Josh shook his head, closed his eyes, and pinched himself. "What just happened?" he asked.
"Well, we dropped into the thankfully closed-pipe sewer tunnels, switched to some secret underground access roads, and came up through my basement." replied Kim.
"I think he meant before that bit," supplied Ron, "as in, back at Drakken's lair."
"Well, that would be a question I don't have an answer to. That man confuses me – what side is he on?"
"Not him," said Josh, "What was your deal?"
"Yeah. What happened back there?" Ron concurred, "You went all crazy like, and then your clones set on fire and then – you were going to kill Shego?"
Kim closed her eyes and hung her head. "I don't quite know. I wish I did. It was ... weird, beyond all belief. I don't want to talk about it right now."
Josh was about to protest, but Ron had known Kim for much longer. "If she says she doesn't want to talk, she has good reason for it." he advised. "Look, we're all covered in blood - we should really clean up."
"You know where the bathroom is, Ron. I'm sure you can show Josh." said Kim, sitting down on her desk chair.
"Ladies first," offered Josh.
Kim smiled slightly and opened her eyes. "That may not be such a good idea," she said.
"You need it, KP," insisted Ron.
"Ron," Kim protested, "You know how long I take. You guys go first."
"But it's eti- uh,"
"Etiquette," Josh supplied.
"Right, etiquette!" Ron grinned, "You can't fight etiquette!"
"Right." said Kim, sarcastically. "Well, seeing as how you two are being so persistent...." Kim left the room. She came back shortly after with a bathrobe and towel in hand, and paying no attention to the fact that the boys were still there, dumped them on the bed and started to undress.
As she pulled her shirt off, the the boys turned away hurriedly. "Coffee?" asked Ron. Josh nodded, and they edged out of the room.
"Does she normally just do that after a mission?" asked Josh in the kitchen.
"Is the Josh man jealous?" teased Ron, grinning.
Josh punched him hard in the abdomen. "That's my girlfriend you're talking about there."
Ron, only slightly winded, pushed himself up from the bench. He shook his head, and closing his eyes as though sighing, he jabbed Josh back in the stomach. "Ease up, man - I'm kidding. Look, we're best friends, nothing more," Ron took on a slightly more serious tone, "but I do hold her close, so you'd better not hurt her. Ever."
"Right." Josh
croaked from the floor. Ron may have looked scrawny, but there was more
force behind that jab than Josh had received before - he'd been pushed
not only to the ground, but also all the way across the floor and into
the bench on the other side. He pulled himself from the floor, and
opened the fridge.
Handing Ron the milk, Josh tried to lighten the mood he'd fouled. "That's one mean punch you pack." he stated.
"I guess it's just one of those things I picked up on the way." Ron replied, "Sugar?"
Josh shook his head. Ron handed him a cup, and they sat on opposite sides of the breakfast table. "So, any idea what Da Hand is on about?" he asked.
"Something weird," replied Ron, "let's not talk about it without KP. She's good at these things."
There was a rap at the door. Ron and Josh looked each other in the eye, seeming to discuss something without words. Ron then stood up, and headed up the stairs.
In Dr's. Possible's bedroom, Ron headed to the drawers on one side of the bed. He shook the handle up the top drawer a bit, then twisted it about a half turn. He slid the board on the top of the drawers back to reveal a compartment behind the top drawer. There were two guns there - an immobilisation ray and a glock. He took the immobilisation ray, and then the hand gun as well, just in case. He also retrieved the Lotus Blade from Kim's room.
Going back down the stairs, the immobilisation ray ready, he nodded to Josh who was at the door. Josh opened it.
"Hello, uh, Joshua," said Dr. Director, "I presume from the fact that you're here, that Kim is home?"
"Who are you?" asked Josh, startled. He hadn't expected to see someone he neither already knew nor had met in the last 24 hours.
"She's cleaning up," Ron replied, putting the ray gun down, "come in, Dr. D."
"Thank you, Ron." Dr. Director smiled as she entered. "I'm Dr. Director of Global Justice, Mr. Mankey. Normally I don't tell civilians that, but I get the impression you've become involved." she indicated the blood on his clothes.
"Coffee?" asked Ron, leading the way into the kitchen. He put the weapons down on the table on the way past.
"Thankyou. Two sugars." replied Dr. Director, eyeing the Lotus Blade as she sat down.
"What's the sitch?" asked Ron, bringing Dr. Director's coffee.
"Something has cropped up that may be disturbing to this town," she replied. Holding up a photograph that looked distinctly like Da Hand, but with long hair, she continued, "I suspect you have seen this man?"
Sorry this chapter was so long coming, but I had exams, and some coding stuff, and blah, blah, blah, yadda, yadda, yadda, ad infinitum. The next chapters will be here much quicker.
See, G-rated "shower scene"! By way of talking about having showers. Of course, the next bit was PG - I suddenly decided that I needed an external movie-culture reference (This is becoming quickly a game of spot the chapter with no cultural references).
About the shortness of the previous chapter, or lack thereof. The statement about "Shortest chapter by far" was dead wrong - I forgot how short the first few had been; In my head they were the same chapter. In case you hadn't noticed, I changed formats around the sixth chapter. That and they just got longer. Now they got shorter again - I probably would have tacked this chapter onto the end of the last one after a rule break if I'd had it finished then. Left you with a double hangover ;-P (Not exactly cliffhangers, but loose threads for sure).
In the next chapter: Nudity and fight scenes! Fight scenes that should logically have nudity in them! Kung-Fu in bathrobes! Stay tuned!
