Chapter 10

Adrena Lynn yawned as she leaned against the side of the van at the parking lot of a roadside motel. She was waiting for Mego to get them rooms. She had very little faith in the annoying man's ability to manage even this task without screwing up in some way, but she'd had little choice. Her face was too well known, the twins were young enough to look suspicious at this hour, and Hego had a much too distinctive physique.

She thought she was getting a better handle on Team Go. Hego was usually easy enough to get along with, though he had a tendency to act like he thought he was in charge. Wego were, not surprisingly, immature, and she suspected that joining in on their pranks would make them like her better. She didn't think it would get their respect, though. Mego responded to flattery, but she didn't want to resort to it except in dire need.

No, the best way to keep them in line was to be firm. They seemed to respond to direct, forceful orders and unyielding authority. In retrospect, it wasn't too surprising that Electronique had made sure they responded to her dominant attitude. It didn't come quite naturally to Adrena, not the way it seemed to come to Electronique, but she was getting better at it. With her, the attitude had an element of bluff about it, because she, unlike Electronique, couldn't back it up with a credible threat of overwhelming force.

Adrena knocked on the side of the van when she saw Mego exiting the office.

"Let's go, boys."

The side door slid open, and the rest of Team Go emerged. Adrena led them after Mego, shivering in the nighttime breeze.

The motel room was practically identical to the many Adrena had stayed at in her previous life as a host of a reality show. There were two sturdy beds, a desk, and a ratty chair. She sat on one bed, Hego and Wego sat on the other, and Mego lounged in the chair after she'd kicked him off the bed. Adrena looked at her team and realized she didn't know what to say.

"Our mission hasn't been a great success so far." For once Adrena was grateful for Hego taking the lead.

"The mission is over. We messed up the moment Kim Possible saw us and got away."

"So we, what, slink back to Electronique and beg for forgiveness?" Mego didn't sound thrilled with the prospect, and Adrena had to agree with the sentiment.

"What choice do we have?"

"We could have another go at capturing our sister."

"They'd be expecting that."

"It could still work."

"Electronique told me to abort if we got spotted."

"We could tell her to take a hike. What do we need her for? We'd do alright on our own."

Adrena had to admit that was a possibility, but she wasn't sure if she was included in that 'we'. Even if she was, she wouldn't necessarily be in charge. Her power didn't work on Team Go, and her authority over them descended from Electronique.

"But what would we do?" Hego sounded uncertain, but it seemed like he was considering it.

"Anything we want to." Mego's eyes strayed in her direction, and Adrena started to feel uncomfortable with the situation.

"Don't you think she would come after us?" Adrena thought it was safer to include herself in the group for the moment.

"Uh, she probably would. She can get a bit obsessive."

"How bad could it be?"

There was a moment of silence as everybody pondered the question.

"Right, so, we're heading back to grovel for mercy, then?"

"Yeah, that... that sounds like a plan."

"Exactly as befits loyal henchpeople who clearly do not deserve to be punished for an entirely understandable mishap."

"Right. I guess that concludes the team meeting." Adrena got up from the bed. "Mego, my key."

"I got us a room with a double bed." Mego pulled out a key. "Number two, right next door."

"You mean you got me a room." Adrena yanked the key from his hand. "I appreciate the bed, though." Right now she wanted nothing as bad as to collapse into it.

"Wow, Mego, you didn't really think she'd want you in her bed, did you?" Adrena had never bothered to learn to differentiate between the two Wego. She wasn't sure there was a meaningful difference.

"If you weren't so full of yourself, you might have noticed she's got the hots for the boss lady."

Adrena gave a scandalized gasp. Mego looked at her speculatively.

"A dyke, huh? I should have figured."

"Now, look here..." Adrena was interrupted by Wego.

"Shame for her that if Electronique is going to use one of us as a stress toy, it's probably going to be Hego."

"Now, look here..." Hego was interrupted by Wego.

"Come on, you remember that one time Electronique captured us, Hego? When she had you spreadeagled in those chains?"

"Just when Shego came in through the skylight it looked like she was about to..."

"Get your mind out of the gutter! You have no idea what you are talking about. Our villainous overlady is much too refined for such behavior."

"Yeah, you better practice that ass kissing. It'll come in handy."

"Will you stop this pointless discussion and focus on the important issue: namely, where am I going to sleep, then?"

"Here, I guess." Adrena was only too happy to change the subject.

"There isn't enough room for all four of us."

"Well, maybe you should have taken three rooms, then."

"That's a waste of our hard-earned cash."

"We stole that money. We can steal more."

"You mean I can."

"Yes, you have been very useful."

Mego preened at the acknowledgment, as always, but it was an honest assessment. Mego's power was not great for combat, but it was pretty good for infiltration. He had been the go-to burglar on the trip. Of course, there weren't many places he could go that Hego couldn't, but the big bruiser had a little less subtle way of making an entrance. Their powers combined well, too, as Hego's big fists made mini-Mego-sized holes.

"Now, be a good boy and go get another room, unless you want to share a bunk with Hego."

Mego grumbled and left, and Adrena followed him out and entered her own room. It was very much like the other one, except it had a double bed, just as Mego had claimed. She couldn't believe the egoist had actually thought she'd share it with him. Adrena shivered with disgust.

She threw her small bag on the bed and sat on the edge. Her grand test mission for Electronique had been an unmitigated disaster. She wondered what sort of punishment she'd face. The villainess hadn't seemed the type to mete out excessive punishment for every failure. Adrena had gathered that Team Go had disappointed her before, but they were still around and seemed mostly alright. Of course, electric shocks didn't necessarily leave obvious marks, but were nonetheless painful. Adrena shivered again, this time of fright, feeling very alone and sorry for herself.

Adrena let herself fall backwards on the bed. Perhaps Electronique would go easy on her. Despite Wego's speculation, Adrena suspected the older woman had a soft spot for her. She had shown her preference from the start. Of course, she might enjoy hurting her, too. You never knew with villains. It wasn't too difficult to imagine her with a riding crop in her hand. Or wearing a leather corset and a pair of thigh-high stiletto boots.

Adrena's eyes closed of their own accord, and she wearily pushed herself back up. She was so tired her mind kept wandering. As worried as she was, she had difficulty staying awake. She hadn't exactly got a lot of sleep since leaving Electronique, and the night spent in her make-shift cell hadn't been the most restful. She was sorely tempted to just lie back down and let herself fall asleep, but she wanted to shower first. She had spent a day and a half on the road, in the same clothes, and she was all too aware of it. She didn't even want to think about her hair. She levered herself up from the bed and headed for the bathroom.

Once she got in, she blinked and walked back out to the bed to gather her toiletries. She really felt tired. She wondered if she was forgetting something else, and shrugged. She'd worry about that in the morning. She started to strip off her clothes, then paused and made sure the bathroom door was closed and locked. She checked the ventilation duct, too. Mego was a pervert, and as she had observed, very good at infiltration. Satisfied of her privacy, she finished undressing.

Adrena stepped into the shower, closed the curtain, and turned the water on. She flinched as drops of cold water hit her, and backed off as she waited for the water to get warm. When it did, she just stood in the warm cascade for a while, eyes closed and enjoying the soothing sensation. Her worries just seemed to melt away. Or perhaps she was just too tired to be able to focus on anything long.

Adrena decided to start washing herself before she fell asleep in the shower, and before the hot water ran out. She would have loved to luxuriate in the warm embrace of the falling water, but this was not the time for it. She grabbed a washcloth and quickly scrubbed away the sweat and grime of the road trip. She was too tired to properly care for her hair; a quick rinse would have to do for now.

The water turning cooler alerted Adrena to her having just been standing under the water for a while, lost in thoughts that didn't remain on one subject long. She did a final scrub and turned off the shower. She shivered in the suddenly cool air and reached for her towel, drying herself off as fast as she could.

Adrena exited the bathroom wrapped in a towel. She was tempted to crawl into the bed naked, but figured it would be better to put something on. She hadn't packed a lot of clothes, not currently owning much in that line, so she just put on a clean pair of panties and a t-shirt she'd have to wear tomorrow. Her hair was still damp, put she got in bed, anyway.

The bedclothes felt a little rough, but at least they were clean. Adrena laid on her stomach and hugged her pillow. It felt comforting. She tried to picture someone in its place, and the image her mind conjured up was of Electronique. The older woman liked her, she was sure of it. She wanted someone to watch her back, someone she could trust. It was lonely being a villain, as Adrena had already learned. She believed Electronique wanted someone she could be close to, and it wasn't going to be one of her brainwashed minions.

Adrena imagined a return to the lair where the striking villainess welcomed her with open arms. She knew it was probably a fantasy, but comfortable in the bed it wasn't difficult to persuade her tired mind that it might happen. She was tired of being alone, tired of making the wrong calls and losing. Electonique was strong and confident, and she could do worse for a partner. Electronique could teach her how to be a villain and was powerful enough to protect her from her enemies. Adrena nuzzled the pillow, imagining it was Electronique's hair. She drifted off to sleep thinking of her.