9
Realizations
Once Senior had been laid down to rest, everyone gathered in the living room to discuss the events around them.
"Everyone," said Monkey Fist grimly, "I think you all know why we are gathered here. We are gathered to look upon the past three murders, to observe them, and ask the following questions: who and why."
"Why?" said Killigan. "Well, I should think it is a tad bit obvious. This retribution fellow is doing just what his name suggests—unleashing retribution unto each and every one of us using that childish yet gruesome nursery rhyme."
"Yes, but do our deeds justify murder?" questioned Dr. Gemini. "I should think that is a tad bit extreme."
"You are right," said Monkey Fist, nodding. "It is extreme. But this is Global Justice we are talking about here. Who's to say they would be above this?"
"So," said Shego slowly, "Global Justice actually wants us dead? They'd actually send in someone to kill us using some dumb nursery rhyme?" She shook her head. "I'm sorry, but I am not buying that."
"Believe it or not, we can't hide from reality much longer," said Dr. Gemini. "Already, three people have died. Already, three Indian figurines have gone with them. Who's to say Global Justice will not cover it up and claim we all died in some freak accident?"
"But who is the agent, anyway?" asked Camille. "We looked all over and found no one."
"But did we look hard enough?" questioned Dr. Gemini. "Or did we search too hard? Were we so blind as not to see it before our very eyes?"
"You mean..." said Camille slowly.
"You know exactly what I mean," said Dr. Gemini darkly. "The agent is one of us."
The suggestion was too shocking for anyone to speak. It couldn't be...it just could not be...
"Yes, you all heard exactly what I said," said Dr. Gemini. "One of us is not really a villain. One of us is a wolf in sheep's clothing. One of us...is the agent."
The rain came pouring down and pouring hard as the day went on and the villains retired to their rooms to discuss the strange events around them.
"You don't actually believe Dr. G, do you?" asked Shego as she sat on her bed and brushed her hair.
"I don't know," muttered Drakken, lying on his bed and staring at the ceiling. "Maybe some of it. Maybe the agent really is one of us." He sat up and turned towards Shego. "You don't think it's me, do you?"
"You? Nah, of course not," said Shego, shaking her head. "You're not smart enough."
"You think I'm stupid just because of what that mirror revealed to you?" snapped Drakken.
"No, no, I've always—never mind," sighed Shego, resolving from now on to try to keep Drakken's traumatizing experience in mind.
"You've always what?" asked Drakken curiously.
"Oh, I've just...underestimated you, that's all," said Shego carefully. "I never really thought you were capable of taking over the world, so who am I to say you're capable of being a double agent?"
"So...you don't think it's me," said Drakken slowly.
"Basically, yeah," said Shego uneasily.
"Oh," said Drakken. Then, "Okay, good! Because I don't think it's you, either!"
"And how come?" asked Shego.
"Because you have all these smarts that are too mundane for the likes of superhero-ism, or whatever you call it," said Drakken. "So why would you want to go out of your way to go back to the dark side, or light side, or whatever?"
"Ya know," said Shego slowly, "I like what you're saying, doc!"
"Good," sighed Drakken. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to take a shower."
He began to get up off the bed and stand up at around the same time Shego said, "Dr. D, that's the third time you've gone for a shower. Are you sure you're all right?"
"I'm fine, Shego, really," said Drakken with a wave of his hand, though he said this in a voice that said he was not fine.
As Drakken walked into the bathroom and closed the door behind him, Shego decided to use this time to think. Why didn't she suspect Drakken? Was it really because she thought he wasn't smart enough to be a double agent? Or was it something else...?
Shego rolled her eyes. Oh sure, she had warmed up to Drakken just a bit, ever since they got their award, but that didn't mean she liked him.
Or even...
"Nah," sighed Shego, lying down on her bed. She already had enough on her mind right now. She did not need this to further complicate things.
"So, what shall we do about this mirror?" asked Monkey Fist as he and Killigan stopped together in Killigan's room just to have tea between the two of them. "It certainly is a menace and if it falls into the wrong hands, it could be used to bring us all down. You saw how it nearly destroyed Drakken."
"Ay," nodded Killigan, taking a sip. "Poor lad. My heart really went out for that fellow. But what can we do? Cover it up?"
"It wouldn't stop the agent from coming along and uncovering it, now would it?" said Monkey Fist as he took a sip. "This tea is good, though not as good as the monkey ninjas make it."
"Now wait a second here," said Killigan self-defensively. "Are you comparing my cooking to a monkey's? Are you saying a monkey is a better cook than I, Duff Killigan, world's deadliest golfer?!?"
"A very smart monkey," Monkey Fist was quick to add. "Don't be so touchy, Killigan."
Killigan relaxed. "Sorry," he sighed. "I guess...this is just beginning to get to me, you know? If someone like Drakken can be broken down by that mirror, then who's to say the rest of us can't? After all, it could break even the strongest person in this group."
Monkey Fist looked at Killigan oddly. "Yes," he said. "I think it could be very damaging indeed."
"Go fish."
Dr. Gemini, Camille, and Motor Ed had all gathered into Camille's room to play the relaxing game of Go Fish. And being the villains they were, they were not playing by the rules.
"Do you have any hearts?" asked Dr. Gemini.
Camille shuffled through her deck of cards. Ignoring the bright, flashy hearts in her hand, she announced, "Nope! Go fish!"
"Aw, c'mon, dude, give us a break here!" cried Motor Ed. "I mean seriously, we haven't caught one card, not one! Seriously!"
"You know," said Dr. Gemini slowly, "I think this is sort of like our situation with the agent. We are playing a game of Go Fish and one of us is not playing by the rules."
"Like, hello?" said a ticked-off Camille. "I'm just playing. No need to get all nasty."
"I know," sighed Dr. Gemini. "I'm just saying that one of us is some no-good, dirty rotten double-crosser sent in by Betty just so she can prove she's so much better than me!"
His voice grew whiny, like a five-year-old child. "Well go ahead, Betty! You can think what you want, but I was first, even if it was by six minutes! I'm the oldest! I'm better than you! And I got a better name than you! You may share the name of a TV show, but notice that the word ugly is in front of it! That was no coincedence, Betty!"
"Uh, dude?" said Motor Ed, concerned. "Seriously? The game?"
"What? Oh, yes," said Dr. Gemini, clearing his throat. "Let us continue."
And so the three went back to their little game while the double agent cooked up all sorts of mind games to play with the other villains in their head...