Disclaimer: I do not own Kim Possible
Claimer: I do own any Ocs in this fic
Okay, sorry for it taking so long, I have other stories to write after all, and it wouldn't be fair to them if I pay too much attention to only one. Anyway, this may or may not be the last chapter, it depends on how long I want to make this one. Who am I kidding, of course this will be the last one. It also wouldn't be fair to make you all wait so long for something that happens to take longer than you expected. If you also remember, I made good on my promise of making Kim find out in an indirect way, Shego told her. Epilogue, sequel or prequel, the decision was left up to you, and still no response on that, so I guess I'll have to do them all. Warning, I don't remember what it happened, but this had turned into a very, very slight slash fic. So, just watch out for it.
" " speech
' ' thought
( ) author's notes
***** scene change
The Assassin
Chapter 12
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Kim gave the weapon in her hands a once over and looked up at Nate, who was slowly shrinking back to normal (if you wanna call it that).
"It's not fake, since that is what you're wondering," he said once he was fully human, shaking his head to swing his braid a little.
"How can you be so sure that Drakken has already made it to Middleton?" Ron asked hoping to make a good point.
"We moved from Baghdad to about four miles west of here in only a few minutes, I think he has enough speed to make it to the US," Nate said reaching for a few more waffles.
The table before them was littered with all kinds of breakfast foods. Fruit bowls, cereal, rice (if you like rice for breakfast, I do, with a little butter and sugar, it's actually not that bad), waffles, pancakes, toast, milk and orange juice, and so on. All of this was courtesy of Sahid's kitchen staff, and it was all very good.
The door at the far end opened and Sashna entered, her nose twitching with the incoming smells. Smiling she sat down next to Nate and began to help herself.
"What's this?" she asked holding up a rather large, spiky fruit.
"That's a pineapple," Nate said taking it from her and placing it back in the bowl. He then extended a claw and swiped at it several times. It slipped sideways, revealing that it was cut seven times in that single second, and he took one of the slices, also devoid of the outer shell thing and placed it on her plate.
"I could've done it myself," she playfully protested.
"I know."
Kim became somewhat frustrated with his being so calm, and decided to speak up, again.
"How can you be so calm, shouldn't we be getting to Drakken?" she asked trying to act calm, though her quivering fork and her eyes gave everything away.
"Do you want to fight on an empty stomach?" Nate asked as he, himself, reached for a piece of pineapple.
"Well...um...no, but still," she protested.
"Dammit Kim, will you just shut up for once in your life, I'm starting to reconsider taking you," Nate said slamming a fist on the table, as he was losing patience with this girl.
Kim was considering her pout, but with what she had seen him so far, she doubted it would work. So, instead of arguing, she stayed obediently quiet.
'You don't really mean that, do you?' Sashna thought.
'Yes, I do,' he sighed.
"Nate, why don't you just leave her here, she will be much safer," Shego suggested pouring more milk for herself.
"I'm not staying here," Kim said, "you're taking me with you."
"Like you have the authority to order me around, ha, that'll be the day," he scoffed at her. "A goody-two-shoes, trying to order a mercenary not even on her payroll, I'd like to see that."
Tara remained quiet, not wanting to get into an argument that had nothing to do with either her or Ron. She did think of her family, what was happening to them, what Drakken would be doing to the people of her town. But knowing that Nate was going there made her feel better; he had saved her twice when he could have left her to die, that alone was enough to give him her trust.
'Thank you, Tara," she heard his words in her head, and gave the slightest of nods to confirm it. 'She won't be coming anyway, so there is no need to worry.'
'Nate, why do you not want her to go?' Shego asked.
'If she comes, I'll end up killing her myself,' he sighed mentally.
"Nate, I know you like to work alone," she said aloud.
"I prefer it actually," he retorted.
"Is it me, or are they having a completely separate conversation?" Kim whispered to Tara, who didn't answer.
'She still doesn't get it,' Nate sighed out loud this time.
Pushing his plate away from him he stood up, and stepped back from the table. Kim stood also, but sat back down when he looked at her.
"Where do you think you're going?" he asked walking around the table to the open spot between the table and the door.
"With you?" she suggested.
"Fine, come on, just stay out of my way," he said then turned to Sahid. "Hey, Sahid, do you have any clothing for cold weather?"
"Yes, but I don't know why you would need them," he said.
"Not for me, for her," he jerked her head at Kim.
"There should be something in her size," he stood up and started to lead Kim out of the room.
Once they were out of earshot Ron asked, "What are you going to do Nate, about Kim I mean."
"I really don't know, maybe knock her out and leave her out as bait," he lolled his head around feeling it crack over and over.
"You wouldn't do that," Tara said.
"Who's to say I wouldn't."
"You could always get going now, and leave her here," Shego suggested.
"That's actually a very good idea," he turned around letting his wings drift about, as if there were no bones in them.
They swept out and around his body, wrapping around until he was completely covered down to his now-bare feet, the claws still evident on his toes. His taloned hands were slipped into his pocket. The tops of his shoulder muscles were sticking up just about his wings, and there could be seen something like bone beginning to push through the skin, like armor. The lines along his wings and feather began to glow, moving from the base to the very tips. The same glow moved from his scalp along the lines of his hair.
"See you guys later," he said as the glow expanded to cover his entire body. The next instant he was gone.
A minute later Kim and Sahid came in carrying a jacket and some ski pants.
"Where did he go?" Kim asked looking around.
"He made the right choice to leave you here," Sashna said from where she was still sitting.
*****
Nate reappeared in an empty street on the outskirts of the city. The place really looked like a scene from a war movie. Buildings were half crumbled, and also had huge holes in them. The streets were completely empty of any traces of life. Not even a single insect remained. And there, right in the heart of the city, was Drakken's sphere. He knew Drakken was watching him, he knew that leaving Kim behind was for the best, and he knew that Drakken's end was soon.
A bone-chilling wind whipped through the streets as he walked, throwing about the cloak he wore. His face was an emotionless mask hiding the fact that he was severely pissed by Drakken destroying this place. But he didn't let it trouble him as much as he probably should have, since he knew balance would soon be restored.
As he walked, he felt a slight increase in the heat beneath him. A small increase, but an increase nonetheless. Looking around, he spied a manhole. His wings spread out from two slits in the cloak, and his arms also slipped through. Using one long, clawed finger he slipped it into the hole meant for a crowbar and yanked it off. A hand reached up and grabbed his head, pulling him down into the sewers.
"Mom!" he almost yelled when he saw who it was.
"Shh," she pressed her gloved finger to her lips.
Erica Sindel looks like him, except female, duh, and doesn't look a day over twenty, considering she's forty-six. Her green hair is cropped short, just to her shoulders, and her eyes were somewhat softer. She wore a black jumpsuit, with shoes specially designed for complete silence. Strapped to her back was a sniper rifle, and all around her waist were all different guns; ranging from an AR33 to a few ZMGs.
"Welcome home," she said with a wry smile pulling him into a hug.
"I would say it's good to be back, but well, you know," he said wrapping his arms around her.
"What happened to your hands?" she asked holding in front of her.
"Long story, I'll tell you someday," he pulled them away.
"Sure, whenever you're ready," she said followed by a long moment where she just looked him up and down. "You seem different then the last time I saw you."
"I haven't changed, maybe you've just been away too long."
"Maybe," she looked thoughtfully at him. "Tell you what, when this is over, we'll all spend some time at home, just the four of us."
"That sounds like fun," he looked up through the manhole above him. "Is Dad back?"
"No, he's still in Italy."
They walked along the ledge over the curiously clean sewer water, in silence. Nate followed his mother at a short distance, about three feet, and kept his eyes forward. He didn't need to look around; he knew the entire town by heart, top to bottom. The amount of time he'd spent going over such schematics had given him headaches. He, Kukulkan, had foreseen this happening, but never considered the involvement of Nate's mother.
The path they followed twisted and turned as they neared the end of the tunnel that opened in the school. When they reached it, Nate reached up and pushed the hatch open. He climbed out and pulled Erica up after him. Looking around he noticed the mural and knew exactly which room they were in.
"Follow me," he said taking the lead.
He led her through the school, pointing out things of interest, like any teenager who hadn't seen his mother in months would do. She seemed fairly interested in what he had been doing. They both stopped when footsteps could be heard down the darkened hallway. Two sets of heavy footsteps, and a noise that sounded distinctly like a person being dragged. Voices could also be heard.
"Let me go you bastards!" an obviously female voice screamed.
"Bonnie?" Nate questioned to himself in a confused tone.
"Did you actually think hiding in here would do you any good?" one of the males asked.
"Well, gee, why do you think I was here?" her voice was hoarse, but still held its usual defiance.
"I'll handle this," he said stepping out of the shadow in which they had concealed themselves. Taking the pike from his belt, he kept it in its dagger form, no pole. "And what do we have here?"
"Huh?" all three of them turned towards him.
In a bit of a blur he swiftly charged, slashed their throats, and stepped back, leaving them to slump to the floor. The blood pooled around them, and squirted from their arteries, right at Bonnie.
"You're..." she never finished as he latched his hand onto her face and proceeded in deleting the memory. A glazed look came over Bonnie's face, and she slumped against him, unconscious.
"Should I alter her to be more agreeable, or not?" he asked himself, not removing his hand. "Maybe a little."
He shifted his fingers ever so slightly to reach the specific parts of her mind. After searching, he realized that there was nothing to change, just an emotional barrier keeping her emotions inside.
'Let's see what she's really like,' he moved his fingers around a little, looking around. 'Hm, respect, admiration, a little fear, of...me? I can't say I'm flattered, but what the heck. There's something here about Kim, but maybe I should leave that alone.'
"Finished?" Erica asked.
"Yeah, turns out I didn't have to do anything, she's actually very close to opening up," he said laying her down against a piece of concrete.
"I was wondering, and figured I should as you now, just in case," she said trying to figure out how to phrase what she was going to say. "Um, do you know about how Shego feels?"
"About Kim? Yeah, I know, but I kinda found out by accident," he looked down at the floor. "Her mind was temporarily opened for just a moment."
They both looked down at Bonnie, who was beginning to stir. Nate touched his mother's shoulder lightly, and they both faded away. Her eyes opened and she looked down at the two dead men on the floor, and instantly scooted away from them. Trying to remember what happened, her mind was a blank of the last few minutes. She remembered being captured, and yelling at them, she even remembered trying some of Kim's moves. But since they had caught her off guard, she really didn't have a chance. She then remembered turning, and seeing someone in the shadows, and that's where here memory ended.
"He must have done this," she said rubbing her head. "But who was he?"
*****
Shego was standing out in the large courtyard, looking at the bonfire. She knew that Nate leaving Kim here was for the best, seeing as how she couldn't possibly stand up to what lay ahead. But at the same time, she really didn't feel comfortable with her around. Constantly she thought about pulling her into a side room and doing things to her. Given that she had plenty of opportunities, she was proud of herself for not taking advantage of them.
"Shego?" she heard the all-too-familiar voice behind her.
"Yes?" she asked not turning around.
"I was wondering, I heard Nate say something about dreamshifting, what is that?" she asked stepping up next to Shego.
"Well, uh, basically it's when someone, with the ability to do so, enters another person's dream," she explained rather idly, continuing to stare at the fire.
"You did that, didn't you," Kim said as more of an accusation than a question. When Shego didn't respond, she decided something else. "What was it you wanted to tell me?"
"You remember?"
"Just the part about you wanting to tell me something, but everything else is just a blank."
When she looked up at the older woman, she saw what looked almost like fear. She had never seen that look on Shego's face before, and suddenly found herself feeling drawn to her. So she reached out and lightly touched Shego's arm. Shego's head snapped down to look at the hand resting there. Then she looked up at Kim's face, which had donned a reassuring smile.
"Uh...well...um, it's really hard to say this...I...I really respect what you do," she said quickly. 'Dammit Shego, why did you stutter.'
"Oh, thanks," Kim said about to pull to her hand from Shego's arm, when she felt Shego's hand on top of it.
"That's not all," she whispered. "ThetruthisthatIreallyreallycareaboutyou, andiwaswonderingifmaybewecouldgooutsometime." (look closely, you'll see it)
Kim looked dumbstruck as she tried to decipher the rapid speech. Her eyes widened in realization of what she was hearing. Her jaw hung open and her knees went slightly weak. Shego's hand had left hers and she had a hurt look on her face.
"I-I'll leave, if you want, and you would never see or hear from me again, if you want me to," Shego said stepping away from Kim.
"No, no, don't leave," Kim said, just barely above a whisper. "I don't want you to leave."
Kim placed her hand back on Shego's arm, and moved closer to her. Shego looked down at the auburn head now resting on her shoulder, then turned back to the fire.
*****
"GET OUT OF MY WAY!" Nate yelled and launched a blast of lightening at the hoards of Drakken's men baring down on him. They were all either cut down, or completely vaporized, you decide. "Fools, don't even know what they're up against."
"You should be careful where you shoot that thing, there are people hiding near here," Erica said.
"Mom, would you mind not telling me how to do my job," he said dispatching with another red-clad guard.
"Fine, don't listen to me, I'm just your mother," she huffed. "You're destroying the town you're supposed to be saving."
"Would you rather I destroy the sphere itself, if I do then it will blow up and obliterate this town and everything within about a fifty mile radius," he turned around and glared at her. "But I suppose I could tone it down a bit."
The next moment he whipped around and sliced another of Drakken's men in half.
"Isn't there any way that you could destroy the sphere, but keep the town intact?"
"There is, but I don't like to use that particular technique," he said looking at his changing hands. "It would involve too much energy, energy that would have to taken from a sacrifice."
"You mean a human sacrifice?"
"Is there any other kind. This is the weapon the Aztecs, Mayans and Incas used as a last resort. Why do you think that their empires spread so vastly?"
"Then don't use it, if it requires your energy and that of an innocent, then it should never be used ever again," she said with a horrified look. "Wait, how do you know so much about this."
"I'm going to give you the answer you gave me so many times as a child," he said and started walking again, "because."
"I'm your mother, now tell me."
"Ask Shego."
"Why won't you tell me?"
"Mom, this is not exactly the time," he leaned against one of the buildings.
There was a slight chill on his shoulder, looking down he saw a snowflake, and there was only more coming. Almost immediately a bony protrusion tore through his skin and cupped his shoulder, and he could feel the same bone on his back.
'The first snow,' he thought.
"Nate?"
"Huh, what?"
"I think the object of your search is coming towards us," Erica said pointing down the street at the silver-clad form.
"So he has. Ten bucks says that armor heals itself but not him."
"You're on."
He stepped forward, walking into the middle of the street, opposite Drakken. The pike was held in front of him, the blade blazed with lightening. Two horns pushed through his hair, raking back over his hair. His pupils dilated, completely filling his eyes, which had donned a green glow.
Drakken stood there, a smug smile on his face, he believed that he was invincible with this armor on. Well he would have been, had he been fighting a normal human. But the thought a normal human challenging a god's power was almost unheard of, and those who had tried were usually sent to hell, or tartarus, or whatever place the evil people go to. His right arms began to change, and long, straight blade sprouted from the underside of his wrist.
The snow continued to fall, unhindered by the two large powers in the area. Well, actually, one large, one huge. A breeze picked up and the heavy snow was blown around in a small tornado formation. Through the snow could be seen a single person, clad in a purple and gold cheerleading outfit. Yes, Bonnie had followed the voices, and had found the two assassins. But she couldn't see them clearly through the snow, though, one of them looked familiar.
"What the hell is going on here?" she asked herself as she crept forward, her arms crossed ofer her chest, and her hands rubbing her shoulders.
'By killing him, balance will be restored, and things can go back to normal,' Nate thought as he studied Drakken's stance. Indeed his sister had apparently taught him somewhat how to fight, since the stance was a crude imitation of hers.
"So, you've come to try and kill me again, have you?" Drakken said as defiantly as possible.
"I don't plan on trying Drakken, I promise you that your head will roll with the others," Nate yelled back. 'What is that sound?'
Sure enough a faint sound of a helicopter could be heard over the howling of the wind. Nate's ears, which had elongated slightly, were turning this way and that, trying to pinpoint it.
"There!" he yelled and twisted around, launching a ball of lightening from his palm, and blowing said chopper to bits. "Objective accomplished, Senor Senior, Senior, killed."
He turned back around, just in time to block Drakken's sword from cutting him in two. The pike whipped out and he caught the blade between the front and rear blades of the main blade (confusing I know, but just deal with it). He easily held Drakken's sword at bay, wondering why he wasn't using any of the more advanced weaponry, which the centurion armor held. Getting bored, he shoved Drakken back.
The sword on his arm retracted and from the top of his shoulders, twin lasers opened. They began firing, hitting Nate and doing no damage whatsoever.
"But, why isn't it working?" Drakken asked himself and continued firing.
"I'm surprised at you Drakken, you of all people should know that lasers don't work on organic objects (this is actually true, that's why the military is working on particle weapons instead)," he said as he grabbed his cloak and threw it into the wind.
"Then try these," the wrist units shifter and two scopes opened.
"Not gonna happen."
But Nate wasn't going to drag this out and give Drakken any opportunities. He rushed forward, bringing the pike back, ready to strike. Swinging it forward, the blade sliced through the armor, cutting off Drakken's hands. The armor didn't hold up much.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!" Drakken yelled holding up the bloody stumps of his hands. But it didn't end there, Nate used his momentum to turn around completely and take Drakken's screaming head clean off his shoulders.
The headless body fell the snowy ground, blood spurting from the open arteries. The head fell a second later, its mouth still wide in the perpetual scream of agony. Nate struck the ground with the pike, created an almost tuning fork effect between the two blades.
"Mission, accomplished," he sighed looking down at the twitching body.
"Now what do we do about the sphere?" Erica asked walking up to him.
"Let the GJ worry about it, they never told me clean up was part of the job."
Turning he looked over the very tips of sunlight starting to peak at the horizon. The thought of finally being able to rest made him feel very, very content. Concentrating, he caused the clouds to part, and the sun rose in a clear sky.
"Nate?"
"What?" he turned from the sun and saw Bonnie standing there with his cloak in her hands. 'SHIT!'
"You dropped this."
Before answering he scanned her thoughts, what he found was extreme fear, fear that could actually drive a person mad. But she held it in check with an amount of respect he had not felt in thousands of years. Her eyes didn't seem to meet his though, and that's what gave away her fear.
"Thanks, but you can keep it."
"We should go," Erica said grabbing her son's shoulder and attempting to lead him away.
"Right," he said turning back to the body. "But before I leave, there's something I have to do."
He placed the blade of the pike against Drakken's decapitated body, and vaporized it. His head followed suite, as well as his hands. What was left was a bit of smoke rising from the cracked asphalt. Following his usual routine, there was nothing left to trace back to him.
"Where are you going?"
"To get Kim, Ron, and Tara," he assured her before following after his mother, but stopped and turned back and walked up to her. "Don't be so cold, it really doesn't suite you, and besides, frowning too much gives you wrinkles."
"Nate, come on," Erica called getting a little impatient.
"See ya," he ran back to where his mother stood. "Have a little patience Mom, jeez."
"Where is Shego, exactly?"
"At Sahid's, it was the only place in the immediate area."
"I don't mind her being there, it's the others I'm worried about."
"Don't worry about it, they're fine."
"Um, how are we going to get there?"
He looked to make sure no one but Bonnie was around, and even she had a confused look on her face. From his back, his wings spread and grew, building themselves from nothing. They spread till they were about 15 feet wide, on either side. The wings wrapped around, and around them. The glow then spread from their roots to the tips, of both his wings and his hair. With a flash, that momentarily blinded Bonnie, they were gone.
"Don't be so cold," she slowly repeated then held her face, "and I definitely don't want wrinkles."
TBC
Okay, chapter 12 is done, I hope you like it. Sorry for it taking so long, I was running low on ideas. I really hate going back on my promises, but this is not the last chapter. There will be one more, then the epilogue. Keep in mind that the next chapter is not an epilogue. I'm still working on the prologue, it'll be a little while. If you don't like the Kigo part of it, well tough, I'm a sick bastard, deal with it. A little side note, I gave Shego the name Samantha as an homage to Peacemaker Aqua, author of the Kim Possible story "Numb", in my opinion one of the best stories I have ever read.
Claimer: I do own any Ocs in this fic
Okay, sorry for it taking so long, I have other stories to write after all, and it wouldn't be fair to them if I pay too much attention to only one. Anyway, this may or may not be the last chapter, it depends on how long I want to make this one. Who am I kidding, of course this will be the last one. It also wouldn't be fair to make you all wait so long for something that happens to take longer than you expected. If you also remember, I made good on my promise of making Kim find out in an indirect way, Shego told her. Epilogue, sequel or prequel, the decision was left up to you, and still no response on that, so I guess I'll have to do them all. Warning, I don't remember what it happened, but this had turned into a very, very slight slash fic. So, just watch out for it.
" " speech
' ' thought
( ) author's notes
***** scene change
The Assassin
Chapter 12
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ *~*~*~*
Kim gave the weapon in her hands a once over and looked up at Nate, who was slowly shrinking back to normal (if you wanna call it that).
"It's not fake, since that is what you're wondering," he said once he was fully human, shaking his head to swing his braid a little.
"How can you be so sure that Drakken has already made it to Middleton?" Ron asked hoping to make a good point.
"We moved from Baghdad to about four miles west of here in only a few minutes, I think he has enough speed to make it to the US," Nate said reaching for a few more waffles.
The table before them was littered with all kinds of breakfast foods. Fruit bowls, cereal, rice (if you like rice for breakfast, I do, with a little butter and sugar, it's actually not that bad), waffles, pancakes, toast, milk and orange juice, and so on. All of this was courtesy of Sahid's kitchen staff, and it was all very good.
The door at the far end opened and Sashna entered, her nose twitching with the incoming smells. Smiling she sat down next to Nate and began to help herself.
"What's this?" she asked holding up a rather large, spiky fruit.
"That's a pineapple," Nate said taking it from her and placing it back in the bowl. He then extended a claw and swiped at it several times. It slipped sideways, revealing that it was cut seven times in that single second, and he took one of the slices, also devoid of the outer shell thing and placed it on her plate.
"I could've done it myself," she playfully protested.
"I know."
Kim became somewhat frustrated with his being so calm, and decided to speak up, again.
"How can you be so calm, shouldn't we be getting to Drakken?" she asked trying to act calm, though her quivering fork and her eyes gave everything away.
"Do you want to fight on an empty stomach?" Nate asked as he, himself, reached for a piece of pineapple.
"Well...um...no, but still," she protested.
"Dammit Kim, will you just shut up for once in your life, I'm starting to reconsider taking you," Nate said slamming a fist on the table, as he was losing patience with this girl.
Kim was considering her pout, but with what she had seen him so far, she doubted it would work. So, instead of arguing, she stayed obediently quiet.
'You don't really mean that, do you?' Sashna thought.
'Yes, I do,' he sighed.
"Nate, why don't you just leave her here, she will be much safer," Shego suggested pouring more milk for herself.
"I'm not staying here," Kim said, "you're taking me with you."
"Like you have the authority to order me around, ha, that'll be the day," he scoffed at her. "A goody-two-shoes, trying to order a mercenary not even on her payroll, I'd like to see that."
Tara remained quiet, not wanting to get into an argument that had nothing to do with either her or Ron. She did think of her family, what was happening to them, what Drakken would be doing to the people of her town. But knowing that Nate was going there made her feel better; he had saved her twice when he could have left her to die, that alone was enough to give him her trust.
'Thank you, Tara," she heard his words in her head, and gave the slightest of nods to confirm it. 'She won't be coming anyway, so there is no need to worry.'
'Nate, why do you not want her to go?' Shego asked.
'If she comes, I'll end up killing her myself,' he sighed mentally.
"Nate, I know you like to work alone," she said aloud.
"I prefer it actually," he retorted.
"Is it me, or are they having a completely separate conversation?" Kim whispered to Tara, who didn't answer.
'She still doesn't get it,' Nate sighed out loud this time.
Pushing his plate away from him he stood up, and stepped back from the table. Kim stood also, but sat back down when he looked at her.
"Where do you think you're going?" he asked walking around the table to the open spot between the table and the door.
"With you?" she suggested.
"Fine, come on, just stay out of my way," he said then turned to Sahid. "Hey, Sahid, do you have any clothing for cold weather?"
"Yes, but I don't know why you would need them," he said.
"Not for me, for her," he jerked her head at Kim.
"There should be something in her size," he stood up and started to lead Kim out of the room.
Once they were out of earshot Ron asked, "What are you going to do Nate, about Kim I mean."
"I really don't know, maybe knock her out and leave her out as bait," he lolled his head around feeling it crack over and over.
"You wouldn't do that," Tara said.
"Who's to say I wouldn't."
"You could always get going now, and leave her here," Shego suggested.
"That's actually a very good idea," he turned around letting his wings drift about, as if there were no bones in them.
They swept out and around his body, wrapping around until he was completely covered down to his now-bare feet, the claws still evident on his toes. His taloned hands were slipped into his pocket. The tops of his shoulder muscles were sticking up just about his wings, and there could be seen something like bone beginning to push through the skin, like armor. The lines along his wings and feather began to glow, moving from the base to the very tips. The same glow moved from his scalp along the lines of his hair.
"See you guys later," he said as the glow expanded to cover his entire body. The next instant he was gone.
A minute later Kim and Sahid came in carrying a jacket and some ski pants.
"Where did he go?" Kim asked looking around.
"He made the right choice to leave you here," Sashna said from where she was still sitting.
*****
Nate reappeared in an empty street on the outskirts of the city. The place really looked like a scene from a war movie. Buildings were half crumbled, and also had huge holes in them. The streets were completely empty of any traces of life. Not even a single insect remained. And there, right in the heart of the city, was Drakken's sphere. He knew Drakken was watching him, he knew that leaving Kim behind was for the best, and he knew that Drakken's end was soon.
A bone-chilling wind whipped through the streets as he walked, throwing about the cloak he wore. His face was an emotionless mask hiding the fact that he was severely pissed by Drakken destroying this place. But he didn't let it trouble him as much as he probably should have, since he knew balance would soon be restored.
As he walked, he felt a slight increase in the heat beneath him. A small increase, but an increase nonetheless. Looking around, he spied a manhole. His wings spread out from two slits in the cloak, and his arms also slipped through. Using one long, clawed finger he slipped it into the hole meant for a crowbar and yanked it off. A hand reached up and grabbed his head, pulling him down into the sewers.
"Mom!" he almost yelled when he saw who it was.
"Shh," she pressed her gloved finger to her lips.
Erica Sindel looks like him, except female, duh, and doesn't look a day over twenty, considering she's forty-six. Her green hair is cropped short, just to her shoulders, and her eyes were somewhat softer. She wore a black jumpsuit, with shoes specially designed for complete silence. Strapped to her back was a sniper rifle, and all around her waist were all different guns; ranging from an AR33 to a few ZMGs.
"Welcome home," she said with a wry smile pulling him into a hug.
"I would say it's good to be back, but well, you know," he said wrapping his arms around her.
"What happened to your hands?" she asked holding in front of her.
"Long story, I'll tell you someday," he pulled them away.
"Sure, whenever you're ready," she said followed by a long moment where she just looked him up and down. "You seem different then the last time I saw you."
"I haven't changed, maybe you've just been away too long."
"Maybe," she looked thoughtfully at him. "Tell you what, when this is over, we'll all spend some time at home, just the four of us."
"That sounds like fun," he looked up through the manhole above him. "Is Dad back?"
"No, he's still in Italy."
They walked along the ledge over the curiously clean sewer water, in silence. Nate followed his mother at a short distance, about three feet, and kept his eyes forward. He didn't need to look around; he knew the entire town by heart, top to bottom. The amount of time he'd spent going over such schematics had given him headaches. He, Kukulkan, had foreseen this happening, but never considered the involvement of Nate's mother.
The path they followed twisted and turned as they neared the end of the tunnel that opened in the school. When they reached it, Nate reached up and pushed the hatch open. He climbed out and pulled Erica up after him. Looking around he noticed the mural and knew exactly which room they were in.
"Follow me," he said taking the lead.
He led her through the school, pointing out things of interest, like any teenager who hadn't seen his mother in months would do. She seemed fairly interested in what he had been doing. They both stopped when footsteps could be heard down the darkened hallway. Two sets of heavy footsteps, and a noise that sounded distinctly like a person being dragged. Voices could also be heard.
"Let me go you bastards!" an obviously female voice screamed.
"Bonnie?" Nate questioned to himself in a confused tone.
"Did you actually think hiding in here would do you any good?" one of the males asked.
"Well, gee, why do you think I was here?" her voice was hoarse, but still held its usual defiance.
"I'll handle this," he said stepping out of the shadow in which they had concealed themselves. Taking the pike from his belt, he kept it in its dagger form, no pole. "And what do we have here?"
"Huh?" all three of them turned towards him.
In a bit of a blur he swiftly charged, slashed their throats, and stepped back, leaving them to slump to the floor. The blood pooled around them, and squirted from their arteries, right at Bonnie.
"You're..." she never finished as he latched his hand onto her face and proceeded in deleting the memory. A glazed look came over Bonnie's face, and she slumped against him, unconscious.
"Should I alter her to be more agreeable, or not?" he asked himself, not removing his hand. "Maybe a little."
He shifted his fingers ever so slightly to reach the specific parts of her mind. After searching, he realized that there was nothing to change, just an emotional barrier keeping her emotions inside.
'Let's see what she's really like,' he moved his fingers around a little, looking around. 'Hm, respect, admiration, a little fear, of...me? I can't say I'm flattered, but what the heck. There's something here about Kim, but maybe I should leave that alone.'
"Finished?" Erica asked.
"Yeah, turns out I didn't have to do anything, she's actually very close to opening up," he said laying her down against a piece of concrete.
"I was wondering, and figured I should as you now, just in case," she said trying to figure out how to phrase what she was going to say. "Um, do you know about how Shego feels?"
"About Kim? Yeah, I know, but I kinda found out by accident," he looked down at the floor. "Her mind was temporarily opened for just a moment."
They both looked down at Bonnie, who was beginning to stir. Nate touched his mother's shoulder lightly, and they both faded away. Her eyes opened and she looked down at the two dead men on the floor, and instantly scooted away from them. Trying to remember what happened, her mind was a blank of the last few minutes. She remembered being captured, and yelling at them, she even remembered trying some of Kim's moves. But since they had caught her off guard, she really didn't have a chance. She then remembered turning, and seeing someone in the shadows, and that's where here memory ended.
"He must have done this," she said rubbing her head. "But who was he?"
*****
Shego was standing out in the large courtyard, looking at the bonfire. She knew that Nate leaving Kim here was for the best, seeing as how she couldn't possibly stand up to what lay ahead. But at the same time, she really didn't feel comfortable with her around. Constantly she thought about pulling her into a side room and doing things to her. Given that she had plenty of opportunities, she was proud of herself for not taking advantage of them.
"Shego?" she heard the all-too-familiar voice behind her.
"Yes?" she asked not turning around.
"I was wondering, I heard Nate say something about dreamshifting, what is that?" she asked stepping up next to Shego.
"Well, uh, basically it's when someone, with the ability to do so, enters another person's dream," she explained rather idly, continuing to stare at the fire.
"You did that, didn't you," Kim said as more of an accusation than a question. When Shego didn't respond, she decided something else. "What was it you wanted to tell me?"
"You remember?"
"Just the part about you wanting to tell me something, but everything else is just a blank."
When she looked up at the older woman, she saw what looked almost like fear. She had never seen that look on Shego's face before, and suddenly found herself feeling drawn to her. So she reached out and lightly touched Shego's arm. Shego's head snapped down to look at the hand resting there. Then she looked up at Kim's face, which had donned a reassuring smile.
"Uh...well...um, it's really hard to say this...I...I really respect what you do," she said quickly. 'Dammit Shego, why did you stutter.'
"Oh, thanks," Kim said about to pull to her hand from Shego's arm, when she felt Shego's hand on top of it.
"That's not all," she whispered. "ThetruthisthatIreallyreallycareaboutyou, andiwaswonderingifmaybewecouldgooutsometime." (look closely, you'll see it)
Kim looked dumbstruck as she tried to decipher the rapid speech. Her eyes widened in realization of what she was hearing. Her jaw hung open and her knees went slightly weak. Shego's hand had left hers and she had a hurt look on her face.
"I-I'll leave, if you want, and you would never see or hear from me again, if you want me to," Shego said stepping away from Kim.
"No, no, don't leave," Kim said, just barely above a whisper. "I don't want you to leave."
Kim placed her hand back on Shego's arm, and moved closer to her. Shego looked down at the auburn head now resting on her shoulder, then turned back to the fire.
*****
"GET OUT OF MY WAY!" Nate yelled and launched a blast of lightening at the hoards of Drakken's men baring down on him. They were all either cut down, or completely vaporized, you decide. "Fools, don't even know what they're up against."
"You should be careful where you shoot that thing, there are people hiding near here," Erica said.
"Mom, would you mind not telling me how to do my job," he said dispatching with another red-clad guard.
"Fine, don't listen to me, I'm just your mother," she huffed. "You're destroying the town you're supposed to be saving."
"Would you rather I destroy the sphere itself, if I do then it will blow up and obliterate this town and everything within about a fifty mile radius," he turned around and glared at her. "But I suppose I could tone it down a bit."
The next moment he whipped around and sliced another of Drakken's men in half.
"Isn't there any way that you could destroy the sphere, but keep the town intact?"
"There is, but I don't like to use that particular technique," he said looking at his changing hands. "It would involve too much energy, energy that would have to taken from a sacrifice."
"You mean a human sacrifice?"
"Is there any other kind. This is the weapon the Aztecs, Mayans and Incas used as a last resort. Why do you think that their empires spread so vastly?"
"Then don't use it, if it requires your energy and that of an innocent, then it should never be used ever again," she said with a horrified look. "Wait, how do you know so much about this."
"I'm going to give you the answer you gave me so many times as a child," he said and started walking again, "because."
"I'm your mother, now tell me."
"Ask Shego."
"Why won't you tell me?"
"Mom, this is not exactly the time," he leaned against one of the buildings.
There was a slight chill on his shoulder, looking down he saw a snowflake, and there was only more coming. Almost immediately a bony protrusion tore through his skin and cupped his shoulder, and he could feel the same bone on his back.
'The first snow,' he thought.
"Nate?"
"Huh, what?"
"I think the object of your search is coming towards us," Erica said pointing down the street at the silver-clad form.
"So he has. Ten bucks says that armor heals itself but not him."
"You're on."
He stepped forward, walking into the middle of the street, opposite Drakken. The pike was held in front of him, the blade blazed with lightening. Two horns pushed through his hair, raking back over his hair. His pupils dilated, completely filling his eyes, which had donned a green glow.
Drakken stood there, a smug smile on his face, he believed that he was invincible with this armor on. Well he would have been, had he been fighting a normal human. But the thought a normal human challenging a god's power was almost unheard of, and those who had tried were usually sent to hell, or tartarus, or whatever place the evil people go to. His right arms began to change, and long, straight blade sprouted from the underside of his wrist.
The snow continued to fall, unhindered by the two large powers in the area. Well, actually, one large, one huge. A breeze picked up and the heavy snow was blown around in a small tornado formation. Through the snow could be seen a single person, clad in a purple and gold cheerleading outfit. Yes, Bonnie had followed the voices, and had found the two assassins. But she couldn't see them clearly through the snow, though, one of them looked familiar.
"What the hell is going on here?" she asked herself as she crept forward, her arms crossed ofer her chest, and her hands rubbing her shoulders.
'By killing him, balance will be restored, and things can go back to normal,' Nate thought as he studied Drakken's stance. Indeed his sister had apparently taught him somewhat how to fight, since the stance was a crude imitation of hers.
"So, you've come to try and kill me again, have you?" Drakken said as defiantly as possible.
"I don't plan on trying Drakken, I promise you that your head will roll with the others," Nate yelled back. 'What is that sound?'
Sure enough a faint sound of a helicopter could be heard over the howling of the wind. Nate's ears, which had elongated slightly, were turning this way and that, trying to pinpoint it.
"There!" he yelled and twisted around, launching a ball of lightening from his palm, and blowing said chopper to bits. "Objective accomplished, Senor Senior, Senior, killed."
He turned back around, just in time to block Drakken's sword from cutting him in two. The pike whipped out and he caught the blade between the front and rear blades of the main blade (confusing I know, but just deal with it). He easily held Drakken's sword at bay, wondering why he wasn't using any of the more advanced weaponry, which the centurion armor held. Getting bored, he shoved Drakken back.
The sword on his arm retracted and from the top of his shoulders, twin lasers opened. They began firing, hitting Nate and doing no damage whatsoever.
"But, why isn't it working?" Drakken asked himself and continued firing.
"I'm surprised at you Drakken, you of all people should know that lasers don't work on organic objects (this is actually true, that's why the military is working on particle weapons instead)," he said as he grabbed his cloak and threw it into the wind.
"Then try these," the wrist units shifter and two scopes opened.
"Not gonna happen."
But Nate wasn't going to drag this out and give Drakken any opportunities. He rushed forward, bringing the pike back, ready to strike. Swinging it forward, the blade sliced through the armor, cutting off Drakken's hands. The armor didn't hold up much.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!" Drakken yelled holding up the bloody stumps of his hands. But it didn't end there, Nate used his momentum to turn around completely and take Drakken's screaming head clean off his shoulders.
The headless body fell the snowy ground, blood spurting from the open arteries. The head fell a second later, its mouth still wide in the perpetual scream of agony. Nate struck the ground with the pike, created an almost tuning fork effect between the two blades.
"Mission, accomplished," he sighed looking down at the twitching body.
"Now what do we do about the sphere?" Erica asked walking up to him.
"Let the GJ worry about it, they never told me clean up was part of the job."
Turning he looked over the very tips of sunlight starting to peak at the horizon. The thought of finally being able to rest made him feel very, very content. Concentrating, he caused the clouds to part, and the sun rose in a clear sky.
"Nate?"
"What?" he turned from the sun and saw Bonnie standing there with his cloak in her hands. 'SHIT!'
"You dropped this."
Before answering he scanned her thoughts, what he found was extreme fear, fear that could actually drive a person mad. But she held it in check with an amount of respect he had not felt in thousands of years. Her eyes didn't seem to meet his though, and that's what gave away her fear.
"Thanks, but you can keep it."
"We should go," Erica said grabbing her son's shoulder and attempting to lead him away.
"Right," he said turning back to the body. "But before I leave, there's something I have to do."
He placed the blade of the pike against Drakken's decapitated body, and vaporized it. His head followed suite, as well as his hands. What was left was a bit of smoke rising from the cracked asphalt. Following his usual routine, there was nothing left to trace back to him.
"Where are you going?"
"To get Kim, Ron, and Tara," he assured her before following after his mother, but stopped and turned back and walked up to her. "Don't be so cold, it really doesn't suite you, and besides, frowning too much gives you wrinkles."
"Nate, come on," Erica called getting a little impatient.
"See ya," he ran back to where his mother stood. "Have a little patience Mom, jeez."
"Where is Shego, exactly?"
"At Sahid's, it was the only place in the immediate area."
"I don't mind her being there, it's the others I'm worried about."
"Don't worry about it, they're fine."
"Um, how are we going to get there?"
He looked to make sure no one but Bonnie was around, and even she had a confused look on her face. From his back, his wings spread and grew, building themselves from nothing. They spread till they were about 15 feet wide, on either side. The wings wrapped around, and around them. The glow then spread from their roots to the tips, of both his wings and his hair. With a flash, that momentarily blinded Bonnie, they were gone.
"Don't be so cold," she slowly repeated then held her face, "and I definitely don't want wrinkles."
TBC
Okay, chapter 12 is done, I hope you like it. Sorry for it taking so long, I was running low on ideas. I really hate going back on my promises, but this is not the last chapter. There will be one more, then the epilogue. Keep in mind that the next chapter is not an epilogue. I'm still working on the prologue, it'll be a little while. If you don't like the Kigo part of it, well tough, I'm a sick bastard, deal with it. A little side note, I gave Shego the name Samantha as an homage to Peacemaker Aqua, author of the Kim Possible story "Numb", in my opinion one of the best stories I have ever read.
