Disclaimer: I own nothing if you saw it on Kim Possible. The plot is mine though.
A/N: Its done! Finally finished chapter 4. This chapter is very descriptive so I had a hard time keeping a good flow going. I think It came out good but please tell me what you think.
Thanks again to everyone who reviewed! You keep pumping gas into my writing engine.
As for asking the girl out for a drink. I went there to ask. Everything was great, you know? I was charming and all that. Then her boyfriend showed up and it all went downhill from there. On the upside though I made two new friends so... still a win.
And now... On with the show!
Please read, review and, above all, enjoy.
Chapter 4: Upgrades
-Stoppable Residence-
"Mom! Dad!" Ron called as he entered his home. "I'm going on a mission so don't wait up!"
Ron was about to run up the stairs to his room but stopped on the first step. His parents hadn't answered.
"Mom? Dad?" He called again, louder. Still nothing.
He walked to the kitchen and… yep, there it was. A note stuck the fridge with magnets. He read it, grabbed the phone off the wall and dialed his mothers cell phone.
"Hello?" She answered. Ron could hear music in the background.
"Mom, why didn't you guys tell me you and dad were going on a two month cruise through the Pacific for couples?" Ron asked.
"This is our way of telling you Ronnie." His mother replied sweetly.
Ron let out a groan. He really should be used to his parents taking off without telling him by now. But he wasn't. For some odd reason he always expected them to tell him important stuff like that before the fact.
"Alright, whatever." He sighed. "Just called to tell you that I'm going on a mission."
"Oh, please be careful Ronnie." His mother said, a little worried. "Remember to let Kimberly take the lead. And be sure to call when you get home."
"No worries mom, I'll call as soon as the mission is done." Ron said, acknowledging only two of her statements. "You guys have fun."
"Oh, we will. And please remember to be careful."
"I will, mom. Bye." Ron chuckled as he hung up.
Ron loved his parents dearly but sometimes, like now, they really annoyed him. They weren't bad parents, not by a long shot. But they just weren't as present in his life as most other parents are. Most times they just left him to his own devices.
Ron jogged up the stairs to his room. As he entered he noticed his computer was on.
Must've left it on after I decided to go to Bueno Nacho instead of prom…
He walked to his desk and stared at the screen. It still played the slideshow he had been looking at earlier. It was the virtual scrapbook Kim had given him for last Christmas. It went all the way from pre-k to that very Christmas. He could see how Kim grew from a little girl in pigtails to a beautiful woman with long flippy hair. And he could see how he… just grew taller.
Ron sighed.
Rufus, sensing the shift in Ron's emotions, scampered out of his pocket and onto his shoulder to comfort him.
"Thanks buddy." Ron said, giving his second best friend a sad smile. He returned his attention to the screen. "I guess… Bonnie's food chain finally caught up with us, huh."
Rufus looked at the screen as if it'd just called him a hamster. He jumped down to the desk and hit the sleep button on the keyboard. The screen went black immediately. He chattered and squeaked at Ron, pointing to his closet.
"Right… right! Ok, cmon Ron. Focus!" He slapped his face with both hands to beat the depressing thoughts out. He walked to the closet then stopped when he realized he hadn't beat all of em out. So he slapped his cheeks again.
"Cmon! What would the Fearless Ferret do!" He asked no one in particular. Rufus, spotting his chance, started squeaking and chattering the Fearless Ferret theme song. Ron noticed what he was doing and started singing along, dancing around his room and doing all the poses the Fearless Ferret was known for. By the end of it Ron had his trademark goofy grin splitting his face.
"Thanks buddy. Knew I could count on ya." He gave Rufus a high five and opened his closet, still humming the song. He took off his clothes and reached for his mission threads only to see they weren't there.
"Where are my cl… Ack!" Ron face palmed wearing nothing but happy face boxers, socks and a bandaged forearm. "Right! The mutant octopus slime wouldn't come off no matter what I did so I threw em out. What am I gonna do now?"
In response Rufus just scampered into the back of the closet. Ron slid the clothes out of the way to find Rufus jumping up and down on top of a big old padlocked trunk. It was where he kept his 'alter egos' among other things. More recently however he had placed one more item in there. A project he had started right after his fumble during the Bermuda Triangle mission.
He'd known something was bothering Kim back then, but he wasn't sure what. When she started avoiding him he thought it had to do with his performance on missions. So he started making changes to his mission gear. Minor things here and there that he thought would be helpful.
Then pretty boy showed up. Soon all he felt he had with Kim were the missions. So he took to his project with a zeal rarely seen in him. It was how he coped with depression, loneliness and fear. He made stuff with his hands. A remnant of his time at Camp Wannaweep. The mere thought of which sent tremors through his body.
"Rufus?" He said in a barely audible whisper. He couldn't stop the tremors.
Rufus recognized the tone and knew what to do. He jumped up to his shoulder and gave him as tight a hug as he could. The tremors stopped and Ron smiled at his companion. Rufus didn't know why he needed to do that, only that he had to.
"Thanks buddy." He said, petting Rufus's head. People really underestimated what that summer did to him.
On the upside though, he developed mad crafting skills. After he got back from camp he got into cooking due to the lack of an arts and crafts class. He developed mad skills there too. More recently he had started writing. Not stories like his brief and catastrophic stint as a journalist, but music. He had enjoyed writing Kim's song for the talent show and improvising the Naked Mole Rap, so he continued. It was a good emotional outlet. And he had been very…emotional…lately.
Unfortunately it hadn't been ready when Mr. Dr. P. had been kidnapped. That mission had just added to his funk. All he'd been able to do was yell Kim's name and get slammed into the concrete, repeatedly, by a mutant octopus.
He got the key from his dresser's top drawer and opened the trunk. He took out most of his customized mission clothes and gear and spread it out on the bed. Looking at all the pieces he couldn't help but feel a bit of pride.
"Guess it's time for a trial run, eh Rufus." He smiled at Rufus.
"Uh-huh." Rufus plopped down on the bed to watch Ron get dressed.
The first part he put on was the shirt. It was same mission shirt he had always used. A black oversized three-quarter sleeve mock turtle-neck shirt. No changes there.
The second part were the pants. Same grey cargoes but for a few changes. First, they fit him perfectly. Second was the nylon harness that he had sown in at the belt. It had a stainless steel clip buckle in the middle that secured the pants. Six buckles in the back for packs, two in the small of his back for one large pack and two above each hip for small packs. Thick strips of nylon connected the belt of the harness to the loops that circled his upper thighs.
All in all, his new mission pants fit him nicely. At first he had only wanted the belt, but Rufus demanded the whole harness. Poor little guy had been sent flying, left hanging or simply left behind whenever Ron lost his pants. Japan had been the last straw and he demanded security.
Ron tucked his shirt in, buttoned his pants, clipped the buckle with a metallic click and tightened the upper thigh straps. He moved his upper body around to get the shirt to settle right. Then made a few squats and walked a few steps to feel how the pants moved.
Not bad. He thought. They don't billow behind me like the old ones. Yep, the billowing pants had tripped him up more than once while running. They also had a tendency to get caught in stuff thus leading to their loss.
Ron grabbed his black mission sneakers and sat on the edge of the bed to put em on when a thought struck him.
Hmn, I didn't get to use em in Japan…Might as well take them with me this time.
He tossed his sneakers on the floor and went do dig through his closet.
"I know I saw them around… here…somewhere." He dug through his closet throwing dirty clothes behind him. One of the shirts landed on top of his desk. When he didn't find them in the closet he moved to the dresser. Not there either.
"Rufus, you know where I put the rocket skate sneakers Wade gave me?" Ron asked as he moved to the box where he kept his games and toys. Rufus rubbed his chin for a few seconds before he scampered to the floor and under the bed. He came back pushing a black shoe box.
"Found them!" He squeaked.
"Right on!" Ron grabbed the box and opened it after sitting back on the edge of the bed along with Rufus. Inside were two normal looking sneakers and a pair of gloves, the right one with a blue button on the back palm. He put on the sneakers and the gloves. The gloves were a neat gadget of themselves. The button on the right hand glove could only be activated when pressed firmly by a finger wearing the left hand glove. A simple failsafe against accidental activation.
Ron took a few steps around the room then posed for Rufus, arms extended to the sides.
"So, what do ya think?" He asked.
Rufus stood on the bed and squinted at Ron, one paw crossed over his chest while the other rubbed his buck teeth.
"Ok." He said with a shrug.
Ron gave a shrug of his own, he didn't really care either. His new mission clothes felt right so he would use them. He walked up to the bed and picked up a piece his self made mission gear.
A holster similar to Kim's for his own hairdryer grapple gun. It clipped on to the thigh strap of his harness and tied to his mid thigh with a nylon strap that reached around his thigh and ended in a clip buckle. He made sure the strap was securely tight. He grabbed his blue grapple gun and put it in the holster, it was held in place by a Velcro strap.
"Alright. Good to go." Ron said, picking up the 'large pack' from the bed. "Lets hope whatever Wade sends will fit in here." He moved to the door but stopped when Rufus started chattering and squeaking. Looking back he saw that he had gone back to the trunk and was dragging something out of it.
"What're you doing?…" He asked before he realized what Rufus was dragging out. "Wait a sec… Dude I can't take that. I've practiced for, what… three weeks? An half-an-hour a day? I'm nowhere near good enough."
"Synthodrones!" Rufus squeaked.
Ron thought for a moment as he sat cross-legged in front of the trunk. The last lair had been full of those things…odds are there will be plenty at BN HQ. He grabbed what Rufus had pulled out of the trunk. Rufus for his part dove back into it.
It was a harness he'd made from a backpack. He bought one of those large backpacks with thick, padded shoulder straps, chest clip and padded back and gutted it. He removed the 'pack' part of it, leaving only the straps and padded back. He replaced the plastic clip with a metal one and cut the back in half so that it only covered his upper back. Lastly he attached clip-buckles to the upper right and lower left corners of the back so that they faced each other.
"Ok," Ron conceded. "so it would come in handy against them, but what if I run into henchmen or Shego? I wouldn't want to hurt them accidentally."
In response Rufus just held up something else from the trunk. A double holster for extendable batons he'd made with clips for his belt.
"Oh cmon, I haven't even practiced with those. What am I gonna do with them?" He asked.
"Wing it!" Rufus answered.
"Oh, of course. That easy, huh?" Ron said skeptically. He gave it some thought though. He wasn't at all confident in his hand to hand fighting skills. But with a tool in his hands…he had much more confidence for some reason.
Might as well I guess… they might come in handy too. Ron thought.
"Alright, I'll take them too." He said, taking the holster from Rufus. As he started getting up another thought struck him. "You know… maybe I should also take…" Was all he got out before Rufus held up the only 'small pack' he'd made.
"Ok mister know-it-all mole rat." Ron chuckled as he picked up the pack and Rufus jumped on to his shoulder. "Lets go get the stuff then."
Rufus was very pleased with himself. This mission they were going on felt different and he was determined to have Ron take everything that could be useful.
Ron walked out of his room with the packs, holsters and harness and went to the end of the hall. There he reached up and pulled on a string that hung from the ceiling to bring down the stairs to the attic. He went up.
For some reason his parents kept all their extra stuff in the garage instead of the attic, leaving it practically empty. With their permission he took over it for himself a little over a month ago. It was here that he made his new gear and where he'd started training after Mr. P's kidnapping. It was his own Ferret Hole.
It was fairly big. It had one window facing the backyard and three overlooking the front yard and driveway. A fan hanged form the ceiling in the middle of the room. Ron walked to it and pulled on the string that turned on its light.
In front of the back window was wooden desk with three drawers. On it was the sewing machine he had used to make or modify his mission gear. Various strips of material littered the desktop. A plastic storage box was on the floor next to the desk.
In front of the front windows was a large, blue circular sparring mat. Black one inch wide stripes divided it in three equal segments and met in a circle at the center of the mat. To the left of the mat, on the wall opposite the stairs, stood an odd machine. Three black cylinders stood next to each other, the first a few inches over the second and the second a few over the third. They were all six-feet tall with a one-and-a-half foot diameter. They were connected at the bottom to steel arms that were covered in the same material the mat was made from. The bases of the arms lay one on top of the other at the edge of the mat, right where one of the stripes ended. Cables went from behind the bases of the three arms to a touch-screen set to the left in the wall. It was placed at chest height and at an angle.
A few feet to the left of the screen were two workbenches with a wall tool storage hanging on the wall over them. On the wall hanged various weapons, two of each: Bo Staff, Hanbo (half-staff), Nunchaku, Tonfa, Bokken (wooden practice sword) and Extendable Baton. On the benches were various training manuals, one for each weapon, and the equipment needed to take good care of them. On the left most workbench was also a stand that held a katana in its saya (scabbard).
Ron walked straight to the benches and put all his gear in the empty space next to the katana stand. Rufus jumped onto the bench top. Ron stood there for a few seconds, just staring at the weapons on the wall. He hadn't planned on buying any of them in the beginning. But with Kim spending more and more time with Eric, he'd needed something to occupy his mind. Cooking, sowing and writing did nothing to release his pent up energy.
His mind had jumped from one possibility to the next until thoughts of that week he'd spent at Yamanouchi popped into his head. He'd really enjoyed the staff fighting classes there, even though he hadn't been good at them. So that very day he had driven to Smartymart to buy one. As he walked into the 'Martial Arts' department he saw all the other weapons they had there and just couldn't resist.
He removed the extendable batons from the wall pegs they rested on, leaving only the silhouettes he'd drawn into the board, and stepped onto the mat. He extended them with a flick of his wrists then did a few moves he'd read on their self defense manual. He wasn't at all satisfied.
"Are you sure I should take these Rufus?" He asked his companion.
"Uh huh, uh huh." Rufus squeaked, then pulled the holsters towards Ron to emphasize his point.
"Alright, alright." Ron said. "Just asking." Ron wasn't too sure though. He hadn't even planned on buying them until he passed the 'Self Defense' department of Smartymart on his way to the cash register from the 'Martial Arts' department. He saw them, thought they were cool and thought, Why not. Plus they were on sale, buy one and get another half off. He wished he could take one of his staves, he'd practiced a bit with them, but he hadn't made a holster for any of them yet. The holsters the batons had come with had only needed slight modifications.
Ron walked back to the benches while retracting the batons into their compact forms. He placed them into the double holster, making sure they were secure. Then he attached it to his belt using the 'small pack' clips on his right hip. Two, clear metallic clicks were heard. Ron gave the double-holster a few pulls to see if they were at all loose… they weren't. His measurements were spot on.
With a satisfied smile he reached for the next piece of equipment he would be taking. They were gifts Master Sensei had given him as thanks for helping Yori rescue him from DNAmy. He had tried to reject the reward but Sensei had insisted. "I am sure you will find them to be of use in the future Stoppable-san." He had said. Ron had pocketed the small package, wondering what he had meant. He'd practiced with them a few times out of curiosity, and liked them. But he'd never thought of actually using them in a mission.
He put them in the 'small pack' he had made especially to carry them and attached it to the 'small pack' clips of his belt above his left hip. He gave it a few pulls like he did the double-holster… the pack was held nice and tight.
Lastly, he turned to the katana.
He had tried to resist. He knew Kim didn't like weapons and buying the others would already be pushing her tolerance. Bladed weapons might be right up there with guns on her book. But he just couldn't resist. He didn't know why. He'd then spent hours 'trying on' the different katana they had before deciding on that one. It didn't feel exactly right, but it was the closest. He wasn't sure why it didn't though, it seemed perfect to him.
He picked it up, grabbing the hilt with his right hand, and unsheathed it. It came out with a sucking sound. Ron looked at the sharp blade with the awe and respect it always inspired in him. It was a curved, slender, single-edged blade with a circular guard. A groove ran an inch from the point down to the hilt on both sides of the sword. Between the groove and the edge of the blade ran the tempered line, undulating like the sea. It was a beautiful weapon.
You would have definitely been useful against that mutant octopus tentacle. He thought, wincing inwardly. Those had been some nasty bruises he found when he'd gotten home. They'd covered the entire right side of his body.
Placing the saya back on the stand he reached behind it to the wall were a second one rested on pegs. The second scabbard was tucked tightly in a sock he'd made out of a rubber material similar to what wetsuits are made of. It took him the better part of two hours to get the scabbard in there. It had two steel clips, one near the mouth and another near the middle, both facing away from each other.
Ron sheathed the katana in it and grabbed the chest harness he'd put next to the sword stand. He clipped the scabbard into the padded back, curve down. It let out two clear metallic clicks. He then put on the harness, locking chest clip and making it securely tight. Ron moved his shoulders around, stretched to the right, forward, to the left then back. The pad stayed perfectly on top of his shoulder-blades and didn't hinder his movements. He smiled with pride. He could wear it for hours before he would feel the itch to take it off.
He walked to the sparring mat and stood straight. He slowly reached back with his right hand and grabbed the hilt of the sword. He smiled again, his measurements had been accurate. He could reach the sword easily and comfortably. Ron unsheathed it and got into a combat stance. He performed a few of the katas he'd practiced, doing them slowly and accurately. Almost immediately he noticed a problem.
His oversized mission shirt.
It kept bunching up uncomfortably under the harness. After a finishing a few katas Ron carefully sheathed his sword, nodding at how easily he could do it. With practice he thought he would be able to do it quickly and without having to look.
Ron pulled on his shirt to get it to straighten under the harness. It was an issue, but nothing he needed to worry about. Once he was done he reached back to test the ease with which he could reach the batons. He frowned.
The shirt lay over the top of them, blocking his hand and forcing him to move it out of the way before he could reach them. Even more so with Sensei's gift since the pack was shorter. Now the shirt was a bigger issue. But not one he had time to deal with.
Ron stood straight and took stock of his gear.
Rocket sneakers and their activation gloves.
Blue grapple gun in a holster strapped to his right thigh and harness.
Harness securing his well fitting grey cargo pants with six steel clip-buckles on the back for packs. Four of which were occupied by a double extendable baton holster on his right hip and a specially made 'small pack' on his left hip with Sensei's gift.
Chest harness with thick and padded shoulder straps and a thin padded back covering his upper back.
Lastly a katana attached diagonally right to left, curve down, to the padded back of the harness.
Originally he'd only planned on doing the pants and a few packs. But once the ideas for the chest harness, katana, batons and Sensei's gift entered his mind he hadn't been able to stop himself. Plus the pants were fairly simple modifications, the rest posed a better challenge to his creativity.
Overall he was very pleased with the outcome. The weight and feel of it all was foreign to him. But it was also comforting. He felt prepared for anything. Confident even. The only bad part was the shirt.
"Well… What do you think?" Ron asked Rufus who was sting on the edge of the right-most workbench.
"Wooo!" Rufus squeaked, giving Ron an enthusiastic two thumbs up.
"Lets call this… The Ronman 1.5!" Ron said, striking a Fearless Ferret pose. "Alright, lets get going."
Ron walked to the left bench and picked up the 'large pack' from where he'd put it as Rufus jumped on his shoulder. He walked to the stairs and went down to the second floor, closing the attic as he went. As he walked past his bedroom door he paused, turned around and entered it. Picking through the clothes all over the floor he found the pants he taken off, reached into the back pocket and took out the picture of Kim and him. He looked at it, smiled at the memory and tucked the picture into the pack. He also grabbed his house keys.
He jogged out of the house, making sure to lock the door, and towards the Possible house next door. It'd taken him longer than he thought to get ready. Once there he found the Possible family, except Kim, in the driveway standing around what looked like a metal box with a weird jet-pack on top. Ann was talking to someone on the phone when she saw him approach.
"Oh! Here he comes." Ann said. "Yeah, I'll put him on." She offered the phone to Ron. "It's Wade. He said the mission gear you'll need is inside this. We were waiting for you before opening it." Ron took the phone.
"Yo, Wade. What is this thing?" Ron asked, eyeing the beat up metal box.
"It's a drone." Wade answered. "I put it together using parts of my Wadebot 3.0 that still worked. The gear is inside the cargo pod but its circuits were fried by the Diablo so you'll have to open it using the manual override." Wade went on to explain how to open the pod. Meanwhile the rest of the family stared at Ron. Something seemed different about him. Something other than the sword strapped across his back which definitely drew their eyes. But they couldn't figure out what it was.
"Alright, let see here." Ron said as he sat cross-legged in front of the drone and placed the phone on the ground. Jim and Tim stood at his sides, staring at the sword. James and Ann stood over the three of them.
"Ron?" Tim asked. Standing to Ron's right.
"Hmn?..." Ron said absently as he pawed the left side of the pod, looking for the override.
"Is that real?" Asked Jim. Standing to his left.
"What is?"
"The sword." Tim said, reaching for the hilt and pulling the sword out a few inches.
Ron's right hand quickly reached back and pushed it back into the scabbard.
"Yes. It's very real and very sharp. So no touchy. Kay?... Kay." Ron said.
"Cool." Jim and Tim said at the same time.
"Where'd you get it?" Jim asked.
"Smartymart." Ron answered, continuing his search for the override. "Wade said it was around here somewhere… found it!" Ron said triumphantly as he popped the override. "Ok, so turn it 180⁰ counter-clockwise…" He paused. "How much is 180⁰?"
"Half-turn." He heard in surround sound.
"Right…" Ron turned the override and pushed it back in. The left side door of the pod popped open slightly. "There we go."
"Ronald…" James said, voicing a concern. "Are you sure its…safe…for you to take that sword with you on a mission?"
"Well…" Ron answered. "Drakken's new lair will probably be crawling with those synthodrones we… Kim… fought last time. So Rufus thought we could use an edge."
"Ah…"James said. "I see." He said a bit skeptically.
Ron opened the left side door of the pod then picked the phone back up.
"Okay Wade, its open. So what've we got? Ron asked the genius.
"First take out the case on the top shelf." Wade said.
Ron did so with a bit of effort since the right door was still welded shut. He opened it to see what looked like two toy airplanes without wings and the remains of a third. They were both about eight inches long and lay snuggly in grey foam. They had what looked like wheels on the sides. Two near the front and two more at the tail. A camera lens lay behind an oval hard-plastic window at their front.
"Now what?" Ron asked.
"Pick up the white one and push the button on its underside." Wade instructed.
Ron did so, grabbing the one in the middle. Once out of the foam he noticed that what he'd thought were wheels were actually propellers within a ring like a hovercrafts. They were tucked to the sides of the device by thin arms that connected them to the body. Ron found the button Wade mentioned and pressed it. The four propellers moved a bit away from the body and turned so that they faced the ground.
"Running diagnostics…" Wade said. "All systems good." As soon as Wade finished that sentence the propellers spun and it tore out of Ron's soft grip into the air. It rolled itself right way up and turned quickly to face Ron and the Possibles.
"Badical!" Ron exclaimed, eyes lighting up like a kids on Christmas morning. "Dude what is that thing? And more importantly, does it come with a remote control?" Rufus jumped on Ron's head to get a better look, echoing his excitement.
"Its my new Eagle Eye system." Wade said with pride. His voice came from both the phone in Ron's hand and the EE hovering over the pod. "I designed it so that I could take a more active role on missions, they give me a birds eye view over the area. Plus each one has specific capabilities." He explained.
"The white one you just activated is the mark 2." Wade continued. "It has sonar mapping and radar. It also has decoy capabilities which I'm currently using to communicate with you. So you can hang up Ron." Ron, noticing that he still had the phone to his ear promptly hung up. "The black one still in the case, the mark 1, has powerful scanning capabilities and can either repair or sabotage equipment."
"Cool." Ron and the twins said at the same time.
"How does that one." Ron gestured to the white one. "Work as a decoy? I don't think just a voice would do much against someone like Shego."
"Watch." Wade said.
The EE2 flew to the side of the drone and settled at chest height. A second later a perfect hologram of Kim in her mission outfit hid it.
"No big." It said using Kim's voice. If they hadn't known better all five of them would have sworn that Kim was right there with them. The hologram shifted for a moment then changed into Ron with his normal mission clothes. "Booyah!" It said, using his voice.
"I finally worked the kinks out of my holographic simulator." Wade said, leaving the holo-Ron out.
"Yep, that would do for a decoy." Ron said. He took out the EE1 out of the case and tucked it into his 'large pack'. "What other cool stuff is in there?" He asked, reaching in and taking out a small, round, black container with pink lips on the lid.
"Hmn… knock out gas that looks like lip gloss or lip gloss that looks like lip gloss…" He wondered aloud, opening it. "Augh…" Ron and Tim groaned as their heads went limp. Jim, who luckily stood up wind from the two, closed the lid of the container. Ron and Tim were able to shake off the effects of the gas since they hadn't breathed in too much. "Knock out gas." Ron stated.
The whole scene brought a giggle and a chuckle out of Ann and James respectively. Never a dull moment around Ron/Ronald. They both thought, smiling.
"Um… Ron?" Wade said. "Why don't you wait till I tell you what each thing does before you try it out."
"Gotcha, dude." Ron said, still a bit lightheaded. "Rufus. You take handle this semi-dangerous chemical. Never been good with those." He handed the container to Rufus, who had moved to Ron's lap and avoided the fainting spell. He took it and scampered to his designated pocket on Ron's left thigh where he put it away.
"Alright," Ron said, reaching into the pod for the next gadget "what else do we have here?" He brought out what looked like a toy gun.
"Whoa… Wade, I'm not comfortable packing heat." He said, looking the gun over.
"That's an Electro Magnetic Scrambler gun." Wade explained. "If you shoot Drakkens main Command Tower with it a power surge will filter through the signal to all other command towers and to the Diablos. The surge will burn out the cybertronic circuitry, turning it into nothing but normal metal and the Diablos back into simple toys."
"Hmn…" James mused. "Yep, that would just about do the job." He agreed.
"I see… I see…" Ron said. "Actually no I don't, but I'll take your word for it." Ron tried to put it in the pack, but it was too big. He looked at the holster that held his grapple gun and thought for a moment. "Guess I'm going grapple-less this time…" He said to himself. He pulled the grapple out and replaced it with the EMS gun, it fit nicely.
"Oh, don't worry Ron." Wade said. "I've got you covered, pick up the last thing in the middle shelf." Wade told him.
Ron did so and looked at some strange wrist watch. "What is it?" He asked.
"It's a wrist mounted grapple gun I've been working on." Wade answered. "I planned for it to have many more functions but I've only completed the grapple side of it."
"Sweet." Ron said, placing it on his left wrist. "So, is that all?" Ron asked, not seeing anything else in the pod.
"No." Wade said. "There's two more things. They should be in the bottom shelf."
Ron reached in and pulled out a small case and a long piece of black, silky material. He opened the case, inside was what looked like a hearing aid and a device the shape of a quarter with two thin, clear, ribbon-like strips coming out its sides and forming a seamless circle.
"That's a new communication system I've been working on." Wade said, seeing what Ron was looking at through the EE2 that was still hidden under the holo-Ron. "I made it to work together with the Eagle Eye system, so that I could talk to you guys without being overheard."
"Awesome." Ron said. "And this?" He asked, closing the case and holding the piece of soft, black cloth up. It was a lot heavier than it looked.
"That's a shirt." He said. "It's one of the candidates I considered for Kim's new battle-suit. But it doesn't take well to nanobot repair and modification so I decided against it. Its made of a newly developed crystalline material. Its relatively light and can stop any kind of bullet or blade."
"Wow." Ron said. He stood up, found the collar and sleeve of the shirt and checked out the length against his body. "Um… Wade? I think you got my size wrong." The length of the shirt was right, but it was extremely thin. This would look tight on Kim. He thought.
"Don't worry." Wade reassured. "It stretches."
"Oh…" Was all Ron could say. He'd never liked tight fitting clothes. He didn't like how they rubbed against his skin whenever he moved. But he was willing to give that a try since Wade had been the one to give it to him. "Ok then, give me a sec to change." He told Wade and the Possibles. He picked up the earphone case and hairdryer/grapple from the floor and headed inside the house. The family followed him inside with the holo-Ron close behind. They stood in the living room as Ron walked down the hall to the downstairs bathroom.
Once there Ron closed the door and put the stuff on the sink countertop. Rufus jumped from his shoulder to the counter. He took off the harness holding his sword. His normal mission shirt and gloves soon followed along with the grapple watch, leaving his upper body with nothing but the bandage on his right forearm.
Ron picked up the shirt and examined it closely, testing its stretchiness. It did, indeed, stretch. It was long sleeved and had a long neck.
"Alright," He told Rufus. "lets get this over with."
With a large amount of effort, Ron put the shirt on. It was so tight that he thought he would suffocate before getting his head out of the turtleneck collar. He was careful with his right arm when it passed through the long sleeves. He undid his pants, pulled the shirt down below his navel and closed his pants over it. He stretched his arms and rolled his shoulders, trying to get it to settle. It rubbed uncomfortably against his skin, just like he thought it would.
"Ah man," He complained. "This is going to chafe like…" He paused and moved his upper body again. It didn't rub anymore. In fact, he couldn't even feel it. Only the unusual weight of it and the lack of a refreshing breeze told him he even had a shirt. It clung to his body like a second layer of skin, moving as he moved. He looked at his arm, seeing the material stretch and contract along with his skin. He could see small crystals in the shirt that caught the light as he moved.
He smiled excitedly and put on his sword harness and gloves. He reached back and saw that he could reach the batons and Sensei's gift without problems now. His smile widened.
"Oh yeah!" Ron exclaimed. "The Ronman 2.0 is ready to play!"
"Booyah!" Rufus squeaked excitedly. Ron's enthusiasm seeping into him.
Ron put the grapple watch back on his left wrist and left the bathroom after picking up the earphone case. Rufus jumped to his shoulder. He walked into the living room where they all waited. James and Ann were talking about the repairs that needed to be done, which was nothing new since the twins destroyed parts of the house on a semi-regular basis. Meanwhile Wade, who still hadn't taken off the holo-Ron from the EE2, talked tech with the twins.
"Wade, dude, you seriously came through with the armor shirt man." Ron said. "It was the only part of my new threads I wasn't sure about."
"Whoa…" The Possibles and Wade whispered when they saw Ron. He looked nothing like the Ron they were all used to seeing. Wade approached him with the still hidden EE2 to get a closer look, bringing the holo-Ron closer.
"How does it feel?" Wade asked after a few moments.
"Great!" Ron said, excitedly. "I can barely feel it…dude, can you shut that hologram off? Its kinda freaky talking to an exact replica of myself."
It looks nothing like you. The four Possibles all thought at the same time. They couldn't help looking back and forth between the hologram of what Ron normally looked like and how Ron looked at the moment.
The hologram showed Ron as a skinny, slouching boy in clothes two sizes too big. He appeared clumsy and, for lack of a kinder word, weak.
The real Ron was slender but well muscled. The tight-fitting armored shirt all but screamed what his usual clothes hid. They could even see the faint beginnings of a six pack.
Having something to compare Ron to, Ann was finally able to pinpoint the change she had felt earlier. It was his posture. The Ron who usually slouched at all times now stood straight with his shoulders firmly squared. It made him look taller. And she could also see a twinkle of confidence in his eyes, enhancing his ever present mirth. The sword across his back also added a hint of danger to his air.
"Oh! Right. Sorry." Wade apologized. "I forgot I'd turned it on." I'll need a new scan of Ron for the decoy to work though. He thought as he turned off the holographic decoy system. The EE2 was revealed and flew a few feet higher.
"No worries." Ron said. He opened the small case to put on the last piece of gear he would be taking with him. He put the earphone into his ear, marveling at how comfortable it felt. "Dude… How do you get this stuff to fit so comfortably? I know we've said this a lot over the years but you rock man."
"He he. Thanks." Wade said. You could hear the slight blush at the praise.
Ron picked up the coin shaped device out of the case and looked at it. "Wade? What's this?"
"That's a microphone for the new system." Wade said.
"Oh." Ron said, tugging a little bit at the thin, transparent ribbons. "How do I put it on?"
"It goes around your neck, like a choker." He answered. "Be sure to put it right over your jugular so that it can read your vitals for me to keep an eye on."
"Ok. And this ribbon thing…"
"Stretches."
"Right." Ron said, pulling the choker ribbon over his head. He peeled the turtleneck of the armor shirt down and placed the microphone where he thought his jugular was. "How's that?"
"Wrong side Ron." Wade answered.
"Oh…" Ron readjusted. "How bout now?"
"Not quite right." He said.
"Here Ron." Ann interrupted. "Let me." She walked towards Ron and reached for the microphone.
"Thanks Mrs. P" Ron said sincerely.
"Anytime." Ann said, finding the vein without trouble. "How's that Wade?"
"Perfect Dr. Possible." Wade said. "Press the button on the side to adjust the straps."
Ann found the button and pressed it gently. The clear ribbon thin straps tightened around Ron's neck, holding the microphone firmly in place.
Ron moved his neck around, he could barely feel it there, just like the earphone. "Sweet." He said simply.
"Ok." Wade instructed. "To turn on the system you need to push firmly on the microphone like a button and hold for four seconds."
Ron did so. At the end of the four seconds he heard a tone from the earphone. "Is it on?" He asked.
"Yep." Wade answered. "Signal is strong and clear." Ron heard him through the earphone in his ear and from the EE2 hovering a few feet from him.
"Alright then." Ron said, pulling the neck of the shirt back up and covering the choker-mic. It covered his entire neck. "Time to get going. Um… How do I turn that off?" He asked gesturing to the EE2. "I don't think it can keep up with the rocket scooter."
"Oh, hold on a sec." Wade said. "Please stand still for a moment. I need to get a new scan of you for the decoy function." The EE2 flew in front of Ron and did a quick scan, starting at his head and moving down to his feet. "Done, the new render should be done by the time you get to BN HQ. Ok now hold out your hand."
Ron did and the EE2 landed neatly on his open palm and tucked its propellers to its side like a bird does its wings.
"Cool." Ron looked around. "Where'd I put my pack?" He asked aloud.
Rufus chattered and pointed to the hallway.
"Ah." Ron said. "Left it." He walked down the hallway to the bathroom.
The Possibles watched him go.
"Ronald seems different." James mused.
"Yeah!" Tim said.
"He's totally cool!" Jim said.
"He does seem well prepared." Ann said, looking down the hallway Ron had just walked down.
"He does, doesn't he." James agreed. "Seeing him prepare like that makes me think we should give him something to take with him too." He added.
Ann thought for a moment. Couldn't hurt. She thought. "That's a good idea honey. I'll be right back. Don't let Ron leave just yet." She said, and went to the master bedroom.
"Okey-doke." James said.
A minute later Ron came back, holding his pack and hairdryer grapple.
"Hey, guys." He said to the twins. "You mind holding on to this till I get back?" He asked, offering the grapple.
"Sure." They said. Tim grabbed it. They both looked at it then started whispering about how they could modify it. Ron wondered if he'd made a mistake.
"Alright." He said. "Time to get going."
"Wait a moment Ronald." James said. "Ann wanted to give you something before you left."
"Really?" Ron asked.
"Really." Ann said, standing behind him. She handed him a small box with a red cross on it.
"It's a first aid kit I put together myself for Kim and the boys." She explained. "Just in case."
Ron looked down at the box then gave Ann the warmest smile he was capable of.
"Thanks Mrs. P." He said and gave her a tight hug that she returned.
Ron placed the kit in his pack and zipped it closed. He clipped it on the clips in the small of his back, between the batons and Sensei's gift. It gave two metallic clicks. Ron gave it a few tugs to make sure it was secure. It was. And with that he was all set.
He walked out of the house to his scooter which was parked in front of the garage. He mounted it and put his helmet on. Rufus got into his pocket to take a nap so that he would be rested by the time they got there. Ron hit the ignition and the bike came to life swiftly. The rockets on its sides gave a low hum.
"Be careful Ronald." James said, showing his concern.
"No worries Mr. P" Ron said.
"Good luck!" The twins said.
Ron gave the family a bright smile and twisted the throttle. The rockets flared to life, propelling the scooter down the road. Ron headed for the freeway that lead west towards Bueno Nacho Headquarters.
Ann stood there, looking down the road Ron had just taken. She had very worried look on her face.
"Don't worry hon." James said, seeing the look on her face. "I'm sure Ronald and Kimmie-cub will come back fine. Just like they always do." He tried to reassure his wife.
"Yeah." She said. "You're right." But still she worried.
Something is changing. Ann thought as she turned to follow her husband inside. I can feel it.
To Be Continued..
How many of you were ticked off that Kim got a battle-suit in STD then new mission clothes in season 4 while Ron got nothing? I know I was, so I gave him a little something here.
Ron is armed and ready. How will he handle himself?
What's harder to resist, a puppy-dog-pout or a fluffy-kitten-pout?
Next chapter will be up when I finish writing it so... till next time!