Author's Note: I'm back! Sorry for lack of updates. But I'll try not to
let that happen again. Please forgive me for the delay. Enjoy.
Chapter 10: Training In the Tunnel
Down in the girls' bedroom, a sharp rapping on the door awakened Kim. She groggily got up and opened the door. She found herself staring face to face with a hovering robot dressed in a butler's uniform. It was carrying a bundle of clothing in its arms. Another pair of arms carrying more clothing was attached to its back.
"Sorry to awaken you, Miss Possible. But Professor Matthew wished me to inform you that breakfast is ready. Training will then commence after you have eaten. I must go wake up the boys now. Here are your clothes. They've all been washed," said the robot as it handed Kim the stack and revolved its torso around to the other pair of arms. It hovered to the door to the boys' room.
"Monique! Anne! Time to get up. Matt wants us for breakfast," said Kim as she turned around. Monique and Anne sat up in their beds. Kim handed them their clothes. "Ah, my jacket's been fixed. Matt really outdid himself," said Anne as she took her jacket out of the pile. "I wonder what's for breakfast," said Monique.
Then they heard a loud thud. "What was that?" asked Monique. "It came from the hallway. I'll check it out," said Kim as she walked out of the room.
She looked to her left and saw the robot butler hovering in front of the doorway to the boys' room. Sticking outside of the doorway was a pair of legs. Kim walked over and saw that those legs belonged to Ron. He looked like he had fainted. Rufus was fanning Ron's face with his paws. Wade and the others were gathered around trying to wake Ron up.
"What happened?" asked Kim. "Ron took one look at this robot butler and he fainted," said Will. "Must've really startled him. He did this after getting a first glimpse of Drakken's Bebes. Don't worry. I know how to revive him," said Kim.
She got down on her knees and leaned in toward Ron's ear. She whispered, "Two for one naco sale at Bueno Nacho." Ron sprang up. "Naco sale? Let me at it!" exclaimed Ron. Everyone laughed. Ron frowned. "Don't play me like that, Kim. Especially after what the Legion of Villainy did to Bueno Nacho," said Ron angrily. "Sorry, Ron. Anyway, Matt wants us for breakfast. So you guys better get dressed," said Kim. Wade took the clothing from the robot butler and it hovered off. The boys went back in their room to get dressed while Kim headed back to the girls' room to do the same.
Later, the team was gathered in the dining room eating pancakes that Matt had left for them. Yet he was not at his place. "Matt sure makes great stuff whether it's mechanical or edible," said Wade. "I wonder where he is," said Larry. "Probably getting stuff ready for this basic training of his. I hope it's not too painful," said Ron.
"So Will, since you're a top agent, are you going to skip this basic training?" asked Monique. "No way, Miss. Everyone in this team is equal and I intend to do everything Professor Matthew intends for us to go through," said Will. "Call him Matt!" squeaked Rufus. "Sorry. I mean, Matt," said Will glaring at the naked rodent.
"Well, I don't see why we need this basic training anyway. I say we go out and hit those villains with all we've got," said Big Mike. "No wonder he's such a detention regular," whispered Monique to Kim. "That kind of attitude will not be tolerated, Big Mike," said a voice from behind them.
They all turned around and saw Matt. But instead of his lab coat, he was now dressed in the manner of a drill sergeant. "Eat up, team! After breakfast, all of you, naked mole rats included, will take on.the Tunnel!" said Matt in a gruff drill sergeant voice. Then he said in his normal voice, "Forgive me for not joining you. I ate earlier so I could get the course set up." Then Matt left the room.
"Your attitude is the reason you're such a detentionite, Big Mike. You need to change that attitude or you're going to be in detention all next year," said Kim. "You're right, Kim. As a matter of fact, I am getting tired of always being in detention all the time. Mr. Barkin's starting to get more tough and less fair on Vinnie, Junior and I," said Big Mike. "I'm sure with Matt's current drill sergeant persona, he'll discipline you good," said Ron.
"Do any of you have any idea what this Tunnel is?" asked Monique to the ones who knew Matt before them. "I have no idea what it is," said Wade. "He never mentioned it to me," said Anne. "Nor I," said Will. "I'm sure we'll find out. I hope it's nothing painful," said Ron.
Later, everyone was gathered in a room. At the end of the room were two doorways. One was labeled 'In' and the other was labeled 'Out'. A control panel with a monitor was in between the doors. Matt was standing near the control panel holding a microphone and was talking like a television announcer.
"Today, Kim Possible and her band of companions will face the ultimate training course. Six rooms filled with various traps and weapons. Nonlethal, of course. A course simply known as.the Tunnel!" he said. "Could you not talk like that, Matt? You sound like Adrena Lynn," said Kim. "Sorry. I should know better than to talk like one of our arch- foes," said Matt.
"Uh Matt, what exactly is.the Tunnel?" asked Ron pausing before he said the last two words just like Matt did. "Nothing to worry about, Ron. It's just a simple obstacle course. It's sort of like an aptitude test," said Matt. "I don't like aptitude tests. The last time I took an aptitude test, I got some pretty bad results. How can they see me as a stand-up comedian? Why couldn't I be a newspaper reporter or the owner of Bueno Nacho?" asked Ron. Matt chuckled and said, "Don't worry, Ron. This course won't label you as a comedian. All of you will do fine."
"Um Matt, are you saying that I have to go through this course as well?" asked Wade. "Yes Wade. Everybody," said Matt. "Me too?" asked Larry. "Everybody!" exclaimed Matt with great emphasis.
"Now let's get started. One person will go into the Tunnel at a time. When they reach the halfway mark, another person will start. The course contains challenges that test both physical and mental prowess. The computer will monitor your performance and determine what kind of position each of us will play on this team," stated Matt. "You mean like shortstop?" asked Ron. Everyone burst out laughing on Ron's joke. Even Will chuckled a bit. "No Ron. I mean who should handle the field work like you and Kim always do or do the desk work like Wade does. Who's going in first?" asked Matt.
"Our leader should go first and we are lucky that our leader is the one, the only Kim Possible!" announced Ron. "All right. I'll take it first. How hard can it be?" asked Kim. "Be careful, Kim. You don't actually know what's in there," said Monique. "It'll be no big. I've taken on many traps before," said Kim as she stepped up to the entrance. A mechanical door slid up and she entered into it.
"Good luck, Kim. One piece of advice for this course: feel the rhythm. Don't start until you hear the music," said Matt as the door started to slide down. "What's that supposed to mean, Matt?" asked Kim. But she was cut off by the door.
"She'll be okay, won't she, Matt?" asked Ron. "Nothing any of you can't handle," said Matt. Wade and Larry looked pretty nervous. "I've never done anything like this before, Matt," said Wade. "Neither have I," said Larry. "Don't worry. It's all relatively simple. Not to be biased, I think you two might end up doing the desk work. Now I should get this course fired up," said Matt turning to the control panel.
"Let's see. Which program would be best for Kim's level? I know! In the Navy by the Village People!" said Matt as he selected something on the computer screen. "That's a disco song, isn't it Matt? What kind of training program is that?" asked Ron. "You'll find out soon enough, Ron. If you want to find out sooner, you can go in once Kim reaches the halfway point," said Matt. "Okay. I'm next," said Ron.
"Now all I need to do is press the start button," said Matt. Rufus jabbered something. "Okay, Rufus. You can push the button," said Matt. "Rufus is great for his button pushing skills. Gotten us out of several bad situations before," said Ron as Rufus jumped onto the control panel and scampered toward a big red button.
Meanwhile, Kim stood in the darkness of the Tunnel. "When is Matt going to start this thing? And what did he mean by feel the rhythm?" asked Kim to herself.
Suddenly, bright multicolored lights filled the Tunnel and loud disco music blared out. Kim momentarily shielded her eyes and then uncovered them. She found herself in front of a long hallway. The wall was lined with laser guns moving up and down while repeatedly firing laser blasts. A metal door was on the other side.
"Laser guns? So not the drama. Nothing my cheerleading skills can't handle," said Kim as she took a running start and leapt forward. She did various flips all through the hallway narrowly avoiding the blasts. She had to keep moving because she couldn't find a place to stop. 'This is much harder than I thought,' thought Kim.
Just before she made to the door on the other side, one of the lasers struck her in the back of her foot. She stumbled forward and fell in front of the door. Kim looked at the back of her foot. There were no burns. "Hmm. Pulse lasers. Nonlethal but give one heck of a push. I can't afford anymore errors like that," she said to herself.
Before approaching the door, she turned around and gazed at the guns. There was something very unique about their movements and firing rate. Then it hit her. "That's what Matt meant by feeling the rhythm. The guns are moving and firing to the beat of the disco music. And I have a hunch is that everything in this course is synchronized to the music. So I just got to try and feel the beat of music just like I move to the rhythm in cheerleading," said Kim as she approached the metallic door which had started to open.
She gazed into the next room and saw the next obstacle. A large tiled wall stood in front of her. Some of the tiles were pulsating in and out to the rhythm of the disco music. Others were sliding left and right and a strange orange ooze was dripping from holes in the wall.
"Now this is more challenging. But I wonder what that orange ooze is for," said Kim as she approached the wall. To her convenience, the wall was covered with pegs like a rock climbing wall. She began her ascent up the wall. As she climbed, she studied the movement of the wall tiles and synchronized her climb to the disco music.
But at one point, her hand slipped on one of the pegs that was covered in the ooze. She reacted quickly and grabbed another tile. "So that's what the ooze is for: making the wall slippery. Matt sure has put a lot of thought into this course," said Kim as she continued to climb up the wall. Soon she reached the top and looked ahead.
A circular opening was in the wall leading to small narrow path. The wall was rotating around similar to a funhouse room. Disco lights shone from the walls. Kim approached the opening and onto the path. "This doesn't seem too difficult," said Kim.
But she spoke too soon. Suddenly, a small missile with a boxing glove on the tip of it shot out from the side nearly hitting the tip of her nose. She looked around the revolving room. Small doors had opened up and more missiles were shooting out. Kim ducked and jumped avoiding each missile all while trying to stay on the path. She continued this process until she reached the end of the revolving room. A gray door was in front of her.
"That was a little corny. But challenging nonetheless," said Kim. Then Matt's voice blared out, "You have reached the halfway point. Congratulations." 'If this is the halfway point, someone else will now enter after me. I hope they can handle it. Especially Ron. But if I love him, I've got to believe in him,' thought Kim as she moved toward the door which slid up. "There's only three more obstacles left. And I have a feeling they'll be the hardest ones," said Kim as the next obstacle revealed itself.
Another doorway was in front of her. And between her and the doorway was a rather unusual floor. It was covered in panels and each of them was lighting up in an alternating pattern of red, yellow and blue. A large neon sign up above said, 'Red goes down. Blue goes up. Yellow remains the same.'
"So the key is to hop on the panels when they're yellow. Okay. Time to feel the beat," said Kim as she took a leap toward one of the yellow panels. After landing on it, she did a forward flip to the nearest yellow one just before the panel turned red.
Kim did a variety of leaps and flips over the paneled floor until she accidentally landed on a red one. Instantly, the panel dropped down into the floor. Kim reacted in the same instant and leapt off the panel before it got any deeper.
But the next panel she landed on had just turned blue. The panel sprang up on a spring that was below it. Kim jumped before she went too high. She didn't lose her cool at all. Soon she had made it to the other side.
"Pulse lasers, sliding walls, punch missiles and now this extremely challenging floor. And there's still two more to go. I hope the rest of the gang can handle this. But what more could Matt have made for this Tunnel?" Kim asked herself as she moved into the next room.
Strangely enough, the fifth room was just plain. There was nothing standing between her and the door. Kim looked at the floor and the walls. There seemed to be no obstacle in sight. "This room looks a little too innocent," said Kim as she looked around once more. But finding nothing, she shrugged and ran to the door. The door slid upward and Kim made a move forward when suddenly she stopped.
In front of her was a burly robot dressed in a white disco suit with platform shoes, a gold medallion and an afro hairdo. It was dancing to the beat of the music as it moved toward Kim who backed away. Another door was behind it. Then the robot droned in a robotic voice, "To enter the final disco room, you must deactivate me, Disco Duke."
"Now here's something that Senor Senior Jr. would have wanted for his disco," said Kim as she performed a flying kick at the robot. But Disco Duke ducked and executed his own flying kick with a disco flair. Kim jumped backward. Disco Duke lurched toward all while still keeping up with his disco beat. 'He doesn't seem to be as fast as Drakken's Bebes. But Matt could have programmed him for strength instead of speed. But the question is how to deactivate him," thought Kim as she dodged a punch from the robot.
"Foolish girl. You cannot see the solution that dangles right in front of your eyes," droned Disco Duke as he pulled a roundhouse kick which Kim ducked. 'Dangles right in front of me? The only thing I see that is dangling is that gold medallion around his neck,' thought Kim. But then she took another look at the gold medallion. It wasn't around Disco Duke's neck. It was attached to it.
"Of course!" she exclaimed as she leapt forward. Before Disco Duke had time to react, she grabbed onto the medallion and yanked as hard as she could. The medallion's chain stretched out and the robot doubled over forward. "Not groovy, baby," it said as it shut down. "Looks like this medallion is his choke cord," said Kim. The door behind Disco Duke opened. Then the voice of Matt said, "Duke will restart in two minutes. Proceed to the final room." "Will do, Matt. I'm ready to finish this obstacle course," said Kim as she ran toward the doorway. As soon as she emerged from it, she stopped.
"Whoa!" she exclaimed as she gazed over the final room. It seemed to be a compilation of elements from the past five rooms. There were pulse laser guns on the wall. But instead of moving up and down, they were firing their lasers at a disco ball that hung from the ceiling. The lasers reflected and blasted all over the room. The floor was paneled and flashing like the floor from the fourth room. But the panels were sliding up and down and side to side like the wall in the second room. The same orange ooze was oozing upward from the floor. From the walls, more punch missiles were shooting across the room like darts. To top it off, two more Disco Dukes were on the floor and they seemed to be immune to the effects of the colored panels.
"I've said it before and I'll say it again. So. Not. The. Drama!" said the teen heroine as she leapt into the fray. She dodged the pulse lasers and punch missiles with the greatest of ease. The two Disco Dukes tried to intercept her. But she tricked them into falling when the panels turned red. She was careful to avoid slipping on the ooze and she synchronized herself to the movements of the panels and the changing colors. Soon, she had made to the other side. With a satisfied smile on her face, she headed to the open doorway.
Soon, Kim emerged from the darkness of the Tunnel and into the room where she had initially entered the Tunnel. "Congratulations Kim! You have successfully completed the Tunnel with flying colors," said Matt who was still sitting on the control panel. She looked at the rest of her friends who all had big smiles on their faces. Even Will.
"No big. I've faced worse. Although I have to admit, the disco theme is a little silly," said Kim. "Well, I'm just stuck in the seventies. But that's the way uh-huh-uh-huh I like it," said Matt.
"Where's Ron?" asked Kim who had just noticed that her best friend wasn't among the group. "He went in after you reached the halfway mark. He was pretty determined," said Monique. "I hope he does all right. Even I had trouble with the fourth room," said Kim. "Actually Kim, he's doing very well," said Wade who was looking over Matt's shoulder at the control panel. "I was thinking of turning to a tamer song such as Shake Your Booty for Ron. But I thought it would be only fair that we all go through the same level," said Matt.
Then a horn sound blared out and the In door slid up. "And that sound means that Ronald Stoppable has made it to the halfway point. Who's going in next?" asked Matt. "I suppose I will. Even though I don't really think I need to do this," said Will as he stepped up.
"Uh Will? It looks like Rufus begs to differ," said Larry pointing at Rufus. The naked mole rat scampered into the entrance and it closed behind him.
"How dare that rodent cut in front of me!" yelled Will angrily. But Monique grabbed his arm. "Calm down, Will. Rufus is a part of this team too. We'll all get a chance in the Tunnel. We're a team. And there's no I in team," she said. Will's angry look disappeared. He smiled at Monique. "You're right, Monique. If we're going to defeat the Legion of Villainy, we should act like a team. Truth is, sometimes I believe I'm too smug for my own good," said Will. "Stick with Kim, Ron and the rest of this team and your smugness will disappear," said Monique. Both of them looked into each other's eyes.
Kim observed the whole thing. 'I hope it works out for those two. But I strongly hope that a relationship works out between Ron and I. When this whole Legion mess is sorted out, Ron and I should have a talk. But right now, I'll just hope he gets out of the Tunnel alive,' thought Kim as she positioned herself in front of the exit of the Tunnel hoping that Ron would emerge soon.
After time passed and everyone had gone through, the last person who had entered the Tunnel emerged from the exit. "I never get tired of this course," said Matt as he ran out.
"So when do we get the results of this H.A.T?" asked Ron. "Hat? What is that supposed to mean, Ron?" asked Kim. "No Kim. H.A.T. Hero Aptitude Test," said Ron.
"The results are being printed right now. Of course, I have to take a inventor penalty on my score because I invented the course. It's only fair," said Matt as he walked over to the control panel where a computer printout was feeding out.
"Hope I did well, Kim," said Ron. "You gave it your best, Ron. You did make it to the halfway point shortly after I got out," said Kim. "I did?" asked Ron with a grin.
"Okay, people. Here's the list in the order of who gave the better performance. But since I don't believe in listing off everyone and making any of you feel bad, I'll just say this. Kim, Ron, Rufus, Monique, Will, Big Mike, Anne and I will be handling the field work while Wade and Larry will handle the hacking and the inventions," said Matt. "Whew! I'm still going into battle with you, KP," said Ron with relief. "I wouldn't have had it any other way, Ron," said Kim.
"So what do we do now? Are we going out to beat the bad guys now?" asked Big Mike. "Absolutely not. We still have more to do. So here's the itinerary. Those of us who are actually going to confront the Legion of Villainy will go to the gym for a little combat training until lunch. Wade and Larry will go to my lab and supervise the construction of the gadgets. I've already sent instructions to the robots. They'll let you know what's up. Then after lunch, we'll go through orientation of the gadgets. And then tomorrow, we'll confront Drakken and his team. That is, if you don't mind, Kim. You are the leader of this team," stated Matt. "To tell you the truth Matt, I am getting a little impatient. I really don't like the idea of leaving the world in the hands of the villains a day more. But I trust you, Matt. If you think this is necessary, then it's all right with me," said Kim.
"I don't think we have to worry about the Legion. My morning check revealed that all they are doing right now is searching Middleton again. That and changing everything from Middleton to Villainville. Now I could be wrong about this. But it seems that taking full control of the world has taken second priority to finding you guys," said Matt. "I don't understand it. They've got the human population of the world turned into naked mole rats. But they purposely left us out so they can hunt us down like animals instead of taking advantage of the opportunity to take over the world. What is going on?" asked Kim.
"I don't blame them. After so many defeats, it's only natural that they've formed personal vendettas against you, Kim," said Will. "That could be a possibility, Will. But I still can't help but wonder who this Number One character is," said Ron. "And they seem to be after Ron too. But for now, let's go to the gym and begin training," said Matt as he clapped his hands.
The robot in the butler uniform floated up to him. "Take Wade and Larry to the lab, Jeeves-bot," said Matt. The robot nodded and motioned for Wade and Larry to follow him. "See you guys later," said Larry. "We'll have plenty of gadgets ready for you to use," said Wade as he and Larry followed the robot out of the room.
"The rest of you, follow me to the gym. It's time for a little combat training," said Matt as he walked to another exit out of the room with Kim and the rest following him.
"I'll be giving a few basic pointers on the many forms of hand-to-hand combat I know," said Matt. "How about if I teach you guys a bit of my wrestling moves?" asked Big Mike. "And I could also teach some of my GJ training," said Will. "And how about some bon diggety kung fu moves from the Ronster?" asked Ron. Will and Big Mike laughed. "Kung fu? You? Don't make us laugh Stoppable," said Big Mike. "No it's true. Ron does know kung fu," said Kim. "I'll believe it when I see it," said Will.
"You know Kim, I'm glad we're delaying our attack. I could use a little training from the best cheerleader I know," said Monique. "Hey, you didn't do so bad yourself, Monique. Why didn't you tell me you used to be on your old school's gymnastics team?" asked Kim. "Didn't think it was important, girl. Think my skills will come in handy when we fight the bad guys?" asked Monique. "I think so. When I first started this teen hero business, I never thought my cheerleading skills would be useful," said Kim.
Ron, in the meantime, sidled up to Matt. "Uh Matt? Just for my own personal record, who did come out on top?" asked Ron quietly. "Ron, I told you that I don't believe in telling who did better than who," whispered Matt quietly. "Oh. Okay," said Ron disappointed. "Besides, it would shock everyone too much to know that they were beaten by a rodent," whispered Matt with a grin.
Ron looked stunned as he looked at Rufus in his pocket. The naked mole rat had a big grin on his face. Ron looked around. It looked like nobody had heard what Matt had told him. Ron put his finger to his lips in shushing motion. Rufus nodded. "This will be our little secret," whispered Ron to Matt. Matt smiled in agreement as the team headed off for more preparation for the upcoming conflict against the Legion of Villainy.
Chapter 10: Training In the Tunnel
Down in the girls' bedroom, a sharp rapping on the door awakened Kim. She groggily got up and opened the door. She found herself staring face to face with a hovering robot dressed in a butler's uniform. It was carrying a bundle of clothing in its arms. Another pair of arms carrying more clothing was attached to its back.
"Sorry to awaken you, Miss Possible. But Professor Matthew wished me to inform you that breakfast is ready. Training will then commence after you have eaten. I must go wake up the boys now. Here are your clothes. They've all been washed," said the robot as it handed Kim the stack and revolved its torso around to the other pair of arms. It hovered to the door to the boys' room.
"Monique! Anne! Time to get up. Matt wants us for breakfast," said Kim as she turned around. Monique and Anne sat up in their beds. Kim handed them their clothes. "Ah, my jacket's been fixed. Matt really outdid himself," said Anne as she took her jacket out of the pile. "I wonder what's for breakfast," said Monique.
Then they heard a loud thud. "What was that?" asked Monique. "It came from the hallway. I'll check it out," said Kim as she walked out of the room.
She looked to her left and saw the robot butler hovering in front of the doorway to the boys' room. Sticking outside of the doorway was a pair of legs. Kim walked over and saw that those legs belonged to Ron. He looked like he had fainted. Rufus was fanning Ron's face with his paws. Wade and the others were gathered around trying to wake Ron up.
"What happened?" asked Kim. "Ron took one look at this robot butler and he fainted," said Will. "Must've really startled him. He did this after getting a first glimpse of Drakken's Bebes. Don't worry. I know how to revive him," said Kim.
She got down on her knees and leaned in toward Ron's ear. She whispered, "Two for one naco sale at Bueno Nacho." Ron sprang up. "Naco sale? Let me at it!" exclaimed Ron. Everyone laughed. Ron frowned. "Don't play me like that, Kim. Especially after what the Legion of Villainy did to Bueno Nacho," said Ron angrily. "Sorry, Ron. Anyway, Matt wants us for breakfast. So you guys better get dressed," said Kim. Wade took the clothing from the robot butler and it hovered off. The boys went back in their room to get dressed while Kim headed back to the girls' room to do the same.
Later, the team was gathered in the dining room eating pancakes that Matt had left for them. Yet he was not at his place. "Matt sure makes great stuff whether it's mechanical or edible," said Wade. "I wonder where he is," said Larry. "Probably getting stuff ready for this basic training of his. I hope it's not too painful," said Ron.
"So Will, since you're a top agent, are you going to skip this basic training?" asked Monique. "No way, Miss. Everyone in this team is equal and I intend to do everything Professor Matthew intends for us to go through," said Will. "Call him Matt!" squeaked Rufus. "Sorry. I mean, Matt," said Will glaring at the naked rodent.
"Well, I don't see why we need this basic training anyway. I say we go out and hit those villains with all we've got," said Big Mike. "No wonder he's such a detention regular," whispered Monique to Kim. "That kind of attitude will not be tolerated, Big Mike," said a voice from behind them.
They all turned around and saw Matt. But instead of his lab coat, he was now dressed in the manner of a drill sergeant. "Eat up, team! After breakfast, all of you, naked mole rats included, will take on.the Tunnel!" said Matt in a gruff drill sergeant voice. Then he said in his normal voice, "Forgive me for not joining you. I ate earlier so I could get the course set up." Then Matt left the room.
"Your attitude is the reason you're such a detentionite, Big Mike. You need to change that attitude or you're going to be in detention all next year," said Kim. "You're right, Kim. As a matter of fact, I am getting tired of always being in detention all the time. Mr. Barkin's starting to get more tough and less fair on Vinnie, Junior and I," said Big Mike. "I'm sure with Matt's current drill sergeant persona, he'll discipline you good," said Ron.
"Do any of you have any idea what this Tunnel is?" asked Monique to the ones who knew Matt before them. "I have no idea what it is," said Wade. "He never mentioned it to me," said Anne. "Nor I," said Will. "I'm sure we'll find out. I hope it's nothing painful," said Ron.
Later, everyone was gathered in a room. At the end of the room were two doorways. One was labeled 'In' and the other was labeled 'Out'. A control panel with a monitor was in between the doors. Matt was standing near the control panel holding a microphone and was talking like a television announcer.
"Today, Kim Possible and her band of companions will face the ultimate training course. Six rooms filled with various traps and weapons. Nonlethal, of course. A course simply known as.the Tunnel!" he said. "Could you not talk like that, Matt? You sound like Adrena Lynn," said Kim. "Sorry. I should know better than to talk like one of our arch- foes," said Matt.
"Uh Matt, what exactly is.the Tunnel?" asked Ron pausing before he said the last two words just like Matt did. "Nothing to worry about, Ron. It's just a simple obstacle course. It's sort of like an aptitude test," said Matt. "I don't like aptitude tests. The last time I took an aptitude test, I got some pretty bad results. How can they see me as a stand-up comedian? Why couldn't I be a newspaper reporter or the owner of Bueno Nacho?" asked Ron. Matt chuckled and said, "Don't worry, Ron. This course won't label you as a comedian. All of you will do fine."
"Um Matt, are you saying that I have to go through this course as well?" asked Wade. "Yes Wade. Everybody," said Matt. "Me too?" asked Larry. "Everybody!" exclaimed Matt with great emphasis.
"Now let's get started. One person will go into the Tunnel at a time. When they reach the halfway mark, another person will start. The course contains challenges that test both physical and mental prowess. The computer will monitor your performance and determine what kind of position each of us will play on this team," stated Matt. "You mean like shortstop?" asked Ron. Everyone burst out laughing on Ron's joke. Even Will chuckled a bit. "No Ron. I mean who should handle the field work like you and Kim always do or do the desk work like Wade does. Who's going in first?" asked Matt.
"Our leader should go first and we are lucky that our leader is the one, the only Kim Possible!" announced Ron. "All right. I'll take it first. How hard can it be?" asked Kim. "Be careful, Kim. You don't actually know what's in there," said Monique. "It'll be no big. I've taken on many traps before," said Kim as she stepped up to the entrance. A mechanical door slid up and she entered into it.
"Good luck, Kim. One piece of advice for this course: feel the rhythm. Don't start until you hear the music," said Matt as the door started to slide down. "What's that supposed to mean, Matt?" asked Kim. But she was cut off by the door.
"She'll be okay, won't she, Matt?" asked Ron. "Nothing any of you can't handle," said Matt. Wade and Larry looked pretty nervous. "I've never done anything like this before, Matt," said Wade. "Neither have I," said Larry. "Don't worry. It's all relatively simple. Not to be biased, I think you two might end up doing the desk work. Now I should get this course fired up," said Matt turning to the control panel.
"Let's see. Which program would be best for Kim's level? I know! In the Navy by the Village People!" said Matt as he selected something on the computer screen. "That's a disco song, isn't it Matt? What kind of training program is that?" asked Ron. "You'll find out soon enough, Ron. If you want to find out sooner, you can go in once Kim reaches the halfway point," said Matt. "Okay. I'm next," said Ron.
"Now all I need to do is press the start button," said Matt. Rufus jabbered something. "Okay, Rufus. You can push the button," said Matt. "Rufus is great for his button pushing skills. Gotten us out of several bad situations before," said Ron as Rufus jumped onto the control panel and scampered toward a big red button.
Meanwhile, Kim stood in the darkness of the Tunnel. "When is Matt going to start this thing? And what did he mean by feel the rhythm?" asked Kim to herself.
Suddenly, bright multicolored lights filled the Tunnel and loud disco music blared out. Kim momentarily shielded her eyes and then uncovered them. She found herself in front of a long hallway. The wall was lined with laser guns moving up and down while repeatedly firing laser blasts. A metal door was on the other side.
"Laser guns? So not the drama. Nothing my cheerleading skills can't handle," said Kim as she took a running start and leapt forward. She did various flips all through the hallway narrowly avoiding the blasts. She had to keep moving because she couldn't find a place to stop. 'This is much harder than I thought,' thought Kim.
Just before she made to the door on the other side, one of the lasers struck her in the back of her foot. She stumbled forward and fell in front of the door. Kim looked at the back of her foot. There were no burns. "Hmm. Pulse lasers. Nonlethal but give one heck of a push. I can't afford anymore errors like that," she said to herself.
Before approaching the door, she turned around and gazed at the guns. There was something very unique about their movements and firing rate. Then it hit her. "That's what Matt meant by feeling the rhythm. The guns are moving and firing to the beat of the disco music. And I have a hunch is that everything in this course is synchronized to the music. So I just got to try and feel the beat of music just like I move to the rhythm in cheerleading," said Kim as she approached the metallic door which had started to open.
She gazed into the next room and saw the next obstacle. A large tiled wall stood in front of her. Some of the tiles were pulsating in and out to the rhythm of the disco music. Others were sliding left and right and a strange orange ooze was dripping from holes in the wall.
"Now this is more challenging. But I wonder what that orange ooze is for," said Kim as she approached the wall. To her convenience, the wall was covered with pegs like a rock climbing wall. She began her ascent up the wall. As she climbed, she studied the movement of the wall tiles and synchronized her climb to the disco music.
But at one point, her hand slipped on one of the pegs that was covered in the ooze. She reacted quickly and grabbed another tile. "So that's what the ooze is for: making the wall slippery. Matt sure has put a lot of thought into this course," said Kim as she continued to climb up the wall. Soon she reached the top and looked ahead.
A circular opening was in the wall leading to small narrow path. The wall was rotating around similar to a funhouse room. Disco lights shone from the walls. Kim approached the opening and onto the path. "This doesn't seem too difficult," said Kim.
But she spoke too soon. Suddenly, a small missile with a boxing glove on the tip of it shot out from the side nearly hitting the tip of her nose. She looked around the revolving room. Small doors had opened up and more missiles were shooting out. Kim ducked and jumped avoiding each missile all while trying to stay on the path. She continued this process until she reached the end of the revolving room. A gray door was in front of her.
"That was a little corny. But challenging nonetheless," said Kim. Then Matt's voice blared out, "You have reached the halfway point. Congratulations." 'If this is the halfway point, someone else will now enter after me. I hope they can handle it. Especially Ron. But if I love him, I've got to believe in him,' thought Kim as she moved toward the door which slid up. "There's only three more obstacles left. And I have a feeling they'll be the hardest ones," said Kim as the next obstacle revealed itself.
Another doorway was in front of her. And between her and the doorway was a rather unusual floor. It was covered in panels and each of them was lighting up in an alternating pattern of red, yellow and blue. A large neon sign up above said, 'Red goes down. Blue goes up. Yellow remains the same.'
"So the key is to hop on the panels when they're yellow. Okay. Time to feel the beat," said Kim as she took a leap toward one of the yellow panels. After landing on it, she did a forward flip to the nearest yellow one just before the panel turned red.
Kim did a variety of leaps and flips over the paneled floor until she accidentally landed on a red one. Instantly, the panel dropped down into the floor. Kim reacted in the same instant and leapt off the panel before it got any deeper.
But the next panel she landed on had just turned blue. The panel sprang up on a spring that was below it. Kim jumped before she went too high. She didn't lose her cool at all. Soon she had made it to the other side.
"Pulse lasers, sliding walls, punch missiles and now this extremely challenging floor. And there's still two more to go. I hope the rest of the gang can handle this. But what more could Matt have made for this Tunnel?" Kim asked herself as she moved into the next room.
Strangely enough, the fifth room was just plain. There was nothing standing between her and the door. Kim looked at the floor and the walls. There seemed to be no obstacle in sight. "This room looks a little too innocent," said Kim as she looked around once more. But finding nothing, she shrugged and ran to the door. The door slid upward and Kim made a move forward when suddenly she stopped.
In front of her was a burly robot dressed in a white disco suit with platform shoes, a gold medallion and an afro hairdo. It was dancing to the beat of the music as it moved toward Kim who backed away. Another door was behind it. Then the robot droned in a robotic voice, "To enter the final disco room, you must deactivate me, Disco Duke."
"Now here's something that Senor Senior Jr. would have wanted for his disco," said Kim as she performed a flying kick at the robot. But Disco Duke ducked and executed his own flying kick with a disco flair. Kim jumped backward. Disco Duke lurched toward all while still keeping up with his disco beat. 'He doesn't seem to be as fast as Drakken's Bebes. But Matt could have programmed him for strength instead of speed. But the question is how to deactivate him," thought Kim as she dodged a punch from the robot.
"Foolish girl. You cannot see the solution that dangles right in front of your eyes," droned Disco Duke as he pulled a roundhouse kick which Kim ducked. 'Dangles right in front of me? The only thing I see that is dangling is that gold medallion around his neck,' thought Kim. But then she took another look at the gold medallion. It wasn't around Disco Duke's neck. It was attached to it.
"Of course!" she exclaimed as she leapt forward. Before Disco Duke had time to react, she grabbed onto the medallion and yanked as hard as she could. The medallion's chain stretched out and the robot doubled over forward. "Not groovy, baby," it said as it shut down. "Looks like this medallion is his choke cord," said Kim. The door behind Disco Duke opened. Then the voice of Matt said, "Duke will restart in two minutes. Proceed to the final room." "Will do, Matt. I'm ready to finish this obstacle course," said Kim as she ran toward the doorway. As soon as she emerged from it, she stopped.
"Whoa!" she exclaimed as she gazed over the final room. It seemed to be a compilation of elements from the past five rooms. There were pulse laser guns on the wall. But instead of moving up and down, they were firing their lasers at a disco ball that hung from the ceiling. The lasers reflected and blasted all over the room. The floor was paneled and flashing like the floor from the fourth room. But the panels were sliding up and down and side to side like the wall in the second room. The same orange ooze was oozing upward from the floor. From the walls, more punch missiles were shooting across the room like darts. To top it off, two more Disco Dukes were on the floor and they seemed to be immune to the effects of the colored panels.
"I've said it before and I'll say it again. So. Not. The. Drama!" said the teen heroine as she leapt into the fray. She dodged the pulse lasers and punch missiles with the greatest of ease. The two Disco Dukes tried to intercept her. But she tricked them into falling when the panels turned red. She was careful to avoid slipping on the ooze and she synchronized herself to the movements of the panels and the changing colors. Soon, she had made to the other side. With a satisfied smile on her face, she headed to the open doorway.
Soon, Kim emerged from the darkness of the Tunnel and into the room where she had initially entered the Tunnel. "Congratulations Kim! You have successfully completed the Tunnel with flying colors," said Matt who was still sitting on the control panel. She looked at the rest of her friends who all had big smiles on their faces. Even Will.
"No big. I've faced worse. Although I have to admit, the disco theme is a little silly," said Kim. "Well, I'm just stuck in the seventies. But that's the way uh-huh-uh-huh I like it," said Matt.
"Where's Ron?" asked Kim who had just noticed that her best friend wasn't among the group. "He went in after you reached the halfway mark. He was pretty determined," said Monique. "I hope he does all right. Even I had trouble with the fourth room," said Kim. "Actually Kim, he's doing very well," said Wade who was looking over Matt's shoulder at the control panel. "I was thinking of turning to a tamer song such as Shake Your Booty for Ron. But I thought it would be only fair that we all go through the same level," said Matt.
Then a horn sound blared out and the In door slid up. "And that sound means that Ronald Stoppable has made it to the halfway point. Who's going in next?" asked Matt. "I suppose I will. Even though I don't really think I need to do this," said Will as he stepped up.
"Uh Will? It looks like Rufus begs to differ," said Larry pointing at Rufus. The naked mole rat scampered into the entrance and it closed behind him.
"How dare that rodent cut in front of me!" yelled Will angrily. But Monique grabbed his arm. "Calm down, Will. Rufus is a part of this team too. We'll all get a chance in the Tunnel. We're a team. And there's no I in team," she said. Will's angry look disappeared. He smiled at Monique. "You're right, Monique. If we're going to defeat the Legion of Villainy, we should act like a team. Truth is, sometimes I believe I'm too smug for my own good," said Will. "Stick with Kim, Ron and the rest of this team and your smugness will disappear," said Monique. Both of them looked into each other's eyes.
Kim observed the whole thing. 'I hope it works out for those two. But I strongly hope that a relationship works out between Ron and I. When this whole Legion mess is sorted out, Ron and I should have a talk. But right now, I'll just hope he gets out of the Tunnel alive,' thought Kim as she positioned herself in front of the exit of the Tunnel hoping that Ron would emerge soon.
After time passed and everyone had gone through, the last person who had entered the Tunnel emerged from the exit. "I never get tired of this course," said Matt as he ran out.
"So when do we get the results of this H.A.T?" asked Ron. "Hat? What is that supposed to mean, Ron?" asked Kim. "No Kim. H.A.T. Hero Aptitude Test," said Ron.
"The results are being printed right now. Of course, I have to take a inventor penalty on my score because I invented the course. It's only fair," said Matt as he walked over to the control panel where a computer printout was feeding out.
"Hope I did well, Kim," said Ron. "You gave it your best, Ron. You did make it to the halfway point shortly after I got out," said Kim. "I did?" asked Ron with a grin.
"Okay, people. Here's the list in the order of who gave the better performance. But since I don't believe in listing off everyone and making any of you feel bad, I'll just say this. Kim, Ron, Rufus, Monique, Will, Big Mike, Anne and I will be handling the field work while Wade and Larry will handle the hacking and the inventions," said Matt. "Whew! I'm still going into battle with you, KP," said Ron with relief. "I wouldn't have had it any other way, Ron," said Kim.
"So what do we do now? Are we going out to beat the bad guys now?" asked Big Mike. "Absolutely not. We still have more to do. So here's the itinerary. Those of us who are actually going to confront the Legion of Villainy will go to the gym for a little combat training until lunch. Wade and Larry will go to my lab and supervise the construction of the gadgets. I've already sent instructions to the robots. They'll let you know what's up. Then after lunch, we'll go through orientation of the gadgets. And then tomorrow, we'll confront Drakken and his team. That is, if you don't mind, Kim. You are the leader of this team," stated Matt. "To tell you the truth Matt, I am getting a little impatient. I really don't like the idea of leaving the world in the hands of the villains a day more. But I trust you, Matt. If you think this is necessary, then it's all right with me," said Kim.
"I don't think we have to worry about the Legion. My morning check revealed that all they are doing right now is searching Middleton again. That and changing everything from Middleton to Villainville. Now I could be wrong about this. But it seems that taking full control of the world has taken second priority to finding you guys," said Matt. "I don't understand it. They've got the human population of the world turned into naked mole rats. But they purposely left us out so they can hunt us down like animals instead of taking advantage of the opportunity to take over the world. What is going on?" asked Kim.
"I don't blame them. After so many defeats, it's only natural that they've formed personal vendettas against you, Kim," said Will. "That could be a possibility, Will. But I still can't help but wonder who this Number One character is," said Ron. "And they seem to be after Ron too. But for now, let's go to the gym and begin training," said Matt as he clapped his hands.
The robot in the butler uniform floated up to him. "Take Wade and Larry to the lab, Jeeves-bot," said Matt. The robot nodded and motioned for Wade and Larry to follow him. "See you guys later," said Larry. "We'll have plenty of gadgets ready for you to use," said Wade as he and Larry followed the robot out of the room.
"The rest of you, follow me to the gym. It's time for a little combat training," said Matt as he walked to another exit out of the room with Kim and the rest following him.
"I'll be giving a few basic pointers on the many forms of hand-to-hand combat I know," said Matt. "How about if I teach you guys a bit of my wrestling moves?" asked Big Mike. "And I could also teach some of my GJ training," said Will. "And how about some bon diggety kung fu moves from the Ronster?" asked Ron. Will and Big Mike laughed. "Kung fu? You? Don't make us laugh Stoppable," said Big Mike. "No it's true. Ron does know kung fu," said Kim. "I'll believe it when I see it," said Will.
"You know Kim, I'm glad we're delaying our attack. I could use a little training from the best cheerleader I know," said Monique. "Hey, you didn't do so bad yourself, Monique. Why didn't you tell me you used to be on your old school's gymnastics team?" asked Kim. "Didn't think it was important, girl. Think my skills will come in handy when we fight the bad guys?" asked Monique. "I think so. When I first started this teen hero business, I never thought my cheerleading skills would be useful," said Kim.
Ron, in the meantime, sidled up to Matt. "Uh Matt? Just for my own personal record, who did come out on top?" asked Ron quietly. "Ron, I told you that I don't believe in telling who did better than who," whispered Matt quietly. "Oh. Okay," said Ron disappointed. "Besides, it would shock everyone too much to know that they were beaten by a rodent," whispered Matt with a grin.
Ron looked stunned as he looked at Rufus in his pocket. The naked mole rat had a big grin on his face. Ron looked around. It looked like nobody had heard what Matt had told him. Ron put his finger to his lips in shushing motion. Rufus nodded. "This will be our little secret," whispered Ron to Matt. Matt smiled in agreement as the team headed off for more preparation for the upcoming conflict against the Legion of Villainy.
