The dark, damp environment of the old warehouse sent chills up Rufus' spine. This was not his idea of what a toy store should look like. There were a lot of boxes everywhere, but no toys in clear view.
"Ron," he whispered. "Maybe we oughta get outta here. This place gives me the creeps."
"(Aw, c'mon Rufus. This place ain't so bad)" Ron brushed away a few small cobwebs in his face. "(I think it's kinda…nice. Why would anyone make a false advertisement, anyway? To trick us? Highly unlikely.)" he scoffed.
"Yeah, Ron. It's a real no brainer…an anonymous source sends us a video on the Kimmunicator, which, by the way, has never happened before, and now this so called 'Toy Mania' turns out to be just a filthy old building where-"
"(Calm down, buddy. Once we get the toy, we're outta here.)"
"Yeah. If there ARE toys here…"
Rufus and Ron split up to search for any other people in the vicinity. Five minutes of hollering and inspecting, didn't do any good, though. The place was totally deserted…almost at least.
"Hello!? Anybody here!? Is there a cash register here or do we just leave the money by the door!?" Rufus yelled but all he could hear was the sound of his echos bouncing against the walls. Finally, he sighed. "Ron this is stupid. No one's here and we haven't seen a single toy since- mmmmphhh!!!! mmlleeemmmeegommm!!"
"(Huh!?)" Ron turned around to see what had happened to Rufus. It sounded like his voice was being muffled. "(Rufus!! Where are you!? Are you okay!?)"
'Aw man…this isn't good,' he thought to himself.
"(Rufus! Where are you buddy!?)" It was no use. Ron's little body just couldn't project enough sound to create any kind of response. That, plus the possibility of no one being around to hear his squeaks, made Ron worry for his safety. He had to be careful. Something, or someone, must've gotten to Rufus…
*tap* *tap*
'What was that??'
Ron scampered as fast as he could to the sound. Once he got to the spot, though, he had to turn around and hide back behind one of the nearby crates. A pair of glowing, green fists illuminated their surroundings…and Rufus was right in the middle of it, being held tightly by Shego. She had her hands cuffed over his mouth and his arms tied together by a long steel chain. Drakken stood next to her, giving orders.
"Let's GO Shego! We don't have all day here! How long does it take to tie up the bafoon anyways??"
"Hey, this guy's pretty strong once he…gets…" she struggled to keep her hand over Rufus' mouth. He was trying furiously to scream for help. "Ah!!" Fed up by his actions, Shego finally punched in the gut…he stopped struggling.
"*sigh* Stupid rat. He's harder to contain than Kim Possible's sidekick, that's for sure." She put the lifeless Rufus on her shoulders and prepared to take him away.
'No way!! Drakken and Shego know about our mind switch??? Then what do they want with Rufus???'
Ron looked to the floor in disgust. Drakken and Shego were getting away with Rufus AND his body and there was nothing he could do but watch. There was no way he could confront Shego or even Drakken, for that matter.
'Aw man…' he thought frantically. If he didn't do something quick then Rufus was going to be a goner. 'Okay, okay…um…it looks like they're taking him back to Drakken's lair so…I gotta get Kim!!'
Ron rushed out of the big, garage-like door of the warehouse and navigated his way to Kim's house. It's surprisingly hard to see where you're going when you're only inches from the ground. It took him a while but the Possible house was finally in sight.
***********************************
*knock*knock*
"Hello?" Mrs. Possible answered the door. There was nobody there so she closed it again.
*knock*knock*
"Hello???" Once again, she scanned the area but there was nobody in sight.
*knock*knock*
"Hell-oh???"
It took a lot to get Kim's mom mad but she was starting to get frustrated.
*knock*knock*
"HELLO!? …Gah!! Who keeps knocking on our door???"
"*squeak*squeak* Uh-hoh."
She looked down to see a little naked mole rat jumping up and down for attention.
"Oh! Hiii, Rufuus," Mrs. Possible said politely. She gave him a small pet on the head. "I'm sorry I didn't see you. What brings you here? Where's Ron?"
"*squeak* Ohhh. Uh-oh. *squeak*" Ron waved his arms recklessly.
"Uh…" Mrs. Possible raised her eyebrow a bit. "Well, the twins are in the backyard testing their mini rocket if that's what…"
"*squeak* No. Kim."
"Oh. Well, Kim's in her room upstairs if you want to talk to her."
Ron bowed and jumped up the familiar step as fast as he could. Mrs. Possible just shrugged. Kim's door was almost closed, but there was a little crack that Ron could fit through.
"Kim!"
"Huh?" Kim looked up from her bed. It looked like she was writing in a diary of some sort, but that wasn't what surprised Ron. What got to him was the look of anxiety on her face. She still looked depressed like she was at school. Usually she was either cheery or…(how can I say this nicely?) aggravated. But now, her eyes…and her facial expression. Was she crying? "Oh hey Rufus," she smiled softly. Feeling sorry for her, he ran into her arms to give her a hug.
"Aww…thanks." Her hand stroked his back lightly.
'Hmm…this feels kinda good...'
"So many weird things going on with me and Ron…and Bonnie," she sighed. "At least you're sill here…"
That reminded him. He opened his mouth to tell her about Rufus being kidnapped, but he just realized…he couldn't talk. How was she going to understand him?
"Rufus," she continued. "There's something I need to tell you about Ron."
'Uh-oh…does this count as invasion of privacy?' he thought.
"Promise you won't tell?" she asked sweetly.
'How COULD I tell? I'm just a rat…but still…this doesn't seem right…oh well.'
Ron nodded. It couldn't hurt. What could Kim possibly tell him that she wouldn't want him to know?
She took a deep breath. "I think I love Ron."
Ron's eyes lit up. 'Oh…maybe that…'
"Ron," he whispered. "Maybe we oughta get outta here. This place gives me the creeps."
"(Aw, c'mon Rufus. This place ain't so bad)" Ron brushed away a few small cobwebs in his face. "(I think it's kinda…nice. Why would anyone make a false advertisement, anyway? To trick us? Highly unlikely.)" he scoffed.
"Yeah, Ron. It's a real no brainer…an anonymous source sends us a video on the Kimmunicator, which, by the way, has never happened before, and now this so called 'Toy Mania' turns out to be just a filthy old building where-"
"(Calm down, buddy. Once we get the toy, we're outta here.)"
"Yeah. If there ARE toys here…"
Rufus and Ron split up to search for any other people in the vicinity. Five minutes of hollering and inspecting, didn't do any good, though. The place was totally deserted…almost at least.
"Hello!? Anybody here!? Is there a cash register here or do we just leave the money by the door!?" Rufus yelled but all he could hear was the sound of his echos bouncing against the walls. Finally, he sighed. "Ron this is stupid. No one's here and we haven't seen a single toy since- mmmmphhh!!!! mmlleeemmmeegommm!!"
"(Huh!?)" Ron turned around to see what had happened to Rufus. It sounded like his voice was being muffled. "(Rufus!! Where are you!? Are you okay!?)"
'Aw man…this isn't good,' he thought to himself.
"(Rufus! Where are you buddy!?)" It was no use. Ron's little body just couldn't project enough sound to create any kind of response. That, plus the possibility of no one being around to hear his squeaks, made Ron worry for his safety. He had to be careful. Something, or someone, must've gotten to Rufus…
*tap* *tap*
'What was that??'
Ron scampered as fast as he could to the sound. Once he got to the spot, though, he had to turn around and hide back behind one of the nearby crates. A pair of glowing, green fists illuminated their surroundings…and Rufus was right in the middle of it, being held tightly by Shego. She had her hands cuffed over his mouth and his arms tied together by a long steel chain. Drakken stood next to her, giving orders.
"Let's GO Shego! We don't have all day here! How long does it take to tie up the bafoon anyways??"
"Hey, this guy's pretty strong once he…gets…" she struggled to keep her hand over Rufus' mouth. He was trying furiously to scream for help. "Ah!!" Fed up by his actions, Shego finally punched in the gut…he stopped struggling.
"*sigh* Stupid rat. He's harder to contain than Kim Possible's sidekick, that's for sure." She put the lifeless Rufus on her shoulders and prepared to take him away.
'No way!! Drakken and Shego know about our mind switch??? Then what do they want with Rufus???'
Ron looked to the floor in disgust. Drakken and Shego were getting away with Rufus AND his body and there was nothing he could do but watch. There was no way he could confront Shego or even Drakken, for that matter.
'Aw man…' he thought frantically. If he didn't do something quick then Rufus was going to be a goner. 'Okay, okay…um…it looks like they're taking him back to Drakken's lair so…I gotta get Kim!!'
Ron rushed out of the big, garage-like door of the warehouse and navigated his way to Kim's house. It's surprisingly hard to see where you're going when you're only inches from the ground. It took him a while but the Possible house was finally in sight.
***********************************
*knock*knock*
"Hello?" Mrs. Possible answered the door. There was nobody there so she closed it again.
*knock*knock*
"Hello???" Once again, she scanned the area but there was nobody in sight.
*knock*knock*
"Hell-oh???"
It took a lot to get Kim's mom mad but she was starting to get frustrated.
*knock*knock*
"HELLO!? …Gah!! Who keeps knocking on our door???"
"*squeak*squeak* Uh-hoh."
She looked down to see a little naked mole rat jumping up and down for attention.
"Oh! Hiii, Rufuus," Mrs. Possible said politely. She gave him a small pet on the head. "I'm sorry I didn't see you. What brings you here? Where's Ron?"
"*squeak* Ohhh. Uh-oh. *squeak*" Ron waved his arms recklessly.
"Uh…" Mrs. Possible raised her eyebrow a bit. "Well, the twins are in the backyard testing their mini rocket if that's what…"
"*squeak* No. Kim."
"Oh. Well, Kim's in her room upstairs if you want to talk to her."
Ron bowed and jumped up the familiar step as fast as he could. Mrs. Possible just shrugged. Kim's door was almost closed, but there was a little crack that Ron could fit through.
"Kim!"
"Huh?" Kim looked up from her bed. It looked like she was writing in a diary of some sort, but that wasn't what surprised Ron. What got to him was the look of anxiety on her face. She still looked depressed like she was at school. Usually she was either cheery or…(how can I say this nicely?) aggravated. But now, her eyes…and her facial expression. Was she crying? "Oh hey Rufus," she smiled softly. Feeling sorry for her, he ran into her arms to give her a hug.
"Aww…thanks." Her hand stroked his back lightly.
'Hmm…this feels kinda good...'
"So many weird things going on with me and Ron…and Bonnie," she sighed. "At least you're sill here…"
That reminded him. He opened his mouth to tell her about Rufus being kidnapped, but he just realized…he couldn't talk. How was she going to understand him?
"Rufus," she continued. "There's something I need to tell you about Ron."
'Uh-oh…does this count as invasion of privacy?' he thought.
"Promise you won't tell?" she asked sweetly.
'How COULD I tell? I'm just a rat…but still…this doesn't seem right…oh well.'
Ron nodded. It couldn't hurt. What could Kim possibly tell him that she wouldn't want him to know?
She took a deep breath. "I think I love Ron."
Ron's eyes lit up. 'Oh…maybe that…'
