Chapter 3: Shadow Puppet

Author's note: It may seem apparent to some folks that this is truly a work in progress. I do apologize for the lapses between chapters but my mind tends to ebb and flow in flux lately. A reminder, I don't own these characters but I did make some up. Finally, my heart goes out to all other writers who must describe fight scenes in prose. It is a tedious task. Onward to the story!

"So how did GJN know where this guy was anyway?" Ron asks as he scans even more censored paper, and cruising at about 35,000 feet in a sleek GJN jet.

"I can answer that," pipes in Wade from the Kim-municator, "He's got a photo registered under the Colorado Insurance Bureau."

Kim looks puzzled. "He works in insurance?"

"Not exactly the second career for an ex-spy," Ron sounds almost disappointed.

"Hold up Ron," Wade explains, "The CIB oversees the regulation of bail bondsmen."

"And that means?" Ron continues.

"Bail bondsmen hire people to find criminals who skip bail Ron; it's a safe bet that our boy's a bounty hunter."

"Oh…that makes a little more sense."

"Wade we've got a serious lack of Intel here," Kim says, "Any way you could help with these files?"

"Well, hacking into GJN would be a little tricky, both literally and legally. I could try working with the actual censored files. Give me 45 minutes."

"Please and thank you."

"Oh and that special delivery just arrived at your house."

"Not now Wade." Kim hisses.

"Special delivery?" Ron questions.

An intercom blares overhead, "Ms. Possible, Mr. Stoppable--drop point in five minutes."

"Drop point?" Ron asks, "Oh no…"

"Looks like we take the scenic route. Come on Ron." Kim pulls him to the back of the plane, grabbing two parachutes.

The landing zone in a park leaves the Possible team just a stone's throw away from their objective, the apartment complex just north of town. As they walk down the apartment corridor, Ron asks, "hey KP? Why didn't you tell me your cousins were coming? I mean that's the kind of thing you'd usually complain about the minute you heard it." Rufus nods an affirmative.

"I don't complain that much!"

"Do you remember the last time cousin Larry came? You dreaded it for days, and kept me awake at night whining about it!"

"Whining?" Kim stops and turns, and answers in a way that could make icicles form.

Ron halts at the apartment door and pulls at his collar, "uh…maybe whining is to strong a word. But you did voice your concern."

"What does that have to do with anything Ron?"

"I… I was just wondering why you didn't this time." Ron states.

Kim's eyes go wide for a second. "I…I…didn't want you to worry." She says quickly.

"Worry?" Ron asks confused.

"You… had that big geometry test and I didn't want to dump on you." Kim says even more quickly. She was lying again and Ron knew it. She wouldn't have cared if Ron had a test--Kim's a girl--she wouldn't be able to help it. She'd blab to him about how horrible the coming days would be for twenty minutes and then be fine. That's how she always coped. What could she possibly be hiding from him?

"Could we talk about this later? We need to get focused here."

Ron shook his head, clearing his doubts. She couldn't be hiding something from him; they've already been through that. Besides, her Mom confirmed her story, so there wasn't anything going on. Was there? "Uh, sure. Right. Game time." Ron says as Kim reaches for the door knocker. "So, what do you think this guys going to be like?"

"An ex-spy bounty hunter is so total loner."

"You think?"

They turn as the door opens, revealing a smiling and dashing young man of twenty-something. He's glistening with perspiration, with a towel around his neck, yet wearing a street style set of jeans, hiking boots and a tee. "Hello. May I help you?" he says.

Kim takes aback; the man's pleasant demeanor and gentle eyes didn't seem like the brooding picture she'd been studying for an hour. "Uh… are we interrupting something?" She asks offhandedly.

"I'm just getting a workout," he replies brightly, "is there something I can do for you?"

"Um…right. Are you Ben Dun?"

"Who?"

"You're Ben Dun aren't you?"

"No, my name's Lon. Lon Gone. I'm afraid you have the wrong apartment."

"We do?" Ron asks, and is swiftly elbowed by Kim.

"Mr…Gone, I'm sorry is this 680-210?"

"Yes it is."

"May we use your phone?"

"I'm afraid I don't have one." For an instant, Kim sees danger in the man's eyes. He is Ben Dun. It's time to play this straight, this cloak and dagger stuff is just wasting time.

"Mr. Dun, I'm Kim Possible and this is Ron Stoppable and we're here because Doctor Director is asking you for help." For another instant, Ben Dun's face goes neutral, and his eyes shift left and right. The beaming face takes over again.

"Come on in." He says with a smile.

The Possible team enters a smallish main apartment room, and nearly completely void of any possessions. There's a small cot to the side, a few books and newspapers strewn around the room, and a garbage sack near the door. The door to the back room is closed. Ben crosses the to the kitchen area. Kim and Ron stay to the other side of the counter.

"You don't mind if I eat do you? I'm afraid I don't have much to offer. If you give me ten minutes I could bake some cookies, got three pounds of dough in the fridge. Local fund raiser."

"Baking cookies?" Ron whispers, "Are you sure we've got the right guy?"

"No doubt. Have you looked at the room? Total loner. He's the guy."

"You know, the cot and no TV do kind of give it away…"

Ben Dun takes a can from a shelf, his back turned to the two teens. "So I assume there's some envelope I'm supposed to look at?"

Kim turns to reach her backpack, "yes, it's right her—"

"Omff!" Ron exclaims as the air is knocked out of him by a flying can to his abdomen. In a split second, Ben Dun is vaulting over the kitchen counter, landing a solid right foot into Ron's chest, sending him reeling backwards towards the closed front door. Ben doesn't waste momentum as he twits out of his kick with a right backhand to Kim. She barely has time to parry it with her left forearm, but takes the opportunity to grab his over extended arm. Planting a foot into Ben's right ribs, she pulls hard and launches Ben into the opposite wall. Ben let's out an audible "Omf!" as his left shoulder absorbs most of the impact. He's quickly on his feet and pushes off the wall to get to the center of the room again.

Kim performs a simple back flip, easily avoiding Ben's right jab thrust. She uncurls as her feet touch the low ceiling and the launches herself straight down. Her two extended fists land a direct hit between his shoulder blades. "NGgg!" he exclaims as the force sends him sprawling forward. He rolls and stops hard into the other wall. Ben quickly rolls away from the wall just in time to avoid Kim's mantis-form flying leap. Once again near the center of the room again, Ben scans the floor and quickly grabs the discarded can. Can in hand, he performs a quick back roll to right his-self, and feints a full charge.

Kim reacts executing a jump roundhouse kick, only to be surprised when Ben stops short, sliding to his knees, dodging the kick by inches and let's the can drop from his hand. The can rolls, reaching the precise spot on the floor where Kim's left foot was preparing to land. She slips, falling backwards. Ben exploits the opportunity.

He deftly grapples her top and flaying left leg, forcibly accelerating her fall as he twists. She lands hard and is quickly bombarded with a combination fist and elbow to her solar plexus. Stunned, she can only feel Ben pick her up like a piece of luggage, followed by the momentum and eventual impact of her flying headlong into the half-risen Ron. Both sprawl before the front door, which Ben then uses to fiercely plow them into the perpendicular wall.

Having thus pinned the two teens between the wall and door, Ben suddenly hears a sharp "click" followed by that unique sound of a ranged-laser weapon humming to life. His head turns to see two GJN agents appear from practically nowhere on either side of the door. His muscles tense as his head snaps to the left following the sounds of broken glass. Four more agents appear from the back room and now broken bathroom window.

"You never could play nice with others Dun."

Ben lowers his head; his muscle tenses more despite himself, and then looks right again. Doctor Director stands in the doorframe in a black trench-coat and all her eye-patched spymaster glory. She smiles a poker smile, "Lon Gone. That was a nice touch."

"That's what I am DD. Gone. I've lain low, stayed out of trouble and out of sight. What more do you people want from me?"

"The world is in danger Ben."

"The world's not my problem anymore." He releases his hold on the door, and both Ron and Kim let out a groin as they flop forward. "Or have you forgotten that?"

"I can understand your frustration Ben, but GJN needs your help."

Ben crosses to Kim's backpack and snatches up the half-removed envelope. He rips it open savagely and crushes the small homing device hidden inside. Kim looks on astonished.

"The world doesn't need my kind of help anymore. You've seen to that. I disappeared for three years, I've done everything you told me to and I haven't questioned it. I stopped believing you'd hold up your end of the bargain."

"Yes that's true. But now something's come up, a situation in which we'd be prepared to give you what you want."

Kim helps Ron to his feet as Ben and the Director continue to verbally circle around each other. "Why do I feel I'm out of some sort of loop?" he asks.

"I don't know. But am so not liking being out of it." Kim whispers back. "I want to know what's going on. What time is it?"

Ron glances down at his watch and grimaces, "It's almost 10:00, Middleton time."

"Need to get this sorted out and back home by 11...this calls for some drastic measures." Kim gives Ron a look. Ron tilts his head then his eyes go wide with understanding.

"You…you wouldn't…" He says as she gives him another look to assure him that she certainly would. Kim crosses to Doctor Director.

"What's the sitch?"

"Your job's done here Kim, well done."

"My job was to convince him to meet with you, which apparently you didn't need anyway. I'll convince him to come in quietly as long as you tell me what the real sitch is." Kim answers, business-like.

The Director's cold smile for a mere spilt-second seems to broaden. "All right."

Kim then crosses to Ben, while the Director slides back towards Ron. "What exactly is she going to do Ron?" She asks.

"Only one of the most underhanded, dirty moves she has. No one can withstand it. I speak from experience."

"Really? This should be interesting."

Kim strides and stops directly in front of Dun. "Mr. Dun could you please come back to Middleton with us? Just to talk?" she adds sweetly.

"There is absolutely, positively no way I'm…" His words trail off as Kim's green eyes go wide, her lower lip slightly protruding in an almost sickeningly cute manner. "Oh no. I'm not falling for…for that trick…I…" Ron smiles smugly as he leans against the door frame.

"Nothing can withstand the patented Possible puppy pout." His smile turns agape at what he witnesses next. For the briefest of moments, Ben Dun looks like a man shattered. His face removed of its previous scowl has transformed into a canvas of pure vulnerability, his shoulders slouch forward as he assumes a crestfallen stance and his eyes glisten with warm tears. He pulls a hand quickly to cover it.

"All right…" he says softly. "ALL RIGHT!" he adds angrily.

"Jet's waiting just outside Ben." The Director gestures to the exit. Ben is out the door without another word. Ron looks on amazed.

"The…the puppy pout never had that kind of power before."

Kim is as dumbfounded as he is. "I…did he just cry?" She couldn't believe it. The guy who had not just two minutes ago hit her harder than anything she'd felt in her life, looked completely and utterly destroyed as she play whimpered in front of him. It just didn't make any sense. "He…he…" she shakes her head. "I don't know what's going on here but I'm going to find out. Come on." She grabs Ron's wrist and yanks him to the door.