"Kim, I really don't feel that good," Ron said slowly, stretching out
on the floor next to her bed. His health was improving, but he still felt
very weak. His voice was recognizable but still far from normal.
"You think it has something to do with eating sixty dollars worth of chips?"
"Nope," Ron answered smugly.
"Well, we need to figure out how to stop Drakken before that sub takes to the open water. Take a look at this." Kim handed Ron a set of blueprints, which he carefully studied for several seconds.
"It's a building."
"It's the covered drydock where the submarine is," Kim said, mildly irritated by her friend's ignorance. "Look at this. If we can flood the drydock, we can get the submarine floating... then we just pop open the main doors, and Drakken's secret project is floating in Baltimore Harbor."
"Then what?"
"Then we wait for the Coast Guard or the Police to notice the big submarine and clean up."
"Any reason we just don't tip em' off to what's going on in the drydock? I mean, the police could handle this."
"They would need a search warrant, so Drakken would probably be able to stall them long enough to get the sub out and escape. Once he submerges, he's safe. We'll surprise him... there won't be enough people on the sub to man it, let alone enough time to get underway."
"Sounds pretty snappy, KP... but how do we flood the drydock?"
"Did you even look at those blueprints I just handed you?"
"Kim... when will you ever learn? Why read when you can get someone to explain everything to you?"
Kim gave him a hard stare but Ron didn't seem to notice. "All right, genius boy. You see this stormwater drain? That connects, via this underground flow control valve, to the drydock."
"Come again?"
"The storm drain connects to the drydock."
"Gotcha."
"So, we need to block the outflow from the storm drain and then put a large amount of water into the sewer."
"So we plug the drain, and fill the tub?"
"Ahh... yeah."
"How?"
"I got Wade working on that... he said he'll have something in about an hour."
"So we wait?" Ron asked.
"Yeah, we wait."
"You got any snackage around here?"
"I thought you weren't feeling good? Your voice is still so raspy and all."
"Since when do I need to feel good to food, Kim?"
"I just kinda assumed, Ron."
Ron rubbed his right hand over the large gash on his forehead. "This does not stop Ron Stoppable!" he announced bluntly.
"Actually, I was more concerned that all those prescriptions you're on could be giving you some nasty side affects." Kim was surprised that Ron didn't have an immediate comeback. From her spot on her bed, she glanced down at Ron, who was sleeping peacefully. I guess that's what happens when you take six different pills that all make you drowsy she thought.
"So we don't even need to go into the building?" Kim asked.
"Nope," Wade replied over the communicator. "All you have to do is block storm drain #37... which shouldn't be a problem... anything will do."
"And for the water?" Kim inquired.
"I did some consulting work for a firm that builds pumps for fireboats. I'll have one there waiting for you... all you gotta do is put one hose in the harbor and the other down the storm drain."
"OK... then to open the doors?"
"I thought that was going to be tough, but it really doesn't look too bad. The main doors for the drydock have an electronic lock holding them shut... without it, the doors will just pop open as soon as you get enough water pressure behind them... then the submarine will just float out with the current."
"And how we unlock the lock?" Ron interjected with a bit of skepticism.
"Like I said... it's electronic. Cut the power... this particular city block has its own transformer, right at the intersection of these two streets," Wade said, replacing his image with a map on the communicator's small screen. "But be careful... if you cut the power before you fill the drydock, you won't have electricity for the pump. By my calculations, eight minutes and thirty seconds of pumping should be plenty."
"Ok, got it. You rock Wade." Kim clicked off the communicator and turned to her blonde sidekick. "Ron, if I run this pump contraption Wade has lined up, do you think you and Rufus can pull the plug at the transformer when I give you the word?"
"Sure thing, KP," Ron said with a yawn, "but what time is it? Two in the morning?"
"You're right, there is no way we can make it to Baltimore before daylight."
"I just wanted to know what time it is, Kim-
"It's two AM... and we'll head to Baltimore tomorrow night, right after school. We can do homework on the plane."
"You can, I'm not breaking the rules."
"What are you talking about, Ron?" Kim said, slightly puzzled.
Ron reached into his backpack, pulling out a small book. "Middleton Student Handbook, chapter three, section D." He cleared his throat and started to read. "At the teacher's discretion, student's will receive homework assignments which must be completed at home by the student prior to a date designated by the teacher, normally the next class period." Ron closed the book and looked at Kim. "Airplane isn't home last I checked."
Kim slapped her right hand over her eyes and groaned.
Kim's patience was gone, and she finally elbowed Ron in the ribs. The skinny boy had been hunched over, asleep with his head resting on the tray table. How he managed to sleep on an airplane at five in the afternoon, let alone in that incredibly unnatural position, was a mystery to Kim, but his loud snoring was all too clear.
"Hey! What was that for?" Ron yelled, snapping upright.
"Noise control."
Rufus chirped a quick thank you and gave Kim a big buck-toothed grin.
"I don't get it," Ron said, looking at her with confusion.
"Never mind. We're landing in Baltimore in about half an hour anyway."
"That's half an hour of extra sleep I could of gotten," Ron mumbled angrily.
"And half an hour that no one else on the plane could have heard themselves think."
"What are you saying?" Ron said, narrowing his eyes slightly.
"You snore."
"No I don't," Ron replied matter-of-factly.
"Uh-huh, snore!" Rufus yelped, pointing at Ron.
"Well, you're naked!"
Rufus grumbled in response, plopping himself down on the armrest between Kim and Ron.
------ Author's Notes: I know this is a short chapter, but I figured it was best to update quickly... didn't like leaving just one chapter up. Thanks for reading!
"You think it has something to do with eating sixty dollars worth of chips?"
"Nope," Ron answered smugly.
"Well, we need to figure out how to stop Drakken before that sub takes to the open water. Take a look at this." Kim handed Ron a set of blueprints, which he carefully studied for several seconds.
"It's a building."
"It's the covered drydock where the submarine is," Kim said, mildly irritated by her friend's ignorance. "Look at this. If we can flood the drydock, we can get the submarine floating... then we just pop open the main doors, and Drakken's secret project is floating in Baltimore Harbor."
"Then what?"
"Then we wait for the Coast Guard or the Police to notice the big submarine and clean up."
"Any reason we just don't tip em' off to what's going on in the drydock? I mean, the police could handle this."
"They would need a search warrant, so Drakken would probably be able to stall them long enough to get the sub out and escape. Once he submerges, he's safe. We'll surprise him... there won't be enough people on the sub to man it, let alone enough time to get underway."
"Sounds pretty snappy, KP... but how do we flood the drydock?"
"Did you even look at those blueprints I just handed you?"
"Kim... when will you ever learn? Why read when you can get someone to explain everything to you?"
Kim gave him a hard stare but Ron didn't seem to notice. "All right, genius boy. You see this stormwater drain? That connects, via this underground flow control valve, to the drydock."
"Come again?"
"The storm drain connects to the drydock."
"Gotcha."
"So, we need to block the outflow from the storm drain and then put a large amount of water into the sewer."
"So we plug the drain, and fill the tub?"
"Ahh... yeah."
"How?"
"I got Wade working on that... he said he'll have something in about an hour."
"So we wait?" Ron asked.
"Yeah, we wait."
"You got any snackage around here?"
"I thought you weren't feeling good? Your voice is still so raspy and all."
"Since when do I need to feel good to food, Kim?"
"I just kinda assumed, Ron."
Ron rubbed his right hand over the large gash on his forehead. "This does not stop Ron Stoppable!" he announced bluntly.
"Actually, I was more concerned that all those prescriptions you're on could be giving you some nasty side affects." Kim was surprised that Ron didn't have an immediate comeback. From her spot on her bed, she glanced down at Ron, who was sleeping peacefully. I guess that's what happens when you take six different pills that all make you drowsy she thought.
"So we don't even need to go into the building?" Kim asked.
"Nope," Wade replied over the communicator. "All you have to do is block storm drain #37... which shouldn't be a problem... anything will do."
"And for the water?" Kim inquired.
"I did some consulting work for a firm that builds pumps for fireboats. I'll have one there waiting for you... all you gotta do is put one hose in the harbor and the other down the storm drain."
"OK... then to open the doors?"
"I thought that was going to be tough, but it really doesn't look too bad. The main doors for the drydock have an electronic lock holding them shut... without it, the doors will just pop open as soon as you get enough water pressure behind them... then the submarine will just float out with the current."
"And how we unlock the lock?" Ron interjected with a bit of skepticism.
"Like I said... it's electronic. Cut the power... this particular city block has its own transformer, right at the intersection of these two streets," Wade said, replacing his image with a map on the communicator's small screen. "But be careful... if you cut the power before you fill the drydock, you won't have electricity for the pump. By my calculations, eight minutes and thirty seconds of pumping should be plenty."
"Ok, got it. You rock Wade." Kim clicked off the communicator and turned to her blonde sidekick. "Ron, if I run this pump contraption Wade has lined up, do you think you and Rufus can pull the plug at the transformer when I give you the word?"
"Sure thing, KP," Ron said with a yawn, "but what time is it? Two in the morning?"
"You're right, there is no way we can make it to Baltimore before daylight."
"I just wanted to know what time it is, Kim-
"It's two AM... and we'll head to Baltimore tomorrow night, right after school. We can do homework on the plane."
"You can, I'm not breaking the rules."
"What are you talking about, Ron?" Kim said, slightly puzzled.
Ron reached into his backpack, pulling out a small book. "Middleton Student Handbook, chapter three, section D." He cleared his throat and started to read. "At the teacher's discretion, student's will receive homework assignments which must be completed at home by the student prior to a date designated by the teacher, normally the next class period." Ron closed the book and looked at Kim. "Airplane isn't home last I checked."
Kim slapped her right hand over her eyes and groaned.
Kim's patience was gone, and she finally elbowed Ron in the ribs. The skinny boy had been hunched over, asleep with his head resting on the tray table. How he managed to sleep on an airplane at five in the afternoon, let alone in that incredibly unnatural position, was a mystery to Kim, but his loud snoring was all too clear.
"Hey! What was that for?" Ron yelled, snapping upright.
"Noise control."
Rufus chirped a quick thank you and gave Kim a big buck-toothed grin.
"I don't get it," Ron said, looking at her with confusion.
"Never mind. We're landing in Baltimore in about half an hour anyway."
"That's half an hour of extra sleep I could of gotten," Ron mumbled angrily.
"And half an hour that no one else on the plane could have heard themselves think."
"What are you saying?" Ron said, narrowing his eyes slightly.
"You snore."
"No I don't," Ron replied matter-of-factly.
"Uh-huh, snore!" Rufus yelped, pointing at Ron.
"Well, you're naked!"
Rufus grumbled in response, plopping himself down on the armrest between Kim and Ron.
------ Author's Notes: I know this is a short chapter, but I figured it was best to update quickly... didn't like leaving just one chapter up. Thanks for reading!