"He's not with you?" Ron's mother asked, a worried note in her voice. "I thought he went to your house and just forgot to call. Or on a mission with you. That's what usually happens."
"I'm sure it's nothing to worry about." Kim assured the older woman. "You know Ron, he was probably at Buenos Nachos until they kicked him out to close. That's at eleven so I'm sure he'll be home soon."
"You're probably right, Kim." She told her although from the sound of her voice she was totally unconvinced.
"'Course I am."
"I think I'll go downstairs and wait for him. Goodnight Kimberly."
"Goodnight Mrs. Stoppable." The line went dead before Kim could even finish the sentence.
Kim had lied to Ron's mother. As she grabbed her coat and kimmunicator and headed out the door she was indeed worried. Very worried.
Buenos Nachos was already closed by the time Kim had got there. Hell, it had already been closed by the time she had left her house. That didn't stop her from having the hope that Ron would be there, the restaurant staff literally dragging him out the door. It had happened on more than one occasion.
That hope was dashed as Kim got there only to find the restaurant completely emptied, darkened except for a sliver of light coming from the back room where the workers were probably preparing to go home.
Kim banged feverously on the door to try to get their attention. It worked apparently as an annoyed looking Ned and another teen approached the door with their coats in hand. It occurred to her briefly that she didn't know the other guy. Ron would have though, he knew everyone who worked here.
"What do you want Possible?" Ned asked in a nasally and somewhat superior voice as he and the other guy came outside.
"Have you seen Ron tonight?"
"As odd as it is, no I haven't." He assured her as he locked the door. Turning around he continued in a more understanding tone. "If I see him on my way home I'll tell him you're looking for him. Can't lose our best costumer after all."
"Same here." The other guy piped in.
"Thanks." Kim said as they walked away, leaving her alone in the Buenos Nachos parking lot. For a moment she wonder how standing in an empty lot in the middle of the night while under a giant sombrero could be creepy. She pushed that thought aside and pulled out her kimmunicator. "Wade!"
Moments later a groggy Wade appeared on the tiny screen rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. "Why doesn't anyone ever call me at normal hours?"
"What?"
"Nothing." He muttered grumpily. "What did you need Kim."
"I can't find Ron!"
"I assume you've tried his house."
"Of course!"
"How about Buenos Nachos?" He suggested.
Kim practically shouted her reply, her worry overcoming her for a second. "They haven't seen him at all today!"
"That is odd." Wade admitted.
"Do you still have the tracking chip in his neck?"
"Well, yah, but we don't know if he's missing yet. He could just want some time alone. Do you really want to treat him like a stray sheep if it is nothing?"
Kim knew Wade was right. They didn't really know anything yet. She shouldn't jump to conclusions. It was just that there was this sinking feeling that she couldn't shake, like something was wrong. "And if it's not nothing? Do it. Please."
"Alright." Wade agreed with a heavy sigh. His fingers danced across his keyboard at speeds Kim knew she could never duplicate. Suddenly they stopped, apparently having retrieved the necessary information. "That's odd."
"What's odd?"
"He's at a warehouse in the Lowerton docks."
Kim managed to make it to the docks in record time thanks in no small part to her borrowing her parents car. They just didn't know she borrowed it yet. Waking and explaining would take time. Time that Kim wasn't willing to spend.
So instead she had quietly lifted the car keys from the key rack in the front hall and slipped out the door. She pulled out of the driveway slowly, then drove at breakneck speeds the rest of the way. In the end she broke more than a few traffic laws. It was probably a miracle that she didn't get a ticket. In fact she never even saw a cop car the whole way.
That is until she got arrived and found several police cruisers and an ambulance already out front of the warehouse. Kim got a sickly feeling in her stomach at the sight.
