I feel guilty now. Thanks so much for everyone popping up and reading! It means a lot.
Okay, I feel there is a lot of exposition in here, but I tried to get in some informational tidbits. I especially hope you like how I close this chapter.
"Well, well, well." Shego's voice was soft and ponderous. Her booted feet made no sound as she tread abound Ron. "Stoppable. Ron Stoppable. Haven't heard from you in awhile. What have you been up to lately? Carrying on with the same crowd? What's left of it? I heard about Kimmie. Sad day. But I like to think I had a hand in improving the situation."
Ron sucked in a much-needed breath. Why it was much-needed, he didn't know, but that apartment was lacking in air sufficiency, it seemed. Shego. What other blast from the past did he need at this time? "Kim says you got her out. You helped her."
She shrugged. "I'm not a thoroughly evil person. Besides, I needed her. And that's the reason I'm here."
"Here?"
"Your computer kid. Wade. He wrecked my shortcut. Where is he?" She reached into her coat pocket and with a toss of her black hair and a deft sweep of her arm slashed apart the binding ropes with a knife Ron barely had the time to spot. "And you can't say you don't owe me a thing because if I did nothing but practically bringing your old girlfriend back to life I at least untied you. Look you had quite the fun at this particular visit."
Ron flexed his wrists and with some stumbling climbed to his feet. How long had he been out?
"And don't play cute with me, Stoppable." She smiled grimly.
She still was cute. Where the hell did that thought pop from. "I have no idea. I think he just tried to kill me."
Shego closed her eyes and sighed. "And yet somehow I am not surprised. Move." With a blast of green Ron was thrown against the wall as Shego marched to a door. "Wade!" she screeched. "I know you're in there!"
And to Ron's surprise the door opened revealing Wade clutching a phone in one hand and that pack-a-punch device of earlier pain in the other. Moron wasn't supposed to walk up to a door Shego was at. Yet Wade looked distinctively and unmistakably shaken. He certainly deserved it. Ron fought a sudden urge to leap forward go for another attack. Why not? Shego was providing enough fearsome clout.
But therein lay the problem. At that moment Ron did not exist and Wade's full attention was on Shego.
"Shego," he finally said. "Good to see you. It's been years."
"In person, maybe." Shego's voice was deathly soft. "You lied to me."
Wade's grin was slow, but wicked. "I guess I did." He gripped the device all the tighter.
"Are your roommates home?" she asked. Same death voice.
Wade hesitated.
"The truth, boy."
"They all left about ten minutes ago."
"Good. I'm trying to get past the innocent victim thing. It's sloppy and unprofessional. Where is Darren?"
"I don't know. "
"You were supposed to be the great tracker. Or whatever it is you computer geeks do. You told me you knew. What happened? Fell out of companionship over the years?"
"Face it, Shego. I lied to you." Wade's voice only barely shook. "I don't know anything about Darren. I refuse to have anything to do with him."
"Unless it's to bother him." Shego stepped closer. "Yeah, I put two and two together."
Ron began to wonder if he should be attempting to do something. But he could only watch in fascination. It was a student thing he had tragically picked up in the past few years. Watch. Listen.
"You told me I'd find Darren there!" She screamed the phrase as Wade just avoided her glowing green blast. The little device skidded across the floor. "And I had to lie to Kim Possible! I was so close! Kim Possible is the one thing Darren wanted. And he's impossible to find. You will pay."
Whatever Wade liked to use for torture had landed at Ron's feet. It was not as if Wade deserved it or anything but.. there was some sort of loyalty. And Shego had just admitted to lying to Kim Possible. Yet despite his years of training, he had absolutely no idea what the weapon was supposed to do. So he did what he was best at: chuck it randomly and hope for the best.
It was heavy enough to send Shego unconscious when it collided with her head.
Wade picked it up as it bounced. "Geeze, Ron, I thought I killed you."
"Like you'd care."
"I told you, I didn't mean any harm."
"Did you ever test that thing?" Ron did not even want to look at Wade. "Seriously, it hurts."
"Never tested until you." Wade flipped it over in his hand. "Look, the thing with Kim… it was a huge mistake. I was twelve. I wasn't thinking clearly. I thought she'd handle it just fine."
"And you expect me to believe that?"
He shrugged. "It's the truth. I don't know what else to say."
Ron sniffed. He really did not want to hear anything Wade had to say. "You could say what the hell else is going on." He nodded at Shego's unconscious form.
"The other day she emailed me out of the blue. She wanted to know where Darren Sharp was. She had something to give him. I didn't think it would be Kim."
"Again, like you'd care."
"So… I lied. The thing is she thought she knew where she was. I just told her how to get inside. With incorrect information."
"You couldn't just help her out?" Ron bit his tongue at the end of that; he had just heard Shego threatening to sell off Kim.
"It's a favor to a friend. I'm not going to betray anyone else."
Ron's frown deepened. Wade was hiding something. But he suddenly found himself not caring. "I can't believe this. Kim was your friend."
"I know. I'm sorry. I haven't exactly mastered the time machine yet. My apologies." The sarcasm was deep.
"I'm out of here. Don't try to leave town."
Exactly seven minutes after Ron left, Jackson Sharp showed up at the apartment, wondering just what he was supposed to do with a colleague who murdered. An eighteen year-old colleague at that.
He screamed when he entered the apartment.
Wade sat on a stool, staring at the black-haired woman. He barely glanced up at Jackson entered. "Sorry I didn't call you back. I overreacted. No one is dead."
Jackson could only stare at the woman. It was impossible. And yet… of course. Why had he not thought of it before?
"You tried to kill her?"
Wade did not seem interested in conversation. "No. That was someone else. She just tried to kill me. My past is catching up with me. It really sucks."
"She tried to kill you."
"She's the one I gave the fake codes to."
Jackson closed his eyes. His heart was racing. "Why?"
"She was trying to pull off some sort of ransom. Something about a kid. She thought the kidnapper was in that building."
Jackson was silent a long time. "Mean trick. I applaud you."
"Thanks."
"Let her go."
For the first time Wade seemed to show energy. "What?"
Jackson had already turned to the door. "You heard me. Let her go."
"What is it exactly?" Kim pushed Brick aside in order to press her face closer to the chip.
"Obviously one of those computer things that permeate our society," replied Brick.
"Ooh, fancy words from you. I mean, what does it do? Our dead friend was tragically clueless. But if someone is willing to kill for it, it's important. Of course, that should be fairly obvious by now."
Brick scratched his ear. It was late, ridiculously late. He and Kim were the only ones in the entire station—perks of working with Kim Possible. Tara had long ago departed, wisely leaving the chip in their hands. Wise for Tara, bad for he and Kim, if this thing really did attract death. "So what do we do? Stand around and wait to be attacked and then question them before they kill us?"
Kim put her face in her hands and sighed. "Brick, I don't know! I haven't done this thing in a really long time! Let me think. All we know is that Tara did something incredibly stupid by stealing that off of a patient." She shook her head. "Wow. I still can't believe she's alive."
Neither could Brick. But after having repeatedly exclaim Kim's reappearance he did not feel like saying anything more. Though he did have to wonder which was more fascinating, Kim or Tara? Both had gone through pretty horrible fake deaths. And now both seemed so different than the teenager girls he had known. "I think we should call it a night. I've written down everything I could without exposing Tara. She's now known as an anonymous tip."
Kim smiled. "Way to respect her privacy. Nice."
Brick stared at the notes he had just written down. Anonymous tip and microchip. Before he knew what he was doing, he had picked them up and tore them.
"Brick!"
He shook his head. He must be insane. "I don't want to make any reports until we know just what is going on. We were supposed to investigate Tara's murder. She was never murdered. This is not on the record."
"Wow," said Kim.
"What?"
"Nothing. Just wow." She sighed. "Well, I'll be wild now. I'll take the chip."
Brick stared down at the chip. Tara had been supposedly killed over that. Kim had just returned from the dead. "Are you sure? What if they come after you?"
"According to Tara, this Sharp guy already knew I was alive. Doesn't matter. Thanks for the coffee, Brick."
Brick watched her as she disappeared through the door.
The night was cold. Kim found herself desperately wishing for a jacket. She had used to care so much about fashion. When had that changed?
The walk home took forever. She expected her family to up and waiting for her. That very thought warmed her plenty. What was she thinking, joining a case so early? Was work to be her Ron rebound? That wasn't fair to anyone.
But Ron was there like a ghost, standing on her lawn.
She stared at him. She did not want to speak to him. He had broken her heart. At least he did not have the nerve to wait inside.
"Kim!" he called.
She wanted to pretend she didn't see him. Curse this narrow lawn.
"KP!" he called, louder.
"Go away, Ron." The worst thing about coming back to life.
"I know who called Garrison."
She froze.
"Did it go well?" Grant asked. He was a man who enjoyed the life of a scientist. He certainly did not yet rank himself up there with all the great villains; in fact, he did not yet consider himself a villain. With today's love of justice, full villainy just wasn't the way to go. Too messy, such bad press.
Much better to be out for hire.
Tara nodded and sat down in the chair next to him. "Very well, sir. They believed me. "
"Who has the chip now?"
Tara shrugged. "Either. I imagine they took it to the station. Evidence. Has the real one been found yet?"
Grant shook his head. The greatest disappointment. "Darren is not happy about that."
"I'm sorry, sir." She whirled around in the swivel chair.
"Is something bothering you, Tara?"
She shrugged. "I just feel weird being used to imitate a dead girl. At least one in hiding. I don't understand why I just can't marvelously spring back to life."
"Your head was cut off. Darren's boys were sloppy in that regard."
"But the clone story worked for Flagg and Possible."
Grant laughed. "Tara, Tara, Tara. Possible's clone story just came out. We can't have two in a week."
"But I am a clone. A very good clone, too." She happily studied her arms and nails.
"If you're so good, and you are because I made you, you should go back into the house and look around for that chip."
Grant received a dark glare in return. He had made one clever clone this time.
"Sir," she said. "I don't think it would look good for me to be caught in a crime scene. The one where I died."
Grant sighed. "True, true."
