Chapter 4
A Turn For The Worse
Drakken, Sego, and Ron spent that entire night, looking over possible suspects that would have it in for Kim bad enough to want to try and kill her,
"What about DNAmy?" Shego asked, looking at Ron, "she's got a major grudge against Kimmie, I'm sure she'd do it, if given the chance."
"Nah., she's more interested in making those mutants she makes, besides, she's still in prison." Ron replied, frowning,
"Okay, what about this Adrena-Lynn, says she never made it to prison, getting out of the paddy wagon before it even entered the Sally Port." Drakken said, looking at Ron,
"Maybe, I know she was major P.O.'ed, at me and Kim for busting her." Ron replied, reading the file on the fake stunt woman,
"Here's an interesting one, Gill, eew, talk about sick, and wrong." Shego said, handing Ron the file,
"Tell me about it, he's a genetic mutant, created by a toxic lake, he's more interested in me, than Kim, he blames me for his condition." Ron said,
"What did you do to him?" Drakken asked,
"Oh, he took my swim time at Camp Wannaweep, only because I refused to get into that water." Ron replied, looking at the blue-skinned mad scientist,
"Too funky for your taste, huh?" Shego asked, making Ron groan,
"Oh, yeah, it felt more like bathing in rocket fuel, than swimming in a lake." Ron said,
"Yuck. You're grossing me out here, Stoppable." Shego said, looking at the freckle-faced blonde,
"You think it was gross, try swimming in it." Ron said,
"You actually swam in that water?" Shego asked,
"Oh yeah, I didn't have much of a choice, I needed to get Gill away from the cheer squad." Ron replied,
"Why was the Middleton High cheer squad with you?" Drakken asked,
"Duh, Kim's a cheerleader, and I'm the mascot. He lured us there, by saying the squad made it into a phony cheer competition." Ron said, remembering his first encounter with Gill after his mutation, his eyes drooping from lack of sleep.
Shego picked up on this immediately,
"Look, it's getting late, and you have school tomorrow," she said, laying a hand on Ron's shoulder, which caused him to look up at the raven-haired vixen, "why don't you go home, and get some sleep. You look like you're about to fall over where you stand."
"I'm just worried, that's all, I don't think I could make it if Kim died." Ron said, shuddering at the thought of his world without Kim in it.
"Drakken and I will keep looking, you need your sleep, now go home, that's an order." Shego said, pushing Ron to the door,
"All right, you convinced me, keep me posted, you can reach me through Wade." Ron said, walking out of the door,
"Still think he's a buffoon, Dr. D.?" Shego asked, looking at her employer,
"No, and remind me to never get on his bad side, those punches hurt." Drakken said, massaging his jaw,
"Yeah, you know. I can feel for him in a way." Shego said, looking at the monitor, which was showing Ron, leaving the island on a motorboat,
"How's that?" Drakken asked,
"His best friend is in the hospital, in a coma, and near death, from what I've heard.
And I'll tell you what, I'd hate to be the shooter if he ever gets a hold of them." Shego said, her finger under her chin,
"Why?" Drakken asked,
"Really, Dr. D., sometimes, you can be so clueless for being a super genius." Shego replied,
"Oh, put a ham in it, wiseacre." Drakken said, making Shego smile, ribbing her boss was one of her favorite past times,
"No, I really mean it, if Kimmie dies, Ron's going to go completely postal, if he gets hold of the shooter, if that happens, that person will be a dead man." Shego said, making Drakken shudder,
"Thank God it's not me." Drakken replied,
"Me either." Shego replied, shuddering herself, thinking about the prospect of being not only beaten, but killed by Ron Stoppable,
"We need to keep an eye on him, Shego, if he ends up in jail, and Kim makes it, she'll never forgive us." Drakken said, looking scared.
Middleton High School, the next morning:
Ron had been walking the halls like a zombie since Kim had been put in the hospital, and Mr. Barkin had had enough, he called Ron into his office, to try to rid him of his funk,
"Look, Ron, I know this is eating at you, but you can't let it get to you," Mr. Barkin said, "I know you're looking for the gunman, but you need to keep a clear head, I'm sure, if the roles were reversed, Possible would do the same for you."
"I don't know what she would do, because thanks to some gutless coward, she's in no position to talk to me." Ron replied,
"I agree completely with you, Ron," Mr. Barkin said, "but, if you plan to help Kim, you need to make sure of your target."
It was during that time, that the Kimmunicator went off,
"Talk to me, and make it good news, Wade." Ron said,
"Amp down, Ron, Drakken and Shego got a lead on Gill, and Monkey Fist, they want you to meet them at Bueno Nacho." Wade replied,
"I'll be there after school, which will be . . ." Ron said, but he was unable to finish, Mr. Barkin cut him off,
"Right now. You got work to do, Ron, so get on it." he said, smiling at one of what had become one of his favorite students,
"Thanks, Mr. B.," Ron said, smiling a goofy smile at his principal, "I appreciate it."
Mr Barkin watched, as Ron got up from the chair, and left the office, as Ron closed the door, Barkin sank back into his chair,
'Take care of him, Lord, he needs your help, and guidance on this, help him make the right decision, and bring this scum to justice for what he did.' he prayed silently to himself, hoping against all hope, that Ron would use sound judgement in bringing the killer down, and handing him over to the police for trial.
A few minutes later, at Bueno Nacho:
Ron sat down at the booth that he and Kim normally sat in, looking to his right, he felt his heart sink, knowing that Kim was not going to be walking through that door, and sit down beside of him, preparing to make her usual Naco Night order, that's when a small flash of green caught his eye, Shego had taken the seat opposite of him, and to her left, was Drakken, both were dressed unusually for them. Shego was wearing a green knee length skirt, and a black velvet shirt, Drakken was wearing a blue t-shirt, and blue jeans, on his feet, were black canvas tennis shoes, Shego had on a pair of green pumps, neither were dressed as Ron remembered them,
"Wow, major change." Ron said, looking at Shego,
"Snap out of it, Ron, and get your head in the game." Shego said, snapping her fingers under Ron's nose,
"Yeah, right." Ron replied,
"We got a lead on Monkey Fist," Drakken said, "seems he's been in town for the last two weeks."
"Where?" Ron asked, his voice gravely with unsuppressed anger,
"Middleton Lodge, room 205." Shego said,
"Keep an eye on him, make sure he doesn't leave town," Ron said, then, turning to Drakken, he asked, "and Gill, Wade told me you had a line on Gill to?"
"Lake Gottagrin." Drakken said,
"You mean Lake Wannaweep, I'll always remember that place by that name." Ron said,
"Easy, sport," Shego said, placing a hand on Ron's shoulder, "I'll keep an eye on monkey boy, and as for 'The Creature from the Black Lagoon,' I don't think he's going anywhere."
Shego got up, and left the table, leaving Ron and Drakken sitting, an uneasy silence floating over the booth, at that time, the Kimmunicator went off,
"What up, Mr. Dr. P.?" Ron said, looking at the face of Kim's dad, who was wearing a somber expression,
"Ron, you'd better get to the hospital, better hurry." Mr. Possible said, Ron immediately stiffened in his seat,
"Kim." he said, his voice barely above a whisper,
"What?" Drakken said, looking at Ron,
"Are you coming, or what?" Ron said, looking at Drakken, who looked at Ron as though he had lost his mind,
"I can't go there, the Possible's would skin me alive." Drakken commented,
"Well, you're coming anyway, so get your blue ass out of that seat, before I drag you out of it." Ron commented, looking at his target with one of his withering gazes, the same one he had used on Bonnie a couple of days ago, it had the same effect. Drakken jumped out of his chair like it had been plugged into a wall socket.
A few minutes later, at Middleton Memorial Hospital:
Ron had just walked into the entrance, when Kim's twin brothers, Jim, and Tim walked up to him,
"It doesn't look good, Ron." Jim said,
"Mom and dad sent us to get you, follow us." Tim finished.
Ron followed them to the surgical waiting room, where the Possible parents were, Mrs. Possible was sitting in a chair, she had appeared to be crying, Mr. Possible had worn a groove into the carpet, he had been pacing so much,
"How bad?" Drakken asked when they arrived,
"YOU!" Mr. Possible shouted, turning toward the evil scientist, and lunging at him, but he never got the chance to take out his anger. Ron had jumped in between the two,
"Amp down, he didn't do it." Ron said, making Mr. Possible stop dead in his tracks,
"How do you know that, for all we know, he came here to view his handiwork." Mrs. Possible said, also joining her husband,
"Because he's helping me." Ron said,
"You offered to help?" Mr. Possible said,
"To clear my name, I was set up from the word go." Drakken said,
"What is he talking about?" Jim and Tim said at the same time,
"Someone knocked off the National Guard Armory, and stole the rifle that was used to shoot Kim, and then they planted evidence that pointed to Drakken." Ron related to the Possible's,
"Talk to me, Ronald." Mr. Possible said,
"First thing's first, how bad is Kim?" Ron asked,
"Not too good, the doctors found a bleeder this morning, they sent her into surgery a few minutes ago." Mrs. Possible said, Ron knew what she was saying, he was aware that bleeders were never good, and usually resulted in severe loss of blood, and possible death.
"Oh, God, why me, why does the bad stuff ALWAYS HAPPEN TO ME!" Ron said, making everyone in the room jump at his sudden surge of anger,
"Now, tell me what I want to know, Ronald?" Mr. Possible said, Ron sat down, and shared his information with what he considered his second family, when he had finished, Mr. Possible looked at Ron, and smiled,
"I'm impressed, Ronald, that took a lot of guts." Mr. Possible said, smiling,
"And a huge set of cajones." Drakken replied.
Later that evening, in the hospital parking lot:
Ron, and Drakken were getting into Ron's car, and preparing to leave, when a strange car caught Ron's eye,
"That's funny, the driver is still in the car." Ron said, looking at the car through his rear view mirror,
"That is weird." Drakken replied, looking at the car, the driver looked like a teenager, the car he was driving was an expensive one, a Lambroughini Diblao,
"Let's see if he takes after us." Ron said, pressing his left foot down on the clutch, he shifted the car into gear, and slammed his right foot onto the accelerator, causing the car to take off like a cork out of a champagne bottle, within seconds, the other car was on Ron's bumper,
"We're not going to shake him." Drakken said, still looking at the car behind them,
"Oh yes we will, if anyone knows what this car can do, it's me, I built it." Ron said, flipping a hidden switch on the dashboard, within seconds afterward, the engine began whining loudly,
"Eh, what is that?" Drakken asked,
"Buckle up, blue boy, we're in for a ride." Ron said, watching a gauge that was attached to the steering column,
"C'mon, c'mon, I need air pressure," Ron said, tapping the gauge with his index finger, "as I figured, not working right, I thought Wade fixed it." Ron said, finally getting an accurate readout. Once he saw the needle go into the red mark on the gauge dial, Ron pulled a plunger attached to the gear shifter. A few seconds later, with a screeching of tires, a loud roaring from the engine, and flames shooting from the exhaust, the car took off down the road at a high rate of speed,
"Stoppable, what are you doing, are you trying to kill us!" Drakken shouted,
"No, I'm trying to shake 'bad boy,' back there." Ron said, jamming his thumb over his shoulder,
" Well, you'd better do it quick, your engine is about to redline." Drakken said,
"Uh-oh, this is not good, hang on." Ron said, coming up to an intersection, he turned the wheel hard to the left, causing the car to go up onto two wheels, and around the corner. Once the car was around the turn, to landed hard on the passenger side wheels,
"Out of control driver!" Drakken yelled, looking at Ron as though he had lost his mind,
"Yeah, well this out of control driver just saved your bacon, blue boy." Ron said, shutting off the blower, and powering the car down from its high speed shake and bake. Drakken turned back around, to see that the car that had been following them had gotten stuck in traffic,
"Wow, where did you learn to drive like that?" Drakken asked,
"Practice, practice, practice." Ron said, the sarcasm dripping from his voice.
Ending this chapter here, looks like Kim's condition got a little worse, and Ron seems to have found a secret admirer, wonder who it might be, hmm . . . the shooter, maybe?