Chapter 15: Confinement
Again, love the reviews. But there's a few things that I need to address before the next chapter. Don't get me wrong, I respect this review, but there's some things I feel the need to address for all readers. (If you want to skip this, then scroll down to the bold)
Thanks to kivlov for this one:
That's bs man she's a shootist, she may have competent hand to hand training but no way in hell she can outmanuever 2 graduated ninjas and a close combat expert flanking her simulatneously. Kim should have took her down or at least set her up, espicially once she suspected he was Ron Hero-worship awe.
The same can be said for Kim's previous experience with ninjas, and
Jen's fought many as well. Just because we recognize Ron and Yori as
ninjas doesn't mean they're invincible (especially Ron since he's not
at gunpoint and just got kissed on the cheek). The way I look at it,
none of them knew what to expect from the gunslinger, only that she was
pretty fast and had the barrel of her handgun digging at Yori's skull.
Any sudden move and she'd be wormfood , and that's not really something
Kim and Ron want on their conscience. Now if I broke everything out
into a fight and have Jen own Kim, Ron, and Yori, then that would be ridiculous.
We don't know his motives at all.
Rather lacking essential Ronness (focus using irrational deductive skills and Conspirarcy theories) except on Bueno Nacho.Intentional. Because of his relationship with Kim, he's trying to avoid the buffoonery, but it's not so easy. If you also remember, he's prone to becoming overconfident, and I used that.
No character bonding /empathy over non-essential/frivilous/ shared experiences or subjects at inopportune times. e.g. ron-yori remembering about bamboo trainning exercises when confronted by metal tentacles. Kim-nev discuss finer points of cuddlebunny? You know moments of casual unguarded revelations without the drama, angst, comfort touchy feely stuff.
Humor in unexpected areas doesn't work with everyone.
Motives are a bit weak. Some more irrational than others and the emotional ones i just didn't feel.
Because the real motives behind everything haven't even been addressed, and won't for some time. This is one of those stories where everything is explained at the very end. I've got it handled.
And to address the issue people had of the previous story, Valia didn't have a real solid motive against Kim and Ron. That was completely intentional! Seeing that most teens don't need a solid motive to do things that harm them, Val didn't need a reason to toy with everyone's favorite couple. He just wanted to. You're lying to yourself if you haven't met someone like that.
And emotions? Experimentation in writing. I'm no novelist like a lot of the big wigs on this site.
Drones definition of alive. If they can breathe, emotions,have relationships, make mistakes, are aware, make free will choices,have dreams and desires ,believe in something greater than themselves i think that qualifies as alive.at least more than most people. So far.
I don't recall writing that they believe in something greater than themselves. Otherwise, good point, but they are still programmed to perform a specific duty. They still lack free will to control the purpose of their existence, but are programmed to believe otherwise, and even programmed not to reach such thoughts. That's control for ya. But like restaruant food, customers can decide what they want and don't want on your meal. Considering that Elurt's a control freak, he wouldn't want his drones to possess too much in the free-will category.
What about legalities, beaucrats, goverments actions and consequences? What about family? no power or communication, especially how do the little people react?Got it handled already, but no spoilers.
More Rufus is always good, Comments Quips Ideas etc.
Unfortunately, I'm having a hard time fitting him in this, but he will have a couple of moments.
Wouldn't Ron's magical mystical monkey powers push those foreign
nanobots (it knows nanos doesn't belong there) while healing him its
been there longer and its stronger.
No, not really. There's no proof that the mystical monkey genes in his blood recognize the nanos as a threat, and nanomachines are not organic, anyway.
mind control is a 2 way trip judging from what I have read This is a chance for Ron to Snackage some Juicy info and motives at last. its sending and recieving.
If that were the case, our heroes would have been able to figure everything out, but Dive made sure that the technique wasn't the same every time to avoid this. But in this case, it wasn't just mind control, but body control as well, specifically through the nanomachines. And if you remember, Ron didn't regain consciousness.
goverments might not know everything thats missing weapons, but there is always someone whose unsantcioned shadowy business depends on knowing. profit and all that. use them.
In case no one caught this before, I don't write a chapter and then upload it when I'm done. I'm actually in the middle of writing Chapter 18 as I'm writing this, probably Chapter 19 by tomorrow if I throw homework aside again. I just want to get some ideas, then backtrack to make sure I don't miss anything. No spoilers, but I've got things covered already. For future reference, I don't accept suggestions that affect the plot, just those that affect accuracy and errors/plotholes. There's a difference.
Stronger or better physical fighter is not equal to mental warrior/general. too much focus on either 1 Scientific Intelligence 2. martial Superoity 3.Darker emotions as a sign of power Raw Power is no match for strength of character.If our heroes and villians knew that, then there'd be no point in writing any of this. Also, too much focus? Intentional too.
So, in summarization, some of what you readers may consider character and story flaws may be done with full intention. Yes, this is darker (hence the title, duh) and not in the same direction of the series, but hey, it's fanfiction. I also write things in my head, not things designed to please everyone. For me, if that were the case, the story wouldn't be anything worth writing. This story takes place three months after the Prom, and with Kim and Ron together, things will change. So the Drama was an easy example of that: The episode was the darkest of the series, and the everything was forever changed with the ending. Take it another level and you had my previous story. Not the best, but hey, it was a start.
I do think it's logical that they change due to their relationship, for better or worse. Even though they're taking on things from a different perspective, they're still human and make mistakes. Not everyone is going to have the same thoughts toward a situation. I'm just trying to make people respond to things based on their perspective, not from an outside view.
The prime focus of the story, if it wasn't obvious already, was character emotions. Yes, it bothers them and sometimes affects their decisions. You'll see how apparent it is at the end of this chapter. If you also think Dive's overpowered by the end of this one, get over it. It's not the end.
Chapter 15: Confinement (again, but hey, that was a tad lengthy) On with the story!
Bay City, California.
The Imperial Outpost building is the tallest structure in the very center of the city. With a towering 105 floors representing a historical monument, it has been known to be popular for tourist attractions, field trips, and business presentations. Otherwise, it was an abandoned building. City members did not want it to be a teenage hangout, the elderly did not want it to become some kind of business location, and everyone else didn't want such a monument to be tampered with. It was also too dangerous to destroy and take down.
That was all out of the question now.
On the outside, it looked like the same abandoned building it was for the last few months.
For the last two hours, on the inside, the place was turned into a war zone. Papers flew, guns went off, blood spilled, walls had bullets in them, and pipes all over broke, releasing steam, gas, and all kinds of harmful elements into the air.
Team Snyder, Raiden Squad, and the Fox Band. Three teams from three different organizations, consisting of twelve teenagers, fighting against a thousand beings of a different race, one that should never have existed.
In a time of war, people get desperate. When people get desperate, they don't think. When people don't think, endless ramifications are born. The project to create the ultimate human weapon was among them, over thirty years ago. It would take twenty years for the technology to finally evolve. So we thought. When we believed the evolvement of technology was beginning, it was a time of another war. Again, people got desperate.
In such times, two kinds of people exist: Those who know how to handle the situation, and those who don't. The latter were the ones responsible for the project, not even involved in such circumstances, but managed to keep it quiet for a generation. They would have never guessed that a dozen teenage commandos would be in a war with their fabrications.
A lot of things were happening behind the scenes, but it was hidden rather well. Not by those in charge, not by the innocent, but those who were in the middle.
To play God, disturb the life cycle, and disrupt the natural order of life: The prime view of this project. It had been going on for much longer than anyone had known.
Now, it was time to destroy the experiment once and for all.
"That's number forty!"
"Forty? Hah, I've got seventy-eight!"
"That's nothing. I have ninety two."
"Shut the hell up, you guys. This isn't a sport!"
"You prefer us to get all depressed in battle like you? Look at the ends, Nari! You've been shot twice and we're all clean."
"Shut up! I wouldn't have been shot if you haven't gotten in my line of fire!"
"Damn it, this is no time for blaming games! I'm heading onto the next floor!"
About two hundred of the bio-mechs have been killed, and all of the teenage heroes were well on their way onto the 30th floor. At first, the teams thought that Electronic Flash Grenades was the only necessary weapon to destroy the bio-mechs. It made sense – the frequency would not only weaken them, but it would also disrupt their mechanics, destroying them. But no, that was not how it worked. The EFGs only weakened their structure, making it impossible to regenerate, heal, stand or move. They still had to be killed, and their necks were no more fragile than human necks. Every other area of their body could withstand mortal wounds, even the hearts.
The prime CPU that connected to their head took up the entire neck. Some technology wasn't perfected or made small.
So far, so good. By the time these teams were done, this would have all been over. Capture Elurt and Dive and let the authorities handle the rest, then interrogations, court, sentencing and the rest, just like they had done a hundred times before. In fact, Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable wouldn't have to do a thing. The teams weren't trying to steal their glory, they weren't trying to kick Kim out of the picture, no; it was a favor they all felt the need to repay. Kim never knew it, but she had helped each and every one of them in the past. Sometimes when one of them required a diversion, usually the stuff that requires stealth infiltration and leaving without a trace, except for whatever was stolen, whether it was coincidence or fate, Possible and Stoppable were usually on the scene. While those two were always going after the bad guy or taking care of all of the guards, this would allow the hidden agent to hack into a computer or seize a stolen good without anyone noticing; A perfect diversion. Such missions could take hours to complete, and with Kim and Ron on the scene, it lasted no more than five minutes.
Yes, there were other teenagers in the field, spies, assassins, agents, heroes, vigilantes, and rebels. Some of them fought for their country, whether it was for freedom or security, some did it for the rush, only to get careless and become badly wounded. Some did it because they wanted to do the right thing, and some did it because they wanted to make a difference, no matter how big or small it was.
Like Kim, none of them did it for money. They were all paid, though, and for different reasons. They retrieved a reward for returning stolen goods, saving lives, donations, and in some cases, a bribe to keep their mouths shut about a top secret weapon. As fate would have it, such things included new computer chips, computer software, the cell phones of top leaders, a DNA sample of a serial rapist, and sometimes a greeting card chip and a laser that would cure the common cold.
But unlike Kim, they refused to live normal lives. That was the reason they got into the business in the first place. The streets would be filled with gangs and violence, sometimes corrupt laws and justice, communist leaders that treated friends like dog food, poverty and poor living conditions. Some lived the life of a child soldier and tried to get away from their lives of battle, but succumbed to nothing different. But knowing they were helping people and making the world a better place, without the fame that one Kim Possible has, it was what they needed. Their place was on the battlefield.
A cheerleader saving the world – Kim Possible had served them well, not only as a partner in the business, but also as a distraction. Some others elsewhere did live normal but double lives, refusing the fame. Some were sports jocks, some were chess captains, some were artists, experts in audio and video, card games, anime otakus – the list goes on.
And here twelve of them were, in one place. They went inside the building, locked the doors, and within seconds, guns were blazing. The bio-mechs on the early floors looked no different than innocent civilians, except armed with all sorts of weapons A to Z, and they knew how to use them.
Just when the kill reached five hundred, the wounded teen soldiers were about ready to go to the 50th floor of the building. They were almost halfway to the top, and half the bio-mechs were destroyed. But like a video game, the 50th floor had someone waiting.
The floors in the building consisted of one huge room, bathrooms and stairs aside. The elevator had already been rigged, not to anyone's surprise. The 50th floor had no more than a few couches on each side, and one in the center. There, someone appeared to be sitting down and sucking down a bottle of whiskey as he stared out the window into the sunlight that almost blinded the entire room.
All of the bio-mechs hadn't said a word in the battle, unlike their Hand counterparts, but whoever this was couldn't be a Bio-Mech. They didn't require food or drinks unless programmed to.
"So…" the figure spoke, "You're the ones crashing this party."
They all raised their weapons. Guns, knifes, swords, bow and arrow, grenade, the works.
Whoever he was, he put his bottle down and put his gas mask back on. The raspy breathing was the only noise in the room.
"So you're the traitor…" one of them quietly but grudgingly hissed.
"Bio-Mechs and four nukes… This is the end of the road for you!" another yelled.
"Dive! Prepare yourself!"
Dive just stretched all the bones in his body, unfazed. "I would be glad to accept this challenge, but I'm afraid you're not on the list. I'm going to have to ask you to leave."
Some of them lowered their guard and weapons with confused looks.
"Or else what?" one of the girls asked.
Dive popped his knuckles just by clenching his fists. "I thought it would be obvious at this point – leave or be forced out. I'm expecting a party of four, not twelve."
"Possible…" one realized.
"Correct," Dive confirmed. "It's a shame it's come to this, but she's the only one I need. Not you."
The other twelve were not so easily scared off by such words. They were ready to take out Dive once and for all. He appeared to have been anticipating their next move, but kept firm in his sitting position, almost appearing bored.
"So be it, then."
The ambush began.
Nev had the security cameras of the building tapped. It appeared that he was mistaken about the Bio-Mechs. He didn't anticipate the other three teams to get any more involved than they already were, but he was surprised how easy they were able to take out the Bio-Mechs.
He came to a realization – you can program techniques and weapons knowledge, but you can't program experience and skill.
He probably did overreact when he found out the Bio-Mechs were being used in this situation. But he wondered… if these so-called brand new prototypes were so weak, how fragile was he? But no… this was not about human life; this was about a new artificial life, an experiment gone wrong and in the wrong hands. This wasn't about him.
But he still couldn't shake the sick feeling in his stomach that there was still more to this. Were these machines another diversion?
Something else was at work here. Dive and Elurt may not have been the most predictable people on the planet, but they didn't seem like the types interested in mechanical genetics.
It was clear Elurt wanted power and world domination. But Dive… he wanted Kim for some reason…
No, that couldn't have been true. If what he just heard on the plane was true, that Ron's bloodstream had been infested with nanomachines designed to kill him, perhaps they were interested in genetics.
The whole mission didn't seem the same anymore. Nev kept forgetting the fact that four missing nuclear warheads were missing. His concern was more about these bio-mechs. Perhaps they weren't of the gravest danger, but he couldn't shake the feeling that they were chosen for a special reason.
Like Kim, Nev hated it when he couldn't figure something out. He may have been a cyborg, but his brain was one of the few important organs that were all human. His heart may not have been, but it was the soul of the heart, not the organ itself that mattered. Well, actually, his reproductive organs weren't affected, fortunately, but to him, the massive organ in his head was the most important thing to him right now.
And it couldn't figure out jack in the situation.
The jet the girls were on had just passed Hawaii. There wasn't much time left before the nanos would execute their program. Ron didn't have long to live, and it was Kim that Dive wanted. He didn't know why, but he got a nostalgic feeling when thinking about this mysterious assassin.
Nev couldn't help but stare at the seconds ticking on the many clocks in the room.
Back on the plane, Yori was starting to wake up. Once everything faded from black, she realized she must have dozed off.
Yori was laying down on one of the couches, pillow and blanket ready. Jen was on the opposite one, slurping on a soda she grabbed from the soda machine in the back, too focused on a comic book to notice her Japanese friend.
Yori was a bit surprised when she put her attention to the back of the plane, where Kim and Ron still were, but both were asleep. Kim was holding Ron's head in her arms, much like a mother would hold a sick child in bed. She really was worried for him, and the sad look in her closed eyes and lips confirmed it.
It was strange. Not only did it seem that Kim never laughed often before dating Ron, but she never showed sadness either. Sure, she was petrified scared in the hangar, but this new threat really got to her. For once, she was truly scared, and it was for Ron's life. To Yori, it was strange. So many times Kim's attitude was tough, more focused on the dangers of her missions. She wasn't quite the same person she was in her normal life. Kim was known to taunt her villains and treat them like ordinary people, but with the fight against V and the Fafnir, Yori couldn't help but notice how drastically she changed. It was hard to picture a girl tossing a grenade into the barrel of a tank cannon to lead the Middleton High Cheerleaders into winning the regional championships. Sure, Ron was still clumsy, Jen's normal attitude reflected more toward her work, and Yori herself was quiet, but Kim… Something was different about her.
It was almost like she was possessed in battle.
Yori didn't think that could be it, but lately Kim had been taking several of her fights more seriously, and even though Ron never spoke out loud about it, he thought she would overdo things or was acting out of character. But then again, dealing with Elurt and Dive threatening the world with nukes and bio-mechs, she didn't have the 'feel' to deliver jokes and taunt her enemies this time around, not to mention Ron was in serious danger most of the time. First he was a target for assassination, by a grenade and a poisonous syringe, got whacked with a sniper rifle, attacked by Dive, then he was stranded with Yori in desolate snow, was beaten senseless by two of Elurt's Hands, was crushed between a steel door and a thick-armored wall, and now a ticking time bomb.
There had never been a moment in Kim's life where she worried for Ron so much. The Christmas Hunt was nothing compared to this. Not knowing where your best friend is was one thing, but knowing your boyfriend was and seeing him constantly bleeding and at death's door was another. She did have something to be concerned about.
As with the other two girls, Yori tried to understand why Ron was getting most of the damage out of all of them. Sure, she was put under mind control, was wounded by Kim, was knocked unconscious by Ron, attacked by Jen, shot out of a plane and suffered a dislocated knee, and had to watch Ron be beaten to a pulp by a giant and a psycho. Jen had a loved one attacked, was shot out of the plane and attacked by a mind-controlled Ron. The blonde probably suffered the least out of all of them. As for Kim, before all of this she got into a fight with Ron, obsessed over where he had gone off to, fought against Yori and was wounded, knocked out of the plane, almost suffered frostbite in the head, accidentally killed a small child who turned out to be anything but human, and fought a giant mech with the other two girls, and had to fight a mind-controlled Ron, again.
They all had really gone through a lot.
But Ron was obviously the prime target in all of this. What did Dive mean when he said Ron was the most powerful? He learned martial arts at an incredible rate, probably due to his encounter with Monkey Fist and obtaining Mystical Monkey Powers, but he didn't have the brains that Kim had, the speed that Yori held, or the technical knowledge Jen possessed. He was a formidable opponent, but he was still a rookie in so many areas. He was overconfident and far too reckless and careless. Was it possible that he would – down the line – become better than all of them in that category? Ron was one of the very few Caucasian people Sensei taught. It was not because he was a racist in any way, but most Americans came to Japan because they wanted to see Tokyo, schoolgirls, technology, schoolgirls, technology, or live with their Japanese wife. Not Stoppable-san. It was like he said, fate brought Ron there. After all, he was able to wield the Lotus Blade, which was no task for an ordinary person, a teenager at that. The other person capable of doing such was someone who replaced his limbs with those of a monkey.
Yori knew Sensei, though. He would never allow someone with a lack of skills to wield such a powerful ancient weapon, but he allowed Ron, an outsider with no martial arts training to do so. Not only was the freckle-faced slacker able to, but he also accepted his duty. He was a bit slow on realizing it, but once he was motivated, fate was his ally.
There was probably more to Ron… something growing inside him. Maybe Dive could see this as well, but she couldn't figure out who he really was. Everyday people, no matter which side they were on, could not see such things. She couldn't figure out the man behind the mask.
That wasn't the only thing she couldn't figure out, though. She still couldn't shake the bad vibes inside of her. Was it the same bad hunch she had when they were all in the cave? No. It felt different.
Not many people knew that this was a feeling that had haunted Yori her entire life, but hid it with her calm and friendly personality. Not even Kim, Ron, and Jen – all trained in martial arts – could see past it. Ron could at times, but if he really knew, he would have been able to see past it the second he met her. There were times when the feeling meant nothing, but every other time it meant imminent danger. It was never a clear feeling, however. There was no telling what would happen, or how bad it was.
Even if Ron was cured, there was more to this mission. It wasn't the bio-mechs, not the capture of Elurt or Dive, but it was something else…
With moments like these, Yori wished she was back at the school so she could ask Sensei what her current feelings were. He had helped her tame the feeling for the last ten years, but like Ron's Mystical Monkey Powers and Tai Shing Pekk Kwar, it was something that couldn't be perfected, mastered, or completely controlled.
Wait, she didn't need to be back at the school for Sensei to help her. This entire time… he had been watching her.
She could still hear his words as if he were next to her. "Yori, do not fear the life past these walls. You are never alone, as my guidance will watch you like the stars above."
She never doubted him at all, and she believed it ever since she graduated.
No, she didn't believe it, she knew it. Now that she had Sensei in her thoughts, she could see it clearly. The cave… The cave back in Tibet was an illusion he somehow created. But was it just an illusion? Unfortunately for Yori, all of the answers weren't right there in front of her, and this was Sensei's way of telling her to figure out things on her own. It was the only true way to learn. This meant one thing…
He knew something. If Yori asked a question, he would answer it only if it was something she could not figure out or if he didn't know the answer to it, but attempted to help.
This wasn't the end of the pain. More was waiting back in Bay City.
A lot of these thoughts had Yori concerned and stressed. Perhaps it would be best to do something to keep her mind off things.
"Ferno-san?"
Jen lowered her comic book, but kept her straw between her teeth. "Hey Yori. Didn't see you get up."
Yori was quite nervous in asking for things. "Do you mind if I… read one of those?"
Jen was surprised. "Uh, sure…!"
She went through her bag and tried to find something perhaps Yori would be interested in. Not too violent, probably with no sex or language…
Manga! Jen had no idea she had a few of these, but tossed one to Yori. Despite that most of Jen's comic collection consisted of the most violent twisted images people could come up with, her manga collection consisted of romantic comedies with supernatural twists.
"Try this one."
"Thank you."
Unfortunately for Yori, it took her a while to get used to the concept of reading left to right and turning the pages right to left. Yori was thinking it was probably a good idea to stay with Ron in America for a while after he got back the first time they met, but there was that solemn vow never to reveal the school and its location. This was actually her third trip… probably fourth to America. Pick up Ron, go to his house, go to Bay City, and go to Bay City again… Other than that, she was in Japan all her life. Moments like these she really wished she understood American culture more.
If she said this out loud, Jen would protest. Not because of politics, but because of people and the entertainment industry, particularly music and celebrities. For now, it was probably best that Yori know nothing of the whole goth or gangsta images teens put themselves in, especially when they lived opposite lifestyles. Nothing's worse than a poser to Jen.
"Team Snyder, respond."
…
"No response. Raiden Squad, respond!"
…
"No response. Fox Band, please respond."
…
"Can anyone read me?"
From a communications base elsewhere in the city, a team of negotiators and advisors sit nervously, while a middle-aged man was hoping to death for some kind of answer from the teams. Suddenly, everyone could hear static. Someone was moving.
"I'm sorry, but the teams you are looking for can no longer be reached. Please hang up and try again."
Everyone in the room sank in grief as they recognized the voice.
"Dive!"
"Goldman… I'm surprised you're still alive. Did they bring you out of retirement as well?"
The 38-year old African American slammed his fist on the desk. "Why are you doing this?"
Dive chuckled. "The reasons are mine and mine alone. Do yourself a favor and do not get further involved, old friend."
"What do you want, then? Do you have any idea what's going to happen to you if you survive this?"
"Absolutely. And to answer your first question, I don't want you sending anybody else in here to try to stop me unless you want them scattered like your other twelve teammates. Quite frankly, I'm disappointed; able to take out half the bio-mechs, but couldn't harm me with any of the weapons they possessed. All at once, I might add. I only want three people to enter this building: Kimberly Anne Possible, Ronald Stoppable, and Jennifer Ariel Ferno."
"Three?"
"What? Were you listening in earlier? Yes, I did say four, but the circumstances have changed."
"I suppose that's all you're going to tell me, isn't it… 'old friend'?"
"You know me too well, Goldman. Give the wife and kids my regards."
"Dive! Stop! You still have tim-"
With that, Dive destroyed all of the walkie-talkies, laying all of them on the floor and simply waving his arm from one side to another, somehow forcing the floor to break and crushing all the devices. He was sucking down another whiskey and sitting down on the same couch he was on before, not even concerned with the twelve unconscious bodies all over the place. The room as a wreck; broken furniture, walls, windows, and floors, not to mention the empty bullet shells, broken arrows and weapons, smoke and debris everywhere.
"Still pathetic… I didn't even have to get off this couch…"
"REDRUM! REDRUM!" a voice cried on the loudspeaker, scaring the bejesus out of both Yori and Jen, forcing them to fall off their couches.
A laughing male voice clouded the loudspeaker. "My apologies, ladies. I couldn't resist."
Jen was fuming. "Damn it, Nev! That wasn't funny!"
Yori thought otherwise, giggling at the sudden scare and rise in the adrenaline in her blood.
"I said I was sowwie. I figured I would randomly lighten up the mood."
Whether Nev's timing was good or bad was arguable, but it was enough to wake Kim up as well. She looked like hell, sweating with cloudy eyes and tangled hair. She slowly got up to look out the window, but it was like someone sucked the life out of her completely.
"Nev… how long do we have left?" Even the passion left her voice.
Nev was also easily able to detect how drained Kim sounded, but decided not to make mention of it. Neither did the other two girls.
"Ten minutes until the plane lands. Pack yourselves, ladies. This won't be a soft landing."
"Why's that?"
"Well… the plane will land but you'll all be forced down to my lab immediately after, bluntly speaking. That way you won't have to go through the typical hoo hah of getting off safely, checking, taxi cabs, crowds, luggage, billing, taking the road kill off the window, biddiby blah blah blah. Pardon my French. The time it takes for you guys to get from the stopped plane to my lab will be pretty short, so that way we can get Ron strapped in and get rid of those nanos."
Kim sighed. "Great. By the way, I meant to ask this last time, is it safe?"
"Seeing that I've been in this sucker before, completely. It's pretty painful since it requires some scary-ass needles, but this is no time for chickening out. If Ron's gained consciousness I'll have to tranq him to get on the seat."
"He's still out."
"It's for the better. The thing is scary as hell when you see it, and you'll want to be out knowing it's going to go into your blood."
Nev's choice of words puzzled Kim. "You're just trying to scare us now, aren't you?"
"Okay, I'm probably exaggerating a wee bit, but… never mind. You have to see it for yourself."
"Nev… one more thing I forgot to mention."
"What?"There was slight pause before Kim answered.
"Thanks. I really appreciate this."
Nev scoffed. "Oh please, Kim. It's the least I can do after… After… um, after…"
Kim was starting to tap her foot.
"Crud, I can't think of anything. I'll just put it on a tab. Not monetary, obviously."
Kim almost laughed, since it sounded like Nev was going to say something everyone said to her. "It's the least I can do after you (insert something here)," but Nev couldn't think of much. In fact, he was the one who did things for them, not the other way around.
"Works for me," Kim softly said, starting to get some emotion back.
Suddenly, the plane started shaking violently and sirens blazing.
"No! Not again!" Kim cried.
"Relax!" Nev protested, "It's that time, now!"
Rufus quickly secured himself in Kim's pants.
Kim opened her eyes, seeing nothing but purple and red… almost like blood.
"What… where…?"
"Ah, you're up, Kim. Sorry about that."
Kim somersaulted off the floor and got onto her feet, almost struck in awe in the place she was now in.
Nevren's lab: A massive underground laboratory that had an eerie and nightmarish appearance. Just about everything was in dark red with bits of magenta, but this didn't look like an ordinary laboratory. The walls, the wires, the floors; everything inside looked organic, but was still obviously mechanical. It was almost like she was in the stomach of some mechanical beast from the future. What was creepy was that the floor pattern rivaled that of the human brain, as with the walls. None of the solid mechanics such as machines, computers, monitors and such had the normal appearance. They were awkwardly rounded with different shapes.
Kim noticed that the other girls were already waking up, but Ron appeared to be suspended in mid-air with a few wires supporting him.
"Nev… what's going on?"
Nev was too calm, but was wearing what appeared to be a hula outfit, the leaf skirt, a white t-shirt, with a coconut at hand. Definitely not what Kim expected in such an organic place.
"Sorry about that, but I was under the impression that everyone was wearing seat belts. So when you were landing, the rear of the plane opened up and the whole thing tilted, sending you all falling into a trap door that led here. Safety first, huh?"
Kim rubbed her head. "Indeed…"
Jen was the next one to get up, astonished to what she was seeing. "Wow, so this is your lab. I can't help but feel this was somehow inspired by the art styles of the 80s, almost like art and game designs for the original Nintendo."
Nev slouched. "Well, thanks for the spoiler, Jennifer."
Jen just winked. "You're welcome, Mr. Killbourne."
Yori had gotten up as well, giggling at the sound Nev was making, blowing bubbles in his coconut drink. She could tell he was one who liked people to guess endlessly what his inspiration was, while Jen already knew the answer up front.
Kim tried to fight it, but gave in and had to ask the question on her mind.
"Okay, the Hawaiian hula clothes… why?"
Oh, she just had to use that tone. Worse, as she's about to learn, never question Nev's style.
"Hey, while we're at it, why don't we ask why you're wearing pink underwear, Kim?" Nev retorted.
"Hey, that's private business!" Kim answered.
"Exactly!"
Kim then realized he got her with that one.
"Okay, touché, but how do you know I'm wearing pink underwear?"
"I was just using an example." Nev blinked a few times to take it in. "You're wearing pink underwear?"
Kim grabbed her face. "Never mind."
If only she could block out the laughter behind her. As for Nev, it was a good thing Ron was unconscious.
Jen decided she would be the one to break the uncomfortable silence. "Oooooookay… so why's Ron suspended in the air like that? It's almost like you've taken him prisoner."
Nev curved one of his eyebrows. "What are you talking about? The wire broke his fall."
Now that they looked at it from a different angle, Ron somehow got himself tangled in the wires. At least he didn't land on the floor, and Kim almost grossed herself out again realizing it wasn't a rock-solid floor. It had a soft quality to it. Not exactly a pleasant thought when it has the texture of a human brain.
"I suppose you need someone to catch him…" Yori concluded.
"Yep, so we can get start-"
Before Nev finished, Yori already leapt high into the air and got onto one of the huge wires, carefully taking it off and making sure Ron didn't fall. In seconds, she was back on the floor carrying him, similar to the way he carried her in Tibet; piggy-back style.
"Where to?" she asked with a grunt. Stoppable-san was much heavier than she originally thought.
"Right there."
Nev pointed to a seat that, depending on one's view of the dark arts, was either completely awesome or scary as hell. The seat itself looked like the opening of a dragon's mouth with skulls all over it, textured with a dragon's scales and a picture of death on each side. It had some kind of metal straps on the arm rests, a helmet that resembled a Metroid, teeth and everything, and to put a pin in it, eighteen syringes on the side, ready to go into the arms. Several wires surrounded the machine.
"Ew factor, Nev…" Kim weakly spoke. "Did you have to make it look like that?"
He scoffed calmly. "Who said I built it? Besides, it's not like every scientist who creates life-saving machines likes that simple boxy look. You'd be surprised how many wish they had the money to make these kinds of things. That reminds me, there's a sign on my front door that prohibits children under eight in here. Obvious reasons why. Yori, our subject, please."
Yori carried Ron and carefully placed him onto the seat of the machine. She, with Kim's help, took most of Ron's clothes off so they wouldn't interfere with the operation. They even took off all of his bandages just in case. In an instant, the metal clamps strapped Ron in, the helmet went in, but the syringes didn't.
"Before we begin, ladies, this process is pretty lengthy. We're looking at an hour, and you probably don't want to watch. It'll look like he's in a lot of pain, which he probably is, but he's better off hurt than dead."
Kim took one last glance at Ron.
"Do it."
Rufus secured the zipper on Kim's pocket. He didn't want to see this.
With the press of a button, the many needles made their way into Ron's arms, shoulder, and neck, quickly but carefully. To Kim's dismay, it looked like Ron was suffering an immediate side effect, as all of his blood veins were now visible in red and blue. It wasn't a pretty sight, especially on his constantly flinching face.
"Nev…?"
"It's not permanent," he quietly responded, detecting Kim's concern.
While Yori just stared in disbelief to what Ron was going through, Jen made her way to the back, curious as to where the many wires led to. It led her to a huge and empty glass tank in the machine, but it was pretty sickening to see Ron's blood travel through the wires. She didn't realize Kim was next to her, also observing how quickly Ron's blood was going through them. They couldn't see how this whole thing worked, as blood went through the wires, but that was it.
"It only appears empty, but it's not," Nev's voice echoed from the other side.
Perplexed, Kim took out the Kimmunicator and did a magnification on the bottom of the tank. Much like the lab, it wasn't a pretty sight, probably worse. In the bottom of the tank, invisible to the human eye, were a bunch of red nanomachines, and they were coming down like flies. In seconds, hundreds went to thousands. But what was also weird was that there was some white-like substance mixed in.
"That's not what I think it is…" Kim thought out loud.
"What? That white stuff?" Jen asked.
"Yeah, it almost looks like… cholesterol."
Nev came by and kneeled down next to Kim and Jen. "That's exactly what it is. Sometimes nanomachines get stuck in there when they're in the bloodstream. No doubt if those things clogged up, Ron would have a heart atta-"
"Please spare me the depressing details, Nev…" Kim quietly hissed. It was clear she was still unsure to how this thing worked and was extremely nervous. Talking about Ron having a heart attack was the last thing she wanted to hear.
"If you let me continue," Nev countered, "If the nanos get stuck in the cholesterol and get taken out with that gunk, I've probably given him a few more years to live."
So much for what Barkin told Ron at Bueno Nacho, huh? If Kim wasn't so obviously nervous over Ron, Nev would've taunted her with a 'How's that for good news?' but it clearly wasn't the time. Kim not only sounded like hell, but she looked it, too. In fact, it was hard to believe this was the same girl who saved the world regularly with Ron and was a cheerleader in high school. She looked like she had gone through war, but she had cleaned herself after the battle with the MPAWV. She didn't even care with how she looked anymore.
Nev sighed. "I suppose the only way for you to get comfortable is to explain how this thing works, huh?"
Kim kept her eyes locked onto the blood tank, but barely nodded.
"Simple explanation: It actually reroutes Ron's blood flow and transfers it to this tank. The area above the tank filters out anything that's not blood, dumping it into the tank, and the blood goes back to the same place it went out. If you haven't noticed, the blood goes through the tubes at an incredible rate so they can head back into the body as quickly as possible, preventing the body from believing he's suffering from any kind of blood loss."
"I guess that makes sense." Kim was hardly paying attention.
Nev sighed, giving up. He got up and walked off, not realizing he was being followed by the other girl next to Kim. As Kim kept staring at the many nanomachines that were falling into the tank, Yori kept staring at Ron, still colored with blue and red veins all over his body. It was a sickening sight to Yori, but she couldn't help herself. She was still confused on her feelings, wondering if watching this was necessary. It was similar to a husband watching his wife deliver their first child, at least that's the way Yori looked at it.
"Stoppable-san…"
She was no less worried than Kim was.
"Ron…"
Just when one would hope time would fly, it seemed like an hour had passed with each ten minutes. Kim had sat against the glass tank of the machine the entire time, losing herself in her thoughts again. Ron was right, she was thinking too hard in this situation, but if he had known everything that was going on, he probably wouldn't blame her.
This was truly the last thing Kim expected when they flew out of Bay City. Too much just happened at once, and just when it seemed things were about to go calm, something comes up again. But it was always Ron in danger, not Kim. She was always there to protect him from every danger, before and after Prom, but it was like she couldn't do anything to help him anymore. She couldn't prevent him from fighting against F and G and be beaten to a pulp, she couldn't prevent him from disarming the nuke, she couldn't prevent him from being crushed from the force of the explosion, and she couldn't prevent the nanomachines from going into his body or preventing them from executing their program.
Kim didn't realize until now how much she had protected Ron from everything in life until now. She was a bit concerned when they first started out in middle school, but it became second nature to her. Ron wasn't as skilled as she was and he would need her to help him. Ron falls from a building, she would save him. He was about to be shot by a missile, she'd knock him out of the way. If he was about to be hit by a mech-ninja, she'd interfere. Now that she wasn't able to save Ron from anything this entire time, the feeling got her even more depressed. If anything happened to him, she would blame herself as long as she lived. It was weird, at first Ron just tagged along wherever Kim was, like most best friends would, but he suddenly became her sidekick, inexperienced in battle, martial arts, weapons handling or anything. Looking back at things, Kim was really surprised he came this far, but was now starting to think it wasn't worth it. Not when you're nearly killed over and over and over again. She probably couldn't even live like that if she was targeted instead of Ron.
What else? What if the two hadn't been dating? Would Kim have reacted differently than she was now? Would the tedious danger Ron was put in make her realize her feelings? It was a question she couldn't answer, convinced that they were meant to get together at Prom or before then, but never after. Kim actually contradicted herself over and over on this trip. She was a little nervous on Prom night, but later was completely confident about dating Ron. Then when it came to Jen and Yori, she was concerned, not natural for someone who's so strong-headed and confident like Kim. She hardly worried about anything, except when it came to the issue of no BF. But that was just her normal life, not her missions.
She took a moment to look at her reflection in the glass tank, which was now starting to fill with blood, but not much. Even those nosebleeds that never seem to stop spit out more blood. But Kim finally realized how horrible she looked. It was hard to believe she was looking at herself. It wasn't the face of a pretty teenage red-head who saved the world and was on the honor roll at high school and led the cheerleading squad to several victories at the regionals. Kim looked like she had been through the jungles of war. It was hard to believe how different she looked when she didn't apply the makeup, the eyeliner, and spent time making sure she didn't get a zit on a date with Ron.
She knew she was weak right now, and she didn't care. If Ron went out like this, she'd put the gloves away. People said in their writing classes that everyone makes a horrible mistake in their life, and Kim was the only one in the class who hadn't done that. Sure, she lied on Halloween with the Centurion Project, but that was nothing compared to what a lot of the other kids went through.
What if this was that horrible mistake? Going through the teen hero thing and having your love killed? Was it worth the hassle?
Kim wasn't one to go to people for advice with the exception of her mom, and she was about a few hundred miles away. She would probably be more petrified of Ron's condition more than anything else. Jen wasn't good with advice, Nev and Yori were speechless, and Wade might've told her to continue her work alone if anything happened to Ron. He was supportive, but even he thought there were times when Kim and Ron met their match.
The feeling was nostalgic, reminding Kim of Valia. Things went for an immediate change when she and Ron started dating, being more concerned than ever for each other. They had finally looked at each other as more than just friends, and Valia threatened to ruin it immediately, taking the perfect opportunity to attack, when things were all fluffy and romantic between the two now, and neither of them were happier. Well, Ron was a bit depressed about it at first, afraid that Kim was going to dump him like he dumped her in the Moodulator Incident, but her only regret was that they hadn't dated sooner. Both were weakened by their new affection toward each other, just like any other new couple. Because Drakken and Shego were now in jail and probably heading to prison soon, and that every other regular player was scared off because of it, Kim and Ron thought the world was now theirs, able to spend as much alone time as they wanted to. But Val was a new unanticipated factor, striking his new opponents at the worst time imaginable. If Kim and Ron hadn't gotten together, they probably wouldn't have had such a hard time fighting him. But the couple managed to defeat him and still lived on. Only in time would things return to normal on missions, but the two would still be dating. No more sidekicks or leaders, it was an equal partnership (at least that's what the two tried to convince themselves), and they were fighting at their full capacity. No more of their emotions weakening them, and they hoped it would remain that way.
Now Dive, whoever he was, did so much more and put Kim in a bind. She wasn't sure what his real motives were, but she realized that all of this may have been a way to separate the team.
No, Dive had her right where any and every villain wanted her. Weak, worried, depressed, and unable to think straight. But why?
Kim didn't care. The only thing that mattered now was Ron. Oh sure, that was typical since they were dating, but not anymore. Kim couldn't say a long time ago that she really, really, felt love toward him. The dating was something she knew was going to happen, but didn't have that true love forever feel.
Now her feelings changed; she wanted to protect Ron for the rest of her life once this was over. This wasn't best friends or mere dating anymore. This was the real deal, feelings Kim thought only existed through romance novels or through the imaginations of her peers.
Ron wasn't just a boyfriend anymore; he was her life partner… her… soul mate.
Soul mate? Kim didn't think of it as anything dramatic.
"Kim?"
She couldn't move. Her entire body was numb. Saliva almost came out of her mouth as she talked.
"What…?"
Jen was kneeling next to her.
"He's done. Congratulations, Ron is completely nano-free."
"I can't move…" Kim realized. There was an uncomfortable feeling all over her body as she tried to move it.
"That's phase one done, at least…"
Kim was fazed. "What? I thought you said he was done…"
Jen shook her head. "Sorry if I gave off that impression. The blood cleaning is done, but his body needs to recover from everything, and right now this huge machine is scanning his body for leftovers. He won't wake up for some time, either."
"How does he look…?"
"Back to normal."
Kim let out a weak sigh. "Great…"
Unfortunately, she still wasn't convinced everything was okay, at least not until she was in his arms once more. She wasn't all there, either. Jen's voice was actually echoing the entire time, and everything was a blur. Kim told Ron so many times not to think too much about anything, and she did just that.
"He'll be okay…" Jen whispered calmly, as if sensing Kim's stress.
As emotionless as she came off to some, she could easily see why Kim was so depressed, sharing her worry.
Kim wasn't exactly the most emotional person out there, usually hiding it in the face of danger so she wouldn't appear weak to her enemies, not that it was necessary to be emotional in such situations anyway, and it later took over her entire self. To Kim, if there was no need to be dramatic in the face of danger, there was no need for it in safety, either. But sometimes it takes extremely harsh conditions for people to see things they never knew existed in themselves. Realizing her feelings for Ron was one thing, but now she thought of him as her soul mate. It wasn't like the thought hadn't crossed her mind before, but now she knew it. Nothing could change her mind now.
Jen could read her like an open book. In Jen's mind, she honestly wasn't sure that true love existed. But Kim believed it, and since Kim has been in the field much longer, it was enough to convince her. She could only imagine how Kim was like in person before she started dating Ron. It would be strange to watch. She just hoped she didn't have to see the two French kiss again.
Jen then snapped her fingers as if remembering something. "Oh, by the way…"
"Hmm?"
"I also came over here to tell you that you might want to take off your snow survival gear. It's about 105 degrees in here."
Kim couldn't believe it. Now that she looked at Jen, she was wearing her usual mission gear, the black tank top with cargo shorts. Her vision was still a bit blurry, but much better than before. She had no idea she was still wearing her snow gear.
Kim groaned. "That explains a few things…"
Was it the heat that made her feel this way? Didn't matter anymore. Well, she wasn't surprised she had such a headache and felt dehydrated, but now she was able to move her body, although feeling a little shaky. Jen volunteered herself to be Kim's support, helping her up.
"Come on, I don't think Ron wants to wake up knowing you feel horrible from the heat and haven't had anything to drink in a long time."
A smile made its way to Kim's face. "You're right… I don't want to scare him like I did at the hangar…"
Back in another area of Nev's lab, he had prepared dinner for the girls to eat. Just when they were all getting used to military rations, they were served with spaghetti and meatballs, bread sticks, fajitas, macaroni and cheese, corn on the cob and cheesecake.
As expected, everyone froze when they saw how quickly Jen finished everything, quickly placing her eyes on everyone else's meal.
"You guys going to eat that?"
Kim and Yori held their plates protectively.
Meanwhile, as the girls ate, Nev, no longer wearing his Hawaiian wear, went to inspect Ron. He figured a huge meal would be a good way to take everyone's attention from him.
Keeping a close eye on everyone, he carefully opened a small door in the machine, revealing a monitor and a keyboard. He typed in a username and a password, unveiling a lot of technical information about the procedure Ron was going through, as well as detailed schematics on his current status.
Nanomachines
detected: 1226359543
Nanomachines
removed: 1226359543
Heart
Rate: Normal
Breathing/
Oxygen: Normal
Brain
Activity: Normal
Skeletal
Structure: Normal
Nanomachine
details:…
The rest of the information was written entirely in computer language, where Nev was an expert in. He took his time reading what each of the nanos was programmed to do. He drew himself a startling conclusion, and he was more startled to suddenly find all three girls behind him.
"WHAH! What are you, spies or something? Don't answer that."
"Well, I was going to say thanks for the meal," Kim started, "But it looks like you're busy with something already."
"I was going to say I wanted seconds," Jen said with her fork at hand. "But like Kim said, it looks like you're keeping something from us."
"Secrets are not very nice…" Yori said skeptically. "So what is it that you are looking at?"
Nev wiped a sweat from his forehead. "Just checking Ron's vitals and seeing what the nanomachines were programmed for."
Kim clearly remembered. "Didn't you say apoptosis? Oh, right, it had a timer."
"Exactly. But also, check this: The nanomachines were programmed to seek out blood cells that had codes similar to a monkey, that's why he alone was affected. But about that timer, take a wild guess as to how long Ron had left?"
The girls were silent, thinking.
"Three minutes."
"Three minutes?" they all asked in unison. Kim didn't even bother with the jinx joke.
"You can see for yourself."
Nev pointed at four digits on the screen, reading "1600." Kim looked at her watch, reading "3:57 PM"
"Wow…. So what now?"
"We wait, but you can wait knowing he's no longer infested with all of these."
All four of them surrounded Ron to see how he was doing. He looked much better without the needles all over his body, the helmet on his head, and the metal straps on his arms. His skin complexion was back to normal, but the only thing ruining the sight was Ron's drooling. But Yori realizing something.
"Is it me, or do none of Stoppable-san's battle wounds appear?"
Now that they thought about it, Ron no longer had any cuts or bruises on his body. He really did look like he was back to normal.
And he was scratching his ear.
He was awake.
"RON!"
Kim practically crashed into him, wrapping her arms around him and squeezing him tightly. Rufus came out of her pocket and also hugged him.
"Ugh… did I miss something?" he weakly asked after Kim knocked the air out of him.
Kim smiled. "Oh yeah, a lot."
It was a bizarre sight for Nev and Jen to see Kim crumple up into a ball in Ron's lap and hug him tightly. This was Kim Possible, right?
Nev scanned her anyway. Positive ID. Yori didn't even watch, looking away at the floor.
Ron wanted to get up, but Kim kept her grip firm. He wound up having to get up having to carry Kim in his arms. It was clear that's what Kim was up to. Snap a picture and Kim would love it, but no one in the room had a camera.
"So… uh, what's going on? Where are we?"
Nev took a step forward. "Long story short, the fake nuke released nanomachines programmed to flow into your bloodstream and destroy you from inside. It allowed for mind control from Dive, but the girls made sure it didn't last. Also, you came here to my lab to get them removed. And voila, they're removed and Kim couldn't be any happier."
Ron looked down. "You were really that worried, KP?"
Kim shook her head with her eyes closed and with a huge smile. Jen noticed how different Kim looked before she cleaned her face to eat. It was a drastic change.
Ron finally let go of her and looked into her eyes. The happiness written all over her face almost scared him, and when he felt scared like this, he knew exactly what to expect.
Nev and Jen were treated to quite a show, but just as Jen feared, Kim pressed her lips – if not her entire body - against Ron's, but used her tongue. It was disturbing to know the enemy used Ron to French kiss her, but at least it was Ron. While it wasn't perfect, Kim decided to fix that this time.
Unfortunately, it was too much… for Yori.
While Kim was busy with Ron, Jen noticed that Yori scoffed in disgust and was hiding her eyes with her arms, but it didn't prevent the tears from coming through.
"Yori?"
So much for hiding everything. She didn't want anyone to see this, so without thought, she started running. Before Jen could pursue her, Yori leapt into the air and disappeared. She left no traces.
"Shit…"
Nev was speechless, and by this time Kim removed her lips from Ron with a cool smile.
"Nice one, Kim…" Jen spoke in a bitter tone.
Ron could tell what Jen was talking about. "Where's Yori?"
"Gone," Nev confirmed. "Looks like she didn't like the show you put on for her."
"Oh no…" Ron quietly spoke with regret. "I was afraid this was going to happen."
Despite that Ron slammed his fist repeatedly into the arm rest of the machine, Kim didn't seem too concerned. She was too happy to care.
"She'll be fine."
A line Ron heard time and time again, and hated every single word of it.
Jen's jaw almost hit the floor. "'She'll be fine?' She'll be fine? Jesus, Kim, what the hell is wrong with you? She just got her heart broken by watching you spit swap all over Ron!"
Kim was confused. "What?"
Jen snorted in disgust. "Maybe I was wrong about you…"
Before Kim could respond, Ron did, removing Kim's arms from him.
"You know, KP, when it comes to BF's and such, sometimes you can be really inconsiderate and selfish towards others. I mean, that would be fine if we were alone, but we're not here to put on a show, especially when it comes to Yori!"
"But…"
"I'm not done." Ron snapped. "You know as much as I do how much she's been trying not to let her feelings for me interfere with anything! This whole time I've been trying not to get too intimate because I don't want her feelings to get hurt! She might not be my girlfriend, but she's still a friend! And we've already discussed this before, KP, that I am totally against this whole PDA thing! I didn't like it when you blew me off when you were dating Walter and Erik and crushed on Mankey, but I wasn't going to do the same thing with any of my friends!"
"But Ron…"
He didn't let her continue. "Now look what's happened! Now Yori's taken herself off the team! That's just what we need, Kim. We gotta still save the world and we're one member less! You didn't like it for one bit when Yori and I traveled the world looking for Sensei, and when she chooses to help us in all of this, you show her how appreciative you are by forcing her to watch something you know she doesn't want to see? Way to go, Kim. Like I said, you can really be inconsiderate or selfish sometimes…"
With that, Ron quickly turned his attention to Nev and Jen.
"You got our weapons ready?"
Nev had a hard time responding. "Yeah, it's in the armory, to the left corridor…"
"Jen, you coming?"
Jen nodded, no less irritated than he was.
Kim just stood quietly in shock. What the hell just happened? She had been worried dead sick about Ron for the last few hours and he wakes up all pissed off about Yori. She had gotten through so much stress over Ron, and he verbally slaps her in the face when he wakes up. The fact that he wasn't under mind control also hardened the blow. For some reason, nothing made sense anymore.
Her name was Kim Possible, and she was the weakest human being on earth right now.
She fell onto her knees and burst into tears. Her mind had just completely snapped, unable to grasp anything.
In the hallway to the left corridor, Ron, Nev and Jen walked quietly. Ron appeared to be bitter, but hiding his concern for both Kim and Yori. Why was Kim so inconsiderate in relationships? And poor Yori. He knew this was going to happen, but he just hoped he could prevent it. Now she was gone, probably hiding somewhere in the city and crying herself. Ron had no idea Dive used him to deliver the couple's first French kiss, and Kim got an idea from it. But why couldn't she wait? And why the hell did she have to say "She'll be okay"? It was that type of behavior that got Ron depressed whenever Kim liked a guy, and he was hoping the habit would die with him.
Jen had the exact same feelings Ron did. "She'll be okay"? Obviously not with someone who's still having a hard time accepting the fact that the one she cares for is taken. Kissing just rubbed it in, whether or not Kim intended it. She was having her doubts about the couple again. What were they worth if they were putting on a show for everyone? Honestly, as cute as they can be, now was not the time. Unfortunately, like every other couple, Jen didn't care. Whoop-dee-frikken-doo. It's probably cute at first, but couples don't exist for the sole purpose of forcing everyone to watch. It's called privacy and people should use it.
Nev on the other hand was extremely uncomfortable. He hoped he didn't have to watch anything like that again, but hopefully this wouldn't distract everyone from the real problem at hand.
Dive appeared to be meditating in the same place he had been for the last few hours.
His eyes suddenly burst wide open just now, forcing him to stop.
"So it's finally happened." There was almost a hint of remorse in his voice.
He picked up his cell phone.
"Hey old man. I'm going out."
"What? Are you kidding me? At this time?"
"They won't come after you as long as they think I'm in here."
"But-"
Dive hung up the phone, turned it off, opened up a window and dove straight out of it.
"Yori…"