Hey it's me again. This is a simple little tale and it's based off 'For the Pride of Lowardia' by Tito Mosquito. I wrote this about a year ago and asked Tito if I could have a shot at it and he graciously said yes. So here it is.
Now remember, this one has NOTHING to do with anything else so don't even ask, oh and thanks to CB73 for his beta work.
ST-103
Dead Man Switch
Chapter One
March 10th, 2027, Yamanouchi, Japan or 20 years after the invasion:
The wizened Japanese man stared at his protégé. While he understood the changes that had taken place in the American's life in the last ten plus years, he did not want to encourage what was most likely to result in suicide.
"You know she is past caring my friend."
"I care for her still, Master, as do her friends and family. Members of her family underwent intelligence enhancements at the risk of their sanity and their lives to make this happen. It is the least I can do considering their efforts."
"Is Load-sama better?"
"Yes, but is a long haul for him and Joss."
"Joss? As in Miss Possible's cousin?"
"Yes Sensei, they found comfort in each other's company when we got the news they have been together quite a while now and have kept it quet. If you remember, we were forced to watch the whole thing. And at that hour I lost her forever, she was everything to me…" Sighing, "If I had just tapped into the power she would be here among us…"
"Maybe if she was with someone else?"
"I don't care if she'd ended up with Shego, she'd still be with us, her friends and family…safe."
"You mean you still love her…you know you were meant for each other…", Sensei corrected him, calling a spade a spade.
"Yes. Maybe so."
"Time changes people and events my friend…"
"I understand that Sensei. It was my damned phobias that caused this and now it is the only way I will ever be free of my guilt."
"The odds in succeeding what you wish to attempt are insurmountable…"
"I agree it's a long shot…"
"You will be killed…painfully if they catch you."
"I am no longer afraid of death Sensei, I am past caring and I fully intend to be caught by the enemy so that they may come close so I do not have to chase them across time and space. As you know I haven't had a complete night's sleep all these years. Those animals are going to cease to exist as a species because they decided to place their so-called honor over our lives, and because they took her from me and us. I intend to teach them the error of their ways…permanently.", Ron decided not to reveal all the plans currently in motion. He wouldn't be able to stop even if he wanted to.
"That is murder…"
"No Sensei that is Retribution! And from this they will learn what it is like to fear for the loss of their forebears and their offspring.", he said gravely, "Because I am going to take away their past and deny them their future so that I can repay them for what they did to me and the rest of our world."
"Then you must do what you must. The training you have completed here will allow you a fair chance at completing this 'mission' of yours as you now see it."
"Thank you Master. Now I wish to leave Rufus with you. He is honored here and he is getting old…too old for an adventure such as the one I am going to attempt."
"He is with Nooni at the moment Stoppable-san, he is ancient for his kind."
"I agree Master, but I must see him one last time, and then take my leave of him. May the rest of your days be filled with joy Sensei.", Ron bowed lowly knowing he may never speak with the ancient Japanese man after today.
X
The blond haired man again bowed to the aged ninja master as he made ready to walk back down the mountain. Sensei said, "My friend, if you wait a few more days Hirotaka and Yori will return from their current assignment. I know they would wish to speak with you…"
"Sensei they have no part in this operation, so I would hope that they soon forget about me and go on with their lives. I only asked them to be the parents of Hanna since Dad and Mom got in those animals' way. Even though she is an adult she still needs family."
The old Japanese man touched Ron's arm, "Friends should always bid each other farewell if they are never to meet again on this plane."
"Maybe it is dishonorable Sensei but it is what it is. Do not look for me again. This world is dead to me now and I must go to meet my destiny before the moon comes back to where it is now twice."
"The timetable is short my friend?"
"Yes, but there are some things that I have to do to make sure this all works out to my satisfaction. Good bye my teacher, may your last days be peaceful and joyous."
(Gasp)
Sensei was going to bow again, but instead he embraced Ron Stoppable, knowing the man he had learned to respect was going to a place before his time.
When they separated the old man could see a tear in his friend's eye, "Thank you Master, I…I uh have to go."
XXX
In a remote lab in the northern Rocky Mountains:
"Have you got the advanced cloaking device ready for testing Tim?"
"I am going through computer simulations at the moment Jim. If this works in real time and in the spectrums that we envision, then we can transport it to the ship for installation while making the smaller ones to fulfil their jobs."
"Good, I spoke with Wade last night, he is finishing his work with Dad's design of the engines since Dad is on Mars, so that part should be ready to go in a day or two. He had them shipped back to Earth for Wade to check them out and get ready for installation."
"Good it's starting to come together.", Tim half smiled having waited years to get to this point.
The elder of the Possible twins asked his sometimes-low feeling brother, "Do you want to go to Mom's and Dad's for the party? All you do is work, work, work."
"I'm not really in the partying mood, I know you guys do it but it gives me a sick feeling."
"How long have you been feeling that way?"
"Ever since Ron and I captured one of those animals and got him to tell the whole story about what Kim went through. I didn't feel sorry for what Ron did to him after that."
"What was that?"
"What we saw on the screen was just the tip of the iceberg. In fact, I tried to get Ron to take me on this trip with him…I want my pain to end like his. Anyway Ron turned the bastard inside out and then kept him alive for hours."
"Its suicide you know, if you go with him."
"And being alive has no purpose for me anymore brother, I pleaded with him to take me along…but Ron refused and told me someone had to live and tell the story of Kim Possible. Wade can't do it since the last episode, he's emotionally depleated."
Jim touched his brother, "I don't like the idea of you contemplating suicide Tim. I don't want Mom and Dad to deal with that."
"At least they'll have you Jim, if anything happens to me."
"Listen Tim, the only reason I jumped on board with this are from Ron's pleadings since they killed his parents and orphaned his Sister, and because of our annual tribute to the Lowardian Empire…that has to be stopped."
"Yeah I agree with those reasons too, but if they ever come after us again they will destroy Earth and everyone who lives here. Anyway that's why this has to work. We have a lot to pay them back for. In my opinion Ron has the only viable answer for these questions…", Tim argued.
"I don't want to leave ourselves open to retaliation…"
"Ron told me more than he did you…They are going down. We just have to make sure that he can't be tracked until he decides to reveal himself somehow."
Jim Possible said, "Well we can do our jobs. So what else does he have planned?"
Tim Possible lowered his voice at least in reverence as he mused about the events that were going to be unleashed on the Lowardian home world, "I can't tell you…not till it is over."
(Sob)
"So Tim, you are in on the secret and not me?"
The younger of the twins replied, "The less people who know, the easier it is to keep the secret. Only Ron knows everything…well he doesn't know it all, but he knows where the information is and who has it."
XXX
The blond haired man laid back in his hospital bed with an IV in his arm as the two former villains gathered around him explaining what was going to happen in the operation. "You hafta make sure I know the sequence of turning it on Doctor D…"
"We will go over this when you're awake. You will know it backwards and forwards and even sideways. Actually it's pretty easy."
"Good is there any chance of it going off before I want it to?"
"No and I have had several scientists review my work."
"Listen if I don't pull through this little procedure Drakken I have a backup person ready to take over if he has to."
"I gave up that name years ago Stoppable, I wouldn't be doing this, but I found out last month that one of my distant cousins was chosen in their 'Dragon' lottery a few years ago. There is nothing that can bring her back…she was Eddie's stepdaughter. You can't do anything for her but you have the chance to make sure it doesn't happen anymore to our children. Anyway who's got the guts to do this besides a crazy man like you?"
"Someone who has lost his reason for living.", Ron replied, "if I don't make it the details are in a letter to him…He has the contact information and will call you immediately to have the same operation. He has in turn recruited someone to be his replacement…I…am sorry for Ed's stepdaughter. I hope she rests in peace."
"I…I expect that those plans won't be put into operation, Stoppable. I trust the men who are doing the surgery. Uh how are you going to get the current crop of girls away from the 'Masters'?"
"I can't, if we had had a few months more lead time I could do it."
"You're going to sacrifice those girls?"
"Yeah…I don't have any choice in the matter…", Ron looked down at his old hospital gown, "But hopefully they will be the last. Anyway this annual festival for all of those animals it and brings in almost the whole empire, so I'll be able to take most of them out in one shot as long as the devices work the way they are supposed to, but they should be spared the indignity of the axe and having the recordings replayed over the Earth's media networks to remind us of our place in the cosmos."
"I know that this is an old place Stoppable, but we have to stay out of view. No one can know what we are trying to do…they might report this thing and we'll never get the chance to finish it.", Lipsky informed the former sidekick.
They were interrupted by an old nurse who entered, "It's time to take you in Mister Hemingway…."
"Hemingway?", Ron mused then read the wristband, "Oh yeah me."
"We'll be in there before you go under, Arson."
"Arson?"
"Yes, Arson Hemingway…oh yeah later.", Ron replied as the nurse took the brakes off the wheels as he tried to remember the alias.
In five minutes he was in the operating room and moving himself onto the table where the surgery was going to take place.
Ron Stoppable thought to himself, 'Arson Hemingway what kind of name is that? Oh well it doesn't matter.'
Once he got himself situated on the table he laid back knowing this was going to change the rest of his life, 'We'll be together soon KP.', Ron thought to himself, completely understanding what he was going to have to do to fulfill his wish and at the same time save the Earth.
(Sniff)
The blond former hero watched the figures enter the operating room. He recognized former villains known as Professor Dementor and Doctor Drakken, but he did not know who the surgeons were so he introduced himself, "Hi my name is…uh…uh Arson, who are you?"
"Oh Arson my name is Doctor Smed.", the already masked surgeon, "I am pleased to meet you. I will speak with you after you wake up in about five hours."
"Five hours?"
"We have to remove some things in you to make room for you to complete your mission. Do you understand that?"
(Gasp)
"Oh I didn't know…but I suppose I won't need them for much longer anyway."
The doctor peered at the two former villains, "He doesn't know?"
Drew Lipsky replied, "He won't need what we are removing, but we have to make this look good so no one realizes."
The surgeon then turned back to Ron and asks, "Is this what you want?"
Ron replied, "Of course Doc, this is what I signed up for…do you mind me asking why you are in on this?"
"Yes, memories. Miss Possible saved my daughter when this blue madman here tried to take over the world some years ago. When he changed, he asked me to do this as a favor to a young man who loved her. How could I not repay her in some small way? If you know this man tell him that I have done my part to make sure she is remembered with dignity."
"I understand sir, I will not fail you…"
The surgeon stood erect, "And I will not fail you either my young friend."
Another masked person in the room adjusted the drip in Ron's IV.
XXXX
Well there you have it.
As before Kim Possible, Ron Stoppable, Sensei, Jim, Tim and all the other canon characters who appear in this little tale from the show 'Kim Possible' belong to Bob, Mark and the Disney Corporation and not myself nor CajunBear73.
Look for chapter 2 sometime next week and we'll see ya down the road,
ST-103