Where Did the Time Go? : Part XXVIII
Ron brushed a strand of hair out of Kim's face and sat back in the front seat of his little car and looked at her. Valentines Day turned out to be a lot longer day than either of them anticipated and it wasn't over yet. Somehow or another he was able to get her mind off the Bonnie problem over dinner, partly by not bringing it up. In his mind he just couldn't believe that she would actually stoop to stealing the super-suit. The other thing, yeah, he could see that real easily.
It helped that Dr. Director had been able to talk Kim down during a long conversation via his Kimmunicator. The batteries on hers finally winked out on hers only minutes in but his held their own, not even dropping a bar on the meter. That was the performance they were used to out of them – the original unit could go non-stop for a couple days before needing a recharge.
The head of GJ actually took some convincing by Kim to actually consider Bonnie a suspect. It took her actually describing, in excruciatingly embarrassing detail, just how she came to believe that. Seeing the younger woman's distress, Betty Director assured her that such things made no difference to her, especially since she had been married before…twice.
"I can put her under general surveillance, but based on what you've given me, that is about all. We don't have enough evidence yet for a warrant and in this case one would be absolutely necessary."
Kim looked defeated. "Isn't this a case of national security? If she's got the suit…"
"If she does, then she does not present a clear and present danger. We have files on most of the people close to you and nothing in Miss Rockwaller's suggest any kind of capability to utilize such technology, the passive qualities of the garment not withstanding."
Kim's eyebrows seemingly rotated ninety degrees over her eyes. "Grrrrrrrr. So what am I supposed to do, act like none of this ever happened?"
"For now. If you approach her the wrong way she may be prompted to try using it, or simply destroy it…assuming she actually has it."
Kim ended the call, glowering. Sooner or later she had to deal with Bonnie, even if it wasn't about the suit or what she blabbed to the other girl, who she was starting to believe was Danika Foster. The slender blonde was well on her way to becoming the brunette's protégé and that was really beginning to tweak her, especially since Kim was the one to actively campaign for her inclusion in the squad back in the fall.
It was past seven when they landed back at her house, so they simply went to dinner in their mission gear, though it didn't stand out as much considering how dark they kept the steakhouse. Rufus managed to polish off most of their fried onion thing and a whole platter of chili and cheese covered fries (timed by request to keep him away from their plates since they were starving.)
By the time he pulled into Kim's driveway, she was a lot like her usual self, or at least how she had been since they were together. She was a lot less cranky and significantly more understanding of his fears and shortcomings, just as he was more aware of her need to be the one in charge of every aspect of her life.
Kim traced his upper thigh with her fingertips when she noticed he hadn't shut off the engine. "I know we've already had our Valentine's, but it is officially Valentine's day, I'm sure we could get away with a little necking. Might make Daddy's blood pressure go up a bit but I'm sure he won't mind."
Ron leaned over and kissed her, brushing her hair back from the side of her face again. As it got longer, one lock in particular was starting to drop over her nose a lot. To him it looked extremely cute but he knew she didn't like having her hair messed up. More control issues.
"I think that would be badical, KP, but I think I may need to take a rain check on that." He kissed her again, making it that much harder to stick to his guns about what he had to say. "I've got a ton of homework to do and it's already after nine. Just like all the money I'm saving for later, the better I do, the better chance I have of getting to go to school with you for four more years and that means a whole lot more chances for kissing later."
She touched his cheek. "I love you when you think like that."
"I was hoping you loved me all the time." He grinned, touching her face the same way.
"You know I do. I really, really want to do some nice making out, but I don't have a single argument to beat you with. Gimme five minutes, homework boy?"
"Sure KP." He shut the engine off and put the car in gear so the parking brake wouldn't be sticking up between them. His father warned him about 'using the transmission as a kickstand' but the driveway wasn't steep.
It was amazing how quickly five minutes could go by with a single kiss.
"I better go while I still can." His eyes were locked into hers and he wasn't willing to take his arms from around her waist.
"You could always do your work here. You always do well when you're motivated." Kim pressed her forehead against his then kissed him again.
"Except when I've got to write. This is probably all we'll get done, 'specially since you seem more romantic than motivational."
"Aw, Wonnie."
Ron took his fingertip and gently pushed her lower lip back. "No fair using the pout on me KP. I'm serious, I've got to write that paper. I'll make it up to you Friday…I'll even try to get Mom's car."
"Promise?" She batted her eyes at him.
"Anything for you."
"Okay, Baby. Don't stay up too late, I want you to come pick me up a little early tomorrow so we can have breakfast Nacos at BN." She kissed him one more time before getting out of the car. She stood there at the edge of the driveway until his car pulled out of sight.
Ron tried to get his mind to switch gears as easily as his car did with its fresh clutch. He was going to have a hard enough time getting his head in the game where it came to his paper wishing he had stayed with her but no matter how much she helped him with math work or just plain studying, there was something about writing that just plain didn't work unless he was totally alone. Even Rufus would go sleep in his box when he sat down at the computer and fired up the word processor.
The temptation to turn around and spend more quality time with Kim was strong, even though he would be at her doorstep at seven the next morning and spend the greater part of the day with her again. When Bonnie said the two of them were inseparable, she wasn't half kidding. Sometimes he even wondered if it was healthy spending so much time with her. He didn't have a clear definition of co-dependent in his mind though somehow he thought there was likely a picture of him holding hands with her right there beside that definition in a psychology book.
Well, he thought, if being with Kim too much was bad, he'd be a bad boy.
Kim quickly changed out of her mission gear into one of Ron's jerseys and settled into her desk chair to do her own homework. Most of it was done, but it would have to wait until her Kimmunicator had at least a partial charge until she could download the book report she dictated earlier into the writing software for some final cleaning up.
Some of the lights had been left on, but the house was completely empty. It was early yet, so it was likely everyone else had gone out to dinner and perhaps were taking in a movie or something. For a moment she wished she had put on the full power pout and pretty much forced Ron to come in. No, that wouldn't have been fair. His reasons for going on home were perfectly right and they had been together constantly over the last four days save for three hours at school and overnight. She could live without him for just under ten hours.
Still, as she waited for the batteries to charge she kept pulling up the collar of the shirt and breathing deeply from it. It was the one he left there that afternoon when they changed into their mission gear so his scent was much stronger than the one tucked in her drawer, though repeated washings hadn't completely removed it (she sometimes rotated the ones she actually had her hands on, so it was never completely gone.)
A slight sigh escaped her lips as she put her head down on her arms. The house was empty and she was feeling very romantic. What a night for both of them to have homework due the next day. Maybe later she could send him a slightly dirty IM. There was always the chance that Wade could be listening in but she was used to that. Now, if one of her parents, especially her father happened to be looking over her shoulder…
A warm hand touched her on that shoulder, followed by its twin on the other. They started gently kneading the back of her neck until she craned her neck back to look into deep brown eyes. "Mmmm, Ronnie, that's good."
Not saying a word, Ron walked around front of her, leaning over for a tender kiss. Almost involuntarily she rose out of the chair, into his waiting arms, kissing him furiously. Without breaking contact, he swooped her up into his arms, carrying her toward the bed. Very gently he laid her down, still kissing her. She wrapped her arms around him, offering no protest as he started pulling her shirt up.
"Kim."
Her eyes snapped open. She was still sitting at the desk alone. Well, not entirely alone. Wade was looking at her from the computer monitor.
"Sorry to wake you up Kim."
"What is it, Wade? You just interrupted a very pleasant dream."
"Uh, sorry again. I just got a hit from a high-end electronics store in Upperton, I think you might want to take a look at this." He hit a key and a video feed from a security camera played.
"Okay, so we've got a vigilante ninja." Kim shrugged. "You think the police would be happy for the help."
Wade touched another key. "Watch when I enhance the image."
Kim narrowed her eyes, trying to see what had him so interested. Everyone was wearing black, but the attacker was much smaller than the others and was clearly female, so she was fairly easy to keep track of. The burglars were large men wearing stocking caps but the vigilante was dressed in a skin-tight black outfit with a traditional Ninja hood with her eyes obscured by what looked like either wraparound sunglasses or goggles of some sort. Then she saw it.
The first time the video played, she dismissed it as a trick of the light. The image was quite poor, especially for a store that actually sold equipment that was far better than their own security cameras. Once Wade cleaned it up and she realized what she was looking at, it was rather obvious. There were blue bands on her arms that glowed softly against the matte black of the suit.
It was the missing super-suit.
"Where did that hood come from?" Kim wondered as she watched the clip a third time.
"I didn't think of it at first. I didn't pre-program that into the morphing capabilities since it would extend the material a little too thin, but that just might be the material stolen from the manufacturing facility last night."
"How would she know how to do that?" Kim asked as she scooped up her discarded mission wear from the floor. She mentally winced, realizing she was picking up some really bad habits from Ron.
Wade shrugged. "It's actually not too hard. If you know how to work the controls you could put a bolt of inactive material with the suit and the system will take control and integrate it. Kind of like putting two pieces of silly putty together.
Carefully staying out of frame on the webcam, Kim changed back out of Ron's jersey. She glanced at her closet, thinking this might be a time to wear her own super-suit, but discarded the notion considering the authorities already on the scene might mistake her for the other girl.
Kim sat back down at her computer as she finished pulling her hair out of the sweater. "Is there any way to tell if that's Bonnie?"
"Whoever it is, she's not standing still long enough for me to get any biometrics off the image." He frowned, not liking being so stumped.
"She does move like a cheerleader." Kim said, scowling at the screen as the image kept playing on the full screen. When he spoke, Wade would pop up in his own small window.
"You're the expert there."
She quickly checked her gear. "Okay, I'm on my way. Oh, by the way, Wade, the batteries conked out on my Kimmunicator again. I've got Ron's with me."
"Oh boy. Drop it off tomorrow and I'll take another look at it. Something must be glitching and draining the batteries, though I don't understand how. I went over that thing with a fine tooth comb. Want me to call Ron on his watch Kimmunicator?"
Kim shook her head. "I've got this one. He's got some important homework and this looks just like some comparing notes with the authorities. I'll be fine."
"Okay. I've got a patrol car on its way to pick you up. Give me a call if you need me."
"Thanks Wade." She started to switch off the computer, then remembered her own homework. The unit in the charging dock was showing just one bar on the battery meter. The quick charger should have been finished by now. At least it was enough for her to transfer the file. Hopefully this would go quickly enough she could clean the paper up but if not she was confident it could at least pull a B or a low A.
She pulled her gloves on and headed down the stairs to wait for the police car.
Ron pulled onto his street licking the last bit of cheese sauce from his fingers. He really wanted a Naco, but the Chimirito was a bit easier to handle while driving, though he was going to have to wipe the grease of the gear shift knob before Kim rode with him in the morning. Even though he was filled to bursting earlier with the large steak he ate at the restaurant, he found his soul needed a little soothing, the way only a little bit of Bueno Nacho could do. Sure, it was a little ways off his 'diet' but what Kim didn't know wouldn't hurt him. Such was his need for 'snackage.'
He parked on the far side of his parent's cars in the double-wide driveway so he wouldn't block them in. True, he was now planning to leave a little before his father so he could have breakfast with Kim, but on the off-chance he overslept he didn't want to hear the old man fussing at him. It wasn't until he walked around his mother's big car he realized somebody was sitting on the front steps.
"Bonnie?" He realized who it was almost immediately, even though her face was buried in her hands. She was wearing a long winter coat that went past her knees, though it was only held together in the front by her elbows as she sat.
She looked up at him and he could tell she had been crying. Tears mixed with a little mascara and eyeliner streaked her face.
"Ron? I think I've done something terrible."
Bonnie sat up, the coat falling open as she did so.
He gulped as he noticed the black outfit she had on under it.
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