Thanks to everyone who have been reading and sending reviews for this. I really appreciate all the comments and reviews! Let me thank everyone who have done so: calamite, Alphamech, RealityBreakGirl, Cylon One, Tormax, AtomicFire, and romantic-cancer.
Now on with the show. Disclaimer: I do not own the characters involved in the following work of fiction. (At least the last time I checked, I didn't)
Chapter 4
"Kim Possible is… dead?" Shego said as she watched the funeral on TV in Drakken's lair. "I don't believe it."
"Oh believe it Shego." Drakken said in response to her statement. "I had a feeling that my last self-destruct might take her out."
"And just what was it made of Dr. D.?" Shego asked, her hands on her hips. "I've never seen any of your devices destroy anything so completely."
"That's for me to know, and you to find out." Drakken replied with a sneer, and glanced around the room. "Where's your … pet project?"
"Ron… I mean… Rosco… is still sleeping. I kind of wore him out yesterday with a bit of a workout. He sure has some stamina once you get him going."
"Shego… I did NOT need to hear that." Drakken said shaking his head side to side.
"Ewww… Not that." Shego said. "I meant I had him doing martial arts training."
He did look good once he got a bit of a shine going though… "Ugh…" Shego mumbled to herself after that last thought. "I've got to stop thinking of him like that!"
…x x x x…
Kim… err, Quinn, was looking at her reflection closely in the mirror. Her new look was starting to grow on her rather quickly, but at this point she was intently studying her bionic eye. It looked so… real! Currently it was just being used as a regular eye for a while. Her body had to get used to it along with everything else first, then the other functions were to be tested.
Quinn stood back from the mirror a bit so she could look at the reflection of the rest of herself. She stood there with just a sports bra and shorts on as she examined her taught frame.
Frame of Medtenium. She thought to herself. With her black hair in a braid, and long bangs hanging down framing her face, Quinn thought she looked a bit like that action hero she had seen in a movie. Although, she wasn't quite used to the new eye color just yet.
"Crypt Stealers, Tomb… something or other. Oh well. I just look good!" She said finally and walked out of the private bathroom that was adjacent to her living quarters. She had been staying in private quarters for the last few days, which were located underground along with the secret underground GJ/NSA complex.
Quinn had not been able to leave the underground complex that she had been staying in, and it was starting to cause a bit of cabin fever. She placed her hands on her face and lightly rubbed, feeling the artificial skin on her hands with her cheeks. The bionics were heated to mimic body heat, but they still felt a little… odd. For all intensive purposes, it felt just like skin. But to Kim, it felt a little… thick.
She walked over to her little TV set, turned it on, and plopped down on the couch. It would be about another half-hour before she was scheduled for more testing of the bionics in the gym.
Finding a national news station, she turned the volume up a little, as she wanted to find out what had been going on recently. It had been about a week and a half since the accident, and Kim had been too busy with all the bionic testing to really relax much and catch up on all the news.
It looked like there was some sort of press conference, and Kim knew exactly where it was held as the camera panned back a bit. "Why is Ron's house on the news?" She said out loud to herself.
Ron's dad Gene, stepped up to the podium, adjusted the microphone, and took a drink from a glass of water. He looked ragged and tired. After looking into the camera for a bit, he began to speak.
"Ladies and gentlemen. I regret to inform everyone that after an extensive search for the last week, the authorities have said that most likely my… our… son…" He looked over at his wife as her saddened face was put on the screen. "That our son Ronald, most likely did not survive the explosion." Muted voices could be heard from the small audience that was off camera.
He took a long shuddering breath, and his wife came to his side. Gene continued to speak. "The funeral will be held posthumously tomorrow morning. His casket will be laid to rest beside the one person that meant so much to him. His essence will be buried beside his partner, Kim Possible. At this time we are not answering any questions."
Kim sat stunned on the couch. She wasn't sure how long the banging was going on at her door when she finally realized that someone was knocking, and quite loudly. She could now hear Dr. Directors voice on the other side as she slowly stood and went to answer the door.
"Kim…! Kim…! Please, open the door! I hope you're not watching TV! I hope…"
Kim opened the door to reveal Dr. Elizabeth Director, who stood there in her usual GJ outfit. Her one eye showing a terrible grief and pain, and Kim fell to her knees bawling into her hands. Elizabeth Director knelt down with her and protectively wrapped her arms around Kim.
"Oh Betty…" Kim said between sobs. "Is it true? I thought you said he was just miss… missing?"
"It… it wasn't our d… decision." Betty replied starting to feel pressure around her as Kim was hugging her even tighter. Kim's face was buried in Betty's shoulder as her own shoulders heaved with sorrow after seeing the finality of Ron's death on TV.
Kim continued to hold Betty tighter as she cried harder onto the woman's shoulder. Betty had been so good to her through all that had been going on, and she couldn't help but hold on to her more and more.
"K… Kim…" Betty felt like she was being crushed. She could hardly breath, and she thought she felt a rib or two snap as Kim's hug was becoming a death hold! She quickly tapped Kim on her shoulder to get her attention, and Kim finally released Betty from a hug that could have ended her life.
Betty finally breathed, but as she did, pain shot through her in a flash. Yup, at least one rib was broken. She dropped to the floor on one hand as she attempted to catch her breath.
Kim finally realized what had happened, and her hands shot to her mouth as she realized that she had almost crushed to death the one woman who had helped her so much. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry Betty! I didn't… know!"
Kim stood and ran back to the couch, falling on her stomach and cried even harder into a cushion. Betty stood gingerly, holding the side with what was probably two broken ribs with one arm, walked over to the couch, and sat at Kim's feet.
"It's OK. I've had worse than a few broken ribs. Besides… you're just getting used to the strength in your new arms."
"But I could have killed you!" Kim said, her voice muffled by the couch cushion.
"Kim… Kimberly. Sit up and look at me. Please?"
Kim obediently sat up and looked at Betty Director with tear filled eyes. She wiped her cheeks with a hand and said, "I hope (sniff) I don't… rust."
"I doubt that will happen Kim. You just need to remember what you're capable of." She tapped Kim's chest.
"In here…" Betty then touched Kim's arm. "And here."
…x x x x…
"Rosco…! Damit! Get your head in the game!" Shego yelled at him as the two had been sparring all afternoon. "I know you can fight better than this!"
She looked down at Rosco as he continued to lie on the mat after Shego had thrown him with a rather viscous hip throw. "If we don't get you into fighting shape soon…"
"Shego…? You better see this." Drakken said as he walked in to the gym carrying a small portable TV.
"Dr. D… What are you talking about?"
"Just come here, quickly."
Shego half-jogged to his side, and watched the small screen as the words "Ron Stoppable declared dead" scrolled by on the bottom of the picture.
"This may work to our advantage." Shego said with a bit of a sneer. "Rosco! Get over here. You need to see this."
Rosco pushed himself up to a standing position, and sauntered over to Drakken and Shego's side. "Who's this… Ron Stoppable? And why would I be concerned with him? Though he does look a little bit like me…"
"He looks nothing like you, Honey." Shego said as she gently tickled one of his ears, and placed a quick kiss on his lips. "He used to be Kim Possible's sidekick. Now that both are gone… we will be un-stoppable! Bwahahahahaha!"
"Oh, and by the way…" She continued. "We're going to be at the funeral."
…x x x x…
"I need to be there." Kim said in a hushed voice after her crying had finally subsided.
"No, Kim. You don't. Besides, it's too soon. Someone may recognize you."
"Don't you DARE tell me I can't go to Ron's funeral!" Kim said with such emotion, it took Dr. Director by surprise.
"Kim… You're supposed to be dead. Remember?" Betty said, trying to rationalize with Kim.
"I don't care! Now if you don't mind… I wish to be alone for a while." Kim's voice then finally softened. "Please."
"OK, Kim. We'll talk about this in the morning. I think I heard the funeral won't be until about 11 o'clock. So we will see." Betty stood and walked to the door, noting that Kim had not stood to see her out.
She opened the door with a slight wince as her ribs were really starting to hurt. Dr. Director turned around before walking completely out and opened her mouth to say something. Kim beat her to the punch.
"I'm sorry Betty. I'm going to be there. I have to… be there. One way or another. You won't be able to stop me. After all… I AM Kim Possible." She paused. "Strike that… I'm Quinn Probable."
To be continued…
Please continue to let me know if this good or not… I'm about through all my original notes, and then I'm going to be writing on the fly… as it were. The rest of the story is in my head. Guess I better make more notes before I forget the ideas I have.