A/N – Disclaimer: This little number was loosely inspired by Whitem's story, 'the Devil was Blond', though taken in a bit of a different direction. As usual, all characters in this story are the property of Disney. I only claim responsibility for merging the two cannons together.
In the Dark of Night
Chapter One
An Unholy Pact
Night cloaked the world in darkness. The only light to be had was of the waxing full moon. Beneath the shadow of the jagged mountains, the tiny village and those who lived there slept, unaware of the events that were to transpire that night.
On the slope of the tallest mountain, perhaps a hundred feet of so from the peak, two figures were stirring restlessly. The first had taken to pacing back and forth along the slope. Occasionally, he would pause to look out at the night sky or at the village below. He would breath deeply, then resume his pacing.
The second figure had perched herself on the vehicle they had used to get there. She held her arms around her for warmth. Her expression showed that she would really rather not be there; it was too cold for her liking, the air was too thin and something about this place made her nervous. She looked at her watch and, seeing the lateness of the hour, turned to her companion. "Dr. D, what are we doing here?!" she demanded.
Dr. Drakken paused in his steps. "I told you, Shego..." he replied. "We're here to guarantee our success in my latest plan."
"Uh-huh. And just how is freezing our tails off going to ensure us world domination?" she snapped.
"As I said already, Shego. My latest plan is fool-proof. But, that wont matter if Kim Possible interferes again. So before we can proceed, we must first eliminate her – once and for all!"
"Yeah, that still doesn't explain why we're here."
"We're here to form an alliance. The one we're meeting is very... uh, shall we say... skilled. He will terminate Kim Possible, and then without her in the way, we will soon rule the world!!" He couldn't help himself, he tossed his head back and laughed his villainous laugh.
Shego looked at her employer, doubtfully. "So, doesn't this guy know he's supposed to meet you here?" she asked. That brought Drakken back to the present.
"Um, uh well... you see I... didn't exactly arrange an official meeting with him." he said, timidly.
"WHAT?!" Shego shouted, her fists blazing with green fire. "You dragged me all the way out here to meet with some guy and he DOESN'T EVEN KNOW ABOUT IT?!"
"Don't worry Shego, he'll be here." Drakken said, keeping a sharp eye on the henchwoman's ignited fist.
"What makes you so sure?!" she demanded.
"... Because, this is where he lives!"
"You're crazy, Drakken! You know that?! Nobody lives here – you'd have to be out of your mind to even consider it!!" she made a move like she was about to throttle Drakken, then nearly collapsed panting. "Ugh. All this thin air is going to be the death of me!" she griped.
She trudged off, still gasping, and sat herself back on the hovercraft. Sometimes, she really hated that man. He had come up with some pretty stupid ideas before but this one took the cake.
She sat there brooding, occasionally glaring at Drakken for a long while. She was brought out of her reprieve by single beep. She looked down at her watch and her face hardened. "Doc, it's after midnight! He clearly isn't gonna show and this place gives me the creeps. Let's get out of here!" She turned back to the hovercraft when an unfamiliar sound caught her ears.
It started like a deep, bellowing groan which rose in octaves getting louder and louder until it ended in something like a beastly snarl. Shego turned back to the doctor. "Please tell me that was your stomach." she said.
Drakken grinned in malicious triumph. "He's here!" he crowed.
Shego was about to ask what he meant when a rumbling drew their attention. The mountain was rising, Shego stared in awe. The entire peak was lifting up – maybe the doctor wasn't so crazy after all. She looked on, expecting the interior of an elaborate lair to reveal itself, but what she saw instead blew her away!
They were wings! What she thought was mountainside, unfurled as giant, black, monstrous, bat-like wings! And when she saw what was concealed beneath those wings, she nearly had a heart attack.
Even in the darkness, she could easily make out the pitch black form silhouetted against the night sky. Its shape was like that of a human – only it had to be at least ten times – no, twenty times – bigger than any human ever had been. Vast, muscled arms were crossed over a wide chest. And its head, its head! In the moonlight, she could make out the glistening of fangs from out of a cruel mouth, large, pointed ears spread out from the side of the face, the monsters head was framed by two huge, curved horns, like a bull's, and a pair of bright, yellow eyes gleamed out into the dark.
The beastly form unfolded its arms, spreading them wide. Then it paused. It seemed to detect something amiss. The two villains shuddered as the sound of a long, pulling breath was inhaled. The monster exhaled in a rattling, reptilian growl. And then it spoke in a deep, dark, resonating bass.
"What mortal dares trespass upon my mountain?" it demanded.
"Uh... Hello." Drakken stepped out, waving timidly.
Oh sure! Shego thought. Bring the attention of the giant monster who could squish us both with one finger!
The beast turned its head to the sound of the human voice. He bent over to better see the human insect who had spoken.
Drakken couldn't help but cringe as the great, ugly face drew uncomfortably close to him. Mustering his courage, he could see that his entire body was reflected in one demonic eye. The thought was not comforting.
"Well," the creature seethed. "Andrew Lipskey, isn't it?"
"Um," Drakken stuttered. "actually, I go by the name of –"
"I am aware of what you call yourself." the monster cut in. "But that does not answer the question of what brings you here."
Drakken paused for a moment, looking nervous. He then fell to his knees, with his arms outstretched in what was probably supposed to be a gesture of praise. "Oh great, mighty and powerful Chernabog!" he started. "I beseech you in the bowels of humility to ask of you –"
At that point, Shego could almost swear that the monster had rolled its eyes. She was also uncomfortably aware of something – or several somethings – moving in the dark.
"Spare me the theatrics!" Chernabog barked. "Just tell me why you are here!"
Drakken was startled out of his shtick. "Oh – uh, well,... the thing is... I uh,... need help."
Chernabog seemed intrigued by this information. His eyebrows cocked as he looked at the pleading form before him. In the shadow, Shego was now certain of the presence of bodies moving about the mountain.
"Ah, and so you've come before the master of darkness for aid." Chernabog mused. "You are either very brave or very foolish!... So, how can I help you?"
"Ah, yes!" Drakken bounced back to his business-like manner he always assumed when talking about his plans. "It is my design to establish my dominion over planet Earth."
Chernabog's glowing eyes narrowed. "You intend to take over the world?"
"... Ah... yes." Drakken fumbled.
"... YOU?"
"Yes me!" Drakken replied, a little indignantly this time.
"The Earth is populated by over a trillion people, divided into a hundred different races and ethnic groups, speaking a dozen languages, spread over hundreds of thousands of miles and separated by seven continents!... What makes you believe you can run the entire world by yourself?!"
"Please! I am a genius!"
"So you claim, and yet you are unable to program a VCR."
A round of hideous, screeching laughter blared out following that last remark. Shego cast her wide eyes around. She could see them now; all over the mountain were dark, twisted shapes of cruel stature were gathered, bellowing and shaking with horrible laughter. Shego was breathing heavy now, she had gone paler than ever before. She looked at the demonic hoard that was gathered around. All around her were glistening eyes, menacing faces, wicked horns and flesh-ripping claws; and the sound of their screaming laughter resounded through her head, tearing at her very soul.
Shego wrapped her arms around herself once again – but this time, not far warmth. She would never admit it to anyone, but for the first time in her life, Shego was afraid.
"I'll have you know," a still indignant Drakken was saying, seemingly unaware of his newly acquired audience. "my latest plan for conquest is absolutely fool-proof!"
"Ah, and that must be why you are trusting yourself with its execution."
A second round of laughter issued from the demonic hoard. Shego was certain this sound would haunt her 'till her dying day.
Drakken was fuming now. He had to pause for a moment to regain some control over his frustrations. "Getting back to the matter at hand..." he grumbled. "I'm sure you've heard of one Kim Possible."
"Indeed." Chernabog responded.
"Well, I could've taken over the world several times already if that pesky cheerleader and her buffoon sidekick hadn't gotten in the way! I realized that as long as they're around, I'll never succeed. But even my attempts to eliminate them have been... less than fruitful."
"And so you want me to eliminate them for you." Chernabog stated.
"Um,... yes." said Drakken, feebly.
"I see... And what would I receive in exchange for this service?"
"Oh, um..." Drakken stuttered, afraid this event would come up. "well, I would... give whatever you ask. Anything you want, I'll give you!"
"Really. Anything at all?" Chernabog turned his gaze toward the form of Shego who was looking increasingly uncomfortable with the presence of the many demons surrounding them. "Anything at all." he repeated, a hungry gleam in his eyes.
Drakken looked at Chernabog, then Shego, then back at Chernabog. He hadn't anticipated this particular circumstance. This wasn't going to end well. "Uh... are you... really sure you wanna go that way? I mean, Shego can be a little – "
"Yes. I am quite certain of this."
"Well, y'know, Shego's not really into all this sort of –" he gestured to their surroundings. "stuff. I'd willingly give you my soul if you asked for it."
"Oh, I will take your soul, Lipskey. That is a given... But I want her as well."
"Yes, but are you absolutely –"
"YES, Lipskey! Those are my terms, they are non-negotiable. Either accept them, or get off my mountain!"
Drakken fumbled for a bit, thinking of anything he could do to sway the monster. Nothing came to mind. Defeated, he slunk over to Shego to relay the message. She took it better than he expected her to.
"WHAT?!" she raved. The fear previously dominating her face dissolved immediately to be replaced by sheer, uncorrupted fury.
"Shego, we need this alliance." Drakken pleaded.
"No way, Drakken!" Shego snarled, her clawed fists igniting. "I am not giving my soul away for any reason, and especially not to that!" her glowing finger pointed angrily at Chernabog.
"Shego, he's not going to agree to it otherwise."
"Read-my-lips, Drakken! NO!!"
Chernabog watched the exchange by the two mortals with an amused expression. With his powerful ears and his plethora of extraordinary senses, he knew everything that was being said; but it was still fun watching the little man scuttle back to him so sheepishly.
"Um..." Drakken began. "We've hit a bit of a, er, snag. It appears Shego would rather keep her soul."
"Then we have nothing further to discuss." Chernabog said, turning away from him.
Drakken stood there, fuming furiously and splattering like a mad-man. He had to think of something quick. "Uh, one moment!" he called up before hurrying back to his companion. "Shego, please reconsider." he said. Shego did not move. She stood ridged, her arms crossed and wearing a very tart expression. "Shego. This could be our only chance." Drakken hissed.
"Forget it!" Shego snapped. "I'm not giving my soul up for anything!"
"Ah, but we're not giving our souls away. We are selling our souls – meaning in exchange, we receive something in return. Namely, the permanent elimination of Kim Possible!"
"Yeah? Well we can just find another way to get rid of Kimmie, Dr. D!"
"I can assure you, that will be quite impossible." Chernabog intruded in their conversation.
"Huh? What makes you so sure about that?!" Shego demanded.
"Because, I will make it impossible."
"What? Why?" Drakken asked.
"Because YOU came to me with YOUR idiot scheme, you begged ME for help and then you try to back out of the agreement. I am not pleased with this, Lipskey, not one bit. And so, I will see to it that you NEVER succeed in your designs. Every plan you execute – no matter how well thought out, no matter how carefully planned will ALWAYS fail."
Drakken swallowed. "Well, there you have it, Shego. If we want to rule the world, we have to accept his conditions... We have no choice."
Shego growled, angrier than ever – she hated not having choices.
"You,... you do want to take over the world, don't you?" Drakken asked, sceptically.
"Yes, I do. But I also want my soul!" she countered.
"Well you will have you soul." Chernabog stated.
"... What?" Shego asked.
"The two of you will keep your souls for as long as you live. You'll have full functionality and be able to do whatever you please. But after your mortal lives have ended, then you will belong to ME!"
"Oh, uh,... that's mighty... er, generous of you." Drakken stuttered.
"Bah!" Chernabog waved the comment away. "The lifespan of you mortals is but the blink of an eye to me. I can wait."
Drakken turned back to his cohort. "Well Shego, what do you say?"
Shego seethed. She turned to him sharply. "If this doesn't work, Drakken, then you're in for a world of hurt!" she said, waspishly.
"Is,... is that a yes?" Drakken asked.
"Yessss..." Shego hissed.
"Oh good!" Drakken proclaimed, pulling his companion into a tight embrace. "You won't regret this, Shego!"
"I sure better not!"
"Hey!" the doctor called up. "Hey, Shego changed her mind! We're all for it!"
Chernabog turned back to face the humans. "So our agreement stands thus." he said. "In exchange for the payment of two souls, I, Chernabog shall face in combat and defeat Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable. How does that sound?"
"Ah, yes. That sounds about right." Chernabog lunged one of his huge, clawed hands at Drakken. The little scientist cringed at the oncoming fist, certain he was about to be massacred. The hand stopped just short of him though, with a single forefinger extended waiting in the air.
"Do we have an accord?" Chernabog asked.
Tentatively, Drakken saw he wasn't in immanent danger and gingerly took the extended claw in his hand, shaking it with a half-hearted smile.
"Done!" Chernabog declared.
Drakken and Shego stepped backward toward the awaiting hovercraft. "So, thank you for your time, and nice doing business with you." Drakken said, uneasily. Now that their business was concluded, he was anxious to get out of there. The place sent a chill down his spine and the way some of the demons were looking at him made him nervous. "I do hope to hear of Kim Possible's demise soon." He added as he hopped in the aircraft and started the engine.
"In do time." Chernabog said with a smirk. "But first, let us test their mettle a bit."
He spread his arms out far, casting his black shadow over the village below.
The wind whipped through Shego's hair. She laid her elbow on the side of the hovercraft, which in turn, propped her chin up. She sat watching the countryside blowing by, bitterness etched on her features. She was glad to have the ordeal done with, but she couldn't help but wonder if there might have been a better way to do things. It was then that she saw something to take her mind off her brooding. "Hey Doc, get a load of that!"
They both looked behind them to see a truly unusual sight. A great, white stream was lifting up out of the village and flowing up to the mountain. It swarmed over, swirling around Chernabog – still visible even at their great distance – and at a quick thrust of his hand, it came pouring over in their direction.
Up close, they could see more definitely. It wasn't a stream, but it was comprised of several milky white figures. Many were comprised of bone, while some seemed to have flesh. Some flew along while others rode on the backs of beasts. Some were naked and some were draped in cloaks of sorts and a great deal of them carried weapons.
"Excellent!" Drakken grinned, gleefully. The two villains watched in awe as the battalion of specters flew off into the night; racing towards Middleton – and their prey.