Author's notes: God, this chapter has gone through nearly three complete revisions. I'm not completely happy with it, but anything read 15 times in a row has a tenancy to sound lackluster so who knows. This chapter didn't have a beta reader so be warned. If you'd be interested in beta reading, let me know.
Drop In Reality
Chapter 9: War is Hell
The full moon peaked from rolling cloud cover to stroke the earth with its tender caress. Its beams brushed over mellowed orange and yellow oak covered hills. The leaves swayed to and fro with a cool breeze. One leaf tumbled through the air only to stop midway. A silver shimmer amidst the last threads of moonlight revealed the cause. In its wake stood a lithe feminine figure in green.
An annoyed eye turned towards the errant head dress seated proudly above. A stray swat sent it to continue its path elsewhere. Long dark locks of hair swished as the pale green beauty dashed from one tree to the next.
With a sigh, she squatted against an especially large bolder. Unclipping her leg-pouch, she removed a plain envelope. A glow grew on the tip of her index finger. Lightly, it traced the edges of the seal. As the finger moved an acidic scent wafted past, dissipating with the breeze. When she finished, the adhesive released to reveal its contents. Placing the envelope to the side, she pulled out a single photo of a skinny man standing upright in an army uniform, several metals attached to his chest with a major general's insignia pinned to his collar. She studied his no-nonsense expression, standing with his hands behind his back, staring down at something outside the camera's view.
Flipping the photo over displayed a single word in neat script.
'Kill'
"Wonderful, dropped in the middle of nowhere to assassinate an asshole in the army. Sounds like a blast," Shego whispered as green flames incinerated the picture.
Shego ducked as an explosion rocked the hillside.
She carefully peeked from behind the bolder to find a nightmare. Past the crest of the hill, all signs of nature ceased. In its place, the earth had been beaten and ground to a muddy paste for as far as the eye could see. Large swathes of barbed wire and pond sized holes dotted the hillside and beyond.
Noises from below drew Shego's attention to the first of three long channels separated by several hundred meters apiece, each zigzagged across the terrain from one horizon to the next. In the closest, she spotted the cause of the noise. Green uniformed men scuttled back and forth hefting various boxes.
Her eyes lifted beyond the busy works further down to the wasteland of a hill. Squinting, she spotted three additional trenches just past the base snaking their way nearly parallel to the ones she sat near.
"What have I gotten myself into this time?" the woman mumbled, ducking behind her sant protection. A shell appeared, slamming well short of her position though she eyed it cautiously.
"I'd best find out quickly," she mumbled, her features dissolved from view. Not a sound escaped as Shego navigated through the underbrush. Pausing every few moments, her eyes warily examining the air and surroundings. The process repeated until she edged to the cusp of the first glorified gully.
"Schnell mache! Schnell!" screamed a tall gaunt man as a black cross medal at his chest swung in time with his screams. He kicked out at a soldier staggering half asleep in the night. he jumped, throwing a quick salute before moving away at a quick trot.
Shego watched, her head tilted as she observed the leader sniff in distaste before he moved from view.
"Schwachsinnige." She made out before a door closed him away from the world.
Shego tapped her chin, head tilted, her attention far away. A smile tugged at her lips as her fingers made the motion of snap sans noise.
'German,' She thought, concentrating on that one thought and that thought alone. Idly, her left finger tapped at the back of her skull. The white wash of gibberish background noise blended, becoming a single chaotic jumble. In her mind, the jumble congealed, pressing in against her. It grew in waves as it weaved its way through every arch and crevasse of her mind. She shivered, strained on that single word.
Like ears popping on an airplane, the pressure vanished. She gasped, beads of sweat trailing down her brow. When she turned her attention outward, very different voices trickled to her ears.
"What has the Captain in such a foul mood?" Her head swiveled to watch two men talking in hushed voices. No medals adorned their fatigues, simple privates. She smiled; she now knew German.
"It sounds like the front spotted a lot of activity on the other side. They're thinking it's another raid."
"Again? I heard they hit the line a couple of miles south just a few days ago."
"Yeah, Intelligence has it that they are trying to push our lines back. Idiots if you ask me. For everyone they steal from us, they lose hundreds in such stunts. But if they want to waste their lives…"
"True, but they still get ahold of a lot of supplies before we can force them back."
His companion frowned in thought, looking out towards the other side. "This time, we will be ready for them, yes?"
His companion sighed, looking back up their hill stronghold. "I do not like that we have to use such things."
There was a gruff snort in response. "This is war, boy. Every single one of them is out for your blood. Anything we have that can kill them without risk, saves our fellow countrymen's lives. That is what we are here for."
"But what if the wind…" The man stopped as elder shook his head.
"You've been through the drills. You know what to do. Keep your equipment ready and stick with me."
The young man gave a hesitant nod, clutching his pack.
The two drifted out of earshot.
Shego peered them her perch, one hand laying against her stomach as she stifled a heave, her head pounding. 'Damn useful ability, but god the headaches.'
'Wait, German?' Shego pulled the image to mind before her eyes drifted to the trench. 'Ooooh no.' Her eyes widened as they swept further, over the other trenches and further still to several hundred meters of bare and exposed muddied earth littered with barbed wire, pits and a constant barrage of shelling and gunfire. Finally, it fell to the far distant trenches opposed to her own.
'Damn'
She crouched, vantage unobstructed, to catalog the various soldiers, their hurried efforts along with the surrounding terrain. To either side, the trench split periodically to small narrow pathways leading further down the hill, its sides framed in sandbags.
'Seems everyone expects this raid to happen tonight.' Shego thought as ten men rushed past with red drums. She shook her head, 'I'd like to see what all they're up to, but time's short. They have their problems and if I'm lucky, they'll make for a great distraction.'
She eyed the machine gun nests and large artillery that seemed to go off non-stop nearly a mile away. She watched the shells sore into the air. Many hit the opposing trenches, but far too many landed directly in no mans land. 'Great, rubber bullets are one thing, but 30 calibers at 10 a second, much less a full-on shell? Not liking my odds.'
Her stomach settled, she hopped across the ravine, quietly dashing the several hundred meters to the next trench. She squatted by a machinegun emplacement. Two tired men manned the post, none the wiser to her presence. Activity in the second trench seemed subdued, men lay with their backs to the dirt and sandbags, some with wild eyes that flinched at each explosion.
'Shellshock.' Shego thought, leaping over them to sprint to a small inset path that connected the two primary trenches. She could see some men from behind her hurrying forward while other half-starved men trekked back.
'Makes sense,' she thought, 'Need to rotate troops.' She thought as she jumped near the top, held in place like a spider to the sides, allowing the two parties to pass by underneath.
She made it to the last trench to discover walls crumbled, a handful of men covertly digging them back into shape.
Here she paused, standing to look down past the end of the hill to one far smaller where the trench lay. 'Poor bastards must have shown up late and got stuck with the low ground.'
She spotted an adventurous soldier approach an offshoot from the final trench, delving further into no mans land. Following after, Shego watched him run on hands and knees all the way down. When he reached the end, he carefully raised his head to a small slit in a heavy steel barricade. He looked through this, examining the other side of the line. A rickashay caused the man to drop, the shrapnel buzzing his head.
Shego raised a brow, looking across the gap, no signs of the sharp shooter evident.
'They've got some good people.'
Ignoring the man as he scampered by her back to safety. She took her turn at the metal cover, augmenting her normal vision in a limited version of binoculars. She frowned. Her brief overview from above had spotted the barbed wire, but the shear amount scattered about seemed overkill. The ammunition strewn muddied ground did little for her developing strategy. God, a simple misstep and boom. No more Shego.
This wouldn't be a simple stroll through landmine infested terrain. No, she would have to find a safe path. A nearby shell strike raised her attention. 'That and some kind of diversion. There is way too much action right now.'
'Wait.' Shego squinted. There was a faint glow just across the channel. She made out soldiers jostled along the far trench. 'Hmmm, maybe the distraction will come to me? Still, why would they bunch up like that?' She glanced back spotting twenty machine gun nests in either direction. 'Are they suicidal or just dumb?'
CRACABOOOOOOOM
White
Buzz
Shego coughed as colors swirled amidst a cacophony of static. Ever so slowly images stitched themselves together. She blinked as she found herself laid out flat against the metal shield. She gawked as the entire trench just a few meters behind had vanished, in its place a large hole radiated 20 meters extending just shy of her. Groans filled the air; hundreds lay dead or dying. At last, she realized she was surrounded by green.
'Damn it!' The shield shimmered and vanished, thankfully unremarkable amidst the dust cloud that suffused the area.
Slowly, voices drifted past the dull buzz in her ears.
"Enemies!"
Several of the men jogged up to her trench, pointing straight at her. Shego cursed before realizing they were pointing a little higher. She glanced back to find men hurtling over the edge of their side, thousands straight at her.
'Damn it.'
More Germans pooled, blocking her exit.
"Damn it, damn it, damn it" She whispered as she leapt over the edge, sprinting parallel to both armies. 'Got to get away from that or I'm a dead woman.' She hit the ground as a barrage of explosions flung mud all around.
Coughing, she chanced a quick glance. 'I said diversion, not storming the fricken castle while I was in it!'
'Wait, they're going around this section, trying to circle to the second trench. I can use this.' She looked back to no man's land, verifying that the ordnance focused on the push coming up the long hill, nowhere near her.
'Now or never!' With a deep breath, Shego exploded a dozen feet into the air, well over the barbed wire lined trench. Her feet touched the ground at a dead sprint, mud slurping with every step.
A grin spread as she made several dozen meters, dropping next to the first set of barbed wire. 'This may be easier than I thought,'
Her index finger lit up a brilliant emerald. A single touch and the wire hissed, turning into slag. The other hand sprang up as the ends snapped to either side. Torch at the ready, Shego made for the next segment only to pause. Over the dull roar of fighting was a persistent whistle. She hit the deck, and her world exploded for the second time in as many minutes.
She awoke to the returned buzzing, her vision warbled as her head lifted unsteadily. 'Again?!' '
She shook her head, the vertigo slowly disappeared, resolving to a dull roar. She opened her eyes to find herself enclosed.
'Where am I?' Shego thought. Placing a hand down, she found it to be far more giving than the half-dried mud above. Looking down, she found a half-burned corpse of a man staring back. 'Damn, got to be careful with the shield.' She shook her head, clenching her teeth, taking a step away. She looked up to find a hole a few feet above her.
"I fell..." She looked down at the man and then back up to the hole.
She lifted herself up only stopping as a strong scent surrounded her in a wave. 'Wait, why do I smell a swimming pool?' She coughed, then again trying to breathe only to find there was no air. Her eyes watered. Panicked, she popped her head up to look up the hill to see familiar drums along the edge of the trench spewing a greenish yellow cloud.
Her eyes widened even as they burned, tearing so far that the world became a blur.
'NO!' Shego forced the panic sliding up her throat back, focusing on her blistering face, her mouth and nose. She felt her suit respond, moving up and over them, covering her exposed skin. Long seconds ticked away as she gasped with the oxygen, she craved, filtering in in agonizing slowness.
'Damn it all!'
She released her grip falling back on the man.
'Got to get away from the gas.' She thought desperately. She grabbed handfuls of the loose dirt, stuffing them into the small hole she had come from. Each handful flashed green as they were placed to the edge becoming solid stone. Handful after handful came up until the hole was completely covered, her lungs aflame all the while.
No matter how she breathed, her lungs felt like they were getting nothing. She flopped against the small cramped wall. Her breath shallow as her left hand unbuckled her ankle pouch, pulling out a plastic tube.
She shook the bottle, hearing the half full contents clatter. A relieved sigh.
'Calorie caps, 2000 calories per. Hello old friend.' She slipped out three, pressing them against the webbing over her mouth. The mesh covered them, allowing them to enter. She painstakingly swallowed, allowing herself to flop the rest of the way against the tunnel.
'Calm'
her breathing was rapid, the pain of each wracked her mind.
'Calm'
The pain existed, but her mind was no longer buried amidst it.
'Calm'
Her mind centered, only the one word drifted gently across the surface. The pain screeched along its edges.
Pressure.
She felt it pushing on her. Felt it constrict her throat.
She wasn't breathing anymore.
'Calm'
Every iota of her mind wanted, no needed air.
'Callllmmmmm'
Her body craved oxygen, she could feel it, but remained still directing her whole attention to urging that tingling sensation along her lungs. It grew stronger by the moment.
'CaaaaallllllM'
The tingle vanished, Shego was back, choking. Heaves came until she threw-up, the mess thankfully passing through her coverings. She gasped in and out, the feelings of suffocating faded. One last heave and she lightly wiped the sticky mess from her mouth.
Shaking her head, Shego lifted a hand, a small green light appeared. She gagged as she found the bloody mess that was her vomit covering the man. "God" She fell back, spitting out the last remanence.
"Whoever said war was hell is right." She paused staring at the body, briefly dipping her head. "Not the time for contemplation," she mumbled. Feeling along her arms and legs revealed covered unblistered skin. She took several tentative clear breaths letting out a relieved sigh.
"Damn, how many times has this suit saved my life?" Shego mumbled, lightly caressing her arm.
Turning back to the tunnel, she found it continued in both directions with just enough space to walk if she crouched.
"What were they doing digging this thing? It doesn't look big enough to fit enough men to flank them. She glanced down at the man's bloodied yet familiar uniform before a smile appeared. "Finally, I caught a break. After all, if they give me a tunnel straight to where I want to go, who am I to say no?"
She continued, following a gentle breeze that blew in from the other side.
Her determined crawl ate up distance leaving the pounding of munition and roars until they were little more than background noise. The tunnel leveled off, she glanced at the glistening rock as it flickered from her light, so different than the packed earth just moments before. 'They must have found a nearby lava tube to start.'
Slowly, the tunnel shifted up. Her eyes narrowed as she started to hear shuffling feet from up ahead.
"George? Is that you?" a barely perceptible face appeared, squinting at her dim light. "Cut the candle, George. They've restricted light out right now."
Her flame vanished, smothered by a quick grip of her hand. The moonlight from ahead barely enough to see the rocky terrain below her feet.
"That's better. What took you so long? Been waiting ages out here." There was a brief pause as another man touched his shoulder, he gave a thumbs up before the other scurried off. "Never mind, just remember the next round is on you for keeping me up. Anyway, there's been big news!, Steven's sapper team beat you to the bang! Shake a leg and gather your team. Keven managed to liberate some of the good stuff from the major pain in the neck. We're all gathering behind the barracks for a little celebration." The man's face disappeared as fast as it had come.
Shego slowed her pace, her outline becoming indistinct before vanishing altogether.
She looked back at the cramped space. 'Ah, sappers. That explosion makes sense now.' She turned back to carefully approach the exit from the side, glancing out to find men and women in dirtied and in some cases streaked with red white uniforms. Many displayed a prominent red cross on their caps as they navigated makeshift wooden walkways keeping them from the flowing stream below. Teams and individuals carried injured men from the battlefield. She scrunched her nose as she watched a turd float past in the midst of bubbling piss.
'He wants to party with a latrine under their feet? Shego squinted as several bright eyes appeared with twitching whiskers from underneath the walkway. 'And rats, lots and lots of rats.'
She peaked a little further to find that those left on the walkway were in little better condition than those coming off the field. Many hunkered down with infected bites across their faces, arms, or any exposed skin. Her eyes trailed after one of the stretcher teems moving at a quick pace, ducking down a side passage. A single petite brunet hobbled after them under the weight of a large man, his sleeve torn and wrapped around one arm. Shego exited, shadowing them as they moved. The pace was tedious, with little indication of what the periodic alcoves on either side were. Certainly, none with a picture of her mark. Her teeth gnashed as they continued. 'The sooner I get out of here the better.' Men with full stretchers passed, some glanced back as they brushed by. With these narrow paths, it was near impossible to avoid them. After another close call that nearly sent a man careening, she ducked into one of the outcroppings.
There was a haphazard set of blankets along with a few cans of beans and a near empty first aid kit. She tilted her head at the last before appearing, her suit legs ballooned from her, puffing out and joining with the opposite legging, turning a dirty white. Her hair bundled up, captured by a hair net that materialized. Finally, a small cap appeared on her head with a red cross. Her skin tone faded from green to a milky white.
'Ugh, what a fashion no.' She thought, bringing the hem of her new dress up disgust. Rolling her eyes, she let it go, exiting
She walked along the pathway glancing in each of the alcove covertly in search for her target. She glanced up just in time to spot a familiar nurse wobble in exhaustion, staggering under her heavy charge.
"Woah there," Shego said, catching her before she fell off into the disgusting stream.
The other woman's exhausted face lightened. "Thank you dearie. There's too few of us by half to tend to all the wounded, much less handle these pushes. Would you mind helpin' me with him? I'm not sure I'll make it like this." Shego held back a frown.
"Sure," Letting the girl go, she came around to the other side, wrapping the injured man's arm around her shoulder.
They continued down the pathway for a while before the other woman curiously glanced at Shego.
"What? Do I have something on my face?" Shego asked, lightly touching her own face with her free hand.
"Oh, no, no. I just don't recognize you is all. Did you just come in?"
Shego gave a quick nod. "Yeah, just got in before the big push."
"That explains it than. You looked far too clean to have been here long." She gave a depreciating chuckle. "No worries, you'll be fittin' in soon enough." The woman sighed as she rolled her neck, issuing several low pops before continuing. "Its good work we do here, but…" She trailed off, her eyes going distant. She shook herself from her stupor as they approached an intersection. "This way dearie, there should be an ambulance waiting to take the wounded to the field hospital. There always is."
Shego nodded, continuing to help the man who periodically faded from consciousness as they moved. They continued past the third trench and back up a ramp leading to a large area cut from the side of the next mountain, shielding them from the munition of the enemy. There was a flurry of activity as more people with stretchers rushed up other access points to one of five ambulances. With a three count, the injured were lifted in. Even as she watched, another ambulance came in from a dirt road further on replacing one that was leaving.
The man opened the back door and nodded to them. With a small hop he had his arms around the patient. Her partner sighed, looking back up to Shego with a small smile. "Thank you, Dearie. Why don't you come with me to the field hospital? My shift is about up and if you're as knew as you look, I'm sure you'll have had your fill of the front fir the day."
Shego smiled as she moved to the side, making room for another stretcher team. "Thank you for the invitation, but I got a notice a little while ago that the major general wanted to talk to me. Do you know where I can find him?" The other woman's smile vanished.
"I'm…I'm so, so sorry dear." The woman shook her head.
"What do you mean?" Shego asked, raising one eyebrow.
"If you're coming with, we're about full." The man interrupted their conversation.
Her partner glanced to the man. "Be just a moment." She turned back to Shego.
"Be very careful with Major General Patterson. He's got a… reputation for asking after some of the newer nurses. To be noticed so soon after coming…"
"I see. I'll have to be on my guard."
The other woman shook herself visibly. "You're a strong woman. I can tell. Keep things professional and don't let him intimidate you. You should be fine. You can find him in the reserve trench. Shouldn't be too hard, just keep an eye out for his little hideaway. Always has a couple of men wasting time dawdling about.
Shego nodded. "Thank you."
The woman nodded back, clambering into the ambulance. Shego caught her collapse next to one of the injured, her eyes shutting before the door slammed closed and raced off.
With a last glance, Shego turned back. The reserve trench was in much better shape in comparison to the front lines. The men appeared more restful, nodding to her with respect and good cheer. She walked down the zigzagging path until she came across several soldiers standing outside of one of the entrances. The first soldier to spot her ducked his head.
"Ma'am. Something we can help you with?" He appeared a mere wisp of a boy, likely not even 18 if Shego didn't miss her guess.
Shego bobbed her head. "Major General Patterson asked me to come by. He said he had something important to discuss that would take a while."
The boy frowned. He opened his mouth only to be interrupted by a hand on his shoulder.
The man behind him gave her a look up and down before sighing.
"Let it be, Roger. We'd best take a break. Major general doesn't like to be interrupted when he's talking with the new nurses."
Roger tensed before allowing himself to be led.
"Go on in, Miss." The man gave her a respectful tip of his cap before following the others.
Fury burned in Shego's stomach as she watched them leave, eyes focusing on the makeshift door that had been affixed to the outside.
The door was well oiled, not a sound as Shego entered. Her eyes adjusted to the lighting quickly to find a veritable apartment carved from the earth with steel beams holding it up.
Before her was a large mahogany desk with a lamp providing the dull illumination. Even though the room was carved straight out of the earth, not a spec littered the table. In addition to the lamp, there was only a photograph facing away from her and a small stack of papers with a stamp next to it. Behind the desk sat a thin man with a brushy mustache flipping through a thick book without a cover.
Shego started as the door slammed open. She turned to find an out of breath lieutenant stagger to the desk.
"Sir the…"
"Stand at attention, lieutenant. I will not have my men shirking code."
The man slowly stood, his breathing uneven as he saluted and stood at attention.
"Sir…"
"Wait until you are addressed." The chilled response came.
The man's face twitched as he stood at attention for several long minutes.
The pages flipped as time dragged on.
"I expect you are here to bring news of victory?" The man finally asked, still not looking away from his book.
"No sir, we are being pushed back. The Royal Engineer Sapper's explosion didn't do as much damage as expected. Their forces weren't as cluster as expected and they were able to pull reserves quickly to compensate for their losses."
Flip
"Send out our reserves."
"But Sir! We're…"
"You know how much I hate to repeat myself, lieutenant. Now follow orders and send out the reserves."
Flip
The man's face was a study of anguish as he reluctantly turned away, defeated.
Shego watched him leave before taking his place in front of the man.
An eye became visible over the book as it dipped. With a snap, it shut, placed carefully on top of the documents.
"I make it a habit of familiarizing myself with all personnel here. I do not believe I have had the pleasure of making your acquaintance Ms…" The man, stood up and dipped a small bow to her.
"Is that your standard pickup line? Throw thousands of men to the machine guns as if it's no big deal and then pick up on the newest nurse?" Shego asked, crossing her arms under her chest.
"Excuse me?" the man double blinked, his face twisted in surprise and confusion. It was apparent he wasn't accustomed to backtalk.
"You heard me."
"It is not your place to speak on matters such as this, but for your knowledge, the sappers spent four months digging the tunnel to open this opportunity. Squandering such an opening would be foolhardy.
"Yeah, doesn't matter how long it took them. The results are playing against you and your only move is to throw fresh meat into the grinder in the vain hopes that they'll be able to push through. Got to say, you're about the most disgusting person I've ever met and coming from me, that's saying something."
The man's lips compressed as his eyes narrowed. "You. Are free. To think what. You may. It is easy to throw slander on those tasked with the hard decisions. Especially a woman who need only tend to the wounded. You will never understand the sacrifices needed to win a real war. This is not some rose-colored novelistic fantasy."
"That's rich. Don't know anything about war." Shego's eyes became sharp as she took a step forward. "I've waded through no man's land, machinegun fire all around. I've survived explosions. Gone through a gas attack and nearly died. What have you done? I'll tell you what, nodda. You sit here thinking you're playing chess, but you're not even looking at the board. Problem? Just throw more men at it."
Checink.
It was Shego's turn to take a step back. The cool demeanor of the man had evaporated, his red face twitched as he held a gun with a long magazine.
She blinked
Click
A flurry of sound filled the hole in the wall. Shego stared in amazement as thousands of small green dots appeared, pinged only to vanish. Not a single bullet whizzed past.
Hundreds of hours of pain and torture flashed through her mind as she was surrounded by a corona of light. It started as a giggle, but evolved into deep laughter, haloed in green bursts until an empty click click click echoed in the room.
A feral smile spread wide.
The gun fell from trembling fingers, sprawling to a stop on the floor. Eyes wide, the man fell over his own chair.
He frantically shuffled against the far wall. "What, what are you!? "
The grin spread wider, the dress shrink-wrapped around her, shifting to a familiar glistening emerald and black as flames licked up her hands growing to an inferno, her features sardonic behind the flickering shadows they cast.
"Your executioner,"
The smile froze when a sudden pressure eased against the back of her head. Flames vanished as Shego's face smashed to the ground.
Fear lanced through her as the prominent point of a gun at the base of her skull remained through the transition.
"Thank you, sir, thank you so much. That… that witch came out of nowhere. I...I...I'll reward you. You'll be a hero for killing this harridan. I'll recommend you for metals…"
Ting
Shego heard the flop of meat hitting the ground. The cause quickly retaking its place against her skull. Shego's body tensed, ready to act at the slightest opening. A bump from her hip, a sweep of her leg. Would the gun be far enough to deflect? A back kick to make sure. Thoughts scrambled through her mind.
She felt the man lean down against her; his lips next to her ear.
"Always remember, no matter the power, you are not god," her eyes widened as the pressure vanished.
She stood and turned, her expression confused as she found Ron Stoppable standing behind her casually splitting his attention between her and the hollowed living quarters.
"You're here. You're never here." Shego pointed at Ron.
"Aside from losing your situational awareness at the last bit, I think congratulations are in order."
Shego blinked. "What?"
"I asked you to complete all the scenarios before I returned. You not only did, but forced the simulator to drop you into the middle of a war to keep up. I think that deserves some praise."
"Well... Of course, what did you expect?" Shego nodded as she rubbed the back of her fingers along her collar bone before blowing on it.
When she looked up, she found Ron focused on a screen projected from his watch, everything she had done going at ten times the speed in reverse. It paused at the point she recovered from the gas.
"Interesting, you've managed to increase the effectiveness of the suits healing dramatically through meditation." His eyes met her's with a small smile. "Your powers were never about healing and even with my tech, it still took a lot of time and pain to use them that way. Somehow, you managed to overcome much of that limitation… wait. The screen continued to travel back in time faster and faster. Shego caught glimpses of her time in the amazon against poison dart wielding cannibals, disabling a submarine 400 feet below the ocean as it was about to burst, soon the images were too fast to comprehend. It all stopped at that faithful day, rubber bullets wildly spinning around her. "You never left.." His intense gaze focused on her. With laser precision they trailed up and down her body sending shivers down her spine even as those brown orbs settled on her own. He gave a slow nod. "Good job indeed."
Ron snapped his fingers, everything around them faded, tables, chairs, all evaporated. The only thing that remained was a large robot with sparks flying out from its head.
Shego froze as white walls surrounded them. She was in a war zone. The soldiers were sure to hear the racket. She needed to make a hasty escape…
Wait.
The walls brought her attention to the image still motionless above Ron's watch. This is where it all started. The endless missions. It was all a simulation. How had she lost herself so thoroughly?
"Stoppable-san, what... what is this place?" the tiny unfamiliar voice shook Shego from her introspection, her head shot around, eyes fixed on the unknown element standing to the side. In an instant, her hands were aflame as she fell into a combat stance.
She found that the Asian woman wore all black and hadn't budged at the hostile actions, her arms were tensed, but otherwise, no reaction. 'Odd.'
"Calm down, Shego. She's the help I went out to get."
The flames didn't dissipate as the memory that started this training from hell came fresh to her mind. "You mean the one to make up the difference in power between me and evil Kim?"
Ron glanced at her before shaking his head. With a swipe of his hand, an emblem appeared in the air. Its red and white triangle motif caused Shego to frown.
"Unfortunately, Kim is not our only concern."
Her flames vanished.
"Damn,"
"Indeed."
Shego scrutinized the slip of a girl. "So, what powers does she have that will help us?"
She turned to meet Shego with a low bow. "My apologies, my name is Yori. I am a ninja from the Yamanouchi school. Ron... I mean Stoppable-san has hired my services for the time being to assist with a matter of great importance." Yuri finished, eyeing the symbol curiously before it vanished with a flip of Ron's hand. She returned her attention to Shego, eyeing her expectantly.
"Ninja, that would help with gathering information. Maybe use her to add a few more taps into other mainframes." Shego mumbled.
Shego blinked at Yori's steady expectant stare, "Oh, I guess Boss Boy left out a few tidbits. Names Shego, wanted in 13 or 14 countries, I lose track. I'm here for money, power, and a chance to wipe the floor with princess Kimmy." She paused, her right hand tapping her cheek. "May have left out a few perks."
Yori's eyes widened, hesitantly glancing at Ron. His smirk didn't appear to reassure her. "Yes, that is one of the objectives you'll be involved with."
Yori took a step back. "You do not intend to..."
Ron let a bark of a laugh, not a pleasant sound. "Hardly, Kimberly challenged me, and I will answer it. If I wanted her dead, she would be."
Yori's lips thinned, but she kept her silence.
A minor beeping echoed through the room. Ron's expression turned blank as the sound repeated.
"I think it's for you." Shego waited a moment. When there was no response from the boy, she bent over, their eyes now at the same level which revealed that his were distant. Lightly patting his cheek, Ron blinked rapidly his focus returning to the world and her.
"Ah, yes" He shook himself as if from a dream before shifting behind her to a panel, his hands lightly tapped it to expose a new screen. With a flick of a finger, a display appeared, ending the beeping. His head tilted as he examined it before a small smile crept up followed by a chuckle. The chuckle transformed into bellowing laughter.
After a minute, Yori edged over to her.
Shego let her stand there as she watched with her arms crossed, sparing a glance at the new girl.
"Is Stoppable-san...all right?" The girl asked hesitantly.
Shego shrugged. "Yeah, he's just thinking."
"Thinking? Is it not unusual for one to laugh while thinking?" Yori responded, awkwardly crossing her arms in poor imitation of her as the laughter echoed in the room.
"Well, normal is not one thing that really applies to the kid. I've taken to calling it hyper attention disorder.'
"Ah yes, I have heard of this condition where one is unable to..."
"I said hyper attention disorder, nothing in there about deficit." Seeing the blank look, Shego sighed. "Whatever has his attention, has it absolutely. Things he doesn't expect cause him to laugh insanely while he tries to piece them together. At least that's what I figure. Really the only thing that makes sense given how his bouts just stop and he continues working without a peep. They usually don't last too long unless something big comes up."
"Ah..." Yori responded before her eyes widen as if remembering something.
As if on cue the room fell silent. Ron abruptly turned and walked towards the exit.
"What's up?" The boy glanced back, but didn't stop.
"There are a few tweaks, but phase three will go ahead very soon." With the vague statement he walked out, leaving Shego with a large grin, her hands gripping each other in anticipation.
Author's end notes: Writing is an education in itself. I found this myself as I sorted through a wealth of knowledge related to trench warfare and how bad it really was. Hopefully I managed to capture at least a small piece of the reality while walking Shego through her paces. At least this is better than the original version which had little to do with World War 1 and incorporated World War 2 aspects that just didn't go well together. I think it turned out all right though I'm likely too close to give an objective perspective.
If you see any errors or would like to comment, feel free to send a review.
