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The Kimmatrix: Matrix Upgraded

A Fan Fiction Fusion By

Classic Cowboy and Turles

Chapter 1: Six Months Later…

"With great power…comes great responsibility."

- Ben Parker (Stan Lee's Spider-man)

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Josh "Ares" Mankey made his leap across the fifty foot gap that separated two skyscrapers of the Los Angeles skyline. Before he made his landing upon the rooftop of the other building, he made a somersault flip like a circus acrobat. He landed on his right foot bringing down his left knee to absorb some of the impact of his leap. He stayed in that position for a few seconds like a devout Christian genuflecting or a knight that was kneeling before his king.

Afterwards he got back to his feet and looked back over the skyline of Los Angeles, he thought about how easily he had leapt from one building to the next as if he were a frog leaping on Lilly pads. It certainly went without saying that he enjoyed being free from the Matrix and being able to do all the gravity defying moves.

"I love this place!" He cried out, his voice only giving a slight echo throughout the horizontal city, that was when Josh had brought himself down from the cloud he was riding upon, "If only Kim…" He uttered

He started to have some regrets about Kim Possible. In the beginning he was toying with Kim, playing hard to get with her. After all, it was no secret to Josh of how handsome he was, it wasn't just Kim that was after him back then. Nearly half of the cheerleading squad wanted him, if not all of them. Even with all those women wanting him, Josh wanted to tease and toy with Kim the most. He couldn't help but revel and marvel at his acting skills showing that he wasn't interested while Kim was twisting herself into knots about whether or not Josh liked her or not.

That was until that one night when Josh had asked Kim out, he was half expecting to get lucky that night. He knew that he was fulfilling the girls' fantasy, though he couldn't help but notice the strange things that were going on around Kim. It was somewhere towards the end of the date that Josh decided Kim really wasn't worth all the teasing and toying that he had done. Except, he wondered, if I wasn't interested then why did I kiss her? A very good question indeed. At least until the summer when Josh met a man named Joseph who said that he would show him the truth, and that was nearly a year ago for Josh when a few months into his freedom, as well as with his relationship with Terra (Aldonza), that he heard the buzz within Neo Zion that Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable had been freed.

"Why did Morpheus have to be the one to free her?" Josh thought as he looked out at the scenery, "Who knows the fun I could have had with her about showing how the Matrix worked."

Josh chuckled at the thought but then his mind switched when he thought about Kim, how she always had an eye for popular and powerful guys. It had become common knowledge that Kim was the lover of the One. Everyone from Middleton who knew Kim the best would have already known that she would have gone for the powerful guy. Though who would have thought that the One could have been Ron Stoppable of all people?

Josh did have the opportunity in meeting Ron just once before any of them were free from the Matrix. It was during the Halloween incident when Kim had made her lies and after she was pronounced grounded. Ron had suggested trick-or-treating with Josh in the two person unicorn costume. Josh had to admit that the costume was fun though the company left something to be desired. Ron had turned out to be the biggest goofball that Josh had the misfortune of meeting.

"Humph" Josh sneered, "You'd think that the One would be someone who actually could use his power for something other then loosing his own pants in mid-flight."

There were stories that Ron had done that with his new found powers, that he would loose his pants during flight, but as it turned out, Ron tried to straighten the record by saying it only happened once, but still the stories continued. Josh would have continued this train of thought but just then, his cell phone rang. Coming out of his thoughts and nostalgia he reached into his suit coat pocket and pulled it out. The cell phone was one of the kinds that opened up like the communicators in the old Star Trek series, and by a small joke amongst Josh's (Ares') ship, the Leviticus, their cell phones all made that Star Trek sound when they were opened and closed. Josh opened his, hearing that sound effect, and held it to his ear.

"Talk to me." Josh answered the phone call smoothly like a jazz singer

"Ok, cutie." Livewire flirted back from the other end of the line. Livewire was the operator for the Leviticus, and a young woman who loved to flirt, especially over the phone. "The Cap said we're about to head back to Neo Zion, so it's time to get out. You've got an exit four blocks east of your current location, in apartment thirteen-c."

"I'm on my way, Live." Josh (Ares) replied as he hung up his cell phone. He looked in the direction he was supposed to go. Four blocks to the east, he saw a small building there, and the sky scrapers leading to it seemed like stepping stones to his exit. He made his running start and leapt over each building like a hurdler in a one-hundred yard race. As Josh "Ares" Mankey made his leaps across the buildings, he did not know that he was being watched by a pair of sinister eyes from the streets below who had plans for him.

After a few minutes of rooftop hopping, Josh had managed to find the building that had the exit. It was a simple apartment building, at least that's how it looked when Josh had landed upon the roof. Then using some lock picking skills that he had learned on his training days, he opened the door to the apartment building.

Not long after that, he came to the thirteenth floor; there he found the apartment door.

"Apartment thirteen-c." Josh had read the sign aloud. He reached out to the door knob, turned it (half expecting it to be locked) and opened the door. Beyond it, he found the apartment to be very dank indeed. Everything there seemed black, not any part of the room seemed finished except for the small table on the other side of the room. The light from the hallway had shinned upon it to show the black rotary phone that was ringing. Josh went into the apartment, reached out to the phone expecting that within a few seconds he'd be back out into the real world. He hand was only inches away from picking up the receiver…

"Hello, Monkey…" A sinister voice called from the shadows, "It has been…some time…"

"Huh?" Josh asked being very startled by someone else there. He looked throughout the apartment from the beam of light that came from the hallway hoping to find someone. "Whose there?"

"Just an old friend." The voice spoke, "But then again, we never really were friends. You only really thought of me as a stepping stone to get into KP's cargo pants."

At the sound of the voice, Josh had a very good impression of who it was, but it was the letters KP, that really gave it away to him.

"Ron?" Josh called into the darkness as he smiled feeling somewhat relieved that it could just be him, "Is that you?"

"Yes…and no…" The voice in the darkness had answered before a figure started to move within the shadows, "You could say that I'm…something more…"

The sound of that voice sent chills through Josh's body. It was terrifying, a feeling that Josh had never experienced for the longest time. Not since he was a child staying up to watch movies his parents warmed him against. He was so afraid, his flesh felt prickly and covered in cold sweat as his blood within his body ran fast and hot. He watched as the figure moved out of the shadows of the apartment and into the light that came from the hallway. The sound of the phone ringing was drowned out by the quick beating of his heart as he gazed at the face of an agent.

"Who…" Josh started to ask but was cut off by a sharp pain in his chest. He looked down to see that the agent had sunk his fingers into his chest and by the light of the hallway he could see a silver liquid like mercury gushing from the wound. It was starting to move all over his body and spread as if it were a great infection.

"I am mister Stoppable." The Agent smiled like a devil as the silver liquid had consumed Josh, "And now I am also you, Mister Mankey."

A few moments later after the silver liquid had consumed him, it soon receded back into the wound created by the Agent. The moment that the liquid was gone, Josh "Ares" Mankey had become an exact copy of the Agent he had met. He stood there in that black and white three piece agent suit and smiled back at the original.

"Indeed, you are." The agent copy nodded as the first walked up to him and adjusted his tie. "Shall we try again?"

"Yes, we shall." The original agent smiled as his copy reached for the ringing phone and escaped into the real world.

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Ron "Neo" Stoppable opened his eyes wide as he sat upright with the feeling of sweat all around his neck, forehead and underneath his clothes. He took a deep breath and tried to relax from the dream he had. He couldn't recall very much of it only that it involved Josh 'Ares" Mankey. He wondered why he would be thinking about him, after all Kim was his, she had been ever since that faithful day nearly six months ago, so why now of all times?

Ron reached up to brush the sweat away from his forehead behind his fully grown back blonde bangs.

"Freaky dreams…" Ron commented aloud, "Gotta love them, right KP?"

He had asked his as he looked over at the other side of the queen sized bed to not only find that it was empty of his lover Kim 'Angel' Possible but that it was also made.

"Kim?" He called out but there was no response. Suddenly as he sat in bed something had hit him almost the same kind of response to take ones hand out of the fire because it was hot. Ron jumped out of bed slipped on his boots and headed out the door and up the ladder to the Jack-Room. He moved around the decks of the Neb II like a rabbit in his own burrow. Then again the Neb II had become home for himself and Kim, though since the day they had confessed their love, they've moved into one room and one bed.

It was quite something for Ron to share his bed with someone, but it was Kim; so that seemed to make it a little more comfortable. Still, Ron couldn't think about such things, his mind was preoccupied about where Kim was.

He came to the main deck and with to the Jack Chair area to find Kim in only one of the chairs. He then looked over at the operator Link who didn't see or hear Ron come in. He was just sitting at his station looking at the different monitors that had the Matrix code.

Ron came up behind Link, "Kim's in trouble." He said, his voice filled with the fear he had for what danger Kim could be in.

"Jesus Christ!" Link cried out in shock, he looked over at Ron, he glared at the teen as he grabbed his chest, "I'm getting' too old for this shit, you scared the livin' hell out of me, man!"

"Sorry, Link." Ron quickly apologized, "But this is major, Kim's in trouble."

"How'd you…" Link was about to ask with a very confused look on his face which quickly gave way to a warm smirk, "Never mind, I keep forgetting about the all powerful 'Jedi Mind Trick' that you do. We got a call from Wade needing Kim; she's fighting some guy with a corrupted code at a place called CampWannaweep."

"Camp W…Wannaweep?" Ron asked sounding so very much afraid of the name, but really, who could blame him? That particular camp was the setting of some of the most scarring and painful memories of Ron's life, all of it starting with the worse summer he ever had. Thank God it was only one summer, because if it was more than one Ron would have truly gone crazy.

Camp Wannaweep wasn't a summer camp; it was more like an abnormal stress test that had gone completely awry. There were the bugs, all kinds of insects that either crawled or flew, as Ron had put it; his scalp was a twenty-four hour bloodsucker buffet. Then there were the other animals that terrorized him, especially the camps mascot, the chip. The very chimp that had caused all of his fears, phobias, and issues about all things simian and it went without saying that the kids weren't any kinder to him either. All of them so cruel and truly there really is nothing more pure and cruel as a child.

One boy in particular that came back to haunt Ron about two years ago. A boy named Gil who loved to swim in Lake Wannaweep, a lake that Ron had very deep suspicions about, and again who could blame him? The lake was green, its odor was rancid, and though Ron couldn't have been one-hundred percent sure, but he thought he had seen the fish glowing at night. It was because of that Lake that Gil had turned into an amphibious mutant.

There was even one incident where a weather making machine had used the waters from Lake Wannaweep to make toxic snowmen. All the memories of Wannaweep had washed over Ron "Neo" Stoppable as he stood there behind Link looking at the Matrix code. Then he reminded himself that Kim was in trouble, which more than anything made Ron stand straight and decided to face the fear; to finally bury the memories of Wannaweep and save Kim.

"I'm goin' in." Ron said with great assertion and confidence, "Link, load me up."

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Inside the Matrix, Kim was in trouble, she had gotten herself into a little more than she could handle. All of it had started just like several other missions that Kim and Ron had been on in the Matrix. They would get a call from Wade to their operator Link, who relayed the information to them and then the mission would start. It was just like the good ole days when they were in the Matrix unaware of the truth about the real world. Though it was a little different than it was back in those days, Ron would have a bigger role than just being the distraction. The mission would be over in a manner of minutes. Until Kim had been going into the Matrix on her own more and more in the past few weeks, perhaps it was because she wasn't used to being saved, though it was for more personal reasons.

The mission that Kim had gotten into trouble with was that there were some hikers being held prisoner at Camp Wannaweep. Kim went in and soon discovered that she should have waited for Ron, because holding the hikers prisoner was a creature that Kim had hoped she would never run into again: Gill, the very boy that loved to swim in the toxic lake who then mutated into the vengeful amphibious monster.

When Kim had arrived on the scene and confronted him, Gill seemed disappointed.

"Where's Ron?" Gill asked, his voice sounding as if it was bubbling like talking underwater, "No Matter, when you're in danger he'll come runnin'."

"Don't be so sure." Kim smirked as she took her stance, "I've learned some new tricks."

Gill looked at Kim Possible with such contempt and hatred in his red eyes, he had known that Ron had feelings for Kim and she had the same for him. It seemed truly unfair to Gill that everything seemed to be going so well for Ron, that not only did he have a normal life but he had the love of a cheerleader. That more than anything caused Gill's through to rumble until he began to spit the mutagenic sludge at Kim. He had expected the slime to cover Kim, but to his surprise and dismay, Kim had dodged all of the onslaughts as if she knew the path of each wad before they were fired. Kim was doing flips, back flips, side flips, and cartwheels into the forest where Gill had followed.

"Too fast for you, Fish Face?" Kim had mocked Gill in a very smug way as she dodged another smile ball. As Kim had dodged each shot, she kept looking around the trees of the forest to find the missing hikers being held to the trunks by Gill's slime. She looked back at the mutant who was breathing heavily after spending so much of his slime, "Why don't you be a good little freak and release the hikers?"

"Oh, there not going anywhere." Gill refused in defiance, "And neither are you!"

Kim heard that rumbling in Gill's throat once again and saw that she should start making her dodges, but once she made her step to the side for her cartwheel, she felt her foot hit something that caused her to slip. As she made her slip she started to concentrate to try to regain balance, but it was too late. Gill had already fired his sludge and it slammed against Kim's wrist and its force knocked it to the nearby tree trunk. The moment it hit, she tried to pull away but Gill saw his opportunity and fired another ball of sludge that trapped Kim's other wrist, she tried desperately to move or break free, but it was just like before. That first return to Camp Wannaweep and the first meeting of Gill. Ron had escaped from Gill and had saved the day for the very first time. Though trapped to that tree, Kim had never felt so helpless and that was a feeling she still truly hated. She wanted to see Ron again, but unlike before she never questioned, in her fear and helplessness she just wanted her lover.

Kim looked to see that Gill had stepped closer to Kim. Already she felt sick to her stomach, it was that fishy putrid smell that Gill had all about him. He smelled like a combination of sour milk and rotten fish. Kim could already feel her stomach turning even though she had tried to remind herself that none of it was real. Despite that fact, it sure as hell felt real to her. It became worse when Gill reached out and ran his webbed hand over the surface of Kim's coat.

"Hmmm." Gill admired, "Is that real leather?"

His webbed hand then ran from the coat to the vest that Kim wore underneath. She felt his slime ooze over her exposed midriff and that was when she couldn't take anymore.

"Touch me…" Kim growled at Gill, "And that fin will never touch anything ever again!"

Kim no longer acted upon thought, it had become pure instinct when she couldn't take being touched by Gill's cold, scaly, and most of all, slimy hands. Using her restraints for leverage, she brought up her legs for a good hard kick at Gill's chest. The amphibious mutant flew backwards until his back had hit the tree. Instead of anger, he came back with a smirk on his face.

"Feisty as ever, huh Kimmie?" Gill chuckled as he approached the helpless Kim, "If you won't keep that pretty mouth shut, my slime will do it for you!"

Gill again made that noise that made Kim think of the tweebs whenever they would hock spit balls. Kim had shut her eyes in anticipation of what would come, but she still wished that Ron would show up like he did in the times before when Kim tried to do things on her own. As she heard the sound of Gill spitting out his sludge at Kim, it was soon followed by something very unexpected.

"What?" Gill had asked sounding very shocked

Kim reopened her eyes to see that the slime ball that Gill had spat was frozen still in mid-air. It looked as though all time had stopped around it and that was when Kim already knew who it was. While Gill looked at it in confused wonderment he was soon faced with a mock as the slime ball struck him right in his face.

The amphibious mutant growled as he clawed away the sludge, "Who did that?" He demanded as he looked around the forest becoming paranoid about what it was that caused the event to happen. As he looked around, his answer came from a much unexpected source.

"Hey, slime boy!" A young and confident voice called out, "Up here!"

Instantly Kim and Gill looked up to the sky where the voice came from. They found him, Ron Stoppable, floating in the air, his feet touching the tops of the trees. His clothes had changed since his time at the beginning of his freedom. Since he had taken the name of his predecessor, Morpheus had suggested that he take Neo's clothes as well. It was a very long duster that reached down to his ankles, it had a high neck and it was very black while inside it was a deep scarlet. At first Ron wasn't accustomed to such a jacket because it was so long and he had never worn something like it. Then again, during his superman flight with the coat, he felt very warm inside it.

Standing at the tops of the trees, the coat blew in the wind like a super hero's cape as he had his arms folded across his chest. He then unfolded his arms and slowly came down to the ground as soft as a feather landing upon a still lake. At first he looked at Kim then looked towards Gill who saw his hideous reflection in Ron's mirror lens sunglasses.

"You always get better things than me!" Gill cried his injustice at Ron, "First you get to be around cheerleaders and now you got cooler powers! It's just not fair!"

Ron rolled his eyes from behind his mirror sunglasses; he thought to himself, "These cooler powers have a high price, Gill. If I could give them away, I would."

He looked at Gill and allowed the memories once again wash over him. He looked at each memory as if they were stones that he wanted to cast into the sea. That's all he wanted, to cast the memories of Camp Wannaweep into the sea. He took his stance and held up his hand to Gill taking one last look at the freak before he mentioned his sentiment to Kim.

"Might as well get rid of one of the trouble makers, what do you say, KP?" He asked

"Ron!" Kim cried out already having a few preconceived notions, "Don't kill him!"

"I'm not going to kill him, KP." Ron spoke in that tone of seriousness that Kim had become accustomed to, "I'm going to free him of the Curse of Camp Wannaweep."

Kim looked as the very fabric of the Matrix began to move, wave, and wobble causing the trees and the ground start to flow like waves of an ocean. Until the waves of the Matrix came down upon Gill like a great tsunami, the wave had turned Gill's slimy and scaly skin turned a darker shade of green. He looked at his own sliminess turning to that unfamiliar shade and he screamed. At first Gill only screamed in panic until whatever the infection was starting to sting him, first it felt like a hot prickling but then turned to burning. It was the kind of burning sensation that made Gill think that every inch of his skin was on fire. Until his darkened skin began to crack like dry mud in the desert sun and a light came from within the cracks from within Gill's skin.

That was when Gill had exploded, pieces of his slimy self flying in all different directions like shrapnel from a grenade. IT was seeing those pieces flying towards her that caused Kim to close her eyes. She opened her eyes once again after a few seconds and could not believe her own eyes at the sight she saw.

In the grass and mud there was a ring of what used the be the slime and sludge that belonged to Gill, yet in the center of it was a young boy that was roughly Ron's age dressed in nothing except his boxer shorts. Kim had met the boy in this form once before, it was during a cheerleader competition that was held there at Camp Wannaweep. Gil was there too as a schools mascot, he was completely normal, face, body, hair, and everything. Yet, he had some ulterior motives, Ron was suspicious about it the whole time, and he soon found that out when there was a toxic Lagoon near Lake Wannaweep.

Ron came up to the boy lying in the center of all that sludge. He unbuttoned his duster and wrapped the boy in it. He stood up and looked down at Gil and thought to himself that he was truly free of his past. With that last encounter with him, the Curse of Camp Wannaweep was broken. For the first time in Ron's life he felt relieved about that place, but there was no time to smell the roses. He kept his eyes on Gil.

"He might still be trouble." He said before he turned around to face Kim, "But at least he won't be able to spit up on people."

"You never cease to amaze me, Ron." Kim sighed as she smiled sheepishly at Ron while he approached her, "Think you can get me loose now?"

Ron came close to Kim and gave her a light scolding look, "You ran off and left me, Kim." He said smugly while crossing his arms over his chest.

"But you were just so cute sleeping there in our bed, Ron." Kim explained rather over dramatically, "I couldn't bear to disturb you…so please get me off this tree."

"Nope." Ron said as he turned his back on his lover, "Not gonna do it."

"Please, Ron." Kim whined giving a few fake sniffles hoping to touch Ron's soft side.

"No." Ron said flatly not even taking a glimpse back at Kim, "And it won't work."

"I thought you loved me…" Kim whimpered sadly

"Oh, come on." Ron sighed, "You know…oh I am so stupid…" He had spun around to look at Kim to see what her lips were pursed and here eyebrows bent, and her eyes looking at Ron so longingly. That was Kim's very famous and signature puppy-dog pout, "Damn, Kim. You're so cute when you do that…you really know my weak spots."

"Boo-yah…" Kim said smoothly

Ron brought up his hands to the sludge that was holding Kim to the tree, it was just like the Midas touch where everything he touched turned to gold. Though what Ron did was, he made the sludge turn dry and it cracked, releasing Kim from the tree. The flakes of the dried sludge chipping away and vanishing into dust as Kim threw her arms around Ron's neck and laid her lips upon his. Of course the whole argument that he had with Kim was just for fun, similar to the things that they would do in bed, switching roles and exchanging power for their own adult entertainment.

They broke the embrace of their lips.

"I know where to poke your soft white under-belly, Ron." Kim smiled as she nuzzled her nose against Ron's.

"But that puppy-dog pout wasn't fair, Kim." Ron quietly whinnied as his sunglasses slipped down his nose.

"All's fair in love and war, baby." Kim smirked as she pushed his sunglasses back upon his face with her fore finger before she purred, "Besides…I'll just have to make it up to you later on tonight, hmm?"

"Oh yeah." Ron smiled knowing what kind of treatment he was going to get when the got out of the Matrix and to their quarters on the Neb II. Though thinking about Kim and how long they had been together, something else entered Ron's mind. Something that needed the advice of an old friend, "Do you think you can free the hostages on your own, KP?" Ron asked looking at the unconscious and trapped hikers.

"Sure." Kim said as she let go of Ron, "But you can free them more easily than me, right?"

Ron paused for a moment before he explained seriously to Kim, "I've gotta go, Kim. I've…got to meet someone to find out a few answers."

"Oh…ok. Can I come with?" Kim asked as she looked away to tend to the hikers. Yet there was no response, she looked in back of her to find out that she was alone. She then looked up into the air and saw a small figure flying away into the clouds. She couldn't help but smile as she watched him go. Though when she thought about what Ron said before he left she couldn't help but say aloud, "It's still bothering you, isn't it Ron?" She asked rather sadly.

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Meanwhile in the real world, onboard the Neb II, Link was once again floored by Ron's manipulation of the Matrix code. He simply waited like what operators always do; wait for a call for help to come in for someone in the Matrix. Sitting at his station the quiet hum of the Jack Chamber was broken by Morpheus.

"Good Morning, Link." He said coming into the chamber

"Good morning, sir." Link greeted back keeping his eyes glued to the monitors waiting for something to happen that would need his immediate attention.

"Those two are off to an early start." Morpheus observed, "Did they get a call from Wade again?" He had asked as he leaned over Link's shoulder to look at the coded screens of the Matrix.

"Kim did." Link had answered still keeping his eyes on the screens as he explained, "She didn't want to wake up Ron, so she went in alone…but you know Ron…"

"Went in a short while later when she found herself in danger," Morpheus had predicted as he nodded, but then marveled at the boy, "His senses are astounding, he's already surpassed Neo."

"Yeah." Link agreed in awe of it until he heard a ringing in his headphones, "That must be her, I'll put it on speaker…" he reached over and pressed the button that received the call, "Operator?"

"Hey, this is Angel." Kim's voice sounded over the speaker as she referred herself by the codename that Ron had chosen for her, "Can I get an exit somewhere in the area maybe?"

"Roger that, Angel." Link replied as he ran a search for an exit within the Matrix, "There was an exit at a payphone at the entrance of Camp Wannaweep, but it's been cut. I'm looking for another one…got one! An old farm house, a third of a mile northeast of your position, you can't miss it."

Yet, before Angel could even make a response, Morpheus made his commanding objection known, "Must I remind you of the dangers of going into the Matrix alone, Angel?" His scolding evident in his voice like an upset father.

"So not the drama, Morph…um…sir." Kim replied confidently still remembering her place in the chain of command on the Neb II, "Besides Ron…um…Neo destroyed the Agents, remember?"

"There are other dangers in the Matrix besides the Agents, you realize." Morpheus retained his concern for his crew member.

"Speaking of R…Neo." Kim corrected herself remembering that inside the Matrix, Ron would be referred by his Matrix name, "Where is he now?"

"Hold on, I'm looking…" Link said as he typed at the keyboards of his station and made his search for Ron 'Neo' Stoppable, until he found him. When he did he couldn't help but smile as he told his findings to Kim, "He's over New York, and he's doing his Superman thing."

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In the clouds over New York City, Ron "Neo" Stoppable was flying just like a super-hero, the clouds parted as he flew through them causing them to lap much like waters made by a speed boat. All the while, he flew without that long duster on, he could feel both the chill of the high altitude though his dress clothes as well as the prickling heat of the sun. As he flew he could also feel his little friend, Rufus, squirming and shivering in his pockets until he started to cling to the fabric of Ron's pocket.

"Hang on, buddy." Ron said as he brought his hand to the lump in his pocket, "We're almost there."

The second he said that, he could feel the Oracle's presence as if her code sent out some kind of resonance throughout the Matrix like waves of a pond. Sensing that he tilted his body upwards and he twirled around amongst the clouds with the grace of an ice skater. As he floated there amongst the clouds he looked down into the city to the building that he had come to many times before. With one push Ron rocketed down to the ground causing the clouds to swirl behind him as if they were becoming the cone of a tornado. He came closer and closer until he somersaulted in the air and landed on the buildings rooftop.

He stood back up and still couldn't' help but marvel his own powers despite the weight he felt on his shoulders at that time. He had to find out the answers, that was why he went down into the apartment building to the floor with the singular door. He took in a deep breath fearing the answers that he may find out, reached up, and knocked on the door.

Upon Ron's second knock, the door opened, and standing there was the pudgy ten-year-old genius, Wade. He looked up at Ron with that usual Wade smile.

"Hey Ron." He said happily, "Come in, mom's been expecting you."

Ron walked in past Wade who closed the door and had returned to his room, While Ron walked into the rest of the Oracle's apartment. The fear and anxiety still growing and growing like a snowball turning into an avalanche. He had come into the living room where he found Seraph and Sati, playing chess; Sati sitting upon the couch while Seraph was sitting cross-legged upon the floor. The two of them had stopped their game to give Ron a welcoming grin when he heard the rustling of wooden beads. He looked to the doorway to the kitchen where the Oracle was standing. She was looking at Ron with such a smile like a grandmother seeing her grandchild coming for a visit.

"You're late, kiddo." She said to Ron, but she told him this in such a sweet grandmother-like way that it was nowhere near insulting, "I figured that you would have come to see me right after what the Merovingian had told you, though you tried to be a man and ignore the fact that you're scarred to the point of crappin' yourself."

Ron felt floored once again by the Oracle's bluntness but in doing it in such a sweet and endearing way. At the same time he was also in awe of how dead on she was as if she had kept a very close eye on him for the past six months. That she also knew how fearful he was about the Merovingian's prediction, while keeping in mind of so many other factors.

The Oracle then waved and gestured for Ron to follow her into the kitchen. Though Ron was starting to have second thoughts about finding out the answers to his questions he had, he followed the Oracle anyway. As he passed by the veil of wooden beads, he felt as if he had strolled into a sweet smelling and warm cloud. Ron took a deep sniff of the air and concluded what it was.

"Cookies?" He asked

"Bingo." The Oracle smiled, "Peanut Butter, Chocolate Chip, and Raisin, your favorite as I recall. Please, have a seat while I get them out."

Ron reached up and pulled off his sunglasses as he sat down at the old 1960's table that the Oracle had. At the same time, Ron's pet Rufus popped out of his pocket and scurried to the table liking his lips and bucked teeth in anticipation of the cookies.

The two of them watched as the Oracle took the tray out and scooped the cookies off the backing pan and onto a small dish. Ron and Rufus ogled the cookies like men watching clothing coming off a stripper, until the Oracle brought the cookies to the table.

"Ok, dig in." She smiled at Ron as he dove into the plate devouring the cookies as if there were no tomorrow.

"Hey, eat the cookies, kid. Not me." The Oracle laughed as she pulled her hands back from the plate she set before Ron.

Ron did have the decency to stop stuffing his face and look at the Oracle to mumble the word "Sorry" though it came out more like "Fowwy" with a mouthful of the Oracle's delicious cookies.

"Ok." The Oracle asked as she sat down across from Ron and light up her cigarette, "Now you are going to ask me your questions?"

Ron swallowed his mouthful of cookies feeling very cotton mouthed as he thought about his questions. As he thought more about it, a very obvious fact came up that never occurred to him until the Oracle had asked him that question.

"Why should I ask?" Ron asked swallowing more of the left over cookies in his mouth, "You already know what I'm going to ask, right?"

"Humor me." The Oracle smiled as she had taken another puff of her cigarette.

Ron had paused for a few seconds knowing that there was no way out of the situation.

"The Merovingian told me six months ago, when he and I met for the second time," Ron began, his anxiety bubbling to the surface in his voice, "He said that I would be gone in seven months, just like the others before me. So am I going…to…to…die soon? As in…next month?"

"Well kiddo," The Oracle began avoiding eye contact with the worried teen as she set her cigarette in the near by ashtray, "Human beings are really hard to predict…"

"But…" Ron gulped, "You've known everything else…so…you must know…please, I don't care if its bad news…I want to be ready."

"Ron…" The Oracle said as she reached out and took Ron's hand in her own, "No one is promised another day, not even me."

"So…" Ron gulped once again, he could feel the tears starting to build over his eyes and at their corners, "I'm going to die in a month….aren't I?"

"No…" The Oracle shook her head before taking a deep breath to deliver her news, "Three weeks, two days, five hours, six minutes…and seven seconds."

The news had slammed upon Ron's shoulders as if it was some kind of cartoon piano that had been dropped upon his head. As he faced the idea of his mortal life coming to an end, it was too much. He cupped his face into his hands feeling the tears leak into his palms. Never before in his life had he cried in such a way, not even as a child had he cried like that.

"I wish you didn't tell me that…" Ron said as his voice cracked from his tears.

"I'm sorry, kiddo. I really am." The Oracle apologized sincerely, "I do wish that I could give a good person like you some good news. But to tell you the truth you are meant to know the time of your end, probably one of the few people in this world that really are. You've got a hard battle to fight before your time is up. One you have to win not with your powers, but with your words."

As Ron thought about the Oracle's answers, he began to truly regret coming to find out these answers. He came to the same conclusion that a traitor onboard the original Nebuchadnezzar came to; ignorance is bliss. As he began to regret his decision to come to the Oracle he began to think of a bigger picture…and the other person in it.

"Kim." Ron uttered as he brought his face out of his hands to look at the Oracle, "What's going to happen to Kim? Is she going to be ok?"

"Kimberly Anne 'Angel' Possible?" The Oracle asked as Ron was a little confused about why the Oracle used all of her name as well as her Matrix name. "Well…your death's going to hurt her horribly…damn near break her, but she'll live. Not long after your passing, she'll get back with the love of her life, have a kid, live to be a grandma, and die a happy, content, and fulfilled woman."

"Oh…" Ron uttered with a smile that was sad, right then and there he truly felt confused. He wasn't sure if this was good news or bad, because he would be dead but she would be happy, "If she's happy…then it's…all good…."

"Human beings are funny creatures indeed." The Oracle mused as she took up her cigarette once again, "There aren't any other creatures on the face of the earth, past or present, that make such bonds as humans do. Sure there are exceptions, lots of them even, but when it comes to true absolute love, it's there from the start and nothing can stand in its way, not even death. Kim loves you, Ron, with everything she's got. Remember that, don't let what anyone says to you, or even do to you make you second guess that. Kim would even face the devil himself to stay by your side…and that says a lot, it says a lot about both of you."

Ron gave her a weak smile; he stood up looking down at Rufus who looked as worried as Ron did.

"I am sorry, kiddo." The Oracle apologized again, "It does seem completely unfair, but…I guess that's how it goes, huh?"

She reached across the table to the very last cookie on the plate, she held it to Ron, "Here, eat one more and then go home to your sweetheart. After a good afternoon nap in her arms, I promise you, you'll feel right as rain."

Ron reached out for the last cookie, while Rufus climbed back into his pocket. He looked at the cookie for a moment before he began to take small bites out of it, chewed slowly as he thought about the Oracle's answers before he headed out the door.

"Ron." The Oracle called. Ron had stopped to look back at the Oracle one last time, "For all it's worth, I believe you can make a difference."

"Thanks." Ron whispered before he took one last bite of the cookie and left the Oracle's apartment.

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Ron gasped as he opened his eyes to find himself back in the Jack Chamber of the Neb II. Standing over him was Kim 'Angel' Possible who was disconnecting the jack from the back of Ron's head. She looked back at Ron, her long ginger hair draping down, nearly tickling him, and her green eyes filled with concern.

"What kept you?" Kim asked, "I was getting worried."

"Um…It's nothing. Nothing important anyway." Ron said as he tried his best to fake a smile

"Are you sure?" Kim asked, narrowing her eyes at Ron.

"Yeah." Ron tried to reassure Kim then decided to fake a small yawn but then found a real one coming through, "Just tired, KP."

"You both have had a busy morning." Morpheus interjected as Kim was helping Ron out of his jack chair, "It will be a few hours before we reach the surface and the Atmospheric Recovery plant at Jericho. So go and rest, because we have a lot of work to do when we get there."

Kim and Ron nodded silently as the two of them had left the Jack Chamber for their quarters. During that whole walk, Ron kept running through the things that the Oracle had told him. Even though he tried to put so much of it out of his mind, it was still there playing over and over again, like a broken instant replay.

It still ran fresh in Ron's mind when he reached his and Kim's quarters, but he was quickly snapped out of it when he was inside the place he shared with Kim. He had turned to look at Kim who was giving him a glare that would scare the Agents themselves.

"Um…" Ron uttered smiling sheepishly, "What's up, KP?"

"Don't what's up, KP, me, Ron." Kim drilled as she stepped closer to Ron, her red bangs bouncing with each heavy and menacing step she took, "Are you going to tell me what's bothering you or do I have to beat it out of you?"

"I…" Ron gulped, "honestly have no idea what you're talking about…" Ron tried to look away but he could feel Kim's emerald eyes burning through him to the deep dark secret within his soul.

"We just made a long walk from the Jack Chamber to here." Kim observed and pointed out, "That's a three to four minute walk and you were dead quite. You're never quiet that long, especially out of the Matrix."

Ron didn't say a word in response to Kim's observations, all he could think about was the prediction the Oracle made about her. That after his death she would get back with the one she loves, gives birth to a child, and dies a happy grandmother. He looked away feeling tears build up in his eyes again. As he looked away trying to hid his building tears, he felt Kim coming up behind him, she wrapped her arms around his waist and laid her head on his back.

"I know you went to the Oracle, Ron." Kim stated her voice changing to a tone that sounded soothing to Ron's ears, "I don't understand why you went. Is it because of the Merovingian's seven month thing?"

Ron raised his head and turned around to look at Kim with wide eyes while she in turned looked up at him with a look of discovery on her face.

"That's it, isn't it?" Kim gulped lightly, her face growing slightly pale as she asked, "What did the Oracle tell you?"

"She said…" Ron trailed knowing full well that he couldn't bear to tell Kim that he only had three weeks left to live, so he had to cover it up, "She said that he was full of crap, KP. I'm going to be just fine. It's funny how we can get all tore up over nothing like that, huh?"

Kim only wrapped her arms around Ron once again resting her head upon his shoulder. She held him tightly in her firm embrace.

"You never could lie to me, Ron." She whispered snuggling against his warm neck.

"Guess not, Kim." Ron whispered hugging her back allowing his fingers to intertwine with her ginger hair, but his heart was in pain knowing the truth that was there as well as the knowledge of what will happen. The two broke the embrace; Kim looked up at Ron staring deeply into his brown eyes.

"If what the Merovingian said was true…" Kim stated never breaking her eye contact with Ron, "We have a month left together, right?"

"They may be wrong." Ron answered confidently, "They're both computer programs, and a lot can happen in a month's time, right? In a month and a day I will probably be fine and we'll be sitting here laughing about it." He said it trying to sound confident and giving Kim his best goofy smile.

"Maybe you're right." Kim nodded as a tear rolled down her face, but she then blushed when Ron reached over to brush the tear away. "But…" Kim's tone changed to a very playful one when she looked at Ron, "Just in case, I'm going to take advantage of every second I have with you." Her voice came down to a low whisper as she moved her face closer to Ron.

"Maybe that isn't such a bad idea." Ron whispered back, just before his and Kim's lips had met in a gentle kiss at first but then quickly turned into deep passion that was filled with desperation. All the while, Ron kept thinking that the Oracle had told him that after an afternoons nap in her arms, he'd be right as rain.

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Far away on the other side of the world in the place that was once called the Cradle of Civilization was the Machine City that was called Zero One or at least that was what it was called until the first war between man and machines. As one of the desperate last resort the humans had detonated a bomb to destroy the heart of the machines, but it work, like the humans, the machines were resilient. From the ruins of Zero One, the new city was built from the ruins, and so the city was then christened, Zero One Two. A city that was not just the capital of the Machine World, the entire city was a machine in itself serving the function of sustaining the machines that lived there.

Deep within that living metropolis there was a lab, a large lab in which a few small working machines that looked like spiders crawled around six pods arranged in a half-circle. The pods were much like the ones that the machines had in the power plants; oval shaped like an egg, transparent with metal frames holding it together and filled with that reddish-pink liquid.

Each pod contained one person, there were five miles and only one female out of the six that were there, and all of them were mortally injured in some form or another. Some of them had gashes in their chests as if they had been hacked into, others seemed like they were impaled, and one of them was undamaged aside from the reddish black holes in his face where his eyes used to be.

As these six people "slept" in their pods, one of the spider machines was looking at the screens that displayed the information.

Alpha Reactivation Sequence: Online

Alpha Reanimation Sequence: Online

Alpha Life Support System: Online

Alpha RSI Upload: Stand-by

Alpha Unit One: Reanimation Sequence ETC: 21 days 9 hours 12 minutes

Alpha Unit Two: Reanimation Sequence ETC: 21 days 6 hours 2 minutes

Alpha Unit Three: Reanimation Sequence ETC: 21 days 2 hours 5 minutes

Alpha Unit Four: Reanimation Sequence ETC: 20 days 6 hours 14 minutes

Alpha Unit Five: Reanimation Sequence ETC: 20 days 1 hour 14 minutes

Alpha Unit Six: Reanimation Sequence ETC: 19 days 21 hours 3 minutes

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Ron opened his eyes quickly and let out a sharp gasp from the nightmare that he had again. He tried to move but couldn't and he couldn't even breathe very well. That was when he looked down to find a pair of slender arms holding onto him. He then remembered quickly how his afternoon of passion was shared with Kim; he never would have guessed that Kim would be such a wildcat in the bedroom. Then again, he probably surprised Kim with his own sexual prowess.

As he moved, or tried to, Kim was naked and trembling under the blanket. Looking at her, Ron couldn't help but grow a contented smile on his lips remembering that Kim had trembled once before when she was lying atop of him while covered in sweat. He leaned over and kissed Kim on the forehead.

"Don't worry, KP." He whispered holding Kim in his arms, "As long as I'm able, I will never leave you...ever."

With that quiet declaration, Ron closed his eyes and joined Kim in her slumber.

To be continued…