Kim turned to Ron. "Well, Mystical Monkey Man?" she asked with a smile.
Ron turned in place several times with his eyes closed. "It feels the same in every direction," he answered, "Lets go down A Hall and try."
A trip up and down A Hall proved fruitless, as did B Hall. Ron was a bit nervous about D Hall, but with Kim and Jenny there, he carried on. He found nothing.
As they returned to the hub of the main building, they turned to C Hall, which was the longest and connected with the gymnasium. But before the last leg of the expedition could get underway, Jenny noticed the time.
"Hey, guys, we've got just ten minutes to get to the caf," she said.
"You're right," said Kim, "We'll have to postpone it." And she turned towards the other end of the building, the other two right behind her.
kpkpkp
When they arrived, it was a surprise to see Mr. Barkin sitting at one of the lunch tables,
papers around him. Students were standing nearby, including Tara, Felix, and Monique. Off
to one side stood Bonnie in her usual pose; arms crossed, hip cocked, and a smirk on her
otherwise pretty face.
"Wheeler, Possible, Stoppable; there you are. Good to see you're not late," said Barkin,
glancing up at them. "Wheeler, you'll be glad to know that the tornado incident has been
chalked up as an "act of God", so there will be no charges for that.
"Mr. Barkin, what's going on? If this is an investigation, I thought representatives of the school board would be here," said Kim.
"You would think so, wouldn't you?" said Barkin, cryptically, "But right now I'm taking witness statements. You want to be next?"
Kim sat down opposite the teacher, who proceeded to hit her with questions that she did her best to answer truthfully.
He then did the same with Ron.
"All right, Wheeler, you're up," said Barkin, and Jenny sat down with a bit of trepidation.
"Just go ahead and make your statement; there will be no questions."
Kim, Ron, Felix, Tara, and Monique looked at each other quizzically. No questions?
Jenny gathered her thoughts, and made a long statement that was duly recorded.
"Thank you, Wheeler," said Barkin when she was finished.
"Mr. Barkin, when has the hearing been set for?" asked Kim.
Barkin sighed. "I was informed this morning that the school board has already met and made a decision."
"Then why take statements?" asked Felix.
"I was HOPING to uncover new evidence. But since that didn't happen, I have to inform you of the Board's decision," he said, and picked up a folded piece of paper. He looked at Jenny.
"I hereby inform you that the School Board, in all its wisdom, has decided that you are a danger to the student body and the school itself. You are hereby expelled from Middleton High School. I'm giving you thirty minutes to leave your textbooks in your locker, collect your personal items, and be off campus within that time." He handed her the paper. "Off the record, I'm sorry. I disagree with this decision, and want you to know I did my best to prevent it."
Jenny took the paper, numb from shock. She barely heard what Barkin said. She turned and left the cafeteria, ignoring everyone.
Watching through the ventilation grill, Monkey Fist grinned, and silently moved away.
Bonnie's smirk widened. The freak had self-destructed, and now she would get Tara back.
As the doors to the cafeteria closed behind Jenny, Kim turned to Barkin. "Mr. Barkin, I have reason to believe that this entire thing was caused by one of our enemies. Ron and I need time to see if we are right."
Barkin looked at her for a long moment, then smiled grimly. "Very well, Possible." He rifled through the papers, then handed her several half-sheets. "There are your hall passes and excuses for today. But that's all I can give you."
"Thank you sir," said Kim, taking them, "C'mon, Ron." And she turned to go.
"Good luck, Possible, Stoppable," said Barkin, then scowled, "And why are the rest of you still here? Get to class."
kpkpkp
Kim and Ron returned to the hub, where all the halls met, and turned towards C Hall.
"You do your thing, Ron, I'm going to call Jenny," she said, and pulled out the Kimmunicator.
She keyed the Connect button, and a moment later, Jenny's tear-stained face appeared.
"What is it, Kim? I'm busy getting out of here," she said.
"I'm sorry, Jenny. Ron and I are about to tackle C Hall," she said.
Jenny sniffed, and wiped her eyes. "Okay. I'm going home. See you there." The screen darkened.
"I think we'd better hurry, Ron. I didn't like the tone in her voice," said Kim.
"Yeah, me either," agreed Ron. He started walking slowly down C Hall.
About halfway to the gym, he stopped. "Rufus? You feel that, buddy?"
Rufus' head popped out of Ron's pocket. "Uh huh. Stronger."
Finally he stopped. The doors to the gym on his right, the closet on his left. "This is where it's strongest, Kim," he said, and Rufus made a noise of agreement.
"Well, we've been in the gym so often, I doubt it's in there. We would have noticed if something was different," said Kim.
"So that leaves..." said Ron, turning to the other door. "You recognize this closet, Kim?"
"Um... no. Should I?" she asked.
"I do. It's the one you locked me in during that dance two years ago," said Ron.
Kim immediately turned bright red. "Ron, I said I was sorry about that, and I meant it."
"I know, KP, and I've forgiven you. But this closet holds some bad memories," he said, and opened the door.
Six monkey ninjas immediately jumped out, taking fighting stances while chattering at them.
"And now they've gotten worse," said Ron, taking a step back.
kpkpkp
Jenny trudged down the sidewalk deep in gloom. "I should have known. Everything was going so well for me, and then here comes the bad luck," she thought, "I've tried so hard. Why can't I ever get a break?"
"Well, Miss Wheeler, I see I was right," said a voice from above her.
She turned and looked up to see Monkey Fist crouched on a branch. "Yeah, you were," she answered. "I've been thrown out of school, and I didn't do anything."
"Those of us who are different are always persecuted," he said, swinging down and landing beside her.
She shook her head but didn't answer otherwise.
"So, what are you going to do now?" he asked, with concern in his voice.
"I'm not sure. I was really enjoying going to school, making friends, doing things. And
now everybody either hates me, or is afraid of me. It just isn't fair," she said, sadly.
She turned her back to him.
"Well, my proposal is still on the table," he said, a ghost of a smile on his lips. "Join with me, and we can be an unstoppable force!."
"What was it you told me you wanted to do?" she asked.
"Become the Ultimate Monkey Master, and rule the world!" he laughed.
"I was never interested in ruling the world," answered Jenny.
"If command is not to your liking, then the world is mine, you'll be free to go where you want, do what you want, take what you want, and there will be no one to stop you!"
"And I'll be able to pay back all those people I thought were my friends, who abandoned me without any reason," she mused aloud.
"Yes! All your pain and suffering will be given back to them tenfold!" he said.
There was a long minute of silence. Fiske's confidence that he had persuaded her to join him swelled, and an evil grin appeared.
Jenny turned to face Fiske. There was an evil grin on her face, and her eyes glowed a bright pink. "I'm in," she said, "And the first thing I'm gonna do is go back to that school, and bring the place down around everyone's ears."
Fiske grinned in triumph! Let's see the cheerleader and Stoppable win this time!
Jenny turned around and started walking back toward Middleton High, pink starting to glow around her hands, and Fiske loping like a monkey to catch up.