Drakken carefully connected one final wire, then closed the device's access panel. It consisted of a stubby black cylinder about one foot tall and one foot in diameter, with a small crystalline ball attached to the top. He considered the device for a moment, then looked back to see that Shego was watching him.
Hmmm, perhaps I should increase the power a little. This trap is supposed to be the anchor for all the others covering the lair, after all, thought Drakken. Answering thought with deed, he pried open the access panel again and pulled in from the side a thick cable with a large alligator clamp at one end. Clamping the extra power supply directly into the circuit meant that the access panel couldn't be closed and trap seemed less sleek, but that was the price one paid for extra trapping action. Or at least, so went Drakken's thoughts on the matter.
He checked behind himself again to see that Shego was still watching him, but had backed up about ten feet. Drakken gave her a glare at the lack of confidence, but she just shrugged and looked innocent, as if she couldn't imagine what might have aroused Drakken's ire. Determined to teach his doubting sidekick a lesson, Drakken reached out and turned the device on.
There was silence for a moment, and then a low hum began emanating from the device. A soft electric glow pulsed from the crystalline ball, and a faint tingle of static electricity buzzed in the area immediately around it. Drakken clapped his hands together in delight. "Shego, I think I can safely say that our little bug problem is no longer a concern," he said, looking back at his sidekick.
Shego silently raised a hand and pointed a finger at the device. Drakken turned towards it again, realizing that in the brief moment since he had looked back at Shego the glow had become much brighter. An arc of electricity suddenly jumped from the device and impacted Drakken's wristwatch, shocking his hand. Then more electrical arcs formed between the crystalline ball and various pockets on Drakken's lab coat where tools were concealed. Fortunately for Drakken the lining of his coat was insulated, so he wasn't suffering shocks from these arcs, but the points where they were hitting were growing uncomfortably warm.
The pain in his wrist increased as his wristwatch was pulled towards the crystalline ball by a powerful magnetic field. Drakken tried desperately to keep his wrist from being pulled in, knowing how much worse of a shock he'd be getting if his wristwatch actually made contact. His entire arm had gone numb, but he got a grip on it with his other hand, pulling back against the attractive force. Around him, small metal objects like paperclips and loose screws were flying at the ball, erupting in showers of sparks as they hit. "Shego!" Drakken yelled in desperation.
As he waited for his sidekick to rescue him, part of Drakken's mind couldn't help but consider the potential applications of this phenomenon. It could be a weapon, or perhaps an amplification device for that generator he had heard the Danish military was working on. Certainly, he hadn't expected so a powerful effect from the modifications. Thoughts distracting him from the pain and pressure, Drakken actually went so far as to release his numb arm to reach for a pen and notepad in one pocket so that he could jot down his ideas. This proved a mistake, as his arm was immediately tugged in towards the crystalline ball. Drakken screamed in terror, but the glow shut off just before his wrist impacted.
Drakken looked to the side to see Shego holding the severed, spark-spitting end of the power cable, which she had evidently cut with her plasma. Her hair was starting to frizz out from the electrical charge. Seeing her boss was relatively unhurt, Shego tossed the electrical cable well away from the lab bench Drakken had been working at.
"Thank you?" said Drakken, making it more of question.
Shego carefully smoothed down her hair before speaking. "Dr. Drakken. I'm used to your inventions not working right the first time. You're always telling me how science is about taking chances and trying new things. Fine. But this time I have to point out that you've already built five of these things. Five electronic bug zappers, designed to trap and destroy those spy flies, all of which worked fine. Five traps, all of which are already deployed around the lair. But for this last one, number six, you decide you're going to experiment. And now I must ask, why?" she said.
Drakken attempted to pat his numb arm back to life as he thought about how to answer Shego. The truth was that the previous five traps hadn't been exactly identical. He'd been varying the design a bit, trying to get better performance, though not in a way that would have been obvious to Shego's untrained eye. It had all gotten a bit boring, however. Rebuilding what was essentially the same design over and over made him feel like some mere technician. He had a feeling that, 'I was bored,' would not get a favorable response from Shego, though.
"I was attempting to make things more efficient, Shego. It's ridiculous that I should need so many of these traps to stop Gemini's toy flies. I thought if I could increase the power, I could do it all in one. I just didn't count on the increased power being so… powerful," said Drakken, trying not to sound defensive.
"Mmmm, interesting call. Tell you what, I'm just going to go wait in the conference room for you. We can have that 'strategy session' after you get the last trap up and running. You build it any way you want. Just try to remember I'm not going to be here to save you if you screw it up again," said Shego. She gave Drakken one of her typical evil smiles and sauntered out of the room.
Drakken watched her go, scowling. Always has to act so superior. Who's the genius here? Me, not her. I don't see her building any anti-bug traps. Where would she be, without my brilliant mind to guide her? What do I need her for, anyway? I could do fine on my own, thought Drakken to himself. His gaze settled on the recently depowered trap. That and the throbbing of his wrist proved a painful reminder of why he needed Shego.
He settled down to rewire the trap, this time making it like the previous five. As he did, Drakken found his thoughts returning to Shego. There was little question, really, that Shego was Drakken's biggest asset as a villain. Drakken didn't participate much in the 'social club' of villainy that Jack Hench and his HenchCo tried to perpetuate as a very specialized market, but he had some idea of what his fellow would-be conquerors and crooks thought of him. To quote a comedian, Drakken got no respect.
They laughed at his many failures, which Drakken thought was unfair. The reason he had failed so many times was that he had tried so many times. Whenever a scheme was foiled, Drakken would always have three more on the drawing board or in progress. Quantity had a quality all its own, didn't it? Drakken tried, on occasion, to buckle down on a single plan and make sure it was perfected before putting it into action. It went against his nature, though. Coming up with ideas and implementing them was the fun part. Tinkering with them to try and achieve perfection was boring.
Drakken realized that in his distracted thinking about his place in the villainous community, his hands had started rewiring the trap as a death ray all on their own. He smacked the lab bench in frustration and began again. Shego. He had been thinking about Shego.
Whatever his peers thought about Drakken, they all respected Shego. She was so dangerous, so clever, and she never- well, rarely ever failed. No one else had a sidekick like Shego. Professor Dementor might be more infamous and, in the opinion of some, have better inventions than Drakken, but he had to be content with mere minions. Shego could handle anything and had actual superpowers. She was an advantage that no one else had, and with her at his side, no one dared cross Drakken.
Except Gemini, apparently.
The rewiring finished, Drakken closed the trap's access panel and turned it on. It powered up with the same pleasant hum, but this time there was no power surge, no electrical arcs, and no magnetic instability. As usual, Shego's advice had been sound, if unexciting. Now I let her pick apart my ideas on how to go after Gemini, thought Drakken.
Drip, drip, drip.
A large damp spot covered the ceiling in one corner of the conference room. From it dripped a steady stream of water, falling into a bucket that had been set below it so that the floor didn't soak. Drakken found his fingers tapping the table in rhythm with the dripping.
"I thought you were going to call a plumber," said Shego. Her voice was a bit absentminded, as most of her attention was going to the cards spread out in front of her in a game of Solitaire.
"I called the plumber before we left the lair last time we were here. If we're lucky, they're finally going to be here later today. We're on a private Caribbean island. Fast plumbing service is not one of the perks," said Drakken.
"Uh-huh," said Shego. She picked up a card, studied it for a moment, then carefully laid it down.
"When I rule the world, of course, things will be different," continued Drakken confidently.
This brought Shego's attention away from her cards. She coughed, or at least Drakken hoped it was a cough and not the stifled laugh that it somewhat sounded like. Shego swept the cards to one side, disposing of her game. "You've gotten rid of all the spy bugs, right? So now we can talk without Mr. 'I'm so cool, calling myself one of the zodiac signs' listening in on us?" she said.
"I'm sure of it. Now at last we can plot my revenge against Gemini," said Drakken confidently.
Shego looked at Drakken for a while, an odd expression on her face. Finally she said, "About that, Dr. D. Are you sure you want to go ahead with this revenge stuff?"
Drakken was taken aback. "What! The Worldwide Evil Empire broken into my laboratory, stole my machine, and they assaulted and nearly killed the both of us. Why exactly would I not want to take a terrible revenge, Shego?"
"Yeah revenge is great and all, but it's not exactly going to further your goal of conquering the world, is it? Add to that, those guys are pretty dangerous. Like you said, they nearly killed us. Can't you just build another machine to go ahead with this Project Firebreak of yours?" said Shego.
As far as Drakken could tell, Shego was being as sincere as she ever got, not layering her words with any sarcasm or double-meaning. Of course, Shego was always hard for him to read. For a brief moment his thoughts revolved around building some sort of portable emotion-reading helmet that he could wear, but then he realized that Shego was still waiting for an answer.
"No! I mean… no. I had to… outsource some critical components. You remember, you grabbed them for me on those trips to Singapore, Seoul, and Boston. They canceled those projects afterwards," said Drakken. He tried to tell if Shego realized he had drifted off in mid-conversation, but she was still inscrutable. If only he had that helmet… he knew just where Shego could steal the parts to build it.
"Doc!" Shego said, snapping her fingers under his chin. "Stay with me here. Serious decisions to make and not the time for you to get distracted. What exactly is this Project Firebreak supposed to do, anyway?"
Drakken made an effort to focus his thoughts. "Very simply, it utilizes a coherent highly variable field created inversely from top and strange quarks to selectively inhibit certain macro scale reactions without otherwise interfering with conventional unified force interactions."
Subtle changes in Shego's face, along with the green plasma suddenly surrounding her right hand, informed Drakken that he had somehow upset her. Oh, if only he had that helmet! "Now how about making it understandably simple, 'genius'," she said in an irritated voice.
"Oh, err. It stops internal combustion and electronic devices without doing anything else. It makes machines stop working," said Drakken, hoping this was simple enough. He vaguely suspected that Shego was angry because he had made her feel stupid, which was something that, in his experience, she didn't care for. Last time he had tried to explain the plot of a movie she hadn't gotten, she had blown up half of his laboratory.
Fortunately, Shego seemed distracted by the implications of Project Firebreak. "Say, that would be pretty world conquest-worthy. You could threaten to shut off civilization unless the world bowed to you."
"Yes, I suppose you could use it that way. Now that I think about it, that seems much simpler than my original plan," said Drakken.
"Why, what were you going to- Never mind. Let's not get off-topic. I can see why you want this thing back," said Shego.
"More importantly, I don't want Gemini to have it. What if he uses it to conquer the world instead of me? Someone else, conquering the world with a machine that I created. How could I ever live with the embarrassment? The humiliation? People would laugh, Shego. And not just behind my back anymore. It would all be to the face. To the face!" said Drakken, growing increasingly passionate as the vision of laughing crowds dominated his mind.
"Also, you'd have to live in a world ruled be an evil madman that wasn't you," said Shego.
"Yes, there would be that," replied Drakken.
"And then he'd probably rename Middleton after himself, set up his headquarters there, make everyone wear WWEE uniforms, lock you in a shock collar to control you, and pump your body full of super science steroids so that you could be an amusing bodyguard," said Shego, staring off towards the wall as if lost in a dim memory.
"Yes he might- What! Where did that come from?" said Drakken, distressed both by Shego's words and the odd anxiety they provoked in him.
"Eh? Oh, I don't know," said Shego, shaking her head to clear it. "Anyway, okay, so you've decided that we have to get your device back from Gemini. What's the plan?"
"You are on board for this, right Shego? You're not going to suddenly decide to use your vacation time when I'm ready to go after Gemini, are you?" said Drakken, remembering Shego's earlier caution.
An irate Shego grabbed him by the collar. "I'm not backing out on anything! I want a second chance at that Agent Alpha that Gemini has working as his flunky boy. You just point the way and I'm there. Now I repeat, what kind of plan are we working with here?" she said.
Drakken eased himself out of Shego's grip. "Message received. The principle problem here is locating WWEE headquarters, which is where I surmise Gemini will be keeping my machine. He makes himself ridiculously hard to find. Worried about the Global Justice Network coming after him, I suppose. I have a few ideas on that," said Drakken.
He walked up to the whiteboard and drew a number one. "Option one, I start an evil newspaper and coupon clipper. Gemini will be so astounded by the villainous content that he take out a subscription, thus giving me his address and sealing his doom," said Drakken. He broke out into a villainous laugh while writing the words 'Evil newspaper,' beside the number one.
"Seems like it would take a little too much set-up. Besides, how do you know he won't just subscribe to the online version?" asked Shego.
"Curses! You're right, of course he'd get an online subscription. Good thinking, Shego," said Drakken. He drew a line through option one, then wrote the number 'two' below it. "This second idea will be much better."
"It doesn't involve another form of news media, does it?" asked Shego.
"Of course not," said Drakken. He hesitated, then added, "Well, not directly. Remember those parts you tried to pick up from the post office? Gemini will still need those to complete the machine, and there are only a few places in the world where he can get them. I shall send you out to rob those installations and wreck them beyond repair, taking with you a few of the needed components. Then you return here and we broadcast through the news media, letting Gemini know that we control what he must have. He will come to us!" said Drakken, letting off another laugh, this one somewhat less intense.
Shego chewed this idea over for a while, while Drakken began sketching traps on the white board that he intended to lay for Gemini. Finally she spoke. "Two problems here. First, that sounds like an awful lot of work for me. I mean, I love the destruction, but you do anything too much and it loses its zest. Now if that were all, I'd still be up for it, but this idea ends with us sitting around, waiting to be attacked. Not liking that idea."
Drakken growled in frustration, trying to break the dry erase marker in his hands. "I did have one more idea. We infiltrate Global Justice and use their resources to find WWEE. If anyone can locate Gemini, surely his fraternal twin Dr. Director can," he said.
"But if she could find him, then she already would have gone and arrested him. And infiltrating Global Justice isn't that easy. You got anything else?" said Shego, putting her feet up on the table. She was calm enough, but something about the way she kept twirling her hair with one finger said to Drakken that she was as frustrated as he was.
Drakken spent a desperate moment wracking his brain, but no ideas came forth. Or at least none related to tracking down Gemini. "No other ideas. We're back to plan number two," he told Shego.
"All right. I'll go get the jet fueled up, while you figure out a target list," said Shego. She rose to her feet, not looking very enthusiastic.
Bah, she's right. I don't want to sit here waiting to be attacked. I want to do the attacking. Instead of letting him follow the parts here, we ought to follow the parts to him, thought Drakken. Wait a moment, Drew, that's not a bad idea!
"Shego, don't bother with the jet! I do have another plan. Instead of letting Gemini track the parts to us, we keep a watch on where the parts are being sent. I can hack the proper computers, and when I do, the shipping patterns will tell us right where Gemini is hiding. Then we take the fight to him," said Drakken.
"I like," said Shego. "I'm still fueling up the jet, though. There's somewhere I need to go."
Drakken scratched his head in puzzlement.
About half-way up the long mountain path to Yamanuchi, Shego began to wish she had brought some earphones and a CD player. It wasn't that the climb was physically difficult, but it was time consuming. Without anyone to talk to or anything other than the scenery to entertain, Shego was left with only the company of her own thoughts. Forced reflection and contemplation was on Shego's top ten list of things to avoid.
So Shego began to sing. She started relatively quietly, singing various television jingles to herself, but it failed to satisfy. Soon she was booming out tunes from the radio at the top of her lungs. It wasn't very good singing, and the high volume didn't help. Shego was just bursting into a chorus from an 'Oh Boyz' song when a figure wearing dark clothing rose from the side of the path.
"So I you're the one guarding the path to the school. You know, when I had guard duty, I'd never show myself without trying to creep up behind whoever was coming up, no matter who they were. Of course, I had ambition," said Shego, making it clear that this comment was a snub at the stranger.
"It is my honor to guard the entrance to Yamanuchi this afternoon. It is also my honor to preserve my hearing," said the stranger, who had a female voice. She pulled off her mask to reveal a beautiful teenage Japanese girl with a red ribbon in her hair.
"What, you don't like my singing?" said Shego, crossing her arms in annoyance.
"I would never say such a thing. Might I ask who you are?" inquired the girl. She was polite, but Shego could see her fingering a weapon concealed in one sleeve.
"The name's Shego. Internationally wanted criminal. Yamanuchi graduate. I'm here to check over some old yearbooks. Now be a good girl and walk me in," said Shego. She flared a ball of plasma in her right hand and tossed it into the air before allowing her Go Team Glow to fade away again.
"It will be my honor to escort you in. I am Yori," said Yori. She bowed in Shego's direction
Before she had a chance to think about it, Shego found herself returning the bow. Too many ingrained reflexes coming back. To compensate, she sneered at Yori before turning and trotting down the path towards the school. Yori fell easily into step beside her.
After a moment's silence, Yori asked, "Will you be wishing to visit Sensei, Shego-san?"
The thought was oddly tempting. Shego had only been at Yamanuchi for a little over a year of hard training, but Sensei had still been something of a father figure to her, as he was to all the students. However, the reason it was tempting was the same reason she wanted to avoid it. "I'm in a hurry. No time to listen to one of Sensei's extended metaphors," said Shego. I don't want to see the disappointed look in the old man's eyes. I liked him too much for that, thought Shego. Gah, I can't believe I just thought that.
As they entered the school grounds, Shego looked around. "Huh. Place hasn't changed that much. Except I think there used to be a tree over there."
"Yamanuchi has stood unchanged for many hundreds of years, and it has been less than five years since you graduated, Shego-san," said Yori.
"You've got a point, I supp- Hey! How did you know when I graduated? I thought you didn't know who I was," said Shego.
"I was not sure of whom you were immediately, since I had not seen you in person before and you were not in uniform," said Yori.
Shego glanced down at herself. It was true, she had discarded her usual jumpsuit for a lime green top and black pants and gloves. Though various emotions and insecurities flickered within her mind at returning to Yamanuchi, the primary reason had been that it was laundry day back at the lair.
Yori continued. "You are well known as one of Yamanuchi's most famous graduates in recent times. The American superhero coming to learn the ancient arts at our school was of great pride to Yamanuchi. It has been the subject of school legend even since you have left. Of course, that upon graduation you entered the service of a mad villain to conduct many failed attempts at conquering the world… less pride, I am told."
Shego didn't take offense, though she gave Yori a scowl for form's sake. "Wait, less pride because I entered the service or a mad villain or less pride because the guy I'm working for has failed in his conquest attempts?" asked Shego.
Yori held out her hands palms-up in a gesture of helplessness. "Cannot it be both?" she said.
"You seem to know a lot about me, even if I am a school legend," said Shego.
"Ah, I confess. It is my honor to serve on the student committee that puts together the alumni magazine. May I say by the way that your donation to the school this year was most appreciated," said Yori.
Brushing some imaginary dust off one of her gloves, Shego replied, "Well I'm not a cheapskate like some people I know."
As if she was merely completing a prior thought, Yori spoke again, "We understand that that recent graduates are limited in the finances available for donation."
"Are you implying something about my donation?" said Shego.
"I would never say such a thing, Shego-san," said Yori. "Here we are inside the school now. You said earlier that you wanted to look at old yearbooks and that your mission was urgent. It would be my honor to provide whatever assistance might best speed you on your way."
"Speed me on my way. Yeah. I'm here to find out about a Yamanuchi graduate. Guy's about forty years old, has a scar right here," said Shego, gesturing across her lips where Alpha's scar had been. "He's working for the Worldwide Evil Empire. A tricky guy."
After some thought, Yori responded, "I believe I know who you are speaking of, Shego-san. Let us make sure I am correct."
Shego followed the teenager down a short path and into the records building. This seems a little too easy, she thought.
Inside, Yori pulled down a few books until she located the photograph she was looking for. "Is this the honorable Yamanuchi graduate you wish to know of?"
Shego slapped her hand down on the picture. "That's him. Tell me about him."
"As much as it would be my honor to educate you on the many gaps in your knowledge, Shego-san, what is the purpose behind your request?" said Yori, not giving anything away.
Shego considered lying, but that wasn't her style. "I had to fight this guy not too long ago when my boss crossed paths with WWEE. He's calling himself Agent Alpha, so I figure he's on board long-term. I might have to fight him again pretty soon, so I want to know what I'm dealing with."
Yori bowed her head. "Ah, the tragedy of fellow graduates being forced against each other by their sworn duties. We were taught in class that this might happen to us some day."
"I must have missed that class. What did they teach you to do about it?" asked Shego.
"Compare contracts, determine if a fight is unavoidable, and if you are unable to make sudden use of vacation time, remember to go only so far as honor and contract require," said Yori.
"I'll keep that in mind. You going to tell me about this guy or not?" asked Shego.
"Such is my responsibility as a member of the student alumni committee. Of course, if Ichikawa-san comes to the school inquiring about you, it will be my honor to tell him as much as possible," replied Yori. "To begin, his name, American-style, is Masuyo Ichikawa."
Yori went on to describe Masuyo's career, so far as she knew of it. It was a history of short but effective terms of service with organizations and individuals all over the globe, for which Masuyo charged exceedingly high prices. He had come to speak at the school once during Yori's attendance, and she described him as a cautious, careful man who lectured on the dangers of excitability and over-enthusiasm. Of specific tactics and strategies that Masuyo might use, Yori claimed to know nothing. Nor could she provide a recent mailing address for him.
When Yori had finished, Shego spoke. "That wasn't too helpful. Chalk up one wasted trip," she said.
"I am sure that your current employment has prepared you well to endure the frustrations of wasted effort, Shego-san," said Yori.
Shego suddenly lashed out and shoved the teenager back several feet. "All right, that's it! You've been hitting me with the snide comments and double-talk and backhanded insults since I got here. What's your problem with me, kid? Don't like the company I keep?"
Yori's kept up her carefully bland expression, but she shifted to a combat stance. "Many are puzzled why you continue renewing your contracts with Dr. Drakken, but it is understood that no employer can be ideal. I confess, I have personal reasons to think ill of you. You are the enemy of a friend of mine."
"Aww, don't tell me I've got another groupie for Kim Possible on my hands here," said Shego with disgust.
"I am referring to Ron Stoppable," said Yori.
"The sidekick? Seriously? How does he even know someone at Yamanuchi?" said Shego
"That is… a long story," replied Yori.
"I don't even think of him as my enemy. Kim Possible is my enemy. He's more like… a distraction. So if you don't like me, why are you being so helpful?" asked Shego.
"You just said this trip had not been helpful at all!" said Yori defiantly.
"Point. All right, you seem to want a piece of me, and far be it from me not to give people what they want. You and me, outside, right now. Just a little sparring, see what Sensei is teaching these days. I promise I won't even use my powers," said Shego. Well, I won't use my powers unless I start to lose," she thought.
"It would be my honor," replied Yori.
First off, confession time. I actually ended up splitting this chapter in two, mostly because of this long Yamanuchi sequence I've added. So anything I've mentioned about coming chapters, bump it back by one chapter.
I almost worry I'm making Drakken and Shego work a little too smoothly and effectively here. Perhaps it's best to think of this as being how they can be, when they're at the top of their game. Much of the time Drakken won't listen to Shego, or Shego gets too lazy to try and sway Drakken from his bad ideas, but this is the synergy they can have when everything is working.
Still probably spent way too many pages on that opening sequence, but how Drakken and Shego interact really interests me. I like playing with it, finding the give and take in their relationship.
As I mentioned, the Yamanuchi sequence was something I dropped in, not in the original outline. But that's okay, I think I've found a way to play it that'll give valuable insight into Shego's character and some of the themes I've been planning to hit later in the story. Also, it gave me the chance to try writing Yori. Most of the play Yori gets in fanfics is her interacting with Ron. I'm not sure I've ever seen her show up in a story without him, so I feel like I'm breaking some new ground here.
The angle I'm taking is that Yori is an expert with the doubletalk and subtle shades of meaning and such. She really likes Ron, so with him it's playful and just a way to nudge him towards living up to his potential. With someone she dislikes, she can have a somewhat sharper tongue. Of course, the great thing about putting her with Shego is that it reverses Shego's usual role. This time Shego is the one getting insulted, and she isn't sure how to make a proper come-back, the same role Drakken usually plays to Shego. Yori is actually rather fun to write.
Anyway, thanks to Jezrianna2.0, Eva91, PoisonousAngel, Blackfire 18, Robert Teague, and Tito for their comments.
Blackfire, I try really hard to pay attention to all the details. The only thing I will reserve is that sometimes characters will behave irrationally and do things that aren't totally consistent or aren't in their own best interest, because that's how people can be at times. But I promise, everything I put in has a purpose… except for the things I put in just because I think they're cool.
Robert, you're right, Drakken did say outright that Shego was a ninja. He also employs ninjas during 'So the Drama', so clearly he knows where to go to hire them. Since I inserted this Yamanuchi sequence, next chapter may shed some more light on how much Yamanuchi concerns itself with what its graduates do. (Now I just have to figure out how well Yori should actually do in her fight with Shego.)
Hoping to have the next chapter out relatively soon.