Author's 'so long', 'farewell', 'auf wiedersehen', 'good bye': Thanks again to all the readers and reviewers. The next chapter will be coming to you from the beautiful city of Tacoma, Washington (30 miles south of Seattle).
Again, the lyrics in this chapter are copyrighted by Curbtunes Music, performed by the band 'Plumb' from the album 'Beautiful Lumps Of Coal'.
Cheers!
XVI.
"Papa Bear to Mama Bear, come in Mama B-… OK, you know what? This is actually a little disturbing. How about you be KD, and I'll be Ronin?"
"Thank you! I've been trying to tell my husband those stupid code names were, well, stupid."
"Aw, come on guys, don't you get it? We're the three bears and we're rescuing Goldilocks!"
"Which bear am I?"
"Well you're…OK, we're the three bears and a naked mole rat rescuing…aw forget it."
"What's up, Ronin?"
"I've got Veronica. She's OK, but the air defense controls are sealed in the underground bunker beneath the hill. Maybe we better call in a GJ Strike Team."
"I wish I could, but GJ is officially disavowing any knowledge of an operation unless we produce hard evidence there's more going on here than just us picking up my sister-in-law."
"Terrific. There are about fifty guards on this island, all armed with portable disintegrator rays. Veronica just told me they don't work for Ray, so even if they see me with a hostage, they may not necessarily cooperate. We could really use some help."
"You copy that, Ariel?"
"Got it. It'll take five minutes to charge up the Beam Disruptor mounted on the satellite, then we've got about twenty minutes of effectiveness before I have to shut it down."
"Acknowledged. Ronin, Ariel's going to cover the island with a Beam Disruptor field in about five minutes. That'll render any beam weapons inoperative. But the field itself will only last for twenty minutes. You're going to have to find some way to get those air defense systems shut down."
"OK, I think I might have an idea… I'll contact you soon. Ronin out."
"I still think we should have gone with my code names."
"Aw, sweetheart, you'll always be my Baby Bear!"
"Awww, and you'll always be my Mama Bear, baby."
"I believe I may be the first naked mole rat agent in GJ history who is in danger of choking on his own vomit."
Ron looked down impassively at the older man who had just collapsed, clutching his chest. He wheezed and groaned, his breaths coming in short, panicky bursts.
"Veronica." Ron called out.
Having changed into clothes more suitable for travel, she walked timidly into the living room and gasped at the sight of her husband.
"Take a good look," Ron told her, "At the pathetic piece of garbage you've been afraid of all these years."
Veronica stepped closer to her father, tears welling up. She knew in her heart she had disappointed him.
"Daddy, I'm so sorry-"
"No," Ron held up a finger, "I'm not looking for an apology. I want you to remember this moment. The only power others have over us is what we choose to give them. Don't ever forget that."
"I won't." she whispered gratefully.
"Good. Now I'm going to need you to do something very difficult and very dangerous, but I think it's the only way we'll get out of here."
"I'll do it, Daddy."
Ron crouched, took a fistful of Ray's shirt and backhanded him rather viciously across the face, "That's just a taste, Ray. If you try to blow our cover, I'll end you before you can take your next breath. Play along, and we'll get you the medical attention you need. Got it?"
Ray, grimacing in pain, could only manage a nod.
"All right," Ron said standing up again, "Here's what we're going to do…"
The captain of the guard waited anxiously for an update from the lieutenant who had responded to the Code Black. So far, nothing seemed to be happening out there.
Then someone emerged from the house. Actually it was two people; one was struggling to prop the other who seemed to have great difficulty walking. As they drew closer, the guard recognized Ray's wife, and then Ray himself. She walked right up to the bunker doors and – struggling to keep her husband propped up – knocked.
"Hello? Is someone there?" Came her voice over the intercom.
"What's the problem, Mrs. Beam?" the guard spoke into the microphone.
"I think Ray's having a heart attack!" she said with much fear in her voice, "Can you help us?"
The guard hesitated. But then what might his bosses say if it turns out he was the guy who let Ray Beam die? He punched a button on the control panel and the large outer bunker doors slid open.
"I…uh… thank you," she called out.
The guard turned his attention from the monitor to the front inner doors. Daylight poured in as the inner doors opened. Veronica began leading Ray through the short corridor and into the bunker. Again the guard hesitated, then ran down the stairs to help Veronica with her dying husband.
Had the guard stayed at his post, he would have seen, on his monitors, a human-shaped shadow emerge from the house and sprint across the open space to the bunker doors, keeping out of the line of sight from within the bunker itself. Neither had he noticed that Veronica was still holding Ray up with one arm, her other one tucked behind her giving a 'thumbs up' signal.
"Why didn't the guard in the kiosk help you?" the lieutenant asked when he got to the entrance.
"He wasn't there," Veronica said in a trembling voice, "I think he went to see what the alarms were about."
"Idiot," the lieutenant muttered, "OK, let's get him up into the control center. We'll call for some kind of medical evacuation."
"Won't you have to take down the air defense systems for that?" Veronica asked.
"Yes," the guard answered curtly.
"Good to know," said a strange voice.
The guard wasn't conscious long enough to find out who had spoken.
"Command center, come in command center. We are standing down from Code Black. Repeat, we are standing down from Code Black… Please acknowledge, command center, over. Command center, are you there? Come in command center, this is TK-421, why aren't you at your post? … I think we may have a faulty transmitter, let's get back to the bunker."
Ron was silently cursing his own stupidity. In his haste to make sure his daughter was relatively out of danger, he'd knocked out the guard before asking him what all these controls were for. None of them were labeled, and Veronica had never been in here before.
They were in the control center which was enclosed in large observation windows that looked out over the rest of the lair. The interior of the bunker was not quite as vast as Ron had imagined. At its highest point, the distance from floor to ceiling was somewhere between fifty and a hundred feet. Most of the interior was filled with hundreds of missiles or rockets, all standing neatly in rows on what looked like massive conveyer belts.
And then Ron couldn't believe his eyes. Way back in a far corner, tucked out of the way, stood one Deathray battlesuit.
"Um, so did you have any idea what Ray's plan was all about?" Ron asked his daughter.
"Just bits of what I've overheard," Veronica answered, "Ray invented this weapon called a Hydro-disruptor. He wanted to take over the world with it, but ran out of money midway through production of the satellites. So he got a couple of governments to finance the rest of his operation."
"What do they get in return?"
"North America and Europe. Ray gets the rest."
"So the henchmen are on those governments' payroll to protect their investment," Ron deduced, "And we got here just in time to thwart the plan. Quite the coincidence."
"Well," Veronica said doubtfully, "I overheard Ray say last week they were still a year away from deployment…"
"Oh."
"But…um, at least you got here just in time to thwart my plan," She said quietly.
"Hey! What are you doing up there?" came a gruff voice from below.
"Try and find the controls to the doors," Ron said hurriedly and bounded down the stairs.
The guard uttered a surprised grunt and took a couple of involuntary steps backward. Fortunately for Ron, the guard had ordered the others to remain outside in case something was up. But he was calling for help now. The guard raised his disintegrator and fired. Nothing happened.
Ronin sprinted straight at him, leaped into the air and spun slowly, executing a textbook roundhouse kick that caught the guard on the chin as he was still trying to fire his weapon. Ron landed in a combat-ready crouch; one leg out to the side, while the other was tucked up under him. He looked up to see eight more guards running through the short entrance corridor. Then the outer doors began to slide shut, followed almost immediately by the inner doors.
Ron stood up and ran for the nearest guard, all of whom were trying to fire their weapons at him. At the last second Ron dodged to one side, caught the guard with a clothesline-arm which he hooked around the guard's neck, then used that guard to swing his legs up and drive them into the chest of the guard behind him. Ron twisted his body, let go of the first guard and landed with his back facing the oncoming third guard. At the right instant, he dropped to a crouch and rolled into a backward somersault, bringing both legs up and driving them into the third guard's midsection. The henchman let out a grunt as he folded up around Ron's feet, then dropped to the ground. Ron ended his roll in a handstand, turned himself to face the remaining guards, and brought his legs down in front of him. He straightened up and threw out two hard fists that caught two guards in the face. They were stunned, but not out. Ron spun around and drove two hard cross punches into their noses and they finally dropped.
Three left. They stood abreast of each other, warily advancing on the ninja. In a move that even surprised Ron, mostly because he thought it wouldn't work, he ran straight at them, leaped into the air and flattened himself out horizontally, simultaneously driving a fist into the face of the guard on the left, a knee into the face of the guard in the middle, and the foot of his straight leg into the face of the guard on the right. The three guards were knocked back, and Ron came down on top of them when they landed. He rolled off their unconscious forms and sprang into a combat-ready stance.
The first of the eight guards, the one Ron had clotheslined, was holding up his hands in a gesture of surrender. He'd watched the remainder of the fight and decided he didn't want any.
Ron strode over to him and grabbed him by the collar, dragging him up the stairs to the control room. When he got to the top, he found Ray standing at the other end of the room with one arm around Veronica's neck in a choke-hold fashion. In his other hand was the lieutenant's disintegrator. He held it against Veronica's temple.
Ron let go of the guard and glared at Ray.
"You're going to get me a medical evacuation flight out of here, or she dies." He said with great effort.
"You know what, Ray?" Ron growled, walking straight toward him, "I've always tried to be merciful and compassionate, the way Rabbi Katz taught me growing up. But I've learned there are limits to even those things, at least for humans. You just blew past mine. Now you've become too much of a liability for me to bother with anymore."
Ray pulled the trigger, nothing happened.
Ron wrenched Ray's arm from around Veronica's neck and, summoning all of his strength, drove a thundering uppercut into Ray's chin.
"There's your evacuation flight, Ray!"
Ray Beam crashed through the large observation window and slammed to the concrete floor of the bunker below. He rolled beneath the nearest conveyer belt and came to a halt, groaning and barely moving.
Ron didn't even wait to watch him fall. He turned to Veronica, "You all right?"
She nodded numbly.
Ron returned his attention to the guard, "Get over here."
The guard obeyed instantly.
"Tell me about all this," Ron gestured outward.
"There are Hydro-disruptor weapons mounted to satellites inside the nose cones of these rockets. Next year, they were to be launched, deployed and fired at pre-selected targets within a three hour time frame," the guard explained cautiously.
"So none of the militaries or justice agencies of the world would have time to react." Ron guessed.
"That's correct."
"If we-"
Ron was interrupted by Kimono's voice in his ear, "Ronin. Come in Ronin, can you hear me?"
"Go ahead, KD."
"What's your status? Ariel says the Beam Disruptor Field is going to come down in three minutes."
Three minutes, with more than forty guards waiting outside the doors. Even with the air defenses shut down, there wouldn't be enough time for them to evacuate without the portable disintegrator weapons coming back on line.
"KD, tell Ariel to go ahead and shut it off, we may need that three minutes later. I need to ask a prisoner a few questions. I'll get back to you."
"Acknowledged." Kimono was beginning to sound worried.
"What's that for?" Ron asked the guard, indicating the Deathray suit.
"He was going to use that to rule his part of the world. He said it would strike fear into his peasants and keep them in line." The guard explained.
"Just the one?"
"Well, I think he was going to build more in the coming year. He was always talking about cloning and artificial brain technology."
Ron sighed and rolled his eyes. Ray didn't have an original thought in his head.
"Tell me about the air defense systems," Ron ordered.
"You guys ready back there?" Kimono spoke into her headset microphone.
"As much as we'll ever be," TJ's voice replied in her ear.
"You sound worried, sweetie. I think your dad knows what he's doing." She assured her husband.
"My dad is an amazing thinker on his feet, a formidable warrior in battle, and the best father you could ever hope to have. But when he says he has a plan, that's when you should start to get worried. Ron Stoppable was…is… a master at improvisational thinking, but one seriously lousy planner." TJ informed his wife.
"I think you're underestimating him," Kimono said, a little more defensively than she meant to.
"Oh… my… gosh!" TJ said with a fair amount of wonder in his voice.
"What?"
"You've got a crush on my dad!"
"I do not," Kimono said, way more defensively than she meant to.
"Yes you do. You so have a crush on my dad." TJ teased, "It's like high school all over again!"
"Yeah," Kimono said in a dreamy voice, "Except now he's my age."
TJ snorted, "OK, but remember, if you run off with my dad, that'll change the timeline and I'll never have existed."
"I fail to see the downside in any of this," Kimono said lightly.
"Yowch, that was harsh," Her husband sounded a little hurt.
"You're right, honey, I'm sorry. I was only kidding, and I guess I went too far." Kimono said seriously, "I don't think I really have a crush on your dad, but hanging out with him this week has kinda brought it all back. You know what I mean?"
"Yeah," TJ agreed, "I'm gonna miss him too when he has to leave."
"Believe me, Timothy James Stoppable, your bed is the only one I ever wanna sleep in." Kimono assured him.
"Ooh, I love it when you say that." TJ gushed, "I guess we better get going. You're going to patch me through directly to Ariel once we're away, yeah?"
"Yep. I'm opening the bay doors now. Good luck TJ, you too Rufus."
"Thanks, baby."
"Thank you, Agent Kim Stoppable."
Ron, Veronica and the guard watched the monitors as the guards outside began looking up, then raised their weapons skyward and fired. For a few seconds, disintegrator rays streaked into the air, but then suddenly ceased. The guards all began to examine their weapons and question each other on theories as to why they weren't working again.
"Ariel's activated the Disruptor Field again. Open the launch doors and shut down the air defense systems." Ron ordered the guard.
The prisoner did as he was told and daylight began to stream in from above as a large door in the ceiling slid open in two directions.
They waited for a few tense moments, then saw a rectangular shadow play across the rockets and satellites standing on the bunker floor. A moment later, TJ parachuted through the opening and angled himself over as hard as he could. He still managed to snag the chute on one of the rockets, however, and was forced to lower himself and Rufus with his grappler.
Veronica didn't even wait for her brother to climb the stairs, but rather flew down them and ran crying into his waiting embrace.
Rufus left them alone and came up to join Ron.
"Agent Ron Stoppable," He said in greeting, "It is good that you are still alive."
"I feel the same way, R3K." Ron returned, "Hey! That rhymes!"
"It does indeed." The mole rat agreed. (Hey, that rhymed, too!)
TJ came bounding up the stairs with a big grin on his face, "Man, I wish mom were here."
"Me too." Ron said with a far away look in his eyes. "You guys ready to rock?"
"Fusion!" TJ confirmed.
"Let us do this thing," Rufus declared.
"Reactivate the air defense systems," Ron ordered the guard.
Several minutes later, the guards outside were startled by a sudden, rumbling kind of roar as rockets began launching from the top of the hill in quick succession. The anti-air emplacements automatically trained their weapons on the airborne objects and fired. The rockets exploded one after the other as anti-air missiles and blaster rays blew them out of the sky almost as soon as they cleared the launch doors.
The guards had already retreated some distance, fearful of the rapid-fire explosions occurring almost directly overhead. They panicked outright when, a few seconds later, the front doors of the bunker blew outward in a thunderous explosion of flame and metal. A large mechanical battlebot stomped its way through the smoke and wreckage, its weapons blazing forth a hellfire of disintegrator and disruptor fury.
Rufus' voice boomed out over the loudspeakers mounted on Deathray's shoulders, "That is right! Flee, cowards! Flee before the wrath of-"
Inside the cockpit of the battlebot:
"…What did we decide to call you again?" Rufus asked his companion.
"Robo-Ronin," Ron answered.
"Hmmm, I do not like that. How about Mecha-ninja?"
"Nah. Ooh, I got it! How about Ro-Bot?" Ron asked excitedly.
"Robot?"
"No, not Robot, Ro-Bot. There's a hyphen!"
"Of course," Rufus turned the speakers on again and leaned toward the microphone, "Flee before the wrath of Ro-Bot, dishonorable henchmen!"
They fled, alright. Those that were foolish enough to try fighting back got a face full of disintegrator. It wasn't pretty.
Ron worked the actual maneuvering of the mechanoid, as well as one weapon. Rufus worked two other weapons. They chased the guards to the house and held them there.
TJ, Veronica, and the cooperative guard were tucked away in a protective shelter well beneath the floor of the bunker. TJ made sure the guard had initiated the proper launch sequence and didn't try anything funny.
Kimono had her hands full. She was charged with bringing down any of the rockets that managed to slip through the air defenses. The Ninjet had all kinds of cool missiles to get the job done. None lethal, of course, but there were disruptor charges, missiles with titanium alloy tips that simply tore through the fuselage of the rockets or missiles that attached themselves to the rocket and acted as a rudder, steering the rocket back into the ocean below.
One or two got past her, but Ariel managed to scrape up a little power in order to operate several beam weapons mounted on her satellite. She finished off any that managed to get into the upper stratosphere.
As for Raymond Beam, his last, barely conscious thought was the sudden awareness that the rockets above him were preparing to launch. He gibbered incoherently, his mind blank with abject terror, and tried to crawl away. The next instant his whole world blazed with white-hot fire as he quickly incinerated. A glimpse, perhaps, of things yet to come for the soul of Mr. Beam.
An hour later, Kimono brought the Ninjet to a landing between the house and the bunker. A GJ Clean-up Team was already rounding up the guards and working to gather what evidence they could from the computer systems and so forth before destroying everything.
When she emerged, TJ and her father-in-law were waiting to greet her. They exchanged hugs and handshakes all around and congratulated each other on yet another plot foiled. This one, of course, had special significance for all of them.
"Where is Veronica?" Kimono asked, looking around.
Though Ron pointed in the direction of the house, a thunderous explosion already told her what she needed to know. Veronica was in the Deathray suit, working out some frustrations on Ray Beam's former residence. She tore through the house with a blossoming fury that would have frightened even her late husband. She cried, and screamed in anger and fired the disruptor at Ray's favorite recliner, or the pictures of him on the walls, or the bed. The bed she kept firing at long after it was disintegrated. She raised the foot of the mechanoid and stomped on its ashes repeatedly. Then she rampaged through what was left of the structure until none of it was standing, and no piece of it was larger than her. All the while, she was listening to that same song on her headphones; the one she had used repeatedly to drive her further into her depression. But now, at last, she allowed herself not only to listen to the final verse, but began to believe it as well:
If you've been there, you know
If you're still there, hang on
We're all dealt our lumps of coal
What you do with it can turn beautiful
Veronica listened, cried, and believed. It wasn't every day a girl was rescued by her dead father. Never again would she give power over her to those who would misuse it.
There's life outside of your madness
And there's a face behind every scar
There is love overflowing with gladness
Get out of that place that's restraining your love
Get out of that place that's restraining your love
Veronica at last climbed out of the cockpit of her husband's machine, walked away from the remains of the house, and didn't once look back; not even when the self-destruct mechanism obliterated the battlebot.
That night there was much celebrating at the Stoppable household.
"MMMmmm…oh, man," Ron said to his son through a mouthful of food, "Your wife cooks like this and you eat most of your meals at Bueno Nacho? That's just sick and wrong!"
Kimono was just coming into the dining room with another plate full of food, set it down, and kissed her father-in-law on the forehead.
"Thanks, Dad!" She gushed, "Glad at least one member of my family appreciates my culinary skills."
"Well, of course he does," TJ protested, "He taught you said skills."
"Really?" Ron asked with a huge grin on his face, "You know, I tried teaching your mom once when we were in high school."
"Yep. Heard that one," Kimono smiled as she sat down, "When you were teaching me, she tried joining in and made quite a mess of the kitchen a few times. I think she was a little jealous of all the time we were spending together."
"It wasn't the time," TJ countered, "It was all the praise Dad heaped on you. Mom always had a hard time sharing Dad's praise with others."
"Probably because it's been largely directed at her for most of my life." Ron mused. "But seriously, KD, this meal is amazing."
"Aw thanks," Kimono said, blushing deeply. "Like I said, it's nice to be appreciated."
"I like your cooking, too," Veronica said shyly. She was enjoying the company of her family, but was feeling a little overwhelmed after seven years of isolation.
Kimono said nothing, but reached over and squeezed her sister-in-law's hand, smiling warmly.
Rufus Three Thousand was not eating with the rest of them. He was up in his quarters above the garage helping his new friend get comfortable in his new home. Rufus had made a make-shift bed out of some old towels, and Stoppable – the dog – was finding it very comfortable.
Rufus reached out a hand and the dog recoiled, whimpering slightly.
"You have been treated most dishonorably," Rufus said softly to the dog, "But do not worry. I will take care of you."
He gently patted the dog's head. After a moment, the dog timidly licked Rufus' paw and looked up meekly at his new master, tentatively wagging his tail. Rufus had wanted to go on calling it 'Stoppable' in Ron's honor, but Ron had suggested another name. The more Rufus thought about it, the more he liked it. In fact, the dog itself rather liked its new name: Ronaldus.
Several hours later, the women were in the living room talking quietly. Kimono was actually doing more listening than talking, giving Veronica the chance to speak to someone who actually cared about what she had to say. Every now and then they would smile at each other as shouts of 'Booyah' or 'Fusion' would come from the game room. Many zombies were falling before the mighty blades of Ron and TJ Stoppable. Neither of the girls could figure out exactly what the attraction of video games was, especially when they'd spent the day fighting real villains.
All too soon, however, Rufus came walking reluctantly into the living room.
"I have a call from Wade to Ron Stoppable," He said, his voice laced with disappointment. Everyone knew what it was about.
A minute later, TJ came out of the game room and slumped dejectedly on the couch.
"Sweetie," Kimono said softly to her husband, "We knew he had to go sooner or later."
"This is sooner," TJ almost whined, "Why can't it be later?"
Veronica tried to keep the tears from welling up. She'd barely gotten to spend time with the father she so deeply loved. She had virtually clung to him all day, but let go when TJ offered to play games. She could tell her father was getting a little uncomfortable with her constant attachment. Now he would be leaving.
They sat quietly as Ron spent close to an hour talking with Wade. When he came out, there was a serious look on his face.
"As you may have guessed" Ron said to his family, "Wade and Tim have finished the time travel device. Wade said they found an old scan Kim took of Monkey Fist using something called the Tempus Simia in the GJ archives, and used it to construct the machine. I asked if Wade could wait until morning at least, but he had some rather disturbing news…"
Ron stood behind a protective glass wall in the labs at Global Justice several hours later. The protective glass was so that no one else would get pulled into the vortex by accident. Ron felt a little like an exhibit at the zoo.
"We're ready any time you are, Ron," Wade said after making a few adjustments to his equipment. There was a two-way voice-activated intercom mounted to the window, "We've got a lock on Kim's energy signature and should be able to put you somewhere in her vicinity."
Ron nodded, then looked from Wade to his children and daughter-in-law.
Then something occurred to him.
"Wait, how were you able to get Kim's energy signature?"
Wade and Tim looked at each other. But before they could speak, a door opened and a sixty-four year old Kim Possible stepped hesitantly into the room. She'd heard Ron's question.
Veronica gasped and put her hand to her mouth. Kim seemed vaguely aware of her daughter's presence, but her eyes remained locked on Ron's.
Kim's hair was mostly dark gray, with bits of deep auburn and strands of lighter gray mixed in. She was thin and it was clear that life and gravity had taken their toll on her body. But her eyes were still green and they still had that Kim Possible fire in them.
She walked forward to the protective glass, her hand on her chest as though she were trying to get her heart to slow down. Tears welled up and began cascading down her cheeks as she beheld the sight of the man she hadn't seen in twelve years; the man who had been her soul-mate since they were four years old. But this wasn't the man who had gone off to the store to pick up a few holiday gifts and never came back. This was a man on the front side of thirty years. He looked just like he did the day she married him.
Kim's legs were rendered weak with emotion and she collapsed to her knees. Concerned, Ron crouched down as well, never taking his eyes off of hers. You may have seen such things in movies or on television and thought it corny. But if you had been there, been in that situation, you might very well have done what Ron and Kim did. They each put a hand to the window, as though they were attempting to touch each other one last time. Kim began to sob as she held her hand against the glass where her husband was holding his.
"I'm really sorry," Wade said uncomfortably, "But we've got to do this now."
Ron nodded, but did not move, did not even take his eyes from hers.
"Thank you," Kim sobbed quietly, "For saving Veronica."
"I had to, KP," Ron replied, "She's our daughter. She'll be all right now."
Kim nodded.
Suddenly, a burst of reddish light accompanied a deep, pulsating explosive kind of sound. A visible, pale red shockwave emanated from the light-burst and spread out in all directions. A crimson-colored vortex opened up behind Ron. He braced himself against the window and absorbed the energy of the shockwave, then he stood up. He nodded to TJ, Kimono, and Veronica; the three of them reluctantly left the room. Ron stood for some time gazing at his wife.
"I love you," He said quietly, then turned and stepped into the vortex.
Kim let out a sob as the vortex closed around Ron. The space behind the protective glass was empty.
She looked to Wade, and then gasped as Tim, standing behind Wade, simply vanished from sight. Wade turned around, then looked back to Kim.
"I think the timeline is-"
Wade vanished.
Before she could react, Kim disappeared as well.
Dr. Justine Flanner was on the cusp of a breakthrough. She held a crucial component of the artificial Tempus Simia in her hand. She just needed to make one or two adjustments and then she'd call Wade and have him contact Kim in Japan. All she needed to do was-
The component disappeared in her hands.
"WHAT? No! Not now, please, not no-"
The lab was suddenly empty.
"Sweetheart, do you want bacon with your breakfast?" Mrs. Doctor Possible called out to her husband.
"Honey, I'm surprised you still ask me that, after all these years… honey?" Mr. Doctor Possible had just walked into the kitchen where his wife's voice had been heard. But the kitchen was empty.
The entire house was empty a moment later.
Then the house itself disappeared.
"Hey, baby, what are you doing here? Aren't you going to the lab?" A surprised Monique stood at the door of her apartment to find her future husband standing there.
Wade shook his head. There was a little sadness on his face, "I told them I wanted to spend some time with my wife. I know you aren't yet, but I wanted to say it at least once. It felt good."
"Felt good to hear it," Monique said softly. She drew her fiancé to her and kissed him deeply for a moment, then pulled away just a little, "Well, if we're going to be wiped from existence, then I'm glad we'll be together for it."
Wade reached up and cupped her cheek with his hand, "Me, too sweetie. I wanted to spend th-"
Monique vanished.
Wade gasped in sad surprise, then spent a tortuous ten minutes standing in the empty apartment, waiting for something to happen. He watched as various objects around him began to disappear, then worried fearfully if the apartment would vanish right out from under him.
He began to wonder if Kim had vanished yet, or Ron, in whatever time period he had gotten to.
Then he was gone.
The apartment building disappeared soon after.
Followed by all of Middleton.
Monkey Fist was not a patient man, nor did he seem to be a completely sane man these days.
Fukushima had taken to sleeping outside, afraid of even looking at Monkey Fist the wrong way. Even his monkey ninjas were walking on eggshells around him.
Whenever they weren't engaged in battle, Monkey Fist would spend all his time in his tent, muttering to himself and cradling the Tempus Simia.
Ishigawa avoided talking to him as much as he could.
In three days, the armies would be at the base of Mount Yamanuchi. A scout party had been sent ahead to prevent anyone from trying to leave the school. Soon, the Ohana Blades would be captured, and the power of the Ohana Wraith would be his to control. And once Japan was conquered, Ishigawa would gladly be rid of Fist Of Monkey.
But perhaps… just perhaps… Ishigawa might keep the Ohana Blades for himself.
After all, China was just a short distance across the sea…
The tide of the battle had turned when the enemy soldiers beheld the power of the Lotus Blade. The ninja wielding it had transformed it into all kinds of weapons and was making short work of his opponents, though few dared to come near him now.
So much the better.
The ninja charged the enemy line and it easily broke as the soldiers scattered in fear. The ninja's two companions joined him and began working their way through the enemy soldiers.
Kim and Yori coordinated their attacks at Kim's direction and they fell to their work with renewed enthusiasm. What had looked almost hopeless just a few moments before had now become a decisive victory. They were compelled to finish off the remaining enemy soldiers since returning to Ishigawa in defeat would have meant death for them anyway. They fought to the bitter end.
When the last of the enemy soldiers fell, Kim and her companions stood upon the field of battle and desperately tried to catch their breath.
"Any injuries, Yori?" Kim asked, panting. She cleaned the blood from the Magnolia Blades, then returned them to their place upon her back.
"A scratch on my left arm," She responded, "But it is of no consequence. I will bathe it in the stream."
Kim nodded as Yori moved toward the water. She turned her attention to the ninja who nodded to his two companions, handed the Lotus Blade to one of them, and began walking toward her.
"Sensei," Kim said as he came near, "Thank you so much for coming to our rescue. I don't think we would have prevailed if-"
The ninja held up his hand and shook his head.
It was then Kim noticed the crimson image of a Katana on the chest of the ninja's clothes. He stepped closer and took off his mask.
"Hey, KP!" He said jovially, "What's a nice girl like you doing in a century like this?"
"RO- mmmppph!"
Whatever she was going to say was cut off by her husband's lips pressed against hers.
Ron was congratulating himself on his witty banter and dashingly romantic gesture, and he was certainly enjoying the feel of his wife's lips against his for the first time in, well, fifteen hundred years give or take.
But Kim's eyes remained wide open in surprise. She looked at what she could see of his face. His eyes were closed, but it was his hair, his forehead, his ear…yep, she was pretty sure that was his tongue. At last she closed her eyes and flung her arms around his neck, pulling herself against him in a kiss that conveyed passion and longing as well as relief at being in his arms once more.
Reluctantly, Ron pulled away at last, "Good to see you, Mrs. Stoppable."
"So that was you the whole time?" Kim asked, astonished, "Why didn't you say something earlier?"
"You mean, tell you 'your long lost husband is here, but try not to get distracted by that fact during the life-or-death battle'?" Ron teased, "We thought it best not to tell you until after it was over."
"We?"
Ron gestured to the two ninjas behind him who had just pulled off their masks. One was an oddly familiar looking man with red hair. The other looked like a blue/green version of Shego.
"Let me introduce you to our kids!" Ron said dramatically.
"Our WHAT?"
Before Ron could answer, there was an exclamation from Kintaro and the remaining student. Ron and Kim looked around to see a Black and White staff, and a Naginata flying through the air. The Staff split at the middle and pulled apart, becoming two straight Ninjato swords. The black half flew at TJ while the white went to Kimono.
Ron's Lotus-honed instincts kicked in, "It's OK", he called out, "Just raise your hand and they will come to you."
They caught their respective Blades, albeit somewhat awkwardly and held them, giving each other a strange look.
The long spear-like Naginata sailed end over end into the woods above them. They heard a woman's scream come from that spot a second later. Ron was already off and running toward it.
"Be right back!" He called over his shoulder.
Kim noted the crossed Katana logos on TJ and Kimono's clothing; their similarity to her husband's uniform. She walked over to them.
"That's actually supposed to be a single weapon," Kim explained, "Called the Orchid Blade. If Sensei were here, he'd probably tell you they have chosen you to be their bearer. But I'm afraid I don't know much about what they do. Hi, I'm Kim, but I guess you already know that."
"I'm Timothy James," The red-haired man held out his hand, "Everyone calls me TJ. Do you mind if I…um…?"
TJ stepped forward and threw his arms around his mother. Kim hesitantly returned the embrace, not knowing what to think.
"It's good to see you, Mom," TJ said, then released her, noting the look of bewilderment on her face, "Sorry if this is all a little overwhelming. Um… you might want to sit down for this. This is Kimono, my wife."
"Hi!" Kimono said brightly, "And before you say anything, the answer is 'yes', I do look like Shego because she's my mom."
"Yeah," TJ confirmed, "And Dr. Drakken's her dad, it's kind of a long st-…Mom?.. are you all right?… yeah, just sit down. Here, put your head between your knees and breathe…DAD! …it's OK, just breathe, you'll be OK… you did the same thing when we told you we were getting married… DAD, you better get down here!"
"What happened?" Ron said, as he led a shaken daughter who was holding the Cactus Blade rather gingerly by the shaft, "You told her she was related to Shego and Drakken, didn't you? I told you guys to keep that a secret for awhile."
"He did it!" Kimono said innocently pointing a finger at TJ.
"I'll be OK," Kim panted, "I think."
Ron introduced Kim to her daughter, who wanted to cry and give her a hug, but her father had told her there would be time for that later.
During all this, Yori, Kintaro and the remaining student gathered to watch the goings on. They were mesmerized by these strange creatures with odd hair and powers over the Ohana Blades.
"It's a lot to take in, I know," Ron sympathized, "I actually had a few days to absorb the information. We should find out what the deal is with these weapons and then ask these people-… Yori?"
"Greetings, Stoppable-san." Yori said with a bow. "It is good to see you again. Indeed, I should not be surprised that you are here. Where Monkey Fist goes, you inevitably follow."
"Monkey Fist is here, too?" Ron asked, incredulous.
"Yeah," Kim confirmed, "That's why Yori and I are here."
Kim gave her husband a quick briefing on the situation, which took longer than anyone was really comfortable with. Kintaro was anxious to be off.
"OK," Ron said at the end of her report, "But what about these swords? How come we've only heard of the Lotus Blade?"
Kim told him of the ability to pass the power of Tai Xing Pek Wah to a mate or a child, then informed him that Sensei was actually Toshimiru and he was the one sending Ron the dreams.
"He's…what?…Sensei is the founder of Yamanuchi? Then that would make him…geeze, I had no idea." Ron once again had to absorb more information that made his head hurt.
Kintaro was becoming agitated.
"Kintaro says we should be away from here. The armies of Ishigawa and Monkey Fist must be close if they are already sending scout parties onto the mountain." Yori informed them.
"Ask him what he wants to do." Ron told Yori.
She and Kintaro exchanged words.
"Kintaro thinks we should all go to the province of Mutsu where his father is lord. It is a large province with much empty land. It would be a good place to hide the Ohana Blades." Yori relayed.
Ron nodded.
"But I thought we'd go after Monkey Fist," Kim protested.
"If the dreams I had are any indicator, the Ohana Wraith is more powerful than any of us can imagine." Ron responded, "Best to keep the Blades as far from Monkey Fist as possible. If we go north, we can keep the Blades hidden, and come up with a plan to capture the Tempus Simia. If we stay here, we'll be captured, and if one or two of us goes after Monkey Fist, he'll do everything in his power to search out the rest of us. No, I know what you're going to say, KP, and you were right when it was just you and Yori. That's what I would have done. But things are different now. If Monkey Fist gets the power of the Ohana Wraith, then he'll destroy us, and all hope of restoring the timeline will be lost."
"You know about that?" Kim asked.
"Future Wade told me all about it. But I'm with Kintaro on this. We go north. And we should get moving before those two armies cut us off." Ron said decisively.
The frustrating thing for Kim was that Ron was right. Whether she realized his logic or the Magnolia Blades helped her to see it, it didn't matter. Up to now she had been giving the orders, and her latest one had been countermanded, so to speak.
Kintaro sent the remaining student back up to the school to inform Sensei of what had taken place, then set off, leading them all northward. Ron took a longing look up the slopes of Yamanuchi, but realized the danger that would ensue if he risked going up there to see his old friend. They moved at a brisk pace, as Kintaro was eager to slip by Ishigawa as soon as possible.
Their journey the rest of that day took them over some pretty rough terrain. But once they had gotten about thirty miles north of Mount Yamanuchi, Kintaro began to relax. He knew Ishigawa was not yet at the school, and he would spend a couple of days questioning Sensei on the whereabouts of the Ohana Blades. This would give his party a bit of a head start.
As they walked, Kim held on to her husband's hand as much as she could, just relishing his touch once more. They talked; telling each other everything that had happened since Ron had been thrown into the future. Kim was less than pleased to hear Ray Beam's name again, and at that point, Ron let Veronica tell her story.
Yori and Kintaro led the way, talking quietly between them. TJ and his wife came next, listening to the conversation between their parents. TJ carried the Orchid Blades together on his back. Ron, Kim and Veronica brought up the rear. Veronica carried the Cactus Blade on her shoulder, like a soldier on patrol carrying a rifle. Kim spent most of the day absorbing some pretty disturbing information on how Ray Beam was able to lure Kim's daughter into his life. But when they got to the story of the rescue, Kim couldn't help smiling – a lot – at her husband.
She was proud of him, and Ron could tell. It made him feel warm all over. Making her proud was one of the things he lived for.
Early in the evening, Kintaro decided to make camp near a large lake, just inside the tree line where they wouldn't be visible from a distance. Ron and his kids were completely exhausted, having spent that day invading Ray's private Island and ending it camping near a Japanese lake at the beginning of the fifth century.
Ron was glad he'd slept a little on the Ninjet after Veronica's rescue. If he hadn't, he probably would have collapsed hours ago. He'd been operating on adrenaline most of the day, and his supply was just about finished.
They fashioned three crude two-man tents out of sticks and the cloth used to bundle the Blades. TJ and Kimono would be in one tent, Ron and Kim in another, while Veronica and Yori would sleep in the third. Kintaro would sleep on a mat outside next to the fire. They had brought some food with them, but some of it was lost during the battle, and what little remained had to be shared among the seven of them. No one's hunger was completely satisfied when they went to bed that night.
Kim gave Veronica the extra set of clothes she had taken from the school in her time period and then wondered if Sensei had known she would need them. But she was too tired to contemplate Temporal Causality Loops after a battle and such a long day's journey. Veronica changed into the deer leather kilt/skirt and beige cotton tunic. She was already wearing sandals from her time period. The rest of the modern clothes she slung in a bundle and used for a pillow.
After dinner, they all said a tired good night to each other and took to their tents. It grew dark. The birds and bugs that lived during the night began to make their usual noises. The humans were quiet for some time.
"So why did Wade send our kids back here with you?" Kim eventually whispered to her husband.
"Huh," Ron said drowsily, "Wha?"
Kim repeated her question.
"Oh, man. I'm too tired to think," Ron protested, "I'll tell you all about it tomorrow."
"Too tired?" Kim teased, softly kissing his cheek, "You can't be too tired, Mr. Stoppable," she brushed her lips across his closed eyelid, "I think you might have enough energy for one or two activities," her lips slid lightly down the bridge of his nose to his lips where she kissed him deeply.
Ron was a little more awake now.
"I think my mystical monkey power needs to be recharged," she whispered invitingly.
"You have to recharge it?" Ron asked confused, "I didn't know- mmmphphmph."
She shut him up with a kiss.
"Focus, Ron," She whispered breathily as her lips slowly parted from his. She loosened the straps on her vest and slid herself up on top of him, bringing her lips to meet his once more; their tongues dancing playfully with each other. It was just as much from relief at being in his arms again as it was from the pleasure she took from him that Kim let out a moan as Ron slid his fingernails lightly across the small of her back and proceeded to slip his hands up under her v-
"Hey! These tents aren't soundproof you know!" came Kimono's voice from the next tent over, "And I think you're traumatizing TJ. The poor guy's curled up in a fetal position and…yep…there goes the thumb, into the mouth."
"No one should ever have to hear their parents make those noises," TJ whimpered. "That's just not right."
"OK," Ron whispered savagely, "We get your point. Sheesh, we didn't even get to the good part yet."
"'The good part'" TJ moaned, "Great. There's an image that will haunt me for life."
"Yes, TJ, we get that you will be needing therapy for a few years. But let's not wake up Veronica." Ron warned.
"Oh, I'm awake," came Veronica's choked voice from the other side of Ron and Kim. She sounded very emotional.
"Are you all right?" Kim asked with concern.
"Yes," Veronica's voice trembled and shook, "I'm fine."
"Ronnie, if you were awake, why didn't you say something earlier?" TJ hissed.
"Because I was afraid!" she said, trying to muffle the emotion in her voice.
"Afraid of what?" TJ whispered.
Veronica finally let out a full belly laugh. It was laughter she had been trying to stifle, not tears as everyone thought.
"I…" she started, then broke off into giggles, "I was afraid I might interrupt my own conception!"
Silence. Then Kimono snorted, followed by a guffaw from Ron. And finally, the five family members burst into long, loud uproarious laughter.
Kintaro stared up at the stars, trying to figure out what these strange people were laughing at.
Yori lay on her side, facing away from Veronica. She was awake but did not join in on the laughter. All day she had been feeling like an outsider. Not only was she not a member of this family – of Ron's family – but they all shared in the mystical monkey power as a result. She did not.
Unrequited love carried around for a decade could be a painful thing. When you've had a little taste of what that love could be like, the pain and longing increase exponentially. Yori was content to embark on this adventure with just Kim, because at least Ron's presence in her life could be plausibly denied. But now he was here… Yori discovered the torch she had been carrying for Ron Stoppable had become a bonfire.
"Oh, man," TJ said through mirthful tears, "I bet you're the only person in history who could legitimately say that."
The laughter continued for some time, and then eventually died down. After awhile, silence returned to camp.
Thirty minutes later:
"Um…hello? Non-soundproof tents!" Kim whispered.
"Sorry," Came Kimono's sheepish reply, "We thought everyone was asleep."
In the morning, Kintaro was up with the sun, catching breakfast from the depths of the lake with a vine and some bait. Several people crawled wearily out of their tents a couple hours later, enticed to consciousness by the smell of fish frying over an open flame. Kim and Veronica remained sleeping.
Ron and TJ went down to the lake shore to splash a little cold water on their faces. TJ noticed his father was in a particularly cheerful mood.
"So what are you so chipper ab-?…aw, no, you gotta be kidding me," TJ had seen that grin in the mirror on occasion.
"What?" Ron protested, "It's not like we woke anyone up."
"This is not a conversation a guy should be having with his dad." TJ groaned.
"Oh relax, would you? Your mom just needed to recharge the old mystical monkey power," his grin got wider as he held up two fingers, "Twice!"
"LA LA LA LA" TJ had his fingers in his ears, "LA LA…I am not hearing you! I cannot underst-"
TJ was interrupted by a bright, pale blue flash overhead accompanied by a booming explosion of thunderous noise. Everyone looked up to see a small, circular hovercraft spinning out of control on a steep downward angle. It plunged into the lake, sending up a massive cascade of frothy lake water.
"Oh, goody," Ron said casually. Nothing surprised him anymore, "More relatives."
The craft sank almost immediately. Two spluttering and coughing heads broke the surface. Their voices carried clearly across the water.
"It's gone! My funky, fresh flying car is gone! Only eight more payments and it would have been all mine!"
"We managed to survive that and you're worried about the hovercraft? Besides, don't you have insurance?"
"Oh, yes, and what am I supposed to put on the insurance form? 'Collided with a Quantum Filament and lost control. Please reimburse me for the full price of the vehicle'?"
Kimono came running up to her husband and father-in-law, "I hear petty bickering, is that-? YES! Mother! Daddy!"
Kimono waded out until it was too deep then began swimming to her parents. TJ heaved a huge sigh and went in after his wife. Soon, Drakken and Shego were led out of the water by a chattering Kimono and an eye-rolling TJ. Shego stared blankly at this strange woman who seemed to know her. Drakken was almost relieved to see Ron.
"Hello, Ronald," He said almost casually, "We just came from your wedding reception. It was lovely."
"Good morning, Dr. D." Ron said back just as casually, then turned around to see a very sleepy wife crawling out of her tent, "Honey! Throw a couple more fish on the fire! The in-laws just dropped in!"
Drakken looked at Ron with narrowed eyes, "The what-laws?"
Coming in August: The War of the Tempus Simia