School of Life
Chapter 15
Ron limped slightly on the way back to the dorm after the promised sparring session with Kim. She giggled and cuddled close to his arm.
"It's can't be that bad Ronnie."
Ron pulled a face.
"But Kim did you have to use the LBD? I mean you only use the Lateral Bicep Distention is a move you only use on those you deserve it."
She giggled.
"Now Ronnie, I just had to use one of my signature moves on you. Especially after that comment that you made."
Ron rolled his eyes.
"But KP I was worried about you."
Kim stopped walking and pulled him around to face her.
"I know Ron. I just wanted to have a little fun with you. I promise a special KP massage to work out that arm. What do you say?"
Ron got a good look at the smile on her face and his blood pressure went up a few points.
"be be be beep"
Kim sighed as she answered the Kimmunicator.
"What's the sitch Wade?"
Wade sat back and took a long drag on his drink.
"How would you two like something to do that is really special but doesn't involve any fighting. At least not the type you are used to."
Kim looked at Ron then back at Wade.
"Really not in the mood for riddles about now Wade."
Wade smiled as he sat forward.
"I think you might like this. Buckingham Palace sent a message to the site. Both of you are invited to the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton."
Kim's mouth nearly hit her knees.
"We are invited to the wedding? I thought they were limiting the number?"
Wade nodded.
"They were but the Prince asked specifically for the two of you to attend. They have made reservations at a local hotel for you and have already arranged for transportation. All you have to do is show up at the proper time in the proper dress. The Prince made that comment specifically for you Ron."
Ron growled.
"Dude like I would go to something like that in regular clothes. I'll just get my suit out and..."
Kim put her hand on his chest and turned to face Wade.
"Tell the Palace that we will be there. I'll make sure the Ronster here is properly dressed. Hmmm... this means a little shopping trip. That new shop in town will be just the thing for both of us."
Ron opened his mouth to protest but quickly closed it at the look he got from Kim. She grabbed his arm and pulled him toward the Sloth.
"Let's go Ron, no time like the present."
Ron shifted nervously in the seat of the limo they was carrying them from their hotel toward Westminster Abbey. The last few days at school had been rather interesting. Kathy Jayrich had been working overtime trying to Kim booted from the cheer leading squad. Now that basketball season was over the cheer team had stopped practices and were starting to look for replacements for those leaving the squad. There had been a number of letters sent to the school paper, the school president and a number of the trustees to remove Kim from the team. Kim had no doubt that Kathy and some of her clique were responsible. She and a number of her clique came up to Kim as she cleaned out her locker. Kim was packing up her workout clothes in her bag when Kathy walked up her.
"Well Kimberly, finally decided to pack up and leave the team?"
Kim smiled as she picked up her bag.
"Not quite Kathy. Ron and I have to go to a wedding and I wanted to get all my clothes before we left."
Kathy elbowed one of the group as she giggled.
"Whose wedding? One of Ron's family? That ought to be a blast."
Kim sighed as shouldered her bag.
"No, not quite Kathy. We are going to London to attend Prince William's wedding."
All of the girls in Kathy's clique squealed and started firing off questions with the main one being.
"YOU are going to THE wedding?"
Kathy growled as she crossed her arms.
"And just HOW do you two rate getting an invitations to THAT wedding? From what I hear even some heads of state are not even on the list."
Kim nodded as she started to walk off.
"Yeah well I don't know about all of that Kathy. Maybe it was because Ron and I helped the Prince recently when his marine unit needed our assistance. We also had dinner one evening with he and Kate later. The Palace contacted us just the other day to invite us."
Kim turned to face Kathy.
"Have a nice day Kathy. I'll see you when I get back. I showed the coach some ideas for some new routines. She really liked them and I think we may start going over them when we start working with the new prospects."
She turned her back to Kathy and her cohorts and left the room. Kathy stood stewing and the rest of her group followed Kim out as they bombarded her with questions.
Kim gently squeezed Ron's hand as their car approached Westminster Abbey. They had taken a regular flight into London and were greeted by some of the Palace staff. The staff arranged for their luggage to be picked up and taken to the hotel where they would be staying. After a good night sleep they had gotten up and dressed. She had to admit that Ron looked beyond good in the Armani suit that he was wearing. Monique had been a little jealous that Kim had not allowed her to design her dress but Kim had been on a tight schedule. Monique did help Kim pick out what she was wearing. Kim wanted the help as she was not used to wearing a formal hat. A baseball hat maybe but not a formal hat. But a baseball hat would not be quite the thing to wear so she had enlisted her help. Kim was wearing a deep green dress with a matching wide brimmed style hat perched at an angle on the side of her head.
"Should we invite the Prince and Kate to our wedding?"
Ron laughed.
"Why not? We got invited to theirs so I think it would be nice to reciprocate."
Kim glanced over at him.
"I didn't know you knew the meaning of big words."
He shrugged.
"The Ronster has to have his fiance's badical back so he works to learn those things. Even though it makes my head hurt."
Kim giggled as she gave his hand a tight squeeze.
"At least there is something up there to hurt."
Their arrival in England had been the feeding frenzy that they thought it would be. Even after the fiasco at the Olympics and everything that had happened since then, there were many that refused to believe that the two of them were together.
The car started to slow as it approached the point where they would be getting out of the car. They would not be entering the main door of the Abbey but through another door where the normal guest were entering. Kim had no doubt that the tabloids and news crews would be waiting for them to get out of the car. She was sure that whatever she wore would be criticized over and over and she also knew that there would be several rumors that she was really at the wedding to met up with some royal or hottie while using Ron as her cover. Her thoughts came back to the present as the car rolled to a stop and a soldier saluted as he opened the door. Ron got out first and then turned to help Kim out of the car.
As Kim stood to take Ron's arm she could hear several shouted questions. They ignored all of them and turned to head into the Abbey. The sun shone brightly as they approached the door of the Abbey where they would enter. The cheer crowd noise gradually overcame the shouts of the reporters. Kim was grateful when they finally were able to enter the large stone entrance of the Abbey. She kept a tight hold on Ron's arm as one of the staff escorted them to where they would be sitting. Kim was amazed at the size and splendor of the interior of the Abbey. They had been there before but not for an event such as this. Music filled the room along with greenery and flowers. The staff member indicated their seats and Ron gently lead her to her seat and held if for her as she sat down. A few hours spent going over manners had been time well spent. Ron took his seat and their hands found the other as they waited. Kim started to day dream about a certain dress and a walk she soon would be taking. While the Abbey was way too big for their wedding she had happy thoughts of walking that long aisle with her father at her side and a very handsome Ron waiting for her at the front.
The streaks of snow and ice crunched under Kim and Ron's feet as they strolled along the path in Middleton Park. A cold breeze blew her hair slightly as they walked under the cloudy skies. It was a rather gloomy day and it was matched by Kim's mood. The two of them had flown home in the Sloth on Thursday afternoon. They had taken a extra day since both of them were caught up on their classes and both had finished their tests. The repercussions of the basketball game incident were in the past for the most part as Basketball season was over. Kim had been reinstated to the Cheer leading team but was removed from her assistant head cheerleader status pending further review. The incident was mostly forgotten and forgiven by the student body. Everyone took it that she just got a little too excited about the game. Danny even came forward to state that he thought that he had heard the horn too but not clearly. He remained Kim's partner.
Kim held on to Ron's hand as they made their way through the park. The two of them had just come from the hospital where she had undergone a number of tests. There had been an MRI scan and an EEG scan as well as a full physical. Some of the preliminary results were back and the results were conflicting. There had been some type of trauma to her head but no one could come up with a reason where it came from. Anne was concerned but could not come up with a reason for what was going on. The complete results would not be known for a couple of days. Anne had been prepared to put a stop to all missions but with so little evidence that something was wrong she couldn't do it. She also had to consider the fact that Kim's headaches had stopped and that she had not been hearing anything strange since the game. All of this added more fuel for Kim's argument not to stop the missions.
Ron didn't say anything as they walked through the cold air. He knew that when Kim suggested they take a walk through the park that she needed some time to collect her thoughts. All he could do was walk with her and not say anything. A pull on his arm signaled that Kim was hugging his arm closer to her. This normally preceded her saying something. His thoughts were confirmed when she sighed and spoke.
"Thanks for taking care of me."
He stopped and looked into her eyes.
"Like I wouldn't do anything else?"
Kim giggled and punched him in the arm.
"You know what I mean."
She was silent again as she glanced across the park. After a few moments she spoke again.
"Ron, am I cracking up? I mean look at what happened yesterday."
Ron turned to her and pulled her close to his chest. She quickly accepted the snuggle and buried her face into his coat. He reached down and placed a finger under her chin. He gently lifted her chin so that he could look into her eyes. Two emerald eyes looked up at him through the wisps of her hair that always seemed to cover the upper part of her face. His thoughts went to what had happened the day before. Kim had pulled into Bueno Nacho so they could get something to eat. Kim was on a rant from an event that had occurred just before they had left. She was in full Kim rant mode.
"Ron, I'll tell you. I was just this close to shoving Kathy into the nearest locker. I mean I made a mistake but she just went on and on and on about it."
She slammed on the brake, rolled down her window and yelled at the brown and orange column sitting next to the car.
"I want a Grande sized Nacho with a Grande Coke. I also want a regular grilled chicken salad with a large diet Sierra Mist. I want diet Ranch dressing with the salad. PLEASE make sure to get the salad right."
She grumbled as she rummaged through her purse for the money. After a few seconds she realized that they had not repeated the order back or told her how much it was going to be."
She snapped out the window as she honked the horn.
"Hey make up in there. What's going on?"
Ron looked out the window and called to Kim.
"Uh KP?"
She jerked her head to the side and glared at him.
"Ron you need to get Ned to get his team together this is ridiculous."
She honked the horn again before Ron reached across and touched her on the arm.
"KIM!"
She snapped her head back toward him with eyes ablaze.
"WHAT!"
Ron swallowed and gently spoke.
"KP, I hate to tell you this but you are talking to the trashcan."
Kim laughed snarkly.
"Right Ron! Like I can't tell a speaker from a tra..."
Kim looked back out her driver window and straight into the opening of the trashcan that stood right before the ordering speaker. She looked forward to see Ned hanging out the drive up window looking at her. She looked into the rear view mirror to see a line of cars behind her all looking at her. Looking to the side, Ron just shrugged his shoulders. Kim slammed her purse into the space beside between the two of them and pulled away from the trashcan and into the parking lot. Without saying another word she pulled out into traffic. Ron ended up making them some sandwiches while Kim sat in the darkened living room curled up on the couch with her face buried in the pillows. When he came in, he sat next to her and just held her for a long time stroking her hair.
Ron brushed some of the hair from her face.
"Nope, you aren't cracking up. Maybe stressing out a little but not cracking up. So far the tests haven't shown anything and you'll see about the rest."
Kim nodded.
"Yeah, but even if the tests don't show anything what do we do then? Mom is already saying that I need to talk to a shrink."
Ron hesitated for a moment before speaking.
"We? Isn't this about you?"
Kim snuggled closer. Her boyfriend could be the most charming in his densest moments.
"I said we as in you and me. I want you there with me. I need you to be there with me."
She was about to continue when the familiar sound came to their ears.
"be be be beep"
Kim sighed and buried her forehead into Ron's coat. It almost never failed. Let Ron do something perfectly charming and romantic. Let her get in a romantic mood and….
"be be be beep"
Pulling her sleeve back she activated the call button.
"What's the sitch Wade?"
Wade's face appeared on the screen.
"Hi Kim, Hi Ron. Are you two feeling up to a mission?"
Kim glanced up at Ron. He shrugged his shoulders and nodded. Kim turned back to the Kimmunicator screen.
"It depends on where and who."
Wade stared at Kim for a moment with a questioning look on his face.
"Are you sure Kim. It sounds like you might want to sit this one out. Its...its not one of your normal missions. This one might be a little rough."
Kim took Ron's hand and squeezed it hard.
The Global Justice hyper-jet slowed over the jungles of Cambodia. The Thailand border was only a few miles away. The mission that Wade mentioned was to a number of monkey temples. The problem was that they were located in the area near the Thailand/Cambodia border. There had been constant border trouble over the past number of years and months. There was a lot of trouble also with unexploded bombs and mines. They would have to be extra careful. Dr. Director had talked to them on the way. A number of monkey shrines had been broken into. This concerned her even though MonkeyFist had been removed as a threat. The fact that only the shrines that had references to the Yono had been broken into. This had to mean that someone was trying to bring back the Yono or MonkeyFist or both. The pilot turned to call back into the plane cabin.
"Team Possible. We are approaching the drop point. I am depressurizing the cabin so you will need to get on oxygen."
Kim and Ron stood up in their equipment. The heavy chutes and HALO equipment covered them head to toe. They both went through their equipment checks and pulled on their masks. The lights inside the cabin changed to red and their ears started to pop as the pressure dropped in the cabin. After a couple of minutes the red light dimmed and the pilot called back.
"Two minutes to drop. I am opening the door."
Kim reached for Ron's hand as the rear door dropped down revealing the darkened sky. Kim pulled on Ron's hand as she pulled him toward the ledge. Her heart went out to him. She knew he hated jumping and this was the worst as they had to free-fall from a high altitude. She felt him step up next to her at wait in the rushing winds. Looking over to her right, she could see him standing there in the dim red light. A tone started in their earphones signaling them to get ready to jump. They waited in the dark until the tone ended. When the tone ended they took three steps forward off the end of the ramp and fell into the darkness.
Kim shifted into her free fall position and let the flaps of her suit grab the wind and let her glide forward. While they had permission to enter the area there were way too many itchy trigger fingers for their liking. So they were jumping from high up and some distance away from their landing zone. This way they could glide down to where they were to be met. They doubted anyone would be able to see them in the darkness. Ron's shaking voice came over her intercom.
"You know I hate doing this."
Kim giggled and fought the urge to look back where she guessed that he was. One of the things that was part of their equipment was a small screen inside their goggles. This screen displayed the position of the other. This way they could keep track of each other in the darkness and would also allow them to find each other once they landed if they became separated. The screen also displayed their altitude, heading, distance to LZ and a dot that pointed in the direction of their LZ.
"Don't worry bad boy. We'll be on the ground in a minute or so."
Kim saw their destination in front of them. It was a small open field beside a village near the shrine that they needed to investigate.
"There's our landing zone just ahead. You see it?"
Ron's voice came back.
"I got it KP. See you on the ground."
Kim waited for the altimeter to open her chute for her. She knew when to open her chute but it was easier just to let the equipment make the decision, especially here in the dark. She was just about to call out to Ron when she heard and felt the pop of the drogue chute. A split second later her main chute snapped open with a teeth rattling jar. That was one part of jumping that she never could get used to. Her goggles were in low light mode so she could see the field clearly. Taking the steering toggles in each hand she turned slightly to the right to line up for her landing. The ground rushed up as she braced herself for landing. Just before her feet hit she flared her chute to settle down to a gentle landing. A loud "offf" registered Ron's typical landing. She hoped he had not hit too hard.
Looking around she noticed him getting up from the grass just to her right. He was okay, but a little muddy. She watched as he gathered up his equipment and walked over to her. She laid down her equipment and stepped up to him and placed her hands on his chest.
"You okay?"
He nodded.
"Yeah, I landed okay but just tripped. Who is supposed to meet us?"
A voice called out in the darkness.
"Team Possible. Welcome to Cambodia. I am Nhek Bourey, the chief of the village. We have a hut for you so that you can rest and clean up. Tomorrow I and another member of our village will lead you to the nearest temple."
Kim and Ron turned to face the small man who seemed to have appeared out of the darkness. Kim turned to the man.
"Couldn't we go on tonight?"
Bourey shook his head.
"That would not be wise at this time Miss Possible. There is a great deal of tension in the area and there can be patrols from both sides. They most likely would shoot first and then not ask questions later. It would be a great deal safer in the morning with some daylight."
Kim nodded. The thought of a good nights sleep and getting cleaned up sounded very good. They had left home quickly and been moving since then. She was ready for some rest. She had no doubt that Ron felt the same way. She nodded.
"Thank you sir. Lead the way."
The pair carried their equipment into the village. There were a number of huts along a central path. The huts had thatched roofs and side that appeared to be woven strips of wood or other natural material. Almost all of them had dirt floors. Several of the villagers watched from their doorways as the pair followed their host toward a hut that appeared to be a little better condition and build than any of the others. Bourey motioned for them to climb the small set of stair into the hut. He opened the rickety door and lead the couple into the hut. There was a central room with a couple of mats rolled up against the far wall. A door lead to another room. Bourey pointed to the door.
"That is a bathroom where you may get cleaned up. If you wish we can arrange for something to eat for you."
Kim glanced over to Ron who nodded.
"We might as well get in a good meal KP. I know we have rations with us but if there is any chance we can get a good hot meal in us we'll be in better shape."
Kim shrugged.
"Okay but I'll leave it up to you Mr. Food Expert. But I'll let you know. If we eat anything crazy that last little sparring session will seem like a walk in the park."
Ron laughed nervously as Bourey grinned.
"Have no fear Miss Possible. I believe that some Bai cha will be just the thing for you."
Kim looked over at Ron and he nodded.
"That will be really good KP. It's fried rice with sausage, garlic, soy sauce, various vegetables and herbs. I think it will be just right."
Kim sighed.
"Okay Ron, I'm going to head in there to get cleaned up. We'll check in with Wade after you get cleaned up and we get something to eat. Then we'll try and get some rest."
Bourey bowed.
"I'll will make arrangements for your meal and then leave you to rest."
Kim pushed a low hanging limb out of the way as they made their way down a trail. Bourey had knocked on their door first thing that morning. After a quick breakfast the group had hit the trail to the first temple. A thorough search had yielded no clues as to what was going on. A scan by Wade failed to show anything else. They were now on the way to the second temple. There was a third after that. The jungle seemed oppressive around them and the heat made it even worse. She knew that a long hot shower after this mission would be necessary. Their guide motioned through some trees. Kim and Ron looked up to see the second temple rising up above the undergrowth. The stone structure was covered in moss and vines.
The group approached the structure slowly taking in each crack and crevice, every monkey statue and face. The main door yawned open before them. Ron hesitated for a moment then continued forward. Kim stepped to his side and they entered through the main entrance. The interior was lit through holes in the ceiling but they still pulled out flashlights. Their lights illuminated several statues and walls covered in writing. The thing they quickly noticed was a section of one wall had all the vines and vegetation cut away and the writing had be cleaned up. Ron stepped toward the wall as it had a version of the stylized monkey that he had seen in MonkeyFist's temple and also in the shrine of the Lotus Blade. This was the sign of Mystical Monkey power. He had only taken a couple of steps when the rock under his foot sank down with a click. Kim dove from where she was standing and tackled him to the floor. A series of blades appeared from slits in the floor and sliced through the air where he had been standing only a split second before. Both of them rolled clear before standing up. Looking back, Ron noticed that he had dropped an orange that he had just pulled from his pack. The orange lay on the floor in two pieces. He swallowed loudly before turning to his love.
"Thanks KP."
Kim didn't say a word as she gave his hand a squeeze. Gently the two of them walked toward the uncovered wall. Ron's eyes played over the exposed writing.
"KP? I think I have seen this. I don't remember where but I think Sensei showed it to me."
Kim's eyes narrowed.
"What was it about?"
Ron's hand shook slightly as he pointed to the wall.
"It's tells you how to find and call the Yono. It looks like someone has found what they were looking for. We have to get to the school NOW!"
The group retreated from the temple carefully but quickly. Kim called Wade as they headed back for the village. Bourey called out to the two of them.
"Miss Possible, Mr. Stoppable. Please be careful. There were opposition troops in the area recently and they will leave traps behind."
Kim nodded as she continued down a trail in the direction of the village. She started to call Wade. His face appeared on the screen as Kim started to speak quickly.
"Wade, we need a pickup at the village asap and transport to Sensei. Get him on the line now."
Wade started to type and turned to the screen to reply. Kim felt her foot hit something. Ron heard a metallic click. For the two of them time seemed to slow to fractions of a second. Ron grabbed Kim and pushed her down toward the ground. From the corner of her eye, Kim saw a puff of smoke coming from the undergrowth. A metallic canister appeared out of the plants on the ground. She thought she saw it spinning. Then everything went black as the canister exploded. Wade's voice screamed from the speakers.
"KIM, RON, WHAT HAPPENED? KIM, RON, ARE YOU OKAY?"
I hope that you enjoyed this chapter of the story. This is the first chapter that I have posted after announcing my retirement from KP fanfiction. I plan to publish about two more chapters to this story before bringing it to a close. Kim and Ron are closing in on those dealing with the Yono. Now they have to move fast. But something has happened and they have disappeared into an explosion. Hang in there for the next chapter. I can't promise when it will be.
This is the Captain
Right hand salute
Roger and out.