12 Years of American Pride Chapter 1: Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue, a kim possible fanfic

12 Years of American Pride

DISCLAIMER: All...Actually, the hell with it. You should all know how it is by now.

Chapter 1: Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue

Middleton National Park was crammed with people waiting for a show. The advertisements had been going around Colorado for almost a month:

Come to Middleton National Park on Wednesday, September 11th,
for a day of fun, fellowship, remembrance, and honor of this
great country on the twelfth anniversary of what is among the
darkest moments in U.S. history.

Featuring performances by multi-platinum recording artists
Toby Keith and U2, as well as a speech from Middleton's own
world-renowned teen (super)heroine: the lady and the legend,
Kimberly Anne Possible!

Come one, come all! Admission is free!
There will also be a meet-and-greet after the show!

Understandably, all of Middleton was hyped up for it, and when it finally came, Middleton National Park was absolutely flooded with people. They didn't have to wait long before the show was ready to begin. A young man walked out on stage dressed in clothes that just screamed Americana. He went up to the microphone on a stage draped with the country's colors and grabbed said mike.

"What's going down, Middleton?!" he called out. "By a round of applause, how do you feel?!" A huge response from the crowd was his answer.

"That's good to hear," he said. "My name's Luke and I'll be your MC for today's festivities. You all know who's here and what's going on today, right?"

"Yeah!" screamed the crowd, which elicited a smile from young Luke.

"Then let's not waste any more time," he declared. "We're gonna start off today with a speech from your hero and mine, everyone's friend: the world-famous cheerleader/planet-saver; you know her, you love her-the lovely and talented Ms. Kim Possible!"

A gorgeous redheaded woman of about 24 with piercingly jade eyes walked out from backstage. She wore a purple, form-fitting T-shirt and classic blue denim jeans. The crowd roared, almost deafeningly so, when they first caught sight of her. She shook Luke's hand and took the mike from him. He walked off to the side of the stage to watch as she walked up towards the stage front.

"Hello, Middleton!" she said with a million-dollar smile. More shouts from the crowd. As they died down, there came a cry from a small group of young girls from the front row: "We love you, Kim!"

"Thank you, ladies," answered Kim with a chuckle. "You're not my type, but I love you, too." The crowd laughed.

"Anyways, you all know why you're here," she reiterated. "Before we get to the performances, I have a few things I'd like to say." The crowd went very quiet.

"Twelve years ago today," she began, "four planes were hijacked by terrorists and crashed into major U.S. landmarks. Two of the planes crashed into New York's World Trade Center towers. One plane crashed into the Pentagon. The last plane, United Airlines Flight 93, crashed into a hillside in Shanksville, PA, after some of the passengers tried to retake the plane from the hijackers. In total, 2977 Americans were killed in the space of less than two hours, including 343 of New York's finest firefighters. 6,000 others were injured. It was among the darkest periods in American history."

The crowd was now dead silent as they remembered the events of that day.

"But the night is always darkest," continued Kim, "just before the dawn. And as this country proved on that day, America is never stronger than when tested. We came through as only this country can; hell, we're STILL coming through it. We brought justice to our enemies, and we brought freedom to a nation in crisis. We stood taller than ever, and we still do. But in doing so, we must never forget what happened on that fateful day, or to whom it happened. It is their memory upon which we stand and defend that which we believe in: the unalienable rights which were bestowed upon us by our Creator: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. No, I do not mean the Will Smith movie." The crowd laughed again.

"Joking aside, this country stands for freedom, and it will continue to do so for many years to come. We will not tire, we will not falter, and we will not fail, to quote former President George W. Bush. I'd like you all now to join me in a moment of silence to honor not only the lives of those who perished twelve years ago, but also those who have lost their lives in the years since in the fight to defeat world terrorism, as well as those who continue to do so even to this very day." Middleton Park immediately fell dead quiet as they prayed for all the lives that had been involved in the War on Terror, either as a victim or a fighter.

"Thank you all for coming today," resumed Kim after a short while. "We're going to have a great time today, and we're gonna kick it off with Toby Keith!" The crowd erupted as the country superstar entered from stage left.

"He, U2, and I," informed Kim, "will be hanging around after the concert to mingle and meet as many of you as we can. Until then, may God bless you all, and may God continue to bless these United States of America!" She put the microphone back in its stand and shook Keith's hand before walking over towards Luke to watch the show with him.

"Well," said Keith in his characteristic Southern drawl, "normally I'd say a thing or two, but Ms. Possible over there done said it all for me." The crowd chuckled appreciatively.

"So, let's not wait for the grass to grow," he challenged, "let's get to rockin'!" With that, he immediately launched into his most famous post-9/11 hit song:

American girls and American guys
We'll always stand up and salute, we'll always recognize
When we see Old Glory flying, there's a lot of men dead
So we can sleep in peace at night when we lay down our head

The soft strumming of the acoustic guitar stopped before the song kicked back in:

My daddy served in the army, where he lost his right eye
But he flew a flag out in our yard till the day that he died
He wanted my mother, my brother, my sister and me
To grow up and live happy in the land of the free

Now this nation that I love has fallen under attack
A mighty sucker punch came flying in from somewhere in the back
Soon as we could see clearly through our big black eye
Man, we lit up your world like the Fourth of July

The crowd jumped to life as the chorus began:

Hey, Uncle Sam put your name at the top of his list
And the Statue of Liberty started shaking her fist
And the eagle will fly and there's gonna be hell
When you hear Mother Freedom start ringing her bell
And it'll feel like the whole wide world is raining down on you
Oh, brought to you courtesy of the red, white and blue

A short solo followed before the song slowed down:

Oh, justice will be served and the battle will rage
This big dog will fight when you rattle his cage
And you'll be sorry that you messed with the U. S. of A....

Keith let the song hang for a moment here before saying, "Say it loud and proud with me, Middleton." The crowd, Kim and Luke included, happily obliged him:

'Cause we'll put a boot in your ass; it's the American way!

Oh, oh, of the red, white and blue
Oh, oh, of my red, white and blue

The crowd came almost unglued as the song ended.

A/N: I promised myself I would write a 9/11 concert fic one of these years. Here it is. Hopefully, you all enjoy it.

TBC...

Next: American Soldier