"She Will Do Anything," written by Freedom Fighter So far, so good in terms of garnering attention for my first fanfic based on an American cartoon. Now, let's see if I can keep your attention. Disclaimer: None of the characters from the animated series "Kim Possible" belong to me. Fanfic Rating: This fanfic will be rated PG for some intense battle sequences... but that will be much later on. ====== Chapter One - Stressed (11.08.02) Two days after Drakken's capture... and subsequent breakout... The school bell rang for the last time in the day. Most of the student population of Middleton High School were heading for their lockers, and then to the exits to head home. Those that took their time and stayed behind were most likely staying behind to participate in extracirricular activities. For high school sophomore Kimberly Possible, that meant that it was time for cheerleading practice. But first, she needed to make a trip to her locker herself. She was doing so because she wanted to get her chemistry book out for tonight's homework assignment. And she had to check her website for any hits. To see if anyone needed to be saved today. She wasn't surprised to see her best friend and sidekick Ronald Stoppable already there, getting his books from his own locker. Which was next to Kim's. "Hey Kim!" Ron greeted, pulling out his algebra notebook from the locker and depositing it in his backpack. "You seem happy today." Kim smiled as she reached for her combination lock. "You know that test I was so worried about? The one I thought I failed?" "Yeah? What about it?" "I got a B+! A B+! That's the best grade I've ever gotten on a test in that class!" "Good for you, Ron! See? Traveling the world does have its benefits." With her locker now unlocked, Kim reaches for the handle and pulls it open. Inside was a computer that had been installed into the locker. The small system consisted of a monitor and a printer. With the locker open, the printer activated, presenting a list of the day's particular trouble spots. Kim ripped the printout from the printer and started to read silently to herself. Ron looked from over her shoulder to do the same. "Babysitter needed... Dog to be walked... Missing remote control." Kim read off the jobs listed, but she wasn't pleased with seeing any of them. "Ooh," Ron shouted as he pointed one out. "Someone needs a skateboard ramp tested." "Nothing major. Maybe you can check that one out." "Really? You mean it?" "Sure," she shrugged her shoulders as she reached for her chemistry book. "Say, you want to go down to Bueno Nacho after practice? I've just gotta celebrate this accomplishment!" "Oh yeah!" Rufus exclaimed with glee as he popped out of Ron's pants pocket. "I can't today." Kim began to count on her fingers the reasons why. "I've got those layouts for the yearbook I have to look at, prepare for that tutoring session at Middleton Middle, and the lab report that I have to write up for my chemistry class. Not to mention that our squad has yet to perfect the routine that we're using in the competition a week from Saturday." "All of that tonight?" Kim sighed. "At least I've got another day off from crimefighting, it seems. No Duff Killagan, no Seņor Seniors, and especially no Drakken." ====== Inside Drakken's latest secret laboratory... "Okay, we've been out of jail for almost two full days now and you still haven't told me your plan!" Shego was obviously upset that they had not gone right back after Kim Possible and defeated her when she was still reeling from the last battle. "World domination plans can't be put together in a day!" Drakken shouted. "You've been scheming since we broke out! You're telling me you don't have anything YET?" "Everything will fall into place come tomorrow's auditions." "Auditions?" Shego looked at her boss, perplexed. "Auditions for what?" "For my newest employee, of course!" "Right. Like one extra helper is going to bring us any closer to beating Kim Possible." "Oh, that's exactly what she's going to do." Drakken then smirked evilly. "She's going to help Kim Possible." ====== After getting dressed in the girls' locker room, Kim ran out with her cheerleading uniform on and her pom poms in hand. But as she turned to head for the gym, she spotted Ron running towards her. "KP!" "What's wrong?" "Maybe you should go back and change," Ron suggested as he pushed Kim back into the locker room. "Ron!" Kim stepped out of the way and walked right past Ron. "I'm warnin' you, Kim. Don't go in the gym." "Why?" she asked as she opened the doors to the gymnasium. "The varsity volleyball team isn't trying to push us out again, are they?" But as Kim turned her head to look into the gym, she discovered that it was much worse. The gym was completely empty. Not a cheerleader in sight. "I should've figured that something was up when there was no one in the locker room with me. But what's going on?" Kim shook her head. "I didn't cancel practice." "But I did." Kim and Ron turn around and find them staring at Bonnie Rockwaller, who was leaning against the door frame. Angrily, Kim stomped over to Bonnie. "Bonnie, where is the team?" "I gave them the day off, Kim." "You know that the competition's just over a week ago! We can't afford to skip a day of practice!" "That routine's too hard. All the girls said so." "Don't you think I know that? I'm struggling with it too, you know." "Look, Kim. We all want to win that competition as bad as you do. But it's not going to happen if we don't perfect this routine of yours!" "Hard or not, that gave you no right to cancel practice! I'm the captain!" "I'm just trying to do what's best for the team." "You're just trying to do what's best for you." "No one wants to do that routine anymore! Face it, Kim. We're not all superhumans like you. If you continue to push us like slaves, then we'll all walkout. Every last one of us." "Well, unless someone else can show me a better routine, we're sticking with mine. Got it?" "Fine. Don't come crying to me when no one shows up again tomorrow." Bonnie then left the room, leaving Kim to simmer over what she had said. "So," Ron cut in, "since you don't have practice, how about that trip to Bueno Nacho?" Needing to blow off steam, Kim reluctantly accepted Ron's proposal. She grabbed him by the arm as she pulled out of the gym. ====== Ten minutes later, at the Bueno Nacho... "Why does Bonnie keep doing this to me?" Kim growled as she took her straw and stabbed it into the lid of her cup of soda. "Maybe she feels stressed out too," Ron suggested, trying to calm his best friend down. He then took a second to pull Rufus out of his pants pocket. "Nachos!" Rufus smiled as he rubbed his paws together. He then reached for a nacho to dip into the tub of cheese sauce. "I know our routine is hard," Kim stated sympathetically, "but no one has said anything about it since we started working on it last week. Am I losing touch with the squad?" "Nonsense!" Ron picked up his beef and cheese burrito and took a bite of it. "That can't be it. It's gotta be Bonnie. I'm tired of her thinking she runs the squad!" "Well, you did name her assistant captain two months ago." "And now I'm wishing I didn't! She SO knows that she can't handle the pressure of being captain. So why does she continue to rattle me so much?" "You think she has it out for you?" "What else could it be? The only way we'll win the competition is if we perfect that routine..." "And you and Bonnie stop shooting daggers at each other. It's not a pretty sight. The captain and the assistant captain. It just screams mutiny." "Just don't go suggesting that to the girls, okay?" "Why would I do that?" Kim glared at Ron, as it brought to their minds what happened the last time Ron gave a suggestion to someone. "How was I to know that he'd actually listen to me?" "I'd rather not have another set of 'spinning tops of doom' chase me, okay?" Suddenly, the familiar ring tone of the Kimmunicator filled the air. Kim reached into her cargo pants pocket and pulled it out. "What's the sitch?" she asked. On the Kimmunicator's video screen was Wade, the boy genius responsible for creating all the gadgets that Kim used on her missions. "Check this out!" Wade exclaimed. "You won't believe this!" The view from Wade's digital camera is replaced by the view of the inside of a museum. Kim quickly presses a button on the Kimmunicator so that it is projected in an astral image that Ron could also see. It didn't take long for either of them to figure out the cause for alarm. "Is that who I think it is?" Kim asked out aloud. "Wade, rewind a few frames, freeze and enhance the image." Kim and Ron could hear Wade tap a few keys as the tape rewinds to confirm Kim's suspicions. It was Doctor Drakken, holding a painting of some sort. "It's Drakken alright." "Since when did Drakken start stealing paintings?" Ron asked. "Isn't he the type of villain who'd steal something that would help him take over the world?" "Good point." Kim thought for a minute. Ron was right. This was something so unlike Drakken. "What is he planning?" "There might be something about the painting he wants. Wade, can you zoom in on the painting?" "I'll try, but the picture might be a little blurry." After another short few taps on the keyboard, Wade does get the picture to zoom in. Kim smiled as she recognized the familiar design. "That's gotta be a Van Gogh," Kim concluded. "His 'A Wheatfield, with Cypresses' painting, to be exact," Wade jumped in. "Van Gogh?" Ron's face suddenly brightened up, recognizing the name. "Isn't that the guy who cut off his own ear?" Instinctively, Rufus reached up to his left ear and shuddered. He didn't want to imagine what that was like. "He's more than a guy who cut off his own ear," Kim reprimanded. "Actually, part of his ear," Wade corrected. "Whatever! Van Gogh was an artist during the expressionism movement in the late-19th Century. What his paintings looked like were dictated by his emotions at the time." Ron looked at the hologram closely. "He must have been going through something really stressful when he painted this one. It's all squiggily!" "Van Gogh was not stressed, Ron." Sensing the sourness in Kim's voice, Wade deduced the obvious. "Somebody's stressed..." "I am not stressed!" defended Kim, although her facial expressions weren't doing a good job of hiding that from Wade. "Just tell us where that painting is." "The National Gallery in London." "Thanks Wade!" With that, Kim turned off the Kimmunicator, stuffed it back into her cargo pants' pocket, and jumped out of her seat. "Let's go, Ron." Preview of Chapter 2: "Tryouts" - Kim and Ron race to London, where Drakken is waiting for them. - Could there be some significance behind the stolen painting? - Tryouts begin for Drakken's new lackey... so why is Shego so peeved about it? Author's Note: I ended up changing the chapter title because the so-called 'tryouts' didn't take place in this chapter. "Stressed" actually fits the content of this chapter more. "Tryouts" will be the title of chapter two instead.