Chapter 3
I.
Shego glanced up from the papers she was holding, "Side...uh...Ron, what is this?"
Ron looked puzzled, "It's a new contract, I told you."
Susan stood, handing the pages back to Ron, "I'm sorry, potential boss man, but I seem to have left my magnifying glass at home. Care to explain?"
Glancing at the printed pages, Ron began to fidget, reaching his free hand back to rub his neck.
"Yeah, well I, uh...see, I forgot I had it set for something else."
Susan's eyebrows rose, "What could you possible be printing that needed to be that small?"
Ron kept his eyes on the pages, 'mrgmmbllchecides.." He mumbled.
"Come on, Ron, what? I know you're not eating so speak up."
"Cheat codes, OK?"
"Cheat codes for what?"
"Zombie Smashers VIII. The Pit Opens if you must know."
Susan's lips twitched, then began to quiver before she fell on the bed howling in laughter.
"Shhhh." Ron tried to quiet her, "My parents are still downstairs."
"Why?" Susan managed, through her giggles.
"Why what?"
"With all the money you've got, why download cheat codes for a stupid game."
"It is not stupid. It's the best on the market right now." Ron growled. "And I need them. My bud Felix has been kicking my biscuit for six months, and even a top player like myself sometimes needs a little, ah, edge."
Susan wiped the laugh tears from her cheeks, "Cheating," she chuckled, "you better watch it, bling boy, pretty soon you'll be going down the dark side."
Ron's eyes opened wide, before he grinned back at her, "Naw, never happen. I found out my bud has had the codes for a couple of months now. His mom knows the designer. He even has them programmed in to his controller. I'm just evening things up a bit, that's all."
Susan blew a few strands of ebony hair out of her eyes. "All right, if you say so, what about this contract?"
Ron began entering commands into his desktop. After a moment the printer began sliding out new pages. "Here you go, but I think I better send this home with you too." He pulled a disc out of his drawer and entered the commands to copy the file.
"A disc too? How big could a personal contract be?" Susan's question trailed off, her eyes widening, as the printer continued to work. "What is this? A contract or a peace treaty?"
"A little bit of both." Ron grinned. "But don't worry, it won't affect you that much."
"Really?" Susan reached to the tray and began studying the pages. "Ron, this is forty pages of single spaced legalese." She growled. "What are you trying to pull?"
"That's why I don't want you to sign it tonight, Susan, take it home and read it. If you have any questions, my phone numbers on the envelope." He handed her an oversize brown business cover.
Susan stood staring in bewilderment. "Can I ask just one question, please?" Her voice was plaintive.
"Go ahead."
"Where did you get the contract?"
"I wrote it."
"Where and when did you learn to do that?"
"That's questions two and three, you only asked for one." Ron grinned.
"You little wise acre, I ought..."
"Now, now, Susan," Ron admonished her, "I'm not giving up all my secrets. If you want to learn more, sign the contract."
"I might, just out of curiosity." Susan said as she strode toward the window. Putting one leg over the sill she suddenly turned back. "Wait a minute, I already have a contract with Dr. D. What about that?"
"Don't worry about it." Ron waved nonchalantly, "It's all covered in Section 7, subsection 5, paragraph 3 and 4, subclauses 12 through 38, inclusive."
Shego continued out the window, dazedly muttering, "Section 7, subsection..."
A moment later Ron heard a frustrated feminine scream from the dark. He reached over and nudged his bud, "Hey, Rufus, you think I might have overdone it?"
The naked mole rat cocked his head to the side in consideration, with a firm,"Nuh-uh" he rolled over and went to sleep.
II.
Drakken looked up from his cocoa-moo, startled by the figure before him. He hadn't seen Shego look this way since she caught the cold from Possible. Hurriedly backing up, he pulled a handkerchief from his pocket, waving his henchwoman away. "Whatever it is you caught, Shego, please keep your distance. I'm in the middle of my greatest scheme ever and I don't need..."
Bloodshot emerald eyes glared at him, "Yeah, right, like the bar is set so high. What is it this time? Mutant moths that only eat uniforms? Or how about..."
"Shego!" Drakken bleated, "What have we said about hurting with our words?"
"Whatever." She began rummaging through the cabinets. "Doc, where's my espresso machine."
Drakken's blue complexion turned sickly, "Are you sure you wouldn't like some nice cocoa..."
Without looking at him, one of Shego's hands flared, "Don't say it, one warning only. Now where's my espresso?"
"Ah, Shego, you remember the discussion we had about finances?"
Her eyes narrowing, Shego growled, "My espresso machine, Doc, where is it?"
Drakken appeared to shrink in his chair, "Well, ah, I needed a timer, and uh, well, it was..."
Both her hands flared, "You scavaged my espresso machine for a timer for one of your whack ideas?"
"I'll get you another one, a better one, please don't hurt me." The blue villain whimpered.
"Great! Now what am I supposed to do? I need coffee."
"Ah, the henchmen's coffee machine has been working all night, it should almost be as strong as espresso. I'll have one of them bring you a pot."
"Just what I need, having to drink that mud." Shego turned in disgust and stomped toward the door.
"Shego? Ah, what is so..."
"Not another word, not one." She stormed out the door, slamming it behind her.
Drakken snatched his intercom mike, "Sylvester, take a pot of coffee to Shego's room, now."
A quavering voice replied, "Me, Boss? But I have a lot of things, yeah,ah, things to do, y'know, and..."
"You, Sylvester, she asked for you. Now, do it." Drakken threw the mike down. "He's new, and he's been getting lippy. No loss."
III.
An hour later Drakken's head raised from his latest invention when he heard the scream from Shego's room.
"Bodacious Bootie benefits? I'll wring that little perverts neck!"
Drakken shook his head, semi-sadly, "Poor Sylvester, well, that's what he gets for being lippy."
IV.
Ron sat at his desk, idly watching Rufus run through the set of plastic tubes he had set up for his pet. "Y'know, buddy, you could get through that a lot faster if you left the bling behind."
Rufus glanced at his human, the diamond encrusted dollar sign hanging from his neck. "Nun-uh, mine."
"Not gonna take it back, Rufus, just saying..."
The naked mole rat's head popped up, his head still in concentration. Running to one of the tubing exits, he hurried to his friend, frantically chattering.
"Okay, Rufus, I gotcha. She'll be here in a minute. The perfect ending to a perfectly weird day." Ron grinned remembering the glares and scowls he had been receiving from his best friend all day. His offer of a new wardrobe from Club Banana was indignantly refused, but he had found something he was sure Kim would be unable to resist the next time a mission came up. He turned to the open window. "Come on in, Susan."
Shego looked nonplussed for a moment, then stepped gracefully into the room. "Okay, buffoon, it's penalty time."
Ron began to laugh, "I wondered if you'd read it all the way to page thirty nine."
"I stayed up all night trying to understand that mess of legalese and gobbledegook, sidekick, but I understand "Bootie" real well. And you can call me Shego."
Ron had to hold on to his desk to keep from falling out of the chair in laughter. Rufus surrendered, lying on his back giggling.
Shego's hands flared green, "Are you laughing at me? Because I'm going to give you something to really..."
Ron waved helplessly, "No, no, Susan, please." He managed to regain control. "You only read the disc, right?"
"Yeah, so?"
"If you had compared the print out with the disc, you would have found that section completely different. I just thought if you got that far you might need something to wake you up."
Shego's hands extinguished, she walked over and flopped onto the bed. "Ron, you like to live dangerously, don't you? What is actually in that section?"
"A listing of my obligations to you as my employee. Plus some related stuff having to do with your criminal record."
"What about my record?"
"Are you signing the contract?"
Shego sighed, "I know I'll regret this, but yes. You've got me too curious to back out now."
Ron reached into a desk drawer pulling out a sheaf of papers. "Here you go, Susan. Look it over and sign on the dotted line. I've placed a codicil on the bottom you need to sign also that states this is not a final contract, terms will be renegotiated after a ninety day trial period."
Susan rose and walked to the desk, taking the papers and a pen. "I just don't understand, Ron," She said in bewilderment, "I still work for Dr. D., I still draw that salary, but I get a bigger salary from you for doing what I was going to do anyway. I have got to know what your scheme is, so yes, " she signed the contract with a flourish, "I'm in."
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I know this is short, but it's a transition chapter, and this seemed like a good place to stop. Also, my mind is working hard on a new story, an AU dealing with some relations of our heroes, and WWII. You would not believe how hard it is to get information on Polish WWII uniforms.
Spectre
