StD - Diablo
Chapter 8 : Truths and Rescue Missions
Yet another two weeks had passed and now the prom was two months away. Kim had become a bit withdrawn from her friends and Ron stayed the same. He was nice and polite but remained stoic all the time.
Monique and the others had become very worried about Ron. They knew he could hide his emotions extremely well but anyone that looked into his eyes could see that most of their life had drained from them.
None of them knew what to do. Ron still continued to go on solo missions whenever asked by Wade or Global Justice but the whole thing was giving him a cold edge. He smiled less, even around Monique, he rarely talked unless spoken too, he continued digging up information on Eric and avoided Kim as much as he could.
For Kim this whole thing was getting worse and worse by the day. The last time she had seen Ron was at the swim meet. Ron had won several gold medals and made four records, but he was so stiff about it she could tell he wasn't enjoying it at all. Then just as he was leaving, he had placed his awards in a paper bag and tossed them into the garbage without so much as a second look.
Kim had fished the medals out of the trash and went to the victory party to give them back to Ron because he deserved them. However once there she couldn't find a trace of Ron and no one had seen him. This was a slow torture to Kim and she just didn't know what to do anymore.
In fact the only person that was remotely sympathetic towards Kim was her boyfriend Eric. Unfortunately he had been absent for the past two days of school so Kim pretty much found herself alone.
Monique had quietly been watching Kim all this time and she too was at a loss. Every time she tried to get Ron to start talking to Kim again he would just go utterly silent and emotionless. She cared deeply for Ron and loved being his girlfriend but she knew Ron had feelings for Kim and vise-versa. However until things get fixed up no one was going to be overly happy.
Tara, Josh, Felix, Brick, Bonnie, Hope, Marcella and Monique all sat on the bleachers in the gym and watched Ron go through his daily training. Each of them winced a bit as Ron would occasionally deliver thundering blows to the practice dummies.
They heard him let out another curse as a five hundred pound punching bag sailed across the gym and impacted with the opposite wall, it was reduced to a pile of sand and leather from the blow. Ron gave up on the dummies and punching bags and just decided to train without them.
"Hey Monique…what's got Ron so tweaked?" Bonnie asked.
"He hit another dead end in the Mitchell case." Monique sighed. "He and Wade were checking some odd wave patterns last night that had Drakken's fingerprints all over them but they lost them. He's been trying to pick them back up ever since."
"He's that whacked out blue dude isn't he?" Josh asked.
Monique nodded. "Yeah he is….but Ron also found out that Monkey Fist is in the area as well and might be giving Drakken financial aid for what ever whack plan he's got started."
"Unfortunately I haven't been able to do any better in my searches either." Felix grumbled. "What ever they are doing they are keeping it top secret and well hidden for a change."
"Our searches aren't turning up anything either." Tara said indicating Bonnie, Hope and Marcella. "Even with that crash coarse in investigation that Ron gave us we still can't find anything on Mitchell or anything else for that matter."
"Speaking of freak boy….has anyone seen the little prick lately?" Brick asked.
"Come to think of it he hasn't been here for two days now….I wonder what happened." Hope said looking thoughtful.
"The loser probably figured out that Ron was going to turn him into scrap and turned tail." Bonnie said with a snort.
"I don't think it's that simple Bon-bon." Ron said walking up and grabbing his water. "I think there is a reason he's not here….one I intend to find out." As he said the last part his brown orbs flashed crimson.
"You ready to go Baby boy?" Monique asked after giving Ron a rather steamy kiss. "After the mall you care if we all meet at Bueno Nacho?"
Ron gave her a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Sure thing Baby girl, let's go relax a bit." Ron said and then turned to his other friends. "See you guys later."
The rest of the group watched as Ron and Monique walked out of the gym hand n hand. Each of them silently pondering the current problems they were facing and the answers they sought to fix them.
Kim had been a bit surprised to be called to Mr. Barkin's office and even more surprised to see her mother sitting there waiting patiently for her. She had started to worry that something bad had happened or that she was in trouble for something but Barkin laid that to rest saying that they had something she should see.
"Possible I'm sure you're aware of the rather interesting event that took place about a month ago." Barkin stated in his usual gruff tone. "The day you and Stoppable had your unfortunate falling out."
Kim nodded. "What's the sitch….did something else happen that I don't know about?"
"Well Kimmie you could say that….did you know the original security footage of that time was stolen from this office?" Anne asked.
"Stolen?" Kim asked with surprise. "So no one really knows what happened that day….what about the extra surveillance tapes that are usually made?" She asked.
"As it just so happens I was able to get the copy just two days ago." Barkin commented. "After watching the footage Mitchell was expelled from this school for assault with deadly intent and we are in the process of bringing up attempted murder charges but Stoppable had them dropped."
"Wha….what do you mean!" Kim asked upset. "What happened?"
"See for yourself….I will warn you though, it's pretty brutal." Barkin said and pushed the tape in to play.
There on the small television in Barkin's office in black and white and clear as crystal Kim saw what happened. Ron had been walking down the hall minding his own buisness when Eric Mitchell came out of his hidden corner and nailed Ron across the back of the head with a baseball bat. The bat broke on impact and Ron hit the ground. A evil sneering smirk was on Eric's face as some words were exchanged and then in a flash Ron bolted back up and grabbed Eric by the neck. Seconds later Kim, Bonnie and Monique showed up and after a bit of talking the screen went black.
"Damn….that was brutal." Anne said with a wince.
"Oh no….oh god….." Kim muttered in shock as tears began to fall from her eyes. "Ron….he was telling the truth….and I….I…..I stabbed him in the back…..what have I done?"
Barkin looked at Kim, she was one of his more favored students but he was surprised when he found out how foolish she had been on this situation. "Possible….I suggest you re-evaluate your choice of boyfriends. I also recommend that you try to fix things with Stoppable."
"B…but Ron….he won't talk or even look at me….what can I do?" Kim asked with desperation.
Anne looked sadly at her daughter. "Kimmie….he's going to need some time. His life the past month has been one loss after another and I'm sure he's still trying to come to terms with them."
"I agree." Barkin stated. "I may not have ever shown it but Stoppable has always had my respect. I always knew there was much more to him than he let anyone see. He has suffered many losses in quick succession and he is still trying to cope with them, I should know…I lost many good friends in Vietnam. He will come to terms eventually but he needs time to heal."
Kim nodded sadly, she knew Ron was in pain and then there was that horrible prophecy hanging over him. "What….should I do about Eric?" Kim asked with a mixed look of disgust and rage on her features.
"Stay on top of the situation." Barkin stated. "That boy clearly had murderous intent towards Stoppable. Truth be told I'm surprised Stoppable didn't finish what he started."
"He's right Kimmie." Anne said. "You need to stay on top of this and find out who's pulling the strings behind this whole thing. And then….when the time is right….you need to have a long talk with Ron and fix things."
Kim nodded mutely. Her stomach felt like it had a lead weight in it, he head hurt as thousands of thoughts assaulted her mind and she felt horrible for what she did. The thought of continuing things with Eric to figure out what was going on made her ill, but when the chance popped up she was going to beat that lying bastard to within an inch of his life.
Ron walked over to the booth where his girlfriend and his buddies were all sitting. Bueno Nacho had gone through a few changes as it now seemed to be under new ownership. Not that Ron really gave a rat's ass, sure he loved the Tex-Mex food but other than that who owned what was not his problem.
"Dude….what the hell is that?" Brick asked looking at the strange little toy on Ron's tray.
Ron shrugged. "They call them Lil Diablo's, to be honest I think they are some of the stupidest things I've ever seen." Ron replied.
"I think they look kinda creepy myself." Monique added.
Bonnie nodded. "I thought those only came with the new kids meals?" She asked.
"They do." Ron answered. "Ned gave me one while he was griping about the new management." Ron shrugged and bit into his Naco.
The group continued to talk about various topics while Monique snuggled into Ron's side. Bonnie was sitting on Felix's lap, which had caused a few looks but no one really paid any mind to it. Ever since Bonnie changed her tune she and Felix had become closer.
Ron picked up the small plastic toy that had come with his now finished meal. A smirk crossed his lips before he crushed it in his hand. Now if only he could get a hold of Eric, then he could crush the inhuman little pricks skull just like he did the ugly toy.
Ron took his seat again after getting rid of his trash and the remains to the Diablo toy. As he sat down his pager went off. Raising it up he saw Kim 911 on the LCD screen. Then his Kimmunicator beeped.
"What the hell?" He asked and pulled the black and red device out of his pocket. "What's up, Wade?" He asked.
"Ron, listen I know you and Kim aren't getting along right now but she has a major emergency!" Wade said franticly.
Ron sighed. "Fine….what is it?"
"Look I knew you'd just ignore the beeper message…..it's her dad….Drakken kidnapped him." Wade said.
Ron's eyebrow twitched and several emotions flashed across his eyes. "I'm heading there now." Ron said in a gruff tone, hiding the sudden sense of worry that had rooted in his stomach.
"I knew this was going to happen sooner or later." Josh said as they watched Ron tear down the street on his Harley.
Monique nodded. "Same here….lets hope that this can patch things up between those two a bit. I hate seeing Kim look so beaten." She said with a knowing look on her features. She knew that Ron still cared for Kim but decided to enjoy having him as a boyfriend for as long as she could.
Ron dismounted his Harley and ran up to the door and knocked. He had changed into his usual mission clothes before going as he didn't want to ruin his nicer clothes in case things got messy. The door opened to reveal Kim and her mother with tears in their eyes. Ron felt a sudden surge of sympathy and rage towards Drakken.
"What's going on?" Ron asked keeping his tone steady and emotionless.
"Ron….Drakken….he's got Daddy." Kim said worriedly.
Ron gave a curt nod. "Fine….go get your gear and I'll take you there."
Kim thanked Ron profusely and dashed off to get her things. "Ron…thank you for coming." Anne said tearfully. "You're help means everything to Kimmie."
Ron's eyebrow twitched again as his eyes remained hidden behind his shades. "I didn't come for her Mrs. P., I came to help your husband."
Anne looked ready to drop to her knees in greif. "Ron please…." She whispered. "Please don't abandon Kimmie….she has been suffering so much without you. We all miss you terribly. Please don't abandon our daughter…she needs you." Anne sobbed; she missed Ron deeply and wanted him back in their family again.
Some of the ice that had formed around Ron's heart melted as he saw the only other woman in the world he thought of as his mother cry. He surprised her by pulling her into a comforting embrace.
"Allot of things have happened Mrs. P. I still hurt from what happened and I'm not ready to let Kim back into my life if only for her safety." Ron said in a much softer tone than he was accustomed to these days. "I promise that I won't abandon Kim, if I am needed I will come. But until I am ready it is for the best that our lives remain separate….someday I will explain, but until then…I ask that you trust me and believe in the choices I've made…" Ron stated.
Anne's tearful sapphire blue eyes met Ron's soft chocolate ones as he took off his shades. She could see that he was telling the truth and that he was still in a great deal of personal pain. The very emotion that swirled within his brown orbs was staggering.
"You….don't hate Kimmie then?" She asked fearing the answer.
Ron sighed and shook his head. "No….I don't." He said. "She hurt me deeply and I may not be able to trust her for a long time but I have never hated her….and I never will. The reason is because some of what she said to me was true…had I been a better friend I wouldn't have kept secrets from her. We both made mistakes but I have other duties that I must attend to…someday things might return to what they were…but not now."
Ron let Anne stand on her own and she nodded in understanding. She then realized that other than the strange abilities that Ron had been showing lately he also had some pretty large burdens his was carrying. She wished that there was some way that she and her family could help but it seemed that Ron was determined to handle them alone.
Kim raced back down the stairs as Ron replaced the shades over his eyes. His face for but just a moment had been the soft gentle one she missed so much. But now the shades were back on and his face like stone. Be it a façade or his mission face she did not know.
"C'mon…let's go get your father out of whatever Blue Boy had planned for him. Wade sent me the directions…he's at his usual base at Mount. Middleton….let's go." Ron said gruffly as he went into mission mode.
Kim looked at her mother who gave her a sad smile and a nod. Kim nodded in return and followed Ron out to his Harley and climbed onto it with him. She quickly put on the spare helmet and wrapped her arms around him, savoring the closeness she had missed so much. Ron didn't flinch or acknowledge her presence; he just fired up his bike and then tore off towards Drakken's lair.
Thanks to the special modifications Wade and Ron had installed onto his Harley it didn't take very long at all to get to Drakken's lair. Kim got off the bike after Ron and watched as he removed his leather coat. His upper body was covered in a turtle neck muscle shirt that fit him like a second skin. He was wearing tighter fitting grey camouflage cargos with dual utility belts. On his arms were the ever present blue and green armlets. His long golden locks were tied back in a very thick braid. To put it simply he looked bad-ass and delicious as hell.
While Kim was fighting off the furious blush that had crossed her cheeks, Ron led them up the small trail to the entrance. Once there he found that it was sealed tight and there didn't seem to be a way in.
Ron pulled out a small black device from one of his side pouches and attached it to the code lock on the door. He then typed in a few simple commands and the device attached wires to the lock. Seconds later the lock disengaged and the door opened as Ron replaced the device into his pouch.
Kim followed Ron into the lair; she marveled at how he took charge of the situation and to her surprise found herself a bit turned on by it. However the silence was driving her nuts, she wished Ron would say something to her. She had missed him so much over the past couple of months. She also needed to tell him that she knew about Eric attacking him…but that could at least wait until her father was safe.
As they entered a large room in the center of the complex everything was dark. Not a single noise could be heard except for the slight hum of unknown machines. Ron gaze shifted about the room as he looked he saw a nervous and upset Kim just two steps behind him.
"Well…this is obviously a trap." Ron growled.
At the center of the room the lights flashed on and a hologram projection of Drakken appeared.
"Hello Kimberly Anne and the….what was your name again….no matter….Buffoonish sidekick." Holo-Drakken drawled and Ron remained silent and stoned faced. "I bet you've come her for your precious father. Well my dear you have to make a choice." He motioned over to a large pool of water that James was tied over. And then to a rather nasty looking laser. Then a hoard of Syntho-drones popped out of the floors causing both teens to take a fighting stance.
"Can you stop my drones and Death Ray before my Mutant Squid-Shark hybrid devours your father or will one of you sacrifice yourselves to save him by going for my lovely little pet. Either way…you have less than five minutes to choose….now I leave you so that I may settle into my new lair, the lair from which I shall rule the world!" Holo-Drakken said triumphantly and vanished.
Then all at once the Death Ray began firing off and the Syntho-drones began to attack. As this was happening James was slowly being lowered into the water as a mass of tentacles with razor toothed mouths on the ends of them snapped at his feet hungrily.
For Kim this was a absolute nightmare, there were so many drones that she couldn't get through to her father. Ron was far from pleased either. With a low growl he summoned his twin mystical blades in a respective flash of blue and green light.
Kim began to jump around and over drones, letting the Death Ray hit them as she passed. Ron was slicing through Drones like a hot knife through butter until the Death Ray managed to clip him on the shoulder. Ron let out a grunt as blood flowed down his arm.
Kim let out a gasp as Ron was hit but then watched in awe as he charged the Death Ray. Ron leapt up into the air and swung his blowing blades at the device. An arc of blue energy and a arc of green energy sliced through the massive gun destroying it.
As Ron landed back on the ground his swords turned back into armlets as he beat the syntho-goo out of the remaining drones. "Kim…you keep an eye on things here, I'm getting you dad."
Before she could say a word Ron charged at the pool but instead of diving in he levitated over to her father, snapped the chain holding him up and then levitated him back to the foot of the pool.
Just as Ron set James down several tentacles shot out of the water at him. Ron cursed and pushed James out of the way as the tentacles wrapped around him and jerked him under the water.
"RON!" Kim screamed and dashed to the pool.
Just as she got to the edge a barrier formed, blocking her entrance. "As I said…a sacrifice must be made." Drakken's voice chimed over the speakers as his cold laugh pierced the air.
Kim dropped to her knees and James beat on the barrier. Just on the other side water could be seen splashing violently. Several bright lights flashed from under the water and a thick cloud of blood rose to the surface. Tears were now pouring out of Kim's terrified emerald eyes.
James and Kim sadly watched as minutes passed. The water was mixed with blood and some sloshing was still going about. Then a large explosion erupted from under the water sending blood and chunks of flesh splattering up against the barrier.
"No…Ron….no….please no….." Kim muttered through her sobs as the water settled.
James wanted to comfort his daughter but at this point he was rather distraught as well. He put a hand on her shoulder and continued to look out into the water for any sign of Ron.
At that moment a figure burst out of the water and landed on the other side of the barrier. It was Ron. He has several nasty wounds and bite marks from Drakken's mutant monster. His clothes were shredded and ripped but his eyes….they were glowing bright blue.
"Anyone in the mood for calamari?" Ron asked with a smirk. "Stand back…I'm coming through." He said turning serious.
The stunned father and daughter scrambled away from the barrier as Ron drew back his fist. As Ron's fist impacted with the barrier it shattered outwards with enough force that shards impaled the metal walls across the room.
Ron despite his rather tattered look walked strongly towards James and Kim, it was as if he didn't feel the wounds on his body. "Are you alright Mr. P.?" Ron asked, his tone stoic.
"Yes I'm fine Ronald…how about you…shouldn't you get some medical attention?" James asked with concern.
Ron shrugged. "I'll live." He said shortly. "Now….what did Drakken want from you?" He asked.
"I'm not sure….I think it had something to do with my Hephaestus Project." James stated.
"Isn't that the self repairing nano cybernetic technology that you were working on for the government?" Ron asked.
"Yes it is." James affirmed. "It was being developed for both military and research purposes. The military applications to the project are armed to the teeth with weapons…you don't think he'd try to make Battle droids with it do you?" James asked fearfully.
"That's as good a guess as any for a loony like Drakken." Ron stated. "At any rate I'll keep an eye on the situation…a ride from Global Justice should be here within a few minutes to pick you both up….later." Ron said and began walking away.
"Ron! Wait!" Kim cried out.
Ron stopped but kept his back on them. "What do you want?" He asked in his stoic tone.
"Ron…please…I saw the tapes…I'm so sorry!" Kim said with tears forming in her emerald eyes. "I know you told the truth….I saw how Eric attacked you."
"…………." Ron just remained silent and emotionless.
"Please Ron say something…I can't take this anymore." Kim said nearly sobbing. "I want my best friend back. Please….I know I was horrible to you and I don't deserve a second chance, but I'm asking for it anyways…please….Ron….please don't shut me out anymore…please…" Her voice trailed off weakly.
Ron turned his head slightly; no emotion could be seen on his face. "What's done is done, Kim. You made your choice and I'm not ready to go back yet…I might not ever be…" Ron stated. "However I will not abandon you like you did me." Those words cut into Kim's heart like a serrated knife. "If and when I am need to help you know how to get me, I will come and help."
Ron faced forward and began walking once again until a small weeping form impacted with him. Kim had leapt at him and was clinging to him desperately as tears streaked down her cheeks and her petite form was wracked with sobs.
"I'm sorry Ron!" She wept loudly. "Please Ron…please don't leave me…please…I can't do this without you! Please don't hate me…please….please…."
Ron let out a small sigh and pulled Kim off of him. "I'm sorry Kim…but I'm not ready yet. You hurt me more than you could ever imagine and until I can get over that pain…things must remain as they are. For the record though…I do not hate you…now if you will excuse me, I have other matters that I need to attend to." Ron left Kim standing there next to her upset father as he vanished into the shadows.
James could see the pain in Ron's eyes…he could see that his own words were hurting him but he could also see that there was something else there. It was almost as if he was trying to protect Kim from something horrible…but what could it be? What happened to the goofy, gentle and happy young man he used to know? His answers weren't to come this night as he hugged his weeping daughter and tried to comfort her. He could tell that this was tearing her apart and truth be told…it was hurting him too.
Ron appeared from a flash of light next to his Harley. His face set like stone and eyes hard and cold, yet a single tear fell from them. No one would ever know how hard it was for him to do what he just did or how sick to his stomach it had made him.
He had never hated Kim…how could he when he still loved her. But he couldn't bare to look at her without feeling terrible pain in his heart. He knew that some of what happened was his fault, he should have been more open with her but he knew it was of the utmost importance that his secret be kept…even though that was now moot.
He had a destiny to complete and a fate to fulfill. It was stated that when the time came he would have to face them alone and the fate of the planet would rest on his shoulders alone. He accepted this with honor and vowed to fight until his final breath. What he wasn't aware of…what the Prophecy at Yamanochi hadn't told him was that unless he was able to find true love and embrace it his heart would succumb to the darkness around it. Only a handful of people knew of the complete prophecy and what would happen if he didn't find his "Maiden" by his 18th birthday.
Ron let out a sigh and fired up the engine to his Harley. There was no use to fussing over little things right now. He had work to do, he needed to find out what Drakken was up to, expose Eric Mitchell for what he was and find a way to stop whatever plot was being brewed. So with his sense of purpose restored, Ron tore out towards his home to start back to work on his investigations. He would find out what Drakken was doing…and then he would stop him.
Disclaimer : We do not own Kim Possible
Authors : DragonMaster & Doug4422 aka Epic Quest INC.