Where Did the Time Go? : Part XLVII
Senior finally stopped ranting, instead paying attention as his digger went to work on the last few meters before breaching the Mexican Government warehouse. For a man with billions of dollars to draw upon, he was not afraid of doing his own work, preferring his privacy over hiring much help. The gigantic tunnel boring vehicle was having a tough go of it considering the density of the bedrock it was grinding through. He was forced to stop, back up, reset the grinding edges then advance once more. There was a quiet determination about him that belied his usual genial nature. Something more than a remedy for boredom was driving him. That something seemingly had him stepping up his game.
It was a pretty good guess that something was a muscular, handsome young man whose payment for trying to go straight was being played by his own father in a rather heinous form of revenge. There was no way Kim would ever entertain any thoughts of being romantically involved with Junior, even if Ron were not with her but what he had done was actually kind of sweet, though it kind of felt like the beginnings of a stalking relationship of it carried any further.
Kim was glad their hands were free at least. Senior obviously knew just how poorly equipped the two of them were, though to be on the safe side he had taken Ron's phone. At first she tried calming herself by touching Ron's hand gently, tracing the shape of the bones and muscles just beneath the skin, touching the ridge of his knuckles. Ron put his hand on her cheek and looked right into her eyes. She wondered for a moment why everyone seemed to say blue eyes were the most desirable. At that moment she couldn't conceive of anything more beautiful than the cocoa colored irises looking back at her. They may have been kidnapped from their Senior Prom, but at least this time they did get to enjoy part of it and despite it all, they were still together. Señor Senior Senior was probably going to have to dispose of them eventually, but that would take the form of some elaborate scheme. The 'Code of Villainy' required it.
She found that, even though they were in the middle of a sitch and that usually meant keeping her mind purely on business, she really, really enjoyed Ron's touch. Closing her eyes for a moment she wished he could touch her all that much more and was certain how things would have gone if they actually did make it to the end of the dance and headed upstairs to the room Monique and Felix had given them. She had meant it when she told her mother she was still willing to wait, but that seemed to change when it came to just her and Ron. His touch had that kind of effect on her and it meant more than anything else in the world.
Ron's hand moved up over her head. Much as she liked his touch it still felt funny considering the amount of product the hairdresser had put in her hair to make it stay looking that way. It was meant to be looked at, not touched but she wasn't going to say anything. The loving caress was still wonderful to her even if she really wanted to shampoo that stuff out in the worst way.
Kim winced as he suddenly tugged at the complicated bun. What on Earth was he up to? His hand returned to her cheek for a moment and he looked right into her eyes again. "You know I love that little thing you do."
Confused, she tilted her head slightly as his hand dropped down and took hers. For half a moment she thought he was doing that silly thing with his finger that was supposed to signal he wanted to make out (for some couples she knew it meant even more than that.) She shot him a look that said it was so not the time before she realized there was more than just his fingertip stroking her palm.
Smiling softly at him, she leaned over toward him, brushing her lips across his cheek before laying the side of her head in his lap, closing her eyes as he stroked the one part of her hair that wasn't hard as a rock, her short wispy sideburns.
Senior glanced back at them. "Ah, to be young and in love. You do make such a wonderful couple, so much the pity. You know, I often wondered if there were more between the two of you than just your professional partnership. That lovely young woman who used to accompany Doctor Lipsky often said as much when we were incarcerated together."
"Wait, since when were you in prison with Drakken and Shego?" Ron asked as he felt Kim reaching down between his legs. Guessing what she was up to he craned his head back like it was something else, something more along the lines with what Senior had observed.
"Oh, that was only a brief time, right after I acquired the Oh Boyz in order to advance Junior's singing career."
Kim sat up suddenly. "Wait a minute, that was a couple years ago. Tomorrow's our first anniversary."
"Technically, it's actually Sunday, though it did seem like it was still Prom night, though it was really Saturday morning last year when we kissed…"
"Ron, not now. I can't believe Shego could see that even then and I couldn't."
"My dear, it was painfully obvious the two of you were supposed to be on a date when I picked young Mister Stoppable up with the rest of those boys."
"Really?" Kim sobbed. "I can't believe I wasted so much time, time that I could have been together with Ron and now it's almost over!" She wailed, throwing her head back as she blubbered before doubling over in her seat.
"I am truly sorry, Miss Possible, but I cannot allow the two of you a chance to escape and try your usual heroics…"
"Like this?" She was grinning again as a sandaled foot came up and caught Senior in the chin. He was thrown back against the control panel, giving her just enough time to slam her shoulder into the moon roof. It popped free as easily as one in a cheap SUV.
Ron was on his feet as well, knowing Kim would be able to pick their locks with the bobby pin he found in her hair. They weren't just for Zita's Grandmother after all. "Two words for you, Senior." Ron said as he grabbed the keys to the digger. "Boo, and of course, Yah." He reached up and Kim grabbed his wrist, hauling him out the top of the vehicle.
They scrambled down the back of it, across the crate strewn bed. Kim closed her eyes when she heard a distinct ripping sound. She glanced back, expecting to see Ron's trousers hanging from the corner of one of those boxes. Instead there was a large swatch of shimmering royal blue fabric. Looking down she realized her prom dress had been turned into a mini-dress even shorter than her little black dress. She gulped, silently making a vow never again wear the kind of underwear she had on outside of her bedroom. One wrong move and a whole lot more than just Ron would learn what only Monique and her mother knew up to that point. Then a burning coal of anger flared to life.
Diablo bots two, Club Banana Prom dresses…zero!
"Do you know how many Global Justice milk runs I had to do to pay for this dress?" She bellowed as Senior appeared at the hatch.
"Stop them!" He shouted, shaking his fist at the fleeing teens.
For the first time Kim realized the five active Diablos were marching behind the crawler.
Danika did a handspring off the center of one of the tops, flipping though the air, praying her strength and the suit's power would hold out. The two closest of the three tops clashed together in a shower of sparks and a loud screeching cacophony as she landed nearby. There wasn't any rest for her there as the third bore down on her.
Her mind was working in overdrive, trying to think of a solution to her predicament. With the suit's stealth features in active mode, the only way they could perceive her was with simple visual tracking. It was clear they were homing in on her somehow and since she had not seen anyone since she had been there, that meant there was either somebody or some thing directing them remotely. Their movements seemed to suggest a simple form of artificial intelligence that simply steered them towards her since they were not using any kind of coordinated attack to box her in.
What they lacked in tactics they made up for in speed and brute power. Tucking and rolling to the side she avoided yet another attack while the other two started toward her again.
All the benefits of her mask were now gone. The visor was starting to fog up and sweat was starting to get into her eyes, making them burn. Since there was no need to protect her identity any longer she spared a moment to pull the hood clear of her face.
Leaping away again she realized her error in judgment as another shower of sparks and metal shrapnel threatened to blind her. It was starting to sink in just how far over her head she really was. Leaning against a wall she tried catching her breath, only to have all three turn toward her once more. There was no time to duck between them and an overhang prevented any chance of leaping over them again. Tucking herself into a fetal position she fired the defense screens at full power, hoping against hope it would be enough to protect her from their onslaught.
She closed her eyes tightly, holding her arms over her face. Some hero she was, about to meet her end against something Kim had taken on in just her plain mission clothes. Here at the end she realized the one huge difference between her and her pretended mentor. She was alone, all alone. There wasn't anyone like Ron or that computer guy about to come to her aid. She didn't even have an ally like Ron's little pink rat thing.
Not able to help herself she opened one eye to watch her approaching doom. The three tops met, once again sending a shower of metal fragments in all directions. She covered her face again, feeling them pelt her through the suit, feeling the sting as some penetrated the tough fabric.
The roaring of the tops grew softer. Somehow she realized it was not her mind shutting down at the end. They were actually getting slower and were no longer advancing. One more time she opened her eyes just in time to see the first of them stop and fall over on its side.
The force field flickered off. If it had not been for its protection she would have been shredded by the flying bits of metal. As it was, two large slivers were buried in her forearms, though once again, the pain only served to remind her she was still alive.
She stood up slowly as the last of them fell over, its energy spent. Convinced for the moment they were not about to spring up once more and crush her, she pulled the worst of the splinters from her skin. If she managed to get out of this, she would need stitches but for now she would just have to let the suit serve as a sort of bandage.
What had almost happened to her caught up to her in a rush as the adrenaline burned out of her system. Dropping to her knees she emptied what little was in her stomach out on the ruined floor. Feeling a little better, she staggered once more to her feet and surveyed the ruin of the hanger.
What stopped the black killing machines? Certainly they didn't run out of power. The lights had never even flickered and it didn't seem reasonable they would only run for such a short time. That's when she spotted something small and fast covering the distance between her and a control panel she had not noticed before.
Something small and pink.
Sitting heavily on a large chunk of concrete she tried getting her wits about her. The small animal came to a stop just a few feet away from her, sitting up on its back legs.
"Rufus?" She asked, finally remembering its name. "So I'm not the only one who hitched a ride here, huh?"
He nodded fervently. "Hrk, uh huh!" she could have sworn he squeaked.
Taking a deep breath, she checked the suit. It was still completely intact, healing itself of all the damage it had endured. Fortunately, it was still reading sixty percent power.
Getting up, she started sprinting toward the tunnel. "Come on, let's go help Kim and Ron!"
"Oh yeah." He squeaked as he bolted after her.
Kim vaulted over the smoking remains of one of the Diablos. Lacking any kind of weapon herself she was forced to try turning the robots against each other. Twice she tried bolting past them, only to have at least two of them cut her off. She risked a glance at Ron, who was having just about as much luck.
"Get the keys!" Senior ordered from his vantage point on the bed of the crawler.
Three of the robots turned their attention to Ron, who was momentarily trapped against the rounded wall of the tunnel. With four of the Diablos active, there would be no chance to flee down the long, straight passage. They would be sitting ducks for the energy weapons wielded by the mechanical destroyers.
Kim yanked the remains of her right sandal off and sprinted toward her beloved, tossing the ruined footwear at the face of the nearest monstrosity, hoping it would serve as a minor distraction. It helped, but out of the corner of her eye she could see the fifth rising from the floor, its cybernetic guts repairing the damage inflicted on it by its brethren's plasma beam.
Kim tackled Ron just as the spinning blade from the robot nearest him struck home, sending a shower of rock and dirt fragments flying around. Metallic pinchers clacked over their heads as they bolted back toward the crawler. They had been outflanked by the fast moving automatons again.
"Miss Possible, Mister Stoppable, why do you not make it easier on yourselves. You are seriously outgunned and outnumbered."
"So not!" She responded, tumbling away from another attack.
"Kim!" Ron shouted, hurling a key ring her direction. Leaping upwards she snatched it out of the air.
Senior pointed toward her. "Forget the boy, she has the keys!"
Two of them were joined by the fully recovered fifth, blocking her path. Grinning slightly, she sprung at the bed of the digger. Grabbing the lip of the low tailgate, she hand sprung even higher just as the robots fired.
The force of the explosion carried her higher, forcing her to use her legs to keep herself from slamming into the roof of the tunnel. She spun in mid-flight, landing a kick with her remaining sandaled foot on the face of one of the robots, breaking the yellow horn clean off of it.
Kim landed in a crouch as the robots turned to face her once more. She noted with a bit of satisfaction the left track of the crawler was now lying in ruins. Without the Haephaestus based technology of the Diablos, it was not going to be repairing itself. The digger was effectively a dead issue, making the keys irrelevant.
She leaped upwards once more, only to have the massive arm of a robot catch her in her midsection, sending her painfully against a wall. She tried to get up until she realized one of them had its weapon trained on her. The muzzle of the plasma blaster flared green and she gritted her teeth, expecting the end.
There was a popping sound like a gun going off and something wrapped itself around her attacker's arm, pulling it aside just as it fired. The explosion was close enough she was able to use its force to send her momentarily out of reach of the other robots.
A black shape sailed through the air, suddenly flaring with blue light. It connected with the head of the robot that had almost ended Kim's life, sending the rounded shape clean off the rest of the body.
Ron landed in a crouch, his body surrounded by blue fire, his eyes blazing nearly pure white. Moments later two other figures joined him, one dressed totally in black save for her flying blonde hair, the other small and pink, also blazing with the mystical energy of Tai Xing Pek Kwar.
"Danika!" Kim screamed. "Use the built in Kimmunicator, get Wade!"
"I can't." She shouted back as she fired the cable at another robot. "I disabled the communications system!"
"Dammit." She growled, leaping away from another spinning blade. "Open the belt pouch! Press the button inside the snap!"
Danika let the cable got tight as it retracted, sending her sailing toward the robot it was attached to. The defense screens of the suit flared to life around her leg as she struck it, sending red and black plastic chunks flying.
Not waiting for the younger girl to follow her instructions, Kim was already vaulting herself at another bot. She had already noticed the Diablo Ron had beheaded was not getting back up. Just like the toxic snowmen and the Wannaweep Totem Pole, destroy the head and you destroy the creature.
Realizing the tide of battle had turned in his adversary's favor, Senior scrambled to the top of the crawler once more. The explosions had caused a partial cave-in near the front of the digger and he could see light. They had broken through after all!
He risked one more glance back. He had no idea who the third fighter was, but he did recognize the Team Possible super-suit. Kim had reinforcements after all, but he still had one ace up his sleeve yet to play. Using his surprising strength, he pulled several small boulders loose from the opening, pulling an electronic device out of his jacket.
Kim Possible may have found a way to gain the upper hand against five of the Diablos, but what chance would she have against thousands?
Danika finally managed to find the hidden button. A new voice filled the passage.
"Kim!" Wade screamed over the emergency backup connection.
"Wade, no time, I need a Diablo kill signal over this channel ten minutes ago!" She shouted as she avoided one of the three remaining bots.
Senior forced his way through the narrow opening, bringing his control transmitter up, pressing the red button. Then he stopped cold.
A piercing wail came from the super-suit, forcing the three teens and the Naked Mole Rat to drop to their knees, holding their hands over their ears. The whole tunnel was suddenly bathed in crackling blue energy from not only the three active bots but the two ruined ones as well.
Moments later, all five were reduced to small plastic toys. The three standing slowly slumped over to the side, the cybernetic enhancements totally destroyed by the signal. Moments later it mercifully shut down. The whole tunnel went silent save for a small fire crackling in the bed of the crawler.
Ron was slowly getting to his feet, a small pink shape on his shoulder, hugging his cheek as well as his small arms could manage. Figuring they were okay, she went to check on Danika.
The girl was still on her knees. Several rips were evident in the black suit and the power bands had changed from shiny black to dull blue. There wasn't even a hint of glow from them. The fact it was no longer repairing itself and Wade wasn't talking to them told her the suit was completely spent.
"I'm okay." Danika indicated softly, holding a slowly bleeding gash in her arm.
"Where's Senior?" Ron asked, climbing over the wreckage of the digger.
Kim followed quickly, worried that they would have to do this all over again if the old man actually got more of the Diablos up and running. She reached the opening first, easily slipping through though she did manage to snag what was left of her dress again.
They needn't have worried. Senior was standing there, just inside, his transmitter sitting on the floor forgotten. His hands were on top of his head and it was no wonder.
There were at least three hundred Global Justice agents there, each one holding their weapon trained on the oldster, all save two, plus another figure not dressed in the blue/gray of the international law enforcement agency.
Will Du quickly scooped up the transmitter and put handcuffs on Senior as Betty Director approached Kim and her companions.
"Good work, Miss Possible. I see you have not only delayed Mister Senior long enough for us to arrive, you have also flushed out the thief who stole your suit." She reached into her pouch and produced another set of cuffs.
Kim put out a restraining hand and shook her head slowly. "There's no need for that."
"Kim, I'm afraid there is. She is responsible for stealing that suit and endangering others in the process."
Tightening her grip on the older woman's arm she shook her head more emphatically. "No. She only stole the suit if I say she did. It's over, the suit is dead and as far as I'm concerned, she was part of Team Possible tonight. I'd even venture to say, she's been a part of it all along."
Betty nodded, looking Danika right in the eyes before turning back to her strike team.
Senior looked stricken. A tear rolled down his cheek as he looked at his son. "Junior, how could you do this to me?"
"Father, before tonight I could not, but I have told you again and again I do not wish to be part of a life of villainy. Instead you used me to get at somebody I care a great deal about and that hurts terribly. I have found I can make it as my own man and even though you wished to punish me for trying to be my own man, I find it is now my duty to put a stop to this once and for all." He turned away from his father, possibly for the last time. "This time I will not be there to break you out. Goodbye, Father."
Kim felt like she was going to blubber up as Junior walked toward them. She stood there, trying to hold it in while simultaneously holding what was left of her dress together. He glanced at Ron and his own ruined clothing, then unbuttoned his suit jacket and wrapped it around Kim.
"I cannot begin to tell you how sorry this has happened. I can never forgive myself for destroying what should have been one of the greatest nights of your life. I told you before, I know how you and Ron Stoppable feel about each other and I understand. That doesn't change how I feel about you but I swear to you, I will never do anything to come between the two of you."
"Thank you, Junior. I'm sorry about you and your Dad, but you've proven yourself to be a real man tonight." She stood on her tip toes and kissed him on the cheek.
"Is there anything, anything at all I can do for you?"
Kim looked at Ron, then at Danika.
"Just take us home." She said before nearly collapsing into Ron's arms in exhaustion and relief.
Kim and Ron walked into the ballroom, hand in hand. The private jet was a much more pedestrian sort and had to land at the airport instead of dropping them off where they wanted to. That was just as well, since they were both on no condition to skydive home.
They dropped Danika off at the Medical Center to get her lacerations looked at. By the time they landed in Middleton, all three teens were dressed in plain but nice clothing provided without question by Junior.
Kim was spared any awk-weird moments with her former foe since he stayed behind in Mexico to try and make something of the remnants of his father's legitimate empire. At the end of the day it did seem nice that there was some possibility she could call one of her enemies a friend. Well, a friend at a distance, considering his profession of love for her.
It was around three in the morning. Most of the lights were off and the tables were empty. They were certain some of the Prom guests were still in the building, taking advantage of the fact the dance was held in a hotel instead of the gym. Others had either gone home or fanned out to one of the after-parties if they weren't seeking some quality time alone.
Kim stopped under the jagged hole left in the ceiling by the Diablo some hours earlier and wondered if the party had simply ended then. That was entirely likely, she thought. Nothing like a killer robot to spoil everyone's fun.
She felt Ron's hand wrap around hers. The moment they got in there he disappeared for a moment. Seconds after he returned to her side she realized why.
Kim knew what the song was the moment it started playing. Smiling at her lover she embraced him closely. They danced together slowly, not so much truly dancing but swaying gently in a hug so tight it reminded both of them of the bumps and bruises all over their bodies. Neither cared as the song played out, then started all over again.
She leaned back and looked into his eyes and they both started singing along with it, not caring they weren't quite in tune with it. That didn't last as they started kissing. Their dance stopped as the two of them twined their bodies together in the middle of the empty dance floor. As their song ended for the third time, they parted and slowly made their way upstairs to the room their friends had given them as a gift.
They weren't going to chance bringing another disaster down on them. They simply crawled into the king size bed and fell asleep in each other's arms. They were together and that's all they needed that night.
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