Sweet Dreams, Kimmie - Part Two

Chapter Two: Reduction

She woke in the dark.

Kimmie had no control over the lights in her room, and generally she woke when the lights were turned on. That meant Shego wanted her to be awake. When Shego did not want her to be awake, Kimmie mostly slept. She was capable of sleeping the clock around these days, rising only if she needed the bathroom. Of course, needing the bathroom did not mean she could use it. Her door might be locked, in which case she would wait until it was unlocked. If she could not wait, she urinated on the floor, in the corner farthest from the bed. This seldom happened any more, once she had lost any shame about it. She tried not to let it happen, because it disappointed Shego, and Kimmie did not want to disappoint Shego, but there was no longer any shame.

This morning, Kim woke in the dark. She did not need to pee. She simply did not need any more sleep. Her thoughts were clear, and this, too, was different.

She was lying on her back. She did not know the hour, but it felt like early morning. Long ago, Kimmie had had a remarkably good sense of time. Kimmie seemed to have lost that, since the time of day no longer mattered. Now, to Kim, it felt like morning.

She flexed her leg muscles, considering. She was not in the shape that she would have to be. She lay naked under her thin blanket and flexed each thigh five times, tightening and letting them loosen, isometric exercises that would build strength but no stamina. It would have to be enough for now. She knew that Shego had at least one camera in the room. Shego had never told her, but she knew it. She knew Shego, and knew that she would never be allowed any privacy. There would be a camera that showed her bed. There would be a camera in the bathroom that she was allowed to use. She knew that even on the toilet, she had no privacy. Privacy is for people. Kimmie had long since ceased to be a person.

She exercised as best she could without it being seen on the camera in her room. She doubted that Shego was watching, but she couldn't be certain, so she did nothing visible. The only light was the red LED next to the door handle, which meant the electronic bolt was engaged, but it was enough that she could see. And if she could see, she had to assume that Shego could see. So she didn't make any visible moves, only tightening and relaxing muscles as she lay still. After fifteen minutes, her muscles were beginning to ache. There was nothing else to do for the moment, so she went back to sleep.

~o~o~o~

The lights came on in her room in the late morning. The trip to Africa had taken a day, and with time zone changes and travel time, they had returned in the evening. Shego would have wanted to sleep late. Kim folded the blanket back neatly and rose from her narrow bed. The red LED at the door handle was off. She could go to the bath. The bathroom was across the hall, and she went there naked. Nobody would see her, since no one was allowed in that small section of the house unless ordered there, but it didn't matter anyway. She would go and shower because that was what Shego expected of her.

Kim quickly bound her hair and took a brief shower. She trimmed her armpits with an electric razor. She brushed her teeth and rinsed with mouthwash. No clothes were waiting for her, so she stepped naked back to her room. There were shorts and tops in her dresser, all nearly identical. She chose denim shorts and a light blue top. She wore a light blue brassiere, but wore no panties. Shego did not like Kimmie to wear panties unless she was having her period, and so she did not wear panties this day.

Cleaned, dressed, and ready, Kim sat in silence on the small bed, waiting to be told what to do. Most days at the headquarters had a rhythm. Shego would spend some time in the morning checking up and making sure no fires had started overnight. Then she had breakfast, and worked or relaxed for the rest of the morning. Lunch was often eaten in the command room, Shego idly watching research scroll on the big screen in front of her chair as she ate. That was followed by an hour of exercise, and then work overseeing her growing criminal enterprise. Dinner and relaxation rounded out the day. Days such as the preceding, with excursions and outside activities that Shego herself performed, were exceptions.

Kimmie was generally ignored in the first hours of the day, but was often summoned later to serve breakfast, and be allowed to eat. She might or might not be told to hang around and be quiet during periods when Shego had to work in the command area. She was generally involved in the relaxation parts of the day; Shego enjoyed being physically pampered, and Kimmie had learned to give excellent back rubs and foot massages, and perform other such services. And once or twice each week, of course, she was required to perform sexually.

This morning, no summons came. Kim sat, back straight and hands on her thighs, until it became obvious that she would not be called for breakfast. A meal might be brought to her, if Shego remembered and felt like it, but more likely than not she would simply have to wait until lunch. She lay back down and let her mind go blank.

She was not called until lunch. Shego's voice came from the intercom box on her dresser, ordering her to the command room. She left her room, went down the stairs, down a hall, and through the door. Bonnie sneered at her as usual. Kim ignored her, to Bonnie's annoyance and Shego's amusement. Kim realized that she was expected to have looked down and away, as Kimmie always had. When Bonnie glared, she let herself falter and sent her gaze to Shego, who chuckled lightly. "Let her be, Bonnie. She's not your pet."

Shego sent Kim to the kitchen to fetch lunch for her. The chef had prepared a sectioned sandwich and a salad, a fairly normal meal that could be eaten while working, and Kim took the plate to her owner. She knelt next to the stronger woman's chair as she ate. Shego gave her an occasional bit of sandwich, or a forkful of salad. When only one section of the sandwich remained, Kim was given the plate and told she could have the rest. She sat on the floor, the plate balanced on her crossed legs, and ate what she was given. Shen she was done, she sat with plate in her lap, waiting to be told what to do next. She had not been fed the night before, and she was still hungry, but she did not speak.

Kim spent an hour sitting silently as her mistress worked. Then, the villain stood and said, "Come. Leave the plate."

The two went to a room that was not often used. Kim knew as they entered why she was there. She had been there before, since Shego had brought her from Middleton. Two steps inside the door she stopped and stood, head down and shoulders slumped. Shego turned.

"You hit Bonnie yesterday. You almost got somebody else killed. That's what happens when you do things without me telling you. You know better."

"Yes, Shego."

The room was not large, and there were no windows. Kim thought it was soundproofed, but she was not certain, and it made no difference. There was little furniture. A pole near one wall ran from the floor to ceiling, with eyebolts at waist height, and again near the top. A padded bench, like a vaulting horse, was bolted to the floor near the center of the room. A rack was mounted on one wall, holding a couple of riding crops, a few canes of various thickness, and a couple of switches. On a long, low table were coiled a variety of whips, and two leather straps. Shego picked up one of these, a heavy leather belt four feet long and an inch and a half wide.

"Strip to the waist, Kimmie. Go to the wall."

Kim stripped off her top and bra. There were two knobs on one wall, about six and a half feet up. She took one in each hand, facing the wall.

"You need to remember not to do things unless you're told. You kill people when you do things." The sound of the belt preceded the impact. The strap cut across her back, just below the shoulder blades, and Kim was knocked forward and nearly hit the wall. She grunted as the breath was knocked out of her. The pain flooded over her. She shuddered as she re-took her stance. A second blow staggered her once again.

Kim felt the pain and evaluated the probable damage. She knew Shego would not permanently harm her. It would reduce the amount of fun she could take at the redhead's expense. She considered how she should react. Kimmie would not want to disappoint Shego, so she would try to take her beating to show remorse. On the other hand, Shego would not want Kimmie to display strength.

Kim allowed tears to come to her eyes, and slumped against the wall after the fourth stroke. She forced herself back up. "I'm sorry, Shego. I couldn't help it."

"It was instinct, wasn't it?" Kim nodded. "Your instincts are stupid and dangerous. We need to help you get over them." Another stroke, and Kim gasped and whimpered. "Do I need to beat them out of you? Or should I let you kill somebody else, first?"

"Please, Shego." Kim left it there. She thought that Kimmie would beg, but she didn't know what she would beg for. Apparently Shego didn't either.

"Stand up, Kimmie." Two more crushing blows, these both between her shoulder blades, left Kim breathless. She sank slowly down the wall, sobbing.

"Kneel there. Wait for me." Shego replaced the strap on the table and left the room.

~o~o~o~

Kim decided that she was safest during the half hour beginning ten minutes after Shego began her afternoon exercises. When Shego began an activity, she tended to focus on it. At the beginning of the exercise time, it might occur to her to look in on Kimmie via the cameras in her room, and it might again at the end of the hour. But once she began her routines, she would concentrate solely on them.

During that time, Kim would be in her room. She was never invited to join her mistress in exercise, and Shego did not like her to be out of her room other than to be with her. So she had some time, and she used it to stretch. She did not work up a real sweat, because Shego might notice. But she worked out the kinks in her muscles, stretching them, and doing some simple martial arts forms at low intensity. Between that and the nighttime isometrics, she would have to get in such physical condition as she could. It might take some time, but it would happen.

~o~o~o~

"Ohhh, that's good, Kimmie. Have I told you that you're better than Midas now? Yes, I have."

"Thank you, Shego. I want to be good for you." Kim was careful to say what she thought Shego expected to hear. She did not know why, but the villain was in good spirits today, and was playful. Four days had passed since the Africa trouble, and the pale woman's anger had faded. Perhaps the effects of the trip had been better than expected. It didn't matter why, and Kim did not wonder.

The two were in Shego's room, after the afternoon workout session, and the green woman lay naked on her bed. Kim kneaded the muscles in the other's powerful back, her fingers and knuckles working in practiced manner to excellent effect. She noted the workings of her own forearms, considering her strength and flexibility. Her mistress groaned and shifted. Kim lifted her weight, and the other turned under her.

"You like it, don't you, Pumpkin?" Shego smiled and stretched, arching her back. "Show me how you like it. Show me what a bitch in heat you are. Make me feel good, slut, and maybe I'll let you feel good."

Kim knelt over the other woman, bringing her lips to the dark green nipples already hardening beneath her. She knew what was expected, and played her part as required. Her mistress was impatient, so there was no need for teasing. Within a minute she was lying between the green woman's legs, tongue busy, her hands folded on the other's belly. And moments later, she had succeeded in causing the required orgasm.

"Yes, little slut, that was nice. Get up here. You've earned a reward. Crawl. Stay on hands and knees, slut." Shego knelt beside the redhead, hand going to her bottom, then lower to her lips. A finger pressed forward, into her, and Shego murmered, "Dry today, Pumpkin. You're usually all wet for me."

Yes, Kim thought. Kimmie would be wet, ready, eager by now. She had to cover. "You've been angry with me, Shego. I was worried. And, my back still hurts."

That seemed to do it. "You made a mistake, Pumpkin. You should not have interfered with Bonnie. But I'm not angry. You don't know any better. You've learned, haven't you? You won't do that again. You'll get somebody else killed. That's what you do best, isn't it? You get people killed." Cruelty gleamed in Shego's eyes as she spoke. "But I'll keep you anyway. You need someone to own you."

Fingers continued to move in her, and Kim let her body respond. Another hand stroked her back, lightly across the yellowed bruises. "I hoped by now I wouldn't have to remind you of what you are, little slut." The fingers moved more easily now, and shifted their focus. Soon, Kim felt her body peak, and moaned out her physical pleasure.

~o~o~o~

Her chance came one morning several weeks after the excursion to Africa. The trip had apparently been successful; Shego did not find it necessary to return and perform any further instruction. Most days since had been routine, and Kim's life calm and repetitive. Her only regular interactions were with Shego and Bonnie. With the latter, they were limited to Bonnie sneering, and occasional verbal abuse. On Kim's part, she simply looked down and was passive, which satisfied the cruel brunette. None of the Henches paid her any mind, and she kept her eyes lowered at all times. She did not care about Henches. They had no importance, and she thought of them only on the few occasions that she encountered one in the hall. She would step aside, and when he had passed, he vanished from her thoughts, except as a small increment in her knowledge of the building and its patterns.

She spent most of her time in her room, as Kimmie had for the past months. She remembered how she was expected to act, and she followed those patterns. It helped that she was primarily required to be silent and still. Patience came easily to her now. She watched and she waited, always ready but never eager.

This morning, she had been summoned to serve her mistress breakfast in the dining room. A place had also been set for her, a plastic plate and the kind of fork given to infants so that they will not hurt themselves. After a mostly silent meal, the two went to the command room, Kim following meekly behind the other.

The room was empty when they arrived. This happened occasionally, but usually Bonnie was already there. She might be distracted in her own, smaller office, and arrive later. Shego settled into her chair, typed in the password, and brought information up on the main screen. Pressing a button, she called, "Bonnie. Command room."

"I'll be right there." While Bonnie pretended to herself to be an equal partner, she was not so foolish as to fail to respond. Shego said over her shoulder, "Why don't you hang around, Kimmie. Just be quiet." Kim knew it amused the other to see Bonnie abuse her. She said quietly, "Yes, Shego", and stepped towards the back wall, four feet behind Shego's chair.

Timing was important here. As Shego turned back to the screen and began to read the investment report displayed, Kim stepped forward and drove the palm of her right hand into the back of the villain's head. Some sixth sense must have warned the villain; just as the blow landed, Shego began to turn her head, and it robbed the strike of some of its effect. Her head rocked forward into the desk, and Kim stepped back. Stunned, Shego began to straighten in her chair, turning her head to the left. Kim spun on her left foot, her right leg coming across in a wheel kick, swinging like the boom on a sailboat. The heel smashed into Shego's forehead, just above the left eye; not the ideal point of contact, but sufficient to knock the woman unconscious.

Kim thought it should take Bonnie less than ten seconds to arrive, and perhaps four had already elapsed. Bonnie was important. The Henches would not bother Kim; they had been made aware the she was Shego's property and hers alone. Bonnie alone would interfere with her movement.

The door to the command room opened and Bonnie stepped in, freezing as she realized that something was wrong. Kim stepped forward and kicked her, a simple front thrust kick to the stomach, the ball of her foot driving into the brunette's diaphragm, through the belated attempt at a block. She crumpled, her eyes blazing hatred at the redhead, her arms crossing in front of her abdomen. Kim caught her with a punch as she went down, left fist downward to the shelf of the jaw, and she went out. Kim knelt and retrieved the pistol the other always carried, and more important, the key card she carried on a retractable tether at her waist. Only Bonnie had such a card, and without it Kim would not be able to leave the building.

Kim walked quickly to the front door. She had not been through that door in weeks, but she moved with certainty nonetheless. She met one Hench on the way, and he might have given her no mind had she not been carrying the pistol. As it was, his eyes went wide and he opened his mouth to speak. Kim never broke stride coming up to him. His eyes on the weapon in her left hand, he never noticed the right coming to hit him in the throat. As he fell she used the edge of her hand to the side of his head, behind the ear. That impact and the noise as he fell were the only sounds during the encounter.

At the door she stopped and swiped Bonnie's card in the reader. Shego would sweep a flaming finger in the air and a sensor would pick it up, but otherwise the card was the only way to unlock the door. The windows, she knew, would be unbreakable, so there was no other easy way out. And she had to be quick. Despite how hard she had struck, she had no belief that Shego would stay down for long.

Out the door, Kim found herself in front of a three-story house, on about an acre of lawn dotted with shade trees. The estate was surrounded by a stone wall over eight feet high. The concrete walk on which she stood led to a pedestrian door in the fence, next to a larger gate that controlled access to the drive. There was no guardhouse. The gate was undoubtedly controlled from the house itself. Kim ignored both, instead running hard for the corner of the yard.

The day was chilly despite the sun climbing in a clear sky. She knew it was Spring, though she did not know the date. She wore only a short, lime green skirt of thin material, and a midriff baring top of the same cloth. Her feet were bare, the soles soft and tender. She noted these things as information but registered no discomfort.

She reached the corner and without slowing leapt at the stone wall at the front of the lawn. Her foot planted against it, she used the wall and her leg muscles to rebound, going even higher, bouncing towards the side wall. She got a hand on the top of the wall and swung the other hand, still holding the pistol, beside it. As she had hoped, there were no spikes or shards of glass along the top on that side, as there likely were on the front wall. She pulled herself up, looked to the front, and dropped to the ground along the strip of grass between the wall and the road.

Kim found herself along a winding two-lane road. The wall she had come over met a fence of black-painted steel protecting the estate next door. Across the street was another fence, this one hidden behind a hedge, with trees blocking the view of the house well behind it. A car was disappearing around a curve to her right. With no other clue as to where to go, she turned and began jogging in that direction. She noted the number of the house, marked on a discreet brass plaque next to the gate, as she went past.

After half a mile, the street ended at a four lane road, at a lighted intersection. There were no cars on her road, but several idled on the other, waiting for the light to change. Most displayed California license plates. The third in line in the curb lane was a Mercedes convertible, top down despite the chill, some variety of rock music blasting from it. Behind the wheel was a white man in an expensive jacket with no tie. He saw Kim approach, eyes widening at the sight of her. She had scraped her left thigh on the wall and her clothes were scuffed and dirty from the contact. She vaulted the door and dropped into the passenger seat. She turned off the music, held the pistol in her lap pointed at him, and said, "The light has changed. Drive."

The driver stuttered, "Who- who are you?" Her skirt had lifted above her thighs as she entered the car, and her lack of underclothes was obvious. She said, "Drive. If you know of a shopping mall nearby, go there. Give me your cell phone." The driver's eyes continued to go from her thighs to her nipples, clearly visible beneath the thin top, then focussed on the scar burned into her stomach. Shego's name was still branded on her.

Kim added harshness to her voice, gesturing with the handgun. "Drive now. You can ask questions later." He nodded and hit the gas, just as horns began to sound behind him.

"Cell phone," Kim reminded him. He fumbled in his jacket and pulled out an expensive model. She looked at it, swiped at the screen, and saw that it required a code. "Unlock it and call nine one one, and give it back to me." She knew he would be comforted by the call to the emergency number. The driver put the phone on his thigh and poked it a few times, then handed it back.

"Emergency, how may I direct your call?"

"My name is Kim Possible. I'd like to report a fire at eighty-six Marsden Lane in," she turned to the driver. "Where are we? What town is this?"

"Uh, San Lopez. San Lopez, California."

Kim turned back to the phone. "Eighty-six Marsden Lane, San Lopez. The house is behind a stone wall. I saw flames in an open window on the upper floor, and smoke is coming out."

"Thank you, ma'am. We'll have someone there in a few minutes. Are you in the house?"

"No, I'm just a passerby. Kim Possible." She ended the connection.

"Is there really a fire? Is that why you're, uh..."

"No. Just go to a shopping mall. The largest you know of that's fairly close."

"Why do you want to go to a mall?"

It would do no harm to tell him, and might keep him calm. "Because there is a lot of room in a mall parking lot, especially early in the day during the week." The cell phone display told her it was Thursday, just after ten o'clock. "I can run or fight if necessary, and there will be room for a vehicle to pick me up."

"Uh-huh. So you'll call the police when we get there?"

"No. Global Justice will have heard my name on the 911 call. They'll track your phone. This is not a police matter."

"Oh. Umm, Kim Possible? I've heard of her. I mean you, I guess. Weren't you, I mean, aren't you-"

"Yes. I was. Drive." She turned to look through the windshield, and said nothing more.