Chapter 21
At the latest rehabilitation class room, Kim smiled at those assembled, as she looked around at the six ex-villains before her. "All right, folks, listen up," she said as took their seats finally. "As I was saying yesterday, once you all are fully rehabilitated, we'll begin finding out just what it is you want to do with your new lives. Once we determine that, we will begin training to help you achieve the jobs you hope for. So…like I said a moment ago, for us to do that, we need to know just what it is you all would like to do with yourselves."
She turned to the right side of the room, looking over to where Shego was now seated. "I guess we'll start with you, Steph," Kim announced.
Shego nodded, then shrugged. "You all already know my desire," she explained aloud to the room. "I want to become an entertainer...the best in the business," she declared with excitement.
Kim smiled at this, then nodded before she looked over to Andrea next, who happened to be seated beside Shego. "Okay, what about you, Andrea? What's your dream job?" Kim asked.
"A fashion designer," Andrea responded quickly, an eager light in her eyes. "You know, someone who creates outfits for people, formal, semi-formal, and casual…all that sort of thing."
"Right," Kim accepted, nodding her red-haired head. She then turned toward Drakken, who sat on the other side of Andrea. "Okay, Drew," she prompted him, arching an eyebrow.
Drew at first looked grimly back at her…but, finally he smiled sheepishly, ending up looking away in obvious embarrassment. He collected his courage, and turned back to look at Kim. "Well, what I'd like to do is…er, rather hard to explain really," he explained haltingly. "I really do know precisely what it is I want to do…however, I'm not sure how to explain it to you."
"Go ahead, give it a try," Kim encouraged, giving him an approving smile.
"Well," the man once known as Drakken said, looking down to the desk in front of him. "Let's see now. Um, you know…let's say there was some top-notch entertainer in town, giving a live show, yes? Well, to pull such an enterprise off, there would have to be many people working together to make certain that all the microphones and sound systems all worked like they were supposed to..." He looked over to Kim then, unsure of himself, trying to gauge the expression in Kim´s big green eyes. She nodded and prompted him to continue on. "Very well then, there was a time I actually enjoyed working on things like that, back just after I had dropped out of college. Um, that is, before I started my quest for world domination, you understand," Drakken shrugged. "It was a very good job: the pay was good, the hours weren't too bad, and I got to work with lots of people with sharp technical skills. Hey, if I hadn't wanted to, you know, rule the world, I probably would of just continued on with that. However, that was just not the case..." he finished with a shrug.
"Hey, that's something to be proud of. Don´t you worry, Drew," Kim said and smiled. "We´ll see what we can do for you to get you back doing what you love to do." Kim then turned her eye toward the quiet, sullen Monkey Fist, who was seated next to Drakken.
Shego smiled then, watching Kim at work, and leaned over to whisper into Andrea's ear. "Hey, Andrea…how much do you wanna bet that his dream somehow includes either monkeys or martial arts?" Shego teased.
Andrea started to giggle softly into her hands, agreeing with her clever friend.
Kim ignored them both, keeping her attention on Monkey Fist. "Well, Monty?" she simply said, encouraging him to speak.
Monty looked down, his fingers steepled before his lips while he thought. "Despite the fact that she is teasing me, Stephanie is one hundred percent correct," he replied looking over to her. "My desired occupation came to me when I was but a lad. You see, my parents were wealthy, respected members of society. And, as such, it should come as no surprise to anyone that my father was evenutally threatened with bodily violence." Monty paused, his dark eyes glittering behind nearly closed lids. "Quite understandably, my mother was rather frigthened by the whole sordid business, and as such, she acquired the services of a pair of body guards to protect my father. You understand, so that he would be safe from future threats to his person. Now, until that moment, I have never seen any one---man or woman---who respected themselves as totally, and could be in such awesome control of their own actions, as those two. Most of the martial arts I now currently practice, I learned from them as well. Therefore, Ms. Possible, I wish to become that which my mentors were before me: a body guard."
"A body guard, huh?" Kim repeated, arching an eyebrow. "Well, there's no doubt that you've got the strength for the job. And, you've certainly got the martial arts background to go along with it." She then glared over at Shego and Andrea, who looked like they were going to erupt in laughter at any minute. "Girls?" Kim snapped a moment later, emphasizing the word 'girls' for their benefit. "How would the two of you like to end up in solitary confinement this evening?"
"Sorry, Kimmie," Shego said apologetically.
Kim nodded her acceptance of Stephanie's apology, then turned her attention towards DNAmy. "Okay…now, how's about you, Amy?" she asked.
"Oh, that's quite easy, really. I wish to become a veterinarian," she said without a moment's hesitation at all.
Kim smiled at DNAmy, who beamed back. "Makes sense. Now, do you have any actual experience with things like that?" she asked, curious.
"Oh my, yes!" Amy crowed happily. "Let me put it this way, Kim dear…exactly how many vets do you think would consent to treat my cuddlebuddies?" she countered. Kim grinned, and nodded. Amy continued. "None, of course. So, since that was the case, I had to treat them myself…so, to answer your question, yes, I have the experience, dear," Amy returned.
Kim nodded her acceptance of Amy's desire, then turned towards the gruff Scotsman, Duff Killigan. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Shego pretending she was playing golf, play swinging a golf club clownishly. Kim inhaled in preparation to bust the boisterous Shego, but Duff interrupted her.
"Och now, Kim lassie, don´t be yellin' at those two," Duff said, the corner of his mouth twitching up in a half-smile. "They kin joke just as much as they like too, so they kin. T'won't be me conscience that will be givin' 'em cane fer their wickedness, so it won't."
Kim nodded, smiling smugly over at the now contrite Shego and Andrea, knowing he was right. "So, Duff, exactly what is it you'd like to do with yourself?"
Duff grinned. "Surprisingly enough, lass, nothing to do wit' golf," he declared staunchly. The room become very quiet at that, many of the ex-villains stunned by his proclamation. "Look you, golf used to be a hobby o' mine…that is, before it got the better part o' me, y'see. Now, add to that someone with me temper...an' ye might begin tae understand why the golf courses I was banned from did so in the first place." Duff paused then, collecting his thoughts before continuing. "Nae, the work fer me will be somethin' else entirely, so it will. Y'see…my sainted father, why he used to be the manager for some local band, back in Scotland. Edinburgh, if ye must know."
"A band? Cool. So…have I heard of them?" Kim asked.
Duff laughed softly, waving Kim away with a hand. "Nay, lass. Not unless ye like listening to the pipes, I do doubt it," Duff replied, smiling as he saw Kim shiver at that thought. "The pipes have a bonny sound…but tis not fer just anyone, you see. So…I'm no surprised to see ye react like you do. No offense taken, lassie. Now, I've always liked the way me Da did things. He was a braw bonny manager, so he was. Always got done what he aimed to, so he did. Whatever it took to get the job done, he did it: yellin' at people, makin' sure the lads and lasses got where they were supposed to on time…as well as all the other things o' course." Duff sighed contentedly, then said his final say. "Aye, twould be a gran' thing to be the manager o' a band, so it would. A gran' thing indeed…"
Kim smiled and looked around everybody, making sure everyone was accounted for. "All right then," she said, satisfied. "Now, it's our job to make sure we can help you get the careers you want. So, in order to do that, we next need to know if you're qualified to do the jobs you want to do." She smiled and turned towards Shego first.
Shego groaned. "Why am I always first?" she grumbled, crossing her arms before her chest. But, after a moment, she relented, grinned, then got to her feet, and starting to sing:
Now this is gonna take a little time to understand
I don't need your money and I do not need a man
And I don't need nobody try to tell me how to dress
What the hell is this no I won't kiss you on the lips
You don't even know me like you think really you do
And I don't have the time to play this stupid game with you
Use to call me wipeout now I'm back up on my feet
Stronger than I ever thought that i could ever be
NONO
That's not the way it's gonna be
NONO
I don't wanna see you around me
I KNOW
Calling out my name inside your sleep
Each and every day and every night and every week
NONO
That's not the way it's gonna be
NONO
I don't wanna see you around me
I KNOW
Calling out my name inside your sleep
Each and every day and every night and every week
NG3
This is for the women in the world like me
This is the darling callin'
Stand up if you really want it
NG3
If you got an R then you gotta have an E
Have a little S.P.E.C.T
Boy you gotta show me that you really want me
If you really love that woman stand down
Heaven ain't above heaven's here right now
Treat her like a lady not a merry go
ROUND ROUND ROUND ROUND NOW
You could be red, white, blue, green, brown.
If you got your own cash, stand up now.
got your own campagne, stand up now, now, now, now.
NONO
That's not the way it's gonna be.
NONO
I dont wanna see you around me.
I KNOW
Calling out my name inside your sleep.
Each and every day and every night and every week
NONO
That's not the way it's gonna be.
NONO
I dont wanna see you around me.
I KNOW
Calling out my name inside your sleep.
Each and every day and every night and every week
NG3
This is for the women of the world like me
This is the darling callin'
Stand up if you really want it
NG3
If you got an R then you gotta have an E
Have a little S.P.E.C.T
Boy you gotta show me that you really want it
NG3
This is for the women of the world like me
This is the darling callin'
Stand up if you really want it
NG3
If you got an R then you gotta have an E
Have a little S.P.E.C.T
Boy you gotta show me that you really want it
NG3
She finished, her breathing a bit heavy, and sat down right before everyone started to applaud her latest audition.
"I guess that tells me that you're qualified, all right," Kim said, laughing in an amused way. "Okay, who's next?" she ventured, then turned toward Andrea. "Say, what about you, Andrea?"
Andrea smiled. "Sure! Give me a minute, would you?" She then picked up her sketch book…the one she had shown Shego before. She handed it over to Kim, and waited.
Kim looked through it, leafing through page after amazing page, her green eyes growing bigger at each and every page she saw. "Why…these are the best designs I've seen in a very long time, Andrea," she announced, more than a little impressed. She looked over at Andrea, who blushed a deep red before smiling and looking away in pleased embarrassment. Kim smiled, then gave Andrea her sketch book back. "I´d give those drawings an A, Andrea. A+ even," Kim said, giving Andrea an impressed wink, which made Andrea grin.
Kim then turned to Drakken. "Okay, Drew…what have you got by way of qualifications, buddy?" she questioned.
"As I've already said," Drakken began. "I used to do this thing for a living a year before I began my yen for world dominence. So…trust me, I know what I'm doing. Tell you what though…if I had some equipment, I could probably rig you up a sound stage in oh, probably somewhere in the range of ten minutes…give or take a minute." Drew's eyes glowed with confidence that Kim could easily see.
"I'm sure you could. But, that´s really not necessary, Drew…I'm sure you'll impress us given the chance," Kim said, then turned to Monkey Fist. "Okay, Monty…care to list your qualifications?"
"Oh, I could do that, Ms. Possible," Monkey Fist conceded. "However, instead, I´d love to give a demonstration of them."
"Uh-uh! Nothing doin'. Not with me, you aren´t!" Kim said, quickly, unconsciously adopting a defensive pose. She realized how she reacted, then smiled a bit sheepishly. "However, I think I might be able to help you with that, Monty old boy." Kim turned toward the obviously bored Shego. "Yo, Stephanie! Care for a little workout, girl?"
Shego smiled at that thought, then looked over at Monkey Fist. "Hey, not a bad idea there, Kimmie," she said and stood up. "Let's see what you have, Monty, old boy."
"All right," Kim said as Monkey Fist and Shego stood face to face with one another. "I'll consent to this…but only with the following rules: one, no green flame," she said, ticking off the first item, turning to Shego whose hands had started to glow a pale green, then promptly winked out. "Rule Two, no low blows or cheap shots. Rule Three, the first one who falls on his or her back loses the match," Kim finished, holding up three fingers. "Now, this will go three five-minute rounds. At the end of these rounds, if there's still no winner, we'll call it a draw. Do you both understand and agree to the rules?"
Shego nodded first. "Agreed," she said, adopting a relaxed but ready fighting pose.
Monty bowed his head solemnly. "I also agree," he stated, falling into his fighting stance.
Kim nodded then. "You may start…Now!" she called out.
Shego and Monkey Fist bowed respectfully to each other, then got down to some rather intense sparring. After the first round, Shego had laid Monty out twice. By the end of the third round, she laid him low the third and final time. Shego bowed respectfully to her fallen opponent before returning to take her seat.
Kim looked over to Monty, who sprang to his feet without the use of his hands. "Well, Monty, even if Stephanie did manage to best you, I'd still say you really do have the potential to be an ace body guard," Kim said and patting Monty on his shoulder. The martial arts expert smiled a small satisfied smile, then retook his seat.
Kim then turned her attention to DNAmy. "Now, Amy…just how do we check out your qualifications?" Kim asked herself aloud. Then she grinned. "Ah, I got it!" she exclaimed, then turned her smiling face toward Ron. "Hey, Ron, do you think I could um, borrow Rufus for a moment?"
Ron thought about that a moment, looked over at Kim, then over at DNAmy, then back to Kim again. "Sure," Ron finally told her, trusting Kim, and reached into his pocket to gently retrieve Rufus. "Go on, buddy. Kim needs you a minute," Ron told his pet. Rufus seemed to understand, and grinned, giving Ron a chipper little salute before running over to Kim, who picked him up.
Kim turned to DNAmy. "Now, Amy…let´s see how good you are at the whole vet thing," Kim proposed, sitting Rufus down upon Amy's desktop. The mole rat blinked up at DNAmy before giving her a tentative, yet friendly little hello.
Amy smiled at the pink Rufus, then gently lifted him up on to her palm. She then proceeded to talk to him, asking him to open his mouth, where she looked inside a moment. She nodded, proceeding to check his skin condition and muscle tone. She eyed him a few moments more, then bade him farewell and handed him politely back to Kim. "He's a cute little fellow. Now, as for my exam…first off, Rufus here isn't in any immediate danger medically. However, Ronald, you could try to feed him something a bit more nutritious than all that Mexican fast food you consume. Frankly, it´s not good for his digestion. Also, I noticed that he's got a small problem with fleas, but other than that he´s as healthy as any ox."
Kim smiled, patted Rufus on his head, then let him run back over to Ron, who offered him a bit of nacho to eat. "Well, Amy, I'd say you are definitely qualified as a vet," Kim said. "Because…that's precisely the very same thing the vet told Ron last week."
She then turned to the waiting Duff Killigan. "So…Duff, let's see if you got what it takes to be a band manager," Kim asked of him.
Duff readily complied answering a slew of fast questions a manager had to know before he could be qualified to do what he needed to do.
Kim then looked to the door and saw a smiling Monique, who waved fondly at her. Kim turned to her class. "All right, folks, we're finished with this session. If you would just follow the guards and Ron, they'll take you back to your cells," Kim instructed, nodding to Ron. As the six got to their feet and began to make their way to the door, Kim looked up. "Oh, Andrea?" she added, and Andrea turned around, her expression one of curiosity and surprise. "Could you and Stephanie stay on for a moment? We need to have a little talk."
Stephanie looked to Andrea, who merely looked back at her, and shrugged. With a little trepidation, the two young women---one dark haired, one blonde---made their way a bit hesitantly over to where Kim stood.
AN: OK people this migth be my last uppdate for a while. Iam going to Italy next wedensday and will be gone for 2 weeks but i´ll se if i can´t make another chappie before then. Hey to you guys who has seen the episode Go team Go can somebody tell me what Kim was threathening Shego whit? I have seen the episode but in french and did´nt understand a thing. R&R people