2. Meeting Across the River
Entry 39
The Princess is in a right old fit this morning. I'm not sure what she was expecting an illegal street race to be like, maybe she anticipated more movie lighting or camera crews, but she worked herself into a tizzy over my wipeout last night during the third race. Did she not realize that falling off one's bike was a natural risk when racing? I thought she remembered all sorts of extreme sports in her hero life. Surely some of that must rank higher in danger than speeding around city streets at night.
Anyway, I messed up my knee something good and need to take a break a bit. The Princess wanted to go the hospital but I managed to convince her it was a waste of time and money. I can move my leg, the knee is bloody looking but functional. Some antiseptic and a bandage and I'll be fine in a few days. We'll just have to do some non-stop driving to make up the time. No big deal. It's not like I haven't done that before.
Oh, she got upset about it having happened in the past too. Unbelievable! Of course I've been hurt before. Clearly it didn't make much difference. I healed, and I got back up on my bike.
At least I know a mechanic in the area to take a look at my bike. I'm pretty smart when it comes to engines and mods, but knocking the kinks out of some of the panels requires access to a shop that I don't have packed underneath my trailer.
*** KP – KP – KP ***
"Hhrrng," mused the old man with wild white hair as he paced around Shego's bike. The man looked like a midget Einstein. Less than five feet tall, fully gray hair and moustache, and dressed in a dirty shop coat on top of a plaid shirt with the sleeves rolled up over the coat and jeans.
Shego and Kim were standing nearby as the man paced about in his small gas station repair shop. A few other cars were on lifts in the garage; older vehicles, probably fifteen to twenty years old at least. Shego was leaning on a crutch to keep weight off her bandaged knee and Kim was standing close enough to reflexively catch the injured woman if she were to suddenly fall.
"What's the verdict, Pops?" asked Shego after waiting through at least ten minutes of grunts and curious grumbles.
"Don't call me that!" said Dr. Nigel Raven, finally voicing a complete sentence. "Call me Doctor! Now, tell me: what did you hit?"
"Nothing," said Shego defensively. "I just rolled her a bit around a corner… and into a park bench."
"So you hit a park bench?"
"I said I rolled her into a park bench," Shego insisted.
"Did the bike come in contact with the bench at any point?"
"Yes," said Shego.
"Then you hit a park bench!"
"Well, not intentionally!"
"I didn't ask you why you hit it, I asked you what you hit!" complained Raven.
"What the hell does it matter?" said Shego. "Can you fix it or not?"
"Of course I can fix it," Raven said waving his hand dismissively. "If you brought me back part of a tire and a photograph of your bike I could rebuild it."
"Then what's the problem, Pops?" asked Shego, putting her free hand on her hip.
Raven eyed her suspiciously. "How many times have I fixed this bike for you?"
Shego shrugged. "I don't know. Less than a dozen, I'd guess."
Kim stared at Shego with a stunned expression.
"Over, like, eight years!" she said to Kim. "I don't crash that often, I'm not that bad. I just have to deal with crummy streets all the time that aren't being taken care of."
"How many times have you looked like that?" asked Raven, pointing at Shego's knee.
"Hell, I don't know," Shego said. She rolled her eyes. "I've never been seriously hurt, just scuffed a bruised. I've only needed crutches a couple times. Now, and about eighteen months ago."
"And never before that," stated Raven.
"Well, no, not really. Just bad luck, recently."
"Or you're getting older," said Raven.
"Oh, don't you dare, Pops! I'm, like, half your age!"
"You WERE half my age," said Raven. "You're catching up."
"I can't 'catch up' to you in age, that's impossible," said Shego.
"You can't get numerically closer to my age, but proportionally you can get closer. You were… what? Nineteen when we first met? Now you're twenty seven? I was forty five then, now I'm fifty two. Ergo, you are now more than half my age."
Shego pinched the bridge of her nose and groaned. "Don't tell me this crap, Doc. I'm not old."
Raven smirked at getting the upper hand. "But you are getting hurt easier."
"Yeah, so what?"
Raven looked down at Shego's leg again. "I'm worried about you, Sharon. You keep pushing the power on this thing and you keep riding on terrible roads. You're gonna get yourself killed."
"Don't call her a 'thing,'" snapped Shego. "And my girl and I are gonna be fine. If not, hey, it's our life."
"Uhh," started Kim.
"I'm just saying," said Raven. "Maybe it's time to start toning it down a bit. Or find better tracks to race on."
"I don't race on tracks, I race on streets," said Shego pointedly. "I don't pick 'em, I just go where the action is."
"Maybe you ought to make the action come to you, then," said Raven.
"How the hell am I supposed to do that? Have you lost your mind?"
Raven pulled a card out of his coat pocket and held it out towards Shego. The latter stared at it. "What's that?"
"You remember Katsuhito?" said Raven.
Shego bobbed her head from side to side once. "Yeah, kinda? He was the hotshot engineer from California who ran that moneybags engineering think tank. Didn't he die?"
Raven nodded solemnly. "He did. And he didn't run the Stingray Foundation so much as found it." He waved the card in front of Shego. "His daughter has now inherited it."
"I didn't know he had a daughter," said Shego. "Or that he was married."
"Widowed, but that's neither here nor there," said Raven. "His daughter has taken the foundation in another direction, but she's interested in forming a new national racing league with amateur talent."
Shego narrowed her eyes at the card and gently took it from the old man's hand. The card was simple, white fiber paper, with the words SYLIA STINGRAY heavily embossed in sans-serif typeface across the front and, in smaller letters, 'The Stingray Foundation' and a phone number listed across the bottom.
"Sylia?" said Shego. "Odd spelling."
"She's a bit of a firecracker, like you," said Raven. "But I think you're the sort of racer she's looking for. And you could get off the unpaved roads and onto formal tracks."
"Geeze, what is it lately with people asking me to change my job?" asked Shego.
"I thought you wanted to race more," said Raven.
Shego looked at him then turned her gaze at Kim. The girl looked confused. "You two didn't talk before we came in here today, did you?"
"I don't even know who this is beyond her name," said Raven, gesturing to Kim.
"I didn't even know we were coming here," said Kim. She sounded honest to Shego's ears, but you couldn't ever be sure with the girl.
"I like my job!" said Shego, emphatically.
"So you want to keep doing it, then?" said Raven.
"Yes, that's what I've been trying to say!"
"Then stop racing," said Raven. Shego flinched in surprise, but the doctor continued. "You see this here?" The man moved closer to the bike and pointed at an angular impression on a beam along the side of the bike just below the seat. "Do you know how much force it takes to bend that? That's not a piece of the paneling, that's a super strut I put in there to keep your bike from coiling up into a snake when you lay into the turbo. It's made of carbon-fibre."
Raven pointed back at Shego's knee. "If your leg was ON the bike when it hit that park bench, there wouldn't have been enough left of your knee to rebuild. You'd be lucky not to get it amputated."
Shego blinked. "W-well, it wasn't there. I know when to bail."
Raven looked at her. "Do you?" He motioned silently to the bike behind him.
Shego frowned at Raven and looked to Kim who was giving her an equally expectant stare. She turned from her as well and looked at the card in her hand. "I don't see how this is supposed to be any better. Accidents happen in professional racing too."
"With paramedics on standby," said Kim.
"And while wearing appropriate protective gear," said Raven.
Shego stared at the card, looking for it to supply her with a new argument. "There's no telling if this girl is going to want me, and just to try out I'm probably going to have to fly to—"
"Wisconsin," said Raven.
"What?" asked Shego.
"She's holding some prelims at Elkhart Lake in a week or so."
Shego frowned.
"That's on our path, isn't it?" asked Kim.
"Sort of," said Shego, quietly. "Though since I gotta sit out for this to heal, who knows how much time we'll have to hang around."
"What do you lose by trying?" asked Raven. "You can always turn it down. But at least you'd have the option."
Shego sighed and rubbed the back of her neck. "I don't know," she said. She looked at Raven tiredly. "I'll think about it."
Kim smiled for some reason and Shego didn't want to imagine why.
"In the mean time, fix my damn bike!" she shouted and then turned to limp out of the garage.
Kim hesitated for a moment, then silently mouthed something to Raven with a bow, and followed Shego out.
*** KP – KP – KP ***
I've never been so ambushed in my whole damn life.
God, am I going to have people meddling in my life constantly now? I don't recall asking anyone to help me lose my job and yet, here we are, with two busybodies trying to make decisions for me.
I know I've said that Princess is right in the past. She is, to a degree, I would like to race more. But it's not a viable career unless you end up being one of the best and get advertisers interested in you. Not that I don't think I'd be one of the best, because, well, you know, I'm me. But then I'd have to deal with advertisers and I loathe them.
I don't want to cart around with giant logos on my back just to make some stupid soda pop executive happy.
...
Okay, I know that I already do that. I mean, I've shipped soda across the west coast before and, yes, I had to have a big old billboard on the side of my trailer to do it. But, that's different. It wasn't on ME. And I didn't have to deal with it. Someone at the company took care of it for me.
I wonder if the Princess has ever considered that being my 'manager' would involve dealing with those jerk executives. I should ask her. Probably put her right in her place.
*** KP – KP – KP ***
"Yeah, of course I know about that," said Kim simply as they walked through the corridors of Road America, the raceway in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. "I mean, that's where the big money is when you're in any league. So, yeah, I would expect to have to deal with advertisers."
"Y-you..." Shego trailed of as they worked. "But it's all so slimy."
"They're just people, Shego," said Kim. "They personify their jobs in most people's minds, perhaps, but they're still people. Do you think people imagine you correctly when they think of truckers?"
"It's not the same," grumbled Shego.
Kim laughed lightly and adjusted her blouse as they walked. For some reason, she had insisted they look a little better than normal when coming to meet Ms. Stingray. That forced them to stop at a department store on the way over and pick up some cheap, but newer looking clothing. Kim was wearing a loose beige top with a burgundy coat and a matching long skirt and heels. Shego, unwilling to step too far outside her comfort zone, was wearing a polo shirt with a nicer pair of khaki pants and boots.
"So, remember, both Sylia and her account manager, Linna Yamazaki, will be there. Linna will be the Asian one with shoulder length black hair, pale skin, and green eyes. She's about your height, too, maybe a little shorter. I wasn't able to find any recent pictures of Sylia on the internet, but she's got black hair and brown eyes and is taller than Linna. She's of Ukrainian descent but her father was part Japanese."
"Yeah, I got that from the name," said Shego. "I still don't get why we're doing this. All they should need to see are my times on whatever track they've got set up."
"They'll want to see those too," said Kim. "But because you were referenced by Raven, they wanted to meet. I think Sylia also likes to meet people who knew her father."
"I barely knew the guy," said Shego, honestly. "He worked with Raven on some engine aspiration mods I commissioned in college. We talked a bit, but I never even knew he had a family."
"It's the thought that counts, I imagine," said Kim. "There are probably plenty of people at the foundation who knew him better than you could ever have."
Shego grumbled again, making a fist with one hand. "I hate putting on airs. Hate hate hate."
"You'll be fine, and maybe you'll get a job offer out of this," smiled Kim.
"And if not, I don't want to hear about this crap from you ever again," Shego said.
Kim shrugged. "Eh, maybe."
"Damn it, Princess!"
"Here we are!" Kim announced and reached for the door to the offices.
Beyond the doors was a long and sparsely decorated office. Hardwood floors ran lengthwise down the room leading up to a simple brown rug upon which sat an enormous glass desk with two chairs in front of it and one behind it. Behind the desk, beyond the chair, were floor to ceiling windows that looked out over the stadium and the raceway below.
Sitting in one of the chairs in front was a dark haired woman in a navy suit and tie with a white shirt beneath. Her shoulder length hair was being held back by a metallic green hair band and she wore minimal makeup. Kim presumed this was Linna Yamazaki.
Behind the desk was sitting a woman that seemed crafted from stone and Shego was almost stunned to see her raise a curious eyebrow once they came into view. Even leaning her head on her hand against the arm of the chair she was in she still looked as if crafted by Pygmalion himself. She had short dark hair and brown eyes and was wearing a pinstripe suit with a silvery blouse. If Shego didn't know better, she would have guessed this girl had just stepped out of the 1920s given her style and demeanor.
"Ms. Hedge," said Linna as she stood.
"Yeah, that's me," said Shego. She was deliberately trying to remain casual before the intimidating figure behind the desk. "But just call me Shego."
"Shego," repeated Linna. "Very well. I'm Linna Yamazaki, Ms. Stingray's accounts manager."
"This is Kim," said Shego, motioning to the redhead beside her.
"If you two don't mind, I have a couple forms I need you to sign before we proceed," said Linna. She produced a black envelope and a fountain pen and placed them on the desk. "Please review and sign on the last page." She stepped aside to let Shego and Kim approach.
Shego looked at the Linna girl skeptically. "What's this about?" she asked. Kim stepped around her and picked up the envelope. She paged through the packets contained therein.
"It's a non-disclosure agreement," said Linna. "Ms. Stingray deals in many proprietary technologies and confidential deals. This legal document is to protect the Stingray Foundation in the event you attempt to profit from anything you hear today."
Shego rolled her eyes. "That's not very likely."
"It's standard procedure."
Shego grimaced. "What do you think, Princess?"
"Looks good," she nodded. "Dad dealt with these all the time, I've seen a few before. There's nothing odd in here I've noticed." She scribbled her name on one of the sheets and handed the envelope to Shego. "I'm no expert, though."
With a shrug, Shego signed off on the agreement and threw it onto Sylia's desk. "Whatever."
Linna gracefully slipped the folder off the desk and swept it up under her arm. "If you'll excuse me." She headed back the way Kim and Shego came, closing the door behind her.
"So what was that all about?" asked Shego.
Sylia leaned back into her chair. "It's exactly what Linna said it was: a precaution. Everyone who talks to me signs one. I have a lot of people looking at me these days."
Shego was about to say she could understand why, but bit her lip at the last minute.
"Hmm," mused Sylia as she studied Shego intently.
"What?"
The corners of Sylia's mouth curled up slightly. "So, Shego, tell me about yourself." She motioned towards the two seats on the other side of the desk. Kim and Shego walked up and sat down wordlessly.
"Eh, what's there to say? I drive trucks for private shipping during the day and crush the competition on the indie drag circuit at night." Shego shrugged.
"You crash often?" asked Sylia.
"No," said Shego.
"So that limp you have there, that's abnormal."
Shego stared at Sylia indignantly.
"I like to know about my racers," continued Sylia. "This isn't just racing to me, it's PR."
"PR?" asked Kim, desperate to be part of the conversation.
"Yes," nodded Sylia. She turned her chair to the side and stared at the ceiling as she spoke. "The Stingray Foundation has long been a think tank for mechanical engineers where its members have openly collaborated on many public initiatives. Thanks to a series of rather unfortunate scandals after my father's passing, we've evolved into a clearinghouse of sorts to help companies exchange intellectual property in a safe and controlled manner. This change has not been as warmly embraced as I had hoped it would be."
"They saw it as betraying your father's legacy," said Kim.
"Quite astute of you," said Sylia coldly. "Many fail to understand that the Foundation could not continue in the manner it was originally established. It was financially unfeasible without my father's genius injecting money into it with new patents and grants." She smiled slightly. "The Foundation was my father's dream, and he ignored the impossibility of it continuing on in his absence. So I made changes which have leveraged the Foundations powerful brand to create a profitable private company. One, I might add, that still encourages the collaboration between our best and brightest."
"That's quite a sales pitch," said Shego. The pointed past the desk and towards the windows. "Where does all this fit into that?"
"Sorry, I digressed a bit," said Sylia. "I have, over the last year or so, invested in a number of independent motorcycle manufacturers which I intend to merge into a new partnership as an offshoot of the Stingray Foundation. I had planned to pay to have a number of our products featured at this year's AMA Superbike Championship events, but was… uncharitably denied." The woman's stoic face looked to be on the verge of a scowl but it quickly vanished.
"I am therefore creating my own league," she continued, leaning forward, resting her elbows on the desk and cradling her chin in her hands. "Advertising is easily purchased, but I'm looking for some exceptional talent to ride our bikes through the series." She raised her brow. "Raven says you are perhaps one of the best he's ever seen. He had very flattering things to say about you. Some of which appear to be true."
'You want me to be a billboard for your startup championship?" said Shego, sparing no ire.
"IF you are as good as he says," said Sylia. "I want you to represent the Foundation by riding our bikes and – in competition only – wearing our branding. There are other initiatives I have planned that I might want your input on as well, depending on your talents. Apart from that, what you do on your own time is your business."
"Damn right it is," said Shego.
"Shego," Kim said urgently.
"It's all right," waved Sylia. "You have nothing to agree to now. Just go downstairs and show us your best times."
Shego frowned and stood up to leave. Kim jumped up quickly to match and nodded towards Sylia. "Thank you, Ms. Stingray," said Kim.
Sylia just nodded. "Please tell Ms. Yamazaki to come in when you leave."
Kim hesitated for a second and then went to follow Shego, who was already halfway across the room.
When Shego had her hand on the doorknob to leave Sylia spoke up again. "Ms. Hedge." Shego half-turned. "Sorry, Shego, I believe you said. Raven said you knew my father."
Shego nodded. "Yeah, a little bit. He helped me with some mods to my bike a year or so before he died."
"I would love to get a chance to talk to you about him," said Sylia. "Perhaps tonight after the preliminaries conclude."
Shego's brow furrowed. "Uh, yeah, I'll think about it." Without waiting for a response, she slipped between the doors and Kim followed.
Sylia sat in the silence with her fingers steepled on the desk before Linna returned and closed the door behind her.
"I like her," said Sylia, maintaining her stoic expression.
"Of course you do," said Linna, rolling her eyes. She walked back over the desk and then leapt over the back of one of the chairs to land on the cushion. "She's brusque, ignorant of etiquette, rebellious to authority, and has a statuesque figure. I swear you have a masochistic streak in you a mile wide."
"I have no idea what you are talking about," said Sylia. She picked up a random folder off her desk and looked through it.
"You don't? Let's review your recent choices, shall we?" Linna held up her hand. "Your lead racer, Ms. Asagiri, threatened you with a knife less than twenty minutes after you met her."
"She came around," said Sylia.
"Ms. Romanova," Linna ticked off another finger. "Not only can't ride a bike, but is eighteen."
"I couldn't let a genius like her go to waste hacking library computers," said Syila. "I'll find a place for her somewhere, even if it's in some sort of exhibition."
"And let's not forget me," Linna pointed at herself. "I love you like a sister, Syl, I always have, but I'm trained in professional dance. Why have you got me in an accountant's role?"
"You've done an excellent job so far," said Sylia. "And an Account Manager has nothing to do with accounting."
Linna rolled her eyes. "I know, I'm just saying… you could pick more qualified people."
Sylia smiled. "But then it would be no fun."
"Ugh!" Linna threw her hands up in the air and collapsed into her chair.
*** End Part Two
A/N: And so, we have two new principal characters introduced. Yes, I've imported them from another series, and yes it's a series I've used before. I've been a fan of Bubblegum Crisis for a long time now, but I don't tend to write very much in their universe. I imported Mason and Quincy into two of my other stories, but had avoided the Knight Sabers directly for various reasons. I figure as long as I'm creating an alt-universe, why not finally indulge?
Also, I am slowly expanding the bounds of this series' narrative limits here, where I lingered behind in a scene that didn't have Kim or Shego in it anymore. I had previously restricted the narrative to limited 3rd person tied to one or the other, but I plan on moving the boundaries a bit here to include Sylia. Not entirely, but I have a plan for Sylia and I'll need to delve a bit more into her head to make it work.