All characters and places in this story belong to the Disney Corporation, just like Lucasfilm,
ESPN, Pixar, Marvel, Jim Henson Productions and ABC do.
The original creators were Mark McCorkle and Robert Schooley.
I receive nothing for the writing of this story.
This is a continuation of the story "Past and Present," by Zaratan, continued with his permission. It is nice to say that.
Well, I hope everybody has a Merry Christmas and... Wait. What!? That was two months ago?
Crap!
Drat this real life. It vexes me so!
Anyway, sorry for the long wait between updates for the main story. In the meantime, if you haven't read it, I did post a one shot story, "Past and Present by Zaratan Volume 2 -Reflections-" which covers an evening of Kim's life from about six years before. If you haven't read it yet, please do because it has bearing on things to come. Maybe not in this chapter, but in chapters to come.
Speaking of which, I told some of you that the next chapter would cover the ladies' car ride and Ron and Rufus's conversation. I'm afraid I mislead you. This chapter will just be the car ride and the bumpy road they travel to get where they have to go. The next chapter will be R&R's...talk for lack of a better word.
I'd like to thank the following people for reviewing the last chapter of my version of an ending for Zaratan's story as well as those that have left reviews for the previous ones. CajunBear73, Cabrera1234, Uberscribbler, Hopeful-Husky, Sentinel103, Jimmy1201, Guest, Guest that turned out to be Librana, Daccu65, and CgC.
I'd also like to especially thank CajunBear73 for his beta reading, for when I spismell something or his help in translating Hoosier twang to English. (Who knew that wash didn't have an R in it?) (CB73: Oh yeah, sha? Don't get me started on Cajun French wid y'all…!)
I'd also like to thank TexasDad for his kind give of a Premium Membership over at Deviant Art. I've got some artwork, modified screen caps, for each chapter of the story.
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Previously:
Hana and Michelle each gave Kim hard looks as they started out the door to Hana's car. The feeling of the redhead's responsibility in all of this conveyed in their eyes, which gave Kim second thoughts about going with them, or not.
But before Kim faltered, or decided she should not go with them, Bonnie wiped those doubts away. "Come on you two. One way or another, she needs to be there, and you both know it." she growled to her daughter and Hana.
Turning to Kim, "That is, as long as she wants to help and put aside who she is,", an eyebrow rose, "and becomes who she needs to be.", Bonnie said to a now-glaring redhead.
Huffing, "I'll do whatever I need to do, so long as it helps.", Kim said in determination.
Bonnie gave her a slight smile and a grateful nod, "Come on then. We've got a good man to try and save.", before they headed out to Hana's car.
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Although they were in a rush, Kim stopped off at her car just long enough to pick up two items.
One, the GJ Mobile Database she carried for missions, a device that resembled her old Kimmunicator, was out of habit since it almost felt like she was going on a mission, which she was. But not a mission to catch a bad guy, rather one to help a person she still considered a friend.
The other, though it was a warm and unseasonably dry June night, an old windbreaker she always carried in the car. Kim was feeling cold…and though she knew it had nothing to do with the actual outside temperature, the thought of wearing it took the edge off that…chill.
After donning the windbreaker, she looked to her Mobile Database device and was suddenly flooded with memories of its history with her, and GJ. Two years after hearing nothing from Wade Load, she'd worried of the battery life in her old Kimmunicator, the only real thing left to her from the days with Team Possible…and her friends. One of the GJ Techs noted her carrying the device one day, and after a little back and forth about it, suggested she loan it to him so he could look at it for her.
Six months after she gave it to that Tech, GJ issued an updated version of their GJ MDBs (Global Justice Mobile Databases), which had incorporated some additions that Kim was very familiar with. Device in hand, she stormed her way to the Tech to protest his integrating technology that wasn't GJ's to begin with into one of their devices. Formal complaints were filed by Kim over this and she was promptly informed by her then-Immediate Supervisor that though this fell into a gray area of tech incorporation, it was for GJ's greater good…And when the original designer came forth, GJ would reimburse him for improvements attributed to him; when they located him. At first skeptical, Kim soon learned they were actually trying to find Wade Load, but as elusive as he was while Kim's tech guru, he was even more so since Team Possible folded right after... the breakup.
Originally in a rush, Kim was brought out of the fog of her memories by Bonnie's "Move your ass!", and she realized she was wasting time better spent finding Ron.
She turned and headed for the vehicle, which as she got closer to it looked somewhat familiar, but seemed more like an old wreck. As she got even closer, to her amazement, she saw that it was a Roth SL Coupe, but covered in rust, dents and a few burned out places. The car's exterior condition made it impossible to make out its color, and she noted this car looked far worse than her father's car when he first gave it to her. But, to her surprise, the interior was much better than the exterior led her to believe.
As Kim got in the backseat, the engine roared to life, its growls informing her this car had plenty of power under the hood; quite telling as the car had yet to move. Startled at the car's display of power, she grabbed for a seatbelt to strap in for what would prove to be a hectic ride.
"Nice car." she muttered with a trace of sarcasm under her breath as the buckle finally snapped into place.
A glint in her eye, "Most people don't even notice it." Hana replied to Kim. Then a tired smirk, "Those that do though, pretend they don't since it's such an old relic and don't even expect it to run." Shaking her head, "No one else has any expectations for it.", she sighed.
Revving the engine a couple of times left no doubt the car had power to spare, something that surprised Kim, and the other passengers too.
As they quickly pulled out of the drive, Hana continued, "This car was a birthday present from Ron. He wanted to show me that while some might not want to ride in it, or think much of it, that I shouldn't base expectations of what the car can do on its looks alone."
This brought Kim up short as she wasn't sure if Hana was still talking about the car or probably what most of her family thought was the reason for the breakup. But before Kim could reply, she saw Hana glaring in the rearview mirror at what she had in her hands, "I thought I said that we have no idea what Ron's reaction would be if strangers showed up.", nodding to Kim's GJ MDB and her windbreaker.
Shaking her head in anger, "You, of all people, should know by now that he could go through them like they were wet toilet paper,", pausing to reach to a button on her dashboard, "if he wanted to.", before she forcefully pressed it. Then narrowing her eyes at the redhead, "Or he may just try a suicide by GJ cop.", she spat before Kim shriveled in her seat, "Is that what you want?"
From the shotgun seat beside her former sister-in-law, "Hana.", Bonnie quietly said as she tried to calm her down.
Directing her anger at a new target, "And don't you push it, Bonnie, or Miss Walls…or whatever you call yourself now.", Hana lashed out at her. "I'm sure that my brother never meant for you to use that secret phrase on us now."
After a few moments of tense silence, "I don't even know why we're bringing her along.", more to herself, "All she's done over the last twenty years was cause him grief and pain."
Undaunted, "Maybe," Bonnie replied before half-turning to Kim, "But we at least need to find out what exactly happened during their 'fight' in Michelle's basement.", now fully looking at the redhead. "We need to get some idea of what was said so we can try and defuse the situation.", before turning back towards Hana, "Or do you want to go in there blind and make matters worse?"
At this, Hana calmed down. Then glancing around, Bonnie saw it had the same effect on her daughter, who, up to then was somewhat agitated. But now she was being very withdrawn and quiet. 'Too quiet', Bonnie thought.
"Go ahead Kim.", Bonnie said, as she hoped to pull her daughter into the discussion. "Care to give us a blow by blow account?"
Kim gathered her thoughts for a few moments before she started in and told them everything that happened as best as she could remember. She even revealed what she'd said to Ron about the first few years of her marriage to Joshua. She didn't want to leave out anything that might be important.
No one interrupted her until she started relating what she'd said to Ron after he hung up on Michelle.
Now very enraged, "You called my daughter a what!?", demanded Bonnie as she spun in her seat to confront the recoiling redhead.
After a spending a few seconds making sure the infuriated brunette wasn't going to climb into the backseat and attack her, "You should have seen him.", Kim continued warily. "He looked so...so broken that I had to do something to get him to engage me."
Looking lost, "I thought that if I got him to fight with it might let give him a chance to take out his hate on me,", Kim explained, "or I thought, at least, that I could hold him off till Michelle got there to explain things to him herself."
Pausing as she reflected on the lost moment she hoped for at the time, before, "Of course if someone," Kim said in a soft voice through clenched teeth, "had told me that Ron was so...", she flailed, "proficient…...I might not have even tried to get him to fight in the first place."
Hana's eyes in the mirror focused on Kim's, "You were supposed to just leave…him alone and stay out of his way.", no longer able to keep silent. "That's what I told you to do, but, more importantly, that's what he told you to do outside the restaurant last night."
A little desperately, "I did it to try and save our children from taking on our problems to such a degree that they would feel what we felt.", Kim replied. "I didn't want to ruin their relationship. I did what I did to protect my son and his future family.", the redhead rallied.
Glaring at Kim, "The same way I came to see you last night by sneaking into your house?", Hana replied. "I went there to try and keep you from hurting Ron any more than you already have. He's my family too.", she shot back.
"Stop it!" Michelle exploded. "Just stop it! None of that is important right now. We've got to get to daddy before he...", then fell back against the door and started crying.
"We'll get there in time." said Kim and Hana in unison.
When her crying only got worse, Bonnie asked, "Michelle? Are you alright?"
Her eyes haunted, "It was me." Michelle whispered as it looked like she was trying to withdraw in on herself. "I was the one that must have pushed him over the edge when I broke the promise we made to each other a long time ago.", as tears tracked down her cheeks.
While keeping her eyes on the road as the car picked up speed, "Michelle, there's nothing that you could have said…", Hana started.
Blurting out, "I told him…", now shaking, "'it was for his own good' when I thought Kim had come over too early for the talk we had planned on having…and I thought that they had just gotten into a fight.", Michelle said fearfully. "Michael and I were going to role-play them and argue it out while they watched and maybe could see things in a different light."
Taking a breath, "When he called me and asked if I knew about her being there, I blurted out the same thing that Mom had said was the reason she divorced him, 'It's for your own good.'…I begged him not to be mad at me." Michelle's lips started to tremble, "That's when he said he wasn't. He was just…...a little disappointed...in me." And then she broke down and started to cry in earnest.
Of the three other women in the car, only one was able to reach out and try to offer her some comfort. Hana was driving, Bonnie was up front and sitting next to her. Kim reached over and took her hand to give it a squeeze, "It will be alright, Michelle. We'll find him and we'll find some way to help him."
Wiping her tears away, "That's all I wanted to do, to help him.", Michelle said. "All I wanted was for him to be happy…for once.", before a determined look fell over her face as if to say she was ready to focus again on what was important in order to accomplish that goal.
A few quiet moments passed before Michelle pulled herself together, but before she looked up at the others again, Bonnie turned in her seat to Kim, "Don't your ever call my daughter a slut again!", glaring teal eyes locked on cautious green, "I will not let you drag her name down like you and your friend did mine and Ron's.", she growled. "And remember, this now affects your son too!"
After a few seconds, Kim nodded sheepishly before Bonnie turned back to face forward. Several more tense moments passed before things settled down in the car.
Once Michelle was ready, Kim went on to describe Ron's attacks after he'd told her to defend herself. She was able to tell them in great detail what he did…and what he could have done. As she was going through the details of his first attack, she noticed Hana throwing quick glances at her through the rear-view mirror. When she completed telling them about the second attack, Hana asked, "How do you know that's what he was doing if he was moving as fast as you said he was?"
Hesitant to come out and say what she thought, that she'd had three separate out of body experiences, Kim described it as, "It was if time slowed down and I could see everything at the same time and...", now looking off in her recall of those events. "It was if I was actually someone else watching him, and me, at the same time." Turning back to Hana, "Know what I mean?"
Bonnie and Michelle shook their heads, but from what Kim could see of Hana's face from the backseat, she saw a look of familiarity flash in her eyes, something more of believing Kim's experience than not.
"Hana? Do you know something about this?"
She hesitated before saying, "There is a teaching method used only by a Master…called the 'Yūreka method'.", Hana paused to let it sink in. "It creates an out of body experience that allows a student to actually see how a type of attack is carried out and what extent of damage might happen." Peering into Kim's eyes briefly, "There's only one problem…Like I said, it can only be done by a Master."
Shrugging, "Well, Ron told me he's a Master. He could have..."
Interrupting, "Ron's a Magician, Kim," Hana clarified, "which is so many levels above a Master that it's not even funny, but that's not what I mean. Yūreka can only be used if the Master is a noncombatant, an impartial observer. And there are only four living Masters right now, Ron, Yori, her husband Hirotaka and myself."
Michelle, startled out of her silence, "Aunt Yori and Uncle Hero are Masters?" When she saw the question appear in Kim's eyes after using her nickname for Hirotaka, "They used to take turns sitting with me when they and Grandfather Sensei came for visits. Two of them would be in the basement with daddy working out, and when I first tried to pronounce Uncle Hirotaka's name, it came out Hero-talk-a. He laughed and told me to just call him Uncle Hero."
Steering the discussion back on track, "Yes. They are,", Hana interjected, "but they aren't due to arrive until tomorrow…", her eyes now in contemplation, "And I certainly wasn't down there tonight."
Shaking her head, "No. No one else was down there except for him and me." Kim said with some regret. Maybe if someone had been there besides the two of them, things might not have gotten so far out of hand.
Grimly, to the redhead, "If they had been in town, either one of them could have been down there, but trust me, you would never have known it.", Hana directed to Kim.
Baffled, "How?", Kim looked to the young ninja.
If Kim hadn't been looking directly at Hana when it happened, she would never have believed it. One moment Hana was behind the wheel driving the car and then the next there was…no one there, yet the car stayed on the road and kept its acceleration. Freaked out, Kim and Bonnie both started to lunge for the wheel, when Hana reappeared.
Matter-of-factly, "It's called 'Doragon meisai' or dragon camouflage.", Hana filled them in. "A first year student could do it if they concentrated.", she let sink in. "An Adept could do it and move around." Then glancing around to the others, "A Master could attack you and you would never see them."
Stunned, Kim sat back in her seat as she took in Hana's disappearing act disclosures…'A first year student?' Further musings of Hana's revelations of this were interrupted when her GJ MDB came to life informing her she had an incoming call. Looking to the screen, she saw it was the Director herself…and she did not appear to be a happy camper.
"Assistant Director Sanders. It has been brought to my attention that you sent out a squad of our agents to apprehend someone that you designated as a Danger Factor Nine…", the Director let hang, "without giving them permission to use lethal force if necessary. As a matter of fact, you repeated the condition, 'no authorization for lethal force is given.' Her eye hardening, "Explain yourself."
"Director, it was Ron that I sent them out to..."
"Ron? I know of no one going by that name on our..."
"Ron Stoppable."
If that name caught the Director by surprise, she hid it well. "Why would you be involving yourself and our department with your ex-boyfriend after all this time?", the Director challenged, "You know how our organization feels about mixing work with our people's personal matters."
This struck a nerve with the Assistant Director of GJ, "Yes I do.", Kim's anger rising, "But since he and his sister have gone on some covert missions in the past for GJ, that would make it a little more of an in-house matter.", she fired back. "Of course if I had been informed of those missions..."
Cutting her off, "Any missions that they might have been involved with were strictly on a need to know basis…and you didn't need to know.", the Director shot back.
Softly, over her shoulder, "Ron didn't want his name to get back to you.", Hana said. "He didn't want you to think he was trying to work his way back into your life." Shrugging, "Me? I didn't mind since I never took Betty up on her many offers to join GJ."
At Kim's look of stunned askance, "Betty probably didn't want you to know about me considering our issues,", waving a hand between them, "and how hard she pushed, trying to get me to join up.", Hana shrugged. "She promised me a full ride through college, expenses and early placement in the upper ranks if I joined up."
Kim's jaw dropped. When she signed on, GJ had only offered covering her tuition; something, she was told, they only did for the most promising of candidates.
Reeling at this revelation, and eyes wide in shock, Kim put aside their recruitment differences and focused on the other 'issue', "Why didn't you want to join GJ?", she asked after covering the screen.
Casually waving a hand to the scenery beyond the car, "You know…Out there, you have to be able to count on the people you are working with and for.", Hana replied offhandedly. "In here…", she paused, the context specifically ambiguous, "you have to be able to trust them with your life.", her tone serious, before her eyes narrowed. "You didn't have that trust after..."
Exasperated, Kim rolled her eyes, "Alright. I get it."
"Well," Betty cried out to reinsert herself into whatever conversation her Second-in-Command was having. "I can understand the high danger rating for Mr. Stoppable, but why did you want him apprehended?"
"Ron lost it Director. He...had an emotional meltdown and he was no longer stable. He needed to be detained before he did harm to anyone. ", Kim described the best way she could about what happened without having Betty call for DEFCON 2 Status as a result.
"No thanks to you." muttered Hana under her breath earning her a quick glare from Bonnie.
"You mean bring harm to one Miss Monique, your best friend.", Betty clarified.
Doing her best to not stutter, "Yes Director." Kim replied clearly even though 'best friend,' was a dubious term for Monique at the moment if she'd done any of the things Ron had accused her of after the breakup.
Her tone that of relief, "Well seeing as he's surrendered and you have him safe and sound, and since no one was harmed," continued the Director, "we'll let it stand with you getting a reprimand for failure to follow normal protocols and..."
"That's a problem Director…it wasn't Ron who surrendered to our people.", Kim interrupted, "He's still at large and may be still dangerous.", she added, before looking to the others, "We think probably more to himself than..."
"What!?", Betty's shout of surprise rang out loud over the MDB, startling all in the car. In retrospect, it was either surprise…or maybe fear fueling her cry as she had a very good idea of what the man was capable of.
Her eye hard, "Do you have any idea where he might be?", her question coming out more as a statement.
Nodding, "Yes. We are going there now and..."
Cutting her subordinate off as Betty grabbed pen and a piece of paper, then ordered, "Give me your location and the location of where you think he is.", as she scribbled across the top of the page, "I'll send two squads, no three, there armed appropriately this time. Hopefully they can stop him."
Stunned at how this was quickly getting away from her, from all of them, Kim sat back in her seat and stared at the image of the Director while she waited for Kim to relay her and Ron's location. Everybody else held their breaths to see what Kim's response would be.
They didn't have to wait long.
Quietly, yet with a great deal of determination in her voice, "No.", Kim replied, looking directly into her screen.
"That's a direct order Agent Sanders. "When Kim still gave no reply, Betty scowled and said, " I don't think you fully realize what the consequences of your actions,", Betty paused for effect, "or inactions might be in this.", again she let this sink in. "You can lose everything. You job. Your career, everything you've ever worked for..."
Cutting her off, "You're right Director.", Kim shot back. "I didn't realize those consequences till just a short while ago." Lightly hiccuping, but not faltering, "And I did lose a lot. AS did others. But I have a chance to get a some of it back now.", she said before she steeled herself, "So the answer is still no."
Looking off camera Betty quickly addressed someone, "Get me the GPS location of her GJ MDB. Then look up the ID code for the GPS chip implanted in her and activate it." Looking back into the camera, "Yesterday!"
Kim quickly turned off her MDB, and before she could roll her window down to throw the device out, Hana stopped her. "Don't worry about it." Patting a device in the dashboard, "The signal's already been blocked." Smirking, "I blocked it as soon as I saw what you brought into the car. Calls can be made with that device, but tracking's impossible…it gets scrambled so no one can triangulate it."
Sighing in resignation, "That takes care of one problem Hana,", Kim replied, "but I forgot about the locator microchip all agents have implanted when they join…Ow!", when Kim suddenly felt a sharp, burning sensation in her right buttock.
As Kim rubbed the spot of her discomfort, Hana filled her in, "If I can override the electricity in a house with my abilities, it's nothing to overload an itty bitty microchip.", Hana teased Kim.
Then her eyes narrowed in the mirror, "Ron told me about how it feels to have been 'chipped'…and he taught me how to take care of them." Bonnie's and Michelle's eyes widened in surprise of this revelation of Hana's.
Ignoring that last jab about Ron, and her expression neutral, Kim gratefully replied, "Thanks." A brief eye twitch the only sign of recognition from the redhead, which Hana noted with a nod.
After a few tense moments passed, Hana continued, "I know of only two other people that ever stood up to Betty and said no to her like that."
Kim, now quite curious, "Who?", as she had never heard of something like this of her boss.
Smugly, "Me and Ron.", Hana replied.
Before Kim could reply, "Besides, it gave me a chance to burn your ass and have you be grateful for it."
Suddenly as all suppressed a chuckle, Kim felt that in her defiance of Betty to help Ron that maybe things weren't so strained between them…Maybe.
There was still tension in the car, but it seemed to have shifted, more to worry, from anger.
Over her shoulder, "If you want any legal help with Global Justice later Kim, I'd be willing to represent you." Bonnie offered.
Quickly glancing to Bonnie, "Wait a minute!" said a shocked Hana. "You're a lawyer?...B. Walls the lawyer?"
Bonnie quietly replied, "Yes."
Staring at her former sister-in-law for a few moments, Hana briefly related to the others how her family's paths crossed with the heretofore unknown, to her family, B. Walls.
Several years ago the City tried to condemn the lot behind the Stoppable's house for use in a building project some local politicians were hot to see develop. That lot had been in the Stoppable's name since Middleton was first founded. It was where Hana's great-great-great-grandparents were buried and also where the tree house was built.
All of the local lawyer declined to take on the case for the Stoppables since they didn't want to fight City Hall. They'd called Ron for help, but when the lawyer he'd hired started checking into the case, he'd found that several injunctions and briefs had already been submitted on their family's behalf by another lawyer named B. Walls. All which cited laws on the books that went all the way back to the original town charter and were still on the books.
After successfully blocking the legal sleight-of-hand to take their property for something so politically connected, an investigation was launched which brought down several local politicians which were secretly involved in the project on corruption, collusion and improper takings of private property under the guise of municipal use, for their own benefit.
When the family tried to contact B. Walls for payment, all they got back was a note saying "Payment not required."
To the open mouths of the small audience, "It was the least I could have done since your father,", looking to Hana, "in the short time I was a member of your family…even considering the circumstances, was nicer to me than my own.", Bonnie said with tears in her eyes.
Her eyes now fiery, "Besides, the man who was behind that affair to take your property was the same man that called your brother a bastard and me a whore in the grocery store shortly before we moved to the west coast.", Bonnie spat as Hana looked outraged, then suddenly became thoughtful.
"At the time, he claimed to be a member of the Kim Possible Fan Club,", Kim cringed, "and was probably part of the reason we had to move.", Bonnie said sourly. Then very smugly, "So it served two purposes in taking him down….Payback's a bitch and that bitch is named Bonnie Walls!"
Grinning slightly as she reflected, Kim saw that even though she may go by the name of B. Walls, Bonnie Rockwaller was still there when needed.
Struggling, "Thank you Bonnie." Hana finally managed to say.
Bonnie smiled genuinely to her, "You're welcome."
Kim shook her head in amusement, 'Just maybe.', she thought to herself.
Looking out the window, Kim saw that they were maybe five minutes away from her old childhood haunt. Hana's driving had cut the travel time in half, but she hoped they were in time.
Her musings was cut short when Hana's phone rang, which she answered through the dash.
It was Yori with news from Japan.
Hana's foot went to the floorboard.
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To Be Continued...
As always, if you have a question about something or you find an error, drop me a note or put it in a comment. If you wish to make a comment or critique something, then use constructive tactics and not destructive.