A Can of Worms
By Parareru
Disclaimer: I don't own Kim Possible or the characters. My characters tried and found me guilty of general perversion and have sentenced me to bed without dinner. J
Chapter 4: Dire Retribution
Sequestered away between several crates Kim and Ron sat side by side in their mission clothes, silently contemplating their latest mission. The cargo plane wasn't really designed to accommodate passengers, but Kim didn't care, not so long as it got them to where Drakken was hiding. They had left late in the evening so that they would arrive at the small island in the Pacific a couple of hours after sunset.
Those hands were there, everywhere, grasping, pawing at her flesh, reaching into every place that she considered sacred. She struggled against them and the chains restraining her, but it wasn't enough. It was never enough.
Kim's clenched her hands into trembling fists, the leather squeaking in protest as her knuckles strained against the material. She paid no mind to the sudden shift of the plane as it banked and began to descend below the cloud cover. Drakken was only the first step. Drakken would lead her to the one responsible. To Uno.
"I have to say that when Uno asked me how I'd like to fuck with Kim Possible, this wasn't the first thing that crossed my mind," Drakken chortled as he thrust himself savagely into her. Again. And again. And again.
"We'll be over your drop point in a couple of minutes," Cid, the pilot called over his shoulder somewhat hesitantly as he picked up on the dark mood that seemed to emanate from the teen hero. He opened his mouth to mention his thanks to Kim for her help making his cargo deadline those months ago then decided against it. The girl was obviously dealing with something heavy and Cid sadly wondered what in the world could have changed the girl so drastically.
She could do nothing except lay there while Drakken continued to violate her. She was powerless, her defiant threats of vengeance sounded like the frightened yap of a beaten dog, even to her own ears.
"Gotcha, Cid. Thanks for the lift," Ron replied as Kim silently contemplated her flexing hands. Rufus looked up at him imploring, the rodent's eyes liquid as he sensed the pain that rolled off Kim in nearly palpable waves. Ron nodded slowly in response to Rufus's concern and patted him on the head consolingly.
Pain worse than anything she had ever felt before coursed through her body as Drakken repeated jabbed at the soles of her feet with the stun gun. She thrashed helplessly in agony as the electrical assault continued, her breath coming in ragged gasps. Finally, after an eternity, the pain stopped and her limbs shook spasmodically even in the absence of the attack.
Ron glanced worriedly at Kim, wishing that he could somehow make everything all right with a simple wave of a magic wand. Impulsively, he reached out to clasp Kim's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. Kim jerked her head up, eyes wide with shock as they met Ron's. He saw something deep within those emerald orbs that disturbed him before they finally softened, almost as if it was the first time she noticed that Ron was sitting right next to her.
"Thank you," Kim said softly as she squeezed Ron's hand back gratefully.
"Are you sure you want do this, KP?" Ron asked; concern evident in his voice. "Rufus and I can handle things on our own."
"Want to?" Kim chuckled derisively with a slow shake of her head. She lowered her eyes to their joined hands with a wistful smile on her lips. Kim drew solace and comfort from Ron's surprisingly firm and steady grip. "No, I want nothing more than for the two of us to go to some island and just go and forget everything."
Ron said nothing. What Kim needed right now was a shoulder to lean on and an ear to listen.
"But I need to do this," Kim said as her hand quivered slightly. Swallowing heavily she steadied herself before pressing on. "If I can't face Drakken right now, then he'll have won. I'll have to admit that he's beaten me."
She looked up at Ron with the familiar fires of determination burning in her eyes once again as she stood up to ready her chute. "And that's something that I can never do."
***
The cargo plane flew in low and slow, skirting close to the island where Drakken's lair was currently located as two bodies tumbled out of the hatch. The two skydiving teens were virtually invisible as they plummeted through the evening gloom that cloaked the island.
At the last possible moment they deployed their chutes, the sudden snap of rippling fabric cracked softly through the night air as their harnesses dug cruelly into flesh as their descent slowed considerably. The ground still rushed up at them at an alarming speed, but the two crime-fighters hit the ground expertly, rolling with their forward momentum to spare themselves from any injury. Quickly, they shucked off their harnesses and waited silently, senses taut and extended for any sign that their landing was detected.
Cautiously, Kim and Ron made their way through the underbrush, skirting the open clearings in favor of the covering foliage. They quickly reached the base of the massive stone edifice where Drakken was engineering his latest scheme to rule the world. Ron pulled out his grapple gun and looked over at Kim questioningly who responded with a soft shake of her head. She silently pointed at a steel door embedded into the stone face and Ron nodded in acknowledgement.
Ron stealthily crept over to the door, stumbling only slightly over a piece of driftwood. He turned to give Kim a sheepish grin as she frowned in exasperation before she broke into a grin at the familiarity. Turning back to business, Ron pulled Rufus out of his cargo pocket and brought the naked mole rat up to the control panel set to the right of the entrance. Rufus studied the panel with a practiced eye before he opened it and crawled inside, burrowing deep into the circuitry. A shower of sparks and bolts flew from the controls as the massive door slowly ground open.
Kim slipped through the opening as soon as it was wide enough for her to enter, Ron and Rufus following quickly after her. They traveled through several wide corridors, completely devoid of any signs of life.
"It's way too quiet, KP," Ron cautioned in a whisper as they came to a halt outside of the entrance to the lair's cavernous hangar. Kim nodded and pulled out her Kimmunicator.
"Wade, any idea of what Drakken's up to?" Kim asked quietly, listening for some clue about Drakken's plan.
"I'm getting all sorts of weird power fluctuations inside," Wade said as he tapped rapidly on his keyboard. "I honestly don't know what he's doing. He's not powering up a doomsday weapon, it's not a robot assembly line, just a whole lot of random power spikes. That's how I found the lair in the first place."
"I don't like this, Kim," Ron whispered. "We should have run into guards or Shego or something by now. This smells all wrong."
"We're going in," Kim decided resolutely as she slammed her fist against the control panel, triggering the door open. Kim rushed through the door, no trace of the indecision or fear from the plane evident in her stride.
In the main chamber, they could see a missile obviously prepped for launch from the steam rising from the launch pit. "A missile? Hasn't Drakken done this one already?" Ron asked as they hugged the wall and crept closer to the missile. Suddenly, a brilliant spotlight highlighted the two teens, stopping them in their tracks.
"Welcome, Kim Possible," Drakken said in a grandiose manner as he flung his arms wide and he looked down on his intruders from his perch on a catwalk spanning the width of the cavern. "Welcome to your doom!"
"Drakken!" Kim snarled as a horde of robots marched into the room through several doors around the cavern.
"Drakken's done robots before too," Ron observed to himself. "This isn't very original."
"My Drak-bots have prepared a warm reception for you," Drakken chortled, unaware of Ron's commentary and the robots snapped their weapons up to train on Kim. "Drak-bots! Attack!"
"Ron! Take care of the missile," Kim ordered as she vaulted a charging robot and drove her heels into the head of the following unit. "Drakken's mine!"
"Gotcha, KP!" Ron responded as he ran for the missile. He skirted the mass of robots charging for Kim, casting a brief worried glance at her. He shook his head to clear his doubts. If Kim was sure that she could handle it, then he was sure as well.
Kim was whirling robot death on two feet as she tore through the robotic horde, punching through armor plating and rending circuitry with ease. Had she been in a more rationale frame of mind she would have realized that she was fighting on a level far higher than she ever had before. She nimbly leapt over volleys of plasma fire, instinctively luring the robots into a lethal crossfire.
From his perch on the catwalk, Drakken watched with something approaching awe as Kim Possible decimated his robotic army. In mere moments, the redhead would finish with his troops and come for him. The blue-skinned scientist reached inside his tunic to grasp the object nestled there and smiled evilly. It was time to take it up a notch.
"Do your thing, Rufus," Ron said as he slid up beside the missile and gave Rufus an encouraging nod. He hoisted the naked mole rat over his head and pried a panel loose with his free hand. Ron cast a brief glance at Kim to make sure that she was okay and silently cheered her on as Kim levered a Drak-bot onto the ground and swung its weapon arm around to blast several more robots before she crushed its head beneath her heel.
"On it," Rufus replied confidently as he crawled into the opening. Random sounds of destruction resounded briefly inside the shell of the missile before Rufus popped his head out and dropped an armload of parts on the floor in front of Ron. "Junk," he squeaked in confusion.
"Junk?" Ron asked as he rummaged through the random bits of metal. "Egg beater, DVD, spoon? What kinda bomb was Drakken building?"
"Dunno," Rufus chimed in as a loud report echoed through the cavern.
"Kim!" Ron shouted fearfully as he snapped his head up at the sound of the gunshot. He leapt to his feet and scrambled up a ladder towards Drakken.
Drakken took aim with his pistol and pulled the trigger repeatedly, managing to hit just about everything except the furiously dodging teenager. "Dammit! Hold still!" he roared.
"I'm on it, Kim!" Ron called out as he tackled Drakken. The gun skittered across the floor and tumbled over the edge of the catwalk.
"Get off of me, buffoon!" Drakken shouted as he shoved Ron over the railing.
"RON!" Kim cried out as she finally put down the last Drak-bot only to watch Ron sail off the catwalk.
Ron adroitly flipped in mid-air, pulled out his grapple gun and fired it in one deft motion. He let out a panicked yell as he swung around on the taut line and his arc carried him past Kim into a wall.
"Ron!" Kim shouted as she rushed to Ron's side and shook him lightly. "Speak to me!"
Ron grunted in pain as he rolled over onto his side and Kim sighed in relief. She ducked her head with a yelp as a bullet plowed into the wall several feet to her right. She bounded to her feet and whirled to find Drakken had descended from his perch, brandishing his gun menacingly.
"Forget about me?" Drakken mocked as he aimed the gun again. Kim let out a feral growl and charged as Ron lifted his head. He shook it tentatively to clear the stars that marred his vision.
"Kim! Don't do it!" Ron shouted a lump ice settling in his chest as he saw Kim rush the gun toting mad scientist. Kim ducked and weaved as she closed the distance to Drakken. Fortunately, to Ron's relief, Drakken's shots came nowhere near to hitting Kim.
"Is that the best you can do?" Drakken taunted as he slipped a fresh clip into the pistol. He swung it back around to draw a bead on the charging redhead.
"Die!" Kim howled as she hurled herself at Drakken, knocking the gun from his hands and bowling him off his feet. Kim snarled in fierce satisfaction as she squeezed Drakken's throat and hissed viciously as she slammed the mad scientist's head against the concrete repeatedly.
"I didn't know you liked it so rough," Drakken rasped weakly through bleeding lips.
"Shut up! SHUT UP!" Kim screamed in fury as she lifted Drakken's body off the floor and slammed him against the floor bodily, sending cracks running through the ground from the impact.
"You can't stop me, you know," Drakken taunted her, smiling insanely. "You can never stop me. Not then and not now."
"SHUT UP!" Kim shrieked as she drew her arm back, ready to turn Drakken's head into a bloody smear against the floor. Drakken's eyes looked steadily into hers, glittering not in fear, but in triumph.
"Stop it, Kim!" Ron ordered sharply as he grabbed hold of Kim's drawn back arm, halting its forward motion.
Kim turned in rage at the person who dared to stop her. She shook her arm free and prepared to swat the nuisance aside. She paused only as she found herself looking into Ron's startled brown eyes.
"GET OFF ME!" Kim howled as she shook her arm free. Kim turned in fury, slamming her incandescent fist into the obstacle and was rewarded with a flash of light and strangled yelp of pain. Kim watched as the body arced high into the air and flew backwards over fifty feet, bouncing and rolling until it finally slid to a halt. The body shuddered violently as if to protest its mistreatment and then fell still.
Kim finally recognized the body and her aura dropped abruptly as her hands flew to her mouth in horror. "Oh, God! Ron!" she gasped as Ron's breath rattled hideously in his shattered chest.
Kim could see the fear and horror on Ron's face as her arm drew back.
Ron's breath gurgled liquidly in his chest as Kim peeled the bloody cloth away from the wound. Kim had to struggle to keep from breaking down in tears as she saw the ruin of his chest; several ribs had been shattered and she could see pieces of bone poking through his skin. A smoking, blackened hole stared at her accusingly just to the right of his sternum. Ron's fingers twitched and slowly, as if it were moving through molasses, his hand rose to caress Kim's cheek gently. Kim seized the trembling hand and held it fiercely as if by merely holding it to her she could pull Ron away from the death that beckoned to him.
"... Not ... killer ..." Ron rasped, each word carrying a bit more of his life away. "... no ... fault..." Ron coughed weakly and Kim noticed in alarm the red spittle that spilled past his ashen lips.
Ron relaxed and resigned himself to his fate. He looked into Kim's face to imprint every single feature into his mind. Where her face was twisted with anger, he mentally smoothed the picture away, pushed aside all the hurt, anger and pain until she once more looked like the girl he had fallen in love with. He looked at her, bearing no resentments in his heart. "I love you, KP," he whispered quietly.
Ron's lips moved soundlessly as he struggled to speak. "L... l... love ... ..." he finally managed to gasp out. "... Al... ways ......" Ron's voice trailed off and he fell still, his hand pulling heavily out of Kim's frantic grasp as his eyes closed for the final time.
"NO!" Kim howled as she flung Drakken away from her and pushed past Ron at a dead run. She fled the lair and the memories of the time that she had killed her love in a fit of anger. She couldn't face that, couldn't face him.
***
"You damned buffoon. Why did you have to interfere?" Drakken hissed viciously as he picked himself up off the floor.
"None of this was real," Ron said slowly as he knelt to pick up the gun Drakken had dropped. He pulled the slide back and grunted at the cold, metallic gleam of the bullet in the chamber. "Okay, so the gun's real, but no one can be that bad of a shot unless it's on purpose."
"Perhaps you're not as stupid as you look," Drakken sneered as he moved to lean heavily against the wall.
"Those power spikes were meant to draw us here, getting in was way too easy, the missile was just a collection of junk, no henchmen around and definitely no Shego," Ron pointed out. "So what did you have gain?"
"I wanted to beat Kim Possible on my own," Drakken growled as he eyed Ron and the gun he held calculatingly.
"No, there's something else I'm missing here," Ron muttered as he tapped the gun against his thigh.
"Well, if I did manage to capture Kimmie, I could enjoy her sweet body all over again," Drakken cackled maliciously.
"What?!" Ron snapped as he fixed Drakken with a deadly glare.
"Don't you remember?" Drakken prompted as he grinned impudently at the fuming blonde teen. "I raped little Kimmie. Quite a few times too."
"Oh, I remember," Ron said, his voice low and dangerous as his fingers tightened around the gun's grip. "You were masquerading as me."
"Oh yes, it was really quite amusing," Drakken reminisced. "Kimmie was crying, pleading, begging even, 'No, Ron. Not like this. Please no. We're friends. Stop. You're a good person.' At least, that was what she managed to say before I shoved my dick into her mouth."
"YOU BASTARD!" Ron roared furiously, his face livid as he rammed into Drakken, slamming the man up against the wall. He shoved the gun against Drakken's forehead, grinding the barrel against his skull. Ron's hand trembled slightly as he held the weapon there and looked Drakken in the eye. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't blow your brains out right now!"
"GO AHEAD!" Drakken countered heatedly. "GO ON! PULL THAT TRIGGER! TAKE REVENGE FOR KIMMIE! DO IT! DO IT NOW!"
Ron suddenly whipped the gun away from Drakken's head and emptied the clip into the computer. "I'm not going to help you commit suicide," Ron said quietly, his eyes burning as Drakken finally slumped in defeat.
"Kill me," he begged lifelessly, his eyes cast to the ground.
"First you tell me everything."
"I'm dying," Drakken sighed heavily. "I've been infected with a nano-virus."
"A what?" Ron asked with a confused frown on his face. "Is that like the flu?"
"No, it's not like the flu!" Drakken snapped, regaining some vigor back in his voice. "It's a collection of tiny machines inside me, tearing me apart!"
"Why would you do that to yourself?" Ron scowled in disgust.
"I didn't do this to myself!" Drakken retorted waspishly. "That bastard Uno did this to me. After I finished entertaining myself with Kimmie, Uno told me that 'my services would no longer be required' and then jabbed me with some sort of needle." Drakken snorted derisively at the memory.
"At the time I didn't think much of it, but a few weeks ago I tried to finish work on my... my..." Drakken's eyes went blank for a moment as he searched his memory. "I can't remember. Suddenly, I got a message from Uno, passing sentence on me for something I never did."
"So you're saying that you're innocent and this has all been one big misunderstanding," Ron scoffed derisively.
Drakken shook his head. "Uno is from the future and I suppose it is flattering in a way to be considered so dangerous in the future that I have to be eliminated in the past. The virus is slowly eating me from the inside out; it keeps me from concentrating long enough to come up with a cure. It won't let me leave the island. It won't even let me kill myself!"
"So that's why you set yourself up for Kim to find you," Ron said in realization. "You wanted her to kill you."
"Yes," Drakken hissed. "What better way for a villain to go than to be taken out by one's own arch-foe."
"You disgust me," Ron spat coldly as he turned away.
"Wait!" Drakken cried desperately. Ron paused and bowed his head.
"You know, I do have a few things I want to say to you first," Ron said quietly as he balled up his fists and walked back towards Drakken. He lashed out with a lightning quick roundhouse right that spun Drakken's head around and sent the dying man reeling against the wall.
"One! How DARE you try and use Kim like that!" Ron bellowed as he advanced on Kim's rapist. He pounded his fist brutally into Drakken's gut, doubling his target over in a fit of wheezing coughs.
"Two! That's for raping Kim!" Ron seized the back of Drakken's collar and pulled him upright so he could smash his fist into Drakken's face. A spurt of blood dribbled from his nose and spilled over his chin, staining the blue tunic and the knuckles of Ron's glove.
"Three! That's for making her think it was me!" Ron grabbed Drakken's head and yanked it downward into his rising knee. Drakken cried out in pain as Ron's knee connected with his already damaged nose.
"Four! That's for torturing her!" He shook Drakken bodily, slamming him against the wall repeatedly. He struck his elbow to Drakken's chin and followed up with a left hook that connected just under Drakken's eye. Ron put everything he had into that last blow, twisting with his hips to add power to the strike.
"Five! Cause you really piss me off," Ron said in satisfaction as Drakken collapsed to the ground. He nursed his sore knuckles as he turned to follow Kim's flight from the lair.
"Wait," Drakken gasped as he levered himself up and reached out for Ron. He squinted at the blonde teen through an eye that was already swelling shut. "You said you'd kill me."
Ron paused before turning to fix Drakken with a glacial look. "I never said that. You can rot for all I care. Personally, I can't think of any better way for you to die," Ron sneered.
Drakken staggered to his feet and stumbled after Ron. "Damn you, Stoppable!" Drakken howled in impotent fury. "Come back here and kill me!"
Ron walked on, blithely ignoring the dying scientist. He resisted the urge to turn around and look when he heard a clatter behind him.
"Someone, please kill me," Drakken begged pathetically as he knelt there on the floor. "Please."
***
Ron pulled out his phone and dialed Wade.
"What's up, Ron?" Wade asked as he picked up the line and Ron distinctly the sound of slurping in the background. Wade with his ever-present soda, no doubt.
"Drakken's a bust," Ron replied, turning to shoot a fierce glare at the mammoth stone lair and its demented resident. "He's not a threat to anyone anymore. Ignore any other signals you might get from this location."
"Are you sure about that, Ron?" Wade asked hesitantly. "Shouldn't we get GJ involved in this?"
"I'm sure and no," Ron answered confidently. "In fact, can you wipe the location of this lair from the GJ computers?"
"In my sleep," Wade retorted as if Ron had just insulted him.
"Do it," Ron ordered in a firm tone that brooked no argument. "And we're ready for our pick up. I have to go find Kim."
***
Kim sat on the beach, hugging her knees as she rocked back and forth watching the waves lap at the shore. She noticed that the tide had gone, when she had first sat down the water was just licking at her toes. Now there was a broad expanse of damp sand between her and the rolling surf.
Somehow, the sight fit her mood perfectly, she felt like she was losing herself as surely as the tide rushed out. And when the tide was at its lowest... she shuddered to consider what monstrosity might be revealed to the light of day. The sound of approaching footsteps made her turn her head and she sighed deeply in relief at the sight of Ron. Kim stood stiffly and made an effort to brush the sand off her pants. "Ron," she began haltingly as she reached for him. "Are you..."
"Save it, Kim," Ron said coldly as he brushed her hands aside and pulled away from her. Kim went pale at his tone and action and she looked into his eyes for some sign of the warmth that had resided there only a few hours ago. Finding nothing, an icy knot of fear settled in the pit of her stomach. "I saw that look on your face and I remember everything now."
"Please, Ron, I-I can explain," Kim sobbed as she wrung her hands in distress. "I-I didn't mean..."
"To kill me?" Ron finished cruelly. "I can remember how it felt to get a hole blown in my chest, my ribs shattering, cutting into my lungs. How much it hurt to fucking breathe. I could feel my lungs filling with my blood, drowning me, miles away from any water. But I have to feel better now, don't I? Because you can explain it. You didn't mean it. That just makes everything all right. Well, you know what else is right? One hundred percent the fucking truth? It. Was. All. Your. Fault." He jabbed his finger at her accusingly to add emphasis to his words.
Kim felt smaller and smaller as each spiteful word out of Ron's mouth stabbed deep into her soul and she reeled from the pain and shock. She couldn't argue with Ron's words; it was her anger and her power that had fatally wounded him those few months ago. Kim swayed on her feet as if physically struck. She was losing him and didn't know what to do to stop it. The situation was spiraling out of her control. But she couldn't lose Ron, not now, not like this.
"I'm so sorry, Ron," Kim cried desperately as her legs buckled under the weight of guilt she shouldered. She crawled across the sand towards Ron and reached for his hand, but he yanked it back, just out reach of her yearning fingers. The tears fell freely from her eyes, blurring her vision, but she made no move to clear them away. She reached out again, if she could only touch Ron she could make him see how sorry she really was, how much she loved and needed him. "Please, I-I can fix this."
"Sorry, what do you know about sorry?" Ron demanded, malice dripping from his voice. "I was dead. How can sorry fix that?"
"Please, Ron, I need you. I love you," Kim moaned as she stretched her arms out imploringly. "Don't go. Please. I can't go on without you."
"Sorry, but you're just too dangerous to be around anymore," Ron said emotionlessly as he turned away from her. "This is goodbye, Kim."
Kim scrabbled across the sand, hoping to catch up with Ron somehow. However as fast as she moved, Ron continued to outdistance her. She lurched to her feet and raced after Ron, her breath coming in ragged gasps as the sand churned around her. A half-buried rock caught her toe and she tumbled heavily against the sand. Kim pushed herself back up and saw Ron impossibly far away. She reached out, willing Ron to turn around, look at her, anything.
"RON!" Kim howled in indescribable loss as Ron's receding figure was swallowed up by the inky black night.
This is goodbye, Kim, the night wind whispered mockingly at her. Is goodbye, Kim. Goodbye, Kim. Bye, Kim. Kim. kim.
***
"kim. kim. Kim," a voice said softly as she felt a hand gently shaking her shoulder. Her eyelids fluttered open to see Ron's chocolate eyes staring at her in worry.
"You must've fallen asleep," Ron guessed as Kim looked around, blinking her eyes in confusion. "Wade said our ride will be here in a couple of minutes."
"Ron?" Kim asked in small, timid voice as she reached for Ron's hand. Her hand shook, hesitating just over his, terrified that at any moment now Ron would simply vanish or her nightmare would become reality. "Is that really you?"
"Yeah, KP," Ron confirmed as he took hold of her hand and gave it a tender squeeze.
"Oh, thank God," Kim cried in relief and drew Ron close into a fierce embrace, causing him to wonder at her odd behavior.
"Are you okay, Kim?" Ron asked tentatively as he held her securely in his arms. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing," Kim sobbed into his shoulder. "Don't leave me."
"Leave you? Why would I ever leave you?" Ron asked in bewilderment as he stroked Kim's hair soothingly.
"Just don't leave. Please don't leave me," she begged as her fingers clutched at Ron's shirt frantically.
"I promise, Kim," Ron whispered quietly into her hair as he held the shaking girl. He didn't completely understand what had unnerved Kim so, but he instinctively knew what she needed to hear. "I promise."
***
A hundred feet above the lair, a lone figure watched the scene unfold below him with some sense of satisfaction. He stared intently at the figures of Ron and Kim holding onto each other along the shore. In the distance, he could see a small vessel approaching the island. In another few moments, he would have to slide despite his plans. Feeling a familiar presence, he allowed himself a brief smile. Right on schedule.
"About time you found me," Uno commented to the figure that appeared through the bubble of distortion behind him. He arched a brow at the sight of the man standing in middle of a puddle of distorted space a couple hundred feet above sea level. He cast his eyes downward and found a similar disturbance positioned just several inches off the ground. Uno shrugged negligently after a brief moment of reflection. He supposed it was just as odd for a person to stay aloft just by sheer force of will. It merely depended upon one's frame of reference.
"I suppose seeing her in pain is somehow amusing to you," Guardian accused. "I'm just here to make sure that you don't step over the line."
"How long were you watching?" Uno inquired coolly, not startled in the slightest at the sudden appearance of his companion.
"Long enough," Guardian answered. "Good thing Stoppable was there otherwise she'd have some blood on her hands."
"He is her balance point," Uno replied shortly. "For the moment, she needs him until she can find her center."
"You're still one cold, sadistic bastard," Guardian commented. "And I'm still taking you at your word that there's something worse than you coming."
"You've no doubt heard the news through your own sources by now," Uno stated calmly. "That's merely the beginning. Things will get far worse."
"That was probably the only reason I decided to go along with your scheme in Middleton," Guardian replied with a pained scowl. "The government is doing a pretty good job of keeping a lid on things so far. Why not get the two of them involved in this?"
"They are not ready yet," Uno replied. "The two of them still have so much to learn. That's part of the reason why I asked you for your help."
"Well, I suppose that's as close to a 'thank you' as I'm going to get from you," Guardian drawled. "Pulling together the credentials I needed in that short a time wasn't easy though."
"I had every faith in you," Uno replied dryly. "Be sure to teach Kim well. She still has much to learn if this episode has been any indication."
"You expected this result," Guardian exclaimed as his eyes narrowed in suspicion.
"Expected? Hardly," Uno snorted as he reached into a pouch on his belt. "I engineered it. I would stay longer to chat, but I have other plans I must attend to."
"So is that where you sent your green-eyed vixen?" Guardian asked sardonically.
"Among others. A gift for you," Uno said as he tossed a small object at the Guardian who deftly snatched it out of the air before he vanished with the peculiar of his transport technology ringing in the Guardian's ears.
"Sometimes I really hate that man," the Guardian muttered to himself as he took a bite of the apple.
Up next: Fury
A/N: Sorry to all the Drakken fans out there. But I needed to resolve the loose end that Drakken represented. And as for getting Kim to kill him? It seemed like something he'd do to try and mess with Kim's head while preventing his long and painful demise.
Now Kim might seem out of character, especially during her dream sequence, but bear in mind that Kim did kill Ron, however accidentally, and Ron has yet to find out about that. After all, he was dead when Uno pulled off that Lazarus effect. Now Kim has to be feeling some guilt and fear from that, especially in light of how their romantic relationship has developed over the past few months, since a secret like that could effectively tear their relationship apart. Kim's dream seemed a little out of place, but it was supposed to, representing Kim's subconscious fears and all.
Then there's the blind fury angle. Well, rape and torture on the scale that Kim went through was bound to leave a few scars on the subconscious. More on that later.
Dropped a little hint about the Guardian's identity here. What news could make him come to Middleton you wonder? You'll find out soon enough. ^_^