Chapter One - Powerlessness

Lazily the green-clad woman held her prize above her head and sighed. The Koh-i-Noor, the Mountain of Light Diamond, part of the British Crown Jewels. It was one of the largest diamonds in the world, and now it sat between her fingers, glittering in the moonlight it captured. With another sigh, Shego once again started up the script that had been running through her head for a while now: "Why am I still doing this?"

She didn't need the money by any stretch, years of villainy had connected her to some of the best money launderers on the planet, people who could play global finance like a finely tuned insturment. Combine that with her years of retainers and paychecks from Drakken, as well as her other "odd jobs", and she was sitting pretty as far as money went. She didn't need the fame either, she was already the best at what she did, and once you get to the top you can only just wait for some young whippersnapper to come up and-

With a growl and a groan, Shego facepalmed hard, dragging her fingers down her face in mild distress. Did she honestly just use the word "whippersnapper"? Even if she was talking to herself, she was barely in her 30s, far too young to be saying or thinking words like that...although not too young to think about her future. So why did she do this still…

"Drop the diamond, Shego." A familiar voice rang out, it's speaker silhouetted by the moon.

Oh yeah, that's why…

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Kim Possible growled and swore under her breath as she read over the information on her helmet's Heads-Up Display. She should be back in her little apartment, studying for her classes. Not everyone was able to get into the UC Berkeley School of Law after all, and here she was squandering her chance by driving into LA's Chinatown. She was only gracious she had a few favors with a charter pilot who was able to get her across the state in half an hour. It seemed in that moment that the more things changed for her, the more they stayed the same.

Change, that really had been the theme of the last few years. Monique had headed off to Ohio after graduation (a compromise with her family, she got Kent State's world renowned fashion program while they got to keep her in the country) and now was working her way up the ladder at DKNY. Felix was working on his master's at MIT, Bonnie was married to some rich guy in Florida (the two did talk more after graduation then they ever did on the cheer squad), and Ron had that nice cushy gig at Yamanouchi Ninja School...

Even the villain scene had changed, and by changed she meant dropped off. Senor Senior, Sr. had retired again, funding Jr.'s growing and fully legit nightclub empire. Motor Ed and Drakken were living fat off the patent of a fusion engine the two had created by accident. DNAmy was somewhere in the Amazon, no one had heard from her in years….really, there was just one thing that didn't change. One constant green thorn in the young woman's side.

The thermal imaging in her helmet's visor gave Kim's quarry away easily. The trail had almost been too simple to follow, and if it was anyone else the freelance secret agent would have been worried about a trap. Parking her motorcycle, she made it to the rooftops in a quick series of jumps and flips. Even without the cheerleading every day, she still had it. From there, finding the green-clad villainess was child's play, even more so since she wasn't putting much effort into hiding.

"Drop the diamond, Shego."

TTTTTTTTT

It hit her like an electric surge as those words rang out. That sweet sweet rush filled her system, made every hair on her body stand on end. It was like a drug, and Shego wanted more. But like all drugs, there was a ritual to the high, and this one had to be played out for maximum satisfaction.

Popping up onto her feet, Shego tossed the rare diamond in her hand a few times. "Oh you mean this old thing? Sure thing Princess, I'll drop it right in here." With a smirk, she let the diamond fall, scooping it into her leg pocket with a fluid motion. Within moments, the redhead was on her, the two skilled martial artists sparing on the tiled rooftop, looking like a scene from a bad chop socky flick.

"So Princess, how are things?" The emerald thief started off the banter between blocks, spurring on the ritual to its next phase. They knew eachothers movements so well, one would swear the whole thing was choreographed, each side edging for an opening, a weak spot in the armor, any advantage they could gain.

"Fine." Kim grunted in return, not letting up for a moment. These mid-fight "chats" were a hell of a lot cheaper than a shrink, and over the years the pair had enough dirt on each other to counteract a dozen blackmail attempts. "Although I should be working on homework instead of kicking your butt in the middle of the night."

"Awww, and I thought you were past having a curfew." Shego taunted, blocking a kick as she swung and missed with a plasma-coated hand. The knifing strike caught a few stray red hairs, scorching and cutting them free just inches from Kim's face.

"Law school." Was Kim's only response as her next several attacks were expertly blocked and countered. "All goes well and I won't have to do this anymore, instead I'll be the prosecutor locking you up."

A part of Shego's mind froze at that comment, leaving her entirely open for the swift kick to the ribs. Normally she would be able to compensate quickly, but something deep inside her was rattled, something she couldn't quite place. The thought of these almost weekly spars, the one grain of consistency in her life, the last thing that truly brought the thief enjoyment, coming to an abrupt end with nary a thought from Kim's side...Shego's feet were just a touch out of sync, and her ankle rolled under her as the momentum of the kick sent her tumbling down the roof.

Kim Possible watched in slight confusion. She knew it was a lucky opening, but she didn't expect Shego to turn into a human tumbleweed. Somehow the villainess managed to regain herself at the last minute, hands scrambling as she nearly went over the edge. She reminded Kim of a cat sliding off the edge of a countertop, but then again cats don't have claws coated in plasma. Slamming through the tiles, Shego pulled herself up, head down at the roof.

"So...that's how it is then…" Shego muttered in a tone the younger woman could just barely make out. "That's how it's going to end...you're just going to give up and move on…" Her long raven-black hair hung over her face, but the mixture of hurt and anger was almost impossible to hide in her voice. Kim stood in pure confusion as the thief dug her prize of the evening out of her pocket. Without even looking, she chucked it Kim's direction, a speeding fastball of pure carbon that Kim was only just able to snag. "Guess I'll see you around then, Princess…" There was still something off in the way she spoke, something that didn't sit right in Kim's stomach.

"Shego...what's…" Kim's question was cut short as Shego backflipped off the rooftop. Running to the edge, she was just in time to see a bright green souped up motorcycle blare out into the darkness, cutting corners impossibly close as the taillights weaved their way out of Chinatown. Lost, Kim stared down at the diamond in her hand for answers. There was something off here, something innately wrong about how the night just ended. But it did end, quite a bit earlier then Kim had thought it would, and the half-burned out grad student was not going to look a gift horse of extra sleep in the mouth.

TTTTTTTTT

Beep Beep Be-Beep! Beep Beep Be-Beep!

One bloodshot eye stared down the offending cellphone through a rat's nest of red hair. Part of the young woman wondered if she should finally get around to changing her ringtone, while the rest of her simply wanted to strangle whoever had awoken her at this ungodly hour. Tossing back the blankets, Kim sat up and looked at the clock, 3:47 AM. With her previous plan having been being out most of the night, her ride back to Berkeley wouldn't be ready until the morning, so she had grabbed a hotel on GJ's dime for what she thought would be a good night's sleep. Someone wanted to disrupt that plan as well.

"Yes…" Kim groggily answered without even bothering to look and see who it was. At this hour, it was no one good that was for sure. But even she wasn't expecting just what was on the other line waiting for her.

"Kim, it's Dr. Director." The Global Justice Network's director answered curtly from her own private secure line. This night was full of surprises it seemed, and Dr. Betty Director was in constant debate between leaving her home and heading to her office or staying where she was and letting things settle until morning. "I have something to tell you about your most recent mission…"

"Listen, I'm sorry if I messed up the paperwork or something, can I just fix it in the morning? It's almost 4 in the morning here…" Kim cut off her psuedo-boss. One of the perks of being a freelance "independent contractor", no risk of being chewed out by something like that.

"No, it's not that." Betty sighed softly, opening her wardrobe to look over her collection of uniforms. "I've just received a call from Cedars-Sinai,'s trauma center...you may want to get down there quickly."

TTTTTTTTT

Clad in a leather jacket and bunny slippers, Kim Possible did not look the symbol of authority she was trying to evoke to find out just what was going on. Luckily, that's what the GJ badge and phone calls from Betty were for. The doctor who took Kim back, an elderly Hispanic man, filled in some of the details on the case Kim was still piecing together. "The police pulled her bike out from under the back end of a package van...it's a miracle she's only as injured as she is, much less still alive."

Pulling back the curtain, the doctor revealed the patient in question, and single-handedly axed all doubt about what Betty had said on the phone: There was Shego, arm in a sling and neck in a brace, barely conscious. "I don't get it…" Kim finally broke the silence, confusion once again reigning it's head. "Why was I called in?"

"If you don't know, I don't really know…" The doctor shrugged, checking his patient's vitals. As banged up as she was, Shego's heart was still beating strong. "The police checked her for warrants, which lead to calls to Global Justice. I kind of assumed you were her girlfriend, or wife, or something...the only thing she keeps saying is…"

"Princess…" A dry raspy voice escaped the thief's lips, sending a chill down Kim's spine. This night just would not be normal.