Chapter 3: Settling In Contested Territory

When it came down to picking them off one by one, it took precision, timing and patience. If any of them were startled, then they'd be driving away in their cars, forcing the fight to be on the road… if the blonde boy manages to successfully chase them.

He sees one of the guards far away from position. As he stalks him from higher ground, Ron stands on the ledge. Before the man could register his shadow in front of him, the ninja quickly lunges at the man and stabs him in the head. He rolls away and takes cover behind a wall. He takes a kunai knife from his pouch, with a twirl, he sees that a guy was in front of him looking the other way. With a quick throw it hit its mark on the back, causing him to fall down, making a sound that indicated impact.

"What was that?" One of the guards said. Before they could spread out something small fell between them, it was then a large cloud of smoke engulfed all of them. Lines of sight broken, arms covering the eyes, the body expelling the smoke from their lungs with coughing. They were all vulnerable and open to strike. "It's… Kim Possible!" One of them said through shagged breaths.

In some sort of response, one man jerked his body to move upwards, his head pointed at the ceiling with his eyes dimming. His mouth was then filled with blood as he looked down to see a blade piercing his chest. A second man was finding his way through the smoke as he felt a slash on his calf, causing to fall on his knee, with the feeling of cold steel slicing at the throat. The smoke was becoming less dense, it was only a matter of time before it dissipates, revealing his location. Ron throws two shuriken, hitting each guy. It was then he felt a force knock him towards the car. He turns around to see a guy holding a pipe as a blunt weapon.

Ron rolls onto the car, as his enemy swings the pipe, smashing the windshield and letting glass fly everywhere. The blonde boy vaults over the guy and does a push kick, he hit the car, but fell to the ground. He got up to swing at him again, only to be blocked by his sword.

The guard looked as if he was pushing the boy back, he was about to smash this across his face until he jumped, spun and back kicked him. He was about to hit the boy right on his shoulder, but it was blocked… but it got Ron on one knee. The attack was redirected to the side and the ninja kicked him in the shin, then the side of his head and felt the hilt of the blade hit him. They both got up, the guard threw away the pipe and clenched his fists. Ron seeing his challenge, swipes his blade and then sheathes it.

Ron sees the guy start with a left punch which was parried, a right punch that was dodged, he tucked his head and tackled the blonde ninja. Ron knees him in the gut, folds his hands and brings it down to his back, all the while regaining his footing and using the guy's momentum to throw him down.

He stumbles back up to see Ron kick him in the skull to push him down. The thug rolls away only to feel a knee hit his jaw, a hand grabbing his arm as he was punched in the cheek and chopped right on the throat. He then hoisted the enemy up and the blonde boy threw him to the ground, taking out his sword and placing the tip on his neck.

"You're gonna tell me what I need to know, and if I think you're lying, I'll do this…" Ron then stabs a shuriken on the guy's foot, having him scream in pain, while thrashing about the ground, heavily breathing. "Your little boss has a doomsday device, where is it?" Ron partially overheard the conversation with Kim and Wade, to make sure he isn't going to lie on future questions, this will be a little test.

"I-I don't know!" He stammered. "I swear I'm just here for a jo-AHHH!" He screams as the shuriken is taken out of his foot and then embedded into his ankle.

"Ehhh, wrong!" Ron said. "It's in a shipyard after being smuggled here in Middleton, so now you lied to me the first time. That means I'm not gonna let that slide."

"You're not gonna kill me, you can't!" It was then Ron grabbed his head and showed him the fresh corpses of his companions as his eyes looked in such shock as this nightmarish reality dared to set in.

"See I'm not Kim Possible… so you might wanna rethink the answer and…" he rotates his hand counterclockwise to add on to the situation.

"It isn't for Dementor, it's for the guy that supplies him, he supplies everyone in this line of work. It was just a delivery for Henchco."

Ron narrowed his eyes to check outside, then glared at the man beneath him. "Give me his name." Ron twisted the shuriken a little more, causing the man to wince in pain.

"Hench. Jack Hench. The device was suppose to be a delivery run. It was shipped overseas, now its in transit by road. That- that's it."

Thinking about it, Kim was going to intercept the shipment, right? He did stop a prison break, and he had something else to take care of, while the sun is still up and it would be awhile before it sets. May as well call it a day.

"Appreciate the help." He lets go of the guy who quickly got up to limp towards the vigilante, only to meet a shuriken right onto the chest, causing him to fall down. He takes to the roofs and runs from the scene as the sounds of sirens were making its way towards the warehouse as he was in a good distance change back into his everyday outfit.

"Being a ninja is one thing, but it's so much better when I do it at night." Ron muffles as he removes his vigilante outfit. Maybe that Kim person stopped the shipment already.

"Go! Go! GO!" Was the words that several guys said as they had the shipment stashed in the truck, as they were quickly driving away.

"What happened to them?" One guy says.

"Kim got to 'em, we need to move!" Heavy breaths ensued as they sped off of the dock and went for the roads. It then led to an open road with horns blaring and cars swerving away from the truck. The passenger sighed as he leaned back, relieved that the redhead lost them. But a head peaked upside down and looked at him. It was Kim Possible, on top of the truck.

"Ah!" He jumped from his chair. The driver had tried to move side to side to get her off, maybe turn her into roadkill. She kicked the side of the passenger window, breaking it and letting shards of glass spill onto his lap. She grabbed him, then with a punch to his face and tying his hands together, she threw him towards a lamppost where he dangled, she hops into the car in an effort to use the brakes. With the driver wrestling her and trying to maintain control of the vehicle, he did poorly. For when was about to make a left turn, Kim elbowed him right on the cheek. Her foot stomped on the brakes as they came to a complete stop, blocking the road on one way. The drivers head then struck the wheel, rendering him unconscious. Kim dragged the thief out of the truck and tied him up for the police. Luckily for those about to be a part of a newly formed traffic delay, they were already swarming the scene.

She had then left the authorities to do the rest of the work, she then hears her Kimmunicator go off, resting on a roof, she is then reached by Wade.

"Everything ok, Wade?" She asked him. Whether there was another mission at the ready, she would launch herself straight into action… with a sip of his soda he had spoken to her.

"Yeah, so far there's nothing going on right now. Guess we can chalk it up as another job done. Might as well take the rest of the day off while we're at it."

Kim looked at Wade and smiled. "Yeah, I guess you're right. We've earned this." With the ending of that transmission, she was about to jump off the roof until she heard a muffled sound, coming from her stomach. She holds it gently with her hand.

'Maybe I should get something to eat.' With that thought in her head, she decides to head to the closest place that can satisfy her hunger.

Bueno Nacho. It was right there. Go in, get a salad, maybe talk to some friends and leave. Luckily she saw her best girl friend there… but something felt off.

Monique was with someone, they were smiling and laughing. Taking a minute to register who this person was… she remembered something. That guy was the new student. What was his name… John, Tom, Don? Maybe she'll introduce herself, because she felt a little guilt for ignoring the guy.

She walks into the fast food place and sees that everything had a lighter atmosphere than before. More people being here is one thing, but then she sees the guy working there, Ned. First he was a nervous wreck because some people were extorting him at the restaurant, now he looks as if he's… enjoying the day.

"Hey, Kim! Over here girl!" Monique said. It was then Kim saw the blonde boy smile at her and giving her the peace sign. As she walked closer, Monique spoke to her. "Listen, this new guy, Ron. He is outta pocket!" She said smiling. "Tell her what you did, Kimmie, trust me, you're gonna love this."

Ron was his name, then? Least that covers the name question, but what did he do?

"Ok, this guy. I don't even know him. He comes up to me, threatening me for money. So I say to him 'go fuck yourself' and fought. He wanted to fight, he got one… but he got the worst of it."

"Kim, you see him fight, it'd be like something S.O.O.A.M. (Straight Out Of A Movie) I mean, it was amazing." Kim sat down next to Monique, clearly enraptured by Ron's actions. "Tell Kim what you did after." Ron shrugged off the acronym he knew nothing about and continued.

"Ok, so after the whole beat down. His pride was shot. Like, it's over, you lost. I tell him to just walk away and he does, holding his mouth and holding back tears. I walk away and everyone is suddenly clapping."

"Wow, so you can fight?" Kim asks Ron. If Monique was right about him being this skilled fighter, then maybe his skills can be put to good use, other than fighting common bullies.

Ron looks attentively at the redhead. 'If I completely agree to what Monique says, that means that Kim might become suspicious of me soon. A vigilante showing up at the same time I show up, that doesn't just say 'coincidence'. Especially if they can both fight. But, if she hasn't learned of the murders at the docks…' Ron studied her face, he came to a conclusion that relaxed him.

'She looks calm and relaxed, that means she hasn't learned about it yet. Phew. Ok, the Ron-man can get outta this, it's a piece of cake.'

"Well it was just one guy… and I can take care of myself. It's just self defense y'know."

"Oh! So you know some self defense…" Kim asks.

"You know some moves right? I mean everyone knows you're the hero around." Maybe redirecting some attention to her can smoothen things out. 'Maybe I'm acting a little paranoid… opening up a little wouldn't kill me.'

"I know about sixteen styles. Maybe I can show you some… if you want." She then sees Ned walk up to them, maybe to compliment Kim or Monique, or make small conversation towards them. But she actually sees him give a combo with a medium soda to Ron. She looks at the cup and sees Ron smiling.

"Here you are Ron, compliments from the manager himself." He says. Kim registered this calmly, a free meal? But he's new here, maybe it's a first time thing?

"Hey Ned, how did Ron get a free meal from the manager?" She asks. Her curious mind shifted towards the matter. It wouldn't hurt to know, right?

Ron looks at Ned, in patience to see what he was gonna say. Hopefully he won't say that he beat up a couple thugs for them.

"Yeah, he's been in a greater mood, on top of the usual. They actually made another Bueno Nacho chain in another city. Since he's the new guy around… he thought it would be nice to do something generous for a change, that's why we did a little discount for everyone tonight." He points to the menu bar to see the prices cut down a bit. Before the redhead could go any further, she was stopped immediately.

"OMG Kim, guess who just walked in?" Monique said as she showed the redhead, the one whose affections she's been pining for. Ron looks as well, to see what all the squealing is about and to hide his annoyance.

They both talked among themselves as Ron stood up and shimmied away. He made his way towards this character Josh Monkey or whatever his name was. He leans onto the counter with Josh next to him. It was then he spoke.

"All right look, we don't know each other but let's start off with something obvious, there's a girl wanting to ask you out and she's being all shy about it."

"Really? Who?" He turns to look at Ron.

"Don't look at me, face forward…" he commanded, to which he reluctantly looked at the menu. "It's Kim, the redhead. Some sorta hero, I mean c'mon she has the hots for you."

"How do I know you're telling me the truth and you're not pranking me or something? Because if this is a joke…" Ron interrupted Josh, unfazed by his upcoming threat.

"Take a look at this and see how Red is looking at you right now." He gave him his phone which was able to give a dark reflection. With a squint of his eyes he could see the love struck look in her eyes, making him blush madly. Ron noticed this easily.

"You two don't even need to be shy around each other, go for it."

"Yeah but, what do I do?" Josh asks. With a lack of confidence. "I don't wanna come off too strong, you know what I mean?"

"Walk in the park. Simple enough, if there isn't so much people. Talk, get to know each other. See where it takes you." Ron pats the artist on his shoulders.

With an instilled sense of courage, Josh walks towards Kim. With them both giving out light chuckles. The blonde looks attentively as both the redhead and the artist had ogled each other. After a while, Kim gets up from her chair and walks with Josh, ready to go on their first sub-par date.

Monique looked at Ron with an obvious look in her eyes, indicating that she knew what he did. With a smile of his own, he gave her an answer. "They both needed a push, someone needed to make a first move… it had to happen."

"Looking out for Kim, ok… but there's a little problem." She taps her fingers on the table and smiles at Ron. "Since Kim and Josh went out together, you know where that leaves me, right?"

"Oh yeah, the third wheel. Hehe sorry." Ron says. He didn't think of the repercussions that he may or may not have caused. Looks like since the two of them were technically alone, maybe being together friend-wise, can make up for it.

"Listen G.W.A is coming on tomorrow and it would be pretty nice if someone watched it with me. I'd ask Kim, but she doesn't like that stuff and she'll be on another date. So that's where you come in." She poked Ron's nose.

"So you wanna invite me over to your house, to watch wrestling and maybe wrestle you to the ground?"

She giggled at his suggestive comment. "You can try."

"Well, sure… I guess we could…" before Ron could continue, his phone vibrates and reminds him of a task he needed to take care of. His lips curled at it's memory. The boy had sighed and got up from the booth. "I'm sorry, I have to go… there's something I'm suppose to do."

Monique hid her disappointment. "Aww really, you're gonna leave me hanging?" She then made a pouty face at Ron, where he could've driven himself to stay with a new friend a little longer, but he mentally steeled himself for his departure.

"Don't worry, we're still gonna be on for G.W.A, I promise." He grabbed his backpack and hoisted it on his shoulders.

"Fine by me. Just H.M.U when you're done." When Monique said her piece, Ron tilted his head in confusion. 'What did she mean by that?' His mind spoke, until it was answered for him. "Hit me up."

"Yeah ah hehe, sure I'll do that." He rushed outside and traversed somewhere he remembered hearing about. Somehow, a pang of guilt lingered in his system as he couldn't hold off on it for a little while just for Monique. She seems pretty cool and it's nice to have friends around. Still, he was on a mission and sometimes… the things that have to be done require some amount of sacrifices.

Kim had finally arrived home in order to get some rest. After having that small date with Josh, her life felt just a bit more satisfying. First she was nervous around him, especially when the redhead attempted to ask him out. The end result: she stumbles on her words and makes herself look silly.

But she didn't set herself up with Josh, it was that new guy Monique was hanging out with. His name was… Ron. With that memory instilled in her, she thought the blonde guy was going to embarrass her in front of her crush, making her face flush red at the thought. But he didn't, he actually set the two of them up. She didn't want to set him on a pedestal, but she was… no she is grateful for what Ron did for her. But there was one little concern.

She didn't even thank him for what happened. Not a thumbs up or a smile his way. Well… not yet, but the redhead was going to remedy that. Ron was new here, so it was only fair that she did something in return, she didn't know what… but she'll get there.

Even so, the night wouldn't be described magical because of it being an overused term. Words that would come up for it would be; 'comfortable', 'giddy' and 'natural'. She didn't see anything destroying this night… or so she thought.

A call came from her Kimmunicator. Wade contacted her and he looked seriously uneasy. It was as if he saw something so horrible, that he would do anything to unsee it. Kim saw this and quickly worried for her friend.

"Hey Wade. Is everything ok? You don't look so good." She sat up to brace herself for whatever news he had. A look like that on his face, was enough to make her concerned.

"No." Wade started. His eyes were glued onto something, images perhaps. "You… you really need to see this." He placed the file on her screen and she looked in revulsion and dread as her eyes were met with the most unsettling of images.

Men… thieves who were obviously involved in criminal activity, found murdered near a warehouse. All of their lives… taken. She's never seen someone do something so extreme in the name of their own grandeur justice. Who could've done this, why did they do it? More importantly where are they right now?

"All of them… killed Kim. No one was able to find any leads or clues. But the one thing we know from them is that they were planning to bust Dementor outta jail, while you were busy elsewhere."

Kim couldn't say anything. She just stared at the picture and just looked in grievance as something like this happened, in her hometown no less.

"I…I'll call you back, Wade."

Kim sat there as she began to process this. What could've possessed someone to kill them? How far would they go? Why would they do this? More importantly, how could she stop them?

'Today was a beautiful day… at least for me. Maybe I'm being a little selfish right now but… it was also pretty serious. This new guy Ron, I dunno much about him… but Monique's taken a liking to him. A friend of hers is a friend of mine, I guess. I'm going to thank him soon… but there's something else crossing my mind. The murder of the criminals. I mean they're bad people sure… and something like that was going to happen to them sooner or later. I just didn't think that it would've come like this. Whoever's doing this must be stopped. If Wade got this, so did GJ, maybe the Director will have something for us in the morning. I got a date with the guy I liked and there's a killer out there. I just need to keep my head together on both matters. Doing this whole thing has a simple elegance to it: one step at a time. Right?'

Feeling: Messed Up In The Head