Chapter 37: Second Guessing
"Is something bothering you, Shego?," Montgomery Fiske asked. "Perhaps you are having second thoughts about relocating. That last job we took, in Europe, paid very well for a minimal effort."
"No, Monty," Shego informed him. "That last job really convinced me that it was time to clear out. Senior Senior Senior didn't need us to steal that artwork. The old boy is thinking of getting back in the villainy game and he's trying to see what he can get away with. I don't want to be anywhere near him when he pushes the boundaries too far and gets squashed."
"Then what's bothering you?"
"I haven't heard from Drew," Shego admitted. She got up from her chair and walked to her safehouse's door. "We have covert, communications channels set up. Whoever he's working for has him on a very tight leash, otherwise he'd have sent me a message."
"Perhaps he doesn't have anything to report," Monty suggested.
"Drew doesn't work that way," Shego informed him. "Trust me, if he had any way of contacting me, he'd be talking about the food, the furnishings or something. At the very least, he'd be bragging about what he's doing."
"So now you're concerned for his safety once again," Monty commented.
"Exactly," Shego confirmed. She sighed and looked out over the valley. Her home was well thought out. It was far enough away from the city of Huehuetenango that casual passers-by were rare, yet close enough for convenient re-supply. It was located up a narrow draw, so they could observe any approaching vehicle traffic. Behind the house, the duo had scouted out three hidden routes, which they could use to escape if the house were raided. Higher up, in the mountains, they had established a cache of food, clothing and forged passports. They had already made contact with local smugglers, taking on work as enforcers and guards. The smugglers had also found some Mayan sites and Monty's expertise meant that they were making more money selling the artifacts. All in all, it looked like they could remain here, living well, for at least a couple of months.
If only Shego could quit worrying about Drakken.
"Have you made use of your…less than legal contacts, too locate him?" Monty asked.
"Of course!" She snapped. "These things take time and whoever has him is going out of his way to be secretive. Trying to get information out of Jack isn't any good. When you pay him to keep a secret, the secret is kept."
"Perhaps concentrating on Drakken himself isn't the answer," Monty suggested.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Shego snarled.
"Why did this mysterious benefactor want the man's services?" Monty asked.
"Because he's brilliant and unencumbered by anything resembling morals!" Shego yelled at her lover. "We've been through this before!"
"Indeed," Monty replied, unperturbed. "Would Drakken be the only such individual they would want?"
"What does that matter?" She yelled at him, tempted to fire up her hands.
"If Mr. Hench were to ask us to…acquire other such unscrupulous gentlemen, we may assume that they are being…employed by the same benefactor," Monty pointed out.
"So instead of trying to track down Drakken…" Shego finished, now much more calm. "We check on the whereabouts of other mad scientists."
"Exactly," Monty nodded. "After all, Mr. Lipsky couldn't have been a genius at every technical endeavor. Perhaps you could tell me where he was…intellectually lacking."
"Well," Shego mused. "He was great with electronics but not with mechanics. He also wasn't all that great at building structures that could withstand the stresses his inventions generated. He also had to track down that Megahenry guy for some special power transmission thing."
"Very well," Monty approved. "Perhaps you could let Mr. Hench know that we are adding 'scientist kidnapping' to our contact services." He frowned, "do you think our current employers will allow us to take such contract work?"
"Are you kidding?" Shego smiled at him. "It's a feather in their cap. If we can kidnap some laser scientist, or something, they'll be able to let their rivals know that we're on their payroll. It's an intimidation thing."
"Excellent my dear," Monty smiled back. "Now, assuming that we are hired to perform such a kidnapping, how will we follow our quarry?"
"I'll buy a tracking chip from Henchco," Shego replied. "Nothing simpler."
"Won't Mr. Hench see the possible link?" Monty asked, with a troubled expression.
"Jack's job is to not be curious," Shego assured him. "Trust me, he'll guess what we're up to but he won't say a word. Around the people I used to hang with, we had a saying: Three people can keep your secrets, as long as two of 'em are dead and the other one's Jack Hench."
"Very well," Monty looked thoughtful. "Now shall we look into another route to locating your former employer?"
"What could that be?" Shego asked.
"This mystery organization needed Lipsky's services," Monty recounted. "And they went to a great deal of expense to obtain them. Surely, there can't be many nefarious organizations that need his level of expertise and can afford the expenditures that they have incurred."
"In other words, find out who would both want him, and can afford him?" Shego asked, for confirmation.
"Indeed, my dear. It could go a long way toward 'narrowing the field,' you might say."
"Well," Shego leaned back against the wall, her chin caught between her thumb and forefinger. "First, it might not be just a criminal organization. There are a whole lot of legitimate corporations that have secretive research centers. They come up with something quick, dirty and dangerous, then reverse engineer it so that they can make it safe and legal." She snorted, "it could be a government, as well."
"So my suggestion isn't very useful?" Monty inquired.
"Are you kidding?" Shego shook her head. "It's a great idea! It just might take more work than you thought. Anyway, I've got a few hours to contact Hench and start my list of possible organizations. It's going to be an interesting night at the base tonight."
"Why is that?"
"One of the workers has been pocketing a little bit of the product and he thinks I've been too distracted to notice. In fact, he thinks that he's going to bag a certain green-skinned, dark-haired trophy before too much longer." Shego held up her right hand, contemplating the razor-sharp nails. "It's about time to make an example of the would-be loverboy and make sure everybody knows their place."
Kim launched herself upwards and backwards, springing with the assistance of her brothers. She performed a back flip and landed on the top of the pyramid, with one foot on Liz's shoulder and the other on Bonnie's. For a few moments she stood, arms up, while the squad shouted their 'Go Maddogs' chant. At the end of the chant, Kim sprang forward again, executing a front flip. The squad 'broke' the pyramid just like they had done during the pep rally, at the beginning of the year.
"Okay, take five," Kim told her squad. "We'll be working on the synchronized routines after the break."
Bonnie gave Kim an appraising look. Earlier, Bonnie and Kim had changed places, with Bonnie taking the top point. The brunette had stumbled when she landed on the top, forcing her to drop into a deep crouch too regain her balance. Only a few weeks ago, Bonnie hadn't been able to even land on the top slot. Whatever she was doing, she was clearly closing the gap in raw, athletic ability.
Kim frowned as Bonnie turned away and stretched. For the past two weeks, the tall brunette had become even snarkier, if that were possible. Yesterday, she had gotten so angry at Tim and Jim, accusing them of giving Kim more of a spring on the routines than they gave her, that Kim had been forced to physically separate them. Bonnie had screamed at Tara, accusing her of not standing steady enough as the pyramid's base. The lighthearted blonde had been reduced to tears. She had even ripped into Crystal and Ruth, claiming that Crystal couldn't make her big butt move quick enough to save her life and that Ruth was clearly too stupid to learn the routines and should go back to being the mascot. All in all, Bonnie was very close to being kicked off the squad and the rest of the girls were clearly upset. Cheerleading had gone from being fun to being a torturous drill, suffering for a possible reward.
The cheerleading squad wasn't Kim's only worry. The new drug, Pump, had made even more inroads into the tri-city area. In the three weeks since the rescue mission on the Arkansas River, Team Possible had dealt with four more overdose cases. There were also reports of the substance showing up in Go City and Mecerville. Wade had found out more about the drug. The young genius had arranged to brief her and Ron, tonight, in the privacy of the Possible residence.
If that wasn't enough, The Mathter was becoming more and more active. Without competition from Drakken, Dementor and Aviarius, and taking advantage of the unemployed henchmen, the number-obsessed villain was expanding his operations beyond Go City. Kim and Ron had tangled with the man three times in the last three weeks. So far, all he had done was attempt to steal technology but, according to Dr. Director, Global Justice thought that he would be making some sort of move, soon. Fortunately, the man had never shown much interest in taking over the world. He was still determined to make the world adopt his numeric system, in which pi was a finite integer.
At least the Thanksgiving Holiday had been enjoyable. Every time Kim got the chance to visit Nana, she realized just how much she missed her grandmother. Her 'rents had clearly been keeping the older woman updated on her eldest granddaughter's dating status. Kim had blushed furiously when her grandmother asked her when she could be expecting great grandchildren.
Kim had also spent hours talking with Joss. Where her younger cousin used to idolize first her, then Ron, she was now idolizing the two of them as both a couple and a team. While there were still lots of pictures of Ron on Joss's walls, there were now even more pictures of Kim and Ron together. Of course, the younger girl had managed to acquire a picture of Ron during his recent wardrobe malfunction. Tasteful blurring obscured Ron's…grin but Kim suspected that her cousin had an undistorted photo hidden somewhere in her room.
With the break over, Kim started her squad on the routines, once again. Fortunately for Kim's peace of mind, the squad executed the choreographed routines almost flawlessly. Even Bonnie couldn't find anything to complain about. Finally, Kim stopped the practice and talked to them for the last five minutes.
"Okay everybody," she opened. "We only have one more game to cheer, next week, before the holiday break. Now, this squad is great but we're starting to have some problems getting along with each other." Although Kim continued to look at everyone in the squad, she could see that Bonnie was tensed up.
"Now, we've worked together to form a championship level squad. No other squad is going to take us down. The only thing that's going to stop us is us. So we're not going to have any practices during the holiday break. I want everyone to keep in shape but more importantly, I want everyone to take some time and have fun. We're going to take a break, relax, and come back ready to go in the new year."
"So, what's your plan over the holidays?" Kim heard Bonnie asking Liz. Kim was rather surprised, as her tone seemed almost conversational.
"Oh, hanging with the fam," Kim's fellow redhead answered. "We've got cousins and such coming to visit. We'll probably do all of the kids stuff things." Liz visibly flinched, then, as courtesy demanded, she asked, "How about you?"
"Oh," Bonnie replied, in her theatrically nonchalant voice. "Junior has invited me to visit him on his island, it's in the Mediterranean you know, so I guess I'm going to spend a lot of time sunning on the beach." The brunette favored the entire squad with a very superior smile. "He's going to be sending his private jet to pick me up, so I guess you'll all see me when I leave."
A silent shudder rippled through the squad. Bonnie had been really pushing her rich boyfriend on everybody she knew, and a few people she didn't, for weeks. Kim just couldn't help but bite back a little.
"Just be careful where you swim," she advised her rival, with a wicked grin. "The last time Ron and I were there, the piranha hadn't been delivered yet, so he kept his Koi very hungry. If you get attacked by hungry Koi, the marks they leave might lead all of us to the wrong conclusion."
Bonnie scowled at the titter of suppressed giggles that sounded amongst the squad.
"At least I've got a boyfriend who has Koi ponds, and a private island, and a private jet," she snapped at Kim. "What do you have? Your boyfriend drives a second hand bike that he bought off of a crook! While I'm sunning on a tropical island, what are you going to be doing? You're probably going to be fighting some freak in some nasty swamp, then you'll wind up eating fast food and catching a movie at the mall!"
"Yeah, there's a pretty good chance I'll do that," Kim admitted. For some reason, the possibility didn't bother her one bit. "But if I have my way, Christmas day will be spent opening presents, singing carols and having a massive snowball fight out in the yard."
"So you'll spend the day cold and damp," Bonnie snorted.
"Most of the afternoon," Kim replied. "Then I'll cuddle up with Ron on the couch in front of a fire."
"And admire the Bueno Bucks he gives you," Bonnie finished for her.
"If that's what he gives me, then yes," Kim continued to smile, knowing that her refusal to argue was irritating her rival.
"K, for someone who's accomplished as much as you have, you really tend to settle."
With that, Bonnie oriented her nose firmly into the air and marched out of the gym.
"Well, I suspect someone's getting coal in their stocking come Christmas Morning," commented Cindy. She had just released the wrestling cheerleaders, from where they had been rehearsing at the other end of the gym, and approached too talk to Kim.
"I can only hope," the redhead muttered. "What brings you this way?"
"I'm playing my part in a grapevine," Cindy informed the redhead. At Kim's confused look, she continued, "You see, Mrs. Randall let Oscar borrow a horse and sleigh last year, at the beginning of the Christmas Break."
"If I remember right, that was your first date with Oscar," Kim commented.
"True," Cindy agreed. "After we took that little ride through the park, a lot of people became interested in renting the horse and sleigh. It turned out to be a marketing bonanza for her."
"It makes sense," Kim nodded. "It looked like a very romantic date."
"It was," Cindy confirmed. "Now, Mrs. Randall has a little problem. It seems that she fixed up a couple more sleighs, expecting quite a bit of demand this year, but the demand just hasn't materialized. So, being a smart woman, she asked Oscar if he'd like to take it out on a date again, next weekend."
"Trying for another marketing bonanza, I take it," Kim surmised. "What does that have to do with me?"
"Oscar thought that the double date thing would be great," Cindy informed him. "But he thought it might be kind of awkward for you, since it was Ron and Sue with us last year, rather than Ron and you."
"So he sent you to ask me, before he asked Ron?" Kim guessed.
"Exactly."
"It's not awkward for me at all," Kim informed her. Then, with her biggest smile of the day, informed her, "in fact, it looked like a lot of fun."
"It was," Cindy informed her. "Does next Saturday work for you?"
With a nod, Kim agreed. Next weekend was shaping up to be wonderful time. The Winter Formal was Friday night and now she had a romantic date scheduled for Saturday. She hoped that the briefing Wade had prepared wouldn't destroy the weekend before it started.
"I'm ahead of schedule, so you can just forget about shocking me again," Drakken whined at the personnel manager. "I'm doing my part!"
"Agreed," the pleasant man nodded. "However, I'm forced to wonder why you want to re-establish your power transmission network."
"I've been trying to take over the world since before you understood the concept," Drakken snapped back. "Now is the time to be indignant," he thought. "And push the fact that I actually have a moral or two."
"I've never managed it," Drakken continued. "But I can recognize it when someone's trying to do it. These machines you have me working on are capable, mass producible and have a limited operational life. That really smells like someone trying to take over the world, to me."
"Perhaps our benefactor is doing just that," the man replied, evasively. "You seemed to have a problem with this a few weeks ago."
"You showed me the error of my ways," Drakken grumbled, tapping the collar on his neck.
"Indeed," the man nodded again. "I can understand you playing your part but why are you helping us? This seems a little out of character and forces me to question your motivation."
"I'm not helping you take over the world," Drakken answered. The blue man knew that this was the vital point. If he failed to be convincing, the consequences could be lethal. If he was convincing, he might have a chance at pulling off his scheme. "I'm helping with the aftermath."
"What do you mean?" The personnel manager's gaze was intent.
"What happens to the populace once you take over the world?" Drakken asked. "You're going to inflict a great deal of damage to the world's infrastructure. That will leave an awful lot of people without utilities. Now, if you let me establish a power transmission network, you'll be able to distribute power to the populace, once you've seized control. Even if I'm forced to be part of this attack, I'll at least have made life a little easier for everybody afterwards."
"And what do we get out of it?" The man asked.
Drakken fought to keep the smile off of his face. "I've got you now."
"It depends upon what kind of world your, or our, benefactor wants to rule," Drakken replied, allowing just a little enthusiasm to slip into his tone. "If he wants to rule a starving, impoverished planet, it's up to him. On the other hand, if he want's to rule a productive, functioning society, he's going to have to start thinking about the 'after' before he executes his plan."
"I'll suggest this to him," the pleasant man murmured. "Now, what can you tell me about the problem with the machines' locomotion?"
"I've never claimed to be a mechanical genius!" Drakken snapped. "Look, I'm well ahead of schedule with the weaponry! I'm well ahead of schedule with the power distribution design, but I've never been good at converting electrical energy to kinetic energy!" Dr. Drakken fingered his collar; he didn't need to fake the anxiety in his voice.
"Perhaps this is true," the man mused. "I will take this up with my benefactor. You have done what we've asked. Fortunately for you, you've brought the matter to our attention before the schedule has become…stressed."
With that, the man turned and left the room. Drakken stared at the door he had passed through. "Such an ordinary looking door," the would-be tyrant mused. "But I now live in captivity on this side while freedom lies on the other side."
Drakken shook his head and went back to his research, hoping that his mysterious benefactor would take the bait he had just displayed.
"Okay Wade, what do you have?" Kim, comfortably ensconced in her couch, snuggled against her PF, felt ready to deal with whatever Wade had found out.
"The DEA has been coordinating the Tri-City area law enforcement's Pump research with the efforts in Go City and Mecerville," the young genius started. "And they've got some preliminary findings about the effects the drug has on the human body."
"It sounds like you're going to be putting out some serious science content," Ron interjected. "I'd like to remind you that this is another subject where I'm a gentleman's C student."
"Gotcha, Ron," Wade smiled, taking another drink from his ever-present slurpster. "I'll be using layman's terms."
"First of all," Wade started. "Pump seems to have effects similar to Meth and Ecstasy. The user initially experiences increased energy, decreased appetite, and a general feeling of optimism. With prolonged use, and we're talking a couple of weeks, the optimism becomes replaced with anxiety and aggression." The boy looked out of the television, his expression serious, "the experts don't think that the emotional effects, or the addiction, is accidental."
"I'm not understanding that, Wade," Kim admitted.
"Okay, with most…recreational drugs, addiction is caused as a side effect. The user becomes either physically or emotionally dependent upon the drug's effects."
"Kind of like a smoker who gets jittery without his nicotine?" Ron asked.
"Exactly," Wade agreed. "Bear in mine that tobacco doesn't inhibit the users ability to calm down. Instead, the user's body becomes dependent upon the…extra boost, if you will."
"How is Pump different?" Kim asked.
"There seem to be a clever, serotonin and dopamine inhibitor build into the drug," Wade responded. "The user initially experiences enhanced production but the inhibitors kick in over time. As a result, the user will begin to stop feeling a pleasant response and will become depressed and agitated. What's got the DEA freaked is that the damage isn't permanent."
"How is non-permanent effects a bad thing?" Ron asked.
"Someone went to a great deal of trouble to develop a drug that's both addictive and causes no permanent damage. It's like this drug is intended to get people hooked, make them cause problems, then allow them to rehab with minor effects. According to the DEA, this drug seems to be designed to addict people, cause them to create trouble, then allow them to be rehabilitated with almost no long-term health problems."
"We're missing something here," Kim stated. "It's something important but I just don't know what it is."
Bonnie Rockwaller walked through Middleton Park, glancing behind her every once in a while to make sure that she wasn't being followed. While the new snowfall had the park glistening, the efficient Park's Department had cleared off the sidewalks. Not far from Mankey's mural, she sat at a bench and waited. Before long, a figure in a bulky trenchcoat, with the collar pulled up, joined her on the bench.
"I believe you want to do some business," the figure told her. Bonnie wasn't an expert, but she knew a distorted voice when she heard one.
"Ben told me that I'd have to do business with someone else," Bonnie told the figure. "Why is this?"
"His two weeks were up," the figure's shoulders seemed to shrug under the coat. "Just my way of keeping ahead of…those who want to stop me."
"So, has the price changed?" Bonnie asked, reaching for her purse.
"Not at all," the figure replied. "But maybe you won't mind being on the better side of the cash flow, for a while."
"Are you saying you want me to deal?" Bonnie demanded.
"Why not?" The figure retorted. "Haven't you become a better cheerleader by using the…product?"
"Well, yes," Bonnie admitted.
"What harm has it caused you?"
"None, but if I'm caught dealing…"
"It's for two weeks," the figure told her. "After that, I move on to someone else. Nobody needs to get hurt and nobody gets caught."
"Just two weeks?" Bonnie asked.
"Just two weeks," the figure confirmed. "You're one of the most popular girls in the school, so you know who'll be interested in making use of the product. What you make is strictly up to you. Besides, for the next two weeks, you'll get you product wholesale." Bonnie could swear she heard a slight giggle.
"Okay, fine," Bonnie decided. "Two weeks!"
"Totally freaky," the figure responded. "Now, let's talk about your established…clientele and how you can expand."
A/N:
Thanks again for everybody who has taken the time to read this little story. While it still has a way to go, I'm finally seeing the ending. A special thanks to everyone who has taken the time to review and/or PM.
Thanks again to Joe Stoppinghem, for his invaluable beta services.
Until my next update, best wishes;
daccu65