Chapter 20: "Complications"

The largest conference room in the headquarters of Global Justice could seat more or less thee hundred people. For this tumultuous occasion, there were a hundred more than usual, all equally demanding and angered as the rest of the people within the room. Two weeks after news had gotten out that Global Justice had made a controversial deal with the villainess Shego, Betty was finally forced to hold a press conference to explain their actions and also update the public about their fight against Balken Steel. Things weren't going too well apparently. Not only was the public in an uproar over the dangerous activities of the said at large criminal, they were also deeply angered that the most trusted crime fighting organization was not so trustworthy after all. As the director of Global Justice, Betty had to face and deal with these problems, but she had to admit that this was certainly giving her the worst migraine since she created the organization.

Cameras flashed and worsened her headache as she waited for the media to set up. She just wanted to get this over with. The whole mess revolving around Shego was just small fry compared to the gravity of the bigger picture of Balken Steel. Her reconnaissance team was working round the clock trying to locate the whereabouts of the cyborg and predict his next move. Progress was excruciatingly slow unfortunately. Balken Steel was quite the adept in hiding and concealing his plans. The only thing Betty was sure of was that the cyborg's plans were just going to get bigger, more elaborate and deadlier. They managed to limit the casualties in the radio tower incident, but it was a distinct future that more innocent people were going to die if they didn't apprehend Balken Steel soon.

Finally, a lithe and bespectacled man with graying brown hair nodded to her from his position next to the podium. At first sight, the plain looking man appeared to hold an unimportant position in the organization. In reality, he was the most trusted advisor of Betty and was her right-hand man. Greg Langston always looked unassuming be it at work or outside of it. This time around, he looked troubled as he beckoned for his boss to take to the podium and address the audience of government officials, military representatives, law enforcers and the media. Like Betty, none of them seemed particularly happy with the situation.

Clearing her throat, she spoke into the microphone in a strong and firm voice. "Good afternoon. As you have requested," she began. "We're here to answer some pressing questions."

"You mean you're here to answer to your crimes!" one government official angrily barked from his seat.

Betty stopped herself from sighing, knowing that it would just incite the man's anger. "You assume too quickly, sir," she calmly told the statesman. She and the rest of the audience knew that this man was one of the leaders of the conservative faction. "You should know better than to expect instant solutions and results."

"Perhaps it was right for me to expect that leaving this matter in your hands would prove to be fruitless," the man retorted, eyes blazing in anger. "The so-called greatest anti-crime organization can't even solve the puzzle of a mad cyborg! There's also the matter of how you've been making use of the funding allotted to your organization."

This time, a high-ranking military official stood up and voiced his complaints. "I suppose your motive of recruiting Kim Possible influenced your decision, but there were other ways to achieve that," he said, ignoring the bright flashes coming from the cameras aimed at his imposing figure. "Hiring an infamous criminal with an extensive criminal record was certainly not the right one," he said pointedly.

"General Weiss, you are implying that we did not weigh the possible solutions present to us at that time when Balken Steel made his first appearance," Betty replied evenly. Now was not the time for her to lose her temper. "I cannot deny that we do wish for Kim Possible to eventually join our ranks. She will be a great asset if that time comes. Other than that, most know that aside from my organization's efforts to battle crime, Kim Possible has met a lot of success in doing similar activities." She seriously looked at her audience. "If we had not taken precautions, Kim Possible would have most likely died in her first meeting with the cyborg."

"And you are implying that without Kim Possible, our society would be in worse condition when it comes to dealing with crime," General Weiss scoffed, glaring hard at the woman.

Betty returned the glare with an even stare. "I believe that there is truth to my words," she informed him and the rest of the audience. "Not unless, you all believe that the recent world threatening events were not solved with the help of Kim Possible."

"Threaten us all you like director!" the conservative leader snarled. "There is already a long list of charges held against you and your organization." He smirked and nodded his head at his cronies. "Shall I name them? There's bribery, misuse of government funding, overstepping the limits of your power by making ill decisions-"

"Senator Hartmann, we've been aware of these charges for quite some time now," Betty interrupted, ignoring the angry look on the man's face. She shrugged her shoulders. It was the truth anyway. Betty knew from the beginning that there were risks such as the ones presented to her when she made the decision to hire Shego to protect Kim Possible. "I don't think it would be in your best interests to imprison Shego and let Kim Possible fend for herself against Balken Steel."

General Weiss let out a huff. "Such affairs are not suited for a girl," he said. "There are others particularly in the military who are more suited to the job of dealing with this cyborg. They are certainly more experienced and are hardened veterans."

"Then why is it that all your so-hardened veterans have never seemed to be able to keep in step with Balken?" Betty asked, her only eye staring hard into the face of the general. "I recall reading reports that the few times your men were engaged in combat with the cyborg, they were either beaten soundly, completely wiped out or just left in the dust." She raised her hand to stop the senator from interrupting. "Miss Possible and Shego have had far better success compared to you and your so-called men."

"You lost your power to make decisions when official news of your crimes came out," the senator angrily said. "I would suggest that you and your organization pull out of the operations revolving around the cyborg and leave the rest to us. Of course, you still have to deal with the charges pressed on you."

Betty frowned. "Press charges then," she told them. "I have charges of my own to press once I gather enough information."

The smug smiles on both men's faces disappeared. "Empty threats won't help your case," Hartmann told the formidable woman.

"I would never make an empty threat," Betty calmly replied, beckoning at Greg who handed her a folder. "Thanks to Miss Possible, we were able to get a number of damning statements from Balken Steel." She flipped the folder open and pulled out the documents. "Of course, we had to look into his claims." She held the papers up for the men and the audience to see. "Shall I tell you or would you prefer that we discuss this in another meeting?"

"Go ahead and discuss it!" Hartmann banged his fist on the table. "Whatever it is in that folder should hardly put a dent on our plans."

Betty shrugged. "Very well then," she agreed. "Our investigators took a deeper look into the activities of MCO or Medicinal Cybernetics Organization." She looked up from the documents. "That would be the former employer of Balken Steel who was still known as Dr. Balken Wainwright."

"Anything that has to do with the cyborg is as mad is he is thus would be useless to discuss in this meeting," Hartmann barked, his eyes wild with anger.

"It's not exactly the cyborg or MCO we're going to be talking about," Betty said icily, she nodded at Greg who pointed a small remote control at the large screen in front of the room. The images of checks appeared on screen.

"I don't see the point of showing us these financial statements when it's clear that you've been misusing your funds, director," Hartmann sneered.

Betty shook her head. "If you care to look closely senator, these are checks that we've recovered from the bank."

"And so?"

Betty pointed at the name on the upper left corner of the check. "Does that name ring a bell?"

Hartmann laughed. "No, and why should it concern any of us?"

"You are a terribly slow man for a politician," Betty remarked then continued her speech before the senator could burst. "Geoffrey Douglas was and still is the president of MCO. As you can see from the checks enlarged on the screen, he has written checks in varying amounts not less than a hundred thousand dollars."

"I still don't see the point."

"To put it as simply as possible senator, we've traced the accounts where these checks have been deposited," Betty replied. "You could see that Mr. Douglas was cautious enough to utilize the pay to cash method. It was suspicious enough for us to investigate since so many large amount checks were issued in the same way." She eyed the senator and noticed that beads of sweat were forming on his face. "It took us forever to get clearance, but we've found out where all that money came from and to whom it went." She nodded again to Greg who presented the next set of images. "As you can see in these bank statements of MCO, it summarizes the main activity of the sale of a certain Dr. Wainwright's Silver Lifeblood. Just to remind our audience, MCO deemed that Dr. Wainwright's invention became rightfully theirs when the said doctor was arrested on the charges of embezzlement of the organization's funds."

"So they stole the invention and sold it. You should be making a case against them," Hartmann muttered.

"I can't help but wonder why you're being defensive senator," Betty mused. "In any case, MCO does hold part of the fault of this mad cyborg business. They've wrongfully taken the invention of one of their own and sold it for profit. It's now clear that the profit was shared by other persons."

"And who are these persons?" General Weiss asked.

Betty took a moment to flip through the documents in her hands. "We've gathered four names. A certain Jonathan Myers received two hundred-thirty thousand dollars."

"Unimportant," Hartmann claimed.

"There's also a certain Paul Watson who received exactly three hundred thousand dollars."

"I still don't see any connection."

Betty smiled. "And a certain account under the alias Henry Clarks. Among the checks we managed to acquire, his had the largest issued amount."

"What kind of amount is this?" Weiss questioned.

Again, Betty referred to her documents. "Seven hundred thousand dollars," she promptly answered.

Hartmann noisily tapped his fingers against the table. "You still haven't made any connection to the larger problem at hand."

"One shouldn't rush his or her explanations," Betty advised, ignoring the reproachful glare she got as a reply from the senator. "John Myers is a powerful businessman and leads one of the largest conglomerates in the country. It was only in the recent years that he showed interest in the medical field particularly that of Medicinal Cybernetics." She crossed her arms over her chest and continued to address her audience. "Paul Watson is apparently the owner and president of the bank Mr. Douglas and his organization used."

"File your damn cases against them woman!" Hartman huffed. "It will hardly help you in your current situation."

Betty furrowed her brows and glanced at the high ranking military man. Earlier he was smug and arrogant, but now he had a look of worry and suspicion on his face. "This Henry Clarks was by far the most difficult to track down. As I reported earlier, this is merely an alias. At first, we could only trace the name to a dead man, but upon further investigation, we were able to link this supposed man to you senator."

"Preposterous!" Hartman shouted. "You have no proof!"

"Well according to your genealogy, there was a Henry Clarks related to you. If I'm correct, he's your great-great uncle who also happened to be a politician at his time."

"Pure coincidence! You're obviously trying to establish a connection between MCO's mistakes and me! Yap all you like, but I will deny all your allegations!"

Betty grimly smiled and went to her trump card. "We managed to… persuade the bank to give us this Henry Clark's billing information and certain bank and credit card statements. The address of 54th Terabella Way, Fuego Park in Florida and a certain Rolls Royce Phantom sealed things for us. That Florida mansion is one of the several properties purchased and owned by you Senator Hartmann."

The elderly man blanched at first then turned into a dark plum color. "Y-You dare-"

"The said luxury car purchased with credit is also in your name," Betty brutally interrupted. "Need I go on to establish your so-called useless connection?"

Hartmann clenched his lips shut and got to his feet. He tried to make his way out of the room, but was stopped by security. "Let me out!" he shouted, trying to push his way through the burly men of Global Justice.

"I'm afraid we cannot do that," Betty replied. "At least not until we come to an agreement." She locked eyes with General Weiss.

The weary soldier pressed a hand against his aching head. "What do you want, director?"

"You will cease all plans or actions of taking Shego into custody and allow her to work with Kim Possible in apprehending Balken Steel." Betty jerked her head at the still plum-colored senator. "As much as we'd like to deal out justice to Senator Hartmann, his cronies and MCO, we'd rather have the federal courts take over while we focus on more important matters."

"You ask too much," Weiss pointed out.

"We ask for what is necessary. We could keep talking this out, which might last days or even weeks while our cyborg may strike again," Betty replied.

Weiss frowned and began to pace along the aisle. He kept doing this for a few minutes, muttering noiselessly to himself. Finally, he stopped and evenly gazed at Betty. "I shall inform the higher-ups about this, but you have our agreement and support," he reluctantly said.

Betty allowed herself to smile. "Very good. I hope our joint efforts will bring Balken Steel down."

It was a few days later when Betty personally gave the outcome of the meeting to Shego and Kim Possible. One look at the pair told her that they had suffered through a lot ever since Shego's identity was given away. Thanks to the modern marvel of the internet, the news had spread fast and the pair was experiencing much criticism and backlash. "The authorities shouldn't be able to meddle with our affairs," Betty told the bodyguard and charge who had hard faces. The director sighed. "I know this is difficult for the both of you with all the things people are saying, but you now have a duty to fulfill. Balken Steel must be stopped before more lives are lost."

"We know director," Kim wearily replied, which prompted the director to order her to sit on one of the chairs in her office. "Right now, there isn't much Shego and I can do without any leads on Balken Steel."

"The only time we get to tussle with him is when he shows up," Shego pointed out with disdain. "And he's managed to escape in all those encounters. We need a way to subdue him, a sure way to do it." As usual, the villainess was dressed in her black racing suit minus the shades and the skin tone changing patch. She did away with most of the disguise since people knew who she was after that incident with Monkey Fist.

"As of now, there is no certainty with the meager results we're getting from our reconnaissance team," Betty admitted, leaning against the edge of her table. "The medical and tech teams are working hard to find a way to destroy or extract the Silver Lifeblood in recipients without harming their lives, but it's been so far unsuccessful."

"Every time we manage to get around a corner, we run into a dead end," Kim said, trying her best not to complain. It was frustrating that they were hardly progressing, more so that aside from trying to stop Balken Steel from causing more trouble, Kim had to watch out for her own life. At least she had Shego as a safety. "At least the courts are getting somewhere," she bitterly mused. She had seen on the news that the federal courts were preparing for the trial of the decade indicting Senator Hartmann, several of his cronies and MCO of profiteering.

"I'd say things will look up, but with what's happening now, it's hard to be an optimist," Betty remarked, looking over at Shego. "Balken Steel's main motive was to tarnish the name of MCO. That's been done, but it seems that he's not going to stop any time soon. He's also still intent on getting rid of Kim. Having said that, I want you to stay with Kim at all times," she told Shego. "If Balken Steel shows up, the two of you together will have a better chance of facing him head-on."

"We've barely survived those times we faced him head-on," Shego muttered.

Betty sighed. "Kim, it might be for the best if you take a leave of absence from university," she suggested.

"What? But why?"

"Aside from all ceaseless chatter of people getting on your nerves, we have to take into consideration that the people around you may get hurt if the cyborg makes an appearance," the director explained. "It's safer this way… safer for you and for the people. Shego and you won't have to compromise each other's welfare if the other people factor is taken away."

"Home schooling for you then, pumpkin," Shego mused, poking her charge in the ribs for some fun. Unfortunately, Kim didn't see it as fun and merely glared at her protector. The villainess forced herself to not loudly sigh. She understood that Kim was under a lot of pressure, but she was trying to do something to lighten her up a bit. "Anything else that we need to know?"

Betty shook her head. "That's it for now," she replied. "I'll be sure to contact one of you if something useful comes up." She gestured for them to take their leave.

Shego led the way out of the office and into an elevator that would bring them to the underground parking lot of Global Justice headquarters. She would have started a conversation, but Kim didn't look like she was up to talking. The redhead's tight lips and furrowed eyebrows gave Shego warning enough to not try her luck. The elevator door slid open and they walked out into the parking lot. Taking the keys from her pocket, Shego pressed the unlock button as they made their way to a Porsche Boxter S Black edition car.

Kim finally decided to break the silence. "I still don't understand why we have to take your car," she muttered, opening the passenger side door and slipping inside.

Shego sighed as she got into the driver's seat and started the engine. "I thought you'd understand without me explaining it to you explicitly." She saw her lover frown hard. As gently as she could, she explained, "Look, the media and the public are looking all over for us. For you mostly," she amended. "You said so yourself that you don't want too much attention. If we drove around in your car, we'd be drawing attention to ourselves. If we used my motorcycle, which I prefer, we'd be out in the open."

"Since when did you have this car anyway?" Kim huffed. "You never mentioned owning one."

Shego shrugged. "I told you before, most of the things I own are bought with money I earned legitimately."

"Meaning you didn't steal it," Kim flatly said.

"Precisely," Shego replied, stopping herself from taking on a snarky tone. "The apartment we're staying at here in Go City is one of the few abodes that I own. I kept this car in one condominium in Miami. I do need some mode of transportation whenever I'm in the area." She drove them out of the building and wove through the city traffic.

"Where else do you have houses anyway?" Kim asked, feeling slightly curious.

"Aside from the apartment and condominium in Go City and Miami, there's a traditional Japanese house in Atami, Japan, and most recently a penthouse suite close to Knightsbridge, London." She couldn't help but chuckle upon mentioning her latest purchase. "I finally gave in to Enzo and decided to buy off one of his properties he never uses."

"He probably sold it to you dirt cheap," Kim accused, knowing that her lover and Enzo were best friends.

Shego chuckled as they pulled to a stop at an intersection. "Well, he did give me a big discount," she admitted.

"And why do you have a house in Japan?"

"It was a gift," Shego replied.

"From who and why?"

The villainess kept her eyes on the road as she began her explanation. "Back when I was still in the hero business, I was involved in a rescue mission. It was a solo mission since my brothers were elsewhere doing missions of their own. An international terrorist organization kidnapped two siblings, a brother and sister, who were the fourth and fifth in line to the throne. It was a complicated mission. It was hard enough locating the prince and princess then rescuing them, but it was also a pain in the ass getting them to safety." She remembered that for three succeeding nights while they were on the run, they were attacked by the terrorists. "The Imperial Family was grateful when I brought them back to the palace and as a reward they gave me the traditional Japanese house." She shrugged her shoulders. "I never really got the chance to use it though since I'm mostly operating in other countries."

Kim was impressed. "Didn't they claim back the house when you became a villain?"

Shego shook her head. "No. They were honor-bound so they didn't do it although their advisors warned me of committing crimes against the Imperial Family." They finally turned into her street, which was heavily guarded by agents of Global Justice. She also spotted several suspicious persons lurking around who she suspected were photographers and reporters. "Finally home," she sighed as the garage door closed behind them. "You should go ahead and call Go University. I'll go whip us something to eat while you're at it."

Kim nodded and headed up to the bedroom she shared with Shego. It took her more than half an hour of talking to the concerned people from the university, but in the end she got what she wanted. It was a hard decision since the semester wasn't over, but she ended up dropping all her subjects for that semester and taking a leave of absence. She'd be obviously delayed, but she wouldn't have any trouble going back to school… assuming she survived the current mess she was in.

"Kim? I made some sandwiches and brewed some coffee." Shego walked into the room and immediately saw the tense look on her girlfriend's face. "Your face is going to freeze if you keep doing that," she remarked, lightly flicking the younger woman's forehead.

The heroine scowled and slapped Shego's hand away. "It's not! That's just nonsense!" she retorted in annoyance.

Shego scowled as well, feeling her temper flaring. "Don't bite my head off," she scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest.

"You don't know what kind of pressure I'm going through!" Kim cried out, the dam of emotions finally bursting within her. "People are saying shit about me just because I have a villainess as a bodyguard, I've been placed under lock-and-key because of the threat to my life, I had to leave school and that damn cyborg is trying to kill me and kill other people!" She whirled around to face the wall, her shoulders trembling. "It's too much! I know I'm a hero, but I'm not superman! I'm not invincible… physically and emotionally."

Shego bit her lower lip and willed her temper to die down. It would do none of them any good if she got into a fight with Kim. She felt some pressure as well, but it didn't compare to the overwhelming pressure Kim was experiencing. It helped a bit that Shego was indifferent to the things people said about her. "You have to relax, princess," she gently told the younger woman.

"Easy for you to say," Kim muttered.

Shego sighed and walked over to Kim. Gathering her in her arms, she pressed her nose against Kim's luscious red mane of hair. "Seriously, you have to relax. Thinking about it is just going to wear you out," she murmured into Kim's ear. She felt Kim lean back into her chest. "The only thing you have to worry about is that cyborg. Don't even think about the so-called shit people are saying behind your back. They don't know any better and they don't deserve your time, effort and worry." She heard the barest of sniffles from her lover and tightened her hold on Kim. "What do you want me to do? It's easy enough to beat the crap out of those photographers, reporters and gossip columnists."

Kim swiped at her over bright and tearing eyes. "No… you shouldn't do that," she whispered. "You'll just get into more trouble when you're already in a lot of trouble."

"More trouble?" Shego smiled. "I'm a villainess. More trouble doesn't worry me at all."

"But it worries me," Kim retorted. "I don't want you to be taken to prison."

"Isn't it more like you don't want to be separated from me?"

Kim rammed her elbow into Shego's stomach. "You're an egotistical woman!" She whirled around and glared at her protector who was rubbing her pained stomach.

"Hey! I was just being honest!" Shego defended, grinning in spite of herself. "Besides, I feel the same way, princess."

Kim raised her eyebrows. "You do?"

"If I got into enough trouble and got sent to prison, I wouldn't be getting the daily sexy time I have with you," Shego drawled, winking suggestively at Kim who was already blushing furiously. "Speaking of sexy time, I'm afraid we're due for some." She skulked towards the redhead who was stepping back.

"I-I'm not in the right mood for this, Shego!" Kim stuttered, backing away some more.

Shego chuckled. "Since when have you ever been in the mood anyway, princess? In any case, I've always been able to get you in the mood." She lunged forward suddenly and wrapped her arms around the younger woman.

"Put me down!" Kim shouted as Shego slung her over her shoulder.

"As you wish." Shego turned towards the bed and threw her onto it. Before Kim could sit up, she got onto the bed and straddled her body, preventing any escape. "I was serious when I told you that you need to relax," she patiently told Kim. "Talking won't make you relax and I don't know any other way to make you stop worrying." She gave the redhead a lusty smile. "Besides, my way is more fun."

Kim gulped, but didn't resist when Shego leaned in to ravish her neck with kisses. "You're evil, Shego!"

Shego chuckled into Kim's neck, finding pleasure in the shuddering intakes of breath from Kim. "You're stating the obvious, princess," she murmured, smiling when Kim's wandering hands struggled with the zipper of her racing suit. Kim tended to act reluctant at the start, but she always ended up becoming eager to do the deed. Feeling smug, she couldn't help but tell herself that it was because she made the act of sex highly pleasurable. "I'm going to enjoy this house arrest so much," she muttered, undressing Kim hurriedly.

Kim gasped when Shego's lips latched onto a sensitive spot on her neck. "We are not going to have sex every time you get the urge!" she weakly protested.

"If we do, at least it'll keep your mind occupied and keep you in shape as well," Shego cheerfully replied, pressing her lover down onto the bed as she made her way down Kim's lithe body.

One week later…

"If it were up to me alone, I'd let someone else handle this," Betty remarked, her eyebrows tensely furrowed. "It's frustrating that I tend to feel so paranoid that this is just a diversion Balken Steel conjured up." She seriously gazed at Kim Possible with her good eye. "I'm not sure myself if this case is of dire importance." She took the report on her table and held it out to the young heroine.

Kim made a face when she saw the surveillance still-shots. "The Seniors?" She grimaced and handed over the report to an equally disdained Shego. "What are they up to this time?"

Betty shrugged. "We're not entirely sure. Our teams have been sending vague reports of their doings." She pulled open one of the drawers of her desk and brought out what looked to be an invitation. "Will Du managed to take this from some elite business tycoon who often consorts with the Seniors."

"A party invitation," Kim confirmed while Shego looked over her shoulder to have a look as well.

"Looks that way," Shego mused, squinting at the card. "It's not unusual especially since Junior is a party animal." She straightened her body and focused her attention on Betty. "Señor Senior allows it because it's supposedly a social networking opportunity for him and Junior."

Betty grimly smiled. "Of course you would know," she replied. "You were employed with the Seniors' for a time so what you say is trustworthy enough."

Kim frowned. "The venue is strange though," she said. "Isn't this a naval port?"

"Was a naval port," Betty corrected. "The government converted it to a trading port and cruise ships frequently dock there."

Shego rubbed her chin in thought. "So the party might be on a cruise ship," she guessed, knowing that Señor Senior owned a number of cruise ships.

Betty shook her head. "I've checked with reconnaissance and they've confirmed that none of Senior's ships are docked there. We're stumped in other words." She motioned for Kim to keep the stolen invitation. "Hold on to that, you're going to need it."

"We're infiltrating the party?" Kim asked, feeling a tinge of doubt forming in her head.

The director nodded. "It's the only way we could make sure that the motive of this party is… innocent."

Shego laughed. "Since when have their motives been innocent?"

Betty nodded her head in agreement. "You'll be posing as invited guests of the party. I'll leave it to you to decide on a disguise. Obviously, it'll have to be good enough to fool security and the hosts as well."

"Shouldn't be too hard," Shego replied in a bored voice. "I'll have to go back to using a skin tone altering patch though."

"Contact lenses and wigs might help too," Betty offered. "I believe Wade Load will provide you with the necessary equipment. You have until tomorrow afternoon to prepare. I'll make sure you have suitable transportation that will take you to the port." She walked them to her office door and bid them goodbye.

"So what are your plans?" Kim asked her protector as they walked through the busy hallways of Global Justice. "Like she said, we need to come up with a front and get into the Seniors' party."

Shego shrugged. "I was thinking we could pass as business partners," she replied.

Kim shot the older woman an incredulous look. "Are you serious?" she demanded. "That particular front is going to require a lot of details!"

"Details I can easily come up with," Shego patiently replied. "I need to make a few calls though and pull a couple of favors." They both got into her car and drove back to the apartment. "Why are you so worried? You know well enough that I'm skilled at this undercover business. You're skilled in that department as well."

"If we do go as business partners, Señor Senior would have to know what business we're involved in."

"Don't worry so much. I'll handle it," Shego assured the redhead. "Well, I'm hoping my mom will help," she admitted.

"Your mom?"

The villainess nodded. "I heard from her recently that she just recently funded a business that deals in detection systems, alarms and security. It's similar to the business mom runs though she's not active in it."

"We could use it as a front?" Kim asked, wondering if the owners would actually allow it.

"Most likely," Shego replied. "She mentioned once the last time I talked to her that the owner is looking into doing some potential business with the Seniors. Mom's a part owner so she'll probably be able to pull a few strings and keep our real motives a secret." They reached their apartment and headed inside. "I just have to give her a call. While I do that, why don't you call nerdlinger for the equipment and the disguises." She left Kim in the living room and walked upstairs to their bedroom.

"How exactly are we going to pretend that we represent that company? Won't Señor Senior be suspicious?" Kim called to her lover from the first floor.

Shego sighed and called back. "Let me iron out the rest of the details and stop worrying! You know as well as I that all it takes is to put some honey in your words and charm them enough to make them trust you!" Thankfully, Kim kept quiet after that and left Shego to make the necessary preparations before beginning their mission the following day.

The following night…

"This seems to be the drop-off point," Shego remarked from her seat in the hired limousine. Both she and Kim peered out of their windows and saw that very well-dressed men and women milled around underneath a lit tent that was guarded by Señor Senior's security team. "Sheesh! Even the men can compete as overdressed peacocks against the women here!" She waited as Kim gave last minute instructions to the driver then checked their disguises. While Kim hid her hair underneath a blonde wig, concealed her eyes with shades and wore a tight black dress, Shego was dressed smartly in an Italian suit and her skin tone changing patch gave her the look of a deeply tanned woman. The villainess' hair was also pulled up into a tight bun and she also wore glasses to complete the whole disguise.

"Bring out the invitation will you?" Kim gave one more look at their undercover driver then opened the door. She and Shego stepped out and confidently moved towards one of the men from security.

"Who?" the man asked.

Shego raised a disinterested eyebrow at the scowling man. "Logan Kane and Alex Kress," she promptly said. "Impregnable Systems," she added. She and Kim watched as the man scrutinized their invitation, their faces and the list he held in his hands. After a few moments, he stepped aside and gestured for them to join the guests milling around in the tent.

"Alex Kress?" Kim whispered to her lover as they mingled into the crowd. "How come you get to use one of your real names and I don't?"

Shego leaned over to whisper her reply into the disguised heroine's ear. "All your names are too conspicuous and my real name isn't too well known. Don't complain, it worked didn't it?"

"So your mom really did pull a few strings?"

Shego chuckled. "Very easily. She simply threatened the company that it's better to fake having us as their representatives for this party than be caught doing real business with known criminals."

"Also it's plus points that they're helping out Global Justice with this stint," Kim added.

"Exactly," Shego agreed, her eyes catching sight of Señor Senior and his son making their way towards them. "Heads up and let me do the talking."

"Pardon me, but I don't believe we've met before," the older man began, forcing himself not to frown when his son began to primp himself in front of the women. "May I have the pleasure of knowing your names?"

Shego smiled and held out her hand. "I'm Logan Kane Señor Senior and this is Alex Kress," she gestured at Kim who also held out her hand to the wealthy old man. "We're representing Impregnable Systems. I believe our boss Mr. Davidson mentioned us?"

"Ah why yes! He did mention that he'd be sending representatives since he cannot make it," Senior remarked with a shake of his head. "Such a shame that he isn't able to make it, but there now! Why should I be woeful when he has sent such lovely ladies in his stead?"

"Very, very lovely!" Junior added, flexing his muscles in an attempt to impress.

"Flirt later Junior," Senior chided his son. To the disguised Shego and Kim, he gestured at the refreshments table and said, "Please help yourselves to some cool drinks and appetizers. We shall be moving on to the main venue in a short while." With that, he dragged his son off to greet other guests.

"Main venue?" Kim murmured as she followed Shego to the makeshift bar.

"Quite suspicious," Shego replied, leaning against the bar. "I'll have a Guinness," she told the bartender. "What do you want?"

Kim frowned and was about to refuse, but decided to have a drink anyway. It would look suspicious if she didn't have anything when everyone else had a bottle or glass in their hand. "Midori and lemonade," she ordered and leaned against the bar as well to wait for their drinks. "Any idea what's this venue they're talking about?"

Shego shrugged and nodded her head in thanks to the bartender when he set their drinks in front of them. "As of the moment, I'm stumped. From what I can see, there aren't any seagoing vessels docked here that can take our lot out for a party." She drank from her beer glass and observed the crowd. "I haven't heard any of the other guests mentioning a transfer of venue so I'd guess that they're as clueless as we are."

"So the Seniors meant it to be a surprise?"

"Could be," Shego replied. She went on watching the party, waiting for the announcement of the transfer. She was just about to order her third beer when Senior finally addressed his guests. "If you may kindly position yourselves by the pier, we shall be heading to a better venue."

Kim raised her eyebrows at this and glanced at Shego who merely shrugged her shoulders. "There are no ships," she murmured to the older woman as they followed the guests out onto the dock. "Where are we supposed to be going any-" her breath caught in her throat when she saw the dark water bubble ferociously.

Shego grimaced, folding her arms over her chest as the guests exalted in what was happening before them. "That explains it," she muttered just as the familiar metal form of a submarine surfaced.

"Do you think this is the new venue Senior was talking about?" Kim asked, tilting her shades down so that she could get a better look at the submarine.

The villainess shook her head. "I have a feeling this is merely transport," Shego quietly replied. Doors at the side of the sub hissed open and a bridge extended towards the dock. "The Seniors always do things extravagantly so I doubt we'll be continuing this party in a submarine."

Kim frowned as the guests surged forward to board the vessel. "Wherever it's going to take us, it's undoubtedly somewhere underwater." She shook her head at Shego. "I don't like this," she softly told her lover. "A lot of things can go wrong in that situation unless you and I can breathe underwater."

Shego snorted at the dry joke. "Things are certainly more complicated now with the change of environment." She straightened her shoulders and offered her arm to Kim. It was soon their turn to cross the bridge and enter the submarine. "We'll just have to wing it, princess," she remarked with a wink. As the doors closed behind the last guests who boarded, the disguised Shego and Kim decided to lean against the cold metal wall side by side. The rest of the guests occupied the modest cushioned benches provided for the trip.

"To our honored guests," Senior's voice echoed loudly within the sub. "Please make yourselves comfortable for this short trip. We shall be at our destination in about ten minutes."

Kim furrowed her eyebrows, but decided to relax her stance. "Definitely on the seafloor," she murmured quietly to Shego who nodded her head in agreement. "Some sort of base?"

"Looks like it," Shego replied, watching the guests chatter excitedly. "The Seniors certainly have the wealth to finance such a place on the seafloor." She couldn't help but smile when Kim moved in closer to her side so that their arms were touching. "Getting nervous, princess?" she teased. "Or do you just miss the way I touch you?"

Kim rammed a sharp elbow into Shego's ribs and glared at her. "Stop teasing. People might think that we're suspicious."

"The two of us?" Shego asked, raising elegantly shaped eyebrows. "They're ogling already because my date is a woman," she pointed out, glancing over at the crowd of guests and easily catching several giving them strange looks. "We are after all standing next to each other in a rather intimate way." Feeling up for a little bit of mischief, Shego snaked one arm around Kim's waist and pulled her in even closer. "Don't worry about it. They can't expect all business-minded people to be straight. Think of it this as a front."

"Oh ladies!" A familiar and annoying high pitched voice called out to them.

"Oh no… not him," Kim muttered, but didn't try to pull away from Shego's hold as Junior waltzed over to them with a big grin on his face.

Shego chuckled and lovingly caressed the curve of Kim's waist with her hand, holding back a smile when Kim involuntarily shuddered at her touch. "Just let me do the talking, princess," she ordered, putting a smile on her face. "Hello again Señor Junior," Shego greeted politely.

As usual, the buff young heir flexed his muscles in greeting. "I look good, no?"

"Amazingly fit although you could do with a change of hairstyle," Shego replied, pushing her fake glasses up the bridge of her nose.

"Ouch!" Junior gave them a dramatic pained look. "But my hairstyle has always been in style!"

"It makes you look like an egg," the disguised Shego mercilessly retorted. "In any case, what can we do for you?"

Junior immediately dropped the pained act and gave them his most charming smile. "I saw that the two of you are unescorted and I'd like to offer both of my arms as service." Once more, he eagerly flexed his arms and raised his eyebrows suggestively at both women. "Perhaps after the party, we could… hang out Miss Kane and Miss Kress."

Shego sighed and decidedly felt bored with the way this was going. "Sorry, but I'm not interested."

"Well, how about you then Miss Kress?" Junior eyed the blonde. "I'm certain to give you a good time."

Shego sighed and pulled her disguised lover closer into her side. "She's not interested as well," she patiently explained to Junior who now had a baffled look on his face. "As you can probably see, she's taken." She didn't think Junior was dumb enough to not see her possessive hold on Kim. Thankfully the young man figured things out, but that didn't stop his advances. In fact, he seemed even more determined to acquire their company.

"Even better! Nothing is hotter than two beautiful women into each other!"

Shego rolled her eyes. Junior was almost drooling and she was starting to regret teaching the kid the villain trade. "Look Señor Junior, we're here for business despite this being a party. I doubt your father would find it appropriate if you choose to follow through with what you've been suggesting."

Junior stiffened. "He doesn't have to know…" he whined. Already, he looked dissuaded after his father was put into the conversation.

"He won't have to if you give up on this silly game of yours," Shego patiently explained. They all felt the submarine slow down. "Will you excuse us? It looks like we'll be disembarking soon." She curtly nodded at the forlorn-looking young man and led Kim towards the exit. "Annoying kid," Shego muttered loudly enough for Kim to hear.

Kim chuckled and tightened her hold on Shego's arm. "At least you were able to get rid of him without resorting to violence," she pointed out with amusement. "Who knew that you have some diplomacy in you?"

"Hey, I can be diplomatic whenever I want!" Shego retorted as the other guests joined them at the exit doors. "What do you think of me anyway? It's not like I always use violence to solve my problems!"

"Strange… it's been that way ever since we first became arch-nemeses," Kim thoughtfully said.

"Watch it, princess," Shego growled.

"Or what?"

Shego gave her girlfriend an evil smile. "Or this!" She let her hand drift down and once it got to its destination, she let her fingers partake of the nubile flesh of Kim's behind. The villainess bit back a laugh as Kim held back what sounded like a combination of a gasp and scream. For her bold action, Shego received a hard slap on her upper arm, which she didn't react to. "Get used to it, princess," Shego murmured into Kim's very red ear. "I'm allowed to touch you whenever and wherever I want!"

Kim glared up into Shego's face. "As long as it's not in public! Sheesh! Let me keep some of my dignity intact!" she complained just as the doors opened into a purely glass hallway. They followed the Seniors and the other guests down the brightly lit hallway and into large room with a glass dome ceiling. The room was large and luxurious being fully decked with expensive furniture and top of the line technology. As the guests scattered around the premises, humanoid robots skittered around offering food and refreshments.

"I still can't tell if this party has other motives," Shego muttered, taking a glass of wine from the tray offered by a robot. "I'm impressed though that the Seniors were able to finance such a place on the seafloor. They must have spent a fortune just on the glass alone and the air system… probably it's the type of system they use on submarines which converts seawater into oxygen."

Kim warily looked up at the transparent dome ceiling. "Still, I find it rather risky to build here on the seafloor. Underwater earthquakes, volcanoes and even the immense pressure at this depth can be considered a deathtrap!"

"Let's just hang around a bit longer and see where this will bring us," Shego patiently said.

Nearly twenty minutes later, Señor Senior's amplified voice echoed through the room. "I hope that all of you are enjoying yourselves," he told his guests. "As you may have already noticed or guessed, this is the newest business venture my son and I have come up with." He tapped his cane against the floor as high-powered lights split through the darkness of the ocean outside of the glass dome. "Land is increasingly becoming scarce and since it won't be for another decade or even more until our race can migrate beyond the reaches of outer space, we realized that we did not need to look beyond earth to look for more land." He gestured dome above him. "As you can see, the seafloor is practically free. My son and I believe that this is a potential real estate gold mine. We invited you honored guests so that you may be convinced to join us in this venture."

"Can this place withstand the forces of nature?" Someone from the crowd asked.

Señor Senior looked appalled upon hearing the question. "My dear man, we've taken every single precaution to prevent the destruction of this underwater abode. It can withstand the immense pressure caused by depth and we've made sure that we built this place where there are no faults or volcanoes." He smiled and raised his cane into the air. "It's practically indestructible! People would not want to go back to the surface when they realize how much safer it is down here."

Shego raised her hand in the air and waited for the old man to notice her. "People would still end up becoming reliant on those who dwell on the surface. Where would they get their food or say medication? There are many other things that will be needed if in case people do decide to live on the seafloor." She shrugged her shoulders and grabbed another glass of wine. "Besides, it's too cut off from civilization and people need the sun. I for one wouldn't want to be in the dark despite all the artificial lighting."

Other people began asking even more difficult questions, which the old man could not answer properly. "You'll have these self-sufficient servants, which will make your lives easier!" Señor Senior told his guests.

"Weak," Shego muttered as Kim giggled beside her.

"They're foolproof!" The old man proclaimed just as a clumsy guest stumbled forward and threw his full wine glass onto one of the humanoid robots. Things went wrong almost immediately. The robot sparked and seemed to short circuit as people backed away from it as fast as they could. If these robots were indeed just mere servants, it became apparent that they had another purpose when the broken one retracted its arms and replaced them with spiked maces. Its crimson eyes glowed like lava as it ran around uncontrollably, destroying anything in its path.

"It's alright! Everything is under control!" Senior yelled as his guests ran around like headless chickens. His son Junior was not doing any better because he was cowering underneath a table. "I knew I shouldn't have recycled those old security drones," he muttered, suddenly gasping when the berserk drone shot out a high-powered laser from its eyes and into the side of the thick glass dome. "Not a problem! The glass has to take a harder beating than that if it's going to crack-" he gulped as the drone switched back to its normal metal arms and grabbed hold of a marble statue that was perhaps a thousand pounds in weight. As sparks continued to fly off the drone, it heaved the statue at the still glowing red line on the side of the glass dome. The impact shattered the statue into pieces and it also created a fissure on the protective glass. "Oh no…" Senior moaned. "Why does every single new business venture I come up with go wrong?" He walked as fast as he could with his cane towards a control panel and hurriedly pressed several buttons. "Everyone back to the submarine!" he shouted just as the lights went out. A few seconds later, the lights came back on, but it was dimmer.

"The doors are out! They won't open!" Somebody shouted near the exit.

"We're on emergency power," Senior explained, checking his panel once more. "It's a safety measure just in case things like this happen."

"Trapping us on the seafloor is a safety measure?" A panicked guested barked.

Senior tried to remain calm. "If you will give me a few moments, I shall have the system back online and we shall all board the submarine to head back to the surface." As he said that, they heard a large cracking sound.

"Ummm… father…" Junior had his head sticking out from underneath the table and he was pointing a shaking finger at the glass wall. He and the rest of the guests all watched in terror as the fissure lengthened several feet in a span of a few seconds.

"It's going to give! We're going to die!" A woman screamed. Mass panic was quickly settling in. All the Seniors could do was to watch and let the panic wash over them as well.

"I swear, I told the two of you to think things through before you actually push through with them!"

Junior scrambled out from his hiding place upon hearing that familiar snarky voice. "Shego?" he called out, feeling a surge of hope rush through his body at the thought of his former mentor being present at the party. His eyes widened in confusion as the bespectacled and suited woman he was recently talking to walked up to him. "Uhhhh… who are you?" he asked, suddenly yelping out in pain as Logan Kane delivered a hard knock to the back of his head with her fist.

"How slow can you be, you empty-headed, muscle-bound freak!" Dropping all pretenses, the suited woman threw off her glasses, undid her hair and ripped off the skin-tone changing patch. Her skin immediately turned back to its normal greenish tinge and just to make sure that her former idiotic student wouldn't get it wrong, she allowed her hands to gather her trademark green-hued powers.

"Shego!" Both Junior and Senior chorused though the former said it more happily than the latter. "Why are you here? Have you come back to become my teach-" he yelped again in pain when the villainess shoved him aside.

"I have no intention of teaching you again, Junior!" Shego remarked with a scowl as she strode over to the cracking glass wall. The fissure was steadily lengthening and if she didn't do anything soon, water would start rushing in. "I also have no intention of dying here." Looking around, she saw a similar sculpture a few feet away but realized that it was made of industrial steel. "Keep everyone back, princess!" she called to the blond-haired Alex Kress who at that moment, reached up and took the wig off, freeing her mane of auburn hair.

Junior gasped once more in surprise. "Kim Possible! You're here too?" He looked back and forth between Shego and Kim Possible. "You came together?" he asked incredulously.

"And for what purpose?" Senior added, frowning deeply.

"Undercover work," Kim simply explained. "Global Justice was worried that this was going to turn out to be a crime since the both of you insist on the path of villainy." Taking a deep breath she shouted out orders to the still panicking guests, herding them as far away from the trouble area.

Shego stalked over to the steel sculpture and with a charged swipe of her hand, she sliced off a four foot long bar of steel. Quickly going back to the cracking glass, she pressed one end of the steel on one crack and with her free hand, she willed her power to melt the steel. She worked her way up the fissure, ignoring the sprinkle of water that was squeezing its way through. When she saw that she wouldn't be able to reach the upper part of the fissure, she turned and yelled an order to her former student. "Be helpful for once and give me a boost!" She waited as Junior scrambled over and squatted down before her. Tucking the disfigured steel bar underneath her arm, she jumped onto Junior's shoulder and kept her balance as the young man straightened to hill full height. "Just hold still," she muttered and continued her work. Once she finished fusing the steel against the cracked glass, she waited for a tense couple of minutes to see if her quick repair job would hold. With a relieved sigh, she jumped off Junior's shoulders and tossed the remains of the steel bar onto the floor.

"Everything okay?" Kim called from the other side of the room.

"For now," Shego replied. "We have to get out of here as soon as possible." The villainess glanced at Senior who was still frowning. "If you're not busy, could you get the power system back up?" she dryly said.

"I just need a few more minutes," Senior replied, turning his back to Shego and tapping rapidly on his panel.

Junior took the opportunity to approach Shego once more. "So… when you said that Alex Kress was taken," he slowly said, looking thoughtful. "Did you mean-"

Shego scowled and waved her hand at Junior in a bored manner. "We were disguised, Junior," she told him flatly. "We had to act in character to keep our cover."

"So… you were just pretending then?" Junior suspiciously asked.

Shego struggled to keep herself from punching him. For once, she wished that Junior would just be stupid at this moment. She didn't want to complicate things for Kim just because some rich and foolish heir happened to have good perspective on their situation. "Yes…" she replied, uninterested. "It was all an act…" she suddenly smirked and remembered how her former student was hitting on both she and Kim. "And to keep you from making any further moves on us."

Junior frowned, but decided to accept the explanation. "I forgot that you're the hired protection of Kim Possible. They've been mentioning it on the news a lot and making a big deal about it."

"They can talk all they want," Shego snapped. "Work is work!" Just then, the lights brightened and the guests cheered and let out sighs of relief with the return of the power system. "Finally, we can get out of here!" She strode over to Kim and crossed her arms over her chest. "We'll have to report to Betty that this mission was a dud," she said in annoyance, jerking her thumb at the Seniors. She and Kim followed the guests out of the newly opened doors and boarded the submarine.

It was past midnight when they arrived back at Shego's apartment. The submarine ride back to the surface has been uneventful and when they were all back on solid ground, she and Kim left the guests to natter at the Seniors for putting all of them in danger. Their driver left them at the front and whisked away, disappearing into the darkness. The automatic lighting in the apartment came on as Shego and her charge walked into the living room, both feeling tired from that night's events.

"Damn…" Shego muttered. "I'm beat!" She shrugged off her blazer and threw it onto the couch. She stripped out of the rest of her clothing until she was left in just a partially unbuttoned white long-sleeved shirt. She fell heavily onto her couch and leaned back with a grateful sigh. "Remind me never to take the Seniors seriously again," she called out to Kim who had gone into the bedroom to change.

"We ended up doing some good anyway, by rescuing the guests," Kim replied from the bedroom as she pulled on a pair of cotton shorts and a tank top. "And Junior did help out when you couldn't reach the higher part of the fissure on the glass."

"A stepping stool… that's all he's worth," Shego drawled, sitting up and pressed a button on the armrest panel. A holographic screen popped up before her. "I'm going to make and send a report to the director." She quickly summarized the mission in a paragraph then sent it. "If you have anything else to add, just send another report to her." Before she turned off the screen, she decided to check her email. She scanned through her inbox and started deleting the useless emails when she saw one particular email coming from Mego. The subject, which was the word 'urgent' was all in capital letters. Curious and a little confused with the suddenness of the email since her brother was not one to communicate with her through email, Shego opened the message and accessed the link. Emerald green orbs widened and burned with fury upon seeing the page before her. "That damn idiot!" Shego roared, getting to her feet and angrily destroying the coffee table with a burst of energy from her right hand.

"Shego? What's wrong?" Kim hurried out of the room and gasped at the smoking remains of the table. "Did you really have to do that?" she asked, walking over to her lover.

Shego threw up arms up in frustration and let out another roar. "You'd probably be doing something even more violent after you see that!" She angrily gestured at the holographic screen, which Kim looked at.

Shock immediately befell the redhead as she saw the top story of what looked to be a popular gossip blog. It was bad enough that there was a clear picture of her and Shego standing next to each other at the party of the Seniors without their disguises on since they had discarded to help keep the guests safe. The headline was what made her turn as pale as a sheet. "Forbidden Romance?" was what it said and there was a haphazardly drawn heart drawn around their faces in the picture with a broken line separating them.

"That stupid Junior couldn't keep his mouth shut!" Shego growled, banging the panel with her fist, which promptly made the holographic screen disappear.

"He's the one who did this?" Kim asked, feeling suddenly nauseous.

Shego grimly nodded her head. "He was asking me after we had revealed ourselves at the party if we were an item. It went along those lines in any case," she explained, pacing the floor. "I told him that it was all an act since we were undercover and that we just made it look like that we were an item so that he'd stop hitting on us."

"It's just a gossip blog…" Kim murmured. "People won't believe it that easily… right?" she hopefully asked her protector.

"You know better!" Shego snapped. "People thrive on gossip and even though there's no hard evidence that we're really a couple, people will keep asking questions and formulate their own answers."

"So the secret is truly out then," Kim quietly admitted, knowing that she would have to face the criticism and ridicule of the public. So much for being the perfect role model, she silently thought to herself.

Shego kicked at a scrap of smoking wood and crossed her arms over her chest. "Forget about what the damn public is going to say. They'll lash out when they find out that you're gay and dating your arch nemesis, but you and I have bigger things to worry about." Her emerald green eyes bore into Kim's jade green eyes.

"Balken Steel," Kim said with utmost seriousness on her face.

"Let people waste their time complaining about how their role model has fallen from grace while we tackle the real work," Shego darkly muttered. Slowly the dark look on her face faded. She padded across the floor to stand in front of Kim then gently cupped her face with her hand. "Don't let it get to you, princess," she softly told the redhead who was trying her best not to become distraught. "You can't please everyone, right?" She leaned down slightly and pressed her forehead against Kim's, trying to comfort her. "Besides, there's only one person you really need to please."

Kim locked eyes with the older woman before her. "And who is that?" she asked.

Shego's eyes twinkled mischievously. "Me," she arrogantly replied, closing the gap between them and giving her younger lover a passionate kiss.