well it's been a while. i was on vacation in Pennsylvania and New York... and i drowned my phone, so i couldn't even check my email. but it's all better now. i bought myself a new iPhone and one of those cool life-proof phone covers, so i'm chillin. and my phone is un-drownable.
and to top it off, i have a new chapter for you guys, albeit a short one. Ron's POV of this will be in the next chapter, hopefully wednesday next week. this sitch is about to get super sticky...
as always thanks to my sidekick Sentinel for his eagle eye catching all my typos and things that generally make no sense. and don't forget to check out my complete short story, entitled 'Cold' and let me know how you guys like it.
without further ado...
"Maybe the moon's just a hole in the sky;
One day at a time, my world is shattering.
Maybe the answer's to never ask why
as I watch my life unraveling..."
~Tyler Kyte, Unraveling; Songs from Instant Star
"Oh God are you okay? Ron, baby, what happened?" I can feel the panic rising in my chest. "Are you hurt?"
"I wasn't... in the car. Han caught something... I stayed in the motel and my parents took her to the clinic. They called to say they were on their way back. I waited two hours. I called their cell phones... and now I'm here in the... they haven't told me anything and I... KP I need you please." He keeps a rigid control of his voice until the last word, which comes out in a broken whisper.
"What hospital? I'm on my way. I'm coming, Ron, I got called on a mission."
"They were life-flighted here, KP. Mass General," he answers dully. "How'd the mission go?"
"It went fine. I had decent backup."
"Ahem, correction. I had decent backup." Shego cuts in. "Don't worry, Stoppable, we'll be there as soon as we can, okay?"
He gives a half-hearted smile. "Thanks."
I burst into the waiting area at Massachusetts General Hospital with Shego on my heels. Ron jumps to his feet and wraps his arms around me. We stand there, silently holding each other until a doctor walks in some ten minutes later.
"Stoppable?"
Ron immediately turns to him and Shego puts an impatient hand on her hip. We're still in our mission gear, and the doctor seems to be impressed by her curves in that suit.
"Are you guys here for Stoppable?"
"Where are my parents?" Ron grates out.
"I'm here to discuss their condition, son," He says patronizingly. "My name is-"
Shego grabs his shirt, her glowing hand flashing dangerously close to him. Her eyes narrow. "Talk. Now."
The doctor gulps. "W-well, Mr. Stoppable, we were are still in the process of stabilizing him. He's had a traumatic brain injury but like I said, he's being stabilized."
"And Mrs. Stoppable?"
"She has extensive internal injuries and will be in surgery for some time."
Shego lets go of his shirt. "See? That wasn't so hard, was it?"
"Wait," Ron interjects, "What about my sister?"
"Sister?"
I frown. "Hana Kaori Stoppable, that's her full name. Where is she?"
"We didn't receive any other patients from that accident," the doctor says nervously, noting Shego's glowing hand again.
"There must be some mistake," Ron's voice is rising in panic, "She was with them! She's three, she still sits in a car seat for cripe sakes! There's no way she could mysteriously vanish from a car accident of this magnitude."
"Ron, maybe she got sent to a pediatric hospital or something."
He holds out his hand. "I need Wade."
I hand him my Kimmunicator and Shego continues to glower at the doctor. The doctor nervously shifts his weight.
"Wade, I need a fix on Han."
"Why? She's not in the hospital?"
"No," he spits through gritted teeth.
Wade types furiously for a few moments, and the doctor clears his throat. "I must-"
"You must stay right here," I snap at him. "You aren't going anywhere until we find Han."
"I'm sorry, we really don't have anyone here by that name. Perhaps if you... describe her..."
"She's three. Japanese girl, straight black hair, brown eyes."
He shakes his head. "I don't have any patients from the accident fitting that description."
"Could you at least check if the sent her maybe to the pediatric trauma ward or maybe to a different place?"
He nods. "I'll be right back with that information."
Shego gives him a bitch brow. "You better hurry."
Wade finally speaks. "Her vitals all seem normal, although I can't really pick up much else. The chip is being jammed somehow... I'm trying to get around it still. Her coordinates will take a few minutes. When I'm through I'll have a full picture for you, Ron."
The doctor returns. "The police report says that there were only two passengers in the vehicle."
"This can't be happening," Ron mumbles, dazedly shaking his head.
I pull him to me, and he wraps his arms around my waist. I rub circles on his back while Wade types away, and Shego's hands glow again. "Check again," she hisses.
The doctor holds his ground. "I'm sorry. We don't know where Ms. Hana is." He walks away without saying even a goodbye.
Ron stiffens.
"Shh," I whisper in his ear. "We're gunna find her, okay?"
His tired, anxious eyes meet mine and he nods. Shego seems awkward now, and she mumbles something about coffee before hurrying out of the waiting room.
Half hour, an hour, two... three... five hours go by. Five hours, three cups of coffee, endless silence punctuated only by an occasional tear from Ron or me. We haven't let go of each other since I pulled him into my arms five hours ago.
Whatever is jamming Wade's signal is causing enough havoc on him for him to go to his lab and call his research team for help.
The Kimmunicator beeps, and I rush to answer. "Wade please tell me you have something."
He sighs heavily. "Only more bad news. When I got here I had six messages waiting for me from several of my sources in China. Remember you were asking me about Yori?"
I nod and Ron stiffens again.
"Kim... Yori was found murdered at the bottom of the mountain where the school is."
"W-what?" Ron's face is pale. "How?"
"Ron... I'm sorry."
"How. Did. She. Die. Wade?"
"The unofficial cause of death is exsanguination caused by a severed carotid artery. I uh... saw the crime scene pictures... seems like they did a lot more to her than just cut her throat."
Ron doesn't say anything, but he gets up and runs for the bathroom.
"Hey, genius boy... I think maybe you should finish telling me what's going on. Stoppable's heaving his guts out."
Wade continues telling Shego his findings and I run to check on Ron, not caring that it's a men's restroom. "Ron?"
"KP, I... why?" his voice is just a hoarse, tearful whisper.
"I don't know, Ron," I whisper back. "But we will find the monsters that killed her. And they will pay."
He just clings to my waist. We cry together for a long time.
When we finally get back to the waiting room, Shego's still using the Kimmunicator. "Drew, just get the jet here, now!"
"Look, just because I'm not active anymore doesn't mean I want to help them."
"I want to help them, and that should be enough for you."
"Shelby-"
"If it's not in the airport in an hour, I will personally make sure that all your assets are liquidated and you end up broke. I'll give all your money to Stoppable so he can buy his own fucking jet! Remember you stole all his money from him that one time. I would be more than happy to make sure he gets it all back! Do not try me, Drew Lipsky." She disconnects and growls before pressing another button. She seems to be scanning through something on the screen very quickly.
"What are you looking for... Shelby?" I smirk.
She flips me off. "Your genius thinks he has a lead, I'm helping him check it out. I have sources of my own, you know."
"What's the lead?"
"The last time someone went after your little sis, what did they want?"
"Um..." Ron rubs his neck. "Crap, I'm not supposed to talk about this."
"Well talk, lover boy, coz if someone took your sister again, we're already a few hours behind. The more you hold back, the more chances of your sister ending up like your Japanese friend."
"Shego!" I gasp at her. "Insensitive much?"
She shrugs sheepishly. "Sorry."
Ron clenches his fists. "Monkey Fist. He had this mystical power called the Yono. He found this ancient scroll that predicted that with the Yono and The Han, he would be unstoppable and rule the world."
"What happened?"
"The Han is actually my sister, who happens to be a ninja baby genius. She ah... kicked his butt, and because he couldn't merge the Han and the Yono or whatever, he was turned into a statue at an underground monkey temple in Japan."
She shuts off the Kimmunicator and looks up. "Is it possible that someone is trying to unlock this Yono-ma-huey?"
Ron shrugs. "Maybe."
"Wait, but none of this makes sense. The emails, the stakeouts, the muggings..."
Shego gets Wade. "Hey, the guys that mugged Kim and Ron, where are they?"
Wade types for a second. "Um... Oh... Whoa. They jumped bail two days ago. They all vanished."
"Any chance they are in Japan?"
"They could be anywhere," Wade shrugs. "Their passports were confiscated though. If they left the country they have fake IDs."
"Okay... well did you ever get the license plate of the car that was staking out Stoppable?"
"Yeah."
"Run a cross reference between the people who own that car an anything that has to do with this mess."
"On it. Done and... Done! Does the name Fukushima ring a bell to you, Ron?"
He frowns. "No... wait. Oh God, he was working with Monkey Fist... to get the blade and take over the world and..."
"Wait, when was this?"
"Um... a while backā¦.the first time I went to Japan." He collapses miserably into a chair. "You think he has my sister?"
"He was imprisoned for theft, and was released on parole around the time of Kim's accident."
"He helped Monkey Fist steal the Lotus Blade," Ron says like we should know what that means. "Oh... KP, damnit, I knew something was up. Remember Han started acting up... the walking on the ceiling... blah blah blah whatever... when the power of the Yono was about to be unleashed."
"Right."
"Well, remember I talked to her and she seemed off? Well after that we set up the surveillance and Wade said my parents were having trouble keeping up with her. There's something in her that knows when something bad is going to happen, Kim. We have to find her before that freak tries to hurt Han!"
"You said he was with Lord Monkey Fist?"
"Yeah."
"So he knows this... monkey kung-fu or whatever?"
"Maybe. I'm not sure. I don't know how long he worked with that ape."
"Hey, I found the car's registration. Troy Field-Monks."
I think for a second. "I don't know anyone named Troy."
Ron frowns.
"Get with the program, Princess. It's an anagram for Lord Monkey Fist. It's a lame anagram too," she smirks.
Duh. I knew that.
Ron buries his face in his hands, and I rub circles on his back.
"I feel sick," he says.
"Ron, listen to me. Hey, look at me Ron, baby." When I have his attention, I continue. "Ron, now is the time to focus, okay?"
"I'm focused, I'm focused! I can't lose my sister!"
"We will find her Ron, but we need you calm. You know the most about all this monkey stuff, so you need to get your head in the game now."
He heaves a shaky sigh. "You're right. When she got lost I freaked, and it took so much longer to find her. I can't make that mistake again. Just please... please help me. I'm losing it, Kimmie," he ends in a whisper.
I hug him hard. "We'll get her back, I promise."
Shego disconnects with Wade again. "If we have any chance of stopping this dark Yono whatever guy, we need to be on a plane to Japan like... yesterday." She pushes a few buttons. "Drew, where is my plane?"
"At the airport like you requested, dear." His voice is snarky, and Shego raises and eyebrow but continues. It's obvious who wears the pants in that relationship...
"Good. Have them get ready for a trip to Tokyo International. I trust you two have some way to get from Tokyo to this Yamanouchi joint?"
"Yeah, we'll have someone waiting." Ron stands. His shoulders are set and stiff, his fists are clenched, and his eyes are narrowed. This is the Ron Stoppable that would do anything to save his sister, and I'm afraid that this Fukushima character has woken a sleeping giant.
The flight to Japan seems to go on forever. When we finally get there, the Sensei is waiting for us at the Tokyo airport with a student and a black helicopter.
"Stoppable-san, I am sorry to have to see you under such circumstances," his deep voice rings through our earphones. "Please allow me to offer my sincerest commiseration for your situation."
"Thank you, Sensei. I'm... sorry for the loss of Yori."
"Stoppable-San, the loss of brave Yori is only the beginning. The ancient writings proclaim that in order to unleash the full potential of the Han and the Yono, the Han's blood must be sacrificed."
Ron swallows hard, and his grip on my hand becomes painful. "He wants to kill Han?"
"He must first unlock the temple within which the evil one is buried."
"Digging up the temple will revive Monkey Fist," Ron says to himself. "The dude that was the Yono or whatever before him was a statue too, right?"
"That is correct."
"Then when he's alive, he'll have the Yono's power, and Fukushima will have his leader back. Monkey Fist will know what to do with Han."
"Wait," I interrupt. "What does all this have to do with mugging me and Ron? Why did they kill Yori and what was she doing here?"
"Yeah, I thought she moved."
"The traitor will stop at nothing to ensure that his plans succeed. Yori knew this. It is my belief that she was held captive for a long time."
"You think they tortured information out of her?" Shego asked, speaking up for the first time.
The old man's response is just a grave nod.
Ron's grip on my hand gets tighter. "Were they going to do the same to Kim?"
Another nod.
"Ron... ow," I finally say to him.
He releases me immediately. "I'm so sorry. Are you...?"
"I'm okay. Focus." I turn back to the Sensei. "So when they grabbed that Kitt girl thinking it was me, that was the plan?"
"Yes. Although the reason for taking you might have been different than the reason for taking Yori. You see, Yori left Yamanouchi in order to study more of the mystical monkey kung-fu, and learned all about its history and much more. She intended help you harness your power, Stoppable-San."
"They needed her for information about Han."
"Yes, and when they found out that little Han was in your care, they wanted to investigate you so that they could remove her from your care. This was the purpose of the abduction of your promised one."
Ron's hand squeezes painfully again.
We arrive at the school, and it's empty and creepy. The last time I was here, it was the same way. I shudder. Shego is looking around suspiciously, her hands glowing and ready for combat. "Listen, monkey boy," she hisses at Ron. "You hear that?"
Everyone is silent. A few tense seconds later, the distinct screech of monkeys echo in the air.
We all hustle toward the sound, silently scrambling to the top of a hill just as the ground begins to shake. A giant stone structure carved into the shape of a monkey's head emerges, and Monkey Fist's stone figure topples to the ground. When it lands, he is flesh and bone again.
We see Fukushima and those blasted monkey ninjas bow to him.
"Any one see the kid?" Shego asks in a whisper.
"Negative," Ron hisses back. "Where is she?"
I frown as I scan the area again. "She's not here."
Monkey Fist's laugh echoes through the air. "Now, I will have the power of the Han, and I will have my revenge on Ron Stoppable! I will be the only, all powerful, supreme monkey ruler!"
The Hench monkeys cheer, and Fukushima bows. "What about his... redheaded friend?"
"One of us should stay here while the rest of us search the area. They can't have left her too far off," Shego hisses as the conversation continues. I'm only half listening, though, because I want to know how I fit in to all this.
"That will be the sweetest revenge! He stole the secret of my power when he became exposed to the mystical monkey power. I will steal the secret of his power as well. I. Will. Destroy. Kim. Possible." He lets loose a maniacal laugh and all his monkey followers cheer.
Ron is practically twitching with fury beside me, and I beg him to simmer down. "Ron, please. If we get caught here we're all toast. How many times have you heard that before, huh?"
"This is different," he snaps, "He knocked off Yori, and he wrecked my parents so he could kidnap my sister. If he touches you I'll kill him."
"Let's just focus on finding Hana and getting out of here okay? You and Sensei stay. Shego and I will sneak around and search the forest."
He softens briefly, turning to hold me close to him. "I love you, Kimmie," he breathes into my hair. "Be safe."
"You too," I whisper back. I kiss him, and then Shego and I turn to go. We quietly circle the clearing where the temple and fade into the forest.
The forest is dark and eerie. Shego keeps her hand lit so that we can see. I'm starting to think we're lost when we come across a cave up on a small cliff face. I grab my grapple-dryer and haul us up to the entrance.
Little Han is laying in a dark recess of the cave, sleeping peacefully. Tears fill my eyes and I run towards her, stumbling blindly to reach her. Shego shouts a warning, but I'm not sure what she's saying. All I know is that Hana is here, and she's safe. I can get her and we can get out of here. I'm so close to her, I can hear her deep, even breathing now, even over my own. I reach for her, taking the last step to finally sweep her in my arms, but then suddenly I'm falling. The air whooshes past my face and the darkness intensifies before I land in frigid water. The force of the water against my back forces the air out of my lungs. Can feel myself fading, and I fight with all I have to get to the surface of the water, but everything goes black.
