My disclaimer for the entire So The Reality series:
I know Disney owns "Kim Possible"...lock, stock, and Rufus.
Before I get done, I will probably tick off a few more studios, too.
If they want to sue me, they have to get behind all my other creditors.
Since I am in south Florida, the line has formed to the right
…and goes all the way to Sacramento!
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Opening notes:
1) This is the second of at least three stories in the 'So the Reality' series. 'StR' places KP characters into various TV 'reality' shows. The first three stories are based on a 'Prologue' I initially wrote. These stories will start with a little bit of the 'Prologue' and its aftermath pertaining to the story ahead.
I have since moved that 'Prologue' into Chapter 7 ("Interlude") of the other story in the series completed so far, 'So the Reality: Amazing Race'. In that story, Kim & Ron competed against ten other animation 'all-star' teams in a cartoon edition of the CBS hit series, 'The Amazing Race'.
Depending on the success (?) of this story, I might re-release the 'Prologue' as an independent story.
2) The stunts in this story have numerous safeguards and are performed by cartoon characters. In real life, all of these stunts are EXTREMELY DANGEROUS!
--DO NOT TRY THESE STUNTS AT HOME…or anywhere ELSE, for that matter!!--
3) No matter what I put here, it's still up to you, the loyal reader, to let me know what you want. Review me, e-mail me if you wanna reach me! If you want to 'PM' me, that's ok! (Sorry…got carried away there, but you get the idea.) Enjoy!
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So the Reality: 'Fear Factor' (Introduction)
Summer was a busy season for Monique. On her eighteenth birthday, she was promoted to Assistant Manager at Club Banana. The new position meant she had to work the evening shift nearly every night. Despite the extra hours and pay raise, she knew she had to take full advantage of the earning potential for this summer and the next. That way, she could start college with her friends after graduation.
Although her family was not poor by any means, Monique was not as fortunate as Kim and Ron where college funding was concerned. Even if Kim's parents were not a neurosurgeon and a rocket scientist, her 'save-the-world' exploits and exceptional grades would guarantee a 'full-ride' scholarship to any university on the planet. Ron's recently-improved grades, combined with the additional Naco royalties held in trust after that initial fiasco, also gave him a bright future after high school.
Monique's family, on the other hand, was only able to set aside a meager amount for books and 'in-state' tuition—and that was only if she stayed at home and attended the University of Colorado-Middleton. If she was going to continue college past her freshman year at UC-M, she knew she would have to foot the bill herself.
In addition to Monique's extra hours at work, Ron asked her to take care of Rufus while he and Kim began some 'around-the-world' mission in Omaha, Nebraska. Ron did leave a 'care-and-feeding' list, along with a Kimmunicator. Thankfully, the list was not nearly as extensive as the one he left with Kim on his family's trip to France.
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Despite her cluttered schedule, Monique did manage to find enough time to drive her friends to the airport. She wished them luck and let Rufus give Ron one last hug before the naked mole rat's pet human boarded the plane.
Monique opened the door to her house and took Rufus upstairs to the miniature bed she kept on her nightstand. On the rare occasions where Kim and Ron went on a mission without Rufus, he stayed here and slept on the bed Monique used to keep in her Pacific Coast Sandy 'Dream House'. Monique even painted it blue after Rufus objected to its original pink-and-lavender floral design.
Just as Rufus slipped off to Slumberland, the front door opened and a voice called up from downstairs.
"Monique? Are you up there?" called the voice from below.
"Yeah, Mom," responded Monique, "I just got here myself." This noise only caused Rufus to stir a little and mumble Monique's name once or twice while smiling.
"Well," her mother continued, "You just got a letter from a company called 'End-A-Mole' or something like that."
Monique gasped and quickly covered the ears of her little pink buddy. There was no way she asked for someone to eliminate such a good friend. She stormed downstairs to find out exactly what this was all about.
Thankfully, the downstairs trip gave her enough time to take a few deep breaths and calmly ask her mother for the envelope. Her face quickly turned from anger to jubilation.
"Oh, Momma," she laughed, "it's not 'End-A-Mole', the exterminators. It's 'Endemol', the producers of that crazy stunt show, 'Fear Factor'. Remember when I auditioned for it right after my birthday?"
Before her mother could ask about what these people had to say, Monique read the letter and began to whoop for joy.
She hugged her mother and shouted, "I made it! They picked me! They want me in Go City on Tuesday to compete for fifty grand! That can cover tuition and books for two more years at UC-M! By the time I hit senior year, I am bound to earn a scholarship…or at least have earned enough at CB for the rest of it. This could be my TICKET, Momma!!!"
"Oh, honey," her mother cried as she returned the hug, "that's wonderful news!" The wide grin was soon replaced by a frown. "But I thought the prize was a hundred grand!"
Monique sensed the disappointment. "Well, yes it is," she replied, "but I have to pick a teammate and split that. It's still fifty grand, though!"
"So who are you going to pick to help you?"
"Oh, you know it's gotta be my BFF Ki—" Monique froze. She remembered Kim and Ron's plane was just taking off for Omaha. After that, they were off to Goodness-knows-where for the next two weeks or so.
With their departure eliminating Monique's first two choices, her mind began to scramble for a teammate. Her mother tried to offer a few suggestions.
"How about me, Little Mo?" her mom offered.
"Aww," sighed Monique, "that's so sweet of you to offer…but this is 'Fear Factor' we're talking about. It took four months of therapy to stop you from hiding in the corner whenever we get more than an inch of snow on the ground."
"You know it's all because of that massive blizzard when I was a kid," her mother protested. "Still, I guess you're right. That also takes out Kim's dad, James, due to his fear of heights." She quickly gasped, "How about Kim's mother, Anne?"
"Great idea, Mom! She's fearless, in great shape, and always looking for a challenge…Oh, that's right!! She's got five different surgeries in the next week. Bummer!"
"Have you asked that nice boy, Wade? I hear he's rather sweet on you."
"That is sick and wrong on so many levels! I mean, he's probably too scared to leave his own house longer than a trip to Compu-Shack!"
"Alright, what about Jim or Tim?"
"They're still grounded after that incident last Christmas with those strings of 150-megawatt bulbs."
"Honey, don't you mean 150-watt bulbs?"
That question was met with an armor-piercing glare from the teen. Before Monique could elaborate on the damage caused by dozens of drivers going temporarily blind at the same time, she felt a slight tug at her pant leg. She looked down to notice a little pink rodent with a begging look in his eyes.
"What is it, Ru?" Monique asked.
Rufus was apparently awakened by the news of Monique's selection for the show. He started jumping up and down, shouting, "Me! Me! ME!"
Monique looked at her watch and groaned. "Yes, I know, I know. It's almost time for your daily wedge of swi—"
"No, no, NO!" Rufus interrupted. He grabbed the letter, waved it around, and shouted once again, "MEEEE!!!" He then handed Monique the Kimmunicator and chirped, "Wade know me!"
She turned on the device and heard a familiar voice nearly choke on his Slurpster.
"M-M-M-Monique?" stammered Wade as he made a ten-second attempt to look his best for the camera. In as smooth a voice as he could muster, he smiled and inquired, "How may I help you today, my ebony beauty?"
Monique was clearly annoyed by this, but she knew she had to treat Wade with 'kid gloves' for the sake of her BFFs.
"Wade," she began, "I am flattered, but you know you and me ain't gonna happen!"
"Can't hate a playa from takin' his shot, though." was Wade's quick reply.
Any hostility Monique held for this diminutive genius was quickly replaced by sheer laughter.
"Wade, have you been getting romance pointers from Ron again?"
"Hey, Mo, don't dis him. Just look who he got with that level of game!"
"And to think it only took almost his entire lifetime to win her over."
"Touché. I guess the Mystical Monkey Power put him over the top on that campaign."
"Mystical what?"
"Oh, you didn't know?" Wade was quite surprised by the Middleton High 'Gossip Queen' not being 'in the loop' about what happened to two of her best friends.
Monique was getting a little annoyed by Wade's gloating.
"Just spill, ok?" she groused.
"A couple of years back, Ron and Rufus were going after Monkey Fist. They were all hit with Mystical Monkey Powers. Ron got the biggest share, though."
"So that explains the scene in the hall at MHS a while ba—Wait a minute! You said they were all hit with MMP? Kim too?"
"Kim sent a hologram in her place because she couldn't get out of a family commitment."
"No wonder she never told me about this! She probably still feels the guilt monster about that one!!"
"Big time."
"And what about Rufus? Are you saying…"
"Yep! He is the smallest recipient of MMP in the history of the ancient scrolls. He'll be the perfect partner for your 'Fear Factor' appearance, if you just give him a chance."
"I guess you're right, Wa—Hold it!" Monique's face grew suspicious as she continued. "Just how did you know I was picked? Boy, if you got this place bugged, I swear I'll…"
"Chill, Monique. I see Rufus waving the letter in the background and hopping around with a smile on his face. It doesn't take a genius to figure that out!"
She turned around and saw just as Wade described. On top of all of that, Rufus once again shouted, "ME! Can DO it!"
Monique sheepishly turned back to the Kimmunicator and said, "Sorry, I snapped like that. Forgive?"
"As Kim would say, it's no big, Mo. I'll be sure to tell Kim and Ron about this before she has to turn in her Kimmunicator at the start of their Omaha mission."
"Say what?"
"Yeah. They have to turn in all 'specially-designed' electronic gadgets and weapons before the start of this 'competition' of theirs."
"It almost sounds like they're going on 'The Amazing Race' or something!"
Wade froze in his place for a moment. "Hey," he complained, "do you have my place bugged or something?"
"Nope," Monique chuckled, "Just a lucky guess. While I got you on the line, could we get ride set up for Go City on Monday, with an overnight stay? That's where they're taping this on Tuesday morning. They'll put us up Tuesday night, but a return trip on Wednesday afternoon would be nice, too."
"For you," cooed Wade, "anything within the realm of good moral conduct. And everything outside that realm is still open for negotiation."
"What part of 'Ain't…Gonna…Happen' don't you understand?"
"You know I had to try once more," Wade grinned before hitting a few more buttons on his keyboard. After a moment, he smiled.
"Okay, Monique," he said, "I got your ride and a place to stay. How do you feel about multi-colored spandex suits?" This only served to increase her rage.
Monique roared, "For the sake of Kim and Ron, I have held my tongue about your 'crush' up to this point! Now you have crossed WAY over the li—"
"No, not that!" screamed Wade, "I'm talking about Team Go!! The Go Plane will pick you up from Middleton International and you can stay at Go Tower while in town!"
"Oh," Monique replied meekly. "Thanks, Wade. I guess you really do rock!"
"Oooh, yeah! You are more than welcome." Wade proclaimed in his best Barry White voice—which still sounded like a yowling cat. After he saw Monique's scowl, his normal voice stuttered, "Th-that is, in a 'g-good friend' sort of way!"
"That's better," Monique smirked as she turned off the Kimmunicator.
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The indoor swimming pool of Go City University was surrounded by swirling light fog. While all other lighting was dimmed, ultraviolet bulbs glowed around the perimeter of the pool, giving it an even spookier appearance.
An outside door opened to contrast the setting with blinding sunlight. Four pairs of…beings…walked through the doorway to the corner of the pool furthest from the door.
As each twosome entered the pool complex, the show's viewing screen split into three parts. The upper-left corner showed the pair continuing their journey to the pool. The lower-left corner flashed some introductory information about each duo on the screen. One member of the team was shown on the right half of the screen giving some comments on the upcoming competition.
The first pair consisted of a black-feathered duck and a pig wearing a blue jacket…
DAFFY & PORKY
Hometown: Hollywood, CA
…Daffy spoke with a lisp, but Porky suffered from a massive stuttering problem. This forced the dark mallard to speak for the team.
"A hundred thouthand thmackerth!! Thath a lotta cabbage!! After we win that money, I'll get Ol' Ham-Hock out of the way. Then, I'll really be rollin' in the green!"
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Two amphibians, each just over six feet in height, strolled up to the pool. One wore a red mask, while the other wore an orange mask…
RAPHAEL & MICHAELANGELO
Hometown: New York, NY
…The over-sized turtles surveyed the pool setting for a moment.
"Whoa," shouted Michaelangelo. "This reminds me of that pet shop tank where we lived back when we were so small. It even has dividers like the old tank had when we all snapped at each other."
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A mahogany-skinned young woman quickly grabbed the attention of all eyes in the swim complex with her modest, yet stylish, one-piece bathing suit. Only a few of those eyes even noticed a small pink rodent scampering beside her…
MONIQUE & RUFUS
Hometown: Middleton, CO
…Monique noticed all the attention she was getting for her swimsuit. It seemed more of an annoyance to her than flattery.
"Put your eyes back into your sockets and pick up your jaws from the ground already!!" she scolded. "Oh...that's right. This is the 'Fear Factor' staff. I guess you wouldn't know what to do with a real woman away from the camera!"
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A meerkat and warthog cautiously entered the swimming area…
TIMON & PUMBAA
Hometown: Somewhere in Africa
…The warthog had a look of disappointment on his face when he first saw the pool.
"Aw, man!" groaned Pumbaa. "If this is 'Fear Factor', where are all the bugs and the slimy things?"
"If you make it that far," a male voice responded, "you'll see plenty of both."
All eyes shifted their focus to a man with scraggly dark hair and three-day stubble as he stood by a corner of the pool. He used his yellow polo shirt to wipe the sweat off his brow.
The man gazed upon what he felt was the motliest bunch of creatures he had ever encountered. Yes, there was a dark-skinned woman who looked like she would be perfect for one of those 'Ladies Gone Loco' tapes he always hosted. The rest of the group, however, seemed better suited for a zoo rather than a reality show.
One thought was running through the man's head…
'How did those producers end up roping me into this one?'
The man put on his most cordial face possible to address these…competitors.
"Good morning," he said, "and welcome to 'Fear Factor', everybody. I'm your host, Joe Rogan, and here's how we're going to do this today. Each of the first two stunts will be performed by one member of each team. After that, you will both compete on all other stunts.
"If any team fails to complete a stunt, they will be eliminated. If all the teams complete the stunt, the worst-performing team with be eliminated.
"There are eight competitors grouped as four teams today. One of you will conquer your fears and walk out of here a hundred thousand dollars richer!"
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All the competitors began to take a closer look at the pool. It was divided into four quadrants by thick acrylic walls with locked, numbered doors. The quadrant closest to the competitors was completely open. A scuba diver with an extra tank was positioned inside each quadrant.
Joe pointed to the open quadrant and said, "Here is your first stunt. When I say 'go', one member of your team will will swim to the bottom of this pool filled with forty-eight degree water and unlatch a key from the pool floor. That key must be used to unlock Door Number One.
"Once that door is unlocked, that competitor must use the same method to unlock the other three doors in sequence. Once you surface back here after going through Door Number Four, time is called and the clock stops.
"At each quadrant, you may notice we have a diver standing by. If you are too scared to continue the stunt at any time, give the diver a 'thumbs down' signal. They will then assist you in safely getting out of the pool. I assume most of you do have thumbs, right?"
With the exception of Pumbaa, most of the other competitors gave Joe a 'thumbs-up' sign. Raphael, insulted by having Joe 'talk down' to him like this, brought up another finger instead. It was quickly blurred out by the censors, but the shocked looks of the other competitors left no doubt about the nature of the gesture.
"Raphael, was that completely necessary?" complained Joe.
Michaelangelo defended his fellow turtle. "Joe," he explained, "you should already know Raph is cool, but crude. I'm the one who's the party dude! Haven't you ever heard our original theme?"
Joe decided it was time to move forward with the show. He wrote on four slips of paper and put them into a 'Fear Factor' cap.
"Teams," he said, "it's time to pick whoever will do this stunt. That competitor will draw a slip out of this hat to determine their order for doing the stunt."
Timon approached the hat first, pulling out the slip marked "third".
Daffy strolled up to Joe and pulled "second" from the hat.
Monique and Raphael opened their slips at the same time. Raphael actually seemed relieved to be going last for this stunt.
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Monique stood next to the pool and took a couple of deep breaths. She then turned to Joe and nodded that she was ready.
Joe quickly yelled, "Go!"
Monique jumped feet-first into the chilled water. She went straight for the key and unlatched it from the pool floor. After opening the first door, she came up for air. She returned to the pool floor as Joe yelled encouragement.
"You're doing great," Joe shouted. "Not yet thirty seconds in and you're already working on the second door."
Indeed, she made short work of the first three doors. Before trying the final door, she took an extra breath of air as her lungs were still trying to compensate for the colder water of the pool.
After the short pause, she returned to the pool floor and finished the task.
"Time!" shouted Joe.
She quickly reached for a towel and a blanket to cover herself and get warm.
"Monique," Joe called out, "your time was 1:48. Outstanding job! That sets the bar pretty high for the rest of these teams."
Daffy took to the water like…well, a duck to water! He was much faster with the swimming, but he took longer to unlock each door. Still, his time of 1:39 was good enough to take over the lead and clinch a spot in the next round.
Timon had a lot of trouble trying to reach the pool floor. Once there, his nimble fingers were swift in unlatching the keys to unlock each door. Monique was relieved when she saw the clock reach two minutes just before he slipped through the final door and finished the task.
"Okay, Raphael," Joe stated, "you have to beat 2:03 to move on to the next round."
Raphael prepared himself and began the stunt. The water was way too cold for his comfort. His stubby fingers didn't help when it came to unlatching the keys from the floor of the pool. He finished the stunt with a time of…
"Two minutes…forty-one seconds! I'm sorry, guys. Your team has been eliminated."
The turtles shook hands with the other teams before departing the swim complex.
"Okay, teams," Joe said as he faced the remaining three groups, "let's go over to our next stunt…right after we take this commercial break!"
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Author's ending notes:
1) Believe it or not, I actually had a much longer introduction for the start of this story. It featured Monique's POV on the original 'Prologue'. If I do decide to re-release 'So the Reality: Prologue', the extra scene will serve as a second chapter to that story. I would then add more chapters as more 'StR' stories are begun.
2) The production of this story, like that for any work of fiction, is solely dependent upon the constructive feedback of its readers. If you like it, I will gladly make more. If you think of ways to make it better, I am always open to suggestions. If you really think it's a piece of garbage, stop me before I strike again!! Once again, Review me, e-mail me if you wanna reach me! If you want to 'PM' me, that's ok!
Your friend in writing,
The Samurai Crunchbird