"He was just a young man It's an honor to serve
When he first heard the call
Come and join in the battle
Come and give us your all
And he rose up to follow
Leaving all else behind
And he joined in this song
When he reached the front lines
To join in the fight
To lift up my voice
And to lay down my life
Giving glory to God
Seeking none in return
It's an honor, an honor to serve"
-Ray Boltz "The Call: An Honor to Serve"
Chapter 2: Like a Lamb to the Slaughterhouse
Kim was stunned as she sat back on her couch and stared at her boyfriend. She felt … nothing, complete numbness.
"But I thought GI Joe required service in another branch of the military first," Mr. Stoppable spoke up with a shaky voice.
"Normally they do, but when recruits come in from agencies, they're put through twelve weeks of intense training at the GI Joe camp near their headquarters in Nevada." Ron explained, nervously fiddling with his thumbs. "I'll be going through that."
"So, when are you leaving?" Mrs. Possible asked softly.
The Friday after Graduation," Ron said with a small smile.
"That's … that's not even a month away …" Mrs. Possible glanced to the calendar on the wall.
"Wow, Ron's going to be a Joe!" Jim said gleefully.
"That's so cool!" Tim replied in the same voice and tone.
"Yo!"
"Joe!"
"Are you sure this is what you want to do, son?" Mr. Possible said, holding eye contact with his daughter's boyfriend and lifelong friend.
"Me and KP have been fighting the good fight for a long time, Mr. Dr. P. I actually think I'm somewhat good at it," Ron smiled. "I like making a difference."
A smile started to grow on Mr. Dr. P's face, but it fell when the sound of the kitchen door slamming drew everyone's attention to a retreating redhead running from the house.
They all glanced from Kim's now empty seat to the door again. "I'll talk to her," Ron said as Mrs. Possible started to stand.
Ron quickly followed Kim out the back door. He didn't have to look for her. He knew where she went when she was upset, the same place they both went when things didn't go the way they wanted.
"Can I come up?" Ron said as he slowly scaled the wooden planks on the tree holding the treehouse.
"Your treehouse …" Kim sniffled, and Ron scaled the rest of the way up into their old playhouse.
Kim was seated on the floor in front of the old, worn couch, her legs pulled to her chest with her face resting on her knees.
"Kim …" Ron started as he sat down beside her.
"We were supposed to go to college together, have a normal, bad-guy-free life," Kim stated with a sniffle, "I'd go through law school, become a lawyer, and you'd... I dunno, be either a cook or sensei in your own Monkey Kung Fu dojo; we'd have a big house, two or three kids and live happily ever after."
"I never thought you'd want to give up helping people," Ron said looking at the wall in front of him.
"I don't want to stop. That's why I want to be a lawyer, help people that way…" Kim said, leaning back against the couch. "I'm just getting tired of fighting … aren't you?"
"But just because we're getting tired of fighting doesn't mean the bad guys are. If anything, the last few years have taught me that people like that are relentless," Ron said, sounding more serious than Kim had ever heard. "That's what we're all about, isn't it, KP? Making sure they don't hurt people… that's what GI Joe is all about. That's why I want to join up, let them help me become better."
"But you could be killed … those guys GI Joe fights, they're not playing around like Drakken or Killagan …" Kim rubbed her eyes.
"I could get killed walking down the street, even more likely on that scooter of mine," He said with a smile. "This is something I have to do, Kimmie. I understand if you don't agree and don't want to stand by and wait for me while I'm in training. Last I heard Josh was …" He was cut off by a tackle onto his back by a not-so-surprisingly strong, smaller girl.
"Shut up, you," She said, kissing his nose as a few stray tears dropped to his cheek from her eyes as she hovered over him. "I don't care if you decided to become Zorpox again. I'd stand by you and pay your bail when you get busted."
"Love you, KP," Ron said, kissing her softly. He pulled back in confusion at her stunned expression
"That's the first time you ever said that …" Kim said in awe before grinning. "Say it again."
"Love you, KP," Ron chuckled as Kim laid her head on his chest.
"I like the sound of that…" she sighed, cuddling up to him ignoring the sounds of straining plywood. "Do you really have to go for twelve whole weeks? That's a long time …"
"It'll seem like no time at all," Ron said, stroking her crimson locks. "Promise."
"I'll hold you to that one, Ron," She said, nuzzling his neck, bringing another loud creak from the floorboards.
"Fair enough, but you didn't say it back," Ron said, tickling the small of her back. "I give some Ron-love, so I want some Kim-love in return. Stop being a hog or no more Ronshine."
"Fair enough," Kim said, getting on her hands and knees to hover completely over the blond. "Ron Stoppable, I love you. Happy now? Good." She said, giving him a rough kiss before he could respond … right as the limb holding up the treehouse gave way.
The treehouse fell and shattered to pieces as it struck the unforgiving ground. "Ron!" Kim coughed, shoving the broken plywood and scattered pieces of children's furniture off the pair as they laid on the ground and broken floorboards. "Are you ok?" she asked worriedly at her dust covered best friend/boyfriend.
"KP…" Ron breathed deeply. "You weren't kiddin' 'bout those fireworks …"
Kim and Ron looked at each other for a few moments before bursting into laughter.
---
Time flew faster than either teen wanted. Time, it seemed, always had a knack for speeding up when something unpleasant loomed on the horizon. School came and went, graduation passed, and the fateful Friday morning came.
Anne Possible was already in tears as her husband pulled out of the drive with Jim and Tim riding in the back of her van. Kim had stayed the night with Ron, and James had volunteered to drive them to the bus stop where Ron and the other recruits would be picked up.
"He'll be fine, Anne," James patted her hand as they pulled up to the Stoppable home. "He knows better than to do that to our Kimmie-cub."
She just nodded before hiding a smile as Kim and Ron walked out of the house, followed by his parents, his mother carrying Hana. Anne smiled when she saw Kim walking with a slight bounce in her step. The girl seemed to glow despite the sadness that was in her emerald eyes.
Mr. and Mrs. Possible climbed out of the van to help them all get in. Anne leaned in to give her daughter a hug and whispered softly in her ear. "Your first?"
Kim flushed brightly. "We were careful … I promise … Can we just go now before Daddy notices anything?" she mumbled quickly.
Meanwhile, Ron stood before Mr. Dr. P and held out his hand to shake his, but yelped when Mr. Possible pulled him into a tight hug, patting the fresh scratches on his back under his shirt roughly. "I'm proud of you, son, but you better always come home to your Kimmie-cub, understand?"
"You mean your Kimmie-cub, Mr. Dr. P?" Ron asked, and Mr. Possible shook his head.
"She hasn't been solely mine for a long time now, Ron," He said, patting his shoulder. "Now, we better go, so you're not late."
The van ride to the bus stop was one held in silence, everyone noticing the fact Kim's grip on Ron's arm was causing his lower arm and hand to turn a pale blue.
"What's going on?" Ron asked in confusion at the sight of a large crowd at the bus stop. "I thought I was the only one from Middleton going."
"You are," Anne Possible said in a tone that said she knew something few in the car did.
Ron's jaw went slack when he saw his football team teammates, the cheerleaders, even Bonnie, and his graduating class all gathered at the stop, some holding signs with his name on them, others with GI Joe symbols.
Ron stared in shock as the crowd cheered when he climbed out of the Possible family van.
"Go be a hero, Ron!" Monique said quickly kissing his cheek.
"Do us proud, GI Joe!" Felix added with a proud nod.
"I … wow …" Ron nodded thankfully before coming to Mr. Barkin. "Mr. B?" he flushed when Barkin snapped his heels together, went ramrod straight, and brought his hand to his brow.
"Are you sure you want to do this? I'm sure it's not too late to back out…" Mr. Stoppable asked, tears running down his cheeks. Ron turned to his father and nodded firmly. "I'm so proud of you, son…" Mr. Stoppable said as he hugged his son tightly, Mrs. Stoppable joining quickly. Even Hana moved her little arms around Ron's neck.
"Make sure you tell us all about it when you get back, Ron," Jim and Tim said, smiling proudly up at the blond.
"Sure will," Ron said, nodding and patting the twins' shoulders.
"Take care of yourself, Ron," Anne said, crying openly as she hugged the boy tightly, then turned to cling to her husband's arm.
"I will … hold the fort together, Mr. Dr. P," Ron said, grabbing James' hand, only to be pulled into another bone-breaking hug.
"We'll be there at your graduation," Mr. Possible said, sniffing back his own tears.
Finally, Ron turned to the one goodbye he was dreading the most.
"KP …" He said awkwardly.
"Say goodbye and you won't have to worry about your drill sergeant beating you down," Kim sniffled.
"Rufus, buddy …" Ron said, pulling his pet from his pocket. "They dont' allow pets where I'm going … I'm counting on you to watch over KP for me."
Rufus gave a teary-eyed salute before Ron passed him over to Kim, who placed him in her cargo pants' pocket. She didn't see it coming at all as he grabbed her, tipped her back and gave her the deepest, hardest kiss she had ever even heard of.
When they finally broke for air and he helped her back to her feet. "I love you …" she whispered, ignoring the whistles and cat calls.
"I'll be home soon," He said, giving her a much gentler kiss. He then turned and took his duffle bag from his father. He turned to the crowd just before he climbed on the waiting bus. He lifted a trembling hand "Y-Yo… Joe!" he said in a shaky voice, earning a roaring applause from the crowd.
Ron turned and climbed on to the bus, and as the doors closed and the engine started, the emotional mask Kim was wearing broke along with the strength in her knees.
She melted into the arms that caught her, preventing her from hitting the ground. "He'll be home soon," came the soothing voice of the last person she expected to care. "He'll be back, wait and see," Bonnie said, holding Kim off the ground.
---
The bus ride was long and gravely quiet as all the recruits remained seated, staring forward as the bus drove through the desert. It was well into the night when it finally reached its destination and Ron's rear was begging for some rest. As soon as the bus came to a stop, a tall man stomped on to the bus.
He was massively built, muscle on top of muscle, wearing camo uniform pants, a blue tank top, a whistle around his neck, a marine flat brim cover, and a pair of sunglasses. "ALRIGHT, YOU MAGGOTS, GET THE HELL OFF THIS DAMNED BUS AND GET IN A LINE! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU SITTING THERE FOR? YOU THINK THIS IS YOUR TIME? YOU HAVE NO TIME, MOVE IT! MOVE IT! MOVE IT!" He shouted at the top of his lungs.
Ron and the recruits stumbled all over themselves trying to climb off the bus with the giant screaming at them the whole way. It took them only a few moments to form a line beside the bus.
"This is pathetic," the man said, marching back and forth before the group of recruits. "This is what the United States gives me to work with? Do you think you have what it takes to be a GI Joe?" He said, stopping and getting in Ron's face. "You think you can be a GI Joe, Opie? What's the matter, maggot? Andy feed you too much, Aunt Bea baby you? THOSE DAYS ARE OVER, MAGGOT!
"My name is of no consequence to you. To others, you may refer to me as Sergeant Slaughter, to my face, you will refer to me as Sir. Refer to me as anything else and you will be punished," Slaughter said, continuing his stomp. "Speak without permission, you will be punished. Think without permission, you will be punished. Eat without permission, you will be punished. Take a shit without permission, you will be punished. Pass gas without permission, you will be punished. Die without permission, you will be posthumously punished. Am I clear?"
At the opposite end of the line one of the recruits sneezed. Sergeant Slaughter froze completely. "Did I give you permission to excrete your mucus, Maggot?" The young man froze in horror. "Are you trying to make me think I'm getting forgetful? And thus saying I'm getting old? Are you trying to tell me this, Maggot?"
"N-No, Sir …" the young man stammered.
"I didn't hear that," Slaughter got in his face.
"SIR, NO, SIR!" He shouted.
"That's more like it …" Slaughter smiled. "All of you pieces of trash face the ground and give me two hundred and fifty push ups. NOW!"
Slaughter continued his pacing as the group did their push ups. "You will spend the next twelve weeks here with me, as my guests, in my home, the Slaughterhouse. Upon the completion of those twelve weeks, you will leave here one of two ways. The first and most favorable way is as more than a man, you will be a Joe. The second way will be in a ditty bag, an itty, bitty, ditty bag."
"That took too long," Slaughter said as they struggled to get back to their feet after their push ups. "You're in luck, though, as we are on a tight schedule. When I call your name, you will come to me." Slaughter said, pulling out his massive knife. "It's time for a haircut."
Not long after the group were back in line, all of their heads completely bald. The only real difference was a few here and there were bleeding. "Now that's more like it. Hair is a right you have yet to earn. Food is a right you have yet to earn. Bathing is a right you have yet to earn. Work hard and you may, I say you MAY earn those rights. But remember, from this moment on, you have no family outside this house. You have no girlfriends, wives, lovers, outside this house. You belong to me now."
Ron's eyes flashed blue for a moment. "DID I GIVE YOU PERMISSION TO USE THAT MYSTICAL MONKEY SHIT, MAGGOT?" Slaughter said, picking Ron up by the throat and shoving him to the ground. "Don't look surprised! We knew all about what you could do before you came here, and let me just say all your skills right now mean precisely DICK! You know nothing until I teach it to you. You are a pathetic baby still sucking your mother's damned tit. Don't worry, though, Sergeant Slaughter will help you grow up."
The Sergeant pointed to a large wooden building. "Inside there are your bunks, labeled with your name and new clothes laid out for you. I suggest you all get a good night's sleep, because tomorrow will be fun." Slaughter stated with a sadistic grin.
"I think we're gonna die…" Ron whispered as he and the recruits made their way to the bunks
"We're all gonna die, dude." Another recruit whimpered beside him.
"I meant soon." Ron clarified.
"So did I."
To Be Continued …