes and wires protrude from Rufus's form keeping his body going as he lay in a coma barely clinging to life.
"It isn't right KP" Ron starts.
"Oh Ron Rufus is strong he will pull through this," She says reassuring while hiding her own doubt. She puts her hand on Ron's shoulder whom willingly accepts the touch as he reciprocates by wrapping his arm around the small of Kim's back pulling her closer.
"Drakken isn't smart enough to have made his turrets accurate enough or smart enough to have pulled that maneuver…" Ron says coldly, "Something else is going on here that we need to get to the bottom of it". Ron pulls away from Kim and exits the room with the look of a man who is about to something drastic. Kim just continues to look down at her comrade knowing Ron will not be fine until justice is served. Kim shakes her head in frustration and fighting back tears as she recollects everything that went wrong on this mission and knows that the events that are to unfold will be of vengeance. Kim bends over and gently places her hand on Rufus's head and gives it a rub before giving it a small peck. She then leaves the room to catch up to Ron before he does something drastic.
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"There's no where to run Shego!" Kim yells to her nemesis as rain pelts their bodies. Her battle suit hums as it works in overdrive to accommodate the severe weather conditions and prevent her from slipping or losing grip as she battles. High over the ocean their findings brought them to one of Drakken's more exotic lairs a Zeppelin. Kim kicks Shego in the stomach sending her flying across the sleek metallic surface. While the villain tries to catch her breath Kim stands up straight with her chest puffed out and fists clenched as the wind whips her wet crimson hair around.
Somewhere from below Kim hears a familiar banging and grunting sound and knows it is henchman being tossed around like human rag dolls. She turns her attention back to a now recovered Shego who is charging her. Kim throws her arms up in front of her to block the green plasma covered fist as her battle suit hisses from the strain of the attack and vaporizing water that had covered it.
"Give it up Shego! Ron has more than likely dealt with most of the goons by now so you guys have nowhere left to run!" Kim yells as the two exert themselves locked in a grapple.
"Oh well if that's the case Kimmie…3…2…1…" Shego says in her typical sarcastic snarl before an explosion sounds below them. "That would be my ride!"
Shego leaps backwards activating her plasma and cutting a hole in the zeppelins hull that she drops through out of sight. Kim runs over to the opening and can see Shego and Drakken entering a cockpit below.
"Not this time Possible! and again sorry about the pet!" Drakken hollers to her as he mashes a button on the console. The zeppelin lurches as the weird vessel begins to drop forward out of its bay through a now open hatch. The weird craft plummets out and reveals its is a submersible with wings to guide it to the water. Kim knowing this isn't going to end well jumps through the hole to the bowels of the airship to search for Ron so they can make their escape.
"Ron we have to go! Now!" she screams as she watches the rage filled blond chuck battered goons around venting at their failure. He looks up his eyes glowing blue as he tries to suppress his mystical monkey powers so he can focus on Kim and getting away. The duo takes off to the rear of the crashing airship dodging crashing beams and jump in the sloth. They almost to the waters below when they are able to disengage the sloths grappling gear that anchored it in position on the hull and pull away as the flaming lair plunges into the ocean exploding into a huge plum of fire and twisted wreckage.
"That was to close Ron! I know you want justice for what happened to Rufus but if you get killed there won't be any… you have to be more alert to what's going on…" Kim trails off as she can see the pained look in Ron's eyes as he drops his head.
"I'm sorry KP… it wont happen again…" he says coldly before lifting his head back up and turning to face the window over the vast expanse of ocean and shutting down.
Kim takes the hint and returns to flying the sloth back towards Middleton where they can regroup and figure out what to do next. She knows the rest of the flight will be an uncomfortable silence and there isn't anything she can do to comfort her boyfriend.
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The sloth descends through the low hanging clouds that currently surround Middleton. The dreary conditions reflect the current mood of the occupants as they circle the animal hospital where Rufus is being kept. Kim skillfully does a vertical landing into the parking lot where Ron proceeds to hop out before she is even fully stopped and walk towards the doors.
Kim watches in anguish as Ron disappears through the doors before she drops her head in defeat. She knows deep down that once this is resolved he might be forever changed, and grow more distant s to not get hurt again. This sense of fear starts a whole new wave of motivation to resolve this a quick as possible.
Standing over the still comatose naked mole rat Ron clenches his fists to the point of tearing skin. He hears someone enter the room behind him and without even turning to see begins speaking what's on his mind.
"Kim," he says bluntly, "I don't know if you noticed it or not but this time around nothing was sophisticated at this lair." He pauses for a minute and slightly turns hi face as to see her acknowledgment of his observation. She thinks back for a minute before nodding her head in confirmation fearing that speaking may complicate the matter before he finishes what is on his mind.
"This time it was just goons and the same lousy defenses his lairs normally contain… which means that his previous lair had something more behind the scenes… we gotta go back now!" He pivots and darts out the room grabbing Kim's hand and leaving with a look of resolve on his face.
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