Chapter 14: The Interview
Kim threw a roundhouse kick, immediately followed by a left-right punch combination. Ron used an augmented block to defend against the kick then retreated. He shifted his head to the right, dodging Kim's first punch and managed to deflect her second punch with an up block. He immediately responded with a snap-kick at Kim's stomach. She danced backwards, out of his range. Ron stepped forward onto his kicking foot and followed up with a low-left and high-right punch combination. Kim continued dancing backwards and Ron finished his barrage with a side-kick scoring a glancing blow to Kim's thigh. Kim didn't give him a respite, but lunged forward with a side fist before Ron could bring his kicking leg back down. Ron blocked the blow, only to have Kim drop and spin, extending her ankle and sweeping his supporting foot out from under him. Ron managed to fall correctly; flat on his back while slapping his palms on the ground, but by the time he brought his hands back up to defend himself, Kim completed her spin and tapped him on the nose with her fist. Ron conceded the point. Had Kim delivered the last blow, he would have been dazed and helpless at best.
Kim hopped to her feet and walked to a blackboard on the gym wall, shaking out the leg Ron had kicked. She picked up a piece of chalk and put another mark under her name while Ron pulled himself to his feet and limbered his own limbs. There were eight marks under Kim's name and none under Ron's. While he continued to improve, Kim was still the main force behind Team Possible. Still, 'that hard way' was the best way to improve.
It had been a week since an ethereal scream had woken Ron and he hadn't had a repeat of the incident. Wade had given Kim a strange look when she had told him their story, but he had immediately started some monitoring programs to track primate sales in Central and South America. So far, he hadn't managed to unearth anything. Kim and Ron were left with no course of action other than to remain prepared for eventual action. Thus, Ron braced himself as Kim returned, and the two closed in on each other again. They didn't realize that they were being watched.
"Just how good are they?" Tara asked Bonnie. The two girls had decided to show up earlier that usual, to see what Kim and Ron were doing in the gym before the workshop. Bonnie had been hoping to see some sort of…incriminating activity and have Tara be a second witness. Neither girl had expected to see anything like this.
"I really don't know," Bonnie admitted. Standing in the unlit lobby, she was sure that Kim and Ron couldn't see her and Tara. "I'm no expert on fighting but I know choreography and so do you."
"Yeah," Tara agreed. "Those moves aren't choreographed. They're going at each other for real." She flinched at the smacking sound of flesh on flesh, as Kim and Ron exchanged a furious series of strikes and blocks. "When those two got together, I didn't think their dating activity would include beating each other to a pulp."
"Well, Stoppable's motto is 'never be normal,'" Bonnie snorted, "And K's always been a little weird, herself. Besides, you should have seen how those two, as well as Cindy and the budget import were acting up at Lake Middleton last week."
"Oh?" Tara prompted. Both girls fell silent at the spectacle in front of them. Kim threw a high kick, which Ron avoided by crouching under it, then sweeping her other ankle. Kim went down but managed a backward summersault, avoiding Ron's foot-stomp. Ron lunged forward again but Kim got one leg in between them and sent Ron sailing over her head. She sprang to her feet as Ron executed a graceful, forward summersault and regained his own feet. The two closed in on each other again.
"They were acting like kids," Bonnie regained her voice and resumed the conversation. "They were camel-fighting like a bunch of well…thirteen or fourteen year olds. Then when they got done, Stoppable and the import hijacked Brick and played beach football." The tall brunette crossed her arms and fumed at the memory.
"That sounds like fun to me," Tara admitted. "I wonder if Josh would like to do that sometime?"
"Tara, that's like…kid stuff?" Bonnie protested.
"So?" Tara asked. "We're teenagers, that means we're halfway between being kids and being adults, so we can act like either one."
"Fine, you want to act like a kid, don't come complaining to me when nobody at school takes you seriously," Bonnie sighed.
"Okay, maybe the camel-fighting was a little immature," Tara conceded. "But what was wrong about the beach football? Brick's playing at Go-City University this Fall, and Ron and Oscar are playing here this Fall. I don't see the problem with football players playing football."
"It was supposed to be my day with Brick!" Bonnie snarled, shaking her head at how dense Tara must be to not appreciate the situation. "I mean, if C and K can't keep their boyfriends' attention, they could at least keep them away from mine."
She lapsed into silence again. Ron had managed to get in close to Kim and threw two elbows at her, while circling her. Blocking the elbows distracted Kim slightly, allowing Ron to actually start circling behind her. Kim immediately threw a spinning back fist. Instead of retreating, ducking, or blocking, Ron rushed her. He drove a shoulder into her back while reaching low and catching her knees. Kim was forced face down onto the floor with Ron on top of her. The blonde boy surged up her body, wrapping his legs around her waist and trapping one of her arms. He quickly underhooked her free arm, in a hold similar to a half-nelson, and wrapped his other arm around her neck. Kim, feeling the pressure on the side of her neck, tapped Ron's thigh, conceding the point.
"Carotid Artery choke," a deep, quiet voice announced from behind Tara and Bonnie, making the two girls jump. "Possible would have been incapacitated in a matter of seconds." Bonnie and Tara spun to face…
"Mr. Barkin!" Bonnie exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"
"In case you've forgotten, Miss Rockwaller," the big, do-just-about-anything teacher/Vice Principal answered. "I amthe faculty adviser for the cheerleading workshop so it's my responsibility to see that the school's facilities are being used in an approved manner. Some local residents informed me that Possible and Stoppable were showing up here hours before the workshop. I came to assure myself that they weren't doing anything…inappropriate."
"Just for my education," Bonnie knew which phrases to use around the big man. "Is what they're doing inappropriate?"
"This gymnasium is intended to shelter students while they conduct educational and/or athletic activities," he informed the two cheerleaders. "That activity seems to be both, so I'll let it pass."
"In other words, you wanted to make sure that they weren't engaging in PDAs," Tara suggested.
"Correct, Miss King," Barkin replied. "You three are role models to impressionable, Middle-School girls. I shudder to think of the fallout if such girls were to arrive early and observe some form of…carnal behavior taking place between two, teenaged celebrities."
"So it's fine for K to beat the living daylights out of Stoppable," Bonnie reasoned with a questioning look on her face. "But it's not okay to kiss him?"
"I do not make the rules, Miss Rockwaller. I simply enforce them. Besides," a rare grin made a showing on his face. "I can't really see Stoppable making any sort of a romantic move on Possible after taking that kind of a beating."
"Kim's loss, I guess," Tara mused. Both Barkin and Bonnie stared at her, wide eyed, while the blonde girl put a hand over her mouth, wondering how she had let that thought pop out. Kim and Ron, who had noticed their audience, spared her further embarrassment.
"Hey, Mr. B.," Ron greeted his educational nemesis. "What can we do for you this bon-digity morning?"
"Stoppable," the big man acknowledged him. "You are aware, of course, that this gymnasium has been reserved for these three young ladies to teach cheerleading skills to young girls?"
"Yes sir, Mr. B. I'll be out of here before the first such attendee shows up."
"Not good enough, Stoppable. You're here without proper authorization. Now that I am aware of yours and Miss Possible's activities, I will allow you to continue. However, you must face the consequences of suborning my authority."
"Mr. B., school isn't in session!" Ron protested.
"Inconsequential, Stoppable," Barkin informed him. "This is a school facility and Miss Possible has access to this facility as part of a school-sponsored event. Therefore this is a school function and my authority remains absolute." Ron dropped his head. Kim looked like she was ready to leap to her boyfriend's defense, but decided that she could only make things worse.
"Your punishment, Stoppable will be to undergo at least three intense workouts, like I've seen today, each week for the remainder of the workshop," Barkin informed the teen.
"Uh, Mr. Barkin?" Ron stammered. "I'm already putting in six each wee…"
"NO QUESTIONS, MISTER," The big man roared. "DO YOU UNDERSTAND?"
"Yes sir," Ron fought to keep the smile off of his face. He noticed Kim smirking, as well.
"I'll be expecting supreme effort from you on the football field, do you understand me?" Barkin continued his grilling.
"Absolutely sir!"
"Now that you know my expectations," Barkin's tone became much more congenial. "Let's deal with another issue. Various press correspondents have been trailing the two of you. While your technical man's release backed them off a little bit, they want something more substantial from the two of you. While it would ordinarily be outside my area of concern, these reporters are starting to follow you to school grounds and this could become disruptive to school functions. I need you to take decisive action and eliminate this threat."
"We have a live interview on 'Hello Middleton' this afternoon," Kim told him.
"Oh? Why not something at a more national level?" Barkin asked.
"We prefer to deal with the local press," Kim informed him. "For one thing, they're easier to get along with. For another thing, they're better at staying on the subject, during interviews."
"Clarify that last statement," Barkin requested.
"Well sir," Ron stepped in. "When the local stations want to interview Kim-"
"US," Kim corrected him.
"Okay, us." Ron conceded. "Before the interview, they'll usually tell K-, er us, what they want to talk about. Like the radio station that interviewed us when we helped evacuate people from the wild fire last month. They might ask a few off-topic questions, but they don't go into any great depth if we don't feel like talking."
"Those national level interviews can be different," Kim continued. "They dig into a lot of things that aren't anybody's business, and really don't mean that much. They obsess on my appearance, my fashion choices, the fact that I don't go to the," here she added air quotes. "Hot, happening party spots. Of course, that isn't the worst."
"What's the worst?" Tara asked.
"Their questions about the two of us," Ron answered his fellow blonde. "When we tell the local stations that we're dating exclusively, they're satisfied. These national outfits, they seem to be infatuated with the…er…progress, that we've made with our dating."
"They want to know if the two of you…" Bonnie faded into silence.
"Exactly," Kim confirmed. "Now, I understand that it's human nature to be curious; how many times has the entire squad mugged one of us with a 'tell us everything' barrage after she's had a date? When we tell one of the local stations that it's a private matter between the two of us, they usually let the matter drop. On the other hand, the national shows start prying or, what's worse, they start speculating."
Barkin, Tara, and Bonnie all nodded. They had all read Internet, celebrity scandal reports about Kim's and Ron's status. At one end of the spectrum, some sites reported that Kim was dating Ron as a false front, so the public wouldn't realize that she was a lesbian. At the other end of the spectrum, some sites reported that the two were actually married and had a child, who was being raised at an unspecified location. Of course, innumerable articles reported their relationship at just about any point between the two extremes.
"If you don't mind saying," Tara asked, quietly. "How do you answer when an interviewer asks about your status?"
"We tell the truth," Ron answered. "We're dating exclusively and it's a G-rated relationship."
"Maybe PG for violence and dangerous situations," Kim chimed in. "We really can't separate our dating life from our mission life."
"So when is your interview?" Barkin asked.
"Two hours after the workshop's finished," Kim answered. "That gives us a chance to get to the studio and let them make us look good for the camera."
"We can't be all bruised up," Ron added. "That's why we were going so easy on each other."
"Easy?!" Both Bonnie and Tara said in unison. Barkin merely grinned, imagining the stiff-arms Stoppable would be able to throw on the football field.
"Miss Possible, Mr. Stoppable," the whisper came from outside their dressing suite door. "May I come in? I'm Warren, a roving cameraman. The station's president asked me to speak to you."
"Come on in," Kim called back, sharing a slightly confused glance with Ron. The teens had arrived at the Middleton Channel 6 Studio a little over a half-hour ago. An intern had ushered them into a dressing suite, where a makeup specialist had gone to work on them. Ron had balked at being 'made up' but the specialist informed him that it wasn't about looking good, it was about keeping his pale complexion from glowing under the stage lighting. The specialist had left a few minutes ago, leaving the teens to relax in preparation for their interview. Kim had been expecting their interviewer, Maddy Smolenz, to come visit them, not a roving cameraman.
"Hey," Ron exclaimed when Warren walked in. "Aren't you they guy who caught that footage of us on the roof?"
"That's me," Warren whispered. He looked up and down the hallway before closing the door behind him. "Please keep your voices down. I'm here to warn you, you're walking into a journalistic ambush."
"A what?" Ron scratched his head.
"Mrs. Smolenz isn't going to be interviewing you," he told them. "Rita Richards is going to be doing the honors."
"Rita Richards!" Kim hissed in an exasperated whisper. "I thought she was stationed at some network's head office in Los Angeles."
"She is," Warren replied. "But she pulled some strings at the network. She's got some dirt on the Head of Affiliates. She got him to threaten this station's president. If he doesn't let her come in and do a surprise, hostile interview, this station will lose its affiliation."
"I'm not big on network TV," Ron chimed in. "What's the big deal with this Rita Richards?"
"Let's just say that she's a racist," Warren informed him.
"Oh, which race does she hate?" asked Ron.
"Human."
"Oh," Ron nodded with a pained smile. "One of those."
"Exactly," Warren agreed. "She's the journalistic equivalent of a starving, rabid Rottweiler. She made her name by verbally shredding those she interviews. You two probably understand that you're prime targets." Kim and Ron both nodded.
"Well," he continued. "If she can get to the two of you; if she can make either of you loose your temper, break down and cry, or admit something you shouldn't, she'll be a hot commodity. Plenty of scandal shows will be willing to pay big money for the reporter who crushed Team Possible."
"Thanks for the warning," Kim told him. "But why are you warning us?"
"Because neither my boss, nor I, appreciate being used like this. This was supposed to be a friendly, local interview. We would have sold the footage to the network for later, nation-wide transmission. You two would have been happy, we would have been happy, and the network would have been happy. Instead, all of this good mojo is getting tossed aside for one woman's egotistical quest for recognition."
Warren took a deep breath, "I'm sorry about the rant, but this is something that really burns my butt. I know that investigative reporters have gotten a bad rap lately. Not all of us are paparazzi. A lot of us just want to report interesting and/or vital news, even if we have to step on a few toes to break a story. With reporters like Richards, stepping on the toes is the story. I'm really sorry that this happened to you, at our station."
"Thanks again for the warning," Ron told the man.
"Yeah," Kim agreed. "You turned a drama into a no big."
With that, the man offered the teens a printed list of issues that he thought Richards would bring up. Then he peeked out of the door and seeing that the coast was clear, slipped away. Kim and Ron only had a few minutes to review the list before they were interrupted again.
Beep Beep Be-Beep.
"So what's the sitch?"
"Kim! Sit down, I have some shocking news!"
"If it's about the hatchet job we're running into here, we've already been warned."
"I don't know anything about a hatchet job," Wade told her. "But I do know that Shego's been shot while trying to escape!"
"What, when?" Kim and Ron both sat down and gawked into the Kimmunicator screen.
"I don't have all of the details, but it happened about a week ago," Wade informed them. "She's been in intensive care ever since. As of ten minutes ago, she was in 'serious but stable' condition. Someone at the prison leaked the story, so GJ decided to make a press release before rumors got too much out of control. They'll be making the statement about the same time you're doing your interview." Wade paused a moment, "now what's this about a hatchet job?" Kim and Ron quickly filled them in.
"Okay, we can't do anything about Shego, so let's deal with your interview," Wade suggested, accompanying his words with a flurry of keyboard activity. "I'm running a check on Richards, specifically quotes about you guys….okay, I've got some info for you."
"Just how thankful are you that he's on our side?" Ron asked Kim.
"Very," Kim smiled at her BFBF. "What do you have, Wade?"
"First of all, Richards is one the reporters who's claiming that you and Shego are…well…"
"I get the picture," Kim growled. "What else?"
"She has been really vocal that you being with Ron is either a rebound thing or denial," Wade answered, glad to have changed the topic. "She's also supposed to have an extensive network of contacts and informants. If she doesn't know about Shego already, I bet she'll know within a few minutes. Sorry guys, but it'll take me several minutes to dig up anything else."
"And we'll be on the set by then," Kim finished. "You rock, Wade!"
With that, Kim and Ron made the best plans that they could.
"Ah, Kim Possible, a pleasure to meet you," Rita Richards greeted the heroine, as Kim and Ron stepped on the set. Her 'professional smile' looked cold and menacing. "I'm Rita Richards, perhaps you've seen me on Sunset Report."
"I can't say that I've seen the show," Kim admitted. "But I recognize the name."
"Wasn't Mrs. Smolenz supposed to be interviewing us today?" Ron asked, playing the part that he and Kim and discussed earlier.
"And you would be?" Richards' tone was decidedly superior.
"He's Ron Stoppable, my partner and boyfriend," Kim explained, with a tone of exaggerated patience. "WE are scheduled for this interview and he's asking a very valid question."
"Oh, of course," the interviewer's smile never altered. "I'm sorry, but Mrs. Smolenz had a family emergency. Fortunately, I was in the area, so you'll have a nationally recognized reporter conducting the interview. By the way, I'll only be interviewing Kim today so if you'll be so kind as to leave the set, Ron we can.."
"Ms. Richards, or do you prefer Rita?" Kim asked the woman, interrupting her instructions.
"Rita, if you please."
"I don't know if anybody from the station managed to brief you before you volunteered to stand in for Mrs. Smolenz," Kim informed the older woman. "But the scheduled interview was with TEAM Possible, not KIM Possible. I'm afraid that if Ron leaves the set, I will as well."
"But Kim, may I call you Kim?" Kim nodded. "I volunteered to conduct this interview at the last possible minute. I'm afraid that I barely had time to prepare to interview you. I didn't have any time to prepare for your…subordinate." The reporter's face never changed expression during the explanation."
"Nevertheless, if Ron leaves, so do I," Kim matched the woman's stare.
"Very well," the reporter conceded. "Er, Ron, may I call you Ron?" Ron nodded. "I assume that you won't get bored if I don't ask you too many questions?" Ron nodded again. "Very well, why don't we be seated?"
A stagehand appeared with a chair for Ron, an encouraging smile for the teens and a hidden glare for Rita Richards. The countdown started soon after everyone was seated.
"Okay everyone," a director called out. "We're live in five, four…" he held up three fingers, then two, then one, then gestured to Rita.
"Hello everybody and welcome to Hello Middleton. I'm Rita Richards, from the network's LA office, sitting in today for Mrs. Smolenz. I'm joined today by teen heroine Kim Possible and her companion, Ron Stoppable. Kim, how are you doing today?"
"Just fine, Rita and to clarify, Ron is my partner, not just my companion."
"Of course, and how are you today, Ron?"
"Very well, Rita, and yourself?"
"Thrilled to be here. Now, Kim, let's start with the question that's on everybody's mind. Are you and Ron in a relationship at this time?"
"Please define a relationship," Kim requested.
"Are the two of you connected, romantically?"
"We're dating, exclusively" Kim answered.
"Lovely," Rita's smile became predatory as she turned towards Ron. "Ron, I'd like to talk about events leading up to the Diablo Assault. Would you care to answer some questions?"
"You understand, of course, that I can't say anything that could affect the upcoming trials?" Ron asked in return.
"Of course, Ron! I won't deal with the legalities, okay."
"Sure."
"First of all, is it true that Dr. Drakken constructed a synthodrone for the express purpose of seducing Kim?"
"I can't answer that, Rita, I won't speculate on Dr. Drakken's motivations."
"Well, then did Kim appear to be attracted to the synthodrone?" Rita's smile had become just a little less smug.
"Yes."
"That's all, just yes?" Rita prompted.
"What more do you want me to say?"
"Weren't you jealous?" The predatory smile was back.
"Why should I have been? We weren't dating at the time." Ron's expression was perfectly calm.
"Are you certain about this? You looked very angry during your fight on the roof at Bueno Nacho."
"I was fighting for my life, Rita," Ron informed her, his calm expression turning cold.
"Of course," Rita's tone dripped honey. She then looked at Kim, "Kim, I understand that there were two synthodrones, one male and one female. I'm sure you won't speculate about Drakken's motivation, but did Ron show any attraction towards the female synthodrone?"
"I believe that they went out on a 'let's do homework' date."
"So he was attracted to her."
"Yes, she was very pretty."
Rita seemed to wait for Kim to continue, but covered up her confusion by continuing the interview.
"So, the two of you are officially together now?" Both Kim and Ron nodded. "How do both of you feel," Rita continued, her false smile firmly in place. "Knowing that the other chose artificial life forms over you?"
"I did-" Kim began; only to bite her tongue when Ron gave her arm a discrete nudge. She understood; withstanding insults was one of those things where Ron was the better of the two.
"It doesn't bother me in the slightest," Ron told their tormentor. "Because I understand the concept of teen dating." He paused a moment, "you understand teen dating, don't you Rita? I mean, it's been awhile for you hasn't it?"
"Not that long," Rita grated out.
"So you understand. Kim and I are teenagers, we're supposed to be attracted to the hotties. We both fell, initially, for the hot bodies and cute faces. We got over it, learned from it and moved on."
"You found each other after things didn't work out with other people," Rita pressed on.
"I'd say we finally realized that we wanted more than friendship out of each other," Kim countered.
"That's lovely," Rita smiled, like she had sensed an opening. "So, since you've found each other, just how far has your relationship progressed?"
"I don't understand the question," Kim admitted.
"Have the two of you become intimate yet?"
"Number one, that's a private issue between Ron and myself," Kim grated at the older woman. "Number two, no, we are both only seventeen and have decided that we aren't ready for the adult responsibilities that would come with an adult relationship. While I answered this question, we won't answer any more questions regarding our…intimate status."
"I'd say the public has a right to know," Rita insisted.
"Rita, Ron and I realize that we are somewhat public figures," Kim responded. "However, we don't hold any official position of authority. That means that our actions don't have far reaching consequences. While we appreciate the support we receive from so many people, we prefer to keep our personal lives and beliefs private."
"But your actions do have far reaching consequences," Rita bore in. "You're a role model to millions of young people across this country. Now, you've established what appears to be a relationship with Ron here, but I and a number of my colleagues believe that your affections lie elsewhere."
"I am perfectly aware of your…speculations regarding Shego and myself," Kim's smile was as cold as Rita's was predatory. "This is one aspect of my private life that I am happy to divulge. I feel absolutely no romantic attraction to Shego."
"But the history the two of you have," Rita interjected.
"Rita, I understand that last year, an irritated interviewee attacked you on a set and hit you several times before a couple of stagehands subdued him, is this true?" Kim asked her tormentor.
"Yes, but this interview is about you, not me."
"Just making a point. Do you feel any romantic attraction to him?"
"No, but this is-"
"My point exactly," Kim concluded, interrupting the reporter. "Shego has tried to kill me on more than one occasion. I honestly don't know why anybody would think that I'm attracted to her because of this. You yourself weren't attracted to your assailant, so why do you think that I'd be attracted to mine?"
"Well, there are numerous posts on the Internet that claim to have seen the two of you engaged in romantic behavior," Rita pointed out.
"There's something interesting about those Internet posts," Kim continued, conversationally. "I had my technical support partner check on the number of such posts. As best as he can tell, roughly the same number of people claim to have seen bigfoot, or Elvis, than have claimed to have seen me engaged, romantically, with Shego." Kim shook her head, "No, Rita. I don't feel any attraction to Shego."
"Are you aware that she's been shot?" Rita asked next.
"Yes, our technical support man informed us shortly before today's interview."
"How do you feel about this?"
"It's never a good thing when someone is shot," Kim replied. Her and Ron had put their true attitudes towards the shooting into words, so Kim was ready for the question. "But the consequences could have been much worse. Shego is dangerous and doesn't have much in the way of moralistic restraint. While I don't want to see anybody injured, I would rather see her shot, than see her injure her guards and escape."
"Do you intend to visit her?"
"No, I don't even know where she's being treated and I have no intention of finding out. Shego has made her own decision and must face her own consequences."
Rita was clearly perplexed by Team Possible's calm manner. She turned from Kim back to Ron.
"Ron, your girlfriend here says that the two of you have decided to put off intimacy until you're ready for an adult relationship; when will that be?"
"I really don't know at this time," Ron admitted. "But the fact that we're both underage, unemployed, and don't even have our high school diplomas tells me that we aren't adults."
"It sounds to me like she's just keeping you around with vague promises," Rita said in a sympathetic voice. "Perhaps she's keeping you around until the next guy makes her heart flutter." Ron could feel Kim tense at that remark.
"Perhaps," Ron answered. "Or perhaps we're concerned with making this new aspect of our relationship work before we delve even deeper into it. We were close friends before we became girlfriend and boyfriend. I'd like to be a good boyfriend before I become anything more."
"So it doesn't bother you that the two of you haven't…" Rita prompted.
"Like Kim said, this really isn't any concern of yours, but no, it doesn't bother me."
"What about her previous, romantic relationships?" Rita prompted. "Was she intimate with any of them?"
"That, Rita, is none of my business," Ron informed her.
"To backtrack a bit," Rita clearly had to recover from Ron's blunt honesty. "You have both said that you aren't ready for an adult relationship and adult consequences." Both members of Team Possible nodded. "Yet, Ron, you yourself have made very adult decisions; decisions dealing with life and death. I'm speaking, of course, about your killing the two synthodrones."
"Both were acts of self defense," Ron's voice had become a great deal colder.
"Were they?" Rita asked, sensing an opening from Ron's cold tone. "There's no record of your confrontation with, what was her name, Dessie? But we've all seen the footage of your confrontation with Eric. You had already eliminated the Diablo Threat but you killed him. You're telling me that you aren't ready for an adult relationship, yet you made an adult decision about life and death and don't appear any worse for wear."
"No worse for wear," Ron's voice was so icy that even Kim was scared of him. "I guess you never interviewed the therapist who worked with me for weeks after that incident. I guess you never interviewed my parents, who never knew when I'd wake them up with my screaming in my sleep." Kim's eyes were wide; her boyfriend had never told her about screaming at night. She took his hand but didn't silence him, knowing that this just might back the reporter off of him.
"Eric, the synthodrone, told me he was going to kill me," Ron continued in that same cold tone. "Like you said, Kim and I had won, Eric could have fled with Drakken. Instead, he chose to fulfill his obligation to break up Team Possible, by killing me. So yes, Rita I fought back and I fully meant to kill him when I did."
"Do you know how to kill a synthodrone?" Ron asked, his voice frighteningly empty of emotions. Rita shook her head, speechless.
"You have to puncture its synthetic skin so that its fluids can leak out. Now, a synthodrone doesn't have a circulatory system, no arteries or veins like we have. Still, the fluid has to run through the body cavity so Drakken equipped them with pumps. Ingenious design, the pump works harder as the drone's need for fluid circulation increases. I could feel that pump working in both cases. I had tackled Dessie and I had bearhugged Eric. Do you know what it's like to feel that pump, working harder and harder as this thinking, living being screams for its life? Do you know what it's like when you feel that pump stop?"
Rita just sat in the chair, motionless. She had been hoping to grill the teens about their relationship, and provoke either steamy details or heated denials. Instead, she had gotten calm, factual statements. When she had found Ron's weakness, his sensitivity about killing the machines, she hadn't expected him to be so articulate. This was pure interview gold!
"An interesting thing about those fluids," Ron continued. "They're really similar, chemically, to human blood. While it's yellow, it smells and tastes just like the real thing. Heck, Wade told me that some corporation has just started to mass-produce the stuff, since it makes a very effective blood expander. Now, I'm sure that you're wondering how this fits in with your question, so let me tell you. In both cases, that fluid sprayed all over me. So I was fighting some poor thing that was screaming for its life, feeling this pump work harder and harder, all while this stuff that felt, smelled and tasted like blood sprayed all over me. Then the pump and the screaming stopped."
"No worse for wear," Ron mocked, shaking his head as tears flowed from his eyes. " I pray every day that I never become so callous that I can do something like that and not feel terrible afterwards."
"Uh, we need to take a commercial break," Rita announced, seeing the director waving at her. The cameras had no sooner gone dead than that same director stormed onto the stage.
"This interview is now over," he snapped at Rita.
"What do you mean, I've got them for the next-"
"That was before you asked two minors about their sex life on a live broadcast," he snarled at her. "Then brought up a violent, deadly encounter involving a minor. We'll be lucky if the FCC isn't in here before the end of this break. We're going to alternative programming, now."
"Do you know who you're dealing with?" Rita shrieked.
"Of course, do you know how little I care?" the director responded, raising his voice slightly.
"I'll have you fired within a week," she snapped back.
"It won't be the first time," he admitted. "My resume is always up to date." He firmly turned his back on Rita and faced the teens. "Kim, Ron, I thank you for your time, and I apologize for the interview's tone. I'll contact your support man and request another time, with a better interviewer." He winked at them as Rita snarled at his back. "And one other thing. Ron, thank you doing the difficult things and accepting the cost."
"You can't protect your little hometown heroes forever," Rita raged.
"Yeah, but I can help them out when they're on MY stage," the man spun back on Rita. They started to hurl some rather colorful language at each other while Warren appeared.
"Kim, Ron," he said. "Let's get the two of you back to your dressing room. I think Ron could use a little time to compose himself before you leave the station."
Both teens nodded gratefully and allowed him to lead them off of the stage. Once in their dressing room, they helped each other to clean off the stage makeup. Kim then planted Ron on one of the couches, sat on his lap and pulled his head down to her shoulder, while sobs shook his body.
"I didn't want to remember it," he forced the words out between his sobs. Kim just hugged him tighter. Warren was uncomfortable being where he was but couldn't find a graceful way of leaving. Plus, he wanted to make sure that no one else saw this, so he guarded the door. Ron was just getting some control over himself when the Kimmunicator chirped.
"Hi Wade," Kim's voice was much more subdued than usual.
"I monitored the entire thing. How's Ron doing?" The voice from the box reflected the genius's concern.
"Holding up, thanks for asking," Ron replied.
"I want you to know, Kim isn't the only one that has your back, Ron." Wade informed him. "Unfortunately, we've got something else going on. Aviarius has been spotted in Minnesota. The Shego sitch has Team Go at less than full capacity and Global Justice is requesting your help."
"I don't know," Kim began, her voice full of concern over Ron.
"Let's do it, KP," Ron cut it. "I could use some 'head in the game' to get my mind off of…you know."
"Wade, did you hear that?" Kim asked.
"Every word. Transport will be at you location in ten."
"Mind if I tag along?" Warren asked. Then added, with a smile, "I'd love to get some good footage to rub in Richards' face."
A/N:
Again, I managed to create some problems with my email not accepting review alerts from the FanFiction site. Again, I offer my most sincere appologies to anybody who reviewed, but did not get a response. Thank you very much to everyone who reviewed. I'm still fighting this problem, but I will check for reviews and PM respond. Thanks for putting up with me.
My biggest thanks, as always, go to Joe Stoppinghem for his Beta reading and suggestions.
Until my next update, best wishes,
daccu65