"Mr. Hench will see you now." The security door buzzed as the receptionist allowed the pair in.
The next morning Shego and Ron had jetted over to the corporate headquarters of Hench Co, supplier of all things villainous from lairs to equipment to henchmen (no pun intended). Ron seemed especially determined, his own memories of Jack Hench's original Attitudinator being less than enjoyable. Several years ago, when Drakken was attempting to supercharge his own "evil" genius, Ron had been inadvertently zapped by the machine, turning him evil. If Kim hadn't done some fast thinking and great work, Ron would still be the monster that the Attitudinator had turned him into.
"Now easy Ron," Shego warned, patting her mission partner on the back. "All we're trying to find out here is who bought an Attitudinator from this guy in recent months."
"This guy just walks a very thin line," Ron muttered, forcing his hands to relax from the iron fists they'd clenched into. "If there was any justice in the world, he'd be locked up right along with the scum that he supplies to."
The pair entered the plush offices of Jack Hench, owner and CEO of Hench Co. The only seats available were placed in front of the desk. A stocky yet well-built man in a three piece suite was standing behind the desk, gazing out of the massive windows, looking much like a King surveying his kingdom. In fact, that's probably how he felt.
"Why Miss Go, it's been so long." The smirking face of Jack Hench turned to face them, a look of extreme superiority plastered across his face. "I hadn't thought to have any dealings with you since your 'career change'."
Calling her by her maiden name; that meant he wanted to put her on the defensive right up front. He either had something to hide or was just screwing with them. "I'm proud to have been Mrs. Possible for the last six years and plan to remain for many more to come. I'll thank you to address me as such." Few would appreciate the work it took to keep her face neutral. "Down to business; my partner and I would like to know exactly who has purchased an Attitudinator from your company in the last six months."
"Ah, the Attitudinator," Hench smiled and took the "throne" behind the desk. "Such a fine piece of hardware…as your 'partner' well knows, though admittedly it hasn't been my best seller. Why do you want to know?"
"We have reason to believe someone may be using a modified version of the device," the blonde monkey master growled, fighting to keep his temper under control. "It may have been used in connection with an attack on Middleton."
"Oh yes, I do recall hearing something about that terrible event," Hench's tone utterly dripped of condescension. "But as you know, I hold my clients' privacy in the highest regard. I'm a business man providing a valued but sometimes…misunderstood service to my customers." You could hear the deceit and condescension dripping from his mouth. Shego chanced a glance over at Ron and the poor soul was on the verge of losing control, leaping across the desk and decking the man in front of him. She needed to intervene before Ron would do something they'd both regret, not that she wasn't above a little intimidation herself.
"Jack, you know full well what I am capable of," Shego stood up and leaned over Jack Hench's desk. "With the people you 'interact' with, you know full well about my warnings to the villainous community. My wife and child mean more to me than anything else in the world and if ANYONE tries to harm them, there is no where they will be able to hide, no one who will be able to protect them." There was a slight pause as the reformed villain ignited her palm in a blazing ball of plasma. She gestured back to Ron with her free hand. "Our wives and children were at that 'terrible event'…and if we find out that you facilitated that event in any way, we will pull you apart like warm bread fresh out of the oven!" She moved her plasma engulfed hand within an inch of Jack Hench's nose. "If you doubt my resolve, you can talk to Duff Killigan and Dr. Dementor."
Hench didn't so much as flinch but you could see in his eyes that he was reevaluating the situation he now found himself in. There were times for a brave face…and this likely wasn't one of them. While no longer a villain, the woman standing before him was still considered one of the most lethal beings on the planet and he'd seen fair evidence that she had in no way gone soft. There was only one decision the CEO's calculating mind could come up with. The man turned to his computer, activated a few files, and began printing off pages to the printer underneath his desk. A sheaf of papers was set on his desk and slid towards the duo.
"Mrs…Possible, I may be many things, some of them less than reputable," He fixed Shego with a frank stare. "But I would never knowingly be involved in the murder of a pregnant mother or small children. Here are the records for the past six months, including names, addresses, everything you should need. I give you my word that I will not interfere in any way and if I hear anything, I will relay it to you immediately."
KPKPKPKPKPKPKP
"You two had better appreciate what your mother is going through for you," Kim grunted as she heaved herself out of the armchair in the living room to make her way to the ringing phone. She loved her children more than anything but being laid up like this during pregnancy was a serious drag. "This is Kimberly Possible."
"Mrs. Possible?" The voice answered. "This is Theresa Meechum, the principal at Middleton Elementary. How are you today?"
"Oh, a little slow moving of late," Kim laughed into the mouthpiece. "What can I help you with today?"
"Well, I'm afraid there's been a bit of an incident involving Gracie," The Principal continued. "I'm afraid I need you to come in and meet with me. Would just after school be convenient?"
"Is everything okay?" Oh PLEASE don't let Gracie have gotten into a fight!
"Well, Gracie is fine but…the situation is such that it's a little difficult to explain over the phone." The older woman truly sounded puzzled at how to proceed, peaking Kim's curiosity as to what exactly DID happen.
"Of course," Kim snagged her purse. "I'll be there shortly." The phone was returned to the receiver and Kim reached over, snagging her coat hanging on a kitchen chair. "Abby," Kim hollered up the stairs. "We need to head to the school. It sounds like Gracie may have been caught up in something."
"Is she ok?" Abby's head popped over the banister.
"It sounds like it but her principal said she couldn't really explain much over the phone," Kim elaborated, pulling on her coat. "Do you want to drive or should I?"
KPKPKPKPKPKPKPKP
After checking in with the GJ security detail, Abby and Kim were faced with a very uncomfortable Gracie and George seated in front of the office secretary. Gracie spotted the pair and shot out of her seat, grabbing her mommy's leg in a tight hug. She began rushing through how it wasn't her fault; that she was only sticking up for Billy. Based on what she was hearing, Kim had the sinking feeling that Gracie had hit another child. Once the little Possible was calmed down and sitting quietly with Abby, the young mother inched towards the Principal's office, feeling much like a prisoner about to face a firing squad. Kim knocked on the door and a calm melodious voice bid her to enter.
"Good afternoon Mrs. Possible," the older woman extended a handshake and gestured towards the chair in front of her desk. "I'm sorry that we're not meeting under better circumstances."
"As am I," Kim smiled as best she could under the circumstances and took the offered seat. "So, what exactly happened and how was Gracie involved?"
"Well, based on what the recess attendants told me, it started when a group of third grade girls started making fun of Billy Murphy because he…got sick," Mrs. Meechum heaved a great sigh and began explaining. "Gracie overheard on the playground and came to Billy's defense. Words were exchanged and one of the older girls went so far as to refer to you and your partner as…well forgive me but as 'dykes'. Before Gracie could react, several of the girls made a move to push Gracie down."
No matter how she tried to mentally prepare for moments like this, Kimberly always found it difficult when people in the community made attacks on her and Shego's lifestyle. Kim and Shego Possible were a loving and functional family that gave each other all the love they could muster but the small-mindedness of some people, completely oblivious or deliberately blind to that simple fact, peeved her to no end.
"What happened next is what makes our situation rather complicated," Mrs. Meechum continued. "When two of the girls made a move to push Gracie down, she ducked out of the way and the two girls bumped into each other. From there, the hole group moved in and somehow each of them wound up on the ground with some form of minor injury or another, bumps, scrapes and the like and your daughter…well all witnesses said she didn't throw a single punch."
How exactly was she supposed to respond to THIS? Anger? Pride? Because as much as she felt that she SHOULD be angry, the seasoned fighter couldn't help but praise her daughter not only for her restraint but for basically winning a fight without hitting anyone. Gracie's parents took great joy in training their daughter…but both knew that said training could really be a double-edged sword when it came to school. "You only attacked when you had to, when you had no other choice" was one of the basic tenants that the elder Possibles drilled into their daughter during training. Apparently the redhead was presented with their first sign that Gracie had taken their lessons to heart.
"How…uh…how do you proceed with this?" Kim began, trying not to show her pride in her daughter's control. "I assume that none of the girls were seriously hurt? Is Gracie going to be punished?"
"No, she's not going to be punished," Mrs. Meechum replied after a long pause. "By all accounts, the older girls were the instigators and your daughter seems to have taken steps to ensure that she didn't hurt any of the others. I'll be meeting with the parents of the other children as well." Mrs. Meechum took another deep breath and fixed Kim with a stern expression that reminded Kim of ol' Steve Barkin. "Mrs. Possible, am I right in assuming that you and your partner train in martial arts and that you've begun training your daughter as well?"
"Yes, that's correct," Kim confirmed. Why did this have to feel like a student again? Was making everyone who sat in these chair feel this way part of the basic training for being a school administrator? "But when my wife and I train with her, we always try to instill the responsibility that goes along with her training. As many people know, her mother and I have been in many very dangerous situations where our combat skills were key to our survival and it means a lot to both of us that Gracie is able to defend herself should the need arise."
"And I can certainly respect that," Mrs. Meechum nodded in agreement. "I'm certainly aware of the exploits of you and your wife but just know that I'll be keeping an eye on Gracie. Standing up for herself or another student is one thing but the things I've seen you and wife do can seriously hurt children on the playground."
"Understood Mrs. Meechum," Her daughter or not, it was a fair response. "We'll be having a talk with Gracie as soon as Shego returns from her trip."
"Then I think that concludes everything," Mrs. Meechum stood up and smiled, gesturing for Kim to stand as well. "I truly would hate to lose Gracie as a student. She's one of our best and brightest and I see great things for her."
"And for her sisters as well, I hope," Kim prayed, running a hand over her expanded belly.
"I'm sure they'll be just as good of students," the older woman held the door for Kim. "When are you due?"
"About four months; we're all very excited."
KPKPKPKPKPKPKP
The eldest Possible had returned shortly after dinner and the three Possible women were found seated in the living room. Shego was not just a little upset that it seemed like Kim always had to deal with stressful situations like this but compared to her first pregnancy? Right off the bat, Gracie was informed that she was definitely NOT in trouble. It was very mature of her not to strike any of the other girls but the elder Possibles still drove home the importance that Gracie not misuse what her mothers taught her while training.
"Remember Muffin," Kim reached over and tousled her daughter's mop of hair. "They were just words; and words can't hurt you unless you let them."
"I know Mommy," Gracie looked up and was still a little peeved about what the older girls had said about Mommy and Momma. "It still wasn't nice though."
"Indeed it wasn't," Shego agreed, turning Gracie's head towards her. "But you leave that to your Mommy and me. It takes more than that to make Possible women feel bad."
With the talk concluded, Gracie scampered off to wherever Abby was, wanting to play with her nanny, leaving her mothers in the living room to mull over the day's events. With the space between them now vacant, Shego scooted over and cushioned her wife's head with her soft lap.
"What are you thinking about?" Shego inquired, running her hands through her wife's red hair.
"How people with small minds and careless tongues can cause so much trouble," Kim breathed, luxuriating in the warmth that emanated from her wife's body. "People who are so insecure about their own beliefs that the schmucks will do or say anything to keep from having to question themselves."
"I just feel pity for them," the older woman leaned down and kissed her wife's full and luscious lips. "No matter what they do, none of them will ever know the love I have for the woman who gave birth to my children and drove the darkness from my life. Let them say what they want. 'Words can only hurt us if we let them'."
The younger mother leaned up and wrapped her arms around Shego's chest, pulling her down. "Have I told you lately how much I love you?" Married six years and a make-out session with her wife still sent shivers down her spine. "What do you think of 'Zoë Marie Possible'?"
"Hmmmm, I think that goes on the list," Shego smiled and planted one last kiss on her wife's forehead. "'Zoë' really has a ring to it."
Amorous activities aside, it was now down to business. Buoyed by Blood Orange sodas, both women began analyzing the info Shego and Ron had gotten from Jack Hench. Shego was still a little amazed at Jack Hench's response but if she herself could find redemption, she shouldn't really put it past others. Shego spread the files out on the coffee table in front of them and began sorting through the files for a few interesting candidates she and Ron had identified on the return trip to Middleton.
"Now the majority of the records are pretty unlikely," the older woman held up the majority of the shipping manifests. "Most of them are relatively minor villains looking for a shortcut to make it big."
"Check this one out," Kim pulled aside a shipping report. "This one calls himself 'The Lord Scodiner'. Is that not the lamest alias you've ever heard?" The pair divided up the records and began scrutinizing the likely suspects. Just as her wife had informed her though, none of villains who bought an Attitudinator seemed to have the technological expertise to modify the device or had the logistical base to pull off an operation like the parade disaster even if they did reverse Electronique's condition. Two hours of thumbing through documents, back-checking identities, and the spouses ended up stumped and ready to turn everything over to the analysts at GJ.
"How about we call Gracie down here and play a family board game to clear our heads?" Shego offered, seeing it as fruitless going through the documents for yet ANOTHER time, frustration dripping in her voice. "I don't think the two of us are going to find anything. How about we play a game of Scrabble?"
The younger possible stretched her limbs as far as they would go, cracks and pops sounding from every joint. Maybe she did need to clear her head before taking another look. Unscrambling words and letters might be exactly the thing she…unscramble? Words and letters, Kim thought to herself, arranging letters to make new words! That first shipping manifest she looked at, The Lord Scodiner; hardly any background on the person and could there be a more ridiculous alias? Even Drakken wouldn't come up with something that lame. Where the devil was that paper and where the hell was a pencil?
"Pumpkin," Kim seemed to be off in her own little world. "Anybody home in there?"
An anagram; "The Lord Scodiner" was such an idiotic appellation that an anagram was the only possible explanation. If she moved the l and the D last and…BINGO! Rearrange the letters in "The Lord Scodiner" and what do you get? "Sheldon Director!" The redhead leapt to her feet, cheering in victory. It wasn't until the trip back down to the couch that the pregnant mother was reminded of the "additional passengers".
"Kimmie?" the reformed villain bolted back to the living room, eyes darting in all directions looking for something wrong. "Kimmie, what is it?"
"The Lord Scodiner is without a doubt the worst villain name I've ever heard," Shego had rarely ever seen her wife like this; she was downright giddy. Kim pulled the taller woman back to the couch and frenched her with all her might. "It's so bad that it's not even a real name." Upon her release, Shego promptly had the manifest shoved in her face. "Rearrange the letters and what do you get? You get Betty Director's idiot brother and his Worldwide Evil Empire!"
Author's Notes:
Shego revealed in Tangled Up in Green that targeting a pregnant woman or small child was just something that wasn't done within the villainous crowd. Therefore, I found it very plausible that Jack Hench wouldn't knowingly have anything to do with the attack. Gracie dropping a group of older girls without throwing a single punch was something I had a lot of fun with. I got the idea from a scene from Dragonball Evolution in which Goku did something very similar.
