Authors Note: Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to read and review. Your feedback means a lot. And thanks to DoofusPrime for his help and advice.
Disclaimer: I don't own Kim Possible.
XXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXX
"The intent of a question is sometimes as important as the answer."
~Commander Jeffrey Sinclair
XXXXXXXXXX
It was fitting that they were covering the Great Depression this week in American History class. To her, this school, these people, the whole situation was nothing short of depressing. She felt like she was trapped in a prison. Only this prison didn't have bars, and there were no security guards. Rather it was a prison of glass and brick, and the only people who stood watch over the captives wore suits and slacks. Mr. Barkin stood in front of the class writing with his erasable black marker on the white board. Camille was happy she was in the back row. The stench of the markers was not something she enjoyed.
She sat in her seat with her arm propping her head up as she listened to the boring lecture of the brown-suited man. What was his problem anyway? Didn't he know that the Great Depression was over? Didn't he know how rich she was? Why did she have to learn about all of this boring history stuff? In her boredom she blew a bubble with the gum she had been chewing on. The loud popping noise got the attention of her instructor. He turned around to see her chomping away on the pink gum.
"Excuse me, Ms. Leon," he said to her. "Would you please throw that gum in the trash."
She sighed as she stood.
"Fine."
Camille walked to the small garbage can and tossed her gum in. Mr. Barkin began speaking as she made her way back to her desk.
"So people, it's important to remember that these people had nothing, but they never gave up hope. They kept fighting and working for everything they could get. It's part of what it means to be an American, part of what it means to…"
His sentence trailed off as, once more, he turned around at the sound of noise coming from his students. He looked back and saw that Camille had put another piece of gum in her mouth and was chewing loudly on it. She stopped when she realized that Mr. Barkin was looking at her again.
"What?" she asked.
"Ms. Leon, there's no gum allowed in my classroom."
"But this stuff is blue," she said in her defense.
Mr. Barkin opened his mouth to say something, but was at a loss for words. Finally he regained his composure.
"Ms. Leon, I didn't make you throw out your other gum because it wasn't blue."
"So wait, I have to get rid of this too?"
"Yes. Please throw it away. And from now on, no gum of any color."
Camille scoffed at his words.
"This place is like, so lame," she said as she once more threw away her gum. "And what are Pickle Works?" she randomly added. "Weird little town…"
Mr. Barkin narrowed his eyes at her as she walked back to her seat.
"Well then, perhaps you could learn to appreciate Middleton and the rules of this school by spending a day in detention."
The blonde exhaled dramatically and rolled her eyes.
"Whatever. You're the teacher."
"Good. I'll be seeing you after school. 3:00 in room twelve. Don't be late."
Camille blew a few strands of hair out of her face and looked down at her textbook. Bonnie leaned over to her new friend.
"He is so lame," she whispered.
Camille nodded in agreement.
"I can't believe you have detention on like, your second day here."
The heiress turned and gave Bonnie a questioning look. She apparently hadn't heard what the cheerleader had said.
"I can't believe he gave you detention," she repeated louder.
Camille mouthed the word "what?" to her.
"I said, I can't-"
Bonnie must have whispered a bit too loudly that time, as Mr. Barkin turned his attention back to the class.
"Ms. Rockwaller, do you have something you would like to share with the class?" he asked.
"No."
"So your conversation is more important than my lecture?"
"No Mr. Barkin, I just-"
"Save it Rockwaller. Detention, room twelve. You can join your new friend."
Bonnie opened her mouth in horror. This wasn't fair, this wasn't right. Cheerleaders didn't do detention. At that moment she wanted to say something nasty to her teacher, but she knew that doing so would only earn her more days of detention.
"Yes Mr. Barkin," she wound up saying.
Bonnie folded her arms in frustration and stared angrily into the back of her instructors head. Camille looked back down at her book with a sly grin on her face.
XXXXXXXXXX
Ron was at his locker getting the books he would need for his next few classes. Today had been a pretty peaceful day so far. Well, apart from the drama in history class last period. It was a surprise to see two people get detention when neither of them was him. It was even more of a surprise that Bonnie was one of the people.
As he closed his locker door, he saw that Big Mike was standing there looking at him. He hadn't spoken to the large boy much, even on the numerous occasions they had shared detention. Ron wondered what he wanted.
"Hey there Big Mike," said Ron.
"Hey," the brute grunted.
"What brings you to my locker?"
"Business," he said flatly.
"Huh? What business."
"Bully problem," Mike explained. Big Mike wasn't big on elaboration. This made him difficult to figure out at times.
"What bully problem?"
"Yours."
"Oh…" Ron said thoughtfully. "Yeah, I kinda had a problem yesterday. But I'm gonna take care of it."
"I got it."
"What do you mean by that?"
"I kick their asses."
Mike's business proposition finally made sense to Ron.
"Oh. No no no, that's totally unnecessary. I don't want you to take care of them for me. I mean it's a nice offer and all, but I don't want anything like that."
Mike seemed to ignore Ron's comment.
"I take care of them today, you pay up tomorrow."
Ron's large classmate began to walk away after saying this. Ron stood there dumbfounded for a moment before he spoke up.
"Hey wait! I don't want this!" he yelled after Mike.
Mike continued walking and raised his right arm and waved at Ron without looking back. If he had heard what the teen hero had said, he did not acknowledge it.
Rufus poked his head out of Ron's pocket and looked up at his human. Ron looked down at his hairless friend.
"I've got a bad feeling about this."
XXXXXXXXXX
Ron was sitting in the library during study hall again. He had decided to make a habit of it. Not only was it quiet and nearly empty, but he had also made a new friend. He sat at a table looking at his history assignment. Luckily he had finished all of the extra homework he had been assigned yesterday and turned it in today. He liked the fact that Kim pushed him to achieve things he never thought he could do. After their mission she had gone to his house and helped him with the work. Of course she hadn't done any of it for him; she would never help him cheat like that. But she had helped him when he needed actual assistance.
Right now he was busy learning all of the key terms in this chapter. He was happy that they were in bold print so they were easy to find. He didn't like the books that actually made you look for the important things.
As he continued scanning the words and taking notes, Jill came over and sat down across from him.
"Hey Ron," she said cheerfully.
"What's up Shakespeare," he answered, referring to her reading hobby.
"Busy with… history, I see," she said, looking at his upside down book. "So depressing."
Ron smiled at her choice of words.
"They don't call it the Great Depression for nothing."
"Oh, right."
"So how has your day been so far?" he asked.
"Nothing too interesting. You?"
"A bit of drama in history class. A couple of girls got detention."
"Sounds fun," she smiled.
"It was pretty weird. It was a new girl and Bonnie Rockwaller of all people."
"So what, she never gets detention or something?"
"Never. This has got to be her first time."
"Something tells me she's way past her first time," Jill grinned.
Ron laughed out loud. It earned him an icy glare from Ms. Hatchet.
"That was just mean Jill," he giggled.
"Couldn't resist."
"But something really strange happened a few minutes ago."
"Oh? Do tell."
"This guy, Big Mike we call him, came up to me and offered his 'services' to me. Apparently he wants to be my bodyguard or something."
"That's kind of nice of him."
"Yeah, except the fact that he expects me to pay for the protection."
"So why didn't you just say no?"
"I did. But he wouldn't listen. Looks like he's going to beat up a couple of kids who have been messing with me."
"What happens if you don't pay?"
"Don't know… and I'm kinda nervous about finding out. He expects me to pay him tomorrow."
Jill considered his words for a moment before looking back into his eyes.
"I'm sure it will work out. You seem like a nice enough guy." The raven-haired girl said sincerely.
"Thanks Jill."
The two continued to chat and work on their respective assignments until the bell rang. Ron was truly beginning to enjoy spending time with the sophomore girl. She didn't know about the loser who got ridiculed by Bonnie and others. She only knew the guy she talked to in study hall. He decided it would be a good idea to talk to Kim about the three of them hanging out sometime. Someone who was new in town like her could use some friends to hang out with outside of school.
XXXXXXXXXX
It was 2:59 when Bonnie opened the door to detention. She was happy that it wasn't past 3:00 or else she would have been late. And being late for detention earned a person an extra day. It was such a sickening and unfamiliar feeling for her. This was her third year of high school, and she had never once had detention. The idea of being stuck with the scum of the school disgusted her.
But those feelings were washed away when she saw Camille sitting there as well. At least she wouldn't have to suffer this alone. It was totally unfair how she and her new friend had gotten detention. Whoever thought that Mr. Barkin was tough but fair couldn't be more wrong. The man had a grudge against the popular kids. Bonnie assumed that he, just like the rest of the staff at this school, had been picked on back when they were teenagers.
The brunette took a seat next to Camille, who was busy talking on her phone and didn't acknowledge the arrival of the queen of the school. Bonnie wanted to be mad about that, but at the same time knew that Camille was probably talking to someone very important from Hollywood. She wondered what it was like to live a life of extravagance and fame like Camille did.
When the clock reached 3:00, Mr. Barkin closed the door. He turned his attention to the few students who were in detention today. Everyone was silent with the exception of one person.
"So then like, she came out of the dressing room, and those jeans looked so hideous on her," Camille said to whoever was on the other end of the conversation.
"Ms. Leon, please put your phone away," the large man told her.
His words were ignored.
"I know!" she exclaimed. "If she thinks she can pull off a size 2, she's way wrong."
"Ms. Leon," he said a bit louder.
"No way," she said into the phone before pausing to listen to the response. "No way! Shut up! There's like, no way!" she continued to say in disbelief.
"Ms. Leon!" he shouted.
This finally got the new girls attention. She looked up at him.
"Sorry, I have to go now. This teacher guy is getting all in my face," she told her friend. "I think he wants to talk to me or something. Later."
She flipped her phone shut and folded her hands neatly on her desk as she looked up at Mr. Barkin.
"Kay, all done," she said happily.
By now the faculty member's face was turning a dangerous shade of red. He took a deep breath and calmed down before speaking.
"Ms. Leon, I'll be seeing you in here tomorrow as well. Maybe that will teach you to follow the rules of this school."
She sighed loudly.
"Whatever," she said to him. "This place is like, worse than Alcatraz," she added to no one in particular.
The rest of the detention was spent in utter silence. Mr. Barkin sat at his desk at the front of the room while the students worked on their assignments or read a book. Bonnie was amazed at the boldness of Camille. No one had ever disrespected Mr. Barkin like that. It made the cheerleader admire the heiress even more. But at the same time it would only increase the popularity of the blonde. And there was no way that Bonnie could let another girl become more popular than her. She knew that she had to monitor the situation closely.
XXXXXXXXXX
Ron was sitting on his couch with a book in his lap and a pen and some papers at his side. English was definitely not one of his favorite subjects, especially British literature. That was what the class was covering this semester. From Chaucer to Shakespeare to Dickens, they were doing it all. It was all so old and out of date to him. It was also extremely boring. But he knew that he had to get through it all. It would be worth it in the end when he got a good grade and helped him get into a good college.
As he continued reading his current assignment he heard the doorbell ring. He considered this to be a good thing because he could take a break. He put aside his book and happily walked to the front door. When he opened it he saw Kim standing there in full mission gear.
"Kim?" he said with surprise.
"Mission time Ron," she told him.
"Wow really? Two missions in two days? Why can't these supervillains ever give us a break?"
"Don't know, but no time to talk," she said coolly. "Our ride is waiting."
"Hold on, let me change into my mission outfit."
"No time. You're fine how you are."
"Oh. Alright then."
Ron stepped outside after her and closed the door behind him. The two teens walked to the black SUV waiting in front of his house. The vehicle took off immediately after the two had climbed into the back seat.
Ron looked around at the black leather interior of the SUV before turning to his friend.
"I'm liking this ride, really classy," he commented.
"Yeah, it's pretty nice," Kim agreed.
"So who exactly is our ride? I can't say I remember him."
"This is Bill. He's an accountant I think," she said as she tried to remember. "Right Bill?"
"Yes Ms. Possible," the driver said without looking back.
Ron looked at the man for a moment before shrugging.
"Well I guess that would explain the suit. The only accountant I've ever met wore blue spandex."
"Burn Burmin. I remember him," Kim added.
"Yeah, that guy…" Ron said thoughtfully. "Man, those guys were weird."
The pair of teens looked out the windows of the SUV as it continued toward its destination. That was when Ron realized that he didn't know what exactly the destination was.
"So Kim, where exactly are we going?"
"Museum of Upperton," she replied.
"Okay. What's going on there?"
"Not sure. I'm sure the guy in charge will tell us when we're there."
"Yeah, probably. Think they have anything to eat there?"
"I don't think they want people to get food stains on their priceless items."
"Yeah," he agreed. "Hey Bill, think we can stop off at a Bueno Nacho before we get there?"
"I'm afraid not Mr. Stoppable. Our top priority is to get to the museum as soon as possible."
"Okay. We can hit the BN on our way home then."
It took about twenty minutes for the vehicle to arrive at the Museum of Upperton. The SUV dropped the pair off at the front of the building and went to park. Kim and Ron walked up the steps and into the museum. Ron followed Kim's lead as she led him through the exhibits to wherever their destination was. Finally they stopped when they reached a man in his early sixties wearing a rather expensive looking suit. The man turned and looked at the two teens.
"Kim Possible," he greeted warmly. "It is truly a privilege to meet you. My name is Dr. Alexander Burton."
"It's nice to meet you too, Dr. Burton," she replied.
"What brings you to my museum?"
Ron looked at Kim. Wasn't there supposed to be a mission?
"I understand that you'll be receiving an item for a brand new exhibit which will be opening tomorrow," she said.
"Ah yes!" Dr. Burton said. "The Tiffany Yellow Diamond. Yes, it will be arriving tonight. What about it?"
"It occurred to me that you could use some extra security. After all, it's one of the largest yellow diamonds ever discovered."
Dr. Burton nodded thoughtfully and smiled.
"Yes, that is a most excellent idea," he agreed. "There have already been recent attempts to steal it in Paris and New York. My mind would be put to ease if you were on my security team."
"So what's so great about this diamond?" Ron wondered.
"It's a very large and valuable diamond," Kim explained to him. "It's over a hundred and twenty carets, and has ninety facets."
"Wow Kim, I'm impressed by your gem knowledge."
"Diamonds are a girl's best friend," she smiled.
"128.54 carets to be exact," Dr. Burton said.
"So yeah, that's a pretty big and important diamond."
"I guess so," Ron concluded. "You'd think they would stop putting it on display if people have tried to steal it twice."
"And rob the public of a chance to see the one of the most beautiful jewels in the world?" Dr. Burton asked. "Preposterous. With Kim Possible here to guard its arrival, I have absolutely no doubts that it will be safe."
"It's not big," Kim said dismissively with a wave of her hand.
The man in charge of the museum went and shook Kim's hand.
"Thank you so much for this generous offer Ms. Possible. The diamond is scheduled to arrive here tonight at 9:00. So if you could be here around a half hour earlier, that would be splendid."
"Sure thing Dr. Burton. It would be my pleasure," she smiled. "But while we're here, I would also like to get a look at what kind of security you already have set up. You know, just so I know what I'm working with."
"Certainly. Come with me and I'll take you on a tour of our security measures."
The trio began walking around the area of the exhibit as Dr. Burton pointed out all of the security cameras and lasers which would trigger an alarm if crossed. He then led them to the museums security station.
"Here is where we have guards to monitor all of the cameras," he said. "There will be two on duty tonight, along with the guards who will actually be transporting the diamond into the exhibit."
"How many will be with the diamond?" Kim wondered.
"Five armed guards."
"Okay, sounds good. Thank you for the tour Dr. Burton."
"It was an honor to meet you as well, Ms. Possible. I look forward to seeing you tonight."
"Me too."
The teens took their leave and walked back through the museum and out to their waiting ride. When they got inside Ron felt his stomach growl.
"Okay Kim, Bueno Nacho time," he said happily. "Bill, could you please drop us off at the Bueno Nacho in Middleton?"
Bill looked at the rearview mirror before answering.
"Yes Mr. Stoppable," he said. "Of course."
"Boo yah!"
Twenty minutes later the black SUV had dropped the two off in front of the familiar eating establishment. Bill then parked in the Bueno Nacho parking lot and shut off the engine. Ron rushed through the door and up to the counter to order food. Kim walked a bit slower behind him but eventually reached his side.
"So… what are you getting?" Kim asked.
"I'm thinking two nacos and two chimurritos." Ron replied excitedly.
"I'm just getting a salad…"
"A salad? Seriously?"
"Seriously."
Ron stopped for a moment before turning back to his friend.
"Whoa, Motor Ed moment."
Kim nodded.
"Dr. Drakken's cousin," she stated.
"Hard to believe those two could be related."
"Yeah. It is," she agreed.
They stood at the counter for a couple of minutes before their food was ready. When it arrived they carried their trays off to their usual table. Ron led the way and sat down on one side of the table, Kim sitting across from him.
He took a monstrous bite of his first naco. It left a good amount of beef and cheese around his mouth. Kim had a slightly disgusted look on her face.
"How can you eat that stuff?" she wondered.
"What do you mean?"
"It's so gross."
"What are you talking about? You usually eat this stuff too. What's with the salad?"
"I'm watching my figure."
"Okay, but still. What's with the sudden hate for the three major food groups?"
"Three major food groups?"
Ron held up his naco.
"Salty, spicy and cheesy."
"Uh, well, I saw this show about the fast food industry. It's all so disgusting," she frowned.
"Yeah but we used to work here remember?" he reminded her. "We saw how it's all made. We know that at least this place is clean."
"I guess."
"So maybe next time you'll be feeling brave enough to get a naco? I did invent the thing after all."
Kim smiled a bit before sticking her fork into some lettuce.
"Sure Ron. Next time."
"That's the Kim I know," he said before finishing off the naco. He swallowed it before speaking again. "So we have like twenty minutes until we should get going back to the museum. Are we just going to hang out here?"
"I guess. It is our hangout place after all."
"Yeah," he agreed. "Oh, before I forget. I wanted to talk to you about something."
"What's that?"
"I met this girl in study hall yesterday. Her name's Jill."
"Oh. Okay, what about her?"
"She's new to town and she's pretty cool. I was wondering if she could hang out with us sometime."
"Sure, I don't see why not," she nodded.
"Great. She's funny too. Oh, and she likes Shakespeare."
"Does somebody have a crush?" she smirked.
"Nah," he waved her off. "She's just a cool sophomore girl. And since she's new and stuff, I figured she could use some friends. I know that if I was the new kid I would want someone to try to be my friend."
"Yeah. Doesn't sound like a bad idea."
The two continued to talk until around 8:00. When Kim looked at her watch and saw that it was time to leave, she and Ron exited the building and walked to the waiting SUV. It would take another twenty minutes to get to the Museum of Upperton. There they would be briefed about their role in making sure the diamond got to its exhibit.
XXXXXXXXXX
This was so cool. Ron had never gotten to use walkie-talkies before on a mission. Usually it was just Kim who had the kimmunicator. But now he had the ability to talk not only to her, but to everyone else on the security team as well. So far he hadn't been able to take advantage of this, but he was determined to before the mission ended.
Kim and Ron had split up for this mission. At the moment he was standing outside the museum on the corner of an intersection. It was his job to be on the lookout for any suspicious vehicles that could be approaching the museum from those directions. So far he had nothing to report back. He decided that this would be the perfect opportunity to use his walkie-talkie. He held down one of the buttons and put it to his mouth.
"Bravo Foxtrot, this is Foxtrot Squared. Do you read me? Over." He said as he immediately began giggling after he finished.
"Yeah Ron. I'm here," Kim replied over the device.
"Aww come on Kim, play along."
There was a pause before she replied.
"Okay Foxtrot Squared, I read you. Over."
The wide grin on his face couldn't be suppressed when he heard his best friend reply. He felt like he was ten years old again.
"No sign of any trouble on my end. Over."
"Okay. Right now we're escorting the diamond to its exhibit. Over."
"Sounds good. I'll keep you informed out here. Over and out."
Ron lowered the walkie-talkie from his face and continued to look around the streets. Night had fallen and there wasn't a whole lot of traffic at the moment. The street lights provided him with excellent visibility. Nothing would pose a threat to the museum as long as he was out here.
XXXXXXXXXX
Kim and the security detail were busy with the finishing touches of putting the diamond in its glass display case. She along with Dr. Burton and the guards stood to the side while the museum workers were adjusting the positioning of the valuable jewel before closing the case. After closing it they activated the security lasers which would alert them if anyone attempted to steal the diamond. When they did Kim reached for her walkie-talkie.
"Foxtrot Squared, this is Bravo Foxtrot. Mission is accomplished, you can come inside. Over," she said.
"On my way. Over and out."
Kim clipped the device to her waist before turning to Dr. Burton.
"Well it's good to see that this worked out nicely," she said.
"Indeed," the old man agreed. "You have my most sincere gratitude for your assistance."
"Not a problem. It was nice to be able to see the diamond up close."
"It's truly marvelous in person, isn't it?"
"It is. You'd have to be a pretty lucky girl to be able to wear it."
"Indeed. It has only ever been worn by two people in its existence."
Dr. Burton turned to the security and museum workers.
"And a fine job to all of you as well," he congratulated them. "Everything seems to be in order here, so all of you are free to leave."
The other men nodded and took their leave. Dr. Burton turned back to Kim.
"Can I expect to see you back here when the exhibit opens to the public?" he wondered.
"Definitely. I couldn't not want to see this diamond again."
"Wonderful."
"For now though it looks like I'll have to leave," she said as she knew the museum was currently closed. "As soon as Ron gets back we'll get out of your hair."
"Nonsense Ms. Possible. It was a delight to work with you."
"You're too kind."
The two turned when they saw Ron approaching them.
"Job well done, eh Kim?" he asked.
"Everything went perfect. But now it's time to go."
"Yeah. It was nice to meet you sir," he said to Dr. Burton. "Your jewels are very nice looking."
Kim looked at Ron curiously.
"Uh, diamond. Your diamond is very nice."
The old man smiled.
"Yes, thank you Mr. Stoppable."
The trio began walking through the museum to the front doors. Kim stopped before they reached them.
"I'm sorry Dr. Burton, but I was wondering if I could use the restroom before I left?"
"Of course. It's off in that direction," he said pointing back into the museum. "There's a sign where the entrance is. You can't miss it."
"Thanks. I'll be back in no time."
Kim walked off to go to the restroom leaving Ron and Dr. Burton alone. The period of silence that settled over them was a bit uncomfortable. It lasted a couple of minutes before Ron spoke up.
"So…" Ron began. "How did you get into the museum business?" he asked.
"I wouldn't exactly call it a business," he replied.
"Okay, but the whole museum thing. I mean, do you have to have a PhD or something?"
"Yes, that tends to be helpful."
"Ah. So what's yours in?"
"Geology and gemology."
"Oh. That makes sense."
Before Dr. Burton could respond, the shrieking sounds of the security alarm pierced the air.
"The security's been breached!" yhe old man shouted.
"You head to the security station, I'll check out the exhibit!" Ron ordered.
The two began running together before they went off their separate ways to get to their respective destinations.
Dr. Burton reached the security station first, where he found the two guards that were stationed there out cold. Every screen on the wall that they were monitoring contained nothing but black and white static. The control panel was sparking and covered with some kind of liquid.
"What is going on!" he shouted to himself.
Seeing that a fire could start at any moment, he grabbed the two unconscious guards and dragged them out of the room one by one.
Ron ran to the exhibit to find that one of his worst fears had manifested. He saw Kim lying face down on the floor. He immediately sprinted over to her and flipped her on her back. With one hand he propped her back up, the other clinging to one of her own limp hands.
"KP!" he shouted in fear. "KP! Can you hear me?"
Kim slowly opened her eyes and blinked a few times. She looked up into Ron's own concerned eyes and gritted her teeth before speaking.
"I… I tried to stop them," she said.
"Who? What happened?"
Kim seemed to be struggling to speak.
"It was… the Seniors," she managed to say. "They took the diamond."
Ron looked up and saw that the display case was shattered. There was also a fair amount of damage to the other exhibits surrounding it. Apparently a fight had taken place just moments earlier.
"Kim are you okay? Do you need any kind of medical attention?"
She blinked a few more times before she was able to sit up under her own power.
"No, no I'm okay. I just… I can't believe they got away," she said with obvious dismay.
"It's okay KP," he said reassuringly. "We can get the diamond back. The important thing is that you're okay."
Kim exhaled deeply and winced in pain before looking back into Ron's eyes.
"Thanks Ron," she smiled warmly.
By now Dr. Burton had come rushing into the room. In the distance the sirens of approaching police cars could be heard approaching.
"What happened? Where's the diamond?" Dr. Burton yelled.
"The Seniors stole it," Ron said as he turned to him.
"Damn it!"
"I'm sorry Dr. Burton," Kim said sorrowfully. "I heard the alarm when I was in the washroom… I tried to stop them."
Dr. Burton reached down and put a consoling hand on her shoulder.
"Please my dear, don't blame yourself for this. This is no one's fault."
"I'm sorry…" she repeated.
"They chose the perfect time to strike. They caught us all off guard. The important thing is that you're not badly injured."
"Thank you sir…" she said weakly.
"But the two security guards manning the station were knocked unconscious by those two criminals." He said with disdain. "And the cameras and security system were damaged beyond repair."
"Man, this tanks," Ron said sadly.
The old man stood up straight and took a deep breath.
"However, now is not the time to feel sorry for ourselves. We must give all of these details to the police and other law enforcement agencies at once. We must get that diamond back."
Kim and Ron both nodded.
"Sir, if you don't mind I'm going to take Kim home. She looks pretty shaken up," Ron said.
"Of course," the other man smiled weakly. "And don't worry, we'll inform you as soon as we get more information as to the whereabouts of the Seniors. I'm sure you will want to retrieve the diamond personally."
"Yes," Kim agreed.
The two teens stood and began walking toward the exit.
"Take care of yourselves," Dr. Burton told them.
"You too," Ron replied.
The pair didn't speak much as they entered the black SUV. The ride home was a bit more talkative, most of it Ron talking to Kim to make sure she was okay. She kept insisting that she was, but Ron refused to stop worrying until at least her mother checked her out. When they arrived back at Kim's house she insisted that Ron go home and get some sleep. Ron reluctantly agreed, and the SUV drove off to take him home, leaving Kim standing alone on the sidewalk in front of her house.
XXXXXXXXXX
Camille was lying in bed with her hairless pet cat, Debutante. She was busy holding up a book so that both of them could see its contents. As she continued reading it aloud, she heard her cell phone ring. She reached over to grab it and brought it close to her so she could see the caller ID. She sighed when she saw the number, but knew that she had to answer it.
"What do you want?" she answered rudely.
"You should show a little more respect to me," the other voice said.
"Well excuse me. It's a bit late you know."
"I want to know if you have it."
"Of course I have it."
"When will you be delivering it to me?"
Camille scoffed. She couldn't believe that he was calling her so late at night for this.
"You interrupted me for this?" she asked him. "I was reading Debutante her bedtime story."
The person on the other end was silent for a couple of seconds before speaking again.
"What debutante?" he asked.
She ignored the question.
"Look, you'll get it when I have time to bring it to you. Happy?"
"No I'm not happy!" he whined. "I'm paying you a lot for your services. I expect you to be prompt and efficient."
"Well it's not like I can send it to you in a UPS package. Don't worry about it. Seriously. Everything is going fine."
The man on the other end grumbled something under his breath before he spoke up to ask another question.
"Fine. So how is the second part of the plan going?"
Camille smiled and let out a tiny, quiet laugh before answering.
"It's going just as well. Tomorrow the fun will really begin."