VEILS OF SECRECY
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Home
~~~~
EVENTUALLY THE HOVERCRAFT descended over a heavily wooded area. As the craft came in for landing, Adrena felt she could reach out and pluck a pinecone from one of the tree branches if she wished.
"Here we are," Shego announced as the hovercraft landed smoothly in a clearing so small it barely deserved to be called that.
"Where are we?" Adrena wondered aloud.
"Home." Shego smirked.
"Well, I don't see anything."
"Appearances can be deceiving, little Adrena." Shego leapt nimbly from the hovercraft. Adrena tried to do the same, but her foot caught on the side of the craft and she tumbled to the grass. Shego laughed softly, not unkindly, and helped Adrena up. Adrena kept her head down, cheeks ablaze.
Adrena watched as Shego took her place between two towering pines. She turned to face Adrena, smiled, and waved with the tips of her fingers. She shook her hair back from her shoulders in a businesslike way, then turned her eyes skyward and said clearly, "Cheerleaders are the dregs of Earth."
The younger villainess jumped as the spot of earth where Shego was standing slowly began to sink out of view. Typically frozen in the face of danger, she stood in her place, scared stiff, until Shego had sunk out of sight. Then she jolted herself into action and charged over to the perfectly circular hole in the ground. "Shego! What the...?"
"Don't fall in, Adrena."
Adrena looked down to see Shego standing, unharmed, in a darkened room about twenty feet down. Her hands were planted on her hips, and her weight was shifted to one side. "How do I get down there, then?" Adrena called.
Shego replied patiently, "I'll raise the platform, and you just say 'Cheerleaders are the dregs of Earth.'"
Adrena managed an amused snicker. "Okay. Like the password."
The platform rose with surprising speed. Adrena stepped on, squared her feet, and stated loudly, "Cheerleaders are the dregs of Earth." The platform descended. Slowly, but fast enough that Adrena's stomach lurched a little.
After Adrena stepped off, Shego depressed the button that raised the platform. It ascended much more quickly than it descended.
"I'd love to see us catapault Kim Possible off that." Adrena sighed.
"That would be sweet, but there would be no guarantee that Kimmie would be damaged enough. And if she got away, we'd be busted." Shego squeezed Adrena's shoulder. "So, let me show you your room."
"I have my own room?"
"Doi. What kind of partner in crime would I be if I didn't give you your own room?"
Adrena scampered to catch up with Shego and followed her.
Shego led Adrena down a long, darkened hallway, with plain doors facing each other on either side. Except one door's frame was painted green and black, and another door's frame was ornamented crimson and navy.
"This one's yours," Shego explained, opening the door in one swift motion. Adrena stepped inside, and took a small, audible breath.
The walls were painted a lush, dark red, and the room's carpet was thick and shaggy, the dark color of a stormy ocean. Adrena had a queen-sized bed, and the comforter was an ornate spiral pattern of the exact same colors as the carpet and walls.
"Freaky cool," Adrena breathed softly.
"I figured you would like it." came Shego's voice from behind Adrena.
"Yeah...how'd you manage all of this?"
Shego gave a secretive smile. "Connections." was all she would say.
"What does your room look like?" Adrena blurted out. You retard, that's not a question a normal person would ask, she chided herself.
Shego cocked one eyebrow, but simply replied, "Same as yours, except in green and black."
"Oh." What else was there to say?"
Shego sensed Adrena's loss for words and deftly switched to a new topic. "I'd offer to fly you to your house to pick up your things, but we'd risk being seen. But there are two bathrooms here, two toothbrushes, two showers, et cetera et cetera."
"Thanks. You know, Shego, you don't seem...evil."
The black-haired girl casually raised and lowered her shoulders. "Just wanted to make sure you were comfortable here. Most lairs resemble caves more than they do living spaces."
Adrena liked the way Shego had said her first sentence. "And you don't want to live in a cave?" she smiled.
"I'm too conceited to lower myself to living somewhere a bear might hibernate in winter."
Adrena laughed quietly.
Shego turned away. "Feel free to explore, the place isn't booby-trapped or anything. If you need me, I'll be in my room."
Adrena watched the older girl disappear into her green-and-black room. "Thanks," she whispered at the closed door across the hall.
~~~~~~~~~
Adrena-Lynn took Shego's advice and explored. One of the rooms was sort of an office, but somehow too cool for the word; the room hummed with the low sound of the latest in computer technology, and the room's decorations were faintly metallic and futuristic. On the main computer, Adrena found what she guessed were the typed-out details and graphic map of the place where Shego was planning to attack Kim Possible, but there were layers of passwords and encryption--just in case--and Adrena was denied access to the files. There was a TV room, rather like a family room in a real house, but smaller; the mood inside that room was vaguely futuristic as well. She found the two bathrooms, one decorated with the familiar scheme of red and blue, and the other green and black. There was a kitchen, which Adrena was strangely surprised at--of course, supervillains had to eat too, but it wasn't something that casually crossed your mind.
When Adrena was finished her self-guided tour, she went back to the computer room. She had always been and online freak, constantly checking the Net for new reviews of her show. Now her show was gone, but her love for the World Wide Web was not. Adrena was pleased to find that the computer was equipped with DSL, which was much quicker than the Internet Explorer which Adrena had had on her PC at her house. She registered and created an e-mail account for herself--XTremeGirl@msnbcglobal.net. She noticed that the computer also had two other e-mail accounts, ClawedGoddess@msnbcglobal.net and KungFuGirl@msnbcglobal.net, both of which she assumed was Shego.
Even though her show was canceled, she should still check the news for updates about what might happen now. If an "Adrena-Lynn: Where Is She Now?" article was mentioned, she probably shouldn't read it or she might have to strangle something afterwards. But she logged on to the Net and steeled herself for bad news.
The cover story was unrelated to her, but one of the other stories began with her name. Taking a deep breath, Adrena clicked on the story.
The article filled the monitor's screen. The color in Adrena's cheeks vanished.
"Oh, no." Adrena whispered. "They...they found out my secret."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Home
~~~~
EVENTUALLY THE HOVERCRAFT descended over a heavily wooded area. As the craft came in for landing, Adrena felt she could reach out and pluck a pinecone from one of the tree branches if she wished.
"Here we are," Shego announced as the hovercraft landed smoothly in a clearing so small it barely deserved to be called that.
"Where are we?" Adrena wondered aloud.
"Home." Shego smirked.
"Well, I don't see anything."
"Appearances can be deceiving, little Adrena." Shego leapt nimbly from the hovercraft. Adrena tried to do the same, but her foot caught on the side of the craft and she tumbled to the grass. Shego laughed softly, not unkindly, and helped Adrena up. Adrena kept her head down, cheeks ablaze.
Adrena watched as Shego took her place between two towering pines. She turned to face Adrena, smiled, and waved with the tips of her fingers. She shook her hair back from her shoulders in a businesslike way, then turned her eyes skyward and said clearly, "Cheerleaders are the dregs of Earth."
The younger villainess jumped as the spot of earth where Shego was standing slowly began to sink out of view. Typically frozen in the face of danger, she stood in her place, scared stiff, until Shego had sunk out of sight. Then she jolted herself into action and charged over to the perfectly circular hole in the ground. "Shego! What the...?"
"Don't fall in, Adrena."
Adrena looked down to see Shego standing, unharmed, in a darkened room about twenty feet down. Her hands were planted on her hips, and her weight was shifted to one side. "How do I get down there, then?" Adrena called.
Shego replied patiently, "I'll raise the platform, and you just say 'Cheerleaders are the dregs of Earth.'"
Adrena managed an amused snicker. "Okay. Like the password."
The platform rose with surprising speed. Adrena stepped on, squared her feet, and stated loudly, "Cheerleaders are the dregs of Earth." The platform descended. Slowly, but fast enough that Adrena's stomach lurched a little.
After Adrena stepped off, Shego depressed the button that raised the platform. It ascended much more quickly than it descended.
"I'd love to see us catapault Kim Possible off that." Adrena sighed.
"That would be sweet, but there would be no guarantee that Kimmie would be damaged enough. And if she got away, we'd be busted." Shego squeezed Adrena's shoulder. "So, let me show you your room."
"I have my own room?"
"Doi. What kind of partner in crime would I be if I didn't give you your own room?"
Adrena scampered to catch up with Shego and followed her.
Shego led Adrena down a long, darkened hallway, with plain doors facing each other on either side. Except one door's frame was painted green and black, and another door's frame was ornamented crimson and navy.
"This one's yours," Shego explained, opening the door in one swift motion. Adrena stepped inside, and took a small, audible breath.
The walls were painted a lush, dark red, and the room's carpet was thick and shaggy, the dark color of a stormy ocean. Adrena had a queen-sized bed, and the comforter was an ornate spiral pattern of the exact same colors as the carpet and walls.
"Freaky cool," Adrena breathed softly.
"I figured you would like it." came Shego's voice from behind Adrena.
"Yeah...how'd you manage all of this?"
Shego gave a secretive smile. "Connections." was all she would say.
"What does your room look like?" Adrena blurted out. You retard, that's not a question a normal person would ask, she chided herself.
Shego cocked one eyebrow, but simply replied, "Same as yours, except in green and black."
"Oh." What else was there to say?"
Shego sensed Adrena's loss for words and deftly switched to a new topic. "I'd offer to fly you to your house to pick up your things, but we'd risk being seen. But there are two bathrooms here, two toothbrushes, two showers, et cetera et cetera."
"Thanks. You know, Shego, you don't seem...evil."
The black-haired girl casually raised and lowered her shoulders. "Just wanted to make sure you were comfortable here. Most lairs resemble caves more than they do living spaces."
Adrena liked the way Shego had said her first sentence. "And you don't want to live in a cave?" she smiled.
"I'm too conceited to lower myself to living somewhere a bear might hibernate in winter."
Adrena laughed quietly.
Shego turned away. "Feel free to explore, the place isn't booby-trapped or anything. If you need me, I'll be in my room."
Adrena watched the older girl disappear into her green-and-black room. "Thanks," she whispered at the closed door across the hall.
~~~~~~~~~
Adrena-Lynn took Shego's advice and explored. One of the rooms was sort of an office, but somehow too cool for the word; the room hummed with the low sound of the latest in computer technology, and the room's decorations were faintly metallic and futuristic. On the main computer, Adrena found what she guessed were the typed-out details and graphic map of the place where Shego was planning to attack Kim Possible, but there were layers of passwords and encryption--just in case--and Adrena was denied access to the files. There was a TV room, rather like a family room in a real house, but smaller; the mood inside that room was vaguely futuristic as well. She found the two bathrooms, one decorated with the familiar scheme of red and blue, and the other green and black. There was a kitchen, which Adrena was strangely surprised at--of course, supervillains had to eat too, but it wasn't something that casually crossed your mind.
When Adrena was finished her self-guided tour, she went back to the computer room. She had always been and online freak, constantly checking the Net for new reviews of her show. Now her show was gone, but her love for the World Wide Web was not. Adrena was pleased to find that the computer was equipped with DSL, which was much quicker than the Internet Explorer which Adrena had had on her PC at her house. She registered and created an e-mail account for herself--XTremeGirl@msnbcglobal.net. She noticed that the computer also had two other e-mail accounts, ClawedGoddess@msnbcglobal.net and KungFuGirl@msnbcglobal.net, both of which she assumed was Shego.
Even though her show was canceled, she should still check the news for updates about what might happen now. If an "Adrena-Lynn: Where Is She Now?" article was mentioned, she probably shouldn't read it or she might have to strangle something afterwards. But she logged on to the Net and steeled herself for bad news.
The cover story was unrelated to her, but one of the other stories began with her name. Taking a deep breath, Adrena clicked on the story.
The article filled the monitor's screen. The color in Adrena's cheeks vanished.
"Oh, no." Adrena whispered. "They...they found out my secret."