Where Did the Time Go? : Part XLV
Kim tumbled against Ron as the Diablo arced up over Middleton, accelerating into the night sky. Ron was babbling incoherently but that wasn't what occupied her mind. He was frightened and that's how he dealt with it but by comparison he was as safe as she was for the moment. Instead her attention was rooted on the dark figure hanging on for dear life to the midsection of the robot.
Danika had a good grip on the ridge above the waist articulation and the suit had the capability of nearly doubling her strength but that might not be enough if the flight lasted too long. They weren't gaining altitude any more, and for that she was thankful. The suit could protect the girl from the wind and cold but there was no provision in it for breathing. That was one contingency that had not been planned for when Wade outfitted them.
She cupped her hands around her mouth. "Danika! Can you hear me?" She watched intently but they were starting to leave the lights of the Tri-Cities behind and the girl was encased from head to toe in black, including a visor that covered her eyes. Even if she nodded her assent Kim couldn't tell.
Taking hope the force field wasn't sound-proof since she could hear the rockets, Kim took another deep breath and shouted. "Use the grappler! Fire the grappler into the robot!"
Apparently the girl heard her. Risking the chance the thing would change direction, Danika let go with one hand and raised it. There was a faint pop as she fired a cable from her left wrist. The molecular bonding cup on the end (thank you Dementor!) smacked into the upper body of the robot, holding fast.
Then the younger cheerleader did something that made Kim scream, bringing Ron out of his nearly catatonic state. She let go. Kim uttered a silent prayer the molecular-grappler would hold and it did as the ebon figure reached the end of the cable. She swung around the behemoth, sailing up and over it.
It became clear what she was doing. The girl had guts and more skill than she would have ever given her credit for. She swung up and over the robot twice, looping the cable over itself. She ended up on its back, wrapping a length of the cable around her waist. Kim had to admit that was something she would have done.
Danika stretched out on the back of the robot, lying down so an errant wind gust wouldn't overtax her makeshift lifeline. She gave Kim a little salute before finding a new handhold.
Ron was coming to his senses. Kim could tell he was still shivering though it was quite warm inside their little bubble of energy. She noted that, except for the shimmering green, it seemed they were flying through the air just a few feet away from the extended arm of the robot. Ron didn't like being high up, he never did. Inside an airplane didn't bother him but freefalling, even now frightened him clean out of his wits. The only thing that had ever made him capable of jumping out of a perfectly good airplane was the fact he was doing it with her, to help her, to be with her. Ron was braver than she would ever be because the risks he took actually scared him. She enjoyed such risks, even reveled in them. Despite the fear of what may await them at the end of their flight, she was flushed with an adrenaline high. That was one of the differences between them. As much as their hearts had become one, they were still different people.
She took comfort knowing she loved him all the more for their differences.
He started going through his pockets. Years of training were taking over and he was doing an equipment check. Hopefully he had something with him that could help in the sitch. She didn't have to check herself. She'd already gone through in her own mind what she had on her person and that wasn't much. Some assorted jewelry, a dress, a pair of lace undies and a pair of strappy sandals. Her purse was back at the Prom, sitting on the table. At least with that she would have had her cell phone, though it relied on transmitter towers and not satellites like her Kimmunicator. There wasn't much else in the small clutch other than some makeup and a little silk number she was going to surprise Ron with later that evening.
She almost laughed aloud at the fact they were foiled again! Even if all she wanted to do was hold him close through the night, another sitch had come along, stealing her chance to be nothing more than a woman in love for at least one night.
"What you got?" She asked, wrapping an arm protectively around his waist.
"Wallet, pack of gum, keys, cell phone…no signal, I checked." He handed the meager selection of stuff to her, in case she could think of something he couldn't.
She quickly went through it in the dim light of their electric prison. She said another silent prayer whatever was generating the force field was well made. One hiccup in the power and they would have only a few seconds left of their life together.
Kim gave Ron the eye when she pulled a small packet out of his wallet. He grinned back at her sheepishly. "Sorry, KP. It's a guy thing. That's been in there since we started dating. Dad, uh, kind of insisted."
Shaking her head she put his wallet back together, smiling softly. She opened his cell phone and started playing with it, holding out a slim hope that Wade had once again pulled off a miracle, installing another one of his secret communication devices inside it.
"We should be able to get a signal somewhere. We're moving pretty fast but the plan Wade set us up on is supposed to have coverage almost everywhere. Even if we crossed out of an area we should be hitting another." She stared at the dim light of the phone's screen, pleased despite their situation he still had their original Prom picture as his wallpaper.
He put his hand out, testing the 'wall' of the sphere. "Maybe this thing is jamming it somehow." He sat down Indian style, trying to get comfortable. "Any idea where we're going?"
Kim sat down beside him, wrapping her hands around his waist and putting her head on his shoulder. "I can't tell. We were up and away so fast I didn't get my bearings and it's too dark to see any landmarks. We'll just have to wait and see."
Ron put his arm around her and pulled her close. "You cold?"
"I'm fine, Baby. I'm fine." She glanced once more up where Danika was. She hadn't moved since settling into position on top of the robot. A thought occurred to her. "Where's Rufus?"
Ron shivered ever so slightly in her arms. "Don't know. Last I saw him he was trying to sneak past Barkin to get at the cheese platter. I guess he's okay, just wish he was with us."
"I do too. Our little family should be together." She said as softly as she could over the roar of the rockets.
Danika was fighting to stay calm. This was far different than taking on burglars and other thugs in the night. Her arms still ached with the strain of holding on as the robot blasted into the sky, even with the suit adding to her strength.
She was also cursing herself silently. All her careful subterfuge was thrown away in an instant when she grabbed the thing. What was she thinking? Even with the suit what was she going to do to this thing? The only thought going through her mind at the time was that she had to do something. She was supposed to be the good guy, the hero, right?
Once they were airborne the suit automatically switched from stealth mode to combat mode. Both of them were looking right at her when it changed, so there was no way she was going to keep her identity hidden from them any longer.
Was she really a hero? Or was she just a girl playing at being one? When it came right down to it, Kim was the one with the level head in the situation, or 'sitch' as she would call it. Using the grappler had not even occurred to her, she was just going to hang on for dear life and hope the thing would not take them far.
That didn't seem to be the case. All she could tell was they turned to the south as their flight leveled out. Before long they were flying at supersonic speed, just over a thousand feet up, skimming over hilltops. Every so often she would look down at the couple encased in a sphere of energy. Inside, shielded from the tearing wind, they were relatively comfortable. Out there, if it had not been for the suit protecting her face, she wouldn't have even been able to breath.
She knew if the thing wasn't flying so low, she wouldn't even be able to do that. Thank the maker she had included the visor in her reconfiguration of the suit. It had been put there to safeguard her identity but now it was safeguarding her.
Looking at the couple, calmly holding each other in the green bubble, she tried to be just like them. There was nothing she could do but hang on for the moment and hope there was something she could do.
Any thought of tampering with the robot was discarded fairly quickly. Even though they weren't flying at high-altitude they were high enough they would be killed if the thing went out of control. It also crossed her mind the only thing holding Kim and Ron up was the energy field. At least the thing wasn't distracted by her presence. It must have been pre-programmed to capture the couple and nothing more.
She considered using the grappler in her right wrist for extra security but discarded the notion, wanting to keep it in reserve. There was no telling how the thing was going to land once it got to its eventual destination and she wanted to keep all her options open.
What were her options? She couldn't do anything to affect the robot and outside of increased strength and speed, the suit itself didn't have that much to offer as far as offensive capabilities. There was always the chance she could use the built-in communications equipment, but that would take some reconfiguration…without her computer to aid her. All of those capabilities were deactivated to keep Kim, her friends and the authorities from tracking her. That seemed fairly stupid now, though if she had already been caught she wouldn't have the chance to help now.
Grimly, she simply tried to relax and stay alert.
Kim started slightly as Ron gently shook her. Sometime during the flight she had dozed off slightly. Turning on Ron's phone, she checked the time since it was too dark to see his watch. By her estimation, they had been in the air about an hour and a half.
She could see lights in the distance. They were approaching a brightly lit compound of some sort. Further off, she could make out other lights, most likely a sprawling city. A dim memory of a conversation she had with Wade came back to her. Señor Senior Senior had been doing something near Mexico City. She did a quick calculation in her head and figured it was possible that's what the lights in the distance were. That meant they had been traveling at pretty incredible speeds but she knew the robots were capable of that.
Thinking of that, she looked up at the other 'passenger.' Danika was still there, supposedly lashed to its back with her grappler cable. It was too dark to tell if the girl was still okay. If the power in her suit was holding out, she should be, especially since her face and head were protected by her modifications. They hadn't been in a running fight, so there should be power to spare, though it worried her that she had already made one mistake where power settings were concerned.
They were definitely slowing down as they neared the bright island of light. Island seemed to be the operative term. The whole compound looked like Senior had transplanted his whole island lair to the hills near the Mexican capitol. The man certainly liked his power, both physical and figurative.
What on Earth did he want in Mexico, though? All Senior's grabs at power had always been centered on Europe. The only thing he had in common with this place was his native language and even then the dialect was somewhat different. The only thing she had to go on was a warehouse ostensibly for confiscated trademark violations not far from the Senior estate. Something about it made Global Justice nervous, but they hadn't seen fit to brief her on the sitch.
The robot tilted upwards and started its descent. Below them a pair of doors set in the roof of a large central building slowly opened. The interior was too brightly lit to discern any details but it was likely some kind of hanger. The leg rockets flared brighter, slowing them even further as the twenty foot tall mechanical monstrosity touched down.
Very gently it lowered the bubble of green light until it winked off as they touched the floor. They slowly untangled their legs and stretched the stiffness out. Inside the sphere there had been a choice of standing or sitting lotus style as there hadn't been room to stretch out during the flight.
For a moment they were alone in the hanger, except for the silent Diablo looming over them. There were doors and hatches all along the perimeter of the Quonset hut style building, with a large door leading outward. If the space was meant for anything besides the robot, they didn't have a clue what it could be. There was a curious lack of equipment one would expect if it was being used for airplanes and considering the lack of a visible landing strip outside, it was likely nothing bigger than a helicopter would fit. There was no sign of Senior's black aircraft anywhere, though it could have been stored in another building, perhaps a secret cavern used for escape purposes.
There was a crackling sound and they turned just in time to see the Diablo start shrinking down. Instead of returning to its 'toy' mode it simply reduced its size until it was only about nine feet tall. As if for the first time since they arrived, it turned toward them. It was clearly aware of their presence. What it did not seem to be aware of was the grappler cable that dropped from around its mid-section.
Kim and Ron glanced at each other. Other than the cable, there was absolutely no sign of Danika. She had seen the girl still hanging on when she woke from her brief nap but hadn't been paying attention as they descended.
"I hope…" Ron began before being shushed by Kim. There was always the outside chance Senior didn't know there was a third party astride the automaton. Still, she echoed his sentiment. There was the possibility the girl had been at the end of her strength, but something told her she jumped free just as they neared the rooftop.
Staring at the robot, Kim took a step backward. The head inclined toward her. The yellow eyes betrayed no awareness but it still seemed that it could see them. She looked at Ron, then shook her head from side to side. His eyes said he understood and the bolted toward smaller doors in opposite directions.
Risking a look back, she realized the Diablo was not chasing either one of them. That either meant their escape attempt was beyond its programming…
…or escape was not possible.
She skidded to a halt as the door she was headed for parted with an audible whoosh. Two more nine-foot tall Diablos clanked into the room, their blasters trained on her. A quick look behind her told her Ron had encountered the very same thing.
They forced her to back up, one step at a time as they advanced. She tried juking to the side but apparently that had been anticipated. A blast of green plasma melted the floor just a step ahead of her. They didn't stop until both teens were boxed in right beside the original bot.
"Well, well, well. Look what the cat has brought in." Señor Senior Senior said as he stepped into the hanger, his can tapping quietly as he made his way toward them. Kim's eyes narrowed slightly. The cane was only there for show. Senior was not only very spry for his age, he was actually a very accomplished athlete.
"Actually, isn't that what the cat drug in?" Ron quipped, standing up from the fighting crouch he had been in.
"Perhaps, but I like the way I say it just as well." He turned toward Kim, who was glaring at him with enough intensity it could melt concrete. "Welcome, my feisty teenaged foes. Welcome to my latest humble abode. I must say, Miss Possible, you look absolutely lovely this evening. I trust I have not interrupted something important."
"Only the biggest night of our lives so far, Senior. You kidnapped us from our Prom!" She growled, her fists balled so tightly her knuckles were going white.
"I must apologize. My latest toy was programmed to bring the two of you here once it was removed from the package. I did not know Junior would choose to bestow his gift on you at your high school dance."
"That was pretty low, even for you, Senior, using Junior that way." Kim shot at him, still glaring daggers at the older man.
"Even though he was hitting on you right in front of me." Ron shot right back.
"Not now, Ron." Kim warned, turning as Senior slowly circled them, carefully staying outside the ring of his Diablos.
"Yes, Junior remains quite smitten with you. Who can blame him, you are quite the lovely young woman and, I might add, you have rather exquisite taste in clothing when you are not wearing that horrible outfit I normally encounter you in."
"This isn't the time for flattery, Senior. Just what are you up to?"
He held a hand up to his ascot. "Me, why I am only trying to cement my place as the pre-eminent master villain of the world, all the while trying to convince my prodigal son to return to his proper destiny."
"All I see you doing is trying to force him to be something he's not. Has it ever occurred to you that Junior doesn't want to be a criminal mastermind, that maybe all he wants is to sing. I know they cleaned his voice up a lot on that disk, but he's not half bad."
"What he wants is irrelevant. His duty is to carry on the family name and follow in my footsteps when he is gone. That is the price men such as us must pay for our wealth and power."
"Dude," Ron cut in. "The footsteps he's following didn't even start until a couple years ago. Why can't he just take over your old family business?"
Senior sighed. "Perhaps if you were in my position you would understand, Ron Stoppable."
"What's there to understand? You're rich, powerful, own you own island. It's not like the two of you ever really need to work, why not let him do what he wants?"
"Because that is not the path I have laid out for him."
Kim stepped toward him, only to stop as the quintet of robots trained their blasters on her once more. "What's with the Diablos? I've never known you to work with Doctor Drakken."
He glanced a the crimson terrors. "Part of amassing a fortune such as mine comes with a talent for exploiting potential where I find it. Such is the case with these…Diablos, as you call them. Yes, I can see why they would be called devils. Quite ingenious on Doctor Lipsky's part I must say. In the end, they are just like all the rest of my toys, only weapons. High tech weapons I might add. They fit quite nicely into my plan."
"Where'd you get them? I thought Global Justice used some radio thingamabob to fry all their circuits world-wide?" Ron asked, slowly moving to put his back against Kim's.
"Why, I have had a small collection of them for quite some time now. Last year I watched with great interest as you defeated your arch nemesis, yet later I wondered why the little toys Junior collected did not rise up and try to destroy my island. I had them examined and they proved to be quite active and real. Then when I heard a signal had been sent out to destroy their inner workings while preserving the outer toy, I had them checked again and discovered they were fully intact. It was later I learned that certain properties of my custom built home prevented both the original control signal and the destruction signal from reaching them. Once I learned how to activate them for myself a new plan occurred to me.
"You see, there are other places with the same properties as my home. Some of those places have been constructed deliberately, others are that way purely by happenstance. I discovered one such place was a certain warehouse quite near my new dwelling. I also learned the Mexican Government gathered a large number of the Diablos and stored them away before the destruction signal went out."
"The contraband warehouse." Kim breathed. "That's what's got GJ so concerned, they know they've got active Diablos there."
"Precisely, and that is why I have invited the two of you to be my guests. You see, once my aim becomes clear, I am certain Global Justice will do everything in their power to stop me, including sending you. Since I already have you in my power, I have removed you as a threat."
Both teens turned as the large hanger door rolled up, admitting Seniors older crab robot. It clanked forward on its spiky legs until it was about twenty feet from them.
Before they could react, snake-like segmented arms extended, binding their arms to their sides.
Now, if you would care to join me, you may watch as I acquire my new army." He turned his back on them, slowly walking away on his cane, the crab robot following in his wake.
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