Chapter 2 – Telling the World
Connectivity failed again. For the umpteenth time Wade attempted unsuccessfully to make contact with Kim. He finally concluded that her Kimmunicator must have been destroyed. There was no way it would be malfunctioning. He had recently replaced the battery; this new cell would endure for a couple of years. A thorough diagnostic check was conducted and the few minor bugs were corrected. With the Kimmunicator broken, Wade could not track Kim let alone contact her. He hoped nothing bad has happened.
Wade was not going to sit there waiting on the chance she would contact him to say "Mission accomplished." He had to contact Ron and send him in spite of what Kim said. Should she call him with good news while Ron is en route, Wade would notify Ron and have him return.
As he was about to contact Ron, an audio signal emitted from his computer's speakers. Wade looked at his monitor. There were three red circles – inner, middle, and outer – blinking off and on in sequence with the audio signal over the direct location of Drakken's lair, meaning seismic activity. The circles blinked for only a few seconds before disappearing, indicating the incident was over.
He analyzed the measurements and found them to be minor. After hacking into a topographical satellite, he zoomed in and scanned the region. It appeared that the tremors were only enough to collapse Drakken's lair as structures just a few kilometers away were unscathed; even Kim's jet was safe. Wade knew no natural tremor would be that precise. He quickly suspected the possibility that Drakken had also rebuilt Ron's sonic annihilator. He suddenly hoped Kim was not in the lair when it fell; Drakken would definitely not be.
He accessed the jet to activate the autopilot, programming it to fly the aircraft back stateside so Ron could rendezvous with it. He also called in a favor to pick Ron up. Then he signaled Ron's communicator with rapid beeps to indicate a critical emergency. The one to answer was Rufus, Ron's pink naked mole rat.
"Rufus, I need you to wake Ron. We have an emergency."
Rufus' slipped away from the device. Wade could hear the mole rat's chatter along with Ron mumbling about trying to sleep. He heard more insistent chatter from Rufus until at last Ron took the handheld and answered.
"Ron, are you feeling better?"
The blond youth was awake enough, but he still looked sleepy rubbing his eyes. "Yeah, I'm fine. What's up?"
"Kim went on a mission a while ago. She went alone because she wanted to be sure you felt better. But something's happened and I'm hoping you're well enough to go on a mission."
Something happened to Kim? Ron wondered. "What's happened?"
Wade told him everything. He recounted Drakken and Shego's escape from prison, suspicion that Drakken rebuilt the mega-weather generator after receiving data of the suspicious storm over Drakken's lair, then Kim flying her jet to investigate. "I told her which tower she could get inside. That was the last verbal communication with her. After that I monitored her movements towards the lair where she did get to since the Kimmunicator has a built-in tracking device. A few minutes after that, the signal disappeared. Something had to have broken the Kimmunicator. There was no way it was faulty."
"But what about Kim's battle suit? Doesn't that have a tracking device?"
Wade sighed. "I'm afraid not. Of all its features I never thought to install one. With Kim I never thought I would have to."
Wade watched as Ron got up from his bed. "Do you have a ride waiting for me?" Ron asked.
"It will be hovering above Bueno Nacho by the time you get there. I've routed the jet to fly back so you'll be dropped off in Florida where you'll find it. I have the autopilot active to return you to the lair.
"There's something else you need to know," he added while Ron changed and listened. "I think Drakken's also rebuilt the sonic annihilator. I think he used it on his lair because it's now in ruins."
Following his pick up from Bueno Nacho, his and Kim's regular hangout restaurant, Ron was flown to Florida where he boarded the jet and from there was transported to where Kim landed. Guided by Wade, Ron moved through the forest towards the remains of the lair. Wade routed him along the same path he monitored Kim taking. "Kim already set off the traps when she went through, so you'll be in no danger."
Rubble. After he arrived and began his search with night-vision, all Ron could see was rubble. He stumbled around where he could; nothing but the remains of the lair. He actually tried calling out to Kim hoping she might respond. No reply. Rufus scurried about in several places, sniffing for traces of her. Both Ron and Rufus came up with nothing. Ron hoped to Heaven that Kim was okay and not buried somewhere beneath the ruins; that she was alive, even if that meant as Drakken's prisoner. He would rather know that than believe otherwise.
He contacted Wade after Rufus perched himself on Ron's shoulder, looking upset. "I can't find anything, Wade," he reported. "Zilch from Rufus, too."
The troubled teen heard a low beep from his handheld that sounded from Wade's end. He watched as Wade checked it out. "Ron I'm getting an incoming transmission… from Drakken."
The screen split, placing Wade's image to the right and Drakken's to the left. The nemesis of Team Possible noted Ron's location. "That scenery looks familiar. You actually went looking for your friend? I heard you were sick."
"Even if I were terminally ill, I'd go looking for KP!" Ron snapped.
"Oh, that won't be necessary. She's here with us." Drakken's side switched from his image to briefly display Kim, in an outfit that was not her battle suit, lying someplace. Drakken reappeared.
Ron gritted his teeth. "If you've done anything to her-"
Drakken held up his right hand to silence Ron. "Relax, she's unharmed. And she'll stay that way as long as my newest scheme goes unhindered."
"Where are you taking her?" Ron demanded.
"You along with the world will know my intentions once I'm settled in at my new lair." Drakken motioned as if he were about to end the transmission, but paused. "And if you ever take that tone with me again, you buffoon," he added aggressively, "you'll never see her again."
Ron took a breath after Drakken was gone. "Any suggestions, Wade?"
"Come back to Middleton. Until we know where he's going, I don't know what else to do."
Ron sighed then switched off before returning to the jet. He and Wade knew that they would have to tell the Possibles what's happened. As for school, the news would be limited to only administrators and Ron's and Kim's closest friends.
Aboard the aircraft carrying Drakken and Shego, the small band of henchmen with them from the former lair, the Bebes, and a still unconscious Kim Possible, a door slid open allowing Doctor Drakken to enter the cabin where he found Shego seated, reading a magazine. He had just come from sending his transmission to the remaining two-thirds of Team Possible. He seated himself nearby to relax, plugging in some earphones to listen to some music. After leaning his seat back he closed his eyes.
A few peaceful minutes elapse. From the overhead speakers, Shego hears, "Iceland is in sight and we have been cleared for landing in Reykjavik."
The instant she heard Iceland, dumbstruck, Shego looked up from her magazine. She looked over at Drakken who remained unmoved, continuing to listen to music with his eyes closed. Setting down the magazine she stood and went up to the cockpit. There it was on the horizon. She gazed at it for a moment without a word before returning to find Drakken sitting forward, eyes open and no longer listening to music. Instead he was smiling at her.
"You like?" asked Drakken.
"It's… a surprise, I'll admit."
"Oh, this is nothing, Shego. Wait until you see the lair. And I would advise that you dress warm."
After the plane landed around 1420 GMT, everyone disembarked wearing winter clothing. Although the airport tarmac was clear, the surrounding region was covered with snow.
One of the larger henchmen carried a blanketed, still unconscious Kim in his arms onto a waiting bus. Before boarding himself, Drakken turned to the Bebes. "You three will hurry on to the lair ahead of us." They complied and rushed off like a bolt before Drakken stepped aboard the bus.
The bus was driven to a distant location outside of Reykjavik, deep within a wooded area. The driver stopped to let all passengers off then drove away to dispose of the vehicle, while everyone trekked through the snow into the woods, eventually coming to a cave entrance from which they could hear the sound of an engine. They walked into the cave which had lights on about ten meters in. They continued forward for another forty meters, the engine getting louder, but not intolerable. Ahead of them was a large tram which Shego looked at for a moment.
"Climb aboard, Shego," he politely beckoned. She did, following the others before Drakken.
The tram carried its passengers forward and soon descended along winding tracks, a few kilometers deep beneath the surface. The engineer decreased its speed gradually before it entered a colossal, subterranean cavern. The engineer then brought the tram to a stop then all on board detrained. The sounds of mechanized humming indicated ventilation which made the air quality temperate and the humidity minimal. Energy, judging from the ventilation and the abundant lighting, was clearly being "borrowed" from power plants on the surface.
Looking about her, Shego gazed at something more amazing than the cavern itself. Even Drakken was proud of what he saw – a very large, superbly designed lair constructed from the rock of the cavern. The lair stood three stories tall and measured roughly 100 meters across.
"Doc, what on Earth?"
"Don't you mean under the Earth, Shego?" She huffed and gave him an annoyed look. He disregarded it and continued. "I'm always on the lookout for locations for lairs, Shego." He began walking towards the building, everyone following. "More than a year ago, I read a series of books about a brilliant underground civilization. I was inspired by the idea of a subterranean city and decided if I ever found a good location for a lair I would like to build one underground until the world was mine. How fortunate such a place was found in Iceland.
"Once the location was scouted, I secretly drew up plans for the lair to be constructed from the rock. That's why we were so short on henchmen even before I planned the Diablo operation; the rest were here constructing the lair.
"I hope you appreciate this, Shego," he further added once they reached the door, which was actually crafted from wood. "You once said you wanted Iceland. Once the world is mine, you can have any share of the world you want as a thank you for your aid and rule that share from here."
It was a decent offer. "I'll consider it, Doc, once I've seen the whole thing, inside and out."
The door was opened and all entered the foyer of the lair. Drakken turned to his henchmen. "Report to your posts," he ordered. To the one holding Kim, "Take her to a cell and report to your post." Each complied and departed. "Come with me, Shego."
He led her through a few hallways of finely carved stone until they came to a door. Drakken opened the door; the motion powered on lights, exposing a series of computers and consoles. He and Shego sauntered through the large room, occasionally glancing at some of the displays of data until Drakken stopped to study two different readouts - one which Shego identified as the mega-weather generator and the other the sonic annihilator.
She wondered to herself why he would build two more? "Come on, Doc, don't you have anything new?" she then asked aloud.
"Why bother, Shego? I have to admit that Kim Possible's sidekick actually developed impressive weapons. And trust me. These are nothing like the ones from the previous lair. These two meet the levels of the weapons on his disk, so they're more powerful than their predecessors." Drakken removed the disk from his left coat pocket. "Those were nothing. These are the real deal; linked to satellite dishes on the surface and ready to transmit disasters wherever I direct." Drakken filed the disk before walking around to review other readings. "Additionally, I don't have to wrack my brain trying to conceive new weapons or delay my present scheme by stealing ones I can't be sure work."
After she woke and recollected what happened, Kim looked around finding herself in an unfamiliar space. She even realized she was no longer wearing her battle suit. Naturally she tried the door, but it did not budge. For once she admitted she was in a fix. Not knowing where she was, how she would get herself out, and without a Kimmunicator to contact help she returned to lie on the cot she originally found herself and began to think; what is Drakken planning; does Wade know where she is; can she be rescued? She also thought about Ron. Undoubtedly Wade did contact Ron. Together could they find her and save her? Despite Ron's antics, he has his moments; this would have to be one of those moments. No matter what, Kim put her faith in her boyfriend. Whether it is "dumb skill," or that he has an angel on his shoulders, or that he just has the strangest stroke of luck on Earth, Ron would save her.
A panel by the door slid open, exposing a monitor and a mini-cam and mike. Drakken appeared on the monitor, smiling that arrogant smile. "Did you enjoy your nap, Kim Possible? I do hope your quarters are to your satisfaction," he taunted.
Kim sat up and turned to face the monitor. "Stuff it, Drakken," she snapped. "Whatever you have in mind, it won't work! Wherever we are, you'll be found… and I'll be rescued!"
He expected this defiance from her. "And I suppose you think your sidekick will be the one to save you?"
"I don't think… I believe."
"After numerous attempts to apprehend you, I finally have. What makes you so sure he'll have any success?"
"Because he's Ron."
Drakken let out a doubtful puff, but then looked lost in thought for a moment. "I suppose I'll let him try. I'll extend a challenge to him…" Shrugging a shoulder, he added in a low tone, "…although I expect it to be a waste of time." He concluded more audible with, "I'll postpone demanding control of the world a bit longer and let everyone see. I'll show them I've captured you and they'll watch your only chance for a rescue fail." He then switched off.
"Ron, please find me," Kim quietly prayed before returning to her bed.
After Ron returned that morning, the Possibles learned from both him and Wade what had become of Kim; the news stunned them, of course. Upon learning who was behind it, James Possible cursed Drew Lipsky.
Before Ron left for school, Drs. P urged that this news be restricted. They would call the school to let administrators, such as Steve Barkin, know the truth about Kim's absence. They were okay about Ron telling close friends like Monique and Felix.
Much like her family, Mr. Barkin, Monique and Felix were very much disturbed by what happened to Kim. While administrators only knew her situation as a prisoner, Ron told Monique and Felix the details. Now they had only to wait for the details of Drakken's demands.
Ron and his friends reported to their respective classes. On Ron's way into class, Wade told him he would call the instant he was alerted to anything involving Drakken. The bell signaled the start of first period. Ron sat at his desk thinking of Kim while the morning announcements were made. Classrooms were equipped with monitors so students and faculty could watch.
Ron's Kimmunicator sounded as the announcements turned to the topic of the upcoming holiday break. The on-screen student was disrupted by the off-screen sound of a door being thrown open. Everyone watching heard the sound of rapid footsteps and saw a student appear. He looked anxious.
"Kim Possible's been taken hostage!" the student, a member of the school newspaper staff, cried. He had been watching morning news on World News Network and heard this. He immediately rushed from the media classroom to relay this over the announcements.
Several students around the classroom turned to Ron stunned. He pulled out his Kimmunicator to answer Wade's call. "Ron, Drakken's making his declaration through the news."
Ron could hear an anchorwoman from Wade's end. Rufus peeked out from his pocket space in Ron's pants to listen. Both of them looked up, suddenly hearing the same voice from the announcements screen in the classroom. The student who barged in had connected a cable from a television in the broadcasting room to the camera. "Now the whole school knows," Ron told Wade. "We're all watching WNN right now."
"If you're just now joining us, again world famous teen hero Kim Possible of Middleton, Colorado, has been taken hostage by Team Possible nemesis, Dr. Drakken," stated the anchorwoman. "He is standing by at this moment from an undisclosed location to make a live statement." The onscreen image split between her and Drakken. "Doctor, why have you done this?"
He was now presented in full view. "I am not here to answer questions," he retorted. "I'm making a statement, nothing more." His manner relaxed. "Many of you out there know what I'm all about. But if you're thinking this broadcast is about demands for world domination, I've decided to postpone that for a short time. This is a different announcement.
"As you have just been told, I have in my custody my teen nemesis, Kim Possible." His image blinked away to display Kim in a small room. She too was watching Drakken. "She very recently became my hostage during an attempt to foil my latest scheme," he continued after he returned to the screen. "Little did she know that I had planned to capture her first. Not very long ago, Miss Possible dared to tell me I can still be stopped. While she herself is currently unable to escape, she actually believes her sidekick-boyfriend can rescue her."
Ron heard chuckles and pshaws. A number of his classmates also gave him looks ranging from mocking to skeptical.
"Mr. Load," Drakken directed toward Wade. "If you would, I want to speak directly to him."
Ron saw Wade briefly type on his keyboard before he was replaced by Drakken. On television, everyone watched the screen split with Drakken on the left and Ron on the right.
"What do you say? Can you do it?"
Ron took a breath. He was ready to answer, but Drakken said more.
"I'll tell you what. Even if you decide not to try, I'll proceed with my demands for the world. My means to do so will even be because of you… or should I say you're other self?" Drakken held up the disk. "Do you know what's on this disk? Your Zorpox persona was either smart enough or foolish enough to save the designs of two very impressive devices. I'm sure you recall them. You might even be aware that I've recently used your mega-weather generator and sonic annihilator.
"Take a good look, those of you who are watching." Drakken's image blinked away again to be replaced by images of the two weapons. He reappeared, no longer holding the disk. "And those of you who doubt that buffoon could even build a cabin from Lincoln Logs should know that these work and I am just itching to use them." His attention returned to Ron. "Well? Will you come for her, or will you abandon your girlfriend?"
Ron's grip on the Kimmunicator tightened, and everyone watching and listening heard him boldly say, "Just try and stop me from coming after her."
"Oh, I intend to. And I'm going to let the world watch you fail. Let's see if you can make it through a challenge. Go to my old lair where you were this morning. If you win, I will tell you where we are. And only you. I'll not expose my location to the world." He reached out with one hand to disconnect his transmission. With the other hand he extended his index and middle fingers to form a 'V' and said, "Peace out." Then he was gone from both the news and the Kimmunicator.
Ron looked at Wade when he heard, "Ron, you are going, right?"
Ron nodded. "I am," he replied firmly. Then he switched off and put the device away.
Ron looked around the classroom while the anchorwoman continued with the news of what was just exchanged, Thoughts and expressions of his classmates were mixed. Some doubted he could do this. Others could not accept the probability that the devices they were shown by Drakken were built by Ron. They watched as he grabbed his backpack, stood up, and walked to the classroom door.
"I need to be excused," he said unemotionally to the teacher. Then he left. In the hallway Rufus scurried up and onto Ron's left shoulder. "Ready, Rufus?"
Rufus looked at him boldly. "Ready!" Then off they went.
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