"You joined the bad guys?!" Luz shouted in disbelief, startling King awake from his nap.
"Luz, you do realize that from the Boiling Isles' perspective, you're the bad guy? You have noticed the giant Wanted Poster Eda has hung on the wall?" Amity said flatly, gesturing to the menacingly drawn image of Eda and King displayed prominently in the living room above the couch.
"But this Drakken guy was trying to mind control the army! He attacked a school… yeah, I see your point."
"Besides, this Shego character filled out that suit like a green jelly on Tuesday. I needed to know more about her and where she got her magic from." Eda explained. "Unfortunately, not everyone agreed with my decision…" she added, eyeing Owlbert, who was perched up on the mantle above the fireplace. He let out a stubborn hoot and flew down to cuddle up next to Ghost on the ottoman.
"Kim?" someone called, shaking Kim Possible awake. She lifted a hand to her head and focused on Ron, who was kneeled over her. "You okay, KP?"
"Wow. What hit me?" she asked, rubbing her head. Teachers and emergency crew were checking on other students, waking them from what looked like a regular sleep. The wall around the window had been blown out, and neither Drakken, Shego, or Ms. Clawthorne were in sight. "Let me guess, they got away."
"Looks that way." Ron said, helping her to her feet. "Rufus is sniffing around for clues."
Kim pulled her Kimmunicator from her pocket; a blue, full screen, state of the art cell phone. "Wade? I need a tracker on Drakken and Shego… and my substitute teacher… for some reason."
A rotund, african-american boy appeared on screen, no more than fourteen years of age. Wade Load, Kim's long time friend, hacker extraordinaire, and website manager was one of the most brilliant minds in the world with connections around the globe. "Kim! You're awake! What happened?"
"Our substitute teacher put a whammy on the class and left with Drakken. I figured she was a weird one, but she was drawing circles in the air and causing all kinds of weird stuff. Can you track them?"
"Usually I can pinpoint Drakken's hovercraft no problem, but it's like he has some kind of new stealth technology. Chrck out the school's security cams." he said, and another digital window replaced him on screen, showing Drakken, Shego, and Ms. Clawthorne running from the school and jumping into thr blue hovercraft. As they lifted off, the teacher drew another circle in the air, and the car appeared to turn into a giant, feathery owl.
"Hologram?" Kim asked in surprise.
"Not like any I've ever seen." Wade replied.
Kim frowned. Drakken had obviously got what he was looking for in Ms. Clawthorne, so she had to go after them. What her deal was was still a mystery though. "Thanks Wade. If you find anything, let me know." she said, hanging up and returning the Kimmunicator to her pocket. "Rufus find anything, Ron?"
"Kim!" Ron whispered, waving her over to the teacher's desk where a small brown owl was perched on the teacher's coffee cup, hooting quietly at Ron's naked mole rat. "Rufus says this is Owlbert, Ms. Clawthorne's pal."
Kim looked at her boyfriend skeptically despite the exchange of hoots and squeaks between the two critters. "Uh huh. And can the little talking bird tell is where Ms. Clawthorne went, or why she left with Drakken?"
Ron turned back to Rufus, nodding and acknowledging his squeaks. "Apparently, yes." he replied dryly. "He also says he can get us there."
"No offence, Ron, but I think I'd rather take my car than travel by tiny owl." she said, grabbing him by his jersey and pulling him along. Ron reflexively reached out, snatching Rufus off of the desk as Owlbert followed after them.
Kim, now dressed in a purple t-shirt and tight, flared black pants, stood in front of her father's garage. Ron, dressed in a black, three quarter sleeve shirt and grey cargo pants, stood beside her. They were staring at her mission car that was sitting inside with its retractable, triple ramscoop engine hanging above its housing on a hoist with Kim's twin little brothers in coveralls working on it. "What did you two do to my car?!"
"We're fixing it!" The pair of identical boys said in unison.
"The air to fuel ration needed fine tuning." Jim said.
"And the vectored thrust needed calibration." Tim continued. "You should have no trouble steering in flight from now on."
"And have all the power you need! Hoo-sha!" they added, giving each other a high five.
"But I need it now! I have a mission!" Kim insisted.
"No can do. It'll take hours to finish."
The little brown owl perched on Kim's shoulder, letting out a sad warble that caught her attention. "Sorry, little guy. I really don't think you can carry us anywhere."
Owlbert fluttered off of her shoulder and tucked in his wings before petrifying into a wooden sculpture. He glowed a brilliant gold, and a long wooden staff materialized from his feet and dropped into Kim's hand. "Uh…"
"Witchcraft!" Jim and Tim gasped, folding their arms in perfect synch.
"We deal in science," Tim scoffed.
"Not magic." Jim added.
"Enh, I've been known to dabble." Ron said. "And, we have seen stranger."
"Stranger than an owl turning into a staff?"
"Hello?! Mystical Monkey Power?"
Kim shrugged. "Fair enough. But how do I…?" Rufus squeaked and chittered, gesturing to the staff and making a broom riding motion. "Seriously?" Kim asked, gripping the staff and straddling it. "C'mon, Ron! Let's hocus this pocus."
Kim grabbed Ron by the shirt, and Owlbert spread his wings again, his large eyes glowing before shooting off into the sky. "Wait! My pants!" Ron shouted, his grey cargo pants fluttering to the ground where he had stood a moment before.
"Wait. Mystical Monkey Power? Are you saying there are other forms of magic in the Human Realm?" Luz asked, her eyes wide. "My mom is around your age, why wouldn't she have said anything about this?"
Eda shrugged, sipping her tea. "Can't say for sure. Maybe she knew how much trouble you'd get into if you believed in world saving teenagers." Eda said with a snort.
"And I'm not the only human to ride Owlbert?"
"Owlbert was desperate to save me from myself, and he's an excellent judge of character."
"Why go with those Dragon and Sheila characters anyway? They were obviously bad news." Amity commented.
"It was Drakken and Shego. The blue fella was an easy mark. I could tell from a world away. Shego on the other hand, had everything I was looking for. Confidence, a healthy disrespect for authority, and powerful magic in her hands."
Luz frowned. "You had just broken up with Raine, hadn't you?"
Eda rolled her eyes and scoffed, looking away. "It was a rough time. My curse was rearing its ugly head something fierce in those days, and… I don't know. I didn't have a real home of my own just yet." she explained, turning back to find Luz sobbing, and even Amity wiping an eye. "Ugh. Can I just get on with the story, please?"
The island that Drakken, Shego, and Eda landed on was tiny, covered in signs informing any teens to stay off, and had a tall metal tower in its center with rooms that jutted out seemingly at random. The illusion that Eda had cast on the vehicle faded and the trio disembarked. "All I'm saying is that we should discuss new additions to the team." Drakken complained as the two women strode toward the tower's entrance.
"Hey, you want to use my portal, you've gotta include me." Eda replied.
"I'm honestly more interested in these powers of yours. Eda, was it?" Shego asked.
Eda blushed, waving away the comment. "It's just magic. Everyone can do it where I'm from." she admitted, then bat her eyes. "Though I am the most powerful witch, clearly in both worlds."
"Well then, allow me…" Shego said, pushing the button to open the sliding door and stepping aside to allow Eda to pass through ahead of her."
"This is very unlike you." Drakken whispered as he stepped up beside her. "You don't like anyone. Why are you buttering her up?"
"Look, the only way you're going to get that key and whatever it unlocks is if she thinks she's in charge, and just maybe we can get her to show us how she does all that other stuff, capeesh?"
"Doctor Drakken bows to no one, Shego." he replied in irritation. "Besides, magic is Monkey Fist's thing. Not mine. I'm a man of science!"
"What's magic but really advanced technology? Besides, maybe there's a completely scientific explanation for how she can draw glowing lines in the air."
"Actually, there is!" Eda shouted from inside. "Magic comes from an organ attached to a witch's heart. Chemical reactions and whatnot mix to create certain effects."
"A whatnow?" Shego asked in surprise.
Drakken grinned, striding passed Shego and into his lair. "An organ, you say? How interesting! And how did you come across this organ?"
Eda pulled her bandana off, shaking her hair out, revealing her pointed ears. "I was born with it, dummy. All witches on the Boiling Isles are." she said, curiously reaching out to tinker with one of the contraptions on a long work table.
Drakken pulled a pair of tweezers from his breast pocket and grinned, moving to take a strand of hair from her head. "So tell me more about this world of yours." he said, creeping closer.
Eda immediately turned, forcing Drakken to hide the tweezers behind his back as innocently as he could. "Oh, you know. It's made up of the carcass of a dead Titan, ruled by a megalomaniacal overlord that wants to control all magic, and filled by creatures both horrifying and whimsical that you humans would probably consider mythical."
"Your world is already ruled by a single individual?" Drakken asked, intrigued.
"Emperor Belos, yeah." Eda confirmed, poking at the keys on the large computer. "Came into power about thirty years ago. Been a bit of a pain ever since."
Shego had entered the building and stood beside Drakken, crossing her arms as she listened. "Hey," she whispered. "You remember what happened the last time you tried cloning, right?"
"Those were mere prototypes, Shego. I've perfected that formula with the synthodrones." he whispered back as Eda continued her description of home. "But did you hear? A world full of superstitious fools that believe they live on a giant corpse! And they're already ruled by a single person, meaning it can be done."
"Whoa, you are not thinking what I think you're thinking."
"Precisely, Shego! I could conquer this other world, and raise an army of magically powered beings, only to return to rule Earth as well! All without any interference from one Kim Possible!" he laughed, his voice going from a subtle whisper to a full on rant. "Oh, and by rule, I obviously mean lead. With a gentle, and compassionate hand, of course." he added when Eda looked his way.
Eda grinned. "Let's say I do let you in to my world. What do I get out of it?"
Drakken thought for a moment. "I would give you riches beyond your comprehension! You could rule as my right…" he stopped, feeling himself sweating under Shego's irate gaze. "Left hand! If you help me oust your current ruler, I would give you limitless power!" he shouted, throwing his arms up in triumph.
"Riches? Limitless power?" Eda asked, her eyes glazing over. Riches sounds delightful, though she already had limitless power, and ruling over anything honestly seemed like a chore. "I'll tell you what, you remove the current regime and cut me in on these riches, and I'll help with whatever you want." she assured him. "This Belos guy is a real piece of work."
"I'm sure he'll be no match for my scientific genius! Now, about this power source?" Drakken grinned.
"What? This?" Eda asked, pulling the key from around her neck and pressing the small eye that was embossed on it. A line of light appeared and stretched out, transforming into an ornate briefcase made of wood and gold, with the same eye motif emblazoned on its cover. It opened, and continued to unfold until a door with a knob in its center stood in the middle of Drakken's lair. The door immediately swung open to a strange view of an unfathomable depth of stars with slowly floating cubes of glass and tiny ripples on the threshold that originated from nothing.
With a flash, the image disappeared and was replaced by a view of a dark forest with a dimming pink sky, orange trees, and protrusions from the ground that could only be described as monstrous rib bones with skulls that decorated the path that led up to a house and tower that sat upon a hilltop.
"Home sweet home." Eda said with a smile, casting a sideways glance at Dr. Drakken, who's terrified expression didn't surprise her. "So, are ya ready to kick Belo's behind?" she asked, slapping him on the back with a snort-laugh.
"That's your world?" He asked, pointing.
"Yep! The Boiling Isles! Ripe for the pickin'"
"What's the matter, Doc?" Shego asked, stepping up beside him. "Not the paradise you were expecting?"
Drakken straightened and growled at both women. "No matter. I'm sure I have a Doomsday Weapon that will bend the local populace to my will!" he said, striding toward his collection of machines. "The Boiling Isles, you say?" he chuckled, getting a glimmer in his eye. "Operation: Thirsty for Drakken is back!"
Ron was continuing to scream as he held on to the flying staff, his legs dangling off the end. Kim had managed to convince the owl to swing back so that Ron could grab his pants, but the little bird was surprisingly fast. It seemed very determined to get back to its master as fast as it could, and it seemed certain that it would need Kim and Ron's help.
It wasn't long before Drakken's Caribbean lair was on the horizon, and the little owl aimed directly for one of the windows where a golden light was shining from within. "Hold on, Ron!" Kim shouted, bracing herself.
Owlbert and his riders smashed through the window, high above the floor and the room's occupants. Drakken, Shego, Ms. Clawthorne, and dozens of Drakken's henchmen were collected in front of an ornate door that showed a very different sight inside than what was behind it. Kim leaped off of the staff, grabbing Ron by his waist with one arm while firing a grapple line from a device on her opposing wrist that shot out and grasped a strong cable that ran across the ceiling. With a graceful slide, she landed and tossed her hair aside, eyeing her three targets. Ron slid from under her arm on his rear before colliding with the wall behind her with a grunt.
"Owlbert!" Eda exclaimed, holding out a hand for the staff to suddenly change direction and fly into her grip. "You were looking out for me, huh?"
"Someone oughta!" Shego chided, quickly swiping the key from Eda's neck, breaking the cord that held it there and backflipping away to land beside Drakken, who was holding another device. This one seemed to be some sort of misshapen cube with blue lights that were rhythmically turning green.
"Henchmen, make sure Kim Possible and her… entourage, don't follow." Drakken grinned, stepping through the portal door with Shego behind him. The henchmen, dressed in pink and black uniforms with nothing but their lower faces revealed, turned toward the two teens and their substitute teacher and cracked their knuckles in anticipation.
