Drop in Reality
Chapter 14: The Third Incursion Part 2
Kimberly's head fell, her hair hiding her features as Ron continued to laugh, savoring his ultimate victory. He had worked so hard setting up all the pieces. The money, the minions, the infrastructure, the land, and the equipment. So, so many problems that needed his personal attention. All to make this one critical moment come to fruition. He would not waste it. He wanted to bask in the accomplishment, see Kimberly's frustration, her realization at the sheer level she had been outplayed. To see her fully admit defeat in a battle she had picked.
What he did not expect was screaming. It started as an acceptable whimper. It was a nice touch, he had thought before it grew into a wail. His laughter cut off as he watched her crumble into herself, arms clutched each other, and twin bloody gouges appeared along her sides dug with her own fingernails. All while she shrieked.
He blinked owlishly at the unexpected outcome, but it cut off just as fast as it started. Her body jerked unnaturally up, hand stretched to him.
"RON!" and like a puppet with its wires snipped, she fell limply to the ground.
This was not expected. This shouldn't be happening. It wasn't part of the plan. What was different? What was DIFFERENT? WHAT WAS DIFFERENT? His fingers absently pulled back his left sleeve, to reveal scabs and half-healed wounds. He scratched at them. He needed to readjust, but to what? How could he readjust when he didn't understand? The whole world was wrong. Out of alignment. The scratching increased in tempo, his eye twitching, and his nerves raged as his world was old, outdated, rusting, and grinding in a direction he didn't understand. Blood dribbled to the ground, the scabs broken.
He froze, eyes refocused as the petite redhead jerked up like a marionette, knees bent at awkward angles, bangs hiding her expression. Then came the chuckles. Light at first, but they grew louder. She held her gut, spittle dripping from her lips as she laughed all the harder.
Has losing caused insanity? Not completely out of his calculations. He pulled his sleeve back over his bleeding arm.
"Wonderful, exquisite, you truly outdid yourself." The compliments gushed out as Kimberly straightened, hair pulled away to expose a wicked smirk, irises large and unhinged. She wiped the drool from her lips, breathing ragged.
The Unkim. The unusual display had only been an anomaly in his plan. He knew this track. The world brightened; the flow of order returned. Everything was in place once more. His features calmed. "Ah, you finally show yourself," Ron nodded to the Unkim. "But you'll find you are too late. Kimberly walked you perfectly into my trap; nothing on earth can punch through that barrier."
He had her. There was no escape.
She clapped, nodding her head at his words.
"Yes, you did. You made sure to wring out every advantage you could from that naive puppet. Brought her to the verge of insanity as every attempt she made to find you turned up empty. I nearly had to take over so many times to keep things together. Even made me use up an important favor to get her back on track before it was too late. It made me… sooooo… wet," she finished with a smile, her hand hovering over her enclosure. Little flecks of power grazed her palm but not quite close enough to send her flying.
"So, you admit defeat?" Ron asked, his arms crossed.
She briefly locked eyes with him, that predatory grin flashing to life.
"Patience, lover. This little challenge hasn't quite ended yet."
"Oh, you believe you can win from there? Or is your plan to pout until I give up?"
She giggled.
"We are in the end game, but that doesn't mean we can't enjoy this delightful situation."
"If you will not give up," Ron hovered his index finger over a button made just for this situation.
"Oh, don't be like that. This contest never had stakes. Why not set them now when you are so sure of your victory?"
The finger hovered for a few seconds before moving away. He crossed his arms with his chin jutting out as he eyed her
"I'm listening."
"If I'm still trapped in thirty minutes, I'll admit defeat. Truly and absolutely. I will be yours and you will be mine." Her eyes flashed at the word. "I'll remain at your side. It wouldn't even be boring. A world takeover always has an insurgence or four that need a good massacre to make an example of for the rest to toe the line. Though, I truly believe I'll convince you that my brand of evil is far superior to such banal plans."
"Take over…the world?" Ron asked, blinking. All paths lead to this, to now, and the upcoming confrontation with the enemy backing the Unkim. There was no after.
Her hand fell away from the barrier separating them, tilting her head.
"Oh, my poor Ronniepoo did not consider what happens after all this is complete. If not world conquest, what will you do? What great evil will that big brain cook up? Whatever it may be, how could it possibly be greater than the apocalypse that I am orchestrating?"
"Apocalypse?" Ron asked with a frown.
"Yes, the most delightful of evils. A world of strife where you adapt or die. Where only one rule exists and that is the rule of strength. The truly strong will survive in my world. The rest of the sheep will be slaughtered. The cowards will die shaking in the ruins, praying for another day before the night claims them." She tapped a finger to her chin. "I suppose a few will languish in the deepest and darkest holes they can find. All of them will be fated to a slow and miserable death as they wallow in their despair, watching their flesh turn to dust before their eyes."
She giggled, her eyes wide and unfocused. Likely relishing the terrors she had planned for the world.
Ron coughed, causing the girl to refocus.
"It will be glorious," she finished, wiping a bit of drool from her cheek.
"And the best irony is that none of it would have been possible for years if it weren't for Drakkon. The buffoon is playing his role like a good puppet. He's done such an excellent job that there is nothing more I need to do to set everything in motion. All my pieces were in play before Kim even woke. It's only a matter of time now until everything comes to fruition." She whispered, her eyes dilating. She continued, voice going distant and eyes glazed. "You'll be there of course. You'll build an imperial fortress filled to the brim with the most amazing inventions. It will be our safe love nest. And when it does fail, no matter where I am to indulge in my delights, your loyal mutt will remain ever at your side. Her teeth bared at all to protect my precious, precious lover. It will be perfect."
"Mutt?" Ron asked. So much was outside of his expectation. He knew things were getting out of hand, but a full apocalypse? His fingers fidgeted at his sleeve, kept at bay by force of will.
She blinked, coming back from whatever new horror she had delved into.
"What? Didn't you know? You planned so thoroughly to put me under a cup. Did you not think I had my own plans? I showed you that you couldn't defeat me on your own. I knew you would find a minion to have your back. You chose well in selecting Shego. I'm sure after some proper taming, she will be compliant enough."
"And what of Kimberly? How does she fit into your plans?"
"Me? Oh, you mean little miss goody two shoes. No, no, no. I've already taken care of that problem. I killed her. Can't have some arbitrary one-off machine messing up my perfect life, now can I?"
Ron's frown deepened. "You killed her?" His eyes crept back to the spot she had howled moments ago.
"Of course. I reached the goal first. There is no need to hide behind that sniveling goody-goody anymore. I'll just have to make sure that the other two have appropriate accidents before they have a chance to ascend. I'm a needy girl after all. It won't do to share you with two backstabbing little cunts when I don't have to," she breathed out, her eyes smoldering.
"But I'm getting ahead of myself. Do we have a deal? A half-hour more to establish the winner and the fate of the world?"
So, so many things were not in line. His throat itched to let the world fade so he can string all the loose threads together, but time was not on his side. He had victory in hand. He may not have anticipated the future use of the Unkim's capability, but he knew he could accomplish so much more with her. The problem was.
"And when I win? What about the machinations you have put into place?"
The Unkim pouted, twirling her index finger in small circles just above the barrier separating them.
"I suppose I could let you know the timeline. Though I have a feeling you wouldn't trust me to prevent them. Not quite sure you would be up to the task of stopping the avalanche on its way." She paused, staring at the ceiling thoughtfully. "I'm not sure even I could stop things so close to the finish line, but it may be fun to try. Failing that, I'm sure we can find something fun to keep things interesting. In the long run, it won't matter as I'm sure you'll come around to my way eventually.
Ron nodded before asking "Starting from when I captured you?"
"Very nice, fishing for every advantage," she noted.
Ron's finger hovered over the button again causing the Unkim to raise a brow.
"Fine, fine, I guess that would be what, fifteen minutes?" She shrugged as if it didn't matter. She sat crossed-legged, one hand cupping her cheek as she stared at him enticingly.
Ron nodded in turn, returning to the entertainment of Shego's fight. He smiled in delight at finding two Kimberly Possibles facing off against each other.
"How marvelous…"
PSSSSSSSST
"What now?" Ron sighed as static flared amongst the many speakers indicating an incoming transmission. He thumbed his console to allow the communication through.
"Ron Stoppable, you have launched an unsanctioned aircraft in American airspace. Power down all your weapons, kneel down on your knees, place your hands on your head, and prepare for arrest," came a loud gravelly male voice.
Ron tilted his head at the message, returning to his console. A few button presses and his screens sifted through his information network before settling on a globe that hovered before him. In moments a trail appeared from his current location and dotted its way back to another blue flashing point. He frowned before addressing the sender.
"I know it is you, Global Justice. Stop pretending to be what you are not. You have no jurisdiction here nor do you have the right to 'arrest' anyone. You grievously exceed your authority."
There was a long pause as the static hissed throughout the room before it came back to life. Except it had shifted to a feminine voice. One he knew.
"Ron, if you don't power down your bases, all of them, and deactivate your… creations… we will be forced to act."
"Director Betty," he responded, his hands flashing across the keyboard. "I am honored that someone of your stature has taken an interest, but again, you exceed your authority."
The globe drew closer and centered high above Ron's location. At this distance, he could hear the small chirps of hungry customers begging for his information network. Each had a miniature price tag that flashed in and out of existence.
"Insignificant gnats." With a swat of his hand, they all vanished.
"Now let us see what you are up to," Ron mumbled. He frowned as a price tag appeared before him. "Bypass, signa four. Set to auto." It blinked twice before returning to the globe. It expanded, growing larger until his vision was filled with just the United States. Several red pings appeared moving fast across the country. His frown returned as he noticed another dot that radiated a deep crimson.
"We certainly cannot have that." He returned his attention to the communications line, flipping it back on.
"Naughty, naughty, Director. If you launched that, it would cause a lot of problems."
"You're one to talk, your little pets are about to cause a threat to the entire planet."
"How…" Ron turned to glance at the Unkim who still smirked in return. "You'll have difficulties taking them out…unless." Ron returned to the crimson dot, expanding it on the globe. The whole world zoomed in past clouds, planes, and even birds to focus on an expansive desert. The zoom penetrated the sands to expose a missile, specs appearing next to it.
"You're playing with forces you don't understand, Director. If you use that, you'll have destroyed the world long before anything I do."
"Give it up, Stoppable. We know what your pets are made of and will send exactly what is needed to make sure they are no longer a threat to the planet."
The static disappeared, and the line cut off.
Ron's fist thudded into the console.
"If you want to pick a fight, all you have to do is ask," he hissed. His hands flew across the keyboard, the missile's highlight going from crimson to gray.
A few more keys and suddenly he continued to hear Global Justice's internal channel.
"Send in the big boy and get those jets out there. We can't give him time to react or we'll be in serious trouble."
Moments passed before a trembling male voice spoke up.
"Ma'am? We're having problems with the package; it isn't responding to our codes."
"What? Why not?"
"There is an external signal jamming our connection. We've reached out to those onsite and they are trying to bypass without success."
"What is the source of the jamming?"
"It appears to be a satellite…that didn't exist a few minutes ago."
There was a pregnant pause before the director responded.
"Fine, Ron must have found out somehow. We shouldn't have given a warning. Vector our attack satellites over and disable it. Make sure to get a profile beforehand and mark all satellites that recently appeared of similar make. Once the first is removed, destroy them as well. My intuition says he sent out more than just one. Meanwhile, the fighter planes will take out his base. Did we get confirmation on the target?"
"Yes, Ma'am. We got a clear response that he is indeed at site three. I've already sent the telemetry to the jets and they've adjusted course."
"At least we got a small win out of this."
The sound terminated as Ron smashed another button.
"They truly do wish to challenge me. They will regret it."
"Troubles?"
Ron spun to find Kim still sitting with her head resting lopsided on her hand, elbow against her thigh.
"Then there is you. Are you just a pretender issuing a challenge and then calling for backup? The very backup I told you not to?"
The girl shrugged, "It wasn't me and I know I wouldn't have let one of the others do such a pathetic thing either. Though I have a pretty good idea of who did."
"Wade," Ron spat out the name. "I'll have to set up something special for the interference."
"Revenge, death, destruction, yes, yes, those are all well and good, but, you know, fighter jets? Do you have time to stew in vengeance?" Kim asked, still staring at him, her other hand counting out each point.
Ron frowned, returning his attention to the three dots speeding over the map straight at his location. "Do not worry. This will be a massacre," he pronounced.
A beeping echoed in the room, red flashes accompanying the sound. The dots grew to nine, six of them zooming ahead. With a flick of his wrist, the view transformed into a visual of the incoming ordnance. He ignored them, his focus riveted to the jets behind.
"That is right, keep coming. A little closer and…"
The building shook as arcs of lighting streaked into view, knocking into each missile with a massive explosion.
The jets banked away, one just a little too late as a bolt lanced through its wing causing it to spiral out of the air. Two more arced after the others. Just before reaching them, the planes vanished into the clouds, and the lightning scattered lighting up the area as bright as the sun for several seconds with a thunderous explosion.
He glanced below the screen which still showed the radar. The two were coming in above the clouds, thinking themselves safe.
"Clever, yet not clever enough." The very air seemed to charge as a massive bolt built on top of the pole. It grew ever brighter, the screen nearly blinding before there was a dull bong that shook the foundation. Pure light ascended, lancing straight through the clouds and engulfing a plane. After the pulse disappeared, nothing remained. The hole was highlighted by the sun's rays shifting along the ground before the swirling clouds gobbled up the empty space.
Ron pumped a fist in glee before more warning lights flashed on his screen. A second smaller screen appeared showing the pole. It was fried, its entire length blackened, holes potted the structure, and the arcs that once rolled across its surface didn't come above a few inches off the ground.
"Knew I should have insulated it better but losing a Tesla tower was still worth it. I have more where that came from." Another button and the frazzled tower dropped on its side, crumbling into four parts. A few stray arcs danced between them, but slowly dissipated away. It was replaced by another tower a dozen feet closer to the building, rising straight up from the ground.
He watched as the last jet circled.
"Come on… You want a bomb run? I'll give you the run of your life!" He watched as an object fell, and could see its outline in the clouds.
"Must be a hefty one. I don't see any others so not a carpet bombing. And…Now!" He pressed a button and an arc of lightning slammed up, striking the bomb just after it passed through the clouds. A second bolt sailed passed it, striking the circling jet. His pleasure went blank as the bomb detonated. An intense white light spread out, encompassing the entire grounds and suddenly all the screens were blank, there was no more view of the outside nor lighting.
"What? Did they use an EMP bomb? But how, how could they have known that would be effective? It doesn't make sense." He stumbled to a window, lifting the metallic curtain and allowing what little light penetrated the storm into the room.
"How could they possibly have done…"
Tap, tap, tap, tap.
Ron froze, slowly turning around to see the Unkim casually tapping the glass, her eyes waggling.
"You're still trapped, there is no way you could escape…"
She didn't respond in words, simply placing her fist very carefully. Her tongue stuck out to the side as she concentrated on setting the fist. Then her other hand went behind her and swung, slamming straight into the first. There was a loud thunk and the entire dome wobbled. The wobble increased in tempo, the plastic stretching inches in either direction. Faster and faster and then it happened. A single crack appeared at the strike point. A thin line snaked its way out. Then another. Cricks and cracks echoed out, winding themselves up and down until they reached the floor and ceiling. The whole structure instantly became a criss-cross of cracks and shattered.
"Knock, knock, lover."
This wasn't part of the plan either. Why were so many things going wrong? His fingers itched to scratch his arm, his teeth grinding before his eyes narrowed. The escape was unplanned. The possibility of conflict was not. He just had to ignore the first and focus on the second. He would be fine. He would.
"I applaud your escape. That substance shouldn't have had a breaking point to exploit."
She nodded, casually dusting the fragments off of her mission gear.
"You're right. It doesn't or, should I say, didn't. You put a charge through it. I noticed just the slightest chink in its armor. That's all I really need." She casually strolled out, circling him. Her eyes held a disquieting hunger.
"I escaped before the thirty minutes were up. And…" she lightly tapped her lips. "Oh yes, we've already compared fighting prowess without your tech. I do believe you lost quite badly last time." She paused, one hand on her hip as she tilted her head to look at him. "You've already impressed me. I can think of a lot of fun things I'd prefer to pass the time. Why not give up now and I'll show you?" She trailed a finger stroking across her left hip and up her body while fully leering at him.
He returned it with a smirk. "You'll find that I'm not out of tricks quite yet."
The leer expanded impossibly larger. "Oh, you do say all the right things to turn me on." She charged, right foot coming around in a savage sidekick. He remained unmoving, not bothering to block. Just before it would have struck, a flash of orange surrounded him. There was a crack and suddenly she flew in the opposite direction.
She collapsed in a heap, her eyes ravenous as she continued to stare at him despite the blood soaking through her cargo pants. She only glanced at her wound before stabbing a finger into her side and letting a scream out that hurt his ears.
She stood, appearing none the worse for a broken leg.
"Clever, very clever. It pleases me that you've made such a device though I have to wonder just how long can it last with all the lights out? I know that my leg is good for another hour before it needs treatment, can you say the same?"
He paused, glancing down at a gauge that was already half empty. He didn't give an outward sign, but her smirk told him she knew.
"Come on Ron, my love, this battle is pointless. I will win and you have already fulfilled everything I could possibly have dreamed of. Don't let pride get in the way. I've set in motion the greatest evil possible. The eradication of mankind. The endless suffering of a world for as long as it exists. Even you can't call me a pretender."
He huffed, his heart hammering in his chest. "If the world dies, the Naco dies with it. I won't let that happen."
She stood staring blankly. "Naco? The Naco?" She whispered in disbelief. "You are refusing me over some meaningless junk food? Scorning my dreams, the possibility of the greatest evil ever known?"
She shook her head, walking without the slightest hint of a limp. He frowned at that. He was sure it was cracked if not broken. She should be debilitated by the pain right now.
"Come on, with all your science know-how, are you telling me you can't whip up a machine that could make anything you wanted?"
"I could, but I don't want the world destroyed. What is the point of evil if all the people are just dead? No, I'll make my own way."
"Look who's the pretender now. It's fine. I'll just have to persuade you a little bit. I'm sure in time you'll understand. Don't worry, I'll nurse you back to health."
She glanced at his waist, her eyes widening in delight. "Oh, look at that, you're about out of time."
Ron glanced down to his gauge, confused as he had plenty only to snap his neck back up, something was flying at… not him. He looked to the Unkim to see her smirk, pointing behind him.
He started to turn when there was a large explosion. The orange barrier flashed up and was thrown against him as a ton of rubble collapsed. He gasped as he fell to the ground. His right arm was unmoving.
He panted as he felt the presence above him. He flipped with his legs only for a strike to hit him in the back and he was flying out into the intense wind and rain. Thunder struck the lightning rod one after the next, its power useless to him but the surroundings flashed into existence constantly amidst the dull unending roar.
"Don't worry dear, I'll be right there."
His heart froze as he couldn't feel his legs. He leveraged his left arm, forcing his body to roll over to find the Unkim slowly sashaying towards him, her red main flapping madly in the howling wind.
His eyes glanced at the display on his personal watch, reaching for anything before catching something that shouldn't have been there. An out?
"Do not think you have won!" He screamed, his voice just above the torrent of thunder as he leveraged himself up with his good arm.
She did pause several steps away, an eyebrow raised.
"And what do you think you can do now? You are very poor at adaptation and I know you didn't plan for this."
"I can't do anything."
She grinned at the recognition.
"But your mother did."
Confusion rolled across her features as she glanced around for the woman. He punched a button on his unfeeling right wrist just as she turned back to him, eyes going wide.
"Wha… eh" She collapsed into a heap on the ground.
Ron panted as he eyed her. 'What did Ann put into her?' He turned away as his watch beeped. He flopped onto it, his eyes mere centimeters away. His left hand touched a few buttons and his eyes went wide.
"Damn it, Damn it, DAMN IT!" He screamed into the storm. He pushed another button which took a few seconds to light up green.
"Shego…Global Justice has involved itself." He paused, gasping as a miniature map appeared, a countdown flashing away. "They…"
He jerked up as a mad grin filled his vision. Blood dribbled from Kimberly's visage as she flipped him to his back.
"Together forever," she rasped the words, blood dripping from her lips framed by the flickering lightning. "Forever. Forever. Forever. Forever." The fervent word repeated over and over, eyes unhinged as she drew closer, a broken bit of glass in her hand, cutting into her palm.
"Me and my Romeo!" She lunged for his neck. He was helpless and could only watch it descend. It slammed home… into the dirt merely nicking his cheek. His eyes shifted to the glass so close and then back to the warped face of the Unkim who stared at it as if it had betrayed her.
Her eyes widened in astonishment "No! That's not possible! I killed you! Killed you! Killed you! Stay dead!" She screamed into his face. The glass was up, poised to strike, but froze shakily as if some force was pressing against it. Her face turned to terror before shifting, calming. Eyes focused, a loving expression met his.
"Ron," She gurgled out, more blood spilling from her mouth. "Come back to me."
And she was gone. He heard her crying out to stop. That she was so close to her dream. There was a gasp and all was still. The world started to go dark around the edges. Yet he pushed the button.
"Shego… they are… sending a fusion-capped missile to your location." He swallowed; the words so heavy on his lips. "Activate the shields and…" He panted, everything was spiraling in the flashes of light and sound. "I'm…hurt. …need your help." His voice was fading to a dull whisper. "Please… help me."
The darkness overtook him, releasing him of his pain as his world vanished into nothingness.
Author's notes: Well this arc took forever to complete. This is the last of the preprepared story I created. I'm not sure when I'll get back to writing as the experience hasn't been very rewarding recently.
brindani
