There is a huge annoucement at the end of the chapter, so please take the time and read all of the Author Notes.
Clean
Chapter Six
As soon as the door was shut Kim was pounding on it, the cold metal seeming to fuse its' self back in to the wall. Down the dark blue gray walls ran streams of ice water, falling through the grate floor, a cold freezing draft flowing up from below. Kim shivered, finally sliding down the door, her knees pressed hard against her chest. Her parents didn't remember, everyone was gone, and now she was here by her self in the cold dark…everything was gone. That's when she heard the faint sound of a child. A small girl perhaps, locked under the grate perhaps a good 8 feet down.
"Hello? Is anyone there?" Kim lay on her belly, ignoring the cold sting of the water and metal.
"I want my daddy." A tear streaked face looked up at Kim from the cold depths. Perhaps 2 years old, freckles dotting her face, her drenched black hair in a high ponytail. Kim's fingers interlaced with the grate tugging and pulling to no avail.
"Don't worry, I'll get you out."
"No you won't." Kim's head turned upwards to see a man standing on the ceiling, a newly lit cigarette in his mouth. The man's corn silk hair, like his body, didn't follow the rules of gravity, falling over his shoulders rather than past his snow-white face. His sly blue eyes smiled down at her.
"Who-what are you?" He wasn't Hooban; there were no tubes, but ears just like hers, yet he walked across the ceiling's beam and leapt to the floor, landing with cat like grace. After a puff, he offered her a hand.
"Name's Li." Kim took his hand after a moment's hesitation. After a quick shake he removed his cigarette, smiling wildly at her. "It must be horrifying having no idea what's going on. If you want, I can…enlighten you." She nodded and soon found herself high above Vita, and along the coast there wasn't a single road, not a single city. It was…clean. She blinked once looking down realizing that somehow she was hovering so very high. Li took another long drag before flicking the half smoked cigarette down on the Hooban city below.
"Boring. Without humans earth is just so freakin' quiet. No war or violence, nothing to watch on TV. To think we conquered a whole planet just so some Hooban males can get laid."
"What?" He turned to a confused Kim, his open slate gray blazer flapping in the breeze.
"The real reason they conquered earth. Don't tell me you believed all that noble bull shit about ending pain and suffering did you? The Hooban race is in danger because there's a horrible imbalance between the genders. For every one Hooban female there's a hundred thousand males. That's why they make females, like my sister, queens and such. Putting them on pedals and all kinds of bull-" Kim blinked, a realization striking her.
"Wait. The Regiri is your sister? Then that would make you Hooban, wouldn't it?" Li sat back in a non-existing chair, flashing yet another coy smile at Kim.
"Well, sort of. My sister and I aren't exactly normal."
"Li!" They both turned to see Jazz, on what looked to be a hover bike of some sort. "Step away from Kim!"
"Jazz! How nice of you to join us! I was just telling Kim all the things you forgot to mention." Li stood, leaning his face but inches from Kim's own, those eyes burning through her. His words were like smoke, smooth and gliding, producing images vividly in Kim's mind, as if his close proximity was heightening every sense. He chuckled, a finger running down her cheek. "Do you know why Regiri wants you so bad? She's going to breed you with Hooban males…isn't that right, Jazz? That's why you made sure to deliver her personally to Jordine. Kim's her top show dog, her perfect specimen for the future of the Hooban race." Kim searched Jazz's face to see if Li's words held weight, and that weight was almost enough to knock the younger to the ground.
"Jazz, is that true?" After a deep breath he closed his eyes.
"Kim, please, just get on the hover bike."
"Why? So you can bring me back to that cell and let your sadistic queen-no! I trusted you." Li placed a hand on Kim's shoulder.
"C'mon, Kim, lets go find some better company." Before Jazz could protest the two disappeared, leaving him alone with the terrifying fact that they got away…and it was he who had to tell Jordine, the Regiri.
Solemnly Jazz landed the hover bike in the courtyard, servants soon appearing to take it to its rightful location. That wasn't supposed to happen, not with Kim, not now. He took a moment to take in the daylight, just incase it was the last time he'd see it. Jazz opened the door to find Jordine there, arms crossed.
"You let Li take her?"
"I-I tried to-." She hardly even had to try to send him to the ground, the back of her hand providing plenty of force as it smashed against his face.
"No matter. I know where he's taken her. Kimmie will be back by tomorrow, I guarantee it." Jazz sat up, holding his cheek. "Your failures and disobedience is weighing heavily against you, Jazz. You better hope not to fail me again." With that Jordine walked back into the palace. The cool calm hallways did a lot to help calm her, the passing shadows and light reminding her of home.
"You never were a good loser, Sis." The Regiri didn't have to look to see who was walking beside her.
"You did nothing but help me. You know bringing her there will only have her back here and then I will have everything I want."
"Don't be so sure, this is Kim Possible we're talking about. Quite unpredictable." She stopped, her face holding a smirk for her brother.
"When it comes to predicting people I'm never wrong. You're not going to win, Li."
"We'll see about that."
The Mojave Desert…it was the last thing that Li character told her; "Welcome to the Mojave Desert, keep walking and you'll see." Kim wiped the sweat from her face. She had been walking for about an hour and already the heat was getting to her, good thing the sun was getting ready to set. From what Kim could remember the Mojave Desert was pretty far inland, boarding on California, Nevada and Arizona. Worst of all is this was a desert, surely the water-dependant Hoobans wouldn't be out here. In the distance she could see large oddly shaped rocks ahead, seemingly made from an volcanic eruption millions of years ago. If she could just make it to those rocks she could settle in the shade, maybe dig for water at the base of the rocks. But every step, every grain of gravel and sand seemed to work against her and soon it felt like she wasn't going anywhere, forever walking in place. Were her eyes deceiving her but was there lights on those rocks? Like…like paper lanterns…She collapsed the quickly cooling night air contradicting the searing sand under her.
"Oi! We've got a sheila over here!" Kim would look up at the voice over her if she could, but her body refused to move, hardly breathing. Soon firm strong hands rolled her over and Kim could feel water being poured into her mouth. "There ya go, duncha worry, I'm 'ere." She coughed and gagged, and with his help sat up, now able to swallow the water. "What's a pretty little thing like you walkin' 'roun' these parts?" He took back the empty water bottle, placing it on his belt. His large brimmed gray hat sent a shadow over his eyes, but they couldn't hide his big grin, face framed by wild loose strands of long black hair. His tan skin a nice change from the metallic and pale skin she'd seen for the past two weeks. More importantly this was a human, and not just any human but a survivor. There had to be more. Kim's heart picked up pace. The man took her hand and shook it strongly.
"The name's Savin, at your service. May I as ya for yers?"
"Kim…Kim Possible." Tipping back his brim, Savin's dark green eyes studied her, but his seriousness soon faded. He chuckled and picked up Kim with ease, beginning to walk to the odd shaped rocks.
"Kim, you say? Well, we'll just have ta see about that when we get to camp. I bet yer starvin'. The tucker should be ready by time we get 'ere. I bet Ronnie'll want to see ya."
"R-Ronnie?" Suddenly Kim's heart stopped. Could it be possible?
"Duncha worry, he's a regular Joe Bloggs. Wouldn't throw ya out unless you were one of them rat bag bounty hunters. Sides our camp's kinda low on the shelias, if you know what I mean." She sighed, and he smiled at that, finally reaching the rocks. Kim wasn't hallucinating before; along the rocks were a number of strings of paper light up lanterns, all hooked to a loud generator. With skill, Savin climbed up the rocks, Kim in one arm, and into an opening, which lead to a passage deep under ground.
"Welcome to our humble lil' camp, Ms. Possible. We call it Hole in the Wall, catchy, huh?" With that he put her down gently, waiting till she regained balance before stepping ahead of her. "'Ere's the tuckershop, if you're hungry, after that is the den an after that the dorms."
"Savin!" A young man ran into the large room, giving Kim a brief glance before turning back to the older man. "There's trouble, it's bounty hunters up top." Savin turned back to Kim.
"Stay 'ere, I'll be right back."
"No, I'm going too."
"Suit yerself then. Le'see if yer who you say you are." He tossed her a gun and ran up the passage, a loaded rifle in his own arms. Outside was somehow changed from the deserted stillness Kim remembered to explosions and gunfire. Two Hooban hover bikes flew above the rocks, one red the other purple. About twenty-five people worked feverishly to shoot them out of the sky as they dipped and swooped, one trying to kill humans, the other to capture.
"Dun let 'em grab ya, Kim. They'll take ya to the harvesting grounds unless you've got a bounty." Kim nodded, aiming her gun at the mechanics of the purple bike letting of a shot, it ricocheting loudly. The amethyst Hooban turned his vehicle towards Kim and though she moved, he grabbed her, throwing her into a large bag that hung off the bike. She could hear the sounds fade as the Hooban made his getaway. No, she refused to be dragged back to the palace after finally finding survivors. With her gun Kim pointed it at the tied knot above her, letting off a shot. Not a good idea was all she thought as the unmistakable sensation of falling over came her, the bag falling away from her, and the desert floor a good ten feet away. She closed her eyes waiting for impact.
Impact that didn't come. Above her, Kim could see the purple bike struggling to stay in the air, the red following right behind, both heading westward toward the coast. Kim sat up in the gravel, the full moon casting light over her and a young man.
"You need to be a little more careful." He turned around, smiling at her. Messy uneven blonde hair fell around his face; some hanging in his eyes, but it didn't seem to bother him. A weathered and torn red shirt hung from broad yet sloping shoulders, green-gray shorts on his legs. Offering a hand he helped Kim to her feet, his own height a good 3 inches more than hers. A goofy grin crept 'cross his face before he whispered: "Welcome home, KP." Her heart stopped but before her gaping mouth could speak Savin ran up, the two men commencing in a triumphant high-five.
"Oi, Ronnie, that was a fuckin' beauty of a shot 'ere. An' the way you caught Kimmie outta the sky like that, no wonder those rat bags are afta ya."
"Just doin' my job, Sav." When Ron's eyes moved from Savin to Kim Savin turned to Kim giving her a hard pat on the back.
"You ok?" Kim blinked.
"Y-yea, I'm fine." Ron stepped forward, his hand on Savin's shoulder, leaning to whisper in his ear.
"Hey Sav, can you go back to the hole and tell Monique I'll be a little late for dinner?" Savin gave Ron a cock-eyed look.
"Not sure she'll like the news that you're sneakin' roun' with"
"Just tell her its Kim, it'll be fine." He opened his mouth to respond but decided against it, after all to each their own. Giving them both a tip of his hat he began the good half-mile walk back to the rocks. Kim stumbled forward, a hand gently touching his shoulder.
"Ron, is that-is that really you?" His response was a hug. This warmth, the way it felt, there was no mistaking it. This was too good to be true; Ron was here, he was right here in her arms, alive—breathing. She had to bite her lip to keep from crying, his hand stroking her hair.
"I kept my promise Kim."
"And Monique? She's ok too?" Ron laughed at that, shaking his shaggy head.
"Mon's more than ok, she's gotten so much stronger…we all have." His smile faded as he let her go, his face somehow a bit more pale in the moonlight.
"What's wrong?" He turned from her, avoiding her hand, shifting his gaze to the large clear moon and scores of stars. To himself Ron whispered a small prayer. If this didn't work then…he shook it off, sighing before speaking again.
"A few days ago those bounty hunters took a little girl from us." Kim blinked, her memory of the small girl under the grate flashing before her eyes.
"Freckles, black hair, maybe two years old?" He spun around, face full of shock and excitement.
"You've seen her?!"
"Yea. Back…back in the Hooban palace."
"Then she's alive, I knew it!" He took her into a triumphant embrace. Kim pushed away, grabbing his shoulders, trying to calm him down.
"What's going on?"
"Kim, that little girl…her name's Bailey. And-." He his ecstatic smile faded as Kim's eyes widened. Awkwardly he swallowed. "And she's very important to me. I need her back." Kim's face went pale.
"Two years old…she's-she's your daughter isn't she? You and, let me guess, Monique?"
"Kim…" Her hands fell from him, her feet stepping back, carrying her away from him. He reached out for her, but she moved away. "Kim, listen. 3 years…3 years is a really…really long time." Kim stopped and spun on her heel, her eyes showing not only shock but also hurt.
"But she's two, that means you went at it as soon as I left, so don't get started on that time bull." He frowned, crossing his arms. This certainly wasn't the way he imagined his best friend would react.
"What? You're acting like we had something to begin with. As far as I can remember I was always the one waiting for you, waiting for you to notice me. Monique was always there for me." Her face went pale, stepping closer.
"I can't believe you just said that. I was always there for you. Ron, I-I loved you."
"No, I was the rebound, Kim. That's not real love. You don't—you don't leave someone you love behind to die like that!" Kim didn't hide her look of shock or her tears from him, stepping even closer.
"You of all people should know I didn't want to leave. You don't know what it's like to be forced to watch as everything you love is crumbled!" He stepped closer to her towering over, his eyes narrowed.
"No, Kim, you don't know what it's like to see it first hand. You've never had the blood of strangers on you as you walk and hope to god you find someone breathing in all the mess. While you floated safe I had to struggle to survive, more than that I had to provide. Now you come down here and expect it to be like before? I'm sorry to disappoint you. I'm 21 now, I've got a family, and a life."
"I…I just wanted to be part of it!" Kim then fell to her knees, the sand and gravel painfully embedding their way into her skin. The pain didn't even matter, it didn't compare to the hurt in her heart. This wasn't supposed to happen. Ron was supposed to…he was supposed to…love her. She hardly flinched when he knelt beside her, his gentle hands on her shoulder, his breath quivering.
"Kim, KP, I-I'm sorry. I've just been really stressed, I'm-." She pushed him away, hugging her knees. "Kim, please. Don't do this. I need you, I've lived 3 years without you."
"I should have taken those pills." Then it wouldn't hurt. Then pain would go away.
"What? What pills?"
"To forget. I want to forget." Why did this hurt so much? It wasn't supposed to be like this.
"Forget what? Kim!" He took her shoulders but her eyes stared blankly now.
"Everything." Ron's dam broke as he took her into his arms, her hair absorbing his tears.
"I missed you so much, Kim, please don't do this."
"He still loves you, Kim." Ron looked up to See Monique. Kim blinked her dull-ish eyes as the other woman sat next to her. "If it's any consolation prize, Kim, Ron was never able to forget you." Ron's face was turned away, unable to look at either of them. Kim was at a loss of words, half of her wanting to hug Monique, the other wanting to strangle her. "But this isn't about us, it's about a little girl who's being held hostage. We need your help to save her, Kim."
"I-I don't know."
"I see." It was the only words Monique offered before standing, making her way back to camp. She didn't have to say it, Mon knew Kim. After all, Kim was the cause of a lot of her pain now a days. Ron grabbed Kim's shaking hand, his eyes finally meeting hers.
"Kim, please. We have no idea where they're holding her, but you do. It'll…it'll be like old times."
"Just we'll be saving your daughter." He let her go, as he threw out his arms in exasperation.
"Why does that make such a big difference?!" Kim barely shrugged.
"I dunno, it just does."
"That's a human, one of the few left, and you're not going to save her because she's my daughter? Kim, Bailey means everything to me. You'd help complete strangers, why won't you help me?"
"Because you're not Ron, and that wasn't Monique, that's why. Ron wouldn't—he promised he'd stay right there, he said he'd wait for me. He loved me." Kim stood, her back facing him. "Ron is dead." She ran towards the rocks, leaving Ron with his head in his hands, without options and quickly losing hope.
She collapsed at the wall of rocks, her head spinning, her heart so very very confused. She didn't even look up when she heard someone approaching.
"That didn't go very well, did it?" Savin sat next to her, but Kim tolerated his presence. "Things between Ron an' Monique didn't really work out, ya see. About a year ago they broke up, something about his heart belongin' to another. You should help 'em, Kim. Bailey is a very wonderful little girl, s'got a lot of her daddy's spunk. Your grudges against whoever shouldn't come before another person's life, specially a small defenseless child."
Kim didn't respond, her mind fighting off the images of that freezing cell, and that lonely little girl.
"All along, we survivors, all we've ever hoped for were was a hero. Ronnie, he takes good care of us, you should be proud. He's a hero, but he's no match against the Hoobans, he's only human. But together, maybe just maybe we might stand a chance. We've all been waiting for you, Kimmie. Please show everyone that you're still the hero you were."
"You're wrong…I'm no hero." He sighed, taking off his hat and wiping his brow.
"Have you ever killed anyone, Kim?"
"No."
"You will if you don't go save Bailey. That child will die and so will her father's spirit, he'll die and the rest of us will probably go not soon after. Will you be able to live with that?" When Kim didn't respond Savin shook his head. "Anyway, I'll see you in the early morning, seeing how the sun will be sure to wake you." And he got up, leaving Kim to cry herself to sleep. When Savin reached the entrance to the passageway he nodded to Monique as he entered.
"Thanks for trying, Savin."
"No problem, Monique. You and Ronnie have done so much, it was the least I could do."
"Now I have to do what I need to do." Monique pressed a button on a small communicator. "Give me the Regiri, I want to make an exchange."
Jao: Chapter 6 is finally up! I bet everyone is happy Ron's still 'round. Like I coulda written this story with out 'im.
NOW FOR A HUGE ANNOUNCEMENT!!!!
FROM THIS POINT ON CLEAN WILL BE CO-WRITTEN.
That's right. TPQ and myself will both be writing the story from this point out. It will still be posted here of course. See, the thing is Jazz and Savin are her characters and they tie together well with my characters Jordine and Li, and we've had these fun OC s for well over two years now.
Here's more or less the break down of the process:
We both work together agreeing on the plot, and order of events. I write out the rough dialog and actions. TPQ fluffs it out, and believe me her descriptions of actions, and places are amazing. With her help all the characters will come across so much more real. Then I'll come in and work on the emotional effect and check for OOCness of the KP characters along with checkin for grammar and such, but with both of us on it there won't be much of any grammar mistakes in the story.
Believe me, TPQ and I, working together on a project, especially long projects like this one, will make the writing's effect a thousand times more powerful. More importantly, the story will blend together our different styles, and make a new more striking one.
Please! Tell us what you think of the characters!
Do you like the sly evilness of Jordine, the Regiri? Or the friendly Savin? Perhaps Jazz's personality suits you more. These opinions mean so much to us considering how long we've been developing these characters.
Bottom line, you have quite a chapter to look forward to. Chapter 7 marks the co-write and as far as we've gotten already, it's far more emotional, far more powerful than before.
Thank you.