Chapter XII: Shego's Discovery

Haven

Sublevel 5: Prototype Level

Dinnertime

Shego sighed as she felt the smooth fabric envelop her being. It was comfortable, it was nice and it fitted her like a glove. Shego was wearing a tight bodysuit that had the pattern of her uniform. Looking at the mirror Sheila provided for her, she was preening, though part of her blushed, at what she saw. She knew she was sexy but she never knew how sexy she could be. The suit was tighter but did not strangle her, in fact it was almost she was not wearing anything at all.

"I like," Shego smiled as she gazed at her reflection.

"I thought as much," Sheila said as she looked at her, smiling.

"You explained to me that this is a prototype?" Shego looked at the hologram questioningly. "What does it do? Aside from showing all of my curves."

"Vain, aren't we," Sheila giggled. "That's a prototype battle suit developed for the army. It could stop an armor piercing bullet at point blank range."

"Then why didn't they use it?" Shego asked as she looked at the suit in wonder.

"It cost about a million dollars to make," Shego's jaw dropped when she heard her. "Precisely," Sheila then cuffed a thin gold band on her wrist. "Registering DNA. Subject name; Shego. Voice recognition, on. Inputting voice patterns, accepted." Sheila smiled at Shego's confused look.

"What did you just do?" Shego asked warily.

"I just entered to the wrist computer that you are the user of that suit," Sheila explained. "To be able to function, the suit must have these security measures to prevent anyone else from using the suit. Vincent added the program."

"Added?" Shego's eyebrow was raised. "Where exactly did you get this?"

"We just found it lying around," Sheila said in an evasive tone. Shego knew that she would not lie directly and she knew that was what happened but she needed to know. At least, she hoped she needed to know. With Vincent, she was not sure if she really needed to know.

"Sheila?" Shego waited but Sheila was better at a waiting game than anyone else. Sheila had the patience of a saint since she could turn her emotions off when needed. But she didn't. Instead, she pondered if it would be wise to tell her.

Sheila knew it wasn't smart to tell her, but was it wise?

"He found it in the Global Justice Research Storage," Sheila said making Shego doubt her words.

"Found… as in stole?" Sheila nodded, albeit a little to sullenly. "How'd he do it? Dr. D's been trying to get into GJ headquarters but failed in the planning. To many flaws. The planning must be perfect to execute a heist like this."

"It wasn't even a heist," Sheila said in an embarrassed tone. "He literally picked it up after some crates crashed in the storage facility."

"He must be one of the luckiest men in the world," Shego said in awe. It was probably just dumb luck that he acquired the suit and nothing more. "And what does it do exactly?" she asked.

"It's a cybernetic bioarmor developed specifically for stealth," Sheila answered, a transparent video screen floated beside her, showing Shego the data. "Once activated the armor would render the wearer invisible to all types of visual scanners, including human optics."

"In short, no one could see me," Shego said in wonder. "What happens when activated? Do I simple vanish?"

"In simple terms, the suit bends light allowing the wearer to blend in his or her surrounding. It can also provide a light armor, using nano technology, in cases where the wearer's cover becomes compromised."

"So this is a covert ops battle suit," Shego said in understanding.

"Quite," Sheila said. "The suit also has the capability to generate an article of clothing using both cyber and nano technologies. Don't ask me how, I'd bore you to death."

"That takes the fun out of shopping," Shego sighed in regret but suddenly smiled. "But it saves cash on clothing. Tell me, Sheila. Does the Wraith have the same suit as this one?"

"The Wraith's stealth come from within," Sheila was being cryptic and Shego knew it. Shego thought better than to push it and asked another question.

"Did Vincent 'acquire' all of this stuff?"

"No," Sheila shrugged. "Nearly half of the things here he designed. Vincent was more into Artificial Intelligence, cybertronics and nano technology. The first thing he made was me, though I was just a laptop then."

"You came a long way," Shego teased the A.I.

"Vincent met me halfway," Sheila smiled. "My program was evolving and he designed a better system to accommodate my expanding software."

"What was your purpose?"

"Evaluation of Data," Sheila replied. "Constant upgrading led to what you see now."

"Evaluation?" Shego never heard of a computer evaluating anything.

"Data is inputted and I calculate and suggest the best possible way to execute. For example, data involving the creation of a racecar will be inputted and I shall recommend a suitable plan for that racecar to come to production."

"I see," and Shego did. "If I told you the plans of a museum, the guard rotation, the sensors, etcetera, etcetera, you'll tell me how to get in?"

"I have evolve to a point that you merely tell me a target and I shall get all of the info for your needs," Sheila said with a smile. "Have you chosen a target?"

"Wait, time out!" Shego's hand formed the sign. "Are you saying that Vincent gave me access to your capabilities as well? You mean I could tell you a target and I could steal whatever was inside?"

"You could," Sheila said in a quiet tone. "But the question is, would you?" Shego thought about her question. Vincent was giving her the opportunity of a lifetime. She could pick any target and get what she wanted. The Hope Diamond, the Crown Jewels… any treasure she wanted.

But what was his goal? Did he really want her to use Sheila's capabilities or was he testing her? Vincent said that he'd join her whether she chose good or evil but what was the right choice?

After a minute of pondering, Shego chose.

"I'll ask Vincent first," she said firmly. "I want to know if he was going to join me, stop me or charm me in this decision." When she looked at the hologram, she knew she had chosen the right answer.

"What do you think he'll do when he sees me in this?" Shego asked.

"Probably have a seizure," Sheila commented but Shego heard the reluctance in her voice. Was she hiding something?

"You're not still jealous, are you?" Shego could tell that there was something troubling her but was not about to tell.

"No," Sheila said with a smile. Shego gazed at her warily and smirked. If Sheila was not ready to talk, she would not force her.

"Okay," Shego turned to look at her new battle suit in the mirror. "Did Vincent modify this?"

"For you," Sheila said much to Shego's wonder.

"It's not uncomfortable but I think he got my size wrong."

"Actually, he made it one size smaller," Sheila said.

"Why?" Sheila gave her a knowing look that made her blush.

"He said that you would look sexy in it," she said enjoying Shego's embarrassment. "You actually like him," her smile widened as Shego reddened further. "So, when did this happen?"

"Four years ago," Shego found herself talking easily to the hologram. "He was easy to talk to. Sure he flinched when I shouted at him but then he surprised me with such wisdom and calmness that since I met him things had a brighter light. My darkness has light for the first time in years. When I though he was dead, my darkness enveloped me. And when I met him again, that light returned. Somehow, it did. I never noticed it before but by God it did."

"Hope," Sheila smiled and nodded. "But you know what?" Shego looked at her in question, curious at what she had to say. "As much as he is your light, you are his torch which carries him through the darkness." Shego was stunned. She never knew that Vincent felt that way.

"Where is he?" Shego asked, hoping to change the subject. Sheila sensed this and shook her head in mirth.

"He's at Credible Manor," Sheila answered. "Do you want me to check on him?"

"Please, let me," Shego smiled in gratitude and mischief.

Credible Manor Kitchen Meanwhile

As Ron sat by the kitchen counter with Kim, he heard the whirling of wheels that could only come from an electric wheelchair and he only knew one person who had one. Ron smiled as he recognized the sound, feeling confident at growing ability.

"Hey, Felix," Ron said before Felix wheeled into the kitchen.

"Hey Ron, Kim, Doc," he smiled as he wheeled beside his friends. "How are you doing?"

"Fine," for the first time he said it, Ron believed his own words. "How's the job going?"

"Can't really complain," Felix answered. "Though lunch is always great here."

"I think every food is great here," Kim said remembering her short visit. The food, even though it was a snack, was exquisite. "I'll bet Mr. Credible could cook blindfolded." Felix had this incredulous look as he peered at Vincent who was getting some food from the fridge.

"You'd win too," Felix said with a smile.

"There's no thrill on betting on a sure win," Vincent said as he prepared the food.

"That means he never bets against the odds," Felix said much to Kim and Ron's amusement.

"Funny, I thought you always took unnecessary risks," a familiar voice suddenly said making everyone turn to see the newcomer. Kim gasped and was automatically on the defensive, but Ron, Felix and Vincent acted as though she was not a threat.

Standing by the kitchen door was Shego. She wore designer denims but her shirt had the same pattern as her uniform. Her high heels clicked as they touched the marble floor of the kitchen. Warily, Kim stood up straight but still was ready to pounce her archenemy if she even blinked the wrong way. Sure she had helped them with Ron's injuries but she could not comprehend why she was there now.

"I saved you a spot," Vincent smiled as he got another plate.

"Thanks, I'm starved," Shego said as she took the seat next to Vincent. Seeing her ease, Kim sighed and took her seat. This was not the movement of a criminal. Shego was acting like a lady of her age.

"So…" Kim was conscious. What does one talk about with her foe? "You two dating?" Shego grinned mischievously and she leaned towards Vincent.

"Not yet," she said. "And I should be miffed about that."

"Heaven forbid," Vincent teased. "I've heard what happens when you're miffed." Vincent started cutting the lettuce with such precision and speed that Shego was surprised. The way he handled a knife, she had no doubt that he could throw it accurately as well.

"Still got those scratches I gave you last night," Shego smiled lewdly. Nonplused, Vincent acted as there was nothing wrong with her statement and joined in.

"It doesn't hurt much but my ears still hurt with all the screaming you made," he said nonchalantly.

"AHHHRRRGGGG!" Ron said as he closed his ears. "To much info! La la la." He chanted as the group laughed.

"Relax, Ron. Nothing happened," Vincent said as he took out a six-pack of soda from the fridge.

"Yet," Shego said, barely a whisper. A squirting and spraying sound caught their attention and all turned to Vincent who had just crushed all six soda cans. Vincent had trouble breathing as he went to the garbage can and dumped the wasted cola in.

Shego smiled, finally seeing the boy she met four years ago. Then, he had trouble being friendly now he had trouble being intimate. She realized that even with his cool demeanor, the shy boy remained deep inside.

"Hey Kimmie," Shego smiled at Kim as she got up. "Let's roam around this museum until Vin here finishes with our food."

"I don't think that's a wise idea," Kim said, shaking her head. "I'm already hungry and if we get lost we might die."

"Got lost before, huh?" by Kim's blush, Shego nailed it. "It this house that big for anyone to get lost?"

"No," Vincent said as he gave everyone a finished sandwich. "But in Ms. Possible's defense, she thought she was walking in circles."

"How?" Shego asked.

"Holographic generators," Felix said as he took a bite on his sandwich.

"They automatically turned on when Kim was here last," Ron said, his imagination running wild. "Say, if I get my sight back, what about a game of laser tag?" he offered to Felix.

"Not if, Ron. When," Vincent said with a knowing tone. "Believe, Ronald."

"Great!" Ron said enthusiastically. "Can't wait."

"You're getting his hopes up," Kim glared at Vincent who just merely shrugged it off.

"KP, this is Mr. C we're talking here," Ron said with a smug smile. "When did her ever say something other than the truth?"

"When it serves his purposes," Kim smirked as she crossed her arms on her chest.

"Believe me, Ms. Possible, Mr. Stoppable will get his sight back."

"When?" Shego asked, looking at Ron in wonder.

"Felix?" Vincent waited for a response.

"Soon," Felix said as he smiled at Kim. "Ron's healing, Kim. It just takes time for the eyes to heal." Shego, hearing that statement, gazed upon Vincent, looking at him intently. He never gave sign that he was being watched but she knew that he felt her gaze. Remembering past events with him, she realized the certain way he walked, he talked and he moved. It was like he calculated his movements. It was like he was hiding something.

And suddenly, the night of the 'accident' came rushing to her. After the toxic substance touched Vincent's skin, it burned him. But she also remembered one more thing.

Some of the substance touched his eyes. Looking closely, Shego noticed some residual scarring by his eyes, which was hidden by his sunglasses. Her heart ached when she realized what Vincent was hiding.

He was hiding his blindness.

Shego made no move to reveal her discovery. At first she was hurt that he didn't tell her but decided that she should at least give him the chance to tell her on his own. She owed him that much.

As if sensing her discomfort, Vincent squeezed her hand and gave her an assuring smile.

"Everything will be fine," Vincent said to everyone.

Suddenly, the alarms sounded and the unmistaken sound of blaster fire came from outside. Vincent groaned as he rubbed his temples. Shego leered at him as she prepared herself.

"Spoke to soon, huh?" she teased.

"I was speaking in a general sense," Vincent said as he grabbed a fistful of chopsticks from one of the drawers.

Felix immediately rolled towards the nearest wall and touched a panel, revealing a state of the art monitor and keyboard. He quickly typed into the terminal and for a moment, he froze.

"Intruder alert," he said as he checked the monitor. "Range Hunters! Twenty of them!"

"Destroy the hard drive!" Vincent shouted as he reached out for Ron and Kim and pulled them with him. Shego took the cue and followed.

"All files have been deleted and all drives are being melted as we speak," Felix said as he rolled towards his friends.

"But doesn't that mean that the defense system would shut down as well?" Ron asked worriedly.

"They have an independent system that's not connected to the mainframe," Felix said.

"It doesn't matter anymore," Vincent said but before they would ask why, the wall suddenly was destroyed and several Range Hunters entered the room, barring their escape.

"Good Evening, Kim Possible," a familiar voice said as he entered the room. Kim was shocked and Ron was astonished when Monkey Fist smiled at them.

"Monkey Fist," Kim smirked as she readied herself for a fight. "I thought you were still recovering."

"I was but I made a new friend," the former English Lord laughed as the Range Hunters crept towards them.

"Man, First monkeys now robots," Ron sighed as he prepared himself as well. "Is help hard to come by today?"

"Very funny, Ron Stoppable," Monkey Fist smiled and posed for an attack. "When I kill you, I'll be the Ultimate Monkey Master!"

"So you made friends with Carl Buncle and borrowed some of his 'toys'," Vincent sighed as he played with the chopsticks in his hand. Shego frowned at Monkey Fist. She had an ace in her hand and by the looks of Vincent, he had one too.

"And who are you?" Monkey Fist asked rudely. "You sound familiar." Suddenly, streaks of white flashed past him and struck the Range Hunters. Monkey Fist turned and saw a single chopstick imbedded in the middle of the Hunter's chest.

Ten Hunters immediately shut down and dropped to the floor.

"Model 01 Range Hunters," Vincent smiled maliciously which made Kim and Felix flinch. They never saw this side of his personality before and it scared them. Shego remained calm. There would be time for explanations later. "Know where to target and they'll fall. Not exactly invincible."

"Impressive," Monkey Fist said as he motioned for the other Range Hunter to enter.

"Oh, crap," Vincent muttered much to the surprise of the teens. He was a veritable fountain of confidence. If he something bothered him, it was significant.

"What's wrong?" Ron asked suddenly worried.

"These are new designs," Vincent said in a scowl. "Carl never had the talent of creating new designs. He always modifies existing designs to his own purpose." When Felix looked at the Hunters, they were indeed different. They were larger, sleeker and certainly more dangerous than the ones Ron destroyed.

"I think he had help," Kim said as she prepared for the attack. She was doubtful that they could destroy even one Range Hunter but they would die trying. Suddenly, three of the Range Hunters were struck by a green energy blast that destroyed them instantly. Awed by the display, Kim looked at Shego and sure enough, her hands were glowing.

"I think I over estimated," Shego said as she looked at her hands.

"You're wearing it under your clothes, aren't you?" Vincent asked with a knowing smile that made Shego blush. Turning towards the teens, he became serious.

"Felix, Ron, Kim. Go to Seraphim. He'll take you to someplace safe," Vincent said much to their annoyance.

"We won't leave you," Ron said as he suddenly attacked Monkey Fist. But the genetically enhanced man simply stood, waiting for the attack. As quick as lightning, the remaining seven Hunters turned their attention to Ron and laser beams shot from their eyes.

Ron was too late to hear them coming. The laser beams impacted and Ron cringed, waiting for the pain to come. But it never did.

Shego cried out as she saw Vincent ran towards Ron and shielded him with his own body. The numerous lasers burned into him. Monkey Fist smiled in satisfaction as Vincent knelt after the barrage.

"You monster!" Shego said as she punched one of the Hunters, sending it hurling towards three others. As if it was nothing, Shego ran towards Vincent, deep concern was in her features. Kim, Ron and Felix were already there, worried that he was dead.

But he was not dead. Far from it. Vincent calmly stood, flexing his limbs as if high intensity beams were nothing to him. However, Shego did not stop and wrapped her arms around him. She felt his arm around her and gave her comfort. Fighting back her tears, she pulled back and gave herself a moment to compose. A moment, later she looked up to his face and saw that his sunglasses were gone.

Vincent Credible were looking blankly forward, unfocused. However, it was also determined. It was the same look in his eyes she saw all those years ago when he saved that family from death.

"Felix," Vincent said in a shaky voice. Shego knew he was in pain and he didn't want them to know. "Get them all to Seraphim. I'll catch up." Felix saw something spark from Vincent's wrist. The robots had destroyed his watch.

"Not without you," Shego said as she faced the Hunters. "I'll hold them off."

"Doc, you don't have much time," Felix said worriedly as he looked at the damaged watch with great concern. Smiling softly, Vincent touched his broken watch and shook his head.

"No, I supposed not," Vincent said sadly. "All we have is borrowed time."

"Well, boo hoo. This is such a touching moment but I'm afraid I need to end it," Monkey Fist said with a sneer. "Range Hunters! Attack!" however, nothing happened. Confused, Monkey Fist turned around to see why the Hunters did not attack. And what he saw almost stopped his heart.

Vincent was standing behind him, a Range Hunter head in each hand. Shego gasped in shock. She didn't even see him move.

"How did…?" Monkey Fist trembled in fear. He had never seen anyone that fast. Not even in the legends told of such skill. "This is not over," he said and with a puff of smoke, Monkey Fist disappeared.

"This place has been compromised," Vincent said as he walked towards the gaping group.

"Are you okay?" Shego asked. As he was about to answer, Vincent doubled over with pain. Kim saw that kind of pain before. It was the pain she saw Ron felt in the Emergency Room a few days ago. It was like he was being eaten alive.

"What's happening?" Ron asked as he held Kim's hand.

"We need to get him a new EMPR and fast," Felix said as he wheeled towards Vincent.

"What's that?" Shego asked as she carried Vincent in her arms, though had a hard time since he was trashing about. The battle suit enhanced her power, giving her super human strength.

"An Electromagnetic Pulse Regulator," Felix said. He led his friends towards the garage where Seraphim waited. "It renders the nanobots in his body dormant. Once active, the bots resume their primary objective."

"And what's that?" Kim asked, pulling Ron where Felix was leading them.

"To destroy every living tissue in his body," Felix said gravely as the reached the garage. "Carl Buncle tricked the doctors four years ago in using it on him. It almost killed him.

"But why would anyone want to kill him?" Ron asked but it was Shego who answered.

It became clear to her the moment he destroyed the remaining Range Hunters with his bare hands.

"Because Vincent Credible is the Wraith."

Next: Secrets kept, secrets told. The Mystery of the Wraith unfold.

Chapter XIII: Vincent's Secret.