Mission to Hell – Chapter 1
By
Dr. Mike Wendell
"Kim? Kimberly? It's Mom. Do you need anything? Kimmie? I'd like to talk to you."
Dr. Anne Possible sighed as she lowered her hand from the door overhead and sat back against the ladder.
"She's been up there for two days now. Ever since she got back from the hospital."
Anne looked down at her husband, James, and Betty Director who stood on either side of the ladder. James held a lunch tray with soup and cheese sandwiches. Dr. Director held a package in her hands. Anne sighed. She always knew that giving their only daughter the loft would be a problem one day.
"I know, James. We should have never let Wade armor the loft and the door." She looked up again at the door above her. She sighed. "All I can think of is to give her time. Hopefully, she'll come out when she's ready."
James helped Anne down the ladder as they walked back into the living room. After a few moments, Betty climbed the ladder and knocked on the overhead door.
"Kim? It's Dr. Director. Betty. I'm leaving something for you on the top of the ladder here. It's a dress for the funeral tomorrow at three. I'm hoping that you'll be there. There's something else in the package for you as well. Kim, if you want to talk, you have my phone number." She climbed back down the ladder and made her way back into the living room as well.
After a few moments, the loft door opened slightly. A slim arm slid out of the space, reached down, grabbed the package, and slid back, closing the door behind it.
Kimberly Ann Possible stood in the middle of her room, staring at the package. Large bags under her eyes gave away her lack of sleep. She pulled off the cover and dropped it down to the floor. A nice black, full length dress shared the box along with two protein bars, a bottle of water and another box of tissues. A small smile appeared on her face for the briefest of seconds before being chased away with a look of misery. She dropped the box onto the bed as she made her way back to the chair in front of the window, dropping heavily into it. She roughly rubbed her hands over her face and sat back with a sigh.
"What am I going to do?" Kim asked out loud. She turned back towards the box lying on the bed. A slip of paper had fallen out of it. She walked back over to the bed, kicking dirty clothes, food wrappers, and used tissues out of the way.
The paper had a large Post-It covering it. Kim recognized Dr. Director's handwriting on it.
"I thought you might like to have a copy of this. It's been on my desk since the course. –Betty."
Kim removed the Post-It and gasped.
It was a picture of her and her best friend, Ron Stoppable, at a recent Global Justice training course that they had attended together. Ron had gotten caught up in a rope net and she had to stop and free him. Someone had snapped a picture of the two of them smiling at one another. She closed her eyes and the tears started again.
It started like any other mission…
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"Without you, Kim Possible, bringing me that spare can of gasoline, I would never been able to finish bringing those Christmas presents to those orphans," Mrs. Bogdana beamed as she drove Kim and Ron to their next mission. "When that nice young boy called me on the telephone and asked me if I could drive you to Lowerton, I said 'Sure, dang it. Anything for that wonderful Kim Possible!' He was so polite."
"No big," Kim waved off the praise with a smile and a wave. "We were already in the area and had plenty of gasoline to spare. And we wouldn't want any child to go without gifts on Christmas morning."
"Oh, Kim Possible. You're such a good girl." Mrs. Bogdana beamed once again. She turned back towards Ron who was trying to get some last minute mathematics homework done in the back seat. Mrs. Bogdana got a bit cross. "And you, young man. You better keep an eye on her and make sure she doesn't get hurt. I don't want to have to watch a news report about something bad happening to her!"
"Yes, ma'am. Hey KP, what did you get for number twenty-two?" Ron scratched his nose with the eraser end of his pencil as he tried to decipher the difficult equation. Scratch paper covered with notes and figures filled the back seat.
Kim smiled at her best friend. "Ron, you know that I'm not going to give you my answers. You have to do your own homework. That's the way you'll learn that stuff."
"Ah, man. I just want to check my answers, KP. I wasn't going to copy."
"We'll go over the material when we get home after the mission." Kim pointed out the side window of the station wagon at a local, run down warehouse. "We're here anyway. Time to put to a stop whatever plan Drakken and Shego have thought up this time." Kim opened the side door and stepped out of the station wagon. "Thanks Mrs. Bogdana for the ride."
"Anything for Kim Possible. Such a nice young girl."
"On it, KP." He began shoving his homework back into his backpack. "Thanks again, Mrs. Bogdana for the ride." He stepped out of the car and stood beside Kim.
"Don't forget what I told you, young man. Make sure nothing happens to the wonderful young girl!"
"Yes, ma'am. I won't." They watched Mrs. Bogdana drive off. Ron sighed. "I wonder if she even knew my name." He looked crestfallen.
Kim reached out a hand, placed it on Ron's shoulder and smiled. "Ron, I know you were the one who siphoned the gasoline out of those other cars. And the kids got their gifts. That's what's important. Right?" She smiled at him.
Ron rubbed the back of his neck and tried to dig a toe into the sidewalk. "I guess so, KP. I just wish people would remember that we're a team."
"We are a team, Ron. And this team member is going to take out the other team member for a dinner of Bueno Nacho when we get home. How about that?"
Ron's face lit up. "You mean it? Double sized orders?"
Kim's stomach did a flip but she kept her smile glued on her face. "Of course."
"BOO-YAH!"
"Now, let's go see what Drakken is up to this time. OK?"
"You got it, KP."
"Men," Kim thought as she led Ron into the warehouse. "Always thinking about their stomachs."
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"Shego? Shego! Where are you this time? Shego?"
Shego sighed and rubbed her hands over her face. She sat at a nearby desk, her feet propped up as she watched this week's episode of CSI. "I'm busy!' she yelled back around the popcorn she had just popped into her mouth..
"You can watch that later. I need you!"
"I can't watch it later. SOMEONE forgot the VCR back at the last lair. Remember?"
Drakken grumbled. "What does it take to get good help now a days?"
"I heard that!"
Drakken walked towards her. "Good! You were suppose to." He turned back to his workbench. "And with what I pay you…"
"You know Drakken. I know some very nice guys who would be very happy to help you and you wouldn't even have to pay them. They're prison guards!"
Drakken rushed forward. "Kim Possible!" She stood in the center of the lair, a rope leading up towards an overhead skylight. "How did you?..."
"Who cares?" Shego leapt to the floor directly in front of Kim and lowered herself into a crouch, ready to spring. "You know, Kimmie. I was watching something on television. Now you've gone and made me miss it. Even Drakken knows not to do that."
"Sorry to ruin your quality TV viewing time, Shego. I have a math assignment that I need to finish tonight for school tomorrow."
"I thought you said that… Whoa!" Both Shego and Kim looked up to see Ron trip over the edge of the skylight, fall through the open panel, and pummel to the floor of the warehouse. It was pure luck that the end of his rope caught around a nearby air conditioner and stopped his fall a few feet from the concrete floor. He hung upside down directly in front of Shego, swinging slightly side to side. He grinned, lifted a hand and gave a small wave to Shego. "Um, hi. Do you think you can help me down?" Shego rolled her eyes in disgust.
"At least he kept his pants on this time," Kim sighed as she watched her partner swing in the light breeze.
"Oh really. Is that important to you?" She slid around Ron, giving him a hard push that started him swinging for real and causing him to yell. "I would have thought that by now, you two would be tearing each other's clothes off every chance you got."
Kim's face fell in shock. "What? Ron and I aren't…"
"Oh please. You two are so much dating." Drakken had moved across the room and now stood near where Ron still hung from the ceiling. Drakken paused to give Ron a push that started him swinging and yelling again. "Even we see it." Drakken smirked at the swinging boy.
"Hey! Will you two stop doing that? KP, I need help getting down." Ron was now spinning slightly as he tried to free himself from the rope.
"Oh, sorry sidekick. Kimmie's going to be kind of busy for a bit." Shego launched a pair of plasma bolts at Kim as she dodged out of the way. She paused before chasing after her, leaned in to Ron's ear, and smirked. "But be sure to hang around though." She gave him a quick peck before chasing after Kim, firing blasts after the girl.
Drakken scoffed. "Hope you've had your shots, sidekick." He walked off to watch the fight, his henchmen following along.
Ron paused in his struggling to rub his cheek with the back of his gloved hand. "Eew! Kissed by Shego. I wonder how long it's going to take to wash this off." He returned to his task of getting down as his struggling increased the amount of swaying. Ron removed the commando knife he kept attached to his belt and began sawing through the rough line.
"Ron! I need your help!" yelled Kim as she ducked another one of Shego's onslaughts. They continued to trade blows back and forth across the room. Ron could tell that Kim was tiring.
"On my way, KP!" Ron increased the rhythm of his sawing, finally cutting through the last bit of twine. "Hey, what do you…" The fall to the ground interrupted the rest of his comment.
Kim was surprised as Shego stopped her attacks, looked back at Ron, and began laughing, holding her stomach. She pointed a thumb at Ron with her free hand. "Oh, Kimmie. Where did you find him?"
This annoyed Kim. "Hey!" She took a quick second to glace at Ron. He was picking himself up off the floor and dusting himself off. "He's my partner and best friend!"
"Oh please! He's there just for comical relief and you know it." She laughed again, this time the rest of the villains joining in. Kim looked again at Ron and saw the misery on his face.
Kim's anger burned through her. "He's my best friend and I… I love him!" she got out between tight lips. Ron's amazement quickly faded away from his face as the villains doubled their laughter.
Shego mocked her. "Oh, he's my best friend and I love him. Oh, please. He's just a baboon."
"Ron? I'll make it up to you afterwards. Shego, let's finish this now!"
"OK, Kimmie. Here come's a whopper!" screamed Shego as she quickly built the large ball of green plasma between her hands. Kim's eyes went wide as the ball grew larger and larger. "Eat plasma!" Shego launched the ball towards her with a smirk. Kim froze, fear on her face.
"Noooooo!" Kim never saw where Ron came from. One second, her eyes were glued on the incoming ball of plasma. Next thing she knew, Ron's own body was flying in front of hers in an attempt to protect her. Shego's own eyes went wide as the ball of fire slammed into the teenager's chest.
Kim, her hands coming up to protect her face, turned away as both the force of the plasma ball and Ron's body hammered into her, shoving her back twenty feet along the floor and causing them to tumble together. She could feel the burning heat from the plasma ball on her exposed skin. She realized from Ron's gasp of pain that he had taken the blunt of the attack instead of her.
Kim came to a rest and took a quick inventory of herself. Nothing was broken. A few split ends of her hair were scorched. No big. A couple quick snips of her scissors would take care of that issue. She turned back towards Shego with a glare as she quickly came to her feet. Strange. Shego was just standing there looking behind Kim.
"Shego! You're going to pay for that!" Kim noticed that the racket of the battle had stopped around her.
Shego lifted an arm and pointed behind her. Kim turned and gasped.
Ron Stoppable, her partner and best friend, lay in a heap on the floor, smoke slowly drifting up from the remains of his clothing. His exposed flesh had turned black from the burns now covering his body. Already the stench of burned flesh was filling the room.
"Shego! Get the medical kit!" Dr. Drakken yelled.
Shego just stood there and pointed at Ron. "I've never shot one that big! I didn't know!" She turned towards Drakken. "What?…"
Dr. Drakken grabbed her arm and pulled her in close. "Shego! Medical kit! Now!" He shoved her away and quickly moved towards Ron.
Shego shook herself out of her shock. "On it!" She ran from the room, slamming through the set of double doors.
"No," Kim whispered in shock. This couldn't be happening. He was fine a minute ago. They were going to dinner tonight. "No…"
Drakken grabbed a wrist with one hand as he slid his other across the remains of Ron's chest. "I'm getting a pulse! It's weak though." He turned back towards the double doors. "Shego!" He turned back towards Kim. "Can you get us an air lift? We had to bring the jet to the shop this morning."
"Um…"
"Kim! Air lift! Now!" He turned again back to the double doors. "Shego!"
Kim shook herself out of her shock and activated her Kimmunicator. Wade's smile filled the screen.
"Hey Kim. Figure out Drakken's evil scheme yet?"
"Wade, Ron's down. He's…"
"Hmmm. I was wondering why I wasn't getting anything from his microchips."
"Wade, we need a medical airlift now."
"But…"
"Wade, there's no time. Ron's…" She faltered as she turned back towards Ron's burnt body..
"On it Kim."
Shego slammed back through the swinging doors, a large red and white plastic case held in her hands, and ran for them. She shoved her way past the henchmen now gathered around the group. "Move you big idiots!" She slammed the case to the floor and yanked it open. It was full of medical equipment and supplies. They began to work on Ron.
"Kim, airlift chopper's seven minutes out. Medics are on the way as well. How's Ron…"
Kim shut off the Kimmunicator and slipped it back into her pocket as Shego looked up and slowly shook her head.
"No…"
Drakken stood up and turned towards Kim. "I'm sorry. Shego's plasma flashed cooked him. The burns are too extensive…"
The look of anger made Drakken step back. "You did this…"
Shego looked up at her. "Kim?" she said in a small voice.
Kim's head slammed around to glare at her. "What?"
Shego swallowed. "He's asking for you."
Kim's heart dropped out as she knelt down beside Ron's prone body. She grabbed one of Ron's hands, trying not to be sickened with the feel of burnt skin against hers.
"KP?"
"Ron? I'm here."
"I can't see you, Kim…"
"I'm holding your hand, Ron. Can you feel me holding your hand?"
"No."
"I'm holding it, Ron. I won't let go."
"Kim, I just wanted to tell you. Kim, I…"
"Ron?"
"…love…"
Ron's head slowly lowered back to the floor as he breathed his last.
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Sensei lifted his head and looked out over his students.
"The Chosen One. He is… no more."
He lowered his head sadly as the sound of a low mournful bell was heard in the distance along with the sobs of a single girl.