Double Entendre
Chapter 5
Middleton High
"Better." Tara said to her best friend as she helped Hope off the mat. "Remember to use your opponent's weight and momentum against them. Do that, and you can bring down someone much bigger and stronger than you. But..." The blonde adventuress cautioned, "Don't get cocky. Martial arts aren't always going to help you. For example, you've run into this guy and he's big and doesn't appear very bright. If you think he's just this dumb plonker that you can take easy with your judo and karate moves, you're gonna get your arse kicked because he's got street smarts and more than likely is going to fight dirty."
"So…how do I beat him?" Hope asked.
"You fight dirty too." Tara grinned as she picked up her purse. "I'm walking down the street and you're a masher. Come at me from behind."
As Hope attacked, Tara sidestepped and hit her friend upside the head with her purse.
"Ouch!" Hope groaned as her hand went to the top of her head, "What do you have in there? A brick?"
"Not today." Tara grinned, "…but I did put enough weights in there so that you could feel it without hurting you." The lovely blonde explained, "This was a favorite trick of my grandmother's—putting a brick or some other heavy weight in her purse. It got her out of a couple of tight spots. There are some other dirty tricks I'll show you too. Stuff to watch out for and stuff to pull on whoever you're taking on."
"So…what's the benefit of learning all the martial arts stuff?" Hope asked more out of curiosity than anything else.
"Partly, martial arts helps with your coordination and discipline." Tara explained, "But mostly, because these techniques are effective—as long as you don't get overconfident or careless. Watch." Tossing her purse aside she again commanded Hope to attack her. As she did, she caught her in an aikido hold and threw her to the mat. "See?"
"Yeah." Hope nodded her head.
"Great." Tara grinned as she glanced up at the clock. "We better get showered. School starts in half an hour. Tomorrow we start basic lockpicking and security systems."
Showered and changed, the two cheerleaders walked down the hallway where they encountered Ron, standing in front of his locker. "Hey, Ron." Tara called out as the pair approached the blond sidekick, "Where's your other half?"
"What?" Stoppable, startled by Tara's voice, exclaimed as he nearly hit his head on the locker.
"I asked where was Kim?" Tara giggled as Hope shook her head in amusement. "You two are usually attached at the hip.
"Over there…" Ron said, pointing to where his redheaded companion was standing, staring intently at Club Banana's new catalog. "It was a rough weekend."
"Oh?" Hope exclaimed as Ron, after retrieving the books for his morning classes from his locker, closed and locked it.
"Drakken and Shego again." The blond shook his head, stifling a sneeze. "We thought Drakken was safely locked up after that sitch at Bueno Nacho, but somehow he managed to escape and hooked up with You Know Who."
"How did Drakken bust out?" Tara inquired, following up with a question to which she and Hope had already knew the answer to thanks to her GJ contacts. "Did Shego break him out?"
"No." Ron replied, this time covering his mouth and nose with his sleeve as he turned and sneezed, "Not this time. His henchmen sprung him. I guess he hooked up with Shego later."
"Damn…" Hope interjected as the trio stood talking in front of Stoppable's locker, drawing attention from some of the students surprised that two of Middleton's cheerleaders would actually be engaging the loser in conversation. "You catching a cold, Ron?"
"Yeah." Tara, with a look of concern on her face, exclaimed, advising, "Maybe you should go home and take it easy until you're feeling better."
Taking a deep breath and blowing his nose with a tissue, Ron's lips turned up in a slight smile, "No…I'll be okay. I took some cold medicine before coming into school. It just hasn't kicked in yet. I'll probably end up passing out in Barkin's class, but I do that anyway." He then grew silent as he saw Kim's attention drawn to Josh Mankey who was talking to a couple of his friends in front of his locker.
"Just ignore Mankey and Kimmie making google-eyes at him." Hope interrupted, once again getting the young sidekick's attention, "What were you saying about Drakken and Shego?"
"Oh…yeah." Ron quickly turned away so that he wouldn't have to look at Mankey or at his old friend now practically drooling over the boy as he continued his story, "So, anyway…we tracked them to Alaska and caught them trying to make off with some sort of science thingy…"
"What sort of science thingy?" Tara chuckled, also acting as a distraction to keep Ron from brooding over Kim's growing infatuation over Mankey.
"Dad says it's part of an experiment to drill down low enough to tap magma below the Earth's crust." Kim interjected, joining the conversation her attention drawn to the discussion as the object of her crush had departed. Drifting off topic, she remarked with a sniffle as she pointed to the jacket she wanted in the Club Banana catalogue she was holding in her hands, "I've got to get that jacket! There's no way I'm going to let Shego make fun of me for being out of style."
"So…get it." Tara replied with a shrug of her shoulders.
"I can't afford it and Mom and Dad won't buy it for me." The redhead whined.
"Did you try the puppy dog pout?" Ron asked.
"Yeah." Kim nodded her head, "That didn't work either. They said if I wanted the jacket, I had to get a job." She then turned to her best friend and pleaded with doe eyes, "Ron? Can you take me to the Bueno Nacho after school so I can put in an application?"
"Sure, KP." The blond grinned, "There's something I'm wanting to try while we're there. An idea I came up with this last weekend—you know when they had their Nacho and Taco Food Fest Extravaganza."
"Yeah." Kim laughed as she related what had happened to the other two cheerleaders, "Bueno Nacho had a big promo when they reopened after fixing the roof. For every plate of nachos you bought, you got a free taco." She then gave her best friend a teasing grin, "Guess who bought five plates of nachos."
"And ate every one along with all the tacos." Ron declared proudly only to have Rufus pop up out of his pocket and protest.
"Hey!"
"Oh yeah…" Ron sheepishly admitted, "Rufus might have eaten a couple of plates and tacos too."
"So…" Kim asked, "What did you two girls do over the weekend?"
"Oh…" Tara replied with a wicked grin, "A little bit of this…"
"And a little bit of that…" Hope quipped with a wink and smirk.
Last weekend
"Okay, Hope…" Tara instructed as she handed her friend and partner a silver Kitty-Kat card. "This will get you into the club, let you order non-alcoholic drinks and food at the bar or restaurant, and allow you on to the dance floor. It won't let you into the strip show or the casino and don't even think about ordering real booze—Max will boot your arse out in no time flat if you do."
"Thanks!" Hope, wearing a little black dress she had just bought, along with a silver choker and earrings, smiled broadly as she took the card. "And don't worry, T…I promise I'll behave."
"When you turn eighteen you can get a gold card that'll allow you into the strip show and casino." Tara grinned, "Afraid you'll have to wait until you're 21 before you can order alcoholic drinks in the States though"
"That's when I get my platinum card?" Hope inquired.
"Yeah." Tara nodded her head, reluctantly adding, "Although there is another way. If, while on a legitimate mission for GJ or another one of the 'good' guys you have to kill someone or get seriously injured, then you get a platinum card regardless of age. That's how I got my card a while ago. The Club management feels that if you're old enough to put it all on the line, then you're old enough to drink, gamble, and watch the strippers. But let's hope you get your card the regular way."
"Yeah." Hope nodded her head it once again hit her just how risky and dangerous her new life could be.
Seeing that her words had the desired effect, Tara smiled as the two got into her Alfa-Romeo. "Let's party!"
Handing the keys to the valet as they entered the club, Hope and Tara waved at Big Mike who waved back with a big smile on his face as he got in the driver's seat of the sportscar and drove it to the VIP parking area.
Waving to some of the men and women she knew, Tara introduced them to Hope who was drinking in the sights, sounds, and smells of the bustling nightclub until they came to the bar where Max already had Tara's gin and tonic waiting for her. Fixing a Sobranie Black Russian cigarette to her cigarette holder, Tara lit the cigarette as she smiled at the bartender. "Max…this is Hope…"
"What'll you have, Missy?" The bartender asked.
"Coke please." Hope replied, receiving in return an answering nod from the bartender as he quickly filled the olive-skinned cheerleader's order.
"Got a partner now I see, Cutie."
Turning towards the voice, Tara's lips turned up in a wicked grin as she at once recognized Shego wearing a black evening gown slit up to her thigh and emerald necklace and earrings. "Cheeky, darling!" Tara exclaimed as she gave the green-skinned supervillainess a quick kiss on the lips. "You're looking absolutely smashing tonight. New necklace?"
"Yes." Shego grinned, "Stole it in Jakarta a couple of months ago."
"I figured that was you from the goodbye present you left the Indonesian police—setting their arses on fire like that." Tara replied with a chuckle as she opened her cigarette case, wordlessly offering a cigarette to the other woman.
"Bastards had it coming." Shego replied as she accepted the cigarette and lit it. "Thanks, I needed that. I've had a tough week babysitting Dr. D after that clusterfuck at that greasy spoon nacho joint." She scowled as she took a drag, "Anyway…back to Jakarta. While I was driving around the island, I came up on a village. The villagers were beating a local girl about your age…" she said pointing with her cigarette at Hope and then took a sip of the bourbon that she ordered, "… and an Australian boy just because they got caught holding hands and kissing."
"I'm guessing you rescued them and gave the villagers a hot foot." Hope ventured cautiously.
"More like hot asses." Shego laughed, "Yeah. My good deed for the month." She then added in a cautionary tone, "I don't make a habit of it."
"First thing you gotta understand, Hope." Tara explained as Shego slipped an arm around the blonde adventuress, "Is that this is a grey world. Possible and Stoppable like to think it's all black and white…"
"But it's not." Hope concluded, nodding her head, "Yeah…I get the idea. Sometimes good people will do bad things for different reasons and it's the same the other way around."
"Right.' Tara agreed. "Most of the game is played in shadows and greys. Some of us, like me, are on the lighter side of grey—I only steal from the bad guys…while others…"
"I want something…I take it." Shego flatly stated as she took another sip of bourbon. "And if I get caught…" She shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly, "Them's the breaks. It's all part of the game."
"And I make sure I get paid—and paid well—for my work. I'm not about to put my bum out on the line for free like Possible does." Tara declared, and then smiled at her new partner, "I've also taken the liberty of setting up an offshore bank account for you in your name that no one other than you—not even your parents—can touch. You get a fair share in any jobs we pull—fifty-fifty."
"Helluva a lot better deal than you'd have gotten from me or most of the rest of us in the business." Shego quipped. She then turned her attention back to the blonde, her smile vanishing, "So…why are you here…I know you're the one who made off with Dementor's goodies, but why else are you here? Did Mother send you?"
"Yeah." Tara nodded her head, confirming the other woman's suspicions. "I'm babysitting."
"Possible and Stoppable?" Shego asked. "You understand they're playing in the game—just as your partner is now. You can't expect me to just ignore them when they show up and I'm not going to just stand there and let them kick my ass."
"No one's expecting you to do that, luv." Tara replied, "As far as Mother's concerned, as long as it stays at the arsekicking level, she's willing to let it slide. Any more than that though, that's when she gets upset—and you don't want Mother to get cross with you." The blonde adventuress added with just the faintest note of warning in her voice.
"And if Possible's the one who ups the ante to the next level?" Shego asked as she took another drag from her cigarette.
"Then all bets are off and all prior restraints removed." Tara flatly stated. "Once she does that, then she's in the game all the way. She takes her chances like the rest of us."
"Fair enough." Shego nodded her head, signaling her acceptance of the terms.
"And I understand that now that I'm in, I'm gonna have to take my lumps too." Hope declared, looking Shego straight in the eyes.
"The kid catches on quick." Shego remarked with a chuckle and then addressed her next words to the raven-haired cheerleader, "You might make it in this business after all." The supervillainess then tossed her room key at Tara who smoothly caught it. "I picked up this drop dead gorgeous hunk of manhood earlier today. Come on up after you drop your partner off back at her house and we'll play." Smiling again at Hope, she quipped, "Sorry you can't join us for fun and games. Next time, you're more than invited to the party."
As Shego strode off to the dance floor swaying her hips suggestively as she walked, Tara remarked with a smirk to her partner as she let out a breath of air, "Welcome to the game."
Bueno Nachos
"Feast your eyes on this!" Ron exclaimed as he folded a plateful of nachos with cheese sauce into a taco. "I call it the naco!"
"Ewww…gross!" Kim, putting the final touches on her job application, exclaimed as her best friend held his new…invention…up, grabbing it by the fold to keep the contents from falling out.
"Naco!" Rufus chittered as he popped out of his human companion's pocket and took a quick nibble before Kim's warning caused him to scurry back into his hiding place just as the restaurant's assistant manager, Ned, arrived.
"Two weeks of drudgery…" Kim exclaimed as she held up a photo of the green leather jacket she craved, "And I'm in green leather heaven!"
"Ms. Possible? I'm Ned the assistant manager. When can you two start?" He asked as he took her application and made a note on his clipboard.
"Born ready, Sir." Kim enthusiastically responded
"Wait a minute!" Ron exclaimed, "Who said anything about…"
"Isn't this your application Mr…Stoppable?" Ned interrupted.
"I thought it'd be more fun if we worked together." Kim said with a guileless smile on her face.
"Kim…" Ron began to protest only to have his best friend go into her best puppy dog pout.
"No…Kim…no…not going to work…not this time." Ron vigorously shook his head, "I'm not falling for the puppy dog pout…" Kim's eyes then grew even more soulful as she added a brief sniffle and lip quiver to the pout, "Oh…" Ron sighed in resignation, "…all right! You win!"
Middleton High—the next day
"So…you're working at Bueno Gasso now?" Tara chuckled. "How did Kimmie rope you into that?"
"Three words." Ron replied with an eye roll, "Puppy. Dog. Pout."
"Gets 'em all the time." Hope laughed as the three students made their way down the hallway.
"He's better at it than I am." Kim declared as she joined the discussion. "I can't even fold a burrito properly while this guy is sculpting refried bean Aztec temples. That dweeb Ned put me on cheese duty!"
"Well…to be fair, Kim…" Ron pointed out, "You did spill Mr. Barkin's order all over the floor…and Mr. Barkin."
"I said I was sorry!" Kim cried out, sighing, "Two more weeks and I'll have enough money to pay for the jacket and I can tell Ned where he can stuff his taquito."
"Kimberly Ann Possible!" Hope jibed, "What would your parents do if they heard you say that?"
"Grrrr…" Kim growled, "That little nerd docked me an hour's pay just because he thought I was playing a video game when it was Wade calling about Drakken."
"Tough break." Tara replied in a sympathetic voice, "So…Ron…you've embraced the Bueno Nacho lifestyle, huh?"
"I have become Nacho Man!" Ron declared triumphantly as the air began to turn decidedly foul.
"Nacho Man needs to lay off the diablo sauce." Tara snarked, crinkling her nose as Hope's face took on a disgusted expression.
"That or issue us all gas masks." Hope remarked, pinching her nose, "We better get out of here. I think I smell last night's nacos."
"Yeah, Ron…" Tara grimaced, holding her nose also. "Talk about silent but deadly! Warn us next time…or even better, take a plane to the next state."
"Hell…he's passing so much gas he could fly there on his own!" Hope exclaimed as she fanned the air in front of her face in a vain effort to ward off the odor.
"Ron Stoppable! You do not come around us for at least twenty-four hours after you've had diablo nacos." Tara declared, her eyes watering as she turned to the redheaded cheerleader standing next to her, "Take him, Kimmie! He's all yours."
"No thanks…" Kim, red-faced from holding her breath replied, "I'll just be over there…" She pointed to the far wall, "…way over there…until the air clears up."
As the two cheerleaders walked down the hall, Hope whispered to her partner once they were safely clear of any noxious emissions or prying ears, "So…dish…how was the 'afterschool' party…you know the one with the gorgeous hunk and a certain other person? Come on…inquiring minds want to know…"
"Okay…" Tara whispered back, "First, he was as Cheeky advertised. Well-built…six pack abs…ginger hair with a neat well-trimmed beard…"
"Uh…Huh…" Hope grinned as the pair walked, "Good beginning, but I want more details…you know…talent…endurance…everything…capisce?"
"Okay…but the price is a strawberry smoothie after school." Tara teased.
"You're on." Hope giggled as Bonnie showed up without her posse.
"Can I talk to you two?" The chestnut-haired cheerleader pleaded.
"Of course, Bonnie." Tara replied as the three girls walked together to class. "What's up?"
"And where are Marcella and Liz?" Hope inquired, referring to the two cheerleaders who almost always accompanied the queen bee.
"Oh…I sent them on ahead." The brunette responded airily. "I wanted to talk to you two without anyone else hearing."
"Okay…" Tara replied, lowering her voice, "You've got our attention. What's up?"
"I was wondering if I could ask a favor of you." The brown-haired cheerleader ventured, "I don't think it's right for the captain of the cheerleading squad to keep missing practice or to have a detention record—it sets a bad image—don't you agree."
"I see where this is going." Tara sighed, "You want our help in carrying out a little palace coup to replace Kim as captain."
"Look…" Bonnie took a deep breath and exhaled, "We all know I'm the better choice. I never miss a practice unlike a certain someone…and I'm her equal as far as skill in carrying out programs. Plus…who does most of the creative work in developing our routines and programs?"
"I'll give you points two and three, Bonnie." Hope replied as Tara nodded her head.
"But as long as Barkin and the principal are willing to cut her slack on her outside activities and as long as we continue working good together as a team, we're not holding her little 'save the world' missions against her." Tara declared, adding to the discussion. "Now…what prompted this sudden desire to overthrow Kimmie?"
"It's not a sudden thing." Bonnie countered, "I just see things starting to slip and want them fixed before the district competition. You know I'm right—don't you?"
"As I said, I think we should give Kim the benefit of the doubt for now." Tara declared, her best friend nodding her head in agreement. "The fact that you came to us rather than just flat out issuing Kim an ultimatum tells me that most of the other girls on the team feel the same as we do and you were hoping to get us to talk them around." Seeing the queen bee gritting her teeth, Tara's lips turned up in a slight smile.
"Yeah, Bonnie." Hope said, interjecting her opinion into the discussion, "The year's just started and we're still a ways off before any real competitions begins. Let's give Kim some time."
"All right!" Bonnie growled, throwing her hands up in a gesture of both exasperation and irritation, "I'll hold off. But if Kim doesn't get her act together…"
"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it." Tara replied, closing the discussion as the trio reached their classroom. "For now, we better get in before Barkin starts handing out detention slips—again!"
Later that evening—Kitty Kat Club
"Word is Drakken and Sheila are up in Wisconsin along with almost all of his henchies and that Possible's heading out to crash their party." Max told his two lovely customers as he handed the blonde a gin and tonic and the raven-haired girl a cola. "Could be a good time to hit his Middleton lair." He then glanced at Hope, "Be a good first op for your new partner."
"Hmmm…anything of value?" Tara inquired as Hope felt a quick adrenaline rush at the news.
"Maybe." The bartender responded, "The Middleton Observatory would pay well for the photos that Sheila swiped from it, plus you keep any valuables in there that's not personal to him or our girl."
"Professional courtesy?" Hope inquired in a low voice.
"Right." Tara replied as Max nodded his head in agreement, "We don't go after other players' personal stuff like family keepsakes or such unless directed to by whoever's employing us—and even then, the employer had better have a damned good reason or we turn 'em down flat." She then turned to her friend, "While this is a relatively low risk caper as long as Drakken and Shego are away with most of their muscle, there is always a chance things could go tits up. You still want in?"
"Yeah." Hope nodded her head, "I'm up for it."
"Okay." Tara smiled back as she turned to the bartender and lit a cigarette, "We're in. Give us the details."
Bueno Nacho
"We grab some takeout to munch down on before the job and take a quick potty break, then we go to work. If Possible's hitting Drakken and Shego, then it's a safe bet Ron's with her so there shouldn't be any problems. We'll probably run into a few people we know, but we should be able to get by without them getting suspicious. I'd go somewhere else, but we're on the clock." Tara said as she parked her Alfa-Romeo Spyder and she and Hope, now wearing their catsuits, got out of the car, attracting a few whistles of appreciation from a table of teenage Middleton High boys.
"Looking good Hope…Tara!" Trent, from the football team, called out.
"Nice wheels!" Donnie from the track team shouted. "When did you get 'em?"
"Trust fund!" Tara laughed, "Don't you wish you had one."
"Heh." Donnie laughed as he waved, "Catch ya later…see ya, Hope."
"Later, Donnie!" Hope waved back and whispered to her friend, "They didn't even ask why we're dressed like we are."
"Or course not." Tara chuckled, "They're busy looking first at the car and then at how good our boobs and bums look in these skin tight outfits to think about why we're wearing them. I'd have been a lot more worried if Bonnie or one of the other girls were here." Smirking, she commented, "I also noticed that you put a little extra hip motion just then while we were walking away from Donnie and that he was appreciating the view."
"Just giving the boy a thrill." Hope grinned lecherously, "Might take him out for a test drive, but I'm not looking for anything serious yet."
Tara responded with a crooked grin, "Always pays to check out the goods before making a major commitment."
"Exactly." Hope nodded her head.
Entering the fast food restaurant, they spotted a much harried Ned taking a break after the last rush. "Hey, Neddy!" Tara called out, "Where's your help?"
"Possible and Stoppable deserted." Ned answered back with a scowl as he took his place behind the register, "Now…can I take your order?"
"Yeah." Hope replied as she ordered for her and her friend, "So…what happened? Where are Kim and Ron?"
"Kim got in a snit this afternoon." Ned grumbled as he filled the girls' order. "Said something about stopping Drakken and got into a fight with Stoppable when he tried to make her finish out her shift. That's when she quit."
Hope looked at Tara with a worried look on her face, "You don't think Kim went after Drakken and Shego alone—do you?"
Letting out a breath of air, Tara nodded her head, "Yeah. Sounds like something she'd do." Turning to Ned, she queried, "Where's Stoppable?"
"Like I said…he deserted too." Ned replied in a whining tone, "He got a call from some dude named Wade who said that Possible was in trouble, so he abandoned his post."
"Thanks." Tara replied as she paid for their order and turned to leave.
"What do we do about Possible and Stoppable?" Hope asked, "We heading up to Wisconsin?"
Tara shook her head, "It'll all be over one way or the other by the time we got there." She then took out her cell phone, "Yeah…this is Tara. Get me Betty or whoever's calling the shots now. Du's on watch…fine…put him on." After a few moments, Tara again spoke into the phone, "Oy, Twinky…you know Possible and Stoppable are up in Wisconsin playing skittles with Drakken and Shego? You do…you've got a reaction team there monitoring the situation and ready to move if you have to. Good boy…you did something right for a change. Maybe Mummy will give you a sweet. Yeah…up yours too. Later." After putting away her phone, the lovely blonde muttered, "Bloody wanker."
"I get the impression the guy you talked to is a jerk?" Hope snickered as the pair made their way back to the car.
"Twinky?" Tara laughed, "Come on…I'll tell you all about Will Du on the way to our job."
Drakken's Middleton Lair
Tara and Hope, their breath visible in the night air, observed their intended target with a pair of night vision binoculars. "Tell me what you see." Tara requested as she handed the binoculars to her partner.
"Henchman posing as a security guard at the door." Hope replied, "Another one on patrol outside with a dog."
"Good." Tara nodded her head approvingly. "Now, how would you get in?"
Spotting the river, Hope's lips turned up in a sly grin, "The front door's not a good idea."
"Not this time." Tara agreed.
"Roof's out. See those surveillance cameras?" Hope pointed to four cameras all situated to catch any movement on top of the roof.
"Very good catch." Tara smiled approvingly
"I'd go underwater." Hope concluded, pointing at the river that ran behind the lair. "Drakken and Shego most likely have an underwater escape route."
"Right." Tara nodded her head in agreement. "Drakken likes more than one escape route. He'd have a roof one and since he's up against the river, an underwater one too." Slipping on their full face masks, the blonde adventuress smiled at her partner, "Ready."
"Let's do it."
Diving into the river a little further upstream, the pair, now both with rebreathers in their mouths, swam underwater towards their target. Tara pointed to a section of wall that, upon closer inspection, revealed itself to be a secret door with a concealed access panel next to it. Moving quickly, the blonde adventuress took a small black box that her partner gave her and placed it on the access panel. The box lit up, flashing a numerical sequence that Tara quickly entered in on the keypad beneath. Once the last number had been entered, the door slid open to reveal what appeared to be an airlock chamber.
Entering the airlock, the Hope then took out a tube and squirted its contents along the inner door locking mechanism. Moments later, the compound, now exposed to the elements, quickly dissolved the lock, permitting Tara to open the door. Moving quickly and quietly, the pair crept through the passageway, dodging a roving henchman as they did so until they reached the mad doctor's laboratory. Slipping quietly in, Tara and Hope made their way to a photo of little Drew Lipsky with his mother. Moving the picture to the side, Tara grinned as she whispered, "They always do that. But be careful, sometimes it's a trick." She then spotted a slender wire ending at the safe. Pointing to the wire, she smirked, "Like now. If we'd have cracked that safe, at best it would have set off an alarm. At worst…it would have been a trap." Spying a hanging tapestry with the Lipsky coat of arms, Tara's grin widened, "There it is."
Unfortunately, before they could crack the safe, the door to the laboratory opened and two henchmen carrying shock sticks entered. "Tara! Company!"
"I got the one on the right! The one on the left's yours." Tara exclaimed as she tossed a shuriken at one of the henchmen, striking him in the leg and then lunged at him, felling him with a karate chop to the neck followed up by a judo throw.
Hope, her heart racing, dodged a sweeping blow by the henchman facing her, striking out with a kick that hit her opponent square in the chest, driving him back. Taking advantage of her opponent's temporarily stunned state, the dark-haired cheerleader, picking up a vase, smashed it on the henchman's face. Sighing with relief as she saw the goon slump to the floor, Hope turned to see how her friend was doing, her lips turning up in a smile as she saw that Tara had already taken her man down and was tying him up with a piece of rope before sticking a gag in his mouth.
"Good job." Tara grinned as she handed another length of rope and a piece of cloth to her partner. "Bind and gag your guy and we'll crack the safe and get the hell out."
"Okay." Hope replied as she followed her teacher's orders. "All done."
"Great. Good thing about Drakken…other than Sheila, he's too cheap to hire good help. Knowing Cheeky, she's taking him for all he's worth so even if he wanted to hire decent help, he couldn't afford it." Tara grinned, "Now come over here and I'll show you how to crack a safe." Moments later, the safe was opened and its contents swept into Tara's waterproof carry bag. "Time to bugger off. One thing I gotta do first though…" She grinned as she slipped into Shego's room, returning quickly after her errand was completed.
"What did you do?" Hope asked, handing a bottle of Coco-Moo that she had swiped from the fridge to her partner as she took a sip from another stolen bottle.
"Just left Cheeky a little present." Tara grinned as the two girls retraced their steps, exiting the hidden lair, not even noticing the flashing light on the mad scientist's desk.
Wisconsin
Spotting the flashing light on her wrist monitor, Shego's lips turned up in a sly grin as she called down to her employer who was currently boasting to an apparently helpless Kim Possible and her sidekick. "Hey, Dr. D."
"What is it, Shego?" An irate Dr. Drakken responded, irritated at being interrupted mid-rant. "Can't you see I'm busy celebrating my upcoming world conquest—and—oh yes—the final defeat of my hated foe, Kim Possible and uhhhh…what's his name."
"You might want to check your wrist communicator, Dr. D." Shego repeated in a sugary sweet voice, "Cutie and her little pal just broke into your lair back in Middleton."
"What?!" The mad scientist shouted as he quickly glanced down at his wrist device, his eyes bulging as he saw the two catsuit wearing women escaping his top-secret lair. "No! They broke into my secret safe! They stole my photos and my mad money. And…they stole all my Coco-Moo!"
Taking advantage of the unexpected diversion, Kim broke free of her restraints, and quickly rescuing her companion, sprang into action. "Ready for round two, Shego?"
"Oh, it's on, Pumpkin!"
Middleton High—the next day
"Looks like our burglar has an accomplice." Wade informed Kim and Ron through Kim's Kimmunicator. "I was able to hack into some of Drakken's security footage. I'll stream it for you."
"Please and thank you." Kim replied as images of two women wearing catsuits with full head covering appeared on the computer screen in Kim's locker.
"I can't believe it! They did make off with Drakken's Coco-Moo just like Shego said they did!" Ron laughed. As he gazed at the two burglars, something struck a chord in the young sidekick's mind. Shaking his head, Ron said in a low whisper, "No…it can't be them—can it? " Ron shook his head even more vigorously, "No way!"
"What is it, Ron?" Kim, a look of concern on her face, asked as she gazed up at her old friend.
"It's nothing, Kim…" The blond sidekick declared in a tone more intended to reassure himself than his friend, "…just a crazy idea I had."
"Well…whoever they are, the Middleton Mountain Observatory owes them one." Wade announced, "They recovered some photos that Shego had stolen earlier this week."
"I wonder why Drakken would have had Shego steal photos from an observatory." Kim pondered and then asked the team's techie, "Wade? Can I get you to ask the Observatory to send copies of those pictures to my father? He might be able to make some sense of them."
"Of course, Kim." Wade responded as he typed on his computer. "The Observatory just responded. Copies of the photos are on their way."
"Thanks, Wade." Tapping her chin with her finger, Kim continued to ponder the situation, "Whoever our mystery burglars are, at least one of them knows Shego—apparently fairly well."
"Yeah." Ron nodded his head in agreement. "Shego called her Cutie. That gives us something more to go on at least.
Nodding her head, Kim agreed, "Wade? Please keep us updated if you find out anything more."
"Will do, Kim."
"Thank you."
Walking to their lockers, Tara smiled at her friend, "Did you check your bank balance this morning like I told you to?"
"Yeah." Hope smiled back. "I don't think I've seen that many zeros on any paycheck I've ever gotten before."
"This was a small job." Tara whispered back, "Wait until we go on a big score." She then cautioned, "Of course, the bigger the score…the bigger the risk. Don't take on more than you think you can handle and if you think you're in over your head, let me know immediately."
"Will do." Hope replied, all traces of humor gone from her voice. Then, her curiosity getting the better of her, she inquired as the pair continued their sotto voce communication, "What did you leave for Shego?"
"Just a little gift." Tara grinned, "It's sort of a game we play with each other when we know where the other person is. It's nothing dangerous or anything. Just a little fun."
Drakken's Middleton Lair
"Cutie, I don't know whether to kiss you for the laughs or kick your ass. God knows I needed the laughs after washing all that cheese out of my hair and other parts of my body, but the hissy fit Dr. D's throwing is really starting to get on my nerves." Shego said to herself as she spied the opened safe and empty refrigerator. "All the Coco-Moo? Couldn't you have left at least one bottle?"
As she entered her bedroom, the green-skinned supervillainess's lips turned up in a rare warm smile as her eyes fell on the red rose sitting on the end table next to her bed next to a glass of scotch. Picking up the rose, she sniffed it and then, after replacing it where she found it, she took a sip of the scotch. "Glenlivet." Shego noted approvingly as she savored the flavor of the liquor on her taste buds. "Guess it's my turn to return the favor, Cutie. Let's see now…where should I leave your present?"
Essex, England, United Kingdom
Pulling his rental car into the driveway of a small English cottage, David Bruckner, noticing the Rolls also parked there, permitted himself a momentary sigh of relief as he fingered the computer disks in his coat pocket. Quickly approaching the door, he pressed the ringer once. Moments later, a dapper looking elderly English gentleman wearing a suit and tie and with a welcoming grin on his face appeared at the door.
"Come in…come in, my boy!" The old man entreated as he ushered the secret agent into the cottage, accompanying him to the parlor where two elegant elderly women, both wearing tasteful, yet also stylish, dresses, sat drinking tea and talking amiably to each other. "Please allow me to make introductions. Mrs. Peel…Tara…this is the young man I was telling you about—David Bruckner. David, I'd like you to meet two of the four most beautiful women on earth—Mrs. Emma Peel and Ms. Tara King."
"You've always been a flatterer, Steed." One of the women, her bearing aristocratic, but with a twinkle in her eyes that at once told the younger man that she still retained all the wit and charm of her youth even though her formerly auburn hair was now white with age. "Hello, David." The woman smiled as she took the younger man's hand in hers, "I've heard so much about you."
"David." The other woman, her luscious black hair now also grey, extended a slender hand in greeting.
The same man who had faced terrorists, criminals, and thugs without fear, found himself suddenly growing weak in the knees as he realized that these two women, along with the elderly man standing with them, had each saved the entire world at least once during their illustrious careers. It was all the normally suave and never at a loss for words agent could do to stammer out a simple, "It's an honor."
Her lips turning up in a mischievous grin, the elderly Tara King remarked, "I've been told that you've made quite the impression on my granddaughter."
"Ummm…uhhhh…." David stammered as memories of his weekend with the younger Tara raced through his mind.
Chuckling merrily, Emma quipped, "I think you've flustered the poor lad, Tara."
"Yes. I believe I have." Ms. King gently laughed.
"Ah…" Steed grinned as he made his way to the tea service, "You lovely ladies have that effect on any man. I've known you two for years and I am still stunned by your beauty every time I see you." Turning his attention back to his guest, the retired secret agent smiled, "Do, come in, young man. Have a seat, join us. Some tea?" He asked as he ushered the secret agent to a chair. Pouring a cup of hot tea, he handed it to the dark-haired younger man. "Help yourself to the milk and sugar."
"Thank you." David politely responded as he poured a small amount of milk into the tea and stirred. "I have the disks." He said as he took the computer disks out of his coat pocket and handed them to the older man. "Franz…he didn't make it."
Sighing Steed handed the disks to Mrs. Peel, who then slipped it into the drive in her laptop. "I'm sorry to hear that." The retired agent said, "He was a good man." Turning to Emma, he asked, "Do you have anything, Mrs. Peel?"
"Sorry, Steed." Emma answered back, "The disks are heavily encrypted. It would take a hacking genius to crack that encryption."
"And we can't say for certain who has or has not been compromised." Ms. King stated.
"So…there's no one we can trust." David remarked sourly as he sipped his tea.
"There might be someone." Steed grinned, gesturing with a slight incline of his head to Mrs. Peel who then brought up an image on the screen of a dark-skinned boy. "His name is Wade Lode, age ten, and already a high school and college graduate."
"A genius." Emma noted.
"Quite so." Steed affirmed with a single nod of his head. "Now…all we have to do is convince him to work with us."
"I'm thinking maybe my granddaughter could help out with that." Ms. King said as she sipped her tea.
"Capital idea." Steed responded as he turned to the young man in the room. "David…I hate to impose but…"
"You want me to go to Middleton and make contact with Tara." David interrupted, completing the older man's sentence, "When do I leave?"