"Of Friends and Foes"
Chapter 8:The Confrontation Part 1
Kim woke up in the most exquisite bed she ever saw. It was a large soft, canopy bed with what she believed to be satin sheets, and a curtain pulled all the way around. Everything was white. As she sat up, she noticed that someone had changed her clothes. Instead of the jeans and T-shirt she had been wearing, she now had on a long white dress with a sash tied around her waist and a choker around her neck. She pulled back the curtain to get up out of the bed. On the floor beside the bed were a pair of light gray, soft leather boots. "I wonder where I am?" Kim said to herself as she pulled on the boots. She stood up and looked around the room. "A girl could be flattered being offered a room like this," she said, gawking as she looked around. "That is if she hadn't been kidnapped first though." All the furniture in the room were antiques. There were a vanity, a large wardrobe, a free standing mirror, and various chairs and sofas. A lush dark blue carpet covered the floor, and red drapes covered windows. Kim pulled back the drapes to discover that it was a light plate to simulate a window. "Well that didn't help. I guess wherever I am, I'm in an interior room."
She looked at the door. No one had come in since she woke up. If she opened the door, would there be a guard, she wondered. Most villains didn't leave one because they thought she could never escape, but this one was different. This one did all he could to break her spirit, was always one step ahead, and seemed to be able to read her mind. If someone was there, she shouldn't have much trouble getting past him or her. Shego, who it looked like was working for him, would be the worst case scenario. She decided to chance it. She walked over to the door and slowly turned the doorknob. She pulled the door open slightly and peeked outside, no one. She fully opened the door and stepped out into the hall. There was no one in sight, and there wasn't any camera watching her either. She looked up and down the hall, both ends looked the same. It wasn't as extravagant as the room, but instead it looked more militaristic. Something told her to go left so she did. As she walked through several hallways, she noticed that the doors to other rooms weren't anything like the one back at the room. That one was made of wood and these were metal, and they seemed to be electronically locked.
When she turned the next corner, she saw a familiar face. "Ah, there you are Miss Possible."
"Senor Senior, Senior," said Kim.
"I was just on my way to fetch you," he told her. "If you would please, follow me."
"Where are we going?" Kim asked as she fell in beside him.
"The Master has requested your company for dinner, did you find your room to your liking?" he asked.
"Uh um yes. It is beautiful."
"I'm glad you like it, I helped out on the furnishings you know. Antiques such as those can be difficult to find for most people," Senior said as they rounded another corner. The place looked like it was built to be a maze to Kim.
She looked down at the dress she was wearing, "Did you have a hand in the clothes too?"
"No," he said, "That is all the Master's doing. He made that dress especially for you my dear." Wow was the word that Kim could think of with news, she decided to change the subject.
"This guy you're taking me to see. You call him Master. Shego said the same thing. Why do you call him that?"
Senior slowed his pace a little, "It is because he is a much better villain than we, and he told us to call him that until he completes his plan. Once he accomplishes that, he will then tell us his name."
"I already know his name," said Kim. Senior glanced at Kim but said nothing. He led Kim through another hallway, and Kim was beginning to get frustrated at how long it was taking. "Where exactly is he at?" Kim asked.
"He is in his apartments. He wished to have a private meal with you. It takes awhile to get there because the Master designed this to confuse the enemy, if one should ever get on board. Ah, here we are now." At the end of the hallway were two huge wood doors. Kim speculated that beyond them, the decor was similar to that of the room she was in. "You can let yourself in Miss Possible. He is after all expecting you," Senior said as they approached the double doors. "I have some business to attend to know, so I shall see you later I expect. Farewell." Senior turned and walked down the hallway disappearing around the corner.
Kim turned the doorknob and opened the door. Inside, the room was just as she expected it to be. The same blue carpet covered the floor. In the wall to the right was a fireplace, something she didn't expect to see. Various chairs and a couple of sofas were placed around the edge of the room. Unlike the room she was in, there were none of the simulated windows. In the center of the room was a small square dinning table set for two. There were a few covered dishes and a bottle sitting in a bucket of ice to the side of it on a serving cart. As she approached the table, her host came in through a door on the other side of the room. He was wearing an old style, light gray outfit with dark gray boots made of the same material as Kim's. His hair was blonde and brown striped and hung down to the middle of his back. He smiled a wicked smile and his eyes flashed brightly for a brief second as he looked at Kim. "Good evening to you, Miss Possible. I am glad you accepted my invitation for dinner," he spoke.
"Not that I had much choice in the matter," Kim said, watching him carefully.
"Quite the contrary," he said, "You could have refused my invitation and had dinner in your room." He walked over to the table and continued talking, "I know you have lots of questions you wish to ask me, we shall talk as we enjoy our meal." He pulled out a chair from the table, "Please, sit." Kim sat down in the chair, wary of her host in case he tried to do anything. He pushed in her chair and began taking the lids off the dishes on the serving cart. Kim's stomach growled and her mouth began to water at the smell of the roast that was uncovered. Her host sliced off a piece of the roast and placed it on the plate in front of Kim, then he placed a slice on his own plate. He then served her some vegetables, placed some on his own plate, and then offered her some bread. Kim took a piece and he sat down in the chair across the table. He took the bottle from the ice and pulled out the cork, "Sparkling Cider," he said and filled their glasses.
"You may begin eating any time you like," he told her. Kim began to eat, surprised at how hungry she was. "I am sure you would like to know where you are at, so let's begin with that. We are onboard the Bloodwind, a one of a kind airship slash fortress. We are currently somewhere over the Pacific Ocean." He took a bite of the roast.
"You were the one responsible for the drop in crime weren't you?" Kim asked.
"Yes I was," he said. "I called together some of your more familiar villains and talked with them about their goals and how I could help them achieve them if they worked for me. Your not so familiar ones were less receptive and had to be dealt with."
"By familiar villains, you mean Shego and the Senior's right?" Kim asked.
"Yes, they are not all I have on board. I am sure you know them all, Dr. Drakken, Lord Monkeyfist, Duff Killigan, and DNAmy," he replied. "They each have a job that fits them well. Drakken and Amy work together in the lab, they are the ones who created the doppelgangers. Shego and Monkeyfist are security onboard the Bloodwind and also my field agents, they are quite good at what they do. Killigan is in charge of the arsenal, you remember those exploding golf balls of his, and botanics since he has a way with plants. And the Senior's are in charge of finances."
"What are you getting out of all this, and why do you want them to call you Master?" asked Kim.
"Ultimately, world conquest. I've offered to give them a piece of the world to rule if they wished it, but they shall answer to me when they do," he said.
"Like a king," Kim said. She was beginning to understand her adversary.
"Precisely, and as for being called Master, I wanted to keep my name a secret for a while till we met. Would you like some more to eat?" He gestured toward her empty plate.
"No thank you," said Kim. "I already know your name by the way."
The man smiled that wicked smile again, "Do you now?"
"I do," said Kim, giving her own intimidating smile back at him. "But I would like to know what all this has to do with me."
"It's quite basic really. Every king needs a queen. I want the best to be my queen, and you are the best," he said, still smiling.
"I guess I should be flattered that you think I am the best, but what makes you think I will join you?" He starred at her a few minutes before answering.
"Because I've removed everything you ever cared about, your family and of course your boyfriend."
Kim's temper began to flare, "What do you mean by that?"
"They no longer exist in your life, they have been taken care of," he said. "You know that. Your boyfriend died in your arms if I'm not mistaken. I did have to remove your heart's desire after all."
"Are you saying you killed my family as well?" Kim said as she glowered at the man across the table.
He just smiled again and spoke, "I am saying just what you are thinking. Oh I know you are thinking that your boyfriend is still alive somewhere, so therefore your family is alive too. But there is some doubt going through your mind too." He tapped the side of his head, "You're thinking that maybe, just maybe that really was Ron and not a doppelganger. If that's true then maybe Mom and Dad and even the Tweebs are gone too." He gave a slight chuckle to see Kim getting so riled up at his words.
"You're making me think that by telling me that I am," Kim said, jumping up from the table.
The man stood up and walked around the table, "You know, there's a sparkle in your eyes when you get angry," Kim tried to punch him, but he caught her hand in his. "There'll be time for that," he said. He took hold of her chin and turned her head to the side, "Soon enough." He stroked the choker with his thumb then leaned in close to her ear. "By the way, you're wrong about my name. It's not Akuma," Kim's eyes went wide, "My name is Duke." He released her and stepped back.
The door opened and Monkeyfist walked in. Kim noticed that he was wearing a sword. "It's time for you to go now Miss Possible. Monty here will escort you back to your room. I will meet you again in an hour. Monty will take you to the audience room when it's time. I suggest you stay in your room until then. I don't want you getting lost in the labyrinth of hallways. Oh, and do keep our little talk in your head, that anger will suit you well." He walked out of the room through the door he came in.
"Let's go," said Monkeyfist. Kim stormed out the door after him, she kept starring at the sword.
"When did you get that?" she asked him.
Monkeyfist looked back at her and smiled, "The Master gave it to me after he killed Stoppable. I wanted to be the one to finally defeat him in battle, but he had to do it his way. He gave me the Lotus Blade as consolation." Kim continued looking at it, something about it felt familiar.
"Why did he give it to you as consolation?"
"Because," started Monkeyfist, "Ron Stoppable prevented me from stealing it from Yamanouchi. At least now I am the only one with mystic monkey power." The rest of the trip through the halls was silent. When they reached the room, Monkeyfist turned to face Kim. "You should know that Stoppable was a fine warrior and probably would have got better. I regret that I will never have the chance now to defeat him in the way befitting of such a fighter. I'll be back in an hour, be ready."
Kim walked into the room. "Even Monkeyfist believes Ron is dead," she said to herself. "Could he be telling the truth? Was that really Ron that night?" She shook her head, "No, that's just him talking. I know the truth." Kim thought for a moment about how Duke had been dressed, it had seemed familiar to her. She walked around the room trying to remember where she saw it and she found herself standing in front of the mirror. Kim looked at her reflection, the dress she was wearing looked familiar too. "Where have I seen these clothes?" she said aloud. "Senior said Duke had something to do with this dress. I think I've seen this dress and that suit together." An image flashed in Kim's mind. Kim thought hard on it until she remembered where she saw it. "If that's really real, then Duke is really . . . and he is a . . . No, that's impossible, isn't it?" She looked back at the mirror. She noticed the choker and remembered that Duke had stoked it. She pulled it off and her heart skipped a beat at what she saw. It was nearly gone, but there was evidence of two marks on her neck. She clasped her hand over the marks and dropped into a nearby chair. "It is true," she said in a panicked voice, "He really is a vampire, and I've been bitten! That means that I am turning into one too!" She sat down at the vanity and watched herself in the mirror, waiting to see if her reflection would disappear. She watched for the entire hour and her image was still there, but the marks on her neck were gone. A knock on the door made her jump.
"Miss Possible it is time to go."