It's safe to say... I own a Lancer Evolution VII, a lancer 1800 turbo, a car rental business and a taxi. But I don't own Kim Possible... that's Disney's job...
Author's Note: Hello again and how are you all? It's been a messed up week for many... especially with all the storms that's across. Now watching a system that has some potential to become a tropical depression just east of the lesser Antilles (Tobago included). Anyway, for all members that were involved with Gustav, I wish you all the speedy rebound and thankful for your safety. And for the others involved in the storms approaching... I pray for your safe keeping. Anyway, hope you can take some measure of enjoyment in the next chapter of the story... as always
On with the show!
CHAPTER 7: You never miss the water...
Being alone was no stranger to Kim… she had done many missions alone in her earlier years… and in the most recent studied abroad
Being alone was no stranger to Kim… she had done many missions alone in her earlier years… and in the most recent studied abroad. However she would always find herself in need of her best friend… whether it was help on the mission to get out of a tight spot… or the give her that little pep talk to boost her confidence, or even just someone to hold. And this time it was no different… she actually called for him twice, but got no reply. She tried calling Wade to find out if he saw her, but the message she received wasn't encouraging…
"Hey Wade…"
"Yeah… what's up?"
"Whoa why the aggressive tone?"
"Cause you disregarded me when I asked you… I begged you to not do what you did…"
"So you heard about it…"
"Well duh… I'm his partner as well as you are…"
"Wade, I'm sorry ok? I couldn't help it… I was outta line by a mile."
"Yeah you were… not to mention you cost us a customer…"
"Ok ok… you don't have to drill me about it…"
"I do Kim… we all had to grow up a bit… I know there are traits we still wish to cling to from the past but we gotta move on… we can't stay that way forever…"
"I know I know… I admit I've made a lot of mistakes since I got back, but I'm hoping that I could call a truce and apologize to you… and to Ron…"
"Kim… we've been through too much for me to just axe you… I always have your back… but don't do this to me again…"
"Yes sir… the only thing is now… I don't know if Ron would be so forgiving… have you spoken to him?"
"Yeah… he said he just wanted to be left alone… he was too upset to say anything more."
"Oh man I've really messed things up for us…"
"Maybe, but if you two love each other as I believe you do, things will work out. Just give him his space for a while…"
"Thanks Wade… for everything… you always rock… I just hope that everything will be alright…"
("That makes both of us…") Wade replied… worried for his friend.
She figured that she should just leave him be… for now at least. A couple days had past and she had enjoyed the little time to remember the little things about Middleton. She also found time to think about her future… she needed to find a career that would be flexible enough that she would handle the crime fighting. She also had to find a place for her to live… she couldn't live with her parents forever… not that it should be a hard decision as to where, but at the moment that option was seemingly getting dimmer as each day had past. Also, she thought about how things could be repaired with Ron… if they could be. But it would have to start by her saying 'I'm sorry' and the only way to do it was to get in contact with him. However, when the third day came the loneliness was getting at her, so she decided to pay him a visit…
"Ron… it's me…"
She knocked and rang the bell, however there was no reply. She realized that he hadn't been home… the grass was taller than usual, his car was parked in the same place when she tossed the keys a while back and there were no lights on in the house. He must have gone somewhere to get away…which didn't help Kim feel any better about the entire thing. She decided to go back home. While on her way, she got a call from Wade…
"Go Wade… did Ron call?"
"No… but we have a serious situation… The last Jade statue was abducted from the museum…"
"But that thing was supposed to be guarded tighter than fort Knox!"
"Well that thief has to be either a ghost or really able to blend with the crowd…"
"One problem… it's already gone… this is bad news…"
"Actually not. You can thank Ron if we see him again…" The comment caused Kim to raise one eyebrow…
"What do you mean if we see him again?" Wade didn't realize that he slipped his tongue and she caught it like a fish on a line. He had to think fast
"You know what I mean… he put a tracker on the last statue… you have fifteen minutes this time… that's all I could get out of the battery… but the signal won't be the strongest…"
"When did he have time to do that?"
"Before he went out on the job a few days ago…"
"Whoa talk about stealthy…"
"It's up to you Kim…:
"Got it…"
She pressed a button on her DVD stereo… which opened up into a large detailed map. The signal began to beep… weak as Wade had stated, but she knew the area well. The signal was moving fairly fast… meaning that they were in some sort of a vehicle. Kim pressed the accelerator and began to pursue whatever the signal was. Eventually she found herself on the highway, where she came up upon an old, modified sports car… a black Porsche 911 to be exact. The signal was right upon her and she realized that this was the target. However the thief noticed her giving chase and began to accelerate… weaving through traffic. Kim wasn't about to let them get away this time. In and out of traffic, the Porsche dipped onto the opposite lane, weaving through oncoming traffic and causing mayhem as it passed innocent drivers. Time was running out and Kim had to do something… though it was against her better judgment, she began to move over into the opposite lane, but just then, the Porsche took to the side and reentered the lane with Kim, then swerved over to the right… getting on an off ramp. The momentum that her car was carrying caused her to already go past… there was only one thing to do. She activated her rockets… causing the car to become airborne. However, she had only enough fuel to make one move... enough to get her in front of the Porsche and block it.
"Wade how much more time…" She called out… trying to concentrate on the flying more than watching the screen…
"Two minutes!" Wade shouted back.
Kim quickly placed the car into an intercept position and landed back on the road… directly in front of the Porsche. What she didn't realize was that she was just on an intersection, where they faced a red light. She went straight through… right into the path of a semi. Her entire life flashed before her eyes… her days as a young girl and her time as a crime fighter… growing up with Ron… Ron! She couldn't die just yet. Pulling the steering hard to the right, She yanked her handbrakes… causing the rear end to drift sideways. The car slid parallel to the semi… with just an inch or two to spare. The car came to rest on the opposite lane… with the Porsche escaping. She tried to get going again, but her car failed to start…
"GOD DAMN IT!" She yelled while hitting the steering wheel. But her sitch was not over, for a legion of cops swooped down on her… weapons drawn. She could only come out the car with her hands on her head…
"You gotta stop the Black Porsche heading north… that's the thief that stole the Jade statue…"
"And why should we listen to you now?" The officer stated while placing her in handcuffs…
"It's me… Kim Possible… you know, save the world?"
"Save the world huh… and you and your friend almost caused a five mile pileup… good job saving…"
She was taken into a police cruiser and sent away. Hours later, she was released from the station… upon a favor from higher officials. She was apologized to, however sternly warned for her driving… despite the fact that she was trying to stop a criminal.
"I'm sorry about that. But now the car's gone and with it the statue…" She said dejectedly…
"Actually, we did find the car in question wrecked about twelve miles from where we stopped you. There wasn't anyone there but maybe you can check it out if it will assist you…"
She was allowed access to the stolen vehicles lot, where she found the Porsche... totally wrecked. She looked around inside for any evidence of the Jade statue or anything she could find which could help her… but all she found was a small matches pack…
"The Windsor Cascade Hotel… this is in England…" Kim realized. She punched up Wade as she headed back to Middleton…
"Gotta clue… I think… it's from the Windsor Cascade hotel in England… our thief may have stayed there…"
Wade sat quietly… staring away from the monitor. It was all too obvious to be missed by Kim…
"Wade…"
"Kim… I need you to pull over a minute…"
The look on Wade's face indicated that something was terribly wrong. She quickly did as he requested and spoke to him…
"Wade… what's wrong? Why do you have tears in your eyes?"
"I need you to trust and understand that everything I'm going to tell you is going against what I was asked to do… but I need you to be as straight as an arrow…"
"What are you getting a-"
"It's about Ron…" Everything suddenly grew quiet… Kim began to fear something grave…
"Spill Wade… everything…"
"I need you to just listen…"
"Ok… just tell me… I'll handle it."
"Ron's been missing a few days now. He went to England on a personal mission…"
"Why didn't he tell me or you for that-" She was once again cut by Wade.
"Just listen… Something rattled him really bad the morning before he went to the job for Ms. Ohe… he didn't tell me, but after the fight with you, he told me to organize a ticket for England. That's when he hinted to me that there was some scroll he had to collect… if he failed and it got into the wrong hands… he may die."
The words struck Kim through her heart. Those three letters… D I E. She began to put things together… the dream he had wasn't about stupid spiders… it was something with the statues… a premonition. She began mentally to curse herself for not trying harder to find out what was bothering him… but also, anger that he didn't tell her…
"How could he just get on a plane and go into something so dangerous without calling me? No matter what I'd have been by his side! Why'd he have to be so stupid and macho about everything?"
She said this with some tears in her eyes. Kim may not have been an emotional person, but when it came to Ron, nothing was hidden. She started slamming the steering angrily…
"Kim… I need you calm right now!"
"Calm? I may have just lost the one person I truly loved and you tell me calm down? You knew all of this was happening… you KNEW!" Wade hung his head…
"He told me not to say anything to you… as a friend. I am his friend as well and I have to do what he requested…"
"How could you?"
"You know you would have asked the same… he didn't want you involved… he didn't want you to feel the pain he had. He was trying to hold it all on his own…"
"And where'd it get him? I would have taken all his burdens if it meant I could stay by his side…"
"Kim… do you really think that after the fight, both of you were in that position to make that statement?"
She knew Wade was right… the fight had caused anger to cloud better judgment. She now regretted more than ever, even going to visit Ron at that place…
"Listen Kim… there's more. You just said that the suspect's car had a match pack from the Windsor Cascade hotel… right?
"Yeah…"
"Ron went to monkey fist's mansion and retrieved the scroll, but I couldn't get any flights for him, so I booked him at that hotel for the night…"
"Then I need to get there!" Kim yelled
"No wait… I think you should see this…"
Wade punched his keys and brought up a screen on Kim's dash… it showed security cameras catching Ron stepping out of the hotel… and Betty Ohe was with him…
"That BITCH!! Was he…" Her emotions had begun to get the better of her…
"Straight as an arrow Kim… please. Just watch the video…"
She stared at it… suddenly realizing that Ron was trying to get away from her… there really wasn't anything going on between them…
"This was the last Ron was seen… I did some checking and realized that betty Ohe also made trips to China when you two did and also to England. She returned two days ago.
I'm willing to put money on this that our thief is…"
"She's going to pay…"
Kim didn't wait for Wade to say another word… all he could see was raw rage in her eyes. He chose not to say anything to her at this time… because in his heart, he wanted Betty Ohe to pay as well. Stealing was one thing… but when it came to losing a trusted friend, this was personal.
"Go get her Kim…" Wade said.
She only nodded. Soon enough, she reached the home of Betty Ohe. She parked her car at a distance so not to alert her. She ran up on the house and kicked down the front door…
"Where the hell are you? I know it's you! Show your damn self!"
Before she had a chance, to turn around, Betty came in the open… with a 45 caliber pistol in hand... firmly pushed into Kim's back.
"So… the little bitch that could has figured it all out…"
"What have you done with Ron?"
"Feisty aren't you? Gun to your back and you still have the audacity to ask me questions…"
"Where is he?"
"By now probably being prepared to meet his maker… shame too… he was good looking…"
That statement alone caused Kim to react. Spinning herself quickly, she went to the ground. Betty pulled the trigger, but the bullet brushed past Kim's waist. Kim threw her off balance and dove for the kitchen area… Betty shot wildly… hitting the kitchen utensils and the stove around the lines. A nearby lamp that was shot had been knocked over… causing the light to short and start a fire on some nearby curtains. Kim found a cutting board in the kitchen. As she grabbed it, she dodged a couple more bullets…
"Come on Kim Possible… you could do better than this…"
And just then, Kim rose from the kitchen wall… tossing the board into Betty's shoulder… causing the gun to dislodge from her hand. She leapt for her… Betty grabbed Kim by the hair and tossed her near the fire… now raging and engulfing the house. Betty lunged for her but this time Kim was prepared. She raised her legs, vaulting Betty into part of the fire.
"OH GOD MY FACE… MY BEAUTIFUL FACE!" Betty screamed writhing in pain. Kim dragged her out of the fire and began to punch the living daylights out of her… before something caused her to stop. She actually moved back from her opponent in shock… eyes wide. The house was quickly being engulfed but for Kim, the shock was too much to bear… at least until her adrenalin and anger took it's place…
"Camille Leon? … You NO GOOD BITCH!"
After all this time… it was the infamous Camille Leon. It now made all the sense in the world. She would easily dodge their efforts and would be able to steal the statues… but why?
"The one man in the world I ever truly loved… YOU TOOK HIM FROM ME!"
She placed Camille near the raging flames once again as if to intentionally hurt her… for Camille the fear was now that Kim's rage was by fare more intense…
"Don't do this… We'll all die!"
"You've already sealed my fate… by killing Ron! Death might not be so bad after all!" Camille had great fear in her eyes… Kim could actually kill her…
"No… no he's not dead yet… I just shipped the last statue… they won't get it for another eight hours…"
There was some hope. Now Kim had a new sense of urgency… to save the one she loved. But before that, she had to get out of the burning building. Then she remembered… the gas leak… it hadn't ignited as the fire had not reached so far… but it was spreading quickly. She grabbed Camille and ran out the door… not a moment too soon. The house erupted in a giant fireball… throwing the women a short distance. People began to form small crowds… many on their phones calling 911. Kim looked up to see Camille trying to limp away and blend into the crowd, but she caught her just before she did. Jacking her up against a nearby tree, she drilled her adversary…
"Why? What made you do it… Fame… Fortune?"
"Why should I tell you?"
"Cause you have ten fingers, ten toes, two knees, two ankles, two wrists, elbows and shoulders… AND I WILL BREAK EVERY ONE TILL YOU TELL ME..."
Those words alone struck fear into Camille's heart… even more than being in the fire…
"Alright… some people came to me sometime ago and said they wanted me to watch your boyfriend… and also to steal the statues and ship them out. I didn't ask them why and they didn't tell me. They would just give me a fat check when I did their job…"
As the sirens of the emergency services could be heard approaching, Kim brought Camille closer…. with narrowed eyes…
"Then I have one more question… WHERE… IS… MY… MAN?"