As always, thanks to my beta reader, daywalkr82, for his invaluable (and totally free!) services.
Disclaimer: Why am I so poor I can't own it!? Why!?
Kim crawled along the ventilation shaft as quickly as stealth would allow. She couldn't afford any mistakes on this particular mission. This wasn't just some incompetent like Drakken, or a madman like the former Lord Fiske. Her target was intelligent, manipulative, and seemed to have a sense of foresight that bordered on precognition.
The stakes couldn't be higher.
She made her way down the long shaft, Wade scanning and deactivating all security problems that came up. The going was slow. As anticipated, the target had taken every precaution in order to ensure all chances of victory.
It was all as she expected, so why was she so nervous?
Drawing the Kimmunicator from her pocket, she activated it and asked, "Wade, can you tell me what's in this room?"
Typing on his computer, he answered, "There are at least two guards, along with automated defenses. I can disable the automated defenses easily enough, and run a feedback loop through the central computer, so anyone watching will just see the two guards."
"So, do you think you can handle two guards?" Wade asked Kim, a smug expression on his face.
Grinning a confident smirk back at him, Kim responded, "In my sleep."
"Okay, give me a couple minutes to initiate the feedback loop and… done!"
Wade hadn't even finished his statement when a redheaded blur entered the room. The first guard was taken completely unawares and rapidly dispatched. She turned to the second guard, and took a blow to the face. The man was a tall, skinny fellow. From his stance, she gathered he was using ju-jitsu. Stupid, stupid, stupid, I should have known he would get competent help, she thought.
Dodging a kick aimed at her head, she launched a counterattack, which he easily dodged. He tried to sweep kick, but she jumped. A mad succession of punches came at her. Kim, unable to dodge them all, was knocked into the wall. Standing up, the man started to gloat.
"So, is this the best the world famous Kim Possible can offer me? I heard you were one of the best martial artists this side of the globe."
Without warning, Kim launched herself at the man. She moved at least twice as fast as she ever had before, making it virtually impossible for the cocky soldier to avoid being struck. And struck he was, three times in rapid succession. Falling to the floor, his left hand held his broken nose, and his other hand wrapped around his now heavily bruised ribs. Kim leaned down next to the tearful man.
"Actually, not to gloat, but I am one of the best martial artists this side of the globe. I can't believe you've never encountered the Crafty Monkey in your life."
With that, she gave a quick shot to the side of his head, knocking him out cold.
Opening the door slowly, Kim looked into the darkened hallway. The lights were virtually nonexistent. Fingering the Kimmunicator, Kim said, "Wade, I can't see a thing. Why does he have the lights so low?"
Initiating a quick scan, Wade said, "Probably just to make it harder for you to see."
"So, how do they see?"
"Using the infra-red goggles on their belts."
Groaning in impatience, Kim walked over to the fallen soldier and removed the goggles from his belt. She put them on and was about to step out the door when Wade yelled, "Kim, stop!"
As still as a deer caught in headlights, Kim asked, "What is it?"
"The floor is covered in pressure pads. You can only step on certain tiles."
"Some of the tiles seem to be glowing when I'm wearing the goggles."
After some typing on one of his computers, Wade said, "Don't linger. Even the glowing ones are rigged to go off after a certain amount of time. I give you thirty seconds for each."
"Do you get the feeling our boy's paranoid?"
"Just a little," Wade said.
The going was painfully slow. Stepping only on the proper tiles was time-consuming, and the constant infrared beams and other security systems Wade had to disable slowed Kim down further. She was beginning to get very frustrated with the pace when Wade said, "Kim, I got something."
"This had better good. According to my watch, it's already been about an hour. Drakken's usually foiled in about twenty minutes, and that's including saving Ron and the fight with Shego."
"Trust me, it's good. I detected a large energy surge from the core of the base. It's expanding outwards in an elliptical pattern."
Fear gripping her heart, she asked, "When is it going to hit me?"
"It already has, Kimberly Anne Possible."
The voice wasn't Wade's. Instantly, the Kimmunicator went to nothing but static, and alarm klaxons echoed throughout the base. Giving up on any stealth, Kim bolted for the center of the base, moving as fast as her legs would carry her.
"You can't escape me, Kimberly. I'm the bad dog, and I have your scent," the mysterious voice taunted over the speakers.
"We'll see about that," Kim said as she rounded a corner, coming face to face with a squad of henchmen. Raising their guns, Kim leapt as they opened fire. The darts from their weapons impaled themselves on the wall harmlessly. Landing in the middle of the group of opponents, Kim gave a massive sweep kick that brought them down. As they staggered up, Kim struck them with a number of punches and kicks. Leaving the softly moaning group behind her, she ran for the core the base.
"Impressive as always, Kimberly, but I'm afraid it won't be enough," the voice again said.
"You talk way too much," Kim said as her fist connected with another Henchman as she came around a corner.
"How far do you think you'll get?"
"All the way in."
"Aren't I supposed to say that?"
Kim's jaw dropped, and she mentally kicked herself for her slip up. I can't believe he said that, she thought.
"You're disgusting!"
"Flattery will get you everywhere, Kimmie."
"You pig!" Kim yelled as she entered a large antechamber filled with at least a dozen Henchmen. As she sprung to the attack, she said, "Ron would never talk to me like that."
The goons were standard-issue Hench Co. Very strong and physically fit, though they were lacking in the fighting department. Still, they proved an effective stall tactic.
"Oh, but you wish your precious Ron did, don't you? You wish 'your Ron' would talk about you as a woman, instead of as an untouchable idol on a pedestal."
Kim tried to ignore the voice as she fought the numerous goons.
"What's wrong, Kimberly Anne? Did I strike a nerve?"
Another punch broke a Henchman's nose, and a kick to the shin brought another down.
"Oh, come now, I was enjoying our little chat."
Concentrate, Kim, concentrate, she thought as she round-housed another goon.
"Kim, I can see down your shirt!"
"Ron!" Kim shouted as her hands leapt to hide her decency. By the time Kim realized the mistake, it was too late. One goon managed to land a blow while her guard was down. It was rather light, but it was the odd pricking sensation she felt that drew her attention. Shooting a glance at the Henchman who struck her, she saw a small ring on his finger with a needle sticking out of it.
"You drugged me, you fu…." She started as she collapsed to the floor.
"There is no possible way that should have worked," The voice said. "Bring her here, and don't mess her up more than you have to."
Kim woke slowly, aware that someone was leaving her side. She started to rise and realized she couldn't. A large number of thick straps held her pinned to a bed. Her head wasn't held down, and the bed was on an angle, so she could see everything in the room.
The chamber was massive. Large pieces of machinery covered the numerous worktables. A number of computer monitors surrounded the edges of the room. Her captor could be seen rummaging through a cabinet. She looked down and saw her outfit had changed. Rather than her traditional mission clothes, she was dressed in a rather revealing, skin-tight jumpsuit. It was mostly pure white, but also decked out in brilliant red and emerald green flames. The KP logo decorated the front of the outfit.
He changed my clothes She thought, angry at the thought of him touching her.
Her captor turned and, seeing the anger on her face, laughed maniacally.
"Oh, come on, I would have thought you'd have been pleased to have Ron touch you for once."
"You don't know what I want!" She retorted, anger clouding her voice.
Laughing once again, her captor said, "I think I know what you want, Kimberly Anne. And trust me, no one knows you better than me."
Kim opened her mouth to say something, but couldn't find the words. Another laugh came from her captor.
"You know I'm right."
"Just shove it, Zorpox!"
"So rude! And after all the trouble I went to in order to get you here."
"What trouble?" Kim scoffed, "Wade detected an unusually high power draw for this area. You were easy to track."
"Kim, Kim, Kim. Do you honestly think I would be that stupid? This place has its own generators. I made the device that drew in the amount of power I thought would be necessary to bring you here."
Kim started to shift uncomfortably in her bed.
"I also made sure the security was as good as it could possibly be, whilst remaining non-lethal, again to keep you totally unawares. I could have blocked out the Kimmunicator from the start, but I didn't, so Wade could sneak you past my defenses with some difficulty."
Walking towards her, Zorpox continued, "I suppose I could tell you every little detail, but that gets a bit boring after awhile, so let's leave it at 'I'm smarter then I look.'"
Kim was nervous at this point. If what he's saying is true, then he played both Wade and me from the start, she thought, hoping her fear and sudden lack of confidence didn't show on her face.
Zorpox's face seemed to soften somewhat.
"Kim, don't look so disheartened. You always called me your 'Potential Boy'. Besides, I was your sidekick since you were eleven and your best friend since Pre-K. Who, besides your parents, would know more about you? And certainly, who would know more about the way 'Team Possible' functions? The correct answer is me.
"Losing to me is nothing to be ashamed of," he said as he turned to a workbench and began to work on a piece of technology.
"I haven't lost yet, Zorpox," Kim said, her voice wavering slightly.
"Kim," Zorpox said, his voice heavy with sympathy (Is it sincere, or not?), "I took everything from you. Every gadget you carried with you, I removed. Every article of clothing, I replaced. You look great in the new outfit, by the way."
A slight blush crossed Kim's face.
"We're in an entirely new lair, in perfect isolation. Face it, you're done."
Kim certainly didn't want to believe that. Zorpox or not, there is no way Ron would hurt me, she thought. She renewed her struggles against her bonds, but to no avail.
"What do you plan to do with me?" Kim asked, giving up her futile struggle.
"I love you, Kim," Zorpox said, turning back to her. Kim's eyes opened wide in surprise. The thought that Zorpox loved her, and did not merely lust after her, seemed impossible.
"Despite what you thought, I am not merely some other person buried inside Ron… I am Ron. Just with a different personality. You ever see the second season of 'Ah! My Goddess'? Of course not, Kim Possible doesn't watch anime. But I digress. Naturally, I can't expect you to love a villain. That's one more thing that you wouldn't do."
Zorpox picked up something from the desk where he had been working. In his hand was a large syringe, filled with a strange red liquid.
"What is that for?!" Kim asked, not even trying to conceal the fear in her voice.
"I perfected the technique that Jack Hench developed. This chemical does what the attitudinator does, only permanently."
"You can't make me evil! It's not right," Kim said, more worried now, due to the conflicting emotions running through her mind. The thought of Ron never coming back pained her very deeply. Part of her wanted to fight, but another part wanted Ron, no matter what he was.
Cleaning the needle and a patch of Kim's skin, Zorpox slid the needle in, and slowly began to inject the substance into her.
"Kimberly Anne, when have I ever been concerned with what is right? I take what I want, and what I want more than anything is you. I can't have you since I'm evil and you're good, and I can't even entertain becoming good as an option, so…"
He removed the now empty syringe from her arm. Kim immediately felt different. Her desires ran her, and her moral compass was completely shot. She knew what she wanted… whether he wanted it or not.
"Release me," she said, her skin taking a very mild blue hue.
Zorpox did as she said, and the moment the belts unbuckled, she punched him in the face.
Feeling his jaw, he asked, "OWWW! God, what was that for!?"
"For making me evil," she said, knocking him to the floor.
Angrily, he asked, "And that one?"
"For tying me down."
Kim then did something that Zorpox had not been expecting. Leaping at him, she wrapped her arms around his neck, and buried his lips in hers. Her tongue snaked through his mouth, and her hands grabbed his ass. Zorpox, not hesitating at all, began to feel her up. Moaning softly, she pulled back, her hair in his face, her eyes that same startling green, only now with a mischievous look in them.
"All you had to do was ask."
Getting off Zorpox, she let him rise and again buried his lips in hers. Grabbing her derriere, he picked her off the floor and carried her out of the chamber to an adjoining bedroom. Lowering her to the bed, she promptly ripped off his outfit. Rubbing her hands across his chest, he opened up the front of her shirt, revealing the reward inside.
"You said that you take what you want."
"Yeah."
"It's yours."
Zorpox needed no encouragement, quickly removing the rest of their outfits. He felt no small boost of pride as Kim gasped at his person. Wasting no time, he set to it as she began to groan.
Monique shook her friend's shoulder hard, trying to get her to wake up.
"No, dream too good to end," Kim groaned, trying to sink back into her mind.
"Girl, wake up and save what rep you have left!"
"Okay, okay, I'm up," Kim said, lifting her face from her desk. Rubbing her neck, she let out a yawn.
"I have got to cut back on these late night missions. They're really beginning to cut into my sleep."
"Are you sure that's the only thing cutting into your sleep?" Monique asked, arching an eyebrow at her friend.
"What do you mean, Mon?" Kim asked, genuinely confused.
"Oh, come on, K," a very disgusted Bonnie said. She then opened her mouth and did a perfect imitation of Kim: "Oh, yes, Ron, yes, deeper…"
Kim's jaw dropped like a brick, her face instantly turning as red as her hair. Burying her eyes in her hands, she wished she could see what the other side of black hole was like. She began mumbling to herself, "Oh, God, please tell me I didn't."
"You did," Monique said, trying unsuccessfully to hide the grin on her face.
"How many people heard?" Kim asked.
"Just be thankful this is a small class," Monique said, "and that the teacher is currently out of the class."
"Oh, my God. How long was I…?"
"About ten minutes."
"Oh, my God."
Tara, who was also in the class, turned to Kim and said, "You know, you should consider writing some of those steamy romance novels. You seem to have a knack for it."
If it was possible, Kim turned even redder.
"No, I mean it. I've been doing it under a nom de plume for a while now…" Ten sets of eyes turned to look at Tara. "What?"
"Okay, one thing at a time," Monique said, curious but more interested in torturing her friend. "So, Kim, spill."
With her head buried in her hands, Kim shook her head.
"Look, Kim, if you and Ron have had sex (Bonnie openly gagged at the thought, and Tara smacked her arm), we're not going to think less of either of you."
"I will, just so we're clear." Bonnie said, unconcerned.
Kim still didn't move her face from its place firmly in her hands.
An evil little smirk on her face, Monique said, "Besides, it sounds like Ron's great in the sack…"
"Ron and I have never had sex!" Kim exploded.
Realizing just what she said, Kim rushed out of the classroom. Monique got out of her desk and took after her.
"Kim, wait!"
Halfway between her house and the school, Monique finally caught up to Kim.
"Okay, I'm sorry for embarrassing you like that."
"Mon, it's not your fault."
The two walked in silence for awhile. Kim eventually forced herself to ask a question she had been dreading: "What did I say?"
Monique thought for a moment, than said, "Before or after the moaning started?"
"Before."
"Something along the lines of 'untouchable idol', and 'Ron would never.'"
Kim turned slowly towards her friend. She looked up at Monique's face. Monique could see the fear in Kim's eyes.
"Mon, can I ask you something?"
"You know you can ask me anything."
"Promise not to tell anyone."
"Of course."
"Even Ron?"
"Even Ron."
"Do…" Kim's eyes shot towards a crack in the concrete. "Do you think… you know…. that… uh, that… Ron finds me… um… desirable?"
Monique couldn't help it. She broke down into peals of laughter. Soon, tears were coming from her eyes, and her sides hurt, but still, she laughed. Kim turned to walk away, but Monique grabbed her arm.
"I'm sorry, Kim, but how could you possibly even think that Ron doesn't find you desirable?"
"Well," she said, looking off into the distance, "he never… um…"
"Okay, if you can't manage to even speak about it…"
"He never seems to get turned on by me, okay?!" Kim shouted far more loudly than she would have liked. Ducking her head, and glancing left and right, Kim slowly stood back to her full height.
"It's just… Ron treats me like an angel. I mean, I've never had anyone seem so concerned with me in everyway. He's always bringing me flowers, and taking me out to dinner. And, well…" Kim had to think about her next statement for awhile. "Untouchable idol. It's a pretty good description. I want him to touch me. I want him to do all the things 'Ron never does'. Mon…
"I want my bad boy!"