I do not own Kim Possible.

I've Been Working in the Yard

Kim wasn't sure where Monkey Fist had been taken, but he didn't rejoin the rest of them as they were taken out from their cells and led down the corridor. Thankfully, no one else had attempted to mess with them, but Kim wasn't entirely sure how long that would last. The hostile looks aimed their way were getting downright deadly.

Kim grunted when Ron's fingers dug into her arm. "Ron, stop freaking! Monkey Fist isn't going to bother us for a bit."

"But he's going to come back eventually, and then we're toast!" cried Ron.

"Again, Ron, not exactly something we haven't dealt with before."

They stepped into a square yard, where rocks were stacked in tall piles on the barren ground. Ron and Kim exchanged confused glances.

"Ready, Kimmie?"

Ron jumped, but only slightly. Kim peered over her shoulder, where Shego was grinning at her. "Ready for...?"

"Hard labour."

Kim returned her attention to the yard and blinked against the sunlight. The inmates were taking small pickaxes from the guards and using them to chop the large rocks into smaller pieces. Criminals and mad scientists everywhere were chopping up chunks of rock with mining picks. Ron was horrified.

"Are you serious?! I thought this only happened in movies!"

"Definitely not," muttered Drakken.

Kim frowned. "What is even the purpose of this?"

"Beats me."

"If I were you, I'd stop gawking and start working," snickered Shego, clapping Kim hard on the shoulder. "People around here don't like seeing slackers."

She and Drakken started went to collect their pickaxes and Ron glared at Kim. "You know, when I pictured Spring Break, I was thinking beaches and Bueno Nacho. Not working in the prison yard!"

"Well, at least we'll be getting our exercise," said Kim dryly.

They reluctantly grabbed their picks from one of the guards and approached a pile. As Ron struggled to lift his over his head, Kim swung with all her might, spraying pieces of mineral in all directions.

"How are you doing that?" asked Ron, wincing as he dropped his pickaxe.

"It's about finding the right motivation. Stupid Bonnie."

Bang!

"Stupid me."

Crack!

"Stupid prison."

Bang!

"Stupid bet."

A strangled howl rose above the dusty yard and Kim immediately whirled around. In his attempt to mine the rocks Ron accidentally put the tip of the axe into the foot. The tool lay on the ground and Ron hopped about wildly, clutching his bleeding foot and his face a bright shade of green.

"Ron!"

Guards descended upon them, ushering them back into the building amongst the guffaws and snickers of the inmates.

"Kim," squeaked Ron. "I feel like I'm gonna throw up."

"You're gonna be okay, Ron," she soothed, squeezing his hand. "And, uh, if you really have to upchuck, try to let us know beforehand."

They entered the infirmary and the guards set Ron on one of the cots. Kim sat off to the side and watched the nurse as she worked. Ron's shoe and sock were removed and Kim grimaced at the smear of blood that was revealed. She deemed that Ron would need some stitches and shooed Kim out of the infirmary so the procedure could take place.

Kim wandered down the hall with a sigh. Guilt knotted in her chest as she heard Ron's pained whimpers echo after her.

"I so owe Ron."

With nothing else to do but wait, she returned to the work yard and reclaimed her pickaxe. She lost herself in the labour, feeling sweat build on her body from the exertion.

I hope Ron is doing okay.

…

The nurse was a psycho lady.

The needle she had injected into his arm was huge. And it hurt like heck. Or Ron was pretty sure it had hurt. He passed out before it made contact with his skin. But considering the bruise that was now on his left shoulder, it had definitely hurt.

His foot was stitched up and wrapped in bandages. Ron looked around the room, his body feeling heavy and sluggish. "I think she tried to poison me," he mumbled, getting shakily off the cot. "Monkey Fist probably paid her to do it."

The nurse didn't seem to be in the infirmary. Ron approached the door and tried the handle, only to find it was locked from the outside. He could hear voices sounding from down the hall and he strained his ears.

"…an experimental procedure, for sure. It's been difficult finding test subjects due to the horrendous side-effects. But I think this one will do just fine."

"I gotta get out of here!" Ron cried frantically. "I don't wanna be a test subject!"

He spotted a ventilation shaft in the ceiling and he shoved a bed underneath it. He balanced on the cot and removed the cover. He climbed inside and blindly started moving, coughing as dust bunnies rolled into his nose and mouth.

The door swung open and the nurse rolled up her newspaper article. "Yes, I suspect that the volunteer's unique genetic traits will create extraordinary breakthroughs with this experimental medicine. It was a fascinating article."

"Indeed," her colleague agreed. "Now, where is this patient you'd like me to look over?"

"He's—" The nurse paused and looked around the empty infirmary. "That's odd. He was right here."

…

If Kim was sincerely grateful about anything regarding her circumstances right now, it was that Bonnie had taken her picture before she was thrown into the work yard. She could feel her clothes sticking to her body and her hair had definitely lost most of its volume.

Her muscles felt like rubber and she finally collapsed, splayed out against the pile of rocks. A few sharp pieces jutted into her back and side but she couldn't find the energy to care. She closed her eyes, trying to catch her breath, but her moment of relaxation was ruined but a toe digging into her hip.

"Ow." She opened her eyes to see Shego looming over her. "What's your problem?"

"You. Remember what I told you about not doing your fair share of work?"

Kim gaped at her. "Hello? Did you miss the hour's worth of labour I've been doing?" She pointed to a clumsily made pile of small, carriable rocks. "Those did not get there by themselves."

"Nope, didn't see a thing," said Shego with a dismissive wave of her hand. "Just a little more work and then you'll be done. It's almost time for food. Or for what passes as good around here. Chop-chop, keep working."

Kim let out a dramatic groan and scaled the mound, finding a decent collection of boulders near the top. She got in a few swings when her foothold crumbled apart and she found herself plummeting a few inches. She gave a startled squeak and peered at her foot, which was trapped between a clump of rocks.

Her pick had fallen down the pile, way out of her reach. Kim yanked and twisted but her foot was stuck tight. "Shego!"

Shego glanced up and wiped the sweat from her brow, a wide grin stretching across her face. "Seriously, Kimmie. If you want to get out of work that badly, try impaling your foot like Stoppable."

"She-go!"

Shego casually strode over to Kim and studied her dilemma with her hands on her hips. "I could just leave you here."

"It's either you or a guard, Shego," snapped Kim.

"Geez, fine. Don't get snippy with me." Shego lifted up her pickaxe and started to chip away at the rocks pinning Kim's foot in place.

"Careful!" said Kim nervously.

"Relax. You got two, don't you?"

It took a minute but eventually Kim was freed. She was extraordinarily relieved to hear the whistle blast cut through the yard, signalling the end of the shift. She wasted no time in joining the line to hand in her pickaxe.

"Kim!"

"Ron! You're okay!"

"The nurse is trying to experiment on me!"

"Wait, what?"

"I overheard her!" panted Ron, leaning on Kim for support as he tried catching his breath. "She wants to use me as a test subject! She's gonna put me through horrendous side-effects!"

Having no clue what Ron was talking about, she grabbed his shoulders and gave him a slight shake. "You are tripping."

"I know what I heard!"

"There you are!"

Ron yelped as the nurse jogged across the yard towards them. He hid behind Kim and wailed, "Don't let them take me!"

Kim spotted the newspaper clutched in her hand and she scoffed. "Check the headline, Ron."

"Possible breakthrough in experimental medicine thanks to volunteer who is immune to side-effects," read Ron. "Oh. My bad."

"Your check-up isn't over," said the nurse sternly. "And you shouldn't be moving on those stitches so soon!"

"Sorry," said Ron, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'll just…go back to the infirmary."

Kim rolled her eyes. "You do that. I'll meet you in the dining hall."

"Hey, if they're serving burritos, grab me like, twenty."

"They're not serving burritos."

Ron's shoulders slumped forwards. "I know. But a guy can dream."