I don't own these characters; Disney does. I do own Trin, Shin, and Tatsu. Ryuijin and Mirage are owned by YogurthFrost. This story is based on a concept and several pictures by YogurthFrost.
3.10: Melting
Shego watched as the few remaining enemies wisely retreated from the battlefield. Her opponent stuck around longer than the others, but eventually conceded the match and seemingly reluctantly fled. A frown marred the western ruler's face as she resisted the urge to follow and find out why on Earth she just fought someone with powers exactly like hers.
"Maybe we should follow. The drones aren't half as tough as the Bebes. We should be able to totally annihilate them," Shego considered, but a look around the combat zone told her that she was letting her emotions get the better of her. Her troops were battered and hurting. The drones that were a cake-walk for her were a serious threat to her forces. "Best chalk this up as a victory and get these guys the medical attention they deserve." It was not like destroying every synthodrone would do them any good, anyway. Junior could and would always have Drakken make more if he wanted to continue using them.
Sighing, Shego moved on to access the situation and her military. She quickly found out that while there were plenty of injuries, there were not many fatalities. The drones lacked the instant calculations and shared data files to deliver the killing blow upon first strike, unlike the Bebes.
"Why do you think Junior went with this switch?" Shadow Hand asked. "The drones were a huge step down from the Bebes."
"That they were, but Junior's an impatient man and the Rebels did succeed in blowing the Hive up. They must've done more damage than we thought and somehow Junior doesn't have the same number of Bebes he used to. Or he might be using the Bebes to get his house flying again because you know he's crying like a baby that we managed to knock his ass out of the sky. Either way, there's no way he'd let us go un-harassed for too long, though. He doesn't want us to get comfortable and he wouldn't know what to do with himself if he wasn't trying to wipe us off the face of the Earth," Shego answered.
Shadow Hand snorted. "Still, this was almost a waste of time."
Shego shook her head. "Not really. He weakened us by wounding and injuring plenty of our troops. He can always make more drones. Hell, they're easier to make than a Bebe. For all we know, this could've been a test and a bigger wave could be on its way. Maybe not now, but soon."
Shadow Hand nodded and looked up at the sky. He was suddenly gone and Shego knew he was going to scout to see if there was a second wave. She doubted there was, but there was no telling with Junior. He was always full of surprises that they did not want.
"Better start moving the wounded while we got the chance then," she decided.
The wounds that the drones had inflected were horrible and grotesque. They were the complete opposite of the wounds from Bebes, which tended to leave cleaner, more surgerical cuts. But, of course, a wound from a Bebe typically resulted in death, so everyone would prefer the drones to the Bebes any day.
"Any landing you can walk away from," Shego muttered as she watched several injured soldiers get up and walk off for medical service under their own power. "They'll heal and we will fight another day," she vowed.
-8-8-8-8-
Junior rubbed his chin as he studied the reports coming in about the battle. He had already called a retreat after finding out most of the drones had been destroyed. He had allowed several of the artificial beings to be outfitted with cameras to record their effort as well as Shego's response to the attack. The synthodrone army definitely required more work, but they were not a complete waste of movement.
"They will have to do until Doctor Porter gets the Hive situation under control. I suppose she will continue to be useful to me."
He sighed and resumed his work. He needed to do something about the drones because they were a clear advantage, but they had a glaring weakness. He needed a quick fix because the drones were fast to create and he could attack Shego again without giving her much breath in between. They needed to be able to do more damage, so they needed to last in a fight longer than one hit. He picked up his phone.
"Doctor Drakken," Junior said calmly.
"Yes?" the blue-skinned scientist replied.
"Have the two gotten in yet?"
"No, they're not here yet. I told you I'd call you as soon as they come in."
Junior growled, even though Drakken had said just that. He disliked the idea of Drakken correcting him in any manner, though. Drakken recognized his error for once and yelped.
"I mean, unless you'd rather just come here and wait," the mad scientist offered.
"No, I'll come when they arrive as I said the first time we had this discussion. What I do want is to know if you could somehow make the synthodrones tougher. Is there a way to keep them from melting?" Junior inquired.
"I haven't really looked into it. Until now, they served their purpose pretty well and didn't need to be tougher."
"Yes, well, it is a new day," Junior huffed. "Can you make if so they can survive more than one hit?"
"I'm sure I could, but the process would be more complicated and it would take longer. Wasn't the whole point of using the synthodrones because they were fast to produce?" Drakken asked in a confused tone.
"How much longer?"
"I'm not sure. I've never had to do it before."
"I heard you the first time. Give me answers, not repeats." The emperor growled, his irritation practically radiating through the phone.
Drakken snorted. "I don't know. I've never done it. I've never had to do it. The synthodrones don't work well as soldiers."
"You've used them as soldiers before?"
"A long time ago before I started working with you. No matter what, they've always had the problem that you're seeing. That's what they are."
"So, you're saying it can't be fixed?"
"I'm saying that it might take time."
Junior growled. "I don't have time. I want to attack Shego again as soon as possible. I want as many drones as possible and I want them to last more then one hit. Can you do this, Doctor?"
"You want two different things then. We could hit Shego as often as you want with thousands of synthodrones in the armor or we sit around trying to redesign the synthodrones and never be able to attack. All the drones are is the pile of goo they melt into."
"Can't you make them more like Tri-acid?" the Emperor asked.
"Adam is not a drone! He is way more sophisticated than a pile of goo! He was a million times more complicated to make!" Drakken objected, sounding thoroughly insulted. "The drones are drones. Simple as that."
"Doctor," Junior sighed impatiently. He had a feeling that he was stuck with weak drones and would have to bear with it for now. It would just be something else that he put on Hench's people when he could free more of them up for research projects. "Call me when the two come in." He disconnected the communication.
He went back to his reports and eventually decided that it did not matter that the drones could hardly take a hit. He could simply overwhelm Shego by attacking often and she would run out of useful troops. He could mix in some Bebes with the drones and if Drakken's pair worked out, he might be able to finally finish the war, especially if the rest of Drakken's little clone army came through.
"I will devour the final knight and rule this planet outright," Junior declared.
-8-8-8-8-
Kim frowned as she helped Tatsu load the Toltec onto a truck for transport. The Paladin was still offline and Kim could only hope that once the suit was back in the Basement then Wade and Tatsu would be able repair it. As the Paladin was placed flat in the truck, Kim patted it.
"I'm so sorry, Toltec. I promise you, I'll train harder and next time, we'll come out on top," Kim vowed.
"Fixing the Toltec is my top priority," Tatsu informed the redhead.
"Thanks."
Tatsu climbed in with the Toltec while Kim went off to see if anyone needed an extra set of hands. She ended up with Wade, helping him collect all of the armor scattered on the ground. Junior's troops had gathered as much as they could in their retreat, but left enough for Wade to be curious.
"Make sure to scan whatever you pick up because Junior always has cameras and bugs on everything," Wade warned her.
"No problem. What do you think Junior will do now that he's using synthodrones?" Kim asked curiously as she got work. She used her Kimmunicator to scan the first piece of armor debris by her.
"I don't know. Twenty years of fighting Junior and I still can't predict that psychopath. I do think we can expect larger forces. It's a lot easier to make a drone than a Bebe."
"Bad news for us then. Although, I think I'm more worried about that plane that came at the Toltec more than the drones. What if he has more of those?" she worried aloud.
"It was a plane that damaged the Toltec like that?" he asked, sounding partially incredulous and partially curious. She poked her head up from her task to see his face, but he had his back to her.
"Well, it started out as a plane, but transformed into a suit."
Wade made a curious noise. "Sounds like they're trying to one-up us. Was it just one plane?"
"Yup. One Plane, one suit."
"I'll look into it when we get home. Sounds like something we should be ready for, especially if it beat the Toltec."
"We could barely catch it to try to put a move on it and when we finally got it, the shield protecting it was more powerful than we could handle. Shut the whole system down. Poor Toltec. I should've done something different, something better. I could've done more," she insisted in a heavy tone.
"Don't be too hard on yourself, Kim. Sometimes just surviving the battle is enough. This is war, after all."
Kim only grunted as a response. Those were easy things to say, but they were not going to fix the Toltec. Those words were not going to stop Junior from trying to kill them or enslave them. Those words were not going to make the world a safer place to live.
"I appreciate the pep talk. Hard to believe you're the same guy that yelled at me for bringing Bonnie into the Basement," Kim said with a forced laugh.
Wade forced out a laugh, too. "Sorry about that. It's just that stuff is super top secret. If it ever got leaked, Junior would be able to destroy us."
"Don't be sorry. I didn't totally get it before, but I do now. I'll be a lot more careful about things in the future. I'm sorry I was so slow in truly understanding what's going on."
"It's not like it's your fault, though. But, let's just let bygones be bygones and pick up as much of this junk as we can."
Kim nodded in agreement and the pair worked silently gathering what they could for Wade to study later. A few hours past before Shego called for everyone to move out. Kim followed along and was eventually spotted by her friends as they returned to Isabella.
"Hey, Aunt Kim, you doing okay? I saw the Toltec go down," Ryujin said.
"I'm fine. The Toltec has seen better days," Kim sighed.
"Don't worry about your suit. Wade'll definitely fix that up and you'll be using it to get revenge in no time," Joss declared.
"It's not about just revenge, is it, Aunt Kim?" Ryujin asked.
"I don't really expect you to get it. You guys don't know the Toltec. He probably comes off as a just machine to you, but he's more than that. He's pretty much a person to me. He's got a personality and thoughts. He's my partner and I was supposed to be there for him. I wasn't, though, and my partner got injured because of that," Kim sighed dejectedly and shook her head.
"It'll be fine. Wade and Tatsu know what they're doing and the Toltec undoubtedly knows how dangerous war is," Shadow Eyes explained.
Kim did not dispute that, but she still felt guilty. She was not sure how, but she was going to make up for her failure. Silently, she vowed that the Toltec would never go down like that again. They would not lose again.
-8-8-8-8-
Wade and Tatsu got the Toltec back to their workshop and studied the Paladin visually before anything else. Wade leaned back as he observed the dents in the suit that Kim had not mentioned. His face scrunched up as he took in the dings. He reached out and touched one of the dents.
"Tatsu, stop me if I sound crazy, but doesn't this look like …?" he asked curiously, unable to finish his sentence because what he was thinking was too weird, even for them. It also frightened him just a little bit.
Tatsu squinted as she examined the suit. "It looks like Shego hit it, doesn't it?"
"That's what I thought. I'm not crazy am I?"
"No, unless I've gone blind while you've gone crazy. They look like Shego, but they don't look as powerful as something Shego would do and they're definitely smaller than her hands, but they definitely look like Shego."
"I'm going to call her and then we have to get footage of this whole mess. Hopefully, the Toltec was working in some capacity and it was recording because we need to know what the hell we're up against now."
Tatsu nodded and made her way to her computer. Wade got on his comm unit and got in touch with Shego, who was clearly still pissed with him, but also not taking any chances. He would take what he could get.
"What do you want, Load?" Shego sniffed.
"I need you to be a little professional and stop being upset with me. Me and Tatsu have a problem that you could help with," he replied with patience.
"I can help with?" She sounded beyond skeptical. "Where are you?"
"We're in the Basement." He heard the click that signaled Shego had hung up. He could only hope that she was on her way. He turned his attention to Tatsu. "I think she's coming."
"Good. I think I can get a picture here, but I'm not too sure."
Wade went over to her and helped out. They did not get too far in their search when they heard Shego at the door. The ruler actually did not have access to the room, but that was her decision. Tatsu went to let Shego in.
"All right, what do you need me for?" Shego demanded as she marched into the workshop.
"You have to see these marks," Tatsu replied while motioning to the Toltec.
Shego shrugged and went over to the suit. She inhaled sharply as she took in the sight of the dents. Wade looked up from the screen when he heard the noise escape their leader.
"I'm guessing you see what we see," Wade commented.
"I see more than that. I faced off with someone in armor that dared to have my goddamn powers and now I get to see there's more than one of these little bastards," Shego snarled.
"Wait, you faced off with one, too? Kim fought with one in the Toltec. What the fuck is Junior up to?" Wade wondered aloud.
"Beyond that, how the fuck did he get at least two people with my powers?" Shego huffed.
"Do you think Drakken made more Tri-Acids?" Wade considered.
The pale women shook her head. "No, Tri-Acid's plasma powers are really only plasma in name. He's more acid based than anything else. These hits and what I dealt with during the battle were definitely more my powers. They're not as powerful as my plasma, but it was just like my plasma."
"What do you think it is?" Wade asked while Tatsu went back to trying to recover data from the Toltec.
"No idea. I didn't see anything beyond the armor and the plasma. For all I know, it could've been a robot, a Bebe, a drone, something totally new, or God only know what," Shego replied.
"We don't need this," Wade sighed.
"No, we don't. Do you think Junior somehow got the comet that gave me and my bothers our powers?"
Wade shook his head, but his face was deeply troubled. "Do you think he's somehow using you brothers and getting all of the powers from them?"
"Maybe. We all have bits of the other powers in us, but that's not common knowledge. Hell, you're now the only person outside of my family that knows this bit of trivia. Yes, he has a butt-load of smart ass people, but smart enough to not only figure out that every member of Team Go has traces of the others powers and also figured out how to isolate my powers from the boys and put the power into other people? Not to mention, not using the other glows against us because he could destroy anytime he wanted if he had my brothers' powers and mine." Shego's face scrunched up.
"It does sound crazy when you put it that way, but what else is there?" Wade mused and then his eyes went wide. He hit himself in the forehead with his palm. "I can't believe I didn't think of this before and I'm married to Amy. What if they cloned you?"
Shego growled at the idea. "Fucking Drakken! That was like his wet dream when I worked for him."
"Where'd he get the DNA from if he did?" Wade pondered, putting his hand to his chin in contemplation. "I mean, this would make sense if it happened early in the war, but twenty years in? That's farfetched."
"Yeah, if Drakken could clone me, he definitely would've done it a long time ago," Shego agreed. "Hey, oh-silent-one, what are you working one? Trying to solve this mystery?"
Tatsu shook her head. "I'm trying to get a video of what Kim and the Toltec were fighting. Then you'll be able to compare it to what you fought. But, the Toltec seems completely offline. That shield might have done more than just force the Toltec to overload when they tried to overpower it. The shut down might in have been caused by the shield or something else on that other suit."
"I'll look for the video. You try to get the Toltec back up or at least get some of the systems going," Wade said while going to grab his laptop.
"Do you need me for this?" Shego asked curiously.
"Not really. We don't have anything beyond your confirmation that you could make those marks with your powers and at least two enemies, the one you faced and the one Kim fought, have powers like yours," Wade replied.
"But, they are weaker than my abilities," the pale woman pointed out.
"Right. If we find anything, we'll call you back," Wade informed her.
Shego nodded and she left the pair to their work. Wade and Tatsu worked quietly for a few minutes before they heard the door open. They poked their heads up to see Kim entering the room. The redhead went right to the Toltec and put her hand on the Paladin's shell.
"We're working on getting him back online, Kim," Wade assured her as he observed the heavy guilt-ridden look in those olive eyes. Dark circles and lines seemed to be making their home underneath her eyes.
"I know you are. I still feel like I should apologize to the Toltec. I should've done a better job as an operator," Kim said.
"You did your best. You know that and the Toltec knows that. Don't worry about it. I'll call you the second we have the Toltec back online. Of course, if the Toltec doesn't call you first," Wade assured her with a laugh.
Kim managed a smile. "I guess. I don't want to be in your way, so I'll leave you to it."
Wade nodded. Kim waved at the pair before taking her leave. She had to take a deep breath the second that she was out of the room. She would have liked to just stay with the Toltec, but she had another matter to settle.
-8-8-8-8-
Shego yawned and rubbed her eyes before focusing on the report in front of her. Her attention was drawn away from the work as she heard the door of the Dark Room open. Her mouth dropped open when she saw her guest.
"Kim," Shego could not manage another word.
"Hey, Shego. Is it a good time to talk?" Kim asked.
"Now's as good a time as any," Shego answered while moving papers out of the way.
Kim glanced around, taking in the sight of the other people milling about the area. She also looked at Shego's bodyguard, who was standing in the shadows behind the western ruler. She noticed that he tensed when her gaze fell on him.
"Think you can take a few moments off and we go get some hot chocolate?" Kim proposed with a hopeful smile.
Shego was certain that her heart skipped a beat. She almost fumbled her paperwork. She composed herself enough to climb out of her seat without falling on her face. She took a deep breath as she stood up.
"I know a place," the pale woman said in a low, calm tone.
Kim only nodded and followed the green-skinned monarch out of the room. They did not speak as they walked to a nearby cafe. A very jumpy waiter seated them immediately. His reaction to their presence was understandable. How often did one have the Savior and the Legend sitting in his section?
"I hope he doesn't spill the hot chocolate," Kim remarked with a laugh.
"I think we can forgive him if he does. This is huge," Shego said, motioning between the two of them.
"I'd love to say no big, but that'd be a huge lie, huh?"
"Super huge."
Kim chuckled a little more. They were quiet again, waiting for their drinks. It was as if they could not begin without the familiar beverage. They did not have to wait long, as their nervous waiter rushed back over. The cup chattered as his tray rocked because of his trembling arms. He quickly put the tray down on the table.
"Can I – Can I –" His teeth chattered together and he took deep breath to calm down. It did not help.
Shego smiled at him. "We're fine for now." He nodded and hurried away. She turned her attention to Kim as they both took their cups. "So, you want to talk?"
Kim blew on her chocolate and stared into the cup briefly before meeting the emerald eyes across from her. "I owe you an apology, first and foremost. I've been horrible to you without knowing all of the facts and judging you on a past that's long gone."
"It's not so long gone for you, though, Pumpkin. I don't really want your apologizes, though. I want for you to be okay. Are you okay?" A green-skinned hand moved, as if it was going to go across the table, but Shego stopped herself.
Kim sighed and then sipped her hot chocolate. "I think I'm still getting there. I sat down with your scrapbook and tried to let the memories just come to me. Some came through clear, but there's still some haze in my brain. I remember moving into my dorm and you taking me out for dinner to celebrate, but I don't really remember how we got that close. I remember you being a sub at my school, but I don't remember why you stopped. I vaguely remember you helping save the world, but I can't even remember from what."
Shego nodded. "Do you want me to tell you?"
"No. I want to remember on my own. I'm not going to fight it anymore and I'm not going to fight you anymore. Well, you know what I mean."
The older woman made a noise that was between a breath and a grunt. "So, we're friends again?"
A shy smile worked its way onto Kim's round face. "If you'll have me."
A bright smile flashed across the older woman's face. "Cupcake, the whole Obsidian Manor would kick my ass if I declined. You don't know what they've had to live with."
Kim's brow furrowed. "Why, Shego? Was I … Am I that important to you?"
The plasma-wielder smiled softly now. "I doubt you'll ever get how important you are to me."
"I'm more open to the idea than before. I'm more inclined to listen to you try to explain it, too."
"You've been my inspiration for the past twenty years. I don't know if you remember what you said to me before you got trapped, but you touched me. Your valor touched me. You sacrificed your life for me. You practically jumped in front of a bullet for me. You could've died. You could've died to save me. I had to do something."
Now Kim smiled softly. "I actually touched you? I never would've thought that since you never listened to me. You should've left Drakken a long time ago before things got that."
Shego laughed. "I should've known you'd hit me with an 'I told you so' as soon as you remembered that."
"Well, you should've left," the younger woman insisted, still smiling.
"I should've, but I worried about him and you see what happened when I leave the crazy bastard alone."
"I'm glad you had people by your side. I'll be by your side now," Kim vowed.
Shego smiled and then put her hand on the table again. She eased her hand toward Kim, but stopped as she realized what she was doing. Kim finished the motion, though, taking Shego's hand in hers.
"I know you don't want apologizes, but I'm really sorry for my behavior since I've been here," Kim said.
"It's okay. Really, I'm happy that you're okay," Shego lied.
The redhead laughed. "You've turned into a horrible liar! I pissed you off and I'm sorry about that. I didn't know what was going on and I judged you way wrong. But, I'm getting better."
"I can see that."
They were quiet for a few seconds. Shego decided to drink her beverage, which was getting cold. She did not care, especially since Kim looked so comfortable sitting across from her and holding her hand. Emerald eyes drifted toward their hands. Kim must have noticed where her eyes went.
"You know this feels really familiar. My memory is still shaky, but we were just friends, right, Shego?" Kim asked in a low tone.
Sorrow passed through Shego's eyes, but a small smile settled on her face. "Yeah, just friends. You were still very much into guys last I checked. Don't worry about that issue. That's my issue to worry about."
Kim nodded and Shego felt something blossom in her chest. Their current situation was not helping her issue, but she could not have been happier. I've got it bad and I know it'll just get worse and I could care less.
"Should you be getting back to work?" Kim asked as they finished their drinks.
Shego sighed. "I really should."
"Yeah, I figured as much. You're doing a good job, Shego. Keep it up."
The leader visibly preened as she nodded. Kim walked back to her office with her, but did not go in. Kim did make a sparring appointment with the pale woman. Shego could not help the smile on her face as she went back to work. She got so caught up in doing her job that she did not notice her bodyguard was missing.
-8-8-8-8-
Kim was on her way to check on Bonnie, but was waylaid not too far from the Dark Room. Shadow Hand stood in he path and she could just tell that he was glaring at her. She took that in stride.
"I didn't make things worse. I apologized to her and even remembered that we drank hot chocolate together. I remembered being her friend," Kim informed him.
"That's good. Maybe now she can get some work done," he grunted. "And you don't have to go around endangering the whole world by pissing her off."
Kim frowned. "Yeah, everything's better now."
"Okay, good," he said as if that was the end of the conversation, but he did not move to let Kim go on her way.
"Anything else?" she asked curiously because she sensed there was.
"Just be careful. Who knows how crazy Shego will go if something happened to you."
Kim nodded. "I get it."
"Good."
The redhead decided to go about her business. Shadow Hand did not say or do anything to stop her. She barely made it past him before she stopped and regarded him with a small smile.
"Thanks for everything. I'm here to talk whenever you're ready, Ron," she said and then quickly continued on her way. She heard him gasp when she was a few steps away.
-8-8-8-8-
Junior was at Drakken's lab, waiting. He frowned as he watched the pair he was there to see strip off their armor. Drakken was standing by his side, undoubtedly wanting to ask his own million and one questions. Junior just wanted to debrief them and ask some questions based on the footage that he had seen in regards to the battle.
"Kigo-one and Kigo-two, get over her," Drakken ordered as soon as the duo was out of their armor.
Two green-skinned girls bounded over. One was clearly a teen while the other appeared to be more in the range of eight, nine, but definitely no older than ten. Drakken had dubbed the older one "Kigo-one" and younger was "Kigo-two." Junior thought the names were stupid, but since they had won their first battle in the sense that they showed they could fight Shego and Kim, he decided Drakken could keep the names.
Kigo-one was Drakken's first creation in a long line of "kigos." She was slightly darker than the younger one; her tone had more of grass green coloring to pale skin. Her hair was long and dark red with black streaks, like a blood-colored tiger. She was built like a young Kim Possible, Junior had noted the first time he saw her. But, she frowned all the time, like Shego, or smirked in that same superior manner as Shego. She had a hard emerald gaze like Shego, too.
Kigo-two was rather different from the first. In fact, the only thing they had in common was long hair. But, the younger's mane matched Shego's hair, except for a tuft of fiery red at the front. She had emerald eyes, but there was something else there instead of the steely-like gaze of Junior's hated enemy. These eyes had an intense energy to them. It was almost like looking at Kim Possible, but then there was the pale face with the sickly green undertone to it that spoke of her link to Shego.
"I knew these clones would be the downfall of Shego. I could definitely make a better sidekick by blending Kim and Shego together," Drakken declared proudly as he puffed out his chest. "I'll bring her to her knees with them!"
Junior left Drakken to his illusion. While the scientist ranted to himself, Junior questioned the clones. He smiled; they might have the thing that would bring Shego down. They just needed more than One and Two. I've got your number now, bitch.
-8-8-8-8-
This is the end of the third array. Three down, two to go. The fourth array will be coming next week, same bat time, same bat channel, so don't go anywhere!
Special thanks to: Yogurth for letting me use his ideas and characters, LordofSparks (helped with much of the planning and outlining), and my betas williamsoft1 and mrTomC.