This is my first fic in the Kim Possible category as well as my first ever published fic, so to speak.
Takes place post-Graduation.
Unlike The Others
"Now, Shego. Remember what I said-"
"Lay low. Yeah, I got it after the thousandth time you said it." Shego sighed in frustration.
The hovercar touched down softly at the edge of a pier a few hundred meters away from the entrance to the Bermuda Triangle, an exclusive club and entertainment center for the extremely wealthy. A couple years ago the villain duo had visited the establishment as part of intelligence hunting for the "Li'l Diablo Plot". Though the scheme ultimately resulted in failure, the information gathered was invaluable. Not to mention many of the world's wealthiest individuals – both good and bad – frequented the place to gamble, partake in theatrical entertainment, or settle disputes; it was the perfect place for villainy.
Drakken shut off the hovercar and ambled forward toward the main entrance of the establishment, Shego following closely behind. Unlike last time, he came prepared, outfitted with a red bowtie around his neck. Otherwise, his trademark appearance was unchanged; he wore his blue lab coat and hair tied up in a ponytail. Meanwhile, Shego flaunted the same emerald green dress that she wore the night of the UN ceremony after the Lowardian invasion. She more matching black stiletto boots and black opera gloves on each arm.
The duo walked wordlessly along the moist said. As their approach brought them closer to the golden gleam of the Bermuda Triangle, Shego broke the silence.
"Can you remind me what exactly we need from 'Big Daddy'?"
"As I said before, we're here for the schematics on the Particle Dematerialization Ray. The one that Dementor recently acquired." Drakken stated matter-of-factly.
Shego squinted at him. "Well, if Dementor has it, then why are we way out here?"
"Remember what I said about lying low? Kim Possible and her buffoon are surely onto him by now. By staying out of their way, we can easily construct our own Dematerialization Ray without any trouble."
The villainess raised her eyebrows approvingly "Gotta hand it to you, Doc. Seems like you actually thought this one through."
Drakken grinned. It wasn't often that he received genuine compliments from his usually snarky sidekick.
They mounted the few steps leading up to the large double doors. Once inside, they walked straight down a narrow hallway until they were stopped by a burly usher standing in front of another set of double doors. After a brief inspection he stepped aside, holding the door open for the two villains. The main entertainment space remained relatively unchanged. Since their last tussle with Team Possible, the place had been thoroughly repaired and renovated, even a bright new crystalline chandelier was fitted as a replacement for the old, shattered one.
Shego's main job was to keep an eye out until Drakken completed the deal. Certain that Kim Possible wouldn't be around any time soon, Shego decided she didn't really have too much to worry about. If any other villains happened to show up, they would be no match for the plasma-wielding fighter. She decided to unwind, relaxing into a bar stool in the corner. No sooner had the bartender taken her order a bulky suit sauntered up to her.
"Well, now. What's a pretty thing like you doing here?" He had a thick southern drawl and smelled of cigarette smoke.
Shego didn't hesitate "Minding my own business, thank you very much." She took a swig from her glass.
"Aw, now don't play hard to get, cowgirl." He slid into the stool next to hers. She made it a point to turn her head in the other direction.
"You know, I hear gals like you like a man with some money under his name." He leaned in, taking a drag on the cigarette in his fingers "I happen to be worth more than half this establishment." He was now uncomfortably close. She clenched her teeth when she felt his hot breath exhaling smoke on the nape of her neck. If I have to crack some skulls…
"Don't hesitate to ask for anything, dear. Because if it's got a price, I've got the cash." He grinned cheekily. "In fact, let me get your next drink." He waved over the bartender.
"Enjoy your drink." Shego stood up abruptly and strode away from the bar, ignoring the snarls the man made at her retreating form.
She headed through the main foyer to the main spectator area in front of the stage. Two women in black silk dresses sang a slow tune while a piano accompanied them. Shego situated herself at an empty table, resting her head in one hand. She lost herself in the soothing notes that diffused through the room, oozing the tension out of her body for the time being.
She noticed a shape moving in her peripheral vision. When she realized that the shape was approaching her, she made no attempt at stifling an exasperated sigh. The figure pulled up a chair directly across the table, obscuring her line of sight to the stage. She flicked her eyes up at him, then glanced a couple more times for, well, good measure. Certainly he was alluring, there was no denying that. His smooth, tanned skin was akin to velvety chocolate. A quick glance at his face revealed a bit of stubble framing his refined jawline. His lips looked like soft, supple clouds and his smile was absolutely disarming. The look he gave with his truffle-colored eyes could melt even the coldest of hearts.
He chuckled – man was it sexy – at Shego's apparent coyness. "It's true, no one can resist me." He said with a buttery voice "But it's harder still to believe that anyone could resist you…"
He reached his hand up towards Shego's face. She didn't notice at first but then he gripped her face – ok, now that was just vile-
"Woah back off!" Shego shouted louder than necessary. She shoved his hand away and stormed away from the table, fists clenched. Couldn't Drakken hurry up with this stupid deal? What could they possibly have to discuss anyway? Just hand over the stolen bank money, get the blueprints, and get out! She began to wonder why she waseven here, seeing as there would be no apparent resistance in any form whatsoever. She wouldn't have hesitated to cause a scene had she not been ordered to lay low. Her patience was wearing thin. If she was going to stay low they needed to leave right now before anything else could set her off –
She was suddenly twirled to the side by a smartly dressed gentleman. While she was musing to herself, she had wandered into the dining area and was just saved from a nasty collision with a runaway cart full of food.
The man held her with and arm around her back, dipping her low like a dancer holding his partner. He looked into Shego's face with a smirk and half-lidded eyes.
"Excuse me, dear. But I just couldn't stand by and let a beauty like yourself get covered in cheese cake" Before she could react, he twirled her around to his other arm "Though I'm sure you're still just as delicious…" He leaned in, lips puckered.
Man, what is it with these losers? Shego reached out and grabbed a napkin from the nearby refreshment table. She stuffed it into the man's mouth, causing him to gag and stumble backwards. Shego straightened up and shoved him back, toppling him into a nearby chocolate fountain. The table supporting it collapsed and chocolate began to seep through the carpet. The man's crisp suit was soon lathered in a thick coat of gooey chocolate as he fell on his rear into the fountain. Several patrons turned toward the commotion, some whispering conspiratorially to each other. So much for not causing a scene. She decided to she'd had it and nearly flew up the stairs to the second floor lounges. She pushed past several patrons, looking for Big Daddy Brotherson's door.
Just as she was about to kick it down, Drakken burst from the room. His hair was frazzled in several places as if he had been pulling on it. He huffed angrily, slouched in anger. Upon seeing his green associate, he straightened to speak. But before he could, Shego grabbed his right arm and pulled him along.
"Shego! I told you I needed three thousand! You didn't steal nearly enough!" He hissed at her angrily.
Shego jerked him closer to hiss back through gritted teeth "Don't talk about it now, you idiot! Whatever happened to lying low?!"
Drakken scoffed. "Well anyway, I had to take some out of your monthly paycheck. And why the whispering?"
It took all of Shego's willpower not to threaten him with her plasma fists. "Let's just get out of here, alright? I don't think I can stand another minute in this place."
The mad scientist was about to reply when the duo passed by the gurgling chocolate fountain. Several patrons surrounded the scene, dragging a chocolate covered man to his feet. As the two walked by, several eyes turned to glare at them – no to glare at her. Drakken squinted at Shego. Still hanging onto his arm, Shego took the moment to slide shoulder to shoulder with her employer, looping her left arm under his right. She lifted her chin up haughtily and grinned smugly as she stole a glance over at the chocolate man. He glared at her, then spat at their feet as they walked by. Once they were out of the dining area Drakken leaned down toward Shego.
"What did you do? I thought you were all about 'lying low'?" He glared at her.
Shego leaned towards Drakken. "The real question is, what should Ihave done. He deserved it, trust me. Just be glad I didn't blow this place up."
Drakken raised a questioning eyebrow as they exited through the double doors into the tropical night.
Back at the bar, a man saw his prize arm in arm with a blue freak. As they were leaving, they actually leaned into each other. "Man, that just ain't fair!"
The duo turned toward the pier where they parked the hovercar, welcoming the calm breeze that tickled their bodies as they walked against it.
"Erm…" Drakken attempted to pull his arm from Shego's grasp, but a quick glance at her blank expression revealed she was lost in her own thoughts at the moment. He decided not to push it and left his arm as was. With his left hand he reached into his coat pocket and produced the Dematerialization's blueprints, brandishing it triumphantly in the air. The paper was now slightly crumpled with a few small tears along the edges.
"No matter the circumstances, we have achieved the prize we sought." His smile widened as he began to describe his evil scheme: "With some simple modifications to the ray's power output, we can…"
Shego tuned him out for the time being, though she occasionally stole glances up at his grinning face. She scrutinized him for a moment as her grip around his arm tightened unconsciously. He wasn't rich. He wasn't particularly handsome. He had a knack for being the complete opposite of smooth. Her brow furrowed in frustration as she considered all this, beginning to wonder why she even stuck around. But it didn't matter that more often than not she ended up with the short end of the stick when the monthly pay check came around. It wasn't important whether or not he was physically attractive. And his awkwardness was always amusing to poke fun at. But most importantly he treated her differently. Unlike the others, she was more than a trophy to him, a mere toy to be played around with, to be owned. Unlike the others, he sought her for her skills rather than her looks. Unlike the others, he needed her for who she was. And she realized she needed him for who he was, too. She thought back to all of the times that they'd been through together, and suddenly felt that all the small moments they had together meant so much more. She felt a warmness inside her that wasn't a result of the humid Caribbean blanket around them.
They suddenly stopped, standing right in front of the hovercar.
"Well, Shego? How about it?" Drakken turned his head to her expectedly, a smirk plastered across his face.
The villainess blinked a couple times "Huh? Oh, yeah sounds great, totally." She said nonchalantly.
Drakken squinted at her incredulously. "You weren't even listening, were you?"
At this Shego snorted, then burst into laughter. Drakken looked at her completely confused, unsure whether to be afraid or angry. However, it dawned on him that her laughter was neither mocking nor sarcastic, but rather it was a genuine expression of pure happiness. His confusion slowly waned away as a smile etched itself across his face.
She collected herself and smirked back at Drakken. "No, I wasn't listening. Not one bit."
Then for the longest moment the two simply stood arm in arm, smiling warmly at each other.
Above them the stars blinked against the warm Caribbean sky.