~o0o~
"Whatya think?" Kim asked.
They were both lying down shoulder to shoulder, looking out through a ventilation grill into a cavernous room shrouded in darkness. From what little they could see from their vantage point, the walls were carved stone with the occasional scaffolding along the edges for stability. Running across the roof in front of them were dozens of exposed wires, cables, and pipes of all shapes and sizes. The smooth metal floor far below was barely visible, lit only by the occasional blinking lights from various, unknown machines.
"Yeah, this was definitely designed by Drew," Shego said. "He always loved the natural stone look, even though it made the lairs a pain to heat."
"Think it's trapped?"
"Hard to say. He's never been one to use them, but then, he's hidden all this away for a reason."
"You could always call and ask?" Kim bumped her shoulder into Shego's.
"What? And ruin the surprise of finding out on our own. I hardly think so."
Kim grinned to herself in the dark, hearing the same excitement in Shego's voice as she herself was feeling. Pulling out her kimmunicator, she pressed connect, their small world lighting up as Wade's face came into view.
"What've we got, Wade?"
Shego heard the change of tone in Kim's voice as she went from her relaxed state to full on mission mode. It was a first for her. She had always been on the receiving end, never at the beginning.
"I'm not detecting any obvious sensors," Wade replied, his fingers a blur on his keyboard. "There's no motion detectors or thermal scanners, but..." His face frowned in annoyance. "I'm picking up something, I just can't work out what."
"Suits me," Shego said, an excited grin on her face.
Once again, Kim's laser lipstick made quick work of the bolts holding the grate in place, Shego lifting it out and placing it behind them in the conduit. Shego nimbly turned herself around and climbed out, holding onto the edge.
"Shego..."
"Hmm?"
"You know... um... be careful and such."
Shego looked up at the absurd comment. She was all ready to fire off a sarcastic reply when she caught the earnest look on Kim's face. To Shego's and Kim's surprise, she simply nodded, then she was gone, disappearing over the side and into the darkness.
Good one, Kim chastised herself. Telling the world's best thief to be careful. She peeked over, watching as Shego slowly descended into the blackness below.
Geez, Princess, never took you for a worrywart. Shego rolled her eyes as she worked her way down.
It was slow going for Shego. She was climbing down an almost pitch black wall, with only the occasional flare from her hands, her only form of help. Luckily, the wall was roughly cut, offering her many hand and foot holes, but it was still dangerous. Still, the harder the descent became, the more she loved it.
Bingo! Shego thought, finally low enough to see the silvery gleam of some sort of cabinet below. Tensing, she back-flipped off the wall and landed with barely a sound on top of the mystery appliance.
Standing there in the dark, the unknown all around her, she breathed in deeply, enjoying the heady excitement coursing through her.
Looking back up at the small pool of light from Kim's kimmunicator, she could see a worried face peeking over the edge, Kim's fiery-red hair cascading down. Grinning at the sight, she cupped her hands around her mouth and called out, "Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair."
She chuckled to herself as she watched Kim roll her eyes.
Kim couldn't help but smile at Shego's appropriate comment. She did in fact feel very like Rapunzel, locked away in her tower up here on the ledge, thanks to her injuries, waiting for Shego to find the lights. She watched as the will-o-the-wisp glow from the Shego's hands danced and leaped from machine to machine, Shego deftly making her way across the room, a small green glow in the cavernous dark.
~o0o~
Shego landed in a crouch on top of another mystery contraption, finally spotting the room's control panel. In the dim light from her glow, she looked at two large buttons, one red, one green, with a large lever in the down position next to them.
Geez, Drew, would it kill you to be creative for once?
Kicking off from the machine she was on, she landed feet first on the wall, her hand instantly throwing the switch as her legs bunched and pushed her back, where she alighted back on top of the unknown appliance. Ha! She stood there as the lights in the room slowly came on, followed by a grinding sound from the roof above.
Shego did not stop to think or look at what was happening above. She immediately dove to the side and behind another one of Drakken's crazy mechanical contrivances.
Kim silently cheered when the lights in the cavernous room began to warm up. Her cheer turned to alarm as she watched an enormous, silvery-grey robot drop from the ceiling.
With a resounding thud that shook the room, the robot slammed into the floor, dust rising around its four stumpy legs. Its upright cylindrical body was festooned with an array of weapons, all trained on a disappearing Shego. Lasers and gunfire exploded throughout the room as the droid rose to its feet, moving slowly towards Shego's hiding spot.
Kim's mind was working in overdrive as she identified their adversary. Mark-five defense drone, heavily armed and armored, but slow moving and perfect for guarding. Its weakness... above, below, and overload the shield.
Kim's eyes scanned the room in rapid time, and they fell upon the many cables and wires crisscrossing the ceiling. Oh gawd, Oh gawd, Oh gawd, this is going to hurt. She tensed her body in the ventilation duct.
"This is sooo going to hurt," she whispered.
Her legs exploding under her, Kim flew from the open duct and up into the mess of wires and pipes. Her trajectory was noticed, and the drone immediately stopped, and its upper body spun lighting quick as it fired. Bullets slammed into the ceiling behind her, and Kim felt herself peppered by the exploding rockface, but she was now hidden, safe within the cables and pipes.
She lay there for a second, blinking her eyes rapidly as she held back a groan from the throbbing agony her whole body had become. Gritting her teeth, she pushed herself up, and desperately looked for what she was after.
Shego moved out from behind her cover and fired off a quick but powerful plasma ball. She watched in annoyance as the projectile impacted against a forcefield, exploding and crackling harmlessly in the air. Her surprise was short-lived, however, and the drone swung around. Only her comet-powered reflexes saved her from the robot's return fire. Large caliber bullets slammed into the wall where she had just been standing, arcing up and over her temporary cover.
A mark-five! She now knew what her attacker was, her shot having afforded her a clear view. Slow moving, defensive, weaknesses... above, below, and up close. And programmed not to destroy, she deduced by its angle of fire.
"Keep it distracted," drifted down into the room from above.
Shego frowned at the implications. "I'm not your bloody sidekick," she yelled back as she dove to the side, firing off a quick plasma blast.
Yes! Kim thought happily, finally spotting the thickly insulated cable she was after. Hobbling painfully along a large pipe, she could hear the sounds of plasma blasts impacting on a forcefield followed by the impact of bullets and lasers on stone. If it was anyone else down there, I'd be so worried. Still, she could feel the concern building.
A quick glance down as she grasped the cable showed her that the fight had moved around the room, and Shego was using all the cover at her disposal to keep the robot distracted.
That's my girl, Kim thought. Wrapping her body around the cable, she raised her laser lipstick. This is sooo going to hurt! In the blink of an eye, she sliced through the far end of the high-voltage, electrical cable with her laser.
"Shego, catch me," Kim called out as she swung towards the drone. She could feel the strain in her shoulders, her fingers going numb, but she somehow tightened her grip, refusing to give into the pain. At the last possible instant, she let go, flinging herself into the void, trusting that Shego would be there. She heard the cable slap into the robot's forcefield, and the air behind her exploded with sparks from the contact.
Shit! "Kimmie!" Shego yelled, seeing Kim sailing through the air. She froze as her mind saw someone else. Her blood ran cold and her throat was suddenly dry. "Rachel...!?"
With a resounding crack that reverberated around the room, the robot's forcefield overloaded and disappeared. The cable came to rest against the robot's metallic hull. Electricity arced over the drone as it earthed itself through the disabled robot.
Shego, Kim pleaded as the solid steel floor rushed to meet her, no hope in sight. She closed her eyes and turned her head, awaiting the bone crushing impact.
Snapping out of her shock, Shego moved with super-human speed as she ran and leapt, intercepting Kim. She twisted them in midair, and they slammed into the ground. The breath was knocked from her body as Kim went limp in her arms. Somehow, she managed to keep her hold on Kim as they slid along the smooth floor.
Shego surged to her feet, Kim unconscious in her arms, and sprinted for cover. She spared a glance at the immobile robot, its weapons systems temporarily inactive. She gently laid Kim on the floor behind some large contraption and stepped back out, murder in her eyes. Hands ablaze with plasma, she hurled volley after volley at the defenseless droid, stepping back into cover as it exploded, razor sharp shards of metal flying throughout the room.
She sat down next to Kim and rested her back against the wall. Her hands shaking from the vision. "No!" She slammed a fist against the wall, the pain helping to clear and focus her mind. Looking down at Kim, she reached out and tenderly lifted Kim's head onto her lap.
"Geezus, Princess, you're such an... idiot, such a- a... fucking hero."
~o0o~
Kim slowly regained consciousness to a body that was throbbing in pain. She wanted to moan, groan, whimper, and complain, but it was all offset by the most wonderful feeling of fingers running through her hair. Lying there quietly with her eyes shut, she pushed the pain away and just enjoyed the gentle caresses.
Well, I'm alive and Shego's alive, so that means we won.
Eventually, Kim cracked one eye open. She could see that Shego was elsewhere, lost in her own thoughts. The frown on her face had Kim curious, but that could wait as Shego's hands continued to run through her hair. Closing her eye, she sighed imperceptibly, and went back to enjoying being looked after.
"I know you're awake." Shego's voice was distant, her hand pausing mid stroke.
Awww. Kim pouted as she opened her eyes and smiled, ignoring her aching body. "Hey! So we won?"
"Yeah, bad guys in bits and pieces."
"Yay, Team Us."
"Are you deliberately trying to give me a fucking heart attack?" Shego snapped.
Uh-oh. Kim's face blanched at the harsh words. "What's wrong?"
"What's wrong?" Shego exploded. "You hurl yourself out into the open without a care for the consequence." Her gaze focused on the wide-eyed Kim on her lap. "IF the robot hadn't been overloaded by the charge, you were completely defenseless. Relying on me to save you... when I couldn't."
This is more than about me, Kim realized, hearing the impassioned words. Has she tried to save someone in the past?
"Well?" Shego spat, her eyes alight with hidden emotions.
Whether I'm right or not, she's correct. I trusted her to be there, and it's all about trust. It's all so new between us, and I threw her in the deep end without a thought. Raising an aching arm, Kim gently rested her fingers on Shego's waste. "I'm sorry, Shego, it's my fault. I've been doing this for so long, that sometimes I just act without thinking."
Dropping her hand back to her stomach, she saw the clenched jaw loosen slightly. To her surprise and delight, the fingers in her hair resumed their gentle caressing.
"Not too bad on the Tarzan act, though," Shego muttered into the tense silence.
Thank you. Kim knew it was Shego's way of accepting her apology. "Yeah, thanks for the catch," she said gratefully, the symbolism hitting home. "Well, if I'm Tarzan, then that makes you Jane." She watched Shego snort at the comment.
On the edge of Kim's hearing, she heard Shego murmur, "You'll have to buy me a truckload of scotch before I'm parading around in a leather bikini for you."
Kim opened her mouth to playfully reply, but another wave of pain flooded through her. Blinking rapidly at the shooting pains, she grimaced. Gawd, will I ever get the chance to get better? Sighing deeply, she regretted it immediately as her body complained once again. She gave in and closed her eyes, simply lying there and enjoying the gentle caresses.
I should stop, Shego thought, very aware of her hand moving through Kim's silky hair. But, she had seen how much Kim had relaxed while she did so, and she knew Kim must be a large bundle of pain right now after her Tarzan act. That's why I'm not stopping, she rationalized.
Closing her eyes, Shego rested her head back against the wall. She knew Kim would say when she was better, so all she could do was wait. Her mind active, she mulled over the robot sentry. It's wrong, this isn't Drew's style. With an intellect that could figure out how to break into any structure on the planet, she began dissecting the problem.
"Hey," Kim said after a while, breaking the silence between the two of them.
Shego opened her eyes and looked down. "Feeling better?"
"A little."
Soon, Kim was on her feet with crutch in hand, her body continuing its complaints. Seeing the focused stare from Shego, she threw her an 'I'm okay' smile, which was promptly snorted at. Smiling at Shego's response, she followed her out into the center of the room.
Well now... they both thought, looking around for the first time with the lights on.
"Is this...?" Kim asked.
"Yeah."
"I thought... they were always destroyed?"
"So did I."
The two women stood surrounded by all of Doctor Drakken's past inventions. All the hits and misses, the successes and failures from his years of villainy.
"All this for a fucking trophy room," Shego said. Kim nodded her head in agreement.
Kim's eyes swept over the vast array of world conquering devices, remembering the missions associated with each diabolical contraption. Now, however, she found herself focusing on her interactions with Shego on each occasion.
Yeah, I enjoyed saving the world, but really, the best part was fighting her.
With a grin on her face, her gaze eventually stopped on the remains of the robot, now a smoking pile of debris on the floor. The smell of burnt metal and wires filled the air, and a cloud of noxious fumes rose into the ceiling from its remains. Many of Drakken's nearby machines were in pieces from the explosion, others sparking.
Kim eyed a few of the more unstable looking devices, a sense of worry blooming within. We just exploded a robot next to a bunch of super-weapons. I'm amazed nothing disastrous happened.
"Shego, I think we should leave." Kim looked at the weapons as if they were alive. "I'd hate to be around if any of these malfunctioned." She waved her hand at the damaged machines.
"Agreed, let's go."
Kim hobbled slowly towards the door, Shego at her side. Arriving at the control panel for the room, Shego stepped to the side.
"I thought you'd like the honor of opening the door to your well discovered room," Shego said, gesturing at the large green button.
"Why thank you." Kim grinned back and gave Shego a small curtsy, receiving a smirk in reply. Time for a well-deserved rest. She slapped her hand against the button.
Then...
A loud grinding sound from the roof above echoed around the room.
Both women reacted immediately, Shego wrapped an arm around Kim's waist as Kim took a firm grasp of Shego's shoulders. Shego launched them sideways where they ended up behind another one of Drakken's mystery contraptions. They both landed in a tangle of arms and legs, and Kim groaned from the rough maneuver. They felt the floor shake from the massive impact of whatever had dropped from the ceiling.
Kim quickly levered herself to her elbows and focused, shutting out the pain. A glance out from their hiding spot brought home their position.
Uh-oh, they're new?
Two metallic-black robots stood immobile before the slowly opening door. Each was easily twice the size of the previous one as they stood there impassively on their six stumpy legs. Kim could see their large upright cylindrical bodies were festooned with an array of sinister looking weapons.
Kim's eyes widened as the drones turned with blinding speed, their weapons opening fire. Her heart was beating fast as the wall behind where her head had been suddenly sported a three foot wide hole.
"Seems their programmed to avoid damaging Drew's toys," Shego said from next to Kim. With her hand on Kim's shoulder, she peeked around the corner to get a look, quickly pulling her head back as more bullets slammed into the wall behind them.
"Bigger," Shego muttered, shaking her head.
"Why so big?" Kim said, moving into a crouch.
"I'd guess for ammunition, power, and stability. Besides, when isn't bigger better?"
Kim shook her head, ignoring Shego's innuendo. "Last time I go on a date with you without my battlesuit."
"Aww, Cupcake, I do so love it when you dress up nice for me." Shego's hand gently squeezed Kim's shoulder.
"Only the best for you. They're not coming after us," she stated, hearing no signs of pursuit.
"No. Seems they're only here to stop us leaving."
Shego moved to the side, her fingers trailing off of Kim's shoulder. Sitting down, she grinned, a fire in her eyes.
"You have ta admit, Pumpkin, I sure know how to show you a good time."
With the excitement in Shego's face, coupled with her adrenalin surge, Kim grinned back, unable to stop herself.
"That you do. Can't wait to see what you have planned for dessert."
"Ohhh, Princess, it'll blow you away."
The room stank of melted plastic and metal, dozens of unknown devices could detonate at any moment, and they were pinned down by two death-dealing robots, but for each, there was no one and nowhere else they would rather be.
"Would they be using Drakken's standard optical sensors?"
"Sounds right, he was never one to change from a winning formula."
"So, cover first," Kim mused aloud. Shego nodded her head in agreement. "That pipe." Kim pointed at the dimly lit ceiling. "Blow it."
"Well, it's only our second date." Shego grinned at Kim. "But hey, if you're up for a ménage à trois, I'm game." She winked and, cocking a finger, she aimed the digit at the barely visible structure and unleashed her plasma.
Kim knew her cheeks must be red from the comment, but she was far too sore to really notice. She watched as the green bolt flew straight and true, impacting on the large pipe in question. There was a large detonation from the ceiling, immediately followed by steam pouring out of the ruptured conduit. The misty vapor flowed down from the rafters, filling the room.
"Good one, Kimmie."
"The signage said it was using underground springs. So it'll be full of minerals that'll help block the robots sensors."
Shego nodded her head. "Allowing us to go on the offensive."
There was a loud thud, followed by another and another, each getting closer.
Seems our friends have realized it as well, they both thought.
"You take left and I'll take right?" Kim said. The disbelieving look from Shego was fully expected. She rested a hand on Shego's arm. "Trust me," she smiled, squeezing the arm, "please?"
"I do trust you, it's just..." Shego said softly, showing a moment of weakness. She shook her head, clearing away whatever thoughts were troubling her. Finding Kim's eyes, she stared at her with an odd, indiscernible look on her face. Then, as a faint smile graced her lips, she nodded her head in agreement.
"Don't take too long, Princess." She moved into a crouch and threw Kim one of her half-smirk-half-smiles. "I'm wanting a shower sometime tonight." Before Kim could reply, Shego was gone, leaping to the side as she threw out a plasma bolt.
"Take too long? As if!" Kim muttered to herself, an excited grin on her face.
From her left, a volley of plasma balls came flying out of the gathering mist. She heard the distinct sound of them striking a forcefield, the tread of one of the robots changing direction as it headed off to handle Shego. Heart thudding in her chest, adrenalin surging, and her grin widening, she listened to the remaining robot as it slowly approached her position.
~o0o~
Now! Kim thought, activating her rocket shoes and zipping out of her hiding place. The large robot opened fire as it spun to follow, but she was away and safely behind another one of Drakken's machines. Safe from the slow moving drone, she brought out her kimmunicator and pressed connect.
"Hey, Kim, how goes the exploring?" Wade asked. He turned to look at his monitor, his eyes going wide at the disheveled face looking back at him.
"It's going great. Just a small issue with an upgraded Mark-five defense drone."
"On it." His fingers remained steady even as he watched the picture through the kimmunicator move violently, accompanied by the sounds of large caliber bullets striking too close to home.
Almost there, Kim thought, judging the thickness of the steam filling the room.
"Got it, Kim, the access panel is still under its central base."
"Spankin'." Kim turned her focus back to her pursuer. "All right, let's do this," she whispered, as much to herself as to Wade.
Kim activated her rocket shoes and flew out from behind her sanctuary. She smiled when no shots rang out, the heavy mineralized vapor concealing her movements. Zooming across the open floor, she quickly spotted what she was after. Bunching her aching legs, she leaped up as she tilted her shoes, the rockets carrying her into the air. She grasped the severed electrical cable with both hands, flying high into the air, her shoulders screaming in agony. As she reached the right height, she turned and twisted her body, aiming the cable at the vague outline of her target.
This'll be close. She gritted her teeth against the pain, the massive bulk of the robot approaching rapidly.
Kim's gaze narrowed as the drone coalesced out of the mist, its sensors picking up her approach. As its body turned and weapons came up, she let go and activated the afterburner on her shoes. She flew to the side and, behind her, she heard the satisfying thump of the cable hitting a forcefield. Sparks erupted as the high-voltage cable interacted with the shield.
Sooo going to hurt. She narrowed her gaze as her arc gave way to the ground rushing up to meet her.
Kim's aching and injured body was already strained to the max, and as she landed, her legs gave way beneath her. Tumbling awkwardly to the cold steel floor, she slid along it, unable to stop the cry of pain from escaping her lips. As her partially-controlled slide came to an end, she lay there breathing in ragged breaths as she held back the tears. Behind her, she could hear the sound of the robot's shield overloading.
Kim's vision started going dark in a body already pushed too far, and she clenched her jaw as she unsteadily rose to her knees. She lifted her gaze, seeing the outline of the robot - still active - turning in her direction. Instincts kicked in, and she activated her rocket shoes, shooting to the side as laser fire sprayed the ground where she had just been. With a loud whir and whine, the drone tracked and closed in on her, firing again. She watched as a spray of bullets slammed into the steel floor within inches of her outstretched arm.
Sprawled on the ground from her maneuver, Kim tried to get her feet, only to have her legs give out. She collapsed back to the floor, and looking down, she watched as dozens of tiny red targeting dots coalesced on her chest. There was no time to move, and with barely a thought, she closed her eyes and awaited the end.
~o0o~