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Chapter 4: A Hero Is Born

Kim Possible crept over the warehouse Wade had told her Drakken and Shego escaped to after their latest heist.

"Aw, you look so lonely!" A purring voice spoke from behind the young hero. Kim spun around to see the young woman she recognized as Black Cat leaning against the chimney of the warehouse. "Where's your little boyfriend: Ron Stoppable?"

"Should've known you'd be working with Drakken," Kim growled, taking a fighting stance.

"Me? Work with that blue Dweeb?" Black Cat laughed, "Sorry, honey, I work alone." She said, looking at the claws of her white gloves, "You know, no worrying about anything. Take what I want, when I want, anyway I want."

"So, what are you doing here?" Kim snarled, not liking this girl at all.

"I heard you and your bed buddy had a falling out," Black Cat said, turning her crystal blues toward Kim, "I wanted to see if it was true."

"Me and Ron are only best friends," Kim growled, "We're still best friends. We're just having a few … problems lately, but nothing big."

"Is that a fact?" Black Cat grinned before slinking toward her, stopping just in front of the girl. "I'd be careful if I were you, Kimmie." Black Cat said, running her gloved hand through Kim's scarlet locks, "You never know when some pussy cat will move in right under your nose and take your canary."

Kim turned away in disgust, but Black Cat grabbed her face and made her look at her. She leaned forward to the point their noses were less than a fraction of an inch apart. Kim blushed as she locked eyes with the leather-clad girl. "What do you think of your sidekick sleeping with another girl? Hmm, Kimmie? Fun little thought, isn't it?"

"Ron's not like that …" Kim whimpered, finding her boldness melting away.

"Isn't he? Did you believe he'd always follow you around like a lost, little puppy?" Black Cat asked, moving her bottom lip against Kim's quickly before pulling away. "Face it, Possible, he's grown up and doesn't need you to lead him around anymore. You could have grown up together, but … oh, well. I won't go into that. Your life. Have fun on your solo missions. See ya around, Kim." Black Cat back flipped away and jumped over the side of the rooftop, turning flips as she went.

"She doesn't know anything," Kim growled, crossing her hands as a small object bounced at her feet. She glanced down at the small sphere as it began to spew green gas. "No!" Kim cried out before the gas overtook her and she fell into unconsciousness.

"Wake up!" Kim heard Drakken bark and she slowly opened her sore eyes to find herself being held up before the blue skinned Dr. Drakken and the mint-skinned Shego. She glanced around to see at least twenty massive guards, two of which were holding her arms so tightly that it was starting to cut off her circulation. "Welcome back to the land of the living, Kim Possible."

"You won't get away with this, Drakken," Kim shot, glaring at the mad scientist.

"Oh, really?" Drakken laughed, "Anyway, now that you're awake, I can show off what I stole from Dr. Octavius." He then turned to the attractive, pale skinned girl, "Shego, please give me a hand … or four … HAH, I made a funny!"

Shego rolled her eyes and grabbed a wheeled platform with something on top covered in a tarp.

She moved it closer and pulled off the tarp to unveil a type of harness with four metallic, tendril-like arms. "Behold, Kim Possible, the late Dr. Otto Octavius' most useful, most practical invention. A set of mechanical arms completely keyed to my nervous system by my spinal column!"

"What do you need with more arms, Drakken?" Kim asked, trying to hold in the silliness of the concept.

"Oh, I'll show you," Drakken smiled as he climbed up and took off his shirt. He pressed his back into the harness, and Shego pressed a button on the back on the machinery. The harness came alive and clamped around his waist. Drakken whimpered as needles cut through his flesh all the way to his spinal column. "Oh, that tingles …" He whispered as the four snake-like arms lifted from their resting places, their tri-pronged hands and single, centered red eyes shined at Kim, sending a shiver of fear down her spine.

"What do you think, Ms. Possible?" Drakken asked as one of the metallic, claw-like hands snapped at her face. "Each of these arms has a super intelligent AI system built in. With a neural-interface chip at the base of my spine, I can make them listen to me. Isn't it just wicked?"

"Let her go," Drakken ordered his minions, "I'm going to finish what I should have years ago."

Kim was dropped to the ground and immediately jumped at the mad scientist. But just as she was about to throw a punch, her breath was forced from her lungs, as one of his tendrils hit her hard in the chest, sending her bouncing along the ground before she finally hit the back wall of the warehouse with a loud thud.

Kim pulled herself to her hands and knees and gasped when she realized what the coppery tasting fluid seeping up from her throat was. She spit saliva and blood out on the floor before shakily pulling herself back to her feet.

She ran at the mad man again, only this time all four tendrils attacked her, Three wrapping around her arms and her waist while the fourth hovered before her like a snake preparing to strike. "I'm a bit busy, but me being the good doctor that I am … I believe I can squeeze you in, Kim Possible."

Kim tried to struggle, but then gasped as the tendrils tightened their grip. She fought hard to keep from screaming, but when she felt warm blood start to drip from where the metallic appendages squeezed her, she could hold it in no longer. "You've been a naughty girl, Kimmie," Drakken grinned, "I think you need a whipping."

Kim had been in many fights and she had taken some pretty bad hits, even been beaten up, but never, ever had she been beaten. But now, as she hung helplessly in Drakken's metallic grasp, his free tendril beat her and whipped her over and over, across the face, chest, legs, back, waist, all over her body.

'Help …' She mentally prayed, 'someone …please … please help … anyone … Ron … help …'

The pain eased when she heard the sound of the rooftop windows shatter, then she gasped when she felt the arms suddenly let her drop.

She groaned and opened her eyes to see Drakken and his extra arms sprawled against the opposite walls. "That wasn't very nice, Blue Boy," a man standing between her and Drakken said in a cocky voice.

"Who the heck are you supposed to be?" Drakken asked as his arms helped him back to his feet.

"Who? Me?" the red and blue costumed teen asked, pointing to himself. "I'm just your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man!"

Spider-Man, Spider-Man
Does whatever a Spider can

Drakken tried to jump at him, but quickly found himself attached to the wall by a web-like net. "Stick around for a while, Doc, the party's just starting!" Spider-Man mocked before back flipping over the attacking Shego and giving her a kick in the small of her back.

Spins a web, any size
Catches thieves, just like flies

Look out!
Here comes the Spider-Man!

"Guards!" Drakken called out.

"Oh, I already met your buddies," Spider-Man chuckled, dodging Shego's attacks with ease, "They're all hanging around out outside."

Spider-Man finally stopped ignoring Shego's futile attacks, "Oh, hi there, Sparky," he said as he grabbed the girl's wrists with one hand, "You feeling ok? You look a little green around the gills, not to mention everywhere else."

Shego growled and launched a flying kick at the hero, who easily caught her lower leg with both hands and spun her over his head numerous times. "Gotcha, you can stop being green with jealousy now," he quipped and he continued the impromptu merry-go-round ride.

Shego gasped and teetered for a minute as Spider-Man dropped her to the ground. She tried to get ready to attack again, but the next kick to her face was so powerful that she went flying across the room and cracked the brick wall behind her. She crumpled against the floor and deposited her last meal on the floor before she fell into unconsciousness.

Is he strong? Listen, bud
He's got radioactive blood
Can he swing from a thread?
No escape from his spider web

"Any other takers?" the Wall-crawler asked as he stood his ground.

"I'm ready for round two, Bug!" Drakken yelled as his arms whipped at the hero.

Look out!
Here comes the Spider-Man!

"I'm not a bug. I'm an arachnid. Jeez, some doctor, huh, Kim?" Spider-Man quipped and, with the grace of an Olympic gymnast, flipped and twirled through Drakken's attacks. "Missed me," Spider-Man mocked as he ducked an attack, "Missed me again."

Drakken, growing outraged, started swinging rapidly, and even with his spider-sense, Spider-Man was having trouble keeping up.

When chill meets the night
at a scream or a crime
like a laser light
He arrives just in time!

Spider-Man swung by a webline and fired a wad of webbing at Drakken, hitting him directly in the face and blinding him.

"Don't worry, Drakken, it'll dissolve in an hour or so," Spider-Man chuckled as the scientist pulled at the covering on his face. "Oh boy …" the Wall-crawler gulped as the arms started swinging without any pattern.

Spider-Man, Spider-Man
Doin' the impossible because he can.
Spider-Man, Spider-Man
Doin' what he gotta, yeah, according to the plan.

Spider-Man barely missed a tendril that shot past him straight toward a fuse box.

"Drakken! No!" Spider-Man called as the tendril shot into the electrical conduit.

Life is a great big bang-up.

Drakken screamed as electricity shot through the tendril, destroying the neural-interface chip and sending electricity straight through his spine.

Spider-Man zip-lined to the fuse box and jerked at the power connector trying to cut the power flowing through the robotic arm.

Wherever there's a hang-up,

He finally jerked the cable lose, and Drakken and the tendrils fell limp on the ground. Spider-Man leapt to Drakken's side and was relieved he hadn't killed someone else. "Good, he's alive just … extra crispy."

You'll find the Spider-Man!

Without a second look, Spider-Man was at the barely conscious Kim's side.

"Who …are you?" Kim groaned and tried to get up.

"Easy, Kim, you're hurt, stay still for a second. I'm … I'm a friend," Spider-Man whispered, looking down into her confused and weak emerald eyes. He then spotted the Kimmunicator in her pocket.

"Who the heck are you?" Wade asked as soon as the screen blinked on.

"Doesn't matter, are the police on the way?" Spider-Man asked, and when Wade nodded, "Good, have an ambulance for Drakken, Kim's hurt and I'm getting her to a hospital myself."

"I know web swinging isn't exactly the most relaxing mode of transportation …" Spider-Man said as he gently scooped Kim up with one arm, "But try to, anyway, please."

Kim gasped as she felt Spider-Man leap from the floor and out the broken skylight of the warehouse. She couldn't tell how he was moving, but they were making their way high above the streets. When she glanced down to see the busy streets passing below her, she had to clamp her eyes tight.

"Don't worry, Kim, I'll never let you fall," she heard, and she wasn't sure if it was Spider-Man telling her, or her blood loss making her hear Ron's voice.

Before she knew it, she was at Middleton General Hospital and just as she was finding Spider-Man's arms comfortable, the hero was lowering her down on a stretcher. "Take it easy," she heard him whisper and could have sworn she heard him call her 'KP'. But by the time she was able to focus her dizzy eyes, Spider-Man was long gone.

Ron approached Kim's hospital room later the next day with a bouquet of flowers. He started to just open the door when he felt a tingle from his spider sense. He instead leaned against the door to listen in.

"Josh, would you relax," he heard Kim groan, "my face isn't going to have any scars, just my arms and waist."

"Monkey …" Ron growled before knocking on the door.

"Come in," Kim called, and Ron opened the door.

"Hey, KP," Ron gave a smile and winced when he saw the hurt look and forced smile on Kim's face.

"I'm sorry that happened, KP, I really am." Ron said, ignoring Josh Mankey who was seated at Kim's side.

Ron could handle the swollen eye and busted lip, but the look of abandonment and hurt in her eyes was more then he could take.

"Josh, could you leave us alone for a second?" Kim asked looking toward the other boy.

"Sure, Kim, if you need me I'll be right outside the door," Josh said, ignoring the death glare he got from Ron.

The room was silent for a few moments after Josh left before Kim finally spoke up. "I'm sorry, Ron …"

"What?" Ron asked, completely floored at the last thing he expected her to say.

"I know I can let my ego get out of hand and I know I've mistreated you, but Ron I never meant to make you hate me …" Kim said staring at her lap.

"Kim, what makes you think I hate you?" Ron asked, still stunned by this turn of events.

"You didn't come to help me …" She said barely above a whisper.

"Kim I could never hate you," Ron said, grabbing her hand, "I … Kim the truth is … KP … I … I was … Kim, I'm …"

"I brought you some of your favorite … oh …" Mr. Possible said, walking into the room, but stopped suddenly at the scene before him.

"Am I interrupting anything?" Mr. Possible asked.

"No, we were just talking," Kim said quickly.

"Ok, I have some good news: the doctor said if there's no more signs of internal bleeding by morning, you're free to come home." Mr. Possible said with a smile.

"That's great," Kim said, still lacking her old enthusiasm.

Ron started to comment, when police sirens sounded through Kim's room's open window. "Hey, KP, I gotta go. I'll come by later." He said, quickly moving in to kiss Kim on the cheek, "I have my reasons, Kim, all I ask is you trust me and trust that I don't hate you, ok?"

Kim nodded, and Ron stood and started toward the door.

Ron walked to the stairs but instead of going down, he made his way to the hospital rooftop.

Ron perched on top of the hospital dressed in his Spider-Man costume minus the mask and gazed after where the police cars and fire trucks were headed. 'This is how it has to be from now on,' He thought as he looked down at the mask and his own reflection in the eyepieces. 'With great power must always come great responsibility. I understand that now.'

'If this is how I have to live my life,' He said, standing up and pulling on the mask, 'If putting others before myself completely is what I have to do to keep what I have left safe, then so be it. Whether it's a gift or a curse … from this day forward … I am Spider-Man.'

To Be Continued…