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The Lazarus Factor
Chapter 11 - War Machines
"It is well that war is so terrible, or we should get too fond of it." - Robert E. Lee
The journey back to the herb shop was a silent one. Ron had gotten a car from somewhere, (probably stolen, thought Kim) and he sat quietly at the wheel, driving through the darkened streets. Kim cast quick glances at her old friend, trying to read his expression even though there was none. Yori's expression was easy to read. She sat in the back of the car, her arms wrapped protectively around her stomach, looking very nervous. 'That should be my position,' Kim thought to herself, after all, she had been the one Ron had shot. And yet here she was, sitting next to him, surprised at Yori's fear.
To Yori, however, the fear was more than justified. She had almost accepted Ron's offer to join him in his rampage, but she had convinced herself that it was only the strangeness of the moment that had tempted her. Ron's sudden resurrection, the closeness of him had twisted her mind into thinking she wanted what he offered, and she had sworn that she would not be tempted again.
But she had already failed. At the hospital, even before she heard his voice through the door, she had felt a dark tug at her soul. Even now, sitting in the back seat, she felt like she heard something whispering to her from Ron's direction, offering her things she would never admit to wanting. Her eyes betrayed her also, constantly being drawn to the Lotus Blade lying beside Ron. Yori felt a need to touch it, hold it. She forced her eyes away from the sword, clenching them tightly, willing herself not to look at it again. She didn't notice Ron watching her in the rearview mirror.
"Maybe me and Yori should go in first," Kim finally said as they pulled up to the herb shop, "just to explain everything to the sensei and the others."
"He'll already know I'm here," Ron stated simply, stopping the car and climbing out. "I'm going to wait in the garden." Without another word he walked around the building towards the fenced in gardens. Kim watched him go and turned to walk in the front door when she noticed that Yori was still in the car. She was staring out the window at where Ron had disappeared behind the shop, a strange expression on her face. Kim shivered, remembering the expression on Ron's face when she had found him in his room, blood running down his arm. It seemed so long ago, but Yori's expression was eerily similar, and Kim found the memory haunting her yet again.
"Yori?" Kim called softly, tapping on the window. Yori jumped, her eyes slowly coming into focus on Kim.
"Sorry," she said, opening the door and getting out, "I was just thinking of something else." It didn't sound very convincing and Kim began to wonder if something was REALLY wrong with the girl, something she wasn't telling anyone. She wanted to ask Yori what it was, but the Japanese girl had already started walking towards the herb shop. Sighing, Kim followed her through the front door and to the back room.
The sensei was standing at the door to the tearoom and as Kim approached, she could tell that Ron had been right, the old man DID know that Ron was there.
"It is good to see you well, Possible-san," the sensei bowed, smiling at her, "we were all extremely worried." He paused for a minute, his smile disappearing. "He is here with you," it was a statement more than a question. Kim nodded, pointing towards the gardens. "Ah," the sensei nodded suddenly smiling again and gently pushing Kim and Yori towards a side door, "you both must be exhausted. Go and get some sleep. We will discuss everything when you are rested."
Kim wanted to protest, but she suddenly felt very tired, as if her body had forgotten the events of the day and had just been reminded of them. Reluctantly she went to the sleeping quarters, not bothering to change out of the hospital gown. Yori went a little less reluctantly. She prayed that sleep would clear her head. Ever since the hospital she hadn't been able to think straight and she was feeling completely worn out. They both fell into bed and were asleep almost immediately.
Yori slept till around mid-day when something woke her up. She didn't know what it was for there was no one there and no sounds from outside, but she also knew that she hadn't woken up herself. She got up, slipping on the loose, gray robe she wore when not training. Looking briefly over the sleeping Kim, she headed into the main room only to find it empty. 'The others must have gone for supplies or something,' she thought. Feeling a cool breeze she looked up to find herself in the gardens. She didn't remember heading for them, she had just been walking around aimlessly. Now she found herself at one end of the garden with a plain view of Ron Stoppable, sitting on a stone bench at the other end.
He didn't move or even look at her, he simply sat, holding the sheathed sword upside down by the handle, its end resting on the ground. She didn't hear him call or anything, but suddenly her leg was moving, taking a step towards him. Her other leg followed and soon she was walking slowly towards his position.
"So," Ron finally spoke, still not looking up as she stopped a couple feet from him, "finally came to see me?" Yori willed herself to leave, but she couldn't even bring herself to look away. "Tell me what you want," Ron's voice was even and calm, no hint of emotion in his words, just a quiet insistence. At his question, Yori found her eyes drifting to the Lotus Blade yet again. He noted the movement of her eyes and smiled, turning the sword and offering her the handle. Yori's hand lifted of its own accord, trembling slightly as it reached out to the sword. Her fingers wrapped around the handle, squeezing tightly as soon as they made contact, and she slowly pulled the Lotus Blade from its sheath.
The Blade glinted in the sun as she held it before her, looking mesmerized by the silver metal before her. Her other hand reached timidly up to touch the metal blade, her fingers sliding over it. Suddenly her hand clenched around the sword's blade, squeezing hard enough to draw blood. She held it there for a minute before slowly letting go, bringing her hand before her face, looking at her gashed palm as if she was going to cry. Her hand had moved on its own, as if she had no control over it. Also, just as her hand was closing around the blade, she was horrified to realize that there was a feeling of anticipation in her gut.
"What's wrong with me?" she whispered, tears sliding down her face. Ron watched the blood drip from Yori's hand. Looking down at his own hand he ran his finger diagonally downwards across his palm, tracing the scar that was forming there.
"Honestly?" Ron looked up at her, his voice, for once, free of the mocking tone, "I don't know." She looked over at him, surprised at this moment of sincerity. "The Blade seems drawn to you," he continued, "like there's some connection, but it doesn't know what it is." Ron and Yori stared at each other in silence until a sound drew their eyes to the doorway as the sensei walked into the garden. Yori jumped, dropping the sword into Ron's hands and folding her arms inside her robe's sleeves to hide her bleeding hand.
"Yori, Stoppable-san," the old man greeted them, bowing to each. Yori bowed back, fidgeting for a moment before excusing herself and walking quickly back into the shop. The two watched her go and then turned back to each other.
"Master Sensei," Ron greeted, nodding his head to the old man. The sensei bowed back, sitting down on the bench as Ron slid over to make room. They sat in silence for a while until Ron finally broke it. "You knew there was a connection between her and the sword," Ron stated simply.
"Yes," the old man replied, "I did. She was always very aware of the Lotus Blade. One morning she told me she had felt a strange sense of excitement when she had entered the Blade's resting place. That turned out to be the same day you were exposed to the monkey totems." He sighed wearily, "but I had always assumed that the Blade would hold the answers."
"That seems to be the only answer it doesn't have," Ron shrugged, "I can hear it calling to her, but it doesn't seem to know why."
"It is indeed a mystery," the sensei rubbed his chin, "but perhaps one left for another day. From what I've learned recently, we may be facing a terrible threat." Ron nodded.
"Yes, the Zenryoku clan has found someone who can wield the rosary of Hachiman," Ron paused, looking over at the old man. "You know the Zenryoku," he said, "and how they will use the rosary's power."
"Indeed," the sensei nodded, "the Zenryoku have always been a violent clan. Do you know where they are?"
"I do now," Ron answered, "they must have already acquired several of the beads and were using their power to hide themselves from me, which is why I went after the others first. Once I had collected enough beads I was able to break through their mental walls and find their location. But I'll tell you the rest later, after Kim wakes up. I don't want to have to tell all this twice."
"Very well," the sensei smiled, "then I shall leave you to your thoughts until later." Ron thanked him and watched the old man walk back to the shop.
Inside, Kim had just woken up and had gone to take a shower. As she got out of the shower she stopped, looking at herself in the mirror. She ran her finger over the scar just below her chest where Ron had shot her. She looked at the scars on her shoulder where she had been stabbed and at the burn scars on her right hip where Shego had tagged her hard with those gloves of hers. She stared at the scars marring her skin, a feeling came over her that they were slowly covering up the real her. The normal Kim Possible was gradually being replaced with this new, scarred, angry person. Ron had his share of scars too, she knew. They had both taken their share of punishment in the field, though admitingly, Ron's was usually do to his own mistakes.
Not all of them though. She remembered the set on his back from when a bridge had collapsed under her. Ron had grabbed her arm, trying to pull her up when Shego had found them. She had come down hard, swiping her burning hands across his back. He didn't let go, however, managing to lift Kim up in one pull, flipping her towards Shego. Kim had defeated her of course and she and Ron had escaped, but she could still see the lines on his back from where her fingers had burned him.
Kim sighed, pushing the thoughts of her old friend from her mind. He was gone now, and she had to deal with what he had become. Taking one last look at herself, she turned and began to dress, wondering how everything had fallen apart so quickly. It had only taken two or three days to destroy her entire existence. The simple times of going to school and foiling Drakken's latest, and usually silly, plan seemed to be a long time ago. 'Is this my world now' Kim wondered, 'this pain and misery?' Looking in the mirror again she could swear that something was different about her. Was this the new Kim Possible, this scarred, miserable thing? Or, even worse, was this the real Kim all along? Was the happy Kim who joined the cheerleaders and hung out at the mall just a paper-thin facade that she had constructed to fool herself?
'It's like Ron,' she thought suddenly. She seemed to be changing much the same way he had, only at a slower pace. Maybe dying left a huge scar on Ron's soul that had turned him into this malicious killer. Would that happen to her? As more and more scars were added to her body, would they slowly cover over the old Kim and replace her with a hardened and resentful fighter? Kim pulled on the rest of her clothes and left the washroom, trying to push the thoughts from her mind. But they still lingered in the corners, haunting her with their unspoken answers.
When she was ready she went looking for either Ron or Yori. One of the students told her that Yori was in the sleeping quarters and Ron was out in the garden. Not wanting to bother Yori in case she was sleeping, Kim braced herself to talk to Ron. Every time she looked at him now, she felt grief at the loss of her friend and anger at this new killer who had replaced him. She walked into the garden and straight up to Ron, still seated on the stone bench.
"So," she said, "what are you doing."
"I was letting you and Yori rest," he replied, looking up at her, "You both looked exhausted and I figured we could wait until you got some sleep to discuss our next step."
"Gee, how nice of you." A hint of sarcasm tinged her voice as she turned to leave.
"You're wrong, you know." His voice stopped her in her tracks.
"What do you mean," she asked, turning to look at him.
"You think I replaced your old Ron, but I didn't." He looked at Kim with hard eyes, "This is me, KP. It always has been. Things have changed, but I am still Ron Stoppable. The same Ron Stoppable you hung around with all your life. I am not some evil spirit or living weapon that has taken over Ron's corpse. I am ME!" Kim stared at him in silence, finally turning away, hiding her face from him.
"I can't believe that," she whispered, "I'm sorry, but I can't believe that you are capable of all this, that you were ALWAYS capable of it. If I believed that...... " she trailed off, letting the sentence hang in the air unfinished as she walked back into the shop. Ron sat by himself for a few minutes before rising and following her through the door.
Ron had agreed to talk to only the sensei, Kim, and Yori. The three of them were already waiting for him when he entered the tearoom.
"So what's the deal with these ninja guys," Kim asked shortly, not making eye contact with Ron. The sensei sat quietly, sipping his tea while Yori, still in her gray robes, sat quietly, keeping her bandaged hand hidden from the others. Ron sat down, accepting a cup of tea before answering.
"One of their leaders has finally achieved the power needed to use the rosary," he explained, "his name is William Keys."
"William?" Kim raised an eyebrow at the very un-ninja like name.
"Well, you have to remember that it's been a long time since the clan fled Japan," Ron continued, "Keys was actually born right here in Middleton which is why the others gathered here. He already has almost half the beads to the rosary and the Zenryoku clan has been preparing for this moment for decades."
"How prepared are they?" Yori asked, looking worried.
"They've been recruiting new members the whole time," Ron paused, sipping his tea, "and now all of them have gathered in Middleton. I don't know the exact number of followers, but I can say that they ARE an army. In every sense of the word."
"An army?" Kim felt a sinking feeling in her gut.
"An army," Ron nodded, "I'd guess close to three hundred fighters, maybe more."
"Couldn't we call the police," Kim asked, "heck, couldn't we call the national guard."
"It would do no good," the sensei finally spoke up, "with the rosary in their hands and such a force at their disposal, they could not be stopped in time."
"True," Ron agreed, "and besides that, what would we tell them. 'Hey, you've got to come and shoot a bunch of ninjas who are going to use a magic necklace to spread chaos and destruction'?"
"He's right," Yori nodded, "they'd never believe us."
"So, " Kim asked, "maybe we should go for the beads?"
"My thoughts exactly," Ron answered, "Me, you, and Yori sneak in, grab the beads and get out. Without the rosary we could handle them, especially if we use the rosary ourselves."
"Alright," Kim agreed, "so where is this Keys?"
"The Zenryoku have gathered at a factory about a mile north of here," Ron explained, "They're using the factory's smelting equipment to make a huge number of weapons. Master sensei asked your police friend to get the blueprints to the building so we can plan the best way to enter."
"Indeed," the sensei nodded, laying the blueprints on the table, "and the lieutenant was successful." The next hour was spent going over the plans of the factory, discussing the best routes and the security measures in the factory. It wasn't anything high-tech, but with so many ninjas in one place they didn't need high-tech. Once a plan had been agreed upon, Ron, Yori, and Kim left the tearoom to prepare. Kim was pleased to find that Lt. Yun had stopped by her house and picked up her gear. He said that her parents were worried sick, but he had tried his best to assure them that she was fine. Kim thanked him, checking her many gadgets and slipping into her normal mission outfit.
When she was done she walked out into the other room and noticed Yori sitting alone in the garden. Walking out to her, Kim sat down beside her.
"Yori," she began, "is something wrong." Kim followed the Japanese girl's gaze down to her bandaged hand. "Oh my gosh, what happened?" Kim didn't remember Yori being hurt.
"Nothing," Yori crossed her arms, hiding the wrapped hand. She was silent for a minute before looking over at Kim. "I…. I don't want to go," she said softly, "I just can't shake this feeling….." she trailed off. Kim put her arm around the girl's shoulders.
"Yori," she soothed, "it's okay. I'm scared too. I mean, who wouldn't be scared facing an army of ninjas." She hoped that her little joke would cheer Yori up, but she simply looked away.
"It's not that," she said finally, "I'm not scared, I… " she paused again, as if considering whether or not to continue. "I want to go," she said finally, "I want to fight, I want…. I want to… kill them." Yori looked over to Kim, tears running down her face. "I want to tear them apart. Why do I want that?" She looked pleadingly at Kim, but the redhead had no answer.
"Why don't you stay… "Kim started, but Yori cut her off.
"No," she said flatly, "this is more important. You need my help." She looked around helplessly before standing. "I've got to get ready," she mumbled as she hurried back to the shop. Kim watched sadly as Yori left. Something was really wrong with the girl and it seemed to be eating her up inside. Kim put her head in her hands, praying that this would all be over soon.
Next: Tons o' fighting.
