Boredom does not even begin to describe how I've been feeling the past few months. There aren't enough magazines in the world to entertain me lately. Listening to music feels…pointless, and I think I've filed my nails enough so that they're as sharp as razor blades by now.
Ever since the invasion, ever since Drakken won that stupid award, he's…changed. He's having a freaking midlife crisis, or identity crisis, or something. He told me he wanted to put the crime on pause for a while. Temporarily delay his whole 'take over the world' dream. He told me he wanted to think things over, possibly make a career change…shift his direction in life.
It's what everyone expected, at least the villains. After the ceremony, Drakken was featured on the front cover of Villain's Weekly. The article suggested the 'longtime failure' mad and now mutant scientist wasn't even being considered a villain anymore. It made me furious. He saved everyone's asses…well, with Possible's help, but if it wasn't for him we'd probably all be Martian meat. And what are his thanks? He gets renounced by the villain community.
It's not like he was the only one, though. Things have changed for everyone since the aliens. Possible and the buffoon went off to college, monkey boy is stone, Killian's been all hush-hush, Junior is focusing more on his relationship then evil. Actually, I heard he's planning on attending college in a year or so, too. Everyone has gone nuts.
No crime meant no stealing, which meant no work to do. I was officially unemployed. Drakken still paid me, but it's bugging me too much. Sure, at first I thought of it as a vacation. I've actually always wanted to visit all the best beaches in the world. But, since I didn't know when Drakken would crack and need me to start work again, I just took a few weeks and visited Miami. I had my fun, but there's only so much fun you can have before you start to feel like your life is meaningless. I partied, I drank, I relaxed on the beach, I fooled around with some guys…but I needed to work again. Drakken didn't call me once. When I got back, he said he had been working, but I knew that was a lie. The lair looked the same as he left it. There weren't any plans lying around or evidence of a plot in play. He replied by saying everything was still in 'phase one', which was his way of saying it was still racking around somewhere in the back of his brain.
I tried to push him back on track. I tried to inspire him, give him some ideas. Funny…we've switched roles. I'm the one suggesting obnoxious schemes and he's the one who always looks unimpressed and bored out of his mind. When did this happen?
I checked my watch: 2:19. Where has he been all day? I caught him at breakfast, slugging over a cup of coffee in his pajamas. Drakken never wore his pajamas around the lair, even at breakfast. We were both always dressed when we first saw each other. He's been acting really weird. He's been acting…depressed.
I got up, marched out of my bedroom, and went searching for him. I didn't care how sulking and pathetic he was acting. I was going to give him one hell of a pep talk. I was tired of this.
I checked his bedroom. He wasn't there. He wasn't in his lab, or the kitchen…then finally, I caught him sitting in the control room where we watch the security monitors.
He was sitting there, his back to me, and he was watching the broadcast for his medal award on the news. His hands were folded and he studied the screen carefully; the news replayed some guy putting the medal over Drakken's neck, him staring at the audience dumbfounded, then looked over at me for…what? Guidance? His eyes were lost. He was ashamed, surprised, I don't know. But I smiled at him, because I was proud. Proud that he won a peace medal, no, but proud that he accomplished something pretty big for once in his life. I knew he always felt like a loser. Drakken had a screwed up past, bullied, poked fun at, and he's always wanted to prove that he wasn't a wimp. I knew that's why he wanted to rule the world so badly. He wanted to be evil to prove something. He wanted to make his college buddies or whoever eat their words. Though, there have been times when I felt like he never had an evil bone in his body. He's like a freaking kid sometimes.
I watched the replay as Drakken's flower mutation abilities brought us together in a tight embrace, vines wrapping around our middles so we were tied hip-to-hip. Ugh…what an awkward memory.
Drakken, the one sitting before the screen, shut it off and threw the remote on the floor. It skid across the linoleum.
Well…that's new.
I watched as he buried his face in his hands. He was…what? Embarrassed? Disappointed?
"Uh…Dr.D?"
He bolted upright.
"Shego." He didn't turn to face me. He just kept his back to me, and stared at the blank screen.
I closed the distance between us, walking toward him at the other end of the room.
"Hey. You alright? No need to look so bumm—"
"I need you to run an errand for me."
I froze. It was the first assignment he's given me in a couple months.
"Sure. What do you want me to steal?"
"Not steal." He turned around to face me. He was still wearing his blue stripe pajamas.
I crossed my arms. He better not be sending me to get milk or something. "Then what?"
"I need you to pick something up from a friend of ours.
I blinked. "Who? Pick up what?"
He stood up and pretended to dust off his flannel pajama shirt. "I need you to fly over to Killian's place. He should have something for me by now."
He began to walk away from me, oddly, and head to the metal doors that would bring him to the hallway with our bedrooms.
"Uh, hold up." I ran in front of him, stopping him short. He gave me an annoyed glare, and I shot one right back, equally and if not more menacing.
"Killian? Seriously? What do you mean he should 'have something for you'?"
"We've been working on something together." Drakken crossed his arms.
"You're kidding. That's the phase one you were telling me about?"
"Yes. And it's crucial we move forward to phase two. So if you would please stop by his home…"
"Listen." I jabbed him in the chest with my nail. He flinched. "If I'm going to fly all the way over to that creepy castle, I'd like to know what you two are working on."
"I'm sure Killian can…explain it better than I can."
I raised an eyebrow. Was he serious? "What, you don't know?"
"Of course I know. But…this is Killian's plan. I'm just hitching along for the ride, Shego."
I leaned back. "Ah. I see." So he hadn't come up with something, after all. Well…at least he was getting involved.
Now the real question is…what is golfer boy up to?
