A/N: Ma minions SUCK! Last Monday, I dragged ma sick ass OUT of bed feelin' like crap, over to ma keyboard, replied ta all of ya complaints, and what did I get?
Nothin'!
Not an 'Get well soon', 'I hope you feel better', NOTHIN'!
*Sniff*
Not even a cupa soup…
Welcome to the Hive…
The rain pours down harder and harder forcing the group to take refuge under the overhangs of the buildings as they wind their way toward their goal. Ash and James both see Kim and Shego holding hands and James nudges Ash roughly. Ash stops making Kim and Shego stop. They both give him a questioning look as he mutters something dark under his breath as his good hand rummages through his pockets. He pulls out a wad of money and hands it over to James's waiting hand.
"Pleasure doin' business with ya," he says.
Ash grumbles under his breath and starts walking again. Shego lets go of Kim's hand and walks up to the richer guard.
"What was that all about?"
"The end of a very successful business transaction," he replies happily, counting five one hundred dollar bills and places it in a cargo pouch.
Shego opens her mouth to admonish the guard but she cannot think of the proper words. James walks on a brisk pace to catch up to Ash who is still grumbling. "What happened, Shego?"
"I think they were placing bets on us!"
"Bets? On what?"
"Later, pumpkin. Let's catch up before the zombies behind us do."
Shego holds out her hand expectantly. Kim blushes a little but smiles as she takes it. The groans of the zombies behind them are drowned out by the thunder overhead as Kim and Shego rush to catch up to James and Ash.
They trudge through the clogged up streets and sidewalks at a slow pace thanks to the rain and debris but they take some consolation in the fact that they are still faster than the zombies relentlessly pursuing them. They keep a sharp eye out for Tyrants or worse. The group travels close together and in silence for the most part. The slightest noise alerts the zombies that have not detected them yet and with their ammo getting low they had all agreed to keep the fighting to a minimum.
James stops as his HUD gives him an energy reading that spikes through the roof.
He blinks and the energy spike disappears. "Must have been a glitch," he whispers back.
He stares past the buildings directly in front of them focusing instead on the ones in the distance. "There," he points.
"Where?"
"Damnit, boss, I'm pointin' directly at it! We're leavin' the commercial district of Raccoon City an' enterin' the Industrial district. One of my maps shows a secret exit from the Hive in an abandoned factory up ahead."
He calls up the map to his HUD and projects the digital image so the others can see it. Beams shoot out of his eye coverings, creating a 3D hologram of a dilapidated, crumbling building. A glowing dot appears at the entrance.
"We'll enter here," he says pointing at the glowing dot.
The dot moves into the building as the image zooms inside showing various rooms, stairs and elevators. "The power's out so the elevators are a no-go. We take the stairs here, here and here. That will lead us to this room."
The image zooms in again revealing a large room with no other exits other than the stairs. "I don't see anything," Ash says squinting at the image.
"Give it a moment to finish zoomin' in."
The floor appears in sections. The glowing dot moves to the north wall as the image zooms in there. The dot rests on an old power switch. "Flip that switch," James says.
The floor gives way revealing a long tunnel that goes straight down. "That should be an emergency elevator that's operational since the Hive is back online. We'll take that directly to the Hive."
"Sounds good," Shego says as the image disappears, "But what will we be up against?"
James sighs. "I'd imagine everything that we've seen so far: zombies, Tyrants, big-ugly nasties with eyes on their shoulders shootin' plasma an' the like."
"Plasma," Kim asks, her voice full of concern.
"Yeah," Shego snorts, "When they took my powers, they put it in one of their test subjects. We fought off one where I was at."
"You killed it," James corrects.
"Yeah, with my powers," she spits back, "Which I don't have anymore!"
"Anyway," James continues, "Everyone will need to stay on their toes for this one. Like I said yesterday, this whole thing smells fishy to me. The only way to get the power back on is from inside the facility. That means someone or something is there to do it. I can't imagine anyone trying to control these things but if they are…"
He lets the sentence die as the implications are obvious to everyone. "Oh, one more thing," James says.
"What is it," Kim asks.
"The government will find out about this if they haven't already. Their response will be probably brutal, total and final. We're on a timetable here people, and that time's runnin' out. But hey, no pressure, right?"
"Stop smiling behind that helmet," Shego commands.
"Yes, boss…" he says dejectedly.
"Where do we go once we're in the Hive?"
"Not quite sure, boss. I'll highlight the most likely research areas on the map. Gimme a sec."
A sprawling labyrinth of a map appears before them. Entire collections of rooms are highlighted but each section is on the opposite side of the facility from the other. "Here's where the problems come in."
Hallways highlight and specific rooms glow red. "These are security checkpoints. Traps. I've seen a demonstration, their damn lethal. We'll encounter 'em here and here."
A glowing dot moves into the two sections he indicates. "Is there a way around them?"
"Checkin', Red. There are ventilation shafts over this one but not the other. I know for a fact I'm too big to fit through that shit, so I'm a no-go there. Don't forget: if the Hive appears abandoned it probably isn't. There's something happening down there, and probably a lot more than just a something."
"I don't wanna hear anything about us splittin' up into groups," Ash states flatly, "We need to stick together or we're dead."
"I agree," Kim says.
"So do I," James adds.
"Doy," Shego says simply.
"Wow… I'm impressed," Ash says in an incredulous tone, "Usually someone comes up with that bullshit idea an' everyone else is stupid enough to follow along."
"They get what they deserve, don't they," Shego asks.
He nods.
James kills the image of the Hive. "I'll take point once we enter the Hive. It's too bad we couldn't find any more ammo though. Maybe one of the armories is still stocked inside."
"We'll find out when we get there," Kim says with confidence, "I'm so ready to get this over with!"
"Me too, pumpkin."
"Same here," Ash adds.
"You know, despite the horrible pain and indescribable agony I'm havin' fun here," James exclaims.
The trio looks at him. He throws his arms out and shrugs his shoulders. "What? Guard duty is borin'!"
"Let's get going," Shego growls as she hears the moans from the zombie hordes behind them getting closer.
The foursome continues through the rain, dodging zombie when they can and using Kim's blade and Shego's claws when they cannot. The transition between corporate high-rises and industrial factories is not seamless, but abrupt. The Industrial District of Raccoon City is dirty, rundown and rusting in most places. Over the years as manufacturing and industrial processes became more efficient the old industrial plants relocated to better buildings or better locations elsewhere. The old buildings lie abandoned and rotting from the inside, ghosts from a former time of prosperity.
But those ghosts are not alone.
They encounter the occasional zombie wandering listlessly through the abandoned parks, but they are easily avoided. James raises a hand in alarm that stop the group.
"What is it?" Ash asks as he pulls out his reloaded Boomstick.
"Movement."
"Where?"
He points up toward the roof of a rusting warehouse. Ash, Kim and Shego follow where he is pointing and strain to see through the driving rain.
"I don't see anything," Kim says.
"I don't either," Shego says.
"It's there," James growls, "It's not reading on my thermals, but its glowin' like a Christmas tree under my ultra-violet. I ain't seen nothin' like it before!"
"A new experiment from Umbrella?"
He shrugs, "Could be, boss. Not sure. Its movements are fluid and sure, not jerky like the zombies. It's decked out in some kinda armor…"
He jumps back, pressing the others back behind the side of the building. "What's wrong now, Shellhead?"
"I think we've been spotted."
He unhooks his weapon from its tether and it swivels into his waiting hand. He steps out from behind the building, prepared to fire. His visor spends less than a second going through the various spectrums built into it. His thumb moves away from the trigger.
"Whatever it was, it's gone."
I still feel like I'm being watched, Kim thinks to herself, how many 'experiments' is Umbrella conducting anyway?
"Not so hard, Kim." Shego hisses at her.
"Oh! Sorry," Kim says sheepishly, realizing she was squeezing Shego's hand harder and harder.
Shego draws the M1911 as James starts walking to the next objective. Ash follows him with his Boomstick cocked and loaded. Kim is next with Shego covering the rear with her pistol. Lightning flashes across the sky, followed by the rumble of thunder. James smacks the side of his helmet as each flash causes his HUD to flicker with static. Kim, Shego and Ash shiver from the downpour as the rain turns bone-numbingly cold. They hurry across the open space between the rusting warehouse and the next building, a shutdown refinery.
James adjusts the audio filters on his helmet through his HUD. The thunder disappears as does the annoying patter of the rain. The heartbeats of his companions are next. He stops just before reaching the refinery. He scans the dark sky above going through spectrum after spectrum. Out of the corner of his eye visor he sees Shego talking at him but he does not hear her. He holds a hand out to silence her, which she does but she is obviously not happy about it.
The hairs on the back of his neck have been on end ever since the energy spike. Something's very wrong here. I'm getting' no movement. Where are all the zombies? This place should be crawlin' with 'em!
"Hello? Can you hear me," Shego shout at the guard in barely restrained rage.
"It's not like him to ignore you," Kim comments as she scans the sky, mimicking James.
Like the guard, the hairs on the back of her neck stand straight up, warning her of…something…but what?
"I've got a bad feeling about this," Ash says.
Something on the roof of the building catches Kim's attention. Did something move or is it a trick of the rain?
"Put your weapons away," James commands in a low voice.
"What? Are you crazy?"
"No, boss, I'm not. Put 'em away."
He slings his gun to his back. The rest stare at him incredulously for a moment before Ash does the same. Kim sheathes her blade next. "What's going on, Shellhead?"
"Shego," he says in an eerily calm and quiet voice, "Do as I say."
She curses under her breath but does as he asks.
James takes a tentative step forward, and then more measured steps. "Quit lookin' up," he hisses at his companions, "an' follow me!"
"Shego," Kim says, her voice quivering with dread, "We're not alone here!"
"Close ranks," James orders, "Everyone stick close to me. Red, you're right: we're not alone, we're bein' watched by… somethin'. Don't make any sudden moves an' keep your pace slow an' steady. Ash, come up on my left. Shego, Kim, get in between us an' stay there."
The trio follows his order to the letter as they walk past the refinery. The rain continues to pour as they walk across an open stretch of ground between the refinery and the next set of buildings. They walk slowly past discarded metal fixtures and huge rusted pipes. A rotting arm protrudes from the grass, unmoving. Over to the left is a torso of a woman, minus the arms and legs, propped up against one of the metal fixtures. Kim puts a hand to her mouth to keep from retching once the stench hits her. As they walk they find more discarded body parts strewn throughout the overgrown grass. Shego uses every ounce of will to keep the bile from rising any higher in her throat. Ash, strangely, seems outwardly unaffected from the sight, but deep down he feels a deep sadness at what had transpired here. James notices the carnage but his military discipline lends him an edge of focus that is lost to the others.
"Keep movin'," he commands as he notices their pace beginning to slow.
Body parts begin to collect in piles the further they move into the open area of grass. The nerves of the companions are on edge as the stench increases in potency. Kim and Shego force themselves to hold their breaths for large stretches of time as they walk.
It doesn't help.
Finally they reach the other side. Their main objective is a massive crumbling structure that looms before them, its massive dock doors wide open. Every window is either broken or the glass is missing. The building used to have four gigantic smoke stacks but only two remain intact, the top of the third had broken off and there is no sign of the fourth. Fully intact bodies and lesser remains litter the ground leading up to the docks.
"These are zombie carcasses," Ash comments as he surveys the area.
"Yeah, somethin' else killed 'em," James says darkly.
"There could be more survivors," Kim offers, "We can't be the only ones fighting back."
"True," James muses, "There's bound to be others."
"WHAT IS THAT?"
Kim points at a licker that had been cut in half at the waist.
"That's one of the monsters we fought while we were underground. They don't have eyes, they make this hideous clicking noise when they move, and their tongues are lethal," Shego explains.
Kim stares at the top half of the carcass in new horror. "But…where's the bottom half?"
"Who cares, it's dead," James says kicking the body stiffly.
"You sound disappointed," Shego says in disgust.
"Aw, you do care! Don't worry boss, I'll get over it."
They enter through the docks. A massive pile of bodies are placed in the center of the loading bay. Most of the bodies are the remains of zombies but a few Lickers are in the mix.
"What could do this? A Tyrant?"
"Dunno, Ash. Somethin' big went down here an' not too long ago, look there."
He points to the far wall, indicating the massive scorch mark across it as well as impact cracks in the wall that could have only come from the inside. Shego and James look at each other, her eyes wide in horror.
"Not another one!"
"I fucking hope not!"
"Another what?"
Shego turns to Kim. "When Umbrella took my powers they somehow transferred it to a stronger monster. I…I was conscious when they took my powers. I remember the scientist with the scar saying something about a G-virus subject or something like it before I passed out from the pain."
"Shego," Kim starts but is cut off with a slashing motion of Shego's hand.
"No, Kim. I don't need your pity right now, I need your A-game, got it?"
"S-sure," she demurs.
"That doesn't ring any bells on my end," James says shaking his head, "My job was protectin' and testin' hardware not guardin' those 'let's play fuckin' god' experiments. Sorry I can't give ya any more Intel."
"Just do your goddamn job, Shellhead," she mutters darkly.
"Yes, Ma'am."
Suddenly, a few bodies on the top of the pile move, making the group jump back in shock. A zombie's head lands, rolls on the cracked floor, and stops at Shego's feet. She punts it in disgust back into the pile of dead bodies. James, Ash and Kim draw their weapons in reaction to the movement. They stare at the pile in horror as the pile begins to move. Dismembered body parts fall, followed by mostly-intact bodies.
"Movement," the guard warns as he charges up the Gatling gun.
"No shit," Shego and Ash say in unison as they back away.
"No," he yells in frustration and points outside, "from out there!"
More bodies fall as the heap disperses revealing not one, but two Tyrants, only bigger, with elongated thick claws, over-muscled arms and torsos, and a huge open eye on their arm! The monsters shrug off the last of the bodies and flex their claws, ready to rend the living limb from limb!
Kim assumes a defensive position, angling her blade to protect her front. Shego draws her gun, snorting at the futility of the tiny weapon. Ash cocks his Boomstick thinking similar thoughts like Shego. Under his helmet James is not smiling anymore. He is not paying attention to the horrors in front of him, but to his sensors as they go haywire! Power readings go impossibly off the scales and his proximity sensors warn him of movement all around their immediate area. That's not fucking possible, his mind rages at the readouts.
Then his sensors pick up movement and a transmission from outside and a glimpse of a transparent, large, humanoid shape. It takes the soldier less than a second to recognize a fellow warrior…no… a hunter! That armor is glowin' like a damn Christmas tree! Yeah, I see you, mother-fucka! Now he smiles under his helmet as translation of the transmission appear in his HUD. He gets the gist of it. A demonstration? Certainly!
The mutated Tyrants close in as the group retreats back to the open docks. James waits until Shego and Kim and Ash step clear of him then he presses the trigger.
The interior of the crumbling building lights up as his weapon unleashes beams of destructive force. The Tyrants take the brunt of the fire as the remains behind them burst into flames. One Tyrant is consumed by fire but the other raised its claws up in time to deflect most of the attack. Deflecting the attack only added on to the trouble for the other Tyrant as the beams are deflected toward it.
James lets go of the trigger as one Tyrant falls, a burning, unmoving inferno. The other lowers its claws in anticipation for another attack. James flips his gun to his back and holds out a gauntleted hand to Kim. "Can I borrow your blade fer a minute?"
She unsheathes it and hands it to him as the mutated Tyrant takes a step forward.
"Thanks, Red."
He tests the weight and balance as the Tyrant comes at him, claws extended. He runs toward it, letting the tip of the blade scrape on the ground, creating sparks. The monster lashes out with its claws. The guard ducks under the attack bring the blade up in one swift, powerful stroke. The Tyrant staggers and lurches forward one step.
The head of the monster falls to the ground followed by the rest of the body a second later.
James returns to Kim who is staring wide-eyed. The tip of the blade is white hot. "You may want to give it a few minutes to cool down," he says as he flips the blade in his hand, presenting the hilt to her.
"O-Ok," she mumbles in disbelief as she takes it.
"How did you do that," Shego asks her in the same look and tone.
"The armor's exo-skeleton boosts my strength," James answers then turns to face the group, "All right people, we've reached our first objective. We're on top of the Hive."
He fires up the map of the building. "Everyone remember where we need to go? We're headin' to these stairs here," he says indicating the stairs with a glowing dot, "And the other stairs are here and here. Once we reach the room the power switch is located here on the wall. Got that?"
Everyone nods.
"Good. Let's go."
Everyone heads out in the direction of the stairs except for James who stares outside. It takes him a moment to see it and he smiles inside his helmet when he does. The transparent figure nods and turns away.
"Hey! You coming, Shellhead?"
Her voice brings him back from his reverie, "Huh? Yeah, I'm comin'."
Shego falls into step next to him. "You saw something out there. What was it?"
"You know what, you're pretty smart, boss."
"Don't get coy with me, asshole! You were distracted and I want to know why. What's out there?"
"Competition."
"What the fuck's that supposed to mean?"
"I'm not the only one havin' fun here."
"You are seriously fucked up, you know that right?"
"Boss, you're right. I am fucked up, but that's beside the point. We got a job to do an' I already gave you my word that I'll help you. I'm damn good at this, probably the only thing I was ever good at. I like simple jobs like this one; there's no gray area, no moral dilemmas or ethical questions to worry about. KISS principle: Keep. It. Simple. Stupid. Survive, steal into the Hive, find the cure, and get out alive. I'm with ya, boss. Plus, if we do this and live, you get the girl!"
She stops and turns with a warning claw, "Shellhead…"
He raises his hands in surrender.
"Stop laughing inside there," she growls.
"Yes, boss."
Ash and Kim wait for Shego and the guard to catch up. "About time," Ash exclaims.
"What's the problem," Shego asks angrily.
"This place," he answers as he points to a collapsed hallway, "It's fallin' apart!"
"No problem," James says as he swings his gun out and fires.
Ash and Kim leap out of the way as his weapon disintegrates the rubble.
"No! Don't," they scream together.
"What," he asks as the weapon powers down.
"You could bring this whole place down around us for starters," Ash says.
"The entire support structure is failing," Kim adds, "It's a miracle that this building hasn't collapsed already!"
To reinforce her point the floor cracks and shudders around them. Large sections of flooring disappear as it falls.
"Uh, right, got it. Puttin' ma toys away now."
Ash has to fight to keep his balance as the floor splits precariously underneath him. Shego faces the same circumstance as the floor cracks open between her legs. Kim is able to steady herself and lightly steps across the floor to help Shego and Ash. James must be lucky the floor underneath him remains stable.
"No one moves," Kim commands as the building stops shuddering.
They do as she says. The way to the first set of stairs is open thanks to James's rash act but the floor of the hallway is almost entirely gone and the level below them can be seen clearly by everybody. Kim takes a light step away from Shego and Ash facing the hallway. She takes another step then Shego grabs her arm.
"Kim, what are you doing?"
"I'm gonna try and make it across," she answers, "I'm the lightest here so I have the best chance."
Shego lets go reluctantly, "Be careful, Kimmie."
Kim un-slings her backpacks and blade and hands them over to Shego. She takes two quick steps then bolts for the end of the hallway. She leaps forward, landing on her hands as she somersaults over the first hole and backflips end over end through the air. She lands on her feet perfectly but the edge of her heels are precariously close to another hole and the sudden weight causes the hole to widen. She leaps before the floor collapses underneath her. Her mind brings forth images of cheerleading practice and the routines appropriate to this obstacle course. She cannot help but grin in triumph as her feet land solidly at the end of the hallway.
"I made it," she exclaims as she turns around, grinning.
Her grin falls with the rest of the hallway.
"Son of a…."
Kim lets the sentence die where it stands.
Ash and Shego stare in abject disbelief. James shrugs, "Oh well, it's not like I would've made it across anyway."
"What the hell do we do now," Ash asks in frustration, throwing his arms up in the air.
"I don't know about you, but I'm about to do something really stupid," Shego says as she throws the backpacks across the empty space.
She still has most of her strength, Kim muses as she catches the backpacks with an audible 'oof!'. Her chest actually hurts from the impact! Shego throws Kim her sheathed blade after Kim drops the backpacks. Ash looks at her quizzically, "What do you mean?"
Shego takes several steps backwards, her eyes never leaving Kim. Her answer is short and to the point.
"This."
She breaks for it at a dead run, picking up as much speed as her powerfully muscled legs can. Ash and James both yell her name when they realize what she is doing but she pays them any mind, her focus is solely on Kim. Her mind is clear and calm. At the last possible second she leaps with all of her strength, roaring as she does so.
Shego takes to the air as her perception of time slows down to a crawl. She judged her trajectory perfectly, now if only she would move out faster before gravity starts pulling down!
Shego's hand slams into Kim's waiting hand as she hangs above forty foot drop to the next floor. She made it… barely.
"Crazy bitch," James exclaims appreciatively, shaking his head.
"I heard that!" She yells back as Kim pulls her up.
"That's just great," Ash exclaims angrily, "What about me and James, huh?"
"Find another way in," Shego yells as she reluctantly gets off of Kim, "Go back outside, come around to this side of the building and see if there's a way in. If there isn't, make one. Just don't bring the entire building down on our heads!"
"Got it, boss!"
"Wait a minute! Hold it," Ash yells.
"What," both James and Shego ask.
"You did it! You split up the goddamn group!"
"Huh, yeah, I guess I did. Sorry about that."
"Don't go runnin' off into the Hive without us," James warns, "Give us some time to get to your position!"
"No worries there, Shellhead!"
"And conserve your ammo," James adds, "Somethin' is messin' with my sensors so I can't tell ya what's down there!"
"We'll be careful," Kim says.
"Will you two hurry up," Shego yells impatiently.
"On our way, boss! C'mon Ash," he says as he grabs Ash's shoulder and heads back to the docks.
Ash wants to protest but sighs in resignation and worry. "Look at the bright side," James says to him, patting him on his back, "It's our turn to team-up for a while!"
Kim and Shego watch them depart then Kim turns to her. "Maybe we should start down and find a spot to wait for them."
"Sounds good to me, pumpkin, I'm right behind you."
They walk slowly down the first stairway, testing it for structural integrity. The stairs wind down three flights, the concrete cracked in many places.
"How much ammo do you have?"
"Two full clips plus whatever's in the pistol. I hope it's enough."
"Me too."
They reach the bottom of the stairwell, the floor is dimly lit from the collapsed floor above. Several bodies lie on the ground, mostly zombies and a few lickers, twisted into unnatural shapes or cut in two.
"What the hell did this," Shego breathes as she looks over the carnage.
Kim stifles a panic attack as the hairs on the back of her neck suddenly stand on end. She shudders for a moment before calming down.
"What is it? What's wrong?"
She takes in several deep breaths to calm down. "N-nothing. I got a creepy feeling, that's all."
Shego's eyes dart to the dark, shadowy places that could hide death with slavering jaws and bloody claws. "Don't ignore your intuition," she admonishes, "stay alert!"
"No prob there!"
Click-click…Click-click.
"Shit!"
Shego draws her pistol while Kim draws her blade as they stop dead in their tracks. "What's that noise?"
"Trouble, pumpkin."
Click-click-click…This time further away. A long, deep, exhale echoes across the floor. Then there's two!
Shego moves to Kim's back, her gun pointing at the stairwell. "Where's your pistol?"
"I think I left it on the street a while back when I ran to Ash when he was fighting that Tyrant."
"Damn!"
Click-click-click-click. Closer. The exhale noise is long and drawn out. Kim's survival instinct kicks into high gear, but she wills her feet to stay rooted in place. Shadows moves, keeping to the dark corners. She raises her blade in front of her as she spies more movement from the opposite corner.
"In front," Kim whispers, "Two of them, coming this way."
Shego does not reply but she turns around and steps over to be next to Kim. Her eyes scan the darkness and she spots a subtle shift of movement as her eyes adjust to the dim lighting.
She fires.
The flash illuminates the area for a brief second. Kim stares in horror as she catches a glimpse of the monstrosity stalking towards them. It has no eyes, an elongated mouth with horribly overgrown fangs for teeth and a long, slavering tongue trailing lazily behind its muscled, glistening body. Shego misses, but the flash and sharp noise spooks the creature into action as it leaps, roaring with claws extended.
Kim dives to her right while Shego dives the other way as the licker slams into the ground. They roll onto their feet as the Licker turns towards Shego and lashes out with its whip-like tongue. The tongue strikes her hand, sending the pistol flying into the darkness. Kim slashes down with her blade but the monster is impossibly fast and she strikes concrete for her efforts. Its back leg shoots out hitting Kim square in the chest, sending her flying into the wall, hard! The impact forces all of the air out of her lungs in a single bursting exhale, then she falls to the floor in a heap.
"KIM!"
Shego does something she had never thought she would do: she screams in rage as she leaps at the monster that hurt her Kimmie! The licker deftly jumps away from the attack lashing out with its tongue at Shego. She is ready for it and in a strike as quick as the monster's she slashes the offending appendage clean off with her claws. The licker howls in pain as it backs away, wounded. Oh, no, you're not getting away from me! She extends her arms, letting her claws dangle in front of her face as she squares off against the monster.
Kim fights through the pain exploding in her chest with every ragged breath. Dizziness is a precursor to unconsciousness and she fights against that as she struggles to stand but all she can get is on her knees. Fighting through her double, no triple-vision she reaches for her sword as a low growl reverberates behind her. A wave of hot, fetid breath hits her head from behind, causing her hair to move…
The licker facing Shego screeches in anger as they circle one another. The monster's movements are cat-like and fluid, deadly beyond measure. But it had already tasted the bite of Shego's claws and the monster did not relish another bite from her weapons. Predator circles predator, each searching for an edge over the other. Shego constantly changes the position of her clawed gloves in order to keep the monster guessing. The licker lashes out, swiping one clawed arm in a wide arc at Shego. She ducks under the attack and slashes but the monster twists out of the way at the last second. Then it attacks with its back feet as it swirls around, her claws spark as mutated claw meets the Nano-molecular metal. The strength of its attack forces her back a step but her gloves are up defensively, ready for the next assault. The licker leaps and screams; all four appendages poised to skewer the dinner that dares to fight back!
Rather than back away Shego steps into the attack, moving quick to get inside the monster's reach before its claws clamp down and end the struggle once and for all. A clawed glove grasps the creature by the throat as her other arm catches its right arm. The monster is very heavy and its other clawed arm struggles to grasp Shego's hand holding it fast. Its maw snaps and bites, bathing her in its ghastly breath. She thrusts forward and down, slamming the creature onto the concrete floor! Shego is on her feet in an instant, slamming her boot down on the creature's throat as it claws and strains at her. Her scowl is pure malice and evil as she applies a quick jolt of crushing force through her boot.
The scowl does not disappear as the satisfying CRACK issues from the licker's neck and its struggles cease. Behind her an ear-splitting scream pierces the air. She turns in horror, her heart shriveling into dust as she recognizes the voice.
The body of another licker straddles Kim's body, its head pierced clean through by her blade.
She runs over and throws the carcass off of Kim. Her eyes are glazed over in a state of shock; her breathing is short, sharp, painful gasps.
"KIM! You're ok!"
Shego gently takes her into her arms as Kim stiffens in pain and cries out. Shego lays her back down quickly and carefully. "Sorry, Kimmie! I didn't mean to hurt you! Where does it hurt?"
"Chest…ribs…," she forces through clenched teeth and clamped shut eyes.
"Anything broken?" Oh god, no! Shego, look at what you've done!
"D-don't…think…so. Hard to…breathe!"
"Quit talking," Shego says, her voice rising to a panic. She throws her gloves off and begins fumbling with the prison guard shirt, trying to unbutton it.
"Wh-what are…you…doing?"
"Didn't I say shut up? I need to see how bad it is!"
Frustrated at her lack of progress, Shego rips the shirt open. The beginning of a deep bruise is forming on her stomach. Tentatively, gingerly she touches the sides of Kim's ribcage. Kim's body spasms and she cries out in pain.
"Sorry," she says, tears welling up in her eyes.
"N…no…big!"
"I-I can't tell if anything's broken, maybe a rib is fractured."
"Better…than…broken."
"Kimmie, please," she yells at her furiously blinking away tears, "Shut up!"
"Yes…Ma'am."
Shego quickly finishes her preliminary examination as Kim remains silent. She ties the shirt to protect her hero's modesty even though she is wearing the appropriate undergarments. "Okay, Kimberly," Shego says, "You're gonna have to get up now. We can't stay here."
"'Kay. Help…me up."
She extends her arms to Shego who grabs them and helps her up as gently as she can. Kim grunts in obvious pain and leans into Shego for support.
"B-Backpack."
"What am I looking for?"
"Pain… killers."
Shego rummages through the bandages and other medical supplies until she finds the bottle that Kim indicated. She opens it and gives Kim two pills. She gulps them down. Shego leads Kim to the wall and leans her against it. She dives back into the backpack and grabs a handful of bandages and antiseptic.
"I'm gonna have to bandage you up. I'll be as gentle as I can."
Kim takes another ragged breath and nods. Shego applies the antiseptic to the bandages as Kim lifts her shirt. Shego applies the bandages around her stomach, flinching when Kim does. She puts the rest of the bandages back into the backpack after she finishes. She turns to Kim.
"Stay right here, I'll get our weapons."
Kim nods. Shego walks over to the skewered licker carcass and pulls the blade from its head, lashing out with the blade to clean most of the gore from it. It takes her a while longer to grope through the darkness to find her pistol but she finds it and returns to Kim. Kim did exactly what Shego told her to do, leaning against the wall in a pain-filled daze.
"I got everything, princess. You don't mind if I carry your sword for a while, do you?"
She nods, indicating that it is okay. Shego sheathes the sword and puts the scabbard on her belt. She bends down, picks up her gloves and puts them back on. Kim groans as she spasms through a fit of silent laughter.
"Hey! Stop that! What's so funny anyway?"
"N-nothing really. Y-your pet names for…me."
"Huh?"
"It used to…piss me off…royally! I…I like them now."
Shego blushes in spite of herself. "Um," she says but cannot finish as she is at a loss for words.
"D-don't stop on…my account. I'll be your little…princess…or pumpkin…or what…ever…else you…want me to…be."
Shego is silent as her heart swells. C'mon! Say something, girl! "Um, d-do you h-have a preference?"
"Not.. Really. I like 'em…both. I like it when you…use my full…name…too."
"What? I didn't!"
"Yes…you did!"
Shego cocks her head, "I-I did?"
"Yep!
Gotta watch my mouth now, great!
"Sorry about that, pumpkin."
"D-don't...be! Coming from you…it makes me feel…wanted."
Feeling's mutual, Kimmie. Go on mouth, say those words. "W-we need to get going," Shego stammers, "C'mere, pumpkin. We'll take it slow."
Kim grunts in pain as Shego stoops down under Kim's arm and holds her side, fully aware of how gentle she needs to be.
"T-thank you…Shego"
"Don't mention it."
They hobble and stumble in silence, both straining as they listen for more clicking noises or worse. They make their way through the darkness toward their next objective both wondering just what Ash and James are dealing with.
A/N2: You know what? Since ma minions don't care about ma, I won't care about you. I have two more chapters waitin' ta be posted and IF I get sum reviews, I'll post them. If not, they can sit and rot 'till next Monday.
'Till then,
Drago OUT