Talking on Down the Highway
After taking a stretch and bathroom break at the rest stop, they swapped Evin's bike with Ron's on the trailer and Evin and Yori hopped in the behemoth with Nana. Kim would be driving Ron's bike with Ron as passenger. Kim was looking forward to driving a motorcycle of that size and power plus it would give them some long overdue private time to talk.
Ron put his foot on the bike's frame and then stepped through the gap between Kim's back and the bike's passenger seat. Kim held the bike upright and steady, grinning back at him as if to say "900 pounds plus your skinny butt, pshaw, piece of cake." Ron settled in his seat and put his hands on Kim's waist. Kim gave a little teasing wiggle and said on the bike's helmet to helmet intercom system, "Rufus, you all cozy back there?"
"Warm. Have water. Have snacks" squeaked Rufus, secure in a nest in one of the storage containers.
Ron saw Yori wave from the driver's seat of the behemoth.
"OK, KP. Let's take point."
Kim shifted into gear and smoothly accelerated onto the ramp leading to the highway. Kim found the bike's extra weight gave it a sense of smoothness and stability that begged for the open highway.
Settling into cruising speed, the traffic was light, the surrounding countryside lit by a full moon. Behind the windscreen, Ron and Kim were in an intimate bubble of silence and relatively still air.
"Ron?"
"Yeah KP?"
"What are we going to do this fall?"
"Well, I figure you are going overseas to college and I'll see if I can get a start on some intro to premed classes at the junior college. Or whatever prereqs a physical therapist degree needs."
"No, I mean you and me as a couple. And I don't want to hear that falcon flying away from the falconer crap." [1]
"KP, in the last week, we've been to space, defeated aliens and assassins, had waffles with Drakken and Shego, stopped a bank robbery and then there is all this 'Chosen One' and 'Lotus Blade' strangeness. No, wait. When it comes to cases, I think waffles with Drakken and Shego was the strangest. While I wouldn't wish this week on anyone, there is no place I'd rather have been than by your side. But I don't think it will last."
"Why Ron?" Kim asked softly.
"You are on the road to greatness and I figure that sooner or later you will need to leave me behind." Ron thought that the bike drifted to the right just a little in its lane.
"Ron, has the MMP ever spoken to you?"
"I heard monkeys telling me to kill the alien. Sometimes I hear a voice telling me to Grandee Size my order of Nacos, but I always figured that was Rufus."
"Mmm Nacos! Grandee size!" squeaked a small voice.
Kim watched carefully as a sports car passed the behemoth and continued on to pass them. Soon it was just a pair of glowing tail lights off in the distance.
"When Nova and I were working on you after you were poisoned, it spoke to me."
"You saw a monkey?"
"No, it was a little blue kitten. It asked me to help save its host. It said that after ages of being trapped in jade statues and only being used to power up warriors for violence, it now had two hosts that shared their happiness, love, and humor with it. Don't you see Ron, you are the Chosen One because the MMP knows who you and Rufus are and it wants to stay with you guys."
"Chosen Buddies!" squeaked Rufus.
Kim continued, "It said that if you died it wanted to power me up to wreak a terrible vengeance on those responsible for your death."
Kim paused and took a shaky breath. "I said that you would not leave us, but if you died, the MMP and I would wreak such a terrible vengeance that villains would whisper about it in fear for a thousand years."
"But what about you and the Lotus Blade? You have to be the Chosen One, not me."
"Maybe the Lotus Blade and I are BFFs or something. Maybe I have to stick around you in order to soak up enough MMP to use it. Maybe I am the Lotus Blade's Chosen One and you are the MMP's Chosen One. Don't know, don't care. We are not splitting up. I didn't lose you to death, I'm not losing you to go to college overseas. Not now. Not ever."
Ron had no response, Kim figured he wasn't convinced. That was OK, she had time and the puppy dog pout on her side.
"Oh, about the Lotus Blade. When you collapsed from the toxin, I tried to run to your side but Nova stopped me, she was afraid that I would get some of it on me if I touched you. I was so angry and so, so scared Ron." Ron gripped her more tightly, trying to reassure both of them that they both survived.
Kim continued, "I remember screaming, Nova was thrown off of me and then I had metal gloves on my hands so I could safely touch you and a metal mask with a breathing tube to let me do rescue breathing on you."
"Whoa, smart use of the Lotus Blade, KP!", Ron cheered.
"But I didn't call it! It came and picked the shape by itself. Then it guided me over and connected the tube to your throat by itself. I think the Lotus Blade is intelligent."
"As often as that sword has taunted me, I'm not surprised a bit, KP. There is a lot that the scrolls don't tell you. Oh man, I hope that they don't want us to redo those old scrolls of arcane knowledge. My Japanese penmanship isn't the best. Hey, maybe we can post videos with the corrected arcane knowledge on MeTube instead!"
Ron gently squeezed Kim and softly said, "You know, you drift to the right a little when you roll your eyes."
"Do not!" Kim laughed. After pausing to think, she said, "Maybe some of those scrolls aren't prophecy but instructions."
"I don't remember seeing a scroll on how to make a Chosen One."
"No, wait. Hear me out. Remember how Nana said that one organization encourages the "correct" people to marry and have children to remove inherited diseases from family lines? What if they were also getting people to have children that would be closer and closer to a perfect Chosen One over the generations?"
"I suppose that they could do that. Of course, if you are going to all the trouble to make one, why not make several of them? That way you would at least have spares."
"Of course! Ron, I think that is what Nana meant when you asked her who would stop the work of evil geniuses gone wrong and she said that you, me, Wade and Rufus would stop them as we always have! Team Possible was designed, not created by accident!"
"Not intelligent design or you would have been set up with a better sidekick."
Ron felt Kim's sides vibrate as she growled. "Ron, that is enough of that. Listen to me. I thought it was 'game over' when I was betrayed in the Diablo sitch but you rescued me by simply believing in me and loving me. It could have been 'game over' in the PDVI mission except you pushed me out of the way of that sniper's bullet. I knew it was 'game over' when the Lowardians kidnapped me, but you found a space ship, teamed with Shego and rescued me. When Warhawk threatened to kill me, you ripped his heart out with one bare hand. When you were attacked by four swordsmen, you beat three and would have beaten the fourth if their swords hadn't been poisoned and that was using your old unarmed distraction 'Fu' without calling on the MMP. Where the hell am I going to find a better partner than you?"
Ron hugged her tightly and she felt his helmet rest on her shoulder. "Thanks, KP, I love you too."
"Ron, I didn't say that because I love you, although I do love you. I said it because you are a much more capable mission partner than people give you credit for, including me. You are the partner that I want running by my side."
Ron loosened his grip and they rode in silence for a while.
"So KP, if you, me, Wade and Rufus are all a part of this hero breeding business, does that mean that we will get assigned mates to have children with?"
After the next moment of silence stretched into the realm of uncomfortable silence, Ron said, "Uh KP, are you still with us? KP? I can't reach the handlebars from back here. KP? You are scaring Rufus…"
"Ron, do you find me sexually desirable?" Kim said softly.
"What?" Ron's brain popped into reset, "Yes! Of course, I do, KP. Why do you ask?"
"When I was washing the detergents off of you and putting salves on your abrasions earlier today, I was working, uh, south of the equator and didn't get a response like I was afraid I would."
"Afraid?"
"Well, I was touching your private parts and you were too sick to really give consent, OK? I was kind of expecting an uh, physical reaction."
"KP, you can touch me anywhere you want. But I think I was too sick to respond to your touch. Maybe that explains the odd comment that Nova made while I was getting dressed."
"Odd comment?"
"Yeah, I thought she said a possible side effect of the atropine was importance and that if I had it then it should clear up in a day or so. Maybe she really said impotence? Although having importance for a day or two would be cool…"
"You do know that they all think we are making love every chance we get, right?", Kim interrupted.
"Really? Wow, I'm surprised your dad hasn't sent me to a black hole."
"So, 'Ronald', Kim growled, "why aren't we doing it? Don't you want me that way?".
"Because 'Kimberly Ann', Ron returned her growl, "I don't want to be the one that defeats the mighty Kim Possible by getting her pregnant.".
"We have talked a little about birth control. I'm even on the pill that stops my periods altogether. It's good for birth control as well."
"Yes, but if anyone could screw you up, it would be me. Plus no telling what the MMP does to fertility."
"Ron, I would at least like for us to try touching each other in more places. Surely we can do that without," Kim's voice changed to a snicker, "you screwing me up."
"The Ron Man is all about touching his sexy Kimilla in all sorts of places." Kim could hear the teasing grin in Ron's voice. "What about letting the Ron Man kiss you below the equator?"
"Eww. I'll have to think about that. How about we keep the Ron Man's lips above the equator for now."
"OK"
They rode in thoughtful silence for a few more miles.
"Ron, what if I need to have children and they aren't yours?"
"You mean the breeding thing?"
"Yes"
"Would you let me help you raise them?"
"Me too!" squeaked Rufus.
"You guys would do that? Help raise and love children that aren't yours?" A touch of amazement colored Kim's voice.
"Love your babies!" squeaked Rufus.
"I love you KP and they would be a part of you. But don't you think your husband might not allow it?"
"Don't assume that anyone but you would be my husband. I'd make you being by my side a condition of having any children in the first place. Rufus too."
Kim felt Ron's arms slip all the way around her for a hug.
"Ron, if it turns out to be you they want, could I help with your children?"
"Absolutely KP." Ron's voice was a little rough. "Hey!" Ron brightened. "Maybe we could set your baby daddy up with my baby mama."
Kim laughed.
"No, seriously! With four parents, we could tag team…"
"Hey!" protested Rufus.
"Sorry buddy, with four humans and a naked mole rat as parents, we could tag team the kids. Always someone around to give hugs. We could rotate diaper changing…"
Still laughing, Kim purposely drifted the bike to the right side of the lane.
Content, for the time being, Kim, Ron, and Rufus cruised down the highway, eating up the miles. Kim and Ron watched the sky become overcast at they approached the rain.
Finally, Yori passed them to guide them into a truck stop for dinner and a break.
[1] See Ron's Coin, chapter 2
Lab Results
Ann's phone buzzed. Checking the message she saw that her DNA database searches had completed. Right now, she really didn't want to be an adult. She had just watched her children attacked with Ron coming way too close to death and almost watched her children deal a gruesome death to the aliens that kidnapped and were going to kill her Kimmy. Ann believed that 'people sleep peacefully in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf'. She had directly supported some of these 'rough men' at the start of her career. But she had prayed that her children could save the world without joining their ranks. It now seemed that was a foolish prayer.
As much as she would like to join her husband and brother-in-law in a few drinks, somebody needed to be sober when they all showed up late tonight. Getting up from the porch swing, she went back inside to the spare bedroom and pulled out her laptop. Maybe at least she could help the Stoppable's with their 'Ron isn't our child' problem.
She had put both of Ron's DNA sequences into several databases under an anonymous submission and hunted for matches. One parental match popped out for both of Ron's DNA. Gene Stoppable. That was really strange because Jean had told her that Gene was basically sterile. But that did make sense if Ann's guess was correct; that the implantation of the IVF embryo failed and Ron was naturally their son. She then ran a direct compare of Jean's DNA with Ron's DNA. Neither of Ron's DNA was a parental match. Switching to a visualization display that rearranged and color coded the DNA sequence according to what that sequence controlled in Ron's body, she saw that large sections matched on both of Ron's DNA sequences, but other sections were a clear mismatch. With a chill running down her spine, she entered a search into only one database, the Blue Heart Society DNA database. She searched not for a full match, but for only the functional sections where Jean's DNA did not appear in Ron's DNA. She got one hit that clearly stood out in the match score: Jennifer Stormrider matched both of Ron's DNA sequences in the places where Jean's did not. Ann recalled that Jean's friend was named Jenny. The good news was that Ron was definitely the child of Gene and Jean Stoppable. The weird news was that Ron had a second biological mother, Jennifer Stormrider.
Because the selection of which mother Ron got his DNA functionality from was in no way random, it had to be manufactured.
Ann figured she could spend the next couple of weeks studying the DNA or she could shake a few trees and see what fell out. First, she needed to tell Jean. She hated to just send a text message, but if she called, there would be a lot of questions that she couldn't answer. Yet. Pulling out her phone she typed in:
DNA database analysis confirms that Ron S is the child of Gene S and Jean S. There are details I have yet to figure out but I swear that statement is true.
Addressing the message to Jean, she hit send. Next, she emailed Ron's DNA, and the signatures from both Jean's DNA and Jenny's DNA to the registry department of the BHS the subject line: Are you missing this person?
Smelling searing beef, she closed her laptop. Perhaps Joss and the boys were trying to start dinner. She heard the kids laughing. That was not always a good sign. She had better check it out.
Rough Men at the Diner
Going into the diner, they were met by a man who waved them over to a large table. Nana walked over to him and gave him a hug in greeting. "Calvin, let me introduce you to Ron and Rufus. This is Yori, Evin, and Nova from Yamanouchi. Kimberly, you have already met of course. Everybody, this is Calvin, an old friend of Ann and James."
Calvin walked over to shake hands with Kim and Ron, gave Rufus a fist bump and bowed to Yori, Evin, and Nova. He stopped to take a long look at Kim. "Kimberly Ann, it is so good to see you again, I can see a lot of your Mom in you and that is something to be proud of. What do you like to be called?"
"Kim is fine, sir."
"I'm not a sir, Kim, I've worked for a living all my life, 'Calvin' works fine. Sit everybody, let's have some dinner and a couple of us will travel with you to your Uncle's ranch."
"Calvin, how do you know so much about us and how do you know Kim?" Ron wasn't entirely satisfied with this guy even though Nana seemed to know him. Calvin reached into his pocket and tossed Ron a coin. The coin had a winged staff with two snakes wrapped around it on top of crossed rifles. Around the edge were the words "Credible's Rough Men". Ron looked at it, showed it to Kim and handed it back. "What does it mean? Who is Credible?"
"Ron, my mom's maiden name was Credible," pointed out Kim. "And I think Dad has one of those coins."
"Have a seat and I'll tell the story over dinner. Part of it anyway, if you don't know how James got his, that's his story to tell." Calvin replied.
The diner supposedly had pretty good chili cheeseburgers using 'Uncle Zeke's Homemade Chili', so most decided to go with that, especially Yori, who was eager to continue her exploration of "American Style Cuisine".
Calvin was telling his story, "…so the fire team providing us cover moved up to help pull us out of the kill zone when the second part of the ambush opened up on them. The new attackers were late springing their part of the trap, so our supporting fire team managed to link up with us. About that time an armed Blackhawk showed up for support, but a lucky hit by an RPG brought it down almost on top of us. I was hit and was fading in and out of consciousness when I thought I saw an angel from the Lord come to take me home. She was absolutely beautiful, had short red hair and the bluest eyes. Turns out I might have been wrong about the Lord part, but correct about the angel part. I later found out that she was Dr Ann Credible and had been on the Blackhawk that was shot down. The strange thing was that Blackhawk wasn't a MEDEVAC chopper and shouldn't have had any medics on it. But apparently, she just showed up that morning, said she was going on patrol with them and that was that. She stabilized me and watched over me and two of my buddies until they got enough support to us to break up the ambush and get a MEDEVAC chopper in to get us out. That coin is carried by the men she helped and by their brothers in arms to remind us that at least one person cared enough to watch over us. That was the last mission she flew."
"Damn straight it was." A rather large, dark-skinned man pulled out a chair and sat down. "Call me Chaos, used to be Sergeant Major Chaos, but I am retired now. I was on the chopper that Calvin was MEDEVAC'ed on. I was assigned to find Dr Credible and get her the hell out of the area before she got herself killed."
Kim asked, "Why are you all here?"
Chaos laughed, "Ms Possible, I am just an old ground pounder, for that answer you need a priest or a philosopher."
Kim rolled her eyes, "No, I mean why are you meeting us for dinner and then going to my Uncle's ranch with us?"
"Because Nana called us and said that the Doc's kids were attacked and would we mind helping them get to her son's ranch without any further annoyance, please and thank you. I am here because the Doc saved a bunch of my boys and I am paying that forward, just a bit by watching over her kids. Plus I wanted to meet the young woman that was just a belly bump when I met the Doc."
"You mean Mrs Dr P was flying on rescue missions into combat zones while she was pregnant with Kim?" Ron was horrified.
"Young man that was my reaction at the time. You know what she told me?"
"No"
"I was getting ready to get all up in her face about endangering her baby when she looked me in the eye and said, 'All these men are somebody's baby, Sergeant Major.' If you are all done eating, the vehicles are gassed up. We have a trailer for two motorcycles so you all won't be driving through the rainstorm coming in."
Loading the motorcycles onto the trailers was the work of only ten minutes. Soon, the behemoth pulling Ron's bike on its trailer pulled out onto the highway followed by a club cab pickup truck pulling a trailer with both Nova's and Evin's bikes on it. Finally, a Suburban SUV pulled out behind them taking up a rear guard position.
Cooking Dinner
Ann walked into the kitchen and stopped cold. James was at the stove stir-frying beef and chicken strips in a large wok. Next to him on the counter were large bowls of sliced vegetables. Tim, Jim, and Joss had Slim pinned to the floor. Slim was making a show of trying to get up while holding a jar of sliced jalapenos in one hand. "Come on, you little varmints, let me up. That ignernt little brother of mine needs to put a little heat in that there teriyaki."
Ann felt the fear wrapping her heart loosen and fall away. Her children, all her children, were at this moment well and safe. She stepped to the side and held out both hands like she was a football player about to receive a snap. Slim gave a mighty heave and tossed the jar directly into her hands. The kid's laughter turned into squawks of betrayal as Slim reversed the situation and scooped up the kids in his arms.
Ann twisted off the lid and pulling out a handful of jalapeno slices, she sidled up to James, putting the jar on the counter.
"Honey," she said, drawing out the 'H' in a very sultry, breathy voice.
"Sorry Dear, got to follow the exact formula, and the formula doesn't call for hot peppers."
Ann ran her fingers through his hair, "James, isn't a little heat good sometimes?" Ann moaned, drawing out the 'H' again.
"No unapproved deviations in the…"
Ann reached out with her free hand, pulled his face towards her, and captured his lips with hers. With her other hand she tossed her handful of jalapeno slices into the wok and then stretched to turn the vent hood on high. [1]
Protests of "Mom, ugh, cooties!", "Ann, get a room" along with a "Yeehaw! Go Annie", from Slim fell on James' and Ann's deaf ears.
Presently Ann pulled back from James. "James, honey?"
"Yes dear?"
"You need to stir your wok before it burns."
James gave his head a shake to clear it and turned back to his cooking. "That's OK, dear, I like my meat hot," doing a really cheesy imitation of the way Ann had drawn out the 'H'.
With cries of "Dad!", "Uncle James!" and "brain soap!" the kids ran laughing out of the room.
[1] Trust me, when frying jalapenos, you must have lots of ventilation in the kitchen to avoid a chemical warfare situation.