As the rear ramp of the US Army C-17 transport lowered, everyone watched anxiously as a sole figure strode nonchalantly forth. He was dressed in the latest Gucci suit, black-pinned-striped, and sporting a pair of Rayban sunglasses. His beard had been neatly trimmed and save for the right arm in a bright blue sling, no one could be certain that he had been kidnapped and held captive by a group of terrorists for the past three months.
His reception committee was definitely of the colorful sort. Friends and questionable acquaintances stood with worried looks on their faces as he stood in front of them sporting a wide grin on his face. With a nod to each of them, he greeted them.
"Kim, Monique, Wade, Drew," Ron flashed a million-dollar smile at each of them as though as he had just came back from a vacation. "Nice to see you guys."
"Ron," Kim was the first to speak in a wavering voice, as the others were still momentarily stunned with amazement. "You're alive…" She took a tentative step forward, wanting to hold him to reassure herself that he was real.
"We'll talk later, Kim," Ron curtly nodded at her as he brushed past her. "Wade," he turned to his partner of Stoppable Enterprises. "Right now I want two things; a Naco and a press conference."
"Are you sure, Ron?" Wade spoke in surprise. "Shouldn't you be…"
"I'm fine, Wade," Ron replied dismissively. "Thanks for watching the company for me while I was gone, but I think the paperwork has piled up high enough."
"I have been managing your company during your three-month absence," Wade pointed out. "I think it will survive a little longer without you."
"Mr. Stoppable," Drew 'Drakken' Lipsky spoke up. "There's no need for you to hurry, the company's perfectly fine under the care of Mr. Load and myself. You should take your time to recuperate fully and…"
"Never mind," Ron interrupted impatiently as he waved off his business partners. "You know what, Wade? Just call the press conference. I'll get the Naco on the way. C'mon Monique, chop, chop, let's go, ride's waiting." He gestured with his finger, and walked towards the silver Bentley waiting for him. Without a glance back, he opened the door with his good hand and slid inside the vehicle.
With an annoyed scowl on her face, his personal assistant muttered something under her breath as she followed her boss into the car. With a glare on her face, Monique began her silent treatment as she sat next to him.
"And I'm glad to see you too…" Ron replied ironically. Turning his attention to the driver, he ordered. "Nearest Bueno Nacho. On the double. I'll pay for your speeding tickets."
"You know you're quite the biggest jerk on the planet," Monique finally spoke up, as the car pulled away from the airfield. "And to think that we were actually worried about you."
"You were worried about me?" Ron leered at her. "Wow, I'm touched."
"Stuff it, Ron," Monique rolled her eyes. "I just hate job hunting. But you should be more sensitive. Some other people actually care about your well being."
"Aww… Wade's fine," Ron shook his head. "From the stock reports I read, he took good care of the company while I was gone."
"I was meaning Kim," Monique replied, gritting her teeth as she wondered whether her boss was intentionally trying to annoy her or plain being stupid. "She was more worried than all of us put together."
"Let her worry," Ron said dismissively. "I'm fine now, so everything's worked out okay."
"You seem to enjoy putting her through Hell, Ron," her voice turned cold. "Causing her so much worry, and then you brush her aside so easily. You don't deserve half a good friend as her."
"Yeah, well, she hasn't been that good of a friend to me for a few years herself," Ron shot back defensively.
"Are you still stuck nine year s back?" Monique raised her voice angrily. "Do you know what Kim has done for you the past three months? She has literally exhausted all her favors looking for you. And if that isn't enough for you, she has been working literally twenty hours a day trying to track down every single lead of you."
"No one asked her to," Ron replied sullenly.
"That's the point!" Monique slapped her forehead. "No one asked her to, but she wanted to anyway!"
"Doesn't she have a boyfriend to worry about?" Ron muttered hotly. "Dan, Dick, douche-bag or something?"
"He dumped her!" Monique screeched. "Two months ago! Just because she couldn't make time for him! You were just too important for her to have her own personal life. Are you happy now?"
"Maybe," Ron crossed his arms across his chest, as the anger in him quickly evaporated. A slight smirk curled on his lips as he digested the new information.
"She gave up everything just to look for you!" Monique yelled at him. "And you didn't even bother to look her in the eye or thank her for all the trouble you put her through! God, Ron, get it into your thick head! You are important to her! So stop these stupid childish mind-games and stop trying to hurt her!"
"I'm not playing any mind-games here! And I'm not the one that did the most hurting, Monique," Ron replied uncomfortably. "Besides, there's something really important that I have to do anyway, more important than anything I've done since Team Possible was around..."
"What's so important that you couldn't even spare five minutes for your best friend in the whole wide world?" Monique replied coldly.
"You'll see," Ron replied cryptically.
Ron Stoppable stepped into the large atrium that is the lobby of the Stoppable Enterprises main building holding a Naco in one hand while his other hand still remained in a sling. He was flanked by Monique, his ever-present personal assistant as well as his two business partners. As he surveyed the room, he took note of the hundreds of reporters sitting impatiently for his all-important press conference. With a smile, he took one large bite into the cheesy snack in his hand, before stepping up the aisle and taking his position behind the podium.
"Hey guys," Ron cheerily announced into the microphones.
Before he could get another word out, reporters were instantly on their feet shouting questions at him.
"Mr. Stoppable, how did you escape the terrorists?"
"What do you intend to do with your captors?"
"Did you meet Osama bin Laden?"
"What did the terrorists want from you?"
Holding up a hand, Ron gingerly took another bite of his Naco as he savored the runny cheesy taste slowly in his mouth. Taking note that the man of the hour wasn't the slightest bit paying any attention to the deluge of questions, the horde of reporters slowly began to quiet down. Licking his lips, Ron devoured the rest of the Naco quickly. He let out a contented sigh as he savored the fading taste of his second Naco in three months.
"Alright," Ron continued, as he looked at all the puzzled faces. He let out a loud sigh, "Tell you what guys, this is way too formal and I need a seat." Ron strode around the podium, and slowly sat down in front of it, easing his way slowly down with his good hand.
"C'mon now guys," Ron spoke lightly as he gestured to everyone. "Sit down. Everyone, sit down on the floor with me. So that everyone from the back can see this."
The reporters glanced at each other and shrugged as they all sat down or knelt on the floor, watching the eccentric billionaire with rapt attention.
"Alright," Ron dusted his hands on his suit. "Now let's get to the point of this press conference. Have you ever stopped and wondered what you're doing with your lives? People have often asked me that. What kind of impact am I making on the world today? What have I done to make this world a better place? Honestly, I can't really answer all those questions now. A lot has happened to me which has forced me to reevaluate my priorities. That is why I, Ron Stoppable, would like to announce that, effective immediately, and for an indefinite time from this day forward," he paused for dramatic effect, "That Stoppable Enterprises will be shutting down its weapons division and would instead focus its efforts…"
Before Ron could finish the rest of his sentence, all the reporters immediately jumped to his feet and assailed him with a new barrage of questions. But they weren't the only one surprised; one look at his partners and closest aide said it all. Wade and Drew were dumbstruck at the surprise announcement, and even Monique, who thought that her boss couldn't surprise her anymore, began to revise that thought.
"Hang on now," Ron insisted as he tried to quell the mob. Just before he could say anything further, someone had interrupted the press conference.
"Excuse me, ladies and gentlemen," Wade had stepped up behind the podium and spoke to the crowd. "It would seem that Mr. Stoppable has had a very long day and he is tired from his recent escape from captivity, leading to this rash decision. Mr. Stoppable and I would like to discuss this… Interesting avenue further before we proceed with any decision of that magnitude. With all due respect, we will not be fielding any more questions."
As the reporters clamored for more answers, Wade had already ushered Ron into the elevator, followed closely by Monique and Drew. The metal doors shut quietly behind them, before the soothing elevator music started playing. Wade was shooting angry glances at Ron, while Drew was trying to scrutinize Ron's bemused look. Monique had just turned to study her latest brown Dolce shoes; the tension in the elevator was close to suffocating her.
Just as soon as the elevator doors slid open, Wade stomped out and looked coldly at Ron. "What the hell was that about? Don't you think you should discuss this with us before making a decision like that?"
"Wade," Ron replied. "I have had three months to think about it."
"Ron," Wade spoke, as he placed a hand on Ron's shoulder. "We've been friends for over fifteen years. Five of which I've spent with you building this place. This decision of yours affects not just the lives of thousands of employees currently employed by Stoppable Enterprises but also the hundreds and thousands of soldiers who are currently relying on our technology to keep them safe."
"That's right, Ron!" Drew interrupted hotly. "We invented the personal light combat armor, that's not only half the weight of Kevlar but just as effective and recyclable! We have done good things with this place! We've advanced technology so far that we are able to do things that we never thought possible!"
"But at what cost?" Ron raised his voice at his two partners. "Do you know what I saw out there? Weapons! Our weapons, used against our own soldiers! It turns out that we weren't just supplying the good guys! Someone has been double-dealing!"
"That's not our problem!" Wade protested. "That is just a problem with the system. Someone out there has been reselling our weapons! That's all! All we can do is tighten our security measures, input tracking devices and…"
"No! Wade, listen!" Ron cut him off. "Those weapons had shipping labels that were here in the states... As in the labels that are on the boxes while still under Stoppable Enterprises control, handled by our employees, and our management! These did not come from outside!" Ron glowered at a shocked Wade, who's eyes had widened at Ron's statements, and then at Drew, who's eyes had narrowed at the very same declarations. "Don't you see what is going on? What we're doing is wrong! More weapons aren't the key to resolving global conflict…"
"But haven't we been successful so far?" Wade pointed out angrily, quickly recovering from his shock. "Shutting us down won't do anyone any good, Stoppable. This is bigger than all of us and suddenly you want to call it off because you have a change of conscience?"
"Don't you think we should?" Ron shouted back. "Do you want to see our weapons in the hands of a child? We've gone too far, too fast! We've made so many weapons that we've lost sight of what this company was suppose to do! We were supposed to protect people! What is the point of protecting people if our weapons ultimately end up in the hands of the enemy?"
"Look, Ron," Wade squeezed his temples as he spoke. "You and I know how important this work is. Listen to me, Ron. Go home and take a break, take some time off. Take a month off, cool your head for a moment before you go through with this decision."
"Wade… I know this is what I want to do…" Ron spoke, but as he looked at the stone faces of Wade and Drew, he knew his words were falling on deaf ears.
"Take the month off, Stoppable," Drew insisted coldly. "We'll talk about this again after that."
"Fine," Ron threw up his hands in frustration. "But this matter is far from resolved." He strode off angrily towards the elevator, with a quiet Monique following closely behind him. His two associates watched him with arms crossed as they glowered at his back.
"What do we do about him?" Drew asked.
"Nothing," Wade replied grimly. "He'll come around. He has too."
"He had better," Drew replied as he turned to glare at the elevator door. "He's been following his own ideas and not the company's for far too long."
Monique picked up the prior day's newspaper from the front porch. It had been untouched, just as the day before, and the day before that, and every single day for the past two weeks since Ron's return from Afghanistan. With a sigh, she made her way in and deposited the periodical on the coffee table, and made her way to the workshop. Her boss has been holed up in there for the past two weeks, and refused to leave except for bathroom breaks and mealtimes.
"Here, brought you your morning Naco," Monique called down to Ron.
"Just place it by the computer," Ron called out, as he lay back on a table without his shirt on.
"Woah…" Monique whistled in amazement. "First time I've ever seen you wait on a hot Naco down. Are you sure you're okay?"
"Not exactly," Ron grunted as his skin touched the cold metal. "Good thing you're here, I could use a hand with this."
"What are you…" Monique gasped as she saw the glowing orb embedded in Ron's chest. "Is that the arc reactor? God, this is the first time I'm seeing it this close… Can I touch it?"
"I could do you one better," Ron grinned. "You can take it out of my chest."
"What?" Monique was taken aback by his cavalier attitude. "Won't that kill you?"
"No. Not immediately of course," Ron explained with a shrug. "This thing just happens to keep me alive for a while… I got a good fifteen minutes before I go into full cardiac arrest from the slivers in here. During that time, you're going to swap in the upgrade."
"Upgrade?" Monique asked.
"Right here," Ron gestured at a new glowing orb on the table next to him. "The old one's built in a cave, quite shoddy work. Nothing more than a couple of wires put together. The new one is at least more reliable with its power output."
"Err… Are you sure I'm right for this job?" Monique glanced hesitantly at the device. "Shouldn't you get a heart surgeon, or an electrical engineer? Or both?"
"Don't worry about it," Ron replied coolly. "You can unplug a toaster right?"
"Uh huh," Monique nodded with uncertainty evident in her eyes. "But you're one damn expensive toaster, Ron."
"Don't worry about it," Ron laid back on the table. "Just do it…"
Monique gulped as she glanced warily at the device. "So what do I do?"
"First, you turn the thing counter clockwise, slowly," Ron coached her through the process as he glanced down at his chest. "Right, slowly now, lift the thing out of my chest… Carefully now, don't let the thing touch the side of…" Ron suddenly hissed in pain as a jolt of electricity coursed through his body.
"Oh, I'm sorry, Ron!" Monique gasped. "Maybe I should call someone else…"
"Never mind," Ron gritted his teeth. "You're almost done. Now just reach into the hole and…"
"You want me to stick my hand in there?" Monique shuddered. "Is that even safe? Won't that hurt you?"
"Nah, it's perfectly safe," Ron grinned as he watched the grossed-out look on Monique's face. "Just reach in there and unplug the connector inside…"
"Eww…" Monique made a face, as she reached in and felt something gooey inside. She quickly fumbled around as she disconnected the old arc reactor from her boss's chest. "Done."
"Right," Ron's breathing started to become a little labored. "Now connect the new one…" Ron held the newer device and watched as Monique tentatively stuck her hand back into the cavity and reattached the connector.
"You know I deserve a raise for this," Monique grumbled. "This wasn't part of the job description."
"I'll just remember to get you something for your birthday," Ron replied, as he slid the new arc reactor into his chest. He twisted his device and locked it into place with a distinct click.
"My birthday was three months ago," Monique grumbled good-naturedly. "The day you left for Afghanistan."
"Oh…" Ron looked at her sheepishly as his breathing returned to normal. "Did I get you anything?"
"Yes you did," Monique replied with a smile.
"Oh good," Ron rubbed his head as he stood up. "So… What did I get you?"
"A really nice dress…" Monique smiled. "One of a kind, designer dress. I picked it out myself."
"Ah…" Ron grinned. "Alright then." He hopped off the table lightly and grabbed the warm paper bag next to his computer. Reaching into the bag, he pulled out a Naco. Peeling off the wrapper, he attacked it with gusto.
"So what have you been working on?" Monique asked, as she glanced around the workshop.
"Oh, something big…" Ron grinned in between mouthfuls.
"Care to share?" Monique asked.
"You know I don't show my incomplete works to people," Ron replied smugly. "Here, you can help me do something else. Get rid of this." He held out the old arc reactor to Monique.
"What do you want me to do with it?" Monique gawked at the piece of technology in her hands.
"Just get rid of it," Ron replied, as he turned back to his computer.
"It's such a shame, you know," Monique mused. "It did save your life before."
"Yeah, well, it served its purpose," Ron replied nonchalantly.
"Then can I have it?" Monique asked.
"Sure, I guess," Ron replied distractedly as he peered at his computer screen. "Do whatever you want with it."
"Alright then," Monique smiled at the device in her hand. "I think I have an idea for this." She watched her boss work feverishly at his computer, musing deep in thought and occasionally tapping away at the keyboard. "Hey, Ron…" she began. "You know this is the first time I've ever seen you like this."
"Like what?" Ron replied distractedly.
"You've actually shut yourself up your workshop for the past two weeks, working on this big, hush-hush secret project of yours," Monique commented. "You are practically a changed man."
"Really? I haven't noticed," Ron shrugged, as he took another bite out of his Naco.
"Yeah, you don't go out partying anymore," Monique smiled. "No more late nights, no more random one night stands. And you're being so passionate about this project of yours."
"Are you trying to get me to tell you about what I'm working on?" Ron finally turned to Monique, with a grin on his face.
"No," Monique lied. Batting her eyelids coquettishly, she replied, "Maybe… But I'll still like to say that I like these changes in you. So would Kim…"
"Uh huh," Ron just replied. "So what do you think of my intention to shut down my weapons division?"
"It's your company," Monique replied. "I can't say much else."
"No, I really want to hear what you think about it," Ron probed. "I mean, Wade and Drew think I'm crazy, and that I was just affected by my ordeal. But right now, even two weeks after that, I think to myself and I keep asking myself, where did I go wrong?"
"I'm glad that you're thinking of going out of this business," Monique finally said. "Your genius should have been used to help people instead of hurt people. I'm not a big fan of the Second Amendment, and I think these world's problems cannot be solved with guns and violence. In fact, the world would be a better place without guns."
"So…" Ron tentatively hazarded, "Would you object if I said I had a plan to destroy all my weapons out there in the world?"
"I think that would be something great," Monique spoke up. "But how are you going to do that?"
"That…" Ron smiled proudly. "Is what I am working on."
Monique returned his smile as she said, "That is a noble thought. But that's all you're going to let me know, right?"
"You know me so well," Ron said smugly.
Monique glared at her boss a little. He could be just so stubborn. Deciding to change her track, she hazarded, "So have you talked to Kim yet?"
"No."
"You mean you haven't even called Kim yet? Not since you came back from Afghanistan?" Monique started to feel really ticked off by her boss. "Kim and I had lunch together last Sunday. No wonder she kept asking about you. I'm sick of telling her that you are fine, and that you're very busy with this pet project of yours. Don't you think you should at least say something to Kim?"
"Nah, I've been busy," Ron replied. "As you can see…"
"Ron," Monique sighed tiredly at her boss. "I think you've shut yourself up in here for too long. You should get out of here, and get a little air to clear your head. You really need to sort things out between you and Kim."
"Things are fine just the way they are," Ron mumbled.
"So you think," Monique snipped. "You've been brooding too much in here anyway. I know it's good that you have something that you're really passionate about. But don't let it consume you until you ignore your friends."
"I'm not ignoring my friends," Ron replied apprehensively. "I'm just busy."
"Sure…" Monique grumbled. "Anyway, I came by to remind you that there is the Firemen's Charity Dinner tonight. If you're not too busy ignoring the people who cared about you, then maybe you would like to show your face in public tonight."
"I don't know…" Ron replied. "This is…"
"Ron, listen to yourself," Monique let out a loud sigh to let her boss know how annoyed she was with him. "Do you honestly believe you're that busy that you couldn't step out tonight?"
"I don't know…" Ron grudgingly admitted. "Will you be there?"
"Of course," Monique rolled her eyes. "I have to go and make excuses as to why my boss isn't showing up even though he sent in his RSVP months ago."
"I did?" Ron asked in surprise.
"I did it for you," Monique explained tersely. "Part of my job duties is to keep your social life in order too. And that also involves parties like these."
"Ah, Monique," Ron kicked back as he looked at his personal assistant bemusedly. "What would I ever do without you?"
"Probably nothing," Monique replied glibly. "So will I see you there tonight?"
"I will make time."
"You'd better." Monique said in a warning, but distant tone, already thinking on what excuses she had to make as to why her boss seemed to have disappeared from the public's eye.
Author's Notes
Yay! Past the action, back into the drama. Ron's being a huge dick here, but now he's a changed man, I think. Anyway, I'd love to write longer ANs this time, but I'm currently on the road, and I just modded a huge chunk of my other fic, and things are a mess, and I'm trying to get back on track with my life.
I do enjoy Monique's wit though. Ron's one damn expensive toaster. Anyway, I can't really understand what's Ron thinking the moment he stepped of the plane. Maybe it's because I didn't create the character Tony Stark, or that I'm just ripping off the movie, but I can't help but feel that there's something a little more than his gesture of brushing by Kim. Is he hurting her intentionally? Or is he trying to put on a brave front, to show that he's alright after being kidnapped for three months? Maybe it's just that he doesn't want to appear weak and helpless in front of her? I don't know, but having Ron in this position enriches the character a lot more than regular ol' Tony Stark, I feel. His motivations might be a little less discernible and his character a little deeper.
But maybe I'm just rambling because this is my second straight night on coffee, and I'm sleep deprived, and I have no Internet connection but sitting at a coffee shop drinking overpriced coffee that just downsized a large portion of its franchises, and fired a good five thousand barristas.