"Ron?" Kim called out as she stood at his doorway. Peering into his house, she feared the worst: the fact that the front door was unlocked was bad enough, but the knickknacks and detritus of life Ron had collected were knocked aside haphazardly. Although this added weight to the accusations Monique had mentioned, Kim couldn't shrug the possibility that this was all a setup by Ron. It was simply too wild to believe; what Monique had said made the red-head question the woman's sanity with a bizarre tale that Ron was having suspicions about his premier employee, Drew Lipsky.
Kim had almost questioned Monique's sanity aloud when she had explained that Drakken had masterminded a lot of the illicit weapons trade stemming from Stoppable Enterprises. Monique had been so insistent about it that Kim decided to follow her best friend's hunch and send a squad of Global Justice agents with her to apprehend Drakken. She, on the other hand, felt that she needed more than just a wild hunch and decided to look for Ron to get some answers out of that stubborn jack-ass fool.
She couldn't shake her suspicions that this was a wild attempt of Ron's to try to speak to her. After all, she had not bothered to reply to his seven voice messages yesterday, nor even listen to the seven he'd sent in the last half hour marked 'urgent'. After all, she was going to his house to have a face to face chat about Drakken, so why bother answering Ron's pleas to talk things out? She'd tried that before with no success, and she didn't understand why he'd believe there was a chance of that now.
Besides, this would just be the sort of thing Ron would do just to get her to talk to him again. And to pull Monique meant that he had stooped to a new low, to use her best friend against her. But after pushing her feelings aside she decided that Ron deserved better. Her mind went through the list of facts again.
Monique had been convinced of Drakken's guilt. She was more adamant about arresting Drakken than Kim speaking to Ron. And Monique had always been on her side. Together they had spent many nights agreeing that Ron was a big jerk and tearing apart whatever latest floozy conquest that was sleeping in his bed. And while the accusation that Drakken was working with the terrorists was so outlandish that Kim wasn't even sure that she would believe it, the truth was often stranger than fiction.
Front he beginning of her suspicions, though, a part of Kim hoped that this wasn't something that Ron pulled just to get her attention; that would just be deplorable and she would never speak to him again. Which, if Kim were honest with herself, she really did want to do... At least when she finally calmed down about the accusations and video Kim felt that Ron had paid someone to make. Then again, Kim sighed, the alternative seemed so much bleaker.
"Ron?" she called out again as she stepped deeper into his house. There were no signs of anyone in the kitchen, and the only signs in the living room were what she'd noticed from the door. Her heart started to pound a little. Ron should be here, Monique had said as much.
Running her fingers through her hair, she headed for Ron's workshop where he usually holed himself up. Walking slowly down the steps to the workshop, she called his name out loud again, "Ron? Where the Hell are you?"
Upon reaching the bottom of the stairs, she spied nothing unusual. The workshop seemed devoid of human presence, except for Ron's armored suit laying innocuously on the worktable. As the red-head was about to turn and head back upstairs in search of her wayward friend, she spotted something sticking out from behind Ron's computer table.
"Ron?" she called again as she walked closer. "Oh god," she gasped as Kim realized what it was. She ran forward and crouched besides the prone figure lying face down on the floor. She almost recoiled in shock as her fingers grasped the cold, pale and clammy hand. "Ron!" she screamed as she turned the man on his back.
To her surprise, there was a gaping hole in the middle of his chest where his arc reactor used to be; the lifeline which prevented thousands of tiny metal slivers from shredding through his vital organs and killing him from the inside.
"Ron!" Kim screamed his name as she slipped an arm underneath his neck and pulled him closer to her body. Patting Ron's cheek lightly, she called in a panicked voice, "Ron! Can you hear me?"
"Kim?" a soft whisper escaped from his already bluish lips. His eyes fluttered open.
"Ron! You're alive!" Kim almost cried for joy as she embraced him awkwardly. "Wait here, Ron! I'll call 911."
"No…" Ron whispered weakly. He reached up weakly to grip Kim's shoulder. "No time…" he continued in a wheezing voice, as his gaze shifted to the computer table. "Get me that…"
"What?" Kim looked up to see an ornamental glass housing containing a glowing device in the middle. Realizing what it is, she reached up and plucked it off the table, before smashing it against the floor. Scrabbling among the sharp glass shards, she picked up the old arc reactor and held it in front of Ron. "How do I put this in?" she asked in panic.
"Just… Like plugging in a toaster," Ron muttered weakly, a ghost of a smile on his lips.
Kim swallowed a lump in her throat as she reached into his chest cavity and found the loose connector. Finding it, she gingerly pulled it out and had the older arc reactor plugged into his chest. Ron gasped as if in agony and took several short, sharp intakes of breath, before finally claming down and closing his eyes. Kim reached out and spooled the short connector back into his chest, before finally locking the thing into place. Sitting back, she watched anxiously, hoping for some miraculous change.
His face seemed a little more peaceful, as his breathing wasn't as labored as it had been before. He had stopped wheezing, and he looked like he was sleeping. Except that his skin was still pale and clammy. Assured that the immediate danger has been averted, Kim allowed herself a small smile as she brushed aside his blond bangs. "Oh Ron… What have you gotten yourself into?" she quietly whispered to herself. With a sigh, she reached for her cell phone and dialed 911.
"No!" Ron suddenly rasped, as his eyes shot open, startling Kim. His hand shot out to grip Kim's cell phone and tear it away from her grasp. "No hospital… There is no time…"
"Ron! You're injured and you need to go to the hospital, now!" Kim screamed shrilly at him. "Do you know how close you came to dying? We should get you checked up."
"No time," Ron repeated himself as he tried to prop himself up on one arm. "Monique's in danger… Wade's got the arc reactor and he's going to use it…"
"Wade?" Kim repeated in confusion. "What does Wade have to do with this?"
"It's not just Drakken who's behind this! Wade's his partner on this!" Ron finally spat out, shutting his eyes tight to will away the remaining pain in his chest and the sympathetic pain in his limbs.
"No, Ron," Kim shook her head. "It can't be… Ron, you're getting paranoid, and you're starting to suspect Drakken and Wade of things that they couldn't possibly…"
"Wade was here," Ron interrupted her grimly. His brown eyes blazed with anger that stopped Kim cold in her words. "Wade was here, and he stole my arc reactor, not to mention leaving me for dead…"
"No… Impossible…" Kim denied vehemently. "There's no way… Drakken, maybe… But Wade has always been our friend…"
"I don't know why he did it, but he did it…" Ron shook his head as he tried to get up. Seeing that Kim was not lifting a finger to help him get to his feet, he steadied himself against the computer table. Each movement took considerable effort and his lungs were struggling not to burst as his joints burned.
"Ron! Stop it!" Kim cried. "You're delusional! You're probably suffering from post-traumatic stress, and you need to see a doctor. How can Wade be…"
"Kim, if you're not going to help me…" Ron muttered angrily. "Then at least don't stop me. I know Wade stole my arc reactor to power Drakken's version of my suit! And he's going to hurt Monique and those Global Justice agents with her! She's in trouble, Kim! And I am going to save her!"
"Even if what you say is true," Kim cried as she grabbed his arm. "Let the agents handle this! They can handle something like this. That's what they're trained for."
"No, they can't!" Ron replied in a low voice as he took in deep gulps of air. "They have no hope of defeating Wade! I'm the only person that can stop him!"
"Ron! You're already half-dead and can barely walk! And you want to go and fight a battle that an entire squad of Global Justice agents can't win?" Kim tightened her grip around his arm. "You nearly died, Ron! You're in no shape to fight!"
"I don't care! It's my fault!" Ron replied grimly. "I was careless… Drakken, or the terrorists working with him, found my prototype and pieced together a new suit using the blueprints. And now I am the only one who stands a chance of defeating that suit of his."
"No, Ron," Kim shook her head. "I'll call in the military if I have to. And Monique will be alright, she's a smart girl, she can take care of herself." She strode around him and put her hands on his shoulders, noting the wince on his face as she did so. "But I'm not letting you go out there and fight! Don't do it. Ron, look at me…" she glared at him with tear-filled emerald eyes. She whispered softly, "Look at me, Ron… Don't do this Ron. You almost died just a couple minutes ago!"
"Sorry, Kim," Ron tore his eyes away from her face as he gritted his teeth at the new source of pain flooding his heart. "I just wish I had more time to say I'm sorry and make up for all the stupid things I've done to you. But I need to do this now. With or without your help." He pulled away from Kim and
staggered slowly over to his workbench where his suit lay. Grunting in pain with every movement, he buckled in his boots and slowly fastened bolts into place.
"What if…" Kim bit her lower lip as she looked away. "What if I told you… That if you walk out that door to fight Drakken or Wade… Then I'll never see you again?"
Kim looked back at Ron after several moments of silence. The blond merely stared her in mute silence, the expression on his face unreadable as if waiting for her to continue.
"I'll… I'll request for a transfer or something…" Kim said desperately, her voice breaking as she spoke, "I heard GJ needs more experienced personnel in Europe… And… And the pay's better… And…" Kim's voice faltered, forcing her to swallow against the dry lump in her throat. "I finally get to see France like we… like I always wanted to…"
Ron raised an eyebrow at the slight slip and cocked his head to the side a little before finally replying in a cold monotone. "Do what you have to, Kim." Kim flinched, a few tears slipping down her face as she nodded, realizing she'd played her trump card too late. "I don't think anything I say can ever change your mind," Ron whispered almost inaudibly, as he got back to donning his armor.
As he strained having to bend over to strap his left upper leg armor on, he found the lower left leg guard shoved into his face, and the red-eyed tear-filled face of Kim stared back at him. Kim quietly asked, "So how do I put this on you?"
Ron wanted to smile, he really did, but found that he could not. He sighed slightly as he drew to his full height. "It goes here, like this," Ron replied as he grabbed the other piece, and showed her how to strap it to his body. After a moment, as he watched her work, Ron felt his lips moving on his own. "So you're going to France... There's a lot of beautiful sights to see there, especially this time of year..."
Kim flinched again at the comment and the cold tone Ron used as she worked, fitting the suit together slowly to make sure she got everything right. "I don't know, Ron..." she muttered without meeting his eyes, "I still don't approve this. But if you want to get yourself killed, at least take me with you."
"No!" Ron raised his voice in surprise, almost dropping the shoulder guard in his hand. "Kim, it's going to be dangerous, a lot more dangerous than any of the missions we used to go on! There's no reason for you to be there. You should stay behind…"
"Ron, you're not ditching me," Kim started in a matter-of-fact tone, but Ron's indignant voice caught her off guard.
"At least I'm not going to France!" Ron replied bitterly. "You know what Kim? Maybe you should listen to me for a change. I mean, Hell, it might be your last chance to actually hear what I'm saying…"
"Ron…" there was a hitch in her voice, as Kim looked at the blond man in despair. "Look, it's not easy for me either, okay?"
"It seemed easy enough for you last night..." Ron said, his tone lending itself more to observation than accusation. Even so, his eyes betrayed his deep, heartfelt emotions, the five years of pain he had hidden from everyone around him. He sighed, suddenly tired of the pain, the back and forth attempts to hurt
each other more and more. He knew he had finally struck a chord in Kim, but did not want to hurt her anymore. He had done enough of that over the past five years, after all. "I dunno, Kim... I know you probably mean that, but you are the one that walked out on me..."
"Dammit, Ron... I-I just…" Her voice faltered as his words and the pain she saw in his eyes further twisting the knife she had felt in her heart for over five years.
"Just what, Kim?" Ron looked up at her with weary eyes. His words were neither hostile nor challenging, and the way he spoke, his voice a calm, soothing monotone, struck a chord in her.
"I…" Kim shook her head as she bit her lower lip. "I'm still coming with you, whether you like it or not. You need someone to watch your back." Kim muttered as she grabbed a torque wrench from his workbench.
Ron glanced down at his best friend as she turned back to his legs, her face wracked with concentration as she tightened the bolts on his armor. Her face was etched with steely resolve, which was a bad thing. It usually meant that she was going to get what she wanted, no matter what anyone else had to say. With a sigh, he remarked lightly, "So is this the return of Team Possible?"
"No," Kim replied tonelessly. "This is just you going to do what you have to do, and I'm just having your back."
"I do miss the good ol' days," Ron replied with a wistful look on his face as he strapped on his gauntlets.
"Me too," Kim replied, almost inaudibly.
Not quite knowing what to say, the both of them finished putting on the suit of armor in silence. Ron gave himself one last check, before looking at Kim who was holding onto the face mask. Not quite sure what he should say, Ron joked, "You know, I kinda need that last piece."
"Ron," Kim began as she held onto the face mask tightly in her hands. She gazed intently into that familiar, freckled face, the only part of him that looked human against the strange suit. "I know this isn't a good time to ask, but do you mean all those words you said yesterday?"
Ron hesitated for a moment as he returned her gaze. "Kim, like I said, I'm sorry for hurting you... I honestly want to spend the rest of my life making things right for you, just like I wanted to spend my life with you before you broke up with me... And I know this will be hard for you to believe, but I never stopped loving you. It's just... How can I say enough? How can I convince you not to walk out of my life again? After last night, I doubt I can, but... I just wanted you to know..."
"Right…" Kim bit her lower lip as she looked searchingly into his brown eyes for a hint of falsehood behind his words. "Ron, I… I don't know if I can believe you yet…" Her words left her lips in a rush, and Kim felt her heart twist as they did. She also felt no small amount of betrayal, knowing that what she meant to say was completely different. She lowered her face, ashamed that she couldn't say what she wanted, even needed to say to him, even in the face of his possible death.
"Kim," Ron gently lifted her chin with his gauntlet. "It's alright… I know I deserve that…" Kim's eyes crinkled, trying to hold back tears. She wanted to scream at him, to tell him that he didn't deserve it, but
his soothing voice interrupted her thoughts and anything she might have been about to say, "But I thought… I thought that I'd lost you for good yesterday… After being a complete jerk for most of my adult life, I don't know if I deserve having you stand before me, saving my life again… But dammit Kim, you're the most precious thing in my life…"
"Don't…" Kim turned her head away, as a gaping hole she had made herself tore larger in her heart.
"Maybe you have to go to France, maybe you need to get away from it all," Ron replied quietly. "But at the very least… I'd like to be friends again. And if you want… We can talk about you and me… After all of this blows over…"
Kim stared at him, her mouth opened slightly in shock. The last thing she had expected was such a mature offer of reconciliation from the man standing in front of her. "I guess…" Kim gave him one last smile, as she handed the final piece to him. A sense of fear trembled through every fiber of her being as she watched Ron fit the final piece into place, entombing himself in his invention. As the face mask locked into place, all traces of that charming, sweet blond man she had known all her life disappeared. Instead, in his place, stood a tall, domineering metal behemoth that bent and flexed its limbs carefully, as though gauging its own strength and testing its limbs.
Hesitantly she stepped forward, and caressed the side of the face piece with a trembling hand. The metal was hard, cold and unfeeling to touch. Gazing straight at where she guessed Ron's eyes would be, she spoke softly, "Ron?"
"Still here, Kim," it was his voice that sounded out, yet it had a distinct electronic overlay to the sound, making his voice sound more like that of a computer than human. But it could not mask the distinct grin in his voice from the satisfaction he derived from watching Kim's awed reaction.
Reassured that Ron was still in there some way, Kim allowed herself a small smile. Tiptoeing, she wrapped her arms around his neck, and pressed herself against his cold metal shell. "C'mon, Ron," she spoke, the clear strength of her confidence once again surging through her voice. "Let's go."
"While I'm no Superman," Ron remarked with a wide grin, as he tenderly wrapped an arm around her waist, "You'd better hang on... This is going to be one hell of a ride…"
Monique crouched behind a large stack of wooden crates, trembling in fear. She had only just realized what unfolded a few minutes ago. One minute she was leading in a dozen Global Justice agents through Drakken's lab, and suddenly the next, there was a burst of gunfire that cut the squad in half, literally for one of them. This was followed by loud yelling and agents being flung across the room with enough force to knock them out, if not kill them outright. When the chaos started, she had immediately ducked down and slid behind a computer terminal, which was her current hiding spot.
Her heartbeat thumped loudly in her ears as she old herself not to make a move. Right in front of her, lay an unconscious agent on his back. She was almost sure that he was dead... Almost, except for the slow rising and falling of his chest. Curled up in the corner, she clutched herself to try and stop from shivering. The thumping of her heart grew louder and louder…
That's not the beating of my heart! Monique realized as she felt the ground tremor beneath her feet. Slowly crawling on all fours, she inched forward and peered around the edge of the computer she was hiding behind.
Her eyes widened as she saw it. Its back was faced towards her, and it stood a good ten feet tall, its humanoid shape made purely out of metal like a giant robot. Its feet were the size of small tree trunks and its arms looked as though it could easily break a person in half. Its hulking torso was the size of a Mini Cooper; it was basically a tank with limbs. Swallowing hard, Monique found herself frozen in terror as she watched the thing scan the entire lab, searching for survivors.
Suddenly it whirled around, moving with surprising speed for its bulk. Its eyes flashed red as a blue orb in its chest throbbed and glowed like an infernal heartbeat. It directed its gaze at Monique, watching her with that grim, emotionless mask.
Monique stared back at the metal behemoth, rooted in place. Her mind started to scream to her limbs, but her body was locked in fear. She could only watch as it took a step closer. And closer.
"Monique!" a loud yelling of her name snapped her out of her trance as she quickly scrambled to her feet and ran for the exit. She'd long ditched her heels, and was running barefooted towards the exit before she could hear a heavy thundering as the hulking giant started to build momentum as it bounded after her.
In fright, she slammed her entire body against the fire escape and burst out into the parking lot adjacent to the laboratory. Just as she had scrambled across the parking lot, she heard a loud crash as her pursuer, whom she thought was too small to fit through the fire escape, burst through the walls as though tearing through paper.
The giant stood perfectly still for a moment as it surveyed the parking lot, crunching bricks and mortar beneath its bulk. Spying Monique running across the parking lot, it raised its right arm. As the arm settled on Monique's running form, several locks clicked and a General Electric M134 'mini-gun' slid into firing position. Within fractions of a second, its barrels started spinning, ready to send four thousand rounds per minute of steel jacketed bullets into the fleeing woman.
It sounded like a whole barrage fireworks erupting immediately behind her. The sound startled her as she fell to the ground, skinning her knees and tearing her skirt. She clutched her hands over her ears, and shut her eyes tight, her final thought strangely thinking of her dry laundry she had yet to pick up.
"No!" her last primal scream echoed through her head before she awaited her maker.
The loud gunfire suddenly ceased, and Monique slowly opened her eyes. Wondering why she didn't feel the pain, she shakily pushed herself up off the ground, and turned to gain her bearings. As she looked back, she saw a tall humanoid in gold and red anodized metal, standing between her and her pursuer, shielding her from the hail of bullets. A single name escaped her lips.
"Ron!"
"Monique!" someone yelled out to her again.
Turning her head to see the source of the voice, Monique saw a red-head dressed in a Global Justice uniform sprinting towards her. Monique almost cried for joy as Kim settled into a crouch beside her to touch her face.
Wiping the smearing mascara with the back of her hand, Monique could not help but wrap her arms around the woman who'd come to her side. "Kim," she half-sobbed as she buried her face into the red-head's shoulder.
"Shh…" Kim gently comforted her best friend. "Let's get out of here," she spoke softly. "Leave this to Ron."
Numbly the woman nodded her head, before being helped to her feet. The two women ran briskly for cover behind the few cars left in the parking lot. Nervously, peeking up from behind their cover, they turned their attention back to the standoff between the two men and machines.
"That's Ron, isn't it?" Monique whispered. She couldn't get rid of the trembling in her voice, as she clutched Kim's hand tightly for comfort.
"Yeah," Kim nodded her head. "It's going to be alright. What happened?"
"I don't know… I was leading the agents into Drakken's lab when that thing attacked us," Monique quietly replied. "Next thing I know, I was running away from it, and then you two showed up…"
"Okay," Kim nodded her head.
"Kim, Ron's going to be alright, isn't he?" Monique asked fearfully.
"Yeah, I hope so," Kim replied as she watched the scene before her intently. She hoped she was right.
Ron glared furiously at the hulking behemoth before him. It was a good four feet taller than his own suit, and had arms that were large enough to compact a car into a cubic foot of twisted metal. Switching on his communications, he tried a broad frequency spectrum and hailed the machine before him. "Wade? Is that you or Drew?"
On his HUD inside his helmet, a small window popped up and a grinning face of Wade looked back at Ron. "You continue to surprise me, Ron," Wade replied flippantly. "I thought you'd be dead by now."
"I won't be killed by the likes of you," Ron snarled as he tensed his muscles.
"In a way, I'm glad that you're still alive," Wade continued with his light, confident tone. "That just means that I'll get to test this invention out against yours. I got to warn you beforehand, Drew made it faster, stronger and better…"
"We'll see about that!" Ron yelled, as he raised both his hands and fired two repulsor bursts at his opponent. Two shockwaves impacted squarely on the torso, each with enough force to blast a hole through two feet of solid concrete, but Wade shrugged it off lightly as nothing more than a strong gale.
"See, Ron?" Wade smirked. "You have no chance of defeating me. Now it's my turn!" With that declaration, Wade lifted his left arm and deployed a 30mm anti-tank gun on his left forearm. Grinning as he sighted his target, he gently thumbed the first shell. A little shudder shook the behemoth as a depleted uranium projectile sped towards Ron.
Ron barely had time to react as the anti-tank gun deployed. Diving to his left, he narrowly avoided the armor-penetrating round as it impacted the ground where he stood a moment ago, and erupted in an explosion of broken pavement. He wasn't quite in the mood to test if his suit could stand up to such an impact. He quickly went back on the offensive by firing another two repulsor rounds against Wade, while he sprinted forth in a zigzag manner, hoping to close in the distance between them and nullifying Wade's apparent weapons advantage.
A smirk crept to Wade's face as he watched Ron sprint towards him, with bursts of speed from the repulsors in his feet. Just as Ron closed in, he raised both hands and struck Ron squarely between the shoulders with a hammer blow. The smaller suit instantly crumbled to the ground beneath the force of impact, and drove Ron's body into a little crater in the ground.
With a triumphant yell, Wade raised his left foot and began stomping on his fallen opponent, trying to crush Ron beneath his feet. With each slamming of his foot, he drove Ron deeper into the road.
"Oh god, Kim," Monique covered her mouth in horror as she watched her boss being smashed into the ground unmoving. "We got to do something."
"Already on it," Kim muttered grimly as she snagged Monique's keys from her and ran to the woman's parked Escalade ESV SUV. On her way over, she thumbed the keyfob and ripped the door open. Settling herself in, she started the truck and backed up, making sure she had a good line on the behemoth beating Ron down. She almost laughed as she heard Monique yelling for her to hurry up, and wondered idly if the woman realized her truck would soon be totaled.
She slammed the gear into reverse, backing out of the parking lot and braking to place Wade squarely in her sights. Growling a soft "Fuck you!" Kim slammed into drive and floored the accelerator, feeling her whole body shoved back into her seat as the SUV leapt forward.
Wade had been so engrossed pounding on Ron and relishing the superiority of his suit, that he did not realize Kim was bearing down on him until the klaxons of his proximity alert came on. In surprise, he looked up just in time to see Kim's raging face in the driver's seat of Monique's huge black SUV. He also realized it was about to slam into him. "Oh shit!"
Kim waited for the last possible moment before impact, then yanked open the driver's door and dove out. She instantly covered her head with her arms, tucking into a roll. Feeling her body scrape and bounce on the road, she winced at the pain. But the pain was soon largely forgotten when she heard the unmistakable impact and loud crunch of metal, as the SUV literally folded itself upon Wade, pushing him back a couple of yards.
The red-head quickly leaped to her feet and ran towards Monique, knowing that she had no chance head-to-head against such a killing machine. Suddenly a loud voice yelled out behind her.
"Possible!" the voice hollered as the behemoth tore itself free from the SUV's wreckage.
Kim turned in surprise to face the voice. Although it was modified similarly to Ron's, she had heard the voice so many times that it was unmistakable. "Wade?" she gaped at the larger of the two machines. "Is that you?"
"Of course!" Wade's voice thundered across the parking lot. He grunted as he reached down and scooped up what he had not yet shredded from the mangled SUV and easily threw it across the parking lot. "Who else do you think it'd be?" He stomped up towards the stunned red-head, drawing to his full intimidating height, as he stared down at her.
"But… But…" Kim stammered, as her eyes opened wide. "Drakken was the one with the plans…"
"Drakken?" Wade roared with laughter. "Where do you think Drakken got those plans from? I gave it to him! I asked him to make this monstrosity; that fool had no business acumen at all! All he knew to do was play with his little toys and gadgets in his laboratory. There's not a snowball's chance in Hell Drew could even come close to matching Ron's genius when it comes to weapons! He couldn't even understand the possibilities of this suit!"
"But why? Wade?" Kim mewled in horror. "Why did you try and kill Ron?"
"Because he was a total fool!" Wade shouted, the sheer contempt and fury behind his voice evident. "He wanted to bring ruin to this company! This company that he and I have worked on for years... He's become too self-obsessed with himself; I finally understood what Drakken meant when your father and his colleagues laughed him out of graduate school! That man," Wade pointed furiously at the prone figure, "That man has belittled me for the last time! Look at this place even! We built it with our own two hands! But whose name is on the company? Stoppable Enterprises... His arrogance is deplorable; that he wants to destroy my life's work, just because he has a change of heart, and a chance to get in the sack with you! He's forgotten that this company is not only about him!"
"Wade," Kim's voice trembled as she watched her ranting friend. "Wade, we can talk about this…"
"There's nothing to talk about!" Wade roared, as he stomped forward. "I'm taking back this company, and there's nothing you can do about it. It's about time that I'm paid my dues, after all..."
"But, Wade, he's your friend!" Kim argued against the giant metal machine.
"He's not my friend! No more!" Wade yelled, as he raised his right arm to aim his extended minigun at Kim. "He's always treated me like a lackey and never appreciated all that I've done for him... And suddenly he wants to destroy everything that we've built together? All I wanted was a little appreciation around here, and after I get rid of Ron, everyone will know my name!"
"No they won't," a quiet voice sounded from behind Wade.
"What?" Just before Wade could turn around, a red and gold blur leaped up and grappled him from behind. Reaching his right hand up, Ron smashed his fist into a panel near the neck area and ripped out the armored plating. He shoved his palm into the housing, right over the fragile electronics inside and fired a repulsor blast.
The explosion knocked Ron backwards, with his suit protecting him from a sizable portion of the blast. However, on his HUD, he noticed a new flashing alert. The beating that the suit has just received from Wade had taken out a sizable chunk of power from his arc reactor, and that latest repulsor blast had dropped his energy levels even lower.
"Twelve percent," Ron growled to himself as he got to his feet. At least Wade was… He'd barely had time to finish that thought before a large arm flew out from nowhere and delivered a stunning backhand that slammed him into the side of the laboratory, bringing a good part of the wall crashing down on him.
"Stoppable!" Wade's voice roared over the rubble, as he strode up to the fallen figure. "I guess I have you to thank for discovering a flaw in the design. You might have taken out my targeting computer, but I have more than enough power to finish you." He raised a large fist before slamming it down on Ron's chest, where his arc reactor was flashing as its power levels dropped critically low.
Grunting at the impact and from being jostled roughly inside his armor, Ron raised an arm and fired off another repulsor blast at Wade's helmet. The impact only staggered the behemoth slightly, but the distraction was enough for Ron to roll out of the way, and scramble to his feet.
"What's the matter, Stoppable?" Wade taunted, as he strode closer towards him as the road cracked and ruptured beneath his feet. "Feeling helpless now? If only you had appreciated your friends more! Even Kim has abandoned you now!"
"You're way more long winded than any of the villains Kim and I fought!" Ron replied angrily. "Just shut up!" He dashed forward and ducked underneath those huge swinging arms, before firing another pair of repulsor blasts at point blank range.
The larger suit of armor shuddered and shook as it took the brunt of the impact, but it did little to slow it down. In anger, Wade swung his left arm towards Ron. As the latter took a step back, his eyes opened wide and a loud explosion ripped through the air in front of him. He felt the crunch of metal as his suit buckled a little. He was barely aware that he was flying backwards at high speed before his back impacted a wall.
Alerts were going off in his suit due to the power levels plummeting so suddenly. The last thing Ron saw was Wade as he unhinged the front portion of his armor to look at him with his own eyes. Wade laughed triumphantly at him, holding up his anti-tank gun which was still smoking from the projectile he had just fired at point blank range.
"When I said my targeting computer was down…" Wade laughed almost maniacally. "I didn't mean my eyesight was, too... There was no way in hell I could miss you at that range."
The HUD in Ron's suit zoomed in on Wade's laughing face just before it finally flickered and died, leaving Ron helplessly entombed in darkness, as his suit ceased to function for good.
Author's Notes
Yup, so it's Wade, it was Wade in charge all along. Wade, Wade, Wade. Yup. Just got to say, if you saw that coming, good for you. Congrats to those who guessed. But then again, statistically speaking, if enough people guess, one of you is bound to be right.
And then there's Drakken. He's just the lacky, according to Wade, but he should be in on the fun... Then again, he always did run from danger whenever the good guys were around, so there's that...
So far, things seem to be coming to a close. Wade didn't go down as easily as Stane did in the movies. I figured heck, need one more bit of suspense before the final chapters right? Besides, this is Wade, Team Possible's hacker extraordinaire, and quite the inventor to boot, so it kinda makes sense he'd be more capable than Stane was in the movies...