Authors Note: Had to recharge my writing batteries. Painting seems to do that. Hopefully the next update won't take as long. Thanks again to everyone for reading and reviewing. And thanks to my friend Brandon for beta reading.
Disclaimer: I don't own Kim Possible.
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"Your noble son is mad:
Mad call I it, for to define true madness,
What is't but to be nothing else but mad?
But let that go."
~Hamlet, ii, 2
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Camille was a bit nervous at the prospect of seeing Ron today. His attitude had fluctuated the previous day on a frightening scale. Some moments he was calm and collected. A second later he could be screaming at her to do something or insulting her for some trivial reason. He no longer resembled any of the young man she had once dated, even if it was just a fake relationship. She had no idea what to expect. He was becoming ever more erratic with each passing day. The unpredictability of his moods was more unnerving than his actual rage. She wished she could have him back to how he had been the morning he had shown up at her door.
That had been a wonderful day. He had displayed real emotion and concern for her. They had wreaked havoc upon a couple of their enemies and emotionally devastated Kim. It had been perfect. But since that day he has been getting more and more aggressive. Not just toward their enemies, but her as well. It was beginning to cause her concern. She had elected to be alone the previous evening because she didn't want to be with the person who had ordered her to dig up the Tempus Simia idol's head. She had nothing but bitterness for him after he had made her do that. But then there was what Kim had told her.
He had shown her the plans for his doomsday device. At first she had been thrilled. He was finally doing something with the brilliance she knew she had buried deep within him. He was finally going to make something of himself. With the device they would be able to have it all, she would be able to have her future back. She wouldn't have to worry about where money was going to come from or having to do tasks for Dr. Drakken. But then she had seen his plans. She didn't dare show any emotion when she saw what they were. She didn't know if it was a joke or if he was serious. One look at his face gave her the answer. It wasn't a doomsday device. It was insanity written down on paper.
Could it be true that the attitudinator was causing his mind to decay? She honestly didn't want to believe it. It had to be a trick. She had caused Kim so much pain and angst that the redhead was desperate. Convincing her that Ron was in grave danger to change him back was the only way Kim could beat her. She was sure of this. But still, that little seed of doubt had been planted in her mind. What if Kim wasn't lying? What if Ron's sudden and drastic change in demeanor was the result of his brain deteriorating?
Debutante was sitting in Camille's lap as she thought about these things. She was gently petting the hairless cat as her head laid back against the back of her couch. Why was it that everything in her life had to be flawed? Her childhood, her family, her wealth, and now her plans? Why couldn't she have something she truly wanted? She had had the time of her life causing chaos with Ron, and now there was a chance that this would be taken away as well. She decided that she would have to pay closer attention to his words and actions today.
And today was a big day. The plan was to go to Drakken's lair and secure the body of the Tempus Simia idol. It would be simple enough. Drakken knew and trusted Camille. They would be able to get in easily. And once inside they would neutralize the guards, and most importantly, Shego. After that was done they would get the idol from Drakken and make their escape. It was the perfect plan.
Now she just had to wait for Ron to arrive. She hoped he was in one of his good moods. The way the boy could suddenly change from calm to manic to enraged was frightening. The littlest thing could set him off one way or another. She had once thought that she had to put him in his place. But could one really bargain with an insane person? That was if he was even insane in the first place like Kim had told her.
Kim may have had a reason to lie, but she had a much more important reason to tell the truth. Camille knew how deep the bond they once shared was. She knew that they cared for each other like siblings. So there was no way that Kim would ever risk letting Ron die as she claimed he would if he was not cured of his condition. It was all such a mess. Even someone as experienced in manipulation like Camille couldn't tell whether she was being deceived or not.
She looked up when she heard the doorbell ring. Now was the moment of truth. More than just that though, it was the beginning of the final phase of his plan. She still didn't know what the Tempus Simia was supposed to do. All she knew was that he wanted it just like everyone else.
Ron looked relatively calm when she opened the door. He stepped past her and into her home.
"Are you ready to go?" he asked.
"Um, yeah. I guess," she said as she looked down at her attire.
Her clothing was unusually baggy for her. The skirts and tight outfits she normally enjoyed wearing were not proper for a mission. She knew that she wasn't going to be doing any fighting, that wasn't her thing. But if there was a need to run or climb something she knew that she had to be ready.
"Good. Call Drakken and arrange a pickup."
"How am I supposed to convince him to pick us up?"
"Not us," he corrected her. "Just you. Tell him you were successful in acquiring the idol head. He will be more than willing to send out a henchman. Just don't mention anything about me. We wouldn't want to spoil the surprise."
She saw the wisdom in his words. Of course she would have done the same thing. Her bringing along Kim Possible's former sidekick may make him hesitant, even if it was Shego who had turned him evil to begin with. She still had to ask the green freak why she did it in the first place.
"Alright. Hold on," she said as she got her cellphone out of her pocket.
Ron paced around her living room while she was on the phone with Dr. Drakken. It didn't take long for her to finish. Apparently Drakken was ecstatic and wanted his prize as soon as possible. Ron grinned when he thought about how disappointed the mad scientist would be.
"A guy is on the way," Camille said as she flipped her phone shut and stuffed it back into her pocket.
"Good."
"So like, how exactly do you plan on getting the idol from him? He's going to have a lot of guards in there. Shego too."
Ron nodded in agreement. He looked down at one of his own large cargo pockets.
"The tranquilizer chemical I made will be more than enough to take care of those fools. And that will leave Drakken alone at my mercy," he said as his right eye began to twitch. "And he will give it to me. Either that or I'll inflict such torment on him that he will be begging for his own death."
It took every ounce of Camille's skill and experience in acting to not look at Ron in horror. She may be a bitch, she may do evil things, but she wasn't a monster. She didn't inflict physical harm on others. She never tried to truly harm another individual. But alarms went off in her mind once she had heard Ron say "death". Like she had been thinking earlier, he was no longer the kind, gentle person who had fallen for her. He wasn't even the partner in crime she had grown fond of. He was something far worse, far more dangerous.
And that twitching… she didn't know what that was. She didn't know if it was involuntary or not but it freaked her out. Being a psychotic super villain was not what she had had in mind for him when she wanted him as a partner. She had wanted him for his potential, for his power. Not for… this.
The two teens spoke to each other idly as they waited for their ride to arrive. Camille couldn't wait for it to get there any quicker. The less alone time with Ron, the less freaked out she would be by his behavior. Soon enough she heard the familiar sound of one of Drakken's small hovercrafts landing in her backyard.
Ron turned to her with a wide grin on his face. His head was tilted at an almost impossible angle. It made Camille want to whimper in fear.
"Are you ready?" he asked, his frightening smile never leaving his face.
Camille could only nod in confirmation.
"Gooood…" he whispered, his reply creepily elongated.
It had been only three days since the attitudinator had been used on him. Camille wondered if what Kim had been talking about could happen that quickly. Whether she chose to believe the teen hero or not, one thing was certain. She did not like this new Ron. Not one bit.
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Kim had just returned from Wade's house with the most precious object in the universe. Well, at least to her it was. The previous day the boy had succeeded in fixing the old attitudinator the best he could. The twice-broken, fragile device that had been used on Ron once before had been restored to the best shape possible. The cracked bulb from the most recent device had also been stabilized. Of course both were still in less than perfect condition. One false step could shatter both beyond repair. It broke her heart to know that simple truth.
She set the secure box down on her desk before moving to her bed. Her depression had grown worse than she had thought possible. What had happened last night with Ron and Camille was the cause of it. She had left her guard down, she had let herself be vulnerable in front of the person she thought to be Josh. She knew that she didn't have any romantic feelings for the young man. But in that moment of absolute sorrow and weakness she had given in to the kiss. She just needed to feel something good at the moment. And a few seconds of passion seemed like as good of a release as any. Until it had all been ripped away.
When she had returned home that night she brushed her teeth more than once. She had used more than the recommended amount of mouthwash to cleanse her mouth. She had to get that taste out of her mouth. The very idea that Camille had been in there made her want to vomit. She couldn't believe the girl would stoop that low. But then there was what Camille had said after all that. The most painful part of any of the recent events is what she did to Ron.
Kim's eyes shut tightly when she thought about it. Poor Ron. Her poor, innocent best friend had been violated and used in so many ways since Camille had come to town. She didn't know if he would ever recover from this once he was cured of his condition. Kim stopped her thoughts right there as her depression and doubt crept back into her mind. What if she couldn't get him back? What if he did end up dying because of the actions of a few super villains?
Kim had always had supreme confidence in anything she did. She after all could do anything. It was more than just a motto, it defined who she was. But recently she had been getting beat more than she could ever remember. Her confidence had been shaken. She, along with many others, had been manipulated and duped at least once. How could she retain her self-assurance when there was that kind of danger at every turn?
She laid back on her bed and shut her eyes again. She wanted to give up so badly. The pain was too much to take anymore. If it wasn't for Ron she might have done so. But that one tiny spark kept her going. It wasn't just her that would be affected by all of this. Her best friend's life was in danger. And as long as he had a chance she would never give up. She didn't want to think of what she would do if she did end up losing him. Maybe Camille would be right, and she would slowly slip to the dark side in a quest for vengeance. Maybe that would be the final, cruel blow in this whole drama. Kim wouldn't allow it.
She curled up in her bed and hugged a pillow close to her chest. She didn't know what she was going to do. How could she get close enough to Ron to use the stable, but still very vulnerable attitudinator? He knew what it was. He knew what she intended to do with it. He would attempt to destroy it the first chance he had. And with Camille at his side he would be even more likely to escape the device before Kim could use it. It all seemed hopeless. She wanted to cry. Yet her eyes gave her nothing. Who knows how many tears she had already shed over the past several days? She figured there was nothing left.
She laid there for several minutes, simply thinking about everything. The silence was broken when she heard her mother's voice come from the tiny staircase that led to her attic room.
"Kim?" Anne said. "You have a visitor."
Kim lifted her head with curiosity filling her face. She had no idea who it could be. Probably Monique wanting to cheer her up. Or maybe it was Camille. Maybe she had come to mess with her mind again.
She leapt out of bed and was wide awake now that the thought had entered her mind. If Camille wanted a fight she would get one. But the face she saw was probably the last she would have expected.
"Junior?" she asked.
The young billionaire climbed up the ladder and into her room. He smiled at her, but it did nothing to lower her guard against him.
"Hello Kim!" he said cheerfully, before his expression changed to one of concern. "Why is it that you have your fists pointed at me like that?"
"Because I have to find out if you're the real Junior or not."
His face was riddled with confusion as he looked down at the floor.
"Okay, what can I do to prove to you I am the real Junior? And who is the fake Junior?"
Kim's mind raced as she thought about her previous experiences with him. She had to find some kind of minor detail that he would remember. She finally thought of something.
"What were you doing that caused the accidental blackouts in Europe when we first met?"
Junior rubbed his chin thoughtfully as he considered her question. Kim was ready to pounce at a moment's notice. If he said anything wrong she would beat him to a pulp. She couldn't take any risks. Camille could not be allowed anywhere near the attitudinator.
"I believe it was because I was using the giant light bulb to work on my fabulous tan," he said confidently.
Kim let her arms fall to her sides as her expression softened. He had passed the test. She laughed on the inside when she thought that it must be a rare thing for him to pass a test. But as soon as she had thought that she mentally chastised herself. She shouldn't be mocking him. He was the closest thing she had to a partner at the moment. For better or for worse they were in this thing together. They both had something at stake, her best friend and his father.
"Okay. I believe you."
He nodded happily and sat down on her bed beside her. He noticed that her eyes were a bit red and puffy as well as the dark bags which were under them.
"Have you been crying?" he wondered.
Kim hated being seen as weak. She hid her moments of weakness the best she could, no matter who it was she was concealing them from. But the way he had come out and said it she knew there was no way to deny it.
"Yeah, a little bit," she lied. She had cried more than a little.
"About what?"
"About… Ron. About everything. A lot has happened since our mission to Australia."
"Please tell me. I wish to know what is happening with my father."
Kim had completely forgotten about Senior. Once she had learned the truth about Camille her thoughts had been focused on Ron. And since learning of Ron's turn to evil, and finding out that his life was in danger because of it, her attention had been focused purely on that. Junior was still in the dark about it all.
"Well…" she began before pausing for a moment. "It's more than just your dad now. It's about Ron too."
She spent the next few minutes explaining everything that had occurred since the day they had gone to Australia together. It seemed like a lifetime ago. She couldn't believe that it had only been a few days. Junior listened intently to her every word. She couldn't ever remember him being so focused on anything except dancing and his hair. But she figured that it was because this was personal for him as well. If Kim failed, Senior would still be in the clutches of Dr. Drakken. And Junior could not rescue him alone.
She couldn't hide the forlorn tone in her voice. She had never before faced such a challenge. There were multiple enemies all around her bent on either world conquest or her own personal destruction. Worse still, her best friend was among them. Sure, she had once before fought against Ron when he had been turned evil. But at the time there wasn't a time limit on his life. Well, at least not one she had known about at the time. Ignorance was bliss after all. Without knowing how little time she had back then to change him back there has been a lot less stress and pressure. Now it felt as if the weight of the world rested on her shoulders, even more so than usual.
Furthermore back then she had had an ally on her side. Junior may have been somewhat competent, but he was no match for Dr. Drakken, even when he was a good guy. Junior had little to no skills to offer in this fight, while Drakken was a genius with technology. Kim could only hope that what Junior lacked in brains he could make up for in brawn. Then again she had seen him fight against Monkey Fist before. He had no chance against the simian freak. But at least he might be able to provide a distraction for her…
After Kim finished explaining everything to him they sat in silence for a few seconds. She didn't know what else to say, while he was still digesting everything he had heard.
"Then this has become very personal for both of us," he finally said.
Kim nodded grimly.
"Then we have no choice but to save your friend. Come on, let's go."
She shot a incredulous look at him as he stood up from her bed.
"Go? Go where?"
"To Ron's House. Or Camille's, wherever they are."
"You think it will be that easy?"
He looked at her as if she had just turned as blue as Drakken.
"Yes? Why would it not be?"
"You don't just barge into a villain's lair… house… and shove an attitudinator on a person's head."
"Why not? You do it all the time to father and me. You never come invited, you never knock. You just barge in, as you say."
She had to give him that. Most of the time she thought about her plans as she went along. There was no time to plan out some brilliant tactical maneuver when Drakken or Dementor was stealing a priceless artifact or valuable technology. It was go in, neutralize the threat, and recover the item in question. It sometimes amazed her that in all of this time that neither she nor Ron had ever been seriously hurt. To call her reckless would be an understatement.
"Yeah but…" she frowned.
"But what? You are Kim Possible. You are the blue fox. You can do anything."
"Blue fox… right," smiled as she shook her head. "I thought you were going to give up on that animology stuff."
"Oh yes, I did," he said proudly. "And you will be happy to know that I have decided to take a chance on someone for whom I have felt something for a while now."
Kim feared what he was going to say next. He had made his feelings loud and clear on the helicopter ride several days earlier. She knew that he felt something for her, something that she didn't feel for him in return. It was a conversation she was dreading to have, but knew that it had to happen. She would have to let him down easily and hope that he understood.
"Junior, I'm flattered. I really am. But I just don't feel the same way about you that you do about me. I'm sorry."
He once again looked at her strangely. She hoped that he wasn't taking it too hard.
"You?" he asked humorously. "Oh Kim, I am sorry that I ever gave such an impression. It is not your eye that I wish to get the attention of."
Kim felt like she had just been punched in the gut. She felt like a fool. Junior didn't like her? It wasn't her that he was trying to gain the favor of? She had been so sure. But now she had been rejected by him. It shouldn't have felt so bad. After all, it wasn't like she had any feelings for him either. But still, it felt nice to be desired. Knowing that other people found you attractive was a good feeling. But if not her, who?
"Oh…" she said softly. "Wow, I'm so embarrassed."
"Do not concern yourself with that," he smiled. "I decided to take your advice and not rely on a stupid animology book to tell me who to have feelings for. Instead I went out there and took chances. And I think they have paid off."
Kim couldn't help but feel a tiny smirk threatening to blossom into a full grin. She loved helping people. It was what she did. It was why she was in the world saving business. And despite not rescuing a foreign prince or recovering a priceless work of art this time, she had still helped someone. She had helped Junior. Just a few simple words had shown him that his pursuit of a relationship was not bound to what a stupid little book said. In her darkest hour, a small spark of light was all it took to make her feel just a little bit good once again.
"I'm so happy for you, Junior. Who is it?"
"Well… there is nothing official right now. But let us just say that I came to this epiphany while I was getting the best massage I had ever had."
Kim didn't know what he meant by that. But seeing how he didn't want to reveal the object of his affections just yet, she wouldn't press the issue. Besides, she had been distracted for too long by this conversation. And while it felt good to escape the dark horrors of her life, even for only a few minutes, she knew that she had much more important things to do. But at the same time…
All traces of happiness fled her face as she looked down to the floor. Her changed expression didn't go unnoticed by her guest, who once more looked at her with concern.
"Kim? If my secrecy makes you feel this unhappy I will gladly tell you. After all, you are the reason I felt brave enough to pursue this action in the first place."
"No, no it's not that. It's just… whenever I think about everything that's happened, everything that has to happen, it just all feels so hopeless. For the first time in my life I don't feel like I can do anything. What if I lose Ron? What if he dies because I wasn't able to save him?"
Junior didn't know that she was capable of doubt. Sometimes it was hard to remember that she was human just like he was. Everything she did seemed perfect and effortless. She had foiled his father's plans on more than one occasion. To hear that she had fears about what she did in a way destroyed the mystique that the villain community had for her. She was after all Kim Possible. She could do anything. And she did do anything on a regular basis.
"You cannot think like that. If you did you would not be sitting here right now. Do you remember when father and I put you on a conveyor belt to be frozen by the mini corn dog freezer?"
Kim nodded silently.
"You did not panic or give up there. You were able to escape and foil father's villainous plot. And there is no reason you cannot do it this time too."
"But-"
"Now I intend on turning Ron good again so we can all go rescue my father. Are you coming with me or not?"
It was like a slap to the face. If Senor Senior Jr. wasn't about to give up, if he wasn't about to let fear control him, then how could she let it? She was a hero. She had done this kind of thing dozens of times. And now, as never before, she had something truly worth fighting for. It wasn't a faceless organization or out of touch millionaire. It wasn't a cold, random piece of technology or some lofty ideal. It was Ron. He, more than anything else that had come before, was worth fighting for. He was worth giving everything she had in this mission.
Kim stood up and clenched her fists. She locked eyes with Junior as she took a deep breath.
"Alright. Let's go rescue your dad, and my best friend."
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When Drakken's small hover craft landed Camille and Ron wasted no time to board. At first the henchman who was piloting the craft gave her a questioning glance when he noticed Ron climb aboard. Few people could remember Ron, not even his name. But faces were easier to remember, especially the face of the sidekick of the girl who beat you up on a regular basis. Drakken may not have remembered anything about him, but at least this henchman did.
The man's look did not go unnoticed by the fallen heiress, who merely scowled at him before speaking.
"Look, you just do your job and fly us to Drakken's lair. Got it?"
"Yes Ms. Leon," he nodded.
Satisfied that the man had been put in his place, Camille took a seat next to Ron. He had his forehead pressed against one of the side windows. She didn't want to disturb whatever he was doing. The less they spoke the less chance there was for her to feel uncomfortable around him.
She felt fortunate that he had not spoken much on the flight to the lair. Occasionally he would mumble something, but she figured it was to himself since he never looked to her for an answer or comment.
Eventually he reached into his pocket and produced a deck of cards. He didn't ask her to play, but instead began shuffling them. He laughed maniacally as he did so, as if the cards themselves had told some joke that only he had heard. After several seconds of doing this he began laying them down to play a game of solitaire. She was thankful that he had not asked her to play something different.
As she glanced out her own window, Camille wondered what she was going to do after they got the Tempus Simia. They had no plan beyond getting it. And Ron was acting even worse than he was the prior day. She wondered if he even knew what to do with the stupid little statue. She wondered if it had any power at all. He of course believed it. He claimed that Monkey Fist never went after anything that didn't have real power. That was enough for him to go on. But Camille knew better. She knew that Monkey Fist was a psychotic freak who was obsessed with ancient magic. Was Ron going to become like him now?
She was brought out of her thoughts when she saw the tiny craft entering the landing bay of the lair. She had been here a couple times before, but it never felt quite right to be entering the home of a madman. She frowned when that thought hit her. Did she have nothing but madmen in her life these days? Where had it all gone so wrong? She was certain that one of the voices in her head would be more than willing to provide an answer. But by now she knew better than to listen to them, much less seek their advice. It made her wonder even more about the madmen in her life. Was she just one more of the insane people she knew? She didn't want to think about the answer.
The three of them disembarked from the craft as soon as it touched down. The henchman took the lead as he led them to the room that his employer was in, but he was obviously a bit uncomfortable in the presence of Kim Possible's sidekick. Even if he was usually ineffective it was still unnerving for him to be there. Henchmen may not have been the brightest people out there, but this man had thought at least once about it being some kind of setup. If only he knew the truth.
The doors to the main control room whooshed open as they strode in. It was a sound that Camille hated. Doors should not whoosh. It was an aspect of the life of villainy that she hated. There were plenty of things she didn't like about it, but she had been forced into it by circumstances beyond her control. Of course a person could say that she had other choices, but not to her. Once one started on the twisting road of vengeance there was little way to turn back. And the target of her vengeance was in this very lair. Just another perk of coming here today with Ron.
Shego looked up briefly at the noise before lowering her head back down to the fingernails she was filing. She did a double take and looked back up when she realized who had entered the room.
Drakken on the other hand was much more enthusiastic when he heard the door open. This was his triumph, his ultimate victory. Camille was about to deliver the item he sought, the item he desired more than anything in the world. But the huge grin on his face shrunk when he saw who had come in beside Camille. It turned into a grimace when he thought about what it must mean. Kim Possible must be near. But how? And why? And why wasn't she with him right now? He thought that they were no longer a team because of Camille's efforts. Seeing Ron here made him doubt it to be true.
He stormed over to them angrily as Shego stood from her seat.
"What's going on! Who let the buffoon in here!" he yelled at Camille.
Shego moved closer to him and ignited her fists in preparation for a fight. Both villains eyed the pair of blondes cautiously.
"Relax Drakken, he's on our side," Camille said, only telling half of the truth. It was something she had grown used to doing.
"What are you talking about? Where's Kim Possible?"
Ron began laughing like a maniac at the mention of Kim's name. His head whipped back and his mouth went wide as laughter erupted out of his mouth for many long seconds. Drakken gave Shego a curious look, which was only intensified when he noticed the look on her face.
"Oh no…" the villainess whispered.
"Oh no? Shego what's going on here!" Drakken snapped.
"It's… the attitudinator…" she said louder this time.
Drakken turned back to Ron who was still laughing up a storm. It looked as if there was no sign of him stopping anytime soon.
"Duh," Camille mocked. "You should know it's the attitudinator Shego, since you were the one who used it on him."
Shego was genuinely confused.
"What?"
"What do you mean, 'what'? You used the attitudinator on Ron last Thursday. It's kind of common knowledge these days. No use hiding it anymore."
"Shego, why didn't you tell me you did this?" Drakken asked.
"Because I didn't know myself…" she said thoughtfully. "What are you babbling about, blondie? I never used that thing on Stoppable. I would never want to again. He's a freak when he's evil."
Camille knew the truth in that statement. He was far more than a freak though. Shego was a freak with her comet powers. She herself was a freak with her shape shifting abilities. But Ron, he was no freak. He was simply… psychotic now.
"Then why did he tell me you did it?"
"How should I know what goes on in his head? I didn't do it. Don't know who did, don't care either. All I know is that I don't want him in this lair if he's all… evil."
"Shego, do you mean to tell me that you're afraid of the sidekick?" Drakken wondered.
She shot him a dirty glare for implying that she feared Ron. Even though she did a little bit she would never admit it. The incident with the sharks from several months earlier was still fresh in her mind. She wasn't used to the chilling fear that she felt being only steps away from falling into the pool of vicious sharks. But for that part of the day she spent with Ron under the effects of the attitudinator, she knew fear. And she did not want to experience it again.
"I'm not afraid of anyone. Especially the sidekick," she growled at Drakken. She knew it was a lie, but she wasn't about to lose face in front of her employer and their two guests.
Ron's laughter had finally ended in the middle of their conversation and he was more than willing to offer is input on the subject.
"Not afraid?" he asked. "I seem to remember putting you in your place when you were my sidekick."
Shego took an angry, yet cautious step forward when he insulted her.
"Keep talking like that and I'll put my boot in its place in a very uncomfortable spot for you."
Ron laughed once more, his high pitched cackle sounding more on par with a hyena than a human now. Any normal person would be unnerved by such a sound, but the three villains he stood with appeared to be unfazed.
"And knock it off with the stupid laugh."
"Don't get so upset, sidekick," Ron said to Shego. He knew that she hated being referred to as a sidekick. "You were the one who said you loved my evil laugh."
Shego remembered saying those words. It was hard to forget one of the few times in the past several years she had truly been afraid of being harmed.
"And you, being the idiot that you are, actually believed me. Though I shouldn't be surprised, with you being who you are."
Camille had had enough of these "pleasantries" between Ron and Shego. She was here for a reason. It was about time they got down to business.
"Look, are we going to do what we came here to do?" she asked the three others.
Drakken nodded approvingly. He was waiting for his monkey head after all. Standing there listening to Ron and Shego insult each other was getting him nowhere
"Yes I agree. Did you bring the Tempus Simia idol head, Camille?"
Camille turned her head and looked into Ron's eyes. An unspoken understanding was reached at once.
"Yes Drakken, we brought it. It's right here in this bag," Ron said as he reached into it.
What he pulled out was the last possible thing that either Drakken or Shego would have expected. In a flash he pulled out his large, converted paintball gun and fired a dart into Shego's stomach. The green-hued woman looked down at the tranquilizer dart protruding from her body before looking back up at the young man who had shot it.
"What…?" was all she managed to say before she slumped to her knees and fell face first onto the floor.
With precision gained from years of playing video games, Ron was on the move and shooting all of the red-clad henchmen that he could find. One by one the men fell to the ground unconscious until the magazine was out of ammunition. Tossing the weapon aside he decided that he had to do things the old fashioned way for the last two men.
Ron was never very good at martial arts. Sure he had mystical monkey power. Sure he had trained at the Yamanouchi School for a while. But he had never been able to harness his abilities. Until now. He didn't know why, but he suddenly fought with unprecedented skill and precision against the lumbering oafs that sought to bring him down. He could only assume it was because of the attitudinator, but his twisted mind didn't really care about the cause. He only cared about the effects. And they were clear for anyone to see.
The first henchman ran at him with a raised fist. Ron stood ready for combat until the last possible second. He spun and delivered a brutal kick into the man's gut which sent him stumbling several feet backwards. Seizing the initiative, Ron charged the slightly shaken man and sent a hard fist into his abdomen, knocking the wind out of him. As he was doubled over in pain, Ron grabbed him by the hair and drove his knee into the man's face. Blood poured out of the man's shattered nose as he fell to the ground clutching his wound.
The second man, seeing what had happened to his comrade, was much more cautious. Part of him wanted to run after witnessing such brutality, but at the same time he didn't want to be bested by a teenager. He hefted his crackling power staff in both hands and the two opponents circled one another warily.
He thrust the tip of his staff at Ron who evaded the blow with surprising grace. The young man next ducked under a hard, wild swing that threatened to set the henchman off balance. Had the blow made contact Ron would have been out of the fight instantly, but it was not meant to be. In response Ron stayed down low and swept the man's feet from under him. The henchman thudded onto his back while he still clutched the staff. He looked around to see where Ron was and grunted in pain when he realized that he was already upon him. Ron grappled with him for control of the staff, and the fact that he was atop the other man gave him leverage over the henchman's superior strength. He was able to bring the staff down upon the man's throat and began choking him with his own weapon.
Camille watched the conflict with a mixture of horror and awe, wondering how he could possibly defeat the large men with such ease. When she realized that he was strangling the fallen man she had to step in. She may have been a criminal, but she was a thief. She didn't condone doing this to another human being.
"Let him breathe!" she shouted to her partner.
Ron simply ignored her. He kept pressing down on the man's windpipe.
Camille sprinted over to where the two were struggling and grabbed hold of Ron's shoulder. In an instant he spun around instinctively and struck Camille's face with the back of his hand. Her head whipped aside from the blow and she staggered back a few steps. Only then did Ron realize what he had done.
He stood over the henchman who was gasping for air and looked down at him briefly to make sure he wouldn't get up any time soon. After that he turned to his partner.
"What do you think you're doing!" he yelled.
She balled her hands up into fists as her eyes penetrated him with seething rage.
"Why did you just hit me!" she yelled back with equal fury.
"Don't get involved in things that don't concern you! I had everything perfectly under control!"
"You were going to kill him!"
He shook his head bitterly as the two continued to stare at each other.
"Stupid girl. You don't know anything about this game. You're just a spoiled brat who lost her fortune and thinks she's a super villain."
She wanted to hit him for saying that. She wanted so badly to strike him across the face harder than she had ever hit anyone before. But she couldn't. She knew that calling him unstable would be an understatement. If he was capable of doing what he did to those henchmen, what could he do to her?
Camille's breathing was heavy as she struggled to think of a response to his words, be it verbal or physical. But as she stood there in thought Ron had already forgotten about the altercation and turned to Drakken. He grabbed the mad scientist by his lab coat and shook him violently.
"Where is the body of the Tempus Simia!"
"T-t-tempus Simia?" he stuttered.
"You'd better start listening really good. If you don't hand over the idol right now, I'll do to you what I did to your hired help. Only it will be a lot slower and more painful."
Drakken didn't want to admit it but he was terrified. He never could have imagined the sidekick being like this. But here it was. Ron had left him with little choice in the matter. He would just have to give in.
"Yes, fine. I'll give you the idol. Please just don't hurt me."
Ron's insane laughter returned in full force. It took several more seconds for him to calm down.
"Oh yes, I won't hurt you. You just give me what I want and we'll leave you in peace," he said as laughter slipped into his words.
He released Drakken who simply stood there for a few moments. He hadn't moved a step.
"What are you waiting for!"
In an instant Ron's world went black. He fell hard on the floor and laid there unmoving. Shego stood towering over him with glowing green fists.
"It takes a lot more than some little tranq mix to knock me out of the fight…" she said to his unconscious body.
She turned her attention to Camille who was standing there in stunned disbelief. The blonde had been too focused on what Ron and Drakken were doing to notice that Shego had stood up. By the time she had seen the villainess regain consciousness it had been too late. Part of her wondered whether or not she would have warned Ron even if she had the time to do so.
"And you," Shego said as she walked over to Camille. "I don't know what game you're playing, but I don't enjoy being betrayed. You're both going to pay for this."
"That's right!" Drakken said with renewed courage. "We don't like being played. We do the playing! Because we're the best at the game!"
Shego turned to him and shook her head sadly.
"No Dr. D. Just… just stop."
He didn't know what he had said to warrant that kind of reaction. Personally he thought it sounded pretty cool. But apparently Shego thought otherwise.
"And what are you going to do with me?" Camille asked.
A sly grin spread over Shego's face.
"I think I'm going to let you rot in one of our holding cells. Right next to the one Senor Senior Sr. is in. You two have a lot of catching up to do."
Camille was about to protest, but was cut off when the other woman grabber her arm and led her out of the room and to the detention area.
XXXXXXXXXX
It was a mission of utmost importance.
Doomsday machines were harmless. Giant lasers were nothing. Covering Wisconsin with molten cheese was laughable. This was her best friend on the line here. Nothing could go wrong.
It was why this mission had to be handled the right way. Kim and Junior had first travelled to Ron's house. She knew he would most likely not be there, but she wanted to know what his current condition was like. Mrs. Stoppable did not know what was happening to her son. Kim wondered what he acted like around her when he was at home… if he was at home. It was Sunday after all, he had no obligation to be home at a certain hour like he would be on a school night. Sure, he was still a minor. But thanks to Camille being eighteen he did have an excuse to stay out all night… with her. The thought made Kim nauseous.
When she had spoken with his mother everything seemed to be fine. According to her nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Either he was better than she had thought he would be at concealing his insanity, or he just hadn't been home at all. She sincerely hoped it was the latter. The thought of him being around his innocent family in his current state sent chills through her body.
That left just one place he could be. It was the only logical place left. Camille's house.
The walk hadn't been far. Middleton was a good-sized city, but not huge. The teenagers who went to Middleton High School were all fairly close together. Nearly everyone worth reaching was within a mile of Kim's own home. That made Kim and Junior's trip easy enough.
The last time, the only time in fact, that Kim had been to this house was in the middle of the night. Back then she had had little appreciation for how secluded it was from any of the other houses in the city. It was by no means a mansion, but at the same time there wasn't another home close to it. It was the perfect spot for a person who valued their privacy. And knowing Camille's nature, it was perfect for the manipulative young woman.
Kim turned to Junior who looked unimpressed by the house. Of course he had seen much bigger and fancier places to live. He had in fact lived in one not too long ago. But it was gone now, reduced to rubble and ashes by the attack committed by Dr. Drakken. It was just another injustice due to the spoiled heiress. It didn't matter that the Seniors were villains as well. They had done nothing wrong that day, it had been an unprovoked and undeserved assault.
"Alright Junior, here's the plan. I'm going to grapple up to the window up there," she said pointing to one of the windows on the second story of the house. "I'm going to find and subdue them and then open the front door for you. You're in charge of the box," she said as she looked down at the precious object in his hands. "Under no circumstances can you let it fall or break. I don't care how safe and impact-proof Wade said it was, I don't want that thing touching the ground. Can you do that?"
Junior nodded purposefully. He looked more determined than he ever had in his life.
"Yes Kim, I can do this," he said with confidence filling every word. "You can count on me. We are partners after all. Despite what father said about the blue fox and yellow trout not being together, it turns out we have made a pretty good team."
There was a time where she had believed in animology. Those days had long since passed. But looking back on it, she did find it humorous that it stated that the yellow trout would be her perfect mate. As it turns out it was only partially accurate. A perfect mate? No. A perfect partner? Not even that. But a perfect… friend? Maybe. They had a long way to go before they could call themselves that. But circumstances had brought them together in the most unlikely of ways. They needed to help each other a lot more than they needed to fight. And neither had a problem with the partnership. Kim silently wondered what would happen when it was all finished. Would they go back to being enemies? She couldn't imagine either of them being completely comfortable if that were to be the case.
She aimed her grappling gun at Camille's roof and fired. In only seconds she was on her way to the top. She rested her legs on the windowsill while maintaining her grip on the modified hair dryer with her left hand. With her right she reached into a pocket and fished out her laser lipstick. It took only seconds for her to slice through the glass and gain entrance to the home.
Being here once before she knew the lay of the land. She carefully snuck around and kept her ears open for any sounds. There were none. No talking, no TV, nothing. It was eerily silent. She swept through the house searching room by room for her quarry. They were nowhere to be found. Once she had reached the living room she was startled to hear a soft thud on the ground. A hairless cat had jumped out from its hiding place and trotted up to Kim to inspect her. The cat began sniffing the ankles of her pants before rubbing its face against them. For a split second Kim thought about bending over to pet the friendly feline. The thought immediately vanished when she remembered her mission. But the mission was apparently a failure. They weren't here. No one was.
She sighed dejectedly as she went to the front door. Junior was waiting there as instructed. But rather than inviting him in she stepped outside and closed the door behind her. Her gave her a questioning look.
"What is wrong?" he asked.
She shook her head in disappointment briefly before answering.
"They're not there. I don't know where they are…"
He didn't say a word in response. Instead he just frowned. There were no words that would comfort her at the moment. Unless…
"Can your computer friend not find him?"
Kim looked up in sudden shock. Of course. Why hadn't she thought of it? The answer hit her immediately.
The tracking chip wasn't exactly something she liked to remember. It was the source of so many problems recently so she had almost forced the memory from her mind. But it would work. All she had to do was call Wade and get a GPS location on the chip. And then they would find Ron.
"Junior you're a genius!" she exclaimed. Her choice of words surprised him as much as it did her. Clearly no one had ever uttered those words to him.
He beamed with pride at being complimented like that. It felt good to not be called a failure or stupid. He was really beginning to like hanging around with the redhead.
Kim brought her kimmunicator out from her pocket and got Wade on the screen.
"Wade, I need you to get a location on Ron right away!"
Not fazed by the lack of a greeting, Wade began typing at his keyboard. It took only a few seconds for him to find the information that they sought. A puzzled expression crossed his face when he did find it.
"Kim, you're not gonna like it."
"Why not?"
"He's in the middle of the Rocky Mountains."
Fear shot through her body when she realized what that had to mean.
"So he's with Drakken…" she said softly.
"That's the only explanation I can come up with."
"Okay. I've dealt with Drakken plenty of times. This will be no different. I need a ride right now. Is GJ available?"
He frowned when he heard those two letters. Kim didn't like the look of it.
"That's the thing… Global Justice told me that they weren't your personal taxi service. They won't be taking my calls for a while."
Kim mentally cursed upon hearing the news. Global Justice provided her with the fastest rides available. Anything else seemed like ancient technology compared to their hover jets.
"So who does that leave us with?"
"There are only a couple people near us who both owe you a favor and have a plane. I'll get on the phone with one of them. But just remember that it will be a lot slower than usual."
"I know. Thanks Wade."
She stuffed the kimmunicator back into her pocket before looking back at Junior.
"Okay, we seem to have some time to waste… Bueno Nacho?" she asked casually.
He thought about it for a few moments before replying.
"Only if they still have those salads. I simply cannot stand to have those greasy trans fats ruining my spectacular physique."
"Don't worry. They have salads."
"Wonderful. Then we will go to Bueno Nacho until our ride arrives."
The two wasted no time getting to the fast food restaurant. As they were walking to their destination Kim could only hope that her experience there would be better than the last time.
XXXXXXXXXX
Camille was tossed carelessly into one of the small cells in the prisoner area of Dr. Drakken's lair. Before she could stand up again the door was slammed shut. There would be no escape any time soon.
She watched as Dr. Drakken was dragging the still unconscious Ron by his arms on the floor. It was taking a great deal of effort to bring the young man into his own cell. Shego watched him in amusement as he tried to turn the body so it would fit through the small cell door entrance.
"You know I pay you to do these kinds of things!" he barked at his employee.
"What's wrong? Not man enough to do it yourself?" she smirked.
"I am more than man enough! It would just be nice if you would have shown some professionalism and offered! That's all!"
"Okay Dr. D. Easy there. I didn't mean to get you all worked up like that."
"I am not worked up!"
His yelling only served to prove her right. It took a few seconds, but he eventually did bring Ron inside the third cell and shut the door. He walked to stand next to Shego.
The villainess was standing with folded arms as she stared at Camille. Both their faces were filled with venomous hatred.
"Next time, tell loser-boy there to use a stronger tranquilizer," Shego smiled. "I guess he forgot that I'm not a basic, average girl," she said as she ignited a fist. "I was only out for a couple minutes before my body was able to flush the drugs from my system."
"Whatever," Camille said uninterestedly as she blew a stand of hair out of her face.
"Don't feel so bad. Soon we'll be ruling the world. Maybe we'll give you and Stoppable important positions. I'm thinking court jesters. What do you think, Dr. D?"
"Yes, that will do just fine. Now tell me Camille, where is my monkey head!"
"I would say it's in your pants, but I honestly have my doubts…" Camille smirked.
"What!"
Drakken gripped the bars of the cell door and began trying to pry them apart. Of course they all knew he wouldn't be able to do anything. It was all just for show, proof of how angry he was.
Regardless of this, Shego put a hand on his shoulder and turned him away from the blonde.
"How about we have a time out?" she said sarcastically. "Maybe give you time to cool off. Then we can come back and get what we want."
He mumbled something under his breath before he turned and walked out of the room. Shego stood there a moment longer and looked back at Camille before following her boss.
Camille took a seat on the small bed in the room. She hadn't even remembered who was in the other cell next to hers. His voice stirred her from her thoughts.
"Camille? What are you doing here? Are you okay?" Senior asked with genuine concern.
She turned her head to see the elderly man standing next to the bars that separated their cells. Like her own, Senior's gaze was penetrating and calculating. His icy blue eyes stared into her own. They were eyes that his own flesh and blood shared.
"Hello grandfather," she said indifferently.