Chapter II: The Helic Officer
Serenity
Ron Stoppable smiled as he stopped at a town called Serenity. As it bordered the wastelands, it was a common stop for weary travelers. Serenity was a simple town and Ron like it due to its simplicity.
He almost never stopped at towns bordering the wastelands. Dubious characters seem to frequent towns near the wastelands thus causing disorder and chaos. The army and peacekeeping forces were spread thin. There wasn't anyone to uphold the law so outlaws tend to have free reign.
You could tell how the situation in a town was by the zoids lurking about. Ron smiled as he entered the town. Godos and Guysaks equipped with mining equipments. Gustavs roared along carrying cargos and supplies. Not a single military type zoid, and that worried him. There should be a Republic Outpost in the vicinity. He hoped it wasn't filled with dirty soldiers.
He parked his truck near the town's inn. It had been a long time since he was in Serenity. He hoped that things hadn't changed a bit.
"Ronald!" the caretaker called out joyously as soon as he entered the inn. Ron smiled at the man. Heavyset but brimming with joy, the man he knew as Mr. Renton came from behind the counter and gave him a big hug.
"Hi, Mr. R," Ron greeted, trying to breathe. "How's the family?"
"Good, Great," he smiled as he released the crushed man. "Maddie's back in the kitchen and Felix is around town."
"How is Felix?" Ron smiled. Felix Renton was one of his best friends. He and his family were one of the reason he liked the town so much.
"Him? A little bit off but since you're here, you might cheer him up a bit," Mr. Renton said.
"Is he all right?" Ron asked in concern.
"He will be," the big man grinned. "He doesn't look like it but my boy's tough. He's just bored. A kid that age wants to explore the world. I did when I was a lad."
"Your stories of adventure didn't help much," Mrs. Renton smiled as she came from the kitchen. "Hello Ronald. Be with us for long?"
"A few days," Ron admitted. "Just enough to get the sand out of my body and van."
"Good!" Mr. Renton beamed. "We'll get your usual room ready. Why not stretch those legs and take a look around town. Maybe you'd meet Felix along the way."
"Thanks, Mr. and Mrs. R.," Ron smiled and exited the inn.
The town hadn't changed a bit. It had the same country feel and the same smiling faces. He liked this town. No where else had genuine smiles in their faces. It was like they were glad to see him.
And in this town, he needn't hide his occupation.
Scavengers are generally frowned upon. At first they were reluctant to talk to him, thinking he was a spy for a raiding party. But Felix had befriended him and soon after, the entire town had accepted him.
During his visits he figuratively opens his van for the people of Serenity. If they need something he had picked up, and if it was available, he would give them the part as a token of friendship.
The town's zoid workshop, though possessing one of the best mechanics, was lacking in parts. This was not uncommon. New zoid parts are hard to come by. People were forced to resort in maintaining their zoids with old spare parts. Though scavengers are frowned upon, they are a necessity, especially to frontier towns such as Serenity.
"Hey, Ron-man!" a friendly voice called him. Ron's smile grew as he recognized the voice.
"Felix! My main man!" Ron called as he looked at his friend. Felix Renton wheeled his chair towards the smiling blond. When Ron met him first, he was surprised by his joviality. It seemed like nothing could get him down.
"How are you? You haven't dropped by in ages," Felix said as he shook Ron's hand.
"You know me. I go where the wind takes me," Ron said.
"And the wind brought you here?" Felix asked disbelievingly.
"Literally," Ron sighed as he and Felix continued their conversation while moving. "Sandstorm."
"Come on, Ron," Felix knew that he was kidding around. It was always like this. Ron pretended that he was in town by chance but he bet he went out of his way just to visit.
"Okay. I just miss you mother's cooking," Ron smiled.
"Ron, every time you visit you take over the kitchen," Felix chuckled at this. "In fact, I bet word has gotten around that you're visiting and people are preparing to go at the inn tonight."
"Good thing I brought some spices," Ron chuckled. "Does the grocery still fill its stocks?"
"Always," Felix answered. "Hey, Ron. There's someone I'd like you to meet." Ron's ears perked up. This was new. Felix talking about a girl.
"Your girlfriend?" he asked teasingly.
"No man," Felix laughed outright. "I'm thinking she'd be perfect with you."
"What's wrong with her?" Ron asked suspiciously.
"She's too fiery for me," Felix admitted. "Plus she treats me as if I couldn't take care of myself."
"Why?" Ron asked. Felix smiled at his question. Ron doesn't see anyone as handicapped. He just sees them as they are. That's what he liked about his friend. He never sticks to the norm.
"Never mind. But she's a good girl. You'll like her."
"Is she new in town?" Ron asked. He had met everyone in Serenity. If he didn't know this girl then she might not be from around those parts.
"She was transferred to the outpost a day after you left," Felix said but felt Ron stopped in his tracks.
"She's a soldier?" Ron looked at him as if he was crazy.
"What? She's a straight arrow. Not like those bastards that she replaced," Felix said and continued on his way. Ron caught up to his friend but was deep in thought. He never liked soldiers. Especially those who were assigned near the wastelands. Usually the soldiers assigned there were the nastiest, meanest and dirtiest men he had ever known. It was fortunate that they were booted off from the army when they ran from a raid, instead of protecting the people.
Ron had to "borrow" one of the soldier's zoids to fend off the raiding party. But he was taken out before he could get into the fight. But the presence of a charging Republic Zoid was enough to drive the raiders away.
If she was as straight as Felix said, he might see some jail time for unauthorized use of army equipment.
"She goes by the book?" Ron asked.
"Pretty much," Felix smiled. "But she's understanding. It might take a while to get her to understand but it's cool."
"It better be," Ron sighed. "Or I'd be chilling inside a cell."
"Relax. I'd be fine," Felix promised him. He was one of the few that Ron trusted explicitly. If he said it would be fine, then it would be fine.
"Better get back to the inn," Ron smiled. "We'd better prepare to feed the multitude."
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Lt. Kim Possible was rather surprised when the townspeople invited her for a gathering of sorts. They just said that a friend was visiting and there was going to be a feast. From the excitement from their voice he must be special.
She had left her zoid at the edge of town. No point of scaring the villagers but she also wanted it close by in case of emergencies.
When Kim first came to Serenity, she was not surprised that she was seen with disdain. Her predecessors bullied the resident and then left them when they were faced with a threat that a group of rookies could handle.
It took her a while to earn their trust. But it was a fun process. She liked helping people. That was why she joined the Republican Army in the first place. It was like her being posted in Serenity was a blessing in disguise. Here was a group of people that genuinely appreciated her help.
In the cities, people always question your motives for helping. Here, they take things at face value.
The one problem in that town was the lack of boys.
Everyone seemed to be taken. She could go for Felix, the innkeeper's son, but there was no sparks. Plus she had embarrassed herself thinking that he couldn't do much with his disability. She was proven wrong. He was just like any other kid. She admired him for his spirit but still, no sparks.
Predictably, her leave was denied. They said that she was the only pilot in the vicinity and they couldn't afford lose a unit in the vicinity even for a few days. Kim knew the situation better than anyone else. His father, Lt. General James T. Possible, was in the president's staff. Also, he was the highest ranking Officer in the army.
It was hard living up to the name Possible. Especially when the others saw her as Daddy's little girl. It didn't help that her father treated her like one.
She was glad he kneed that asshole in the gonads. It gave her an opportunity to be where she was. But still, it could get lonely at times.
"Good Evening, Lt.," Felix said as she reached the entrance of the inn. Kim smiled at him. Growing up she only had a few friends and she considered him one.
"Hey Felix. What up?" she asked. "Is there a celebration or something?"
"Or something?" he smiled back. "Remember that friend I told you about?"
"You mean the one that comes here every so often?" she asked. She had heard of him countless times from the villagers. To them he was a hero of sorts. He had driven away the raiders when the soldiers fled in fear. It was too fanciful to be true. She must meet him in person.
"Yep," he said. "The villagers always anticipated his return, you know. It's always an event when he visits."
"Because he saved you guys?" Kim asked curiously.
"You mean the raiders? Nah. That's something he did recently. I mean, the guy saved us in another way," Felix chuckled.
"How so?" Kim asked as Felix wheeled himself towards the inn's door.
"He gave this town back its laughter," Felix said as he opened the door. Suddenly, the loud roar of laughter from the town folk escaped the opened portal. As Kim entered, she couldn't help but smile at their cheerful demeanor.
She noticed it the first time she came to town, though wary, the people were gaily and friendly. Everywhere she went she could see smiled but in the taproom of the inn, their smiles were bigger.
Was one man the cause of this?
"Ah! Lt. Possible! Welcome!" Mr. Renton said as he greeted her. "How are you? Come! Come. I saved you a seat," the big man guided her to his best table where his wife was sitting. "Honey! The Lt's here."
"Welcome, dear," Mrs. Renton kissed her cheeks and sat her down. "You're just in time."
"Just in time for what?" Kim asked. She noticed that Felix was attaching a long board on his chair. He knew that he helped at the inn but hasn't seen him work.
Suddenly, a loud clang came from the kitchen and everyone quieted down and waited.
"FELIX! Soup's up!" cried the man in the kitchen. Felix rolled towards the serving window and immediately four large bowls of soup filled his serving board. Without stopping, Felix then rolled towards the tables, just stopping to serve the soup. He then returned towards the window and the board was refilled with hot bowls of soup.
It was amazing. Kim smiled as Felix and the man inside worked in precision. If one person was out of sync the whole thing could fall apart.
Kim's table was the last to be served but she didn't mind. The smell of the soup was divine and couldn't wait to taste it. Mrs. Renton served her a bowl and smiled, waiting for her to taste.
When she took a sip, she felt like she was in heaven. It was better than what she had tasted before. The top restaurants in Helic city couldn't compare to this.
"It's delicious," she said making the Renton's smile.
"We were surprised he could cook let alone cook like this," Mr. Renton said. "He took over the kitchen when my honeybud here was sick."
"He insisted that he help out since he was… well… a guest," Mrs. Renton said.
"He was freeloading," Felix smiled as he rolled back towards the kitchen.
"First dish!" the man shouted. Felix was ready and the food was delivered. Kim was surprised for the food was beautifully prepared. From its smell she could tell that it was made by an expert.
The crowd began eating. Everyone was smiling, enjoying the food that was served in front of them. Kim could see why Felix said the man brought the smiles back to their faces. A little laugh and good cheer was enough to heal anything.
"Last Dish!" the delivery continued. Kim herself was enjoying the experience. She liked being with these people. Their view on life was much different from the cities. They were more joyous and carefree like nothing bothered them at all.
Kim was overwhelmed from the people's joy. They were trading stories from their youth and enjoying themselves fully.
Now she was curious. She really wanted to meet him.
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"I'm not going out there," Ron said as he checked the oven.
"Ron," Felix sighed as he watched his friend work his magic around the kitchen. "She's just a girl."
"Just a girl?" Ron frowned as he looked at his friend. "She's a Zoid pilot and those kinds you need to watch out for. What does she pilot?"
"Command Wolf," Felix smiled.
"Great," Ron sighed. "A Hunter. She must be the kind who always gets her man."
"Normally that would be a good thing," Felix teased. "What's the real reason?"
"I don't know," Ron admitted as he took out the pies from the oven. "Just scared, I guess."
"Ron, you're always scared of something," Felix pointed out. "Meet her. You won't regret it."
"We'll see," Ron smiled. "Ready? Felix nodded and readied his chair.
"DESSERT!"
___________________________________________________
Kim sighed as she went out for air. She was stuffed from the food and needed to walk it out. She was a bit disappointed that she didn't get to meet their guest but they said he went for air.
She decided to check on her zoid. It wouldn't hurt to scan the area for a while. She was in charge of the safety of the people.
As she neared her hiding spot, she was surprised to hear a low rumble coming from her Command Wolf. At first she thought that it was growling but as she listened further, she noticed that it was laughing.
Could a zoid laugh? Kim was attached to her zoid and never did she hear it laugh before.
"It's not that funny," an indignant voice said. "I mean. What would you do if you lost your armor in the middle of a battle? I'm telling you man, escaping a herd of Rev Raptors then suddenly my pants decided to fall is the not how I wanted to spend the day. I had to get belt after that fiasco."
"What were you doing that would cause you to escape a herd of Raptors," Kim smiled as she neared them. In the twin moonlights, she could see the owner of the gaily voice.
The man was smiling at her sheepishly. He was taller than her. His freckles made him a bit innocent and coupled with that smile, he seemed harmless. But sometimes things are not what they seemed.
"Hi," he said. "I was just talking to your friend here."
"I noticed," she smiled back. "What brought this on?"
"I was getting some air and stumbled, quite literally on him."
"Let me guess. Your pants fell?" she was trying not to laugh. By the looks of his blush, she had hit it dead on.
"Yeah. Had to use my belt to fix my truck. Forgot about it. Anyway, where are my manners? I'm Ron. Ron Stoppable."
"Kim Possible," she smiled as they shook hands. "I'm guessing you're the one who saved these people."
"I just helped my friends," his tone suddenly had a defensive hard edge on it. "Is there a problem with that?"
"No. No prob," Kim inwardly smiled at his protectiveness. This was someone who would help his friends whatever it took. "It was a shame that that Gorhecks was destroyed in the incident."
"I have never seen a zoid with so much honor," Ron admitted. "I mean, he was charging into the fray by himself. I had to do something. I just admitted that I piloted a Republic Zoid into battle, didn't I?"
"You did," she giggled. "Don't worry. I'm not going to arrest you."
"I'm sorry about the zoid," Ron said as he looked into the moons. "He tried so hard to do his job. Something those who you replaced never did."
"If you were wondering, that zoid was sent to the capital for repairs," Kim said, consoling him. "His core was still intact so he should be up and at them in a few months."
"I hope he gets a better pilot," he said. "He deserves much more."
You're weird," Kim laughed. "But I like you." Ron blushed a deep crimson which had gone unnoticed by her.
"I have to get back," Ron said sheepishly. "Otherwise they would search the whole town with torches and pitchforks."
"I'm guessing that happened as well," Kim smiled.
"It was just one time! They even tried to put a cowbell on me!" Kim laughed again. Ron liked her laugh. He thought that there wasn't anything else he would like to hear. "I think the real ruckus will start. Could you take it?" he said as he offered his arm
"I'm a Possible," she said proudly. "And everything's possible for a Possible." Kim took his offered arm and they went back to the inn.
End of chapter