Disclaimer: I don't own Kim Possible or any of the characters affiliated with it.
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Chapter 8: A Sticky Truth.
--
If I have to hear one more math problem about me and Kim, I think I'm gonna be sick.
Poor Ron; classes had been twice as hard on him due to his poor hearing skills. After math, it had been literature, then an early home economics. And don't even get him started on the history class he'd had before lunch.
As he made his way down the school hallway, head bowed as he watched the floor tiles disappear behind his feet, he prayed that his next class would be something simple and didn't involve anything that might be connected to romance.
Now, he wasn't sure if he was just hearing things or the teachers at Middleton High had a sick sense of humor, but this was definitely no coincidence. Four days without Kim and he still felt miserable, he still repeated the daily routine he'd had prior to the break up, and now he heard the event told everywhere he went. All these events… they were a sign.
But of what, he pondered as he continued on.
A polyphonic version of "The Naked Mole Rap" suddenly broke through the silence. Startled, Ron jumped before realizing what the sound was. He reached into his backpack's side pocket, pulling his black and red cell phone into the light, flipping it open, and placing it to his ear.
"Hello?" Ron almost expected it to be his mother, who often called at this time to remind him of some forgotten text book, a piece of homework he'd left home, or that he was to come home early today so he could baby-sit Hana. It was most likely the latter; his parents had another actuary conference tonight and he had promised to watch his sister for the night.
But to the teenager's surprise, his "hello" was met with an unexpected voice.
"Ron, it's Wade."
Oh, yes, quite unexpected. It took Ron a moment to shake off the surprise before he was able to respond.
"Wha- Wade? Look, buddy, I'm not going back to her if that's what you're calling about…"
"But, Ron," started the boy, never missing a beat as he picked up on the subject, "it was a mistake! There's proof! Whatever you heard from Junior, he was talking about someone else, not Kim!"
But the former sidekick seemed unconvinced. "What? Did Kim tell you to say that?"
The bitterness in the words surprised Wade, but he pressed on nevertheless. "No, and if you just meet her outside the school and go with her to bust Junior-"
"I can't, buddy, I just… can't," he stated softly.
"Why?" It was Wade's turn to be bitter. "Because you're afraid to face the truth that maybe you were wrong?"
But Ron was so sure that he wasn't wrong. He knew what he heard, and no other girl matched that description… right? He suddenly had flashbacks of when Kim Style got big, or when Jimmy Blammhammer decided to make a Kim Possible movie. It wasn't out of the question for Heather to start dating another billionaire, or any girl for that matter.
But the Animalogy reference surfaced in Ron's mind again.
"From your Yellow Trout, to my Blue Fox."
There was only one girl he knew who matched that description exactly.
There was no pause in his voice as he spoke, his tone growing cold and plain again.
"Sorry, Wade, but I have plans tonight."
The young boy continued to persist, despite the icy statement. "But I know who Junior's contacting! It's-!"
But Ron didn't catch the rest before hanging up, unable to bear to sound of his friend's pleas any longer.
Having been listening from his master's pocket, Rufus emerged just in time to see the blonde teenager shoving his cell phone into his backpack again. He eyed him with a questioning expression that, when seen by Ron, said; "Why not follow Wade's theory? He wouldn't lie to you about this."
Ron looked down at his mole rat and glared. "I won't do it, no matter what they say. I know I'm right about Kim…"
He paused, letting his nerves give away the fact that he was worried, worried that he had been… wrong. It was the first time since he made the decision on the break-up that's he'd had doubts, but what if Wade was really onto something? What if Ron had really broken his closest friend's heart for nothing? The idea was enough to sicken him, and not too many things drove him to sickness.
His mind still swirling with that thought, he turned to his best friend for reassurance.
"Right, buddy?" His voice went horse mid-sentence, revealing his nerves ever further. Rufus just shook his head in response, then vanished back into his pocket.
The former sidekick let out a sigh. "Well, I guess that answers my-"
"Stoppable!" Mr. Barkin's voice almost echoed through the vacant hallway as he called from the teen's next class.
It didn't take much for Ron to take off again, now at break-neck speeds. He wasn't going to risk detention, not at the rate his day was going. He just didn't need that.
But even under the pressure of reaching the classroom before Barkin ran out of patience, he felt his other woes bubble at the back of his mind, and wondering if he had made the right choice in ignoring Wade.
--
It was the first time this weekend that Kim had seemed truthfully hopeful, and without a doubt, she had reason to be. Wade's little discovery had revealed a truth that was far beyond what she had been thinking, and if she could confirm it to Ron…
Easy there, Possible; let's get past busting Junior first, she thought to herself as she pulled her dark purple mission top over her underclothes, putting her arms through the sleeves and pulling the shirt down to her belt. She stopped for a moment and looked at her reflection in the mirror of girls' locker room; her eyes glittering with emotion.
She wasn't going to lose this time. She wouldn't lose SSJ, and she wouldn't lose Ron; not over something as simple as a misunderstanding. She was Kim Possible, she could do anything, and that included salvaging her relationship with her truest friend… and being able to forgive.
It wasn't just the fact that he had broken up with her that hurt Kim, or even that he had accused her of cheating so wrongfully. It was much deeper; it was a matter of trust. For years, their relationship, whether as friends or something more, had become based around a simple trust in each other, a tied belief that they knew each other well enough that they expected the best when around each other.
Ron had broken that trust, because a simple lie created by his over-active imagination.
Not the first time either, thought the teen hero with humor, remembering the trouble with the supersuit that had ensued not long ago. That mess had gotten a happy ending; so would this one.
Kim was in the process of pulling on her brown gloves when her wristwatch Kimmunicator chimed in. She gave her glove a final tug, then reached to the device and switched it on.
"Hey, Wade! Any news?" She knew that Wade was supposed get Ron to come with her on the mission.
But right away, she could see it's in his eyes that her young friend's part in the plan had not worked out quite as well as she'd hoped.
"Sorry, Kim; I tried, but Ron has his mind set. He won't come." The disappointment in Wade's voice matched that which was going through the redhead's mind. It shouldn't have surprised her, but something within her spirit had hoped that Ron might just have enough doubt to check it out. Apparently she was wrong.
But that didn't mean she couldn't win.
A thoughtful and sly look crossed Kim's face when she looked back at Wade.
"Then I'll just have to bring Junior to him, and his girlfriend."
The tech-savvy boy smiled through the screen. Same old KP; ready and willing as ever.
But a frown overtook his grin, telling the teen hero that there was more bad news to report.
"Umm, but Kim…" started Wade with an unsure tone, "how are you gonna stop Junior without a partner?"
She was going about take offence at the comment, but remembered her last two missions against the villain before she could. They had been failures, complete failures, and she'd been betting it was because she didn't have Ron with her. Her mojo just wasn't the same without him. If she went to Senior's lair on her own, she had no doubt that she'd be bested in some shape or form.
But if Ron won't come, Kim pondered inwardly, then…
"Who's going to fill in as your sidekick?"
It was always weird when Wade finished her thoughts, but she ignored it, suddenly looking down at the boy with a pleading smile.
"Well, what about…" she began slyly.
He knew what she meant and suddenly eyed her coldly.
"No way, Kim," Wade said, cutting her off and crossing his arms in stubbornness, "not after the cupcake factory incident!"
The redhead sighed, disappointed by his answer but not unsurprised. "Well, fair enough, but who else would be willing to-?"
"Hey, Kim…"
Monique walked through the doorway of the locker room, clearly unaware of the conversation going on. She stopped in front of her best friend with a smile, hands on her hips.
"So, how did the Ron thing go? You know, I just saw him take off on his scooter, so I was wondering if he was actually going with on the… hey, girl why are you lookin' at me like that?"
Turns out, Kim was returning Monique's smile, but in a rather wily fashion. And that meant only one thing; she had gotten an idea that Monique wouldn't like.
"Yeah, about the mission…" started the redhead as she prepared to explain her idea.
--
"I can't believe I'm doing this…" Monique muttered with contempt.
She sat cross-legged and cross-armed in a plane seat, glaring at nothing in particular as she directed her annoyance at something other than Kim, who was seated next to her. The redhead looked far less perturbed, wearing something that could've been a proud smirk.
As soon as Kim had offered the substitute sidekick idea up, it had been an instant "no" from fashion-driven girl. But five minutes of arguing why and why not, and one infamous Puppy Dog Pout later…
Sometimes I wish I could just learn to say my peace and leave, bitterly pondered Monique as she gazed down at herself. She was wearing a purple tee-shirt, long black and similarly purple pants, black boots, and gloves with opened backs; an exact identical to Kim's current mission clothes. It was one of the many back-ups that they'd had made to avoid another mission outfit 'crisis'.
Monique herself had helped put together the multiple copies, but this… this wasn't what she'd had in mind when she'd created them. Not that she didn't look stylin' and all, but really… she couldn't fill in as sidekick. That just wasn't her thing, it was Ron's, and she personally didn't like getting involved in missions unless it was absolutely necessary, and that she could help.
And as far as she could see, it wasn't and she couldn't.
"Thanks for the lift, Mr. Rivers," Kim stated brightly, speaking to the pilot working the controls in the cockpit. A dashing young man with sunshine yellow hair and bluer eyes than Monique had ever seen before. He turned away from his flight work for a moment to flash a bright smile at the girls.
"It's not a problem, Kim," he spoke in voice like velvet, returning his attention to the various buttons and levers placed out before him. "After you saved me and my wife from crashing in Arizona, I only wish I could do more."
Monique didn't even hear her friend's usually unbelievable explanation on the miracle rescue, only focusing on her miffed thoughts over the fact that Rivers was married. For all her annoyance over getting dragged into this mess, his angelic good looks had certainly made up for some of her grief. And she was BF-less at the moment, so you couldn't blame a girl for hoping.
"Still mad with me?"
Kim's voice broke through her thoughts, and out of habit, she turned to face her friend. But the smirk on the teen hero's face, Monique knew that she had caught her ogling at Rivers more than once. Blush appeared faintly on her cheeks.
"I'm… mildly annoyed," she mumbled in defiance, trying to hide her embarrassment.
Kim saw this and couldn't help but laugh. She understood, as she herself was guilty of sneaking glances at Henry Rivers every so often. She decided to lighten up the tone a little bit. Quickly, she leaned in on her friend, whispering in her ear.
"I gotta agree with you though, he is pretty nice to look at."
The pair exchanged a girlish giggle, which made Monique feel a little less uncertain about this mission. She relaxed back into her seat. It was just Junior they were taking out. No death rays, no secret weapons, no hypnotizing sound waves; just Junior. However inconvenient, it couldn't be that tough, right?
Letting her thoughts settled, Monique couldn't help but think that this mission might be enjoyable even; little revenge for what had happened on Valentine's Day.
She smirked at the thought, folding her hands behind her head.
Oh yeah, she thought, this is gonna be fun.
--
It was several minutes later that the small private seaplane was landed on the edge of Seniors' island. Kim and Monique said their farewells to Rivers and stepped onto the rocky shores that surrounded the vast household. They watched the aircraft as it disappeared into the afternoon sunlight before beginning a slow but steady climb through the cliff-like area, keeping eyes peeled for any signs that might indicate other life.
The girls had reached a rather steep incline and Kim was in the process of getting out her new grappling hook (built by Wade over the weekend) when Monique finally spoke.
"So, I'm guessing this is about the time Ron would ask you what the plan is?" she asked, feeling somewhat left out that her best friend hadn't even explained their course of action yet.
Kim's face was turned, so no one could've seen the saddened expression across her face as she was reminded that her closest friend hadn't joined them. She swallowed her emotions quickly so her answer didn't reveal anything more.
"Basically," she started, her voice all business, "we're jumping this wall, finding Junior, then taking him down and whoever else gets in our way." With a proud smile, she looked back at her friend and held up her grapple gun to her face for effect.
Monique punched the palm of her right hand with a fist and nodded. "Let's do this then."
The teen hero aimed her gadget, pulled the trigger, and shot the grapple onto the top of the incline, then turned to her friend again. "You're actually gonna fight?" Her voice dripped of shock and amusement.
The black-haired teenager sauntered over to her side, grinning.
"Nah, but it should be fun to watch you kick some rich boy butt."
Kim couldn't help but laugh a little before she grabbed hold of Monique and retracted the grappling line, launching them to the top of Senior's mountainous wall.
After making their way over the other side, the rest of the infiltration was… fairly easy. Shockingly easy. They entered the back area with no trouble; no hidden lasers, no booby traps, no henchmen, not even a robotic servant cleaning the swimming pool. They eyed the immense sun lamp with suspicion and amazement (the latter applying more to Monique) as they passed under it.
By the time they reached the sliding doors on the back of the house, Kim at least expected some sort of motion-activated siren to go off, but no such luck.
As she prepared to unseal the door with her decoder comb, it suddenly opened in front of them in a dramatic whoosh; not locked, she noted. And when they entered, she saw that the usual floor laser web was missing. There wasn't even an invisible one, she learned quickly after checking the room with a few other gadgets; it was just a dark, empty room.
Senior's defense system was completely down, or turned off, she added mentally. Junior really was expecting someone; Wade's sources had been correct as usual, and the best part was that this would make her job much easier.
Then suddenly, the sound of a blaster going off echoed through the room, quickly followed by the sight of something large and green cutting through the darkness and heading straight for the girls.
The redhead gasped, slightly disappointed that her assumption had been off. She quickly turned to her partner, who had most certainly caught sight of the incoming object, but was too frozen by her own fear to move.
Within no time, the green projectile was upon them.
"Monique, watch out!"
Kim's lightening instinct kicked in and she shoved her friend to the ground, but it wasn't enough to save the teen hero herself. Before hitting the floor, she was hit by the projectile and thrown into a wall… where she stayed.
It took Kim a moment to realize that she'd been plastered to the marble by some sort of sticking agent. In addition to being strong enough to keep her trapped, she could also feel the green goop soaking into her clothes and slowly shorting out every weapon on her person. The agent also seemed to have stifled her ability to speak or move her face, for she found herself unable to scream or even grimace as the Kimmicator surged with electricity, nearly knocking her out cold.
Monique, coming back to her senses, quickly got on her feet. It took her a moment to relocate Kim, but she was only left in shock when she saw her best friend trapped atop the nearest wall. This is bad, she thought, noting how much of an understatement that was and how unsure she was what to do next.
That's when she heard a high-pitched, whining sound similar to the ones in movies... the ones that usually meant someone had a charged blaster pointed at your back.
Turning around, she began regretting her action movie knowledge.
Ten henchmen had created a perfect arch around the girls, blocking them off from the entrance. Each of them held a sci-fi like gun, no doubt all armed with the same green stuff used to shoot Kim.
And in the midst of them… Junior, showing off her near perfected evil grin.
"Oh, this evening just keeps getting better." There was practiced, but true menace in his voice; enough to make Monique doubt the simplicity of this mission suddenly.
This sidekick stuff is much harder than Ron made it look, she pondered, raising her hands in quick surrender.
--
Meanwhile, almost halfway across the world, intense battle ensued.
Seven friends, turned enemies by a war; they were looking out for themselves and no one else. Each was skilled in different ways, each had a trick up their sleeve, and each was willing to do anything if it meant winning. But who would regain victorious… no one could say.
Facing each other in a circle, they held up their weapons, all prepared to attack at any moment. All eyes fell on the largest of the group, a well muscled man, as they waited for him to make the first move.
He lowered his weapon and glared at each of his opponents, then pointed at the skinniest one. The small man gulped. "Do you… have any threes?"
Mego groaned and threw down his cards, almost revealing his hand. He grudgingly lifted out two cards marked with the number 3 and handed them over to the large man.
"Seriously, Hego, how you do keep doing that?" the superhero asked with exasperation as he watched his brother pull a three of hearts out of his hand and set it aside with his two trophies. They joined a now large collection of pairs on his end of the table.
Hego shuffled his deck skillfully, smirking at Mego in a most arrogant manner. "What can I say? I've been playing this game for a long time."
Mego huffed, folding his arms over his long, black shirt. Instead of his spandex, he had chosen to wear a My Chemical Romance shirt, blue jeans, and sneakers. His hair was jet-black with purple highlights, as opposed to the usual full violet color, and his skin pigment was actually normal. Hego had gone with a similar look, only wearing his manager's outfit instead of the more relaxed style of his brother.
Sitting left of the usually purple-clad hero; Larry Carlson snorted out a laugh and pushed his Coke-bottle glasses up the bridge of his nose.
"Reminds me of the time I wiped the floor with a friend of mine at his favorite anime-themed card game. He thought he had everything, but when I pulled out that Dark Dragon… man, you should've seen his face!"
He laughed again, adding a certain grating factor to his already nasal voice. It was more than apparent that Larry was speaking less to the group and more to his neighbor, a black-haired girl with Hispanic features.
"Cool huh, Zita?" He leaned in on her a little closer, wiggling his eyebrows in a corny fashion.
But it was obvious that she wasn't impressed, but growing increasingly annoyed with the older boy's poor attempts at flirting. In fact, she kept looking to the opposite end of the table, pleading with the green-eyed, redheaded teenage boy sitting across from her to put an end to the situation. Felix would shrug slightly, too amused by her agitation (and too embarrassed by his slight jealously over Larry's forward behavior around the girl) to actually intervene.
At the far end of the table, Ned shook his head as he watched the scene unfold. Switching his focus back, he shuffled his deck and adjusted his card dealer's hat, hoping that he looked twice as confident as he felt. Card games had never been his strong suit, even something as simple as Go Fish.
And finally, next to the Bueno Nacho manager sat Ron, who seemed to far absorbed in his cards to pay attention to the people he'd invited over.
He'd been telling the truth when he said he had plans; and by plans, he meant that he was going to call six of his closest friends that weren't Kim and have them come over so he didn't feel so alone while he babysat Hana.
And while the guys might have fallen for his lie as a chance to show off their card skills, Zita wasn't so foolish. She knew what had happened this weekend, and she knew Ron.
She pulled herself from the eyes of Larry and walked over to Ron, her expression giving away her worry. She lightly tapped him on the shoulder.
"Ron..."
He looked up in sudden surprise; obviously he'd been preoccupied, and she doubted it had anything to do with the terrible hand he had accumulated. He looked up at Zita and smiled weakly.
"Hey, Z. Good game, huh?"
His tone was further proof to her theory. She sighed and pulled her hands from her hips, gingerly grabbing hold of his shoulder.
"We need to talk."
--
Upon entering the kitchen, Ron grabbed several things from the refrigerator and pantry as he set to work on making nachos for his 'party'. Zita followed him and leaned herself against the counter with one leg; she folded her arms around her purple V-neck sweater and watched the blonde boy carefully. He set a small bowl of cheese in the microwave to heat up for a minute, then moved back to the kitchen table.
"So?" she finally asked.
Ron was pouring chips into a large, aqua-colored bowl when he looked up at her.
"So what?" he retaliated, playing innocent.
Zita wasn't buying it; her stare turned into a glare. "I think we both know why you're doing this."
The blonde teenager pretended not to listen as the microwave beeped and he moved to get the cheese, lifting it out and moving to pour the melted dairy product into the bowl.
When he turned back to the fridge for the toppings, Ron was surprised to find Zita standing in his way, looking rather cross with him.
"If you're really this unhappy, you should call her and say you're sorry," she stated point-blank, not caring if he paid her any attention or not.
Ron weaved around her coldly and opened the fridge, gathering a few things in his free arm. Upon closing it again, her glared back at the girl.
"And what makes you think I'm unhappy?" the boy quietly asked as he set out the ingredients on the table. Zita heard the bitterness in his voice.
She uncrossed her arms and began counting on her fingers. "Let's see... you invite your best friend to come over, which I would understand. But then you drag in the local Bueno Nacho manager..."
"Hey, Ned's a good friend of mine!" he retaliated.
"...two superheroes from Go City I've never even heard of..."
"I owed them a favor after the mess I caused last time we met!" The memory of the Additudinator incident came flooding back to him.
"...Kim's nerdy and, frankly, creepy cousin..."
"He's cool... you know, once you get to know him!" He could never quite understand what people didn't like about Larry.
"... and your ex-girlfriend..."
Ron had no good answer for that one.
"...to play cards and zone out in front of the TV with you while you watch your little sister! I see how lonely you are and how miserable you're making yourself. And you need to stop!"
Both were so absorbed in the argument that they didn't notice the other guests peeking into the kitchen; attempting to find out the cause for all the commotion. Zita hadn't noticed just how loud she had gotten in a matter of minutes.
Ron finally sat himself at the kitchen table, still glaring in the direction of his old girlfriend.
"I'm not apologizing to her, Z. Not unless Kim says sorry first. She's the one that cheated!"
Zita glowered at him. "I don't think you seriously believe that one."
In truth, he wasn't sure if he did. But he wasn't sure if he could admit his doubts either.
But before the fight could continue, a bouncy, ringing sound chimed from the dining room, making Ron and Zita switch their attention to the doorway. They noticed for the first time, the crowd of five that had gathered to watch them.
It was Hego who reached into his pocket and produced an odd-looking cell phone. He opened it and cut off his "Team Go Theme" ring tone, placing the gadget to his ear.
"Team Go hotline; this is Hego speaking. What is it, Mayor-" he stopped mid-sentence, listening for a moment. "Oh... oh, hey! Uh... yeah, sure I can..."
He lowered the phone and lifted it to his host with a smile.
"It's for you."
Clearly confused that he had gotten a call on Hego's private hotline, Ron was reluctant as he took the phone.
"Uh... hello?" He wasn't sure what to expect from here.
"Ron! It's Wade again..."
The former sidekick sighed heavily. Why hadn't he expected that?
"For the last time, Wade, I'm not going for it!" he snapped; the words came out meaner than intended.
"No, that's not it! This is urgent! I think Kim is missing!"
The serious tone in the tech-savvy boy's voice was enough to send chills down Ron's spine, but those words just about killed him.
"Missing? Like how?" There was a certain horse sound in the blonde's voice. He almost sounded... concerned.
"Like missing," Wade continued. "She decided to prove to you that Junior was lying, so she went after him with Monique. Everything was fine on my scanners, but I think Senior jammed them somehow. Next thing I knew, the Kimmunicator was fried and I lost contact with both girls."
Ron could hardly believe what he was hearing. Junior was never this good at villainy, ever. Since when was he so smart?
But then, all those petty emotions he had managed to cultivate over the last few days resurfaced as he fought back the urge to rush in and save the day.
"Well, why should I help?" he answered stubbornly, "I mean, it's like that Justin Timberlake song says; what goes around, comes- ow!"
Everyone in the room had an urge to smack the boy, but it was Zita who flicked him behind the ear. He glared at her, but she only smirked back.
"Actually..." started the boys on the other end of the line. Ron massaged his sore ear as he listened.
Suddenly, Wade's image suddenly appeared on the TV atop the kitchen counter, catching everyone's attention.
"I was trying to tell you earlier, Ron. I did some research on Junior's mysterious love life and it turns out, he only sent two things to Middleton."
"What?" There was shock in the former sidekick's voice.
"Yeah. That was the flowers sent to Kim's locker three years ago, and then the letter and bouquet sent a few days ago to some warehouse in the middle of town."
"A three year difference between gifts and one sent in the middle of nowhere?" Zita pondered, pressing a finger to her lips. "Hardly sounds like a stable relationship."
"It gets weirder," Wade smiled slightly as he spoke, happy that Ron was at least listening now. "The other things sent by Junior were sent to very different areas." He then clicked something with his mouse and pulled up a list on the screen, showing the group what he had learned.
Mego gave the screen a closer list. "Alaska, Egypt, Tokyo... and I haven't even heard of half these places!"
"And the only common address is some island in the Caribbean," added Zita.
Ron was quiet for a moment.
"...Maybe they were trying to throw me off." He protested.
It was Larry who smacked him in the back the head this time. "Seriously, man. Look at the facts!"
"Man, I'm getting dogged by Larry now?" he questioned with disbelief, rubbing his increasingly hurting head.
"And another thing, Ron," Wade interrupted. All eyes went to the screen again.
"I was able to examine some of the other notes Junior sent out, and one of them mentioned that he had met his mystery girl had black hair, and that they met two years ago," he held up two fingers for effect.
Ron suddenly got very quiet again.
"And it turns out, that's when the notes and flowers started up again; the summer of 2005."
Finished at last, Wade leaned back in his chair with some relief, waiting for his friend's reply.
Everyone in the room was on edge, in fact, watching the blonde teenager with anxious eyes.
It felt like an eternity of silence for them, and Ron's emotionless, shocked expression didn't help. A minute passed, then two, or maybe it was longer. Whatever the case; it was torturous.
Zita was beginning to wonder if he didn't believe a thing Wade had said, when suddenly… a smile crossed Ron's face; one that hadn't come to him in what felt like forever.
"Wade..." he said with strength, though most in the group would've sworn they heard tears threatening to choke Ron Stoppable's confident voice.
"Make sure you've got an extra ride; I've gotta a girlfriend to save."
--
After some mild celebration with his friends, Ron was quick to race up stairs and gather his gear. He opened his dresser drawer and greeted his mission outfit with a warm smile, like he was welcoming a lost friend. It felt that way to him.
As he dressed and began storing various gear into his backpack, Ron realized just how much of an apology he owed Kim. He'd crushed her over nothing; sounded almost unforgivable.
He tried not to contemplate that part too much; focusing more on the fact that Kim was in possible danger. Junior was already on his list of people that need to go down hard (right below Monkey Fist and right above Darrel Stevens, how stole his pudding cup in third grade; also unforgivable), but now that he was threatening his friend's... his beloved's life, it could mean war; cold-blooded war.
Zipping up his backpack and all its contents, he slung the straps over his shoulders and quickly raced out of his room.
"Okay, let's see..." he mumbled to himself as he climbed down the stairs in the hall. "Grappling hook; check. Communication device; check. Snack for the trip; check. Rufus..."
He stopped just before reaching the second staircase, realizing that the naked mole rat was not in his pocket.
"Rufus? Where did he-?" Realization hit him. "That's right! I left him with-"
And then realization hit him, again.
He took a few steps back and opened the door to what was once his bedroom.
There on the floor sat Rufus, with a set checkerboard set between him and Hana; it seemed as though the baby was winning, by the looks of the game. Ron might've wondered how, but he had other, more pressing matters to attend to.
Oh man, I totally forgot about Hana, he thought, which then he realized was foolish, as he was supposed to be babysitting, not Rufus.
But now he had another problem; how was he supposed to go on this mission with his little sister? Mom had forbidden him of doing so, and he had broken that rule one time too many for his mother's patience not to run out the next time he did it.
But he couldn't leave her here alone, or even with Rufus. But what other options did he have?
That was when Hego came in, his smile brighter than a 30-watt bulb.
"Stoppable! I was just wondering if you needed any help on this mission…"
Ron had to think for a moment, but not long, before smiling too. It was almost identical to Kim's sly grin.
"Actually... you can."
--
Five minutes later; Felix, Larry, Ned, Hego, Mego, and Zita stood at the doorstep of the Stoppable house, watching Ron as he took off down the sidewalk clutching his backpack, off to save Kim, and the world no doubt.
He had explained everything, told them what they needed to do, and even given them emergency numbers, but none of them felt prepared for the mission ahead.
Nevertheless, Zita was the first to rally her troops. She pushed her way back into the house.
"Come on, guys! All Ron really needs us to do is baby-sit for a few hours. I mean, how many of us haven't babysat before?"
Felix, Ned, and Larry raised their hands sheepishly; Mego followed soon after.
The girl sighed heavily, massaging her brow. "Okay then, we can get through this. Just... follow my lead."
She strutted into the living room, feeling prepared for anything. The boys were quickly to follow her, as told.
"I mean, how hard could babysitting Hana-"
And that was where Zita cut off, for her jaw had dropped.
In the living room was where they had left Hana, and that was where they found her, lifting up the Stoppable's over one-hundred pound sofa with one hand in order to reach multi-colored toy that had been lost under the piece of furniture. The baby saw the group and set down the sofa with a thud.
She held up her recovered toy to Zita, gurgling and smiling like a normal child.
"Oh boy..." breathed the teenage girl.
There was another resounding thud behind her as Ned proceeded to pass out.
--
Meanwhile, one favor later...
Ron screamed unintentionally as his parachute landing onto the Senior's island had felt more of a clash landing.
Grunting with annoyance, he untangled himself from the chute and tossed it aside, kicking it for good measure. His face, elbows, and knees were scrapped and bleeding, but he paid no mind to the pain. His focus remained simple; find Kim, stop Junior.
Find Kim, stop Junior. Find Kim, stop Junior. Find Kim, stop Junior. He kept those words in perpetual motion inside his head as he continued recklessly tripping over rocks and ripping his clothes and skin on branches.
But even all this wasn't enough to keep his attention away from something rather… odd parked on the far side of the beach; the smoother, less jungle-like side.
It looked a lot like... a small jet.
Ron's face lit up. That might be Kim's ride! Maybe she was still out here somewhere!
He began racing through the foliage and sharp rocks, not caring what injuries it caused him.
"KP! Kim, it's me! It's Ron! I came to save you! I came to-"
He suddenly stopped, both screaming and running.
By this time, he had made his way through the bad end of the shore and the jet was within clear view. It was twilight, so the darkness made everything very hard to see.
But even in the dim lighting, Ron recognized the paint job on the jet. That most certainly wasn't Kim's ride.
He began taking a few steps back, hoping he hadn't attracted attention... then suddenly, there was a pale hand around his neck. It pinned him to the metal of the jet in a flash, and before Ron could struggle, there was a green-glowing index finger pointed a little too close to his nose.
"I think you're the one who needs saving, sidekick." Shego hissed between her teeth.
--
A/N:
Thanks to reviewers Darth Comrade, daywalkr82, Arya MageFire, KittyKax, Cody McArthur Fett, Kwebs, CajunBear73, Samurai Crunchbird, Ace Ian Combat, and Akinyi.
Oh! Cliffhanger! Evil, aren't I? The final chapter is up next!