Chapter 2

Whenever Kim and Ron needed to go somewhere for any reason, Bueno Nacho was the place. The environment was pleasant, the food was decent (by one's definition), and it was relatively quiet. Ron just loved this "Mexican" food. And if one were to lose him in a hide-and-seek-type game, he would most likely end up here.

It had been a little over two weeks since Mercenary's last strike, so suffice to say that Kim wasn't exactly pleased that he had returned. "Any luck, Wade?" she asked him over the Kimmunicator. "I'm checking all listings of bounties within Mercenary's price range," Wade replied, "So far, nothing. It could be a private bounty, but you never know."

"Well, see what else you can dig up. I'm really concerned." Kim sighed and Wade disappeared off the Kimmunicator's screen. She looked up at Ron, who was stuffing his face with nacho chips. Rufus dived into the bowl of them, squeaking "cheese" repeatedly. Kim smiled and almost rolled her eyes: Ron and Rufus, what a pair.

Just then, Monique walked in and smiled at Kim. The redhead invited her over to the booth, and Monique complied. As she sat down, Monique performed her usual critique of Kim's outfit. Kim wore a dark blue short sleeved shirt and brown cargo pants. Monique winked, "Nice outfit, girl!" Kim nodded and complimented Monique's attire as well: a light green top and a dark green skirt.

"So, what's new?" Kim asked.

"Oh, job at Club Banana's getting rough, but other than that, I. A. G."

"'I. A. G.'?"

"It's all good."

Kim realized that Monique had, again, made another acronym. Monique then inquired how Kim was doing, while Ron was practically oblivious to the whole conversation because of his newly prepared nacos.

"Well, this Mercenary guy is back. He was a problem last time, and I can't figure out what he's up to."

"Um, Kim," Monique said, "I'm not really current on the whole missions-outside-of-school thing, so could we keep this to something I actually know about?"

"Sure. So, you seem over Nate."

There was a sudden silence in the universe. Ron stopped eating, recognizing that Kim's innocent question just touched a nerve. Kim gasped when she recognized this too. She had unwittingly entered uncharted and dangerous territory. True, Kim hadn't spoke to Monique about the break up before, but now wasn't the best time.

Monique's expression had gone completely sour. Kim knew better than to go there. Her relationship with Nathan was personal, and Kim had no right saying something like that. If Kim didn't apologize in the next five seconds, Monique was going to reach across the booth and slap her.

"Sorry, sorry!" Kim said nervously, wishing she hadn't unconsciously mentioned Nathan, "I blurted it out! I shouldn't have said anything! Monique, please! I'm sorry! I really am!"

Monique's expression softened up a little. Kim was lucky. "Please, Kim," Monique said, her voice croaking, "I… don't want to talk about it." She got up, fixed her hair with one hand, and walked out the door. Ron turned to Kim.

"KP, what were you thinking?"

"Sorry! It just came out! I wasn't thinking!" Kim sunk deep into the booth and covered her head with her arms, not wanting to be seen. It wasn't like Kim didn't have reason to ask Monique about Nathan. Kim never knew why Monique and Nathan broke up, and Monique certainly wasn't going to tell her.

"I just wish I knew why they broke up," she said in a soft voice. "I mean, is it something Nathan did, or did he dump Monique? They seemed so happy. I just don't get it. What was it that tore them apart?"

Ron shrugged, "I'm not much of the relationship dude, KP. Don't ask me for advice or whatever on boyfriend-girlfriend stuff. Nacos, however, I am familiar with. You may ask away on that subject."

Kim forced a smile, but inside she felt terrible.

---

Hours later, Kim was in her house, going through some old stuff. Ron and Rufus were watching "The Fearless Ferret" on TV. Ron shed a tear, remembering the good old days with Timothy Norton and Wonder Weasel. Those sure were the days. Meanwhile, Kim was doing a little bit of reminiscing when she came across an old photo album.

There were pictures of just about everything in there: Kim and her Nana, the first days of living with the Tweebs, Kim's first bicycle, when Kim got her braces, and a whole bunch of other goodness. Kim smiled when she turned each page. It was always a pleasure to recall some of the days when fighting bad guys like Drakken didn't matter.

Then Kim came across a really weird picture. It wasn't weird in the sense of bizarre, but weird in the sense that it was just odd. This picture didn't make Kim smile; it was too weird to do that. She glanced at the snapshot of when she attended a brief summer camp. It wasn't like when Ron went to Camp Wannaweep: this camp was much shorter than that.

Ron noticed that Kim had suddenly stopped laughing from the pictures and turned around. "What is it, Kim?" he asked in a concerned voice. Surely, a photograph would not freak her out, would it? Ron got up, hit "mute" on the TV remote, and walked over to Kim. He sat down beside her.

Kim looked at him and pointed to the picture. Ron's eyes shot wide open, "No way! Is that who I think it is?" Kim was pointing to a much younger Nathan. He was in the same picture with Kim, as part of a group shot, probably one that covered every member of the camp.

"I didn't know you knew Nate before!" Ron said, startled.

"I didn't either," Kim replied.

"Hey," Ron said in an outraged tone, "since when did you ever attend a summer camp?"

"It was a long time ago, but the camp didn't last as long as you and Camp Wannaweep…"

"Worst summer of my life."

"…but I do remember meeting a boy named Nathan. That is so weird."

Ron leaned in closer to the picture, "Are you sure that's him?"

"Not entirely. At the camp, his last name wasn't 'Porter,' that's for sure. I don't remember what his name was back then, anyway. But I do recall him being happier than he is now."

"What do you mean, 'happier'?"

"I don't know," Kim shrugged, "friendlier and more outgoing, I guess. He wasn't so isolated. I wonder what happened to him."

"Did you spend a long time with him?"

"No, not really. I mean, we engaged in some camp activities, but we never really got to know each other. He's really nothing more than an acquaintance."

Ron sat back and petted Rufus on the head, "Huh. Well, you learn something new everyday." Then Ron got up and walked away, leaving Kim alone with the scrapbook. She looked back at the picture, studying it intensely. Her fingers ran over the face of Nathan many times. What happened to him? Why had he changed?

Kim thought she understood why she was drawn to him. She had a deep feeling for him rooted in her. It was feeling not only of pity, but also of compassion. Even when she met him again at school, she subconsciously knew that he wasn't a happy person. He was once her friend at that camp, and now he had become unsociable. But there was more to it than that, Kim thought. Nathan was unlovable too.

Kim looked out the window and pondered many things. She now had a resolve to save Nathan, in a sense of the word. She didn't know why she wanted to save him, but she just had to. There was something deeper to all of these feelings: something more than just compassion. Kim had to bring him back to the light, somehow. No one deserves to be miserable, Kim thought.

This teen heroine had saved many lives in the past. She had saved them from erupting volcanoes, landslides, and hurricanes. She had rescued them from the evil clutches of super villains. She saved lives, yes, but could she save a soul?

---

Mercenary's silver jet flew straight at a waterfall. It went right through it into a hidden hanger bay. The jet slowly came to a halt, and the hatchway to the cockpit sprang open. Mercenary hopped out. He stretched a little bit and walked towards a door. It opened when he came in proximity.

The hunter found himself looking into a mirror. He sighed and gazed coldly at his own eyes, almost in self loathing. Mercenary exhaled before he reached to the back of his helmet and pressed some kind of switch that made it come off his head. He looked in the mirror at the man behind the mask. "Another day," Nathan said to his reflection.

He chuckled to himself and turned around, exiting the room. When he entered the main control room, a large monitor suddenly turned on. A beautiful female face appeared on the screen, her complexion composed like the Aurora Borealis. Her face was shaped like a human's, but the material was pure pixilation. "Welcome back, Nathan," it said in an elegant and eloquent British accent, "I trust everything went smoothly."

"As usual, Sara," Nathan replied. He set his helmet down on a table and started to take off his suit. "Barracuda's clean, anyway. He didn't know anything. I used my tactics. We'll have to try another lead."

"You could start small."

"Like you suggested earlier? Trust me, Sara… you're just a computer program. You don't have the experience that I do."

"Fine, but you know that you'll take my advice eventually. You always do."

He turned back and smirked at the monitor, "That's only because you get your information from places I tell you to search out, remember?"

"Oh, right. I'm nothing more than a lowly secretary; I forgot. No wonder everybody loves you. Those social skills of yours are amazing."

"Attachments are dangerous, Sara. You know that. I can't afford to get involved with anybody."

Sara raised her 'eyebrow,' "Oh, so what was the deal with Monique?"

"We both know why that ended, and I'd prefer if we didn't talk about that." Nathan put on a fuzzy red sweater and jeans, "I have to go to school."

As he slung his black and red backpack on his shoulder, Sara couldn't help put ask one more question while he walked out the door, "So, Nathan, who is she?" He didn't turn around, but he still replied, "What?"

Sara smiled onscreen and responded kindly, "The girl you like, who is she?"

Nathan ignored her and continued walking.