It's Addictive: Chapter 21

I.

Monique stomped out of the elevator, turning left. ""There has got to be another way up there, and when I find her..." Rounding the curving passageway she heard an announcement. "Wonder what a 3434 is? With these jokers somebody probably put itching power instead of body talc in the showers." She stomped on.

II.

Little Mary looked around at the groaning bodies surrounding her. "Whoa, what just happened?"

Wilhelmina lifted her aching head from her hands. "I think someone set off the tranquilizing gas. It's a defense in case we're ever attacked."

"You mean someone else got ticked at you clowns?" Little Mary snarked.

Willy semi-snarled, "What do you mean, clowns? I'll have you know..."

"Yeah, yeah." Suzie interrupted, "You're great, you're fabulous. What we want to know is where's Ron?"

"Ah...Ron?"

Little Mary snatched Willy onto her toes by the lapels of her uniform. "Don't play little miss innocent with us. Ron Stoppable, the guy your head honcho kidnapped!"

"Dr. Director? No way. That woman is married to her job." Wilhelmina stuttered.

"Yeah, well, I think someone needs to tell her 'spouse' that's she's having an affair." Suzie growled.

"Now where would she be?" Little Mary asked, emphasizing her urgency by bouncing Willy up and down rapidly.

"If you'll let me go, I'll tell you." Willy managed to get out. This jostling was not helping her head at all. "If Dr. Director, and when I think of what she said after my little conference with Ron, has him, she's probably either in one of the labs or her private quarters."

"And just where would those be?"

"Follow me."

III.

"Ma'am, are you all right?" Monique asked the quietly sobbing woman.

"The monkeys, the poor, poor monkeys."

Monique glanced around nervously. "What monkeys, ma'am?"

Tears leaked slowly from only one of the woman's eyes. "In Zamboanga."

"Ah...right...Zamboanga." Monique tried to edge away.

Monique found her shoulders clasped in strong hands, her head rattling on her shoulders.

"Don't you understand?" The woman finally stopped shaking Monique, "They don't have any tails." She released Monique, running her hands through her short hair.

"I know I shouldn't..." "Ah, what happened to their tails?"Monique questioned cautiously.

"The whales did it." At Mo's confused look, the woman leaned close, "The whales bit their tails off."

"Ah...right...whales...ah...have you seen Ron?" Monique blurted.

A wide grin spread across the woman's face. "YES!" Her voice lowered confidentially. "And you just wait 'till he catches those whales. He's the monkey master, you know."

"Ah...no, no I didn't know that." Monique began edging away again, only to be followed closely.

"Yes, and he's not going to be happy." Her face crumpled, "Those poor, poor, Mrs. Monkeys. Now they'll never, never know."

Monique couldn't help herself. "Know what, Ma'am?"

Her face twisting in laughter the woman danced away. "I'll never tell." She danced down the hall, her song floating back to Monique.

"Oh, the monkeys have no tails in Zamboanga,

The monkeys have no tails in Zamboanga,

The monkeys have no tails, they were bitten off by whales,

Oh, the monkeys have no tails in Zamboanga..."

As the woman disappeared around a corner, Monique snapped her jaw shut. "Curiouser and curiouser." She wandered in the other direction.

IV.

Kim glanced back at the woman lying languidly on the ottoman, For all the answers she was getting out of Shego, she might as well be talking to Pandaroo. She stalked over to the couch, leaning into the green beauties face. "Shego, for the last time, would you please tell me what happened? You don't seriously expect me to believe my Ron did this, do you?"

Shego answered languorously, still in her own world, "Hmmm, no, Princess, not your Ron. That man belongs to the world." Heavy lids closed over lambent eyes as Shego wrapped her arms around herself, shivering in remembrance. "Any man that can do that..."

"What? What did he do?" Kim resisted shaking her enemy. "Tell me!"

"Don't think you're old enough, Kimmie."Shego yawned delicately, "And I know you're not experienced enough." Curling into herself, Shego relaxed into slumber.

Kim stared at the slumbering Shego in mixed wrath and embarrassment. "Not old enough or 'experienced' enough, huh? You'd know all about 'experienced' wouldn't you, As if my Ron would let you touch him." She whirled in disgust, stomping toward the open concealed door. "What did she mean, 'He belongs to the world'? He belongs to me!" Charging down the steps, she turned right out the door.

IV.

Welhelmina, with Little Mary and the rest in close trail, rounded the corner of the research lab. "What..." Her breath left her as the twin concussions of hitting the floor, and Little Mary's body slammed her into the floor.

"Why did you stop?" Little Mary growled before looking around. "Oh, I see. I take it you haven't found him yet either?"

"No we haven't." Amelia snarled, "And where is everybody? You'd think a top secret headquarters would have more guards we could steal...ah, borrow some clothes from."

Melody dragged Willy up off the floor. "Yeah, that's tough. Well, good luck with the clothes and all."

Tara stepped in her path. "Wait a minute. You've got clothes and a guide. How about sharing?"

"What?"

"Leave the clothes or the guide, one or the other." Suzy explained. "After all, we want to be fair about this, don't we?" Her friendly smile slightly at odds with the clenched fist she was holding in Melody's face.

Little Mary straightened, "You think you can do something about it, Tanner?"

"Oh, I think so, yes." Suzy smirked, as Amelia grabbed Willy's free arm and Tara kicked Little Mary in the back of the knee. For the second time in as few minutes, Little Mary hit the deck, this time without the cushioning help of a curvaceous GJ agent.

"WOOF!"

"Get the clothes!" "Get the guide!"

As Little Mary struggled to rise, a stampede of bare, delicate feet flattened her.

V.

"Is it safe to go back in, Agent Du?"

"I think so. Tell you what, Lobowsky, take my communicator. After you recon, let me know what you find."

Lobowsky paled. "Ah, right, sir, I would, but, ah, I seem to have twisted my ankle again."

Du looked, around, "Well, no hurry. Beautiful night isn't it?" He looked around at the gathered male agents. "Unless somebody has a better idea, I think the Pizza Partitorium is still open."

With rousing cheers, and internal sighs of relief, the agents began walking to the concealed vehicle storage locker.

VI.

"WADE ALGONQUIN LOAD! WHAT IN THE WORLD ARE YOU WATCHING?"

"Busted!" Wade turned to the furious maternal figure in his doorway, a sickly grin wavering on his lips. "Ah...the women's international freestyle rugby championship?"

VII.

Kim stared nonplussed at the multiple screens in front of her. This couldn't be.

"Girlfriend? You are so gonna pay for this." Monique snarled from the partially opened door.

Kim turned to look at her SBF, her lip quivering pathetically.

"And don't even be tryin' none of that puppy dog crap with me, girl. You are so going down. After you tell me where my boy is."

"Mo...Monique." Kim sniffled, "Ronnie....Ron..."

"What? What? Spit it out!"

Kim wiped her eyes, "Ron...Ron has left the building."