Chapter 2
Electrical Failure

Hego lay in bed before his alarm would inevitably go off simply staring at the high ceiling of his bedroom, the week's hero antics running through his head as the weekend began. To many people it meant relaxing or an easy night... Not to Team Go. Friday night was always the worst, with villains having spent the whole week plotting and toiling. There were times he wondered if some villains worked a typical job during the week and the frustrations simply built. He shook his head.

Villains are just evil... There is no middle ground.

He sat up and rubbed his face to try to erase those thoughts. Six years. He had been a hero for six years. He should have known better than to have those thoughts of weakness. At the start he'd let villains slip away, hoping a second chance would redeem them...that they would learn their lesson. He scoffed at the childish notion. He was always proven wrong.

Friday.

He groaned and slid out of bed, turning his alarm off before it had a chance to go off. He would go to work as normal, knowing full well by sundown the streets would be alive with chaos and Team Go would have to make their presence known. He began musing about all he had to get done at work so much so that he went into autopilot, letting his hero persona fall on the back burner until it would return at three that afternoon. At some point in his morning routine he found himself in the kitchen ready to make breakfast for his siblings, but realized he could already smell food. He raised a brow as he saw his sister glaring at the stove.

"Sheila?" he asked. A plasma blast shot past him that he easily ducked.

"Don't sneak up on me like that," huffed Shego. She looked slightly embarrassed. "Is it already five?"

"Yes," said Hego. "What are you doing?"

Shego rolled her eyes.

"What does it look like I'm doing," she snorted. "I'm making breakfast."

Hego watched as she poured batter into the pan. He already knew the flame was too high as she went to get a spatula... He turned it down.

"That's...new." He looked at the mess of ingredients. "I seem to recall a speech three years ago along the lines of female stereotypes and vowing to never grace the kitchen?"

"Yeah...well...maybe I wanted to try something," she muttered. "Seems simple enough."

She didn't meet his eyes as she looked at the stove and impatiently tapped her toe.

"So, no reason—"

"She has a crush on a guy and wants to impress him," came Mego's voice as he walked in the kitchen. He shrunk out of the way as a blast shot past him. "Better luck—ow!"

Hego raised a brow and smirked at his sister as her blast hit Mego.

"A boy, eh?" he grinned. "All right, what's his name so we can threaten him properly."

"I don't have a crush—" she began just as the Wegos came running in.

"I smell pancakes!" One came dashing to sit at the table.

"Are we talking about She-She's crush?" said the other as he did the same.

"I do not have a crush!" snapped Shego as she tossed down the spatula.

The Wegos exchanged a look before berating their sister.

"Then why do you always talk to him?"

"Yeah, you go out of your way."

"Why do you giggle at jokes that aren't funny?"

"I mean they're really bad...and we're seven and judging that."

"Why do you always look up his library account and renew his things without asking?"

"You don't even do that for us when we ask you," Mego cut in. "I'm still convinced you added a fine onto mine even."

"Something you will never be able to prove," smirked Shego before her eyes narrowed at the twins. "What are you two doing? Stalking me at my job?"

"No," the two said honestly.

"Our school is next to the library," said one. The other nodded.

"We get bored...so we watch the library."

"And go over at recess," the other nodded.

"Remember," they finished.

Shego glared and Hego snorted in laughter.

"So...who's the boy?" teased Hego. Shego aggressively flipped the pancake. "I could always casually linger around the library—"

"His name is Ryan," she grumbled. "He's a freshman at Go City University."

"A college guy?" Hego's brow furrowed. "A bit too old for you isn't he?"

"I'm eighteen," snapped Shego as she tossed down the spatula. "Despite whatever this garbage did to me...I'm not some little girl!"

Shego stormed out of the kitchen, leaving Hego staring after her in concern.

"What was that?" asked Hego as he heard a door slam in the distance.

"Hormones," shrugged Mego as he took over the pancakes. Hego glared. "No, really it's hormones. I did the shopping this week... Tread lightly...and if need be, I got her favorite snacks stashed so the troublemakers can't find it."

"You mean in the training room ceiling tile," smirked one of the Wegos.

"Sealed in a metal box," finished the other.

Mego's eyes narrowed.

"Wesley... Wheaten...you better not have," hissed Mego.

"And if we did?" teased the two.

Hego began to exit the room as his brothers argued about the hidden candy...which even Hego knew about as he was the one to open the metal box for them. He made his way down the large hallway until he was outside the green door. He knocked gently, which still shook the door.

"Sis—"

"Oh my... Grr...I am getting ready for work!" came an agitated reply. "Don't you have to go spray your hair or something?"

Hego rolled his eyes and retracted his hand from her door. She was right. He needed to get to work or he would run late for his true duty of protecting the city. He looked at her door one last time and smirked. He could stop by and bring her lunch; perhaps she would be in a better mood then. He walked past the kitchen and looked at the mess that Mego was attempting to clean up.

"Mego do you want me to drop you off at the clinic or are you riding with Sis and the gremlins?" asked Hego. The twins glared at him.

"We're not gremlins!" they whined.

"Monsters then?" suggested Mego. "Pfft, I'm dropping them off."

"Hey, thought I'd ask... Did I tell you how good it is to see you volunteering instead of lounging around shopping malls and the tower all day?" he smirked at Mego. Mego rolled his eyes.

"Spare me," scoffed Mego. "I'm only there so next time one of us gets busted by a villain... I don't need to deal with the annoying EMTs or Go City General... None of those doctors have a brain between them."

"Shot in the dark... But if I remember correctly...some purple twig spent an hour lecturing them on their organizing skills... May have had something to do with answering your questions," shrugged Hego. "Food for thought."

"Food for thought," he heard Mego mimic as he headed off to finish getting ready for work.

Hego grinned as the customer left him with a cheery review of his restaurant. Well the place wasn't his, but he felt like it was. He was Assistant Manager after all, and his actual manager was gone more than they were ever there. He looked at the clock on the wall and watched as the big taco landed on the hot sauce shaped number.

"Kevin, I'm stepping out for lunch." Hego grabbed his coat off the hook.

"Like...actually...leaving?" asked Kevin. "You never leave."

"I do too," snorted Hego as he grabbed the order he'd already paid for.

"Actually—" Hego cut Kevin off.

"I'll be back in an hour." Hego headed towards the door.

"You never take your full lunch—" The door cut Kevin off as Hego sprinted to his car.

The car was outdated and didn't exactly scream superhero, which was the exact point of its existence. Although, not that he would admit it, Mego may have been right about getting an actual new car and just making it look worn on the outside. The only ones ever inside were himself and his siblings. As he drove across town he began thinking about his coworker's words. Surely he had gone out for lunch in the years he'd worked there...hadn't he? He knew the hour thing might be true...which made the other seem equally true. Hego shook his head to clear his thoughts.

"So I'm dedicated," snorted Hego. "That's a requirement to be a hero...and a good manager."

He nodded to himself as he pulled into the parking for the Go City Library. It was a large three story building located on a corner street, almost directly behind the small elementary school their brothers attended. He saw a gaggle of college kids around the front entrance and chose to go towards the back entrance. He glanced over the males and wondered if one of them was this Ryan. They all looked like they played varsity their whole high school career... Probably there on academic scholarships judging by the sports chatter he overheard.

Hego rounded the building to the back garden where the only person sitting was a boy reading on a stone bench. When he entered the library, he walked right into Shego of all people, who had been standing right at the window near the door.

"What are you doing here?" she hissed before he even realized it was his sister. "Is the city in trouble or—"

"I brought you lunch." He held up the bag innocently.

Shego's eyes went wide and he almost thought she bought it until her eyes narrowed.

"Did you come to spy on me?" she asked. "At my place of work?"

"...And bring you lunch," he grinned wider. "It's your favorite."

"Unless you put Alejandro's in a Bueno Nacho bag...it is not," she crossed her arms.

"I got you the Mega Meal with extra nachos," sighed Hego. The bag was snatched and he smirked in triumph.

"Thanks. You can leave now," grumbled Shego. Hego crossed his arms and raised a brow. "Uhg, fine...you can eat lunch with me...I guess."

"Thanks for the invite Sheg—"

"Henry," she snapped. Hego rolled his eyes.

"Sorry...Sis." He followed her into a windowed lunch room that overlooked the floor and the garden. "This is really nice."

"Compared to what...the Bueno Nacho back room or our dining room that is forever sticky," grumbled Shego.

"You're in a mood," he rolled his eyes. "Have something to do with...Ryan?"

"I changed my mind...leave." Shego flopped in her seat and he sat down next to her. "Maybe I'm just having a bad day."

Hego opened his burrito and waited. He heard the familiar dramatic sigh.

"Uhg, you're more nosey than Mav... At least he waits till I'm home to harass and judge me." She opened her bag. "So what if I have a crush...not like it changes anything."

"Well no...unless you start dating... I don't think we have rules in play for that," Hego grumbled under his breath. "Obviously secret identity..."

He trailed off as Shego's fists clenched as she stared down at her food.

Save the Team Go talk for later, Hego.

"Topic for later," he dismissed it. "So which one is Ryan?"

Hego nodded towards the floor where the college kids had finally made it in the building. Shego glanced and then looked disgusted.

"Uhg, none of those Meat Hocks," Shego bit into her food. "Pass on the brauned-out and brain dead."

Hego choked on his drink and then rolled his eyes.

"Just because someone is in fit shape doesn't mean they're unintelligent," he scoffed. "Judging on looks alone...not very hero-like there Sis."

She shrugged.

"I'm not saying they're all dumb," she grumbled. "Just most of the ones who aren't dating someone... And I see it all the time with the girls around here. If I wanted a guy I could push around and bat my eyes at to get them to do everything for me...yeah fine...but excuse me for not being shallow and wanting to have intellectual conversations."

"Shallow is still assuming the guys down there are all brain-dead jocks," countered Hego. He looked as two began arm wrestling and the others made crude comments. "Not proving my point but you get it."

"Hold on," grumbled Shego as she got up and moved to one of the windows overlooking the room below and opened a window.

Hego was about to ask what she was doing when he saw a streak of green shoot and hit one of the guys before she quickly shut the window and jumped back in her seat. Hego narrowed his eyes and glanced at the confused guys below.

"That is a direct abuse of power... You can't just do that without repercussion," he argued.

"I am preventing another broken table...which would then cost the library money...which would come from the city's budget...thus...counter-saving the cities profits," snapped Shego. The smug expression on her face did nothing to unsour Hego's mood.

"That is..." Hego wanted to argue but the expression on her face made it very clear his quick-witted sister had an array of answers. "Fine...so...back to this Ryan kid."

"He's nineteen...almost twenty... You should not be calling him a kid," grumbled Shego.

"Well he's college age—"

"Uhg, you're college age," growled Shego. "I'm technically college age... You act like you're thirty or something... You're twenty-two... Some of those kids are older than you."

"Why are you so hostile about this?" Hego was confused at his sister's ramblings.

"Because..." She made a few gestures in frustration before she shook her head and looked towards the garden. "Never mind. It's not worth my breath."

Hego couldn't grasp what she was about to rant or yell about. Understanding his sister had always been a challenge even when they were both in good spirits. When she was angry it was like a brick wall was built up in front of her...that sometimes was in danger of being tossed on a person trying to reason with her. He followed her gaze to the young man from earlier still reading in the garden. He had a very strong suspicion that it might be the crush worthy Ryan.

"You should go ask him to join you for lunch," muttered Hego. Shego's face flushed and she looked away.

"Pfft, yeah...sure. As I said. What's the point?" she grumbled. "Even if he did even remotely like me...I don't even have a window for an actual date."

Hego's mind ran over their schedules between work and heroes and there were not that many gaps if he was being honest. He looked at the boy again and his sister picking at her food she'd normally wolf down. If he told her they could clear the schedule if she wanted to go on a date...she would argue... He didn't know how...but she would.

"You know Sis...we can function without you." He tried to sound casual.

Her brows knitted before she scoffed.

"Yeah right...you'd be lost without me." She picked at her food some more.

"Here I thought Mego was the self-centered one—ow." She'd kicked him under the table.

"Yeah, well...be careful or I might take that to heart," she began but her eyes shot open. "Oh no...please no."

"What— Ha!" Hego fought the laugh as he watched his two little brothers at the fence of the school waving to Ryan. "Looks like those two have already started their own investigation."

"I'd kill them but they'd just make more of themselves," she hissed.

Hego looked at the clock and down at the garden and smirked.

"I do have to get back to work... A nice stroll through the garden sounds nice—"

"Please don't," Shego looked on the verge of tears. "I'm begging you...don't make eye-contact and— Henry?"

"I'm going back to work," he smirked as he began heading down the stairs. "Enjoy the rest of yours."

He ignored her voice calling after him as he rounded out the door and to the garden exit. Ryan was currently awkwardly sitting on the bench as two small children prattled off questions that only mattered to children of that age.

"Do you like dogs?"

"Do you have a dog?"

"Ohm...yes," Ryan looked uncomfortable.

"What's its name?"

"Why is it its name?"

Hego paused at the door as the Wegos spotted him. Hego nodded his head upwards to where he knew Shego was still hiding out of sight. The Wegos pouted and sprinted off before Ryan could finish answering what Hego was sure were more than dog related questions. Ryan turned around with a head shake and looked at Hego.

"Kids, right," he shrugged.

"Eh...yeah," Ryan snorted.

Ryan went back to his book as Hego walked back towards his car. Hego wondered if he should make a habit of visiting his siblings on his lunch hour... This thought would change after getting stuck in traffic and missing the lunch time rush, which resulted in a small fire when he finally got back to work.

Electronique glared at her hair. Without the metallic coils of her suit keeping it out of the way, it was a mess of brown curls that did nothing but aggravate her as she tied them back. She'd only been used to dealing with her 'normal' attire for a few short hours throughout the week at work...and even then she would only lock herself away in the back room and tinker with electronics that needed fixing... A job she only worked to get easier access to parts and hardware for her projects.

Apparently it was also good for having somewhere to sleep since she couldn't get into her own lair. She let out a frustrated growl as she walked down the crowded Go City streets to the nearest place to find food, mourning the delicious morsels wasting away behind her guarded manor walls. She wasn't furious about not being able to get in her lair...as it was the purpose of encrypting it with identity verification hardware... No, she was furious at Team Go. Specifically their obnoxious leader who had caused her to lose her belt...the very essence of who Electronique was...and really...the key to her house.

She took a calming breath as she yanked open the door to Bueno Nacho, the offending smell of grease and cheese attacking her as she did so. Cheese was not what she found offending...but the culmination of the scents... But it was decent food...cheap food...and close by. She fixed her sunglasses on top of her head as she squinted at the menu, her mind mostly focusing on a way to get her belt back and get revenge on Team Go for causing her to ruin her Tesla Coil Gun... She could make another but it was the principle. She hissed in her movements and glanced down at her wrapped wrist.

Oh yes...that too.

She noted to herself, Hego's little act of heroism in trying to stop her from escaping had done a number on her wrist...which also didn't help her work on any projects. She wanted to punch him in his smug superhero face...his overdone dramatic voice replaying in her head as he lectured her hanging off a cliff.

She hated his voice—

"Can I help you, miss?" Electronique's eyes shot open and she looked ahead of her.

A tall, broad-shouldered young man stood before her, his inky black hair and thick glasses causing her to briefly imagine she was losing her mind. She remembered she was standing in line at a food chain and finally focused on the menu.

"I will have the chicken fiesta salad," she sighed. The man raised a brow as he slowly typed in her order.

"Lovely accent, miss," said the man. She looked at his name-tag. Henry. "Name please."

"Dominique," she sighed as her name appeared on the screen as she paid. "Can I get it to go?"

"Of course," he replied. He raised a brow at her. "Have we met before?"

Electronique paused and looked at him...her mind zeroing in on his voice. She never really paid much attention around her when in the city not working on villain capers... She may have run into him before when she was working. She shrugged and went to wait for her food. She looked at her receipt and then back at the man...who was still looking at her curiously. She chose to let it go as she began ticking boxes in her head at possible ways to get into Go Tower to retrieve her property... They hadn't left the belt at the dock nor took it to the police station, which she had visited the other day and dealt with a few easily distracted police officers. She'd gotten in and out of the evidence locker fairly easy. It was actually rather pathetic if she was being honest.

"Dominique?" She had almost not reacted to her name being said.

The man was holding her to-go order. There was a confident grin on his face that made her hesitate as she took it.

"You work down at Corded Chaos?" he asked. "I think that's where I've seen you before."

Electronique nodded.

"Ah, so we have solved that mystery," she politely smiled and headed towards the door. "Now to solve the mystery of the smell in here."

She heard her stomach grumble as the scent of her food overtook her senses as the door closed behind her. She had intended on going back to the store but instead found herself sitting at the patio. She ate without thought as she watched the electrical wires delicately strung along the busy street. She could almost feel it in her senses as slowly her mind fell back onto another failed caper of hers...trying to drain the power-grid of the city to extort financial gain... Again...foiled by Team Go. Specifically...yet again Hego. Who had crushed her invention with the ease of a paper toy. She narrowed her eyes at the memory. Hearing the door chime next to her, she turned and the young man was there...again. Cleaning off tables around her.

"I could have cleaned the table for you," he chuckled, and she became aware of the discarded food next to where she sat.

"Uhg, repugnante." She looked at the trashcan not too far away. "Could they not lean over?"

"Heh...yes. Yes they could have." The grimace on his face made her tilt her head at its familiarity. "But, I suppose it's my job so there's that."

"It is your job to serve and provide food. Not cater to the privileged and undisciplined," she scoffed. She tossed away her now empty bowl. "How hard was that."

"For some...life altering," he rolled his eyes. Then his face became serious. "It's fine, really. All in a day's deed."

Electronique froze as she watched him begin walking away... He wore a coat...clearly done with the day.

"Have a good day...Dominique," he grinned and turned away from her.

Her eyes shot open as she narrowed her eyes at his hair...where the dipping sun showed a hint of blue. She felt a furious rage run through her as his physique and voice played in her head. She nearly knocked over a person as she sprinted off after him. Keeping enough distance not to act in case her assumption was incorrect. She followed him for a good amount of time, as the sky was now a darkened orange and they had made their way to a more impoverished side of town.

He darted into one of the city's few public rest areas. This one in particular was seldom used due to its graffiti and the fact the city rarely had upkeep on it. She looked around her and rolled her eyes... She wasn't about to go much farther if he continued on his way when he got out. She saw blue glowing from under the closed door and her eyes shot open as she moved behind the dumpster of an alley...just enough she could see the door.

She watched as the man came out.

No longer was he clad in glasses or a polo, and the horrible black spray of his hair was gone revealing the familiar blue color. Hego. So she had been correct in her assumption. Like her, Team Go lived a dual life. This meant there were times Go Tower was left unguarded. She just had to find out when.

She watched him tinker with a primitive communicator and cringed at the lack of technology for the city's so called super heroes. It was more than a little pathetic to see. She was pretty sure the substandard police even had better equipment—a joke considering all they seemed to do was media blitzing and capture petty criminals.

"Shego, status?" called Hego into the device on his hip.

"Single," came a snarky grumble.

She watched a sad expression ghost over the hero's face before another voice came over the radio.

"Maybe if you knew how to flirt, guys would trip over themselves to run away from you."

Hego's brow narrowed as Shego's voice came over again.

"Can it Mego...pretty sure it has something to do with never having a day off for an actual date!"

"All right you two, that's enough," sighed Hego into the communicator. "We have work to do, save the romantic woes for home."

"Romantic woes?" came Mego's voice. "That implies there are woes to have."

Younger voices came over the device.

"Something we know Mego will never have," snorted the young voice followed by another. "Yeah, the only one who can stand Mego is himself."

"Hate to interrupt the roast on here...and I really mean that," came Shego's voice. "But there's a situation on Wego Way."

"Was our comeback not good?" came the two young voices again. Wegos.

"No, I mean the street," sighed Shego.

"Your comeback was lame," cut in Mego. Hego rolled his eyes.

"Focus, team. What's the 411 Shego?" he stated firmly.

"Judging by the location and the culprit...Dr. Longfingers is attempting to create another distraction to take over Go City," came Shego. "Pity, I like seeing how that plays out."

"Your interest in villains' plans is a little concerning, Sis," snorted Hego. "On my way. Try not to— Shego?"

"We both know she's already turned off her radio," came Mego. "She always tries to outshine me, I swear!"

Electronique watched as Hego began to jog off towards the direction of the street. She stepped out of the shadows and watched him turn the corner. If Team Go was in the city dealing with Longfingers...there was a chance to sneak into the tower. She got a devious idea and looked for the nearest payphone. She readied a small electrical charge from her bracelet as she opened the phone booth door, letting the electrical current short out the need to pay before dialing. A voice came over the line.

"Hello?" It was a whiny irritated response. "Who dares disturb my flock—"

"Save it, bird boy," sighed Electronique. "I need a favor."

"Electronique?" came the excited response. "You need a favor? That's a hoot."

Electronique rolled her eyes at the corny pun but let it go.

"Shocking I know. I'm not at my lair right now... Think you can let the other villains know that this weekend should be a free for all?" she said with a grin. "I need a little cover to reclaim property."

There was a whining noise.

"You know that no one answers my calls...except Gardner...and he's caged like a canary right now," grumbled Aviarius.

Electronique nodded to herself. The bird villain could be a bit much, but he was nothing but loyal when needed.

"Call the Underground and have Roco let everyone know Team Go is stuck on Wego Way for a bit...that will buy tonight," said Electronique. "I will have to find a way into my lair to contract the big pistons."

"Are you locked out of your lair?" came Aviarius. She heard him snort. "How'd that happen—"

"Tais-toi!" she hissed. "That is of little importance to you. What I need is fellow villains to distract, not interrogate."

"If you want I could call Octave. She never minds guests," said Aviarius.

"Uhg! No thank you, I do not wish to shack up...even temporarily...with that obnoxious song bird." Electronique shuddered.

"Isn't she though," sighed Aviarius longingly. Electronique cringed but shook it off.

"Just make the call, Petit Oiseau." She hung up the phone and looked down the darkened roads towards where she knew the water was.

"Now...how do I get to that wretched island," grumbled Electroniqe.

It would prove to be a rather trying night, as she would find out.

Next Update 11/12/2022