Okay been a while. Welcome back. I really really appreciate everybody's patience.
Quick notes. Good thing its M. Took a trip recently and the mind finally made its way back to this one. Made some progress. To Joe Stoppinghemm, you're completely right. I'm actually thinking I can do a very mild rewrite to make it better. I look forward to trying to edit an in place story. Never done it so here's to the attempt. Here is another chapter. Hopefully I can keep the fingers engaged and get out another couple.
Again thank you all.
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Bonnie and Kim approached the line for the cashier in the cafeteria. They didn't have to pay, but inventories must be kept. They fell into line, towels still wrapped around wet hair. Bonnie watched the horrified cook approach with their specially selected meals. Bonnie cringed at the sight. She now knew Kim's pain. When the last student finished Bonnie watched as kim took her tray and Bonnies as well. She glanced back and commented, "Cracked rib." With a smile.
The Chef reached out to touch first Kim's then her own shoulder. With genuine sadness he spoke, almost not able to do so without his voice cracking. "Its not fair to either of you. I'm sorry I can't do more."
Bonnie watched as Kim gave him a warm smile. "Its okay." She shook her head slightly. "Everything you can do, you are." Kim indicated the trays. "A hot meal is always waiting thanks to you. A better solace to a hard day will never be found. Thank you."
The Chef looked like he was going to shed a tear. Kim nodded to him and walked away. Bonnie felt herself smiling and nodding as Kim had done. A silent thanks. Bonnie followed Kim to their room. Despite separating them for training they still shared a room. It was odd to her, but they would be spending a significant portion of their time together. Best get used to it now.
"I'll get a wrap. Sit." Kim ordered as she sat the trays on the small coffee table surrounded by a couch and two chairs. Bonnie crossed to her bed and sat. Wincing she took off her shirt.
Bonnie watched Kim pulled out an ace bandage from its small drawer in the alcove. She waggled in the air as she approached. Bonnie painfully raised her arms and clasped them over her head. Kim unspooled the bandage as she got closer and Bonnie could feel her eyebrows knit in anticipation. Bonnie nearly jumped as Kim began feeling down her sides. It was almost electric in anticipation of… Bonnie yelped as Kim found the offending area.
Carefully she Looped the ace bandage around Bonnies chest just under her breasts. Kim looked up at her. "Ready?" Bonnie nodded. She watched Kim's eyes. The sadness of what she was about to do. Kim began tightening the wrap. Bonnie felt the pain mount and her breath hitched in her throat as she tried to breath normally. Finally Kim stopped and finished tying off the bandage. Bonnie took several deep breaths. It hurt but breathing itself didn't hurt as bad as it had. "Better?" Kim asked.
Bonnie felt her mouth twitch in a sad smile. "As good as I can be."
Kim stood and rested a hand on her shoulder with a similar weak smile. Bonnie nodded as she got to her feet. Kim turned and made her way to the coffee table. Bonnie happened to glance at their desk to see a letter. She made her way over to get it. She read the address and sighed in frustration. "Who's it from?" Kim asked.
Bonnie turned and leaned on the desk. "Mr. Stoppable." Kim came rushing over excited. Bonnie clutched it to her breast. "Can I open it?"
Kim looked at her quizzically. "But, its from Ron?"
Bonnie had to lower her eyes. "I know, but you've already gotten four letters. C'mon, K." She lifted her gaze with a smile. "If its pornographic, I promise not to shout it down the halls."
Kim only shook her head as she went back to opening their meal. Bonnie started opening the letter. Kim sat in one of the chairs. "I doubt that." She paused. "Though shortly before I left he confessed to fantasizing about me and you together."
Bonnie absently finished opening the letter. "At least he has good taste." She said slowly as she prized the letter from its envelope.
Kim looked shocked. "Bonnie!"
She leaned back letter in hand. "Face it Kim we are both pretty damn good looking." She shrugged. "I've heard worse." She looked off into space. "At least its not that kinky."
Bonnie saw Kim refocus on her meal, cheeks burning, and smiled. She started to read the letter and her smile died little by little until near the end of the letter it was decidedly a frown. She stalked over to Kim and roughly handed over the letter. Kim looked confused as she saw Bonnie's face. Concerned the began reading and Bonnie took the opposite chair and steepled her fingers in front of her face. Kim finished reading and looked up. "What did you tell him?" There wasn't any need for accusation in Bonnie's question.
Kim set the letter down. "Nothing specific. Only that it was rough, really rough."
"I thought I was a bitch, but this is too much." Bonnie stood. The earlier humor forgotten in rage.
Kim stood as well. "Hey!"
Bonnie shook her head. "Okay you leave out specifics, fine." She stalked over to Kim and grabbed her upper arms and shook her hard. "But what about when he calls in one of his favors to 'rescue' you only to find he can't." She threw up her hands. "Or better yet that you won't let him." She returned her hands to Kim's arms with a little shake. "That guy is absolutely devoted to you, you know he will call in a thousand favors if he thinks you're in trouble."
Kim wrenched herself free. "What do you want me to tell him?"
Bonnie's voice was softer. "Lie your ass off. Don't write at all. Hell, plagiarize a book or something. You can't tell him the truth, Kim. You can't be that evil."
Kim took a deep breath. "I can't lie to him. We promised." She turned to Bonnie. "Best friends since PreK. I won't lie to him."
"Fine, I will. Just… you can't torture him. Its bad enough what we willingly went into, without dragging family into it."
Kim stared at nothing, hands on her hips, for several seconds before she closed her eyes and nodded. "You win." She cracked a smile. "Keep it PG."
Bonnie smiled. She sat and uncovered her meal and grimaced. "What the hell is that?"
Kim looked over. "Lucky." She held up her bag-o-biomass. "Looks like rabbit."
Bonnie frowned. Rabbit surrounded by a couple small potatoes on a bed of lettuce. "Is he calling me fat or something? I mean I could eat ten of these, I'm so hungry."
Kim shrugged. Bonnie tucked in and in only a couple of minutes her plate only held a neat skeleton with all traces of meat sucked clean. She had even sucked the marrow from the bones to a disgusted looking Kim. "What?" Bonnie asked as she licked every last trace of grease from her fingers.
Kim only shook her head. Bonnie neatly replaced the meal cover. She rose and crossed to the table and pulled out a tablet.
"Dear Ron,
Sorry I worried you. I was just homesick. I guess I thought things would be easier than they were. For a full ride you know I'm beating myself up more than I should, thats just me. And Bonnie is here. We may not be friends but we have the same goal. We're helping eachother out so the only thing I really need more of is sleep. And again sorry for making you worry, I was just venting.
Take Care,
Kim"
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Shego followed Ron down the slightly less than head high sewer. She had to admit he had pretty good feet on the uneven ground. It wasn't the first time she had noted his not so incompetence over the last two missions. Three if you count this one. There was the last minute "pose as a mannequin" that had prevented capture in the Iraqi consulate in Syria. Also was the call to hold up a moment on their second job in Brazil that let them not be ambushed.
This time though, was the big leagues. Those first two were warmups for the real deal against GJ. After Ron had talked with Wade, nerdlinger had went apeshit, and found no less than ten different offers that he could effectively vet.
Shego slowed as Ron did. Shego took a moment to review the map on the small wrist mounted holo, courtesy of Nerdlinger. They were very close. Ron slowly made his way down the treacherous ledge. The hatch was just ahead. Ron flanked the door and she approached the locking mechanism. She chose her semi-auto lock pick from her pack. She arranged the tool and stuck it in the heavy duty lock. With ease the tumblers turned. Quietly she stowed the tool away and brought down a monocle which rippled to life as it fell into place. Her vision blurred momentarily then it came into focus. From her left eye she saw through the wall and hatch before her while her right eye told her it was solid.
She saw one lonely guard making his rounds. Without turning her eyes she indicated one guard to Ron. She saw him nod out of the corner of her eye. She watched the guard make his rounds and saw him stop back to the doorway of the room just beyond the hatch. To Ron she signed for him to rush the one guard when she opened the door. In exasperation she noted the confusion in the eyes that looked back at her. She leaned toward him and whispered in his ear. "You have got to learn hand signs. When I pull the door rush the one guard. He is through the room on the other side of the doorway."
She felt him nod. She looked through the door once more to make sure he was still there. She pulled up the scarf to cover her face as Ron did. She put her left hand on the hatch and with her right she counted down. Three, two, one. and Ron was off like a shot. She had barely gotten the door opened and Ron was already through. She followed silently behind him only to find the guard was already down. Ron was dragging his unconscious body into the room. She nodded appreciatively. "Not bad." She said very quietly.
Ron gave her a thumbs up. She returned the gesture and made her way to the doorway. From here on out they split. He would go to the backup generator room to gain control and shut it down. She would go to the third level broom closet to gain access to the back of the main distribution panel where she would place the shaped charge to knock out power. While the bomb waited to detonate she would get into storage vault fourteen, and wait for the power out.
Shego hit the detonator and she thought she could feel the explosive going off through the concrete at her back. She counted off three seconds before the lights flickered and died. Flicking on the night vision goggles she made her way out of her hiding place. Carefully she looked about. Three guards, confused. She waited and as one they left the now dark vault. As quietly as she could she rushed from isle to isle looking for crate 44532. Finally she reached the isle and down it mid way she found the crate she was looking for. She started trying to move it by herself.
Shego almost yelped as Ron poked his head around the crate. After she caught her breath she helped Ron slide it off the bottom shelf. As they had practiced several times they pulled the components of a device from their packs. 14 seconds later they had assembled a small silent dolley and secured it to the pallet. With concerted effort they bore down on their own foot pedal that rotated the dolly wheels down and under the pallet. Each took a corner and belted down the aisle.
They ran as fast as they could with their prize down a dead end hallway. Shego hauled up short as Ron ran to the end of the hallway. She watched him place the breaching charge on the wall and pull the fuse. She disabled her night vision as Ron did as well as he came to a stop beside Shego. With a vicious crack the shaped charge blew a hole through the concrete, exposing a sheer fall to sharp rocks below. Shego approached the rubble and fiddled with a small controller. Seeming from nowhere a hover car materialized and opened a hatch. Deftly she edged the craft closer until the hatch was level with the floor.
Shego helped Ron man handle the crate into the hover car. As soon as the crate was mostly in she dove for the cockpit and pulled the craft away from the wall with a slight tilt to bring the crate fully inside. She heard the thud as Ron unlocked the wheels and let the crate settle on the plating. She triggered the close hatch and re-engaged the stealth system before she turned to see if he was alright. She saw him looking at the crate with a wide grin on his uncovered face.
"We aren't scot free yet you know." She returned her attention to the controls.
She heard him strap the crate down before he joined her in the cockpit. "I know. Its just that we did it."
"Careful there Cutpurse. Sounds like you might be liking the whole stealing from others."
Ron held up a finger. "Nope, not stealing. Remember? Asset Retrieval."
Shego snorted. "Whatever helps you sleep at night." She put the hovercraft into a steep dive pulling up just short of the rocks below. She stedied it out fifty or so feet above the waves, then leaned back, autopilot engaged. "We should celebrate."
Ron laced his hands above his head. "Tell you what. Wade's parents have a pretty kick butt grill? I'll bring the steak?" Shego shrugged.
"Sounds fair. I'll bring the beer." Ron stared across at her. She lifted her shoulders again. "What? Wade has parents." Then her face sneered. "And what does it matter? Thievery is okay, but a beer is out of the question?"
"Got a point there." Ron inhaled deeply and released it. "Anyway, we have one more stop before heading back to Middleton."
Shego looked at him. "To drop off the gadget?"
Ron smiled. "You did forget, didn't you." Shego glowered at him. "I know we didn't do it for the first two jobs, but now we have a few under the belt we can do one of the listings from Kim's website."
Shego took a deep breath and turned back to her instrumentation. "I thought that was a play." She crossed her arms and turned back to Ron. "Apparently I was wrong. What do we have?"
Ron comendered one of the displays and brought up the listing. "Nearby, and all we have to do is find a goat."
"A… Goat?" Shego looked like she wanted to ask more questions before she just shut her mouth and shook her head. "Where?"
Ron enlarged the location and turned the screen so she could see. "This is going to be fun."
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