Double Entendre
Chapter 23
Middleton Space Center
"How did the SR-3 engine test go, Vassili?" Dr. James Possible asked his fellow research scientist, Dr. Vassili Radovsky as the pair entered one of the facility breakrooms.
"Good, James." The Russian scientist replied as he filled two cups of coffee, loading one cup with sugar and adding a dollop of cream to the other. "The engine performed flawlessly. How's the capsule?"
"Tests all a-ok." James grinned as he took the coffee with cream and set it down at the table in front of him. "We're all set for our pilot."
"The pilot's ready to go." Dr. Annette Fullerton declared as she joined her fellow scientists. "Frederick passed his latest physical and the brainwave translator is working flawlessly."
"Frederick is one smart monkey!" James exclaimed before taking a sip of his coffee, "I saw the results of his intelligence test—for a monkey, he's operating at a genius level."
"At least." Dr. Fullerton agreed. "His motor skills are also off the charts. No question…" The salt and pepper haired scientist declared, "He's one in a billion."
"We were lucky we got him before the people in genetic engineering got their hands on him." Vassili commented, "Who knows what they would have done with him."
Shaking his head, James grumbled, "After our encounter with DNAmy, I think I've had my fill of demented geneticists."
"Da." Vassili agreed, "My son told me about what you and your wife did to repair the damage that madwoman did to those poor hikers. And now she's on the loose again. Be careful, my friend. Lunatics like her keep grudges and she bears a big one towards you and your family as well as my son's lyubovniki."
"Ummm…yes…Vassili…" James stammered as he lowered his voice, "I…uhhh…was wondering…I mean it's none of my business or anything, but how do you and Svetlana…I mean…your son with…"
Letting out a sigh, the Russian physicist answered, "It took us a little time to wrap our minds around it, tovarisch…our son involved in a…how do say it…polyamorous…I think that's the word…relationship. It's unusual to say the least."
"I'll say." The female zoologist sitting at the table with her fellow scientists remarked, "I've seen one or two polyamorous situations, but that was when I was living in LA."
"So…how do you deal with it?" James asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.
"When they are together at our house…" Vassili related, "The three of them are very careful to not be openly affectionate. I must give all three of them credit…" The Russian father declared, "They are very mindful of not only our feelings but also of Sergei's babushka—my mother's feelings. They know babushka does not approve of their…arrangement…or of them…but they still try very hard to not give offense. Svetlana and I appreciate that and we've found that the best thing we can do is look the other way where their relationship is concerned."
"I do remember Tara saying something about not wanting to upset Sergei's grandmother…" James recalled.
"Da." Vassili nodded his head, "Sergei cares very much for his babushka and she for him. And I must give Hope and Tara praise in not forcing Sergei to choose between them and his babushka." Shaking his head, the Russian father remarked, "It is an unusual situation, but Sergei is happy with it and they are happy with him. I'd rather him involved in his unusual relationship with two girls who care for him rather than with someone who would hurt him."
"Well…I guess if it works…" James shook his head. "I have to admit, even though the two of them can get rather…"
"Demonstrative?" Vassili chortled.
"That word works as well as any other." James replied with a crooked grin, "They've been good friends to Kim. Speaking of which…" The proud father declared with a gleam to his eyes, "I'm looking forward to her joining us during the Rocket Boosters Open House tomorrow."
"She coming as a chaperone?" Dr. Fullerton inquired.
"No." James laughed, "She's a member!"
"Don't you think she's a bit too…old…for the Rocket Boosters, James?" Annette pointed out, "She'll be seventeen soon…"
On being told this, a momentary look of panic appeared on James' face, to be quickly replaced by a wide grin, "Of course she's not too old. Not my little Kimmie-cub!" Getting up from the table, the rocket scientist washed out his coffee cup, "I'm sorry, but I've got to get back to work—I need to doublecheck the launch calculations. We can't afford to have anything go wrong here."
Shaking her head as her fellow scientist departed, Dr. Fullerton commented to the Russian seated next to her, "He's going to lose it completely when his daughter starts having sex—if she isn't already."
"According to Sergei…" Vassili confided, "Her and her boyfriend haven't as yet. He thinks it's only a matter of time though. Sergei says that Kim is a force of nature and from the few times I've seen her, I would agree. It will be her decision and her idea."
"When that happens and James finds out…" Annette concluded, "…he's going to be an absolute basket case."
"Da." Vassili nodded his head. "It will not be good."
An Ancient Temple in the Far East
Reverently placing the idol on its stand, Lord Montgomery Fiske recited the old, long lost incantation. After uttering the words of the long forgotten language, Fiske declaimed, "The Monkey Prophecy has been fulfilled. My monkey ninjas stand ready, the Golden Banana has been placed on its stand and the ancient words spoken. I now await the sign of the Ultimate Monkey Master!"
The image of a Chinese monk posed in the lotus position appeared hovering over the Golden Banana. "You have done well, disciple. To complete your journey to become the unstoppable Ultimate Monkey Master you must seek out the brightest monkey and follow him to the stars. Once you have accomplished that, your quest will have ended. May your path be a smooth one."
As the monk's image faded away, Monkey Fist's lips curled up in a triumphant grin, "My goal to become the Ultimate Monkey Master is within my grasp. Now, my minions, it is time for us to search for the brightest monkey. Let us begin!"
Possible Home
Seeing the distraught look on her daughter's face, Ann gently inquired, "What's wrong, Kim? School? Bad guys? Boyfriend problems?"
"None of the above." Kim sighed. "It's Dad. He's making me go to the Rocket Boosters Club open house."
"Have you tried talking to him about it?" Mrs. Possible suggested, "Explain to him why you don't want to go…"
"I've tried, Mom!" Kim shook her head, "But every time I try to tell him that I'm growing up he…"
"Freaks out." Ann interrupted, finishing her daughter's sentence as the redheaded teen nodded her head in agreement.
"And now that I'm going steady with Josh…" Kim moaned, "He's gotten even more paranoid about me."
"Why?" Ann queried, "He hasn't been snooping on the two of you—has he?"
"I don't know if I'd call it that." Kim replied, "I mean he's not hiding behind the corner watching us or anything creepy like that. But…it's like every time Josh comes over and we're on the couch in the living room watching TV, Dad comes in and makes a big production about going to his desk to get some work done and makes a point of leaving the door open where he can see and hear us."
"I'll talk to him about that, Dear." Ann sighed, "And I'll talk to him about the Rocket Club. Although…" The Possible matriarch cautioned, "I wouldn't get my hopes up too high on that one. The Rocket Boosters have always been very important to him ever since he got the club started when you were little. It's not going to be easy convincing him that you're too old now. But…I'll do my best."
"Thanks, Mom!" Kim smiled as she hugged her mother. Picking up her backpack, she announced, "Ron should be getting here soon and then we're off to school."
"Okay, Sweetie." Ann waved goodbye to her daughter, "Have a good day!"
"Did Kim already leave for school?" James asked as he joined his wife, giving her a kiss on her cheeks.
"Yeah." Ann smiled back at her husband as she handed him a muffin. "Here…you need to eat something."
"Thanks, Dear." James replied before taking a bite. "Mmmm…blueberry…my favorite." Letting out a breath of air, he lamented as he took out his daughter's Rocket Boosters t-shirt and held it out in front of him. "I was hoping to catch Kim before she left for school. I found Kimmie-cub's old t-shirt. I can't wait to see her in it when we go to the open house tomorrow!"
"Ummm…James…" Ann gently prompted, "Did you ever consider the possibility that Kim might be too old for the Rocket Boosters now?"
"Kim too old for Rocket Boosters?" James laughed as his eyes fell on his daughter's shirt. "Of course my Kimmie-cub's not too old! Whatever gave you that idea, Ann?"
"James…" The redheaded matriarch pleaded, "She's in high school and goes around the world on missions and has a boyfriend…"
"I try not to think of that." James interrupted, "Besides…they're just dating…"
Sighing, Ann shook her head, "It's more than just dating, James. They're going steady."
Seemingly not hearing a word his wife was saying, the rocket scientist wolfed down his muffin and, slipping on his lab coat and picking up his briefcase, gave Ann a goodbye kiss, "See you this afternoon, Honey. And don't worry…Kimmie's gonna have a great time at the open house."
Middleton High School
"What's wrong Kim?" Tara asked as she and Hope, walking on either side of their boyfriend, caught up with the redheaded teenager and her boyfriend, accompanied by Ron and his girlfriend, Zita. "You look like you just got a full frontal of Barkin coming out of the shower."
"That'd almost be better than the sitch I'm in now." Kim moaned as Josh patted her on the shoulder.
"Her dad wants her to go to the Rocket Boosters open house tomorrow." The young artist/musician explained.
"They've got those cool cookies shaped like rocket ships!" Ron cried out enthusiastically.
"What I'm afraid of is that he's going to make me wear that Rocket Booster t-shirt he got me when I was a kid." Kim sighed, "The last time I wore it, I could barely fit into it. I tried to hide it, but I guess he found it."
"It's just one day, Kim." Ron said, trying to put a positive spin on it for his friend, "And it means a lot to your dad."
"I know!" Kim groaned, "And it wouldn't be so bad if he didn't think of me as still being an eight year old girl. It's just that there are going to be kids there that I babysit and he's going to treat me just like them."
"Zita and I'll be with you, Kim." Ron declared as his girlfriend nodded her head in agreement.
"We will too, luv." Tara promised as both Hope and Sergei uttered their promises to stand with their friend.
"You know where I'll be, babe." Josh announced as he gave his girlfriend a quick peck on the cheek.
"Thanks, guys." Kim smiled, her mood improving at this show of support. "But, I don't want to put you out if you've got other plans."
"No problem at all!" Hope declared as Sergei chimed in.
"Da. My father will be there and I had planned on seeing him anyway, so it works out for all of us."
"You guys are the coolest!" Kim cried out joyfully as she hugged each of her friends. "And after…"
"We pig out at Bueno Nacho and then watch a movie at our place." Tara interjected as everyone else quickly agreed.
"Cool." Kim smiled as the bell rang, "So…ready for Barkin?"
Monkey Fist's Headquarters
Looking down at his assembled monkey ninjas, the would-be Monkey Master declared in an authoritative tone, "We will find the brightest monkey—the one who is smarter and more gifted than all the others. Wherever that monkey might be—he will be mine!"
Turning away from his minions, the English aristocrat hit the play button on his video remote and studied the images appearing on his screen. "Hmmm…interesting…" He commented as images of a zoological park appeared. "The Blandsfield Zoo. That is the home of Digger McDermott." As a chimpanzee appeared on the screen with an apparent scowl on its face, Fiske remarked, "Seventeen escape attempts…most impressive." Then as the announcer declared that the ape had not even once managed to succeed, Fiske shook his head in dismay, "But not impressive enough."
Watching as the next clip played, the deranged archaeologist murmured, "Maybe I'll have better luck with this one." As he watched the comic sketch featuring Mr. Jiggy, a chimpanzee dressed in a smoker's jacket and seated in an easy chair, he shook his head in dismay. "It's unfortunate. So much simian talent wasted on a wretched sitcom."
As he watched the third clip, a documentary about a monkey being sent into orbit on an extended stay in a space station, a sly grin appeared on the villain's face. "He is the one!" Fiske declared to his monkey ninjas. "He will be the one who will take me to the stars!"
Possible Home—Day of the Open House
"I'm sorry, dear. I tried the best I could, but nothing I said got through to him." Ann said apologetically as Kim, standing before her and holding out the Rocket Boosters t-shirt that she had first gotten when she was eight gritted her teeth in a gesture of both anger and humiliation. "I know it's not easy, but please try to be more understanding of him. He's afraid of losing you."
"Mom!" Kim shook her head in a gesture of shock and dismay, "He's never going to lose me! I'll always love him!"
"I know that, honey!" Ann chuckled. "And deep down, so does he. But what he's afraid of is that one day you're no longer going to need him. In a few years, you'll be going to college and living on your own. You've already got a boyfriend; You're becoming a young woman and your father is afraid of that and everything else that goes along with it."
"I guess I can see why that would upset him." Kim sighed, "But Mom…I can't put my life on hold because he doesn't want to let go."
"Of course not, dear." The Possible matriarch agreed. "And no one's asking you too—well, no one except your father. And yes, this is something he's going to have to accept whether he wants to or not. But for today…just this one last time…could you…"
"Put on the t-shirt?" Kim rolled her eyes as she took her top off and put on the t-shirt, wincing at how tight it was. Seeing how much of her midriff was exposed by the too small garment, the young redhead flashed a crooked grin, "You know…I bet that when Dad sees me in this, he'll be begging me to switch back into my regular top."
Laughing along with her daughter, Ann retorted, "You're probably right, sweetie." Hearing her husband's footsteps, Ann bent down and kissed her little girl on her forehead, "It's just one day, darling. You can get through it."
Middleton Space Center
"Mornin' Dr. Possible." Frank, the long-time gate guard smiled as James checked in with his daughter in the seat next to him. "In for the Rocket Boosters Open House?" Glancing down at Kim, the security guard remarked with a note of surprise in his voice, "Surprised to see you here, Kim. I always thought the Rocket Boosters was for the little kids. You a chaperone this year?"
"No such luck." Kim, with a sour look on her face, muttered in a low voice.
"Kimmie-cub's my little girl!" James proudly proclaimed as Frank gave Kim a sympathetic look.
"Looks like someone's got letting go issues." The security guard uttered in an empathic voice that only Kim could hear.
"Tell me about it." Kim whispered, giving the guard a slight smile in return for his support.
"Oh well…" Frank waved as he opened the gate, "Have a good time anyway!"
"Hey, Kim!" Josh called out as he greeted his girlfriend. Noting the sideways glance being given to him by her overprotective father, the young man settled for giving her a quick chaste kiss on the cheek. "Everyone's waiting for you."
"What are you talking about?" James inquired, his brows furrowed in suspicion, "Who is everyone?"
"Oh!" Josh exclaimed, "Just Ron and Zita…and Hope, Tara, and Sergei came to see Sergei's father."
"I see…" Dr. Possible drawled as he tried to hide the look of disappointment that appeared on his face. "Well…I'm glad to see you young people taking an interest in rocketry and space." Turning to his daughter, the rocket scientist urged, "Come on, Kim everyone's waiting on us."
"Right behind you, Dad." Kim replied as she gave her boyfriend a warm smile and mouthed a silent "Thank you!"
Entering the cafeteria that had been transformed into a meeting area for the Rocket Boosters, Kim sighed in relief as she spotted the rest of her friends standing aside from a group of t-shirt wearing Rocket Booster club children. However, before she could walk over to join her friends, she felt a hand on her shoulder and then heard her father speak.
"Good morning, kids!"
"Good morning, Dr. Possible!"
"I started the Rocket Boosters to show Kimmie that we do exciting and fun stuff here at the space center."
"And it was fun…when I was eight years old." Kim grumbled in a low voice.
"Once a year since then…" James proudly declared, "…we have a Rocket Boosters open house to show you how cool science can be…"
"I don't mind that part." Kim muttered to Ron and Zita who had joined her and Josh as Dr. Possible spoke. "Really, I don't."
"Plus…it's still a great way to spend the day with my Kimmie-cub."
"I don't even mind that." Kim murmured to her friends, "I just wish he wouldn't treat me like I was still eight years old."
"So…" Dr. Possible gestured towards the exit, "Why don't we start with a tour of the space center and you all can meet our new astronaut."
As James shepherded the children to the door, Sergei, with Hope and Tara on either side of him, approached, "We're sorry, tovarisch, but we are going to see my father."
"That's all right, Sergei…girls." Kim smiled at her friends, "I've got Josh and Ron and Zita to keep me sane. Give your father my regards and we'll catch you after the open house."
"Later, Kimmie!" Hope and Tara waved as the threesome headed off in the opposite direction of the tour group.
"We better get going, baby." Josh whispered as he inclined his head at Kim's father waiting for the teenagers at the door. "He doesn't look like he's in too good a mood."
"I think he wanted Kim all to himself today." Zita noted as the four teenagers made their way to the exit.
"Yeah." Ron nodded his head in agreement. "He doesn't mind me because I'm a charter Rocket Booster and…" His lips turned up in a smile of childlike glee, "I still like coming to the open house—the cookies really are cool"
Laughing merrily, Zita gave her boyfriend a kiss on the cheek, "That's what I love about you, Ronnie. You've got your priorities in order."
"Yeah." Rufus chittered as he popped out of Ron's pocket nibbling on a cookie. "Cookies!"
Dr. Vassili Radovsky's Office and Lab
"Father?" Sergei called out, quickly getting the attention of the salt and pepper haired scientist currently sitting behind a desk concentrating on his computer monitor. "Did we come at a bad time?"
"Nyet…nyet…moy syn!" The Russian physicist replied with a broad grin on his face as he motioned his son and the two girls with him into his office. "You are here for the open house, Da?"
"Da." Sergei nodded his head in affirmation.
"Kim needed our moral support, Dr. Radovsky." Tara politely joked.
Nodding his head, Vassili let out a low chuckle, "Da. James does tend to dote on his daughter. It's a father thing." Smiling at his son, the Russian researcher quipped, "So…you come to check on your otets, Sergei?"
"Da." Sergei grinned, "Of course. And to ask how the rocket tests are doing."
"We're ready to launch." Vassili replied. "The boosters have checked out perfectly and James has given his approval for the capsule."
"I was reading in the papers you're sending up a monkey on the flight." Hope remarked, "Why not a human astronaut?"
Smiling in approval at the raven-haired cheerleader's question, Vassili responded, "We will eventually send up humans to crew the station. Frederick is an experiment in many different ways. First, we want to evaluate his ability to function alone for an extended duration. The results we get from those tests will help us when we get ready to send out deep space probes with human astronauts and cosmonauts. Second, we want to evaluate how close to human norms his responses will be during his stay. If they're close enough, then that opens up the possibility of sending genetically engineered animals along with humans for future colonization ventures."
"Is he genetically engineered?" Tara inquired.
"No." The Russian researcher replied with a smile, shaking his head. "Frederick is a one in a billion find—a natural genius for his species." Letting out a breath, he confessed, "We had to fight tooth and nail to keep him away from the genetics labs though. You can imagine the sort of tests they'd want to run on him."
"That's good to know." Hope interjected with a sigh of relief, "It was bad enough dealing with that kook in the mountains."
"Da." Vassili nodded his head in agreement, "While the geneticists at MIST wouldn't have put Frederick through what those poor people and animals had to endure at the hands of that madwoman, I think it is safe to say that he would not have enjoyed the experience."
"What has been the response of the different animal rights groups?" Tara queried, "I'm sure some of the more radical of those groups would have made sabotage attempts."
Letting out a sigh of frustration, the Russian scientist confessed with a single nod of his head, "Da…there have been attempts. Thankfully, they haven't been able to breach perimeter security. But sooner or later, I'm afraid someone might get in and do some damage. What they don't understand is that Frederick and his fellow monkey astronauts are members of our family. None of us would even think of mistreating or hurting any of them."
"We're glad to hear that, Dr. Radovsky." Tara and Hope exclaimed, smiling at their boyfriend's father.
"Spasibo." Vassili responded with a smile of his own. "Now…if you'll come with me, I can give you a closer look at the SR-3 booster that will be carrying Frederick into orbit. I think you'll find it interesting…or if not interesting, then more interesting than babysitting a herd of children."
"I'll take rocket boosters over babysitting kids any day." Hope smirked as the trio joined the physicist in an impromptu tour of the facility, taking them, for now, away from Dr. Possible and the others with him.
Dr. Possible and his group
"And now…" James proudly announced to his daughter, her friends, and the assembled children in the large room, "I'd like to introduce you to the astronaut who will soon be taking off into space for an extended duration stay at our new space station. "Say hello to Frederick."
A computerized voice came out from the speakers, "Welcome friends."
"Why does his voice sound so funny?" One of the children, a little boy with brownish hair, inquired.
"You'll like this boys and girls." James grinned Frederick made his appearance. "You see, Frederick is a…"
"He's a monkey!" Ron cried out, flinching away from the simian astronaut.
"What's wrong, Ron?" Zita, her face etched with concern, asked as she squeezed her boyfriend's hand.
"It's a long story…" Ron murmured, "Camp Wannaweep…locked in a cabin…alone with Bobo."
"Ron went through a bad experience involving a monkey when he was forced to go to summer camp as a child." Kim explained in a soft voice, "The experience left him traumatized."
"Oh…baby…" Zita cooed gently as she held her fearful boyfriend in a maternal embrace, "The monkey's not going to hurt you."
The monkey astronaut, seeing the young man and somehow divining that he was the reason for the human's distressed condition, uttered through his voice box, "Frederick. Friend."
"I think he likes you, Ron." Zita whispered encouragingly into her boyfriend's ear. "Why don't you give him a chance?"
"No way." Ron shook his head, "Not after Wannaweep. I'm outta here. You coming with me."
"Yeah." Zita nodded her head adding in a voice that combined concern with firmness, "You can buy me a soda and then you and I are going to talk about what happened to you at that camp—right?"
Nodding his head, Ron agreed as the pair slipped away from the others, "Yeah…I promise…I'll tell you everything. Let's just get outta here…please!"
Watching as Ron and Zita made their escape, Kim whispered into her boyfriend's ear, "Wanna slip away and find an empty closet?"
"I don't want you to get into trouble with your dad." Josh demurred only to have his redheaded girlfriend place her finger on his lips.
"Don't worry about it. He's gonna be so busy with the kids he won't even notice we're missing." Taking him by the hand, she urged, "Come on, let's find that closet."
Not even noticing that the teenagers had all disappeared, James continued his talk with the little boys and girls. "Frederick is going to spend a year monitoring the experiments of elementary school students like yourselves from around the globe. Won't that be fun, Frederick?"
Before the monkey astronaut could answer the rocket scientist's question, the sound of monkeys screeching filled the air.
"What's happening?" James demanded as he gazed about the room, his eyes finally falling on a strange man.
With an evil laugh Monkey Fist, flanked by his monkey ninjas, answered Dr. Possible's question. "An ancient prophecy is being fulfilled."
Tara, Hope, Sergei, Vassili
"Thanks for the tour, Dr. Radovsky." Tara said politely as the Russian scientist drove the golf cart carrying himself and his charges back to the main building.
"You're welcome." The Russian scientist responded as they drew closer to the construction site for the space center's expansion where the workers were already at their jobs. "But, I know that looking at rocket nozzles was probably not your idea of fun. I'm sorry a test firing wasn't scheduled. That would have added a bit of excitement to your trip." Spotting the admin center, Vassili grinned, "There…we're almost back."
"I wonder how Kim and her father are doing." Hope mused as an alarm on Dr. Radovsky's cell phone buzzed.
"That's strange." Vassili remarked with a edge to his voice, "There weren't any security drills scheduled for today."
Coming to alert, Tara requested, "Security drill?"
"Da." The Russian replied, "That was the security alarm for a perimeter breach."
"How far are we from the front gate?" Hope inquired.
"Not very." Vassili responded as he turned the golf cart about and drove as fast as possible. "We should be there in a couple of minutes."
Arriving at the guard shack, they found it apparently empty. Then, on hearing a muffled cry, Tara and Hope forced their way into the shack where they found the security guard bound and gagged.
"Frank!" Vassili called out as the girls untied the guard, "What happened, tovarisch."
"A strange man came to the shack." The security guard groaned as he rubbed his head, "He was driving a panel van and spoke with an English accent. He wanted to know where the open house was being held. I gave him directions and then asked him to open the van because I had to check it. Then, I heard what sounded like a monkey screeching and…next thing I knew…I was tied up with a gag around my mouth."
"Monkey ninjas…a weirdo with a posh English accent…" Tara rolled her eyes, "Gotta be darling Monty."
"Fiske?" Hope exclaimed, "What's he want…" As understanding dawn, she gasped, "Ohhh…Frederick!"
"Right." Tara nodded her head, "He's a bloody genius. I don't even want to think about what Monty could do to him if he ever got his hands on him."
"There's another alert from the biolabs." Dr. Radovsky announced. "Dr. Fullerton was leading a second tour group there."
"Shit." Hope swore under her breath, "What do you think, bestie? We take care of the ones in the biolab and leave the Monkey Boy and his ninjas for Kim and Ron?"
"Works for me." Tara nodded her head as she took out her Kimmunicator and activated it. "Wadesy? We've got a problem at the space center."
"What's the sitch?" The child genius asked as his face appeared on the communicator's small screen.
"Monkey Fist and some of his mates are hitting the space center." Tara reported. "We think he's with the main group where Kim and her father are, but he sent a small bunch of his monkey ninjas to the biolabs where there's another group."
"We've gotta move." Hope declared, "But…we don't have our gear. Remember…we went in Zita's car."
"Damn." Tara cursed under her breath. "We'll have to make do." Turning to the security guard, she asked in a sugary sweet voice, "You don't mind if we borrow your car, do you, luv?"
Seeing his son nodding his head at him, Dr. Radovsky added his plea, "It's all right, Frank. Her and her friend do the same thing Kim Possible does. They'll take care of it."
"Okay, Doctor…" The security guard reluctantly agreed as he handed his keys over to the scientist who then turned them over to the lovely blonde standing next to him.
"Wadesy?" Tara said, again addressing the tech expert, "We'll take care of the ones in the biolab while you clue Kim in."
"Will do." Wade answered back, "Take care."
"Always do, luv." Tara responded, blowing the tech genius a goodbye kiss.
"We better get a move on, bestie." Hope finished as everyone got in the car with Tara seated behind the wheel.
"Right." Tara answered back as she turned on the ignition. "Dr. Radovsky? Can you give us directions…preferably to a side entrance or a way we can get in from above or below?"
"Da." The Russian physicist responded, "There is a ladder on the west side of the building that leads to a rooftop hatch. It's used by maintenance crews and can serve as an emergency exit. The hatch opens to the rear in a utility room. You should be able to get in undetected."
"Good." The blonde cheerleader nodded her head once, "Right…the plan is simple. Hope and I slip in while you and Sergei hold tight outside. We'll deal with any monkeys and then call you in. Once we secure the building, we'll head for Kim and Ron and give them help if they need it."
"Sounds good." Hope affirmed as both Sergei and his father acknowledged their orders. However, before the pair could depart, Doctor Radovsky called them back.
"Wait. There might be something in the lab that could help you."
"We're all ears, Dr. Radovsky."
"As you know, monkeys are physically stronger and faster than humans. So…given the fact that you'll be outnumbered and that there are innocents that could be endangered, you need something to even the odds. Dr. Fullerton has been using monkey pheromones in her research…"
"Monkey pheromones?" Tara cocked an eyebrow, "I don't really want to know…do I?"
"Not really." The Russian physicist responded, "But in any event, the monkey pheromones are in an extremely concentrated state and could provide you the distraction and edge you need…"
"I think I see where you're going with this Doctor." Tara grinned, "We do this right, we can get those monkeys to either fight or fuck each other."
"Exactly." Vassili nodded his head.
"Thanks, Doc!" Hope and Tara grinned at their boyfriend's father as they kissed Sergei on his cheeks. Handing her Kimmunicator to Sergei, Hope instructed, "We'll call you on this once we've taken care of things in there."
"Da, lyubovniki." Sergei replied as he returned his girlfriend's kisses with kisses of his own. "Be careful."
Kim and Josh—a little earlier
"I kinda feel bad flaking out on Dad like that." Kim confessed to her boyfriend with a guilty look on her face.
"Well…" Josh suggested, "We could always go back."
"I really should…shouldn't I?" Kim replied with an embarrassed grin, "I should just tell him that I'm too old for the Rocket Boosters. Yeah…" she sighed, "…it'll hurt him now, but he'll understand later once he's had a chance to think about it. Right?"
"Yeah." Josh nodded his head as he rubbed his girlfriend's shoulders. "Your dad's got a good head on his shoulders. Once he stands back and looks at the whole picture, he'll understand."
"All right." Squaring her shoulders, Kim gave her boyfriend a lingering kiss, "I'm gonna do it."
Smiling as he took his girlfriend by her hand, Josh inclined his head towards the door, "Let's go."
As the couple walked back to rejoin Dr. Possible's tour, they ran into another pair of teenagers walking in the opposite direction. "Hey Ron…Zita." Kim greeted her friends with a wave, "You two decide to bug out too?"
"Yeah." Ron nodded his head, "We're off to get a soda, you two wanna join us?"
Nodding her head in agreement, Kim replied, "Yeah. But first I've gotta talk to Dad." Taking a deep breath, she explained, "It's time I made him understand that I'm too old for the Rocket Boosters and that I'm not a little girl anymore."
"He's not going to take that very well." Ron cautioned, "Mind if we come with you?"
"Give you moral support?" Zita interjected, adding her pleas.
Smiling, the young redhead responded with a heartfelt, "Please! I can use all the support I can get!" Reaching the door, Kim tried to open it only to find it securely locked. "What's going on?" Hearing their Kimmunicators beeping, both Ron and Kin answered simultaneously.
"What's the sitch, Wade?"
"It's Monkey Fist." The Team Possible computer genius replied. "He's broken into the space center and the biolabs and is holding hostages. Tara and Hope are taking care of the biolabs and will come by and help you once they have their sitch under control."
"Good." Kim replied as she listened to her techie's report.
"But you two will need to take care of things in the space center." Wade concluded.
"We're on it." Kim declared, further inquiring, "He's got the main entrance secured, is there any other way in?"
"Yeah." Wade responded, "There's an air vent that you can access through the roof. I'm trying to hack my way into the center's computer—they've tightened security since the last incident. Give me a few moments."
"That's okay, Wade." Kim replied, "We need to get to that side door anyway. Contact us once you've broken through."
"Will do."
Turning to her boyfriend and Zita, the teen hero requested, "Josh…you and Zita stay here and keep low. Once we've got things under control, we'll call for you, okay?"
"Okay, baby." Josh replied as he gave his girlfriend a tender kiss, "Take care of yourself."
"Always do." Kim smiled as she returned the young artist's kiss.
Kissing her boyfriend, Zia whispered in his ear, "You can do this, Ronicus. You're better than any dumbass monkey."
"Thanks, Zee." Ron whispered back as he returned his girlfriend's kiss. "I'll see you soon."
Dr. Possible's Tour
Mindful of the fact that he was dealing with a roomful of children, Monkey Fist decided to take a reasoned approach as he spoke. "No harm will come to you Dr. Possible or these children here. I've come for Frederick. Once I have him, I and my monkey ninjas will depart and leave all of you in peace."
"But Frederick is about to go on a very important mission into space." James protested.
"Indeed he is, Dr. Possible." The demented archaeologist agreed. "And I intend to accompany him on his mission."
"Why do you have to go into space with Frederick?" James asked, hoping to buy time for his daughter or security to come to his aid.
"I am guided by the ancient prophecy of the Mystical Monkey Monk." Monkey Fist explained.
"That's not logical or scientific." James drawled only to be cut off abruptly by his captor.
"There are things in this universe that go beyond material science." Fiske responded, flashing an evil grin as he turned to the monkey astronaut standing helplessly in front of him with a monkey ninja standing next to him. "Frederick. Prophecy declares that you will lead us to the stars. Are you ready? Destiny awaits."
"Frederick stay." The little monkey announced defiantly through his vocalizer.
"Now Frederick…" Monkey Fist chided, "You know you cannot fight destiny…" The madman's gaze turned towards Dr. Possible and the children currently being watched closely by the monkey ninjas. "The consequences for doing so can be quite…severe."
"Frederick go…friends safe?" Frederick answered back though his vocal box.
Nodding his head, Monkey Fist replied with a smarmy grin, "If you come with us, no harm will come to your friends."
"Frederick go."
"Wise choice." Fiske responded. Turning his attention back to James, the archaeologist smirked, "I'm sure the military has placed some very nice weapons on that station."
"There are no weapons on the station." James answered back in an offended tone of voice. "It's intended for purely peaceful research."
"I'm sure." Monkey Fist replied with a derisive snort. "In any event, any attempt to follow us will have severe repercussions. So…be smart…stay where you are…and you will be safe and I will rule the world from my new space station."
Tara and Hope
"Okay, we're in." Hope whispered to her best friend as the pair crouched in the utility closet, "So…how do you want to do this?"
"We need to get to the pheromones without those monkeys noticing us." Tara replied as she took out a map hastily drawn by Sergei's father. "They're in the lab next to us, but we're gonna have to be careful to stay upwind.
Looking up, Hope spotted a piece of paper caught in one of the air conditioner vents blowing towards where the girls were hiding. "Good news." She said as she pointed the streamer out to her best friend, "The wind's with us."
"Smashing." Tara replied, "Now, all we have to do is get into that lab without being seen or heard. Ready to outninja the ninjas?"
"Anytime you are." Hope grinned.
"All right, let's do it."
Moving silently, the pair managed to make the short distance between the utility closet and the lab. Entering the lab, they quickly spotted their goal, several vials of a substance labeled 'monkey pheromones'. "Okay…" Hope whispered, "We've found the love juice. Now…how do we slip it to the monkeys?"
Making a careful appraisal of the laboratory apparatus, Tara grinned, "Remember the lab we did in Mr. Argent's chem class? The one involving liquids and gases?"
"Oh yes!" Hope smirked, "I remember now. We can heat the pheromones until they turn into gas and then…" Spying the air vents, her smile grew wider, "We pump the pheromone gas to the monkeys through the ventilation system."
"Right." Tara smiled triumphantly as she and her best friend set up the apparatus. "Give those monkeys a few minutes and they'll be so busy with each other that we can take them out one at a time."
Spotting a pair of tranquilizer guns, Hope suggested, "We can use those to bring them down from range…that way we don't risk getting tied up in hand to hand with them."
"Good idea." Tara replied as she took one of the pistols while her housemate took the other. Glancing at the pheromone solution that had already been transformed into a gaseous state, the Englishwoman grinned, "It's monkey orgy time."
After giving the pheromones time to take effect, the Dirty Pair grinned as they heard monkey howls and laughter from the children. Finding good cover behind a pair of tables, the pair silently sniped at their distracted prey, bringing down the monkeys one at a time until only one couple, currently very actively engaged with each other, remained.
"I almost hate to knock the poor bloke out." Tara quipped as she took aim, "Shall we at least wait until he's finished?"
"Yeah." Hope joked, "Let him have his moment." After several seconds, Hope remarked before firing her pistol, "And…we're done."
Seeing that all the monkeys had been knocked out, the two girls stood up and approached the scientist and children. "It's all right!" Tara announced as they set down the tranquilizer guns, "You're safe now."
"Thank you!" Doctor Fullerton exclaimed as the children all clapped their hands and cheered. "They just burst in here and corralled us. Then a voice came through on the intercom…"
"Can you describe the voice?" Tara inquired as Hope checked on the children, making sure that each child was uninjured.
"Yes." The exobiologist replied, "He had an English accent…like yours. He told us to remain calm and not try to leave the building. That if everyone did as they were told, no one would be hurt."
"Is there someplace we can put these monkeys where they can't hurt anyone when they come to?" Hope asked.
"Yes." Doctor Fullerton responded, "There are empty specimen cages in that room over there. They're designed to hold even the largest primates. They should do the job until the proper authorities can arrive to take charge of them."
"Right, luv." Tara grinned at her best friend, "Can you contact Sergei and his father and tell them it's safe to come in now?"
"Sure, bestie." Hope replied as she took out her Kimmunicator and passed on the news to the two Russians. "They're on the way."
"Brilliant. Time to haul the monkeys off to gaol."
Kim and Ron
"Tell me you've got some tools we can use." Ron whispered to his best friend as the pair peered through the ventilation grate.
"Let's see…" Kim said as she pawed through her purse, "Smoke pellets…lip gloss…tequila flask…umm…" the lovely redhead blushed, "…forget you heard that last item, Ron."
"Forget what?" Ron answered back with a nervous laugh as his gaze was again drawn to his hated foes, "Anything else?"
"Other than our history homework due Monday…" She shook her head, "No." Taking stock of the situation, the teen hero came to a decision. "We've gotta be careful here…"
"I'm all about the careful." Ron interjected with a nervous chuckle as his gaze fell on the monkey ninjas.
Her lips turning up a slight grin as she observed that Monkey Fist and his minions were departing with Frederick, Kim whispered, "We've got our opening." As the last of the monkey ninjas left the room, the lovely redhead kicked off the ventilation grate and jumped down to the floor with her best friend beside her. "Dad!" She called out as the pair approached her father and his charges, "Are you okay? What about the kids?"
"We're all none the worse for wear, Kimmie-cub." James replied with a sigh of relief as he hugged his daughter. "You've got to go after that crazy man and his monkeys. They've taken Frederick hostage and are on their way to the launch complex. He's planning on taking over the station."
"Why?" Kim queried as Ron checked on the kids.
"He was babbling about some ancient Monkey Master prophecy." Dr. Possible answered, "I couldn't figure out what he was talking about except that he wanted the station because he thinks it's got weapons on it."
"Does it?" Kim asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Of course not!" James exclaimed with an offended tone of voice. "That station is dedicated to peaceful research."
"Okay, Dad…" Kim quickly backpedaled, "I'm sorry…I wasn't accusing…"
"I know." The rocket scientist sighed dejectedly. "I'm sorry I snapped at you, Kimmie…that madman…" James shook his head worriedly, "…I was afraid he would have hurt the kids…and he's taken Frederick…"
"We'll stop Monkey Fist and get Frederick back, Dad." Kim promised.
"Yeah, Mr. Dr. P." Ron grinned, doing his best to put on as brave a face as possible, "KP's on the job."
"Dad? Could you look after the kids while we rescue Frederick?"
"Sure, Kimmie-cub." James responded with a smile.
"Thanks." Kim smiled back as she her best friend waved their goodbyes. Exiting the main building, the teen hero activated her Kimmunicator. "Tara? Hope? Anything happening on your end?"
"Hullo, luv." Tara's English accented voice replied, "We've taken care of Monty's monkeys and Dr. Fullerton and the kids in her tour group are okay. Sergei and his father are going to stay with them. We were just about to head your way."
"Can you meet us at the launch complex?" Kim requested, "Monkey Fist kidnapped Frederick and is planning on taking over the space station."
"We're on our way." Hope's voice answered back in response.
"Cool." Kim responded as she added Wade to the conversation. "Wade? How are you doing hacking into the space center's security system."
"Just cracked it." The Team Possible computer expert responded. "What do you need?"
"Camera feed from the launch complex." Kim replied as she and Ron commandeered a golf cart and began making their way to the launching pads.
"Here you go." Wade announced as his image was replaced by a camera feed showing Monkey Fist with his remaining monkey ninjas, accompanied by their unwilling guide, Frederick, approaching one of the entrances to the complex. "You guys better hurry."
"We're going as fast as we can." Kim answered back before speaking to Tara and Hope. "Did you two see that transmission?"
"Yeah, Kim." Tara replied, "We're flooring it too."
"Wade?" Kim asked as an idea suddenly popped into her head, "Is there anything you can do to slow Fiske and his monkeys up?"
"Yeah." The computer genius grinned, "I can override the security controls and lock the doors. He's gonna have to waste some time forcing those doors open…that should buy you and the Dirty Pair enough time to catch up."
"Thanks, Wade!" Kim responded with a brilliant smile, "You're the greatest!"
"You can thank me by buying me a pizza and large Slurpity cola…you know what my favorite toppings are." Wade answered back with a playful smirk.
"Consider it done." Kim replied, "One meat lover's pizza with extra cheese and no anchovies."
The Launch Complex
"Monkey Fist has taken over and overridden the mission control security protocols." Wade announced to the foursome standing by the entranceway. "He's activated the launch sequence for the rocket."
"Fuck." Kim swore under her breath, "Ideas, Wade?"
"Yeah." The techie responded, "You're going to need at least two teams to pull this off. Team One will have to catch up to Monkey Fist and take him and his ninjas out before that rocket launches."
"Okay." Kim nodded her head, "Me and Ron will be Team One. What's Team Two's job?"
"Team Two has to retake Mission Control and restore the security protocols. Do that, and we regain control over the launch complex."
"That'll be our jobs." Tara interjected as Hope nodded her head in agreement.
"How long do we have?" Hope inquired.
"Five minutes at most." Wade answered back.
"Then we better get to it." Tara exclaimed as she and her partner wished the other team good luck. "See you on the other side, Kimmie…Ron."
"See ya soon!" Kim responded as Ron gave the Dirty Pair a friendly wave as they raced to their objective.
"Time to go to work?" Hope grinned as she opened the door for her best friend.
"More monkeyshines." Tara smiled back, she and her best friend loading their tranquilizer pistols as they entered the building.
Moving quickly, Hope whispered to her partner, "Where are the monkeys?"
"Speak of the devil." Tara grinned as she pointed to a pair of monkey ninjas standing before a door. Taking aim at the monkey standing to the left while her friend targeted the one on the right, the blonde adventuress smirked, "Shall we?"
"Let's." Hope grinned back as both girls fired their tranquilizer pistols at the same time, immediately bringing down the two monkeys.
"Mission control's on the other side. Ready?" Tara smirked as she took several shuriken from the monkeys after the pair had tied the ninjas up using especially strong rope.
"Okay." Hope took a deep breath as she reloaded her weapon. "Let's do it."
After a brief skirmish, the girls liberated the mission control room from the last of the crazed archaeologist's minions. Speaking to the man introduced as the flight manager, Tara asked, "Can you restore control over your systems?"
"Yeah." The man, a grizzled old veteran from several manned space launches replied as he barked orders to his crew. Shaking his head as he evaluated the reports and data now coming into him, he growled in a low voice, "Shit."
"What's wrong?" Hope exclaimed as she and her partner secured all the captured monkeys, locking them in a secure room.
"We've been locked out of the launch sequence." The flight manager replied, "By the time we regain control, the rocket will have launched."
"Wade?" Tara called out as she activated her Kimmunicator.
"I'm trying." The young computer hacker replied as he typed ferociously on his keyboard. Shaking his head, the ten-year old genius solemnly declared, "I can't get through. It's all on Kim and Ron now."
Kim and Ron
"Kim?" Wade reported through the redhead's communicator. "Tara and Hope regained control over the launch center, but the flight manager says that they can't abort the countdown in time. You'll need to take Monkey Fist down and shut it down from there."
"Thanks, Wade." Kim replied as she opened the door to the facility and slipped in, followed close behind by her best friend. "We're on it." Turning to Ron, and seeing the wild expression on his face, she grabbed her blond partner by the hand and asked in a soothing voice, "You gonna be okay, Ron? If you want to sit this out, I'll understand."
Gritting his teeth as he fought back against the images of a screeching Bobo the chimp chasing a younger version of himself around the cabin the two had been confined in, Ron took a deep breath. "I'm fine, KP…honest. I'm with you all the way."
Nodding her head once, Kim smiled at her best friend, "Never doubted it. Now, let's get to work."
Rushing down the corridor, the pair came to a stop as they reached a T-intersection where Monty Fiske stood with his hostage and several of his monkey ninjas. "Kim Possible and the monkey-phobe." Monty scowled, "You've arrived too late. Monkey ninjas! Bring me the heads of Kim Possible and her pet!"
His fear taking over, Ron loudly screamed and bolted down one of the corridors as he finally gave into the panic that he had been barely suppressing, "No! Bobo! Go away! Go away!"
Most of the monkey ninjas, giving into their instincts, broke off after the panicking blond human, leaving only a pair of Monty's elite standing between their master and his redheaded opponent.
Scowling as he saw most of his troop taking off after the sidekick, Monkey Fist commanded his elite guard. "Kill Kim Possible!"
Leaping, Kim surprised her stronger and more agile opponents by seizing the initiative, striking both with a series of quick kicks and punches while dodging their counters. Wincing in pain as she felt a shuriken graze her side, Kim responded with a quick strike, gritting her teeth as she heard the sound of a monkey's neck being broken.
"Monkey slayer!" Monkey Fist shouted as he fled down the corridor towards the capsule with his surviving guard. "If it is the last thing I do…" The crazed archaeologist threatened as he entered the spacecraft, "I will kill you, Kim Possible!"
"Yeah…yeah." Kim sighed under her breath, "Stand in line Monkey Ass." Feeling a tugging at her hand, the young redhead quickly pivoted, her lips turning up in a broad grin as she saw the monkey standing next to her. "Frederick! You managed to slip away from the crazy man."
"Friend safe?" The monkey asked through his voice box.
Feeling that the simian astronaut was referring to Ron, Kim's lips turned up in a sad smile, "I hope so, Frederick. Come on…" She said as she took the monkey's hand in hers, "Let's get back to the others."
Ron
The panic was real. The fear…real. Memories of Wannaweep flooded through the frightened blond youth's mind as he ran down the corridor. Running for his life from the monkeys that he knew wanted nothing more than to tear him limb from limb, he imagined monkey teeth sinking into his flesh…monkey claws ripping him open.
"Gotta hide!" Ron gasped as he opened a door and, dashing inside, quickly close and sealed the entranceway. Gasping for air, the young man slumped down to the floor as he slowly regained control over his mind. Looking about, he remarked to himself, "This must be some sort of science lab." Remembering Zita's parting words to him that no monkey could ever beat him, Ron sobbed into his hands, "I'm sorry, Zee…I tried. I really did. But I couldn't…the screeching…the howling…it was too much. I'm not the hero you think I am. I'm a loser. You deserve a lot better than me."
Popping out of his human's pocket, Rufus crawled up on his shoulder and chittered loudly. "Not a loser! Zita likes you…likes likes you! You are a hero! So you got scared…Kim gets scared too!"
"KP?" Ron laughed hysterically. "Nothing scares KP."
"Lots of stuff scares Kim." Rufus retorted. "Was scared of boy."
"Josh?" Ron snorted, "She was just nervous."
"No." The little rodent shook his head, "Scared. Afraid he wouldn't like her." The naked mole-rat, seeing that he was beginning to break through, continued. "Was also scared after bad mission."
"Bad mission?"
"Bad mission where she had to do bad thing."
"You mean…when she had to kill?" Ron croaked as Rufus bobbed his head in confirmation.
"Yes. Scared you and her family would hate her."
"I could never hate…" As Rufus stared into his eyes, Ron's lips turned up in a warm smile. "I could never have hated Kim. She was in a bad situation…just like me."
"Just like you. Zita knows. She likes you and understands."
"Thanks for the pep talk, little friend." Ron's grin grew brighter as he struggled back to his feet.
"Any time!" Rufus chittered as he waved his hand. "Go find Monkey Breath?"
"Yeah." Ron nodded his head, "Let's find Monkey Fist and KP and wrap this up."
However, before he could open the door, a voice coming through the loudspeaker immediately got his attention. "Initiation sequence complete. Launch in T-minus sixty seconds…"
"Oh crap!" Ron exhaled as he heard the countdown. "I'm gonna die! I'm gonna die!" As the young man was on the verge of succumbing once again to panic, something happened. A sense of calm began to descend upon him as his eyes fell on a pair of accelerator couches.
"T-minus thirty seconds."
"We're saved, Rufus!" Ron exclaimed as he quickly strapped himself into the chair.
"T-minus ten…"
"Just in time!"
"Five…four…three…two…one…Launch!"
"Whoa!" Ron screamed as he was pressed back into his seat by the increased g-forces of the launch. "We're blasting off!" As he felt the adrenaline rush through his system, a part of him that still managed to remain detached thought idly to itself. How am I going to get back home?
The Space Center
"I guess Kim couldn't stop the launch in time." James sighed as he spoke to the group of scientists, teens, and children gathered in the mission control complex. "Poor Frederick. I don't even want to think about what that crazy man is going to do to him."
"Frederick's here, Dad." Kim exclaimed as she entered the flight center accompanied by the monkey astronaut. After giving Josh a quick hug and kiss and waving hello to her two best female friends, the young redhead remarked in a somber tone, "That was about the only thing that happened right. Ron's missing."
"What?" Zita choked on hearing Kim's news, "What do you mean…missing?"
"He…diverted most of Monkey Fist's monkey ninjas by faking a panic." Kim explained, deliberately telling a half-truth. "The last I saw of him; he was headed down the corridor to the rocket."
"Do you think he might have made it to the rocket before it launched?" Zita asked as a lab technician spoke up.
"We're getting something on the spider-cam."
"Spider-cam?" Kim arched an eyebrow.
"One of the labs is devoted to studying how micro-gravity affects spiders and insects." The technician explained.
"It's one of my projects." Dr. Fullerton interjected. "They're also part of the overall experiment involving Frederick and his capabilities."
"Have we regained control over the rocket?" Kim asked.
"No." James shook his head. "That crazy archaeologist switched the capsule's systems to manual.
Coming to a decision, Kim smiled as she saw the looks of anticipation and slight head nods from both Tara and Hope. "We have to get him back…right girls?"
"Right, luv." Tara replied as Hope nodded her head in agreement.
"Always wanted to fly on a spaceship." Hope quipped.
"No…" James shook his head, "It's too risky."
"Why is it too risky?" Kim inquired, her voice tone pleading.
"The only craft we have ready to go is an experimental ship I designed." Dr. Possible explained.
"Then what's the problem?" Kim replied, "If you designed it, then I know it has to be good."
Blushing at his daughter's praise, James coughed, "I…ummm…thanks, Kimmie-cub." Shaking his head, the rocket scientist declared, "I'm sorry, Kimmie, but I can't let you go. It's not that I don't think you're able to fly on the craft…it's just that you haven't been trained to fly it."
"Frederick go." The monkey astronaut said through his voice box. "Frederick help."
Shaking his head, Dr. Possible demurred, "We can't just blindly send you up. We need to calculate the launch vectors and a host of other variables. It'll take too much time."
"Should we contact the military, Dr. Possible?" The flight manager inquired, "They can send up a missile to destroy the station."
"No." Kim shouted, shaking her head violently. "Ron's on board!"
"No way!" Zita shouted, "No way I'm gonna let you hurt Ron."
"Dr. Possible…" Tara interrupted, speaking in a soothing voice. "Let us go. We'll bring back Ron, stop Monkey Fist, and come back. I promise."
"I've calculated the launch vectors and any other variables we need." Wade's voice came through Kim's communicator. "By the time you've finished prepping the craft for launch, I'll have the vectors and trajectory downloaded to the space center's computer."
"Okay, Kimmie-cub." James sighed, "I don't like it…but I guess we have no choice."
Hugging her father, Kim murmured, "Daddy, I'm a big girl now, but just because I'm growing up doesn't mean you'll stop being my dad. I'm always gonna love and need you."
"Go and get ready for launch, Kim." James smiled down at his daughter and then, turning his gaze to the Dirty Pair, implored as she dashed off down the hall after giving Josh a quick hug and kiss, "Please…look after my Kimmie-cub."
"We will, Dr. Possible." Tara smiled warmly at the worried father.
"Yeah." Hope added, "Don't worry. We'll take care of her."
"Take care of yourselves, lyubovniki." Sergei interjected as he hugged and kissed his girlfriends. "We will celebrate when you return, Da?"
"You bet your sweet ass we will." Hope whispered as she returned the Russian's kiss.
"Make sure your batteries are charged up, lover." Tara murmured into the Russian boy's ear as she gave him a quick kiss. "See you later!"
Watching as his lovers departed, Sergei uttered to Josh and Zita. "Do not worry, our lyubovniki will return."
"Ready for launch?" James' voice came through the loudspeaker.
"Ready, Dad." Kim responded as she lay strapped into her couch next to Frederick with Hope and Tara strapped into their couches behind her.
"Five…four…three…two…one…Ignition. Good luck, Kimmie-cub…Tara…Hope…Frederick."
"Systems go." Frederick reported through his voice box.
"And we're off.' Tara exclaimed as the space plane launched.
Several minutes later, Kim reported to her father, "We're near the space station."
"Preparing for docking." Hope announced.
"Frederick?" James instructed the monkey astronaut through the speaker, "Reduce your thrusters to match speed."
"Roger." Frederick acknowledged as he began docking procedures.
An unmistakable thunk indicating that the space plane had docked, Kim and her friends made their way to the station airlock. As soon as the indicators showed green, the lovely redhead opened the door.
"We're in." Kim declared as her friends took station beside her.
"Right." Tara nodded her head, "We'll secure the command center while you find Ron."
"Sounds like a plan." Kim acknowledged, "C'mon Frederick, let's find our friend."
"Ready, Rufus?" Ron whispered as he placed his hand on the lever to open the door.
"Ready."
"Okay, little guy." The blond youth exclaimed, "Here we go!" Opening the door, Ron found himself face to face with Monkey Fist and the remainder of his ninjas.
"Well…it's the monkey-phobe." The crazed archaeologist sneered as he grabbed at the sandy-haired boy.
"Get your hands off me, you dirty stinking ape-man!" Ron shouted as he batted away Fiske's hand. Then, spotting a certain redhead, Ron's lips turned up in a grin, "Looks like it's game over for you, Monkey-man."
"What are you talking about you simpering buffoon?" Monkey Fist scowled.
"He's talking about the ass kicking I'm about to give you." Kim jibed as an English accented female voice came through the loudspeaker.
"We've secured the command center, Kimmie. You need our help dealing with darling Monty?"
"Nah, Tara." Kim replied, "I think we can take care of him. Right Frederick…Ron?"
"Why did you bring him here, KP?" Ron demanded as he glared at the monkey astronaut. "He's one of them!"
"Frederick's on our side, Ron." Kim explained, "If it wasn't for him, we couldn't have come."
"Frederick friend." The little monkey's voice, now seemingly taking on a pleading tone, came through his voice modulator.
"Really?" Ron choked, "You want to help me? Why?"
"Frederick friend."
"The prophecy can now be fulfilled." Monkey Fist declared triumphantly, "I will be the Monkey Master! Monkey ninjas attack!"
Another female voice came through the loudspeaker sounding an urgent warning. "Grab onto something Kimmie…Ron…things are about to get wild!"
Smirking, Kim announced as she pushed herself off a wall, striking Monkey Fist with a sudden lunge, "Too bad…so sad…the artificial gravity's off."
"Let's get 'em Frederick!" Ron calling out to his new friend, grabbed one monkey ninja by its leg while Frederick subdued the other.
"Need some rope to tie these plonkers up with?"
"Tara…Hope!" Kim waved as her two friends floated towards her, each bearing a coil of rope. "Thanks! Let's get these losers tied up, then we can restore the gravity and get back home."
"That's the last of 'em." Hope said as they loaded Monty and his ninjas, all securely bound, on to the space plane. "Time to go home."
Turning to Frederick, Ron smiled down at his new friend, "Ready to go back home, buddy?"
Shaking his head, Frederick uttered through his vocalizer, "Ron go…Frederick stay."
"You're staying?" Ron exclaimed, "Why?"
"Frederick have job."
"He's been training for this for a long time, Ron." Kim explained, placing a hand on her friend's shoulder. "He has to stay."
"Frederick miss Ron."
"And Ron will miss Frederick." The blond youth said in a soft voice, astonished that he could ever feel warmth towards a monkey. "I promise I'll email you every day."
As the teens strapped themselves into their accelerator couches, Dr. Possible's voice came through the speaker, "We've finally regained full control over our systems so we'll be able to bring you in. Just sit back and enjoy the flight."
After an uneventful flight back, the space plane came in for a smooth landing. Disembarking, Kim rushed first to her boyfriend, giving him a hug and kiss and then her father. "Nice flying, Dad." Kim smiled as she looked up at her dad.
"You did good too, Kimmie-cub." James replied, then giving a sideways glance in Josh's direction, declared, "I guess you have grown up. That means we're going to have to talk about some new rules…especially concerning boys."
"Ummm…yeah, Dad." Kim sighed, "But later…okay?" Much later! Turning back to Josh, she asked, "Ready to go home, Josh?"
"Whenever you are."
"Lyubovniki!" Sergei called out, holding out his arms as his girlfriends rushed to embrace him.
"Hey, studmuffin." Tara teased as she kissed him on one of his cheeks while Hope kissed the other. Ready to go home?"
Turning to his father, the young Russian raised a brow in silent inquiry. Then seeing the answering head nod, smiled at the older man before turning his attention back to his girlfriends, "Da. Let's go."
As he approached his girlfriend, Ron took her hands in his. "Uhhh…Zita…I'm…uhhh…ready to talk to you about what happened to me at Camp Wannaweep…if it's all right with you."
"Of course, Ron." Zita replied with a warm smile before giving her man a gentle kiss on his lips. "Let's talk."
Epilogue—James and Ann
"Why the long face?" Ann Possible asked her husband as she handed him a rum and coke before sitting down beside him on the couch. "That monkey freak is in jail…Frederick is doing his work on the station…your experimental space plane worked like a dream…Kim is…" Hearing the barely audible grunt coming from her husband when she mentioned their daughter's name, Ann's lips turned up in a slight smile. "Ahhh…it's Kim, isn't it?"
"She's not a little girl anymore." James moaned dejectedly.
"Of course, she isn't." Ann smiled as she rubbed her husband's shoulders. "She's a young woman now. You can't treat her like a little girl anymore."
"No more Rocket Boosters…no more Kimmie-cub…" James sobbed.
"Who said anything about her not doing stuff with Rocket Boosters?" Ann chuckled, "True, she's too old to wear that shirt, but she could still be a chaperone. Why don't you see if that would work for her? I'm betting she'll say yes."
Nodding his head, James responded, "I will."
"And as for that little pet name, did she ask you not to call her Kimmie-cub anymore?" Ann asked.
"No." James shook his head, "But I figured that if she's grown up…"
Chuckling softly, Ann remarked in a gentle tone, "I wouldn't worry about that until and unless she actually tells you not to. If anything, she probably likes that you call her that and would be hurt if you were to stop."
His lips turning up in a slight smile, James quipped, "I can do that." Then, just as quickly as it appeared, the smile vanished, his gloominess returning as he let out a melancholy sigh, "She's going out with a boy now…she's going to be learning how to drive…she's going out with a boy…part-time job…boy…alcohol…boy…college…boy…"
Shaking her head, Ann smiled warmly at her husband. "Yeah…we're going to have to deal with a lot of stuff. But so is she. She's got a steady boyfriend now and yes; we're going to have to get ready to deal with what will probably happen one day…"
"No!" James shook his head, "No way! I'll put him on a deep space probe to a black hole if he even thinks about doing that to my little Kimmie-cub."
Sighing, Ann shook her head, "Honey…Josh is not going to make the first move. If anything happens, it'll be Kim who'll initiate it."
"That's what I was afraid you were going to say." James sighed.
"We can't lock her in her room or ship her off to a convent, dear." Ann declared half-jokingly.
"Why not?" James responded, also in a half-joking manner, "We lock her in her room, she can take her courses online and we can feed her through a slot in the wall. Or…we could find a nice boarding school for her with a strict headmistress…"
"You know she'd just break out, honey." Ann laughed. Her laughter fading away, she cautioned her husband, "Like it or not, James, a lot of things are going to change. Like…well…let's start with one of the easy changes. She is going to get her license soon. She's taking drivers ed next year, you know. That means she's going to want a car and…thanks to Tara and Hope, I have a feeling she's going to want a sports car."
"Grrr…" James growled, "I'm not about to let her drive around in one of those hot rods. She can drive a nice sensible car like my old Sloth."
"When the two of you have that particular discussion…" The redheaded matriarch chuckled, "I'll be visiting my sister." A serious look again appearing on her face, Ann continued, "Like I said, James, that's probably the easiest of the situations we're going to run into."
Nodding his head, James replied in a grave tone, "Yeah…I know."
Refreshing her husband's drink as she made a drink for herself, Ann smiled encouragingly, "Don't worry, honey. We've done a good job raising her and we'll put out any fires when they occur. No need worrying about stuff that hasn't happened yet—right?"
"Yeah." James smiled as he sipped his drink "You're right. You know what they say…call the devil's name…"
"And he comes."
Ron and Zita
"And that's why I'm the screw up I am. The only other person who knows all this is Kim." Ron, sitting on the couch with his shoulders slumped, confessed as his girlfriend held him close.
"Thank you for trusting me enough to tell me this Ron. I know it couldn't have been easy." Zita cooed as she hugged her boyfriend close. "That place must have been hell for you." Gazing into his eyes, she sternly declared, "And you're not a screw up. You're a hero. You're the man who let those monsters chase after him so that I could get away when we were in the mountains on that ski trip. You're the one who figured out how to knock out that security system in that mad scientist's lab."
"I'm no hero." The disconsolate youth sobbed. "I ran away and left Kim alone to take on Monkey Fist and his ninjas."
Hugging Ron even closer, Zita consoled, "Yes, you are." Fixing her boyfriend in her gaze, she spoke in a clear tone, "Do you know what a hero is?"
"Someone like Kim." Ron replied, "Someone who's not afraid of anything and who can do anything."
"No." Zita shook her head. "Remember that old TV show, MASH?"
"Uhhh…yeah." Ron nodded his head, "My father likes that show."
"Ok…" Zita nodded her head in response, "I remember one of the characters…I think he was the one called Hawkeye…said that a hero was ninety-nine times out a hundred someone who's tired enough and cold enough and hungry enough to not give a damn. I'd add scared enough to that list. That's a hero, Ron. You were tired and scared and when you got it together, you went back and helped your best friend. That makes you a hero in my book. Most boys I know would have run away and never looked back. What's important is that you got it together in the end."
"So…you still want to be my girlfriend…even after what you've heard?" Ron asked with tears in his eyes.
Without saying a word, Zita leaned over and gave the blond boy the deepest, most passionate kiss he'd ever experienced. Finally breaking their kiss, the dark haired teenage girl breathed, "Does that answer your question?"
Tara, Hope, and Sergei
Lighting a cigarette and inhaling, Tara let out a sigh of satisfaction, "Mmmm…nothing like a post-sex cigarette."
Stretching out languorously on the bed, Hope purred as she stroked the cheek of the Russian boy lying in between her and her best friend on the luxurious queen sized bed. "That was…I'm still tingling from that last one…" Giving the young man next to her a kiss, she whispered, "Thank you."
"Spasibo, lyubovniki." Sergei smiled warmly as he gently caressed the two lovely girls lying on either side of him. "You are both remarkable."
"Flattery will get you another go." Tara smirked as she took another drag from her cigarette.
Her hand disappearing underneath the covers, Hope leered, "He's revved up now. I've got my hand on a Louisville slugger under the covers."
Putting out her cigarette, Tara grinned as her hands began to wander over the Russian's body, "Ready for the next round, luv?"
Beep…beep…beep
"Kill video feed." Tara commanded in a sharp tone as she accepted the incoming call on her Kimmunicator, "This better be important, Wadesy."
"It is." Wade's voice came through the Kimmunicator. "Remember those encrypted discs?
"Yeah." Tara replied, "Were you able to crack them?"
"Only a few entries." The ten-year old computer genius answered back. "But one of those entries involves your parents."
A lump forming in her throat as both Sergei and Hope looked on her with concern, Tara requested, "What does it say?"
"As you know, your father's name was Jonathan King, son of Tara King and I still haven't been able to crack anything further about him except that he did work in British Intelligence."
"And my mother?" Tara asked.
"As you probably already know from her grandmother and uncle her name was Cecilia Baker…" Wade reported, "What's interesting is that she went to Middleton High before going to college at Georgetown and then joining the CIA."
"I didn't know she came from Middleton." Tara interrupted, "Although I do know that she was CIA. That's how she met father. They were on a mission together."
"You're right" Wade answered, "Her mother died about ten years ago and her father a few years before her mother passed on. However, she had a sister…Jill Baker, now Jill Monroe who's living with her husband in Middleton. Mrs. Monroe is a realtor and Mr. Monroe owns a tree service. I've downloaded their address and phone number to your Kimmunicator in case you want to contact them, and your grandmother and Uncle John will be calling you tomorrow morning our time."
"Thanks, Wade." Tara said in a soft voice, "You're a dear."
"Glad to help." Wade replied, "I'll keep digging into the files and let you know if I come up with anything else."
"Thanks, Sweetie." Tara responded as she cut off the communication.
"You gonna be okay, Bestie?" Hope asked as she got up from the bed and, going to Tara's other side, hugged her.
"This is good news, is it not, lyubov?" Sergei uttered in a low voice.
"Yeah." A slight smile crossed Tara's lips as she lit another cigarette, "It is. I knew the basics. Mum's name and that she was in the CIA when she met my father and that her parents had died several years ago. But I didn't know she came from here or that she had a sister."
"So…wanna go see them?" Hope asked.
"Yeah." Tara nodded her head. Looking out the window and seeing the night sky, a crooked grin crossed her face, "I want to talk to Jill and Mark Monroe, but it's too late now. We'll do it first chance we get."
Smiling warmly at his blonde lover, Sergei declared, his other girlfriend nodding her head in agreement, "We are here if you need us."
"Thanks, luvs." Tara smiled back as she put out her cigarette, "You have no idea what that means to me. Letting her robe fall to the floor, the blonde adventuress grinned, Now…where did we leave off?"
Kim and Josh
Looking up into the night sky as she walked beside her boyfriend, Kim sighed, "It's a lovely night tonight. Look at all the stars."
"Yeah." Josh smiled as he looked up at the starry night. "You can even see the Milky Way…"
"And somewhere up there Frederick's probably hard at work in his station." Kim smiled. "Some monkeys have all the luck."
"Oh?" Josh exclaimed as he held Kim closer to him, "I know one Mankey who's feeling even luckier right now."
Flashing her boyfriend a coy grin as her hands wandered, Kim quipped playfully. "Hmmm…I know a Mankey who's feeling something right about now." Feeling her young lover's hands touching a very sensitive spot, the lovely redhead purred as she kissed him, "Mmmm…I like that. Don't stop."
"Company's coming." Josh whispered ruefully as he spotted an elderly couple, also taking a walk in the park, approaching.
"I see 'em." Kim whispered back, adding a promise as the young lovers parted from their embrace, "Sorry, baby. We'll continue this soon…promise."