Hey there ! Sorry for taking so long. It seems I kinda have a hard time beginning to write a new chapter after finishing one. So, I really hope the next chapter will be ready before the end of the year, but I won't promise anything.

Second, if you got any questions or remarks, you can of course write reviews or directly send me a message, I'll answer quite quickly.

Finally, it's starting to really come together ! Chapters are longer every time and I have a lot of ideas. I think the whole thing will be about 10 chapters long, but we never know. So stay tuned !

Last piece of warning before letting you read: for the next chapter (this one is n°3, so n°4), I will change the rating of the fic, because I'm planning to write a really hard scene. I'll put this warning again at the beginning of the next chapter, but just so you know it, if you don't like or don't handle well harsh scenes, you may want to skip a bit of the story next time.

That's it ! Read well and I hope you'll like it !

Load's household

Wade was tired.

He had spent the last three days and nights harassing his computer system, forcing it to scan, analyze, track down every small piece of evidence he could find about Shego's and Drakken's whereabouts. He could almost hear the machine cry in agony, reflecting his own pain. Wade kept it locked up inside his brain, though. This was not the time to cry, to be angry and mostly to let Kim and Ron – he shivered – down. He couldn't, not now. Not after what he had done.

Wade was feeling guilty.

Ever since the event, he had lost almost all sleep. He had stayed awake the first nights, his thoughts too disturbed to let him rest. When he had finally managed to close his eyes, it was to open them only a few minutes later, panting and trying to catch his breath. When he had tried to remember the details of his nightmare, his stomach seemed to jump right up his throat, forcing him to run to the bathroom to throw up what little food he had eaten the previous days. He had stayed there for two hours, sitting right next to the toilet, gasping and sobbing until his body had no longer anything to give up. He had then came back to his chair and turned on his computer, deciding to do something, anything to distract himself from those thoughts.

He became scared of falling asleep. Scared that if he stopped being busy, his brain would let the guilt and the grief take over. And he knew he wouldn't be able to stand it: he would crumble down and begin regretting and blaming himself over and over. And why shouldn't he? He was the genius of the team. He was supposed to know how to deal with computer systems, bombs, viruses, malwares...Yet, just when it counted the most, right when he definitely couldn't allow to fail, he did. He couldn't help them. He had just watched helplessly, his brain whirling around, trying to catch a glimpse of an idea that might save Ron. And what for? The one that needed saving ended up being the savior. Ron was the only one that reacted quickly and smartly enough. Wade let out a frustrated growl. What good did it make to be a genius if it didn't help save his friends?

Wade closed his eyes. Breathing slowly, in and out, he then got up and went to the bathroom to wash his face. He stayed there a few second, looking at his reflection in the mirror, silently cursing his helplessness. He resisted the urge to cry, and began to bite his lower lip until he felt warm blood starting to pour out. The young genius sighed and reached for the first aid kit, don't wanting to spill blood everywhere in his room. His hand had just grabbed the kit when he heard a sound. At first Wade wondered what it was. Confused, he glanced around, wondering where it came from, only to hear it again a few seconds later. And again. And again. It took him a whole half-minute to understand. When he did, his eyes widened. Letting the kit fall to the floor, he ran to his room and threw his chair to the side, focusing on the screen of his computer. His eyes swiftly followed the letters and numbers that were displayed and, slowly, a smile appeared on his face.

He had found them.

Walking back to his bed, he sat on the edge of it. His feelings were mixed. He felt relieved, knowing that he hadn't become completely useless. A bit of pride was there too: of course ha had found them. How could he have doubted that? He was a genius, after all. But, most of all, he felt satisfaction and happiness. Now that he had their location, Kim would find them. And he strongly hoped she would pay them back a hundredfold. But first, he had to tell her what he had found.

He got back to his computer, sat on his chair and called Kim on her Kimmunicator.

"Wade. Any news for me?"

"I found them."

Silence.

"Where?"

"A warehouse in Upperton. I've sent you the location already."

A 'beep' told him she had cut the communication. That was fine. Now wasn't the time for words. His smile widened.

Give them hell, Kim.

Middleton High School

She had enough.

She had been back to school for a few hours only and she already couldn't stand it. The looks of compassion, people she barely even knew coming to her to tell her how sorry they were for her loss, how sad it was and how depressed they were. Yeah, right. They didn't even talk to Ron and they expected her to believe their words? Please, she was smarter than that.

One good thing though was that being at the hospital for a few weeks had prevented her from going to the ceremony the school put up in Ron's honor. She silently thanked her injuries each time she walked in front of posters commemorating his memory. She knew she would have hated being there. Seeing all those unknown people that mocked him, sometimes bothered or hit him in the hallways suddenly start to tear up thinking about their so-called friendship would have made her sick. And she probably would have kicked some of their asses, too. And it would've reopen her wounds.

Fortunately, she had Monique. She knew how Kim was dealing with the whole situation and didn't try to force anything out of her. She was there, talked about anything, laughed – mostly alone, since Kim wasn't in the mood – and listened when she felt it was needed. That was all that mattered: she :knew when Kim wanted to open up or when she needed her to keep talking to keep the bad thoughts away. And Monique did it perfectly.

"I can't stand it', Kim suddenly said.

Monique didn't say anything. She just stopped right in her tracks, even though she was telling a rather funny thing that happened at word with a client. She did a mental memo to tell that story later and focused on what Kim was going to say. After a small pause, the words came out:

"All of them. Those hypocrites. They cry now that he's gone, but they haven't even talked to him even once in years. They shouldn't feel sad. They don't have the right."

"Well, girl, it's like when you hear on the news that a teenager died. You didn't know him or her, but he or she was a teenager like you. So you feel sad, because there's this small connection. It's the same here, plus the fact that he's in the same school as all of them. So they feel concerned. I'm not sure they really feel sad. It's more like 'Holy crap, he's our classmate and he died, that's harsh'."

"It's not harsh. It's way worse."

"I know. What they feel can't even compare to how you felt and how you're feeling right now. But let them be. What can you do about it? Hit them until they feel happy about what happened?"

"I could try."

"Bad idea, girl. Very bad idea, trust me. I tried that once with a guy I broke up with. Didn't end well".

"Yeah, you've told me that story. How is he doing, by the –"

"Kim?"

Both girls turned around at the sound of the small voice. Kim was a bit surprised to see Tara in front of her. She felt anger start to build up, though, as she saw her red eyes, showing that the blonde girl had cried. And she didn't need to be a genius to know what she had cried about.

Monique, feeling her friend tense up a bit, rapidly answered the question.

"Hey Tara. How is it going?"

"Not so good, Monique, but thanks for asking. If you don't mind, I'd like to talk with Kim in private. Could you give us a bit of space for some minutes, please?"

"No prob. I'll wait for you, Kim."

"Yup, see you then." Kim and Tara watched as Monique walked away. "So, what is it, Tara?"

Her voice came out a bit more aggressive than she first intended. But another look at the girl's red eyes made her even angrier. How could she? She dared to –

"I'll be blunt: I'm sorry if it brings up painful memories, but...I know the news and all covered it, but I'd like to know from you how his last moments were."

Kim felt taken aback by her question. Suddenly, all the memories violently struck her mind: the mission, the lair, Drakken, Shego, the bomb, his death. And even more: her depression, the weeks she spent at the hospital and at home, her suicidal thoughts – all came back.

And it made her even more angry.

She wanted to know what? His final moments? Why? Why should she feel concerned? She was Ron's friend, all right, but that didn't mean she could just make such requests. She didn't have the right. And yet she dared. But no. Kim didn't want to tell her anything. That time, those moments, what they felt...It belonged to her and Ron only. She had nothing to do with it. Fuck her. Fuck her sadness. Fuck her grief.

"No. Sorry, but I won't tell you."

"What? Why ?" Tara was visibly shocked by her answer.

"You weren't there. None of you were there. And yet y'all want to know how it was? How it went? How it felt? Fuck you. Fuck all of you. I was there. I supported him. I was there for him every times he needed help – "

"Then why is he dead?"

Kim's words died in her throat. She was shocked. The usual soft, timid and gentle girl was now burning with anger, her red eyes full of frustrated tears, her voice slowly rising.

"Huh? You're right. You were there. Then why didn't you help him? Why isn't he here with us?" She began to shout. "Why?! You came back and he didn't! Explain yourself!"

"You think you know what you're talking about? Shut up. Shut up right now. Don't you dare demand an explanation from me. You don't have the right."

"Then stop acting like you have a monopoly on him! Can't we cry for a classmate? For a friend? Even if we weren't as close as you were, we still shared things with him. Can't we honor those times?"

"No. No, you can't", Kim whispered. "Not in my presence. Not until I've found the ones who did it. Not until I've made them suffer as much as I have. Until then, don't you dare show your crying face in front of me again. Or I won't control my fists."

Without giving her the time to answer, Kim turned around and walked away, ignoring the whispers and the looks the other students were giving her. She was so lost in thoughts that she almost jumped when she heard Bonnie's voice.

"Well, you know how to make a scene, that's for sure."

"I swear to God, Bonnie. Don't even go there or I'll give you a personal class on how to shut your mouth."

"All right, all right. Don't get all worked up like that, damn." The brunette paused. "I'm sorry about what happened. I really am."

Kim was about to shoot back at her sentence, but something in Bonnie's words actually touched her. She was being sincere. She really felt sad. But it was different. She didn't feel pity or compassion. Just sadness. She was surprised. She didn't know what to say. So she kept quiet.

"I know we don't get along so well most of the time. And I know I picked up on him every time I could. But still..It isn't fair." Pause. "I'm not gonna offer you a shoulder to cry on. But if you need it, I'm sure you can find people who will gladly give one to you." New pause. "Sorry again."

"Thanks, Bonnie. This really means a lot to me."

Both girls exchanged a look. Bonnie slowly shrugged and walked away. Kim watched her leave, actually feeling a bit better and quite surprised. Her rival was the one of the few people who had actually guessed what she needed.

Her train of thoughts was cut off by a familiar sound. Although she had ignored it many times the past month, she recognized it immediately and pulled out her Kimmunicator.

"Wade. Any news for me?"

She listened to what the genius told her. She then hung up and started walking towards the exit. Her lips curled up in a cold smile. Her fierce eyes became filled with anger and determination. As she hurried home, her head filled with thoughts of what was to come.

Just you wait. I'll teach you what pain feels like.

Somewhere

What the hell is going on?

Ron let out a frustrated growl. Why didn't it work?

After his holder had told him his power's origin last time, the teenager had tried to focus his power. He thought that if he managed to actually do it, he could try to at least fasten his healing process, or even try to break free from his restraints. But he couldn't. Everytime he concentrated, his mind became lost in a haze and his head ached, not letting him focus enough to even grasp a bit of his mystical abilities. And yet, he knew they were there.

This wasn't normal. And somehow, he knew it wasn't only due to his fatigue and wounds. There had to be something else preventing him from using it. If only he could find out what –

"How's my little guest doing?"

The voice startled Ron. No, it did way more than that. He was actually panting without being out of breath, his eyes were agitated and his legs were shaking. Why am I feeling so worried ? It feels like I'm panicking...What's happening here? He shivered again when the voice spoke again.

"I'm glad to know I have such an impact on you, but please keep the applause for later, we have some things to discuss."

"What do you want?" He barely managed to get those words out of his throat. Damn, why is it so hard?

"Well, first off, I wanted to check on you. It might not look like it, but I worry about you. I need you alive – for now, that is. If you're too roughed up, you may not be able to help me anymore." Ron tried to scoff, but not a sound came out this time. He lowered his head, hoping his holder hadn't seen his failed attempt at talking. "But you know, I'm quite surprised to see you're in a pretty good shape, after all! Well, considering how rough my subordinates were a few days ago..."

He winced in pain as he suddenly remembered the wounds on his body. Hopefully, he hadn't lost too much blood and – Wait, did he say a few days ago?

The voice laughed, causing an another shiver down Ron's spine.

"What is it? You look lost." Pause. "Oh, I see...Are you surprised to hear a few days have passed since your beating ? Poor you! I guess being closed up for such a long time really disturbs your internal clock, huh?" A laugh again. Then it stopped. "That's refreshing. A good laugh is always nice. Now, take that dumb shocked look off your face and listen to me. I'll need you soon, so be attentive, because I hate to repeat myself. And if I have to, I promise it won't go as smoothly as last time."

A shiver. Again.

"Great. Now, as I'm sure you've noticed, you don't seem to be able to use your powers here. How so? You want to know?"

Ron tried to speak. But his face was paralyzed. His muscles didn't respond to his commands. With a tremendous effort, he managed to move his head up and down. He could almost hear the voice's smile.

"Good. I told you last time the origin of your abilities, remember? You may be wondering how I know all this. Well, it's quite simple, really: I just did a lot of research. I already knew quite a lot about you and your partner, but I had to know more about that. After all, how would I deal with you if I didn't have means to restrain you? So I looked for anything: books, tales, inscriptions on cave walls...Anything. And I finally came across a young man from Japan. Long story short, let's say I persuaded him in telling me everything he might know about what I wanted. And he did: he told me about an ancient book which was kept in some kind of school, in Japan." Ron's eyes widened. Oh no. "Yamanouchi, was it? I sent some men there. It was pretty nice, they told me." Small pause. The voice seemed to grin. "Well, that was before they burned it to the ground, of course. Quite ironic, don't you think? To roast people who eat mostly crude fish." A burst of laughter erupted from the loudspeaker.

This time, Ron couldn't take it. The sound, the voice was so sickening, so awfully disturbing that he threw up. His eyes could only see red dripping though, reminding him that he hadn't eaten since he had gotten here. His head hung low, mouth slightly open, a drip of blood still visible on his lower lip.

"Well, that's a shame. Given the amount of blood you've already lost, you could have needed what you just threw up."

He didn't even listen. His thoughts focused on Japan. A small school on the top of a mountain. Young boys and girls, students like him. Yori. Sensei. He couldn't believe it. And yet, it didn't surprise him. What did he expect? That he would be the only victim? He probably hoped so."

"Now, now. Where was I ? Ah, yes. So, I managed to get the book. In it, I found a lot of information: how your powers came to be, but also many useful tips about dealing with them. And that was just what I needed." Pause. "You know, when I first heard of your abilities, I tried to analyze it, to understand it. And actually, it is quite easy to understand. It's energy. Mystical energy, of course, and lots of it, but still energy. Which means it's still detectable with the right tools. Also, some people are particularly receptive to it, like yourself or your little friends in Japan. So I thought: two immensely powerful beings like the Han and the Yono must have energy flowing in and out of them all the time, right? Then how come nobody detected that flow until now? Such a big emanation of energy should easily appear on many sensors as long as it isn't too far from the location! I deduced both beings were using something to at least hide their powers. And that's where the book came in handy. A passage talked about some sort of mystical material that was indirectly created during their fight against the 'big ape', as you called it, though in the book this third being is called Shoi. I don't exactly know why, but either way: during the fight, as the powers were clashing, a small part of them merged with rock from the landscape. The result was this mystical material that, due to its' composition, was somehow immune to and actually weakened the powers that created it. I had to find it. So I kept reading the book. And eventually, I got to a page that listed places that, hypothetically, could have hosted the Han or the Yono all around the world. That list was based on old and recent explorations all over the world. You can guess what happened next: I sent my men all around the world. And I can tell you, this material is the real deal. My subordinates managed to find some of it in a few of the places they explored. Unfortunately, what they did not find was the Yono and the Han. I guess they sensed our approach and didn't find me or my men worthy of their power...But no matter. Because I'll find them with your help, whether you want it or not. And by using your power, I'll make them come to me and I'll subdue them. And then, it will be Shoi's turn. And finally, I shall reign over this world with their power!"

A long, mad laugh followed. Ignoring his nausea and the pain in his throat, Ron spoke up.

"I know a good speech when I hear one. But I must say, I still don't get how you're planning to force me to help you. Because I can tell you, I'll never agree to your terms. Mostly because I hate terms. You can ask my school about it, they'll tell you."

A small laugh. "Rest easy, I'm not planning on using brute force this time." Ron's muscles relaxed a bit. He had to admit that escaping another beating was quite reassuring. "No, this time, I'm gonna rely on good ol' technology. She has never failed me and I doubt she will now."

Something in those words made Ron frown. It almost seemed familiar, as if he knew the voice without identifying it. But focusing again on what was happening, his muscles tensed again. He tried to prepare himself for whatever was coming, trying to ignore the pain all over his body. When he heard the door open, he turned his head towards it. When he saw the machine, he winced. This can't be good. He heard another laugh.

"Like it? It doesn't have a name yet. Basically, it works like this: the captors are placed on your body and detect your monkey powers. Then, we will be able to absorb and use your powers anyway we want. Even as a weapon, which is why you can see a laser over there. Once we've absorbed your powers, you'll still have some left, of course. Once you have them, you cannot lose them. You'll just be worn out for some time, a few hours maybe. And we'll use what we've absorbed to track down all the flows of energy we can find on the earth and then we'll finally find the Han and the Yono!"

"Nice plan. But there's a problem." Ron made a small pause. He tried to control his breathing and his voice. "I haven't been able to use my powers since I got here, remember? Such a shame, huh? I guess your goons hit me too hard and I lost it." He coughed. He was exhausted.

"Oh, don't worry about that, your powers will work just fine. Remember the mystical material I talked about earlier? The chains that are holding you up are made of it. Which is why you can't use your abilities and also why they're undetectable from the outside. They're far too faint for anyone to notice them. So now, we'll just let you down and you can start working with us. Gentlemen, if you would..."

The goons that had entered with the machine approached him. They placed two captors oh his chest and one on his back and turned on the machine. Then, they let him down. Instantly, Ron had two very different sensations: he briefly felt powerful. He had energy, he could feel his strength returning. And at the same time, he felt his life being sucked out of him. The strength went away as quickly as it had come back. He started screaming. His very soul was being ripped out of him: he felt himself dying.

His screaming kept on and on, until he passed out. A blue halo slowly appeared around him, as if to protect him, but was quickly sucked away by the machine. The voice let out a laugh, then turned off the loudspeaker.

Only the sound of the machine remained, the goons silently doing their dirty work.

A warehouse in Upperton

Such a crappy place. No wonder they're hiding here, it must feel like home to them.

Such thoughts were running through Kim's head as she got off the motorcycle Wade's contact had given her. She stood right in front of the warehouse where – supposedly – Drakken and Shego were. She approached the front door, not bothering to look for other exits. She wasn't going to let them escape. Not this time. As she put a hand on the knob, she paused.

What exactly was she going to do with them? They killed Ron. Yeah, but was that enough to make her a killer too? Of course it's enough. It's – it was Ron. They deserve even worse. Did she really want to kill them? I want them to suffer. No matter how. I want them to feel pain.

She shook her head. With a determined look on her face, she opened the door and stepped inside. She could visualize the room, which was big enough to hold a dozen trucks. She could also see crates there and there, but nothing more. She searched for a light switch and eventually found one. She turned it on. Once her eyes had grown used to the sudden light, she examined the room again. The room was indeed as big as she thought, but she hadn't seen all the crates. There were a few more on the far end of the room.

As she stepped forward, Kim noticed something on her right. Hidden behind some crates, she saw a pair of boots that lead to what looked like blue pants. Drakken. She hurried there before slowing down, her instincts kicking in and telling her to be cautious. She came closer and finally turned around the pile of crates that was hiding the figure. When she did though, she jumped back.

It was Drakken indeed. But he was dead.

What the hell?

His body was lying on its' back. Everything seemed normal. Only two things were out of place: the green marks around the wound on his chest and the gun in his right hand. Otherwise, his members were in no weird position, his eyes were closed and his mouth curled up in a strange smile that seemed half evil, half desperate.

Kim crouched and looked closely at the corpse. There was almost no scent from the corpse, which meant the death was quite recent. Maybe a day or two, tops. Unfortunately, she was no expert at this. The wounds on the chest were pretty deep. Probably the cause of death. There wasn't a single drop of blood on the floor, only near the wounds. So yeah, the hit killed him. He didn't die of blood loss. She pulled out her Kimmunicator out of her pocket.

"Wade."

"Are you there? What happened?"

Without answering, Kim pointed the device's camera to the body in front of her.

"What the...Kim, did you...?"

"Of course not. Though maybe I could've done it if I had gotten here earlier. Either way, look at this."

"Whoa, Kim. It may surprise you, but this is my first corpse. So be delicate, all right?"

Kim couldn't help but smile. "Sometimes I forget you're only thirteen. Take your time."

"Thanks." Wade relaxed. Seeing his friend actually smile was good, very good. Even if it was in this situation. He focused on the body that appeared on his screen. He tried to bring happy thoughts to his mind while he examined Drakken, but somehow it didn't really work. He frowned.

"I have a hard time believing it, but...The green marks point to Shego."

"I thought so too."

"But it doesn't make sense. Why would she kill him? They worked together!"

"And why now, too? I mean, they were in the perfect situation to take over the world. With me more or less out of the game for a few weeks, they could have easily robbed anything they wanted and more. So why do this now?"

Wade hesitated. "Actually, they did rob some things." Seeing a frown appear on Kim's face, he quickly answered her silent question. "Well, I tried to call you, but seeing as you were...eh...in a bad shape, I let it go."

"You let it go? Why?"

"Well, it was weird. They didn't commit any big crime. In fact, they only performed small robberies: small amounts of money, jewelry...Nothing indicating a new machine or even intentions of dominating the world. It's almost like they didn't even care anymore. So I figured the police could take care of it while you recovered."

"You're right, it's really strange...We'll figure this out later. For now, can you do a scan of his body? I want to know if he has some devices on him that could tell us something. Meanwhile, I'll explore the room a bit more. I don't want to miss anything."

"On it. Be careful."

Kim left the Kimmunicator next to Drakken's body. She walked away and started looking around the warehouse. Eventually, behind some other crates, she found a door. Damn, maybe I should have checked for other exits before going in...Well, too late now. Let's see what you're hiding... She opened the door found herself outside again, this time on the opposite side the entrance she first took. She looked around, but saw nothing more than other warehouses on the pier. There were some ships floating on the water too, but nothing disturbed the silence. She was going to head back when she noticed red marks on the floor. She crouched and touched it. She instantly guessed what it was. Blood. Hers. A dark smile appeared on her face. Thanks for making this easier for me, Shego. Don't die yet, we have unfinished business.

She got up and went back inside the warehouse, next to Drakken's body. She picked up her Kimmunicator.

"So? Did you find anything?"

"The analysis is almost over. One minute and I'll tell you everything about him. Something new on your side?"

"Yup. I found blood prints outside the warehouse, through the backdoor."

"Shego's?"

"Pretty sure it's her. Once we're finished here, I'll track her down."

Wade shivered at the coldness in her voice. He was going to speak but heard a sound indicating that the analysis had ended.

"Finally So, nothing really interesting. The gun in his hand, a pen in his pocket...Huh? That's weird..."

"What is it?"

"There's a faint signal coming from just behind his left ear. Can you look at it?"

Kim leaned forward and checked behind Drakken's ear. She didn't see anything, but heard a faint sound. She turned to Wade's face on the screen.

"I don't see anything, but I can hear a faint sound coming from there. What do you think?"

"I don't know. I'm running another scan, maybe we'll know what it is."

Another minute went by. Kim was growing impatient.

"So?"

"Wait...That's it. What are you hiding, you little – oh."

"What ? What's with the 'oh'?"

"You should start running. And fast."

Her eyes widened. She knew what he meant. Not again. She put her Kimmunicator in her pocket and jumped towards the back door. She began to run, not looking behind her. She knew what awaited her if she slowed down. Death. Just like Ron. Her muscles tensed. She ran faster and eventually reached the door. She ran out, kicked the door shut and kept running towards the water. She jumped in, right between two boats.

Just as she touched the water, an enormous fireball engulfed the warehouse she was just in. As it exploded, a column of fire grew to at least twenty feet while the explosion hurled the walls and roof in every direction, pieces of stone hitting other buildings in the vicinity, some falling in the water. Kim saw a few drop only a few inches away from her. She quickly dove until she was right under one of the boats that were now rocking from side to side due to the blast. After thirty seconds, unable to hold her breath any longer, she swam up and got her head out of the water.

Fortunately, stones had stopped falling. When she looked up at the sky, she was that it was colored in tones of orange and red, as remnants of the giant fireball. She got out of the water and climbed back on the ground of the pier. She could see stone and wood fragments everywhere. Small fires burned there and there, but nothing really serious. She took her Kimmunicator out of her pocket and turned it back on.

"Kim! Glad to see you're fine."

"Yeah, thanks for the warning."

"No problem. I'm glad I made your Kimmunicator waterproof, too."

"Yeah. But now, most of our leads are gone. Did you manage to get anything from the scan earlier?"

"I got a very faint signal. It's the one that activated the bomb remotely. I'm gonna try and track it down. With some luck, I may be able to find where it came from. But Kim, I'm starting to wonder if there isn't something else at play here...This isn't at all like Drakken and Shego."

"I agree. But for now we don't have anything else. Do your thing."

"What about you?"

Kim turned her gaze to where she had seen the blood prints. This time, no smile appeared on her face. A cold fire danced in her eyes.

"I'm going on a hunt."

Somewhere

Ron suddenly woke up, his eyes nearly bulging out of his face. For a second, he wondered what was that sound that had startled him so much. He then noticed that his mouth was open to it's full extent, hurting his jaw.

His own scream had brought him out of his unconsciousness.

Almost right away, he felt an intense pain running through his arms and his chest. Unable to look at his limbs, he could only close his eyes and keep screaming, praying for the pain to stop. And, unexpectedly, it did. His muscles were still sore and aching, but most of the pain was gone. Panting, Ron opened his eyes again. He glanced around through his tears, wondering what was going on.

"Good, you're awake. Now keep quiet and listen to me."

The voice made Ron's whole body tremble. He felt the coldness in the voice. It terrified him even more than everything he had already experienced in this prison.

"Here's what we're gonna do. We're going to use the machine again. Seems last time wasn't enough. Now, my subordinates will bring it into the room and – "

"You know, you don't have to feel ashamed of not being able to use my powers."

Ron's answer surprised even himself. He had opened his mouth before he could even think about speaking. But what startled him more was that he didn't feel as much pain as before. In fact, almost all of it was gone. How can it be? My body almost doesn't hurt anymore..Why?

"You think you're funny? Don't worry, I'll show you how fun I can be, too."

Instantly, Ron felt again the same pain as minutes before. But this time, he understood what it was. The chains that were holding him up had suddenly brought his arms far up his head, tensing and extending them to their limit, hurting his limbs and his shoulders. Panting, he was trying desperately to breathe correctly, causing his chest to swell up, hurting his abdomen and his legs as he tensed them as much as he could to stay in a more comfortable position. Ron started screaming again. But the pain disappeared just a few seconds later.

Letting his head down, Ron felt his saliva drip from his lips to the ground. His muscles were aching again, his breathing was shallow and his throat was sore. But strangely, the pain was already starting to fade. And he didn't get why.

"Interrupt me again and next time I'll tense your arms and legs until they break. Understood? Good. Gentlemen, if you would..."

Just as the voice said those words, a few goons entered the room, bringing in the machine from last time. Ron shivered at the sight. But suddenly, an idea crossed his mind. So that's how it is, huh...I guess I gotta test my theory. He gulped down. He felt nervous. If he was right, everything would go smoothly – or, at least, easier than before – but if he was wrong, he was in for quite a lot of pain. He breathed in and spoke up.

"Well, looks like someone's in a bad mood. Can I recommend you a massage? Or even a good vacation, it might be good for all your stress, you know – "

He couldn't even finish his sentence. Again, he felt his arms being brought up his head and also his legs being pulled from under him, tensing him even more. Yet again, he started screaming. The torture went on for a whole minute, making his muscles completely numb once the chains let them fall back to how they were before.

"What did I tell you? Do not interrupt me and keep quiet. Don't even try to mock me. I can inflict you pain you've never imagined. So now, be a good prisoner and behave yourself."

As the goons slowly approached him with the machine's captors, Ron let his head fall down to hide his grin. Finally some good news. I guess I gotta keep up the act now and don't waste any energy.

Ron felt good. Well, better, to say the least. He had finally understood: the last time the goons used the machine on them, it had sucked out his powers. But not all of them. While most of them were absorbed, a small part had actually flown through his body, trying to heal him. And when the process had ended, this small part had stayed within him, treating his injuries, though not enough to completely heal him, but at least to make his movements easier and ease his pain. Just now, when the voice had used the chains for the third time, he had felt an incredible pain at first, but it had slowly gone away as his powers focused to make it tolerable. He had decided to keep screaming to keep up the act of his pain and suffering. What he didn't understand though, was how his powers could work with the chains holding him. And it struck him: his powers were acting on their own. He wasn't using them, he wasn't focusing to try to use them in a specific way. They had begun to heal him on their own, without him playing any part in the process. And also, he could feel there was only a small part of his powers inside him. Maybe that's why they could act: the chains only served to disrupt his focus when he tried to use a lot of his mystical energy. But seeing as there was so little of it, it didn't need any focus from him to act.

As he felt the captors being placed on his body, Ron quickly tried to think. Come on, try to think: you're now able to use your powers, at least a small part of them. What can you do? It's nice that you can heal yourself now, but you gotta find a way to get out of here before they manage to correctly use your powers...

Suddenly, he got it. If they could use his energy as a way to track down other sources of mystical energy, maybe he could use it as a beacon! Someone might detect his powers – hopefully Wade's scanners would pick up the signal from his energy – and find a way to locate him! But when to use it...? The only way he could think of was while the machine sucked away his powers. He shivered at the thought. Last time, he had barely held on for two minutes before passing out. Well, it's true that now he had a bit of his powers to keep him from fainting for a while...but still. He was scared.

Ron turned his gaze in front of him, seeing the goons ready to turn on the dreadful machine. He closed his eyes, breathed in and out to try and seal the fear away in a far corner of his mind. He tensed his muscles and braced himself.

As soon as the chains let him fall to the ground on his hands and knees, he had yet again the same feelings as last time: immense power flowing through him and instantly getting to work with his injuries and, at the same time, his body beginning to feel number, his very soul being ripped off his being. Closing his eyes harder and gritting his teeth, he focused his mind on one thing only: putting up a barrier within his powers to keep a small part of it from being sucked away. He grunted, his forehead covered in sweat...

He did it! He almost relaxed and lost his focus. He mentally – and ironically – thanked the pain in his body for not letting him drift away. He could feel a bit of his energy focused on the back of his head. He was going to let it all out around him and out of the room, when a thought struck him. If I throw it too suddenly, they'll surely notice it somehow. I have to try and let it flow away from me, so that they don't grow suspicious...Ugh, I've never tried this before. This is going to be –

A sudden pain in his chest interrupted his thoughts. All the air disappeared from his lungs and he started to pant, his sore throat aching. Collapsing on the ground, he focused one last time and began to let go of the energy he had still control of. Slowly, he felt it exit his body in small fragments. He kept his focus while he felt a scream beginning to form in the back of his throat. His body tensed, he could feel his arms and ankles on the verge of snapping due to his effort and the pressure his body was under. He started screaming, howling in pain as he felt his mind about to break.

Then, finally, he felt the last remnants of his powers flow out of his body. Letting go one last time, he stopped fighting the darkness that was dangerously looming over his consciousness. His scream died in his throat his vision grew dark and his brain came to a stop. Simultaneously, the machine stopped: it had absorbed everything. Just as his consciousness faded away, Ron felt the fragments of his power crawling along the walls, sneaking through any opening they could find to get out of the room and vanish into the air.

The goons walked to him and began to take off the captors. When it was done, they chained and hung him up again.

When they left, dragging the machine with them, silence fell upon the room. Only the boy remained, his limbs limp, head down and mouth slightly open, as if asleep.

Somewhere else

The dark figure looked at the screen in front of it. The displayed imaged showed the boy, unconscious, visibly exhausted.

The man let out a sigh and looked up at the ceiling.

So frustrating. This is so frustrating.

He had watched how Ron's powers were yet again drained from him. But this time, he had noticed that it had taken him longer to give in. How could this be? Was he stronger than he had anticipated? If that was the case, it would be much harder to use him and make him docile.

The man closed his eyes. The problem was his will. As long as he had hope and was willing to fight, he would cause problems. So, he had two options to subdue him: the first one was to destroy that hope. Essentially by killing his damned partner. But she was quite hard to deal with. He had expected his trap at the warehouse to fail, but Shego's blood was problematic. If that redhead found her, it would bring her dangerously close to his plans. He had to think this through, he needed to at least gain time. But either way, there was no way he could deal with her in time. He had to act faster.

The second option was troublesome. He could simply break his prisoner. Make him lose all his will to fight. Make him so weak and so lost that he wouldn't oppose him anymore. The risk being that if he broke him too much, he could have a breakdown or even try to kill himself.

What to do, what to do... The man thought intensely, eyes still closed. It was so frustrating! He had everything planned out and yet, there was a small speck of dust ready to disrupt the whole machine! He still had time, but he couldn't really afford to waste much more of it. He growled. Anger began to grow in his mind. If that's how it is, then I guess I haven't got a choice.

He opened his eyes and gave a dark grin to the screen. He had decided.

And he was going to love breaking his prisoner, in every possible way.