Ron’s relationship with Bonnie had just taken a bizarre turn and he didn’t know what to make of it. For the last ten months she’d been an on-again-off-again girlfriend with all the depth of a saucer. ‘Superficial and demanding’ usually described her and the few moments of genuine intimacy they shared disappeared the instant she was reminded of Kim. Now she had shown up out of the blue and started crying on him. He didn’t get it.
He closed the door and turned to Bonnie, “I don’t get it.” He said.
Away from the hostile atmosphere of the living room, Bonnie seemed discouraged and tired. She slumped on the edge of the bed and wiped her eyes with a tissue. “You never did before,” she sighed, “why should you start now?” The truth was, she didn’t really get it herself.
After Ron’s transformation, he had been a hot commodity around school and she had decided that if he was going to be hot and eligible she needed to have a piece of him. Somewhere along the line, once they got away from the peer pressure and the gossipmongers, Ron had turned out to be a lot more than a nice haircut and fashionable clothes. Unfortunately, every time she thought she was really getting close to him, he ran off to help Kim.
“I mean… you came all the way to Go City because I almost got hurt?” He scratched his head and glanced at her, “I always figured… you know.”
“That I was too shallow to really care about you?” being snappish was easy and familiar.
“No, it’s not like that…” He thought about it for a minute, “I just always kinda figured that since you and Kim never really got along, you just wanted to try to…” he grinned sheepishly, “get back at her… you know… through me.”
“Well, I was already in Go City, so I didn’t come all the way from Middleton, but…” she looked down at her hands, “…you’re not totally wrong about… the other thing. That is how it started.”
“I knew it!” he exclaimed, “Then why did you…?” Ron paused as the rest of her words sank in. “What do you mean, ‘ how it started’?”
The brunette took a deep breath and let it out slowly, “I’m not sure, Ron. Sometime over the last year, I realized that underneath the hair and the clothes there was a kind-hearted man who could make me happy.”
“I could?”
“Today I finally understood. When I saw you on TV and you were standing there stuffing your face looking like a complete dork…”
“Gee, thanks.”
She stood up and clapped her hand over his mouth, “Shut up and let me finish!” she hissed. He just nodded, wide-eyed. “So I was looking at this complete dork with a face full of food and…” she stepped back and dropped her hands. “He was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.”
“Whoa!” Ron sat down, “I don’t know what to say.”
“I don’t know what to say either, but… I thought I should say something before that bitch gets you killed, and I never have the chance.
“She’s my best friend, Bonnie.” He countered with some reproach.
“She might be your best friend, but I’m in love with you.” She sat down next to him and took his hand, “Are you going to keep following her around picking up scraps or do you want to be with someone who will give you her all?”
“Bonnie, you can’t make me choose between you and Kim.” Ron said softly.
“I know.” She replied, “I can’t make you and I won’t even ask you to, but sometime…” she continued gently, “sometime you’re going to have to.”
“You work for GJ?”
“Well, kind of…”
“Kind of?” Kim glared at the small screen, “Minister of Stupid Walks” doesn’t sound like ‘kind of’ it sounds like ‘I’m a full on Global Justice Lackey.’”
“Silly”
“What?”
“Silly Walks.”
“What’s the difference? If you’re working for them, how do I know you’re not sending me into a trap?” Her eyes narrowed, “How do I know you didn’t tell them where I was?”
“Kim, I wouldn’t give your position away to anybody…”
“Except Bonnie Rockwaller?”
“Touché.”
“Wade, I have to go after that nano-tech processor and I have no idea where it is.”
“I told you, Drakken has it.”
“And I just told you I can’t trust you.”
The computer genius looked shocked. “But Kim…” She didn’t hear the rest because she deactivated the Kimmunicator.
Kim raised her voice, “Ron! Bonnie! Playtime is over we have to get going.” She caught Monique’s eye and gestured toward the bedroom, “moral support?” she asked.
“You got it girl, let’s go.” They left the GJ agent hogtied on the living room floor.
Kim did knock before opening the door, but she didn’t wait for an answer. It wouldn’t have made a difference; Ron and Bonnie were sitting on the edge of the bed, hands clasped but each looking down as though lost in their own thoughts. She closed the door and spoke curtly, “We’re going after Drakken.”
Monique looked puzzled, “But I thought you just said…”
“I don’t want them to know where I’m going!” She paused and looked at the still sitting blonde, “We have to find Drakken.”
“Maybe I should sit this one out, KP.”
“I need you, Ron.” It hurt her to show this vulnerability in front of Bonnie.
Ron felt Bonnie stiffen, he glanced at her and then looked up at Kim, “No,” He whispered, “you need someone, anyone will do. I’ve just been the one that was there most of the time.”
Kim stared at him for a few seconds but he wouldn’t meet her eyes, “Monique,” she said quietly, “there’s a chance that any one who stays here will be in danger. I would suggest that you find a different place to hang out for the next couple of days until it is safe.” She turned and headed out into the hallway, “Everyone else can make themselves at home for all I care,” and she stalked out.
“Thanks for the ride, Fern.”
“No problem Kim,” the female farmer replied. “After the way you saved Wilber, I owed you one.”
“It was just a few weeks of training a poisonous spider to spin words into her web.” The red head replied with a dismissive wave of her hands. “So not the drama.”
There was a noise like a small kitten jumping off of a chair onto a thick pile carpet. The lookout scanned the area but saw only shadows. After he turned around, one of the shadows on the floor moved and became distinctly human shaped. The shadow glided silently across the room and removed a hairdryer/grappling gun from its pouch. The shadow got the guard’s attention by poking him in the back with the grappling gun. There was a noise like a gun being cocked.
“If you make a sound, I will put this hook deep into your spine.” A sotto female voice said. “Nod if you understand.”
There was vigorous nodding.
“Good. I can tell you’re one of the smart ones.” The shadow woman shifted her grip on the hairdryer/grappling gun. “Now tell me, does your boss pay well?”
Nod.
“Medical?”
Nod.
“Would the medical be enough to cover something like… a grappling hook through the spine?”
The guard hesitated a moment then shook his head no.
“Well, I need to ask you a few more questions and your answers will determine the outcome of our meeting.” The black clad fem said in a reasonable tone. “If I like your answers, you will live and remain whole. If I don’t like your answers… well, anything could happen, and I’m sure you don’t want that.”
The guard shuddered.
“I’m glad we understand each other. How many guards? Don’t say it out loud, just hold up fingers.”
The guard opened and closed his hand three times then held up a single digit.
“Sixteen?”
Nod.
“How are you deployed? You may whisper.”
“One lookout,” he complied, “Two just inside the door. Four in the main control room and one assigned to the boss full time. The other eight are off shift”
“The pay and benefits are really good?”
“Can’t complain too much.” He whispered.
“Dental is good?”
“Yes, very good.”
“Well then, I don’t feel bad about this.” She said, removing the grappling gun from his back.
“What?” he asked turning toward her.
She punched him right in the mouth.
When Dr. Drakken entered the lab he didn’t notice the four thugs strewn about or the rather large mess.
“Uh, Boss?” the nincompoop who was following him around said.
“What is it, Jerry?”
“Its Jeffrey.”
“What’s wrong with Jeffrey?”
“I’m Jeffrey.”
“Yes.” The scientist was now quite confused and wasn’t sure how to reply to that. “Well I can see why that would be a problem for you.”
“Boss?”
“What is it, Johnny?”
“Its Jeffrey.”
“What’s wrong with…? Waitaminit, didn’t we just have this conversation…?” Good help is so hard to find he thought. It seemed like every time he got a decent idea brewing some idiot would speak up and he’d lose his train of thought. Dr. Drakken glanced up at his bodyguard and noticed the state of the laboratory for the first time. “What happened here, Joseph?” he asked.
“Its Jeffrey.”
“Jeffrey did this?”
“I’m Jeffrey.”
“Well, Jeffrey,” the blue scientist screamed, “If you think you can just come in here and destroy my lab whenever you feel like it, you’re FIRED!” The trembling bodyguard was pointing at something. Drakken turned around and was surprised to see a black and green clad female lounging in the one remaining unbroken chair. His first thought was that it was Kim Possible but she was too tall and was projecting an attitude of ruthless disinterest.
“Who are you?” he asked querulously. “And what are you doing in my lab?”
“I’m here about the job.” The tall woman replied, removing her hood. She had pale green skin and long raven hair.
“What job?”
“The one you are going to offer me.”
“You look familiar to me,” the blue scientist said. “Have we met?”
Shego considered the length of time and the amount of effort that would be required to get him to understand that she had been the dark-skinned blonde woman who sold him the nano-tech processor and said: “No.”
“Then what makes you think I have a job for you?” he practically screamed. “GUARDS!”
“Uh, Boss?” The bodyguard said hesitantly.
“What now?”
“Since I’m the only guard here, does this mean I can have my job back?”
“Let me answer that for you.” The pale woman said scornfully as she crossed the room to where he was standing. She picked him up by his throat and crotch then chucked him out the door. “No.” There were several dull thuds and two small crashes before silence descended into the lab once more.
The blue skinned scientist fell to his knees and started begging, “Don’t hurt me!”
Shego let out a scream of frustration and shouted at the sniveling man, “I’m not here to hurt you!”
“I don’t get it.” He griped, standing up.
Maybe this wasn’t going to work out after all. Shego knew she couldn’t continue her operations in the Midwest and had thought that working for a mad genius with a reputation for paying well and on time would be just the thing to tide her over until she could set up a new base of operations. Eventually she was going to need something with a little less mad and a little more genius, but for now there was one other consideration that made this the job that she wanted right now.
“OK, from the top… I come here.”
“Yes.”
“You offer me a job…”
“A job?”
“Yes, a job.”
“Doing what?”
“The normal things… Bodyguard… Stealing… General problem solving…”
“Laundry?”
“You don’t get it.”
“I said that already.” He snapped.
“You do have a bad habit of repeating yourself.” She countered.
“Well then, let me say something different… GUARDS!” He punched wall-mounted button near one of the doors and immediately sirens and strobes began going off. Within thirty seconds the other eight guards had burst into the room and assumed an attack formation.
Shego rubbed her temples and tried to remember the name of her anger management guy. If she was going to keep this job for more than a few hours, she would probably need him. The pale woman took a deep breath and muttered, “Doy! I hate interviews.”
None of the henchmen seemed to regard her as a serious threat; she figured she could take out at least three before the rest woke up. She took a few steps back and pretended to trip over something on the floor. “Oh!” she said in her best bimbo voice, “I think I broke a nail… ON YOUR FACE!” and launched herself at the nearest thug. He toppled over and the martial artist made sure his head hit the floor hard enough for him to lose consciousness.
Two of them loomed over her; she popped up and knocked their heads together then ran directly toward the smallest guard with a primal scream. To her complete surprise he just cowered before her whimpering like a little girl. The pale thief stopped short and looked around, of the five remaining guards, two were trying to push open the door marked ‘pull’ one was crying and the other two were trying to hide behind each other. “Oh please!” She exclaimed, “These guys are pathetic!”
At this, one of the thugs inflated himself to his full height and strutted over to her, “Who you callin’ pathetic?” he rumbled.
Shego held up her hand and ignited it. “Boo.” She said quietly. He ran like hell, with his buddies right behind him.
Dr. Drakken surveyed his wrecked lab. He was quite put out that sixteen henchmen couldn’t deal with one woman; of course, he mused, they had never been able to do so in the past. Kim possible had always managed to defeat his guards and break up his schemes. A kernel of an idea percolated through his brain, perhaps a change in personnel was the right move.
“Tell me, miss…”
“Shego.”
“What would you say to five thousand a week and full medical.”
“Guy outside said he had dental too.”
“Fine! Five thousand a week, full medical and dental.”
Next Time:
Chapter 11: Toe-to-Toe
Battle Royale
Thanks one again to Charys and Willie for their continued support.