Ron made a mental note to kill Wade. To beat his little genius head in whilst yelling at the kid for dragging everyone into this mess. Like that would ever happen. First off, Ron had yet to actually meet Wade. Second, even someone as smart as Wade couldn't be expected to realize that the oh-so-wonderful Eric Ullman had been working for Drakken all along. And if Wade had to be thrown down to that level of ignorance, well, there was very little Ron could hold against him. Besides, Ron Stoppable wasn't capable of murder. Though it would be nice sometimes. Very nice to just be able to pick up an axe or a heavy, blunt object and go whack-whack at whatever evil villain or... actor was around at that moment.
It made him nauseous just thinking about it. Great. Now he needed air. He pressed his hand against the metal scrap, just enough to allow air inside. And dust. And that fake bomb smoke stuff that had gone off in the explosion. He buried his face in his hands, coughing, the metal remainder of the bomb cage thingy crashing down onto his head. Ouch. But at least it would distract from his coughing. Hopefully. Though with Dr. Drakken doing his usual evil laughing, Ron assumed luck was on his side.
So the bomb hadn't even been real. He had attempted to risk his life to save Kim from cheap special effects. How pathetic. Eric wouldn't have done that. But Eric was evil. Evil people always managed to avoid lousy weapons they themselves built. Some way, somehow, they managed that. But up until revealing himself as a Drakken supporter, Eric had done everything right. Everything. He probably hadn't even put the corsage in the freezer.
Unlike Ron.
How stupid could he have been? Why had he assumed that Kim would have even wanted him on this mission? Monique was her friend, just his date. And he hadn't even been able to save the girl he had asked to the prom. Some date he was. Climbing through a damaged ventilation system as if it would somehow be more intelligent and impressive than using a mere door. Discovering the damaged ventilation system didn't lead to the most stable of surfaces. Plummeting right off the pipes. Right in front of Kim and Eric.
And he was still in his stupid suit thing. Bonnie was going to be furious. He had run into seeming danger, determined to push Kim out of the way, save her life, in hopes that it would make any difference to her, in a suit that Bonnie had spent most of his money on. While Eric still looked great.
Maybe there were even more benefits to being evil than he had thought.
Stupid Eric. Stupid, stupid Eric and evil villain skills. He wound up winning.
Ron should have known from the beginning what Eric was like. With that name, Ullman. It screamed evil, now that he thought about it. He should have seen that immediately, he should have warned Kim. That was his responsibility as her best friend. And he had failed in that.
Once again, he had failed her.
And now here he was, hiding under the rubble of damaged special effects, while Drakken, Eric, and Shego dragged off Kim and Monique. His prom date and the girl he loved.
He couldn't believe Eric would do that to someone like Kim. Kim didn't deserve that. Kim was far above what an evil villain deserved. If Eric hadn't turned out to be... what he was, it might have been okay. But to do what he did to Kim...
Once again Ron thought it would be nice to be capable of murder. He really should have thrown that rock at Eric. Caused a gloriously bloody accident and prevented this whole thing. Yeah, right. Like he could ever do that. Once again he was making himself sick just by thinking about it. Like he was capable of getting past that and getting out of this mess.
Why was he just hiding here? His leg didn't hurt that bad, anymore. Tripping over fake wick and falling shin first into metal, that was nothing. He could get up. He wasn't too scared, was he?
He was. Of course he was. He was always. Surrounded by villains. Kim captured. Kim hating him. Yes, he was scared.
So he was reduced to this. Hiding. But he couldn't. He couldn't let anything else happen to her.
Something moved at his chest. He tumbled backwards in the little room he had, trying not to scream. Then a small, pink head poked out from his shirt. Rufus.
"Rufus?" Ron asked, pulling the naked mole rat out. "I thought I left you at home!"
Rufus winked and shook his little head.
Ron sighed and sat back down. Knocking into more metal. "Great. I can't even command fear into you."
Rufus once again shook his head and pushed himself from Ron's hands. He hopped to the ground, sending red dust around, and scurried toward an opening in the mess.
"Rufus, you just can't play stowaway and then try and lead the mission. You just don't."
The naked mole rat stopped and turned to glare at him. Glare was too weak a word. Rufus looked positively mean. Amazing how a cute little animal could manage that, whiskers twisting, teeth somehow going supersharp, eyes glowing. At least, it looked that way.
This couldn't go well at all. Ron actually heard himself whimper. "I'm giving into you."
Rufus crawled from the hole and disappeared, leaving nothing but a little hole in the wreckage, the wreckage that could be so easily pushed away.
Rufus was right. Kim was out there.
Taking a deep breath and all the courage he could summon, he stood up and shoved the metal to the floor, sending a wave of thunder sound ricocheting through the room. It was enough to wake the dead. To shatter mountains. At least enough to let everyone know that Ron Stoppable was back in action.
Except... the room was now empty.
"Dang it," he muttered.
Rufus hopped up onto a messy ball of wire, looking just confused and not nearly as threatening as before. He met Ron's eyes and shrugged, smiling sheepishly.
"No." Ron picked him up and set him on his shoulder. "It's my turn. You had the right idea, and we're going to continue with it. If we can figure out which way they went. Good thing there is only one door."
Reminding himself not to trip, he ran towards the door, still hanging open. He only tripped once, over a crack in the cement ground that anyone would have missed, but sprang right back up. He was not going to let anything else happen to Kim. It had barely been a minute. They couldn't have gotten far. They were just right outside, going through the task of climbing all those stupid stairs.
"Boo-yah," he whispered, diving through the door.
He didn't get far. A fist collided with his jaw, throwing him back to the ground. Great. Another bruise to add to the one on his leg. He sat up, shaking his head free of the stars.
Eric stood above him, admiring his own fist. "Wow," he said. "That pilates really works! Maybe I should include some strength training in my workout."
No way. Ron had not just been punched by a pretty boy. He drove his leg into Eric's. "I thought pilates was for girls!"
Unfortunately, Eric didn't fall. At least not down. He caught himself on the wall, face burning, and reached down to grab Ron by his expensive Bonnie-picked collar. "What did you say? Broadway actors practice pilates!"
The guy was a heck of lot stronger than he looked. But... Ron twisted away, grabbing Eric's wrists. Nope, too strong.
Unless...
"Ron!"
It was Kim. Kim screaming. Ron looked past Eric, up the stairs. But apparently Drakken hadn't brought a flashlight. "Kim!" he called.
Eric laughed, pulling Ron to his feet. "Oh, come on. I think she's still mad at you. You embarrassed her. Horribly. Why, I think she still might even like me."
"Not after how you treated her!" Ron could still see it, Eric betraying Kim like he did. It was unbelievable.
"Eric, leave him alone!" Kim again.
Eric rolled his eyes and raised his fist one more time. "Does she ever shut up? She completely took advantage of my shy guy routine."
Eric did not just want Kim to shut up. "Hey, you're the one who has been doing all the talking. Pilates Boy."
So Eric was a lot tougher than he looked. A lot. But there was one thing he didn't have.
Eric's fist was coming closer. Ron dodged out of the way. Monkey kung fun. And the rare times it actually came in handy. The shock of hitting bare air was enough, just enough time to break free.
And Rufus...
One kick later and Eric was on the ground, screaming. Probably more from the fact that Rufus was on top of him more than anything Ron had done. Eric rocked back and forth, shrieking. "It's touching me! It's touching me!"
Rufus gave a tiny laugh as he hopped back onto Ron's shoulder, receiving a finger high five. "Never doubt the power of a freaky looking animal," Ron said. Now what did he need. Rope. Or rescue Kim. Eric might come back if he wasn't tied up properly.
Somewhere above him, on the stairs, Shego said something about pathetic boy actors.
Ron hesitated too long. Just as he was turning to the staircase, something slammed into his back. He screamed as the stairs rushed at him.
"And that's for your animal thing!" Eric shouted from above, all sound of girly squealing gone.
This was the part where Kim was supposed to swing in and save the day, Ron thought. That's how it always happened. She was the one who was always in charge of that. He was just her stupid sidekick. He couldn't even rescue her.
"Ah, is Ronnie out of weird ninja tricks already?" Eric asked in a sing-song voice. "Why, my kid sister could do that kick thing. And a lot better." He paused. "Not that I've ever been beaten up by my sister."
Kim did not deserve someone that big of an idiot. Not like that. Even if was strong, even if he could protect Kim–if he weren't evil. Even if he cared about Kim. Which he didn't.
Kim. All thoughts vanished from Ron's mind, plunging themselves into a tiny corner where even watching could barely be done. He barely heard the surprised squeak from Rufus, barely felt the tiny claws dig into his shirt for safety, barely even saw the horror in Eric's face.
It wasn't like he hadn't done all that weird monkey ninja stuff before. Monkeys were bad. But he wasn't thinking this. Well, was. But not enough. Not enough to stop himself from jumping back to his feet, his arm chopping at Eric's head."
"So you really did get beaten up by your kid sister, Pilates boy," he heard himself say.
Eric fell back into the wall with a very discernable cry of pain. "You!"
"I have a name! It's Ron!" If that didn't sound horribly corny. Maybe if he could stop himself from doing all of this.
But it was dang cool. He whirled again at Eric. Yes, bloody nose. Boo-yah. He had never given anyone a bloody nose.
But no one had ever done what Eric had done to Kim.
Eric tried a wussy, pilates-based punch. How the heck could anyone learn boxing moves from pilates work-outs?
Except the punch caught. But not enough. Ron felt his mind retreat further back, replaced by the single thought of making this guy pay for what he did to Kim. And all the monkey kung fu stuff coming into use.
Eric was no longer getting in quite so many punches. The dude wasn't going to start crying, was he? With all the energy he could drag out, Ron grabbed Eric's arm and flipped him over his back onto the floor. Hard.
Eric mumbled something, something very dazed.
"You do not treat my girl that way!" Ron exclaimed. Rufus, still clinging desperately for life, gave a cheer.
At least Rufus had energy. Ron suddenly had the strongest desire to just sink to his knees. And sleep. Yes, sleep would be good. How much energy had he used there?
"Sometimes I really hate having to save the day," a voice said behind him. Shego. "We weren't counting on the buffoon showing up."
Ron groaned. No way was he going to fight Shego. No way. Summoning up whatever he had left in him, he darted up the stairs into the darkness.
"Hey!" Shego sounded awfully disappointed. "You get back here!"
Crap. Ron broke into a stronger run, hoping against hope he wouldn't trip on the stairs he couldn't see. He could hear her coming after him, the stairs shaking beneath the both of them. She could run faster than him. At least he thought so.
But Kim was up there. Somewhere. And he had to get to her. Now. He took a deep breath into his already spazzing lungs. Why, oh why, didn't he work out more?
Then, a head of him, a small tube of yellow lit up a landing. Sort of.
"Finally got the stupid glow stick to work," Drakken muttered.
He had made it. Ron fell to his feet, Rufus tumbling down next to him. In the dim light, he could see both Kim and Monique, all but paralyzed, staring at him.
"Ron, what the heck did you do down there?" Monique asked, her eyes wide. "We heard you and Eric... Wow. I thought you were dead for sure. All that racket."
Monkey kung fu wasn't supposed to be that noisy. "I got him down," Ron replied breathlessly.
He couldn't be sure, but Kim looked different now. Her eyes seemed to be fighting looking at him. "I can't believe you're still here," she said softly.
This would be a great time to grab and her kiss her right now. If declaring his love for her hadn't ruined everything. If she didn't hate him. That's how it would go in completely different circumstances. In a movie. So he said the first thing that came out of his mouth. "It was a mission." Dang. That did not sound impressive.
Drakken also stared at him, playing with the yellow glow stick between his fingers. "You... I thought you weren't going to join us for this little game. Didn't I send Shego after you?"
"I'm here, Drakken." Shego was back on the landing, looking much better than Ron felt. "I swear, if you send me on a stupid chase like that again..."She glared at Ron. "How about I just throw you over the edge here?"
"Actually, I'd prefer you didn't." How scary did that sound? Ron crawled to Monique and Kim, grabbing their arms.
Monique frowned. "Somehow I don't think we're going to get out of here. Not with them here."
True.
"Ron," Kim said softly. "I'm really sorry. It's my fault we're in this mess. Now that you're captured..."
"Kim, we've both been captured before." Wow. This was more conversation than in a week.
"I know, but–"
The glow stick Drakken had been fiddling with flipped off the side of railing, and once again they were engulfed in darkness.
Shego swore at Drakken. Loudly.
"The flashlight's on my belt," Kim whispered. "It's–"
Rufus shoved something cold and hard into Ron's hand. "Key!"
"What key?"
"You let them get the key!" Shego shouted. Ron felt her grab at his shoulder. He rolled away, grazing the metal over the binds around Kim's wrists, who grabbed the key from him.
Glowing green spurt from Shego's hands.
"Well, I just put it in my pocket," Drakken said apologetically. "I didn't think that stupid rodent would–Ow!"
A thump rebounded through the area as Drakken fell down at least a dozen steps.
Somehow, in the dark, Kim managed to free Monique.
It couldn't be too hard, Ron thought. Up the stairs, outside. Before Shego caught them.
If he didn't trip on the stairs. If he didn't...
He did.
He fell back, knocking right into Shego. And down a number of stairs rivaling Drakken's.
Kim flipped her flashlight on.
Shego struggled under him, looking furious. Now she could definitely kill someone.
"I swear," she said. "You come here to rescue your little girlfriend. That's right, we heard the whole thing. And of course you can't do any good."
"I just knocked you down a flight of stairs, didn't I?" So this was what it was like to have done something to Shego. If he could just hold her down long enough...
And Kim was there. Quick as when Eric had done it to her, she had the binds around Shego.
"Wow," Kim said. "Those are easy to put on."
"Hey!" Shego cried. "You can't just... you can't– Drakken!"
From somewhere far below Drakken gave a low moan.
Slowly, sure that Shego was going to get right back up, Ron climbed to his feet. That hadn't been so horrible, had it? He felt so tired. He almost wasn't sure what had just happened.
He had beat up Eric, hadn't he? That had been real.
And Kim hadn't even seen.
Kim.
He whirled around. She was walking up the stairs, faintly outlined by her flashlight.
Apparently she still wasn't going to speak to him any more than she had to.
SHOUT OUTS!
Ace Lannigan: It must be the last minute heroics. It must be.
BOC42: Thanks! The frozen flowers is actually something one of my friends did.
Bunny Raven Rulez: Gah! No bunny ravens!
Classic Cowboy: Maybe I should kill off Kim for being stupid and let Ron run off with a supermodel who appreciates him.
Forlong: Thanks!
Frosty Pickle Juice: Yes. Stupid Eric.
fryfan: Thanks!
gothichika: Eh, after a while I stopped trying to include scenes. I kinda had the story out before I saw more commercials, but there can be differences! ) Thanks!
Hermione Jane Weasley Granger: Thanks!
JessieHeart: Thanks!
kim and ron 4 ever: Yes, Ricky Ullman is pretty cute.
kpShadowgirl: Hey, Kim's just confused right now. Very confused. But she still is mean for yelling at Ron. )
monkaholic: Thanks!
MtnRon: Exactly. Ron is always there for Kim, no matter what. Even if he is scared to death.
Muirnin: Thank-you!
RainSprite03: Thanks! I was kind of pleased with the pathetic explosion.
SesshaWaRurouni: Glad you enjoyed! I'm so excited for the real thing!
Spice of Life: Happy late birthday!
Widow Shark: Thanks!
WWLAOS: Fear the veins of anger! I hate to tell you this, but sometimes we girls can be very stupid. Y'know, I bet you already realized that. ) Anyway, thanks for the critique. Didn't really even think of it. Added a bit more description.
