Author's Forward
Pesterfield: as always, thanks for the post mortem beta-ish review, and, again as always, I hope the fic continues to live up to expectations.
ShadowCub: I can't be that open about your question without spoilers, but if you'd like, PM me and I can give you some hints (this does apply to everyone, but be aware, I won't come right out and say 'yes' or 'no', due to the nature of what I'm going for in-fic...).
Snorbie: glad to hear you're liking it! Keep on reading, it's gonna be a trip...
KP RS SG KP RS SG
"Hey, Vivi, did I tell you yesterday?"
The words were excited and high pitched, seeming to run into one single word instead of a coherent sentence. An uncommon scene from the young woman in question, but more so for her on a Tuesday morning after a big test.
"Tell me what, Shay-Shay? That Harly's gonna be back on Friday?"
The dry tone, and almost complete and utter lack of shock was all the first speaker had needed to know that the secret had been spilled. Most likely by the very person she'd been referring to.
"Not fair! I asked him not to say anything to you!"
The pout had been one of epic proportions, only ruined by the excited bouncing from foot to foot.
"Well, I did bribe him with some inside information..."
Again, the dry tone, but with a strong hint of devilishness and a staggering amount of love... But not of the kind that they had shared even as recently as two months earlier. They both loved each other, as friends, and while they still shared each other's beds and physical love, the romance had drifted. They both knew it, and despite it all, couldn't have been happier.
"What'd you tell him? Oh, don't give me that smug, 'I'm not telling!' look, tell me!"
She'd even gone so far as to allow a brief pulse of plasma to burn at her fingertips. All for naught, of course.
"Just trust me, baby... You're gonna love it!"
"Oh, that's so not fair, Vivi! C'mon, please? Pretty please with my cherry on top?"
A delighted, almost perverted laugh was the answer, followed by a comment that had left the honeydew skinned woman blushing from the crown of her hair to her navel.
"Sparky, I'd tell all... If not for the fact that Harley had it first, and I've tasted it plenty of times since! But I'd be more than happy to taste it again, if you don't mind..."
A giggle, followed by the blush intensifying but not creeping further along her taught body. Nonetheless, the superheroine leaned in to give her blonde lover a passionate, brief kiss.
"You're insatiable, Vivi!"
The two women leaned back towards each other, and then there was a jumble of disjointed, nonsensical information, a multi-sensory assault that also included all five senses, even those beyond, such as balance and that strange, not quite headache, not quite relaxing massage that was her power. Her power... That realization congealed the images into brief, scintillating cognisance...
Greg literally tossing the car off of mom's body... And begging to whatever power that would listen for the ambulances to get there in time...
Wally shrinking to get to nana, thankfully finding both nana and daddy alive because her hope chest had stopped the roof from caving in completely...
Her digging and and tearing at still burning wood, screaming her littlest brother's names, her hands bursting into flame as she tore at the remains of the tree-house, finally finding Johnny and Justin... Many of each, all working together, giving rise to more strength than any pair of normal seven year olds could possibly possess to hold up what was left of the tree. All in hopes of keeping it off of the fire hydrant; even that young, they knew that keeping the hydrant intact would help the fire department to put out the house and save other people's houses...
Blasting the remnants of the trunk and watching with fascination as her little copies of her little brothers popped like soap bubbles, before the two originals fell to the ground, spent, but happy that they'd been able to help their big sis...
More jumbled information, then another solid image. She'd just taken a second bite of her dessert, while staring almost jealously at the partially eaten portion of tapioca pudding on a boy's tray across the cafeteria table from her. And she loved tapioca! She'd almost jumped from her skin when that very boy spoke to her.
"Your name's Shay Gottlieb, right?"
She'd nodded, staring at the boy with a mix of shock and worry. She was the new girl, didn't he know he'd have problems associating with her before she marked her place in the school?
"Yeah..."
Her tone had been dejected, but he'd merely smiled, his teeth almost blindingly white in relief against his deeply tanned skin and the soft pink of his lips. His long, fine black hair had been pulled back into a simple braid, his proud, slightly hooked nose goofy and appealing at once, and his soft brown eyes accepting without a second thought.
She was not used to still being in grade school at age eleven. Her old school district had middle school for fifth and sixth graders, and junior high for seventh through ninth grades. Yet those districts in Go City proper followed a theory that had seventh and eighth graders in junior high, and ninth grade on in high school.
But she'd been truly thrown off by Go City Heights Elementary School. Not only was she completely friendless outside of her older brother, who was just young enough to be in the same grade, but it was just after summer break. Worse, this school went back earlier than her old one, so their vacation had been cut short.
And, much to her mortification, her old school had only offered one lunch per day, and she'd only found out about a week earlier. She was a smart girl, but she felt so stupid for missing something so obvious! Now she was offered the luxury of a choice, and she was still getting used to the idea...
But she'd forgotten about it until she'd sat down, and while the chili, crackers, corn and apple crisp as her lunch were good, the boy's burrito, salsa refried beans and tapioca had made her salivate. Then the boy had spoken again, a huge smile on his face, and held out his hand.
"Hi, I'm Harlan Little Coyote, but my pops calls me Harley. I'm half Blackfoot, half Irish! My dad and mom are in the Army and we moved here last winter."
She couldn't help but return the handshake with a matching, brilliant smile, despite her worry about the new school after the move. He was... Kinda cute, but also kinda goofy looking. She figured that'd change, though...
After all, she'd once told her mother she hated how her face was put together, and asked if she could get it fixed before she grew up. Her mother had laughed, and reminded her that she knew people grew into their faces, and that she was a very pretty girl. She knew, she wasn't sure how, but she absolutely knew that was the case with Harlan, and that he'd grow into his features, and that kinda cute would give way to completely cute some day.
Still, she had to admit, cute is all he would be, face wise. His nose, the skin that still held its summer tan, cheekbones and almost piercingly black hair were obviously part of his Blackfoot heritage. The cute freckles barely visible on his cheeks, the shape of his eyes, and his jaw were obviously part of his Irish heritage. She felt her face trying to blush, and fought it as best she could as she as she found a point of connection with the cute boy.
"Cool, my mommy used to be in the Army!"
Her mother had been in the army, but she had retired when Greg had been born. She'd been an officer, and had a promising career, but was given the option to retire early for her family's sake. She'd taken it, and never looked back, using her experience in the field to help the company that hired her get military contracts.
"That's way cool! Um..."
He blushed, the coloring barely visible through his tan. It was also obvious he wasn't sure how to say what he wanted to say. And the blush was cute! Shay liked him, and not just 'cause he was cute, either. He'd taken a chance to talk to the pretty, but closed off girl 'from the boonies', and she knew he'd be her best friend in the whole world, if not the universe, by the end of the day!
"You okay, Harla-... Erm, Harley?"
That's when a girl came over and sat down next to him, throwing an arm around him and giving him a noogie. She was really pretty, at least to Shay's mind; she had boyishly short, blonde hair and bright, sparkly blue eyes, with a face that said she'd only get prettier as she got older. She was also winking at her!
"Yeah, he always gets like this when he meets a pretty girl the first time, right Wile E?"
"Ye-... Hey!"
"Wile E? Like the cartoon?"
"Yeah! His last name's Little Coyote, but he's a lot smarter than the cartoon one, but he's always trying to do crazy stuff! And he's awesome at video games! He has that new Sega game system, the Genesis! It's so cool, and..."
Shay giggled as Harley blushed again, and his blonde friend extolled the virtues of his video games and how cool of a guy he was, and felt a blush of her own rising across her face. She wasn't sure why, but it had something to do with how pretty the girl was, and that the girl had called her pretty.
She shook her head, fighting another blush and began to pay attention again. She knew the blonde was laying it on pretty thick, but she didn't mind. After all, she was getting to know a lot about Harley, and she thought that she might want to know more... Then the other girl held out a hand, smiling so winningly that Shay didn't care about her own blush. She took the girl's hand in her own and shook it.
"I'm Vivian Francis Porter. My middle name is my great-great-grandma's. She worked on airships in the first years of the century!"
"That's a long time ago. Wow..."
Shay was honestly impressed. She knew her own great-grand... Or was it great-great-grandmother? Great-something-or-another-grandmother, whatever... Had worked for a man that flew an airship in that time period, and she wondered idly if their great-grandmothers had known each other.
"Oh, um... What were you saying, Harley? I'm so sorry..."
She hated doing that. Ignoring someone else, even by accident. She felt mortified, but luckily, the fear had been unfounded, as Harley had needed the time to compose himself.
"It's okay, Shay. Um... I didn't see that apple crisp was with the chili, um... Wanna trade or share?"
Shay's smile brightened as he shyly slid his plate forward, and she mimicked the action. They each reached out with a spoon and ate some of the other's dessert, neither caring that they'd both eaten from their food already.
Flashing, jumbled memories, of Vivian trying out for the wrestling team, of Harley crashing his mountain bike and jumping up as if nothing had happened despite the cuts on his face and hands. A month later, she was bouncing about at the bus stop, chatting animatedly with Vivian, who she had found out lived literally two houses down from her own.
"Oh, Vivi, did I tell you yesterday?"
The words were excited and high pitched, seeming to run into one single word instead of a coherent sentence. Not an uncommon scene for the young, excitable girl.
"What, Shay-Shay, that Harley's gonna be coming to your birthday party after all?"
Vivian's answer was almost smug, but held a teasing edge that took any sting out of her attitude.
"How did you know that? I asked him not to tell you!"
Shay's pout almost broke Vivian's resolve to tease her friend mercilessly with the secret until her birthday. But only almost...
"Oh, I might have told him I knew something that convinced him to tell me..."
Vivian reached out and placed a conspiratorial arm around Shay's shoulder, but didn't say anything more.
"What'd you tell him? Oh, c'mon, please? Pretty please with a cherry on top?"
It was Shay's most potent beg; the almost whine, the pathetic, wide eyed, begging stare and the words combined to be more potent than a kicked puppy pout. This worked out well, since she refused to ever stoop to the level of pouting like a kicked puppy! Though, she came very close to breaking that vow whenever someone had a secret pertaining to her!
"Sorry, but I'm not tellin'! Not even for your cherry!"
The smirk on Vivian's face was enough to tell Shay that she's lost the battle, but she kept trying until the bus arrived five minutes later. They wouldn't understand the unintentional irony of Vivian's comment until they were almost out of high school...
KP RS SG KP RS SG
"So, as you can see," Gene Stoppable said with a chuckle, "It all came down to one decimal point being out of place back..." he scrolled up through the entire, one hundred pages of complex mathematical formula, explanations, esoteric and observed data "Here."
The formula seemed almost needlessly complex. However, it was one that combined theoretical physics, practical mechanics, and the physical engineering requirements in one. While he didn't understand the practical aspects, he understood the math in and of itself. Not that he understood what, exactly, the mathematics were explaining, but the error had been a simple one, and easy to find. For him, anyway.
It's a wonder Ronald did so poorly in math... the man watching Gene thought to himself, But then... There's no one I'd rather have watching my little Kimmie-cub's back! He felt a flash of guilt at his mental declaration. A couple months ago, for some reason, that hadn't been the case. He had still been trying to figure it out three days before, when he'd been called by, of all people, Bob Chen.
He and Drew had asked James for his advice. James had offered to double check, and had spoken to Gene and asked him to triple check, the mathematics. Drew and Bob had been among the half of the scientists that had been certain that the final formula was flawed. Among those against the idea was Ramesh Singh, another of their old college buddies.
James still had trouble believing that several of the scientists around him had been reduced to the point of screaming like five year olds about who was 'it' in a game of tag. Amazingly, Bob and Drew had been calm, a nice change of pace from the past. He chuckled as he realized it was a regular thing for the four of them, and that they'd argued like this, literally, for years. Even when they'd intentionally started debates with straw man arguments and circular logic, back when they called themselves the MISTcreants; they'd never drawn in quite such an evenly distributed group on either side of an argument, however.
James smirked as Gene bowed in a somewhat ironic fashion, accepting the accolades of scientists. Those same scientists then restarted the formula's run through the computers. There were only four more powerful computer setups in the world; in a way, the Go City University Theoretical and Practical Advanced Laboratory of Engineering was lucky. Unlike the Space Center back home, they didn't have to ask Wade for run time on his home brew setup, which was now housed in a former lair belonging to PLL, LLC, or with the University of Tokyo's setup. And, of course, Global Justice's statistical analysis systems were right out, for obvious reasons!
But the lab's computers would still take a couple hours to crunch the numbers for the gravity lens project, despite its sheer computing power. Nonetheless, James felt certain that the formula would follow closer to Drew, Bob and their colleagues' projections than Ramesh and his colleagues' projections.
This left his mind to wander back to his worries from earlier, to the time in late June to mid July when he'd been bouncing between Go City and Middleton on a weekly basis. He'd been trying to help figure out what was wrong with the various mathematical formulae, because if it worked, the gravity lens was to be installed in the newest generation space telescope being planned at the Space center. The first meeting had been the worst, though. Tensions had been high, and he'd hoped to have a relaxing evening with his daughter and her fiancé.
Yet he'd seen something... Something that turned out to be almost completely innocent! And he'd... Why did I react that way to Kimmie-cub and Ronald? he almost growled aloud, and he did start to drum his fingers firmly against the desk he sat at, I knew they'd become involved! I never had a problem with it, even the idea of it, before they were engaged... And after? I mean, I was off work early, and almost interrupted them after the house was rebuilt! Why did I do that when I di-…
"What's wrong, James?" Drew asked quietly, hiding his slightly grinning mouth behind a Styrofoam cup of coffee lest the expression be misunderstood. James glanced up at the man that had gone from friend, to mad scientist and essentially enemy, to even closer friend, and followed his arm down to the hand holding another cup of coffee out to him.
James took the coffee, sipping the scalding beverage and smiling slightly at the hint of sugar and lemon in it. How Drew remembered he liked his coffee like many liked their tea, he wouldn't know. After all, the man had a tendency to be as scatter brained as he did! After a brief smile, James sighed dejectedly, his face falling as he set the coffee down. "It's... Complicated."
"James..." Drew smiled his over the top smile, shaking his head at his friend, "If that's the case, how about we discuss it on the way to the cafeteria? I've heard Ronald gave his seal of approval to the place..."
"How can I argue with that?" James smiled half-heartedly, falling into step beside Drew. He cast a glance back into the room and saw Bob and Ramesh shaking hands, a look of consternation, reinforced by a slight blush, on the Indian man's face.
"So, what's the problem, Jim?" Drew asked, startling James with the name Drew hadn't used since they'd been in high school.
James boggled for a moment and jogged briefly to catch up, before sighing and saying, "I don't know what I was thinking, or why, but I screwed up in July, Drew..."
His reestablished friend gave him a knowing look as they walked down the hall to where the nearby cafeteria was. "I'd wondered what'd happened back then..."
James squawked in surprise and a mild sense of shame. Before he could prattle his hurried explanation, sure that Drew knew what had happened between himself and Kimmie-cub, Drew waved his hands in a calming gesture.
"I don't actually know what happened. All I know is that something big and terrible happened between you and Kimberly," the blue man assured him as they entered the previously prepared dining area.
James gave his friend a look of curiosity before turning his attention to what the building's staff and visitors called a cafeteria. It wasn't particularly large, nor was it exactly cozy. At perhaps seventy feet by forty feet, it was comfortable, James concluded. It had a mix of tables, mostly those that could sit four, but some that could sit six or eight, all with comfortable, swiveling and reclining office chairs. The floor an off white that reminded him of snow, the walls were a soft, pale turquoise that blended into a surprisingly sky blue ceiling. Must want to remind the shut ins what color the sky is.
He chuckled under his breath at his joke and nodded appreciatively at the paintings on the wall. They ranged from abstract, computer generated art such as fractals, to pre-production renderings of the Boeing 787 and as well as a skin laminar flow analysis of the Kepler III. James remembered seeing that very image coming onto a screen at the space center and grunted in surprise. Shaking the surprise off, he looked towards the serving line, which was an open buffet. That was when the smells finally registered in his brain. If nothing else, the smell indicated it was probably going to be quite a treat.
"Um..." James stammered as they walked up to the buffet counter, flashing their guest badges which entitled them to a free meal, finally gritting out, "How, exactly, did you know that, Drew?"
"You forget, Jim!" Drew chuckled, his smirk back in place, "I was working with Kimberly on her new mission clothes..."
"Ah..." James said, slapping a hand to his forehead, "That explains that..."
"What happened?" Drew asked into the growing silence between them.
James grumbled something under his breath as he plopped down upon the comfortable chair, staring at the delicious looking barbecue ribs, mashed potatoes and peas. He twiddled the fork in his hand as if he were a drummer showing off, then leveled a plaintive gaze at Drew, "You remember that first meeting where you guys had invited me to help solve the grav wave problem for the lenses?" Drew nodded, "Well, Kimmie-cub pulled a couple back muscles on a mission, and I'd gone over to see if they wanted to go have a family night out, and Ron was using some massage techniques to loosen them up..."
"And you went flying off the handle worse than your mother did when she found out about you and Annie?" Drew had a fondly reminiscent smile on his face, but sobered when James nodded sullenly, "You didn't make any threats, did you?"
"I haven't seriously done that with Ronald since those mood chips you stole when you were evil, Drew..." James half snapped, before sighing lightly, "Sorry... Anyway, I knew they were intimate, and ever since I first realized that Kimmie-cub truly loved Ron?" Drew nodded in understanding at James leading question, "Since then, I've been fine with the idea of them being intimate... I even made sure Annie had our daughters birth control prescriptions as up to date as possible..." James speared a large, loose chunk of rib meat from his plate and chewed it like a Rottweiler would a chew toy, swallowing half of it before speaking around the rest, "That night? I lost it."
"You..." Drew stared at James in shock.
"I know, Drew, I know!" James held up his hands in surrender, "The worst is that Kimmie-cub has barely said thirty words to me since." He glanced at Drew as the blue skinned man opened his mouth, and shook his head, "That's not an exaggeration..."
"Well..." Drew said with a drawn out exhale of breath, "You're saying that you were... Out of sorts? Like..." the blue scientist sought the right words, then snapped his fingers in success as one of James earlier comments set off a lightbulb in his mind, "Were you like Kimberly was when she had the Moodulator chip attached to her?"
"I..." James paused and thought on it for a while. He knew he hadn't had anything on him... Or so he thought. Perhaps inside him? It bore investigation, but he hadn't the slightest thought were to start, outside of his wife, "It's plausable... But I'll have to wait until I get back to Middleton to have Annie chec-…"
"Ah, ah, James..." Drew interrupted him, "I have a better idea. I have PLL's latest hovercraft design out in the parking lot... It's Mach seven capable, and we have at least four hours before we have any results! How about I give you a lift back, and we can have Annie come to the company research lab so she and Wade can work on the problem together? After that, they can discuss the findings, if any, and if there's none, I can try a few other scans for possible external sources..."
KP RS SG KP RS SG
It was barely ten minutes past seven in the morning, and about fifteen minutes after Shego had woken up. The dream wasn't an uncommon one, but it was the first time she could remember waking from it without tears in her eyes and sweat making her sheets cling to her body. She took a moment for a startlingly calm bit of contemplation about why, before shaking it off and opening her eyes. Squinting and blinking into the somewhat dim morning light, she muttered a laughing curse at the windows, "I could've sworn I closed the blinds! Ah, well..."
She looked up into the heavily clouded sky, sighing as she saw it was still raining. It had been raining in steady, on and off spurts since early Monday morning, not long after they'd closed Oktoberfest for the night. Normally that would have completely dampened her mood, as she enjoyed all aspects of the festival. That included rides, which would be closed down during particularly heavy rain... For safety reasons, of course. It was startling to find out that while Kim enjoyed those aspects of the 'Fest as well, Ron shared Shego's almost childlike glee, and the two of them had almost acted the complete fools in what would seem like a huge state fair back home. With beer. And delicious food. And beer. And carnival rides. And beer!
Shego found herself laughing like an idiot at the very argument she and Ron had used on Kim the day before. The red-head had wanted to sit in a tent instead of ride the rollercoaster when the rain had slowed to a light drizzle. They'd finally convinced her to join them, and while they'd enjoyed it, everyone on the ride had ended up soaked. For once, however, she didn't have any problems with the weather, or having a woman along that would sometimes play the spoil-sport. Or with waking up at such an early time, for that matter!
Then again, it was a rare day that she woke up this early on her own, even at the Oktoberfest. It'd been years since she had, since Harley had been alive... But it didn't matter. She was finally, despite her fears of reliving the past, dealing with both those events and the pain they brought to her... Which would explain the even rarer sight of a happy smile upon her face in the early morning. She was actually pumped for the day, and she had no reason other than the fact that she was at Oktoberfest, sharing a two bedroom suite with three amazing people.
One was a naked mole rat with disgustingly high intellectual capabilities, that also shared a similar medical prescription - and admitted enjoyment - that she did. But, to her, he was definitely a person. The other two were his best friends, his human and his human's lady, as he called them. Two loving, forgiving people that had taken her into their trust, and had allowed her to trust them in return. Two people and one animal, that were well on their way to being her best friends.
She honestly couldn't understand why she'd avoided them after the whole Lorwardian Invasion sitch...utaion... Oh, God, not only do I sound sappy, I'm starting to use their silly ass catch phrases!
She giggled softly to herself as she stretched, muscles bunching and relaxing under her nude flesh in a beautiful display. A display she knew had short circuited men and women's minds in the past. I wonder... Should I? She pondered, quite seriously, whether she should just do what she normally would among truly close friends, and stroll casually to the shower carrying her clothing... And wearing none.
She quickly dismissed the idea. Not that it was unappealing, far from it! She just didn't want to put undue pressure on a friendship that was so close to congealing into... Something. What, she wasn't entirely sure, but she was determined to find out, and hopefully soon! Especially if...
She shook the thought off and walked over to the in-room entertainment system and activated its Bluetooth connectivity, pairing her music player to the unit. She chuckled as she realized there was the standard auxiliary three-point-five millimeter audio jack and a multi-end USB cable, as well. Huh... I've been in some really high class hotels without this kind of thoughtfulness...
She pressed the button to select her room for the music distribution, but was still rubbing sleep from her eye and didn't realize she'd hit the button for the main room as well. She cranked the volume to a moderately high level - a level she knew from the last few days shouldn't wake Kim and Ron - and began surf through her playlist as she gathered up yesterday's bikini briefs and their matching sports bra. Old school? she pondered as she set her player down to slide into her panties and bra from the prior day, pursing her lips in thought before nodding to herself, Yeah, definitely an old school morning!
She finished her scrolling at Sacred Riech's cover of "Who Do You Want to be Today" and hit play. Setting her player down on top of her nightstand, she began rummaging through her luggage for an appropriate outfit. A crunchy, detuned guitar riff with slow drum work backing it blared from the room's speakers, and she began to nod her head to the beat, just shy of head banging. Let's see... Black hip huggers and the low boots... Violet bra...
She smiled at her choice, a sleek, modern looking bra that had a nice bit of support, and looked cute on her. What else do I have to go with this one? This thong, or the boyshorts? She pondered for a moment. She wasn't feeling too dressy, but she needed something that'd go well with the hip huggers, but didn't want to be too showy, either... Boyshorts, definitely. And no silk or cashmere 'cause of the rain, but that leather jacket would be perfect... What for a shirt?
She rifled through her other bag and let out a loud, "Ah, hah!" of victory and pulled out a nicely form fitting, tightly knit, cobalt blue sweater. She gathered up her things, as well as some of her own shampoo and conditioner for the shower, and turned towards the door.
Only to flinch as a loud banging and an even louder "Shego!" stopped her dead in her tracks.
"Um, it's open, Kimmie?" Shego half yelled, what normally would have been a comment coming out as a confused question because, frankly, the music shouldn't have woken Kim! At least, to the pale woman's knowledge, it shouldn't have.
That was until a flush faced Kim, dressed in a pair of Ron's boxers and a sports bra similar to her own opened the door and music rolled over her from the main room of the suite. Shego blinked once, then twice, before chuckling. "I'll have you know that you woke us up!" Kim groused, then began to pout as Shego's chuckle became a full on belly laugh.
Kim opened her mouth, stuck between wanting to whine and tear into Shego, finally managing a disgruntled sounding, "I was having a really nice dream, too!"
"S-sorry, Princess..." Shego finally choked out, walking over to the stereo and turning it down, and deactivating the main room feed, "I didn't know I was sending that into the main room..."
Kim looked at Shego's amused yet contrite expression, and sighed despite her annoyance. She turned and walked into the main room, Shego following behind with her shower supplies in hand, "Well... The music wasn't too bad, I guess, bu-..."
"If I'd have wanted to wake you that way," Shego said with a manifestly false expression of innocence, "I'd have pumped it into your room with some metal... Y'know, Angra maybe some Gojira or Pantera..." The older woman smirked then, "Or if I was in a mood, maybe some country blues..."
"Um..." Kim stared at her, blinking, "What's an old car or a Japanese movie monster got to do with 'heavy met-'..."
"Kimmie, you and your pop music have left you so deprived..." Shego chuckled, interrupting the red-head's impending, air quotes filled rant, and ignoring the younger woman's indignant huff, "Angra is a Brazilian symphonic power metal band, Pantera's thrash and groove metal and Gojira's a French extreme metal group..."
"Ugh..." Kim grimaced, "Okay, I admit some metal's alright, like that stuff you were playing, but... The extreme stuff's not my thing."
"I figured you'd say something like that..." Shego chuckled. A thoughtful look came over her face, and then she spoke as if pondering aloud, "I think you'd like some of my preferred music, but I'll lure you in with some Angra..." She set her clothing on the end of the couch and walked over to the entertainment center, dropping the volume of the main unit and fiddling with her music player, "Here, take a listen..."
"Fine..." Kim sighed, and was relieved that the volume was indeed a lot lower than it had been as the music started. Knowing from Shego's comments that it was a metal group, she figured she wouldn't be too enthused with the selection. What she hadn't expected was to hear strings accompanying the opening section of heavy guitars and brief, almost stabbing beats from drums. She was even more shocked when the strings section ended and a fast, double bass drum beat and loping snare hits, with a clear, clean guitar lead backed by a subtle bass guitar riff took over from the strings.
Thirty seconds in, Kim had a slight smile upon her face, finding the music to be of good quality, if not entirely meshing with her recently expanded musical tastes. She almost laughed when she spied Shego nodding her head and tapping back and forth along the front and side of her hip with her pinkie finger and thumb, each tap in perfect synchronization with the beat.
Shego was humming in time with the vocalist, and had her eyes closed as she listened. She opened her eyes as if sensing someone, glancing over Kim's shoulder. Kim followed her gaze to see Ron walking out of their bedroom, seemingly nonplussed to have two beautiful women mostly nude in the same hotel room as him. He was nodding in time with the beat as he put his arms around Kim, and Shego reached back to turn down the music as he held up a hand to signal for it, "Not bad, Shego..."
"'Not bad', Doofus?" Shego scoffed.
"I agree with Ron, since I still prefer my music..." Kim smirked, "But it's actually pretty good." She then leaned back to whisper into Ron's ear. Ron snickered and shook his head and whispered something back. Kim blushed slightly, and whispered again, earning an annoyed looking raised eyebrow from Shego as Ron walked back to their room, "Ronnie's gonna set up one of my favorite songs..." She glanced meaningfully at Shego's clothing, "And while he's deciding, I'm going to use the bathroom before you start your shower."
"Awww!" Shego pouted with mock hurt, "Don't want to see naked li'l me in the shower?"
"One," Kim said with a disturbingly innocent, air-headed expression, and a saccharine sweet voice, "I've seen it all before in the showers! I was a cheerleader, after all!"
"Okay..." Shego couldn't help but laugh, "And two?"
"Two?" Kim said with that same tone, adding a vacuous titter, before becoming dead serious, "After that thing with Ron being in my body and helping him apply a tampon? I don't change feminine hygiene products in front of anyone!"
"Wha-..." Shego blinked as an expression that mixed disgust and amusement crossed her features and Kim disappeared into the bathroom. After shaking her head, Shego called to the closed bathroom door, "Touché, Kimmie... Gross, but well played!"
"She actually managed to make Alex queasy in a similar sitch last month..." Ron chuckled as he walked out of the room, holding Kim's wrist Kimmunicator, "Which is weird, 'cause she's studying forensics and has some advanced textbooks!" Ron shuddered, completing his thought more effectively than words ever could.
"Well, Sport," Shego chuckled as she turned back towards him, "Some people find the thought of a living woman regularly passing blood, blood clot-phts-..."
Ron had her lips held in between his thumb and forefinger, his face pale and slightly green as he continued in a thick voice, "Don't... Please don't finish that, Sheegs, please?" He emphasized his request by letting go of her lips and sitting down on the couch as if his knees had given out, making Shego snigger at his antics.
She winked at him, making him feel like he'd stepped into some diabolical trap, "Don't worry, Ronnie," she emphasized the name as she had been the last couple days in their verbal tête-à-têtes, "I'll let ya off the hook..." Ron drew a breath to sigh in relief, and just as he was about to let it out, Shego continued with an evil smirk, "But you're buying breakfast!"
Ron let the air out in an explosive grunt, as if he'd just been punched in the gut. He stared at her open mouthed for a moment, before gobbling out, "That's, that's... But, I mean, um... What about the Klubhaus roo-..."
"Because we're on vacation, Ron!" Kim said as she emerged from the bathroom, having heard the last bit of the exchange, "And I'm sure Shego's as in a mood for something sweet and ferociously unhealthy for breakfast as I am!" Shego nodded and Kim gave Ron a smirk to rival Shego's, "Besides, she bought breakfast yesterday when the rain closed down most of the rides..." Seeing that Ron was somewhat unconvinced, Kim dropped the smirk and allowed an almost pouting, innocent expression onto her face, her tone full of matching, faux sweetness, "Unless you'd like one of us to continue about mestru-…"
"Breakfast it is!" Ron held up his hands in defeat, his words flowing together as if one word. He then changed the subject with the subtlety of an active grenade in an explosives plant, "Your song's ready whenever you are, KP!"
"Thanks, Ron." Kim smiled, leaning down to kiss him and grab her Kimmunicator, "This is my favorite song by this band, 'cause it was the first song Tara played to get me into the genre..."
"Tara convinced you to switch from boy bands and air headed, no talent bimbos?" Shego snerked, and Kim rolled her eyes.
"I was only into Oh Boyz for, like... Two months?" Kim exaggerated slightly, "Ron's their fanboy..."
"Hey!" Ron protested as Shego gave him a look that screamed at near future teasing, "I got over them!" He moved away from the couch, standing to Shego's left.
"I know, sweetie..." Kim cooed at Ron, drawing a huff from Ron and a laugh from Shego and a bleary eyed Rufus, who had finally dragged himself from Kim and Ron's room, "Hey, Rufus!" Rufus squeaked a greeting at them before walking over to the coffee maker like a zombie, complete with squeaking moans.
"Oh, how's this for breakfast..." Ron asked as he stood and walked over to pick Rufus up and place him next to the device, "Falsetto told me about this place on the Marienplatz called Café Rischart..." Ron looked between Shego and Kim as he walked back to the red-head.
"I've been there before," Shego nodded as if to herself, "Good call, Doofus..."
"Hey..." Kim said, the protest now a joke between the three of them. She emphasized he protest by sticking her tongue out and blowing a raspberry at Shego. Before the pale woman could give her normal rejoinder to the action, the red-head leaned back against Ron, turning her head to give him a brief kiss.
Ron smiled at her and put his arms around her. Kim sighed happily and continued her earlier thought, "Anyway, Britina's not that much of a ditz..." Kim leveled a challenging gaze at Shego, "And I still love some of her songs, and MC Honey's always been good..."
"Yeah," Shego nodded almost grudgingly, "Honey's hip-hop's okay, but her blues and R&B is amazing..."
"Have you ever heard her cover of 'Strange Fruit', Shego?" Kim asked curiously, knowing she had a copy on her Kimmunicator if Shego hadn't.
"Yeah, live no less..." Shego nodded, a shiver running down her spine, "Eerie how close her voice is to Holiday's..."
"It is..." Kim nodded, "Like I said, this song got me into the genre, and it's one of Ronnie's faves too, for obvious reasons when the song plays..." She shrugged and smiled, pressing the play button on screen.
The song started, the vocals kicking in after a single kick drum beat, and Kim sang along in perfect time with the song, "The way that she moves, well I was aroused; empowered, impassioned by every move!" By the third word, the red-head was half jumping up and down in Ron's arms, moving her head left and right with each bounce to avoid headbutting the blond.
Shego was familiar with the 'slam dance' movement, called the pogo, from her own time spent in mosh pits varying from punk to extreme metal. Hell, she'd even seen one during the MC Honey concert she'd mentioned a moment earlier! She was nonetheless somewhat surprised to see Kim so easily drawn into the motion, but concluded it was fitting for the red-head.
Ron surprised her slightly as well. It seems he had expected the move, as he'd laughed and let go of her, allowing her to bounce back and forth into him, as well as around him as Kim turned to gaze at him while singing, "It's so cold outside, we need a place to hide! Go into the club and thaw out for the night..."
Shego opened her mouth to say something, but Ron began singing along with Kim, "She's automatic, so automatic! The way that she moves, the way that she moves!"
Shego could have sworn that they were an instant or two away from making out in front of her, and couldn't help but chuckle at them and the fact that the two had made the song 'theirs', and a punk rock song at that. "Rancid, huh?" she called over the music, interrupting the second half of their singing the chorus together.
Kim nodded, calling out during the second verse, "Yeah, Tara convinced me to give 'real' punk a chance since I was listening to 'Radio friendly pop-punk that sucks monkey-butt'..." She managed to throw up air quotes without missing a beat, "This was the song she used, and Ron says it reminds him of me!"
"I can see why..." Shego nodded, smiling at Kim as the red-head began to bounce in her direction, angled so she would almost, but not quite, collide with the older woman's shoulder. Shego intentionally moved her shoulder towards the younger woman as the red-head pulled back, just catching her, but not throwing her off balance.
Then the second verse was over, and Kim began singing along with the chorus, bouncing around behind Shego's back and bouncing off of her, and then back around. All the while, she put her own emphasis on the words, startling Shego slightly, "Shego's automatic, so automatic! The way that she moves, the way that she moves!" Shego began to laugh as Kim came in again, this time slamming into her with some force. Shego adjusted her balance and pushed back, causing Kim to bounce almost all the way back into Ron.
The red-head allowed herself to completely fall back into Ron, and bounced off of him, ignoring the grunt of protest from the blond, before bouncing back towards Shego. Shego tensed, ready to take a body check from the red-head, and laughed again as Kim bounced around behind her, still singing along with the chorus. "Shego's automatic, so automatic..." Kim continued, her eyes bright with humor and a laugh in her voice as she stopped pogoing and walked behind Shego.
Shego turned when Kim's singing lessened in volume, half expecting to see the red-head barreling towards her. What she saw caused her to shake her head: Kim was still half bouncing on the balls of her feet and humming along to the music, but she'd turned towards the wet bar, the coffee maker chugging away.
Shego watched Kim for a moment, allowing herself to appreciate the sway Kim had in her hips, and the play of muscle on the red-head's legs, lower back and neck as she swayed to the song. After a moment she caught Ron sharing her gaze, the smile he wore quirked slightly in concern, Likely from Kimmie's goofy behavior... She's taking his gimmick, after all! Shego thought before she laughed and called out, "You're a goofball, Princess!"
"Sometimes!" Kim called back, checking to see if the coffee maker had made enough to pour herself a mug and Rufus a shot glass' worth. Seeing it had, she took out the carafe and began to pour. "Oh, I like this coffee maker!" She glanced back, "Ron, we should get one before we head home!"
"I thought ours at home made great coffee?" Ron protested lightly, now smiling like an idiot and watching Kim's movements like a hawk.
"Yeah," Kim agreed, replacing the carafe to take a sip from the cup, moaning in pleasure. Still bouncing on the balls of her feet, she looked back in front of herself and down, patting Rufus in thanks for starting the coffee, "But this one makes coffee faster and it tastes better... And it's automatic shut off works better, too!" Rufus, having just taken a sip, made a wordless squeak of agreement, before chugging at the hot liquid in earnest.
"We'll see..." Ron chuckled, and glanced at Shego, seeing her gazing in the same manner he was. When the older woman glanced back at him, he teasingly waggled his eyebrows, turning away before he could see her reaction and making his way over to the wet bar, "Coffee sounds good..."
"Leave some for me, guys..." Shego called as she turned back to grab her clothing, feeling a light blush staining her cheeks. Can't believe the Doofus caught me looking! she chuckled to herself, But Kimmie is in amazing shape...
"Ronnie?" Shego heard Kim call out as she walked into the bathroom, "What kinda breakfast does this place Falsetto suggested have?"
KP RS SG KP RS SG
"Hmmm..." Ron pondered as he chewed on the pastry he'd ordered, "I have to say this isn't bad. I mean, I've had better confections, but La Spécialité is kind of a high class restaurant..." He had the pastry tilted back as he regarded Shego, the sharp angle causing some of the glaze to slide back towards the edge.
"And I don't remember La Spécialité making plumb glazed, marzipan filled pastries, either." Shego quipped with a smirk, holding a piece of the same kind of confection in her hand. Then with the other hand, she pointed at the glazing on Ron's, "And speaking of the glaze..."
"Oh, they don't, but the stuff they do have is awesome..." Ron smirked back, leveling the pastry and absently running his tongue around the edge of pastry, flicking his tongue quickly at a few stray drops trying to slide past where he'd already licked. He didn't notice - or more probably ignored - the blush crossing Kim's face. He did notice the raised eyebrow and salacious bent that came to Shego's smirk, however, and blinked at her, "What?"
"Nothin', Ronnie..." Shego said in an innocent tone, before directing her raised eyebrow gaze to Kim, "But I think that tongue work has Princess here thinking about something other than pastries..."
Ron looked down at the pastry, blinked, then looked back at Kim. Realizing what his action must have looked like, he still managed to smile almost as salaciously at the red-head as Shego had at him, "Well, I have to practice sometime, right, KP?"
"Ron!" Kim squeaked, covering her eyes and trying to hide the face burning blush that crept past her hands. She quickly leaned her head forward to let her hair fall over her face, earning a snicker from Shego.
"Y'know, Princess..." Shego said with a grin, "You're too cute at times..."
"No such thing as too cute." Ron shot back, "Badically, cute? Sure, but not too cute..." Ron touched his chin with a finger and glanced up as if in thought, before leveling his gaze back at Kim and saying, "Besides, I think beautiful is way more accurate..."
"Ron..." Kim groaned, her flush deepening, but a delighted giggle escaping her mouth.
"Huh..." Shego said, cocking her head at Kim slightly. Hearing a confused squeak from Rufus, she glanced over at him, and then at Ron, who wore a similar look, even as Kim dropped her hands to see what was going on. "Oh... Well, I know I'm still getting to know you two, I mean, really get to know you... But I don't remember Ron being able to pull off smooth teasing and a compliment without tripping over his tongue."
"I took lessons?" Ron countered questioningly, his face screwed up in confusion. When Kim and Shego both raised eyebrows at him, he chuckled, "Honestly, a lot of it is being a lot more comfortable with where our relationship is... 'Specially after getting past some stupid joke my dad played on me when I was so out of it I took him seriously..."
"Oh, family drama about the relationship?" Shego asked, "Or just stupid things said, and followed up on?"
"Kinda both?" Ron answered uncertainly. He thought a moment, trying to find a simple way to explain it. "My dad said something that had me treating KP really, um... Really stupidly, to be honest. It almost broke us up, and that was what made me confront him about it..." Shego nodded in understanding, and Ron shrugged, reaching out to grasp Kim's hand, "It wasn't a nice confrontation, and got worse when KP visited next... But my 'rents have gotten a lot better since!"
"Thankfully your dad bought a clue!" Kim griped, reaching down with her free hand to grab her Nusskipferl - essentially a sugar crusted croissant stuffed with a crunchy hazelnut and almond paste - to take a huge bite out of it, chewing with vigor.
"Okay..." Shego blinked herself, this time, "So the drama came from your dad, Kimmie?"
"Yeah..." Kim huffed, "And, sorry, Shego, but I really don't wanna talk about it right now."
"Oh, okay." Shego smiled to show she was indeed okay with it, especially seeing how tense Kim was from merely mentioning it, "Hey, Princess, d'ya wanna go do some sparing sometime?"
"Sparing?" Kim blinked, then a slow smile began to cross her face, "You and me?"
"No..." Shego drew out as if she were serious, "I was thinking you and Rufus..."
Kim gaped at her for a second, but a chittering giggle from Rufus, and a loud guffaw from Ron at her face made her flush at taking Shego seriously, "Oh, ha, ha, ha..." Kim brooded on something for a moment, before shaking her head and sighing, "Sorry, still thinkin' about my dad. Anyway, you got a place?"
"Yeah," Shego nodded, accepting Kim's apology without a second thought, "It's a place up on the north side of Munich, near the airport... And after that little snippy display, it sounds like you need it!"
"Probably." Kim griped in a fairly good natured manner, but there was a tension easily visible in her shoulders.
"KP, relax..." Ron laughed, squeezing her hand lightly, glad to feel some of the tension leave Kim's hand. He looked over at Shego, a question on his glace, "Does this place have weights? I like the weight room at the hotel, but it's kinda limited, y'know?"
"Actually, the dojang I like to go to has a pretty well stocked gym attached to it, too." Shego nodded, "Though I'd love to spar with you, too, Monkey Man."
"Oh, you wound me so!" Ron gasped, clutching at his heart as if suffering a heart attack, "Monkey?"
"It fits..." Kim sniggered, punching him lightly on the shoulder, then turning her attention to Shego, "Instead of dojo, you said dojang? Taekwon Do? Hwarang Do?"
"ITF TKD, under Master Salvatore... He just got his fifth dan this year." Shego confirmed, a smile on her face.
"You know TKD?" Ron asked, honestly surprised.
"Doy..." Shego rolled her eyes, "Where d'you think most of my stances, about a third of my blocks, and some of my kicks come from?"
"I..." Ron started, reaching up with his free hand to scratch at the back of his neck, "I never thought about it, honestly?"
"I figured that's where some of it came from." Kim said, smirking at her fiancé, "Though the blocks do surprise me..." Kim thought about it for a moment, and shrugged with her free arm, "But then again, I haven't had much experience with TKD beyond learning enough to recognize it and counter some of the kicks."
"Well, I usually get some time in there before classes," Shego said, "So I can show off a bit!"
"What, you have a key or something?" Ron asked, and Shego nodded.
"Yeah," she had a wistful smile upon her face, "I kinda helped Master Salvatore open the school back when I first started coming to the 'Fest." She let out a startled chuckle, "I even kept up assisting him when I stopped being a good guy!"
"We're so gonna need to go today!" Kim all but squealed, hopping excitedly in her seat and letting go of Ron's hand to clasp her hands together in a nearly pleading fashion, "Maybe right after breakfast?"
"I thought we were gonna go hit the 'Fest..." Shego said as she pouted slightly, facing the window as if looking to the street below, yet keeping Kim in her peripheral vision.
"We can still get there when it's all open!" Kim countered, a pout of her own beginning.
Shego, knowing what to expect, smirked and turned to Kim. "Gotcha, Princess..." she chuckled, glancing at Ron and Rufus while pointing at the red-head, "I was already planning on it!"
"You..." Kim gasped, dropping her palms to the tabletop and staring at her open mouthed. When the other three at the table began to laugh, she grabbed a somewhat large chunk of her Nusskipferl that had fallen off during her earlier attack on the pastry, and winged it firmly at at Shego.
To Kim's annoyance, the former thief caught it between two fingers while watching the heroine in a sidelong manner. Shego's mirthful smile became a taunting smirk that mixed humor with something Kim couldn't quite put a finger on, and she delicately tore a small section off of the pastry piece. Glancing from Ron to Kim, she winked at the red-head, holding the smaller piece just in front of her mouth, "Y'know, Princess, if you keep feeding me like this, people might start to talk..."
"Hey..." Kim frowned, "You're not supposed to be so good at catching things!" The red-head's face crumpling into a grimace that a quickly rising blush made absolutely adorable.
"Mmmmm..." Shego drew out as she slowly slid the smaller piece into her mouth, chewing with such deliberation it was obvious she was making a show of it, before blinking in honest surprise. "Hey, this is pretty good!" She glanced at a chuckling Ron, waiting until he raised his coffee to his lips before continuing, "Sweet and nutty... Remind you of anyone, Stoppable?"
Ron barely kept himself from a spit-take, favoring Kim and Shego with a considering gaze, "If I say it aloud, no one will find the body intact, and I always wanted to have a presentable funeral..."
"Ron!" Kim protested, slapping his shoulder firmly. The sight was too much for Shego and Rufus, who all but collapsed in a fit of giggles...
KP RS SG KP RS SG
"Okay..." Shego huffed, settling onto her rear as gracefully as she could manage. Which translated into flopping with a modicum of control onto the hard linoleum of the dojang proper, "That was amazing..."
"Yep!" Kim agreed just as tiredly, already on her back from the last maneuver Shego had performed, a jumping sidekick to her head that had been a feint. The older woman had instead wrenched her whole body into a scissor kick to ankle bar combination, which had forced Kim to tap in submission. "That last move... Was awesome!"
She glanced around when she heard two familiar grunts of approval, seeing Ron and Rufus sitting near to the entryway of the dojang. The room was about fifteen meters by twelve meters, and about three in height. Along one wall were mirrors and a dancer's rail, like one would expect in a ballet school, the opposite side had floor to ceiling windows. The glass was split on the top and bottom quarters so they could be opened, as well as equipped with blinds for privacy, and looked out upon a beautifully maintained garden.
The remaining walls were sectioned by walnut trim stained a deep umber, as were the corners, baseboards and crown moulding, while the wall in between was white. The drop ceiling had soft white lighting, and was filled with textured, sound dampening tiles. Aside from the mirror wall and the garden view, it was an almost typical martial arts studio.
"Bad'cal!" Rufus squeaked, jumping and pumping a fist into the air. Kim sat up and beamed a huge smile at her fiancé and his pet.
"Completely badical, all around!" Ron agreed, smiling and tossing two bottles of Florid-Aide at the two women. They both caught their drinks and immediately opened them, drinking greedily, "I almost wish I'd have caught the whole thing."
"Yeah, it was slammin'!" Kim chuckled, "And a lot more intense in some ways than our old fights..."
"Yeah..." Shego agreed easily, "Not as tense or stressful, but without the plasma, we were down to pure martial skill."
"Heh..." Kim grunted, "And I so thought I had that bout, but..."
"Well, a tie's better than a loss." Shego shrugged, a sage tone in her voice, "But I wouldn't mind goin' another for a win!"
"I know..." Kim agreed, capping her bottle and laying down on her side, folding her arms under her head and gazing at Shego with an unreadable, but happy expression, "But if we did, we wouldn't get done 'til about noon..." she pondered for a moment, then shrugged, "But then again, the one tent we didn't want to go to 'til late, um... Käfer's Wies'n-Schänke?"
"Yeah, the celeb tent..." Shego pondered for a moment, before shrugging, "Well, after the last few days, it's obvious we're all popular here in Germany," she glanced back at Ron and Rufus, "Especially the Doofus and the rat!" Rufus blew a raspberry at Shego's nickname for him, and she winked, "Anyway, it's a pain to get in after eleven, eleven-thirty if you're not a celeb, but we should visit early, just to see if you like the feel..."
"Cheese tent?" Rufus asked hopefully, a huge, watery eyed smile on his face.
"Yes, Rufus," Shego chuckled, "We're visiting the Feisingers Ka's und Weinstubn..."
"Wait, wait..." Ron protested, giving Rufus a look of mock betrayal, his voice sounding as if his very heart was breaking, "There's a whole tent dedicated to cheese, and you didn't tell me?"
"I think he planned on eating it all by his lonesome..." Shego chuckled, earning a hearty nod and chitter of agreement from Rufus, "But you'd have been invited, so it's all good..."
"I'd better have been." Ron pouted, the smile curling the corners of his mouth belying the expression.
"Well, I'll be damned..." a smooth tenor said from the doorway, somewhat startling Kim, Ron and Rufus. They jumped slightly, but their reaction paled in comparison to Shego's, who drew their attention back in whiplash inducing speed.
The older woman kipped to her feet as if she expected to be in combat in a second. But her expression was a what shocked the most: a mix of stunned disbelief, pain, guilt and, above all, sorrow washed across her face in an instant. "H-Harry?"
"Hey, you..." the older man said with a soft, caring smile. He stood well over a head higher than Shego, who stood exactly one hundred and eighty-two centimeters tall. He was well built, bulky but not huge; all in all, he looked more like an exceptionally muscular fencer. His skin was rather darkly tanned, with the red tint some Native Americans bore, and almost leathery in appearance. His salt and pepper hair was cut in a perfect, US Army regulation 'high 'n' tight' style, and he was clean shaven.
His face was a picture of strong jawed wisdom. He had high cheekbones, wide set, perpetually narrowed eyes surrounded by a mix of laugh lines and other, deeper wrinkles. His nose was quite prominent, proudly hooked and looked to have been broken more than once. His eyes were a coal black that almost demanded you look into them, but now sparkled with a flash of emotion almost identical to Shego's. "Long time, no see, girl..."
KP RS SG KP RS SG
"Doctor Director," Will called out as he all but stormed into the conference room in GJ Europe's headquarters, "We have a problem that requires your attention."
"I'm sorry, ladies and gentlemen," Betty said courteously to the French ambassador's liaison, Remmy Allard, in his native tongue, "If I may?"
"But of course, Madam Director." the well dressed man with sharp eyes commented easily, "Duty calls."
"Go get your duty done, Doctor Director." the American liaison between GJ Europe and the American Embassy to the European Union, Clarence Rockwaller, smiled in a natural, if worried manner.
"What's going on, Will?" Betty said as the doors closed, clicking her noise generator on and moving her lips out of synch with her voice, "Beta, Gulf, Sierra."
"Trouble, ma'am." Will grunted, pursing his lips, "That may require the services of Shego, and quite probably Miss Possible, as well..."
"Will," Betty said as sharply as she could in the code they were using, "She's on a vacation that's very well earned, and Shego's only contractua-…"
"Ma'am," Will said again, "I understand that but... There's a new villainess... It's one of Kimberly's teachers, and someone Shego knew quite well in college, one Professor Ariana Kempinski. She may have been coerced, but indications are otherwise..." He glanced at his wrist watch, a modification of Kim's wristwatch Kimmunicator, "It seems she, whoever coerced her into working for them, or whoever she hired, has stolen some chemicals that, when combined, could be a very, very deadly nerve agent. She's also GCU's best chemical researcher and organic chemistry teacher."
"Dammit..." Betty paused as they awaited the elevator, "Are there any assets we can bring in on this first?"
"Yes, ma'am." Will nodded, "Already on call and awaiting orders. Team Possible Beta, as we're calling them internally, is investigating over on GCU's campus. I have The Upperclassmen on standby..."
"The Upperclassmen?" Betty asked, brow crinkling.
"Sorry, ma'am." Will said with a light chagrin in his tone, "Professor Kempinski has somehow managed to get into Europe, specifically, Germany, without this coming to our attention until she delivered an ultimatum to GJ proper."
"Not the German government or the European Union, hmmm?" Betty considered for a moment, shaking her head lightly, "Of all the places Miss Possible could have gone..." She glanced at Will sidelong, pursing her lips, "Very well. Is Shego still hanging out with Team Possible Alpha?"
"Yes, ma'am." Will answered.
"Good." Betty nodded decisively, "I'd like you to get ahold of Kimberly and Shego as soon as we have any kind of solid evidence..." Betty paused, considering, "Scratch that, contact them within the next three hours, and let them know we may possibly need them for one mission. Just one, Will... And tell them that if they accept, they will receive a retainer, and if the mission is a go, that it will be a fully compensated mission."
"Ma'am?" Will said with a slight touch of worry, "Considering Miss Possible's reputatio-…"
"Lately, Ronald seems to have more say in decisions such as this," Betty cut him off with a surprisingly gentle smile, reminding him of a report they'd gone over earlier, "And besides which, she should have been paid for every freelance mission she did on our behalf anyway. Make sure she understands it is a standard compensation we at GJ prefer to offer everyone we ask for help, directly or indirectly. And considering that we're interrupting her vacation, we feel it best to offer it for asking..."
"That..." Will said, smirking slightly, "May work. Standard compensation for Shego?"
"Yes." Betty nodded firmly, "Just make sure you at least have Shego on this, but try to get both Shego and Team Possible, Will..."
"Affirmative, ma'am!" Will said with a salute, just as the doors opened into GJ Europe's central command floor...
Author's Notes
A dream, a conversation about music, a conversation between old friends cum enemies cum friends once again, a meeting with someone from Shego's past and trouble on the horizon... I wonder sometimes how someone like Kim Possible is sane, but, then again...
Anyway, not much more to say with the AN's, other than, as always, thanks to Neo the Saiyan Angel for her flow/feel beta work. As well, remember everyone, there's lots of fics out there so keep up the reading, and remember to review the fics ya like!