Author's Notes: Again, thank you for all the kind comments. I really
appreciate them all! We are drawing neat the end of the first section of
this story, which is looking as if it is going to become a trilogy at some
point. I'll post a little more about this in the next chapter, but "Book
II" of the series is already well underway: Immortal Friendship: Flight of
the Sea King.
Thanks again for your support!
----------------------------------------------------- "Be sure to thank the President for arranging this," Kim said to Princess Jenna over her communicator. "And thank you for serving as a go between. I never would have been able to contact him directly."
"No big," the young princess replied. "Anything to help Ron."
"Thanks again. I'll let you know when we make it back to LA."
A uniformed officer walked in from the cockpit of the bomber, back to the cramped compartment where Kim and the two professors were seated. "We're preparing to land. We'll go right into Logan airport, and the army has a chopper waiting for you on the tarmac. It can get you to the lab and back. We'll refuel and then be ready to make the trip back when you are."
"Thank you, captain," Kim said, managing to squeeze off a smile.
Five minutes later, the massive bomber touched down on the hard asphalt surface of Boston Logan International Airport, only three hours forty minutes after leaving San Diego. Still, it was going to be close. If the venom went to work on Ron sooner rather than later, Kim was going to loose her best friend. That fact weighed heavily on her mind as she slid down the small ladder and out the belly of the huge airplane.
She quickly walked over to the waiting chopper where an Army Major greeted her and her companions.
"The police have already cordoned off a section of the road so that we can land directly in front of Professor Cunningham's lab," he yelled over the sound of the whirring rotors. "It should only be about a ten minute flight each way."
Kim was in the chopper before the major finished talking, and the two older men were not far behind. The major climbed aboard after them, instructing them how to strap into the helicopter's benches. After a quick check to ensure everyone was secure, the major motioned the pilot, who gradually brought the blades up to flying speed and adjusted the pitch to create lift. The sleek helicopter jumped off the ground and turned towards downtown.
******
Ron opened his eyes just long enough to see the nurse standing over him with a massive needle. He closed his eyelids tightly, hoping that it was all a dream and when he opened his eyes again, a more familiar scene would greet him.
No such luck. The pain he had felt started to slowly come back, at first a tingling, then a burning, and eventually a fiery hell that caused him to start gagging violently. His arms and legs were strapped down, sending a shockwave fear through him that increased the pace of his already racing heart. He could hear mumbles around him, and then words.
"Doctor," an unknown female voice called out, "his heart rate is increasing... it looks like he's waking up."
"Strange, get the anesthesiologist in here immediately," another woman, presumably the doctor, called out.
"I'm already here," a man replied. Even though the voices were becoming clearer, Ron found them increasingly hard to understand. The terrible agony throughout his body ruthlessly assailed his mind, limiting his thoughts to those few instances where the misery seemed to subside.
"Good... let's up his dosage by thirty percent. That should put him out," the doctor said.
"Very well, though he's already on enough to put a hippo to sleep. This kid must get freaked real easy or something."
Ron felt the pain start to diminish again, and he closed his eyes. The relief flowed through his body, starting off as nearly imperceptible and then becoming more and more noticeable. Finally, the noises around him began to slip away as Ron fell back under the effect of the drugs, his mind still unable to grasp what was happening.
******
"It's only a minor setback," Monkey Fist said to his assembled monkey ninjas. "We may not have achieved our goal, but we certainly do have them confused. And," he continued, raising his eyebrows slightly, "we got away unnoticed."
He smiled slightly. "I would of much rather taken down the Princess, and the President of the United States... what an unexpected surprise that would have been... but we have put the monkey-phobic side kick in the hospital, and more than likely headed to his grave. Kim possible will be grieving, and that will make her weak. I fail to understand how he contributes to her life, but she is less without him. Now is the time to destroy her, and then no one will stand between me and the princess!"
Monkey Fist laughed in a loud, high-pitched howl. "Now," Monkey Fist said, lowering his head, "it is time to mediate. Then we shall continue our training."
******
The helicopter ride back to the Air Force bomber was uneventful, as was the takeoff on the latter. The colossal aircraft accelerated rapidly to just over the speed of sound, slowing only to refuel from an airborne tanker half way across the country.
The big jet set down at Los Angeles International Airport after receiving a priority landing clearance. Another helicopter was waiting for them as the got off the jet, and the trio quickly ran to it, Cunningham carrying a small box containing the anti-venom and other medications he had thought could be useful. Kim glanced at her watch. It was now twelve hours. They were in the danger zone... nothing was certain anymore.
The ride from the airport to the hospital was short, and the military chopper put down lightly on the hospital's own helipad. A doctor was waiting for them as they stepped off the chopper, his coat billowing in the rotor wash.
"Professor Cunningham, I'm Doctor Fred Maize," the doctor said, extending his hand.
"Good to meet you," Cunningham replied a bit tersely. "I need you to have an IV ready to go as soon as possible for a three cc an hour drip, and get the patient ready for a nine cc injection. Is he still stable?"
"He was when I came up here ten minutes ago," the doctor replied. Kim let out a sigh of relief. The group headed took an elevator down to the first floor, where they entered the room where Ron was being treated. Several nurses were scurrying about frantically, and one came running up to the doctor.
"Something is happening, the vital signs are destabilizing... they look just like they did when he came in."
"Get ready to add more trioxocine to the mix, and prepare a four cc shot-"
"No time," Cunningham interrupted. "We need to inject the anti- venom... now. Get me a syringe."
The nurse looked at the doctor with a confused expression. Never before had a complete stranger walked into the emergency room and issued orders, and she wasn't about to listen to him without Maize's ok. The doctor seemed to ponder over what to do for a split second, then nodded his approval. The nurse departed, returning moments later with the syringe.
Cunningham had already removed the anti-venom vial from his case, and began to carefully fill the syringe. "Prepare him for an abdominal injection," he yelled. The doctor directed nurses to cut away the portion of the hospital gown over Ron's stomach, and then assisted in disinfecting a spot for the shot.
Kim waited quietly, watching from across the room. She had always thought she could do anything. It might have been a bit arrogant, but her repeated success had reinforced that view. But now she was forced to watch her best friend slowly dying, knowing that the one thing she could not do was save him. His life was in the doctor's hands; she was merely an observer. She felt a growing pain deep within her, as her inability to resolve the situation gnawed at her. She looked at Ron's face, which had turned an ashen-grey color. His eyes were closed tightly. His mouth was forced open by a ventilator that was assisting his breathing. Rufus ran up her side, snuggling up against her neck and chirping nervously.
Professor Cunningham inserted the long, slender needle into Ron's stomach, pushing it in so far that it seemed to go all the way through the thin young man. Gradually he applied pressure to the top, slowly releasing the anti-venom. The doctor and nurses worked furiously to set up the new IV as Cunningham skillfully removed the syringe, placing it on the table next to Ron's bed. He then stepped away, lowering his head slightly.
Two minutes later, everything was quiet, except for the erratic beeping of the cardiac monitor. The doctor looked at Cunningham, asking him how long it would be until the patient stabilized.
"If it's going to work," Cunningham responded, "we'll probably know in another five minutes. But that was a very late stage injection, so there are no guarantees. Twenty minutes earlier, and things would have been much better."
Kim continued to shift her stare from Ron to the clock and back, watching anxiously as five minutes ticked away. Rufus was sitting still, totally silent, on her shoulder. Six minutes, and the reality began to hit her: her best friend was going to die, and there was nothing she could do to stop it.
Thanks again for your support!
----------------------------------------------------- "Be sure to thank the President for arranging this," Kim said to Princess Jenna over her communicator. "And thank you for serving as a go between. I never would have been able to contact him directly."
"No big," the young princess replied. "Anything to help Ron."
"Thanks again. I'll let you know when we make it back to LA."
A uniformed officer walked in from the cockpit of the bomber, back to the cramped compartment where Kim and the two professors were seated. "We're preparing to land. We'll go right into Logan airport, and the army has a chopper waiting for you on the tarmac. It can get you to the lab and back. We'll refuel and then be ready to make the trip back when you are."
"Thank you, captain," Kim said, managing to squeeze off a smile.
Five minutes later, the massive bomber touched down on the hard asphalt surface of Boston Logan International Airport, only three hours forty minutes after leaving San Diego. Still, it was going to be close. If the venom went to work on Ron sooner rather than later, Kim was going to loose her best friend. That fact weighed heavily on her mind as she slid down the small ladder and out the belly of the huge airplane.
She quickly walked over to the waiting chopper where an Army Major greeted her and her companions.
"The police have already cordoned off a section of the road so that we can land directly in front of Professor Cunningham's lab," he yelled over the sound of the whirring rotors. "It should only be about a ten minute flight each way."
Kim was in the chopper before the major finished talking, and the two older men were not far behind. The major climbed aboard after them, instructing them how to strap into the helicopter's benches. After a quick check to ensure everyone was secure, the major motioned the pilot, who gradually brought the blades up to flying speed and adjusted the pitch to create lift. The sleek helicopter jumped off the ground and turned towards downtown.
******
Ron opened his eyes just long enough to see the nurse standing over him with a massive needle. He closed his eyelids tightly, hoping that it was all a dream and when he opened his eyes again, a more familiar scene would greet him.
No such luck. The pain he had felt started to slowly come back, at first a tingling, then a burning, and eventually a fiery hell that caused him to start gagging violently. His arms and legs were strapped down, sending a shockwave fear through him that increased the pace of his already racing heart. He could hear mumbles around him, and then words.
"Doctor," an unknown female voice called out, "his heart rate is increasing... it looks like he's waking up."
"Strange, get the anesthesiologist in here immediately," another woman, presumably the doctor, called out.
"I'm already here," a man replied. Even though the voices were becoming clearer, Ron found them increasingly hard to understand. The terrible agony throughout his body ruthlessly assailed his mind, limiting his thoughts to those few instances where the misery seemed to subside.
"Good... let's up his dosage by thirty percent. That should put him out," the doctor said.
"Very well, though he's already on enough to put a hippo to sleep. This kid must get freaked real easy or something."
Ron felt the pain start to diminish again, and he closed his eyes. The relief flowed through his body, starting off as nearly imperceptible and then becoming more and more noticeable. Finally, the noises around him began to slip away as Ron fell back under the effect of the drugs, his mind still unable to grasp what was happening.
******
"It's only a minor setback," Monkey Fist said to his assembled monkey ninjas. "We may not have achieved our goal, but we certainly do have them confused. And," he continued, raising his eyebrows slightly, "we got away unnoticed."
He smiled slightly. "I would of much rather taken down the Princess, and the President of the United States... what an unexpected surprise that would have been... but we have put the monkey-phobic side kick in the hospital, and more than likely headed to his grave. Kim possible will be grieving, and that will make her weak. I fail to understand how he contributes to her life, but she is less without him. Now is the time to destroy her, and then no one will stand between me and the princess!"
Monkey Fist laughed in a loud, high-pitched howl. "Now," Monkey Fist said, lowering his head, "it is time to mediate. Then we shall continue our training."
******
The helicopter ride back to the Air Force bomber was uneventful, as was the takeoff on the latter. The colossal aircraft accelerated rapidly to just over the speed of sound, slowing only to refuel from an airborne tanker half way across the country.
The big jet set down at Los Angeles International Airport after receiving a priority landing clearance. Another helicopter was waiting for them as the got off the jet, and the trio quickly ran to it, Cunningham carrying a small box containing the anti-venom and other medications he had thought could be useful. Kim glanced at her watch. It was now twelve hours. They were in the danger zone... nothing was certain anymore.
The ride from the airport to the hospital was short, and the military chopper put down lightly on the hospital's own helipad. A doctor was waiting for them as they stepped off the chopper, his coat billowing in the rotor wash.
"Professor Cunningham, I'm Doctor Fred Maize," the doctor said, extending his hand.
"Good to meet you," Cunningham replied a bit tersely. "I need you to have an IV ready to go as soon as possible for a three cc an hour drip, and get the patient ready for a nine cc injection. Is he still stable?"
"He was when I came up here ten minutes ago," the doctor replied. Kim let out a sigh of relief. The group headed took an elevator down to the first floor, where they entered the room where Ron was being treated. Several nurses were scurrying about frantically, and one came running up to the doctor.
"Something is happening, the vital signs are destabilizing... they look just like they did when he came in."
"Get ready to add more trioxocine to the mix, and prepare a four cc shot-"
"No time," Cunningham interrupted. "We need to inject the anti- venom... now. Get me a syringe."
The nurse looked at the doctor with a confused expression. Never before had a complete stranger walked into the emergency room and issued orders, and she wasn't about to listen to him without Maize's ok. The doctor seemed to ponder over what to do for a split second, then nodded his approval. The nurse departed, returning moments later with the syringe.
Cunningham had already removed the anti-venom vial from his case, and began to carefully fill the syringe. "Prepare him for an abdominal injection," he yelled. The doctor directed nurses to cut away the portion of the hospital gown over Ron's stomach, and then assisted in disinfecting a spot for the shot.
Kim waited quietly, watching from across the room. She had always thought she could do anything. It might have been a bit arrogant, but her repeated success had reinforced that view. But now she was forced to watch her best friend slowly dying, knowing that the one thing she could not do was save him. His life was in the doctor's hands; she was merely an observer. She felt a growing pain deep within her, as her inability to resolve the situation gnawed at her. She looked at Ron's face, which had turned an ashen-grey color. His eyes were closed tightly. His mouth was forced open by a ventilator that was assisting his breathing. Rufus ran up her side, snuggling up against her neck and chirping nervously.
Professor Cunningham inserted the long, slender needle into Ron's stomach, pushing it in so far that it seemed to go all the way through the thin young man. Gradually he applied pressure to the top, slowly releasing the anti-venom. The doctor and nurses worked furiously to set up the new IV as Cunningham skillfully removed the syringe, placing it on the table next to Ron's bed. He then stepped away, lowering his head slightly.
Two minutes later, everything was quiet, except for the erratic beeping of the cardiac monitor. The doctor looked at Cunningham, asking him how long it would be until the patient stabilized.
"If it's going to work," Cunningham responded, "we'll probably know in another five minutes. But that was a very late stage injection, so there are no guarantees. Twenty minutes earlier, and things would have been much better."
Kim continued to shift her stare from Ron to the clock and back, watching anxiously as five minutes ticked away. Rufus was sitting still, totally silent, on her shoulder. Six minutes, and the reality began to hit her: her best friend was going to die, and there was nothing she could do to stop it.