Notes: Sorry it took so long to get this chapter posted, but I just wanted to get it right. I did a lot more planning and figuring things out during the writing of this chapter, so the others should come faster. Another contributing factor is KKS: Kitten Keyboard syndrome. It takes me twice as long to type something because my 6-week old kitten thinks chasing my fingers and stepping on the keyboard is fun. Just so you know.

"Hey, do you have to keep it so damn cold in here? I'm dyin' here," an unnaturally pale woman called out to no one in particular. She was not much in the mood for unaccommodating conditions, especially considering the circumstances. Embarrassed, yes she was, but not for the reasons They would have wished. It was her own failure that led her to this feeling, and as it stood, she wasn't sure how she was going to right it. These assholes were not making things any simpler for her. All of the pomp and ceremony performed was not necessary. She should certainly know- she'd been through it enough times. But this time was different... and it was not good. Not at all.

She hadn't eaten in a day and a half. They refused to feed or do anything for her until something happened. A shipment was supposed to be arriving- and she was supposed to be talking. Both events had yet to occur. The only words They had been able to extract from her were a handful of nasty expletives and the occasional complaint. Not that they were trying terribly hard, or so it seemed to her. But whatever. She was way too smart for this.

Dr. Drakken was way too stupid- and too scared- to try and rescue her, that she knew. This was urgent. She wasn't really concerned about why she was there or what they might do to her, but something infinitely dire was at stake: her reputation. If it got out in the world of villainy that she had been caught, and that without the aid of Kim Possible... That stupid bitch Kim Possible. She could just imagine the look on her face when she found out. This was something Little Miss Save-the-World would never live.

A blue hovercraft hovered shakily over one of it owner's least favorite places in the world: HenchCo. The occupants were arguing back and forth with each other, apparently about the proposed mission.

"Ok, Drakken, I'm already agreeing to find Shego. Don't push it."

"The buffoon must stay with me. I need him as collateral."

"I'm helping you. I think that things should be on my terms. Ron always comes on missions with me."

"Not when your mother came with you. He will be taken care of." Getting no response, he decided to try another tactic. Turning to Ron, he said, "Now, you, ah, the name escapes me-"

"How could it, I just said it!" Kim interrupted, but Drakken paid her no attention.

"If you stay with me, I can promise you that I will supply you with a cornucopia of that wannabe Mexican food that you eat."

"Well," Ron replied, obviously as deep in thought as it was possible for Ron to get, "uh, KP, I don't think that Drakken could do anything without Shego anyway. If it doesn't involve building a doomsday device..."

"Never again!" Drakken interjected, remembering Ron's former creation.

"Ron, you are so weak. Ok, fine, stay, but I'm leaving the Kimmunicator with you. If you've got any problems, call Wade. We've been over this, but I'll say it again, considering my audience. The map Wade sent me shows that this Hench guy has a pretty big place. It might take me awhile. Enter his henchmen and whatever else and it could be even longer. I've got other people that can hook me up with a ride home if I need it."

"Booyah! Good luck with Shego, ok, KP."

"Right."

"Yes, and, em, KP-"

"Kim Possible"

"Kim Possible, then. If you could maybe pick a few little things up on the way out..."

"That doesn't even deserve a response. Ok, I'm out."

The blue villain and the blond sidekick watched as the redheaded teen parachuted to the ground. The two remaining turned to look at each other in one of the most awkward moments in either of their histories. They shared a single wish: for Kimberly Anne Possible to return in the shortest amount of time that she could manage. They both wanted to see Shego again (Ron for different reasons than Drakken), and moreover, they wanted to get home and celebrate their success (Drakken in different ways than Ron). However, in the meantime, they settled for just looking at each other, waiting for someone to speak.

"Well, this is a bit awkward." Drakken broke the silence, but carried on with the twiddling of his thumbs.

"Yeah, I know. Sitting here with my arch-nemesis- well, actually, Kim's arch-nemesis. I have my own. You know Monkey Fist, right?"

"Yes, I- Wait! You hate Monkey Fist too? On a personal level?"

"Well, ya-ah. I mean, he voluntarily became part monkey! How much more freaky can you get than that? Besides, I have some mystical monkey power that he's mad about or something. So confusing."

"I know, that ancient magic stuff is always so complicated."

"For real! Dr. D, you so rule!"

"I do? I mean, of course I do! And I got game!"

"Really?"

"Well, no, not really, no. But I did, at one time..."

Kim had decided that it was best to try to find the waiting room Ron and her had stayed in last time she'd been at HenchCo. From there, she figured that she could find her way around by using the map. However, she had no idea what she was looking for, and she wished that she'd taken the Kimmunicator with her. She hadn't even checked in with Wade before she'd left. What was up with her?

She began to head down to the warehouses, downstairs a few floors, figuring that Shego would have gone there for her "shopping spree", hoping that there would be clues to her current whereabouts. It was eerily easy to get down there; no sign of the gigantic henchmen that had bombarded her before- and that was when she had been expected. This time there was no invitation.

She started looking around, glancing at some of the products in extreme awe. Any thing a villain- or her for that matter- could dream of lay within the walls of this series of rooms. A wide assortment of lasers, concealed as a wide assortment of everyday objects took up an entire warehouse; another was filled with enhancements for the henchman's person. Vision-enhancing goggles: Increase your long distance vision by 2 miles (also available in contact lenses). Devices for hearing things through a brick or similar building. A lesser version of the shoes that had previously sent Kim into hyperspeed. And, most curiously, enlargers for a part of the male anatomy that Kim couldn't imagine was too integral to everyday villainy. Upon seeing it, she couldn't help but roll her eyes and utter an "Ok... Good thing Ron's not here for this trip."

A loud buzzing filled the room, sending Kim's heart racing. A voice, louder than the incessant beeping came next, and in a completely faked suave tone, said "Kim Possible, stay where you are. You are under arrest."