The Middleton Mall was abuzz with activity, but no more so than in the space nestled between The Golden Wok and The Leather Hut. The construction crew raced around like worker bees, sawing, hammering and pasting to create…
"Drew's House of Flowers!" Drakken exclaimed as he walked amidst the chaos. "Is there anything more gratifying than seeing a plan come together?"
"About that, Dr. Drakken," Shego said as she looked over the blueprints lying on the counter. "I have a few questions about the store's layout."
"Shoot."
"It seems that the counter, the display cases and the security cameras are, well, a counter, display cases and security cameras." Receiving a blank look from her boss, she elaborated. "Where are the laser cannons? The booby traps? The doomsday device? If I didn't know better I'd say this was just an ordinary flower shop."
"That's because it is an ordinary flower shop," Drakken replied.
"Huh?" Shego was now thoroughly confused. "Dr. Drakken, how…"
"HOLD IT!" Drakken exclaimed. He stormed past Shego and over to the front window, where a worker was painting Drew's House of Flowers on the pane. "I told you I wanted these letters painted in forest green! This is hunter green! Our grand opening is tomorrow! How am I supposed to take over the world when I'm surrounded by such incompetent fools?! I SHOULD DESTROY YOU ALL! I…" he suddenly reached into his pocket, pulled out a stuffed penguin wearing a Paradise Valley Resort tee shirt, and squeezed hard.
"It's okay, just chill out!" The penguin's squeaky voice cried. He squeezed the bird again, and again it told him to chill out. The entire store fell silent as Shego and the crew watched, fascinated, as Drakken squeezed several more times until he was completely calm again.
"I'm so sorry," he announced to the entire room. "We're all under a lot of pressure here, but my actions were inexcusable. You're all doing a wonderful job. Carry on."
As everyone turned their attention back to their work, Shego crossed the room to where her boss was standing. "Dr. Drakken, what is that?" She asked, pointing to the penguin he still clutched in his hands.
"My fuzzy little stress buddy, compliments of Paradise Valley," Drakken replied. "It works just like a stress ball, but much cuter. They had a wide variety of animals to choose from. I chose a penguin because they're nature's clowns." He rubbed his temple. "I think I need a break. Take over here, will you Shego? I'm going for a walk."
Shego nodded, and Drakken left the store. Though she still wanted to discuss the strange flower shop plans, she decided to let it go for now. Drakken's outburst came as a great relief to her; for a moment, he seemed like his old self again. Shego hoped it was a sign that things would soon be back to normal.
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"Thank you for shopping at Drew's, please come again," Shego said mechanically as she handed a customer his seeds.
"Aha! You didn't smile!" The customer exclaimed happily. He pointed to a yellow button on Shego's apron that said 'Service with a smile or 50 off your purchase!' "I believe you owe me some money."
"Ooooh, right, sir. Looks like you got me," Shego said, rolling her eyes. "Let's see, half the price of a packet of seeds comes to twenty-eight cents." She dropped the coins into his waiting palm. "Don't spend it all in one place."
Drakken emerged from the back room. "How are things going up here, Shego?" He asked. He was wearing an apron and button identical to hers, and a hat shaped like a flower pot with a daisy sticking out of it. He frowned as he noticed her bare head. "Shego, you're not wearing your hat." He said.
"Yeah, sorry about that, but I'd rather keep my last shred of dignity," Shego replied.
"Nonsense! It looks very professional! Besides, if my plan is to succeed I need everyone to give one hundred and ten percent! Can you do that, Shego? It will all be worth it, I promise!"
Shego sighed heavily and snatched the hat from underneath the counter.
"That's my little trooper!" Drakken grinned. "And now I'm off to water the petunias!" He walked away humming a merry tune.
Shego gripped the counter hard. She didn't know how much more she could take; for three days she had been selling flowers and flower products (with a smile) to a never ending parade of dopes. Her feet hurt, her face hurt, and she was wearing a flower pot on her head. She needed an outlet for her mounting frustration, and soon.
At that very moment the front door was thrown open and Kim Possible leaped into the shop, followed closely by Ron Stoppable. "Shego!" She exclaimed as she landed in a fighting stance. "Nice hat."
"Kim, you have no idea how perfect your timing is," Shego grinned. She leaped over the counter and charged Kim, only to be stopped cold when Drakken stepped in between them.
"Ladies, please! This is a place of business!" He said. "Let's all just calm down and discuss this rationally."
"You can start by telling me what you're up to," Kim said. "I gotta say, setting up shop on my stomping grounds is a pretty bold move. You must be pretty confident about this latest scheme."
"Yeah!" Ron said, grabbing a rose from an arrangement. "I'll bet you sprayed these flowers with some kind of mind control serum! One whiff and an unsuspecting customer becomes your mindless slave!" Suddenly he let out a cry and dropped the flower. "Look out KP!" He cried as he rushed back to Kim's side. "Those innocent-looking roses are armed with sharp spikes! And we're surrounded by them!"
"Darn, you found us out," Shego said sarcastically. "We're going to conquer the world with our deadly rose arsenal."
"I don't blame you kids for being suspicious, given our history together," Drakken said. "But I assure you that this operation is legitimate. If you don't believe me, feel free to look around."
"We will!" Kim snapped. "Come on, Ron."
Shego hated just standing by while her arch enemy and her goofy sidekick searched every square inch of the store. She secretly hoped Drakken had an ulterior motive for inviting them to poke around. Maybe it had something to do with the mysterious phase two of the plan; she hoped phase two somehow involved Kim and several sharp gardening tools. However, her hopes were dashed when Kim and Ron gave up twenty minutes later without having lost so much as a single limb.
"Well, everything looks on the up and up," Kim told Drakken. "But I'll be watching you! Let's go, Ron."
Ron's face was pressed against the display case. "Hey Dr. Drakken, how much for the 'Morning Glory' bouquet? My mom's birthday is next week and…" before Ron could finish his thought Kim grabbed his arm and dragged him out of the store.
"Well, that's settled. Let's get back to work!" Drakken headed into the back room, with Shego right behind him.
"Okay, Dr. Drakken, I've put up with a lot of crap these past few days, but when you let our worst enemy just waltz in and out of here like she owns the place I've got to insist you tell me what the hell is going on!"
Drakken frowned. "I'll thank you to watch your language, young lady! That is not the kind of image we want for Drew's House of Flowers!"
"Oh, enough already!" Shego shouted. "I think it's time you told me the rest of this stupid plan!"
"All right, all right, if you insist," Drakken said. "As you know, phase one was opening a flower shop. In phase two, we franchise! Drew's House of Flowers sweeps across the nation! And in our third and final phase, we go online and conquer the international market! We'll be the number one floral retailer in the world!"
"Sounds great, Dr. D., but when do we take over the world?"
"We don't," Drakken replied. "From now on, this organization is on the level. I've given up crime forever!"
Shego was dumbstruck. "What…what are you talking about?" She finally managed to spit out.
"Shego, those two weeks at the resort was the first time in years I hadn't thought about world domination," Drakken said. "I came to realize that I've wasted half my life on that obsession with nothing to show for it but high blood pressure and an ulcer the size of a baseball! So I've decided that I'm going to stop trying to dominate the world and start enjoying my life!"
"By opening a flower shop?" Shego asked incredulously.
"Why not? Everybody loves flowers! They represent all that is good and wholesome in the world! And what could be more rewarding than spreading that goodness to others?"
Shego stared at him long and hard. "You're serious," she said.
"I am, and I've never been happier" Drakken grinned.
"Well, that's great for you, but what about me!?" Shego yelled. "This is not what I signed up for! I am a mercenary! My job description includes grand theft, arson, kidnapping and mass mayhem, but not flower girl! I am not spending the rest of my life wearing a stupid flower pot on my head!"
"I'm sorry to hear that, Shego," Drakken said. "But my life of crime is over. If you can't accept that, then there is no longer a place for you in this organization."
His words hit Shego like a punch in the gut. "Are you saying what I think you're saying?" She asked in disbelief.
"Yes," Drakken replied sadly. "You're fired."
TBC…