After a bit of a wait, Chapter 7 is finally here. With everything that's going on in RL, I hope I can get back into somewhat of a posting of updates schedule.
Let me thank all who left a review for the previous chapter: Mr. Wizard, Reader101w, CajunBear73, Shrike176, screaming phoenix, cpneb, Thomas Linquist, and kim's 1 fan… As always, y'all Rock!
Disclaimer: Again, as it's been said time and time again, I don't have any legal connection with the characters involved…
Chapter 7
Sunday evening… KMDN… The Middleton TV news station.
Exclusive Newswoman Grace Hopper began with an evening news Special Report. "Ladies and Gentlemen, we here at KMDN News are proud to welcome Kim Possible to our show 'Good Evening Middleton'. Kim here selected our station to make an important world-wide announcement that concerns her, and possibly Global Justice as well. Miss Possible, welcome to KMDN… what is it that you wish to say to everyone?"
The camera panned over to Kim, who was sitting in the conversation area of the newsroom where political commentaries were normally held. She wore a tailored black suit and skirt with a white blouse underneath. Kim sat up straight and looked right into the camera.
"Thank-you Grace. Ladies, Gentlemen, families of Middleton and the world." She started. "I'm sure you all know me as Kim Possible, teen heroine and crime fighter. Many things have changed in my life recently, and I've been struggling with myself as to whether or not to go public with full disclosure in regards to these events, and what has happened to me "
Kim took a deep breath, stood up from her chair, and continued. "You see… about a year ago, I was in a terrible accident while on a mission for GJ." She dropped her head for a second and then looked back up at the camera. "In this accident, I lost both my arms, both of my legs, and my left eye." Gasps were heard around the newsroom.
"Now you may be saying to yourself, 'but she's standing right before me with all of her limbs'. You see… these arms and legs were manufactured. They are mechanical."
Kim then reached underneath her jacket, pulled out a small pocketknife and something else that looked like a small electronic device that was attached to a Velcro strap. While holding onto these objects, Kim shrugged off the jacket and let it fall onto the chair behind her. She then rolled up the sleeve on her left arm, wrapped the small device just below her elbow, and held her bare arm up in front of her.
She then opened the pocketknife and held the small blade up to the palm of her hand and spoke directly to the camera. "If you are at all squeamish, you may want to look away." After she waited for a few seconds, Kim then plunged the knife into the palm of her hand, drew the knife down to a few inches from the strap, and then sliced completely around her forearm.
A few of the personnel in the newsroom were heard gasping, and others simply fainted on the spot. She then grabbed a loose edge of the skin by the elbow, and literally peeled the skin off of her arm, exposing the metal and internal workings of her bionic arm. Someone off-camera could be heard retching, even though through the entire process, there wasn't a drop of blood. Kim held up her bionic hand and flexed her metallic fingers.
"My other arm, and both of my legs are designed in exactly the same manner. These are the most highly advanced prosthetics ever made, and they are referred to as 'Bionics'. The skin I cut off of my forearm is a special polymer that looks and feels exactly like regular skin, yet it will completely reseal itself if there is any damage. The small device I placed on my arm here prevents the resealing process so I could show you this." Everyone in the room had been completely stunned into silence.
Kim continued. "These bionics are also very strong." She picked up a ceramic coffee mug from the table with her exposed hand, and squeezed just enough to shatter the mug.
After Grace Hopper regained her own composure from witnessing these events, she started to ask questions. "That is… amazing Miss Possible. But why have you shown us this? Are you trying to show us that you are now better than everyone else? Are you showing us this because you feel obligated to tell everyone that you are now a… a… freak?"
"What?" Kim said with surprise, her head whipping around to look back at Grace.
The reporter continued as if she didn't even hear her. "Did you even think that what you are doing here may make others feel vastly inferior to you, and that their lives are no longer important? What gives you the right to show us this if you're not going to use this power against anyone who may oppose you? Are you now above the law?"
Kim couldn't believe what she was hearing and heatedly responded. "I never once thought anything like that! I want to do nothing but HELP people! Don't you understand? I'm not a thing! I'm still a person!" She then turned back to the camera. "I'm still human!"
"But from what you have shown us here, you're not even that anymore." Immediately Kim noticed that the voice of the reporter had changed, and when she looked back over to the news desk, the reporter Grace Hopper wasn't sitting there anymore. Now it was someone she hadn't seen since her days in Middleton High School. It was none other than Bonnie Rockwaller.
Bonnie looked directly at Kim. "Nothing has changed Possible. You still want the attention. You still want the adulation. You still want to be on top of the pyramid. Well in my book… that means you're still nothing but a loser, and now a freak."
Bonnie's last word seemed to reverberate in the room, and Kim could feel the word driving into her skull. "Freak… Freak… Freak…"
Kim woke with a start and screamed out. "I am not a freak!"
…x x x x…
"Kim! KP! Are you OK?" Ron was immediately at her side while Kim sucked in gulps of air, trying to calm herself from the dream. Her green eyes dated around the room, and when she saw Ron, she leaned over and latched onto him. A blue flare surrounded Ron's body to protect him once again from his girlfriend's hug.
"I so hate nightmares." Kim mumbled into his neck.
"It's OK… It's over now." Ron gently ran his hand over her hair. "Want to tell me about it?"
"Let's just say that my… Full Disclosure… Didn't go very well." She then gently pushed herself out of the hug, and pressed a button on the bed's control so she could comfortably sit up.
"Maybe you should talk with someone at GJ before making your decision." Ron suggested.
"Who am I going to talk to Ron? Will Du?" The blond boy winced. "See… The only person I could really talk to about this would be Betty Director. And we both know that's not possible at this time."
"Maybe we can wait…" Ron started to say.
"I need to say something to the media Ron. I mean, almost the entire fight was on the news! Anyone who saw it knows that a normal person doesn't survive being pummeled by a vehicle."
"Like I said before, you could let everyone think you're dead again."
"That won't work again Ron. Fool me once, and all that." Kim let out a huff, feeling frustrated at the situation.
"What if you just lay low for a while. Let this… Oblivion… Think that you're really down for the count. Let her make the next move." Ron pulled up a chair and sat down next to her bed. "I didn't tell you this before Kim, but I honestly think that telling the world your bionic might not be such a good idea."
"But the news…" Kim started to say.
"Not everyone believes what they see on TV Kim. Besides, I bet 'Good Ol' Du' is coming up with a way to spin the entire thing, and get people to question what they saw."
Kim looked up at the wall clock, and saw that it was almost 7:30 Sunday morning. "I wonder…" She then picked up the TV remote and pressed 'power'. The small TV was already on the "All News" channel, and sure enough, as soon as the picture came on, Will Du was standing behind a podium talking to a small group of reporters.
A female reporter could be heard off camera asking a question. "So you're telling us what we all saw was nothing but a scene for an upcoming movie? That it was all… fake?"
"Exactly." Was Will's abrupt reply.
"So why is the area now cordoned off and guarded by GJ agents?"
"Be… cause… we want to be sure and return the shops and buildings back to their original condition, and if anyone comes nosing around, the result may not be exactly as things were before."
The reporter had a look on her face that said "Yeah, right", but she didn't press the subject.
"Well there you go, Kim." Ron said matter of factly. "Looks like you won't need to announce Full Disclosure after all. I had a feeling Will would come up with something."
"The movie explanation doesn't cover everything, and I'm sure many questions will still be asked." Kim said and turned the TV off.
"You know Kim…" Ron said and his girlfriend looked at him. "I can't help but wonder if Oblivion saw this as well. Because if she did, that monstrosity that Vivian has become will be returning back here."
"And putting people in danger." Kim said, finishing Ron's thought. "With the healing factor of my anti-rejection meds, I'm almost back to 100 percent. I'm just glad that Mom and Dad were able to figure out the automatic injection system so I don't have to remember to take a pill."
Kim stopped talking, and it was as if she was staring at the wall. In reality she was accessing a self-diagnostic program that displayed information to her via her bionic eye. She was checking the level of her rejection meds reservoir, and it was about half full. The system would remind her when the level dropped below ¼, but she still liked to check it on her own.
"I've got to find out if I can be released from here… and immediately."
…x x x x…
Adrena Lynn didn't for one second believe the report that everything was really a filming of a movie scene. She knew how to fake things, and what she had seen was not faked. For sure Kim Possible was seriously hurt, but Lynn somehow knew that she wasn't dead.
What she needed now was a plan to get at Ron Stoppable, and the proverbial light came on over her head. I know just what to do to get him to come to me. An evil grin crossed her lips, and Adrena Lynn grabbed her phone book and looked up a residential address.
…x x x x…
Rufus was going on 15 years old. He knew that Naked Mole Rats had an approximate life span of about 20 years, so in a sense, in human years, he was about 70 or 75 years old. Subsequently, he was slowing down, and sleeping a bit more than his normal 16 hours. His hearing wasn't what it used to be either, even though he could still hear a little better than a human. It was because he was getting older and slowing down a bit that Ron had decided to leave the little guy under his parent's care while he was away at college.
A noise had woken him up much earlier than the usual time he would wake up, but he wasn't sure what it was. Rufus figured it was Ron's Parent's leaving the house to go to a store somewhere, so he easily fell back asleep in his small bed on the windowsill.
Then with sudden awareness, his little eyes popped open just in time to see someone standing over him holding onto a small piece of white cloth, or cotton. Before he could make a squeak, his eyelids fluttered and the chloroform took effect, making the little naked mole rat fall peacefully back asleep.
…x x x x…
In an old dilapidated warehouse located at the edge of Lowerton, Drakken and Shego were watching a small black and white television that had a wire hanger for antennae. After seeing the newscast, Drakken flopped back on the old ratted couch, and Shego stood up and started to pace back and forth in front of him.
The green woman stopped her pacing, looked at Drakken, and spoke. "I want that freak."
"Which one?" Drakken asked.
"Who do you think… That metallic blond woman thing that calls herself Oblivion! Possible isn't the one that's the freak here. You remember how she survived the collapse of that building? She lifted at least a 5 ton piece of concrete! And this thing just took her out without even a second glance!" The green woman then looked away from Drakken and muttered to herself. "No wonder she was able to handle me so easily."
Shego was pretty much healed at this point from her injuries sustained in the fight with Oblivion. This was another time that she was glad for her comet-powered healing abilities. The arm that had been broken was still a bit sore, but she could tell that the bone had for sure mended. Her ribs were back in place, and all cuts and contusions were completely gone.
Shego turned back towards Drakken. "I want another shot at her."
"What?" The blue man had a confused look on his face. "At Possible?"
"No!" Shego scoffed at her boss' apparent lack of getting it. "At Oblivion! Are you even listening to me?"
Drakken looked up at Shego finally and said, "You can't do it by yourself you know. You'll need help." Shego scoffed one again, knowing exactly who he was referring to. Once again Shego was going to have to… She cringed at the thought… Ask Princess for help.
…x x x x…
By the time noon rolled around, Kim was released from the hospital… Adrena Lynn was back at her apartment with a small package that contained her kidnap victim… Shego was trying to work up the courage to ask Kim Possible for help… And Oblivion had just finished listening to a newscast she had picked up with the RF receiver that was built into her systems. She knew immediately that Kim Possible wasn't dead, as there was no mention of it in the news release.
"I need… enhancements… if I am to continue to survive. Kim Possible is still my number one target. Though I am perplexed at how she is still alive." Oblivion spoke aloud to no one in her dual voice. That is, no one that understood her.
Oblivion had walked almost the entire previous night heading out of Middleton and towards Go City. Her original plan was to go to a Government facility and procure information that would help her to survive. She had finally succumbed to sleep and had taken refuge in a barn located on a small farm. When she woke up, a couple of horses were looking over their stall's gates wondering just who this strange person was.
She looked down at the spot where she had fallen asleep and saw that large holes were pounded into the ground. The tip of an anvil was bent downward a bit, and a push lawnmower had been flattened like a pancake. She briefly wondered why these things were as they appeared, as she remembered everything was normal when she had gone to sleep.
"No matter. New plan… Procure enhancements. New objective… Middleton Science Center, Military Wing. Items needed… Weapons to destroy Kim Possible. ETA…" Oblivion checked her internal clock. "6 to 7 hours. Approximate day and time of next interaction with Kim Possible after installment of enhancements… Monday evening between 5 and 7 o'clock."
With her new plan, Oblivion walked out of the barn. The elderly couple that lived on the farm never once knew that she had been there. For the life of him though, the old farmer could not figure out what had happened to his lawn mower, and how the tip of an anvil could be bent downwards.
…x x x x…
It was about 3:30 in the afternoon when Ron received a call from his parents asking if he knew where Rufus was.
"I… Thought he was at home with you guys?" Ron said as he talked to his mom on his mobile phone.
"We left this morning for a day trip to that winery your Dad and I always wanted to check out, and we didn't get back until about 15 minutes ago."His Mom said. "When we got home I went to check on the little guy, and he just wasn't there."
"Didn't you guys set the house alarm when you left?" Ron asked with a bit of agitation in his voice, and he tried very hard to calm himself down.
"I was going to just before we left, but I didn't want Rufus to accidentally set the alarm off like he's done before. I keep telling your father to readjust the motion sensors so they wouldn't detect the little guy, but he just hasn't done it yet."
Ron heard the four notes of Kim's Kimmunicator while he was talking with his mom and didn't think much of it.
"I'll get Wade to check it out himself. Now you're sure you checked all over the house…"
"Ron…" Kim said while tapping him on his shoulder.
"He likes to get into small places and fall asleep. His natural habitat is underground after all… since he's a naked mole rat…"
"Ron!" Kim said again, this time stepping in front of him to get his attention.
"What is it Kim? I'm trying to give Mom suggestions on how to find Rufus!"
"He's not at your house Ron! Wade got a hit on my site. You better see this." She held up the Kimmunicator and Ron saw the worried look on Wade's face.
"I'll call you back Mom… Something's come up." He snapped shut the phone and after placing it in his pocket, he took hold of the Kimmunicator. "What's the sitch Wade?" Kim gave him a strange look. "Sorry KP."
"Ron, it was Adrena Lynn! Check this out… She sent a written message to Kim's site." Wades face disappeared and was replaced with the text message, which Ron read aloud.
"Ron Stoppable… I have your pet rat. Meet me at the address at the end of this message and I will give him back to you. All I ask is that you come alone, no tricks, no police, and he won't be hurt. You're girlfriend Possible is probably still in the hospital, and even if she could come, she's probably not in any shape to help you, if she could at all. Oh and by the way, be there at precisely 6 pm.
Signed, Adrena Lynn… AKA: LynNubus Address: 1313 Mockingbird Lane"
"LynNubus?" Kim said, and Ron shrugged his shoulders in confusion. "What do you bet she's still upset that you uncovered her fake stunts in Middleton High's newspaper?"
"That's so three season's ago." Ron said almost unbelievingly. "She's got to know that I think this is a trap. But if she knows that I know it's a trap, and I know that she knows that I know it's a trap…"
"Ron!" Kim said, interrupting. "We've been down this road before. Let's just say that we know it's a trap, and adjust accordingly. OK?"
"K."
To be continued…
Many things are occurring here, and I hope everything isn't too confusing. Not really a cliff hanger, but I thought it was a good a place as any to end the chapter…
Like in the first story, I put scenes in this from movies. Kudos to those that guess what I used in this chapter...
