Chapter 3 : Tick! Tock! Tecna!
"Well," says Icy, "I've had enough of this finger-food. It's time to fly to Magix for a real meal," and Darcy and Stormy smile excitedly.
Icy opens a door that leads to a balcony and The Trix walk onto a stone gangplank and look about to leap to their deaths. "You don't fly?" asks Icy surprised.
"No, I don't think I can flap my arms hard enough to fly on my own," replies Shego, "but I can fly supersonic jets, helicopters and other such aircraft."
"Interesting," says Icy, "but I think you can fly in the manner we do too. You just need some instruction. It's really just a case of mind over matter. When we teach you how to bend light, you will be able to see the air streams. Flying is just like belly surfing on the wind. But today, we'll use the transportus instead."
In a flash, Shego and The Trix are in Magix, the planet's capital city, seated at an outdoor restaurant enjoying pizza – at least Shego thinks it's pizza. It looks like pizza, smells like pizza and tastes like pizza so Shego resigns herself to: if it tastes alright and doesn't make her feel sick then it is probably in her best interest not to ask questions or examine it too closely.
They are happily devouring pizza and making small-talk when Darcy suddenly signals everyone to be quiet. "I sense a Faerie near here," Darcy whispers, "let's go get her. I'll split and surround her and, Stormy, you can cuff her."
"Alright!" squeals Stormy in a low whisper and Darcy seems to split into about twenty-five duplicates of herself and they vanish. There are soon sounds of a struggle and Shego hears Stormy announce, "Got her!" Then Darcy and Stormy come out from behind a wall dragging another woman between them who seems to be restrained by shackles made of lightning.
"Looky what we've found," grins Stormy.
"Well, if it isn't Tecna," says Icy nastily. "She is the techno-geek for the Winx I told you about," she explains to Shego.
Shego looks at the pretty Stormy-sized woman who is dressed in purple leotards and wearing purple, cornet-shaped headgear that reminds her of the headgear worn by pilots during the early days of flight on Earth. But it is those eyes! Those enormous and beautiful green eyes that seem to draw her into them so Shego has to close her eyes for an instant to break the illusion.
"May I have some fun with her?" Stormy asks Icy.
"Sure," replies Icy, "but no magic and nothing that can be traced back to us. We don't want M'Trika and her kitty-cats coming after our tails."
"Aww," says Stormy with the look of a child told that she may go out to play but must leave her favourite dolly behind.
"I would have liked to have lit you up with a lightning blast," says Stormy wrapping her arms about Tecna's neck and shoulders. "Tell me, Tecna, would your head have lit up and light shone out of your eyes or would it simply blow up and the rest of you turn to Faerie dust? Well, it looks like I'll just have to wait until another time and settle for second best for the moment." Then Stormy, touching her forehead against Tecna's forehead, asks, "So what are you doing here? A little spying perhaps? No, I don't think so. Oh, I know! You are so in love with me and missed me so badly that you just had to rush over to me to profess you love for me as soon as you heard that I was in Magix. Well, Tecna, my dear, I love you too," whispers Stormy and then kisses Tecna passionately.
When Stormy releases Tecna, she spits on the ground wipes her mouth and spits in Stormy's face to which Stormy reacts by backhanding Tecna so hard that she falls to the ground and then kicks her hard in the abdomen.
"Ouch! That has got to hurt!" thinks Shego but to her surprise Tecna only moves to protect her abdomen but maintains an absolutely poker face and does not even whimper, shed a tear or cry out. Shego sees Stormy winding up for another kick but when Icy sees that the likely target is to be Tecna's head she yells at her, "Stormy! Not her head. We don't want her killed or blinded," and, frustrated, Stormy kicks off the purple headgear instead. Stormy then grabs Tecna by her hair, stands her on her feet, smacks her down again and then rains a barrage of kicks down her spine and upon her buttocks. Then she moves in front of her and kicks squarely in the centre of her chest whereupon Tecna retches up a pool of what appears to be thick brown stew that smells like month old compost.
"Is that blood?" Shego asks Icy, forcing down her feelings of revulsion.
"No," Icy tells her. "It is only the contents of her first stomach.
"Do you want to see what pixie blood looks like, Shego?" Stormy asks. "Then watch." Stormy grabs Tecna by her hair again and stands her on her feet. Then she rakes her diamond hard nails across Tecna's stomach not only tearing through the fabric of her uniform but also slashing great gouges into her flesh. "There you go," Stormy tells her, holding up to Shego a palm which is covered in what looks to be red tree sap and what, compared to the contents of her stomach that Tecna had just retched up, is so sickly sweet that it makes Shego feel like as if she is about to lose the contents of her own stomach. Then, to her amazement, Shego watches the gouges on Tecna's stomach scab over and then vanish.
"Yes," says Icy, "a Faerie's abilities to self heal are amazing but it is at a great drain on her energy. But after a few more hits she won't be able to save herself."
Stormy, still holding Tecna up by her hair, smiles sweetly at her and says, "What else can we do with you? Perhaps we can rip out a heart," and makes a grabbing gesture near where Shego figures Tecna's kidneys would be.
"Stormy!" growls Icy at Stormy.
"What's the big?" protests Stormy, "I was only going to take one. That leaves her with five that are enough to keep her alive. I thought you could witch up for us some of your famous have-a-heart soup with the one I remove."
"A nice idea, My Precious Little One," says Icy to Stormy, "but no."
"This is not fun any more," sulks Stormy while wiping off the blood that remains on her hand on Tecna's hair and down the front of her uniform then grabbing her by her shoulders shoves her towards Icy. "Your turn."
"Hmm… what next," muses Icy while looking over the shackled Faerie. "Perhaps we could take her for a drag down Bottle Shard Alley."
"But that would kill her and you know we can't do that," says Stormy.
"Right. My bad," replies Icy. "How about some pixie pendulum?"
"Boring!" chime Darcy and Stormy. "Besides," adds Darcy, "we did that to the last pixie we caught. But perhaps a game of pixie wings tug-of-war."
"Nah!" says Stormy with a dismissive wave of her hand. "Her wings are too delicate and we would only get in four good tugs before they rip off. Maybe pin-the-tail on the pixie?" she suggests and conjures what seems to Shego to be a real tail smelling of fresh blood with a darning needle sized pin in the tip."
"No good either," says Darcy. "This is Tecna. We could stick a dozen tails on her and she won't bat an eye or give us so much as a whimper of pain. No fun in that."
"That would be fun now if we had caught Stella," grins Icy. "That little prima donna thinks she's in agony when she gets a hangnail. With just one tail she would be shrieking beautiful music for us," and they all laugh hard over that.
"Say, I know what," says Darcy, smiling. "I'll cast an illusion-delusion spell on her to make her look like one of us and then see how long she lasts when flying back over the Faerie side of Magix."
"But that would require magic," says Icy but still seeming to like the idea.
"I can do it using a passive spell that M'Trika and the kitty-cats can't detect. Besides, all there needs to be is one hit and all the evidence that could point to us will vanish. If M'Trika should ask if it was our doing then we can play all innocent and tell her that it must have been a terrible accident."
"I like that!" says Icy with a feral light building in her eyes. "And with a bit of luck, it will be Bloom who blasts her out of the sky with Dragon Fire and then, not only would there be one pixie less to fight, but it would tear Bloom's heart in two when she learns what she has done. She'll weep! She'll wail!"
"She'll scream for a thousand years!" The Trix chorus.
Shego looks on at The Trix as they laugh and feels absolute disgust. Not only is this trio playing cruel and sadistic but this is dirty pool to boot. Not ever during her hottest battles with Kim Possible has she ever stooped as low as this. She has always left her opponent some measure of hope of finding a means to escape but this is totally merciless. Then she has an inspiration.
"If I may put in my own two cents worth," asks Shego, "isn't this whole war between you and the Winx about getting the Dragon Fire from the one named Bloom?"
"Yes. I told you that. So what?" replies Icy.
"What if I tell you that, if you let this Faerie go unharmed, that I can guarantee that she will have the Dragon Fire delivered into your hands by this time tomorrow without another battle or you having to lift a single finger?" she asks Icy.
"Okay," says Icy, "you have my attention."
"Let me talk to her for a few minutes," Shego says to Icy.
"Sure," says Icy, "but I think you are wasting your time."
Shego walks over to Tecna who looks at her expressionlessly with her enormous green eyes. "Tecna," Shego asks, "do you hear and understand my words?" not sure if Icy's translation spell covers Faerie languages. But, when she gets no reaction, she turns and asks Icy, "She can understand me?"
"Loud and clear," replies Icy but you won't get a word out of her. It is her way of being stoic and showing defiance.
Shego turns and by using her body to hide Tecna out of sight from The Trix and praying that it gets through the translation spell without The Trix overhearing she mouths to Tecna, "Look, you little fool. I'm trying to get you out of here alive!" but aloud she says to her, "I need to know that you understand me. Nod you head up and down like this if you do," and, much to her relief, Tecna nods.
Having established that Tecna understands her, Shego turns the Faerie about and points to an exhaust port a little ways off that is covered with a large protective hood. "This hood, Icy tells me, is made of Alfeanium which is the hardest element on your planet – even harder than diamond. Now watch," says Shego as she expertly casts a ball of green plasma and all watch on as the hood glows momentarily green and then vanishes into vapour and even though Tecna's face remains expressionless her eyes are registering absolute terror and The Trix are looking ill at ease as well.
"That was barely a quarter of my power," Shego tells Tecna, "so listen well. You are to go back to Alfea College and tell the rest of the Winx and especially the one named Bloom that you and they are to be here tomorrow at this very spot and at this very hour. And Bloom better be prepared to hand over the Dragon Fire to Icy or I will vaporize you all. And, Tecna, if you dare to pull a no-show on me then I will go to your precious little Alfea College and vaporize it and everyone in it. Do you understand me?" and Tecna nods her head vigorously up and down.
"Good!" says Shego and then turning to the Witch of Storms says to her, "Stormy, undo her shackles and set her free."
"No!" shouts Stormy. "And who are you that you think you can boss me about!"
"Stormy," growl Shego, "I will ask you but one more time to let her go," but, when Stormy stands her ground, Shego loses her patience completely and backhands Stormy one that knocks her off her feet and then sees her land with a smacking pratfall on the cobblestone street.
Stormy rebounds and screams, "You are going to die!" But Stormy, in her haste, has greatly underestimated Shego's strength and speed. Shego sees a ball of lightning materializing between Stormy's hands but, before she can cast it, Shego locks both of her hands together in the grip of one hand and lifting her off her feet sees the lightning dissipate into nothingness.
"So, I'm right," says Shego. "Witches and Faeries cannot cast their magic when their hands are bound and that is why you have shackled Tecna so she can't fight back."
"You are going to regret ever having tangled with The Trix. Sisters, to my aid!" Stormy screams.
Darcy looks about to come forward but Icy holds her back. "No, My Precious Little One," says Icy in a cold monotone. "It is high time you learn that Darcy and I are not going to fight your every battle for you. Now, as I see it, you got yourself into this fight so you can get yourself out of it."
"Icy! Darcy!" squeals Stormy in shock and disbelief then her expression turning to panic as she struggles to break Shego's grip.
"You are not so brave are you, Stormy, when you are up against someone who can fight back and Mummy Icy and Big Sister Darcy are not running to your aid, eh? Now, are you going to be a good little girl, behave, and do as I say," asks Shego while Stormy is still dangling off her feet in her grip, "or do I administer some additional incentive to your precious little tush that we on Earth reserve for spoiled brats and disobedient children known as a spanking?" and fires up her other hand with green plasma. "Yes or no, Stormy?"
"Yes," moans Stormy.
"Yes what?" asks Shego, shaking her.
"Yes, I'll do as you say," sobs Stormy then Shego lets her down gently.
"Now release Tecna and give her back her helmet," Shego orders Stormy which she does but when it comes to giving back the helmet she throws it at her but Tecna catches it and puts it back on her head.
Shego approaches Tecna and whispers to her, "You had better make good your escape but remember what I told you is no idle threat. You and the Winx show up here tomorrow on time or you all face the consequences," then aloud to her she says "Scat!" and watches as Tecna unfurls wings that look to be made of glowing green neon wire then lift off and fly towards the third moon.
Shego turns to look at Stormy who screams, "Shego, not only are you no fun but you are the ultimate loser! I hate you!" then runs bawling to Icy's arms.
"Oh, boo-hu-hu!" thinks Shego.