A/N
Chapter 28 is up and running!
Sorry about the delay, folks, but since ski season has picked up, my job has become a lot more hectic and I can't work on this thing anywhere close to the level I was able to less than a month ago. But rest assured, I'm working on getting the updates out as quickly as possible. Also, if all goes well, you may soon know what a few of my OCs look like, as the pictures showing them are almost ready for publishing to DevArt. :) But enough about all that. Let's get on with the story:
Kim and Ron discuss how they want to proceed with getting the Godfreys out of Italy, and it brings up a problem they didn't expect.
Then the actual meeting with the Godfreys raises more questions than it answers.
Unfortunately, the sitch escalates out of control when the Risattis descend on them, and Team Possible is forced to face something they hate...while Ron ponders something he's never really understood.
However, getting out of this sitch may take help from a source that might be more than it appears to be...but the results could end up hitting Kim and Ron hard...
Finally, back in Go City, Sheila finally gets the opportunity to ask Kim a big question...
Ready or not, here's the sitch!
And here is the necessary stuff:
Kim Possible and all related characters are (c) Disney, Bob Schooley, and Mark McCorkle.
Original Characters are my creations, and I would appreciate if you ask before you use them. Thank you.
Just outside the hangar, a man dressed in a night watchman's uniform smiled excitedly, having been listening to most of the conversation. He'd hated that he'd been assigned to watch their plane, but now that assignment was about to pay off big. Grinning, he pulled a cell phone out of his pocket. Quickly he dialed a number, and waited impatiently for the other end to pick up. When they did, his smile grew.
"Carmine, I think we might have them."
"Are you positive, Nicoló? Two others thought that about an hour ago when they followed these two, and it turned up nothing."
"Yeah, the girl just said they learned the location earlier, but that they're going to wait till tomorrow to do anything with it. Mentioned something about how late it is."
"Good. Watch them carefully, and let me know the minute they leave in the morning. It's time we ended this little cat-and-mouse game."
Nicoló smiled again. "Don't worry, Don Risatti. I'll let you know the first move they make. I know how long you've been waiting to get your hands on Sheridan Godfrey and what she owes us."
Sunday morning, both Kim and Ron awoke with an unexplainable uneasiness scratching at the back of their minds. Actually, they knew what it was, but neither of them could truly pin it down other than to put it the best way they could. And for Ron, he was glad Kim brought to topic the concern they were both feeling before he could do it himself.
"How did Carmine Risatti know so much about what we're doing here?" the red-head voiced with a frown as they ate breakfast in the kitchen nook of SAI-AT's rear compartment. "I mean, it's not like we tell people what our missions involve beforehand."
Ron shrugged a bit. "Maybe he's got some sort of psychic ability."
"Ron, get serious," Kim replied with shake of her head. "Part of what has helped us all these years is that we're usually ahead of the bad guys when it comes to planning. But this feels like we're on the Lil' Diablo mission all over again."
The young man grinned. "Well, at least this time there's no him to throw us off our game."
She couldn't resist a smile. "True. The relationship sitch is ferociously better this time around."
"Glad I can help," her fiancé replied with a laugh.
Kim giggled for a minute before taking a deep breath. "But seriously, Ron: aren't you at all curious how Carmine knew so much about what we're up to and why we're here?"
Ron chewed his breakfast for a moment before answering. "Well, maybe we're being followed. I mean, Emilio and Alessandria did say that the Risattis have eyes pretty much everywhere."
Kim pondered that for a bit. "You know, now that I think about it, that pair disguised as tourists were practically everywhere we went these past few days. And if we are being followed, this little retrieval sitch could get a lot harder real quick. Part of the plan is to get Sheila's parents out of here while drawing as little attention as possible."
Ron sighed and set down his spoon in his now empty bowl. "KP, I thought you were working on that. Not everything has to be completely planned out down to the last detail."
Kim frowned. "Ron, that's part of who I am, you know that. Besides, I'd rather have a plan than fly by the seat of our pants. Especially since the few times we've done things that way it almost bit us hard."
Now it was Ron's turn to raise an eyebrow. "I'm not saying we shouldn't have a plan, Kim. I'm just pointing out that maybe this is one of those missions where we need to be more fluid in how we handle it. That's all I'm getting at."
Kim got a strange look on her face as she got up to take her dishes to the sink, as if she were both annoyed and intrigued by what Ron had mentioned. And while she washed them off, her posture and demeanor both seemed off-kilter from her normally positive mood. Ron sat there scratching his head, trying to figure out what exactly he'd said that had sent her outlook in this direction so quickly. He was about to say something when she turned around and fixed him with a look he couldn't have read no matter how much he might want to—and at the moment her really, really wanted to.
"You okay, KP?" he asked tentatively.
The look didn't change. "Yes Ron, I'm fine. Well, actually no. Look, I'm all for having back-up plans and not being stuck in a specific method of doing things. But you and I both know that sometimes we have to have set ways we're going to do things if we're going to be successful. And it's not just here on this mission either. It's also in college and with the two of us."
The blonde shook his head a bit as he stood up from the table where they had been eating their breakfast, wiping it down before flipping back up into the wall it had folded down from. "Whoa, KP, getting a little off-topic here. Besides, what would be the big problem with if instead of planning it all out we just react to what happens? I mean, we don't even know for sure that we're going to be able to convince Sheila's parents to come with us."
Kim had to admit he had a point there as they walked out into the main compartment of the aircraft. "I know that, Ron, but we also have to consider the possibility that they might really want to leave and that we're the only way they think they can safely manage it. If that's the case, we need to have a solid plan for getting them safely on to SAI here and out of the country as soon as possible."
At that moment the artificial intelligence's voice cut in. "Miss Possible, I have no fears about entering hostile situations if I must. After all, Dr. Freeman can be a bit paranoid sometimes, and made many of my features protective in nature. I also have the same bravery and courage programming as my older sister."
Kim shook her head. "SAI, it's more than that. If Carmine Risatti is determined to keep others away from the Godfreys, it's a pretty sure bet he wouldn't have much problem with hurting or killing them to make sure of it. And we're not going to endanger them if we can help it."
Ron put his hand on her shoulder to get her attention. "KP, this is what I mean. Let's go this one step at a time, and make sure they want to leave before we start trying to figure out how we're going to get them out safely."
Kim rounded on him, and the tweak was evident on her face. "And what if we have no options and have to pull them out right then, hmm? What do we do then, Ron? Cause if you have a plan for that I'm all ears."
The young man shrugged and shrank into one of the vista seats. "Sorry," he replied in a smaller than normal voice and tone. "I guess I didn't think this through too well, cause I don't have a plan for that."
Kim immediately realized she'd just nearly bitten his head off again, something she'd promised herself she was going to work on not doing as much as she once had. "Ron, I'm sorry too, but you have to realize this isn't just another mission here. We not dealing with crazed villains so focused on their plans they do some of the work for us—we're dealing with an organized criminal element known for being efficient in what they do. And what we're retrieving isn't just some technology—it's two people we have to keep alive and as safe as possible for this to even be considered a half-success. Meaning we can't just hope we get lucky."
Ron nodded, and Kim was grateful to see a determined smile return to his face. "You know what? You're right, KP. We need to figure out some way to get a step ahead of these guys in how we act and think."
"Excuse me," interrupted SAI-AT politely, "but I think there may be a way to do that right now."
Kim looked at what she believed to be the intelligence's main observation method—a covered dome hanging from the main compartment's ceiling which contained a single blue electronic eye. "What do you mean?"
The same view-screen that had held Wade's face a few days earlier slid down, as well as a very skeletal robotic tendril that extended next to it. The screen showed the view of the hangar's main doors outside, and the tendril pointed at them on the screen—specifically at a man who appeared to be watching the plane with an uncomfortably large amount of interest.
"I noticed this guard acting strangely last night when you asked me to turn on all of my outside cameras. Though he is dressed in the uniform of the typical security personnel who have been checking on this hangar every so often, I do not believe him to be part of the airport's staff. To my knowledge, he has not left the area, nor has another guard come on to replace him, even though I have taken note that many of the other workers I may observe from this location have changed shifts several times. I believe he may have either tailed the two of you here last night, or was assigned by someone to keep a watch on me."
Kim smiled and glanced at Ron, who nodded…
…
…
Carmine Risatti blew a frustrated puff on his cigar. He had awoken earlier than normal just so he would be ready for Nicoló's early morning call that the two teenagers had left the airport and were heading to meet the troublesome Godfreys. However, the call had yet to come in, probably because the lazy teenagers had most likely yet to even get out bed that morning.
Stupido Americans, he grumbled to himself.
He tapped the cigar on an ornate obsidian ashtray with his right hand and rubbed his aged and chiseled chin in frustration with his left. He had just reached for the decanter of his favorite Italian brandy to pour himself a glass when his "business" phone began ringing. He smiled to himself, knowing what the call was about.
"Tell me good news," he chimed in a voice full of confident smirk.
"Don Risatti, they are on the move," Nicoló said on the other end. "They are heading towards the Dorsoduro area. Where the main canal connects with the large canal of the same name."
Carmine frowned, understanding the message, but kept the smile in his voice. "Good work, Nicoló. I shall send the men there at once."
He hung up the phone, his frown becoming a scowl as he looked at the two thugs before him, one bald and one with a large scar on his right cheek. "They have found and captured Nicoló, and are heading towards the Cannaregio neighborhood. Be ready. And if they try to leave with the Godfreys, take them out. But leave Sheridan Godfrey alive—I will not have that investment lost before I get a chance to reap the benefits."
…
…
Shortly after SAI-AT had mentioned the "guard" watching them, Kim had slipped outside and surprised the man. The fight hadn't been much of one, with the red-head's flips and kicks simply too much for the simple henchman and his ordinary handgun to handle. In no time at all, he was unwillingly seated in one of SAI-AT's vista seats, his wrist and ankles tied. After only a few minutes Team Possible learned his name was Nicoló, and also that SAI had been right about Carmine Risatti sending him to spy on them. They also managed to learn that he was supposed to report on them and their activities, specifically when they left to go meet Sheila's parents that morning. After forcing him to make the call, they had left him tied up inside the plane with instructions for SAI-AT to dump him quickly and come get them if they called. Then they'd headed out, first towards Emilio and Alessandria's for a preemptive apology for breaking their dinner plans in case things went south. The couple was more than understanding, and Alessandria even insisted on fixing the two of them a proper breakfast after hearing they'd basically gone the cereal route that morning. After politely accepting and enjoying some relaxing conversation with their friends over the meal, the teens headed off towards Venice's Cannaregio district and the building near Mrs. Montebello's produce stand.
The light brown building the old woman had directed them too was actually a fairly rundown affair that looked like it might soon topple into the canal if a heavy rain fell on its roof. Inside was worse, with stained and peeling paint and a definite odor of neglect and mustiness hanging in the air. The steps they climbed to get to the second floor were old and creaky even though they were cement, and each step they took seemed to push the threshold of what the building might be able to hold. Upstairs, the building was shoddily divided into two apartments.
One of the apartments had no door, and it looked like no one had even stepped inside there for many months, as a thick layer of dust rose with every step. The other one at least had a door, but the state of said obstacle looked like it would take no more than a few good, regular knocks on it to break it in. However, Kim still reached out and knocked three times as Mrs. Montebello had instructed.
"Who's there?" called a man in what was easily determinable as a voice that had once spoken English but now spoke mainly Italian.
"We were sent here by Signora Montebello," Ron called out.
The voice from the other side of the door could be heard whispering something frantically, and Kim and Ron could hear not one but two sets of feet moving around quickly. However, when the door opened wide, all that the two of them saw was an elderly-looking man who gave the impression that even with his apparent advanced age he was probably still about ten years younger than the wrinkles on his face made him appear. His gray hair was drastically thinning and slightly disheveled, and he looked like he would love nothing more than to eat something substantial. Dark brown eyes held a fire of spirit that had probably once been bright, but right now looked like they were growing tired of fighting and running, and his nose was large and bulbous. All in all, he looked like a man who had been either running or hiding for a long time. And judging from his disheveled and messy appearance, he was also a man who probably disliked his current hermit-like existence as a bachelor.
"I don't know a Signora Montebello, miss, sorry," he said with a look halfway between a smile and a grimace, and then began to shut the door in their faces.
"Really," Kim replied as she put a hand out to stop the door. "Then perhaps you might know a Sheila Godfrey. Or maybe you're acquainted with her four brothers."
The door stopped closing, and actually swung back a little as the color started to drain from the man's face. "Why would we…Why would I know them?" he said gruffly, attempting to cover up his slip.
Ron smiled. "Maybe because you've been a bit worried how they've been doing, Mr. Godfrey. Or should we say, Heathcliff."
What color was left quickly fled from the man's face. "How do you know those names?" he said with a slight shake to his voice
Kim glanced behind her, her weird-ar starting to ping a bit as a feeling of unease started creeping up her neck. "We'd be happy to tell you that, Sir, but we'd feel a lot better if we discussed this inside where we can't be surprised by people who aren't supposed to hear it."
The man chewed his lip a bit as he eyed them warily. "Well…you do look too young to be with the Risattis. And obviously Catalina Montebello feels you're trustworthy, or she wouldn't have told you where we were. Okay, come in. Quickly."
They did as he said, and found themselves standing in what had to be one of the barest apartments they had ever set foot in. There was a table and a pair of chairs in a small efficiency kitchen that made the ones in their Units at G.V.U. look like gourmet set-ups worthy of Ron's tastes. Off to the side was a small bedroom with a bed on a frame but lacking a headboard, while the bathroom off the main room looked like it was kept clean but not entirely well-maintained. Overall, the apartment looked like the sort of place people used only if they were trying to avoid drawing notice. Still, it looked like some work had been put in to make the place generally cozy and inviting. However, the minute they stepped inside and turned around to face the man they each felt a gun tap against the back of their skulls, presumably held by the owner of the other voice they had heard through the door.
"Sit down and start talking," the man said in a suddenly slightly younger voice. "And be warned that if you happen to say anything we don't like, we're going to make sure you end up just like Sleepy Hollow's most famous resident."
Kim nodded and took a deep breath as she and Ron sat down in two of the only three chairs slowly, the guns never leaving the points where their necks joined their heads. "First of all, we know that you are Heathcliff Godfrey. And that the person pointing the guns at our heads is most likely your wife, noted scientist and progressive geneticist Dr. Sheridan Godfrey. We also know you are the parents of Hector, Sheila, Melvin, Werner, and Wesley Godfrey, better known to the rest of the world as Team Go, protectors of Go City. We also know that for some reason the two of you decided to fake your deaths back in '94 when your only daughter was fourteen."
"All common knowledge if you've already figured out who we are," the man replied gruffly.
"Well this isn't," Ron replied. "We know that approximately eight years ago, you contacted your eldest son Hector, a.k.a. Hego, at the Go City Bueno Nacho to ask him why he'd let his sister quit Team Go and start working for evil. And you kept reappearing there every few months to ask the same thing until about a year ago, at which time your last contact with him was over a phone with a very poor signal."
Both Kim and Ron felt the guns removed from close proximity to their heads a second before they heard the weapons dropped to the floor. However, they stayed seated, not wanting to alarm their hosts. After a few minutes of uncomfortable and tense silence, the person behind them spoke. The voice had a very familiar quality to it, as if it were Sheila from about thirty years in the future. It also gave them both slight headaches to think about that, as if they'd already heard what she'd sound like when she got older. However, the headaches vanished quickly, and both Kim and Ron passed them off as being residuals from the one of the missions June and Xander had mentioned that summer.
"Well, if you weren't sent here by Carmine, then Betty sent you. And my answer is the same now as it was then—No."
Kim turned slowly around, doing her best not to alarm the woman. "Actually, we didn't tell Dr. Director that we were coming here, nor did we know you have any connection to her, Dr. Godfrey. To be honest, we're here because Sheila wanted us to come and find you."
The woman smirked, and Kim could almost picture the shorter black hair lengthening past the woman's waist and growing a green tint while the skin shifted towards a mint-green shade. "Like she cares about us. Turned her back on everything we ever taught her about doing what her heart said was right regardless of what others thought or said about her. Used her gifts for selfish purposes and made us ashamed to have been the ones who raised her."
Ron also turned slowly. "To tell the truth, Sheila's a lot different now. She's currently back with her brothers in Go City, and trying to turn her life around."
"Uh huh, different," chirruped Rufus as he popped out of Ron's pocket.
"And why would she do that?" Sheridan spat bitterly. "Did she suddenly get tired of dragging our family's name through the mud?"
Kim shook her head. "No, although that might be part of it now. Actually, she's got another reason for turning over a new leaf."
"What, she's pregnant or something?" scoffed Heathcliff as he came around to stand by his wife.
Kim and Ron actually had to do a double-take, as he suddenly looked about twenty years younger and more than a bit different than he had a few moments ago. That's when they both noticed a smudged cloth sitting on the counter next to a gray wig cap and a false nose. Now that they gave him a second look, his hair was a shiny black with a gray streak running through the middle and around the edges. Most of the wrinkles on his cheeks were gone, but there were still a few around his eyes that made him look like a wizened version of Hego. His chin and the overall face were a bit more narrowed like Mego's might be in a few years, but the rest of him definitely looked like his eldest son. As he stood next to his wife, it was easy to see where each of the Godfrey siblings got their traits…all except for Mego's lankiness, which really could have come from anything.
Kim and Ron looked at each other in surprise, both pretty sure Sheila's father had probably only guessed right out of sheer luck.
"Umm…yes," Kim replied.
Two sets of eyes shot wide, and neither belonged to a person under twenty or a mole rat. Though their lips moved as if they were talking, neither Heathcliff nor Sheridan spoke for a few moments. Although the pause was slightly uncomfortable, it wasn't nearly as long as the one that had occurred just a minute or two earlier. Finally, Sheridan Godfrey started to speak.
"Say that is true. How are we to know you aren't here to…"
Her speech was interrupted by a sudden explosion from down at canal level and a rush of dust up the stairs outside the apartment. Smoke immediately started pouring under the door, and Kim and Ron both felt their mission senses go on immediate and high alert. Mentally grateful they had decided to go with their mission wear today as it allowed them greater freedom of movement, they immediately sprang out of their chairs and into action. Kim quickly grabbed Sheridan and pulled her down while Ron did the same with Heathcliff. Less than two minutes later, the door to the apartment was blown so hard off its hinges that it slammed into the kitchen counter between them and cracked in half. All four quickly crouched low out of clear shot range from any of the windows and slid out of range of anything else that might come from the hallway.
It was a good thing too, as less than five seconds later bullets began flying into the apartment from all directions. Several items began exploding and shattering as the rounds impacted against them. The kitchen sink itself took a couple of direct hits, and immediately started gushing water into the room like a busted fire hydrant. Kim made a motion to Ron, and the two of them began inching towards opposite sides of the door but still doing their best to stay out of view of the windows. Fired rounds continue to zing over their heads, the screen of bullet trails threatening to turn them all into Swiss cheese if they stood up any higher than a yard tall. Kim and Ron looked towards the Godfreys, and were surprised to see the two of them communicating in a series of hand signals they'd only seen in spy movies. The two of them also noticed Sheila's parents appeared to be remaining completely calm, something a regular doctor and a…whatever Heathcliff did…wouldn't be able to do. It was easily apparent to both teens they still didn't have the full story of what they'd signed on for with this sitch.
A few minutes later, the bullets stopped. Smoke and dust still filled the apartment, and there were very few things that weren't shattered or at the very least severely damaged from the hail of fire. Included in the destruction were the guns Sheridan had been pointing at the teens, both now nothing more than piles of slag. The severely damaged sink was still gushing, though not as strong, and the water was slowly covering the whole of the apartment. Kim pulled her compact out of her pocket and held it out at an angle so she could see down the hallway without exposing herself to the mobsters that had been firing into the apartment from that direction. A few more shots rang out and zipped by as the compact apparently caught a glare and sent it down the hall, and Kim quickly drew both it and her hand back out of sight.
A few seconds later they heard Baldy's voice echoing down the hallway from the stairs. "You idiots had better hope that the doctor isn't lying in there dying, or the Don will have our heads!" Then he called through the smoke towards the apartment. "We know you're there, Dr. Sheridan Godfrey. If you come out now we promise we won't hurt your husband or the two teenagers."
Heathcliff looked livid. "What do you want, Cavalli?"
The thug laughed a bit. "Simple. We want what your wife owes us."
"I don't owe you or Carmine anything!" Sheridan snapped loudly. "Our agreement ended the day you tried to hurt my children!"
Kim looked at the older woman incredulously. There actually had been an agreement between the doctor and the Risattis? Whose side were these people on?
Another laugh echoed from Cavalli. "In your eyes maybe, Dr. Godfrey, but Don Risatti does not break deals until they are completed. And since he has not yet gotten the results you promised him, the deal is not complete."
"And I told him the results were inconclusive and needed testing that I needed subjects to verify. And I'm still not willing to do that."
"But still you got your test subjects," another voice called in a harshly laughing tone, one that Kim and Ron recognized as belonging to Scarface. "And your research proved a success, did it not?"
"So he sent you too, huh Scarbrelini?" Heathcliff yelled with a confident smirk to his voice.
"It is Garbrelini," the gangster called out with a sneer. "Someday I will pay you back for this scar, Godfrey!"
"Tell you what," Heathcliff growled. "I'll fix your face the day you scum fix what you did to our children! Without you, they would be free to live normal lives!"
"Ha!" yelled Garbrelini. "If not for what we did, your brats would have been killed by that comet!"
Kim and Ron looked at each other in shock. There was definitely more going on here than either they or Wade had been told! Maybe even more than Sheila and her brothers were aware of, as neither the now-reformed villainess nor any of her brothers had ever mentioned anything along these lines. For that matter, it was a little strange that five supposedly ordinary kids had somehow survived a rogue comet completely destroying their tree-house…not to mention that it had given them powers instead of seriously injuring them.
There was a sudden lull of silence, and Kim immediately began to sense that the mobsters outside were trying to organize some sort of ambush. She quickly motioned to Ron, who could apparently sense it too, as he began pointing at himself and the windows. Kim shook her head, pointed at her eyes, and then to the windows, signaling that they needed to keep an eye on the openings but not commit to them. Ron held up a finger as an idea crossed his mind, and immediately pointed at his pocket where Rufus was. Kim shook her head and looked at him confusedly, not understanding. Then he pointed at her and again at his pocket before holding up his hand and beginning to mime pressing a button on a TV remote. That's when she remembered SAI-AT's remote in her pocket.
However, before she could pull it out a few of the thugs came rushing into the room. Kim immediately swept her leg hard at the ankles of the one closest to her while Ron did the same to another. As the mobsters fell, each received a hard knock-out chop to the back of his neck. The two young people turned towards the third thug simultaneously just in time to see him slumping out cold to the ground with a bloody nose, the impression of Heathcliff's larger-than-average fist plastered on his face. Kim grabbed at the dropped gun the man pulled from the ground, and shook her head, refusing to let Sheila's father bring the weapon to bear at the unconscious henchmen. He glared at her questioningly, and she shook her head in an emphatic negative. And her reaction became even more resistant when Heathcliff tried to raise the firearm and point it down the hall at the ones who had so recently been shooting at the four of them.
As he watched the split-second stand-off between the two, Ron took a deep breath of both pride and worry. For reasons he still didn't understand, Kim had never liked guns, nor had she ever willingly let a life be lost because of their missions. There had even been once or twice where she had put her own life in danger to rescue a henchman who might have fallen to his death off a high ledge or into a vat of something hazardous. Normally she immediately knocked said henchman out once he was safe, but it worried the young man that his fiancée so often put life before her own safety, particularly when it came to dealing with firearms. More than once Ron had tried to ask her about it, but she always clammed up and refused to speak on the subject. It was as if there were something in her life that had scarred her emotionally and mentally, but for the life of him Ron couldn't figure out what that was since he knew practically every single one of her stories and adventures—heck, he'd been a part of most of them.
On most of their missions it hadn't really been that big of an issue, as the majority of villains they continuously faced never used guns—maybe because they didn't like how quickly the weapons ended things. Or maybe the super-villains of the world simply wanted to prove their superiority by placing themselves above the common thug. But times like this, when it was clear that things might be better and safer if Kim let that rule relax a bit, worried Ron in ways he couldn't even begin to put into words. True, he agreed with her point about not shooting the three henchmen they had just knocked unconscious, but considering they were currently pinned down in the apartment, it might not hurt to return a little fire down the hallway if only for the fact that the Risatti Organization would know they had the capability to do so and wouldn't be as eager to rush the room a second time.
The young man's attention was brought back to the present by a shot ringing out, and for the next few seconds time seemed to slow to an agonizing crawl. He didn't know how, but Ron could see the bullet as it flew through the air at Kim's leg, and somehow he knew if it hit her it was going to cause serious damage. Reacting faster than he knew he could, Ron nudged her leg at the thigh with his foot. The result was that she was pushed out of the way just barely enough that the shot didn't hit her. It still ripped through the pouch the young woman wore on her leg, but since she wasn't currently carrying anything there, the only damage was the hole through the fabric.
Unfortunately, the resulting reaction also sent the red-head into the man she had been trying to keep from raising the gun dropped by one of the unconscious thugs. Surprising them both, the sudden change in momentum carried them to the floor, as well as twisting Heathcliff's leg in a way it wasn't supposed to go. There was a slightly audible snap, and his face quickly twisted in pain. Kim winced, realizing the injury was going to make getting out of there much more difficult. She quickly pulled the much larger man over to the safety of a corner. Fishing into her pocket, she pulled out a rolled-up bandage, and began to quickly wrap Sheila's father's leg. While she did so, she felt a scampering on her own leg. Looking down, she saw Rufus diving into her pocket for SAI-AT's remote. She looked up at Ron and smiled, giving him a definite thumbs-up of approval for sending the smallest member of the team into action.
The mole rat quickly emerged, the device in hand, and handed it to the young woman. She quickly pressed the distress button four times, signaling a need for an emergency pick-up of four. (They had agreed earlier that Ron and Rufus would be counted as one since the small rodent could easily ride in his owner's pocket.) Now they just had to figure out a way to get outside safely. After checking the bandage she'd put on Heathcliff's leg, Kim quickly began typing a message on her wrist Kimmunicator and showed it to Heathcliff.
Any way for us to easily get to the roof?
Sheila's father winced a bit at his injured leg as he thought for a second. Then he did the one thing the red-head had been hoping he wouldn't do, and thumbed down the outside hallway before making an upwards motion, indicating a staircase that led to the roof. Making the situation worse, the smoke and dust cloud that had been pervading the apartment and offering at least some cover for them was beginning to dissipate. Somehow, they had to make it out of the apartment and to the staircase, and they needed to do it quickly. Kim mentally admonished herself for not taking better notice of the layout of the hallway on their way in.
At that moment, both hers and Ron's Kimmunicators began beeping at them urgently.
"Kind of busy here, Wade," she said quickly as plastered herself harder against the wall to stay out of site of the windows as a few bullets whistled by just barely a foot in front of her.
"Kim, the ceiling and roof above you isn't very thick, and SAI-AT says he's going to try and use his heavy cargo hook to try and break through it. You need to make sure you stay where you are so he doesn't hit you."
A fresh shower of bullets impacted above their heads, covering their heads in plaster dust.
"Not gonna be a problem, Wade," Ron yelled over the noise. "Problem might come with him getting us out of here."
Wade frowned. "SAI claims he has that taken care of. Not real sure how."
Kim shook her head. "Wade, he needs to be aware that Mr. Godfrey has an injured leg. We're not going to be able to pull off anything too spectacular here."
"I realize this, Miss Possible, but I am positive I can safely extract all five of you with little to no trouble."
The young woman was slightly surprised to hear the artificial intelligence's calm and pleasant male voice come over the Kimmunicators until she realized Wade was most likely multi-conferencing with them and SAI-AT at the same time.
"Well, SAI, whatever you're gonna do, better make it quick. One of the reasons we're not already Swiss cheese in here is there's a debris cloud giving us a little bit of cover, but that's quickly beginning to fade out."
At that moment, there was large crash heard from above, and large amount of plaster dust came off the ceiling, giving every occupant of the room an instant cap of grey hair—Rufus actually looked like he'd suddenly become a ghost! The crash was soon repeated a second and third time, with more dust showering them. The fourth time, several cracks appeared in a spider-web formation over the dining room table. The next impact put a hubcap-sized hole in the ceiling and a large piece of plaster through the table, and the last one caused the hole to grow to about four feet across, sparking wires, support beams, and jagged concrete making it look more like a forbidding mouth than an escape route. Immediately, a large tube dropped down, and out of the side extended a blue electronic eye on a tendril.
"Mr. Godfrey, I would recommend you coming first," SAI-AT's voice rang out from the tendril. "I still have the element of surprise on them, and since you are largest and have the injury, this would be the best time for you to take your turn."
Heathcliff glanced at Kim, and she smiled and nodded. Quickly with her help, he made his way over to the tube and entered. The tube immediately closed and shot up out of sight. Kim turned her gaze towards her fiancé and Sheridan Godfrey.
"You're up next, Dr. Godfrey," she called urgently.
"No," the woman called. "You kids are leaving before I do. After all, it's me they're after."
Ron shook his head. "I can tell you right now that's an argument you're not going to win, Mrs. Godfrey. KP's got her mind set that we have to get the two of you out before we get out. And I agree with her."
Sheridan started to protest when the tube came back through the hole in the ceiling, this time accompanied by the clanging of gunfire impacting against it above the opening it had entered. "Next, please," SAI-AT called urgently, his electronic eye scanning them.
Kim shot a meaningful look at Ron, and the young man grimaced but nodded his agreement.
"Sorry about this, Dr. Godfrey!" he shouted apologetically as he gave her an urgent shove towards the opening.
Before Sheila's mother could react, the door had shut behind her. Kim and Ron could both hear her pounding on it and shouting her protests as it shot up out of sight. Now it was just the two of them. Ron quickly made a dive and roll across the doorway to the safer side of the room where Kim was hunkered down, pocketing Rufus securely the moment he managed to right himself and regain his bearings.
"You're next, KP," he declared.
"No, Ron, you are," she countered. "We both know I'm the more agile and the smaller target."
"Kim, you're not doing that to me," the young man responded. "Just for once, let me make sure you're out first."
Kim was about to offer up another protest when she saw the look in his eyes. Ron had a brave face on, but his eyes showed just how dire he believed the sitch to be. Judging by the gaze she saw there, he was genuinely worried that they might still have a major problem on this mission, and she could tell he wouldn't be able to settle down until he knew she was safe. She of course felt the same about him, but she could also tell that while she would still be able to function fully while worried about him, he might not be able to do the same.
She took a deep breath, brushing some of the plaster dust lovingly off his cheek. "Okay, Ron, I'll go first. But only if you promise me you won't do something brave or foolish while you're down here by yourself. No charging the gauntlet to keep them back while I get out, and don't go fighting them unless you absolutely have to. And the minute the tube returns, you get in as fast as you can! Deal?"
Ron nodded and kissed her forehead gently, not even caring about the plaster dust that painted his mouth an off-white. "Deal."
The tube returned at that moment, and Kim nodded, looking at him for a second to gather strength before diving in. The door shut the moment she was in with a whoosh, and immediately she could hear servos whirring as she felt the tube carrying her upwards. She could hear the loud pinging as bullets impacted the outside, and if the tube had been wide enough, she would have been pacing nervously as she thought about Ron still down in the apartment. The trip upwards seemed to take forever. The minute it was over and that door opened, she quickly dove out, wanting to let SAI-AT send the transport tube back down to Ron as soon as she could. As if sensing her thoughts, the transport immediately disappeared into the floor of the aircraft. She waited with bated breath, counting the seconds with a growing sense of nervous apprehension. There was a slight sound of servos whining and stopping, which she interpreted as the tube arriving back down to the apartment.
However, after a couple of minutes, there still had not been the sound of the tube returning. Kim stared expectantly at the hatch, even kneeling down and putting her hand on it. And still she heard nothing and felt no vibrations.
"SAI, what's going on down there?" she called unsurely as she paced quickly towards the blue-eye dome in the ceiling of the aircraft.
"I am not entirely sure, Miss Possible, as my electronic eye attached to the transport tube has been damaged. The last image I have is of a bullet striking it as the tube entered the building. However, I am showing the door to the tube open and Rufus inside. Mr. Stoppable, however, is not yet aboard."
Kim turned her gaze worriedly back towards the hatch. "Well, the minute he's back on board, get us out of here!" she declared with an urgent calm she didn't feel in the slightest way—or at least, she didn't feel the calm part.
All at once, there was a swishing sound, and the servos sped to life. A few minutes later, seemingly much shorter than Kim's ride, the tube arrived. The door opened, and Ron stepped out…covered in a large spatter of blood!
"RON!" Kim screamed as she dashed forward.
But before she could get there, the young man had pulled off his shirt, wiped the blood from his neck and face with a clean portion of it, and tossed it to the floor of the plane with a look somewhere between shock and disgust. Looking at him as she pulled up less than two feet from him, she realized the blood wasn't his. But then who did it belong to?
"Ron?" the red-head said gently as she tentatively reached a hand out to him.
"They shot him," Ron intoned in disbelief as he melted into her touching his cheek lovingly. "One of their own guys, KP, and they shot him in cold blood just to try to keep me from getting in the tube. I actually had to force his arms from around me as he died."
Kim's mouth fell open slightly, and her eyes zoned out for a second. Apart from Erik (who didn't really count in either of their minds since he had turned out to be a Synthodrone instead of a real person), no one had ever died because of them or their missions prior to the alien invasion. In fact, they had taken great pride in the fact that they were able to say that neither good guy nor bad guy had ever perished on their missions. Monkey Fist himself was a touchy one since they knew he wasn't really dead but wasn't really alive, but other than that they had practically a perfect record that they could be proud of—a record which now seemed to be falling apart. Add this thug's death to those of Warhok and Warmonga, and it set their death total on missions in a single year to three…and now one of the deaths they'd inadvertently caused was that of a human being.
"I can't believe they'd kill one of their own guys just to keep us from leaving," she remarked, a shocked cynicism pervading her voice.
"That's the Risattis for you," Heathcliff said from behind them, an agitated yet knowing smirk to his voice.
The two young people turned towards him, and saw that he was now using a cane on his injured leg side—presumably one SAI-AT had somehow given him. At his side stood his wife, Dr. Sheridan Godfrey, and both had odd looks on their faces. They appeared about to say something when SAI spoke up.
"Miss Possible, we are now out of the city of Venice, and heading directly towards London. After a quick stop to refuel, I will set course for Middleton."
"Go City," Kim corrected. "That's where we need to take Mr. and Mrs. Godfrey."
Then she turned towards Sheila's parents. "Look, to be honest, we've got about a million questions for you two at the moment. But I also think we could all use a good rest after what we just dealt with. The two of you take the bedroom in the back, and we'll sleep out here."
"Thank you," Sheridan said with a small smile. "For getting us out, I mean."
"No big," Kim replied, her customary reply to being thanked for what Team Possible did feeling like it was at complete odds with how she currently felt inside.
As Sheila's parents disappeared into the back compartment, Ron picked up the bloody shirt and put it into a trash bin. He then glanced at the now shut back bedroom door before turning towards Kim.
"Aww, man. KP, all my other shirts are in the back bedroom."
"Incorrect, Mr. Stoppable," SAI-AT replied. "The closet may be accessed from out here as well. And since I can tell you are about to ask, Miss Possible, it may only be accessed from one side at a time."
Kim let loose with a very mischievous, girlish grin. "Actually SAI, I was just going to say that I don't see the problem with Ron going bare-chested for a bit."
The young man smiled. "Wouldn't have a problem with it except that I'm kind of cold here, KP," he complained good-naturedly as he rubbed his arms for a little bit for emphasis.
"I'm sure I could warm you up, no problem," the red-head replied with a flirtatious giggle.
Ron shook his head a bit in amusement. While he always enjoyed the attention, Kim flirting with him always managed to catch him just slightly off-guard while at the same time making him involuntarily pull out one of his trademark goofy grins. As Kim began advancing on him, he couldn't resist pulling one out now, all thoughts of being cold vanishing like they'd never existed…
…
…
Cavalli and Garbrelini stood nervously before Don Risatti, both of them sweating rivers that could probably challenge the canal out front. Above all else, Carmine had told them to make sure Dr. Sheridan Godfrey did not make it out of the country under any circumstances. And in that they had failed, as the plane that had somehow come to the pair's and Team Possible's rescue was by now heading over Western Europe on its way to the United States. However, they didn't feel nearly as worried for themselves as they did for Nicoló, who stood between them and the obviously very displeased crime boss.
"Nicoló," Carmine breathed out with a large cigar puff, "I assigned to you a very simple task: to watch those American teenagers carefully and not be caught. And yet you not only allowed yourself to be captured, but you also told them everything they needed to know about us. Tell me why I should not now have Cavalli and Garbrelini here fit you with cement shoes and then drop you into the Mediterranean."
Nicoló gulped, knowing he held his life precariously in his own hands at the moment. "Because…because, Don Risatti, I have some information you might be interested in."
Another puff on the cigar was accompanied by a slow swirling of amber liquid in a glass. "And what information would that be?"
"I overheard the Signorina Possible and Signore Stoppable saying that the daughter of the Godfreys is pregnante…with twins."
"And what good does that do me, Nicoló? She currently lives with her brothers." As he spoke, Carmine's eyes narrowed, and his Italian accent began flaring up. "Are you so stupido and cervello morti that you think to assault the stronghold of a team of superheroes?"
Garbrelini spoke up, running a hand over his scar as he did so. "I believe what Nicoló is getting at, and I agree with him, is that soon she won't be. You in your wisdom know from our observations that Go Tower is constantly under attack by the villains of Go City, and it seems to me that would be the last place Sheila Godfrey would want to raise her kids. 'Specially if she's trying to raise a coppia di neonati."
Carmine's eyes began lighting up again. "Buono. Buono. Alert our men still stationed in Go City. Tell them to prepare for my arrival."
"You, Signore?" Cavalli replied, scratching his bald head in confusion.
"Yes," the Italian crime boss answered with a menacing smile. "The Godfreys have insulted me with their actions, and the situation now demands that I must give it a much more…tocco personale.
The flight back to the United States was fine as far as physical comfort went. SAI-AT's chairs and benches out front proved to be almost as good as the bed Dr. Freeman had installed in the back. However, neither Kim nor Ron got much sleep, even snuggled together as they were. Both kept thinking back over the mission, and wondering just what all they hadn't been told about this sitch.
Based on what they'd been able to piece together from what they'd heard, at some point in the past Dr. Sheridan Godfrey had made a sort of "deal with the devil" with the Risatti Crime Family to somehow further her research. However, at some point, she'd had a crisis of conscience and had refused to progress further. Then somehow her research had been turned on Sheila and her brothers, and the results were evidently connected to Team Go's surviving the comet crash that had granted them their powers. Add in that Global Justice was also after the "good" doctor's findings, and the details behind the sitch kept getting muddier and muddier. And based on the fact that Heathcliff and Sheridan were less than forthcoming in explaining things when Kim and Ron asked their questions a few hours into the flight, it didn't look like anyone was going to be in a talking mood if Team Possible asked for further details.
That left only one option available to Kim and Ron: Wade. And neither was exactly eager to pose the question. Of course, that question got put on the back burner pretty quickly when they arrived in Go City early Monday morning. After helping Heathcliff and Sheridan get settled a bit in the tower their children used as a base of operations, Sheila asked Kim her own particularly important question just moments before the two teens re-boarded SAI-AT…
"You want me to WHAT?" Kim replied as her mouth fell open and her eyes shot wide.
"Be my Maid of Honor when Andy and I get married in February," the mint-skinned woman replied with a smirking smile. "What, did Nerdlinger not tell you I'd asked him if you would consider it?"
The red-head frowned. "First of all, his name is Wade. And secondly: do I really look or sound like I had any clue about this prior to a few minutes ago?"
Sheila kept her smirking smile. "Hey, if not for you, Princess, me and Andy probably don't hook up. After all, you're one of the main reasons I stuck with him for so long. Trust me, I know I could have found better employment with a more successful villain, but the thrill of getting to pit my skills against yours so often was just too good a rush to let slip through my fingers. To tell the truth, I actually miss our scrapping and fighting a little bit."
Ron, who had up to the point been completely silent, got a frown of dread on his face. "KP, she's reverting back to her evil self! She's gonna use this to get the ultimate revenge by making you wear a completely hideous bridesmaid's dress!"
Sheila sighed. "Amp down there, Stoppable. For your information, I made sure those dresses looked good because I wanted as nice a wedding as I could put together in such a short amount of time." She turned back towards Kim. "Look, Kimmie, I'm not saying you're my only choice on this, but you are my first one. Like I said, you're one of the main reasons this wedding is even happening in the first place. Unfortunately, since you're only finding out now, I kind of don't have time to let you think about it. The wedding is Saturday, February 10th, so I really need an answer by New Year's Eve at the latest. It'll give me time to find a replacement if you decide not to do it."
Kim eyed her former nemesis skeptically. "Don't suppose I could see the dress first."
Sheila closed her eyes but smiled while she shook her head. "Wish I could, but the dresses are in the process of being custom made. Which, by the way, I only know your measurements from you wearing one of my jumpsuits at Taishu Falls."
Kim frowned. "I thought we agreed never to speak about that sitch," she said pointedly.
The mint-skinned woman laughed and smirked. "And I didn't, did I? No, I only told you where I learned your size."
Kim closed her eyes for a minute, then opened them and turned to Ron. "Looks like we've got plans for February 10th."
"Guess so," Ron replied. "Though I am curious why you chose to have it then. After all, you could have it on Valentine's Day if you wanted."
Sheila smiled. "Thought about that, but the boys are due the 21st, and it felt like we'd be cutting it too close if we did that. Don't want to go into labor in the middle of the ceremony after all."
Kim immediately grabbed Ron's wrist tightly and squeezed tighter in an effort to remind him not to mention that the two of them already knew Sheila was going to have fraternal twins, and that one would be a girl. But even she couldn't stop from smiling at the thought of the looks on Sheila and Andy's faces when they were hit with that little surprise curveball. As always, Sheila passed off the smile as her former rival being happy for her, and before noon the two teens were back in Middleton and SAI-AT was on his way back to Dr. Freeman.
And before they could get called away again, they had Wade put them in "off-duty" status and packed up the Sloth for the trip out to West Virginia. After saying goodbye to Kim's family and wishing them a Happy Holidays, the two finally got on the road, their first ever, non-mission solo road trip together beckoning. Only one family visit to go, and the whole mess Willie "the Weasel" Finkman had started would finally be put to rest. And if all went well, this one would take place without incident. But while Kim was nothing but hopeful, Ron couldn't shake his doubts. After all, the Stoppable clan was wear he had inherited the majority of his quirks and "essential Ronness" from.
a/n
The poll is still up, and right now it's a close race. Won't say what the leaders are so I don't influence the vote, but it's actually a bit surprising what's in the lead. And until they start their second semester, the voting will stay open.
And as always, reviews and comments are always welcome. :)
