Ch.82
These past three years were different for everyone that once knew Ron.
For Kim things were more hectic than for most.
In the early months after Ron saved the world she was going to therapy to deal with the guilt and pain she felt on a biweekly basis. Eventually things became easier and the appointments less frequent but she still went once a month to have someone to talk to.
Kim knew Monique would have listened but she didn't know how to bring up the topic with her and eventually decided not to. They still hung out and everything but Kim feared that if she brought it up Monique might blame her too. After all Monique had asked for her blessing to pursue Ron so Kim was acutely aware she had feelings for him. Another thing Kim knew was that Monique could tell she was holding back on her but gave her the space to decide whether to share.
~~~~~
The missions resumed six months in when GJ asked for assistance shortly after college started for Kim. Turned out there was a sighting of Drakken and they needed all the help they could get to bring the man in. He was on the move and villain activity had skyrocketed in the last six months. Thus GJ had their hands full and couldn't spare anyone to capture the man.
Kim was eager to help on this one and had to argue against both her mother and Wade telling her to leave it be. In the end she convinced them though she still doesn't remember how. With Wade on board and a super suit, Kim went on the mission. Even then the mission was a failure. Not only had Drakken gotten competent help but someone unexpected was hunting him. Kim had fought her way inside just in time to see Drakken get into a scape pod a moment before a blast of green and black plasma landed where its entrance was.
Kim didn't understand what was going on between Shego and Drakken but proceeded to fight Shego whose abilities seemed to have evolved. And had to rely on the lair self destruct to end the fight before she lost. Shego had gotten stronger and the super suit barely allowed Kim to keep up.
The mission debrief with Dr. Director was brutal as the head of GJ had expected results and was not happy to hear otherwise. Kim went on other missions like stopping a wildfire, rescuing an injured hiker and villains attempt at world domination. Though she stopped their plans to take over the world she hadn't been able to capture a single one.
A thing of note for Kim was her college grade dropping to a B in sophomore year as the villains seemed to always have plans in motion. And her getting to know Mike Owen's who by Junior year became her boyfriend. In Conquest, they were both ranker's or in the top percent of the game though Kim was much further ahead in the top fifty and Mike in nine hundred eighteen position.
All in all things were okay for Kim, especially once she and Ann had a heart to heart about Ann's desire to pursue a relationship with Ron.
~~~~~
Monique, much like Ann was having dreams of Ron. In the dreams he would hold her and listen to her day and though he never spoke she would feel closer to Ron each time.
If Tara, Bonnie, Shego and Yori had asked either of them if they dreamt of Ron, they all would have realized they all dreamed of him but they each decided to hold onto to those precious moments and kept them a secret.
Monique went to college for business management and fashion design. She put so much of her time into it that two years later she graduated early and went on a internship under Coco Banana, lead fashion designer of Club Banana.
Monique spent a year interning for Coco Coco Banana, during which time she made a name for herself as a fashion designer. Her internship ended when Coco Banana gave her lead of the spring collection and it was a resounding success. Monique recieved multiple offers to become a fashion designer under various brands but refused to pursue her dream, starting her own her own.
Now she was currently looking for investors for a young fashion designer.
On a side note, Monique was a top ten tailor in Conquest.
~~~~~
Like Monique and Ann, Tara too dream of Ron and much like their dreams he holds her and listens to her. The difference being that Tara thought he had woke up at first.
Tara had a rough time after that and only Bonnie managed to help her keep it together. Ron's state had a toll on his ladies but Tara upbeat and caring attitude took a turn for a detached and reserved one as she coped. Her smiles became rare and often she'd wake up and cry after spending yet another dream with Ron.
It got to the point that her parents were worried for her and contacted Bonnie to find out if something happened. When Bonnie showed up later that day, Tara talked with her parents and explained why she was so down lately. Her parents wept with Tara and encouraged not to lose hope.
Tara then gave her all into her other passion, child care and psychology. As she took psychology in college, Tara got a job at the hospitals daycare and that brought a smile to her for a few hours a day.
A few times during her video calls to Ron, Tara could swear that he smiled at her as she excitedly told him funny stories about the kids under her care.
Like this Tara's journey to a doctorate in psychology continues, she's even considering opening an orphanage though she's having trouble securing funding.
In Conquest Tara had opened an orphanage and those moments kept inspiring her to open one in real life.
~~~~~
Bonnie felt alone even though much of her time was spent with Tara or some other form of company.
Her dreams of Ron were endearing but it was the video calls that really let her go on throughout her days. Bonnie didn't know why she started it but she would tell Ron detailed fantasies that she hoped would stimulate him into waking up.
She had yet to see progress.
Another thing that kept Bonnie busy was taking a position in her father's company and she was responsible for providing Cross Industries the antennas for the Neuro Linker so they could set up their own network. Both companies had made plenty of money thanks to some of her decisions and saturation for the device signal was at eighty nine percent world wide and estimated that in six months before they reach full hundred percent signal reliability though certain extreme locations would lack a signal they had a design with satellite connectivity for those who travel to set locations.
Bonnie had also been responsible for investing in Cross Industries and had secured fifty one percent of the shares that were sold to the public. That being close to six percent of the ten percent shares that were put for sale. Rumor was that the other four percent was bought by the partners once governments took legal action against Cross Industries but Bonnie convinced her father to hold onto the shares.
And boy did it pay. Her family's fortune had nearly tripled with just the profit that six percent generated. It was to the point that Bonnie's father gave her the vice president's position in the company.
Still Bonnie's success was always marred by Ron's absence.
On the side Bonnie started a business empire in Conquest and with the latest update announced, the currency exchange, would allow her to turn some gold from the game into millions in cash. She was well on her way to becoming one of the worlds richest woman.
~~~~~
Felix and Zita ended up in the same college out of state. They were up in New York and were in constant touch with Wade and their families.
Wade had been left in charge of Cross Industries and he later hired Amy who Ron had met at the lake months prior. When Amy had found out that Ron had been hurt as Wade notified the people in Ron's contacts she was devastated and asked if she could see him but again things were against her as Ron was already in Japan at the time. Still she kept in touch with Wade who later hired her.
It was under her business knowledge and Wade's technical expertise that Cross Industries had shocked the world.
Back to Felix and Zita. The two were living together since sophomore year after they announced their engagement to their parents. Though both parents showed concern they were convinced eventually by the couple. The only reason they didn't marry in these three years was because Felix wanted Ron as his best man.
Felix was actively involved in using the government's centurion project to help people walk again and make prosthetic limbs. Zita for her part was working with Bebe on quest's developments for Conquest and the main story line and though she wanted to aim for a ranking refrained since her knowledge of the game was too intimate. Felix for his part didn't share that problem and went on to become a ranker in the top ten.
~~~~~
Wade for his part ran Cross Industries with Amy and worked with Kim on her missions.
He was constantly making gadgets and tech that he patented. Add to that his ten percent shares of Cross Industries and he would soon be competing for one of the top five richest people in the world though Ron was already in solid number one. Ron's parents investment portfolio was so great that he was startled when he found out Ron's net worth. The guy was a billionaire before Cross Industries came into the picture, now Wade was afraid he'd have a stroke if he looked at how much Ron was making a day. And that was ignoring the companies assets and liquid funds.
Another thing of note for Wade that he met a girl who he started getting to know and she was quite the genius herself.
For Conquest Wade was in the top ten with Felix.