Chapter 7: Sonic Youth

DNAmy let out a giggly little snort as she put the finishing touches on her latest work of art. Barely able to hold in her excitement, she pressed the button to activate the transformation pod's doors.

Her latest acquisition stumbled out, a little dizzy, but otherwise fine. Amy hurried over and scooped up her little darling. "Not to worry, my little pretty," she assured the softly moaning genetic experiment. "All I did was improve upon what was already there. I noticed how all your playmates reacted to you. I thought you might be releasing some kind of pheromone, but now I see it's those vocal chords of yours drawing them in. As if you weren't cute enough on your own!"

She opened the door of her specimen room, intending to let all her new friends know that their friend was just fine. They'd certainly seemed concerned enough when she'd taken the little dear away.

Just as Amy had expected, they were rushed the instant they set foot into the room. "Calm down, everyone, she's okay! We just went for walkies and talkies, didn't we, my little pretty?"

The orange creature, which Amy was half-convinced had somehow swallowed a boombox, was the first to voice his concern. "Angel okay?" he asked in that forever amplified voice of his. Not that it was ever his true voice in the first place.

"Angel? Is that what you call her? How adorable!" Amy cooed. "As I said, she's fine. All I did was improve that lovely singing voice of hers. Show them, Angel dear!"

Perhaps if Amy hadn't been holding Angel at the moment, she might've escaped the fate that befell her. But, as she was the first one that Angel caught sight of, she was the first victim of Angel's improved song. She was also, strangely enough, the only victim at the moment.

Angel shook her head and leaped out of Amy's arms. Never before had she felt so powerful, not even when doing Gantu's bidding.

"Angel song work on human now?" Yaarp blared curiously.

Angel nodded. "Lady changed song. Work better. We free!"

"What we do now?" Kixx asked.

"Find 625, 626 and Jumba," Angel replied at once. "Find Ohana."

"What we do with lady?" Sample wondered aloud.

Angel smiled. "Lady drive."

Lilo couldn't help looking twice as Kim walked up to the car, hauling a rather heavy-looking gym bag with her. "Did you join the football team?"

Kim smiled weakly. "No, just planning on a big lunch is all. Plus, it's the only way I could think of to sneak Stitch into my locker. Wade can give him the layout of the entire school, so he'll know what to expect."

"Good idea," Lilo agreed. "Oh, I almost forgot. 'Uncle Jumbo' and 'Aunt Penelope' are flying in today. They're both really eager to meet you."

"Let me guess. My reputation proceeds me once again?"

"Not exactly. They're more interested in meeting the girl who tamed 625."

Kim's gym bag gave a sudden, suspicious lurch in the backseat.

"You know, I hope you packed enough lunch for him and Stitch," Lilo commented. "Otherwise, there could be trouble."

"Can't sneak anything past you, huh?" Kim asked.

"Me, maybe. But not Stitch's nose. He sniffed you out as soon as you hit the front door. Just out of curiosity, where were you going to keep 625 during the day?"

"I brought an extra backpack."

Lilo blinked. "Wouldn't you rather have Stitch with you all day? He has beaten Kixx before."

"I'd rather keep Chewie with me. I'd prefer it if Stitch was with Ron. He's no slouch, but I think he'd need Stitch more than I would in a fight."

"Well...okay," Lilo relented. "I just hope you know what you're doing, Kim."

Kim swallowed loudly and tried to look more confident than she felt. "You and me both, kiddo."

For the first time in her life, Bonnie felt she was getting a little TOO much attention. The odd thing was, it was all coming from one person.

Ever since yesterday morning, Tara had been...well, attentive was putting it mildly. Even worshipful didn't quite describe it.

Bonnie was still trying to decide on the proper word when she opened her locker and gasped.

Someone (and she had a pretty good idea who) had left a single red rose inside, along with a note.

"Meet me after cheerleading practice in the locker room. I need to give you something special. -T."

Bonnie wasn't sure if she liked where this was going, but she couldn't resist sniffing the rose once. She would just put the rose back, take Tara aside, and explain to her how things had to be. That would work. Tara always listened when she spoke. And maybe, if she said it gently enough, Tara wouldn't go completely to pieces like Bonnie was afraid she would.

Sighing, Bonnie shut her locker and walked away, unaware that she was still carrying the rose with her.

Shego was starting to see the benefits in having two experiments attached to her forearms. For one thing, Plasmoid and Splodyhead agreed with everything she decided, responding instantly to orders, whether they were spoken or simply mental commands. It didn't hurt that they liked blowing things up as much as she did, or that she'd never felt more powerful.

All of them agreed that she was far too powerful to be working for anyone but herself. It wasn't as if Dr. Drakken could stop her, and if she'd read Gantu right, he hated being controlled as much as she did. Plasmoid was of the opinion that Gantu would make an excellent partner, if only because he had considerable experience catching experiments and no problem with turning on his employer in the past. Splodyhead simply figured that Gantu would let them do whatever they wanted, so long as Shego proved herself to be capable enough not only to handle the two experiments she'd been given, but to catch others as well. Considering she now had enough firepower to bring down an entire galactic fleet (at least, Gantu had said so), Shego didn't think it would be a problem.

Even better, Plasmoid turned out to be equipped with a sensor that could lock in on any experiment, so long as it was using its gifts. Right away, he picked up a group of four experiments, as well as two others that were separated. The group would be more difficult to capture, but Plasmoid assured Shego that there were only two real threats there, and that trying to capture 626 wasn't wise until they first had 624 with them. Shego wasn't at all surprised when Plasmoid told her exactly what 624 could do, but she was a bit concerned when he added that her signal was stronger than it should've been, to the point where even humans might fall victim to her song. But Splodyhead claimed to have a way of avoiding it, and so long as Shego wasn't influenced by the song, her two little friends were immune as well.

Though Ron hadn't exactly been thrilled about lugging Stitch around school in a gym bag at first, he was quickly warming up to the idea. Of course, it helped that Stitch seemed to be a genius in virtually every subject, and apparently had no moral deterrents whatsoever. As far as Ron was concerned, his little blue buddy had more than earned his own tray at lunch. And while the lunch lady gave him a sharp look, she still loaded up a second tray.

Stitch was clearly not a fan of mystery meat. Not that it stopped him from devouring his tray whole, anyway. Ron was hoping the tray wouldn't be missed too much when a long shadow fell over them.

"Stoppable. Like a word, if you don't mind."

"Uh...hey, Mr. B!" Ron greeted with a nervous smile. "You're looking especially...solid today..."

Steve Barkin stared at his student. "...you want to tell me what's in the bag?" he asked bluntly.

Ron shook his head. "Rufus is retaining water. Trust me, you don't want to look in there. Not a pretty sight."

"I think I'd rather err on the side of caution. Open it."

"Well, don't say I didn't warn you." Ron opened the bag wide.

Steve Barkin looked inside...and promptly turned green. "Stoppable, you recall that little run-in we had with Professor Dementor?"

"How could I forget the day you made me an honorary Pixie Scout, Mr. B?"

"Whatever. You never had your rat checked out afterwards, did you?"

"Um...no?"

"Your pet was exposed to mutant wiener dogs, Stoppable. At the very least you should've checked for rabies."

"You think Rufus caught something from them?"

"All I know is he was naked before. Now he's blue, furry, and hideous. I'm no expert, but I'd say that's not standard mole rat outerwear."

"I think he's just...um...reverse-molting!" Ron blurted out. "You know, every young naked mole rat has a certain time of the month when he's really sensitive to-"

"This isn't something I want to hear at lunch, is it?" Mr. Barkin interrupted.

"Uh...probably not."

"Didn't think so. Carry on."

Ron waited until Mr. Barkin was several feet away before checking his pocket. "Looks like we dodged the bullet on that one, Rufus. And don't worry. I'm sure Stitch looks NOTHING like you."

Rufus sighed in relief.

"No offense to you, of course, blue dude," Ron added, checking the bag. "But...oh. Oh, man. I don't think the mystery meat agreed with him. Unless he's supposed to turn brown like that..."

Bonnie had just closed her locker when two hands covered her eyes.

"Guess who!"

Suppressing the urge to sigh, Bonnie removed Tara's hands and turned around. "Look, we REALLY need to talk."

"I agree." Tara held up a shiny, silver, heart-shaped locket. "I got you this!"

Bonnie tried to go on, but the locket had caught her eye for fine jewelry. "T, how much did you pay for that?"

"Doesn't matter. Do you like it?" Tara asked eagerly.

Bonnie had to check herself for drool before speaking. "Tara, this has to stop. Especially the expensive gifts."

"Why?"

"Because!"

Tara stared at her expectantly.

Bonnie sighed. "Because I don't feel the same way you do, okay? So you'll just have to return all the really great stuff you gave me!" Hardly able to believe she'd said that last part, she paused and prepared herself for the worst.

But Tara just smiled at her. "So you want me to stop giving you gifts because you're not in love with me?"

"Um...yeah? Why aren't you all heartbroken and sobbing?"

Tara moved behind Bonnie and slipped the locket around her neck. "I know this won't make a lot of sense to you, Bonnie, but bear with me. I know you don't feel the same way. But it doesn't change how I feel about you in the least. Except it makes me want to do things like this more often, to prove how much I lo-"

"Tara, don't," Bonnie pleaded, pulling away from her. "Don't say it."

"But that's why I asked you here. To tell you how I really feel."

"I already know, believe me. Just...don't say it, please. It'll only make me feel worse for not feeling the same for you."

Tara shook her head and drew Bonnie into her arms. "I don't want you to feel like you owe me anything. I'm only doing this because I care for you, Bonnie. Maybe your feelings will change, and maybe they won't. But no matter what, I'll still love you."

Bonnie looked away, unable to meet her friend's adoring gaze as she felt warm tears spilling down her cheeks.

"Oh, sweetie, don't cry," Tara said softly. "It's okay, really." She leaned closer and lightly kissed Bonnie's tears away. "If you're worried about me, don't be. I'll be fine as long as I'm near you."

"But no more gifts," Bonnie whispered.

"Okay, you win. No more gifts." Tara laid her forehead against Bonnie's. "Well, just one more. The reason I asked you here, Bonnie...was to give you my heart."

"You're so stupid, T," Bonnie blubbered, burying her face in Tara's blond hair. "I might never..."

"I can live with that," Tara replied, closing her eyes and stroking Bonnie's back, "as long as I have you."

They were both so caught up in their moment that neither noticed the large, four-armed purple pig until it had grabbed them by their ankles and was steadily dragging them away.

"HEY! Let go...whatever you are!" Bonnie demanded. "You have no idea who you're messing with, buster!"

As if in response, there was a shrill trilling, and a yellow blur shot out of Bonnie's gym bag, latching onto the purple pig's backside.

Both girls looked on in shock as the purple pig screamed and ran out of the locker room, his once furry rear end completely shaved.

"That was...odd," Tara remarked. She looked to Bonnie and touched her cheek. "You okay?"

Blushing, Bonnie leaned into her palm. "Just fine." She jumped slightly, suddenly finding her arms full of excited yellow fur. "You! How many times do I have to tell you to stay in your shoebox?"

"Is that a miniature sheepdog?" Tara asked. "I didn't know they came in yellow. Or grew their claws so long..."

Bonnie shook her head. "Tara, meet Furball. Furball, Tara."

Tara reached out to pet the little creature, but it leaped onto her head and instantly trimmed a few strands that had come loose in all the excitement. Apparently pleased with itself, Furball let out a high-pitched giggle and dropped into Tara's lap.

"Looks like you don't need an appointment after all," Bonnie concluded. "Now help me get her out of here before she really gets hungry."

"...and the bunny goes down his hole. See? It's easy...um, if you practice," Kim said, getting to her feet.

"Wow," Big Mike rumbled from far above her head. "Thanks, Kim. I never could figure out why I kept tripping..."

Kim laughed uneasily. "Well, that can happen to the best of us...when they're not laced up." She patted his arm. "So just remember...um, TRY to remember that, okay?"

"Okay," Big Mike agreed as he walked away.

"So you have giants here, too?" Chewie asked from Kim's backpack.

"Nah, just major growth spurts. Big Mike is one of a kind."

"I hope so. It's scary to think there might be two people that dumb on one planet."

"Hey. Everyone can't have parents in rocket science and brain surgery. Or mad science, in your case."

"Point taken. So when's the next snack break?"

Kim made a small noise of disgust. "Chewie, you just ate ten minutes ago. And you've been eating all day, for that matter!"

"Can't help it. It's something to do when I'm bored. My metabolism is pretty much instantaneous, you know. It's they way Jumba made me. Gotta have some way to fuel all those powers."

"But, Chewie, you never DO anything. Don't you have to actually USE those powers first?"

"Apparently not. But I'm still hungry."

Kim sighed. "You know, it wouldn't hurt to eat less. At the least, you might lose that little potbelly of yours."

"Hey! I'll have you know this gut makes me pleasantly plushy! I wouldn't be half as nice to hug without it!"

"I'm so sure. Well, why don't we ask Jumba what he thinks when he gets into town?"

"Fine, but I'm telling you, he made each of us to operate at maximum efficiency just the way we are. Altering us in any way throws off the whole genius design. Unless, you know, another genius does the altering. And no offense, Kimmie, but you're just not there yet."

"Gee, thanks. I can see why Gantu got rid of you."

"I keep people grounded. Not my fault if they can't appreciate a little dose of reality."

"Let's make a deal. You keep your doses to yourself unless I ask for them, and I'll swing by the vending machine on my way out."

"...will you marry me?" Chewie asked with sincerity.

Kim laughed and shook her head. "You're not my type or species. And I don't want Dad to send you into a black hole."

"Eh. They're overrated, trust me."

Before Kim could ask what he meant by that, she felt a small vibration under her feet. "...did you feel that, Chewie?"

"What, you see a cute boy or something?"

Kim threw an exasperated look at her backpack, for all the good it did. "No! The floor shook!"

"Any fault lines in Middleton?"

"No."

"Then I think we're in trouble."

Kim was forced to agree as an invisible force suddenly ripped a giant hole in the floor beneath her feet, sending her flying into the wall. She was still trying to get the ringing in her ears to stop when she became aware of another, closer sound. She looked down to see something blue crawling out of the hole. It only took her a second to recognize it.

"Chewie, it's Yaarp!"

Chewie poked his head out of her backpack. "Uh...I don't suppose you have a compact that doubles as a sonic dampener?"

Kim sighed. "...not this week, no."

"Then I think you need to be running."

"I hope that's not how you plan to deal with the rest of them!" Kim turned and took off down the hall. She hadn't gotten far when what sounded like a sonic boom smacked into her, carrying her body the length of the hall, where it smacked her roughly into yet another wall.

"This is so not my week," Kim groaned, shaking her head slowly. She reached out for her backpack, only to find it lying open...and empty. "Chewie?" she asked, panic slipping into her voice.

"I told you to run, Kimmie."

She looked up to see him standing a few feet away, facing off with his blue cousin. "Chewie...can you handle him?"

"Yeah, sure. No problem."

"Seriously?"

"...run, Kimmie."

"I can't just leave you-"

Chewie threw a glare at her over his shoulder. "You wanna see how far he can send you flying when he really tries? Then GO!"

Biting her lip, Kim scrambled to her feet and ran for it.

Chewie waited until he couldn't hear her footfalls before turning back to Yaarp. "Okay, cuz. It's just you and me now."

Yaarp bounced up and down on his springy tail, laughing a bit.

"You think that's funny, huh? We'll see how funny you are when...oh."

Chewie's confidence declined rapidly as Sample emerged from the hole next.

"Say, um...you two don't buy all that teamwork garbage, do you?"

Their answers came in the form of two simultaneous sonic blasts, which hurled Chewie straight into the wall, leaving him upside-down and trapped.

"See how it cheapens the whole battle experience?" Chewie asked dazedly. "So I know you guys don't wanna do that again, right?"

"Naga."

Chewie blinked. He knew that voice. "Angel?"

Angel smiled at him, purring deep in her throat as she patted his head. "625 in Angel's Ohana now."

"Sorry, cutie, but your song doesn't work on me. You know that."

"Have new song now. Control humans, too." Her eyes flashed with glee. "Even...Kimmie."

"You stay away from her!" Chewie shouted, struggling to pry himself out of the wall.

"Angel leave Kimmie alone...if 625 join Angel Ohana."

Chewie glared at her, but realized he didn't have much choice. His face dropping visibly, he asked, "Where do I sign?"

"Better read the fine print, Pudgy!" cackled a voice behind them. All four experiments suddenly found themselves facing a woman armed with two of their own. "All contracts subject to termination," Shego whispered with a manic grin.

Next Chapter: Angel's Ohana grows by one, and Kim finds herself unable to handle the new and improved Shego alone.