"Mik, what are you doing clear out here?" asked Shaundra. Shego watched in stunned silence as Shaundra rapped her knuckles lightly on Mik's head. "Does Kim know you're out here?"

"Umm…" Mik looked down at her feet guiltily. "No."

"And why didn't you tell her?" persisted Shaundra.

Mik looked up into Shaundra's blue eyes pleadingly. "You know how she's been the past couple of months! I've been trying everything to get her to come back to her senses, but she's so deep in her own world, she doesn't even see me! She just gives me this… look!" Mik waved a hand in the air with her face scrunched in agitation. "It's like she's… doubting me…" Mik's shoulders trembled slightly, and Shaundra and Shego both quickly picked up on it, though Mik was trying to suppress it.

With a sigh, Shaundra drew Mik into a tight hug. "Listen, she's just trying to figure things out. You're doing the right thing, giving her space." Shaundra pushed her away enough to look down into Mik's green eyes with a smirk. "So stop fretting about silly things. You're image is slipping up." She looked at Shego, and Mik followed her gaze. "As my sister so astutely figured out."

Shego frowned under the attention.

"Someone better damn well explain what's going on before I start lighting things on fire," growled Shego.

Shaundra's eyebrows shot up as Mik rolled her eyes. Pointing at Shego in shock, she turned to look at Mik. "How long has she been acting like this?"

Staring at Shego with a bored expression, Mik acted as if it was nothing out of the ordinary. "Probably since you left," Mik finally answered. "There hasn't been a time she hasn't been like this since Kimmie met her."

"That long?!" exclaimed Shaundra.

"Hello, still standing here," interrupted Shego, lighting up her hands. Unfazed by the show, Shaundra slung an arm around Mik's neck and pulled her close to her curvaceous body, continuing the conversation as if Shego never even spoke. Mik sighed and resigned herself to her fate.

"She was never like this before. She was always so sweet and kind. I really hope you don't hold it against her," said Shaundra.

Mik rolled her eyes. "And she was the top of her class and was always eagerly helping out anyone who needed it," finished Mik with a sigh. "You've told me many times."

"Then you understand why I find this so strange," insisted Shaundra.

"I find your whole family strange," Mik said flatly. Shaundra bopped her on the head lightly before turning to Shego again.

"Sharee, why are you so set on playing the villain?"

Disturbed by the way that Mik and Shaundra so easily interacted, Shego casually shrugged in attempt to ease the tension between her shoulder blades. "It's fun." She smirked and examined one of her burning hands.

Shaundra looked at Shego a moment longer before snorting and turning back to Mik. "She's as stubborn as you."

"I think you meant to say 'she really takes after me'," replied Mik.

Shaundra bopped Mik on the head again. "Oh hush you! I'm not that bad!"

"So you like to convince yourself," prodded Mik.

"Tsk! See if I bring you anymore Chinese food!" huffed Shaundra.

"I get take out all the time," retorted Mik, looking completely nonplused.

Shego watched the banter with growing irritation. Mik wasn't supposed to exist. It was too creepy to see someone looking exactly like Kim acting so relaxed around her. Equally so, her sister wasn't supposed to be anywhere in the same country, let alone the same state. Last she'd heard, she'd been in Italy. And the two of them acted like they'd known each other for years!

"That's enough!" bellowed Shego, finally having had enough. She glared at both of them. "That has nothing to do with explaining why either of you two are here!"

Snorting, Shaundra sat down on the branch gracefully. Mik simply stood next to her and continued examining the scenery in boredom.

"Apparently I've been hired to reacquaint you with the side of good." She glanced up at Mik. "And I have a feeling that's why they hauled her in as well."

"Fat chance." Shego crossed her arms and looked at them coldly.

Shaundra simply shrugged. "I didn't think you'd agree. You've been having too much 'fun' playing the villain. You might want to find a good place to hide though. They're going to try sending people after you to kill you."

Both women picked up on the tightening of Mik's jaw. Internally, Shego winced. Outwardly, she smirked boldly.

"Already asked you, did they Mikki?" she asked sarcastically sweet.

Mik's head slowly turned, and their eyes met with a frosty clash. "If I wanted you dead, you wouldn't have walked away from that electrical tower," she said tonelessly.

Shego found herself unable to move, to break their frozen eye contact.

"Mik!" Shaundra said sharply, drawing both of them away from their staring contest. "That was uncalled for."

The both women stared at each other challengingly.

"Then tell your sister not to bait me. Cause unlike Kimmie, I won't hold back my answers." Without another word, Mik leapt off the branch and disappeared into the foliage below.

Shaundra frowned at the spot that Mik disappeared. "You really shouldn't bait her."

Shego snorted. "Oh? Why not, dear sister? Think I can't handle a Kimmie clone?"

Shaundra looked at her sharply. "Mik isn't just a clone. She's a lot more then that." She sighed and ran her fingers through her long brown hair. "It doesn't help that she's been hanging out with me so often. She's picked up some of my… habits."

Shego snorted. "Like sticking her nose into places it shouldn't be?"

Shaundra rolled her eyes. "More like enjoying giving a guy a bloody nose when he slaps her on the butt, or hotwiring a car to take it for a quick spin before abandoning it somewhere randomly."

Shego paused a breath. "She's done that?"

Shaundra huffed. "It's all I can do to keep her from doing it. She finds the justice system corrupt and unfair. Hence, it's very hard to get her to obey it."

A slow smile was creeping its way across Shego's face. Maybe this little Kimmie clone would be more fun then she thought. Shaundra caught the growing smile before Shego even realized she was making it.

"Don't you dare even think of it!" she growled, jumping to her feet. She marched over and grabbed Shego's collar and shook her. "If you harm one hair on her head, I'll throw you in prison myself!"

Startled by the sudden venom in her sister's voice, Shego almost nodded stupidly. "Aww… what's the matter? Are you attached to little clone Kimmie?"

Shaundra snarled, face barely inches away from Shego's.

"She's not a clone," she said, her voice steely and threatening. It actually sent a shiver of fear down Shego's spine.

Before Shego could recover enough to reply, Shaundra dropped her and leapt out of the tree in search of Mik.

Shego stood where she'd been released, numbly staring at nothing. Her sister had never yelled at her. Not once. Not even as children. And a Kimmie clone? She slowly sank to her knees. What the heck was going on with the world?

A real living and breathing clone…

Though she didn't realize it, her smile had crawled across her face again, leaving her grinning by herself on her tree branch.

----------

Shaundra found Mik stalking a rabbit in a small clearing. Shaundra watched in silence as Mik slowly circled downwind of the small critter and inched her way closer to it, pausing whenever he would lift his head and peer around him warily. About a hundred yards away, she stopped, standing perfectly still. Both women waited in silence as the rabbit slowly drifted closer and closer as he fed on the grass. When he was about an arm length away, Mik leapt forward and grabbed his ears, yanking his head back and drawing her blade smoothly across his bared neck.

Shaundra was impressed. Mik had grown a lot since she'd first stepped into the world with wide innocent eyes.

Shaundra shook her head with a soft snort as she continued watching the young redhead from the shadows.

There were things she was sure she should regret introducing the redhead to. However, she didn't want Mik to be as oblivious of the world as Kim was. It didn't help that Mik had a penchant for sneaking out and following her when she left, effectively getting them both into trouble. Nor did it help that Mik's personality differed from Kim's enough that instead of being a perfect example of heroic innocence, she was more of an antihero. She was always getting into trouble, and enjoying ever minute of it.

In other words, a handful and a half.

With her skills, it was nearly impossible to keep the young redhead from doing what she wished. A point proven when Shaundra had received a knock on her door late one night to find Mik standing outside in the rain, grinning devilishly as she tossed a "borrowed" pair of keys to Shaundra. And as she reprimanded the redhead for her deed, they ended up taking the "long" way back to the parking lot Mik had borrowed it from.

It was almost comical how she and Mik were so alike. Especially when you considered how similar Shego and Kim were before Shego decided to change sides.

Shaundra sighed. Young innocent Shego… She'd tried to leave her younger sibling out of her troubled life, but inevitably, Shego had wormed her way into it. And eventually…

No. She couldn't say what had caused the sudden drastic change in Shego. She only knew it happened after she'd left, when Shego was in her senior year in high school. And that was one thing she truly regretted, leaving Shego behind… She knew things were bad between Shego and their brothers. Hego was always at the top of their irritations. It was entirely possible he'd finally pushed Shego too far.

Mik was finished gutting her meal and was preparing a fire. Shaundra made her way out into the clearing and stood next to the crouching redhead. Mik didn't even look up, unsurprised by Shaundra's presence.

"What are you going to do about Shego?" asked Mik, eyes still intent upon her task of getting a flame started.

"What is there to do? I can only hope she doesn't dig her hole deeper."

Mik snorted. "She doesn't have much deeper she can go." Pausing in her work, Mik looked up at Shaundra. "There's only so much you can do to protect her. Instead of trying to change her, why don't you just try and get her to join up with you?"

"Shego isn't good at teamwork," Shaundra answered bluntly. "That, and her attitude now would inevitably cause several confrontations." Shaundra sat down next to Mik and watched as a small flame flickered in the pile of debris. "I don't think she even knows who I really am."

Mik sniffed. "I think she would have said something if she did."

Shaundra grinned. "You're right. She would have."

"It's really ironic, if you think about it," continued Mik.

Chuckling, Shaundra leaned forward slightly and put a few sticks onto the growing fire. "Yes it is. Shego would be furious."

"Of course."

"What are you going to do about Kim?" asked Shaundra.

Poking the fire absently, Mik gave herself some time to answer.

"Kim's been acting really strange recently. The more I try and help her out, the further she seems to pull in on herself."

"As her twin, what do you think is causing it?"

"She's burnt out," Mik answered softly.

"Burnt out?" Shifting until she could prop an arm on one of her knees, Shaundra watched Mik out of the corner of her eye. "Is the hero gig finally getting to be too much?"

"More like she's finally coming to terms with the fact that gray areas do exist. She's forcing herself to acknowledge them now. She has to, with me walking around. I'm a constant reminder."

"She doesn't regret having you around," Shaundra said gently but firmly.

"Can you be certain? I've caused her a lot of trouble. I know I'll cause her more too. Especially when they find out…"

Shaundra frowned, eyes locked on the growing fire. "No matter what may come, or what has happened, she will always be glad she chose to keep you."

"How do you know?" Mik persisted, shoulders tense.

Shaundra turned to meet Mik's hooded gaze. Smiling, she ruffled the redhead's cropped hair. "It's in the way she looks at you."

"The way she looks at me?" echoed Mik, her face scrunching up in confusion. Shaundra chuckled before answering.

"You make her smile. You ease her worries. When you're around, she's less of the world saving hero, and more of a normal teenage girl."

"… Are you saying I make her human?" Mik asked bluntly, sounding unimpressed. "Cause if she's acting like a normal teenager, that means she's not doing the impossible all the time." Mik turned back to the fire. "That also means she's not getting any closer to finding Sift."

Laughing, Shaundra grabbed Mik in a bear hug. "Listen you, that wasn't what I meant at all, and you know it. Now stop being a sour puss and share some of your catch."

"Get your own."

"Hey now! Whose your honorable and loving sensei? I deserve food."

"You deserve to catch your own. Last time I shared, you ate all of it yourself and I had to go out and get more." Mik half heartedly tried to pull away, but Shaundra tightened her hold.

"If you don't share, I'll tell Kim about your little mall escapade."

"Then I'll tell her about your needling and badgering to get me to go on that escapade. AND, about how you 'rented' a plane to get there."

Shaundra opened her mouth then let it snap closed.

"Damn. I hate it when you have more dirt then I do."

Mik smirked. "Blame yourself. It's your lifestyle."

Shaundra snorted. "And you're tromping in on it."

------Across the World------

A slightly subdued redhead was walking up a dirt path alone. After checking her surroundings carefully, she ducked behind some bushes and slipped into the lush overgrown vegetation to the right of the path. Kim grunted as she leapt off a small cliff and landed roughly on the ground before scanning the area again. With slow precision, she edged around the bottom of the cliff to a large cluster of boulders. She calmly looked around before placing her palm on the cliff-face six feet from the ground. A square of green light lit up under hand and a seven foot door hissed open before her.

Without hesitation, Kim calmly entered into the darkly lit hallow, listening as the door hissed closed behind her. As she walked, lights turned on before her and shut off after she passed. Her shoulders relaxed as she walked, a slow calm smile spreading across her face. By the time she reached the end of the hallway and another door, she was beaming brightly. She leaned forward and let a red light scan her eyes.

"Welcome, Kim," intoned a robotic voice. Kim breathed a heavy sigh of relief as she bounced into a now brilliantly lit room decorated with several plush couches and a large screen TV. Stepping out of her shoes, she stepped onto the thick blue and black patterned rug spread out across the floor.

"Mik!" Kim called loudly. Dropping her pale blue jacket over one of the couches, she continued walking as she held a brown box in her hand behind her back. "Mik! I'm home!"

Not perturbed the by the lack of an answer, Kim happily went to examine the other rooms. She started in the gym, a place she often found Mik practicing in. However, when the light flickered on, the mirror lined, padded floor gym was empty, weights and equipment untouched. Kim shrugged and headed to the game room, Mik's second most favorite place. She wagered that if she had a contest between Mik and Ron on who could play video games the longest and beat the games, Mik would wipe the floor with Ron.

The mental image made Kim chuckle as the door to the game room hissed open. Sadly, the only thing that greeted her was the neon blinking lights from the TV, stereo system, computer, and air hockey table. The hockey table had been a gift from Shaundra, and Mik and Kim were constantly kicking her butt when they played.

A slight frown was starting to tug on Kim's lips. The eerie silence was not something she was used to unless Mik was attempting another sneak attack. Just to be safe, Kim whirled around… but was greeted with the empty hall. With growing unease, she headed to the kitchen. It too, was empty, and oddly, all the dishes had been cleaned and put up and the trash taken out. Mik had a tendency to leave that stuff until things were overflowing and absolutely HAD to be done.

"Mik?" she called again, her tone tinged with worry. Her pace quickened as she made her way to the three bedrooms tucked next to the hideouts "sick-bay", as Mik had deemed it. She quickly punched in the codes to unlock Mik's door and stepped hurriedly into the room. Everything was as it was last she'd seen it. Books and papers lay scattered here and there, a small collection of DVD's spread out by a CD/DVD portable carry case. A few clothes chosen as "re-wearable for a second day" were draped over the computer chair. The computer hummed softly as the screen saver flashed an amusing little animation of chibi Kim chasing Shego or Shego chasing Kim with a small chibi of Shaundra popping on screen laughing at the antics and who would, in turn, get glomped by Mik.

Panic seized Kim's body, causing her to race to the door leading to the bathroom. It hissed open to reveal another empty room. Whirling around, Kim raced through every room, screaming Mik's name at the top of her lungs. She even checked the fridge for a note, and the garage for any missing vehicle. Sadly, nothing was out of place. Nothing explained Mik's absence.

Sure, Mik was known to break the rules and go exploring. But she always wore a wig and usually was with Shaundra. Mik's brown haired wig was still sitting on her desk and there was no note; Shaundra always left a note or a message letting Kim know what was going on.

"Shaundra!" Kim's eyes widened with sudden realization. She whipped out her cell phone and quickly dialed Shaundra's number. Kim tapped her foot impatiently as the phone rang.

*click*

"Hi,"

"Shaundra?!" Kim shouted excitedly.

"You've reached Shaundra, and I'm not available to take your call. Leave a message and I might get back to you… or not."

Kim visibly deflated, staring at her phone in defeat.

No one else knew Mik. No one else knew where to find her, who she was… Unless… Mik took missions for her sometimes… What if… Had she taken a mission for her? Had she gotten hurt? Where was she? She always left a note if she went on a mission for Kim! ALWAYS!

With a frustrated growl, Kim raced to the "control room", again named by Mik. She quickly typed up a list of records of all the recent calls Wade had made to her Kimmunicator. Her eyes narrowed on two made just two days ago. Opening the first file, she watched as the vid spanned out in a small window to the right of the list.

"Hey Kim!" Wade said cheerily. "You've got a new mission. Dementor says he's got some death ray he's going to hit Washington with."

"Death ray?" replied Mik's voice off screen.

Wade shrugged. "Yeah. I think he stole it from Drakken. Anyway, he's in New Mexico."

"That's it? Can't it wait?"

Wade shook his head. "He shot an eco plant in Cali yesterday, and melted the whole place. I've already booked your ride. It will be at your house in five."

"Alright Wade, thanks."

"No prob!" The screen went black.

Frowning, she opened the second file.

"What's the sitch?" asked Mik's voice. Wade grinned up at her.

"Just calling to say good job and I still haven't found anything about Shego's whereabouts."

"Thanks Wade."

"You bet! I'll keep tabs on things and beep you when I find out more."

Before more could be said, the screen went black.

Kim quickly played with a few more controls and tried to locate Mik's hidden chip imbedded in her bracelet. A 3-D globe of Earth began spinning around in the center of the screen, and along the bottom it said 'Searching…'. Shortly after running the scan, the globe stopped spinning and in big red letters it said 'Search Failed'. Kim's panic rose again as she quickly tried the search again. Still, nothing.

Thinking fast, Kim quickly typed in Shaundra's. She knew Shaundra would kill her for it later, seeing as she wasn't supposed to have the woman's tag ID, but she'd deal with that after she found Mik.

Search Failed.

"Dang it!" Kim slammed her hands down on the console. Tears sprang to her eyes as she hunched over. "Where is she… If her last mission was a success, where is she?!" Her body shook with restrained anger and panic.

Ever since Mik had been bor-… had come to li-… had arrived, Kim hadn't spent more then three days away from her. Honestly, if it were possible, Kim would have them attached at the hip. Unfortunately, without a reasonable explanation of Mik's existence, as well as the undeniable similarities, Kim had no way of dragging her everywhere.

Mik was great to have around. She was clever, witty, and always out to have some fun… Even though some of the things she did were… disagreeable and Kim turned a blind eye to, Mik's heart was always in the right place. She was a quick learner and was almost irritatingly good at martial arts. Kim had to grudgingly admit that Mik had kicked her can several times in the ring. Probably more times then Kim kicked hers. A faint smile crossed Kim's face before it disappeared.

A tremor ran through Kim. She'd gotten so used to seeing Mik's slouched form waiting for her, a lopsided grin on her face and happy glint in her eye. Kim also had happily adjusted to handing off missions here and there to Mik, hopefully to keep her busy and out of trouble and allowing herself a nice break. She'd gotten accustomed to sitting down to chat about her day, relive it, so Mik got a glimpse of "life on the outside". It was far too quiet in the large hideout now…

A whimper caught her attention. Kim's eyes widened and she quickly retrieved the forgotten box off the console. Kim opened the top and smiled wearily down at what lay inside.

"I don't think I can handle it, lil' guy. I know you can't." Kim brushed her hand over her eyes. When her hand dropped back to her side, her expression was determined, if not fierce. "I will find her."