"And so begins the endgame." Jack Hench declared. He had quite a habit of talking to himself when conducting his many schemes that had kept him in power for nearly twenty years.
He was forced to admit, even he didn't suspect that this kind of move would actually be successful. The first rule he followed was to know your enemy, which meant that Hench was very aware of the high regard both Director and most of the Agents in her employ held Kim Possible. He knew they would risk their lives without a second thought to rescue her, and to a lesser extent, Ronald.
When an informant revealed to him the existence of Order 31, that had taken even Hench by surprise. That some saw her as such a threat as to be eliminated immediately without even an attempt to place her under arrest... It shows how short-sighted they truly are. Hench thought. His organization rivaled them in scale, and Kim Possible was no more than a minimal threat to his empire.
She had become a means to an end, nothing more. How ironic that the public face of Global Justice would be the one to bring them down. Hench knew such a task was risky, but he had been running out of options. He had lost close to 200 million in profits in just a month, warning him that they were beginning to seriously infiltrate. While he hunted down and purged any undercover agents he found, Hench was sure he had not found them all, being that more and more of his businesses were being shut down or investigated. Hench knew better than to starting ordering hits on random employees; he had seen numerous others in his position brought down by just that sort of folly.
When opportunity showed itself, however, he acted. Some government employee with high clearance said he could give him what he wanted. Hench didn't ask further than that and to his surprise, could find out next to nothing about him. He was higher on the food chain than Hench had ever imagined.
Even so, the man had believed that Hench wanted to kill Kim Possible and offered his help, and Jack didn't deem it necessary to correct him. Let him have his delusions; people seeking revenge were far too easy to manipulate. So far as he was concerned, revenge impeded business.
"And now Miss Possible's on the run." Hench honestly did not care what happened to her; whether she lived or died, his plan would still come to fruition. He would even have expressed regret had he been capable of doing so. She really was quite remarkable, as was her frequently overlooked friend.
All he needed was to let this scenario play out for a few more days before informing the media. They'd never be able to resist a story like this, and all the denials in the world wouldn't make any difference whatsoever.
XXXXXXXXXX
Kim slowly opened her eyes, blinking rapidly in order to get adjusted to the light. What time was it? She had no way to know for sure, but with the sun rising in the east, she assumed it was sometime in the early morning.
After conceding that she was not going to manage to obtain any more sleep, Kim pulled herself out of the sleeping bag and monitored her surroundings. They moved from place to place every night in order to make it more difficult to hunt them down. Even she wasn't 100 percent sure where she currently was, being that electronic equipment was useless out here unless she wanted agents to hunt them both down.
Ron was currently snoring loudly inside his sleeping bag, cradling a soft log as if it was a pillow. Not a single animal was in sight, and Kim surmised that his snoring had spooked them all off. Technically, he was supposed to keep watch until she awoke, but fatigue had obviously overcome him. She saw no need to reprimand him; she was awake and they were safe.
"Are we?" She whispered and scanned the area with her eyes peeled, ready to jump into action immediately if the slightest threat presented itself. Most Global Justice agents were not as skilled as the two of them, but with sufficient numbers, their skill would matter little in the long run. On the surface, nothing appeared out of the ordinary, but since the forest was thick with trees and shrubs, it meant that they could be hiding anywhere.
Kim stayed low to the ground, moving slowly, relying on the camouflage she was currently wearing. There was a mild breeze, blowing the plants from side to side, but she still saw nobody concealed behind them. For all I know, they're watching us from miles away. Kim thought. She couldn't do much about it, however, and if they had been discovered, she had no doubts that both of them would either be dead or captured.
Her stomach started growling, turning her attention to food instead of possible surveillance. Kim grabbed one of the plastic bags and began eating the berries that Ron had picked for them both. He swore they were safe to eat, and since he consumed close to a pound of them yesterday, she did not think that there was much danger in eating them herself.
Eventually, Ron got to his feet, by which time the sun was shining brightly above the sky. The first thing he did was head to the nearby stream, not bothering to stay quiet. Kim winced at each sound of snapping twigs, of rustling in the bushes. She was almost tempted to remind him that they were supposed to be hiding, but knew that calling his attention would utter more sound than his current carelessness.
Ron came back a few minutes later with the pot full of water. He took out a lighter, gathered up a few branches, and started a small fire, putting the pot over the flames. After that task was completed, he turned his head towards Kim as if he only just realized that she was there. "Sorry for falling asleep, KP." He apologized.
"It's ok; no harm done." Kim replied. There was nothing more to be said.
"How long have we been out here?" Ron wondered.
"7 days... maybe 8... I kind of lost count." Kim admitted. One day was passing by very much like another. The original supplies they bought were nearly gone, but thanks to Ron's knowledge of the wild, they were not going hungry.
"So did I; was hoping you hadn't." Ron admitted and went silent for the next few minutes. Once the water had been boiled, he poured it into their canteens. "Might want to wait a while before you try drinking it."
"Yes, Ron, I know." Kim rolled her eyes. "I'm not an idiot, ok?"
"Ok, ok, just reminding you." Ron raised his hands.
She hated how it was so difficult to talk to one another. Kim and Ron hadn't spoken much over the past week, even less so than before the encounter with Monkey Fist. However much she wanted to blame it on the stress of their current predicament, it was merely a part of what was truly going on.
The day after they arrived in the woods, Ron finally explained what was bothering him. "You still don't understand, do you?" He had sighed in exasperation. "It's not the fact that you killed Monkey Fist. I can understand how you may not have had a choice in the matter; I know first-hand how crazy and psychotic he is. No, it's the fact that you enjoyed it. When I walked in, I saw a smile across your face, and it was the most terrifying thing that I've ever seen in my life."
The worst part of it was that he even compared her to her half-brother. Not for the first time, Kim wondered if he was correct. She had no memory of a smile, but she had no guilt or hesitation in killing him. In fact, it was much easier to do the second time around. Before, when under Ambrose's "teachings" she had killed a gang member, she felt guilty for weeks. This time, she felt almost no remorse at all, only gratitude that he could never harm the people she loved.
She was on the verge of mentioning it when her mouth abruptly shut. Their relationship was still shaky, and Kim wasn't about to do anything that would make matters worse. She settled for: "So what do we do?" Kim wondered. She was sick and tired of hiding.
"Just wait; there isn't much more we can do." Ron replied and abruptly ended the conversation.
A good part of the day went by in silence, while Kim contemplated ways to get themselves out of their current situation. Unfortunately, all of them were highly risky. If she was out here alone, Kim would probably have chanced it in spite of that. However, Ron was with her, and she didn't want to put him in more danger than he was already in.
Which is why after he disappeared for close to twenty minutes, she began to worry that something had happened to him. Kim searched their campground frantically, but didn't see him anywhere. Nor was he at the stream, collecting water and fishing. "Calm down; he's probably fine." Kim told herself, but it did nothing to ease her worry.
She waited several more minutes in nervous silence before going off to search for him. Kim spotted a few footprints in the dirt, but otherwise, there was no sign of him. Her heart began to pound, countless scenarios running through her mind. Get ahold of yourself, damn it! Kim said mentally, and for a time, she succeeded. As the minutes passed, though, panic threatened to overwhelm her.
Off in the distance, she heard a vague sound. Heedless of any possible hazards, Kim charged forward, her fight-or-flight response going into full gear. Could Global Justice have found them? Could Fukushima?
Kim was prepared for battle, but all she saw was Ron sitting on top of a tree stump, oblivious to the rest of the world. Once she got closer, she realized that he had been crying, and had likely been doing so for some time. It was weird seeing him cry; he did so a lot when he was younger, more than she ever had, but it was a habit that Ron had grown out of.
She approached him and hugged him from behind, setting his head on her shoulder and tried to offer what comfort she could. Ron became even more hysterical at that gesture, wiping his eyes with his sleeve. He continued to whisper: "I can't, I can't, I can't..." Kim hugged him tighter, leaving a kiss on his forehead.
Neither of them moved for a couple of minutes; Ron continued to utter those two words, while Kim stroked his hair and whispered soothing reassurances. Eventually, she let go and climbed over the log so she could speak to him face-to-face. "What is it, Ron?" she asked, running her hand down his face. "What's wrong?"
He finally managed to pull himself together enough to speak. "I... I can't... I can't do this anymore." was all he managed to speak before collapsing into sobs once again. "I'm not strong enough. I thought I was, but I'm not."
"I miss them... I miss everything." Ron continued. "Never thought I'd actually miss my parents, but I do. Are they worried about me? Have they even realized I'm gone?"
"Ron, of course they have." Kim promised. She knew his relationship with his parents wasn't nearly as close as his own. Still, they had to be terrified for him, being that he'd been gone for weeks... right? She wished she didn't have that brief moment of doubt. "I'm sure they're just waiting for you to come home."
"Home?" Ron questioned. "I'm not even sure where that is anymore. All I know is that I'm tired. I'm tired of running. I'm tired of looking over my shoulder, terrified that someone will recognize me. I'm tired of coming close to being killed. I almost died, KP! The look in his eyes... I thought it was over."
"You're not going anywhere." Kim promised. "Long as I'm around, he'll never get near you." A flash of guilt filled her mind. She wasn't there, hadn't been able to do anything but watch while he fought for his life.
"I thought I could do it, you know." Ron replied quietly. "I thought I was strong enough to do this... but I'm not. I just want to go home."
This is your fault, you know. Kim berated himself. If she hadn't brought him along with her, the only one that would currently be in danger was her. She was accustomed to it, fighting Shego and all her other enemies for years on end, making sure Ron was never in any real danger. The fact that he insisted on coming along momentarily slipped her mind.
"I'm sorry, KP." Ron sighed, his tears finally beginning to subside. "I'm sorry for everything."
"You've got nothing to apologize for, Ron." Kim reassured. "None of this is your fault. If anything, it's mine." With all her worries and fear, it was all too easy to forget that Ron was suffering just as much as she was. Instead of trying to help, she had mostly ignored him, even attacked him. "I'm... I'm sorry for all this. I was so focused on my own worries that I overlooked how difficult this was for you."
"It was my choice to make." Ron explained. "I could have simply let you deal with it alone, but I couldn't. I'd do it again if I had to... it's just that... it doesn't mean that I'm any less terrified over what might happen."
"We'll get through this, I promise." Kim wished she could believe her own words. She wanted an enemy that she could fight, not one lurking in the shadows. The fact that she still didn't know who was responsible for this rankled. "I can't say it's going to be easy, but we'll survive; we'll win."
"You don't believe that any more than I do, KP." Ron gave a humorless smile. "I know you far too well for you to get away with saying something of the sort."
"Whether I'm confident or not, we don't really have a choice." Kim declared. "The other alternative is to give up, and that is something I will never do!" She hesitated for a few seconds before continuing. "Look, Ron... I'm not going to force you to stay. You're free to go home and live in peace; I can handle myself."
"Not a chance, KP." Ron stared with determination. He feared what would happen to her if she was alone. It wasn't just the possibility of her getting killed. The sight of her killing Monkey Fist was vivid in his mind and without any kind of restraint, who knows what she would do?
XXXXXXXXXX
Wade's security alarms began flashing in his room. They were silent, of course; why tell whoever the intruder was that he had discovered their presence? He immediately hopped to his computer to try and locate the intruder.
But why would they be coming for me? Wade worried. He had been explicitly ordered by Director not to make any contact with Kim and Ron until she said otherwise. He had figured it out himself that it was unwise, being that everything he said and did was likely being monitored by whoever wanted Kim Possible dead.
"She's not in charge anymore." Wade suddenly realized. He had desperately wanted to warn them of everything that was happening, and more than once he had sat down at his computer ready to contact them before remembering that his room and computer were currently bugged. Most were detected, but he was sure that there were a couple he had yet to locate.
He pulled a stun gun out of his computer. A non-lethal weapon, but it would by him enough time to escape. His eyes were still on his computer, though, going through the security cameras in order to discover which way he was heading. His family was currently on extended vacation, so at least he didn't have to worry about them.
"Boo," A voice said behind him, making Wade jump out of his chair. He immediately fired the electrodes on the tazer, but whoever it was simply grabbed them and threw them aside, taking the weapon from him in an instant. He threw it across the room with a sneer on his face.
"How did you get in here?" Wade wondered. What he meant was: "How did you get in here without me knowing about it?"
"I can be very persuasive." The man smiled. "Never understood why Global Agent recruited a 12-year old child. You're defenseless, and that little toy of yours wouldn't do you any good if one of their many enemies decided to come after you."
"Why are you here?" Wade demanded, as bravely as he dared. He was grateful that he had just used the restroom, because his bowels were loosening.
"Simple: there's been a change in leadership." He exclaimed. "Betty has been disposed of, and our new Director is far more determined to bring them down."
"You're here to kill me to make sure I can't help them." Wade finally managed to stammer out. His heart was pounding, his body covered in sweat, and he was on the verge of hyperventilation. He held his tears back, refusing to give him the satisfaction of seeing him cover.
"Not exactly; I have something else in mind." He smiled, gesturing Wade to sit down. "Miss Possible's family has been... taken into protective custody, shall we say." Wade was furious, but said nothing. His enemy held all the cards and from the smirk on his face, was obviously aware of it.
"What do you want me to do?" Wade sighed. He knew precisely what this meant: Kim's family had been taken in order to draw her into an ambush.
"Simple: you tell Kim that her family has been taken and that they'll be killed if she doesn't show up immediately. I believe that should be sufficient motivation for her to appear. I even have the location in order to shorten the amount of time it takes."
"She's gone off the grid; I can't contact her." Wade attempted as a last resort. "She's probably hiding some..."
"Liar; you've got the resources to contact her at any time she chooses. Do it! Now!"
Wade looked at his computer, then back to the intruder. Try as he might, he saw no way to get himself out of this. Forgive me, Kim. He silently begged. He typed on his computer for a few moments in order to manually turn out the Kimmunicator.
However, he noticed that he did not yet see either Kim or Ron's face on the other side of the line. Did they leave it behind? He prayed that they did, but Wade honestly did not expect them to do so. It was their link to the outside world, and to any allies that they still had.
In a few moments, though, Kim's face appeared. "What's the sitch, Wade?" She asked, completely unaware that he had been compromised.
"Kim... I'm afraid..." a furious glare warned Wade to continue- "I'm afraid that I've got some bad news to report. It looks like Betty's been replaced with a new Director and he's far more determined to hunt you down."
"We knew it was going to happen eventually." Kim sighed. "Did she at least find out who was responsible for all of this?"
"If she did, I'm not aware of it." Wade admitted. He suspected that she did, though. Why replace her unless she was actually onto something? "The... the news gets worse, I'm afraid. It seems that... your family's been taken."
"What?!" Kim screamed over and over again. The idea of her family in danger reduced her to a sputtering wreck.
"Now, KP, calm down; this isn't going to help matters." Ron attempted to be the voice of reason.
"I'm sorry, Kim." Wade responded. In more ways than you know. "I never thought it would come to this."
"Do you know where they are?" Kim inquired, her eyes filled with murderous intent.
"It took some time, but I was able to locate them." Wade informed them. He hesitated for a few seconds before sending the data. He told himself that Kim would win, that she could handle anything Global Justice threw at her. Wade forcefully silenced his doubts in order to assuage his guilty conscience. He turned the computer ever so subtly in the intruder's direction, hoping that they would realize that he was speaking under duress.
"It's going to take us days to get there." Ron sighed.
"I don't care if it takes us months!" Kim exclaimed. "Nothing is going to stop me from saving them, do you understand?!" She began pacing around furiously. "God, when I get my hands on them..."
"Let's wait until we get there and actually have a plan of action before we do anything rash." Ron cut in.
"He's right; you two need to be prepared for what you're about to face." Wade warned, wanting to prepare her as much as he could. "Keep in mind: this is a trap you're walking into. They've probably got all kinds of preparations set up for you."
"Thanks for the warning, Wade." Ron nodded. While angry, he wasn't nearly as unbalanced as Kim clearly was. "We'll do everything we can to break them out and find out just who managed to do all this."
"But again, be careful." Wade stressed. "Let me know if you need anything else."
"You performed quite admirably." the intruder smiled once Wade had cut the connection. "Be in contact with them and make sure they arrive at the proper location. And remember, I'll be watching."
Before Wade could open his mouth to reply, whoever it was had already disappeared. This was getting stranger by the minute. Most of him was confident that the two could pull of the rescue, even with the newfound skills that Ron had developed. He tried thinking of a way to warn them that they were being set up. Yes, they knew it was probably a trap, but were unaware that he had already been found.
Good luck, my friends. Wade thought. You're going to need it.