The Protagonist System

After a surprisingly successful cheerleader practice and another shower to clean up, I started my nefarious plan of how to spread the use of advanced cell phones the fastest and to make the most money. I couldn't just drop thousands of them in a store and hope for the best, either. That was just asking for failure.

No, I had to do the smart thing and started both small and in the best market available. The rich popular crowd.

I gave Tara one and let her play with it while I told her about the features it had. I would have to build a computer center in the basement back at the house to handle the traffic, because I expected it to take off like crazy with teenage girls using it to keep in touch as much as they wanted, which I knew would be a lot.

As soon as Tara called my cell phone to test if it actually worked, she was immediately surrounded by the rest of the cheerleaders and they bombarded her with questions about it. She mentioned it was something the new designer was selling and they all wanted one without asking how much it cost.

Of course, I offered them a deal for the very first limited edition ones, that only the cheerleaders would have, for a measly $99.99, and I suddenly had a pile of money in my hands. I held in my laugh and went to my gym locker to pretend to exchange the money for a briefcase.

I went back to the excited girls and opened the case to let them pick the ones they wanted, then pointed to the top part and the protective cases in different colors that just happened to be their favorites. They squealed at the sight and soon had them on their phones, exchanged numbers, and started calling and texting each other.

It was hilarious that they were standing right there in a small huddle and were smiling at each other as they talked and texted the person they were looking at.

Of course, I knew this was just the start, because as soon as everyone else saw the girls had new exclusive things that no one else had, word would spread and the need to copy the popular kids would explode.

“Where did you get those things?” Kim asked me.

“I made them.” I admitted and didn't try to lie to her.

Kim's eyes squinted at me. She opened her mouth to speak and was shoved aside by Bonnie.

“I need two more of these things for my sisters.” Bonnie said and motioned to the cell phone in her hand. “Preferably a cheaper one, so I can lord it over them.”

I chuckled and lifted the bottom of the briefcase. The rows of call phones on their sides were slightly smaller and thicker, which made her smile. “Only $69.99 and they don't have the same options as your exclusive ones.”

Bonnie smirked at me and took two, paused for a moment, then grabbed two more. “My parents.” She said and handed me the money.

“Thank you for your business.” I said and she walked back over to her friends.

“Ron.” Kim said, her voice flat.

“Yeah, you're right. We need to leave and I can sell more of them tomorrow.” I said and closed the briefcase and went back to my gym locker.

“That's not what I meant.” Kim said.

“Oh? Don't you need a ride home?” I asked and stored the case out of her sight and closed the locker.

Kim again opened her mouth and her Kimmunicator went off. She sighed and took it out. “What's the sitch, Wade?”

Wade saw me standing there and looked at Kim. “I... uh... worked on it and the data crunched the right way. You can pick it up whenever you want.”

Kim looked a little nervous. “Ah, thanks Wade. I'll be by in a bit.”

“Okay, Kim. Later.” Wade said and ended the call.

“So that's a no for a ride?” I asked instead of asking about what they were talking about.

Kim shook her head.

“Then I'll see you tomorrow.” I said and walked over to the cheerleaders.

Tara perked up when she saw me and said goodbye to the other girls and took my hand. She was deftly still texting with her free hand and I tried to not chuckle at my plan working a little too well. She gave me a very sexy look when we reached outside and pulled me in to kiss me deeply.

“Pick me up early tomorrow, okay?” Tara asked.

“You got it.” I answered.

Tara kissed me again and went over to where her mother was waiting in a fancy car. She was an older and mature version of Tara, so just like Kim's mom, she was a complete hottie. I gave her my best goofy grin and waved to her, because she had just seen her daughter kiss me twice, and the woman visibly laughed and waved back.

“Isn't he great? That's his motorcycle over there.” Tara said and hopped into the car.

Her mom's response was cut off when the car door closed and they chatted back and forth. I went to my motorcycle and put on my leather jacket. The car pulled up behind me and Tara rolled her window down.

“Ron? Can I have a couple more phones?” Tara asked and her eyes went to her mother.

“Sure thing.” I said and pretended to reach into the seat. “Do you want the public version or your exclusive one?”

Tara's eyes widened at the choice, because I hadn't offered Bonnie the same thing. “I better take the public ones, just in case.”

I handed her two of them and two basic black cases. “There you go. Have fun.”

“Thanks.” Tara said and leaned out with her lips puckered.

“You're killing me here.” I whispered and kissed her.

Both her and her mother giggled, nearly identically, and Tara rolled the window up as the car drove away.

With two sets of parents with their own phones, which I knew they were going to use as soon as they had them, the word would spread to all the parents and in the places they worked. With Bonnie's parents and her two older sisters, all of her father's company's board members were going to want them, too.

Businessmen getting to conduct business instantly, no matter where they were and their clients were, instead of having to meet them personally? They were going to be all over that.

I drove home with a smile on my face and planned out all the different clothes I would show to the girls tomorrow. I'd need mannequins and a good sized room for a runway, because there was no change at all that the girls weren't going to try things on and they needed to strut around confidently.

*

Kim had picked up the repaired Attitudinator from Wade and realized something important. She didn't have Drakken nearby to take his evil energy back when she used it on Ron. Sucking it out of him wasn't going to work if it had nowhere to go.

That meant calling in a few favors with some old acquaintances to track down the supervillain to his new lair, somehow getting there and convincing him of the problem she had, then bringing him to Ron and then using the helmet.

Kim sighed at all the extra work she had to do to save her best friend, then she took a deep breath and let it out. No matter how long it took, she would succeed, or her name wasn't Kim Possible. But first, it was getting late and she needed to be home for curfew.

*

The next morning, Tara told her mom where she was going before she snuck out of the house really early. Her new cell phone let her text all of her friends until almost midnight and she loved it. It didn't even need to be charged, which made her even happier. She sent a text to her (giggle) steady boyfriend and he claimed he was already riding his cloud over to pick up his favorite angel right away.

How can he be so adorkable? Tara asked herself with another giggle and suddenly remembered what she felt under her hand yesterday in English class. She hadn't done more than allow a boy to reach second base over her clothes and now she was already on third base with Ron. Her actions made her blush and she didn't regret it, because it felt like a really nice third base.

The sound of his motorcycle brought her out of her thoughts, because she was about to be very, very near that particular third base. Tara posed a little as he pulled up in front of her. She was already wearing the leather jacket he gave her the day before and she was also wearing the jeans she had sneakily borrowed from him.

“Damn, girl. Is there a better word than snatched to describe you?” Ron asked as he looked at her from head to toe.

Tara beamed a smile at him for knowing the right word. “They haven't invented it yet.”

Ron barked a laugh and stepped off the motorcycle and opened the seat to hand her a helmet. Tara put it on and they both climbed onto the motorcycle and she hugged him. One of her hands slid down past his waist and she hummed happily to find him hard for her.

“You know it's way too early for that.” Ron said and pulled away from the curb.

“Do you mean today?” Tara joked and he laughed. She liked his laugh, because it wasn't fake like the other two guys she dated, as if they were only laughing because they had to. Ron got her jokes and actually found her funny, which made her really happy.

“I already have everything set up for the fashion show, with refreshments and snacks, so we can relax at the house until the other girls come over.” Ron told her.

Tara's fingertips caressed him down there. “Maybe we can have a little show and tell?”

Ron took his hand off of the handlebars and patted her hand. “We don't have to rush.”

“I know.” Tara said and she liked that he was letting her set the pace. “I want to.”

“As my lady wishes.” Ron agreed and Tara moved her hand up to his waist and hugged him tightly.

They arrived at his house and the garage opened as they pulled up the driveway. He parked in the mostly empty garage and set it on the kickstand. Tara climbed off and waited for him to as well before she handed him her helmet. Ron stored it in the seat and put his own inside, then he took her hand and the garage door closed when they entered the house.

It was a normal house, so Tara wasn't being critical of her opinion of it. She did notice that there was barely any proof that anyone except Ron lived there and her hand tightened in his. Ron gave her a sad smile, knowing what she was thinking, and he brought her into the living room. His smile changed to a smirk when he picked up the remote and turned the television on.

“No way!” Tara gasped when the logo for Agony County appeared. “You actually watch Agony County? The most popular teen drama show on television?!?”

“I gotta stay current.” Ron said and pulled her down onto the couch and handed her a bag of popcorn.

“I really, really love you.” Tara said and snuggled up to his side, pulled his arm over her shoulders, and started munching on the best buttered popcorn she ever tasted.

*

It took Kim Possible most of the morning before she finally managed to find Dr. Drakken's current hidden lair. What she didn't expect was to sneak in and observe Shego losing her mind as an excessively good Drakken pestered her with kindness. Kim had no clue what Coco-Moo was; but, it was hilarious watching Shego scream at him about it.

Kim wondered if she had the right to force Dr. Drakken into being evil again, just so she could have her old Ron back, then Shego started yelling about him ruining everything by not being evil and how she wanted the old Drakken back so things would go back to being normal. That was something Kim could fully agree with. Restoring the status quo was a noble goal and she was sure that Shego would agree to help her.

Wow, Shego agreeing with me and helping me? That's something I never thought I'd ever say. Kim thought with a smile.

Kim braced herself and pretended to only just arrived as she broke through the air vent cover and flipped over in the air and landed in a fighting pose.

“OH! It's Kim Possible! How nice of you to drop by.” Drakken said sweetly and held up a tray of cookies and a glass of slightly foamy brown liquid. “Would you like a peanut butter sticky and some Coco-Moo?”

“Sop calling it COCO-MOO!” Shego yelled and blasted him with her green plasma.

Drakken jumped and the blasts made him drop the tray of cookies and the glass of liquid. “Nooo! You ruined the Coco-Moo!”

“AHHHH!” Shego yelled and started shooting at him non-stop.

Just then the phone rang really loudly and Kim saw that both Shego and Drakken were busy playing, so she went over to the console and hit accept.

“Is this the secret lair of Dr. Drakken?” A distinguished man on the screen asked.

“Technically.” Kim responded as Drakken ran behind her with Shego chasing him.

“Quite.” The man said. “It's come to our attention that the Attitudinator malfunctioned on the day you bought it. Our scientists analyzed the readings after it was broken and the evil energy was sucked out of Drakken and went into that Zorpox fellow.”

“I knew it!” Kim crowed. Zorpox was the costume Ron had worn that day.

“Yes, well, I called to warn you about reversing it as soon as possible or it will be permanent.” The man said. “If you bring us back the device, it's still covered under warranty and we can repair it within a few...”

A cough came from offscreen and a piece of paper was handed to the man.

“Hey! Your check bounced! Customer service isn't free so forget I said anything!” The man said and ended the call.

Kim tried to not laugh at Drakken screwing himself over for being so cheap and turned around to watch Shego blasting her boss in the butt. She waited until Shego was running past her again before she spoke. “So, did you get all that?”

Shego charged up a bigger blast and hit the floor where Drakken was about to run, caused a nice explosion, and tossed the not-so-evil-anymore evil scientist head over heels through the air to land on the flipped over couch in a heap.

“Yeah, we need to fix our relative dorks before they're ruined permanently.” Shego said with a huff. “All we need to do is find the thing, get it fixed somehow, then figure out how to get the two of them in the same room and put them back to normal.”

Kim smirked at her and pulled the repaired Attitudinator out of her backpack.

Shego smirked back. “If you weren't such a goody-two-shoes, you'd be a kick-ass villain.”

Kim wasn't sure how to take that. Was it an insult or a compliment?

Shego must have seen the indecision on her face because she laughed. “Pull the stick out of your ass, Possible. It was a compliment.” She said and pulled out a length of rope from somewhere. “Now help me hogtie my boss and then we can hunt down your dork to put things right.”

*

Bonnie would never admit it; but, she was kind of in awe. She and the other girls had arrived at Stoppable's modest house and fully expected to be disappointed by the chosen venue, only to be led into a large ballroom that was set up exactly like a professional fashion show in Paris.

The runway was perfectly lit, the curtains blocked off the change area, and there were enough chairs around for everyone to sit where they wanted and to move around to get the best views. Even Elsa Creeg, a fashion Guru looking for the next big trend, was impressed. There were even cameras, both still and video, set up to take automatic pictures and to film everything.

Tara was beaming a smile at them as she walked out from behind the curtain wearing an absolutely stunning ball gown that made her look sophisticated. “Thank you all for coming to the first ever King Stoppable fashion show.”

All of the girls gasped at Tara getting top billing. Why would Ron do that?

“And now, here he is, the fashion designer you've all been waiting for... and keep your hands off or you'll lose them... Monsieur Stoppable!” Tara said and stepped aside as she waved her arm behind her.

There was dead silence as Ron stepped out from behind the curtain, then everyone laughed. He wore an exaggerated French outfit, with a double-size beret on his head, an ascot around his neck that looked more like a scarf, and he had a large fake cigarette hanging out of his mouth on the end of a stick.

“Bonjour, oui oui, and haute couture.” Ron said with the worst fake French accent ever.

Tara tried to fight against laughing and couldn't. Even knowing what he was going to do hadn't prepared her for how funny he was. She burst out laughing as he hammed it up for the crowd.

“Non, non, I am ze true artizt.” Ron said with as much sincerity as possible, which only made everyone laugh even more.

Elsa Cleeg had her mouth covered and was muffling her laugh as much as possible.

“Iz zat enough?” Ron asked Tara, whom was almost doubled over from laughing, and she nodded. He pulled off the giant beret and used his normal voice and no accent. “Thank god, this thing is heavy!”

The loud thump as the hat hit the floor made everyone laugh harder. He had gone all out to sell the joke and even Bonnie appreciated the effort.