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1001101111011010Neodammerung part 4: Final Fight0010110101010100011
"Self-reliance is the only road to true freedom, and being one's own person is its ultimate reward." -Patricia Sampson
Kim Stoppable let out a sigh as she ran her hand over the bulb-like tank that held her brother Jim, before turning her attention to the tank beside it holding her other brother Tim.
"You should be resting," a voice spoke behind her causing her to jump. She turned to see Capt. Barkin approaching her, "or at least spending time with your husband."
"Ron's asleep, and I was restless …" Kim explained, "I wanted to check on them one last time before …"
"The big battle? Armageddon? Doomsday?" Barkin nodded in understanding, "This is it, I've seen war, and I've seen this so called peace. More like bought time Neo bought us."
"I know why he isn't worried," Barkin said patting the younger woman's shoulder.
"Because he's the One, right?" Kim cocked an eyebrow.
"No," Barkin shook his head, "Because it's old hat."
Kim looked up at the man quizzically, "Possible, He has Neo in him and Neo was … he was just … unexplainable. Just being around him gave a calm feeling, knowing that if he was there, losing wasn't an option, just because he wouldn't allow it to happen. Stoppable's the same way, and somehow, I've known that since you two entered my class in high school." He then looked up, "I'm surprised you're nervous! How many times have you two already saved the world?"
"But all those times it was just fake, some little digital game the Machines thought up to entertain …" Kim said looking away, "This is real … too real."
"There is no difference, Kimberly," Barkin said firmly, "Peoples' lives are in danger, the only option left is to fight, and just as always, you and Stoppable are facing it head on together. I fail to see the difference."
"When you put it that way …" Kim blushed slightly, looking down at her brothers. "Are they going to be ok?"
"Definitely, they're actually doing better then expected. They'll be ready to be released in time to hold their nieces." Barkin patted Tim's tank.
"Will they remember much from the Matrix?" Kim asked looking up questioningly at her former teacher.
"They'll remember you, your husband, their family … and … their parents," Barkin said carefully, "The rest will be blurred with partial amnesia so they will better accept the real world over the dream world." He then slapped her shoulder, "Now get back to your husband, and make sure he doesn't sleep through the battle like he did my class. He may be the reincarnation of Neo, but he's still a slacker."
Kim smiled at the man, "Of course, and I'll keep our conversation here just between us, wouldn't want your tough guy name soiled."
"Good," Barkin narrowed his eyes, "I'd hate for any embarrassing information about their mother to fall into your daughters' hands sometime in the near future, wouldn't you?"
"Like what?" Kim gasped, blinking rapidly.
"Wouldn't you like to know?"
Just a few meters above her, Josh Mankey walked around the camera stations before a large stage, where Morpheus, Link, and Ghost were busy setting up for Ron's big speech to the gathered fleet. "Everything good to go, Gentlemen?" Josh asked, glancing up at several accessible areas above the stage.
"Yes, all we lack is putting power to the cameras and linking the footage to the fleet." Morpheus stated, double checking a wire. "But that can wait till just before his speech."
"How about security, surely you'll have several guards posted?" Josh questioned casually.
"Most of the people will be transferred to the safe house below Jericho or on a ship in the air. All that will be left here is the Nab crew." Ghost replied, turning a light on the stage.
"Oh, Ok," Josh nodded, "Captain Morpheus, would it be alright if I stay here, and join the Nebuchadnezzar II crew for the battle? Ron and Kim are my friends and I'd like to stand by them during this."
Morpheus looked at his crew questioningly before turning to the young man, "I do not see any problems with it, welcome aboard."
"Thank you sir," Josh grinned, "You won't regret it…"
Kim silently eased into the bedroom of the apartment and saw Ron laying face down on their bed. A smirk played on the redhead's lips as she kicked off her boots and padded toward his side. She looked down at his still form. He looked so relaxed, so adorable … that had to be taken care of.
She jabbed her finger into his rib, tickling mercilessly, "Don't pretend to be asleep, Ronald Dean Stoppable, I know when you're faking!"
Kim squealed as he quickly reached up and grabbed her by the waist and in a rolling motion pushed her into the bed and pinned her down. "I was just resting my eyes," Ron said with a smirk, gazing down into her love-filled emerald eyes.
"Ahuh, sure," Kim smiled, "you ready for your speech?" she asked but as his smile faded, hers followed, "You've at least written one out right?" more silence, "RON!"
"I can wing it!" Ron said defensively rolling off his wife, who sprang up to glare at him.
"Wing it? Ron, this is HUGE!" Kim swung her arms out, fighting the urge to strangle her husband. "You have to give a speech to encourage everyone … EVERYONE and you haven't even thought about it!"
"I have too thought about!" Ron whimpered, shrinking away from his outraged lover, "I just got it in the ol' noggin …"
Kim gave him a death glare and he sighed and looked at his hands in his lap, "Look, KP, I know how big this is, that's why I don't want to just give them some rehearsed pep talk. I'm just going to go up there and basically tell them what we're up against and tell them we can win this fight. I don't want to just read from a piece of paper, I want it to come from here. Know what I mean?" Ron asked, pounding on his chest.
Kim gave him a skeptical look, but her face softened when he brushed his fingers along her jaw line, "All I ask is for you to believe in me."
Kim sighed and nuzzled her cheek against his palm, "I wish you didn't learn to do that," She whispered, referring to how that particular touch made her melt in his palm. "Alright Ron, I believe in you, I always have. And I always will." She said, taking his hand in hers and placing it on her belly, "We all do."
"Know what I was thinking about when you came in?" Ron said, letting his hand linger over where his daughters were growing.
"Hmm?" Kim murmured leaning her head on his shoulder.
"I was thinking about retirement from the hero business," Ron stated, bringing his arms up to hug her. "We've been at it for what? Eight years at least? After we clean house, what do you say we sit back and let some other people save the world and just watch our girls grow up?"
"Think we can stay still long enough to settle down?" Kim smiled as she snuggled against her husband.
"One way to find out, huh, KP?" Ron grinned, kissing her forehead.
"Let's give it a try," Kim nodded, "After this fight Team Possible is throwing in the towel."
"We don't have long till show time," Ron said looking at the clock on the night table.
"Let's not rush it," Kim said, before silencing Ron with a kiss.
Kim took a deep breath as she stood between Morpheus and Niobi before the prepared stage with Ghost and Link working the camera and feed controls. Ron slowly walked up to the podium and glanced down at his Kim with a slight worried look flashing in his chocolate eyes. The worry vanished when Kim mouthed 'I love you' to the teenaged hero.
Ron took one more deep breath before finally speaking in a strong voice. "Heroes of Zion, please give me your attention for a few moments."
Kim had to blink a few times before she could believe when her emerald eyes were seeing. Memories flashed through her mind of her early life. She was the one with confidence, while Ron timidly followed. She was the one with the courage, while Ron was the one who had to be encouraged. This had snuck up on her completely. Ron had grown up, he was a man now. She was the one who was timid and worried, and here he was standing before her and the human race, preparing to give them all a portion of his seemingly endless supply of courage.
She then shook her head as he prepared to speak. "Zion, for seven generations I have come. For seven generations I have fought for you. For seven generations I have died for you. For seven generations I have died as a mere game for the machines who try to rule us. THIS generation, we must make a stand. THIS generation we must rise up and face those who oppose us, enslave us, who have treated us as no more then cattle. I will not fight this battle for you. No I won't simple go in and sacrifice myself to simply keep the cycle in motion as before. This time, I stand with you. This time, I FIGHT with you.
"This won't be an easy battle. It is likely a lot of us will not live to see the rising sun touch the earth for the first time in countless years. But let's not make these sacrifices as the previous in the war, where lives were laid down simple to keep the cycle moving, to keep the machine's control intact. Let us all lay down our lives, put our very bodies on the line, so that our children can live without the shadow of the machines lingering over them. I don't know about you, but I want to give my daughters fields of green and a life without fear of what will happen tomorrow. I do not mean an artificial world that the machines gave us. This world was ours to begin with. Let's take back what is rightfully ours, and end this nightmare once and for all.
Let's go into battle today, not to defeat an enemy. Let's go out there and fight to create, fight to save, fight for our children, and our children's children. The machines gave us a dream world. Let's go and give them a nightmare!"
Morpheus and the crew stood and gave a strong, applause while Link jumped around whooping and hollering in excitement. All the while Kim beamed at her husband with pride and love in her eyes. Morpheus grinned as he glanced around at his crew before catching sight of something in a small piece of reflective metal beside the stage.
"RONALD! LOOK OUT!" Morpheus yelled, making a dash for the stage just as an electro drill discharged a blast of focused electricity toward the unsuspecting teen.
Morpheus jumped on stage and shoved Ron down as the discharge cut into the small of his back.
"MORPHEUS!!" Niobi cried out running to her husband's side.
Ron looked where the blast came from determinedly. "Why don't you come down here and face me like a man?" Ron yelled, giving a glance Kim's way.
"I believe I shall, Mr. Stoppable." Josh said jumping down the short drop from his hiding spot and approaching the side of the stage.
"You!" Ghost growled, but Ron held up his hand to stop him.
"No, Ghost, leave him to us." Ron said before turning his attention to his wife's ex, "The last Agent Smith, huh?"
"Most cleaver, Mr. Stoppable," Josh smirked, "most clever indeed. Much smarter then Mr. Anderson, it took him much longer to realize his true enemy."
"What do you want?" Ron asked, "I defeated the Alpha Smith, and the Matrix is gone, so why are you still here."
"Oh that is simple, Mr. Stoppable, so simple even Mr. Anderson could have figured it out," Josh grinned insanely, "I'm here for revenge. You beat almost all of me, but well … me. So now, I'm here to destroy you."
"It's pointless, you're free from the Matrix, Smith," Ron stated easing toward the last of the Agent programs. "Isn't it what you wanted all along, to be free?"
"That is what Agent Smith wished for," Josh shrugged, "BUT the program was corrupted. I want revenge. I suffered eighteen years of being pushed around, used, and treated like second hand crap. So now I want revenge!"
"You don't want me …" Ron's eyes widened in realization, "You want KP."
"Bingo! You aren't as dumb as I thought, but I know to do that, I must destroy you. Even though I am sure it would be entertaining to see your reaction when I dig out your unborn spawn from the pile of worthless flesh that was Kim Possible." If Josh had anymore to say Ron's flying tackle cut it off.
Josh responded with a hard elbow to Ron's stomach, making him double over. "Come and get me, Mr. Stoppable!" Josh grinned disappearing into the hallway.
"See to Morpheus!" Ron yelled at the group, "The Monkey's mine …" he growled before running after him.
"I see you got my old cowardice, Smith!" Ron called in the shadowy hallway, "Why won't you face me? Scared of losing?"
"Losing to you, Mr. Stoppable?" Josh's voice laughed, "Outside the Matrix you're as you were before: nothing without KP."
"Why don't you come out and prove it?" Ron yelled, "C'mon Smith, do some-" Ron's words were cut off by a sharp pain in the side of the head sending him to his knees.
Ron brought his hand to the side of his head, and pulled back to see it covered in blood. "Blindside me, Smith? That wasn't very nice …" Ron said looking up only to be kicked backwards by Josh's steel-toed boot.
Ron stumbled to his feet only to be bombarded with a serious of punches that sent him stumbling backwards into a lounge area with a large window overlooking the city fifty feet above the ground. "I won't let you hurt anyone else, Smith," Ron growled, rearing back and throwing a punch at Josh, who easily dodged and replied with an uppercut to the rubs, causing Ron to cough out a spray of saliva and blood.
Ron coughed before gasping when Josh picked him up by the throat, "Any last words, before I snap your pathetic neck, Mr. Stoppable?"
"Yeah," Ron wheezed, "I have a question …"
"Alright, ask away." Josh smirked.
"If you have my memories, what was I before I was freed and became the One?" Ron asked weakly.
"Alright, I'll humor you," Josh smirked, lowering Ron where his feet were now on the ground, "You were a pathetic loser. You were a waist of flesh and space, the laughing stock of high school and the community. You were Kim Possible's ass kisser and followed her like a lost whipped bitch puppy. You was her sidekick her …" He paused, his eyes growing wide, "her distraction …"
Josh glanced to the left, just to see Kim running full speed toward him, before leaping into the air, administering a flying kick to her first lover's side sending him flying through the glass window, sailing toward the hard ground.
"YOU'LL NEVER BE RID OF ME, STOPPABLE! I'M A PART OF YOU! YOU'LL NEVER BE-" Josh's taunts where cut short as he collided with the hard ground.
"Ron! You're hurt …" Kim said as she helped Ron sit up on the ground.
"Just a … ouch … scratch …" Ron winced as Kim gently touched the gash on his forehead. "You ok?" Ron asked, noticing she was avoiding eye contact.
"What he said … you really feel like that?" Kim asked, "I really was a bitch to you …"
"Important word there, KP," Ron said touching her cheek, "was. What matters is now."
"I really do love you, Ron," Kim whimpered sadly.
"Love you too, KP," Ron smiled before wincing when Kim took a piece of cloth from Ron's own shirt and wrapped it around his forehead. "Morpheus?"
"Come on, baby, let's see what happened," Kim said helping him stand.
"I think that was the first time you called me that outside of sex, KP," Ron gave a shy smile.
"You better get used to it then," Kim gave a small smile, before they started back toward the hall.
"How is he?" Kim and Ron both asked as they rejoined the group surrounding Morpheus.
"I think he'll make it," A healer that was brought up from the safety zone below the city said, looking him over, "But I'm afraid it seems his spine was damaged."
Kim placed a hand on the trembling Niobi's shoulder, "That means …"
"He has no feeling from the waist down," the healer sighed, "we have him secured and will take him down to the safety zone."
Before the gurney was rolled away, he grabbed Kim's hand, "Copilot the Neb II with Niobi, Kimberly, go … win this fight … do it for me and for Neo and Trinity, and Tres, your parents and everyone who has fallen in this horrible war …" Morpheus said weakly, locking eyes with the redhead.
He then turned to Ron, "The Oracle said …" he started, but his voice began to slur from the drugs given to him, "I would not stand on free earth … but I would live on it … it makes sense now. Finish this Ronald, lead them to victory."
"So what do we do now?" Ghost asked watching the gurney being rolled away.
"You should realize it," Ron said taking Kim's hand.
"We finish it." Kim finished for him, "Once and for all."
TO BE CONCLUDED
C. Cowboy: I'd like to take this moment to thank everyone who has read and reviewed this fic, and I hope you have enjoyed the story so far, and will enjoy the climatic conclusion with the final battle between man and machine. Be warned though, there will be some character deaths in the next chapter. As for the names for the twins, I have decided for their names to be Mia Faith and Tia Hope Stoppable. Expect the final chapter of the Kimmatrix Trilogy, Neodammerung part 5: A New Dawn to be up soon! Thanks for reading and reviewing!