School of Life
Chapter 11
By Captainkodak1
Hello everyone. Well, I got back to this story. I am really sorry for the big delay. A lot of things have been going on and they all ganged up together to make it hard to get this story back in the running. Thanks for waiting and I hope the wait was worth it.
Lights, cameramen and reporters filled the street outside of the warehouse. The news of the break up of the kidnapping ring was a big story. A number of co-eds from around the nation had disappeared only to be ransomed or never seen again. The facts that Global Justice was on site and that Kim Possible was involved somehow made the news even bigger. Rumors flew fast and furious, from Kim Possible being kidnapped to she and Ron were involved in picking out the newest captives. One enterprising reporter of somewhat questionable ethics had even traced all of the cities that Kim and Ron had been to and tried to make a connection with any and all disappearances that had occurred in the area. All of them rushed forward as the Vandercraft Police Chief and Dr. Director stepped up to a small area where all the reporters were being held back. Both of them ignored the cavalcade of questions that were hurled at them. The Chief nodded for a moment before he began to speak.
"I have a short statement and then Dr. Director of Global Justice will also have a short statement. At 11:14 pm this evening, we received a 911 call from this area. The call was made from a pay phone up the street and that scene in being processed at this time. The caller said he heard a lot of screaming coming from the warehouse and what he thought was a large crash. We sent a couple units into the area to investigate and arrived at the same time as the Global Justice troopers. Upon entering the building we located a number of persons either unconscious or nearly so. Those who were barely conscious were terrified and quickly surrendered. Upon further investigation we found Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable of Team Possible on the premises. We also found articles, equipment and other evidence that lead us to believe that the suspects had been running a kidnapping ring around the nation and had just moved into the area. I will let Dr. Director of Global Justice to fill in the rest."
Dr. Director stepped up into the light.
"I am Dr. Director of Global Justice. We have been attempting to track these suspects for sometime but had very little to go on. They were well organized and never stayed in one area for more than a few days. The group had apparently just moved into the area and decided to check out the campus of Vandercraft University. It was at this time that Kim Possible had stopped in a parking lot near the Campus store and was returning to her car. We assume the suspects had parked next to Miss Possible's car and were surprised when she approached. At this point they allegedly tazed her and took her into their vehicle and into the building behind me."
One of the reporters interrupted.
"Are you saying that Kim Possible was kidnapped?"
Another jumped in.
"Was she sexually assaulted?"
Betty continued.
"Miss Possible was taken prisoner and brought to the building behind us. At some point in the evening the she was able to free herself and take down a few of her captors. She was then able to contact her fiancé and partner, Ron Stoppable who was already looking for her. With the help of their technical person, he was able to locate her and call in Global Justice. He entered the premises and assisted her in apprehending the rest of the suspects. Both Miss Possible and Mr. Stoppable received slight injuries during this time. By the time local authorities and Global Justice agents arrived they had the situation well in hand. This appears to be a simple case of the suspects biting off more than they could chew. Instead of a helpless co-ed, they allegedly took one the person most capable of defending herself and able to call in help as capable as she is. These men never knew what hit them. At this time Miss Possible and Mr. Stoppable have been taken to a local Global Justice facility for medical treatment and questioning. They should be able to return to campus quickly."
One of the other reporters yelled out a question.
"What about the rumor that a group of ninjas took down the men in the warehouse and not Miss Possible and what about the sightings of a strange craft flying over the area?"
Dr. Director just shrugged her shoulders.
"What can I say? Which would you rather admit to, that a simple girl defeated you and all your men or come up with a story like the one you just mentioned? Besides, there are no such things as some kind of super ninjas. I sure don't think there are any around here. Now a couple of my agents have a press release for all of you. I will say that Miss Possible and Mr. Stoppable will be escorted back to campus and will be subject to orders not to speak about this incident until the investigation is completed. On a personal note, I am pleased that Miss Possible and Mr. Stoppable were relatively uninjured in the alleged altercations and hope that they will be able to have some measure of peace over the next few days especially in the light of their recent announcement. As for the strange craft, I have no idea as I have not seen any reports on that at this time. Please excuse me as we need to finish our work here tonight."
Dr. Director turned and walked back through the line of officers and into the warehouse. Kim and Ron were sitting down on the back end of a GJ EMS truck. One of EMS workers had placed a bandage on Kim's forehead where she had hit it when the van wrecked. Other than some scrapes and bruises she was okay. Ron had a number of bruises on his hands and knuckles along with some cuts from flying glass when he kicked out the windshield. His hands were wrapped up along with some bandages he wore on his legs. The men who had taken Kim were another story. Of the eight or so men in the warehouse they had an amazing collection of injuries including several concussions, a number of broken bones, and many, many bruises. A specialist was waiting for Jason when he arrived at the hospital. The conclusion was that he would be able to have children, just not in the near future, and he would not be able to walk for a few weeks.
Betty pulled a box from a nearby stack and placed it on the floor in front of the two of them. Ron placed his arm around Kim and she nestled her head over on his shoulder. Betty reached out and touched Kim's leg.
"We told everyone what we discussed. Be sure to follow the storyline. We have been asked to keep Ron's abilities a secret and it will remain so. Only I and three of the staff that were here tonight know the full story. For reasons of my own, Du will not be one of those persons. Now, I will get you a driver and a car to take you back to school."
Ron shook his head.
"I have the Sloth nearby. I think we would rather take that back."
Betty nodded.
"Okay, now get on back to school and get some rest."
She stood and put the box back where she found it. Taking a few steps away she turned back to the two of them.
"Oh, by the way Ron. Good job. One of these days, I would like for you to get the credit you deserve."
Ron smiled.
"That's okay Dr. Director. It works for us. Besides, I get all the credit I could ever want from a very special person."
Kim gave him a slight smile as she looked up at him.
"You better believe it."
They walked out into the darkness where the Sloth waited for them.
Kim picked up her book and papers from her desk and put them in her backpack. This was one of the classes that she didn't share with Ron. Since her degree was in International Relations one of the requirements was to know at least one other language. She picked French to start with and might move to Russian or Arabic later. Ron had no desire what so ever to try another language. After the "Latin" fiasco back in high school he swore off any foreign language.
"Sorry KP, but I plan to pursue the sweet language of fine cooking. While you will be verb tense I will be studying the intricate complexities of pastry. While you will be figuring out what the proper adjective would be I shall be figuring out how best to cook the main course."
Kim smiled a little to herself as she slid her pack onto her back. She would be on her own most of the day since one of his classes had a special lab going on. He would be at the Cooking Institute all day. Her mouth watered at the thought of him bringing some of his 'class work' back to her room later. She was about to turn to leave when Cathy, the girl that sat in the next row and behind her stepped over.
"uhh Kim?"
Kim turned to face her.
"Yeah?"
Cathy paused for a moment.
"Listen, I know we really don't know each other but I was wondering if you would like to have lunch?" I am through with my classes today and I need to put some study in on this chapter we just started. You really seem to have a grasp of it. Could you help me? I'll buy lunch!"
Kim smiled.
"Sure, I'll be glad to. I was thinking of putting in some study time on this chapter anyway so lunch will be dutch. Where would you like to eat?"
Cathy smirked.
"The DawgHouse?"
Kim laughed.
"The DawgHouse it is! I'll have to get a takeout as a peace offering for Ron when he finds out I went. Besides, he's bringing me whatever he is working on at the Institute today."
Kim shivered.
"Oh I am soooo looking forward to it."
Cathy laughed.
"If he can cook anything like he can run then I just might beg for a sample."
Kim gestured for Cathy to go first out the door.
"Ohhhh….wow…. his cooking is a lot better than he can run. I am lucky I have not put on the 'Freshman Thirty' instead for the freshmen fifteen."
Cathy shook her head.
"I can't imagine you gaining that much, not as much as you do."
Kim shrugged her shoulders.
"I guess I just burn it all off quicker than most. Come on, let's get moving and beat the rush."
Kim carried her order to her and Ron's favorite booth and took a seat. Kim looked up over the booth to see one of Ron's jerseys and one of her cheer outfits on the wall above the booth. There were a number of pictures of them along the wall also. One made her cringe; it was a candid shot of her mother celebrating her victory at the eating contest by dancing her victory dance on the main counter. Cathy came up behind and hesitated for a moment. Kim gestured for her to take a seat across from her. Cathy put down her tray and took her seat.
"Sorry, it's a habit when you two are here. No one gets in this booth when you come in. I mean really have many people have a booth dedicated to them."
Kim laughed.
"That's fine. Ron and I don't mind anyone sitting here, it's really no big. So Cathy, where are you from?"
Cathy took a sip from her drink.
"I'm from around here. My parents met here and I always liked it. I know where you are from, but so does most of the world. How did you decide on coming here? I would have thought that you could have gone to just about any school in the world."
Kim took a bite of her KimmieClub sandwich before answering.
"Well, Ron and I wanted a school together. Vandercraft had scouted both of us pretty heavily and really made some good offers. They had the degree programs we both wanted. Plus it was away from home but not TOO far."
Cathy giggled.
"Yeah, I know what you mean. I don't mind too much being close to home. It's about a three hour drive so I could go home for a weekend if I wanted. But it's far enough away from the brothers."
Kim's eyes went wide.
"You got brothers too!"
Cathy rolled her eyes.
"Two YOUNGER brothers, twins who love making my life pure you know what."
Kim giggled.
"I call mine tweebs, what do you call yours?"
Cathy laughed as she pulled her purse up to the table and pulled out a small wallet. She opened it to show Kim a picture of two blond haired boys about eight years old.
"I call them the munchkins."
Kim pulled her purse up to the table and pulled out her pictures.
"Tim and Jim jumped a grade or two and entered high school was freshmen the year I was a senior."
Cathy laid her face in her hands.
"Your BROTHERS went to high school with you? How did you ever survive?"
Kim laughed.
"They were not so bad. When Ron stepped up to the football team they stepped in as the mascots. They were actually very good. Plus, they started helping out on some missions. They still are a pain but they are my brothers. Besides, they love Ron like the big brother they never had."
Cathy shook her head.
"I don't know if I could have handled that."
She brightened up as she picked up her sandwich.
"So you are studying International Relations. That figures with what you do. I figure you would be a natural at that."
Kim nodded as she took a bite of her sandwich.
"Yeah, how about you? What made you decide to go that way?"
Cathy hesitated for a moment.
"Well, dad's youngest brother was in the Peace Corps for a time. I always admired him and what he did. After serving as a volunteer for a few years he was able to get a job overseas. He helps some of the volunteer organizations get visas and stuff like that. So I thought I might follow in his footsteps and see if I can make a difference."
Kim grinned.
"That's great! Who knows maybe we'll run into each other sometime."
Cathy laughed.
"You never know. Hey, want to go shopping after we eat and talk about the course a little? The local Club Banana is having a special sale."
Kim's eyes brightened up and a grin spread across her face.
"You shop at Club Banana?"
Cathy pulled a card out of her purse.
"I carry the Magnum card! Plus I get an employee's discount."
Kim's smile grew bigger.
"I think I see the beginnings of a beautiful friendship."
Ron lay back on his bed and sighed, it had been a long day. It had started out bad when he overslept and was nearly late for class. Then as he was going to try and catch Kim between classes and surprise her, a group of high school students visiting the campus saw him. The student guide asked if he would talk to them for a few minutes. He had agreed.
Several of the high school students pulled out copies of the magazine that he had been featured in. He ended up autographing several of them. Not that he didn't mind, he had already autographed many since his return. He found out that one of the sororities had one of the pictures in the magazine blown up poster size and mounted in there common room. Kim had growled about fiancée's picture being mounted on a wall like a prize.
The same sorority had approached Kim joining their group. She had politely declined saying that she was honored but with what she was already doing she would not be able to commit the time to the group. It was not long after that the fraternity that partnered with the same sorority had approached Ron. He too had politely declined. It was not soon after that that they had to not so politely decline. They had been approached constantly by both houses until they made it quite clear they were not interested. As with most groups approaching the pair, the two groups only wanted the two of them to join just to say that the famous couple were members of their houses.
Ron heard female laughter in the hall as he got up to get a drink from the refrigerator. Kim was supposed to have been by hour or so earlier. He had expected her to be hanging around when he got out of class. He even had a special dessert sample just for her. There had been a text message on his phone from her that told him that she and a new friend were going shopping after eating lunch earlier in the day. The message also said that she would come by after she got back to campus. He wasn't mad; he would not begrudge her making other friends. Their lives were hectic and sometimes that limited making new friends.
The fact that she was going shopping was something he didn't mind either, as long as he was not a part of the shopping spree. The laughter got louder until it stopped at his door. There was a knock and he opened the door. Kim was standing there smiling brightly at him. Standing beside her was another girl just about her height with shoulder length blonde hair. Both girls were carrying several bags with Club Banana logos on them. Kim dropped her bags and wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a big kiss. Pulling back from the kiss she turned to the other girl.
"Ron, this is Cathy. She is in my French class. Cathy, this is my fiancé Ron Stoppable."
Cathy put her bags on the floor and extended her hand.
"Nice to meet you face to face, I have seen you around campus but never met you."
Ron shook her hand.
'Nice to meet you too, I see that you and KP did some major damage to a Club Banana somewhere."
Kim giggled and nestled you to him.
"Now Ronnie, you know I wouldn't go too wild. I just picked up a few little things."
Ron glanced down at three bulging bags that were sitting on the floor at Kim's feet. He looked at her with an upraised eyebrow.
"Right KP, those bags at your feet are filling with just a few little things."
Kim looked down and blushed slightly. She glanced back up at him with a demure look and the start of a puddydog pout.
"Okay Ronnie, it's just that Cathy and I had such a good time and I REALLY didn't get that much. Some of it is just a little bulky."
Ron bent over and gave her a kiss on the tip of her nose.
"I know KP, but your dad expressly told me to watch over you when you went on a Club Banana Binge. Need I remind you of the time you went on a certain shopping spree. All was well until he got the credit card bill. And need I remind you what happened after that."
Kim paled slightly as Ron turned to Cathy.
"KP went on a major shopping spree one time with her dad's credit card. Wow, let me tell you, when her folks saw the bill the…"
Kim reached up and covered his mouth with her hand.
"Let's not go over that again Ron. Let's just say that I learned a new definition of grounded after a rather hurried return trip to Club Banana. I also found a pillow would be my next best friend for a day or so."
Cathy rolled her eyes.
"Don't think you are by yourself there Kim. I did the same thing and got the same thing if I remember."
She turned to go.
"Hey Kim, I had a great time today and thanks for going over that stuff with me today. Let's do it again sometime."
Kim grabbed on to Ron's arm.
"Thanks for the ride Cathy; I had a great time too. Maybe we can have lunch again but I have to pass on another trip to Club Banana. I think I did enough damage for a month. I'll see you in class if I don't see you before."
Cathy waved as she walked off down the hall. Kim turned to face Ron.
"Sorry I am late, but we were really having a good time. I know I sent you a text but…"
Ron laid a finger on her lips to silence her.
"No big KP. You told me what was going on and that was one thing we agreed on. You had a good time and that is what I care about. How about supper? Are you hungry?"
Kim raised her arms and put them around his neck.
"Right now I am hungry for some Ronshine from the most wonderful man in the world. Then he can take me to the place of his choice."
Ron looked down into her eyes.
"Boooyah!"
The rafters of Vandercraft Coliseum seemed to vibrate with the cheers of the assembled crowd. Kim took her place in the middle of the pyramid as the Bull Dogs celebrated a scoring spree. The Bull Dogs basketball team was taking the game to the floor. Jake Davis and Ryan King watched from their booth high above the floor. Jake adjusted his headset as he glanced over to Ryan.
"Well Ryan, it looks like the Bull Dog basketball team is looking at a good season if they can keep playing like they have tonight. Coach Pitt has pulled together a great group of players."
The officials called for a TV timeout just as Jake finished speaking. Ryan nodded out to the floor.
"It looks like the officials have called a TV timeout. That will give both teams a little breather. The Bull Dogs are ahead seventy-three to sixty one."
As Ryan was speaking the Bull Dog mascot jumped out onto the floor and started his routine. At the same time the Tyracuse mascot came out on the floor. The Tryacuse Cougar and the Bull Dog grabbed a ball and played a little one on one as both sides cheered their own mascot. The Bull Dog broke free and dribbled down the court where one of the cheerleaders had placed a small spring board below the goal. The Bull Dog jumped onto the spring board and launched himself into the air. He dunked the ball and landed on the floor with his arms in the air. Running down the court on all fours he came to the center of the court and did his Mad Dog howl.
"Bow wow HOWLLLLLLL"
Whistles blew as the officials took control of court again. Ron settled down in a chair on the courtside and took his Bull Dog head off as Kim handed him a bottle of water. Ryan grinned from his booth.
"The Vandercraft Mad Dog has really been showing his stuff the past few games. But the Vandercraft fans already have seen this particular young man in action as it is Ron Stoppable himself. After taking Vandercraft football team to one of its best seasons ever, he is now working with the Vandercraft cheerleaders as the team mascot. Kim Possible is right there with him cheering their team on."
Jake rustled some papers.
"Stoppable was the mascot for Middleton High for two years before he moved up to play football during his senior year. He made a name for himself quickly and was considered one of the more popular mascots among the high schools in the state. Now he is back to being the mascot for the Vandercraft Bulldogs and we can only wait to see what else he can come up with."
A whistle blew on the floor as Jake continued.
"There's the whistle, let's get back to the game."
Ron settled into a chair behind the cheerleaders and pulled off the Bulldog head. Sweat poured off his face as he put the mascot head on the chair next to him. Kim stepped over and handed him sports drink. Her nose shriveled a little when she bent over to give him a discrete kiss. She stopped when she got a good whiff of the air coming out of the mascot suit.
"Ewwwww, Ronnnn….. didn't you put on some deodorant?"
Ron smiled as he took the bottle of drink and downed the entire bottle. Exhaling slowly, he lowered the now empty bottle to his lap.
"The strongest I can get plus a generous amount of body powder. But this suit was not well designed for fresh air and as you can tell it gets a little 'pungent' in here."
Kim stood staring at him for a few seconds before stifling a giggle.
"Okay bad boy."
She kissed the ends of her fingertips and placed them on his cheek. She grinned as he raised his hand and rubbed her fingertips into his skin.
"That's all you are getting until you get a shower mister. Remember, we have a study and snack session after the game so don't take too long in the showers."
Ron nodded.
"Gotcha KP! Looking forward to the snackage."
He paused for a moment as he stared back at her. The glare being emitted his way could have melted carbon steel. He gulped.
"and the badical study session too."
Kim patted him on the head, then paused to run her hand through his hair. He sat back and relaxed as she played with his hair for a few moments before returning to the cheer squad. Up in the student seating area, a pair of eyes glared at Kim as she made her way back to the squad. She fell right into place as they started another routine. Ron sat there and watched as Kim did her job with the cheer squad.
The moon was shining bright on the snow as they made their way back to their dorms. The study and snack session had been a success. They had taken just a few steps down one of the paths when the concrete under their feet opened up and they found themselves sliding down one of the tubes that would take them to the local GJ base. Their ride came to an abrupt end that left them in a jumble in the bottom of the tube. Dr. Director greeted them as the tube opened.
"Kim, Ron. I am sorry for bringing you down here like this and at this time but circumstances have made it necessary."
Kim extricated herself from Ron's lap and stood up.
"Dr. Director, not to be rude but somebody better be nearly ready to die to call us down here like this. I want to meet who is responsible for this so I can give him a piece of my mind and possibly a few lessons in multiple styles of Kung Fu."
Another voice came from behind Dr. Director.
"I guess that would be me Miss Possible. While I am sure you could do quite a bit of damage with your Kung Fu, I am sure that Mr. Stoppable there would be able to finish the job with his MMP."
Kim and Ron jumped as they turned to face the voice. A tall grizzle face man stood there in a uniform of some kind. His hair was almost an exact copy of Kim's dad. An eye patch covered his left eye. Betty turned to introduce the man.
"Kim, Ron, this is Nick Fury, the Commander of Shield. He has a problem and is in need of your talents. He contacted me today and GJ had agreed to cooperate with Shield."
Kim and Ron's eyes went wide at the introduction. They had been privy to a number of briefings that mentioned Shield. All of these briefing had been considered Top Secret. They had hoped to one day meet with one of the operatives of the secret organization. Fury extended his hand. His grip was firm and sure as he shook both their hands.
"It is a pleasure and honor to finally meet the two of you. We have been watching you two for sometime and hope that you can help us with a problem."
Kim found her ability to talk stalled for a second.
"What can we do for you Mr. Fury? I am sure that we are barely up to your standards."
Fury laughed.
"Don't sell yourself short Miss Possible, you two are very capable on your own and together. But it's when you are together that you are so much more capable. Now why don't we retire to a briefing room so we can talk about how you can help us?"
The next morning was bright and sunny as they walked to their first classes of the day. The late night snack and study session had gone on into the wee hours of the morning. Luckily, they both had late morning classes that day so they were able to sleep in just a little bit. A good snow had fallen that night and the grounds crews were hard at work trying to get the sidewalks clear. They had just about reached the building where their first class of the day was when Walter Neal, one of the reporters for the school paper ran up to them.
"Kim, Ron, what do you have to say about news on Wayne Kingston?"
Kim glanced worriedly up to Ron and then back to Walter.
"What are you talking about Walter?"
Walter stared at them.
"You mean you don't know?"
Kim's grip tightened on Ron's arm.
"What do you mean don't we know?"
Walter pulled a paper from under his arm and handed to them.
"Wayne Kingston has filed for appeal. His lawyers said that a couple of the people on the jury broke the rules and read some of the news reports about what happened. They also are attacking what Kim said on the stand and the tape. If the appeal is granted then he could be released."
Well, just what is going on? I guess everyone will have to wait to find out. I promise it will not be as long as last time. Please leave a review. I would appreciate it.
There are some great college stories out there featuring Kim and Ron. Way Too Old School by Mr. Wizard is one of them. Another is The Freshman Rush by the AmericanGecko. The link is here .net/s/6030807/1/GVU_The_Freshman_Rush. Check them out, I think you will like them.
This is the Captain
Roger and Out
Right hand salute.