(TRIUMPHANT FANFARE HERE?)
At long last, ladies and gentlemen (if any of you were still waiting for me – how romantic), I have emerged from my closet and no present to you...a preview of attractions to come. Please forgive the long wait – at least accept this as proof that I AM in fact still writing and working on this story.
Title: Four Years Later – Out of the World (Sneak Preview)
Pairing: Kim/Shego. Rating: PG-15. Some language.
Spoilers: None…
Disclaimer: I don't own Kim Possible. Kim Possible and all her friends, enemies, acquaintances, and gadgets belong to the Walt Disney Corporation
Well, where do I begin?
Thank you, one and all, for all of your support, reviews, and 'favourite author' clicks. They make me feel all warm and fuzzy, and remind me why I continue to post online instead of keeping all my work under lock and key. And any of you who have criticism and/or unkind words to say, let me have it, please. I won't improve without the bad stuff. I mean, praise is good for ego-stroking, and it's very encouraging to have not heard anything superbad yet, but please – let me know if there's anything that needs improvement.
Oh, before I forget - anyone wanting to learn a little bit more about what happens in this installment of my Kim Possible trilogy should check out the 'original story' sitting at fictionpress, published under the same author name, coincidentally and entitled, "Z1 Origins". What you'll want is probably Chapter 3 more than anything else, unless you want to know about the original characters a little.
When we last left our ladies:
Kim + Shego + Museum Heist + Stolen Artefact/Armband Thingy + A little bit of magic/destiny = ...
ROAD TRIP!!!!
And now… Onto the Insanity!
Chapter I
What. The. Hell.
It was my first thought when I woke up in a strange place. It usually was, come to think of it.
Opening dark evergreen eyes, I sat up slowly and found that I was in a hospital room or something – if the nearby collection of complex-looking medical equipment and pathetic decor were any hint at all. The walls were painted a bright, eye-stabbing white, and there weren't even any windows – just a door with no handle.
The next thing I noticed was my attire.
...Oh God.
I was wearing what appeared to be a set of thin pyjama-bottoms – far too short in the legs and a little too tight in the...feminine areas – and a...pink tank top – also kind of tight. Whoever had dressed me clearly didn't know how much I absolutely loathed wearing this colour. It didn't look like I was confined or restrained in any way, so it was unlikely that I was anyone's prisoner here. Of course, appearances could always be deceiving – I remembered that all too well. I still had my gloves on, but they were fitting a little oddly – like someone had taken them off and then put them back on in a hurry.
I couldn't help my grin at that, Yeah – I'll bet someone had a nasty shock when they pulled them off. My smile diminished a little to a thin smirk that twisted my lips as I thought about what damage my hosts had done to themselves unintentionally. There's only one person who can survive me,I mused, my smirk growing a little fonder as I thought about what my world had become in just a few short days. Mm... I stretched lazily, Kimmie...
I froze mid-stretch.
Kimmie!
I was on my feet in an instant, casting my dark eyes around the otherwise empty room as I tried to remember what happened.
---------------\
(((Flashback)))
The bright green motorcycle hadn't even cleared the debris cloud of the shattered airport fence when I felt the woman riding behind me whirl around suddenly, nearly upsetting my control over the custom-made machine. I straightened the sleek vehicle out through sheer force of strength and growled under my breath. Just what was the crazy little telepath up to back there? I turned to look back.
"What happened?"
The "voice" that replied was different from Kim's oral voice, but that wasn't unexpected. "Your nifty little keepsake just decided to jump out of your bag when you hit the fence." If anything, Kimmie's mental voice seemed closer than her normal voice...more intimate.
Good God, I've gone soft.
And now wasn't the best time to think those thoughts.
Of course, things had rapidly spiralled downhill from that point on. It was an inevitability of our lives; why did I even try to expect that to change now that we'd decided to live ours together? If anything, it would just get worse.
My mentor had taught me to never tempt fate, and here I was belligerently tossing out invitations for it.
'Ow,' I twitched my grip on the handlebars to send us shooting down another runway as Kim struggled with that antique armband on her arm. If the growing light in the vicinity of my waist was any indication, the girl behind me was fighting a losing battle. 'It's...' I didn't like the growing, sharp flavour of fear and fatigue entering my partner's mind. It tasted and smelled stale, bitter, and rough. 'Shego...' Yeah, something was definitely wrong with this little escape chase of ours.
'Kimmie!' I wrenched the bike around another turn as an unexpected face made his appearance – in a police helicopter of all places. Motor Ed? What the Hell is he doing working with cops now? The mulleted motorhead and his blinding spotlight were having no trouble keeping pace with us. 'Hold on, Kimmie. I'll get us out of here right now.' The heavy and primal terror now flowing out from my partner's mind suddenly spiked and I had to force myself to keep control of my bike.
That was when the red-glowing armband on Kimmie's forearm had started humming like a revving engine. The light got a thousand times more intense before a brilliant flash of blue exploded out from the artefact and started spinning on itself to create something that looked an awful lot like a vortex.
Well, screw that.
Shego had no intention of discovering what lay through the portal, but dodging the Ghost around the swirling pool of luminescent energy proved to be an exercise in futility.
Kimmie's helmeted head bumped into my shoulder. "I know you won't hurt me," she had to almost shout to be heard since her superpowers were on the blink, "Because you'll need me." There was a brief pause and I took the time to absorb one last glimpse of the world we knew. "Besides which, do you think we have much of a choice now?"
She's right, you know. God, I so hated my sensible, conscientious inner voice. "Out of the pot and into the frying pan." I tightened my grip on the bike and opened the full power of the fiery-bellied beast as we bore down on the portal.
The arms around my waist tightened reassuringly. "Welcome to our lives, Shego; at least it won't be dull."
Shego couldn't suppress her smirk at the baby villainess' remark. "Crazy little optimist." And then the Ghost punched through the surface of the vortex. "Here we go, Kimmie!"
With that, my world had taken yet another strange twist.
(((End Flashback)))
---------------\
Focusing my dark green eyes back on the featureless – and frustratingly closed – door, I was startled to find myself face-to-face with a short, black-haired girl. "What the Hell?" I stepped back a pace, seeing how I was almost standing on the teacup-sized girl.
Not that it would really matter; the thought cased a thin smirk to blossom across my face as I remembered the truth behind the girl's...appearance.
Brilliant, unnaturally green eyes gazed up at me with an expression of open curiosity and her lips moved, but no sound was forthcoming. The girl's words instead manifested themselves as a line of pastel blue text hovering in midair about two metres in front of me.
How are you feeling?
How was I feeling? What a dumb question, I grumbled internally. When I woke up this morning, I never thought I'd end the day half-way across the Universe. "As well as can be expected, considering how far from home I am now."
The girl had the courtesy to look sympathetic. Yes, she paced more towards the centre of the room before turning to focus her wide innocent eyes on me. We seem to have developed the habit of picking up strays from...all over.
I felt my eyes narrow, "Speaking of strays," My voice dropped to a dangerous tone as my hands slowly tightened into fists at my side. "Where have you stashed...Sofia?" I had to take a moment to remember how I'd left Kimmie.
Hey, hey; the girl smiled disarmingly. She's resting in the next room, so don't worry. She frowned at the woman and hopped up onto the medical bed. From the readings I've taken of your friend's body, it seems your trip took more out of her than you.
I rolled my eyes, "Oh, that's a real surprise – that damned armband used her to power the portal that brought us here." I turned and banged my fist once on the door. "And her powers stopped working so she can't heal herself the easy way."
And what would that be? The girl leaned forward with a bright-eyed, excited smile. I wasn't under the impression that she had any special abilities. Her genetics are depressingly average.
I cocked my head to one side. "Her genetics?"
The girl nodded while looking down at her gently swinging feet. When your hands nearly melted Zack, I wanted to make sure your partner didn't have any surprises of her own waiting for me. She didn't. The black-haired girl shrugged before looking back up at me. I have to admit, your genetics are much more fascinating.
I narrowed my eyes at the...girl. "If you even think of experimenting on me or cloning me, I'll fry your circuits with my bare hands."
The girl's eyes were laughing at me. And here I thought I'd actually fooled you into thinking I was human.
"No chance of that," I replied curtly, leaning back against the door and crossing my arms over the sickening tank top I wore. "I can pass my arm through your head – what kind of human does that make you?"
A ghost? The girl scowled mildly, Well, you don't need to be so dismissive about it. I have feelings too, you know.
I reached up to rub my forehead lightly, dreading the headache I could feel coming. "Yeah, I know – and the fact that you do just adds a whole new level of bizarro to my life." I sighed in exasperation. "How about we get to the part where you tell me what the Hell is going on so me and my Princess can get home?"
An uncertain look crossed the hologram's features before she replied. I think Zack would probably be most able to explain it to you, but how much do you remember?
I tilted my head to stare up at the ceiling thoughtfully.
"We drove into the portal..."
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(((Further Previews)))
The young, blond man looked from Kimmie to me, dark eyebrows twitching over bright, far-too-intelligent blue eyes when his gaze fell on my pale green skin. "Well, this explains things a little bit..."
...
"So, tell me..." I ran a hand through my short red-streaked black hair. "How the Hell do you fit into this nuthouse?"
"I first met Zachary back on Earth..."
...
"This will not take long, I promise. You-," the red-skinned lizard turned to face me. "Fire – come."
I growled at that, "It's Shego, reptile." I stepped forward anyways.
...
"You can read that crap?" I was feeling weaker by the second and let Kim's and my joined hands drop to hang between us.
"Of course," Janine began to tap symbols a little faster on the artefact. "It is the writing of the Creators... Outside of our kind, the number of creatures who can read it can be counted on one hand. Even the Protoss can only read a derivation of it."
"The Protoss?" Kimmie's brow furrowed in thought.
"It is a long story, and it can wait..."
...
"There's been an attack on a Terran outpost not far from here – we've got to stop."
Sharing a glance with Kim, we both turned back to face Zack. "What can we do, Zackie...?" I couldn't help but smirk at the way the younger guy's eye twitched at the nickname I'd made for him.
...
"I just don't get it, Kim," I clutched at her, clung to her like she was all that was keeping me sane. And, Hell, for all I knew – maybe she was. "Why – why am I...crying like this? They would have – would have...killed..." God, I couldn't even bring myself to say it. When had I become so pathetic?
"Shh..." Kimmie, God bless her, just held me while I struggled in my head. "I'm here. It's all right."
She was wrong.
It wouldn't be all right for a long time.
...
Looking from Kimmie to the girl and back again, I couldn't dare to hope, "We...we can't take her with us...can we?"
"I don't see why not...have you tried asking her?"
...
"What's the matter," the smug little redhead even had the nerve to smirk up at me, "Scared?"
I scoffed, almost ready to deny it completely, but found myself speaking instead, "Terrified."
An odd gleam shined in my lover's eyes, "Afraid of a challenge?"
Oh, that was it! "Hell no!"
A/N: Okay, so I know it's been a while, and this doesn't really tell you much, but I just wanted to let y'all know that I haven't been idle all this time. I'm working on this story. Slowly. (Yeah, big surprise).
Please let me know how I did, good or bad. Thanks, and I'll be back when I can!
'Till next time, Kigo fans...
Be true to yourselves!
(Yeah, I guess that does sound pretty lame...but it's true)