The Matrix: Revisited

by Classic Cowboy

Rewrite of The Kimmatrix Trilogy with Turles. Everything that has a beginning has an end. I see the end coming, I see the darkness spreading. I see death... and you are all that stands in his way. But for every end ... there is a beginning. The Oracle

13. Upgraded Chapter 5

The Kimmatrix: Matrix Upgraded

A Fan Fiction Fusion By

Classic Cowboy and Turles

Chapter 5: The Calm Before the Storm

"Somewhere there waited in this world of ours

For each lone soul, another lonely soul -
each chasing each other through all the weary hours,

And meeting strangely at one sudden goal;

Then blend they – like green leaves with golden flowers,

Into one beautiful and perfect whole –

And life's long night is ended, and the way

Lies open onward to eternal day."

- Sir Edwin Arnold

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Inside the Matrix, on the streets of New York, a black sedan was rolling through the semi-congested traffic of Manhattan Island. It seemed oddly strange to the driver (Ghost) and the front-side passenger (Morpheus) that New York City traffic would be that clear. Normally, traffic there was filled to the brim, so much that one would be lucky to even move a few feet, or even a few inches in rush hour. Even though a good number of people were released from the Matrix, it still seemed very bizarre, but they had to put that aside as they had arrived at the building that they needed to come to.

The sedan pulled into a parking space just outside the front doors; they looked in thinking of how they were going in. While the third passenger in the back seat, Ron "Neo" Stoppable, looked past the doors and already could feel the security guards waiting for them.

"You know that they'll never let me get close to him." Ron voiced to Morpheus and Ghost in the front, "Because of my half dude-with-the-yardstick-stuck-up-my-ass."

"You're right, Neo." Ghost agreed from the front, looking beyond the front doors and already counting a good dozen guards armed with automatic rifles pacing around the foyer, "As soon as they see you…every bit of security they have will be all over you."

"Yeah." Ron nodded, but he kept looking into the foyer, and looking like he was trying desperately to solve a math problem. Ron's mind began to drift, because he remembered hearing about a certain phenomenon when you don't think about a problem, the solution comes when you least expect it, but he had to think of something. Rather ironically funny, Ron could manipulate the code of the Matrix to defy gravity, speed, and other so-called limitations of reality with his expeditious learned martial arts.

Yet, he couldn't figure out a solution to this problem. His mind tried to think of something else, but the Oracle had told him that when he got there, he would figure out a solution on his own. Once he found his solution, the Architect would tell him what he would need to know.

"You walk in with me…" Ron repeated to himself as he was watching the guards pace back and forth waiting to pounce upon anyone who came through that door. That was when Ron's eye caught a guard who was walking out the door; his heart raced, thinking that they were caught, but then felt a great relief when the guard didn't come towards the sedan. Ron watched as the guard just went around the corner of the building, most likely to take a smoke break. Seeing that guard there with the cigarette in his mouth and fumbling for his lighter, made Ron start to smile devilishly.

It was a smile that Morpheus could see in his rear-view mirror, though it wasn't the kind that made Morpheus worried, rather it was the kind that made him smile. It seemed that the Oracle had hit the nail on the head again. Ron would find the solution that would be needed to get into the building.

Ron leaned forward to look at Morpheus, face to face.

"Could you two excuse me?" He asked, "I just got the most wicked idea."

As Ron stepped out of the car, Morpheus and Ghost looked to one another with that same question of what the boy had in mind. Though the feeling that the two of them had was best captured by one word that Ghost uttered when he looked to Morpheus:

"Yikes…" he said in a rather neutral and sarcastic way.

"I know." Morpheus agreed, "But we must have faith in the boy…"

Meanwhile outside of the sedan, Ron was walking up to the guard who was still looking around for his lighter amidst the different pockets that he had. He then saw the objective that had been discussed at the morning briefing coming up towards him. He looked at him, and, without even giving it a second thought, asked:

"Say, buddy." He called, taking the cigarette out of his mouth, "Got a light?"

"Yes, I do." Ron answered with a smile on his face as he brought his hand up to the cigarette in the guard's hand. Though what the guard saw shocked him, Ron was holding his hand with his thumb up as if he was holding a lighter, but at the end of his thumb was a singular flame that just sat there, obviously not burning him at all.

"You…" The guard sputtered.

"Yes. Me." Ron stated simply.

The shock of seeing such a sight made the guard drop his cigarette and reach for his gun, but he may as well have been trying to stop a wild rhino with a piece of floss, as Ron reached over and sunk his hand into the guard's chest. From the impact that Ron's fingers made, that very same, strange silver liquid poured out and began to cover the guard from head to toe.

"Me, me, me." Ron said almost laughingly.

Within a matter of seconds, the liquid once again receded and standing in the guard's place was a copy of Ron Stoppable.

"Me too." The copy of Ron said simply.

The two of them smiled as they quickly headed back to the sedan, the plan firmly set in their minds.

The first Ron reached out for the rear passenger door, and climbed in.

"See, I told you it would just be a second." The first Ron said as he slid into the rear passenger's seat, while just a short second behind him was his clone, who slipped into driver's side behind Ghost. The first Ron then reached out and closed the rear passenger door as the discussion of the plan went ahead.

From the front, Morpheus and Ghost looked at the twin Rons back and forth and back again.

"Do you have any idea just how creepy this is?" Ghost asked the Ron's as he shook his head about what had just happened.

"No." The first Ron stated.

The second Ron agreed with the first Ron, "I just see the most handsome, God-given gift to women ever created, wouldn't you agree, Ron?"

"Why thank you, Ron." The first Ron smiled as he returned the compliment back to his clone, "And I must say you are a handsome devil yourself."

"That's enough funny business." Morpheus spoke up, not sounding angry or anything, just in that serious tone he used when he was discussing business with someone or was waxing philosophic. "If you have forgotten, you have a very important appointment to keep, correct?"

The two Rons looked at each other and then back at Ghost and Morpheus, saying in perfect, harmonious unison, "Right."

"Here's the plan." The driver's side Ron explained, "You guys go in with me, the copy that is, and we'll draw attention of all the security." He then turned to look at the first Ron, "While he, the original Ron, will go and speak with the Architect. That sound like a plan?"

"As you would say," Ghost smiled, "Booyah! It is a pretty good plan…..for an amateur."

"Oh yeah." The first Ron smiled very smugly, "Hanging out with the greatest and most beautiful teen hero in the world does tend to rub off on a guy eventually."

"Ok then." Ghost smirked as he looked at his watch, "We better get going, so we can get the boy to the church on time."

"Indeed." Morpheus agreed as he exited the car first, with Ghost following suit and the Ron's doing the exact same.

There was nothing said amongst the four of them, no "good luck" or "be careful" on any of their parts, after all, for Ghost and Morpheus, situations like this were old hat. To Ron, it was just like the missions that he had with Kim, though he was to be both the hero and the distraction simultaneously in this case.

So it was, Morpheus, Ghost, and the Ron clone went through the front, revolving door set in the center of the regular, hinged doors. The original Ron, watched as the guards came down upon them like a flock of vultures to a carcass. The guards began their containment procedure in the foyer, and all the while, they failed to notice the original Ron standing outside the doors.

The Alpha Ron saw this as the opportunity that he was looking for. With his crew drawing the attention of the building's security forces, Ron went to the back doors of the building where he found use for the lock-picking skills that he had learned on training day. Even though Ron knew that his clone and the others were keeping the security of the building busy, he went like a whisper through the halls making sure that no one would spot him. He came to the elevator, and as he went up, his heart was anxious and fearful to find out what kinds of information that this man called "The Architect" would have.

Ron had heard the Oracle speak of him once a few months back when he first visited her, but he was finally going to meet him, the being that was said to have created the Matrix itself. The only thing that he had to go on was what Ghost told him, when you meet the Architect, he'll look just like Colonel Sanders. Of course, Ron had such a laugh out of the idea of the creator of the Matrix looking like that, but he had to see it with his own eyes, and soon he would.

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Ron had finally made it to the thirteenth floor. The elevator dinged, but even though Ron had made it this far, he was still nervous about getting caught. After all, in his experience, it was usually during times when he thought that it was all over that it turned out there was still a lot to do. Even with the determination he had, the fear was still palpable. His skin felt icy with that layer of cold sweat underneath his priest-like duster, and he could feel himself shake. Until a small pair of feet climbed up his duster and onto his shoulder where the naked mole rat Rufus squeaked into his ear;

"Relax."

"I'm trying, Rufus." Ron whispered as if speaking normally to his pet would give away his position. He stepped softly and quietly through the hallway knowing that by walking normally his shoes would squeak and tap against the linoleum floor. He took his mind away from the ideas of being caught, remembering that his copy was keeping the guards distracted downstairs in the front foyer.

"She said to go into room thirteen-twenty-one." He thought to himself naming off each room that he passed, "thirteen-eighteen…nineteen…twenty…"

He stopped when he came upon the door whose numbers had read thirteen-twenty-one. It was just like the other doors on that particular floor, yet Ron was still afraid of what he might find beyond it. He remembered a story from school about a girl named Pandora who was given a box by the Gods of Greek myth, and when she opened the box, all the evils of the worlds had sprung from it. All because of her natural human curiosity. Ron "Neo" Stoppable's human curiosity was at its peak, but he was still afraid of the unknown horrors that lie beyond that door. He hesitated to reach out for the doorknob, but he remembered another memory from his old life. How Morpheus had said, "I can only show you the door; you're the one who has to walk through it."

Ron took a deep breath, reached for the door knob, turned it, and closed his eyes as he stepped through it. With his eyes still closed, he felt as if he had just walked into any ordinary room, but he didn't open them at all. His hand was still on the doorknob, at least for a moment until it slipped away from his grip as if someone was closing the door for him. That very instant that he heard the door close, he opened his eyes to witness a very strange sight.

He found himself in a circular room, almost like the inside of a cylinder, but it was difficult to find the ceiling and the floor since it was purely white. The kind of white that made him think of staring into a brand-new, fluorescent bulb. Along the inner walls of that cylindrical room were hundreds, if not, thousands, of television screens. On each one, Ron could see himself in their frames, like those cameras that were hooked up to TVs at electronics stores. Ron looked left, the screens that had Ron in them looked left, and then right just as the true Ron had. To Ron's left and right were two doors that broke the pattern of television screens. To Ron's front there was a chair that had its back towards him. It stayed that way until the someone sitting in that chair turned to look at him.

Ron saw, in that chair, a lanky old man wearing a nondescript white suit that seemed to match his white hair and beard. In his right hand there was a pen, which didn't make much sense to Ron as it looked he was prepared to write something, but didn't have anything to write on. His eyes were pale and had crow's feet spreading out from the corners of his yes to his sideburns.

"Hello, Ronald." The old man said in greeting, but it wasn't a greeting that Ron had experienced ever before. The old man said it in such a flat and dull tone as if he had seen Ron coming from a mile away and was bored to tears from all the waiting.

Ron looked at the old man and smiled brightly, "Sorry, dude" He apologized jokingly as he heard his voice echo from the TVs around him, "I must have the wrong room, but while I'm here can I get your autograph? Your extra crispy chicken kicks major ass!"

The old man did not smile and yet there seemed to be a certain kind of joy that he got out of Ron's comment.

"That is the sixth time that I've heard that…" The old man sighed, "I was utterly disappointed when your predecessor, Mr. Anderson, failed to make out the similarity. However, I must argue that the original recipe is far superior, but we are not here to speak of fried chicken, are we Ronald?"

"So, you're the Architect that I've heard so much about, huh?" Ron asked, feeling his stomach start to turn knowing that he came to see this old man to find some kind of answer to his questions. Yet, standing there, looking at the old man, he suddenly saw something very familiar in the way that he sat there. Ron had seen that posture dozens, if not hundreds, of times before. The way that the Architect sat in that chair was just like…Wade.

"Indeed." The architect cocked his eyebrow at Ron, "And I presume that you are here to ask about the construction of the Omega Class Sentinels?"

Ron nodded, feeling every vertebra in his neck creak as he tried to loosen up, but was still feeling so afraid of what could come from the Architect's lips, but he could not run away from this. He had to stay and listen.

"Omega class?" Ron asked

"Yes." The Architect had confirmed and then explained, "A new type of Sentinel far superior to the previous models. They have been constructed with an electromagnetic field with the capability to withstand your long range Electro-Magnetic pulse weaponry. Command Sentinels for each squad are also equipped with a thermo-nuclear explosive device."

Ron had to know, "How can we fight them?" He asked.

"Your question is an obvious and expected one." The Architect stated with a very dull demeanor as if everything that was going on was expected, "A simple question that deserves a simple answer: you can't. If launched, they will attack Neo Zion, destroy the city, and terminate all who are there and those attempting to escape. They will then move on to other human settlements on the surface of the Earth, systematically wiping out the human race…once and for all…"

"Why would you do this?" Ron asked, his voice echoed through the hundreds of TV's once again, "You need human beings to survive, right?"

"You may have learned a great deal in the past six months." The Architect surmised, but then stated with a great condescending tone at him, "But you still have learned nothing. With the sky being cleaned up, we will no longer need human beings to survive at all."

"So instead of living in peace with us," Ron stated, his voice growing serious, "You'd sooner just wipe us out since we're still a threat."

"Correct." The Architect answered, but then began to further explain in that monotone voice, "But it is not over, Ronald. The humans can not fight the Sentinels, but you, as you have come to realize, are not necessarily human. The sky is expected to clear once again in a matter of weeks. Three weeks maximum, and when the sun rises on the Earth again, the Matrix, and all programs held within it shall be shutdown. You, as with your six predecessors, have been chosen. You are The One: The champion of the human race. Deus Ex Machina has chosen six fighters. You will log into the Matrix from the Central Terminal in Neo Zion in twelve days at six p.m. exactly. From there you will face the six and fight them all at once.

"If you win, the Omega Sentinels will be shutdown and dismantled, those inside the Matrix will be freed upon the shutdown, and we shall negotiate peace. If you lose…the Sentinels shall be released upon your species. Win or lose, we shall allow the human race to continue living, through those who are released from the Matrix after the shutdown at least. However, if you fail to arrive for the battle, you will void the agreement. All those inside the Matrix shall perish upon shutdown, and the Omega Sentinels will be loosed upon the human race anyway. Ergo, the blood of the human race shall be on your hands."

"Whoa…" Ron uttered as he could feel the very foundation within his knees and legs start to shake and shiver with this responsibility being brought down upon him.

"Whoa…" Rufus squeaked.

"You do not have to fight." The Architect stated as if he knew that Ron was worried about taking on such a fight that he had lain before him. "I wash my hands of this; the decision for the fate of mankind is in your hands, and your hands alone, Ronald. I wish you confident judgment. I have given you the information you were sent here to retrieve. If that is all, good day…and good luck to you…you humans seem to need it."

Ron stood there, looking down into the white, marble floor that reminded him of the white emptiness of the construct. He began to think back upon the day he was freed, and the past six months how he had come to love Kim as more than just his friend, and regretting coming to see him. He even thought about how foolish he was in thinking that he had to know the answers and to follow what the Oracle had told him, but with the weight of what the Architect told him, he wondered if it was really worth it.

He brought his head back up to look at the old man who was still staring at him.

"Which door do I take?" He asked him.

The Architect looked left and right with his pale eyes, and then came back to Ronald, "Choose whichever door you please."

Ron looked to his left to the door that he knew that he came through, but then he looked to the door on his right, the one that he had never gone through. He could never be entirely certain of why he did what he did, perhaps it was just curiosity or perhaps he felt that he had nothing left to lose, but he did anyway. He walked over to the door to his right, and reached for the door knob.

"All six of your predecessors had that same notion in their mind when they made their choice." The Architect said as if he wanted the last word in edgewise.

"What's that?" Ron asked, turning his head to the architect before he reached for the door knob.

"Hope." The Architect answered, "It is the quintessential feature that is both the greatest human strength and greatest weakness."

Ron turned back to the doorknob and thought about the things he had heard. He turned his vision back to the Architect who had turned his chair around, so that his back was towards Ronald once again.

"By the way…" Ron stated, "Thank you…for your help."

The Architect never made any acknowledgement that he had heard the One; there was a pause when Ron opened the door.

"It's odd…" The Architect stated, his voice seeming to change from his monotone and pompous position to something that seemed almost human, "…none of your predecessors ever said that to me."

"It seems that I'm the same, but I'm also different." Ron stated before he opened the door and stepped out of the Architect's room. He found himself back out in that same alleyway at that same backdoor that he took when he first started his trip up to the thirteenth floor and to the Architect's office, if it could be called such.

The world seemed a little dimmer when he stepped out of that pure white room and into the artificial sunlight of the Matrix. Even with his sunglasses on, Ron reached up to block the sun out of his eyes. He then looked back to the street where the Black Sedan was parked.

"Go." Ron squeaked.

"Sure, Rufus." Ron answered back as he walked down the alleyway, back to the street in front of the capital building. He came out into full view of his crewmates, Ghost and his captain, Morpheus who were standing there with Ron's copy. All of them waiting around for him to arrive, once he came within view, all of them set their sights upon Ron, even the copy looked at Ron with a smile that Ron had only ten minutes ago, but seemed lost to the original.

"Hey, Ron, you son-of-a-bitch." The Ron copy smiled at him, "Everything go alright?"

"Yeah." The original Ron smiled despite the worries he had inside, "Went just fine."

"You don't sound very happy about it." The Ron copy said

"I just got a lot on my mind, right now." The original Ron stated as he raised his hand over the head of his copy and began to pull the code away from the person that they had used. Unlike the encounter with the Smith Army, it was quicker; the visage of Ron Stoppable seemed to be like colored smoke that retained some of Ron's features, but were slowly disappearing. Then the smoke that was the Ron copy's looks blew away like sand in the wind, and all that was left was that guard that Ron had borrowed.

"Hey, what happened?" The guard asked.

"You were on your way back inside." Ron stated flatly.

The guard looked at Ron, Morpheus, and Ghost very fearfully as if he was still trying to grasp what exactly had happened to him. The last thing that he remembered was asking Ron for a light. Standing there, he followed Ron's advice and headed back inside to join his comrades, trying, on his way, to come up with a good excuse for where he had been. As the guard headed back into the building, Ron, Morpheus, and Ghost were left to discuss what Ron had found out.

"How did it go?" Morpheus had asked Ron as the three of them got to the doors of the car.

"It's big." Ron said as they opened the doors, his voice sounding very ominous as if he himself was the one making the prophecies, "its way…big…"

With that, all three of them got in the car and drove away from the building. Not a single one of them spoke at all on the way to their exit. The ride was deathly quiet, Morpheus and Ghost did want to ask Ron what was going on, but then they both silently thought that it was best to leave Ron alone about it. He already had enough to deal with for one day, especially with that day of all days; they needed to get Ron back to the real world, for a very important date.

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In the dock of Neo Zion, the Nebuchadnezzar Two came to a sloppy landing on the platform. Unlike most of Link's landings where it was just smooth sailing over the concrete and an easy touchdown, this landing was very hurried. The rushing was even more evident in that the gangplank had been lowered before the ship had really touched down, and, like the Neb Two, it didn't come down softly to the concrete, rather it slammed down as if it was being dropped onto the hard concrete surface. As the Neb Two had landed, and the gangplank dropped, the men of the Neb Two were rushing out, they weren't even waiting for the gangplank to come down completely they just jumped over it.

There were Morpheus, Ghost, Link, and Ron rushing down the concrete runway to the elevator. All four of them were dressed in ceremonial robes. Morpheus' was similar to what he usually wore to the parties in Neo Zion, just a regular pair of pants and a sleeveless open robe that exposed his arms. Ghost could have been Morpheus' twin except he wore a torn, short sleeve shirt under his outfit. Link's wasn't anything special, just a fancier version of what he usually wore: his shirt, pants, and boots. Ron, on the other hand, seemed to be the fanciest of them all: a set of pants and a robe that came down to his ankles, which he was desperately trying to get on as he was rushing to meet up with his friends. Yet, what made his so vastly different from the others was that it was purely white like fresh linen. As Ron continued to struggle to put on his robes, he finally called out to his friends and shipmates.

"Hey!" He called, then said nervously putting one arm into his robe's sleeve, "It's not like they're gonna start without me, is it?"

Morpheus was quick in his response to Ron, but still retained his calmly solemn tone in the face of rushing, "Would you like to explain to Kimberly and Niobe why you were late?"

Ron pursed his lips as he thought about the very prospect of telling Kim of what had happened in the last couple of hours while he was in the Matrix when he was supposed to be getting ready for the biggest day of their lives.

"Point taken." He nodded as he slipped the other arm into his robe, "Let's bolt!"

With that Ron dashed down the concrete runway to the elevator to meet up with Morpheus, Link, and Ghost who were waiting for the elevator to come up. It was like this whenever they were in a rush, everything seemed so slow, except the time, which would fly by.

"Get me to the church on time." Link started to giggle as he began to sing that one line to himself.

"I'm sure we could do without the reminder, Link." Ghost said with forceful sarcasm.

The elevator finally came and all four of them had finally situated themselves into their robes. If there were ever two things that Ron hated more, it was being in a hurry and then having to wait. Thinking about it while the elevator made its descent, Ron had spent most of his life doing one or the other. It was because this day was so important that Ron actually began tapping his foot against the elevator floor.

As the tension about the situation grew with each floor that the elevator past, he began wrapping a thin blue ribbon around his left arm. It was long enough to that he could tie his hands together with he so chose, but he knew it was that length for a reason. He held the ribbon while it dangled and coiled at his tapping and nervous foot. His mind began to wander and think about the implications of it, but then again Ron was never one to really think very much, still that was before he was released from the Matrix.

He was glad that he was standing at the back of the elevator or his friends and crewmates would have caught him smiling. He smiled because so much had changed, and what made him smile even more was that he couldn't have gone through any of it without her.

"Kim." Ron softly uttered

"Did you say something, Ron?" Morpheus quickly asked as he turned around to look at Ron.

Ron looked up and brought himself back to reality, "Nothing." Ron quickly stated, trying to cover up his utterance.

Morpheus did want to say something to Ron, as if he wanted to offer some kind of fatherly advice. It was because of that look on Ron's face; he had seen that look on his face before. It was during that first visit to the Oracle that Ron had that look of subtle defeated depression. Before Morpheus could even open his mouth, the elevator dinged to their floor, and seeing that they had arrived, the quartet readied themselves to dash like Olympic runners waiting for the starting gunshot. The doors were only opened slightly when Morpheus, Link, Ghost, and Ron squeezed out and dashed over the bridge from the elevator to the temple.

The four of them headed to the temple with the long of their robes waving behind them like flags in a morning breeze as they rushed. They finally reached the opening of the Temple where the metal catwalk met with the solid, sandy floor, and where they were met by the edge of a crowd. That's when they saw that the temple was filled to overflowing with freed humans as well as born free humans. All of them from Neo Zion and perhaps some of them from the different human cities across the face of the Earth, each one of them standing shoulder to shoulder and elbow to elbow looking towards the high altar where Councilor Hamann stood. With that, the four of them split up. Morpheus and Ghost went with Ron up to the rock altar where Councilor Hamann stood, while Link merged with the crowd to meet up with his wife. At the altar, Ron made sure that his ribbon was still secure on his arm as he took his place at Councilor Hamann's left side, while Morpheus stood to Ron's left side with Ghost at Morpheus' left as well. At the other side, there was the Maid of Honor; Monique – who was also called "Pons". After all, her Matrix name did mean 'bridge', and she was that bridge between Ron and Kim.

"Am I late?" Ron asked Councilor Hamann while checking over his ribbon.

"Not at all, son." Hamann smiled at Ron as he answered his question, knowing that Ron had needed to rush to get here. As Ron was getting ready, Morpheus was issuing some orders to Ghost. He had surveyed the crowd behind Ron and saw the face of Joshua "Ares" Mankey who was more or less half a football field away from the altar. Morpheus then whispered to Ghost, "If Joshua bats an eyelash; you have my permission to deal with him how you see fit."

"Got it, sir." Ghost answered back quietly.

The two men looked back to the altar, seeing Councilor Hamann smile once again.

"It seems that you're right on time, Ronald." He said as his gaze moved to the far end of the temple, near its opening. As he looked, Ron, Morpheus, and Ghost followed his glance in that direction, along with the thousands of other men, women, and children who looked.

Ron "Neo" Stoppable gulped when he saw, at the opening of the temple, Mister and Misses Possible both dressed in their best ceremonial robes, which came down to their ankles, but were open enough to deal with the heat from the volcanic vents inside the temple. Standing between them, was she: Kim "Angel" Possible, who dressed the most elegant white gown that anyone inside Neo Zion had ever seen. She even had a small veil covering her face but was still sheer enough to see her face, and on her left arm was a ribbon much like what Ron had except it was red and it too dangled and coiled at her feet.

In that gown, in the light of the temple, and with the music of the familiar march playing, she was led down through the crowd, which began to part down the center as if Kim Possible was a princess that commanded the respect of all those in the temple. She seemed luminous with a sort of ethereal grace. Every eye was upon her as she glided down through the temple and towards the altar, and despite how cliché it may have sounded in retrospect; she seemed to glow like some kind of angel. A true double meaning, her Matrix name and the way she looked in that gown.

With each step that Kim took towards the altar, the butterflies in Ron's stomach multiplied a dozen times over. Yet, he kept looking at Kim's face and seeing how happy she was, even more so were her parents who had such tears of joy in their eyes that they were desperately trying to hold back.

They were only a few steps away from the altar when Ron took a very deep breath to try to try and calm his flip-flopping stomach. The three Possible family members stopped and looked towards Councilor Hamann who spoke loud enough so that his voice would echo from the back wall to the others in the temple.

"Who gives this woman away?" He asked loudly, his voice echoing against the rocky walls.

"H…her mother…" Mister Possible sniffled as a tear of joy ran down his face, he then recomposed himself, "And I."

After Mister Possible completed that ceremonial statement, the Councilor, who acted as the ceremony minister, nodded in his acknowledgement to the Possible Parents. Seeing the nod from the councilor, Mister Possible turned to his daughter, looked at her sweet, young face through the veil before he leaned over, kissed her cheek, and turned to take his place in the crowd. Then Misses Possible did the same, yet it was so much harder for her to do, to let go of her daughter's hand, perhaps it was because she was her mother or that Kim was her only daughter. Either way, Misses Possible took a little longer to let go of Kim's hand, but as she did, she reached over and held her daughter while she kissed her cheek. She then turned and went to join Mister Possible in the crowd as the ceremony began.

Kim had watched her mother to go to her father's side where she quietly wept into his shoulder. She did feel sad for her parents, but at the same time she felt so happy for the day, it was the kind of day that so many girls and women dreamt about. Ironically enough, it wasn't exactly something that had crossed Kim's mind in her own childhood; perhaps she wasn't 'girly' enough for that. She smiled as she turned to face Ron, expecting to see a certain amount of happiness in his eyes, but instead she saw immense worry in his chocolate orbs. Her suspicions ran high because she knew that kind of look. It was the same look he had when it was discovered that he only had seven months left to live. She approached him.

"What's wrong?" Kim mouthed to Ron, hoping he would get the message from the motion of her lips.

"We'll talk later." Ron quietly replied as he and Kim turned toward Councilor Hamann.

The councilor looked at Ron and Kim and smiled to see such love embodied in such great youth. He looked up to the crowd of people within the temple and started the ceremony.

"Before we go further," Hamann began as his voice echoed once again, "Is there any person here who has reason that these two young people should not become one, speak now…or forever hold your peace."

In the silence that followed, those at the altar looked to the crowd to see if anyone would have reason to stop the wedding. Though Morpheus and Ghost knew who would and had their eyes set upon him. Josh "Ares" Mankey was making his way quietly through the crowd, like a lion through the tall grass of the savannah. Neither Morpheus nor Ghost moved in to stop him, because also moving among the crowd and coming to intercept Josh was Link. The two men at the altar smiled thinking that Link had a similar idea to what they had. They waited for a full ten seconds when Josh was about to pounce at the altar, Link came in and quickly shouted as he jumped, bringing his leg around to hit Josh.

"Dead head!" He yelled as his foot slammed against Josh's head sending the teen down to the floor of the temple like a dropped sandbag from a theater rafter. Link threw Josh over his shoulder and said to everyone in the temple, "As you were, people."

"Very well then…" Hamann blinked in his confusion about what had just transpired, but he wasn't about to let that stop the ceremony, as Link had carried Josh away, he continued on, "Are there any others?"

"YOU KIDDIN' ME, MAN?" A voice called out, and instantly everyone in the temple looked to find that the one who voiced his opinion about the ceremony belonged to Brick "Tater Salad" Flagg, "GO TAME THAT WILD CAT, RONNIE-BOY!"

The laughter came in one solid wave and echoed several times over through the temple. It was true that everyone agreed with Brick in their own way, after all, the talk around the most gossip tables was that Ron had better marry Kim before she knocked him out and did it for him. It was no secret how much they cared for each other. With the laughter dying down, all eyes went back to Councilor Hamann, who had his own laugh about Brick's comment as he looked at the blushing Kim and Ron.

"I understand you both wrote your own vows, correct?" The councilor asked of the bride and groom.

Kim was the one to go first; she took a very deep breath to try to calm her stomach. She had practiced her little vow/speech in private, but it seemed so much harder to do when not only the man she loved was in front of her, but all of Neo Zion was watching as well. She slowly released her deep breath as she looked into Ron's eyes, hoping that she wouldn't break her contact with them as she spoke her words of the heart.

"Ron…" She began, "…I'm not sure where to even begin with telling you just how much you mean to me…you asked a question to me a few days ago, during a fight of all things …if… if you never became the one, would I have ever noticed you? The answer…whether you believe it or not…is yes…I would've. I've…I've noticed you for sometime, Ron, but never would have thought for a second that you would have thought of me as more than your best friend or partner…"

"But then again…it was a miracle you thought of me as even that, especially after how I had treated you. I've always noticed you, Ron…I…I just never realized it until we were freed. You've been by my side from day one. You were with me on my first mission and every mission afterwards. I…I…never could do it without you, Ron, and I doubt I could go on without you by my side. I love you, Ron…always have…and always will."

Kim had to swallow at that point. Even though she had promised herself that she wouldn't lose her self-control, she already had when she felt a single tear leak out and slide down her chin. She reached up underneath her veil to brush away the tear and waited to hear the vow that Ron had prepared for their wedding.

Ron, on the other hand, felt such a warm wave coming over him as if Kim's words were a warm blanket that he had longed for, for such a very long time. He looked to Councilor Hamann to bring himself out of the trance he was in.

"My turn, huh?" Ron asked. He looked at the 'preacher', then to Kim, and then to the people looking at him wondering what great words Ron would say to his soon-to-be-wife. He, like Kim, took a deep breath before starting, "Here goes…I…um…I've actually been practicing this before I even proposed, Kim. You see…I had a hard time trying to find the right words to tell you. But I had found them in a song, and I'm just thankful that the guys in the band know about it."

Ron looked towards the band that was stationed near the altar at the far left part of the cave. As he looked, they were holding up their instruments, which told him they were ready. Ron reached up and cupped his hands to call to them:

"Alright guys!" He called to the band, "Start it up!"

The band started up with a small harp solo as Ron turned back to Kim and cleared his throat before he began to sing.

"From this moment, life has begun
From this moment, you are the one
Right beside you is where I belong
From this moment on"

Ron's voice was so solemn when he was singing those words with closed eyes, hoping that the words in that song would come out the way he imagined to the ears of Kim and all those attending the wedding.

"From this moment, I have been blessed
I live only for your happiness
And for your love, I'd give my last breath
From this moment on

I give my hand to you with all my heart
Can't wait to live my life with you, can't wait to start
You and I will never be apart
My dreams came true because of you

From this moment as long as I live
I will love you, I promise you this
There is nothing I wouldn't give
From this moment on"

Ron had paused for the instrumental break where the guitar was in the lead, the makeshift orchestra backing it up, and the drums moving the song. Kim felt her entire skin rise in goose pimples as the chills ran up and down her spine like the strings of a harp being played. She smiled with such great love and joy at Ron that she could feel her own body begin to tremble with the slight sobs of happiness that she made. She watched as Ron never opened his eyes during the whole instrumental break, but as it was coming to a close, he had opened his eyes to look at Kim. To see her smile and weep from her own happiness, he smiled back as he opened his mouth to finish the song.

"You're the reason I believe in love
And you're the answer to my prayers from up above
All we need is just the two of us
My dreams came true because of you

From this moment as long as I live
I will love you, I promise you this
There is nothing I wouldn't give
From this moment
I will love you as long as I live
From this moment on"

With the song ending, Ron reached out to Kim with his left hand, the one hand that had the blue ribbon tied around it. Kim did the same as she reached out to take Ron's hand with her left arm that had that red ribbon on it. The song came down to a very slow halt as Kim and Ron held each other. They looked like they were about to kiss, but they knew that it wasn't time for that, not just yet anyway.

"From now to eternity, my KP." Ron whispered as he held Kim's hand.

The bride and groom turned to Councilor Hamann who seemed so greatly happy for the two of them. They watched as he reached up to wipe away something from his eyes. He then cleared his throat before he turned to Kim.

"Kimberly." He said to her, "repeat after me: I, recite your full name."

"I, Kimberly Anne 'Angel' Possible." Kim announced, following the councilor's instructions.

"Do solemnly swear."

"Do solemnly swear."

"To love, honor, and cherish Ronald Stoppable as long as we both shall live."

"To love, honor, and cherish Ronald Stoppable as long as we both shall…" Kim stumbled over the words, remembering how long the Oracle said that Ron was supposed to live, "sh…shall live."

Hamann then turned to Ron, who looked at the councilor waiting for those words, "Ronald, repeat after me. I, recite your full name"

"I," Ron repeated, "Ronald Thomas 'Neo' Stoppable,"

"Do solemnly swear."

"Do solemnly swear."

"To love, honor, and cherish Kimberly Possible as long as we both shall live."

"To love, honor, and cherish Kimberly Possible as long as we both shall live." Ron made the last repeated statement with such pride and strength in his voice as if he was declaring it to God himself.

With the two ribbon-covered hands of Ron and Kim already holding each other, Hamann reached down for them, bringing them up to a leveled position like to ends of a bridge meeting each other at the middle. With them outstretched in such a position, the councilor began wrapping their ribbons around one another. He wrapped what was left of Ron's blue ribbon around Kim's arm as if the red and blue ribbons were snakes coiling into each other. With Ron's ribbon covering her arm, he then reached for Kim's red ribbon and wrapped it around Ron's arm. With the ribbons binding them together, the councilor looked to the men and women in the temple and made his blessing on the happy couple.

"Let this ribbon represent the bond between this man and this woman" He stated, his voice once again echoing through the temple, "May this union never be severed or strained, and remain strong even to the end of all things. And so, by the power vested in my by the Council of Zion, I now pronounce you…man…and wife…"

Kim and Ron turned to look at one another as Councilor Hamann said those words, the very thing that made them husband and wife. It seemed so unreal that they were finally married, and yet they felt so young at the same time. It had finally happened, or so they thought, before Hamann stepped in.

"Well, don't just stand there, son." He said laughingly at Ron, "Kiss your bride."

Ron needed no further encouragement, he reached out with both arms, the arm that was tied to Kim's by the ribbon presenting no problem, lifted her veil, and then grabbed her waist making she let out a high pitched squeal as she was lifted off her feet before Ron kissed her. In that moment, it was one of the most passionate kisses that Kim had ever received from Ron. It was the kind of kiss that drowned out the rest of the world that was applauding for them, applauding, cheering, hollering, and screaming for them.

They didn't even break the kiss when Councilor Hamann was trying to speak loudly over the crowd of cheering and noise.

"Ladies and Gentlemen! Brothers and Sisters!" He cried out to all those in the temple, "I present to you…The Stoppables!"

110101100110100111001011011100101010110101

Almost everyone in all of Neo Zion had turned out to watch the wedding of "The One" and "The Girl Who Can Do Anything". Everyone except one person. A woman who was just sad, alone and bitter, Instead of going down to the Temple to watch the wedding, she went to the Jack Room, where she had jacked herself in and loaded a program she constructed around one memory that she had.

She stood in the middle of the blank whiteness of the Construct while the program that she had designed was loading. All around her, she found herself back in a preschool playground, the very one from her early childhood. She walked through it, while all the playing children passed her without giving a single notice to her. She was like Ebenezer Scrooge being guided by the Ghost of Christmas Past as she approached a large oak tree that grew near the school building.

Her heart ached as she watched the children scatter across the playground and go to their favorite places, the swing set, the jungle gym, the monkey bars, but she, herself, walked over to the sandbox. There she found a pair of four-year-olds who were best friends since as far back as they could remember. Then again, at that age, it couldn't have been that long ago in the first place. There was a small freckle-faced boy with blonde hair and a brunette girl shyly holding his hand as they sat at the edge of the sandbox.

"Ronnie?" The brunette girl smiled at the blonde boy who was blushing brightly at her.

"Ahuh, Bon-bon?" The blonde boy replied as he squirmed his feet underneath the sand in the sandbox.

"My big sister is getting married." The brunette girl stated, her cheeks starting to blush, "When we get big, can we get married too, Ronnie?"

"Sure!" Ron stated with a smile of enthusiasm, "Um…what's married mean?"

As the brunette girl blushed when Ron had asked his question, a voice of help came out of nowhere.

"Leave me alone!" A girl's trembling voice called from the old oak tree where three bullies had her pushed against it. She trembled in fear as two of the bullies were pulling on her red pigtails.

Bonnie blinked, and before she could gain a bearing on what was going on, Ron had gotten to his feet and ran quickly towards them. She couldn't hear what was said, but she watched as the bullies had turned on Ron. She had gotten to her feet in the sandbox, determined to save Ron from the bullies that were crowding around him near the jungle gym.

"I'm warning you!" Ron tried to scare the bullies, "I have an imaginary friend, he's huge…Rufus!"

Bonnie was about to dash over to the bullies to save Ron, but before she could even make the first step, someone had beaten her to it.

"Hey bullies!" A voice called out.

Bonnie looked to see that the red haired girl had grown a great deal of backbone in a matter of seconds. She had leapt up into the air as if she was lifted by a pair of wings. She came down on the bullies in a pose like something out of Jackie Chan movie, and as soon as she landed, the bullies scattered and ran right off the playground.

There were two Bonnie's at the Middleton Preschool playground in that memory, there was the young Bonnie who sat down at the edge of the sandbox as she watched the red hair girl with Ron. Standing next to her was the Bonnie that the young girl had become; the two of them looked at the red haired girl and Ron and felt such a pang of jealousy at them. It became thick as tar when the red haired girl went over to Ron and threw her arms around him in a wonderful hug. The older Bonnie wanted to hug her younger version, but then the environment around her changed as the program went to the next scene that she had programmed into it.

She found herself at the front steps of the preschool, where she found her younger version sitting there. The young Bon-Bon sat there on the cold concrete as if she was waiting for someone. The entire pre-school seemed empty, as if everyone there had already gone home. It was even more evident when the sun was casting out golden rays of sunset.

From out of the doors behind the young Bonnie, she hoped to see her friend, Ronnie coming out and they would walk home together, like they always did. Instead, her heart sunk once again when she found that it was just a blonde girl named Tara.

"Hey." She called out, "Have you seen Ronnie?"

Tara turned to look at Bonnie and said, "Yeah, I saw him walking home with Kimmie a 'lil while 'go."

"Oh…" Bonnie replied as she set her elbows upon her thighs, her face into her hands and looked down at the concrete. She didn't see Tara shrugging at her as she walked her own way back home. As the young Bonnie sat there upon the concrete steps, the older Bonnie came over and sat down beside her. The pain she felt was unbearable; it was a memory that Bonnie had harbored all her life.

"He…" The young Bonnie cried, "…he…forgot me…he really…forgot me…"

The cries that the young Bonnie weren't loud like those of any young child; they were soft, withheld, and quiet whimpers as the tears soaked into her little dress and fell to the cold concrete below her.

As the young Bonnie wept, the older Bonnie took her fist and slammed it against the concrete, her rage numbing out the pain that she caused herself. She didn't care how much her hand hurt; it was nothing to the years of pain that she had suffered because of that one day. Ron was her best friend first, and that red-headed bitch, Kim Possible, took him away from her. Even though Bonnie had only known Ron for a short time in that Preschool, she couldn't help but feel that she had known Ron from somewhere else, as if they knew each other before they were born.

"Bastards…" The older Bonnie wept, as she numbed the pain of her hand out with the pain she'd had since she was the little girl who was sitting beside her, "They…deserve each other…I hate them…I hate them both!"

The two Bonnies sat upon the concrete steps of Middleton Preschool, their knees pulled close to their chests and their tears flowing from their eyes like miniature waterfalls. They allowed their grief to silently flow from themselves as the sun sank into the west, bringing about not only night, but the anger, sorrow, and bitterness that filled the young Bonnie, which grew into the bitchy, holier-than thou, alpha-female attitude that the older Bonnie had.

110101100110100111001011011100101010110101

Nightfall had come to the city of Neo Zion; all the people had already gone back to their homes and were sleeping, alone or with their wives or girlfriends, in both senses of the term. That was certainly true of the newlyweds Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable. The two of them were back at the apartment that they were already sharing, but the only thing that had changed since they got that place was that they started sleeping in the same bed. It was a good thing that their beds were so big; it was as if Morpheus and the Possible parents had seen this coming a mile away and were preparing for it.

As they were spooning each other in bed, it was weird to Ron to think of Kim as his wife, and, he her husband. He just couldn't get his mind around the bizarreness of it all, that he was married, just like a lot of adults. Then again, being married to Kim Possible, the girl who can do anything and his best friend seemed to make it less bizarre. It wasn't like they weren't having sex before they were married, but there was something about it being their wedding night that seemed to make this marathon session more passionate, more… special. Though there was one reason why the two of them wore white, it wasn't necessarily a sexual thing. It was more of a matter of the heart, that they were virgins to each other in the matter of the heart. So, that night, in their apartment, they made love in the most endearing and passionate way they ever could, although it came to a point where Ron couldn't perform anymore, after all the spirit was willing but the flesh was spongy. That was when Kim and Ron fell asleep in each other's arms.

Ron cuddled Kim closer to him, and that was when he felt something from Kim before he heard it;

"I love you, Ronnie." Kim whispered as she opened her eyes facing her husband.

"Did I wake you, Kim?" Ron asked, concerned that he had disturbed his wife.

"No." Kim smiled as she shook her head slightly, "I was never asleep. I was just…sort of…basking in the moment."

Ron squeezed Kim closer and tighter, while she licked her husband's earlobes and then whispered, "We're going to prove her wrong."

"Hmmm?" Ron asked in confusion about what Kim meant.

"We've beaten everything we've come across so far." Kim explained to Ron, making firm eye contact with him, "We did things people thought were impossible, even for my parents, who are the worlds biggest optimists. We can beat this, Ron, my love. Just like everything else and we'll be together…we'll grow old together…and have kids…and all that other married stuff."

Ron couldn't help but giggle through his nose, before he looked at Kim and asked, "Married stuff? And just how many kids were you planning on?"

"Hmm." Kim smiled with cat-like intent as she teased Ron, "I don't know…but I'm used to having a full house. So you've got your work cut out for you, big boy…" She smiled as she ran her fingers down Ron's bare chest, over his tightly formed abs, and towards his crotch. Ron was about to stop Kim's hand, but that was when Kim threw back the sheets and climbed on top of Ron, pinning his arms down to the bed in their little, naked, wrestling match.

"Is that a challenge?" Ron asked, looking up at Kim, gazing at the beauty of her, her face, her hair, and her body. He then rolled over and reversed their positions so that Kim was now pinned, his pelvis already up against Kim's, "Maybe we should get to work on that…that is if…you're ready, Kimmie-love."

Kim looked up at Ron and gave him a very coy smile, the kind of smile that just said come and get me, before she said, "Whatever comes…comes…and after all it is our wedding night, right? But…Ron…promise me something first…"

"Anything, KP." Ron smiled, thinking that anything Kim asked of him wouldn't be all that hard to do; after all he was The One.

"Promise…" Kim started, but it was hard for her to get the rest out with the tears forming at the corners of her eyes. She looked away from Ron, thinking that she couldn't bring herself to ask it of her husband.

That was when Ron reached down to Kim's chin and brought it back to face him. He then reached down and wiped away the tears from his wife's face.

"Hey, KP." Ron smiled, "It's like you said, we've beaten everything we've come across."

Kim smiled up at her husband as she finished what she was going to say, "Ron, promise me that you'll never leave me…"

Ron lowered himself down beside his wife, looked at her face, and pressed his lips against hers into a passionate kiss. He then broke the kiss and pulled back to look at his wife's face once again. He began to brush back her reddish ginger hair as if they were strands of the finest materials on Earth. He then brought his hand to Kim's cheek.

"I love you, Kim." Ron whispered, "As long as I got a say in it…I promise…as long as I'm able…I'll never leave you…ever..."

With that last vow on Ron's part, the two lovers embraced one another, kissed one another, and made love again and again as the hours of the night progressed on into morning.

To be continued…