Disclaimer: I don't own "Kim Possible" (Mark McCorkle, Bob Schooley and Disney). I don't own Panic Room, either (David Koepp and Columbia Pictures). I have no idea why I just typed that...or do I?
Chapter 1 - Quiet Night at Home?
(...Kim's bedroom...dusk...)
"Okay, blinds closed..." The curtains are drawn. "...doors locked...computer off." The monitor goes dead. Kim leaps onto her bed. "No embarrassment. No embarrassment." She shuts her eyes, in the hope of blocking out the enormity of her situation. Her eyes bolt open. "Oh, wait. The phone." Kim reaches her hand to the wire. Before she can unhook it, the phone rings. She hesitates a little. After all, someone took the time to call and it would be bad manners to just cut them off.
She picks up the receiver. "Hello?"
"Kim. It's..." Josh. She can't help but grimace in light of recent events.
"Josh! Look, I-I'm so sorry about your shirt. I..."
"Kim, I-I just wanted to see if you were okay."
She lies on her bed. Her eyes are drawn to the mini-vortex on (or should that be 'in'?) her stomach. "I'm fine, for the most part."
"Listen, I know this is kind of...last-second, but do you want to hang out, tonight? I don't know..."
"Yes! I mean, no. I mean..." Kim lets her receiver-clad hand fall to her side. She had wanted this for so long: Josh Mankey, the guy of her dreams, calling her up and asking her to hang out. Okay, so it wasn't quite the 'date' she expected, but this was better than nothing. Unfortunately...
She allowed her gaze southward once more. That damned vortex. It seemed to be mocking her. Wade made her aware of the effects of the pollen from the Aurora Orchid: enough embarrassment and it's exit, stage left for the unlucky victim. As much as she loved the idea of being with Josh, he was just too intimidating for her. Sure, she can do anything, but should she?
She puts the phone back to her ear.
"So, how about it?"
"Josh...I would love to, but...you see..." She looks at her midsection. "...there's this...thing at home."
"Oh. And there's no way you can get out of it?"
The receiver tightens in her grip. "You have no idea how much I'd like to."
"Ah. Maybe some other time."
"Yeah, maybe."
"Catch you later."
"Yeah." Kim hangs up the phone. She walks away from it and starts to pace. "This is the right thing. This is the right thing. This is the right thing..." Kim repeated her mantra over and over. In the back of her mind, she thought to herself, Wherever Drakken is, he will pay for this!
(...the streets of Middleton...)
The activities that occur in the busy metropolis - vehicles driving, people milling about - are, despite being so mundane, a great source of calm and order.
However, given the circular vehicle leaving a trail of smoke high in the sky, it is clear that calm and order are not on the visitor's agenda.
"Shego! How close are we to the target?"
The pale woman consults the GPS locating system. "Thirty-four miles and closing. We should be there in about twenty minutes." It turned out to be a pretty good investment, after all.
For Dr. Drakken, this visit had a special purpose. He needed to check up on one of his "patients".
He chuckles as the airship cruises by.
(...Kim's bedroom...five minutes later...)
The redhead slouches on the edge her bed with her hands hanging down. She dare not risk her safety by stepping out. She still stung from turning down Josh Mankey, but there would be other opportunities.
The ringing of her phone disrupts her period of social mourning. She forgot to unhook it from the last time. (Another ring.) Should she pick it up? (And another...) It might be Ron. He may have found the Orchid. Her hand reaches out. (And another...) No, that's ridiculous. It's not like there's a pay phone behind every frond in South America. (And another...) Even if there was, the resultant bill would be ginormous. Dad would hit the roof. (And another...)
She picks it up. Damn her and her politeness.
"Hello?" Kim is quite nervous.
"Hey, Kim."
The shaky tone hardens, like ice. "Hello, Bonnie. What do you want?"
"I just wanted to chat. That's not a problem for you, is it?"
"Can't imagine why it would be."
"Good, 'cause I saw the funniest thing today. This girl at the mall - a real uncoordinated type - fell down the escalator and nearly took Josh down with her." Kim grimaced as Bonnie recounted the story. "Oh, wait, that girl was you!" The snotty girl's derisive laughter was the icing on the cake. Kim felt a tightness in her gut as the swirling vortex where her navel once was grew slightly bigger, increasing half an inch in diameter.
The redhead tosses the phone away. It bounces off the walls. Kim unhooks the phone cord and takes a deep breath. "This is not a problem." She lies on the bed. Another cleansing breath.
Her gaze turns toward the blank screen of her computer; there's a report due in a couple of days. In her zeal to avoid embarrassment (like obnoxious message board posters insulting and misinterpreting her comments), it had slipped her mind. She switches on the monitor and waits for it to boot up. She looks up at the printer. A fresh ink cartridge was put in yesterday, so there would be no problems getting it out.
After about a minute and a half, which can seem like a lifetime to computer junkies like she claimed not to be, the familiar icons appear on her screen. Kim cruises past icons like 'Freecell' and 'Diary', arriving at the one marked 'Napoleon'.
The file opens, revealing a great deal of text. All that really needed to be done was proofreading.
She moves her mouse, but hears a rumbling sound. Oh, man. The pollen must be working triple time if... Kim exhales in relief. The gurgle that Kim hears is not from the vortex...
"Man, I'm starving."
...but from hunger.
Kim heads for the steps. "I hope Ron's doing better than I am."
(...the Amazon river...)
Ron has a sturdy crew: Rufus, his resourceful naked mole rat and tech wizard/boy genius Wade, working with the two of them, via a mechanized helper known as the Wade-bot. He has a mission: locate the Aurora Orchid to restore Kim's lost self. Lastly, he has a mode of transportation: a fishing boat known as The African Queen.
However, the boat that Ron had rented to travel was facing some problems. For one thing, the paint was chipping off. Apparently, it's cheaper than in the states. What's more, the pre-existing communications system was nothing more than a ham radio. That device was an antique when Ron's parents were his age. Oh, and there was one other little dilemma...
"Rapids!"
"Rapids? Those aren't on the map." On the monitor, Wade shrinks picture-in-picture style revealing a map of the water.
"No." Ron turns the monitor around, allowing a better view. "They're right in front of us!"
The ship bounces about the choppy waters. The young man paddles as best as he can. The craft spins around in the chaos of the river. Rufus heads to the back of the boat. He tries to turn the tiller. It breaks off. From his bedroom, Wade does some typing. The Wade-bot sprouts a propeller on a tube. The tube goes into the water. The crewmates brace themselves as the boat forges ahead.
The water smoothes out once again. Ron stands up, a smile on his freckled face. Thank goodness that's over.
Rufus tugs at his pant leg. It's a waterfall.
"That's not on the map." 'Is Wade kidding me with this?', Ron thought to himself. Rufus grabs onto his owner, who, in turn, hugs the Wade-bot. They all scream as the boat goes tumbling down the falls. SMASH! Crushed on the rocks below.
A light whirring sound from above the wreckage. The Wade-bot sails through the sky, a hang-glider as its salvation. Ron and Rufus, within its tubed arms, smile relievedly at this development.
"It feels good to get out of my room once in a while", the boy genius beams.
(...the streets of Middleton...five minutes later...)
"Set it down...there!"
Shego sets the airship down in a tree. It's not too far from their ultimate destination.
"So Kimmie hasn't been at Bueno Nacho or the mall."
"Logically, she would want to hide in a safe place. And what safer place is there for one to hide than one's own home?"
The two wrong-doers make their way toward the Possible home. Shego notices that Drakken sounds more confident than usual. Maybe there was a chance that this plan may work. The fiery brunette dare not say anything, though. One, it would throw into chaos the half-crazed employer/smart-mouthed employee relationship and two, this early in the plan, she didn't wish to jinx it.
(...the living room...)
Kim had debated whether or not she ought to go downstairs. Granted, she hadn't eaten since breakfast (School lunches...ugh!), and the lower level of the house was where all the food was, but... She doesn't have to worry about her parents, as they are both working late. Her brothers, on the other hand...
The redhead holds her nose with her left hand and covers her...problem with a book in the right.
She heads down the stairs cautiously. The rushing in of her brothers interrupts her stealth mode.
"Oh, tweebs! Give someone fair warning before you let one rip like that!"
Jim adjusts the clothespin on his nose. "First of all, she who smelt it, dealt it."
"And second, that wasn't us." Tim jerks his thumb toward the backyard. "It was an experiment we're working on."
"A new rocket fuel with the potential to be ten times more powerful than regular gasoline."
Kim waves the air around her. "It's ten times more powerful than natural gasoline, that's for sure. Wait. What is this gas made from?"
"You know, stuff..."
"...regular, ordinary, found-around-the-house-stuff."
Jim and Tim walk away.
"Riiiiiiight." Kim walks over to the junk drawer. Flashlight, rubber bands, pennies...ah! A book of matches. She sees a thick red candle on the mantle.
Kim rips a match from the set of 18 and flips the book over. Tim looks back. He snatches the stick from her.
"Hey, what do you think you're doing!"
"What do you think you're doing?" The argument has drawn Jim's attention.
"Getting that horrid smell out of here."
"The gas has the potential to be ten times as powerful as regular gas, and ten times as potent. One little spark and..."
"Ka-boom!" Jim yells out. The redhead is startled.
"Fine." Kim puts the matchbook on a nearby table.
She walks over to the window next to the drawer. She opens it. "The breeze will be nice." Kim glances up at the sky. The clouds seem to be turning gray.
"Looks like rain. Well, better rain than bad gas." The redhead takes a breath. "Should be a quiet night, at least."