Stoppable Home

"You are?" Ron exclaimed happily as he talked with the phone cradled by one shoulder while simultaneously scooping portions of scrambled eggs on to two plates. "That's terrific! You still need help moving?" He asked as he placed bacon and hash browns on the plates. "It's no problem at all. They've been looking forward to meeting you." He declared as he poured juice into two glasses. "Just have plenty of pizza and soft drinks ready."

"How many people?" Ron repeated his friend's question as he finished up his breakfast preparations. Let's see…Liz and Kevin called last night and told me to send their apologies, but they can't make it. They're going with Mr. Amberson, the head of the chess club, to some sort of chess tournament for beginners. Steve and Jessica had to bail as well. Jessica got stuck babysitting and Steve's father's got him working extra hours to pay the insurance on that truck of his. But we've got Zoe, Crystal, Sergei, Josh, and Kim along with me and Zita. We should be enough"

"Hey…what about me?" An outraged little mole-rat chittered.

"Oh yeah…" Ron chuckled, "Rufus too." Turning to his tiny companion, the blond youth held out a piece of cheese, "Sorry, Rufus. Here you go."

"Thank you." Rufus chittered as he grabbed the wedge of cheese and began nibbling.

"Is that Felix, Ron?" A female voice called out to the blond chef.

"Yeah, baby." Ron shouted back.

"Tell him Hi from me."

"Will do!" Smiling, Ron turned his attention back to his friend on the phone. "That was Zita. She told me to tell you Hi from her. I will. Yeah…we're about to eat breakfast too. See you soon! Bye!"

"Does Felix still want us to help him move in?" Zita, wearing one of her boyfriend's oversized hockey jerseys inquired as she padded into the kitchen on her bare feet.

"Yeah." Ron answered back with a grin as he gestured at the kitchen table. "Breakfast's done. Dig in."

"Mmmm…" The brown-skinned Latino girl licked her lips, "Looks as good as the cook." Sitting down at the table, she quipped, "Join me? I don't know about you, but I worked up quite an appetite after last night's workout."

"Sure." Ron smiled back as he joined his girlfriend at the table. "Good thing Mom and Dad are gone on another business trip. You were pretty loud last night."

"You do that to a girl." Zita laughed before taking a sip of orange juice. "I'm surprised Kim and her folks didn't hear us, but I got a feeling she was making some noise of her own with Josh." She chuckled before taking a bite of her eggs, "So…when is she going to Florida?"

"A couple of days after we help Felix move in." Ron answered. "The last time we talked, she told me that they're going to stay with Nana for about a few weeks. Then, after the big Fourth of July picnic, they're taking off to spend a week at her uncle's ranch." Smiling, he tempted, "She wants us, along with Josh, to come along as her guests. So…"

"Sounds good." Zita chuckled, "I think I can swing my parents' permission. What about the Dirty Pair? Are they coming with us?"

"Not this time." Ron shook his head. "Tara said that she, Hope and Sergei are going to London, but they should be back by the Fourth. We still on for GameCon?"

"You better believe it!" Zita exclaimed, "I'm looking forward to getting into one of the preview sessions for Zombie Mayhem II. Are Crystal and Zoe still planning on joining us?"

"Yeah." Ron answered back with a grin as he eyed hungrily the full plate on his side of the table. "Zoe's gonna rent a minivan so we can all go together."

"Cool." Zita exclaimed as she poured coffee into two mugs. "Maybe we can get Felix to join us."

"That would be badical!" Ron grinned before shoveling a fork loaded with eggs and bacon into his mouth. "We could all play in the Everlot LAN."

Laughing, Zita joked as her boyfriend crammed fork load after fork load of food into his mouth, "I don't know how you shovel all that food into your mouth, Ron!"

"Practice." Ron quipped back, "Lots and lots of practice."

"I'm sure." Zita smirked, "Cream and sugar?"

"Yeah. Thanks." Ron replied. Glancing up at the clock, he groaned, "We better get a move on. Felix is expecting us in a few hours."

Zoe Chen's Apartment

"Wake up, sleepyhead." Zoe playfully poked the slumbering figure lying next to her. "We've got a busy day."

"Don't wanna wake up." Crystal groaned as she ducked her head beneath the covers. "Comfy here."

"I know, sweetie." Zoe sighed as she showered her lover with kisses, "But Felix is expecting us." A mischievous smirk appearing on her face, the Asian dancer quipped, "Race you to the shower."

Throwing off her covers, Crystal responded with a wide grin, "I got dibs on the loofa!"

"Only if you beat me there!"

Possible Home

Dashing down the stairs from her room to the kitchen, Kim called out to her parents. "Mom…Dad…Tara and Hope will be by soon to pick me up. We're going over to the Rentons to help them move in."

"That's good, Kim." James, her father, replied as he peered over the newspaper he was reading while enjoying his breakfast coffee.

Ann commented with a smile on her face as she joined her family at the kitchen table. "I hear his mother's taken on a position as an associate professor at MIST."

"She's also working as a consultant for us." James interjected, "Her knowledge of robotics will come in very handy for the Pegasus Project."

"Any word on Shego?" Kim asked her mother, changing the subject.

"No." The neurosurgeon glumly shook her head. "And I have to admit that it has me worried. She should have come out of that coma by now. I feel like there's something we're missing…"

"Are you sure you got all of Drakken's implants out?" Kim inquired.

"Yes." Ann replied with a vigorous nod of her head. "We ran every test we could. There's no way we could have missed an implant unless it was…No…" she shook her head, "…that should be impossible…"

"What dear?" James asked as he set his paper down.

"He couldn't have made an invisible implant…could he?"

"Theoretically, it's possible." James responded. "If the implant were designed in such a way that it didn't reflect any light waves that would render it for all intents and purposes invisible."

"What would we have to do to detect it?"

"You'd have to expose it to a wavelength that it's not calibrated to reflect." James clinically explained. "I assume you've used MRI and CAT-Scan as well as x-rays."

"Of course." Mrs. Dr. Possible responded with a huff.

"What about infrared?"

"Infrared?" Ann exclaimed, "Of course! We've been using wavelengths below the visible spectrum, but infrared…"

"Is a longer wavelength." James interrupted with a smile. "While Drew most likely figured that you'd use x-rays and MRI scans, he probably didn't plan on anyone using infrared. If there is a cloaked implant—that should expose it."

"How long will it take to get it set up?" Mrs. Dr. Possible inquired.

"Give me a moment." James said as he took out his cell phone and hit the speed dial. "Hello? Rajiv? I need you to do a favor for me. Can you see to it that the portable infrared scanner is sent over to Middleton Medical right away? My wife needs it for some important tests she needs to run. You can? Even better! Thanks! I owe you one." Pocketing his phone, the rocket scientist turned back to his wife. "Rajiv said that the scanner should be at the hospital by the time you get there. It shouldn't take long to run it and get results. I'll come with you and help you get it set up and work the controls for you."

"Thanks honey!" Ann grinned as she gave her husband a kiss. "You're the greatest!"

"Yeah, Dad." Kim smiled as she also kissed her father on the cheek. "You're the best." Pausing for a moment, she took out her Kimmunicator. "I need to let Tara know…"

"Let me." Ann interrupted as she pulled her cell phone out of her purse. Entering in the blonde Englishwoman's number, Mrs. Possible waited until she heard Tara's posh accented voice.

"Mrs. P? Is this about Sheila?"

"Yes, Tara." Ann replied in a soft voice. "I think there's something you should know." The neurosurgeon then took her time to explain everything to the concerned young woman she was talking to. "If all goes well, we'll get whatever it is that Drew put in there out."

"Do you think there's only one implant?" Tara asked with a hitch in her voice.

"Probably." Ann responded, "But we're going run scans on all wavelengths to make sure. Drew must really hate Sheila for him to go through all this trouble…"

"It's not hate, Mrs. P. Not really." Tara opined. "I think it's more he feels betrayed by her. He's acting more like a spurned lover than anything else."

Nodding her head as she compared the mad scientist's actions towards Sheila with those against her own husband and family, Ann concurred. "I see your point, Tara. Although I don't think spurned lover is the right analogy. Betrayed friend might be more accurate."

Listening in to the conversation that his wife, with Tara's consent, had put on speakerphone for his and Kim's benefit, James chimed in. "We've seen how Drew can hold a grudge for years…decades even. He's never forgiven me or the others for the way we treated him in college." Taking a deep breath, the rocket scientist admitted, "Granted, that wasn't my finest hour, but had he called me out on it at the time…I'd like to think I'd have apologized and tried to make up for it."

"You would have, Dear." Ann declared in a consoling voice. "You were a young man and young men…young women too…" the neurosurgeon confessed as she recalled some not so shining moments from her own youth, "…sometimes do stupid things."

Chuckling softly, James remarked self-deprecatingly, "Older men sometimes do stupid stuff as well."

"So do older women, honey." Ann laughed. Turning her attention back to her phone conversation, Mrs. Dr. Possible queried the woman at the other end of the conversation about Shego's next of kin. "We've sent word to her brothers but were told that they were out of the country. Do you know anything about that?"

"No." Tara replied with a bitter edge to her voice. "When I called, I got the same message. That they were out of the country on a mission and that my message would be forwarded to them. No response. But then, I'm not surprised. Ever since Sheila quit Team Go they've been cool towards her."

"Didn't the two of you work together with her brother a few months back?" Kim interjected, referring to a past mission.

"Yeah, Kimmie." Tara acknowledged, "But that was more a marriage of convenience than anything else, luv. We needed muscle and Hego got a good ego stroking from all the press he received from it. Neither one of them were really happy about working together."

"And she has no other family?" Ann further queried.

"Not that I know of." Tara replied in a soft voice. Her tone now taking on a more thoughtful edge, she remarked, "I think maybe, we're the closest thing she has to a family now."

"Then we're definitely going to do our damnest to get her back on her feet." Ann forcefully declared. "I love all of my children…even the more colorful ones like Sheila, And of course you and Hope."

"We love you too, Mrs. P." Tara responded with a laugh. Her merriment quickly fading, the young Englishwoman pleaded, "Keep me updated…please."

"Of course, I will, honey." Ann at once replied. "I'll let you know the moment we get that implant out and get her stabilized. You have my word."

"Good enough for me, Mrs. P. Kimmie?"

"Yeah, 'ra?"

"We'll be by to pick you up soon."

"I'll be ready."

Watching as his wife put her phone back into her purse, James remarked sincerely, "I'm lucky. I have a great wife and daughter."

"You've also got a launch coming up." Ann jibed, her cheeks reddening in embarrassment at her husband's praise as she tossed his lab coat to him. "You still have some final calculations that need to be made, don't you? This isn't going to take away from that—is it?"

"No." James replied with a smile, "Vassili and Rajiv have that covered and there's plenty of time to double and triple check the results. Minerva-1 isn't slated to launch until the end of the month."

"That's the one going to Venus, isn't it, Dad?" Kim asked as she finished her breakfast.

"That's right, Kimmie-cub." James replied as he folded his paper and, picking up everyone's dirty dishes, took them to the sink where the Tweebs waited to do their portion of the morning chores. "It's really three probes in one. The first one is an orbiter. While it's mission is important, what we're really interested in is what the other two probes discover. Hopefully, the lander will survive long enough to get us some good readings and photos; and the atmospheric probe will shed some light on Venus's atmosphere."

"Sounds like there's a lot that can go wrong." Kim observed as her father nodded his head in agreement.

"You're right, Kim." The rocket scientist acknowledged. "We're asking a lot of the probe. But if it delivers on even a fourth of what we're hoping for, then I'll call it a success." Taking a deep breath, he called out to the Tweebs, "Boys…once you get the dishes done, get ready. Your Aunt June will be by soon to pick you up. You're spending the day with her and Larry."

"All right!" Both boys cried out in unison.

"Maybe he'll let us play Everlot." Jim exclaimed as he quickly rinsed the dishes then handed them to his twin brother who placed them in the dishwasher.

"Yeah!" Tim echoed, "I wanna play my fighter. I just got him up to tenth level."

"That's up to Larry, boys." Ann declared as she gave her children goodbye kisses. "I want you two to behave yourselves today and do what your Aunt June tells you. That means no rocket launches and no tinkering with her car like you did last time."

"Awww…Mom!" The Tweebs groaned, Jim pleading, "All we did was add a flight mode to her boring old Mundane."

"You turned it into a supersonic jet!" Kim interjected, rolling her eyes. "Larry got sick and threw up all over the back seat."

"Yeah…well…" Tim stammered before quickly recovering, "It was his fault. We warned him not to eat all that candy."

"That's enough, boys!' James interrupted. "You heard your mother. Behave yourselves and no inventing or tinkering."

"Okay." Both boys promised, "We'll be good. Promise."

Nodding his head in satisfaction, James turned to his daughter, "And you…young lady…"

"Don't worry, Dad." Kim sighed, "Josh and I will be spending the entire day at Felix's parents. We're not going to be alone—I promise."

"Good." Mr. Dr. Possible responded as he headed for the door, pleased at this daughter's reply. "I know I don't have anything to worry about, but…"

Kim breathed an inward sigh of relief as her mother quickly interrupted. "I'm sure there's nothing going on that shouldn't be, James."

"I know, dear." James answered back as he exited the house with his wife, waving goodbye to his children, "Have a good day!"

Sighing in relief as her parents departed, Kim muttered to herself once she was safely out of earshot of her brothers, "Fuck…that was close. Gotta stop thinking about Josh when talking to the 'rents. But damn! He was good last night. I don't think I've…" The young redhead chided herself as she glanced downwards. "Easy girls…you're starting to perk up and the Tweebs are in the kitchen. We don't want them to suddenly come in and see you two standing out. Think of something else…Barkin in a dress…Drakken naked…Eeewww…" A look of disgust appeared on her face. "That did it. Not horny now and not going to be for a while with that image stuck in my head."

After slipping her phone into her purse, Kim called out to her siblings, "Hurry up, Tweebs! Tara and Hope are on their way and Aunt June should be here soon! Get a move on!"

Tara and Hope's House

"Just got off the phone with Kim and Ann, luv!" Tara called out to her roommate and best friend, Hope, currently in the shower. "She says she'll be ready by the time we get there." Her voice growing more somber, she added, "Ann also filled me in on Cheeky. It seems that sodding bastard Drakken left another fail safe."

"Fuck!" Hope shouted back as she emerged from the shower stall and began the process of toweling herself off. "Give me a few and we'll talk, bestie. Okay?"

Tara hollered back, "Take your time. I've just put on some coffee and am about to have my morning cigarette. Sergei will be by in a few. He had to drop his babushka off at the doctor's and then he's heading right over."

"Good!" Hope replied as she exited the bathroom wearing nothing but a bathrobe. "I need my morning cup of joe and we need to talk." Pouring coffee into a mug and then adding cream, the lovely brunette took a sip, "Ahhh…perfect." Noting the worried look on her best friend's face, she queried in a gentle voice, "What did Ann say?"

Tara relayed her earlier conversation as she took a drag from her cigarette and exhaled. "Drakken's gone through a lot of trouble just to make Sheila suffer." Taking a deep breath, the lovely blonde sipped her coffee. I can't help but think the bastard's left some more booby traps. Fucking sadist. Damn him to Hell."

"Maybe we should pay him a visit." Hope suggested. "Convince him to tell us whether he's left any other land mines."

"Don't think I haven't considered it." The blonde adventuress sighed as she put out her cigarette and lit another. "But before we beat the information out of dear Drakken, I think I'll give Ann and her mates a bit more time."

"How much more?"

"If we don't hear anything positive after we help Ron's friend move in, then we'll go and see Blue Boy and kick his arse." Tara decided, her roommate nodding her head in agreement. "For now, though…" the blonde groaned as she got up from her stool and rinsed out her mug, "…we better get our own asses in gear. Kim's expecting us."

As she finished her words, the doorbell rang and a tall, slender dark-haired young man entered. "Good morning, lyubovniki!" Sergei called out as he made his way to the kitchen. Seeing the forlorn looks on his lovers' faces, he inquired, "Is everything all right?"

"Sit down, luv." Tara gestured at a stool next to where she sat, "Hope'll get you a cup of coffee and we'll talk." As he took his seat, Hope brought him a cup and sat down on the stool on the other side of the tall Russian.

"What is it, lyubov? Does it involve Sheila?"

"Yes." Tara nodded her head. "We just heard from Ann." As Sergei heard Tara and Hope's report, he gritted his teeth. "That nepravil'noy formy! What are we going to do?"

"For now." Tara replied, "We wait and hope that Ann and Kevin's father are able to remove any remaining implants. Then…" Her facial expression darkened, "We make sure Drakken understands once and for all that he's to leave Sheila and the rest of us alone."

Nodding his head in solemn agreement, Sergei responded, "Da. He must not hurt anyone else again."

Changing the subject, Hope asked, "Did you drop babushka off?"

"Da." The young Russian replied. "Mother will pick her up."

"Great." Tara nodded her head, grateful at the change of subject. "I'm looking forward to meeting Felix in the flesh. From the times we've talked to him in chat, he seems an all right sorta bloke."

"Da." The dark-haired Russian youth agreed as he helped his lovers clean up the kitchen. "Ron told me yesterday that the two of them used to be best friends until Felix had to move."

"Crys, Zoe, and Zita all vouch for him." Hope chimed in. "That's points in his favor right there."

"True." Tara agreed, "Guess we'll find out for ourselves soon."

Middleton Medical Center

"Thanks, James." Dr. Ann Possible sighed as her husband carefully calibrated the infrared scanner. "If Drew did slip in an invisible implant, I hope this sniffs it out."

"If it lets out an infrared signature, then this baby will catch it." James confidently declared as he looked down on Shego's comatose form. Taking a deep breath, the rocket scientist announced, "It's ready now."

As James activated the device, Dr. Guberman paid close attention to the monitoring screen. Noticing an object appearing near the patient's cerebral cortex, he called out, "We've got something!"

Her attention at once focused on the image, Ann gritted her teeth. "That bastard did plant something. Can your scanner pick anything else up, James?"

"Yeah." Mr. Dr. Possible replied in a grim voice. "It's picking up a signal being transmitted from somewhere. Also, it's transmitting Shego's brain waves to the outside source."

"You think Drakken might have put in a dead man's switch?" Dr. Guberman postulated. "Triggering detonation if either the source or the implant is tampered with."

Nodding his head, James replied in the affirmative, "It wouldn't surprise me. We need to get that thing out of her body before it goes off."

"We're going to have to be careful." Ann cautioned, "Drew might also have set it to detonate if it's removed the wrong way or if the signal is cut off. Is there anything we can do about that, James?"

"Maybe." The scientist responded as he gave the problem careful thought. "If we can duplicate the signal's exact wavelength and strength and Shego's brainwave pattern, we can fool the device into remaining inert. But we'll have to be careful to make sure that everything is precisely duplicated. If we're off by so much as an angstrom…" He shook his head.

"Then we'd better be sure we get it right the first time." Turning her gaze to her colleague, Ann declared, "I can do this with James, Phil. You've got Donna and Kevin…"

"And you've got James, Kim, and the twins…" Dr. Guberman countered. "Point is…we've both got people who depend on us and whom we depend on. We've also got a patient who's depending on both of us to help her."

"You're right, of course." Ann sighed, "We're going to need the secure operating room and make sure anyone who's assisting is fully aware of the risks."

"Right." Phil Guberman nodded his head, "You get things prepped here and I'll make the necessary arrangements."

"James?" Ann pleaded, her gaze turning to her husband.

"Already cleared it with the office." Mr. Dr. Possible declared as he pocketed his phone. "Rajiv and Vassili have everything under control. I'm staying here…with you…until we get that thing out of her. Now…honey…you better get to work, and I'll recalibrate the scanner. We're only going to get one shot at this, and I want to make sure everything goes right."

The Renton Home

Her eyes falling on the many boxes and cartons stacked about the house, Phyllis Renton sighed, "It's going to take all summer to get all this put away."

George Renton, Phyllis's husband, in an effort to cheer up his wife, picked up a box and moved it into the kitchen. "We'll get it done, dear." He grinned as he opened the box and began to take out an assortment of pots and pans. "So…where do you want these?"

Laughing, Phyllis replied, "Just leave them. I'll put them away."

"What about this stuff?" Felix called out as one of his wheelchair's robotic arms easily picked up a box marked 'office supplies'.

"Put them in that room over there." George replied as he pointed to a side room. "Your mom and I are going to use that area for our office."

"Okay!" Felix replied as the chair's cyberarm extended. Setting the box down in the other room, the wheelchair-bound youth retracted the arm. "Oh…I just got off the phone with Ron. He says that him, Zita, and their friends should be by soon to help us out."

"That's good." Phyllis responded as she picked up another box labeled 'kitchen utensils'. "It's been years since we've seen Ron, hasn't it, George?"

"Yeah." George answered back as he picked up a box of office supplies. "The last time we saw him…he was what? Eight years old?"

"Something like that." Phyllis replied as she began to put pots, pans, silverware, and dishes into cupboards and drawers. "I wonder how his parents are doing. It's been ages since I've talked with Jean."

Smiling as he heard a knock at the door, Felix called out, "I'll get it."

"Okay, dear!" Phyllis responded as she began to take out more dishes from another box. "You know where we'll be."

Opening the door, Felix grinned as he recognized Ron and his fellow Everlot guild members. "Ron! It's been what? Eight…nine…years?"

"About that long." Ron replied, nodding his head. "You know Zita, Crystal, and Zoe…"

"Yeah." Felix grinned as he turned his gaze to the girls. "It's great meeting all of you face to face."

"And these are some more friends." Ron interjected as he introduced everyone else, "Tara…Hope…Sergei…and you remember Kim…don't you?"

"Kim? Kim Possible?" Felix grinned, "It's been a long time."

"And Kim's boyfriend..." Ron interjected, continuing the introductions, "Josh Mankey."

"Hey, Felix." Kim nervously replied, her gaze momentarily drawn to the young man's wheelchair before looking up again. "How have you been."

At once picking up on the reason for the redhead's unease, Felix smiled reassuringly, "Well, as I guess you can see, there've been a few changes over the years—but nothing I couldn't deal with." In what seemed to be an effort to prove his point, he pressed a button on his wheelchair. An arm extended from the chair and grabbing a glass of water, handed it to the teen hero, "Mom and I have done some tinkering with my chair. This is just a little of what it can do."

"Cool." Josh grinned as he squeezed his girlfriend's hand.

"Most ingenious." Sergei agreed.

"It's also got built in stereo with the latest streaming services and a cd player." Felix proudly announced.

Changing the subject as she noticed her friend's discomfort, Tara gestured towards a stack of boxes and crates. "Where do you want us to start?"

Middleton Medical Center

"Her readings have stabilized, Ann." Dr. Guberman reported to his fellow neurosurgeon. "Ready?"

"Yeah." Ann, taking a deep breath, replied grimly. Looking up, she asked her husband, "James?"

"It's working." James reported. "We've cut the original signal and the implant is accepting ours."

"Let's do this." Ann decided, holding out the palm of her hand, "Scalpel." Under her breath, the redheaded neurosurgeon whispered to her patient, "We're doing the best we can, Shego, but we can't do this without you. So…are you ready to fight for your life?"

Shego's Mindscape

"Are you ready to fight for your life?"

Her eyes scanning her environment, Sheila found herself standing in a courtroom in front of the defendant's chair. Glancing at the prosecution table, she saw Dr. Drakken dressed in a three-piece suit with one of his henchmen serving as bailiff. The henchman, raising his voice announced.

"All stand for the Honorable Supreme One."

As the judge, wearing a hooded robe that hid her face and form, sat down, the bailiff again called out, "You may be seated."

"Read the charges." The judge, speaking with a voice that sounded almost familiar to Sheila, demanded as the bailiff ordered.

"The defendant will stand."

Doing as she was told; Sheila listened in silence as the bailiff announced the charges she faced.

"Defendant stands accused of the following charges: Aiding in foiling attempts to destroy the Middleton Space Center. Passing on information concerning her employer's schemes to his enemies. And the final charge—treason against her employer."

"How does the defendant plead?" The judge demanded in that same raspy, yet vaguely familiar, voice.

"Not guilty." Sheila proudly declared.

"Unacceptable!" The judge fiercely countered, "A plea of guilty will be entered for each charge. Prosecution…begin your case."

As Dr. Drakken rose from his chair behind the prosecution table, Sheila heard a voice in her ear, soft, encouraging, there one moment and gone the next. "Hang in there, Cheeky. You can beat him."

Renton Home

The moving in process finally completed, Hope and Sergei wandered outside. Seeing her best friend sitting on the ground under a tree smoking a cigarette, the raven-haired cheerleader approached. Taking her flask out of her purse, she handed it to her blonde roommate. "You okay, T?"

"You are worried about Sheila, da?" Sergei commented as he massaged his blonde lover's shoulders.

Letting out a moan of pleasure as she felt her Russian lover's hands gently kneading her tense muscles, Tara took a sip from the flask. Then, after taking a drag from her cigarette and exhaling, she glanced down at her cell phone. "I hate this feeling. Not being able to do anything but wait."

"We could always go to the prison and beat up on Drakken." Hope replied half-jokingly.

"Don't think I haven't thought about it." Tara replied with a crooked half grin.

"Look at this way, lyubov…" Sergei declared consolingly, "…if something bad had happened, Dr. Possible would have already called. The fact that she has not called, might well be a good sign."

"That's a good point, Bestie." Hope chimed in. "Sheila hasn't given up on herself, so we shouldn't give up on her—right?"

Putting out her cigarette, a grin slowly appeared on the blonde's face, "You're right." Taking both Hope's and Sergei's hands, Tara allowed herself to be lifted up by them from the ground. As the trio walked back to the Renton house, Sergei in between his two lovers, his arms around their waists as they embraced him, she remarked, the jauntiness in her voice tone not really hiding the seriousness of her words, "You two do know I love you, don't you?"

"We know, lyubov." Sergei responded, holding his blond lover close to him as the trio walked.

"Yeah, Bestie." Hope replied, "We love you too."

"What's the story on those three?" Felix inquired, pointing gesturing at Sergei, Tara, and Hope who were at that time talking beneath a old oak tree with a thick canopy.

Breaking from their embrace on hearing their guildmate's voice, Ron and Zita smirked. "Oh…they're…" Ron blushed a bright red, "It's…complicated."

"What Bashful's trying to say is that they're sleeping with each other." Zita interjected with a crooked grin.

"Oh." Felix exclaimed, further advising, "It might not be a bad idea for someone to tell them to low-key it around my folks. They probably wouldn't be cool with that sort of thing. Then, spying the dark-haired girl handing a flask to the blonde, he further cautioned, "They definitely wouldn't be cool with that if that flask contains what I think it does. Nor would they be cool about Tara smoking."

"We'll tell 'em." Zita assured, "Although I'm pretty sure they already know to keep it low-key."

"Your parents don't have a problem with Crys and Zoe—do they?" Ron inquired in a low voice as he inclined his head in the direction of the two female lovers sitting down on the steps talking while discreetly holding each other's hands.

"I don't think so." Felix replied, "I can tell you I don't if that's what you're worried about."

"Of course, it isn't!" Ron exclaimed holding up his hands in a conciliatory gesture, "You knew they were going out with each other even before meeting them."

"Yeah." Zita affirmed, "We know you're cool. They do too. No problems here."

"Thanks." Felix grinned. His smile vanishing, he added in a cautionary voice, "While I think my parents would be okay about the two of them going out with each other. They're not homophobes or anything like that. You might want to…"

"Tell them to keep the PDA on the lowdown in front of them." Ron interjected with a crooked grin.

"Right." Felix nodded his head as he turned his attention to the other couple, Josh and Kim, currently engaged in a furious bout of tonsil hockey with each other underneath another oak tree. "Might want to pass the word on to Kim and her boyfriend too."

"We will." Ron replied with a slight incline of his head.

"Those two are just plain horny." Zita's lips turned up in a wicked grin. "Kim's parents…her dad at least…are kinda like your folks. So…when they get a chance to…you know…"

"What Zee's trying to say is that you don't want to leave them alone for too long."

"Oh." Felix exclaimed with a crooked grin. "Then it would definitely be a good idea to warn them to low-key it." Glancing down at his watch, he remarked, "Pizza should be here soon. We might want to round everyone up."

"Good idea." Ron nodded his head as he gestured towards Tara, Hope, and Sergei walking back to the house. "Looks like those three are on their way back. We'll get Kim and Josh while you pass the word on to Crys and Zoe."

"Sounds like a plan." Felix replied with a grin and nod of his head. "Hurry up. Pizza and soft drinks await."

Middleton Medical Center

"Talk to me, James!" Ann called out to her husband as she saw the spike on her monitor.

"Feedback." The rocket scientist responded as he hurriedly punched in a code on the keyboard of his device. Letting out a breath of air as the signal once again stabilized, James explained, "Drew's obviously put in a few defenses. You must have triggered one with your latest probe. You should be safe to continue but be very careful when you do your next probe."

Glancing down at their patient, Dr. Guberman gently prodded his colleague, "You ready to continue, Ann?"

"Yeah." Mrs. Dr. Possible answered back, "Let's try out that new alpha wave neutralizer. Be ready, James."

"Ready when you are, Honey!"

Nodding her head once at her fellow surgeon, Ann took a deep breath, "Activate the neutralizer."

Shego's Mind

"The prosecution will prove to the jury that Sheila Marie Go, aka Shego, is an imposter, a poser, a fraud and a liar!" Dr. Drakken, embracing his role as chief prosecutor waxed eloquently as he made his opening statements. "While posing as a villain, she was in fact acting as a hero!" After giving the assortment of gangsters, bullies, and villain henchmen in the audience their moment to gasp in shock, the blue-skinned villain continued his diatribe.

"That's not true!" Shego bolted out of her chair only to be forced back down by two burly henchmen dressed as court bailiffs.

"The defendant will remain silent!" The judge exclaimed in that same hauntingly familiar voice. "One more outburst and you will be bound and gagged." Turning her gaze to the prosecutor, the hooded justice spoke, "You may continue."

"Thank you, Your Honor." Drakken replied in an unctuous voice. Gesturing at a movie screen on the wall, the blue-skinned villain declaimed in a loud voice, "Watch and you will see the evidence. You will see for yourself that Shego, a so-called villain who I once trusted, is nothing but a fraud. Her villainy nothing more than a sham."

Shego sat motionless as the events of the past year played on the screen. She ignored the gasps of outrage from the jurors' box as they observed how she had subtly sabotaged her master's schemes until, his presentation ended, the raven-haired woman was startled by the prosecutor's accusatory voice as he dramatically pointed his finger at her.

"There is your imposter! Your fake! Your traitor! There can be only one punishment for one such as her!' The mad scientist declared as he displayed a small remote-control device, his thumb hovering over a giant red button. Turning to the judge and jury, the prosecutor concluded his case. "I await the inevitable guilty verdict."

"How does the jury rule?" The judge queried in a raspy voice.

"Hey!" Shego bolted out of her chair, "Don't I get my say?"

"Silence the traitor!" The judge ordered as two henchmen forced the dark-haired woman back into her chair, binding her to it with leather bindings and shoving a gag into her mouth. Turning her attention back to the jury, the justice again inquired, "Have you reached a verdict?"

"We have, your Honor." Duff Killigan, the jury foreman declared as he handed a piece of paper to the bailiff who then carried it over to the judge.

On receiving the folded paper, the judge unfolded it and read it. Taking a deep breath, she announced in a clear voice as she pulled back her hood to reveal her face, causing the defendant to gasp in a mixture of astonishment, revulsion, and fear.

"This court finds Sheila Marie Go guilty as charged. Prosecutor…do your duty."

"With pleasure." Dr. Drakken replied with a malevolent grin on his face, addressing his final remarks at the defendant as he pressed the button. "Goodbye, Shego."

Middleton Medical Center Surgery

"We're losing her!" Dr. Guberman called out as the sine waves on the monitor spiked and then began a ferocious cycle of peaks and valleys.

"James?" Ann exclaimed, looking up from her patient.

"Transmitting." James replied. "The signal should interrupt the carrier wave."

"Should?" Ann shouted back.

"There's always a risk in these things, dear." James calmly replied, "But if we're going to save Ms. Go…"

"All right." Ann took a deep breath and then exhaled, "Let's do this. Ready, Dr. Guberman?"

"Ready, Dr. Possible."

"Adjusting the amplitude modulation!" James shouted as he carefully monitored the medical instruments.

"Phil?" Mrs. Doctor Possible exclaimed, her attention fully riveted on their patient.

"On it, Ann." The other neurosurgeon replied as he deftly wielded a surgical instrument. "Got it."

"James?"

"Matching oscillations!" James called back, breathing a sigh of relief, "We're in rhythm. You can remove the device now."

"Thank God!" Ann sighed as she skillfully removed the last of the nanofibers connecting the implanted bomb to its host. Removing the device, the redheaded neurosurgeon placed it in a sealed container as she motioned a nurse to her side. "Take this to Marshall in Security. Tell him to put it in a secure container and contact Global Justice about picking it up. Also tell him I want a constant watch on that thing until it is gone."

"Yes, Doctor Possible." The nurse deferentially replied as she moved quickly to comply with the doctor's orders.

Looking down on her slumbering patient, the smallest traces of a smile appeared on the exhausted surgeon's face. "You're going to be okay, Sheila. Go to sleep. We'll talk when you wake up."

Renton Home

"So…the two of you live alone with no parental supervision." Mrs. Renton stated in a disapproving tone of voice once she had discovered that Tara and Hope were roommates. "I'm not sure that's such a good idea."

"We're financially independent—if that's what you're worried about and we're both legally emancipated." Hope declared challengingly before taking a bite of cheese pizza.

"The state obviously thinks we're competent enough to conduct our own affairs." Tara further countered, deliberately emphasizing her posh accent.

"What sort of work do you do?" Mr. Renton inquired, not wanting to let go of the subject. "Those cars I hear that you drive don't come cheap. How are two high school girls able to afford not only an Alfa-Romeo Spyder and a Mustang GT, but also a suburban house?"

Her lips turning up in a sly grin, Tara responded, giving her redheaded friend a sly wink, "We're security consultants…just like Kim and Ron."

"In other words," Mrs. Renton frowned, "mercenaries."

"If you like." Tara acknowledged, "Although we're rather selective in our clientele."

"Yeah." Kim interrupted, coming to the aid of her friends, "We don't work for the bad guys and if someone needs help and can't afford it…"

"We help them." Ron interjected, joining the conversation.

Before Mrs. Renton could reply, four different Kimmunicators beeped simultaneously.

Answering hers first, Kim listened for a few moments before announcing, "Mom wants to make this a conference call." After her friends had made the necessary adjustments to their phones and nodded their heads, Kim spoke into her phone, "Okay, Mom…go ahead."

"It was touch and go for a while…" Mrs. Dr. Possible reported, "But Shego's going to pull through."

"Thank God!" Tara sighed as both Hope and Sergei placed comforting hands on her shoulders. "Can I see her?"

"Give her a few hours to sleep off the anesthesia." Ann replied and then inquired, "Are you done at the Rentons?"

"Yeah, Mom." Kim replied as Felix nodded his head in affirmation. "We're just chillin' eating pizza and guzzling down colas."

"Okay. Why don't you all come on to the hospital? I need to tell you about something we found while we were working on Sheila. By the time we're done talking, she should be ready for visitors. Don't be surprised if she's a little groggy though."

"Cheeky's always been a grouch in the morning." Tara laughed with a nervous hitch to her chuckle, earning raised eyebrows from Felix's parents. "We'll be right over, Mrs. P. And…" The young Englishwoman earnestly added, "Thank you."

"Anytime, sweetie." Ann replied in a gentle, soothing tone, "It's my job."

"Sergei?" Tara pleaded as she touched her Russian lover's arm.

Nodding his head, the Russian responded positively as he touched both of his lovers' hands, "Of course, my lyubovniki, I will take both of you and Kim to the hospital."

Seeing the concerned look on his girlfriend's face, Josh smiled warmly, "Go with them, Kim. I can catch a ride back with either Zoe and Crystal or Ron and Zita."

"We can take you home, Josh." Zoe volunteered as her cheerleader lover nodded her head in agreement. Turning to Ron and Zita, the Asian dancer grinned, "Why don't the two of you stick around and catch up with Felix and we'll meet you online tonight at our usual time."

"Works for us." Ron agreed as Zita concurred.

"Yeah, we'll see you tonight and bring your A-game." The lovely Latina grinned, "We're raiding Xaltor's Dungeon."

After saying their goodbyes, Tara, Hope and Kim, accompanied by Sergei, made their way to the Russian's car. Seeing the worried look on her friend's face, Hope gently inquired, "You okay, Bestie?"

Taking a deep breath and exhaling, Tara's lips turned up in a wan smile as the group approached the car. "Better than I was, luv. At least Cheeky's out of danger now—that's what's important. But…" She shook her head as her gaze fell on her redheaded friend, "I have to admit to some worry over the news your mother has, Kim"

"Same here, T." Kim responded with a nod of her head. Sighing, she concluded as Sergei opened the doors for his female companions, "I guess we'll find out soon enough."

Watching from their office as first Sergei's car pulled out of the driveway, followed soon after by Zoe's, Mr. Renton glanced at the remaining teen couple talking and laughing with their son. "So, Honey, what do you think about Felix's friends?"

"Ron's changed from when he's little." Mrs. Renton observed. "From what I remember, he used to be practically joined at the hip with his friend, Kim. But now…"

"They're teenagers." Mr. Renton chuckled. "He's got a girlfriend and she's got a boyfriend. Nothing unusual in that."

"Of course, Honey." Mrs. Renton chuckled, but as her thoughts turned to the other teenagers, her laughter subsided, "I am worried about those two girls…and Kim…"

Nodding his head, the concerned father concurred, "I think I see where you're coming from Phyllis. Am I correct in assuming that those two girls are involved in a three-way relationship with that Russian boy?"

"You are." Phyllis curtly replied through pursed lips. "I also spotted that blonde girl smoking outside. I definitely don't approve of that."

"Yeah." George Renton nodded his head in agreement, further commenting. "I also thought I saw the dark haired girl taking a flask out of her purse before handing it to the blonde. Five'll get you ten that it wasn't pop she was drinking."

"Then there's the whole matter of those girls being mercenaries." Phyllis pointed out. "I'm not sure I'm comfortable with Felix hanging out with them. I don't want him or us to get sucked into their adventures."

"Agreed." George affirmed, "So…what do you want to do? Forbid Felix from having anything to do with Kim or the other two girls and their boyfriends?"

"Hmmm…" Phyllis mused as she considered her husband's suggestion. "Much as I'd like to put my foot down and do just that, to completely bar him from associating with them is probably a little too drastic a solution at the moment."

"It would also be hard for us to enforce." George acknowledged. "He'll be going to school with them and then there's his online world…"

"Right." Mrs. Renton nodded her head. "We can't cut him off from either of those. He's really looking forward to starting school this fall and remember what it was like before we got him that Everloft game and his wheelchair?"

"Yeah." Mr. Renton recalled, "He was withdrawn and depressed. That guild he belongs to and the friends he's made online like Zita, Ron, and those two girls—as well as the mobility of that chair you made for him—has changed his entire outlook a hundred and eighty degrees. I'd hate to see all that wiped out because we acted a little too heavy handed too quickly."

Sighing, Phyllis concurred with her husband. "I don't want to see him go back to the way he was. So…for now at least…we'll caution him about those girls and Kim, but otherwise we just monitor the situation."

"Works for me. If worse comes to worse, then Plan B is always available." George nodded his head in agreement as he gestured at Felix talking with Ron and Zita. "We better get back to them before they come up with a plan to conquer the world or something worse."

Middleton Medical Center

"Tara…Hope…Kim…" Dr. Ann Possible smiled warmly as the three teenage girls entered the hospital waiting room where she stood. "Have a seat. As I said on the phone, there's something we need to talk about before I take you up to see Sheila."

"Sure, Mom." Kim replied as she and the other girls did as the neurosurgeon requested.

"What is it, Mrs. P.?" Hope inquired.

"Drew implanted a final deadman's switch device into Sheila that was invisible to all of our standard scans."

"Shit." Tara growled, "I take it you found and disarmed it?"

"Yes." Ann nodded her head, "James had the Space Center send over a prototype scanner that spotted it. The device was also receiving and transmitting a signal…"

"The signal probably was a trigger." Tara assumed as Ann again nodded her head.

"Correct. Thankfully, James was able to outfox the signal and the device was neutralized and removed—in no small part thanks to Dr. Guberman." Shaking her head, she remarked in a sincere tone of voice, "I couldn't have done it without either James or Philip's help."

"So…how is she?" Tara asked with a hitch to her voice.

"Recovering. The nurse will take you and Hope to her room. She should be up by now but expect her to be a little groggy." Ann's lips turned up in a warm grin, her smile quickly vanishing as she turned her attention to her daughter. "Kim…I don't know how to say this, but I think…"

"You want to check to be sure that Drakken didn't implant something similar into me." Kim concluded in a grim tone of voice.

Nodding her head, Ann affirmed, "Right." Letting out a sigh, she continued in a consoling tone, "But I don't think we have anything to worry about. From what you girls have told me and from what I've read from your reports, he didn't have the time to do anything more than what he did. I just want to check to make sure. Call it a mother's prerogative."

"What's involved in this scan? Are you going to have to…"

"Don't worry, it's nothing invasive." Ann smiled warmly at her daughter. "We're just going to scan you using James's device. If nothing's there, then you can join your friends up in Sheila's room."

"All right, Mom." Kim declared as the nurse arrived, "Let's find out."

"We'll see you up in Sheila's." Hope exclaimed with an encouraging grin.

"Right, luv." Tara smiled at her redheaded friend, "Come up after you get the all clear."

"Tell Sheila I'll be up soon." Kim responded as her friends departed with their nurse guide.

"Will do!" Hope smiled back, "Good luck."

As her fellow cheerleaders departed, Kim turned to her mother, "Okay, Mom. Let's find out if Drakken left me a package too."

Placing a comforting hand on her daughter's shoulder, Ann vowed, "Don't worry, honey. If there's anything there, we'll remove it. I promise."

As the girls reached the door to Shego's room, they found two familiar figures sitting down on either side of the door. Her lips turning up in a sly grin, Tara greeted the two Global Justice agents who had briefly doubled as her foster parents. "Hi Janet…Scott. Don't tell me Betty's got you two standing watch."

"Afraid so." Scott let out a brief chuckle.

Shaking her head, Janet let out a sigh, "Betty's being paranoid. Shego's in no condition to run. She's connected to an IV and is groggy from painkillers."

"Yeah." Scott glumly agreed with a single nod of his head, "It's rough seeing her like this. I'm used to seeing her partying at the Kitty-Kat Club"

"She'll get better before you know it." Tara declared, "Cheeky's not one to miss a party."

"We know." Janet smiled warmly at her former 'foster daughter' as she gestured towards the door. "She's up now and I think she'd like to see you both."

"Yeah." Scott affirmed, "Go on in. And don't worry…we'll let Ms. Possible in when she gets here."

"Thanks, luvs." Tara grinned as she kissed the GJ agents on their cheeks while Hope opened the door. "You're the best."

Entering her old rival…friend…lover's…room, Tara gasped as she saw her fellow adventuress lying on a hospital bed with an IV tube feeding fluids into her left arm as wires connected her to monitors that gently beeped. As she approached, the blonde Englishwoman held back a sob as she heard her old lover's greeting.

"Hey, Cutie. Bring me any flowers?"

Quickly rallying herself, Tara responded with a crooked grin as Hope joined them. "My roomie's got the flowers."

"Hey Sheila." Hope smiled as she placed a bouquet of roses and carnations into a vase. "I've been working on my follow through. Kicked Drakken right in the nut sack."

"Yeah, Cheeky." Tara grinned as she gently stroked her old friend's cheek. "His balls are probably still black."

Wincing as she laughed, Shego replied in a soft voice, "Thanks." Her laughter vanishing, she asked, "What happened to the Princess? Is she all right?"

"Kim's fine." Tara responded in a reassuring voice. "She'll be up here shortly. Her mum's just checking her out to make sure Drakken didn't leave any parting gifts for her like he did for you." The blonde frowned as she felt her old lover shudder. "What's wrong, luv? Want me to call the nurse?"

"No." Shego answered back in a hoarse whisper, "It's just…"

"It's okay, Cheeky." Tara cooed, "You can tell us."

"You're going to think I'm crazy." Sheila retorted, wincing as she tried to laugh.

"We already think that luv." The blonde Englishwoman quipped, "Now tell us what's on your mind."

"While they were taking that thing out of me…" Sheila confessed, "…I was…dreaming…hallucinating maybe…I don't know…"

"Go on." Hope encouraged as she took the chair next to where her best friend was sitting.

"I was on trial." The raven-haired former henchwoman recalled, "Drakken was the prosecutor. Killigan, the Senors, my brothers, Camille Leon, Dementor, and a few others were on the jury. And the judge…the judge…" She shuddered as she repressed a sob.

"Who was the judge?" Tara gently prompted as Kim entered the room.

Quickly picking up on her dark-haired fellow cheerleader's gesture to remain silent, the teen hero walked softly to the sickbed and quietly sat in the remaining chair as Shego continued her tale.

"The judge was wearing a black robe with a hood for most of the trial, so I couldn't see a face." Shego recalled, "But her voice…"

"Her?" Kim interjected in a soft voice.

"Yeah, Princess." Sheila affirmed, "Her voice was raspy, but it was familiar, but for some reason I couldn't place it."

"Why were you put on trial?" Hope inquired.

"For helping you." Sheila managed a strained laugh. "I was charged with being a secret hero." After a moment's pause, she concluded, "And I was found guilty and the judge pronounced sentence. That was when she pulled back the hood and I saw her…I saw me!"

"You?" Tara uttered.

"Me." Shego declared, "Only…I was older…there were streaks of gray in my hair. And…" As her speech halted, Tara grabbed her hand and gently caressed it. "And there was a hardness about her. She…I…called herself the Supreme One and…Cutie…Cheerleader…Princess…when I looked into her eyes, I couldn't see anything. No love of life…no color. It was like everything that makes me who I am was taken away from me. It was horrible."

"It was just a nightmare, luv." Tara consoled.

"Maybe." Sheila relented, "Or maybe it was a warning. A vision. Remember that thing Dementor and Drakken both tried to steal?"

"That pan-dimensional whatever?" Kim interjected.

"Yeah." Shego coughed. "What would happen if they were to ever get something like that? What would happen if Drakken were to use that thing and do something to twist me into…what I saw?" Her eyes now taking on a panicked expression, she pleaded, "Cutie…please…please…don't let that happen to me. Kill me if you have to, but don't let me become that thing!"

Three soft hands rested on Sheila's hand. "I promise…we promise…we won't let that happen to you, Sheila." Tara gently cooed, "Rest now. We'll stay and watch over you."

"Thanks Cutie." Shego gently sobbed, "You too Cheerleader…Princess. Thank you."

"Hey Cheeky…" Tara softly whispered as Sheila drifted off to sleep, "That's what friends are for."