Disclaimer

Kim Possible is a registered trademark of Disney Inc. I have no rights to any of the characters. And they have no rights to me.

Providence
A Kim Possible Story
Author: falfurrian
Editor: Spice of Life

Chapter 14

Dr. Drakken leaned back in his tall swivel armchair, ravenously eating a large bowl of buttery popcorn. Shego stood leaning on a wall behind Dr. Drakken, filing her nails. On the wall some 10 feet in front of them, hung several large flat screen plasma TVs. Each one showed a different view of Middleton High School's interior.

The image in the extra large center screen showed Ron Stoppable standing with a large man in a cafeteria. On one of the smaller screens to its right, Kim Possible and Monique could be seen walking down the hall with their back's to the camera.

"Ehm ... I think this plan is working well Shego," Drakken said around a mouth full of popcorn. "All we need to do is keep feeding our subjects their daily diet of images ..."

"Yea, so far. But don't count your chickens yet Dr. D. We still have ...."

"Chickens!" Dr. Drakken interrupted, popcorn leaving his mouth as he yelled. "Are you saying this plan is fowl? What do chickens have to do with my master plan?"

Shego looked at Dr. Drakken in disbelief, and slapped her forehead. "Counting your chickens is a proverbial expression! No real chickens!" Once again Shego received that blank stare from the self proclaimed mad genius. "Never mind!"

"Where was I?" Dr. Drakken continued, ignoring Shego's dead pan stare.

"Feeding images." Shego prompted him, returning once again to filing her nails.

"Oh yes! Their daily allotment of subliminal messages paying off well. The girls I picked are falling for the buffoon nicely. And Kim is starting to get jealous. This plan is simplicity... in a can."

Dr. Drakken sat up a little in his chair, watching the image of Kim and Monique walk down the wall. "You know, I was rather surprised at that Monique girl's reaction to Stoppable. She seems to really hate that boy."

"No duh! What did you expect! Showing her images of Stoppable participating in some of the most heinous acts committed against black people by the KKK and the police. I get mad at him looking at those pictures your doctored, and I know they're false!"

"Yea, maybe you should cut back on her image count. I don't want her derailing our schedule by putting him back in the hospital. Let's take it down to one per day." Dr. Drakken sat up straight in his chair, resting his arms lightly on the armrest. "Shego, make it so."

Shego smiled coyly, "Has someone been watching too much Star Trek? Again, hmm?"

Dr. Drakken quickly stood up, spilling popcorn, his pale blue face turning a light shade of violate. "Shego! Those words hurt!"

"Sorry Captain ... err Dr. Drakken," Shego muffled her laughter with her gloves.

Dr. Drakken didn't seem to notice the intentional slip.

"Are we all set for the next phase of this operation?" He asked looking at Shego. "You think you can handle Stoppable when he gets here?"

"Don't be ridiculous! That part of the plan will proceed like clockwork. You just need to make sure he knows to come here."

"I have no doubts about that. He'll be here." The sounds of maniacal laughter filled the futuristic looking room.

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Kim did not speak to Ron the rest of the day. She watched in ever growing jealousy as girls continued to throw themselves at her friend. It was just like Monique had said. 'That boy is no good!'

Ron had tried to talk with her a couple of times, but she didn't give him her attention. After a while he had gotten the hint. She was mad and didn't want to discuss it right now.

Even so, Kim was puzzled by Ron's reaction to all the new interest. Before when he had gained instant popularity, he reveled in the spotlight, embracing the opportunity with both arms. But this time, he didn't seem as happy. As a matter of fact, he looked a little downtrodden.

'I'm sure it's just because he has been caught,' Kim said to herself, repeating Monique's analysis of the situation. 'But still ...'

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After the last bell sounded the end of classes, Ron headed down the hall toward his locker. He was mad because of all the unwanted female attention and sad because the one girl he wanted to notice him was not talking. These girls would not leave him alone. He just wanted them to stay away! But most of all, he wanted Kim to talk with him. His heart sank at the thought. He was not sure what he had done wrong. Had his kiss changed their relationship forever? Were these girls hanging around him making Kim mad? Or was Monique poisoning Kim's thoughts? 'What? What!?'

Anger and sadness washed over him like waves on a beach. First one then the other. "GIRLS!" Ron grumbled aloud as he retrieved his books from his locker, and slammed the metal door shut.

Ron turned around, and was startled by the three boys standing close. Randy, Nate, and John stood behind him in a small circle.

"What do you want?!" Ron yelled, surprising himself as well as the others. If they had approached him at any other time, he would have instinctively flattened himself up against his locker. But right now, Ron Stoppable was in no mood to take crap from anyone.

Ron's glare fixed Randy in his spot, a shocked expression on his face. Nate and John each took a step back, looking startled as well.

"Well?" Ron said. Their reaction was not what Ron expected.

"Ron. I, err we, wanted to tell you that we are sorry for, you know, hitting you." Randy stuttered, not looking at Ron.

Wow! Ron thought. That took a lot for him to say. Randy and his bunch have been bullying me for years.

Obviously they had a new respect for him. Ron found this amusing, since he did not have the slightest idea how he had defeated them. Briefly, Ron toyed with the idea of using his new power to intimidate his long time tormenters, but quickly dismissed the idea. Two wrongs do not make a right. Ron thought about what to say. Then, without warning these words came out of his mouth...

"Thanks Randy. I will no longer think of you as a coward."

Randy's eyes widened at Ron's words. His expression showed he was not sure if he had been insulted or complemented. Randy looked at John and Nate in turn. No one said anything.

"Excuse me guys, I need to be going," Ron said as he pushed passed the three boys. The three turned and watched Ron walk down the hall.

"What does that mean?" Nate asked finally.

"I don't think he's mad at us," Randy replied thoughtfully.

Ron was not sure why he spoke those words to Randy, but he was sincere. And besides, it might even give them something to think about.

Ron's thoughts quickly turned to Kim. He was still unhappy as he walked for the front door, feeling very alone.

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The blond young man had not seen his friend watching from a nearby doorway. Wanting to avoid Ron, Kim had ducked inside when she saw him approaching from down the hall. When the three boys had surrounded her friend she was ready to jumped out and protect him. She was angry with Ron, but she did not want him to get hurt.

What she saw unfold before her was surprising. Ron had not backed down, nor did he insult them. He had actually said something rather introspective. Kim leaned up against the wall and sighed. She was not sure what to think. It seemed so right to be mad at Ron, but she didn't know why. Monique kept telling her Ron was an awful person for the way he treated other people. And she kept thinking of Ron kissing those other girls, even if she never remembered seeing him do it.

But deep down she knew her thoughts did not reflect the real Ron, the boy she had grown up with. Just then Ron had been thoughtful, and even kind to his enemies. If he had anyone to hate, it would be those guys. She returned to her locker, and finished collecting her stuff before heading home steeped in troubled thought.

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Ron met his mom in the parking lot. She did not what him walking any more than necessary. Ron opened the car door and plopped into the seat heavily, dropping his book bag on the floor.

"How was your day dear?" His mother asked in a cheery tone.

"It sucked. Let's go." He replied curtly, buckling his seat belt.

"What's wrong? You look down, is your head bothering you?" His mother asked, concern filling her voice.

"My head is fine. I don't want to talk about it, can we go please?"

"Does Kim need a ride?"

"No." He stared out the window, trying to end the conversation.

"Oh. I see."

Mrs. Stoppable put the car in gear and headed out onto the street. "So, you and Kim not getting along right now?"

"I said I didn't want to talk about it, mom!"

"Well, you don't have to talk. You can just listen." She said smugly. "I remember when your father and I started dating..."

"Kim and I are not dating."

Ron's mother continued, ignoring her son's interjection. "... We had a bumpy time transitioning from being friends to being, well, more than just friends. The group we hung with was very close. At times, a little too close. It seems your father had someone else pining for his affection besides me. Well, when I told my closest girlfriend that your father had finally gotten up the nerve to ask me out on a real date, she started telling me all these awful things about him. I was shocked. The very nice young man I thought I knew was turned into a monster by my best friend. It was 2 weeks before someone finally told me she had her eye on him also." She paused for a little while as she continued to drive home. "It just goes to show that you never know where people get their ideas."

Ron had listened to the story. At first, just because he had no choice. Then it was because it made him remember something he said to Kim about Monique's behavior. 'Girls have to be psychic,' Ron told himself.

When they pulled into their driveway, Ron jumped got out of the car with renewed energy. He was halfway to the door when he yelled back to his mother, "Thanks mom!"

"You're very welcome," She said so low that he couldn't have heard.

Once inside, Ron ran up to his room and grabbed the phone. He dialed Wade's number. After four rings, Wade answered the phone.

"What is it Ron," Wade asked, sounding very annoyed.

"Whoah, Wade. What's up?" Ron said, troubled by his friend's unusual tone.

"What do you need Ron? I'm busy!"

"Monday you checked on villain activity in the area, and turned up nothing. Has anything changed since then?" Ron asked hurriedly.

"Look, do you have a good reason for me to check on this, or are you just yanking my chain."

'Wade is acting weird too. This clinches it. I smell evil villains.' Ron decided to get what he needed from Wade and close this conversation. "Wade, just give me the information, and I'll leave you alone." On a hunch, Ron added, "I think Drakken and Shego may be causing trouble in the area. Do you have the location of their latest lair?"

"Keep your shirt on Ron." Ron could hear typing in the background. "You still haven't given me a good reason ..."

"Please, Wade! It's important." He begged, his voice rising an octave.

"Look, if there had been any activity Kim needed to know about, I would have reported. I know my job!"

"Yes Wade, I know you do." Ran said hoping to pacify Wade long enough to get the information he needed.

"I have Drakken's last know address." Wade read the address. It was only about 30 miles north of Upperton.

"Thanks Wade!"

"Whatever. I don't know why I would want to help someone like you anyway."

"By the way, what have I done?" Ron asked, not caring if he made Wade mad. He had the information he wanted.

"Don't be stupid!" Wade said before terminating the connection.

"Well, it was a good thing I didn't ask that question before." Ron said aloud to the phone receiver.

Ron knew his parents would not let him go on a mission so soon after his hospital stay. Sneaking out was his only choice. If he timed it right he could get out and back before they knew he was missing. Or at least he would have enough time to get the evidence he needed to show Kim. 'If she'll listen to me,' He thought sadly.

Ron headed down stairs, through the kitchen.

"Where are you going?" His mother asked as he opened the door to the garage.

"I'm going to work on a movie in the garage with Rufus." Ron replied quickly.

"Okay dear. Just take it easy." Mrs. Stoppable smiled, resuming what she had been doing.

The movie would give Ron the excuse he needed to move his scooter out of the garage. If his mother asked why he was moving it outside, he could tell her he needed the space for the movie set. Afterwards, he would just conveniently forget to put it back. This was pretty normal for him anyway. Now all he needed to do was waste time until it was bedtime. 'I can handle that!'

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"Bye Monique! See you tomorrow." Kim called from her open front door. She watched Monique get into her car and drive off, before closing the door.

"Kim, can I talk with you a minute?" Her mother asked, with a rather concerned look.

"Sure mom. What's up?" The two walked into the kitchen, and sat by themselves at the table.

"Your conversations are your business, but I couldn't help but overhear some of those things Monique and you were saying about Ron. You were both being a little loud" Mrs. Possible admitted.

"Mom, please. I don't want to talk about this."

Her mother ignored her and continued. "Do you really think Ron is a womanizer or a ..err ... racist? I have known him for as long as you, and those are the last two words that come to mind when I think about Ron."

Kim looked at her hands. She had been going along with Monique, and even added a few bashes of her own, but she was not sure she believed them.

"I get the impression your relationship with him is ... changing." Kim's mother reached over and placed her hand on her daughter's arm reassuringly. "And that can be a little scary. You two have a long history together and you may not be sure what to expect going forward." Her mother smiled at her sympathetically. "I guess all I'm trying to say is, don't forget what kept you and Ron friends all these years."

"You're right mom, and I know it. I just can't seem to get these 'thoughts' out of my head about him."

"You know the saying 'We are what we eat,' right?" Kim's mother asked.

"Yeah?" Kim asked, wondering how that applied to her situation.

"Well, the same applies to our thoughts too. If we keep 'feeding' on false information, eventually we believe it." Her mother stated.

"So, you're saying that maybe Monique is altering the way I see Ron?" Kim asked, realizing her mom was making perfect sense.

"Could be. Or it could be something else. It's just food for thought." She smiled at her daughter, and rose from the table. "It's late. Why don't you go to bed? You look tired."

Kim headed up to bed without another word. She was tired. After changing into her nightclothes and climbing time bed, it was only a few minutes until she was fast asleep.

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Ron had managed to leave his house undetected. His trusty, although slow, scooter had taken him to the location Wade had provided. It was an old farm house with a dilapidated barn, and crumbling grain silos. The dirt drive off the main road leading to the barn had fresh tire marks clearly visible under the full moon. Ron could see light coming from the back of the house and the old barn. He hid his scooter a little ways off the drive in some tall grass, and walked the remainder of the way.

As he approached the house the lights inside went out. "Look at that little buddy, they turned out the lights!"

"Ah huh...Sneak attach," Rufus squeaked.

"They're going to bed. This will be a snap," Ron continued, hoping this mission would be over quickly.

Staying low, Ron went around to the back of the house. It was very dark inside, and he couldn't see anything moving. The back door had a couple of steps leading up to it. Ron crept up the steps, and looked into the window portion of the door. Still nothing.

"Ready to go in?" Ron asked Rufus, still poking his head out of his pocket.

Rufus whispered, "Scary, scary."

Ron took the old door knob in his hand, and turned. It turned without hesitation, or hitting a latching mechanism. He pushed on the door to see if maybe it was locked from the inside. He was beginning to hope it might be so that he could go home.

The door opened freely. Ron pushed the door open enough for him to enter. He crept in, keeping very low. The moonlight coming in the windows allowed him to see there was no one else in the kitchen. There were two ways into the rest of the house from the kitchen. One looked like it went into a small dinning area. The other lead into to a family room. Ron chose the dinner room for his next goal.

As he crept into the dinning room he noticed there was a computer on the table in this room. 'This may be just what I need!' Ron thought. 'Drakken will surly keep his plans on the computer.' Ron stood up to get a look at the computer system. As he did he noticed a lot of papers strewn on the table. "I wish we had more light," he whispered to Rufus.

The room was suddenly brighter, and Ron could see all he wanted. He leaned over the table, looking at the papers scattered haphazardly. At once he was filled loathing and fear. He was so stunned by what he saw; it didn't dawn on him that he was no longer alone.

"Like my work boy?" Drakken asked with a sadistic smile.

Ron did not take his eyes away from the papers spread on the table. "These pictures aren't true! I was never at any of those places or did any of those things! And why is my head so big?"

"It's amazing what you can do with a scanner and a little software." Drakken said smugly, "Shego, get him!"

Before Ron could move, Shego had him on the floor with her knee in his back. She quickly bound his hands and feet with plastic ties. "That has to be a world record for tying up a fatted calf." Shego chuckled.

Ron struggled to free his hands against the excessively tight strips of plastic. They were painfully cutting into his wrists.

"Kim Possible is going to get you for this Drakken." Ron yelled in frustration at being caught off guard.

"Oh, I don't think so, sidekick. When she finds you buried in the back forty, she will be so crushed, she'll never fight crime again." Drakken laughed maniacally.

"You used me as bait!" Ron roared.

"No, No. Not bait. I would equate you to the weapon that is going to stop Ms. Possible in her tracks." Drakken said, grinning widely.

Dr. Drakken walked around to stand over Ron. He was now laying face up on top of his hands, still trying to free them.

"You and Kim are not getting along too well right now. Is that right?" Drakken asked with a smile. Ron said nothing. "Well, when she figures she was played for a fool, and caused your death by not believing in her very best friend or, dare I say, new boy friend, she will be only a whimpering shell of her former self."

"Kim won't let you get away with this! She'll hunt you down, and see that you're punished!" Ron sneered. He said the words with confidence, but he felt Drakken may be right. He had no idea what Kim would feel if she truly believed his death was her fault. He had to escape, or at least live through this.

"Shego, take Ronald here to his new home. His permanent new home." Dr. Drakken rubbed his hands together, grinning like a goon.

Shego lifted Ron onto her shoulder, and headed out the back door toward the barn. As they headed for the barn, Shego pointed toward a tractor about 200 yards out into a field. "You see that dark stop just in front of the tractor?" Ron couldn't make out the stop, but he got the idea. "Well, that is going to be your new home." Shego pushed open the barn doors to reveal a pine box about 6 feet long and two foot wide.

"We hope you enjoy it."

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Kim was startled awake by her Kimmunicator. She heard the beeps again; noticing is was 2:14 am. She groaned, pulling herself out of bed to retrieve her still beeping Kimmunicator.

"What's the sitch, Wade?" Kim asked in a very sleep voice.

"Kim! We got big trouble! It seems Ron was onto something about Drakken. He's been playing us, big time." He sighed quietly.

"Give me the lowdown, and get in touch with Ron." Kim commanded.

Wade started typing, but just as he was about to speak again he yelled, "Oh no!"

"What is it Wade?" Kim asked, her eyes widening. 'Please be good news...'

"It's Ron. He's missing."