Losing You pt.4
By Sheryl Nantus
Rufus laughed as the door swung open again, obviously set on the same emergency release as the rest of the system. Then he looked up at the figure silhouetted in the doorway and swallowed.
"You…" The Collector's face was purple, his hand clutching the cane so hard that his knuckles were white. "I gave you everything!" He lifted up the cane, smashing it down onto the carpet. "I saved you from being killed!" Another crack as the wood came down on the plush surface. "I didn't want you to be hurt helping those kids!" This time the cane was within reach of Rufus, whizzing by his head by mere inches.
Standing up on his hind legs the naked mole rat delivered a short speech, chittering and squeaking while wagging his paws at the older man.
The Collector stopped in his tracks, taken aback by the response.
Suddenly the cane rose up over his head; the iron-tipped edge swirling around like an angry insect before descending towards the still-lecturing rodent.
Kim fumbled in her side pocket, withdrawing the grapple gun as the elephants descended on the small tree. Forcing herself to stand on the shaky branch her eyes scanned the shaking horizon before she leveled the weapon and squeezed the trigger.
"Ron!" Reaching down she grabbed ahold of his hand, pulling him up beside her. "Come on!" Instinctively he wrapped his hands around her waist as she launched themselves off the narrow branch, mere feet away from the oncoming pachyderms.
"Whoa!" The blond teenager's feet scrabbled for a foothold as they swung out into bare air, then landed atop a thick grey hide.
"Faster, faster, faster!" He huffed as he ran along the elephant's back, still clutching Kim's waist as they swung in a wide arc. Leaping off the creature he yelped as she steered them towards a taller and thicker tree, obviously steadier than the one they had just left.
"Let's not do that again, 'kay?" Ron wheezed as he scrabbled for a grip in the thick bark, climbing up to sit beside the redhead on another branch. She didn't reply, hiding a smile as she reset the grapple gun and put it back into her pocket.
Rufus leapt to one side as the cane came down, thudding into the thick shag carpet. Scurrying around he tried to make it past the elderly man to the doorway and escape.
Suddenly another figure appeared in the doorway, catching the attention of both the Collector and Rufus. Moving forward slowly he stared at the man and mole rat with a wide smile on his face.
Frederick leapt towards the man, arms flailing wildly as he began to pummel the senior over and over again with balled fists; screeching the entire time. For his part the Collector didn't even try to put up a fight; falling to the ground with a gasp as the cane flew across the room, useless to him now.
Rufus scampered over to where the simian continued to punch the whimpering man, the weak hits landing on the senior's back now that the Collector had curled up into a ball in the far corner. Jumping up onto the monkey's shoulder he chattered into Frederick's ear angrily, accentuating his commentary with a painful nip to the delicate tissue.
"That would have been so cool if they hadn't been about to kill us." Ron sighed as the two elephants disappeared into the jungle leaving torn and crushed vegetation behind them.
"Except that elephants aren't native to this island." Kim began to climb down to the ground.
"So you think that they're part of the Collector's collection?" Ron slid down, wincing as the bumpy bark snagged certain parts of his anatomy.
"I'm willing to bet on it." She pointed back down the trail where the elephants had come from. "Bet if we follow this back we'll find the compound easily enough." The redheaded teenager's sentence trailed off as Ron began to run down the trail, leaving her literally in the dust. Shaking her head she began to pick up the pace, sprinting down the tattered remains of the jungle trail.
Frederick raised his fist above his head, his lips contorted in rage as he prepared to deliver another blow. Beneath him the grey-haired man flinched as tears flowed down his face and he scrabbled to draw a breath.
The fist began to descend, then stopped. The Collector let out a whimper as he watched the monkey's face change back to the controlled expression that he had seen so often on his television screen. The naked mole rat remained on the simian's shoulder, chattering excitely into his ear. Turning his back on the terrified human Frederick walked out of the room, Rufus holding onto his ear with both tiny paws.
"Guess we're getting close." Kim commented as she pushed another broken branch out of the way. It had only been ten minutes since their encounter with the elephants and they had already seen a variety of dogs, cats and various other animals scurrying around; enjoying their freedom. A single man had run right past the pair, screaming at the top of his lungs as he had headed for the jungle and hopefully safety from the captives he had obviously been guarding.
Ron pointed at a large single-story house that had erupted out of the jungle. "Wanna bet that's where all this trouble started?"
The compound was deserted, the large pens that had held the larger animals open and empty. Kim frowned as she inspected the locks.
"This wasn't broken open." She rattled the fence. "They were all released somehow."
"Released? As in, let go?" The blond teenager scratched his head. "That doesn't make any sense."
"Unless they had their own little revolution without us." Kim smiled. Ron grinned.
"Never underestimate a naked mole rat."
The hallways were empty; most of the humans and animals having escaped through the unlocked doors into the jungle. Frederick walked slowly along; Rufus tugging on his ear whenever the small rodent suspected a turn would lead them towards the front door and freedom.
"Excuse me." The pair turned to see another man standing in front of them, impeccably dressed. "I understand that you two are responsible for this… occurrence."
The simian glanced at the weapon the man held in his hands, pointed at the two of them.
Wallace shrugged. "It's not going to hurt you. Much. Just an electrical capture net. We've used it before." Lifting it to his shoulder he aimed it at the pair. "And when you wake up we'll both be long gone."
"I don't think so." The voice startled him, coming from a side corridor. Suddenly a figure flew out of the shadows towards him; a single foot aimed directly at the gun.
"Who… what…" The aide blustered as the weapon flew from his hands, landing against the far wall. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the monkey leap towards it, cradling the barrel in his arms and now aiming it back at the hapless man.
"I wouldn't move a muscle." Ron stepped out of the darkness. "Not unless you really want to know what it feels like being on the other end of your 'help'."
Kim landed to the right of Wallace, poised to attack if the aide made any sudden moves. "Guess which side we're on."
The man raised his hands over his head, a mournful look on his face. "You have to understand, I was just following orders. My employer pays very well, and…" He swallowed, seeing the angry looks on the simian, rodent and human faces staring at him. "Or… not." Wallace sighed, a dejected look on his face. Leaning against the wall he slumped to the ground.
"Just sit down and don't move." Kim stood up, digging in her pocket. Tapping on the Kimmunicator she smiled as Wade's familiar face appeared. "Tell GJ that we need help getting all these animals back to their proper owners."
"They're already on the way. Agent Du saw the stampeding elephants and figured things out. They'll be arriving within the hour with plenty of transport planes and probably more than a few happy owners. Agent Du says he's on standby to take you guys home anytime you're ready to go."
Out of the corner of her eye Kim saw a pink blur fly through the air, landing squarely on her partner's face; sending him to the floor in a tangled mess of arms and legs. "Roger that. I think we'll be ready to go in a few minutes."
Ron let out a laugh as Rufus hugged him tightly around the neck, chattering wildly. The mole rat ran back and forth across the black shirt, stopping every now and then to hug Ron before continuing his long story and exposition. For his part the blond teenager was unable to speak, since he was too busy laughing from the tickling Rufus was inflicting on him.
Still smiling Kim walked over to Frederick, putting one hand on his shoulder as she took the net gun from him. "Guess you're ready to go home too, right?"
The monkey nodded with a wide smile, patting her hand fondly.
"Global Justice thanks you again for your help, Ms Possible." Ken smiled as the jet lifted off from the narrow compound clearing. "We weren't really sure what was going on down there and you managed to take care of everything within a few minutes."
"Well, the credit really belongs to Frederick and Rufus." The redhead looked out of the window, seeing the flurry of activity on the ground. The two elephants that had nearly trampled her earlier were back in the compound, herded back by their trainers who were enjoying a happy reunion with their friends. She returned her attention to wrapping the gauze bandage around Frederick's arm, gently binding up the gouge in his skin. He smiled back at her, wincing as he flexed his fingers.
"Dad'll be thrilled to have you back at the Center soon enough." Kim chuckled. "And then maybe you'll take some real vacation time before heading back out."
He nodded, closing his eyes. Standing up she left him and headed for the back of the plane.
There, curled up on a pile of empty Bueno Nacho bags and discarded naco wrappers lay Ron and Rufus, each with bloated stomachs and snoring blissfully in unison. The small rodent was precariously perched on Ron's chest, rising and falling with each rumbling sound. Crossing her arms the redhead shook her head then walked back to the cockpit.
"Everyone settled in for the trip, then?" Ken looked down at the panel. "Might as well grab yourself some shuteye as well."
"So what possessed you to carry so much Bueno Nacho food?" She slid into the seat beside him, studying the controls automatically.
"Will said that your little mole rat friend liked that sort of stuff. And Dr. Director was very specific in her orders that if we did retrieve Rufus that we be able to render any sort of assistance."
"Like real junk food."
"Like real junk food." He chuckled.
The jet hovered a few feet above the Possible residence, blowing dust off of the driveway. Sliding down the rope ladder Kim let out a yawn as she waved to Du, still sitting in the cockpit.
A loud thump beside her signalled the disembarkment of her partner, rubbing his behind as he got to his feet. "Oh, man… too much oil on my hands from the snack, I guess." He held up his hands and yelled into the open hatch. "Rufus!"
The pink naked mole rat dropped down, executing a perfect dive as he landed securely into Ron's open hands. Giving the pair a thumbs-up he scurried up onto the teenager's shoulder in his usual position.
"They're going to take Frederick right to the Center." Kim explained as the jet began to rise, blowing more dust around the trio. "Better to have a doctor look at that arm right away."
"I already told him I'll be sending him emails now that he's grounded for a bit." Ron waved at the simian, now sitting in the co-pilot beside Agent Du. "And he says he might come and visit if he gets any more vacation time."
"Well, he's had a rough time." Kim lifted her hand as the GJ jet gained altitude. "So, now what?"
"Figured we'd head over to Bueno Nacho for some breakfast." He rubbed his stomach, a pained look on his face. "Travelling all night works up an appetite."
The redhead chuckled. "You were sleeping most of the night. When you weren't eating."
"Kim, Kim, Kim." Draping one arm around her shoulders he smiled as he led her down the driveway. "Rufus here was suffering from a severe case of cheese deficiency. And he's still at dangerously low naco levels."
The naked mole rat bobbed his head up and down frantically, a wide smile on his face. Kim sighed, allowing herself to be led.
"All right." She wagged a finger at the pair. "But promise me that the next time we go to a movie that you stay safely in his pocket."
"But…" Ron began to blush. "KP, that's not gonna work if I, I mean, we, I mean…"
"Ron, it's not his problem. It's yours." Taking his hand she continued. "Just leave him alone and he'll be fine. Unless we crush him or something."
The pink rodent gave the pair two tiny thumbs-up as they walked hand in hand down the sidewalk.
"Besides," Kim added, "What are you going to do if he finds a girlfriend of his own?"
He shuddered, squeezing her hand. "That would be so… strange."
Rufus crossed his arms with an angry snort.
"But, of course, she'd have to like Bueno Nacho." Ron added. "That's a must in our women."
"I see." She laughed. "And do I meet the requirements?"
"All that and way more, KP. All that and way, way more."
the end -----------------