Disclaimer: I don't own Kim Possible or any characters from the show. Sad Panda Face.
Chapter 3: Round Two!
Though he'd been at it for three hours already, Will Du read the e-mail again. The lines mocked him, hiding the truth while being as obvious as possible, frustrating the seasoned agent beyond words. This was his chance to bring down Global Justice's sworn enemy, the Worlwide Evil Empire, if only he could piece together the puzzle. There were many questions, but the six that never changed were driving him mad because he had half the answer. The who, what, and why were simple: the organization was run by none other than Dr. Director's twin brother, who called himself 'Gemini' for whatever reason, and he knew the plot somehow involved destroying the agency his sister spent her entire adult life building. But the when, where and how continued to elude him, no matter how many times he poured over the information.
"My friends, I am happy to inform you that the first phase of my ingeneous plot is complete," Will read, mumbling the words to himself in a vain hope of understanding them. "With great pride, I announce that we are moving onto the second phase, which will entail the help of experts in fields as varied as they are important to our ultimate goal." He ran a hand through his jet black hair. "All our resources are now devoted to tracking down and persuading these experts, bringing them in line for the glorious visions I have of the future world, one where our villoneous geniuses shall not only be accepted, they shall be honored on the highest pedistal for all mankind to witness." There was that word again. "With our efforts so devotedly focused, I have no doubt that phase two will be completed soon, allowing us to move forward, bringing the pieces together that we might strike down our enemies without hesitation. Join me, my fellow villains, that we might revel in the coming light together. Contact information and applications to join the Worldwide Empire of Evil are attached to this mail. I shall keep you informed of my progress but know that those who fail to come aboard will be considered enemies in due time and, thus, shall be dealt with in like manner to those who wish to oppose the WEE." Will sat back and sighed, knowing the last line by heart. It ended every e-mail he recieved from his contact. "With best regards, the future Overlord of Evil, Gemini."
It was there, Will was certain, hiding between the lines and laughing at his inability to understand it. What did it all mean? What was Gemini plotting? How could it be stopped? Dr. Director was counting on him for answers and he had none. At times, he almost wished he could go back to the easy cases, to the simple missions where he showed up and nabbed the bad guy like it was a Hollywood movie. That's how most of his missions went, anyway, with the one, constant exception.
"I wonder how the Runt is doing," Will mumbled, looking to distract himself in hopes of an epiphany sneaking up on him like an assassin. He sat for hours, though, exactly where he began: clueless.
[BREAK!]
"You know, this is actually a very good idea," Dr. Drakken whispered to himself, peering through the small eye slit of the faux sarcophogus the guards stood up on the far side of the exhibit, directly across from the statuettes. While his teen ward had devoted most of her time to the combat simulators and memorizing the museum's floor plan, she had also provided a few ideas on how to get the drop on their elusive target. It would never have worked before- unless Dr. Director wished to devote her entire workforce to hiding in various exhibits across the globe- but, knowing where Scarlet would strike, as well as a good idea of when, why not beat the thief to the prize?
The green tinted teen herself was hidden much closer to the statuettes and higher, her smaller form allowing Shego to hide in the ventilation shaft above the statuettes. The space was cramped, even for her small frame, but it served its purpose: if Scarlet attempted to drop in on the exhibit, Shego was blocking the way. It was Drakken's idea, though, and for a more practical reason that he chose not to tell her about- the constant cool air kept her body heat down which, he thought, would help keep her calm. The teen herself, however, hated the idea. She was anxious for a rematch and the tight confines did nothing to ease that anxiety.
"If she comes up behind me and starts talking about my butt, I might seriously fry her," Shego grumbled to herself, a scowl set in place while she tried to beat down the blush creeping into her cheeks. Over the past few days, she had decided that the only way she was going to keep from getting flustered around Scarlet was to be continuously angry. Badmouthing the redhead whenever possible seemed like the easiest way to direct all that anger, which included her typical threats of plasma frying. "And she better not call me 'cute' again."
Except for the occassional grumbling from Shego or whispered comment from Drakken, the museum was deadly silent. The usual night crew- plus a full SWAT team- was staged in their little break room, intently watching their monitors for any signs of forced entry. They were more than ready for the thief when she did show up, though most were a bit wary about facing off against the one and only Scarlet.
[BREAK!]
"Uh, KP, maybe we should just turn back," Ron offered after Wade finished with his preliminary scanning of the museum. With two heat signatures in the exhibit room, plus more than any museum would put on the night shift in a small room to the east, it was obvious that a trap was laid out for Kim, banking on the redhead's promise of returning for the statuettes. "This looks way too risky."
"Looks can be decieving, Ron," Kim giggled, noticing that one heat signature was a higher temperature than the rest. It was interesting, to say the least. "Why do you think this one is higher than the rest?"
"You're asking me?" Ron turned his head slightly, though not enough to distort his views of the jet's controls. Rufus, being the faithful friend and pet, hopped up on Ron's shoulder to watch the redhead critically, his tiny arms crossing over his chest. He was just as concerned as his master, though he couldn't vocalize those concerns nearly as well. "Seriously, KP, we gotta turn around."
"Oh, come on, Ron, it would be rude not to show up, especially since they have a welcoming party all laid out for me!" Kim smiled wildly, leaning forward in her seat as every muscle quivered with anticipation. While she was looking forward to seeing Shego again, the challenge before her was so tantalizing it was impossible to ignore. "You know I haven't had a good challenge in a long while."
"Well, yeah, but are you really thinking this through?" Ron sighed, knowing just by the tone of her voice that his best friend wasn't going to back down. With Monique's worries still echoing in his head, the blond figured he'd make certain of his best friend's intentions before going any further. "Kim, why are you doing this?"
"Could you be a little more specific please?" Kim furrowed her brows, nearly scowling at the back of Ron's headrest. "You know why I'm stealing."
"Yeah, and I get it, even support it, KP. I am your get-away driver, after all," Ron pointed out, hoping to keep the redhead from getting too worked up. An angry thief was, often times, a careless one. "But you don't want to get caught, right? Are you really going to walk into an obvious trap because of some cute little kid?"
"She's not a kid, Ron, and Shego's got skill, she's just unrefined. But, I will admit, she is ferociously cute," Kim allowed herself a small smile before continuing in a serious tone. "I know the way Director works; Shego's somewhere in that museum to bait me into coming, and that's fine. She'll only get better if there's someone to push her. No one at Global Justice is even on my level; she needs me-"
"To do what, Kim? Set her free?" Ron cut her off, staring straight ahead as the words left his mouth. He was certain, were they looking each other in the eye, she would've either tried to punch him or just glared at him until he flinched.
"No," Kim forcefully replied, gritting her teeth even as her fists clenched, her knuckles turning white. It took the redhead a moment to calm down, taking deep breaths to temper her anger. "I just want to see her get better. What she does with her life is her decision, just as my little vendetta is mine."
Ron nodded, though Kim couldn't see the movement, and allowed silence to reign for the moment. They still had a good ten minutes to go before reaching the museum. That brought about a good question though. "Hey, are we still going with the rooftop access?"
"Hmmm, I don't think so," Kim's anger subsided as a little wicked smile claimed her lips as she scanned the museum schematic again. "I've got a better idea."
[BREAK!]
"Shouldn't she be here by now?" Shego grumbled to herself, shifting ever so slightly in the uncomfortable ventilation shaft. Why someone would willingly crawl through the tiny space for any reason would forever escape her. Glancing at her watch- only to find that barely a minute had passed- only served to frustrate the impatient teen even further. "She should be here. Where is she?"
Down below, in his sarcophogus, Drakken was wondering the same thing. As the leading expert on Scarlet, he'd already compiled the extensive list of her crimes and determined the time windows she aimed for, a telltale pattern she never changed. It provided a little variation- by days or hours- but she was predictable, probably to entice someone into actually capturing her. That she appeared to be running late was worrisome; he wasn't looking forward to chasing the redhead across the globe. He barely wanted to chase her this far, and that was more for James' sake than anything else.
A few more seconds ticked by in silence before a soft thud, shattering glass, and blaring alarm drowned out nearly everything. Shego had to cover her ears, the sound reverberating through the shaft and sounding infinitely times louder than it really was. She instantly recognized the noise as the museum's standard alarm, meaning the perimeter had been breached somewhere. Though every fiber of her being wanted to drop down and find that woman, Shego held her ground and waited, as Drakken had instructed her. He said she might try to distract the night crew by setting off the alarm, that they would wait in the exhibit room until the coast was completely clear or the redheaded thief showed.
Shego prayed for the latter; she wanted her second shot at Scarlet so bad, it had nearly become an obsession. The minutes ticked by, the alarm still sounding, until all was suddenly quiet within the museum. Too quiet- no shouts from the guards ensuring the scene was safe, no beeps from the alarm resetting itself, and no tromping of heavy boots to signal the SWAT team's movement. Absolutely nothing.
"You've gotta be kidding me," the teen grit her teeth in annoyance, scowling down on the room through the grate. "Where the hell is she?"
"Hmmm, that was odd," Drakken scratched his chin, peering out as best he could through the slit. He contemplated breaking his cover to go check on the night crew but stopped when he heard the soft tapping of boot heels. Not half a minute later, the footfalls stopped, a low whistle- almost a catcall- resounding through the exhibit hall.
"Come on out, Sweetheart, I know you're here," Scarlet called out, taking a few more steps inside the hall. A quick glance confirmed her suspicions; her cute little opponent was in hiding. In her mind's eye, the thief could see the heat signatures and their locations within the exhibit hall. Clasping her hands behind her back, Scarlet started to walk lesiurely around the exhibit, stopping to admire one object or another, all the while calling out to her target and avoiding the areas she recalled seeing the signatures. "Oly-oly-oxen-free, Babydoll! You aren't going to disappoint me, are you?"
Shego watched from the ventilation shaft, all the while telling herself to keep calm and quiet, practically chanting the words in her head like a mantra. She was more than ready to answer Scarlet's call and face the woman again, but the redhead was too far away for her to get a good drop on the thief. The waiting was tough though; it was driving the teen absolutely crazy!
"You know, it's cruel to keep a woman waiting like this, Sweetie. I come all this way, just to see you, I use the front door and greet all the guests you lined up for me, and what do I have to show for it? Nothing!" Scarlet turned her olive orbs up to the ceiling, catching sight of a ventilation duct and smiling. It was in the approximate position of one of the signatures and she had crawled through enough of them during her crime fighting days to know it was possible; it would be quite the poetic justice for her sweet little adversary to be hidden up there, she thought. With a melodramatic sigh and a 'tsk', the thief turned on heel, her braid swaying slightly behind her. "Such terrible manners."
"She knows!" Shego hissed quietly the moment Scarlet looked at the grate. Though she didn't notice it herself, the teen held her breath until Scarlet averted her gaze elsewhere, letting out a sigh of relief that the thief hadn't acted like she knew. Deep down, though, the young agent knew she was outed and quickly improvised.
The screech of metal had Scarlet jumping clear long before the grate hit the museum floor, the young woman hitting the ground in a roll and instantly righting herself in a defensive position. To her delight, Shego was dropping from the ventilation duct, landing as gracefully as a cat while wearing a stern expression the redhead didn't care for in the least. How was she going to have fun with the teen glaring at her like that? It simply had to be changed.
"Ya know, with an entrance like that, I think I'll start calling you 'Angel'," Scarlet grinned, pleased to see the blush she adored work its way into the teen's cheeks. The glare was still there but it was breaking, giving way to the flustered teen the redhead wanted to see. "Yeah, I like the ring of it. My sweet little Angel."
"Scarlet! By the authority of Global Justice, I hereby place you under arrest for the larceny of government, public, and private property in seven countries," Shego called out, absolutely elated her voice didn't falter. If she could just keep herself focused, the teen was certain she'd overcome Scarlet quickly. She'd trained for days just for this fight; she wasn't going to lose.
From where she stood, Scarlet could see determination glinting in those emerald eyes and part of her had to be at least a little proud. The other part, however, wanted to see that adorable blush she enjoyed so much. "Tell me, Angel, does that little list of yours include me stealing your heart, or is that just 'attempted larceny' as of right now?"
"I- You- What!" Shego visibly pulled back, her face falling as a furious blush worked into her cheeks. In a flash, the determination was replaced by confusion and Scarlet had to fight to keep from laughing out loud. It seemed her sweet little agent had a long way to go still. That just made things more exciting as far as the redhead was concerned.
"No, no, no, Shego," Scarlet gave a lewd wink, leaning forward slightly without losing her defensive posture. "It's 'you, me, now' but I guess it depends on where, exactly, you want me."
"In cuffs!" Shego growled, putting half her energy into fighting her embarrassment with anger and the other half into not igniting her hands. At that moment, she didn't know who she wanted to fry more: Scarlet, for making her blush, again, or Dr. Director, for not allowing her to light up in the first place!
Deciding to put her anger to more practical uses, Shego launched on the offensive, swiping angrily at the infuriating redhead. Though it had only been a few days of intensive training, the teen pressing the thief a little harder than when they first met. With a wide grin, Scarlet blocked every blow sent her way, guaging her opponent's progress. The anger made her impulsive- Shego was taking any shot she could manage- but it lent a noticeable strength to her strikes. Nothing Scarlet couldn't handle, of course. Still, it was promising.
They danced across the exhibit, solely fixed on each other. After two solid minutes of blocking, Scarlet lashed out with a palm strike, easily knocking the teen in the chest. As Shego struggled to keep from falling on her rear, the redhead chuckled.
"Anger is great for brute strength, Angel," the thief chided, a wide smile on her lips. "But you have to remember to play defense. Otherwise, you'll just wear yourself out."
"Like I need advice from a criminal!" Shego growled, stepping up to start their dance again. Though she would never admit it aloud, the teen did take the comment to heart. When Scarlet again tried to strike her, the blow was knocked aside even as a counterstrike came in, aiming for the thief's chin. It missed, sailing through air as Scarlet bent over backwards, planted her palms on the floor and sharply lifted her leg. The limb struck Shego's side with surprising force, knocking the teen aside and to the ground. Rolling over, Shego just stared at the thief as she righted herself with ease, that infuriating smile still gracing her lips. "How'd you-"
"It's called 'flexibility', Sweetheart," Scarlet laughed as she rolled her shoulders. "You'll need a lot more training if you want to move like me. I suggest cheerleading; you'd look spankin' in the right outfit." Rolling her neck once, the redheaded thief settled into her defensive stance, making a 'come get me' motion with one hand. "Well, what're you waiting for, Angel? A written invitation?"
With a growl in her throat, Shego scrambled to her feet and glared daggers at the woman before her. She could feel the blush staining her cheeks, anger and embarrassment fighting for dominance over her mind, but tried to ignore it. She needed to focus. Settling once more into her stance, the teen regarded the thief a moment before launching a new offensive.
Silently, Scarlet had to praise Shego's detemination and adaptability. When she had first started seriously fighting, the thief- then hero- had known at least sixteen styles of martial arts. Hardly a training regimine Global Justice authorized for their greener recruits. Even so, the teen was adapting well, learning with every block. It was... promising.
The world around them narrowed as they fought, the rest of the exhibit melting away as they continued their dance. The teen couldn't help but grin as she managed to sneak through Scarlet's defenses and tag her a few times, one of which earned a small grunt. Perhaps she wasn't the most practiced fighter, but she was starting to find her own style, one that mixed raw strength with grace and finesse. However, the moment it looked like Shego was gaining some footing against the thief, Scarlet ramped things up a notch, switching to an offense that the teen could barely match. It was by complete surprise when Scarlet, rather than aim a punch at the teen's face like Shego anticipated, dropped down and landed a rather impressive sweeping kick, she knocked Shego's legs from under her. Just as Shego looked up at the smiling thief ready to impart more 'wisdom', another force knocked into the redhead, sending her sprawling.
Scarlet shook her head, blinking a few times. "Ugh, what the-"
"That's the problem with thinking you're 'all that', Scarlet," Dr. Drakken was frowning, which Shego expected from her mentor. What she hadn't expected, though, was the strange tone his voice had taken on when pronouncing the thief's name. It was almost as if the name itself was an insult or some form of profanity. "Eventually, someone's going to prove you wrong."
"Well, I can promise it won't be you," Scarlet replied, rocking her body to perform a backwards roll, firmly planting her feet on the ground before launching forward at the blue skinned man. While Shego was outclassed by the thief's moves, Drakken was sorely outclassed, and there was no restraint whatsoever. The teen actually winced when a particularly vicious uppercut connected with her mentor's jaw, sending the man reeling back.
As the redhead focused on the senior agent, Shego scrambled to her feet and launched at the redhead, going for a tackle while Scarlet was distracted. Unlike the first time she tried it, the sneak attack actually worked, bringing both of them crashing to the ground. Before she could do anything about it, Shego found herself in the thief's guard, muscled legs wrapped around her waist in a vice grip. Though she was certain enough pressure would cause her more pain than she could stand, Shego felt only enough to keep her from breaking free. Trapped as she was, the teen started using every trick she could think of to use some form of submission, wiggling out every time Scarlet managed to trap her.
"Hey, your ground work is, umf, pretty impressive," Scarlet grunted while rocking her hips to flip their positions, landing the teen on her back and knocking the wind out of her. It occured to her that she should tease the teen mercilessly about being pinned beneath her but she set it aside for the moment. "And here I thought your boxing packed a punch."
"Oh, you don't know the half of it," Shego smirked knowingly. If she could just light up, she'd show Scarlet just how dangerous she could be. If only. Instead, the teen focused on mimicking the move Scarlet had used on her, rocking her hips enough to roll them back over. The moment she reared back to try and escape the redhead's guard, though, she noticed the wicked smile on those lips and the gleam in her beautiful olive orbs.
"Oh, I see. Maybe I should stop going easy on you then," Scarlet released her guard and pulled her knees to her chest, launching Shego up and over her into another section of the exhibit. As soon as the redhead regained her feet, however, Drakken was assaulting her with clumsy punches, enough of a distraction to keep her from focusing on the teen. To say she was getting annoyed with the interuptions was an understatement. Again, the thief abandoned the restraint she'd shown the teenager and began landing merciless blows on the blue skinned agent.
Meanwhile, Shego quickly righted herself and, realizing the danger her mentor faced, quickly joined in the fray, forcing Scarlet to fight two opponents at the same time. Even so, the redhead was clearly in control of the situation, though it forced her to dial down her attacks. While she had no problem unleashing her full strength on Drakken, the redhead sincerely didn't want one of her attacks to inadvertantly injure the teen.
The three continued their battle, with Drakken's clumsy attacks knocked aside or dodged while Shego slipped in to tag the redhead. There wasn't enough power behind the hits to really do much damage, but it was wearing Scarlet down. Suddenly, while the thief's attention was focused on blocking Drakken's lazy haymaker, Shego juked right before dropping down to deliver a sweeping kick that knocked Scarlet flat on her back with the Global Justice agents standing over her, all three panting heavily.
"It ends here, Scarlet," Shego smirked as Drakken reached for the cuffs at his belt. She did it! Albeit with help, but still! She defeated Scarlet!
For the briefest of moments, the redhead looked as though she was defeated. Then, she gave a chuckle and shook her head, speaking in a singsong voice. "You spoke too soon, Angel."
Shego frowned. "What do you-"
Without warning, the teen was suddenly flying through the air, hitting the ground and rolling. When she looked up, Dr. Drakken was laid out on the ground with a blond man standing over him. The newcomer was about the size of Scarlet and dressed in a loose grey pilot's suit with gloves that hid his physique. The only distinct feature the teen could make out, besides his hair, were the freckles on his face that made him somehow appear younger than he probably was.
"Thought you could use a bit of help," the man chuckled while offering Scarlet a hand, his other holding both of the statuettes from the exhibit. Muddy brown eyes fell on Shego a brief moment before he winked at the thief. "Close up, she is pretty cute."
"Back off, she's mine," Scarlet returned with a playful growl before blowing Shego a kiss. The blond rolled his eyes before shoving the statues into Scarlet's stomach. As she claimed them and secured the statuettes in her punch, there was something nagging at the back of the thief's mind but she couldn't, for the life of her, figure it out. With a shrug- chaulking it up to disappointment at claiming her secondary objective so soon- the readhead gave one last wink to her favorite GJ agent. "Guess the game's over. Sionara, Sweetheart!"
Scarlet and the blond turned and fled, leaving the Global Justice agents and the exhibit behind. The teen just stared after them a moment, trying to keep her anger under control. Just when she thought she'd won- BAM- someone just swoops in and knocks her flat on her face. It was frustrating but, the teen argued, she'd done better this time. Improvement was always a good thing.
Shego eventually picked herself up and went to check on Drakken, who was unconscious and sporting some wicked bruises. Knowing full well she couldn't handle both Scarlet and the mysterious blond- and partially hating herself for it- the green teen settled herself down to wait for back-up. While she waited, Shego began replaying the fight in her head.
She'd have to work harder if she was going to match the thief any time within the next decade; for some reason she couldn't place, Scarlet was taking it easy on her. If the dark purple splotches on her mentor's face were any indication, the thief's full strength would probably put the teen in the infirmary- healing powers or no. Not only would she have to catch up to the thief, she'd have to beat her, and without help. But how?
A few minutes later, the night shift guards and the SWAT team rushed into the room, apparently recovered- more or less- from their previous scuffle with Scarlet. All they found, though, was the green teen staring crytically at the space in front of her, seated next to the unconscious Global Justice agent.
"She got away with the statues?" The head night shift guard asked Shego as Drakken was loaded up on a stretcher. The teen smirked before turning to the man.
"Not exactly."
[BREAK!]
Kim smiled wildly, pulling one of the statuettes free from her pouch as the jet sped away. "Told ya, Ron, no big!"
"You came pretty close, KP," Ron, despite his chiding tone, was also smiling. When the ill feeling in his gut refused to abate after Kim went in, the young man had decided to at least keep an eye on his best friend from the shadows. Good thing he did. Watching Kim dance with Shego, even with Dr. Drakken's interference, was one of the most beautiful things he'd seen, and he meant that as much for Kim's prowess as Shego's. The girl was learning- that much was obvious- but she had a long way to go before she could match his best friend blow-for-blow. Still, there was an inate grace in her movements, like she'd been born to fight Kim. It was poetry in motion. "Next time, you should at least take some back up when you're going to be outnumbered like that."
"Is that an offer? We'd make a spankin' team again," Kim chuckled while turning over Osiris in her hand. Something still didn't feel quite right, something about the weight, the texture. Something was off. And then, sharp olive eyes caught a glimmer of red, a small pull tab just behind the statue's head. Quirking a brow, Kim pulled it slowly, tearing through the treated, gray tin foil wrapper with ease and exposing the milk chocolate replicate, usually sold in the museum's gift shop. For a moment, the redhead just stared at the candy in her hand, her mind a complete blank. Then, she started laughing, worrying her friend, who couldn't see what she was doing behind him.
"Uh, you okay?"
"Perfectly fine, just feeling a bit foolish. Take a look," Kim reached up and gave Ron the chocolate statue, which promptly earned a squeal of joy from Rufus.
"Chocolate? Where'd ya get that?" Ron quirked a brow, breaking the statue in half and giving his pet the bigger portion. Behind him, Kim was turned in her seat to catch the last glimpses of the city fading away.
"From my clever, beautiful Angel,"Kim sighed, happily. This meant she had a for sure ticket to seeing Shego again. All in all, she felt like a winner. "She must've switched them before we even showed up."
"Huh, I thought they felt funny," the blond mused, shrugging it off as he enjoyed the chocolate. Really, as he usually didn't handle the goods personally, it hadn't occured to him that something was too offf about the statuettes. Still, milk chocolate beat out boring stone any day.
As Ron continued to pilot the jet, Kim felt herself sink into a state of mind she'd thought was lost to her. Her mind suddenly focused on her next heist with more clarity than usual, a hieghtened sense, what she used to call her 'mission mode'. It had always been so easy that she never truly put too much thought into her work; it was a simple process of wash, rinse, repeat. Now, though, it seemed like her teen agent was not only a better fighter than the majority of Global Justice, she was also resourceful and clever. If Kim wanted to steal the statuettes, she'd have to turn up her efforts. It was promising, to say the least.
"So you got away with nothing again?" a familiar voice chimed in from the jet's console. Ron and Kim looked at the center screen of their respective displays to see Wade, slightly shaking with silent laughter. "That makes you oh-for-two, huh Kim?"
"I like to see it as three-for-one," the redhead replied, counting off on her fingers. "I get a killer workout, a refreshing change of pace, and the nicest piece of eye candy in this hemisphere, all on one trip!"
Wade rolled his eyes while sipping on a soda. "Only you could see nearly getting arrested as a glass half full."
"I try," Kim shrugged, earning a chuckle from both her friends. Suddenly, something at the back of her mind jumped to the forefront, demanding her attention. "Hey Wade, could you do me a favor?"
"Sure, Kim, what's up?" Wade arched a brow. "You aren't going to have me spy in on your little underaged crush, are you?"
"Geez, and here I thought I was the pervert."
"Oh you are, KP," Ron threw in his two cents, a large smile on his lips. "Wade's just makin' sure you don't feel all alone in your perversion."
"Ha ha," Kim sarcastically laughed, rolling her eyes before focusing them on her techno wizard. "Is there any way you can dig up the four-one-one on Shego?"
"Looking for anything specific?" Wade asked even as his fingers started flying across his keyboards. Kim mulled the question over a moment before shrugging.
"I just want to... know her... about her... ya know?"
"Right, 'cause that doesn't sound creepy stalker-ish at all," Ron teased before sobering slightly. "Kim, if you're looking for some excuse-"
"I'm not," Kim cut him off bluntly before softening her tone. "I just want to know why she's there. She can't be much older than I was when..." Olive eyes flashed with anger as the redhead's tone grew bitter. "... when those jerks betrayed me."
Ron and Wade nodded, more to acknowledge Kim's anger than to agree to her statement. After a few more seconds of typing, the computer genius flashed Kim a sneaky grin. "Just sent my friends sniffing. Do you want me to hit you up when I get the info?"
"Please and thank you!" Kim chirped before the line went dead. Settling back into her seat, the redhead started thinking over her scuffle with the green toned teen. Deep down, she knew she'd over stepped her bounds with teasing the girl, but there was something about Shego blushing that just made Kim smile. Really, the teen was too cute for her own good. Perhaps for Kim's own good too, part of her conceded. It had nearly cost the thief her freedom, though that was mostly due to Mr. Lipsky's interference. Still, it was cutting things too close. Silently, she promised she would ease up on teasing her precious Angel and focus more on training her to be a better fighter.
At least, until the next time she wanted to see the teen blush. Then, the gloves were off!
[BREAK!]
"Ugh... why do I feel like I got hit by a metric ton of titanium?" Dr. Drakken grumbled as he tried to sit up but found his body very unwilling to comply. Opening his eyes proved he'd been moved to one of Global Justice's medical facilities, probably the small medical wing in Headquarters.
"You awake Dr. D?" Shego suddenly appeared in the senior agent's vision, having spent the past few hours sitting at her mentor's bedside, waiting for him to awaken. "Are you going to be okay?"
"Depends on your definition of 'okay', Shego," Drakken honestly replied and winced when his head throbbed. At the moment, he didn't even feel he had the energy to massage his aching head. The thought of all the paperwork awaiting him just made his head hurt worse. "Really, though, what hit me?"
"Some blond guy," the teen shrugged, her perceptive gaze instantly zeroing in on her mentor when he stiffed slightly. "Is he Scarlet's apprentice or something? I've never heard of her operating with a partner."
Slightly stunned, Drakken turned his coal black orbs to meet intense emerald eyes. A series of options appeared in the scientists head, starting with the ones that would get him the least amount of grief and slowly working to the most troublesome thing he could do. He knew he shouldn't tell Shego everything he knew about Scarlet- about Kim Possible- but... it would be nice to have someone to talk to about the conundrum. Perhaps, in some crazy way, Shego could make sense of the redhead's actions. His decision made, the blue skinned man became completely serious. "Shego, lock the door."
Though she quirked a brow, the teen did as she was told, locking the door to the small medical room before reclaiming her seat. It took a minute of heavy silence before the doctor began, his eyes focused on Shego.
"What I'm about to tell you is completely top secret, Shego. You can never talk about it with anyone. Especially Du and Director, understand?" Shego nodded vigorously, part of her gloating she was about to be privy to information not even the Cyclops knew. The other part was interested because it had to do with Scarlet and anything she could lord over that infuriating woman would be a big plus. "Good. Now... have you ever heard the name Kim Possible?"
Next Time: While Kim and company learn a bit about Shego, Shego learns a bit about Kim and company! But what's not being said? And how is it relevant to, well, anything? Stick around for Chapter 4 to find out!
Author's Note: Okay, this update took a while. I made a pretty fatal flaw in the first chapter: I made Shego way underskilled in comparrison to Kim. It's necessary for the story, which is why I did it originally, but it puts a major hamper on writing epic fight scenes when one party just isn't as practiced as the other. So, that's my excuse for the not-so-awesome fight scene (pitchforks are to your left, just give me a two minute head start before y'all start chasing me). However, I had a few people who motivated me to keep working on this after I got a bit bogged down with other things, so I shall take a moment to recognize them.
Big thanks to Berserkeroo, who helped me out immensly with this chapter, beta reading and encouraging me to continue working on it. You're awesome!
Thanks to Jay aka Jordan, who suggested the nickname 'Angel' for Shego!
Also, here's wishing my favorite dinosaur a happy birthday! Congrats on the level up, Shaggley!
Now, don't think just because I haven't called you out that I don't appreciate your input. I am very grateful for all the reviews, favs, and alerts. Which is why I am going to pose to you all a challenge: I need something else for Kim to go after besides these silly statuettes. Does anyone have any suggestions? I'm thinkin' a painting but I know less than jack about art... meh... And, of course, credit will go to whoever makes the suggestion I run with. (Side note: pretty sure this is my longest AN thus far... cripes!)