Chapter Two: Some Other Beginning's End
Disclaimer: After a recent inventory, I have found I own lots of things. Unfortunately, Kim Possible and the other characters of the Disney show are not among those things. Certain original characters and the idea for this story are mine though.
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Shego's eyes popped open to the buzzing of her alarm clock. 4:00 am... man I hate getting up this early. Eventually, the call of nature and the lure of the vacation forced her to throw back the covers and swing her legs over the side of her bed. Would an extra day's warning have killed him? She sat on the edge of her bed for another few minutes, allowing her mind to fully awaken. Just one early morning, then two – no, three weeks down under, where I don't have to get up at all... As she slowly struggled to her feet and went through the motions that signify the start of the day, Shego considered her immediate plans. "Six hours in the hover car to the port of Miami, then another couple hours on a plane to Go City. One day of dealing with my brothers. After that, it's G'day, baby!"
Shego went through her typical morning routine, this time with one additional task; since she planned to spend a lot of time in the sun in relatively skimpy bathing suits, she had to do something about her rather unique skin color. She had found, after trying various ideas such as makeup and several clothing color schemes, that self tanning cream was the most effective solution. It took time to work, and it wasn't permanent, but it would hide her identity from virtually anyone that didn't know her. As long as she stayed away from her trademark colors of green and black, there was simply nothing to tip off a casual observer that she was a wanted criminal.
Once she was dressed, Shego looked around her room to reassure herself that nothing had been forgotten. Once she was satisfied, she grabbed the two rather large suitcases she had packed and carried them out the door. She didn't worry about locking up; everyone knew better than to enter her quarters without her knowledge or permission. There wasn't really anything of value there anyway; only clothing and some magazines. After a few lairs had been reduced to rubble, everyone learned to keep sentimental or irreplaceable things somewhere else. The life of a criminal also demanded that she had to be ready to move at a moment's notice, and that meant living a rather spartan existence; you might not have time to grab a lot of stuff, and anything left behind might be a clue that would lead to your capture. That was the part of villainy that Shego hated most; no matter how much money she stole, no matter how refined her tastes became, she was basically living in the equivalent of a hotel room. There was no 'safe place' where she could have nice things or let her guard down. Sure, she had learned to relax as best she could, but there was always the nagging tension of being alert, scanning the security cameras, listening for strange noises, and waiting for the next time that snotty little princess Kimmie or Global Justice showed up to wreck whatever rat hole was passing for home at the time. That constant tension was part of why she was always so short tempered. Her brothers would willingly testify that she had never been an easy going soul, but since teaming up with Drakken, violence had become her preferred method for dealing with virtually every situation. Being constantly on the run and never feeling safe could be very hard on the nerves, and Shego desperately needed this vacation to 'recharge the batteries.' She was looking forward to it with such tunnel vision that many questions that she would normally have asked simply never occurred to her, such as how Drakken planned to operate the security systems of the lair by himself, or how the normal day to day housekeeping and repair needs were going to be met. All she could think about was getting through a visit with the family, and then getting to the relaxation she needed.
She never even thought to say goodbye.
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Drew had also risen early, knowing that his green sidekick would need to rise early to make her flight. In fact, he had made an attempt at breakfast, which was now rapidly cooling on the table where he usually shared meals with her. He glanced at his watch. 4:35... If Shego doesn't get moving soon, she'll be cutting it too close... "I'd better make sure she's awake."
A short walk brought Drew to the living area of the lair. Tapping on Shego's door, he called out to her. "Shego, are you awake? You'll have to hurry if you're going to make your flight. The next one isn't until tomorrow, and you don't want to spend the first day of your vacation alone here with me, do you? Shego?" He knocked a little louder on the door. "Shego, I'm going to open the door unless you answer." He listened for a few moments, and resumed pounding on the door when he still heard no response. "Shego, wake up! If you miss it I'm not giving you any more vacation days!" The silence from her room persisted. "Alright, Shego, I'm giving you to the count of three and I'm coming in. One."
Silence.
"Two! I'm not kidding, Shego!"
Total silence.
"Three! Ready or not, here I come!" Drew turned the knob and slowly opened the door. The room was dark. After a second of fumbling around, he found the light switch and flipped it on. The bed had been made, and her luggage was gone; obviously, so was she. In spite of his plans, he couldn't help but feel slightly hurt at her abrupt departure. Not even a goodbye, eh Shego? I guess you'll be fine on your own. He stood there for a moment, shoulders slumped, looking at the empty room. "Will you even miss me?" With a shake of his head, he straightened his shoulders and turned. As he strode back out of Shego's room and closed the door, he began talking to himself. "This is a good reminder of why I'm doing this. Once I'm out of the picture, maybe she'll do something better with her life. Anyway I have no more time to waste on self pity. There is much to be done if this is to work smoothly."
A few minutes later brought Drew to his lab. "I must check the magnetic field; I certainly don't want anything to happen prematurely." In the corner was a small glowing glass sphere. After looking at several digital readouts, the blue scientist appeared pleased. "The field is holding even better than I expected. Too bad no one will ever see this. I imagine even my old classmates would be amazed to see this much anti-matter in one place. Maybe one day I will be able to duplicate my work... But for now, this is the key to erasing my existence." Drew Lipsky then sat down to his computer and began what would be a long day of creating bank accounts, identities, wiring money, and covering his tracks.
He never realized that pretending to die was a lot more work than actually dying.