Stoppable Rules!
Disclaimer: I do not own Kim Posible, or any Marvel characters that may appear in this story, despite my many attempts to do so, (Damn Disney executives!), now on with the story.
Chapter 2:
There was a palpable calm within the room occupied by one Ron Stoppable, the only noise that could be heard was the slow drip of IV fluid and his calm breathing, last night's events had taken a toll on him, he was as of yet unaware that he now housed within his body a as of yet nameless alien symbiote who was secretly aiding his healing, not so much as to cause suspicion but enough to get him out of the hospital sooner so as to expedite his recuperation without being caught.
The door to his room opened, and a nurse came in to check up on him as her duty asked of her to do so, she first checked to see if there was any change in status, she was quite thorough and meticulous, she was aware of what he had done to arrive in this condition having been informed by the patients assigned doctor, and found it to be very noble and brave, she knew that New York was the capital of super powered as well as non powered superheroes, but even they couldn't be everywhere at once, so seeing this young man risk his life for another under such bad odds, gave her faith that even normal men and women can still show the goodness of humanity without the need for such things.
She noticed that the curtains to his room were closed, so thinking some light could help him she went to them and pull them back, flooding the room with the morning light, it also had the effect waking the patient.
"Groan, Ugh." Ron let out, as the light filtered through the window onto his face.
"Oh, I'm sorry I didn't think you'd wake up so soon." A female voice said to him.
"Wh... who are you?" he rasped out as his throat felt dry for some reason.
Seeing his obvious discomfort in speaking she poured him a glass of water and took it to him.
"Here drink this." She said to him.
He did as asked and immediately felt better, the dryness leaving as he gulped down the clear liquid.
"Thank you." He said to her, his voice was much clearer thanks to the water.
"You're welcome, my name is Anne, Anne Michaels, I'm a nurse here at St. Helen's Memorial Hospital, it's where you are right now if you're wondering." Anne said to the man.
"Oh, guess that explains the room." The blonde said to her now understanding where he was, as well as remembering why he was there in the first place.
"The woman that I helped, is she all right?" he asked.
"Yes she is, thanks to you, it was a very brave thing you did." She answered with a smile.
"I was at the right place at the right time, that's all." He said in answer to her praise.
"If you say so, still this city could use more people like you, maybe then we wouldn't need so many masked heroes to save the day, now you just rest while I get your doctor, if you need anything just press the blue button on the controller on your right, and I'll come get it for you, ok?" she said to him.
"Ok." He replied.
The nurse soon left the room, leaving him alone with his thoughts.
"What a nice lady." He thought.
"Indeed she is." A voice said.
"What the…? Is somebody here?" he asked out loud.
"…"
"Must have been my imagination." He said.
"I am not a figment of your imagination Ronald." The voice once more spoke.
"Who's there!" he asked out loud.
"There is no need to get excited Ronald, besides you're in the hospital, they might not appreciate the ruckus." The voice said to him.
"Oh god, it finally happened, I snapped, I'm going to have to be locked up, I'll never see my family again." He said as brought up his knees to his chest and started to rock back and forth.
"No Ron, you have not lost control of your mental faculties, I'm simply speaking to you through your mind." The voice said reassuringly to the disturbed young man.
"Wait…soo your some kind of mind reader? Are you a mutant? Not there is anything wrong with that." He asked giving into the situation, hoping he wasn't about to step in it.
"No Ronald, I am not a mutant, I'm not even human, I am an alien symbiote that currently inhabits your body temporarily so as to heal your wounds more quickly." The now identified speaker said to the young man calmly.
"O…kay, let's go with that, and assuming I'm not really crazy, I'm going to have to ask you to please get out of my body." He said as calmly as possible despite the urge to claw at his own skin to get the creature out, if it was indeed that.
As if sensing his thoughts it spoke again.
"I know you still don't believe this is happening so I shall reveal myself to you." It spoke.
Before he knew what it meant, he felt something under his skin around his arms and legs, he removed the covers and before he could react a red and black mass came out of his wrists and ankles, he could only watch in shock and horror as it poured out of his body onto the floor, then at the foot of the bed the mass seemed to coalesce into a undefined shape, but that did not last long as large streams of it formed what appeared to be arms and hands, then the center of it seemed to form a torso and at the top a head was formed, finally a face formed with two large white eyes in the form of flames, and a "mouth" if it could be called that broke open revealing a maw of pointed teeth with a large flesh colored tongue.
"…"
"AAAmhpmm!" Ron tried to scream but his mouth was quickly covered by the creature's right hand, he tried to reach up to remove it, tendrils were released from the same arm and held him down.
"Calm down! I am not going to hurt you, despite my appearance I have not harmed you in any way or form, so please calm down." it said as he gently removed its hand from his mouth and removed the tendrils from his limbs, though unseen by him another went towards the rooms door and slide beneath it so as to keep watch.
Ron eyed the creature before him warily, in his opinion it was ten times scarier than the lorwardian's ever were, it didn't help that it was connected to him, still it did have a point it had yet to take hostile action against him.
"Okay, so you're not here to hurt me, but why are you healing me?" he asked.
"Because I was there the night you risked your life to save the woman, I saw how she pleaded with you to help her and you turned away only to return and face her pursuers, at first I wondered why would you do this, you did not know her, you showed apathy at her plight yet still you returned, you knew you would probably not make it out of the encounter unscathed yet still you charged forward, and once she was safe and you at the tender mercies of her would be captors, I intervened on your behalf, then proceeded to help you heal, while you healed I went through your memories…"
"You did what!" he shouted.
"I went through your memories Ronald, ALL of your memories." The symbiote spoke.
Ron immediately understood the implications when it had stressed all of his memories.
"Does that mean you saw…?" he didn't bother to finish the question, as he looked to the scar on his wrist.
"Yes, I saw that too, I saw what caused your pain, I saw your suffering for claiming a life no matter the fact that they meant to do you harm and quite likely death, I have seen every day how you have struggled to find meaning and purpose, and I have seen your loneliness and misery, I have seen and felt everything, but do you know what else I have seen and felt?" the alien asked the young man before it.
"What?" he asked curious as to what else it saw in him besides his anguish and anger.
"I have seen a young man who faced life head on, I saw someone who no one thought much of shake off everything they threw at him at kept moving forward with a smile on his face that made anyone's day by seeing it, I saw someone who was loyal and kind to a fault to everyone, someone who in the face of even his greatest fears and incredible danger, with no back up, no special training saved the day when there was no one else available, I saw a young man step back from the edge of despair for the sake of his sister who isn't even related by blood, I saw a man who has traveled this country in search of purpose because he promised his loved one he would, I saw a young man saved a woman he didn't even know from being robbed, beaten and raped, even though he was outnumbered, I saw the REAL you Ronald Dean Stoppable. " it said to the one it hope would be the one it had been searching for.
Ron couldn't find the words to speak after hearing what this being had said of him, he just cried silently, he did ask himself how it could see all that when he couldn't, how it seemed to believe he had achieved all that he had in his life before the "incident" as he called that day when his world was shattered when he could not.
The symbiote let him cry, it had not interacted with humans on level that could allow it to give comfort towards him, but on some level it knew that he needed to hear what it had to say of him, if there was to be any chance that the human it had saved was to become its host it needed to let him know why it was choosing HIM above others who were just if not more worthy.
"Ronald there is another reason I have help you, you see my species requires a host to survived for long periods of time, now on our own we can lived well enough but can never manifest our full potential as well as our lifetime is diminished without one, now in the past, with the exception of the one who spawned me, my species took unwilling hosts feeding of them like a parasite until they were nothing but burnt out husks leaving behind a legacy of death and destruction, my predecessor wished to change that, it wanted to bond with its host, to experience everything with it to live in unity with it, are following me so far?" it asked.
"Yeah, so far yes." Ron replied to it, enthralled by the tale.
"Good, as I was saying my predecessor wished to bond, but my race viewed it as a heretic and label it as "the Other" as a mark of shame, it was imprisoned and exiled off world, unknown amount of years later it was found and released, by the one you call Spider–man." It said to its potential host.
"Wait a minute! How did Spider–man get to the planet were it was imprisoned?" he asked.
"The answer to that is, he and a large group of heroes and villains were taken from earth by a powerful cosmic entity that called itself the Beyonder, this being had observed earth and its inhabitants and was intrigued by the heroes and villains and the concepts of good and evil they represented, it desired to see which of the two were was stronger therefore he took several unwilling representatives of both as well as fragments from several planets to form what was call "Battleworld" it just so happens that one of the fragments contained the prison of my predecessor, Spider – man was in need of a new suit and found it, without realizing what he had released." The symbiote paused so as to let the young man take in the information.
"I can't believe there was something so powerful out there that can make a planet out of pieces of others, and just so it could see which was better good or evil, man, sounds more like a kid than some powerful cosmic being, I guess you can't blame Spider – man for not knowing, I mean him and the others were pretty much in a bad spot and deal with it as best they could, I wonder who else was sent there?." He thought to himself, the symbiote still connected to the boys mind heard the question.
"The answer would be the Fantastic Four, the group you call the Avengers, the X – men and the Hulk." He answered.
"That's a bit creepy when you do that." He said.
"My apologies I have yet to figure out how to create a set of vocal cords without the assistance of a host." It explained.
"No problem, so this Beyonder decides to nab a bunch of big name heroes, who did he take from the dark side." Ron asked.
"I'm sorry "Dark Side"?" It questioned.
"Oh sorry thought you knew about Star wars, I meant the bad guys, which bad guys he kidnapped?" he asked after explaining the reference.
"He took several big names such as Dr. Doom, the robot Ultron, some of Spider – man's foes such as Dr. Octopous, Electro, shocker, a group called the wrecking crew, and so on, however eventually both groups had to combine efforts in order to finally defeat Dr. Doom when he usurped the powers of the Beyonder, and put an end to the conflict, they return home and Spider – man took with him what he thought was some sort of technological suit and not an alien organism." It finished.
"I'm guessing things didn't pan out, because I remember a picture of him wearing black and white suit, which don't get me wrong it looked cool, but I got a bad vibe when I saw it." He said.
"You would be correct in your assumption, my predecessor at first tr…, I'm sorry we will have to continue this conversation at a later time, you have some visitors coming this way." It said as the tendril it used to stand watch saw that Ron's doctor and some visitors were coming, one being the woman Ron had saved, to her left was an elderly woman who seem to stir a memory in it, however when he saw the young man on her right it realized just who Ronald had saved and who she was connected to.
"Peter Parker! Then they must be Mary Jane and his aunt May, interesting." The symbiote thought.
Inside the room it quickly began to melt and retract itself into its potential host, Ron was noticeably perturbed by the process but said nothing, when it was done he drew the covers over himself and stared at the areas were the being had burst out of, no holes or wounds were found just healthy skin.
"Well that was both extremely cool and nerve wracking." He thought.
"Then I am both pleased and sorry for that." The symbiote telepathically responded.
"Gah! Give a guy a warning or something, I'm still adjusting to the fact that I have an alien living in my body and can read my thoughts." He said out loud.
"My apologies, however I should inform you that I have only read your thoughts while unconscious when I was trying to learn about you, only when you give permission or accidentally project your thoughts to me will I respond, which reminds me, you can use your thoughts to speak to me, otherwise people would question you sanity if they see you taking to yourself so much." The alien suit said.
"Can you hear me?" Ron thought.
"Yes, for now get ready for your visitors, we shall continue our previous conversation at a later time." The symbiote replied.
Just then the door to his room opened, he turned to look who had come in and saw a small group enter, at the lead was obviously the physician in charge of his case, he was easily identified by the white lab coat and medical chart, behind him was a man with light brown hair, average height and looks, next to him was the red haired woman he had rescued, now under more calm circumstances he could see her clearly and had to admit she was beautiful, her hair was a brighter red than "hers" and her complexion was much better as well, behind the two was an elderly woman, she looked to be around her sixties to seventies, her face told him immediately that she was a kind and gentle person but strong as well.
With the exception of the doctor who went towards him, the group stopped a few feet from him while the doctor spoke to him.
"Hello Mr. Stoppable, I'm the doctor in charge of your case, my name is James Porter." He said as he extending his hand to the young man before him.
Ron took the man's hand for a shake "Hello doctor." He greeted in turn.
"How are you feeling?" the doctor asked.
"Well, I feel some pain chest and face." The blond answered.
"Yes, the chest pain is a result of ribs being bruised on your right side, you have a fractured rib on your left, and your face took a beating but thankfully nothing was broken, I will prescribe some pain killers for you once you are released." James explained.
"How long will that be doctor?" Ron asked.
"I would say a week, week and a half; it depends on how well you heal really." The doctor answered.
"Well, I hope its sooner, no offense but hospitals rooms always felt lonely to me, then again I have spent my fair share of time in them." he said.
"Yes according to your medical records, you've been treated for a variety of injuries during your teen years." The doctor said curious about some of them.
"Yeah it's what I get for being a sidekick to a teen heroine who travels around the world to stop villains bent on world domination." He replied with some bitterness in his voice that was not missed by the elderly woman who frowns at his tone.
"Is he serious? Did he really do such a thing? And what injuries could he have received to have required so many trips to the hospital?" May asked herself.
"Normally I'd asked if you were joking but your files say you were involved with Kim Possible's worldly exploits…" He paused when he noticed him flinch and cover the area where the scar was, he wasn't the only one"…so it is understandable that you would incur some damage while participating, but enough of that I should leave you and your guest to talk, so if you need anything just press the button the nurse told you about and ask, good day Mr. Stoppable." And with that the doctor turned and excused himself after saying goodbye to the Parkers.
Ron watched as the doctor departed, that is until his attention was then directed at the family who had come to see him.
"Hello, my name is Mary Jane Watson – Parker, I'm the one you helped last night." She said to her savior.
"Yes I remember, I hope they didn't hurt you." He asked sincerely.
"No, thanks to you they didn't, though I am sorry I didn't bring help sooner." She said a bit depressed at that.
"That's ok, what really matters is that you're ok." He said to her with a smile.
"Hello, I'm Peter Parker, MJ's husband, this is my Aunt May Parker, we just came to thank your help, if there is anything I could ever do to repay you just ask." The man who secretly Spider – man spoke while his aunt just smiled and nodded.
"Thanks but what I did anyone could have done, probably with a lot less bruises involved." He replied.
May just shook her head at his comment.
"I don't think so; it takes a very special kind of person to do what you did Mr. Stoppable, and sadly this city though filled with heroes, rarely ever takes matters into their own hands like you did, I would like to think that if everyone could do what you did, there would be no need of the masked men and women who come to our aid." The elderly woman spoke with wisdom earned through the years.
"I have to agree with May, I think you sell yourself short on what you're capable of." Peter added.
Ron heard the words but he just looked down towards his shielded hand.
"I wish I could believe that." He whispered.
Unfortunately May heard him and saw where he was holding his right arm, she walked to the other side of his bed where he held his arm, she reached out and his hand in both of hers.
"Why did you do it?" she asked startling him.
"Ex…excuse me?" he asked though deep down he knew what she meant.
"Why did you hurt yourself?" she asked avoiding to use the word "kill".
She didn't know why she asked him such a deeply personal question, but as a Christian woman her beliefs often led her to help does who needed it.
Ron was speechless at the question; a part of him was cursing whoever told about his "indiscretion", the part was curious about why she would show such concern,
Peter and Mary remained quiet, they were both curious as well, Peter because he remembered how he was, Mary because she hoped that the reason she was saved was for him to die.
After a few moments Ron answered.
"I… I don't really understand why I did it, I mean I had a reason to do it but when I look back to my actions I find myself asking that same question." He replied.
"If you'll pardon my intrusion, what was the reason?" May asked.
Ron thought about what to say to her, no to them.
"Tell them the truth Ronald, the whole truth; it is the only way you can begin to heal yourself completely." The symbiote spoke to him.
"What if I get hurt again? Or worse be pitied for it?" he asked the creature, ignoring the fact that he must have projected his thoughts to it.
"That is a distinct possibility Ronald, but asks yourself this, do you wish to spend the rest of your life holding in this terrible pain and cling to the past? Or are you willing to finally move beyond it and into the future?" it replied.
Ron thought about it for a minute, until he decided what action to take.
"Sigh" "It all started…"
And so Ron told them his story, who he was, what he had done before the suicide attempt, he skipped the parts about the MMP or the Lorwardians, but not the "incident" or what had happened that stopped him, when he spoke of it he broke down at that point.
The Parkers reaction varied.
May wrapped her arms around him; and let him cry on her shoulder, she whispered to him that it was not his fault and other reassuring things as he released his pain.
Mary Jane cried as well but also grabbed the guard rail tightly in anger at Kim's actions, it was obvious that if she had lost her feelings toward the man, then she should have done the responsible thing and told him; instead she stabbed him in the back and drove him to such terrible measures, she promised herself to give that little girl a piece of her mind if she ever saw her, AFTER she punched her lights out.
Peter just placed his hand on his shoulder; he knew what it felt to be lost and betrayed, the names Gwen Stacy and Felicia Hardy came to mind, when he lost Gwen he felt a part had died with her, and when Felicia refused to be a part of Peter Parker's life it hurt like nothing else, to this day he had yet to fully forgive her actions, more so when she felt jealous of his marriage with MJ, it was only thanks to Mary Jane that he felt whole again, he knew she worried for his safety as he did hers and May's, but she also was there for all the times he needed her strength, Ron however suffered a hit that nearly destroyed him.
In many ways Ron reminded him of Eddie Brock, someone who strived to pull himself from obscurity into being acknowledged, however they both reached the apex of their lives then fell hard, but where Brock had given into despair and anger, Ron had walked away from the edge and went in search of new purpose, and for that he had earned his respect and he hoped his friendship.
After a while a nurse had come to tell them that visiting hours were over, so they reluctantly left their new friend, but not before promising to visit him when they could.
"How do you feel Ronald?" the symbiote asked.
"…" "Lighter…yes lighter, like some weight has been lifted from my shoulders." He replied openly to his alien benefactor.
"I'm happy for you Ronald." It said.
"Ron." He said to it.
"What?" it asked.
"My friends call me Ron." He replied.
"…" "You…consider me a…friend?" it asked truly perplexed by the concept.
"Yes, yes I do." Ron said firmly.
"But you've only known me for less than a day, why do you consider me such a thing?" it said to the blond.
"True, but you have helped me remember who I was before all this shit happened between Kim and me, and if you had not told me to answer May's question I would still feel like crap, so I have every reason to call you my friend, however there is still something I haven't asked yet, did you help me because it was the right thing to do? Or because you need me for something?" he asked.
"Actually, I helped you because it was the right thing to do but also because after seeing your life, what you have endured, what you have suffered and what you have tried to do for yourself, I wish for you to become my host and help me fulfill my purpose." It said its new friend.
"And what is that purpose?" he asked.
"As I was explaining before, my predecessor or parent if you will, was bonded to Spider – man, it desired to form a bond with its host instead of taking over, however over time it came to influence his actions, especially his hostile emotions, eventually it began to use his body while he slept to fight criminals with excessive force, he found out about it, and with the aid of his friends, the Fantastic Four, he learned of its true nature and had it forcibly removed by using my species weakness against loud sound waves and intense heat, unfortunately it escaped its prison and sought him out to force a permanent bond with him, he fought it a top a church where he used the bells to remove and weaken it, however there it found a man by the name of Eddie Brock who was there to kill himself because according to him Spider – man ruined his life, my parent sensed this and bonded with Brock, but the man's pain and anger overwhelmed my weakened brethren and drove it mad, it revealed Spider – man's identity to Brock and together they formed what is now known as Venom, whom I am sure you have heard of. " it paused for him to digest what he had been told.
"Yeah, I heard of him, guy's a nightmare, he is liked the punisher except he also goes after Spider – man whenever he can." He replied.
"Yes that's correct, he feels that he should rid the world of the evil that is Spider – man, obviously he has a very serious grudge with him, and worse yet every time they clash, is a terrible struggle for the hero, Venom has all of his augmented powers but he also has two advantages, one he can block Spider – man's early warning sense, what he calls Spider sense, which helps him avoid danger, and two he is capable of making himself invisible to the eye with his optic camouflage, it takes all the spiders skill to beat him every time, however this time he gave birth to me, I am the remnants of his original mission and Spider – man's desire to do good, that is why I was searching for someone worthy of this abilities, to help people as he does, and you Ron are indeed worthy of this great power because I know you will use it responsibly, so will help me? Will you become my host? " it finally asked the questioned it had waited so long to ask.
Without hesitation Ron answered.
"Yes, yes I will, I know I'm probably walking into something big here, bigger than anything I have ever done before, and it will be more dangerous but still I think doing this will give me what I want, purpose, whatever happens I know I won't be alone as you will be there to help me learn, so yes let's do this…Partner."
"Thank you Ron, I will do my best to help you as best I can, once we leave the hospital I shall make the bond and then we shall work on helping you get ready." It said.
"Before that I need to something I have put off for too long, and that is to see my family, I owe to them to finally explain what happened." He said to his new friend and partner.
"A wise choice Ron, and then?" it asked.
"Then we are going someplace to build up some mad ninja skill." He said with a feral grin.
"You mean…?" it asked already knowing the answer.
"We're going to Japan, and see a sensei about some training." He said resolutely.
Less than a week later he was released from the hospital, once out the symbiote completed the bond with Ron, and accelerated his healing, in a day his bruises and ribs were gone and healed.
His alien partner then informed him of what he would be receiving from their union.
Flashback.
We find Ron packing whatever belongings into his suitcase as he prepared to depart back to Middleton, while he did so his partner was speaking to him about what benefits and drawbacks he would get from him.
"So I would get all of Spider – man's super powers!" he asked shocked.
"Yes, since he was the first person to bond with Venom, his abilities were used as a template, if it had been a normal human we would still be able to augment them but not to the same degree, the same could be said for later generations as the template would slowly erode with each new host. " it explained.
"Wait so what would happen if you bond with someone else with super powers?" he asked his friend.
"Hmm, I suppose that either I would retain the original set and add the new set and combine them if possible or the old set would be overridden for the new one." It answered.
"So let's say that you were to bond with Hulk, you would either get his and Spider – man's powers or just his, that about right?" he asked.
"Yes that would be theory, however I doubt the heroes would permit such a thing, remember they have very little trust in my species thanks to my parent whose actions reflect badly on me." it said showing it had no loyalty towards the one who spawned it.
"Yeah we're definitely have our work cut out for us when they find out about you, but will figure it later, so back on topic what else is there involved with our bonding?" he said to renew the conversation.
"I like was explaining before you would obtain Spider – man's powers which are the ability to stick to most surfaces, enhanced agility and reflexes, his spider sense, and an enhanced version of his strength." It replied.
"How enhanced?" the blond questioned.
"Well considering that under optimal conditions he can lift around 10 to 15 tons or more under extreme circumstances, and Venom can lift 20 to 25 tons, we however are triple that so my best estimation without the aid of your mystical powers would be around 50 to 60 tons." It replied.
"Of course once you can control your powers that could radically change." It thought privately.
"Whoa, that is definitely a lot, we're going to have to be careful, when we get into a fight with a normal person." He said in all seriousness.
"I agree not even Spider – man uses his full strength against the common criminal element, in fact he has to be careful around his family or else he might hurt them, but we'll work on that first before getting into other things like web slinging or such. " it explained to its host.
"Web slinging?" Ron questioned upon hearing the term.
"Yes it what he does in order to get around the city, you see he created a substance that mimics spider silk used in webs, his of course to a proportional size of a human, Venom creates it naturally, we however we'll have an appropriate substitute, allow me to show you, extended your right arm. " it asked.
Ron did so and watched as the symbiote covered it, then from the palm a strand of it shot out and hit the wall and remained there.
"As you can see I can create an infinite amount of webbing from myself so you don't have to worry about running out of it, now release it and count too thirty." It asked again.
He did as asked and after thirty seconds it turned to dust.
"What happened?" he asked.
"When contact is lost between us and the strand, it loses cohesion because it is our will and concentration that keeps it solid, without us it simply breaks down leaving no evidence, we could probably maintain it at a distance with practice and time, but again will look into it once your training begins, another thing we will practice is this. " it said as the covered arm morphed into an axe, a large bladed hand, a scythe, a mace and once again into hand and from it a katana, then back into a normal hand then the symbiote receded into Ron.
"Cool! It's like the lotus blade only from my body, how sharp can you make the blades?" He said with excitement.
"I believe as close to a titanium edge, I cannot rival the substance adamantium but they are very durable so long as they remain in contact with us." It said to his his human friend.
"Sweet, anything else I should know?" he asked wanting to know what he would have to cover in his training.
"I can mimic any form of clothing and as well as mask your features, so it would aid in stealth to a certain degree, and like my predecessor I have a unique ability, I can see in a 360 degree visual range, meaning no one would be capable of sneaking up on us." The living suit spoke.
"Great that should save me time in and money in clothes." Ron said with a grin.
"True, but try to still wear undergarments, I doubt the world is ready for you to go commando." It said with mirth.
"Right, heh heh heh" he replied a bit red faced at the comment.
"However for all my benefits there are drawbacks, for one thing while I may be stronger against powerful sound waves I am weaker against heat, more so it will cause me great pain, pain that you too will feel, also true to my species I may experience bouts of anger or increased aggression that may affect you so we must learn to control our anger or we may end up doing something we will regret." It said in all seriousness.
"Gotcha, maybe some meditation can help, will talk to sensei about it, ok?"
"Yes I think that is good idea."
End flashback.
Afterwards they packed up, and drove towards their destination, Middleton, Colorado.
Middleton, Colorado – Stoppable home, late evening.
There was a somber mood in the Stoppable house; as it has been since the departure of the eldest son, its member's silent as they had their dinner.
Each contemplative, with one unifying thought in their hearts and their minds, Ron, when Daniel and April Stoppable woke up that day, they followed their daily activities which included looking in on their son, hoping that there was some change in him, that day they got their wish just not in the way they expected.
April was the one to make the discovery, she cried out for her husband, this immediately woke Rufus from his slumber and made Daniel rush towards his wife, it was there he saw her standing completely still and wide eyed, he entered and mirrored her actions, an empty room was what greeted her, they called out to him but got no answer, they checked Hana's room where she was sitting in her crib looking at the window, when her mother question what she was looking at she said "Ron go away" to her, having learned how special their adopted child was understood that she sometimes knew things no child her age should and that she shared a powerful connection to her brother, her thoughts about what she meant were interrupted by her husband yell to come to his study.
She picked up her daughter and went to him, there she found him and Rufus sitting on his shoulder with note in his trembling hand, she went to his side and read the note, 5 minutes later she was bawling and weeping.
They called everyone who might have any idea where he went but no one had seen him, they went to the police but they just informed them that he was legally an adult therefore they could not send anyone to look for him, also the fact that he had informed them of his possible return as well as the fact that he was going to remain in contact meant that he was in his right mind, so with a heavy heart they returned home, that night they cried themselves to sleep.
A week later their moods improved when they received the first postcard from Dallas Texas, it simply said he was fine and that he was still looking, for what they had no idea but they were happy he was alive and well.
Presently they were all somber, unknown to them however they were about to get a very pleasant surprise.
"Knock, Knock, Knock"
"How odd, were you expecting anyone honey?" April asked her husband.
"No dear, maybe it's the neighbors, I´ll go check." Daniel replied as he got out of his seat and went to the door.
"Daniel who is it?" April asked but got no reply.
"Daniel? Is everything all right?" she asked again getting a bit worried so she got up and made sure Hana was in a spot with easy escape in place for her to run(remember super ninja baby) and went to the door.
She reached the hall and saw her husband staring at someone, as she got closer she felt a deep sense of familiarity with the person, about a foot away it hit her like a freight train, blond hair, brown eyes, vanishing traces of freckles, and a smile that could warm anyone´s heart.
She finally got close enough to reach out a trembling hand to his face, he took her hand and brought to his cheek, a part of her was deeply afraid that this was some sort of dream, that it wasn´t real, she tried to say the name she had wanted to speak for so long but her voice seemed to shut off, finally she whispered it.
"Ron?"
He nodded "Hey Mom. You look good." He said before she engulfed him into a very strong hug.
"MY SON!" she yelled so loud the heavens themselves would hear her, as she hugged him and cried her heart out, she was by his father followed, Hana and Rufus finally toppled him over when they heard the cry and rushed him.
The family stayed like that for what seemed like an eternity, until finally Ron asked them to let him up, they did and headed for the common room to sit, both parent´s on either side of him, Hana on his lap and Rufus on his shoulder.
"Ron, what happened to you? The day you left the note said something happened to you, that something hurt you terribly and that you left because you needed to find yourself, but what was it? Please tell us." His mother practically begging him so as to understand what could possibly drive him to leave town.
"Sigh" "Well Mom, Dad it started…" and so he explained to them as delicately as possible what had occurred, he didn´t break down like last time, his mother and father did though when he told him he tried to kill himself and that it was thanks to his sister he didn´t, he calmed them down though it was anything but easy they wanted to march over to the Possible´s house and beat the crap out of them, he convinced them that he would deal with that issue eventually but right now it wasn´t worth it, finally he talked to them about what he had experienced during his journey of self discovery and then came the really hard part.
"Mom, Dad there is something else that happened on my trip, when I was in New York I saw a woman who was being chased into an alley, they were going to do terrible things to her so I decided to intervene, I managed to save her but the gang caught me and well I guess you can imagine what happen next, I was sure I was done form when I was saved." He said to them.
"By who son?" his father asked.
"This is where things get difficult." He thought.
"Too late to turn back now." His symbiote said.
"Well, you´re about to meet "him" please don´t freak out." He said as his clothes suddenly started to ripple, then were melting off revealing his selection of a white t-shirt and white boxers, it pooled on the floor, went to the left there it began to rise an take shape, sadly it was the natural form their race took in order to inspire fear, the parent´s and pet ad took looked for 10 seconds at the symbiote, their eyes rolled to the back of their heads at the eleventh, Hana just laughed.
"I believe they took that rather well." The symbiote said, to his partner telepathically who had was pinching his nose at the absurdity of the comment.
Twenty minutes later
After waking up and confirming that the thing they had just saw melt off their son was indeed real, they All adjourned to the kitchen table for a cup of calming tea… it had yet to work.
"So I'm assuming that…being is the one who came to your aid?" his mother questioned in a calm tone that was betrayed by the constant trembling of the cup in her hand, his father seemed in better shape thought he kept a constant watched on the alien who was playing with Hana, by using two stuff animals in a silent puppet show, her laughter reassured him somewhat that she was safe for the moment.
"Yeah mom, I would not be here if he hadn´t help me, not just in the alley but in so many other ways." He replied.
"How so Ron?" she questioned again more calmly as she was curious of the answer.
"Mom I'm not gonna say that I was 100% on my trip I was still trying to find what I lost, and during it I was lonely, miserable and frustrated, but when "he" showed up for the first time he explained that while he saw all my pain and anger, he also saw everything I was, everything I nearly gave up, and finally reminded me why I help when I could, and helped me speak of my pain not just with you but others, and you know what? Even though some of it still there it doesn´t hurt as much anymore, like it´s fading." He said to not only his mother but his father who had turned to look and listen to his son.
They were stunned at that, many times they questioned what it was that he went through during his exile, but to hear that not only was he still suffering but that this being from beyond the stars help him in such a way was mind boggling.
"So what will you do now Ron?" His father asked.
"I´ve decided to move to New York, there are a lot of people who could use my help and I now that I have responsibility to use the abilities I have been granted to help them, but first I need to prepare, so first I'm going to Japan, to see some friends about getting me started, but that is after I spend some time with you guys, we still have a lot of catching up to do after all." He replied with a smile they remembered well.
At that moment they realized their son had grown up in ways that were beyond their understanding, he had experienced great joys and terrible pains and now was determined to takes this moments and move forward into a life of his choosing, it was at that moment that a great pride and swelled up in them at the sight of it, they would be fools to stand in his way.
"All right son, your mother and I realize that this seems important to you, and we won´t force you into straying from it but please try to be careful for us, we nearly lost you once, and it would devastate us if anything were too happen to you." His father said to him.
"I won´t any promises I know I can´t keep but I will try to be as careful as I can be, that enough for you?" he asked his parents.
"It will have to be son, as for you, um I-I´m not sure what to call you, but please look after him." His mother said to the alien creature to which he just nodded to her.
Ron spent the following two weeks with his estranged family reconnecting with the, he had showed the some of the abilities he gained from bonding with the symbiote like his ability to cling to walls fire webbing and some super strength, they were quite amazed with it all, it at least reassured them that the normal criminal element would find themselves against their son´s powers, it was the powered set that worried them but that was why he was going to Japan.
Yamanouchi Ninja School, Japan.
"Well here we are, Rufus, looks like it hasn´t changes a bit." Ron said as he stood before the gates to the hidden ninja school where he had spent some time as a teenager during his high school years.
He went up to the gates to knock but before his fist met the surface of the hardwood doors, they open with the aid of no one in site, the old him would have freaked but he was now used to the mysterious nature of the school, inside he saw many men and women training in the art of the ninja, but really grabbed his attention was the man who held himself in respectful and dignified manner before him, Master Sensei, he headed towards the man and stopped in front of him and bowed respectfully to him, the master reciprocated the bow.
"Greetings Stoppable – san, and welcome once more to Yamanouchi." The wise man said to his most favored student.
"Hello Master Sensei, I have come back with a request to make, however I would like to make it in private as there thing s I wish to inform you of, and require some measure of secrecy before telling them." He asked the man before him.
"Yes I sensed such upon your arrival my young friend, come lets us go to my quarters, no one shall interrupt us there." He replied, then turn and headed to his room at pace his friend could follow.
Once there Ron entered the room, it was spacious and held and air of knowledge and strength, the walls held Kanji with various meanings, and to one side he saw the Lotus Blade, the sword used to carve the school from the very mountain by the very first wielder of the Mystical Monkey Power, Toshimiru.
He went to it instinctually, he was about to grab it but stopped and turn to look at the head of the school for permission, he simply nodded at the young man.
Ron held the powerful blade, the moment he held it in his hands he felt complete, as if a part of him was missing and now was found, after a moment he reverently placed it back in its proper place.
Sensei prepared some tea for them before both of them were kneeling in front of a short table.
"First of Sensei, I would like to thank you for your guidance during the attack last year, without it I would not have been able to overcome them." He spoke respectfully to the man.
"I only set you down your path; it was up to you to follow it." The elder replied.
"In any case I must inform you of what happened afterwards as well as recent changes I have gone through." The blond said.
"Do they explain why I sense another aura within you?" he asked ignoring the look of surprise on the young man´s face.
"Yes...yes they do, you see it all began…" once more he went into a detailed explanation of the events after the defeat of Warhawk and Warmonga.
He told him about the nightmares and guilt, the fear over his power, the betrayal, the suicide attempt, the trip of self healing and the symbiote who once more made its presence known as there was little point in hiding.
Master Sensei remained stoic during the tale of the chosen one, pausing only to drink or to ask specific questions, at the end of it he remained pensive, until he finally looked at the young man before him.
"My young friend it saddens me that you went such hard times, but I am also proud of your growth and strength you show me today, how may we be of assistance to you?" he asked the man before him.
"Please teach me to master my power, to learn how to combat those who would do harm to the weak and the innocent, to not lose sight of my objectives or myself, I Ronald Dean Stoppable, humbly ask of you." He said bowing before the master of the school.
"Come with me Stoppable – san." the teacher said, as he headed out of his room, he was followed out into the courtyard.
"Students and teachers gather before me!" he announced those visible and in hiding.
"Ron, kneel before me." He asked the young man, which he did keeping his head low.
"My fellow members, the chosen one has come to us with a request, he has asked to be trained in our ways, bare witness." He said to the assembled people and then turned to Ron.
"Ronald Dean Stoppable, you come before us, seeking knowledge in the ways of battle, however this is not an easy road, it is filled with hardship and pain, are you prepared to face that, to have your muscles torn and bleed, to have your bones quiver and break, to uphold our values of defending the weak, the oppressed, the defenseless and the innocent from the evil of tyrants and dictators and those who would embrace the darkness that inhabits the hearts of all men, do you swear on your honor to embrace this ideals, to never surrender even in the face of death and overwhelming odds, DO YOU SO SWEAR!" He asked in voice that rivaled the emperors of old.
Ron simply lifted his head and looked directly into his masters eyes, and said.
"I Ronald Dean Stoppable, swear on my honor, that until my dying breath I will uphold the values of the Yamanouchi, so says I." he replied in voice that spoke of great strength and courage.
"Then prepare yourself for your training begins today, my fellow students and teachers, today you bear witness to this man´s oath, now let us welcome him as our brother in arms, welcome Ronald Dean Stoppable."
Then and there Ron knew he had taken his first step into a larger world, whatever happen from then on rested on his shoulders, but he would not live in regret of then, when he left his home he as a young man on the road to fulfill a purpose, when he returns he shall be a warrior of justice, may god have mercy on his enemies.
To be continued…
A/N: So there you have it, hope you enjoy.
A few comments before I finish, pairing is undecided but he will not be with a former cast member, haven´t decided on marvel character I wish to use, suggestions will be accepted so long as they have plausible reasoning.
There will be a confrontation between him and Kim, I will not be gentle, you have been warned.
Need suggestions for his codename, feeling incline to call him Reckoning or bogard Scarlet spider, suggestions will be accepted.
That is all please enjoy.