Chapter Eight: Vultures Incoming!

When Hego fell from the building to the craggy rocks below, bystanders reported yelling from across the bay in the main city after a terrifying crash where part of Go Tower broke off and crumbled to the water. A news chopper which usually handled mundane traffic reports caught the action.

"Woah!" The camera guy whispered under his breath as he identified Hego and an unidentified person in armor falling out of the tower. Then, something even stranger made the man's blood freeze. A humanoid creature grabbed the armored person and flew back to the ledge where Hego and the armored villain fell, yet there was no Hego. The camera operator turned to the pilot with his voice shaking, "Frank, we need to get back to the newsroom stat!" He yelled into his headset. "I think I just recorded…the…the death of Hego."

Frank shivered, "Who could do something like that, Dave? Team Go's unbeatable!"

The cameraman, Dave, tapped his chin in thought. "I need to get all the angles before we break this."

Alyssa Numan, the reporter in the helicopter with Dave and Frank shook her head at Dave with a dangerous gleam in her eyes. "Pilot, land on the roof of Go Tower," the reporter ordered, "We'll be the first to get back to Team Go drama since my father broke the story when Shego abandoned Go City to become a criminal."

Reluctantly, the man angled for the tower and hoped the two people who Dave saw through his camera weren't adverse to reporters. He could feel nerves creep up as he neared the tower. I hope karma eats you alive, Miss Numan.

Kim looked around before she looked down at Shego and quickly dismounted with shaky hands. Then, she knelt by the wounded woman and pulled her close, "Thank you." Kim's voice still carried edges of fear. "I can't help feeling I could have saved him." Kim removed her helmet and laid her cheek on the dragon's. Unprovoked, tears came and slid down her face. "He was a hero." Kim whispered. "How could he be so vile?"

Shego sighed and weakly looked at the redhead warrior. Then, Shego felt an urge and almost wrapped her wings around Kim in an attempt to comfort her girlfriend. A quick and angry stab of pain stopped Shego. "(Some people become warped by fame and glory, Pumpkin,)" Veronica breathed out a comforting burst of gentle heat. "(Rest now, Kim.)"

Kim smiled at the irony. Then, she turned to the Wegos. "Please, get a stretcher." The boys nodded. When she turned back to Arnold, Kim could see a news chopper approaching the tower. The Mando'ad shook her head with a soft glare in her face. "Handle the vultures for me until I make sure Veronica rests peacefully and get back."

Arnold smiled and nodded with a mock salute, "As you say, boss lady, the spotlight was always meant for me anyway!"

Kim shook her head with a smile as a thought ran through her head, (Did he ever think to use Mego's egocentricity as a link with the press?) Then, Kim's thoughts turned to Veronica while Wego duplicates carried the young dragon to the infirmary to wait for Shego's healing factor to take care of the fractured wing without the need to contend with her waking unconscious use of the joint. A storm is going to burst into existence soon, Verda, Kim thought as she stroked the woman's cheek before she and more duplicates lifted Shego gently from the gurney to a bed. I hope you are prepared for such a test.

Comfort and strength brushed Kim's mind. Let the vultures come. Shego seemed to attach a smirk to her thoughts as they ran through Kim's mind. I always wondered what roasted death-eater tastes like.

Gross! Kim grimaced. Veronica, I did NOT need that image!

You don't have to watch me like a hawk, Xena, Veronica mentally held up a hand when Kim gave her a hurt expression. However, I'm glad you care enough to stay.

Always and forever… Kim felt her cheeks heat up for a moment. "I wonder how Mego's fairing with the reporter."

Shego gave a low, rumbling laugh in response.

"Hello, Miss Numan," Mego said with a smile and a slight bow. "What can I do for you on this fine afternoon?"

The reporter raised a brow. "What can you tell me of the villains who attacked Go Tower a few moments earlier?"

Arnold raised his own eyebrow. "Villains?" He shook his head and sighed. "I saw the entire fight and there was only one."

Dave and Miss Numan exchanged looks. Then, the reporter bit back the impulse to yell at him. Instead, she smiled sweetly and looked him in the eyes, "Mego, what happened?"

Arnold shook his head. "My older brother showed his true colors." Arnold looked at her angrily. "I have nothing more to say to the likes of you."

"Mego, please, tell us…"

"YOUR FATHER BROKE MY FAMILY BEFORE YOU, AND I WON'T LET YOU BREAK IT FURTHER!" Mego's Glow grew to an intense violet in contrast to its usual soft lavender when he shrank. Inside, the man could feel his body wanting to grow but held the Glow back. "My brother is dead, and my sister is currently recovering from broken bones HE gave her!" The man's eyes glowed with dangerous light. "Report on the fact that Hego was killed in revenge for crimes inexcusable."

Dave shivered at the look in the thin man's eyes but kept the camera steady as Mego's continued to speak. "Never land here again, or I will make you regret it!"

Miss Numan stared in shock. "Well, you heard it here first, Go City!" The reporter could not keep the slight fear out of her her voice while she continued to speak into the camera Dave held. "The grand bastion of goodness, Hego, has died in an act of vengeance. This leaves many questions and few answers which we will answer as the story continues to develop. This is Alyssa Numan reporting for Go City 15 News." When the camera cut off, the reporter turned to chase Mego. She spotted him in time to see him enlarge his right fist and flip her off. "God damn it!"

Meanwhile with Kim, Shego, and the boys; one of the clones walked up to Shego's bedside and reached for an exposed part of Shego's wing as the elder sister lay prone to not put pressure on the fracture. Kim almost flew over to stop the offending hand. She gripped it firm enough to control but loose enough to not hurt him. After Kim drew the boy's hand away, Kim gave him a stern, no-nonsense look. "Boys, come with me." Kim's frown at the boys turned to a small smile before she gently massaged the wounded wing around the break. The redhead's expression grew into a blissful one as the sounds of pain and discomfort turn to a contented rumbling that almost sounded like purring and replaced the former sounds of pain. Sleep well, my Karadim.

"What did I do?" Clark shivered when he met Kim's eyes with a hint of trepidation in his own. "Please, don't be mad."

Kim looked at Luis, "That means you, too." As Kim pointed to the door, she noted a micro expression of surprise at Kim's gentle tone. "Keep the copies active, but they are under strict orders not to go near your sister's wings. Understand?" The boys nodded in sync. "Good."

Clark gave her a dejected look and shared an unreadable expression with his brother before the twins walked out, trying to hide shakes as they walked. Once outside, the boys broke into hysterics with their faces toward the wall. After a few moments, Kim turned the boys to look at her and sat down on the floor. "I'm not going to hurt you," Kim assured. "I just want to explain about your sister's wings."

The boys looked at Kim in shock, "We're not…" "…in trouble?"

Kim looked at them. "You are but had no idea about what I am about to tell you, so this is a warning." Kim said with a smile to make the boys flash to thoughts of their sister when she had a mind to prank them.

"What is it?" Clark asked.

"Shego's wings are sensitive to pressure to help her readily adapt to changes and air currents on instinct." Kim said before she looked at each of the twins in turn. "Do either of you know what that means?"

Clark winced, "Pain is easier to feel and more intense on her wings than other places?"

Kim nodded, "Partially, there's another factor that's more…personal." Kim blushed slightly. " I can also use her wings to calm her down when she's stressed, but that's…"

"…reserved for only you?" Luis suggested with a smile at Kim's blush.

"Exactly…" Kim said with a nod of part appreciation and agreement with the young boy's assessment. "You are brighter than I thought at first." Kim said before she put a gentle hand on the back of each boy and guided them back to their sister. "Remember what I said, please."

The boys nodded with smiles beaming at her, "Thank you for talking to us." Clark said with a smile shared by Luis.

"Yeah," Luis shivered. "With Hego, it was always hit first and never explain."

Kim's eyes glittered with a shadow of anger. Then, Kim closed her eyes and released the anger slowly in a controlled outflow. Before she could act on her anger further, the large screen in the main operations center powered on and drew her attention. (If a villain wants to chat, I am tempted to destroy…) Kim trailed off; she knew the formulaic layout of a news report when she heard one.

"Yes, Robert," a woman began to speak. "Has Team Go seen its better days?" She paused for effect. "That's the question on this reporter's mind tonight as we open."

Kim shook her head in irritation and walked out of earshot of the report before she could attack the screen for the slander against Shego that soon followed. "(Damn the vultures!)" Kim muttered as her blasters itched in their holsters. No, not my blasters, Kim amended as she felt the distinct profile in her thigh holsters, not of blasters but of her M1911s. Is there a range or training room in this place?!

Shego smiled and wrapped her arms around Kim from behind with a firm bear hug to show her recovery as complete. "This is Hego we are talking about, Kimmie," Veronica laughed. "Last time he saw an honest firearm, he screamed and pissed himself."

Kim looked up at her with a slight plea, "Please tell me you can handle iron."

Shego grinned, "I've been in the villain business for far too long not to, Kimmie," the woman smiled at her. "I do have my preferences, though."

Kim grinned mischievously, "Show me."

"First, I need you to stash your armor and change," Shego squeezed Kim's right hand through her gauntlet. Kim looked at Shego in fear. "It'll be safe," Veronica said with a tender expression. "I swear on my wings, Kim." For only a moment, the room grew cold enough for breath to be seen. Then, it returned to baseline as if nothing happened. However, Kim and Shego could both feel a weight on their Karadim from the oath. "Follow me."

With the oath sealed, Kim felt both comforted and slightly worried as Shego led her back to the older woman's former quarters during her dreaded Team Go days. The room now had more in common with a storage space than a bedroom. Shego shook her head, knelt next to the far wall, and scoured out a square before she pulled back the plaster to reveal the door to a safe with a fingerprint scanner and combination lock Under the guidance of years of practice and use, Shego opened the safe and smiled, "It's time, my love."

Kim nodded and deftly shut to door with a click as it locked behind the redhead's foot. Kim smiled and started working the hidden latches on her armor with a timid but determined expression. Without speaking, Veronica gently pulled the armor off of Kim and respectfully placed it in the safe piece by piece until Kim only wore her undersuit. Shego couldn't help herself and looked Kim over with a slightly stunned expression. Kim blushed slightly when she saw this.

"We don't have to go further," Shego said with a gentle hand on the woven material on the young Mandalorian's shoulder.

Kim smiled in response and kissed Veronica deeply while she gently pulled a hidden zipper to reveal peach skin. "I want you to see me as I am, without any barriers."

Veronica smiled and gently trailed behind the cloth as it fell away from Kim. The woman smiled to herself, a little shocked to find the woman she thought to be Pollyanna and plain in a completely different mindset. "Thank you, Princess."

Later, Kim walked out of the room in her civi clothes but still had her pistols at the ready on her hips in loose jeans and a SABATON T-Shirt with a pair of borrowed sneakers. Kim looked down at the shirt in curiosity. "The lead man looks like he'd fit right in with Marines if it wasn't for the beard and mustache."

"His name is Joakim," Veronica smiled widely, her holographic appearance a bit disconcerting as Kim tried to stay focused on her strange face. "When we get back from the range, allow me to introduce you to Primo Victora."

Kim nodded, "I'd like that."

Down in the lower levels of the tower, Veronica couldn't keep her happiness down when she walked into the garage. "It's been a while, Shenron," Veronica whispered as she walked up to her green and black bike with a grin. Then, Veronica gently sat down and started it up before she drove over to Jim and tossed the redhead a spare helmet. "What? Did you think we'd walk to the range from here?"

Kim laughed softly at the thought before she put on spare helmet and seated herself behind Veronica on the older woman's green and black custom Ninja-400. "Let's do this!"

As they rode, Kim's training and experience made her constantly weary of others on the streets. Her lack of armor only increased Kim's hyper-vigilance. Something in the warrior screamed of exposure without her armor. Veronica?

I'm here, Kimmie, Veronica soothed. Focus on me. After a few more minutes, Veronica pulled into a parking lot and waited for Kim to regain her bearings before she walked inside the building.

As odd as it may seem, much of Kim's tension eased at the sound of lead being sent down range. (So many different weapons…) Kim thought with a grin. The redhead then cast a glance at her girlfriend. Where are yours?

Shego laughed, but it could barely be heard over the full roar of gunfire. The green woman then turned to a man at the counter. "Damian, can you get my .44 and my .38?"

The man looked at Shego as if she was crazy. "I need ID, ma'am."

Calmly, Shego lit her right hand. Damian nodded. Then, he noticed Kim. "So…" the man said as he gathered the weapons and ammo for the pistols. "Is this friendly competition?"

Kim laughed and checked her own weapons in front of him. "You could say that, but it's more of a date."

"M1911s, how?"

"Classified…" Kim said instinctively.

The man nodded, "Not a problem…"

He looked at Veronica when Kim put on her muffs and walked to an open lane. The man looked at Veronica. "Isn't she a bit young?"

Veronica laughed. "You would think so, but she can put MOS-317s to shame."

"Wow," Damian shivered, "I knew it!"

Veronica shot him a glare. "What?"

Damian shook his head and grinned but slapped her back, "Get outta here and with ya girl. I personally want to watch her kick your ass in a shootout."

Veronica smirked, "Maybe in her dreams…" The woman then picked up her pistols and headed for the slot next to Kim.

Kim called, "Range hot!" The warrior tensed and took the safety from the pistol in her left hand, but she laid the other one gently. With a deep breath, Kim focused on her iron sights and put the far sight on the target between the twin bridge sights as it blurred with the target itself clearly flapping loosely roughly forty-five meters down range. With practiced focus, Kim assumed The Void and squeezed the trigger a millisecond before the dull sound off from the gun accompanied kick from the back pressure of the gunpowder against the back of the shell chamber. (One…two…) Kim thought, almost dancing with the gun as she fired, (…three…four…) Kim counted out the rounds in Mando'a until she came to eight.

When Veronica turned her .38 on target, a strange smell wafted into her nose, a mix of cortisol, epinephrine, and… The dragon in disguise sniffed the air to be sure. …a little urine? Veronica sighed and fought the urge to shake her head in disgust. Look alive, Kimmie, the woman said with a slight smirk in her tone. You have company. However, Veronica kept shooting as to not draw attention to herself.

Kim reluctantly set down her pistol and took the muffs off to dangle around her neck a moment before a hand reached to touch her. The redhead did everything in her power to turn slowly and control herself as to not punch without first seeing friend or foe.

"Ma'am?"

Kim inwardly groaned. "My Mamma and Daddy both work for a living, miss." Kim said by rote. "It's Kim or Lance Corporal Possible."

Alyssa Numan stared in shock. "What?" She asked, "You're only sixteen!"

Kim shrugged, "Spartans were trained from the age of six if you remember your history," Kim frowned. "I can't speak further on it." Kim checked her weapon and began cleaning it to calm her nerves, not that the reporter would know of Kim's mental state. "What do you wish to discuss, Miss…?"

"Right!" The woman seemed to jump back to normal operating capacity as if given a cue. "I'm Alyssa Numan, reporter for Go City 15 News, what brings the world-famous hero, Kim Possible to Go City?"

Kim mentally rolled her eyes. "Cut the crap. We both know you are not interested in my personal off-the-clock plans."

Alyssa took a half step back at the tone. "Do you have any comment on the demise of Hego?"

Kim glared at the woman. "Leave the family to grieve in peace." Kim said before she calmly turned back to her weapons, put ear protection back on, and picked up the pistol in her dominant hand to repeat the procedure without so much as a glance back at the reporter or cameraman.

Veronica smiled before she pulled off her own protection in time to hear the reporter curse and almost stomp out like a child. It seemed the woman became aware of herself and rigidly maintained an air of dignity as she walked out of the range. The dragon laughed, but the entire range had eyes on Pumpkin.

"(Clan and family first…)" Kim muttered under her breath, reciting the first lesson her mother drilled into the warrior's head from the time she could speak. As she spoke, the warrior in her scanned the men and women around the range. Most were military, she noted by the way they held themselves when they looked at her. A few were civilian gun enthusiasts or hunters. The final person her eyes caught grinned back at her under the hood of her cloak. "(…always.)"