Chapter 7: Eyes and Ears
He looked around, his hands shook nervously in his pockets as he walked to class, constantly thinking about the predicament he somehow got himself into. It hasn't even been a month and already he was exposed in what… two, three days?!
Ron muttered curses under his breath, scolding himself for his impatience. He could've waited longer until making his move as a vigilante. Yet he couldn't… what would've happened to Ned, or the officers that were holding Dementor? They would've been killed! With a pen in his hand, he curled his index finger upon it… squeezing it in order to keep himself in check.
'Damn it, just damn it!'
Kim and Monique walked into class, all giggling as they had their conversation. Even in whispers, he could make out what they were talking about.
"C'mon, you just met him and you invited him over to your house?" Kim says. "Aren't you jumping the gun a little early?"
"Oh really? You're one to talk…" Monique chimes "You keep your eyes set on your man and don't worry about mine. We're just friends Kim, that's it."
"It always starts that way…" Kim says.
"No, trust me… it'll stay like that." Monique assured her, she looked at Ron, he waves at her. She waved back as a result.
This placed Ron into thought, the way they entered. With his predicament, he thought those Global Justice hounds would be on his trail, but they weren't… at least not yet. Kim could've stormed in with several agents, screaming about how he's the vigilante, Monique would be in shock about it, not because he's a hero, but it's would be the killing part that concerns her. He's placed in a facility and imprisoned, his dual identity exposed as a result.
Kim didn't know who he really was, so she couldn't be the one blackmailing him. He had to narrow it down to several candidates, but there was a lot, if only the caller didn't disguise his voice. There are several things that he knows about the caller, proficient in technology, better intelligence about Middleton's underworld, and eager to earn his trust.
Before he could dwell upon it further, he felt a slip of paper on his lap. He opened up the paper to see it had a note. 'Wrestling girls to the ground, are we?' :P
He looked back to see that Kim was sporting a look, not out of anger… so that's a good sign. Ron could humor her, so he wrote back.
'4 the record, she was on top for the first few minutes.' He made sure the note got to Kim. She stifled a laugh as she read the letter. She covered her smiling mouth.
'How very gentleman-like. I heard you two got a little rough.' Kim wrote.
'D.W. I wasn't that rough, I made sure I was gentle.'
'Were your hands in the right place?' Kim isn't necessarily trying to flirt with Ron, she wanted to hear this from another person, of course she'll believe Monique, she's just looking out for her.
'Round the waists, touched the hips, not in that way tho. O.o'
Before Kim could write back another response, Barkin had already walked into class, leaving Kim with the fact that Monique and Ron didn't really do anything intimate… it was just wrestling. Still, using double entendre didn't do it any favors however.
To another case that was at hand, there wasn't much crime to fight last night, not as much as she was used to. Normally, she would've been on the phone with Monique, but her and Ron were having the time of their lives wrestling. She probably could've called Josh, but refrained from doing so. Kim could catch up with him when they head to the cafeteria for lunch. She didn't want to admit it, but it was plain as day; she was bored and there was something, or someone else that sparked an excitement inside her.
What did she feel… when she was out on patrol? When she rooted out every crevice of evil and locked it in cells, it got her adrenaline pumping for sure, and yet… something was different about this day. Even if she felt fear, it never consumed her. What did consume her however, was a thrill. How it caused her blood to boil, to flow with such stimulation. Even her mornings felt… better. Not just better because she has a guy or that she is widely loved, but there's a challenge out there for her, A challenge that she is more than willing to pass. Kim will not let it be turned into an obsession. But this is just something that she can't just walk away from, not even if the director ordered her to.
Kim was going to do it, she was going to go against orders. The redhead was going to take down this vigilante herself. You probably have something against team impossible, and probably will… but be stuck with them in a room for several hours, then you'll immediately feel her pain… well not pain so much as irritation.
The school lecture had finally ended with the school bell coming to their salvation. It was finally time to get some lunch. Luckily she saw a boy catching her eyes, Josh Mankey.
"Hey Kim… ah, good to see you."
"Josh! Hey sorry I couldn't call you yesterday I was uhh…"
"Hey don't worry about it, you save a lotta lives who am I to get in the way of that? I mean…"
"Thanks for understanding, if you want we can…" Kim wanted to eat lunch with Josh for a bit. It doesn't really qualify as a date, but the relationship is starting off pretty good. They both wanted to be close at this point.
"Yeah sure… why not." As they walked to the tables to eat together. The artist actually had started the conversation.
"So hey, there's gonna be an artists exhibit after school. I mean if you wanna come, it be pretty cool."
"Really?! I mean yeah, sure! It'll be fun." She says.
"That's awesome, it's gonna happen around four, so maybe I'll see you there."
"Definitely!" As they excitedly talked to one another. It placed her mind away from the other concerning nature at hand… but she will get back to it. One day to herself wouldn't hurt anyone.
Time had passed… whereas Ron's panic had actually deteriorated. A sharp breath had escaped him as he went to the locker room in the gym. He had instructions to follow, he was also given enough time to think about his… 'priorities'.
This guy designated his next little clue in the locker room in the gym, placing it in a duffel bag. He had his eyes on Ron, it was already narrowed down that he's a Middleton resident. But there was something else about it. He knew what school he went to, he was inside the school when he would drop off this said equipment. He wanted to investigate more about this person, so doing what he says can maybe place a certain amount of clues.
He went up to the lockers counting the several numbers so he can find the one the caller specified. "Damn it, ok… 223, 225, here it is 227." He touches the lock, about to twist and turn the mechanism for it to be unlocked. "13…29…5." With a yank, it unlocked. "Booyah!" He cheers.
He sees a grey duffel bag and takes it out of the locker. He sees two zippers, a main one and another just lower to the main. He opens the other one first, to see that there's a phone inside with a note taped to the back.
'Link the headset' it said.
He did so and heard the voice speak to him again. "I see that you've gotten my message." The voice was still disguised. There was a slight pause between the both of them. Ron didn't know if it was a prerecorded message or if he was speaking to the guy for real. "Last time my voice was on a message that was already recorded. I can assure you that you're speaking to me in real time."
Ron still slightly unconvinced, responded to the sentence. "Ok, so I got your little message. You have my attention for only one reason: you know who I am. You say you wanna help right, you're giving me this equipment to show good faith. So that's a start." He unzips the duffel bag to see the gear and he shows curiosity. He takes out to see what looks like a mask, but incomplete.
"Instead of a balaclava mask, you now have a half-face mask. It was a little tricky to make, considering that you would be in hand to hand combat, exposure to gases, identity concealment. It worked regardless."
Ron places the mask back in the bag, he pulls out two matching pair of gauntlets. "These are your new forearm protectants. Compared to your old one, this will absorb more shock and impact damage. Should be more comfortable for you to maneuver without sacrificing striking power or speed. It also comes with a matching set of armor for your calves."
Ron jokingly chuckled at his new forearm protectors. "What, no blades?" Yet, speaking of blades…
Ron pulls out two sets of swords, identically similar. "Two custom-made wakizashi blades. Serrations in the middle with a sharpened tip. The hilt of the blade should be more comfortable for you to grip, it hasn't sacrificed its piercing and slashing advantages." Ron took the blade out and twirled it for awhile.
"Ok, so what's the situation? Jack Hench is obviously my target, but I think you went through all of this with a well thought out plan." Ron surmised.
"Hench is obviously aggravated at you and Kim Possible's interference in his operations. Global Justice has sent a squad of three to apprehend you, and Kim Possible herself wants to stop you. So, sending both Global Justice and Henchco a message is the first step."
"Good idea." The blonde boy said.
"Jack Hench holds an underground weapons cache that's been under investigation. Security is of course under Hench's payroll, so expect about a dozen of them. Global Justice had placed it under surveillance for a short while, but they've been looking in the wrong place. If someone makes a little appearance, destroys their cache… you will gain GJ's attention. Particularly, the three man squad is known as Team Impossible will make their appearance. If they fail to capture you, the word will fall to Kim. You can have your little fun if you want, or you can escape if it becomes too much."
Ron took the bag, hoisted it on his shoulder and walked out of the school. "Destroying a weapons cache, huh? They'll be down a business location and the profit margin will decrease… why can't it just be easy as to kill the boss and that would be the end of that?"
Hours later he arrives at the location of interest. It looked like an empty lot with some empty car sitting on the grassy fields, stripped of its parts and left to rust.
"What am I looking at?" Ron asked as he approaches the vehicle.
"There's an entryway, looks to be… underneath the car?" The speaker says.
He was right, there's a hatch that he could open to access the bunker. Jumping down to meet the dusty grounds, he looked to see if there was any guards witnessing his entrance, there were two in fact. They were met with a swift demise with two shurikens lodged into one persons head and another's throat. Walking without a care he enters further into the bunker. But maybe he could chat with his 'tech support'.
"Hey, I got a question… to destroy the cache, I have to blow up the weapons or cause a cave-in or both?" Ron curiously asked. "I mean, probably both, but I'm just making conversation."
"Both would be important, Hench loses his cache and bunker and thieves won't take this hideout as their own. There's some explosives that are probably down there, I can take you step by step if you want to detonate them." Before he could say anything, he heard footsteps.
"Someone's coming." Ron says. Indicating they should go silent. He took cover behind the walls, but he could hear the footsteps inching closer… they were coming his way.
As the first man was in arms reach, he grabbed his hand to pull him closer and slashed his hip. He definitely saw three others. He attacked the one on his left as he stabbed him on the side of the neck with his blade. He moved his body towards the other two and did a push kick which sent them both reeling towards the wall, with the sword escape the neck of its latest victim, Ron slices one man's gut horizontally, the last victim was able to grab Ron's arm and push him against the wall. The blonde ninja had then jumped up, applied his weight, twisted himself in the air and slam his enemy onto the ground and stab him in the head with a kunai.
Ron picked up his sword and runs to another entry point, it looked like an office that overlooked the lower levels. There was someone in there, as he creaks opens the door. A man with a half-eaten hoagie overlooks bunker whether scientists are experimenting or engineers designing whatever weapons they were assigned to create.
The man looks behind him, only to be grabbed by the neck. His body forced against the glass. "Do you value your life?" Ron says to him. "I want you to deliver a message to the nearest precinct, or someone from Global Justice about where this place is, who owns it, who works here and what's coming in and out of here day-to-day. Do it and I will spare your life." Ron let's go of his throat, letting him catch his breath. The man grabs a bottle and attempts to smash it on the ninja's head, but it was caught and they were both sent flying out of the window. Ron with his newly stolen grapnel, shot it above one of the ledges, and as he swung towards wooden crates, he let the man's slam onto them as Ron propped himself up to higher ground, seeing a guard racing to the sound of the noise, to meet a kunai right to the chest. Ron lunges towards another guy in his sights and stabs him right in the leg.
"Walk it off." Ron says as he knees the guard in the jaw.
"Ok, I see the cache tell me what to do." Ron says. As instructed several explosives were placed onto crates, weak spots of the bunker, all ready to detonate at his say-so.
"Ok mission accomplished, now we need to…" Ron felt trembling in the ground, could it have been an earthquake? No it couldn't be… there was a faint whirring sound, but as it inched closer, the sound became more clear. He saw something break through the ground. He marvels at what he saw, for it somewhat shocked him.
"A drill?" He goes up to higher ground to get a view away from the line of sight and see three burly men exit the machine and started beating down on the remaining thugs. All he could do was look in displeasure. "That's one way of getting in."
As the three confirmed the director that they were inside, they see one man, covered in blood, it covered his shirt and spewed from his mouth. Crash looked around and saw a man clad in garments towering over them standing on other crates.
"He's here."
"That's my cue." Ron mutters to himself as he jumps to meet the team. "I got to admit, your infiltration is too bombastic for my taste. Bombastic but flashy in a cliche sense." He walked towards the man he threw out the window. He points the blade's tip on the man's neck, he winces in pain as he could feel the cold steel drew blood. "This guy here, this ah… bleeding moron, is in charge of overlooking the place. See it would be easy to… slit his throat and be on my way, but I'm pretty sure this guy knows a bit more about other locations like this."
"Put the sword down now!" Crash Cranston yelled. Ron was just as calm, unmoved by his attempt to be dominant.
"I mean he's a piece of shit y'know… and you people are fighting assholes like him everyday, even Kim. You don't really have any solutions to stop this do you?"
"Stop, please… I'll give you whatever you want." The wounded man said. It only caused Ron to punch him in the face, giving him a bruise on the side of his cheek.
"Shut up!" He pointed the blade's tip on his ankle. Clearing his throat in the process. "Sorry about that, guys like him piss me off." He looks around to see the unconscious men beaten by Team Impossible tried to stagger on their feet. He then scoffs at both the team and the bad guys. "You didn't finish them off?"
"Put your sword down and place your hands behind your head!" Crash gave him a second warning.
"Ohh, strike two. Let's see where strike three takes me." Ron charges towards the stunned criminals and slices them with his blade and skewers them with shuriken in front of the team with impressive speed. Knowing that team Impossible won't stand for it, he sees Burn charge at him trying to hit Ron in the jaw, he spins, ducks and slashes the man in the leg. Burn recoils in pain as he lost his balance and falls to the ground. Ron then threw a smoke bomb between them and was going to make his escape, but not without parting with some words.
"The place is rigged to blow, I'd run outta here if I were you." As he ran towards the hallway from his left he sees one of the team members shoulder charge him, slamming him onto the wall. Since it wasn't Burn, it was someone else. Dash Damont.
Getting up from the impact Ron struck him with a right hook to the face, a left jab to the stomach. He then grabs the back of his head, pulls him close and knees him in the gut.
Ron uses Dash's body as a support to vault him in the air and kick Crash in the head, but it only got him on the shoulder. Pushing him toward the wall, Ron was able to get into his knees, strike his leg with his elbow, punch him in the stomach twice. He gets up to punch Crash in the jaw, grab him and slam him to the ground. Dash placed the ninja in a full Nelson hold, but Ron uses his strength to slam him onto his teammate. With Crash disoriented, Ron does a push kick straight to his head that effectively knocks him out. Rolling out of the way, he sees Dash and himself crouching, he does a sweep kick towards him and it lands on his cheek.
Burn on the other hand, limped towards Ron and did a soccer kick to his stomach. Before Burn could stomp on him, Ron kicked him in the shin where he wounded his leg. He digs his fingers into the wound to get him on his knees. Burn could only grab Ron's wrist as tight as he could. With the pressure not moving him, Ron grabs him knees him right on his face, probably breaking his nose, an elbow to his temple, a kick to his wounded leg once again, a head kick to the temple of his head.
Ron didn't need to look behind him to know that Dash was coming for him. He jumped up to do a back kick. Effectively pushing him away and quickly pulls out a detonator.
"The cache is set to blow." He says as Team Impossible regroup and pick themselves up. "I'll give you a couple minutes to get outta this place before it's all caved in." His thumb hovers over the button as he slowly backs away from them and leaves the bunker the same way he got in. As he got back up to sunlight, he sees a jeep, parked outside the entrance. Wanting to get back into the city quickly, and deprive the team of their transportation just to spite them, it didn't take him long to make a decision.
"Ehh." He says as he got into the car. He waits until three minutes pass by, he pushes the detonator, exploding the bunker and burying the dead bodies of the criminals he's killed. Before he even pushed the detonator, he could feel the ground shake again, even the car shook.
"Looks like they made it to the drill." He drives away to Middleton and parks the car in an abandoned lot. As he slams the door, and walks away from the car. Someone was watching from above. A certain someone who's been waiting for him. A female redhead.
"I see him, he took their car and he's leaving the lot." A female voice said.
"Luckily the GPS tap was online."
"But there's no sign of team Impossible."
"Do you think he killed them?"
"I dunno Wade, but he will answer for what he's done." She took out her jetpack, with the wings spread out, she took a leap of faith and charged at the ninja.
"OOF!" Was the sound Ron made as he was tackled and flew into the air as he zipped through the air with the redhead girl.
"Gah!" Kim grunted as she tried to grab a firm hold on Ron as he fought to wiggle his way out of her grip. He punched her in the stomach repeatedly, as Kim punched him in the face in retaliation. Kim slams him onto the walls of buildings, as he did the same thing. Both of them were fighting for dominance, with one and the other losing advantage each time. They flew to street level and heard the honking of car horns as they missed oncoming traffic, but not without slamming each other's bodies onto commercial trucks.
"Hold still!" Kim said as she kept fight Ron, punching him consecutively in the face. Ron caught the next fist and slammed his head onto her face and followed with punches of his own.
"Not like this!" Ron could see the rooftop of the building as both heroes inched closer to its level. "Ok, let's see you fly with one wing." He takes his sword and stabs of of the jetpack's wings causing them to fly and spiral out of control. Ron then cut off the straps of the jetpack as they were about to crash onto the roof.
They rolled, grunting and feeling the impact of the crash as they finally came to a halt. Kim's jetpack fell off the roof onto the streets. Both struggled to get up due to the agonizing pain.
"Let's not do that again." Ron suggested he said, stretching his arms and legs.
"Deal." Kim says as she wipes blood from her face.
"So, you came back for round two?" Ron says.
"This time, you're not gonna run." Kim clenched her fists and stared down the ninja, wanting to put a stop to him.
"Trust me when I tell you…" he sheathes his sword, clenched his fists and stared her down as well. "I won't."
The second fight between Kim and Ron, both have been wanting this rematch for a bit. Their eyes lit with the passion of warriors, running towards the front lines of combat with their weapons, their moral codes, their pride… all for one purpose that is commonly shared.
'I… will… win!'