JPMod: Why did I skip over the 'falling in love' part? A couple of reasons. First, I've done that (Moods, Moods2, Snowbound) and I didn't want to return to ground I've already covered. I was worried that I wouldn't be able to make it fresh and interesting. Second, the relationship between Kim and Ron isn't the main point of this story. Kim's journey toward superhero status has that honor.
demon-sword: The events of So The Drama won't be happening in this version of reality, so: Neither.
Triaxx2: No intentional Bab5 references. I'm not a fan, and have only seen the movie 'Call to Arms', so we'll have to chalk any similarity up to coincidence.
DominusExMachina: Fanfiction doesn't allow links in reviews, so I can't answer your question. Email them to me instead.
Thanks to: Classic Cowboy, daywalkr82, RamaFan, MatthewC, FAH3, scottgrubb, campy, MrDrP, noveler00, Visigoth29527, Cold-Chaos, Ryan Rodriguez, mattb3671, Lydia King, Bobboky and continental-line.
Kim sat cross-legged on the floor of her room, studying her cards carefully. Seated to her right were Ron and Rufus. Ron was staring somewhat blankly at his own cards while constantly rearranging their order. Rufus was using a gadget Wade had built for him to manipulate his own cards, which were held by a pair of mechanical hands that Rufus controlled with his forepaws. A tiny virtual reality helmet allowed the naked mole rat to 'see' what he was doing while putting his opponents at a scale identical to his own. Opposite Kim was Wade himself, or rather, the Wade-bot that he had sent to provide a physical presence. Wade was leaving his room more and more often, but he still preferred the comfort of its four walls. Kim had long since accepted that reclusiveness was just a part of Wade's personality, and didn't let it bother her anymore. Besides, the Wade-bot's sensors let him see and hear what was going on almost well as if he had really been there anyway, and the screen and speakers let the others see and hear him, so he was there, in a sense.
To Kim's left were Jim and Tim, sitting still for once. The game was theirs, a sort of cross between role-playing and strategy that pitted players against each other. The cards were supplemented by a board around which the players had to move, always trying to work inward to get to the center. The Tweebs had received the game from Nana Possible for Christmas, and had hounded Kim and Ron relentlessly until they agreed to play it. And, Kim had to admit, the game was fun, once they had mastered the rules.
"Hicka-bicka-boo?" Kim heard Jim ask. He spoke in a barely audible whisper, but of course, Kim heard him clearly.
"Hoo-sha," Tim replied.
Kim shot the two an icy glare. "Remember how the two of you agreed there wouldn't be any cheating?" she demanded.
"Cheating?" Jim and Tim asked, feigning innocence.
"Cheating," Kim repeated levelly, "As in, talking in that secret language of yours."
"Lousy super-hearing," the Tweebs grumbled, frowning.
Kim hid a smile. Jim and Tim had been adamant about their big sister not using her alien super-powers to gain an advantage. That Ron could have cheated using the mystical monkey power apparently hadn't occurred to them. That Ron had cheated, and continued to do so, had gone unnoticed by all but Kim. Of course, the fact that Ron had only won one game so far made his cheating somewhat irrelevant. Kim had a single victory under her belt as well. Rufus had two, but it was Wade who had proven to be the true master of the game, and it was against him that Jim and Tim were conspiring. Smart as the Tweebs were (and Kim knew they were far more intelligent than she was, though she would never admit that fact where anyone could hear it) they weren't quite in Wade's league.
It was the day before New Year's Eve, and a snow storm was pounding the Middleton area. It wasn't bad enough to cause cancellations, and of course, school was out until the first Monday in January, but it was enough to keep most folks indoors. Kim glanced out her window at the swirling flakes. She and Ron had plans to go sledding later, even though at eighteen years of age they had trouble finding sleds big enough for them any more. There was a nice hill not too far away where they had spent many a winter day since they'd met in pre-K all those years ago. The suicidally steep and long slope had shortened and shallowed over the years, but it was still fun to ride down. And of course, it allowed for some discreet snuggling away from the watchful eyes of her father.
Kim's eyes moved to Ron, and she did smile. He was totally intent on the game, part of the childlike aspect of his personality that sometimes drove her to distraction, but which normally kept her grounded, and lately she found quite adorable. It was funny, really, how you could know someone for so long and see them as nothing more than a friend, and then one day realize that that person was far more than 'just a friend'. Kim's father was still getting used to the change, which had come more or less as a complete surprise to him. He'd overreacted, at least in Kim's estimation, laying down a draconian set of 'dating' rules to replace the 'best friends' rules that had been in effect for so long, much to her and Ron's annoyance. Kim's mom had gone to work on him at once, and he was softening his stance, but he still wouldn't let them be alone if he could help it, and certainly not behind a closed door. So if a romp in the snow was what it took to get some cuddling and kissing, so be it. She...
'Whoa!" Wade exclaimed suddenly as an alarm went off behind him.
"What's the sitch, Wade?" Kim demanded, pushing all thoughts of fun and games to the back of her mind.
"Just got a hit on the site from the Mount Middleton ski resort," Wade explained. "There's been an earthquake and avalanche, maybe even a landslide. Some of their chairlifts have been damaged, and there are people trapped..."
"We're on it," Kim said grimly, rising to her feet. "Ron, mission clothes."
"I'm Bonnie Rockwaller, coming to you live from the Mount Middleton ski area, where and earthquake and avalanche have wreaked havoc on a peaceful winter afternoon." Bonnie managed to get the words out without stammering, for which she was immensely grateful. She was at the resort doing a puff piece for the Middleton TV station, as part of a two week internship while Upperton Community College was on it's winter break. At least, she was supposed to be doing a puff piece. The earthquake had changed that in a heartbeat. Now she was the eyes and ears of The Public, doing hard news because there was no-one else around to handle the job. Fortunately the station's senior producer was on the other end of her earpiece, feeding her advice and encouragement in equal doses. She'd already done a 'breaking news' bit, where she gave the basics of what had happened. Now the station was back to her, live, with the regular news anchor waiting to pummel her with questions she desperately hoped she'd be able to answer coherently.
Bonnie launched into a recap of what had happened, doing a voiceover as the station replayed the tape they had shot earlier, the one that showed the quake, then describing the scene as her cameraman panned across the slopes above the ski lodge.
"Already, rescue units have begun arriving, but we've received word that snow and ice on the access road are hindering the arrival of much needed assistance," Bonnie said when the camera returned to her.
"The quake toppled at least some of the towers supporting the chairlifts, and an unknown number of people may have been buried in the avalanche. The ski lodge itself has been damaged, though how severely we can't say just yet. Resort employees are beginning to organize search parties and..." Bonnie hesitated, her head cocking to listen.
"Wait. I hear a helicopter approaching. Maybe it's a med-evac flight. Let's see if we can..." Bonnie turned, eyes searching the snow filled sky.
"There it is!" she exclaimed. The cameraman zoomed in on the chopper.
"It's a Middleton Police helicopter," he informed Bonnie, who repeated that fact of the viewers.
Bonnie watched as the chopper swooped down to hover over the resort. A figure in dark clothing exited the chopper and descended to the ground via cable. Snow goggles and a hood of some sort kept the new arrival's identity a mystery, but only for a moment. The puzzle was solved when a second figure, clad in a blue and red body suit with a mane of red hair that whipped in the wind, exited the chopper. This one disdained the use of a drop line, and simply jumped to the ground...a distance of only a hundred feet or so.
"Kim Possible," Bonnie stammered. "But, er, ah, Team Possible has just arrived on the scene," she began awkwardly, but finished forcefully. Bonnie found that her long standing loathing of Kim Possible and her loser sidekick were overawed, at least temporarily, by burning curiosity. How the heck had she managed that jump? And what was she wearing? Determined to get answers to both questions Bonnie gestured to her cameraman.
"Follow me."
Kim had donned a combination earpiece/microphone and plugged it into her Kimmunicator just before exiting the helicopter, along with goggles equipped with a heads-up display. The gear would allow Wade to feed information to her and Ron in graphical form, as well as guide them to areas that they needed to get to.
"I've pulled up a topographical map of the resort area," Wade's voice crackled in Kim's ear, even as her goggles lit up with an overhead view that swung around and down into a 3D representation of Mount Middleton and it's environs. "These are the resort's chairlifts." A dozen green lines popped into existence of the map. "At least four of them have been damaged to one degree or another, but this one," the line representing the lift in question turned red, "has at least three support towers down or in danger of going over, and a lot of people stuck in their lift chairs."
"Where are the other damaged lifts?" Kim demanded. The lines on either side of the red one turned orange.
"Well, at least they're in one area," Ron observed. "Makes our job a little easier."
"Let's get started then, shall we?" Kim invited.
Two of the damaged chairlifts departed the bases of their respective sky runs from the same building. While Kim headed for the heavily damaged one a little farther on, Ron turned aside. Tapping into the mystical monkey power he sprang on to a low wall and from there to the roof of the lift shed.
"Rufus!"
Ron felt Rufus slither out of the pocket he'd been riding in and make his way to Ron's right shoulder.
"Hnk-ha?" Rufus asked. He was wearing a tiny insulated, heated suit of Wade's design, an absolute necessity for a small hairless rodent facing the chill of a Colorado winter.
"I'm going to head up the cable. I'll lower people to the ground as I go," Ron explained. "You scout ahead and let me knowwho needs immediate attention and who can wait a bit, okay buddy?"
"Ho-kay!" Rufus chirped, tossing off a salute before scampering up the thick cable of the chairlift.
Ron looked up the mountain, following the cable with his eye. Some people had already been rescued, while others had been close enough to the ground to jump to safety. A fair number of chairs were still occupied though, which meant he'd have plenty to do. Closing his eyes Ron took a deep breath, held it in, and let it out slowly. With it he tried to let out any fear or anxiety he was feeling, while at the same time visualizing a sure-footed monkey running along a narrow branch, high above the jungle floor. When the breath was all the way out Ron opened his eyes and followed Rufus up the cable.
Kim reached a point almost directly under a lift chair and looked up.
"You folks okay?" she called.
"We're a little cold, but otherwise we're fine," one of the occupants assured her. Kim smiled.
"You just relax, I'll have you down in a second," Kim promised. She had already decided how she was going to do it. Flexing her legs Kim jumped. Her great strength, combined with her weird ability to slow her falls, allowed Kim to land lightly top the chair. Tucking an arm through the chair frame she reached up and grabbed hold of the bracket that attached the chair to the cable. With her other hand she took hold of the pin that held chair and bracket together and pulled. The pin came out and the chair dropped free, eliciting squeaks of fright from the occupants thereof.
"Easy folks, I've got you," Kim soothed, even as she let go of the bracket. Bending her will to the task, Kim lowered herself, the chair and it's passengers gently to the snow covered ground.
"I can't believe I'm seeing this," Bonnie muttered for the umpteenth time as she watched Kim Possible lower another chair-load of skiers to safety. She and her dorky sidekick were moving up the mountainside like clockwork, making such good progress that the other rescue workers had all concentrated on the other damaged lifts. At the rate things were going the rescue efforts would be over in an hour or so.
Bonnie found part of herself resenting that. The disaster (though it was turning out to be not so much of a disaster) had gotten her local, then national TV exposure. How many interns got a chance like that? Moreover, Bonnie had discovered that she had a talent for running commentary. Years of watching other people (admittedly so she could offer scathing critiques of their fashion choices) had given her an eye for detail and a certain amount of skill at public speaking. The way the network kept coming back to her for updates suggested that she was doing a good job, intern or no, and Bonnie realized that she was enjoying her moment in the sun. A there Kim was, cutting that moment short with her heroic escapades.
Bonnie winced even as she had the thought. Moment in the sun or not, people's lives were at risk here. Resenting a rapid end to that risk would make her no better than Connie and Lonnie, the older sisters she hated with a passion that made her dislike of Kim seem tame. Besides, Bonnie reasoned, what she had done so far had to have gotten her noticed. If she played her cards right this could be, not a moment in the sun, but the first step on a new career path. A smile touched Bonnie's lips. She could be an international correspondent. Maybe even have her own syndicated talk show. Turning to her cameraman Bonnie said, "Let's make sure we're in position to get an interview when they're done."
Kim walked out of the remains of the ski lodge. The parts of it that were still stable had been converted into a staging area for injured people waiting for ambulances to take them to area hospitals. The weather had closed in some, making helicopter flights too risky, and the road to the resort was only barely passable. Kim and Ron had been doing what they could to raise the spirits of the all too many kids who had been hurt. Kim did her part by being famous, but she'd been eclipsed by Ron. He had gone into clown mode immediately, and with Rufus' help soon had tear stained faces smiling and laughing.
There was a fence nearby, normally used for racking skis and poles while their owners were in the lodge getting a snack or a hot drink. It was about three feet high and perfect for leaning on. Kim did so and stared out at the mountain. It looked as peaceful as ever in the fading light.
A sound behind her drew her attention. Her nose caught the smell of hot chocolate.
"Hey, K.P.," Ron said, handing her a paper cup. Kim took it with a smile.
"Hey yourself," she returned, sighing as Ron's arm slipped around her waist.
They stood like that for a few happy minutes before Ron whispered, "Don't look now, but we're on film."
Kim did look. A dozen yards away stood Bonnie Rockwaller and her TV cameraman, who had his camera aimed right at them. Bonnie wore an expression that might have been called a smile, but looked a lot like a smirk. Kim sighed again, in resignation this time. She'd been surprised when Bonnie turned up to interview her and Ron when the rescue wrapped up, but Bonnie had played the part of impartial TV reporter to the hilt, and Kim and Ron had played along. Maybe Bonnie was about to make up for her previous pleasant behavior?
"I heard you two were dating," Bonnie said, starting toward them. To Kim's surprise Bonnie's voice lacked most of its usual condescending sneer.
"Yeah, we're dating," Kim confirmed wearily. "I didn't think you'd be keeping up on high school, being a college woman and all," she added, a touch sarcastically.
Bonnie surprised Kim again by biting off the retort that had obviously popped into her mind. A number of emotions warred for control of Bonnie's expression before a sort of detached coolness settled over her face.
"Yes, well," Bonnie said. "I guess I deserved that," she added. "Anyway, I just wanted to thank you for the interview. The network really liked it and...well, thank you." With that Bonnie turned to leave.
"Bonnie," Kim called, stopping her old rival in mid turn and drawing her head around again.
"You're welcome."
Drakken looked up from his reading. His eyes were bloodshot from devouring every scrap of information about Kim Possible's latest exploits. Shego was across the conference room table from him, her head down on folded arms, soft snores indicating she had succumbed to the need for sleep. Drakken fought against the sudden desire to yawn and lost. He needed sleep himself. Pushing away from the table he stood up.
"Shego," he called softly. Shego stirred slightly but didn't awaken.
"Shego," Drakken repeated, a bit louder, as he moved around the table. Shego mumbled something. Drakken put a hand on one of her shoulders and shook her gently. She looked at him bleary eyed.
"Whazzat?" she asked.
"Bedtime, Shego," Drakken commanded, helping her to her feet, guiding her toward her quarters. As he half-led, half-carried Shego Drakken mused about what he had read. One headline had asked, "Super-suit or super girl?" Drakken smiled grimly. Alien origin or no, he supposed it could have been Kim's garishly colored, barely there mission togs that had allowed her to lift that forty-ton ski lift pylon off the man it had fallen on top of, but somehow he doubted it. Nor could he see anyway her suit could have let her lower all those chairs to the ground with no visible means of support. A few observers had made noises about nanotech fibers and smart fabrics, but Drakken was sure that was all bunk. Kim herself had evaded such questions, for the most part. Asked about the design of her new mission clothes she'd replied that they were intended to honor her family and refused to say more, promising that she'd tell all after she graduated from high school. Already the internet was abuzz with rumors and speculation. Drakken wondered if Kim intended to go public with her true nature. Such a move would have some risks, but probably wouldn't be fatal to her career.
"I guess I'll have to take care of that," Drakken chuckled quietly. He also made a mental note to cancel the plan he and Shego had cooked up to 'out' Kim. If she was going to do it herself, all they'd accomplish would be to accelerate her own schedule, and that didn't seem like a profitable expenditure of effort.
After getting Shego to her quarters and onto (if not into) her bed, Drakken headed for his own room. Things were finally coming to a head, he decided. The synthodrones were ready for their final field test. It would be the toughest test of all, and if it succeeded, nothing would stand between him and world domination.
Because Kim Possible would be dead.