Chapter 10: Changes! Kim's Decision!
"Really?"
"Last night, his flight arrived in Middleton." Zach heard the voice on the other end speak to him, "I thought you'd have this situation under control by now."
"Cassidy, knowing the situation as it is, I doubt it could be stopped. Seeing how it was caused in the first place, who knows what else they're hiding Xenocide in?" Zach felt blood rushing to his head, staring at the concrete underneath the metal bleachers on the football field. "Things like this make me glad I bring my own lunch to school."
"That doesn't change the fight that it's gotten so out of hand to the point that Dr. Helix had to come to Middleton in the first place. If anything good comes from this folly, at least now we don't have to hide much from them anymore."
"I basically had to lie about the whole drugged thing. Otherwise questions would've been asked, and Canada would've known about my secret." Zach sighed, "If Helix is here, then that means…"
"Try not to think about it. You almost crossed that line…"
"I know… But that bastard deserves it for all that he's done. Anyway, are you sure that Kim Possible is the one we're looking for? I mean, I know Kim's the 'girl who can do anything' and all, and not to take anything away from her, but with her Mu-Type abilities, I just can't see how she could honestly be that powerful?"
"I have my doubts too, and Celeste's powers have proved to fail before. But from the reports we've managed to gather, Kim Possible is the most likely candidate and she has sensed this power in Middleton."
"We'll just see what happens. Just as long as he doesn't get to her first, everything will be alright."
"Zach?"
Zack looked through the legs of the bleachers to see Tara walking towards him, "I better go. Lady Cares-a-Lot approaches."
"Keep your head up, okay?"
Cutting off transmission, Zach sits himself up before dropping down from the bleachers. "Tara, what's up?"
"I'm not even going to ask why you were hanging upside down." She said, "As for what's up? Let's just say that there are a lot of things that are 'what's up?'"
Zach winced at the cold tone in her voice. He could feel that this was not going to be a friendly chat. "Are you-"
"How many friends do you have, Zach?" She cut him off, "Don't answer that. I think they'd probably share the same views of friendship as you do."
"Okay, aren't you-"
"Over here in Middleton, friends help friends, they support them! They don't keep things to themselves and from friends, and they sure as hell don't stand by when they can help them!" Zach thought about speaking, but decided against it. Better to just let her vent. "Do you have any idea what I've been going through? Not being able to do anything to help my friends who are suffering through becoming a Mu-Type? Do you even know how it's like to just stand by and do nothing while they're suffering?" She looked down to her sneakers, tears beginning to pour from her eyes. "I saw what happened to Marcella this morning. I was there, I saw all those people looking at her, snickering, mocking her! She even had a magnet placed on her back! They drove her to the point where she actually ran out in tears. It was so horrible!"
'Here we go again…' Different scenarios began to play through Zach's head, none of them ending well. Hate crimes, revenge, it was so about to come down.
"…I know that I've told you that you didn't have to tell me anything as long as you didn't lie to me. But now I want to know everything."
His eyes widened, "Everything?"
"Did I stutter? I mean it! I want to know everything! Everything you know!" She wasn't going to give in! Zach knew something, he just had to! He knew something about helping Marcella! For gosh sakes his hometown was full of these things, you would think they'd already come up with a cure before!
Looking into her piercing eyes, Zach knew that this girl wasn't going to let him off so easily. He was already regretting telling her about Mu-Types in the first place. At first he thought it was going to make things a bit easier for him, but now it was going to backfire on him. He could've just denied himself being at the tree, let alone the phone call. And now, he was between a rock and a hard place. Unless… "…What exactly do you want to know?"
"Well the cure, for starters…" Tara simply said, not moving an eye away from him.
'I'm gonna regret this… If I haven't already…' Zach pinched the bridge of his nose, "You know about the effect Xenocide has on-"
"I know already, Fool! Just get to the point," She snapped.
'Sheesh…' Was what happened to Marcella really affecting her this much? He could understand watching a friend go through hell because of this, but did she have to be so harsh? "Well there is an antidote that can negate the effect. Or rather… there was."
Tara blinked, "Was?"
"Months ago an antidote was created that would cure Mu-Types. Many people, Mu-Types and non-Mu-Types, were waiting for this. Of course, there are those who were anything but pleased. Take a wild guess what they did."
"…And what happened?"
"It was gone, just like that. People tried to recover it, but no dice. And now they're trying to come up with another cure. Personally I say it should be optional, but with some people like someone who could light up an entire hospital under 60 seconds flat…"
"…There are people who actually would do that?"
"That's not the worst of it. A month ago there was a gang war that broke out in Newport. Luckily the casualty count was low, but we may not be so lucky next time."
Not wanting to think anymore about something so horrible, Tara returned to the topic at hand, "Do you have any idea when this cure'll become available?"
"No clue… It depends on the guys making it! Not everyone can make miracles. But if anyone could come up with one, it's Dr. Helix."
"Dr. Helix?"
"Dr. Lorenzo Helix is the authority on Mu-Types and other meta-humans in Newport. He has been studying the effects of Xenocide for years, way before the whole Fire House incident. His choices may be questionable but his heart is in the right place."
"I hope so…" Tara looked down, wondering if Dr. Helix could really help her friends. If he could really help her… She wasn't sure if she could handle what Marcella went through this morning, let alone if she could show her face to everyone…
Middleton High School – Gymnasium (After School)
"Alright everyone," Kim explained to the girls of the Cheer Squad… or what's left of them rather who have arrived to the gym in this emergency meetings. With Liz and Crystal at the hospital and Marcella going AWOL, and the Cheer-offs were right around the corner! All the routines they would be doing were planned as if there were eight people, but with five people left on the squad? "I think we all know why I've called this emergency meeting.
"Kim, are you sure this is the right time to be doing this?" Bonnie frowned, not wanting to be interrupted from her cell phone conversation.
The redhead's eyes narrowed, "Bonnie, this is serious! Could you get off that cell phone for one minute?"
"Fine…" With a snap, the phone was shut closed as she frowned towards the so-called "Squad Captain." "Let's just get this over with already?"
"Bonnie please…" Tara reminded, "You know with all that's happening we need to deal with this problem, especially with the Cheer-offs coming up!"
"The only reason why we're in this mess because the stupid jocks couldn't keep it in their pants so they tried to drug us…" Bitterness crept in Hope's voice.
Kim nodded, "That's true…" This was why she hated going to house parties…
"So why don't we just do what we always do when the jocks decide to do something so stupid: Put up the Cunt Block!"
Jessica's eyes widened, "Say what!?" She knew exactly what she was trying to say. Cheerleaders were on top of the food chain in school, especially in terms of girls. Any guy who would either be as much as turned down to downright humiliated by them especially publically will have a severe blow to their ego. This particular tactic would be this taken to the extreme that even those at the bottom of the food chain would be treated better. Unfortunately for the poor guys who happen to be dating one of the cheerleaders at this time, they'd get it just as bad, if not worse than the jocks (They're the ones who have to put up with her, after all). This was a skill used to make sure things go their way, whether it's putting a certain loser back in his place, or keeping a love rival from dating the guy of their choice.
"That's right," Bonnie declared, "They're the ones who got us into this mess and now it's their turn to pay in spades!"
"But why should Patrick have to suffer?" It was only four days away from their 1-month anniversary since they've started dating and the last thing she wanted to do was to act cold towards him, let alone for something he didn't have anything to do.
Hope narrowed her eyes, "We have to be united on this, Jessica!"
"No, she's right!" Kim frowned, not liking the proposed action either. "Why should Josh be forced to suffer just because a few idiots can't take no for an answer? He wasn't even at the party, let alone involved with the whole Jawbreaker incident?"
"It's called standing by your friends, you're teammates Kim! Maybe you'd understand that if you'd actually spend more time at practice than just running out to 'save the world' all the time."
Tara noticed her friend's ire beginning to build, thoughts of Marcella's treatment still fresh on her mind. While she understood what Marcella went through, "Does it really justify putting a few guys through hell for what they didn't do."
The caramel-beauty scoffed, "Acceptable losses…"
"Aren't you being a bit cold, Hope?" Tara soon felt daggers towards her as she began to regret her choice of words.
"You've saw how they treated Marcella this morning! How they ridiculed her, mocked her! None of those pigs will be getting any sympathy from me."
"Moving on…" Kim could see that this discussion wasn't getting anywhere. "Still, that doesn't change that we're a few short! Looks like we'll have to hold auditions…"
Bonnie rolled her eyes, "Great Kim, just when we thought Stoppable's mascot position couldn't ruin the squad's rep enough, now you're suggesting we bring in two talentless newbies?"
"It's better than having to redo the whole routine again, especially between now and the cheer-offs!"
"Why, is it too much for you? Does it cut in between your 'Saving the world' time?"
"I'm trying to put everyone's best interests at heart! Something you obviously wouldn't know anything about!"
"Tch, like you would know anything about our best interests! After all, not everyone is as good as the great Kim Possible!"
Jessica facepalmed, "And here we go…" Of all the times for Kim and Bonnie to start bickering…
"Bonnie, we're holding tryouts for new recruits! It'll be easier to teach them how to do the routine than to come up with a completely new one!"
Jessica nodded, "That does seem to be the better thing to do."
Tara agreed, "Yeah, I mean we've already have everything in motion. All we need to do was to get them up to speed and we should be fine, right?"
"NO!"
All eyes turned towards the source of the outburst as Hope stated her opinion, "We're not replacing anyone on the squad!"
"Who said anything about replacing anyone?" Bonnie scoffed, "As much as I hate agreeing with Kim, we do need people who actually show up to do the work…"
"You'd be scared to go to school if your face was ruined by eating some drug-filled candy!"
"Nobody told you to eat them! If you all wouldn't have ignored your better judgment we wouldn't be having this problem in the first place!" Bonnie scoffed, "So don't take it out on us! We're just doing what's best for the squad."
"So that's it, huh? We're just going to replace them, right?" Hope couldn't believe what she was hearing. Marcella, Liz, Crystal… They were a part of the squad, a part of the nakama, and now they're looking to dump them? She could see this backstabbing attitude from Bonnie, but not Kim and especially not Tara.
"Nobody is replacing anyone." Kim pinched the bridge of her nose, "We're just adding more members to the squad."
"Like hell you are!" Hope narrowed her eyes, "Don't lie to me about 'just adding more members to the squad.' We all know what's going to happen. The new recruits come, they do well, then the originals come back and there's no longer a place for them. But all is well because, after all, 'It's for the good of the squad," right? Right!?"
Kim noticed how erratic Hope was becoming, "Hope, are you-"
"FUCK THAT!"
Bonnie rolled her eyes, "Okay, let's just get this over with already! All in favor of new squad recruits?" As expected all hands save for one rose without question. "See Hope, the majority has spoken! So get real and deal! You should be glad that you still have a spot on the squad, god knows you-" That was all she could say before she found herself hitting the floor with a new sore spot on her face.
Placing her foot back down, Hope turned to her so-called "cheer-mates" with a glare, "How long we've been a team? Since Middle School! And now you want to change all that? To hell with Cheer-offs, I don't care that we have to reduce months and months of practicing to being worthless and have to come up with a new routine from scratch, regardless of any inconveniences. I'll be damned if I let anyone usurp the place of my friend just because some jocks can't keep it in their pants!" A small tear running down a cheek, Hope quickly scurried from the gym, leaving the rest of the squad in shock.
Bonnie rose back to her feet, rubbing the sore cheek, "What the hell was that about? She just kicks me for no reason and then she-"
"Oh will you get over yourself Bonnie!" Kim admitted that Hope crossed the line, but her feelings were understandable if not sympathetic, from what she saw what Marcella went through this morning. Nevertheless, this was just another misfortune caused by those jocks at the party.
Upperton Warehouse #8
He didn't know why he returned…
Perhaps it was pure… he wouldn't call it stupidity. Desperation was a bit much. To be honest, he didn't know what was driving him back to this place, but here he was. At the same place where it all started. Where he got the tools he needed to get what he wanted, but it came with a price.
Julius shook his head. He wouldn't say that he had it all, but he had plenty going for him. A high spot on the social hierarchy as a member of the football team, a nice girlfriend, popularity… What more could he wanted? Oh that's right he wanted some action from his girl. A little TLC, maybe a bit more… But was it worth it? He knew what happened to Liz and that she was at the hospital. He heard around the neighborhood that her eyes were glowing green and that was it. He couldn't learn anything else what happened to her, not without asking someone. He scoffed at the thought. That would be plain idiocy at this point, knowing how everyone was most likely out for his head. To many, he was already a scumbag, and the fact that he hasn't even bother to go see how she was doing just made him look worse. Brick had a reputation of being a player, but at least he didn't abandon the girls he dated during their hour of need. Losing your girl and your team indeed…
Walking through the dark room, he wondered once again why he was here. What did he want from here? What did he intend on doing when he got it? Hell, what was he thinking at a time like this? It was times like this he wondered if his parents taught him anything after all…
"Ah, looks like you've returned."
He turned towards the source of the voice. It was that same man with that smile, with the fedora hat on his head. He could've sworn he saw his eyes beginning to glow. Regaining his composure from the surprise at his appearance, Julius narrowed his eyes, "Those jawbreakers you gave me! What did you put in them?" He demanded. "What were they made out of?"
"The jawbreakers did what they intended to do, did they not?" He asked, not ones losing his composure. "Didn't they give you the good time that you so desired? Did you finally get to feel those legs of hers that you so desired? Her soft, luscious breasts…"
"Shut up…"
"Her tender, toned legs… You really wanted to do the 'ole Horizontal Mamba, didn't you Jules? And I bet she gave as good as she got, didn't she?"
Julius' hands balled into fists, his eyes narrowing and teeth clenching, "Don't you dare talk about Liz that way!"
"Why not? I'm only speaking the truth, am I not! You managed to get what you wanted from her and more, am I right?"
"I did, but I didn't want her to change into some freak that has to stay at the hospital!"
"Oh don't get 'Holier than thou' with me, Jules! I warned you that there was no telling what might happen! And another thing, you try to play the role of the concerned boyfriend, but deep down you know as well as I do that you could care less what happened to her. You may act as if she's your 'One True Love,' but we both know that all she was is just a fling! A conquest! A sweet piece of ass! Another notch on your belt! And you know what else? You're happy that Liz is out of the picture! After all, it leaves you free to see other people! Free to seduce and have your way with the other fish in the sea! Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free?" His grin grew wider, "Admit it Julius! You loved using those jawbreakers! They gave you the best time of your life, and now you've come back here begging for more! It's almost as if, dare I say it, you can't live without them! I would laugh if it wasn't so pathetic…" He saw the enraged expression on Julius face, all but saying that he would love a chance to punch him. "Oh what the hell? I'll laugh anyway! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHH!"
"YOU BASTARD!" Not able to take anymore of his taunting, Julius lounge forward to swing at this lunatic. Hoping to knock that smug look of his face, instead one hand grabbed his wrist while the other placed a bag in his hand.
"Here's another batch! Normally I wouldn't just give away such hot commodities as these, but luckily for you, your 'ole Brother Ryzin's cutting you a deal!"
Letting out a growl of frustration, Julius yanked his bonded wrist from his captor's grip, angrily storming away. As much as he hated to admit it, the Jawbreakers brought him more fortune than bad. But that still didn't mean that he liked how it transformed Liz into what she is. Whether if it was in a desperate attempt to trust him, or it was to fulfill a desperate need within him, he didn't know what to think anymore.
"You're welcome Julius! But don't expect to get anymore swag bags!" Laughing manically, Ryzin watched Julius leave, knowing full well that he'll be back again. And again, and again, and again… At the rate he was going, he may be the best partner he ever had!
Possible Residence
"So… how'd it go?"
Kim let out a sigh as she watched the picture currently on the large screen in front of her. "At least Bonnie took it better than I expected. That's a relief…" After the all-too-stressful discussion on the fate of the squad, especially after Hope's reaction, nobody was in the mood to practice. Still, the real challenge would come tomorrow when they would have to start looking for new recruits. Of course anyone who could was welcome to try out. However, not everyone would agree. At least now she could take her mind off of things and relax with Josh. It was the least amount of comfort she could get, knowing what'll go down tomorrow… "It's Hope, who I'm worried about."
"She didn't take it too well?" Josh assumed.
"That's an understatement. I mean she actually floored Bonnie. I guess considering what's been going on as of late I shouldn't be surprised."
"Still thinking about what happened to Marcella?"
"You saw what happened to her! Nearly all of her so-called friends turned against her!"
"And how do you feel about all of this?"
Kim shook her head, "I'm okay, but still. All of this stuff keeps happening! First Quiannon, then Jimmy, and let's not even get started what happened after the party Friday! And to top it all off, now there's this masked guy I have to look out for! Wade's tried to look into it but so far he hasn't come up with anything! I mean it's not like he doesn't stand out or anything. I mean honestly, who wears a scarf with a bodysuit?"
"He really gave you a hassle, huh?"
"He threw daggers and needles at me, and tried to turn me into a living icicle among other things… Tell me he's not bad road! I supposed the good thing about it was that Ron was asleep outside out of the way…" Kim sighed, wondering about the usefulness, or perhaps lack thereof, of her partner.
"Oh c'mon, Zita! I think you'd make a badical cheerleader!" Ron convinced. After hearing from Kim about the Cheerleader sitch, he decided to try his hand in helping out by finding girls who had potential at being members of the squad. Granted that he didn't know that many girls, let alone girls who would give him the time of day, but he decided to just go with what he had and pray for the best…
"Not interested!"
"Just think about it Zita! You'd be on top of the food chain! The crème-de-la-crème! Being a cheerleader basically means you're pretty much set in popularity!"
"True, and I would also become a stuck-up, full-of-it, self-centered bitch with a superiority complex!"
"Kim's a cheerleader, but she isn't anything like that."
"Kim isn't anything like any other girl, period!"
"True, but just think about it will ya? Listen, after the whole thing about the party Friday, the cheerleaders are going through a crisis. They're looking for anyone who's athletic and coordinated. And c'mon, you got the moves of an Action Girl! You could really be helping the squad out-"
"Why would I even want tohelp them? I mean what did they ever do for me? All they ever care about is themselves, their egos, and their status. They have no redeeming qualities nor any qualms about putting anyone who they believe to be beneath them – Kim excluded. You of all people should know this, seeing that you're the mascot!"
"What about Tara? She's a nice girl from what I've seen!"
"And yet she's best friends with the biggest bitch in school! The fact she's even willing to associate herself with her negates any good qualities she has."
Ron sighed, seeing that this is losing battle, "Just think about it, Zita. Just a little bit! I'll tell ya what. If you join the squad and you don't like it, I'll make it up to ya!"
"Like what?"
"Hmm… Name it!"
"You don't have much to begin with!"
"I'll give it a shot!"
Ron heard a frustrated sigh on the other end, "Fine Ron, I'll do the damn cheerleading gig."
"Badical! Thanks Zita!"
"But you owe me for this, Ron! Big time!"
"Sure Zita. Sure…" Within a click of the phone, Ron let out a sigh. At least there was someone he could count on to show up to tryouts… Maybe… Zita Flores was, as far as gamers go, quite a hottie as well as athletic. However, like Kim she was known to make her opinion known, especially if she didn't agree with it. Hopefully things will work out. Between the whole Mu-Type thing and that ice guy, the last thing Kim needed was even more problems. As much good as Kim does, she's very prone in taking in too much to the point where she needs super speed in order to balance all of it. Hopefully he made thing a bit easier for her.
"I don't know Josh! I know he's my best friend and all, and we've been through a lot over the years, even after we've broken up after the dating thing wasn't working out! But if he fell asleep inside the lab instead of outside, he would've been skewered."
Ron's eyes widened at hearing Kim's voice. It was about last night at the lab. Yeah, he knew that she wasn't happy about his performance, or lack thereof, but never this angry.
"But doesn't he more often than not help the missions become a success? I mean he does well with the distraction, right?"
"…Against guys like Drakken! What we're facing right now is beyond Drakken! For god sakes, he could get both of us killed!" Ron couldn't believe what he's hearing. After all they've been through, and now she was thinking about cutting him loose?
"Have you ever thought about… I don't know, training Ron?"
"It always came to mind, but I just kept putting it off! I mean, he was doing well anyway, right?" Kim sighed, "Now I'm not so sure anymore. It's that with everything going on, it would be a lot easier if Ron was… you know…"
"Competent?"
'It was all starting to catch up…' Ron thought. As hard as he tried, he could never measure up. Sure, there were instances that he could step up when it matter the most, but those were too few in between. However, his wallowing in self-pity wouldn't last for long, as within moments, a loud sound of a car crashing was heard! "What the?"
Hearing the sound, Josh looked around, "What was that?"
Kim was quick to jump to her feet, "Stay back, I'll check it out!" Hearing the familiar four beeps, Kim quickly took out her Kimmunicator, "Go Wade!"
"Kim, be careful!" The panicked expression on Wade's face said it all, "There are two guys who are after you!"
The redhead rolled her eyes, "This is where Ron would say that everyone's always after me."
"Not to this extent! Word spread throughout the Villains' chat room was that two 'specialists' came to Middleton gunning for you."
"What kind of specialists?"
"Mu-Type Specialists! Word has it that some hotshot's paying top dollar for them to kill you!"
"Any idea what kind of 'Mu-Types' they are?" As if to answer her question, Kim quickly pulled Josh out of the way as crashing through the wall was a flying truck. "Nevermind! I pretty much have an idea what we're dealing with."
"OH KIMMY!" A loud voice from the direction of the newly-made hole yelled, "COME OUT AND PLAAAAAAAAAY!"
"KP, major damage here!" Ron quickly rushed over to the two, "Just what's going on?"
"Someone who can throw cars, apparently!" Kim rushed through the hole, only to find a behemoth of a guy pulling station wagon with one arm. "Oh you've got to be kidding!"
"Well look who decided to come out," Benji roared. "Aren't you a lil' cutie?"
Kim was not a bit amused, "Oh you're so gonna pay for that hole you just put into my house!"
"Oh ho, so you wanna rumble with the Bad Man, don'cha?" He laughed, "You got spirit! I like that!"
"Too bad I can't say the same about you! You could've killed someone!"
"Hey, s'not my problem if they're a bunch of wimps! Anyway, all this talking's boring! LET'S GET CRAZY!"
Kim dived away as the station wagon flew towards her. No normal guy could've done that. At least she knew for sure that he was one of the two Mu-Types Wade warned her about. Still, she couldn't fight Benji here? Not within the neighborhood, especially knowing what he was capable. Thing is, how was she going to get him out of the neighborhood?
"C'mon, sweetie! Aren't 'cha gonna do something other than just run away? I'm getting bored here!" Hearing his words, Kim's eyes narrowed. She didn't want to risk any casualties, let alone property damage, but as long as she just dodged him, he was going to continue to throw everything around. It would be a lot easier if the police… no, the army came to handle him. If he was strong enough to throw cards with one hand, who knew what else he was capable of?
…But she had to try!
Benji grabbed another car, this time a Volkswagen Beetle, as he prepared to throw it. This was the fight Maddie promised him when he arrived here? All he's been seeing was some girl playing dodgeball with the cars. He better see some serious action from this girl, or this'll be a very dull fight. Right as his grip tightened on the fender, he felt a hard kick in the face, causing him to release his grip out of shock.
Landing to her feet, Kim dodged a retaliating lariat, before sweeping him onto the ground. It was predictable. His movements were so easy to read. Not like Shego's movements, or even that masked guy from last night. However, what he lacked in speed he greatly made up for in strength, and he didn't seem to be that much phased from the blows.
As Kim used Benji's own momentum against him with an overthrow, it was as if all of her blows were like pinches to him. Almost as if she was giving him a massage! And all of her tools were inside with her mission clothes. Of all the times…
Worry crept on his face, Ron quickly rushed into her room. From what he saw from that guy, using kung-fu wouldn't be enough. It was time to go with the gadgets. Heading towards the closet, Ron knew he was at risk. While entering KP's room wasn't new, there were some things that he shouldn't go into. Opening the closet, he hoped that it was there. Within a glance to the side, he saw it hanging on the metal bar. "Booyah!"
Managing to dodge a bumper fender, Kim landed on her feet as her assailant moved closer. It was bad enough he was throwing whatever he could find around like balls, now he was holding a bumper of an SUV like a baseball bat. Strong, wild, not even sure if he was able to feel pain. For all she knew this Neanderthal could be loaded with painkillers. Josh had already run off to safety, and knowing Ron he was looking for her tools to give her some edge over him.
"Hold…" Benji swung ferociously, "STILL!" He had to hand it to her, she was fast, and those kicks she was landing on him were impressive… except that it made him flinch at best. Maybe she needed a pipe, or a steel bat, or even a balance beam.
"Hang on KP, I'm coming." Running as fast as his baggy pants would allow, Ron made it outside with her utility belt in hand. Upon reaching outside, he saw Kim and the behemoth she was facing. Whatever determination the boy had suddenly began to plummet. His head shaking, he couldn't let his fear hold him back. He had to do this. He had to prove to her, to himself, that he wasn't useless. That he wasn't the load of the team.
"Aren't you in a hurry?"
Letting out a yelp, Ron fell back in shock as a slim figure dropped right before his eyes. Scooting backward, he watched as the figure walked forward. Twirling a strand a hair with his fingers, eyes narrowing towards him, and that smile. That wrongsick smile… The only thing that kept him from soiling himself was the possible consequence that would come if he did…
"Isn't it strange for the both of us to meet like this? You, the desperate sidekick trying to help his struggling comrade! And I, one who dedicated his life in the search of true beauty, yet involved in a conflict as ugly as this?" Christian licked his lips, "I can see you shivering, filled with fear. I suppose I can't blame you. After all, we always show fear towards those we don't know or understand. Through those jeans, lie knees that shake with fear. Your speechlessness is also quite telling. And your face…"
With a stroke of his fingers, Christian tenderly ran it from the side of his forehead right to the side of petrified boy's lips. Gaining the designated amount of moisture, he brought it towards his own mouth before licking it with the tip of his tongue. "Even your sweat holds the taste of fear."
Ron tried to scream, to call for help from Kim, Josh, hell anyone would be great at this point. But he couldn't muster the power to put use to his vocal chords. He had to get away from him but he towered over him! And where was Rufus through all of this? He left him at home for his long nap. And with Kim being occupied by that big guy, he was pretty much on his own. As he felt his back brushing against the wall, he realized that he was at a dead end. Crouching down towards him, he felt his assailant's hands run down from his chest as his lips moved to his ear… "Avec la beauté vient la mort…" As those words entered his ear, Ron soon felt a sharp pain through his abdomen.
"RON!" His blood-filled screams entering her ears, Kim switched her priorities from the durable giant to the assailant, who has just rose back to his feet. Within a turn, Kim saw blood beginning to pour from the newly-made wounds, blood staining his white shirt, as his attacker stood. Fingernails extended by six inches covered in blood, thoughts began to rush through Kim's head. "No… Please God, no…"
Licking his blood-covered nails, Christian smiled towards the enraged redhead, "It appears beauty exists within rage, as well…"
"YOU BASTARD!"
Feeling pain like he never felt before, Ron tried to keep consciousness as he watched as Kim attack his assailant. However, with the loss of blood, he found his eyelids becoming heavier as his body harder to move without feeling pain. As he heard the sound of bones crunching and concrete scraping, he could only watch helplessly as Kim found herself fighting both Benji and Christian. "K.P…" The last thing he saw was a small fringe of red hair sliced by the crimson-stained talons… "Sorry…"
…
…
"Ron? Ron!?"
Eyes slowly opened, Ron looked around to find himself no longer in the yard of the Possible home. From the fluffy, elevated mattress and pillow and the white room, he found himself in the hospital. And a pair of arms was the first thing he felt. "Wha-what happened?"
"Oh Ron…" Kim tried to hold back the tears that were pouring earlier, but she really thought it was it. "I thought we've almost-"
"Uh…KP, you're hurting me…" Ron felt the pain caused by the weight of the hug. He wondered if he was given medication to ease the pain from his punctured abdomen. But still, "Are you-"
"Yeah… A SWAT team quickly arrived, thanks to Josh. And your parents are on their way."
"And what about you?"
"Other than a few bumps and bruises, I'm okay." Kim let out a sigh. Her mom had told her about Ron's situation. He was lucky that the nails didn't go as far in as she feared. They were somehow able to stop the internal bleeding, meaning that he would have to stay at the hospital for a few days. At least then they didn't worry about his stitches. But what if it went further, just a bit further? Further enough to hit his spine?
"You were lucky, Ron." Anne informed. "If we were just a minute later taking you to the emergency room, I didn't think you would've survived." She looked down. Was it possible that Mu-Types were involved?
"Lucky for me the Ron-factor kicked in just in time, huh?" Ron gave a soft smile. Everyone was looking depressed, and it bothered him. The worst was over, right?
Kim tried to hold back rolling her eyes. He could've been killed and he was making a joke of it! He's always making a joke of things. Did he even realize the seriousness of the situation? Still, at least he seemed to be okay. But…
"You seem to be okay, eh Stoppable?" Josh grinned from the door.
"I was more freaked by that guy with the nails. Wrongsick doesn't even begin to cover that guy! I mean, what's with him anyway?"
"Of all the freaks you and Kim have to deal with, I didn't think you'd run into a guy like that!"
"I didn't think he was a guy!" Ron let out a sigh, "I'm hungry. Can't a guy get some food up in here?"
Anne let a small chuckle escape her lips. "I'll see what we can find. But not too much! Your intestines still need time to heal before you can take a full meal."
Watching her mother leave the room, Kim turned towards Josh. "Josh, could you give us some time alone?"
"Alone?"
"There's something that needs to be discussed." Kim looked down towards her trainers. "Something that I should've done a long time ago… Perhaps even sooner…"
Josh blinked. He knew that the thought, the very idea always resided in the back of her mind. But no, she couldn't… She couldn't actually be considering to go through with this, could she? "But…"
"I have to, Josh…" A small tear poured from Kim's eyes. "It was bad enough that it came to this! What if he's not as lucky next time?"
Sighing, he realized that there was no changing her mind at this. Kim seemed to be the most shaken up about this. "Just break it to him easy, okay?" With a small peck on the cheek, Josh placed a reassuring pat on the shoulder before walking away. Leaving the two best friends to what would be the hardest thing Kim has ever done or do…
Kim saw the smile on her best friend's face. He was so calm, so relaxed, so peaceful… Even through a situation as this, he wasn't letting it get him down. Which was more than what she could say about herself…
"That Kim Possible! She's so amazing! She could do so much better without that bumbling fool… what's his name?"
"Why does she hang with such a loser?"
"When is she going to get rid of that guy? He's useless!"
"Kim could have any guy she wanted, yet she stays with him? I've seen lemmings more useful than that waste of space!"
Whether they originated from TV, radio, or even blogs, it wasn't as if she didn't ignore them. But she knew that while yes, Ron did have some… okay, Ron had many flaws. Sure he wasn't as coordinated, as resourceful, as talented, or as strong as she was. But he always came through where it counted. But as they days went by, she often found herself trying harder and harder to convince herself that. But this was what made her think… or rather realize that perhaps it was better if she just went solo.
She shook her head. She knew that this was beyond wrong. She knew that this was definitely not the time to do this, but she pushed those thoughts aside. Knowing that if she put it off, it would just make it harder in the long run. "Ron…" She could only hope that she wasn't making a mistake. "We need to talk."
Ron blinked at those words… Hearing those four words together was never a good sign. But about what, was the question. "Sure KP, about what?"
"About us!"
"Us?"
"Yeah… Ron, you're my best friend. You've always been my best friend since Pre-K, and I couldn't ask for anyone else to watch my back. Whenever I needed you, you were always there for me."
"Of course I have your back KP! That's what friends do, right?"
"Yeah… friends…" Damn it, why was Ron making this harder? The more he talked, the guiltier she felt. She shoved those thoughts aside, knowing that it was for the best. After all, tough love made for tough friends. "Ron, I've been thinking and it's just… I don't think it will be best for you to go on missions anymore…" Kim watch Ron looked down at his hospital gown. There, she said it. And now Ron was crushed.
"I understand, KP."
Kim blinked in shock. This was so not the response she was expecting. She thought that he'd be more devastated than that? "Y-you do?"
"Of course, I mean I have stitches in me, right! Gotta lay off the more grueling activities so they can heal, right?"
Did he even realize the seriousness of this? Or was he in denial? "No Ron, that's not it at all!"
"What! That I can't go on missions with you until I get my stitches out!"
"No… I mean…" Kim shook her head. This was only going to get worse before it got better, "You can't go on missions with me anymore, period!"
"P-period!?" He didn't like where this was heading. Was this really happening? "Just what are you saying, Kim?"
"I'm saying that it's over! We're finished…"
Ron shook his head. His worst fears were coming to life, "So that's it, huh KP? Just like that, you're gonna cut me loose?"
"Don't make this harder than it already is, Ron!" Tears began to pour from her eyes! "Do you think that this is easy for me?"
"Of course not, Kim…" Resentment began to fill within his voice, "After all, it would be much easier if I was more competent, right?"
Kim's eyes widened, wondering if he heard them back at home. "That's right, KP. I heard you and Josh talking about me. How I could get both of us killed, right?"
"Damn it, Ron! This isn't some game anymore! What we're dealing with isn't the likes of Drakken anymore! You almost got killed back there! And considering your track record, it wouldn't exactly be unbelievable if you're seen as an incompetent loser." Kim's eyes widened, just realizing that she had more or less just called him a loser. No different from the way Bonnie and the rest of the pops and jocks treated him. "Look Ron, I'm-"
"You really want me to resign from Team Possible? Fine… I'll do it…"
She could hear the heartbreak in his voice as a tear poured from his eye, and who could blame him? He gets stabbed which almost costs him his life, then he's forced to resign and now he's been more or less called a loser by his so-called best friend? Not to mention the heartbreak he must have been going through since their breakup. But she knew that it had to be done, for his own safety… If those two who attacked them were any indication of what was yet to come, she wanted to make sure that Ron was safe, even if it was away from Team Possible.
Within one look towards her friend, who couldn't even look her straight in the eye, "I'm sorry Ron…"
"Sure…"
Unable to say anything else, she left the room. She knew she was doing what was best, but she couldn't help but feel worse… She only hoped that Ron could recover and get better, and one day he could forgive her and see things from her perspective… whenever that day will be. All she knew was that today would not be that day.
Seeing her leave the room, Josh could see the tear stains on her cheeks. He knew it was going to be hard, but from the looks of things it was even worse. "Kim, all you alright?" When he approached her, the only thing she did was collapse into his arms. Hearing her sob into his chest, Josh did the only thing he could do for her.
Wrapping his arms around her, he whispered into her ear, "It'll be okay Kim…"
"No it won't…"
Next Chapter: The incident at the Middleton Space Center is further looked into as from a new client does Kim discover a new enemy.
Chapter 11: Incident At The Space Center! The Enemy Is X!
Translations:
Avec la beauté vient la mort. – With beauty comes death.