A/N: I would again like to express my thanks and appreciation to campy, daccu65, and jeriddian for permitting me to use their original characters in this AU and would strongly urge those of you who are reading this and who have not read their stories as yet to please do so—you'll be glad you did.
Middleton High—the next day
"Why's Ron so down?" Hope asked as she and her best friend, Tara, met up with Kim and Ron in front of the high school.
"Yesterday, he had a meeting with the guidance counselor about college…" Kim began only to be interrupted by her male friend.
"She told me I needed an extracurricular activity to put down for my college applications." Ron moaned as the four teenagers walked together down the hallway to their lockers.
"Well…" Tara suggested, "She has a point. There's gotta be some afterschool club or activity that interests you? Computers? Cooking?"
"That's what I was trying to tell him on the way here." Kim sighed, "I was thinking mathletes or the debate team…"
"Kim!" Ron shook his head, "I said no." His eyes darting from one cheerleader to another, Ron cried out, "I've got it! I could…"
"No, Ron…" Hope shook her head. "God…please…don't let it be what I think it's gonna be…"
"Not a good idea…" Tara echoed.
"Please, Ron…" Kim begged, "Don't say what I think you're going to say."
"I could try out for cheerleading!" The blond-haired boy exclaimed.
"He said it." Tara muttered as Ron strode on to class cheering.
"Go Mad Dawgs!".
As Kim stood with the other cheerleaders watching her best friend walk away, she uttered a simple phrase, "Well…Shit."
"I think we're becoming a bad influence on our captain, Tara." Hope laughed as Kim blushed.
"I do believe you're right, Hope." Tara giggled as her phone rang. "This is Tara—go."
"Hey, Cutie. Let me guess." A voice Tara immediately recognized as Shego's answered in a playful tone of voice, "You're at school and Pumpkin and/or the buffoon are standing next to you."
"That's right, Cheeky." Tara replied. "You calling about that matter we talked about a few days ago?"
"Yup. Got the intel. Can you and Cheerleader meet me at our usual hangout tonight?"
"Just a second. I'll check." Turning to Hope, the blonde adventuress asked, "Can you get free tonight. Sheila wants to meet up with us about that matter we talked about last week."
"Yeah." Hope nodded her head in assent, "I can make it. Gotta get back home by curfew though."
Speaking into the phone, Tara said, "Sheila? Yeah. We can make it. Can't stay out too late though. Tomorrow's a school day."
Laughing, Shego replied, "Don't worry, Cutie. I'll be sure you both make it home by curfew. Later!"
"Plans for tonight?" Kim asked as the three cheerleaders walked down the hall together to their next class.
"Yeah." Tara nodded her head. "Old friend of mine. We're just getting together for some coffee."
"Well…" Kim replied with a grin as they entered Mr. Barkin's class, "Have fun."
Possible Home
"What's wrong with Ron being a cheerleader, Kim?" Mrs. Possible asked as her daughter informed her of the bad news.
"Mom!" Kim moaned, "This is Ron we're talking about! You know he's my best friend and I think the world of him, but…"
"Kim…" Ann gently reproved, "It's not like he's going to wear the same uniform you wear…"
"I wouldn't be so sure of that, Mom." Kim snarked in a low voice.
"Kimberly Ann Possible!" Ann rebuked, "That's not a very nice thing to say about your friend. You should be supporting him…"
"I am, Mom!" Kim protested, "I'm trying to keep him from making a fool out of himself in front of everyone."
"Are you sure it's him you're trying to save from embarrassment, Kim—or you?" Ann challenged, gazing intently into her daughter's eyes.
Averting her eyes, Kim was spared from answering her mother's pointed question by the front door opening and her father's cheerful shout.
"I'm home! What's for dinner?"
"Pizza tonight, Honey!" Ann replied. "What do you want on it?"
"Oh…" James thought for a moment, "Bacon. Definitely bacon." Before he could say anything more though, the phone rang, "Hello? Yeah Bob, what's up?
"James…did you guys launch something over there?"
"Keep it on the downlow, Bob." Dr. Possible cautioned, "We launched the prototype G-6 rocket. Perfect launch—if a bit earlier than scheduled."
"That's great! See you at the class reunion this weekend?"
"Wouldn't miss it for the world, Bob!" James affirmed, "See you this weekend."
Turning to his wife and daughter, Dr. Possible grinned, "That was Bob Chen at the observatory. The rocket we've been working on is a smashing success.
"That's great news, Hon." Ann replied, "I'll put on some extra pepperoni and cheese to celebrate." She then turned to her daughter, "Think about what we talked about dear. Yeah…there is a very good possibility that if Ron tries out for cheerleading, he'll fail, but it's his choice to make."
"But Mom…don't I have a responsibility as his friend to warn him if it's not a good idea?"
"Warn and caution him, yes." Ann affirmed, nodding her head, "But once he makes his decision, you need to give him your support and be there for him—especially if he fails. That's when he's going to need you the most, you know." Smiling at her daughter, she placed a hand on the young teen's shoulder, "Now…why don't you give me a hand fixing the pizza."
Kitty-Kat Club
Heading straight to the bar, Hope and Tara found the person they were looking for, wearing a black cocktail dress and smoking a cigarette, already waiting. "Girls." Shego nodded her head as Max handed her a key. "Back office."
"Your drinks." Max said as he handed Tara her usual gin and tonic and Hope a cola. "Let me know when you need a refill."
The two girls followed the raven-haired supervillainess into a small office with a conference table in the middle. Taking a rolled up blueprint of the Middleton Space Center out from her purse, Shego spread it out on the table. "This is where they're planning on moving the nuke to." She declared as she took a pencil and pointed it at a warehouse building. "They'll have the advantage of clear lines of sight, and I wouldn't bet against them having at least an RPG, so just bursting through the front door is out."
"Hmmm…" Tara pondered the situation and then inquired, "What about underground access, Cheeky? I'm betting there's at least one tunnel for all the electrical cables and systems."
"You'd win that bet." Shego responded and then glared at Hope, "Cutie's one of only three people who get to call me that name. You call me Shego or Sheila unless you want a roasted behind. Understood?"
"Got it." Hope responded as she tried to keep the smile from her lips.
"Here…" Shego said as she pointed to a tunnel that led to a side area of the warehouse. "I've also cased the warehouse, there are crates and what looks like some sort of machine that should make good cover. Give us a perfect opportunity to take the bad guys by surprise. There's also a skylight over here." She then pointed at another point on the map. "Someone can hit them from above at the same time the others hit 'em from below…"
"And we'll catch them in a crossfire." Hope nodded her head.
"Right." Shego nodded her head. "I'll take the skylight. You know how I like to make a grand entrance."
"Right, then." Tara stated, "Hope and I'll go through the tunnel." As Shego nodded her head in agreement, the blonde adventuress turned to her friend, "Once we get in the warehouse, hang back. Stay under cover. Remember, your job is communications and networking and to act as a reserve. Try to avoid mixing it up in the fighting if you can."
"I understand." Hope replied with a nod of her head.
"Good." Shego exclaimed as she took out a small case and opened it. "I swiped these from Dr. D. Don't worry…" She chuckled, "These things actually work. They're communications devices. Just stick one in your ear and it'll let us stay in touch." She then took out another case, slightly larger than the last one, and opened it, revealing thee small spheres, "Another 'gift' from Drakken. These little babies also work—Dr. D was having a good day." The dark-haired villainess laughed, "Be sure everyone's got their gear on before chucking one of these bad boys. They release an opaque smoke cloud that will also act as an incapacitating agent to anyone stupid enough to rush into the cloud without the proper protection. So…unless you wanna spend an hour puking your guts out…"
"Wear our gas masks." Hope laughed.
Nodding her head, Shego continued her briefing, "If we can do this without killing anyone, I'm all for that, but I'm not sure we're going to be able to do that. If it's any consolation…" Her eyes fell on Hope's as she spoke her next words, "The bastards who have those nukes are more than ready to kill everyone in the Tri-City area. You're going to be saving a lot of lives—including your family and friends."
"I'm assuming we share any intel we find?" Tara inquired as Shego's lips turned up in a slight grin.
"Actually, you can keep the intel." The raven-haired villainess affirmed, explaining her reasoning to Hope, "If what's there is what I think is there, then I don't want Drakken or Dementor getting access to it—and no—it's not because I'm turning good. I just don't want those two jackasses getting access to nukes." She then turned to Tara, requesting, "I would like to ask a favor though, Cutie?"
"What?" Tara inquired, raising her eyebrows suggestively.
"Not that." Shego laughed, "At least not until after the mission. "What I want to ask is that if you discover the location of anymore of those nukes, you include me in any operations to shut them down. The sooner those things are secured, the sooner I can get a decent night's sleep."
"Is Drakken going to be a problem?" Tara asked as Max brought in fresh drinks.
"No." Shego shook her head, "Dr. D's still being pissy about that cheese mountain fuckup. He's spent the last couple of weeks locked up in that lab of his muttering about some stupid class reunion. What about the Princess and her buffoon? They gonna be problems?"
"I don't think so." Tara replied with a snort, Hope joining her in laughter, "Kim's ready to piss in her panties because Ron's thinking about trying out for the cheerleading squad."
"You know…" Shego said with a wicked grin, "That would be worth me sneaking in to see. Gotta be a few laughs there."
"Taking a big risk there, Cheeky, if you're planning on doing what I think you're planning." Tara cautioned.
"Yeah." Hope agreed, "The last thing we need is for the gym to be turned into a combat zone."
Giving her blonde associate a seductive wink, Shego propositioned, "Bet?"
"Stakes?"
"Box of Montecristo Cuban panatelas and a bottle of Jefferson's Reserve bourbon I get into that gym, watch the sideshow, and get out undetected."
"Okay…" Tara grinned, "Undetected means that you don't get found out by anyone—especially Kim, Ron, or Barkin. You have to show up prior to the tryouts, stay for the whole practice, and you have to stick to tradecraft techniques. No use of powers or any of Drakken's play pretties. And…if you are found out…you give up peacefully. You can always bust out after they take you off the school grounds. I don't want a full scale war to break out between you and Kim in the school. Too much risk of collateral damage."
"Agreed." Shego nodded her head.
"All right…" Tara proposed, naming her stakes, "If you don't show or are caught, then you owe me a box of Romeo y Julieta Cuban coronas and a bottle of Method and Madness single malt Irish whiskey."
"Done." Shego grinned.
"Can I get in on this action?" Hope pleaded.
"I don't know, Cheerleader." Shego replied, "You're still a minor, so you can't buy the booze or smokes…"
"What about this?" The olive-skinned beauty proposed, "Whoever loses the bet buys dinner for the winner at an upscale restaurant of the winner's choice."
"Could get pricy for you, dearie." Shego cautioned, "I've got expensive tastes."
"I've still got all my money from the last job." Hope countered, "Plus what I'll be getting from this one."
Laughing, Shego nodded her head in approval as she shook the young teen's hand, "All right. You're on." Smirking, she finished her drink, "Looks like our business is done. You two better get back home before Cheerleader's parents ground her for staying out late."
"See you tomorrow, Cheeky!"
Tara waved as she and Hope departed, leaving the supervillainess alone to study the plans. "Right…let's look this over again." She said to herself, "This is one caper I want to go right."
Tri-City Airport
Clearing customs, David Bruckner picked up his luggage and carried it to the rental station. "Bruckner." He announced to the clerk, a young woman who immediately smiled on seeing the handsome dark-haired man. "I believe I have a reservation in the name of Bruckner?"
Checking her monitor, the clerk politely responded, "Yes, Sir. I see it here. Black Porsche 718 Boxter T." After swiping David's credit card and printing out his receipt, she handed him the keys. "A valet will have your car waiting for you at the exit. Thank you for letting Exquisite Car Rentals handle your transportation needs and have a good day."
Middleton High
Anticipating the taste of a Montecristo cigar and fine bourbon on her palate as the perfect ending to a very expensive meal, Shego, wearing a long auburn-hair wig, stylish, yet conservative pencil dress, and gold wire frame tinted eyeglasses sat down on one of the bleachers in anticipation of the coming show. Looking about, she was surprised at the absence of both Tara and Hope, but her lips turned up in a sly grin as she spotted the Princess and a brown-haired cheerleader in dire need of an attitude adjustment lesson talking to each other.
"You can't be serious!" Bonnie practically screamed, "You're not actually going to let him try out for the team—are you?"
"I'm as freaked out about this as you are, Bonnie." Kim sighed in exasperation, "But what can I do? There's nothing in the rules that says he can't try out."
"This is not Befriend a Loser Week!" Bonnie protested, earning a chuckle from the observing Shego. "At least you had the sense to listen to me and cancel practice so that the rest of the girls don't have to show up and suffer through this.
She's not as dumb as she looks. The disguised villainess thought to herself as spotted the Buffoon entering the scene. Now he IS as dumb as he looks.
"Hey ladies…the Ron-Man's here! That means it's party time!"
Popping out of his pocket, Rufus sniffed the air, sensing a familiar—and disturbing scent—he turned his gaze on where the disguised Shego sat. As he was about to alert his human friends to the danger, the villainess shook her head once in a gesture of both peace and warning. Taking the hint, Rufus came to the decision that, as long as the mean human was willing to behave herself and not start any problems, then he wouldn't do anything to start a fight. Perching protectively on his master's shoulder the little naked mole-rat kept careful watch on the bad woman.
"Ladies?" Ron, a surprised look on his face, exclaimed, "Ladies?" Turning to his best friend, he asked with a look of concern on his face, "Kim? Where's the rest of the squad? Did tryouts get cancelled or something?"
"They just take a long time to get dressed, Ron." Kim replied as she frantically tried to think of some way to let her friend down easily.
"I don't like this." Hope whispered to her friend from the secluded shadows where they stood concealed observing the scene as it played out. "Kim should have at least given him a shot. He falls flat on his face…he falls flat on his face. At least it would have been quick and clean."
Shaking her head, Tara replied in a low voice, "She doesn't want to hurt his feelings, but when he finds out what she did, it's going to hurt him even worse."
"I've decided not to become a cheerleader, KP!" Ron announced much to both Kim and Bonnie's relief. "I'm going to be the mascot!" He then took out a full head mask of the school mascot, the bulldog, and putting it on his head, growled, "Ruff! Ruff! Go Mad Dogs! Ruff!"
"Oh…this is worth the price of admission." Shego chuckled as she watched the show.
Laughing, Tara remarked to her friend, "You know…he actually might be on to something with this."
"Yeah." Hope grinned, "Lowton has some guy who dresses up as a lemur and he's pretty popular at their games."
"Where did you get the mask, Ron?" Kim asked, her curiosity getting the better of her as Bonnie simply glowered.
"I made it with my Movie Makeup Kit!" Ron proclaimed proudly as he accidently pulled out a Kim Possible mask and then quickly put it away.
"I'm impressed…" Kim said, genuinely surprised by her friend's talent in making the mask, then remembering the mask of herself that he had just hidden away, added, "…and disturbed."
"Doesn't it rock!" Ron exclaimed as he sprayed foam all over the mouth of the mask. "See! The Mad Dog foams at the mouth!"
'That's actually pretty funny!" Tara laughed, her friend joining her.
"Really!" Hope agreed, "You know…he's not bad."
Laughing out loud, Shego was forced to admit to herself, "Okay…I gotta give it to the Doofus. This is pretty good."
"The crowd will eat it up!" A jubilant Ron exclaimed. "Mmmm…" He said as he licked some of the foam off the mask, "Banana cream."
"This is a stupid idea!" Bonnie railed, "Everyone at the school will be laughing at you. Not with you…at you! Loudly and cruelly!" She mocked as she turned about and flounced away, "Loser!"
"Ron…" Kim said with a look of pity on her face.
"I know, KP." The blond sidekick sighed, "You believe in me and you'll work on them…"
"I'm sorry, Ron…" Kim sighed dejectedly, telling herself that she was doing this for her friend's own good as she twisted the knife, "…I agree with Bonnie."
"Oh…"
"Ron!" Kim cried out as her friend, his shoulders slumped, walked dejectedly away, "I just don't want to see you hurt!"
"Definitely worth it." Shego smirked as she got up to make her way to the opposite exit from the one chosen by the doofus, easily slipping out and winning her bet.
Seeing the depressed teenage boy coming near them, Kim and Bonnie having already made their way to the locker room, Tara and Hope approached him. "Ron?" Tara gently called out.
Catching sight of the two cheerleaders wearing their normal street clothes coming towards him, the forlorn boy shook his head. "You two sure you want to be seen with a loser?"
"We're not with a loser." Tara declared as both her and her friend took station on either side of the young man, walking with him to the exit. "We're with you."
"Tell me the truth." Ron pleaded as the trio walked away from the school, "Was there a practice today?"
"No." Hope shook her head. "Kim cancelled it at the last moment."
"I see." Ron sighed.
"She didn't do it to be mean to you or hurt you." Tara consoled, "She was just afraid that…"
"I'd make a fool out of myself in front of everyone." Ron finished. "I guess she was right."
"No, Ron." Hope shook her head, "She wasn't. Not this time." Just then Tara's phone rang.
Answering the phone, Tara heard a familiar voice. "Hey Cutie. I guess I win our bet. I'll collect after our mission and tell Cheerleader I'll let her know what restaurant later. Oh.." She added almost as an afterthought, "Tell the Buffoon from me that he wasn't half bad. Talk to ya later!"
"Later, Cheeky!" Tara replied and then hanged up. "Old friend." The blonde explained. She then proposed to the somber young man walking between her and her best friend, "Come on, Ron…Bueno Nachos…our treat."
"Yeah." Hope exclaimed as she glanced at the sad expression on the class clown's face, "This looks like a six naco night."
"At the least." A slight grin began to slowly appear on Ron's face, "Okay…I never turn down a night at Bueno Nachos—especially not with two bon-diggedty gorgeous girls. As the trio walked down the road, Ron asked the blonde walking next to him, "Who's Cheeky?"
Chuckling as a slight blush appeared on her cheeks, Tara responded, "It's…complicated."
"Very complicated." Hope laughed.
Possible Home
Seeing her father sitting on the couch reading his newspaper, Kim approached, "Dad?"
"Yeah, Kimmie-cub?" James asked as he looked up from his paper. "Something I can do for you?"
"Dad…I need your advice on something." Kim moaned as she sat down on the floor by her father.
"About what, darling?" James inquired, advising, "If it's boy problems, you might be better off talking to your mother about it. You know my answer would involve black holes and probes if he even thinks about laying a hand on you."
"It's not about boys, Dad!" Kim blushed, murmuring, "It's about Ron."
"Oh." A much relieved James replied, "Okay. So what's the problem?"
"I think…I think I let him down today." Kim confessed, her face reddening.
"How so?"
Sighing, Kim related the whole incident in the gym. "Dad…he was foaming at the mouth! I thought he looked stupid and Bonnie was insulting him! Imagine if the other cheerleaders were there—especially Tara and Hope! Those two mock everything and everyone!"
"You know my class reunion's coming up this weekend…"
"Dad…" Kim protested, "I don't know what that has to do with…"
"Let me continue, Kim." James said, raising his hand. "And I think you'll understand. I had a small group of friends: Bob Chen and Ramesh—you know them from the observatory. And…Drew Lipsky. Drew was a robotics genius." Dr. Possible recalled. "Anyway, the science department at MIST was having its end of semester mixer and…this was before I met your mother…well…your dad wasn't exactly a ladies' man, if you know what I mean." Chuckling, James continued, "Neither were Bob and Ramesh. Drew told us he'd line up dates for us and…"
"He didn't bring any." Kim finished.
"Oh no…" James chuckled, "He brought a date all right…it was a prototype sex-bot he called bebe."
"Ewwww…" Kim grimaced.
"Yeah." James agreed.
"Everyone…me included…started mocking and laughing at Drew and his sex-bot. Drew dropped out a couple of days later and just disappeared. I don't think he ever forgave us." Shaking his head, James admitted, "And…I have to confess…it wasn't my finest hour either. He was supposed to be my friend, but when the chips were down, I joined the others in making fun of him. Some friend I turned out to be." Looking down on his daughter, James gently advised, "At least consider giving Ron a chance and if he does fail…be there to support him."
"Thanks, Dad." Kim, not really swayed by her father's argument, replied as she got up. I think I'll go to bed now. I'll talk to Ron in the morning."
Bueno Nachos
"I guess for Ron this passes as comfort food." Tara joked as the blond-haired boy dug into his third naco with an extra helping of cheese and diablo sauce.
"Make sure Kim gets a good whiff of all that gas you're going to be passing tomorrow, Ron." Hope jibed as the object of the girls' playful jabs continued to nosh down on the overstuffed beef, bean, cheese, and tortilla concoction.
Taking a break from his serial eating after the mention of his best friend's name, Ron plaintively begged, "Please…tell me the truth…was I really any good or should I just quit while I'm only a little behind?"
"You've got the makings of a good program." Tara honestly replied, "The foaming at the mouth was maybe a bit extreme, but you've got some good moves. You just need a little more work and polish."
"Yeah." Hope agreed, "Don't let Bonnie and Kim get you down. Okay…your routine's a little raw right now but work and practice will take care of that."
"And we'll help you out." Tara offered as Hope nodded her head in agreement. "We can get together before or after school and help you with your routine."
"You'd do that?" Ron asked with a surprised look on his face, "Really?"
"Of course." Hope answered back. "We can get started tomorrow—right, bestie?"
"Right." Tara replied, "So…since there's no cheerleader practice scheduled for tomorrow, why don't we do it afterschool?"
"Okay!" Ron grinned, "Thanks, girls. I really mean it." He said with a grave look on his face as Rufus, popping out of a naco that he had buried himself in, blew kisses to the two girls.
Middleton High Gym
"Much better, Ron!" Hope grinned as the would-be mascot finished executing his routine. "Think he's ready for a couple more advanced moves, T?"
"Yeah." Tara nodded her head and then instructed the blond boy who had just taken his mascot mask off. "This time, Ron, we're going to bring you into a routine that we do. It's just a basic set—nothing fancy. Watch us first, and then join us, only bring in a few funny moves."
"Don't overdo it." Hope advised, "Remember what we talked about? You want the audience in on the joke—not laughing at you."
"Got it." Ron nodded his head, "I'm ready when you are."
After about thirty minutes more of practice, the two girls called a halt. "I think we've done enough." Hope announced. Smiling at Ron, she praised, "You're doing good. Keep up the practice and don't be afraid to improvise."
"Yeah." Tara agreed as she tossed a towel at Ron. "Practice makes perfect. Well…we're gonna hit the showers. Have a good night Ron and…if you need to talk…you've got our numbers."
"Thanks, girls." Ron smiled as he watched the two cheerleaders walk to the locker rooms.
"They're setting you up, Ron."
Turning about, Ron saw his best friend approaching with a concerned look on her face, "They're setting you up for one of their pranks."
"Kim they're not setting me up!" Ron let out a sigh of exasperation. "They think the routine is good."
"It's stupid, Ron." Kim shook her head, "And all the other cheerleaders—other than the Dirty Pair—agree with me. You just don't get it! They're using you for laughs."
"They believe in me!" Ron cried, "Which is more than I can say for my best friend!"
Momentarily stunned by that outburst, Kim stood mouth agape as Rufus emerged from Ron's pocket and blew her a raspberry. However, before the fight could escalate to the point where words could not be easily taken back, Kim's Kimmunicator beeped. At once recognizing Wade's number, the redhead heaved an inaudible sigh of relief, Thanks, Wade. I owe you one. "Go Wade."
"Got a weird one, Kim."
"I know what you mean, Wade." Kim responded, giving Ron a pointed look.
Coming close to a line, Kim. Ron thought to himself. Please don't cross it.
"A Professor Ramesh from the Mount Middleton Observatory needs help."
"Ramesh…" Kim racked her memory, "Oh yeah…he's a friend of my father's. What's the sitch?"
"It seems that Ramesh's partner, Professor Chen, is missing."
Chen? Kim thought to herself, That's another friend of Dad's. "On it, Wade." Kim replied, "Can you set me up with a ride?"
"Yeah…no problem." Wade promptly responded.
"Thanks. I'll bring along the Man with a Thousand Faces."
"Don't worry about me, Kim." Ron declared through clenched teeth, barely holding his temper in check. "I can get there on my own."
Watching as her friend stomped off, Kim heaved a sigh, "Nice going, Possible. Keep this up, and you won't have a friend to worry about."
Thanks to a traffic control helicopter pilot who owed Kim a favor, the teen hero landed next to the observatory. Better check on the Mad Dog. She thought grimly to herself. "Ron? She said into her Kimmunicator, "Ron…are you there?"
"Can't…hear…you…bad…reception…" Ron's voice came through the speaker.
"Ron!" Kim sighed, "I know you're faking it. Come on!"
"Sorry…can't…interference…"
Before Kim could say something she was liable to regret later, a cry came out from the observatory.
"Help! Stay back!"
"Professor Ramesh!" Kim shouted, darting into the building. "Where are you?"
"Bebe…Bebe…Bebe…"
"What?" Kim exclaimed.
"Kim Possible." A somewhat feminine mechanical voice droned, "Threat level minimal."
A high pitched whining noise rang out throughout the building, forcing the young teen to her knees as she covered her ears with her hands in a vain effort to block the noise. After a short while, the keening sound ceased. Standing up and looking about, Kim gritted her teeth as she noticed that the professor was missing. Then, hearing a familiar bicycle bell ring, she clenched her fists and counted to ten as her sidekick entered obviously out of breath.
"Ron? Fat lot of help you were!" Kim growled.
"What did I do this time?" Ron retorted, raising his voice as well.
"You happy now?" Kim all but shouted, "Those robots took Professor Ramesh!"
"Robots?" Ron shook his head. "Let me guess…" The blond sidekick didn't even bother to hide his growing frustration at his best friend, "You're blaming me because three robots came in and took the professor. What were you expecting me to do? After all, I'm not good enough to be a lousy mascot—how am I supposed to stop three killer robots!"
Sensing that the situation was about to escalate out of control, Kim took a deep breath and turning about, walked out of the building leaving Ron, grumbling a series of inaudible curses that could very easily have ended a friendship standing alone by the desk. Looking down at the desk, Ron noticed a picture. "Hmmm…that looks like Professor Ramesh back when he went to school at MIST. And that man…" Ron pointed at another young man in the photo, "…has to be Dr. Chen." Ron's eyes then fell on the third man in the photo, instantly recognizing him, "And that's Dr. P!" The blond sidekick exclaimed. "Kim's dad's probably the next target! I need to go and…No…" he decided, changing his mind, "We don't need her, Rufus. We can do this ourselves. Come on. I've got an idea."
Putting his plan into motion, Ron whispered to his rodent companion. "All we have to do now, little buddy, is wait."
The blond sidekick didn't have to wait long as he woke up startled by a high pitched whine and mechanical voices, "Subject…Dr. Possible. Directive…capture. Doctor…we have come for you."
Middleton Space Center
"I can't believe Possible." Hope shook her head in disbelief. "She called a last minute practice session to make up for the one that got cancelled."
"Yeah." Tara growled, "I got the same text."
"Sounds like the Princess is PMSing." Shego laughed.
"More like RMSing." Tara snarked. "Got a call from him last night. Said he got into it with the Princess. Something about not needing her and taking care of it himself. To be honest, that kinda worried me."
"He's a big boy." Shego replied with a shrug of her shoulders. "Gotta let him make his own mistakes. Besides, it'll be good for him to get away from Momma Bear."
"Yeah." Tara nodded her head, "You're right. I just hope he hasn't gotten himself into something more than he can handle."
"So…what do you want to tell Kimmie?" Hope asked as the three women changed into combat gear. "We've obviously got more important stuff to do and I can think of about twenty thousand reasons why I'm not going to that practice."
"Pick one and tell her." Tara laughed, "But don't take reason thirty-two. I'm using that one." As she typed out the text and showed it to her companions, both of them chuckled.
"Oh…she's just going to love that." Shego snorted.
"She's going to have to be a contortionist to pull that one off." Hope laughed.
"Okay…" Shego announced as the three women finished their last minute checks, "Serious faces. As of now, we're on the clock."
Middleton High
"Okay…" Bonnie announced as she approached her redheaded rival. "We've got everyone here but the Dirty Pair."
"Yeah." Kim responded through gritted teeth. "They're not coming. I just got texts from them."
"So…what did they say? Or can't you repeat it."
"See for yourself." Kim replied with a grimace as she showed Bonnie the texts.
Letting out a low whistle, Bonnie quipped, "Kim…if you can do that, then you've got a career in porn waiting for you."
"Kimberly Ann Possible!"
"Dad?" Kim looked up in surprise. "What are you doing here?"
"Where's Ronald?" James demanded as he stormed angrily towards his daughter.
"He's not here!" Kim answered back, "What did he do this time?"
"Well that hole in the roof of my car for starters!" Dr. Possible replied.
"Hole in the car roof?" Kim responded with a look of surprise on her face, "Why would Ron want to put a hole in the roof of your car?"
"He came over to the house and said something about a mission." James explained before demanding, "Do you know anything about this?"
"What mission?" Kim asked with a puzzled look on her face, "Honestly, Dad, I don't know what you're talking about. Let me get Wade. He might have an idea as to what's going on here." Taking out her Kimmunicator, she hit the speed dial button for Team Possible's techie. "Wade? Ron's missing. Do you know where he might be?"
"Kim!" Wade protested, "Do you think I have Ron microchipped or something. Seeing the pointed look the young redhead on his computer monitor was giving him, the dark-skinned young boy ruefully admitted, "All right…I do. Give me a moment. Okay…I've got him. Just follow the signal."
"Thanks, Wade. And…" The teenaged hero added in a grave tone, "Later on we're gonna have a talk about chipping people without their knowledge and consent."
Middleton Space Center
"Okay…" Tara said as the three women gathered at the manhole cover that provided access to the tunnel leading to the underground entry to the warehouse fifty yards in front of them. "Go time. Give us ten minutes to get into position and then do that thing you do, Cheeky."
Her lips turning up in an evil grin, the green-skinned supervillainess responded in a silky smooth voice, "Oh…don't worry, Cutie, I'm gonna light up their lives."
"Ready, Hope?" Tara asked, turning to her best friend.
Taking a deep breath and exhaling, the olive-skinned cheerleader responded with a slight grin, "Ready. Let's do this."
Dr. Ramesh, standing underneath a bubble prison next to his old friends, Dr. Chen and Dr. Possible, queried in a shaky voice, "What's going on here? Who's behind this?"
"It's got to be some villain who needs our scientific genius to take over the world." Dr. Chen responded, his companions not sure if he was being sincere or sarcastic.
"There's only one genius here!" A blue-skinned man declared as he entered the room accompanied by three female looking robots, "Me…Dr. Drakken!"
"Drew?" Doctor Chen exclaimed as he recognized the villain holding him and his friends prisoner, "Drew Lipsky?"
"That's not Drew Lipsky!" The individual pretending to be Dr. Possible announced as he removed his mask, "It's Dr. Drakken. Drakken…" Ron exclaimed, "…you're in for a world of hurt!"
"So…Kim Possible is near." Drakken's lips turned up in a predatory grin. "I'm curious to see how she fares against my killer bebes."
"Ummm…" Ron stammered, "About that…"
"We're in position." Tara vocalized, Drakken's communicator working as advertised, carried her signal to the supervillainess crouched near the skylight on the roof. "I count two baddies carrying assault rifles and wearing body armor. Switching over to armor piercing rounds."
"I count two more armed with submachine guns. Also with body armor." Hope reported. "Switching over to armor piercing too."
"I count four by the bomb." Shego announced. "I've got them. Cutie you take yours out. Sorry, Cheerleader…you're going to have to get your hands dirty here."
"I…understand." Hope said in a soft voice. "I…won't let you guys down."
"We know you won't, luv." Tara said encouragingly. Aim for their legs for your first shots—they're not protected by body armor and if we take 'em out fast enough and they're still alive, we can bandage them up enough so they don't bleed out. But if you have to…"
"I understand."
"On Five." Shego called out. "Four…Three…Two…One…NOW!" Crashing through the skylight, Shego let out a fierce war cry as she threw out a plasma ball at the four clustered armed troopers. "Eat hot plasma, bastards."
Taking careful aim, Tara squeezed off two rounds, bringing down one of her men, but missed the other who ducked for cover, firing off a burst from his rifle as he did so.
Taking her shots, Hope also brought down the first of her foes with a leg shot, bringing him down crying out in pain to the floor as the other taking cover behind a crate, opened fire.
"Your grenade." Tara vocalized to her friend. "Ready?"
"Ready." Hope said as she took her grenade out and prepared to toss it.
"Come on!" Shego challenged as she slashed at one of the terrorists who attempted to fire at her with his rifle, "Show me what you got!" Slashing her opponent's armor off with one cut, the supervillainess followed up her strike with a quick kick that sent him to the floor. "Who's next?"
"Now, Hope, Toss 'em!" Tara commanded as she donned her gas mask shouting, "Fire in the hole!"
Quickly donning her gas mask, Shego lashed out at the last standing terrorist, bringing him down with a wheelhouse kick followed up with a punch to the solar plexus.
"I think that's it." Tara said as the team quickly bandaged and bound the survivors. "Casualties?"
"One of my guys wounded, but stable. The other one puking his guts out and tied up." Hope reported, heaving an inaudible sigh of relief that she was able to avoid killing—this time.
"Same for my guys." Tara announced. "What about you Shego?"
"Two knocked out and bound." The dark-haired villainess declared, "Two fried to a crisp."
"Okay." Tara commanded, "We don't have much time before the military and Global Justice are all over this place like flies on shit, so let's get what we can and scarper out of here."
"Right." Hope said as she started to download files from a computer while Tara rifled through the hard copy files and Shego affixed a tiny device to the bomb.
"One of Dr. D's inventions." The villainess explained, "It'll disarm the bomb and render any fissionable components unusable." Smiling in satisfaction as the device changed color from red to green, Shego announced, "That bomb's nothing more than an overgrown paperweight now."
"Great." Tara grinned, "Let's get the hell outta here. Party at my house. Cheeky—know any guys?"
"Yeah." The green-skinned villainess winked, "I think we can even find one for Hope over here. You legal, Cheerleader?"
"Yeah. My birthday was last week. Just be sure he's a hottie." Hope answered back with a wicked grin.
"Oh…I can guarantee you he'll be a hottie." Shego grinned. "Just think of this as my birthday present."
Hearing the sound of sirens, Tara exclaimed, "Time to scarper, girls!"
Drakken was in full rant mode as he turned his attention on his robots. "You know…I programmed you with just enough emotion so that you would be ashamed of failing like this. I have never seen anything as slipshod as this! I expect more from my lackeys! Now…get out of here and bring me Dr. Possible!"
Bursting into the room with her father, Kim, at once recognizing her foe, "Drakken!"
"Kim Possible…and…her father…" Drakken growled, "My two most hated nemeses."
"Me?" James exclaimed, "What did I ever do to you?"
"You don't even remember me!" A near hysterical Drakken shouted, "You were supposed to be my friend! You ruined my life and now…Now…"
"Drew?" James exclaimed with a look of astonishment on his face, "Drew Lipsky? What happened to you?"
"What do you think happened?" Drakken screamed and then, settling down somewhat, explained, "After you all humiliated and ridiculed me I dropped out and swore to get even with you and now…I am going to do just that. Meet my new improved and perfect killer bebes!"
"Question…" One of the bebes said in its monotone voice, "If we are perfect, why do we obey one who is imperfect? Conclusion: Drakken is unfit to command."
Moving quickly, Kim attacked, punching, kicking, dodging and sidestepping from one robot to the other. While she was holding her own, Ron knew that there was no way she could win for the very simple reason that sooner or later she would tire while the bebes wouldn't.
"You're all supposed to be geniuses!" Ron cried out, "Can't one of you think of something?"
Seeing his daughter beginning to tire, Dr. Possible grabbed Ron's Kimmunicator. "Wade? I need a sonic disruption. Make it loud and ultra-high frequency."
Figuring out Kim's father's plan, Wade grinned, "Something that can jam a wireless signal?"
"Please and thank you." Dr. Possible replied.
"Threat from Dr. Possible…" One of the bebes stated, "Substantial. Electronic device must be destroyed." Shifting their focus from Kim to her father, the bebes grasped for him and the Kimmunicator he was carrying.
"Dr. Possible! I'm open!" Ron shouted, raising his arms and waving them. Seeing Ron frantically waving, James threw the Kimmunicator, saying a silent prayer as the device flew through the air to land safely in the hands of Kim's friend.
"Now, Ron!" Wade commanded, "Press the button!"
"Pressing button!"
"Hive mind connection…lost…" The bebes stammered as they squealed once and then collapsed in motionless heaps.
"Good job Kim…Dr. P." Ron exclaimed as he joined his best friend and her father.
Shaking his head, Dr. Possible said in a solemn voice to his friends, "All that bitterness and anger eating at Drew…and we're partly to blame for it. If we'd have been a bit more compassionate…a bit more understanding…"
"You're not going to turn into an evil supervillain wearing a mask because I've been mean to you, are you, Ron?" Kim asked with a sad smile on her face.
"If I said yes, would you let me do my Mad Dog routine?" Ron asked with a smile.
"No." Kim smiled back, "But I would do it because you're my friend."