Middleton High—Mr. Amberson's Classroom—Chess Club
"I just got the news!" Paul Gertz called out enthusiastically as he burst into the classroom, only to pause as he saw the sharp looks given to him by Mr. Amberson and the assembled players. "Sorry…" The young man apologized, "But I just thought everyone would want to know that Jordan is coming back to school on Monday."
As Paul's words sunk in, the entire classroom erupted in cheers and applause.
"That is good news." Mr. Amberson said with a slight smile on his face as he rose from his desk.
"Da!" Sergei echoed. "That means that he'll be here for Spirit Week."
"What about the bullies who beat him up?" Jermaine asked, speaking to Dave Ponder, whose father had been in charge of the case.
"They've been arrested and charged." Dave answered back. "I'm not sure what's going to happen now though. Dad says he doesn't want to say or do anything that might get the case thrown out."
"Smart man." Tara observed. "If I were to make a bet though, I'd say that they're gonna get one or more of the little fishies to roll over on the leader in exchange for them getting probation or something similar and then throw the book at the bastard who led them."
Hope agreed with her housemate. "If he's near or over eighteen, I wouldn't be surprised if they try him as an adult."
"Either way, they're gonna make an example out of that toerag." Tara declared with a scowl. "They try him as an adult, he goes to gaol. If juvenile, he'll be in whatever you use to lock up juvies until he's eighteen." Her smile returning to her face, she remarked, "Looks like Jordan is going to be able to make his date with us."
"Yeah." Hope nodded her head, "We need to pass the good word on to Kim and the other cheerleaders after school."
"You know what I'm thinking would be a good idea/" Liz chimed in.
"What?" Kevin prompted, already knowing the answer.
"We should throw him a little party here." The redheaded cheerleader suggested. "Nothing fancy. Just cake and ice cream and some sodas. We can get everything we need after school and then do it tomorrow. So?" She pleaded as she turned her best puppy dog pout on Mr. Amberson.
"I have no problems with it as long as you promise to clean up afterwards." The chess club advisor replied with a slight grin.
"It's set then." Tara announced, "Tomorrow during lunch we throw Jordan a welcome back party here."
Bueno Nachos—After school
"Ron!" Cindy Grouse exclaimed as she made a face that combined both astonishment and disgust. "Don't tell me you're actually going to eat that entire naco in one gulp."
"He is." Zita interjected, shaking her head. "And don't ask me how he crams the whole thing down his mouth but he finds a way to do it."
"It reminds me of what I saw in one of those wildlife documentaries." Oscar Willemsen laughed, "They showed a snake swallowing a whole chicken alive."
"Wait until he does this a half dozen more times." Kim laughed as she and Josh watched the spectacle with the other couples.
"I heard on the news last night that you two saved that ambassador who was being held hostage." Oscar remarked as Zita wiped off the remnants of Ron's feast from his mouth with a napkin.
"Yeah." Kim replied modestly. "Although I wouldn't really call them terrorists."
"Well…what were they?" Cindy asked, "Plain old ordinary crooks?"
Nodding her head, Kim affirmed, "Yeah. The ambassador just happened to be at the bank the crooks decided to rob. Once they figured out who he was, they began to make these crazy demands."
"What did they want?" Jessica inquired before taking a bite from her taco.
"A billion euros deposited in a Cayman Islands banking account, a helicopter, free backstage passes to Britina's next concert…"
"That's all?" Steve laughed.
"Oh…she hasn't even told you the best yet." Ron laughed, "Go ahead and tell 'em KP."
"Nah…" Kim smiled at her best friend, "I'll let you do it."
"Okay." Run chuckled, "They also wanted a lifetime supply of Pop-Pop Warner's flash frozen mini-corndogs and Shego's autograph."
"I can't wait to tell Tara that." Kim laughed, "She'll have fun passing that on to Shego."
"So…where are the Dirty Pair and Sergei?" Oscar asked as he scanned the restaurant. "Didn't they say they were coming?"
"They ran a little late at the chess club." Kim replied with a slight grin, "They said they had good news about that boy who got hurt by those bullies last semester…"
"Jordan Cross?" Zita interjected, "I'd heard on the news where the police had arrested the slimeballs who did that to him."
"Yeah." Kim nodded her head as her two best female friends and their boyfriend entered the restaurant. Her lips breaking out in a wide grin as she waved the trio over to where she and the others were sitting. "Hope…Tara…Sergei! Over here!"
"I'll pull up some chairs for you." Steve announced as he got up and grabbed three unused chairs from a nearby table.
"So what's up with Jordan?" Jessica asked, "I hope he's doing better."
"He is." Sergei responded as he came back with a tray of nacho plates and sodas. Sitting down between his girlfriends, he elaborated, "Your visits lifted his spirits enormously. I think they also played a big part in convincing his parents to let him come back to school here."
"That and the police arresting those toerags." Tara interjected as she dipped a nacho into cheese sauce.
"You know what we ought to do…" Kim prompted with a warm smile on her face, "…we should meet him at the school entrance Monday morning and welcome him back. I know we're having a party for him tomorrow at lunch, but…"
"What's everyone talking about?" Kevin Guberman asked as he approached the table along with his girlfriend, Liz Magnusson, the other redheaded Middleton cheerleader.
After filling him in on their plans for a welcome back greeting for Jordan at the school entrance, the chess club's captain smiled. "We just saw him. He's looking much better and is ready to come back. He said he can't wait to get back to playing chess and hanging out with everyone in the computer and gaming clubs."
"We've missed him at our meetings too." Zita remarked, chuckling as she recollected, "Until Ron and I paid him a visit a couple of months ago—when we first started dating—I never knew that he was Jericho the Gallant…"
Seeing the confused looks on their friend's faces, Ron interjected, explaining, "We found out he's in our Everlot guild. He's been our paladin for months and we didn't know until he told us…"
"So we called up Zoe and Crystal and got Felix on video chat and we had an in person guild meeting and party." Zita laughed. "You should have seen the look on his face when he found out that our healer was a cheerleader…"
"And then found out what our ranger Zoe did for a living." Ron guffawed, then thoughtfully commented. "I think almost all of us have now met in person or in online chat now."
"There's still a few we haven't met in person yet." Zita pointed out as she fed her boyfriend a nacho. "But they're kinda in and out. We're the core group."
"What about that girl who was slipped that date-rape drug?" Cindy asked, recalling last semester's incident.
"Margaret?" Jessica responded with a somber shake of her head as Steve gently squeezed her hand. "It's a mixed bag. The good news is that they're pretty sure that they've cleaned out her system where the physical addiction is gone. But mentally…"
"She's suffering from hallucinations and delusions." Steve interjected. "Her parents have sent her to a treatment center in Arizona that's supposed to be one of the best in the country when it comes to dealing with this sort of thing. Hopefully…" the young shortstop sighed, "…she'll be back next fall."
"Any word on finding out who's been making this crap?" Josh asked.
"Sheila had been beating the bushes, but I haven't heard from her in a while—not since that caper you guys had in Vegas." Tara replied,
"You have any idea what might be going on?" Kim asked.
"Maybe." Tara answered back, "I'll talk to you about it later."
"Anyway…" Hope declared, "T and I have been following up some leads of our own. My bestie's got a few connections that are keeping their ears and eyes open."
"I got a feeling these are the sort of connections that we're better off not knowing who they are." Kevin wryly commented.
"You might say that." Tara let out a small laugh. "While they're not going to get put up for sainthood any time in the near future, they don't like this shite any more than we do. They find out anything, they'll let us know."
"So…" Oscar asked, deliberately shifting the conversation to a lighter topic as he opened a packet of medium sauce and poured it on his taco, "…everyone ready for Spirit Dance."
"Yeah." Kim smiled as she squeezed her boyfriend's hand, "We went shopping for dresses last weekend. One thing I'll say about Jack Hench…" The teen chuckled, "He does keep up to his end of a deal…" turning her head to her blonde friend, she winked conspiratorially, "… even if I didn't know I was making one at the time."
"Just looking out for one of my BFF's and our mate." Tara smirked. "Hope and I figured he'd play on your good nature, so we called him and I told him I was your agent and…"
"Ron and I found ourselves each ten thousand dollars richer." Kim let out a snort.
"So…what did you do with your sudden windfall?" Kevin asked.
"Put half of it into my college fund." Kim confessed, "Then took the rest and went shopping with T and H."
Flashing evil grins, Tara and Hope smirked as the blonde Englishwoman spoke, "We hit Blarney's and went a little barmy in the women's section."
"A little barmy?" Kim chuckled, "You should have seen the look on Dad's face when he saw me in that dress!" Giving her boyfriend a quick kiss on his nose, she winked coyly, "Just wait 'til you see what I bought with my ill-gotten gains"
"You too, baby." Hope smiled flirtatiously as she gave her boyfriend a quick kiss.
"Promise you, luv." Tara winked coyly as she also gave Sergei a kiss, "It'll be worth it."
"What did you do with your money, Ron?" Jessica asked with a wicked grin.
"Hope and Tara made me put most of it into a college account that I can't touch until I graduate or turn twenty-one." Ron confessed sheepishly, "But they let me keep enough for spending so that I could buy a new outfit for Spirit Dance, take Zita out to a nice restaurant and dancing afterwards, and still have enough money to hit the arcade and J.P. Bearymore's all you can eat pizza buffet"
"Which we're gonna do tomorrow night." Zita interjected with a smile as she gave a conspiratorial wink to the Dirty Pair who smirked back in response. "The dinner and dancing at a nice restaurant that is. The arcade and pizza's for next weekend."
"What about the rest of you?" Jessica asked.
Smiling shyly as he held Zita's hand, Ron confessed, "This will be the first time I'll be going to a school dance with my girlfriend instead of my best friend. I gotta admit, it feels a little weird…but a good weird—if you know what I mean." Glancing fondly at his childhood friend, Ron smiled shyly, "No offense, Kim."
"None taken, Ron." The lovely redhead smiled warmly at her old companion as she squeezed her boyfriend's hand. "I'm just happy you found someone who makes you feel as good as I do right now."
"Yeah, Ron." Steve affirmed as both him and Kevin nodded their heads in understanding. "We understand."
Chuckling, Kevin quipped, "This will be the first school dance I've ever gone to. I wouldn't have gone to this one if I hadn't met Liz."
"And this is the first dance I've gone to with someone I really like and want to be with." Liz declared with a sigh. "All the other times, I was pressured by Bonnie and Marcella to date a jock high up on the food chain."
"I think this is the first dance most of us have gone to with dates we really want to be with." Jessica acknowledged. Shaking her head, the normally upbeat blonde cheerleader remarked somberly, "I just feel bad for Crystal. I know she wants to bring Zoe as her date instead of as a guest, but…"
Letting out a breath of air, Cindy commiserated, "I know. It's not fair. Isn't there anything we can do?"
"Not really, luv." Tara sadly replied. "It's not so much Bonnie and her mob. Crystal and Zoe couldn't give two shits what they think. It's that…"
"Crystal's parents would have a major shitfit if they found out she was gay and that her girlfriend worked as a stripper." Hope interjected with a grimace. "That's what's really keeping those two in the closet."
"I guess I can see that." Oscar nodded his head. "I gotta admit, it took me a little bit of time and some talking with Cindy before I was able to accept their relationship. I guess I'm a bit old fashioned about this stuff."
"Crystal's parents are kinda like that." Jessica remarked. "I think in time they'd come around to her being gay but going out with a stripper…" she shook her head, "…that's probably a bridge too far for them."
"So are they planning on telling them eventually?" Kevin asked.
"Yeah." Jessica responded, "If they're still together, they're planning on coming out to her folks once she and Zoe graduate and Zoe gets a job in her field."
"I can see why they'd want to do that." Steve nodded his head, adding in a cautionary voice, "But they better be ready just in case because these things have a habit of sometimes coming out at the worst possible times and in the worst possible places and in the worst possible ways."
"Ain't that the truth." Ron agreed before turning the conversation to a more cheery topic, "So…who's up for watching dvds?"
"At your place?" Tara laughed, "No way. We'll go to our place. There I can enjoy my gin and tonic and smoke a cigarette."
"So…movies at Tara and Hope's?"
"Hell yeah!"
Monique and Bonnie
"So…how's it hanging, B?" Monique cautiously inquired of her best friend as she walked with Bonnie through the mall.
"If you're asking whether I've killed my sisters yet…" Bonnie Rockwaller let out a snort of laughter, "…then, no. They went back to college after spring break and won't be back until the semester ends. Also…Dad's on a business trip out of town, so he won't be home until the end of next week either. So…for a week or so…it's just me and Mom."
"Well…that gives you something of a breather." Monique observed as the two teenagers entered the food court and steered a course towards Salad Greens.
"Not as much as you might think." Bonne grumbled as the pair, finally making it to the head of the line, made their orders and after taking their salads, retired to a vacant table. "Mon's been paying extra-special attention to me." Shaking her head, the teal-eyed brunette speared a cherry tomato with her fork. "I don't know which is worse…being totally ignored or smothered with attention." After popping the tomato into her mouth and swallowing it, the teenager commented ruefully, "Even if she means well."
After taking a sip of her iced tea, Monique replied with a slight nod of her head, "Yeah. I guess I see what you mean. On the one hand, no one pays attention to you, but on the other, you never get a moment's peace."
"Exactly!" Bonnie exclaimed. Changing the subject, the lovely brunette asked, "So…hear any juicy gossip."
"Yeah." Monique responded after swallowing a forkful of salad greens. "That boy who got beat up last semester…Jordan Cross…remember?"
"Vaguely." Bonnie replied in a bored tone, "What of him?"
"He's coming back to school on Monday."
"So…what does that have to do with us?" Bonnie let out a snort. "He's just a chess nerd who got a few minutes of fame because he got stomped on by some bullies. He's so low down on the food chain that most of us have forgotten all about him."
"LMP and the Dirty Pair haven't forgot." Monique countered pointedly. "They're planning a big welcoming party for him Monday morning in front of the school and then a party at the chess club during lunch."
"Those bitches!" Bonnie cursed under her breath, "They're trying to undercut me."
"Of course they are." Monique acknowledged, letting out a slight snort, "Naturally they'll say that all they're doing is being nice to the boy…but we know the truth…they're setting you up to look bad. GF…" the chocolate-skinned teenager warned, "…you've got to make a point of showing up and making sure everyone sees you."
'You're right." Bonnie nodded her head in agreement. "I'll need a new outfit that'll stand out…" The teal-eyed teen mused.
Her lips turning up in a sly grin, Monique prompted as she pointed to the Club Banana store. "And I know the perfect one…and since I'm on good terms with the manager, I think I can get you a discount on top of the one you already have as a Club Banana charter member."
"Thanks." Bonnie replied with a wicked smirk, "So…did you…"
"Get LMP's charter membership cancelled?" Monique chuckled evilly, "Hell yeah. Not that it matters that much to her anyway, seeing as she's doing much of her shopping now at Blarney's with her slut friends."
"Since when does Kimmie get the dough to shop at a place like Blarney's?" Bonnie exclaimed with a huff.
"Most likely by whoring herself out along with her two gal pals." Monique answered back with a snide smirk.
"Probably." Bonnie, half-jokingly, replied with a wicked grin on her face, "Too bad we can't catch her actually doing that. Imagine what everyone would say if they were to find out their Little Miss Perfect had a secret life as a high-class call girl."
Drakken's Caribbean Lair
"Pack up, Shego." Drakken commanded as he glanced up from his computer terminal. "We are going to Tokyo."
"Why?" The green-skinned villainess inquired as she sat in her favorite lounger nonchalantly filing her nails. "Got a new plan to conquer the world."
"You might say that." The mad scientist replied with a cackle. "Now…get ready."
"Are we bringing along any henchmen?" Shego asked as she reluctantly rose to her feet.
"No." Drakken answered back. "Only the two of us will be necessary for this."
"All right." Shego acknowledged, "I'm going. But I better get some down time so I can do some shopping on the Ginza."
His lips turning up in an evil grin as he returned to his work, Dr. Drakken responded in a voice that, while seemingly good humored, carried an undercurrent of something more sinister. "Oh…you'll get your down time, Shego. I promise you." One way or the other.
As she walked away, the raven-haired beauty felt a cold chill suddenly run down her spine. Why the fuck do I suddenly feel like a turkey the day before Thanksgiving.
Once he was sure that his sidekick was safely out of the room and the door had closed behind her, Drakken typed a simple message and hitting enter, sent the encrypted email to its destination.
Procced as planned.
"If you are truly loyal to me, Shego, then you will have nothing to fear. But, if I find that it has been you that has been the serpent in my garden…let's just say that death will be a pleasant alternative for what I have in store for you."
Middleton High Monday—Spirit Week Begins.
As the skinny young man exited the rear of a cream colored sedan that parked in front of the high school, his eyes widened at the sight before him. The Middleton cheerleaders, with pom-poms in hand, lined up on either side, forming a corridor up the stairs for him to walk through. Looking up, he saw a sign hanging from the front of the building spelling out in large capital letters in Middleton school colors, "Welcome Back Jordan!" Pausing for a moment, the young man took of his glasses and, taking out a tissue, wiped the tears forming in his eyes. Taking a deep breath, Jordan Cross walked up the stairs where Mr. Amberson and his fellow chess club members stood with big smiles on their faces.
"Welcome back, Jordan." Mr. Amberson said as he held out his hand in greeting.
"Thank you, Sir." Jordan responded shyly as he shook the calculus teacher's hand. "I…I'm sorry I couldn't make it for Regionals this year…"
"That's all right, young man." The chess club sponsor replied, smiling warmly at the returning student. "What's important is that you are with us now." Glancing as Tara and the other cheerleaders, including Bonnie walked up and surrounded the young boy, he remarked with a gentle laugh, "I think there are some pretty ladies who want you to walk them to class." Giving the returning student a gentle prompt, Mr. Amberson winked, "You know what they say, Jordan…it's never good to keep a lady…or in this case, several ladies…waiting."
Smiling inwardly as he watched Jordan and the cheerleaders enter the school, Mr. Barkin waited until they were safely inside before barking to the students still hanging around outside, "Show's over, everyone! You have until the bell rings to get to your homerooms before I start handing out detentions!"
Three muscular boys were also watching the display, the looks on their faces anything but welcoming to the returning student. "Look at him." The leader of the tiny group of thugs spat out. "Getting all the attention and all the girls."
"It ain't right." The second boy, thinner and with a tattoo on his arm, growled. "We used to own D-Wing."
"So…" The third boy grumbled, "What are we gonna do about it?"
The leader replied, "I've got a plan. We're gonna fix that runt."
"Cool." The second bully smirked, "What is it?"
"I'll tell ya later." The ringleader answered back with an evil grin as he scanned the full hallway. "Too many people around now. Just be ready when I give the word."
"When I get home I'm gonna soak for an entire hour in the tub." Amelia grumbled to her fellow gal pals as they walked down the hallway to their next class.
"Tell me about it." Marcella replied as she walked beside Bonnie, "It's gonna take forever to scrub out nerd smell from having to go to that party."
"They ought to be thankful we even talked to them." Bonnie snidely remarked.
"Let the nerds have their little moment." Monique counseled. "After this week, everyone's gonna be hyped up for the baseball championships and track and field and everything else and then it's finishing out papers and prepping for finals. No one will even remember that boy's name after this weekend."
"You're right, M." Bonnie nodded her head in agreement. "The semester will be over soon and then it'll be summer and no one will even care about that nerd."
"Well…one good thing's come out of this little nerd awakening." Marcella smirked, "I got a date with Jason Morgan."
"Good catch." Bonnie remarked approvingly. "What about you, M.?" She asked, turning to her friend, recalling. "Didn't you go out on a date or two with Jason…"
"We didn't click." Monique answered back, smoothly hiding the real reason for her no longer going out with the basketball star. "Not to worry though. This girl always lands on her feet. I landed Johnny Baker…football team."
"Donny Edwards…track team." Amelia bragged, smiling at the teal-eyed cheerleader, "And I suppose you'll be going with Brick?"
"Who else?" Bonnie smirked before tartly adding, "At least some of us have our priorities straight as regards dating." Glaring at Liz walking hand in hand with Kevin Guberman, the status conscious cheerleader growled, "Unlike some people we know."
Tokyo—Drakken and Shego
"So…wanna tell me now why we are here, Dr. D?" Shego asked as she and her employer entered a safe house that Drakken had acquired earlier. And why am I stuck with you instead of sipping bourbon and cokes, dancing, and enjoying the Tokyo night life or breaking into some zaibatsu's penthouse and making off with his mistress's diamond necklace?
"We are here, Shego…" the blue-skinned mad scientist explained condescendingly to his associate, "…because I need your services in acquiring a very special item from the Nakasume toy factory."
"You brought us all the way to Tokyo…" Shego growled, letting out a snort of derision, "…to break into a toy factory? What…you want me to snatch something that you're missing from your Toho Kaiju Set?"
"No!" Drakken cried out, then added in a softer, more placating tone of voice, "Although if you do come across a Ghidorah action figure I'd pay you a bonus if you'd grab it for me." Pausing for a moment, the mad scientist further explained, "No…it's not the toys or video games I want. It's the control chip for the automatic factory that I am after. I have plans for that." He finished; his lips turned up in an evil grin. "So…when is the best time to strike?"
"After midnight." Shego replied immediately. "There'll just be a skeleton staff manning the factory at that hour."
"Do you see any problems dealing with them?" Drakken inquired.
"No. They won't cause any trouble" The green-skinned villainess shook her head, shrugging her shoulders nonchalantly. "They're mostly cleaning and maintenance crew with a few security and any guards that are there will be unarmed. If everything goes right…and it never does…we should be in and out without them or anyone else noticing. To be honest, I'm more worried about tripping silent alarms. I can catch and deactivate most of them, but I can't guarantee that one won't slip by me. I'm good…damned good. But there are better out there. Bad news is that they either work for the other side or will charge you more than you're willing to pay. You sure we can get what you're looking for and get out fast?" She further cautioned, "We won't have much time."
"Not to worry, Shego." Drakken replied confidently. "We will have what I am looking for and be long gone by the time the authorities show up."
"We better." Shego muttered under her breath. Speaking aloud, she announced, "All right. I'm grabbing a quick nap and then we'll case the factory. Don't disturb me."
"Soon, Shego…" The evil mad scientist smirked as he watched his accomplice exit the room, "I will know where your true loyalties lie."
Middleton High—after Jordan's welcome back party
"I thought the party went rather well." Tara commented as she walked down the hall with Hope and their mutual boyfriend.
"Da." Sergei affirmed with a nod of his head. "I spoke a little with Jordan afterwards. He was happy to see everyone."
"How's he doing otherwise?" Kim asked as she and Ron joined the conversation.
"Better every day." The handsome Russian replied. "When those pridurki who beat him are tried and sentenced…I think that will give him closure."
"Yeah." Ron nodded his head in agreement as the tiny group reached their lockers. "He can start putting it all behind him then. Any idea on when the trial's gonna be?"
"Dave told me that his father said that the district attorney is planning on this summer."
"Good." Kim nodded her head in satisfaction as her Kimmunicator beeped. "The sooner the better." As it beeped again, she blushed, "I better get that." Hitting the accept button, she smiled as Wade's image appeared on the tiny screen. "What's the sitch?"
"We got a hit on your website." Wade responded, "From Tokyo. I've got some security cam footage from the front of the Nakasume Building. I'll stream it."
"Wait one, Wade." Kim quickly interjected, "I want Tara and Hope to take a look." Nodding her head at her friends, they along with Ron, paid attention to the footage being streamed on the tiny screen. "Drakken and Shego." The teen hero sighed, "Figures."
"That's why I haven't heard from Sheila in a while." Tara commented. "Drakken was planning this and he wanted to keep a close eye on her."
"I get the feeling this has something to do with what you said you couldn't talk about in front of everyone at BN last night." Kim surmised, lowering her voice to a barely audible whisper. Taking her friend's slight head nod as confirmation, the redhead nodded in agreement, "We can talk some more about it when Ron and I get back from Tokyo. What do you think they're doing"
"I'd say casing the building." Tara responded, "Drakken's the one giving it away. Sheila's a pro. See how she's sitting at the counter at that yakisoba stand?"
"Yeah." Kim nodded her head. "It looks like she's eating her soup while glancing at her smartphone."
"Just like the other people at the counter." Tara smirked, "What she's really doing is seeing who goes in and out and I'll bet she's paying special attention to shift changes and security movements." Pointing to Drakken, she commented with a wry grin. "Now look at little boy blue. Trench coat and hat pulled down to hide his blue skin and eyeing that door and the area like a tourist." Laughing, the blonde adventuress quipped, "I bet Cheeky's mad as a hatter right now."
"Why are they hitting the Nakasume factory?" Kim wondered aloud, "I mean it makes video games and toys…"
"Isn't it also a fully automated factory?" Ron interjected, "I remember Zita talking about that. She found out when she was online with Felix last week that it was all controlled by a special chip."
"That's what they're after!" Kim concluded as she turned to her partner. "You ready for a trip to Japan, Ron?"
"Yeah." Ron exclaimed, "What's even better is that it's on a school night! So…" He asked with a crooked grin, "How are we going to get there?"
"I'll phone a friend." Kim smirked as she hit a button on her speed dial." Britina? Hi, This is Kim Possible. Oh fine…how are you doing? That's spankin'! Could I ask a big favor of you? Thanks. I knew I could count on you. Ron and I need a fast ride to Tokyo. Yeah. Something that can get us there superfast. You do? Wow! Thanks a million. We'll meet you at the airport. Bye." Smiling, she turned to the blond boy standing next to her. "All set. Come on. Grab your mission clothes…we gotta move!"
Tara and Hope's house that evening
Heaving a dejected sigh, Tara reluctantly put out the cigarette she had been enjoying as her cell phone continued to ring. "Better be important, luv." Tara said into the phone as her housemate listened in with an amused grin.
"It is, Sweet Buns." A cockney accented voice replied from the speaker. "Remember that thing you asked me to look into?"
"Yeah, Jeremy." Tara, now alert and paying close attention, answered back as Hope, picking up on her best friend's heightened level of awareness, listened more closely. "Did you tumble on to something."
"You might say that luv." The British fixer replied, "It concerns those people you're after who are peddling that nasty shite to kids. Interested?"
"Fifty quid if your info pans out." Tara answered back as she settled in for the inevitable haggling session.
"A hundred and fifty, Sweet Buns. And only 'cause you're a good customer. This info has a short shelf life."
"A hundred." Tara countered, "And you know that's a fair price."
"Right then, luv…a hundred quid. You know where to send it." After a moment's pause, Jeremy tempted, "Chelsea's up against Manchester United this weekend. Put you down for your usual?"
"Yeah, luv." Tara positively responded.
"What about Sweet Lips? She want a piece of the action?"
Tara gave a questioning glance at Hope who, with a smirk, nodded her head, "Yeah, Jeremy." The raven-haired cheerleader spoke out. "Put me down for a hundred on Chelsea."
"Done and done." The fixer acknowledged, "Now to business. The bloke you're interested in is an accountant who works for this toff named Rockwaller…a banker or financier…something like that…"
"We're familiar with him." Tara, now with a look of concern on her face, replied. "Does your source say if Rockwaller's dirty?"
"Didn't say one way or the other, luv. All I know is that this bloke handles accounting and bookkeeping. Could be acting under Rockwaller or could be working his own scam. I figured you might wanna take a look for yourselves. Might pan out…might not."
"It's better than what we had yesterday." Hope opined as her housemate nodded her head in agreement.
"This is true." Speaking again to her fixer, Tara said her goodbyes, "Thanks Jeremy. The money's on its way."
"Pleasure doing business with you Sweet Buns…you too Sweet Lips. Me and the rest of the boyos at the pub are pulling for you. Give those bastards who are peddling that shite what for and throw a little extra on for us."
"Will do, Jeremy. Bye, luv."
"Bye, Jeremy!" Hope called out.
Setting down her cell phone and lighting a fresh cigarette, Tara turned to her housemate and smirked, "So, sweetie…up for paying Rockwaller Consulting and Management an after midnight visit?"
"Sounds like a plan to me." Hope responded with a grin of her own as she took a sip of wine. "So…" She offered as she made her way to the bar, "Gin and tonic?"
"Please and thank you, luv."
On a privately owned supersonic luxury jet flying over the Pacific
"Sweet ride!" Ron exclaimed with a laugh as he leaned back on the luxury seat he was sitting on.
"Yeah, Britina. Thanks a million." Kim echoed as she sipped her margarita.
"Don't mention it." The pop idol grinned, "Remember that time you put out that backstage fire and saved my backup singers? I promised you if there's anything I could ever do for you…anything you need…"
"We're just glad we could help." Kim responded as her best friend nodded his head in agreement.
"Yeah." Ron smiled as he sipped his Slurpity Cola, pointing out, "Don't forget though, KP, it was you who went in through the fire and got those girls out."
"And it was you who poured water on me and then came after me with that fire extinguisher. We did it together, Ron." The teen hero emphasized.
"Well…" Britina interjected with a smile, "Me and the girls are thankful."
"So…" Kim queried, picking up on Ron's earlier question. "How did you get this plane."
Laughing, the pop star replied, "You can thank my agent. He arranged to have it custom built. When I asked him how much it cost, he told me to not worry about it, that I own a huge chunk of stock in the company—he purchased it last year with part of what I got from my world tour. Anyway, we can only fly supersonic over water, but it should get us where you need to go in time." Smiling, she held out four tickets. "I understand you two have significant others now. Here…backstage passes for my next show in Middleton this fall."
"Gee…Britina!" Ron exclaimed with a big grin on his face, "Zita's gonna love this. Thanks!"
"Yeah." Kim smiled broadly as she took two of the tickets while her friend took the other pair, "Josh is gonna be so surprised! Thanks!"
"Well…I gotta go and get prepped for dealing with the reporters when we land…" Britina apologized as she got up from her seat. "You two enjoy the rest of the ride and if there's anything you need; just buzz Lisa and she'll take care of you."
After Midnight—Middleton—The Kauffman Building
Tara and Hope, both dressed as part of the nighttime cleaning crew, flashed their phony ids to the barely awake security guard at the desk who, after giving them a cursory glance, admitted them with a casual wave. "Tight security." Hope scoffed in a low whisper as the pair entered the elevator.
"It's not building security I'm worried about." Tara replied as she pressed the button for the floor where Bonnie's father had his offices. "It's the computers. If we're not careful, we could trigger an alarm."
"That's why you've got me." Wade's voice interjected from the girls' Kimmunicators. "I'm following both you and Kim."
"How's Kim doing?" Hope asked as the elevator carried its passengers to their floor.
"So far…so good." The dark-skinned computer hacker replied. "They just arrived in Tokyo and they're on their way to the Nakasume factory."
As the elevator opened up on their floor, Tara spoke in a low voice, "Wish them good hunting from us."
"Will do."
Turning to her partner, the blonde adventuress smirked, "Ready to do some snooping, luv?"
"Gotta admit…" Hope grinned, "I'm curious to see what sort of secrets Bonnie's daddy's got squirreled away in there."
"One way to find out."
"Let's go."
Tokyo
Spotting the electric eye out of the corner of her eye, Shego called out to her boss, who was already several paces ahead of her striding down the corridor as if he had owned the facility. "Dr. D! Stop!" Gritting her teeth as she saw him step across the electric eye's field of view, she cursed aloud. "Fucking amateur! You set off a goddamned alarm!"
"What are you talking about Shego?" Drakken petulantly replied, turning back angrily on his insubordinate sidekick.
Pointing to the electric eye, the green-skinned villainess scowled, "There, numbskull! You crossed an infrared beam that's triggered a silent alarm. I figure we've got about two…three minutes tops before the cops arrive. Better get what we came for before they get here."
"We can't do that in just two or three minutes." The blue-skinned mad scientist protested. Then, remembering the night workers, his lips turned up in an evil grin. "Round up the people still in the plant and lock them up. Once the police find out we've got hostages, they won't be so quick to move against us."
"I don't like this, Dr. D." Shego vainly protested, "It's not a good idea getting into hostage taking. The rewards seldom outweigh the risks."
"Don't tell me what is and isn't a good idea, Shego!" Drakken barked, "Just do as you are told. Remember…you work for me."
"All right…all right…I'm going." Shego bit back, grumbling under her breath, "He's losing it more and more every day. Maybe I ought to cut my losses and get the hell out while the getting's good. Plenty of freelance work out there. I don't need this bullshit."
Watching as his employee stomped off, the mad scientist cupped his chin. "You are becoming more and more of an unpredictable factor in my plans, Shego. I don't like uncertain variables in my calculations. Not to worry though. Phase II will take care of the problem of your growing intransigence as well as accomplishing its original purpose—the final defeat and ruination of Kim Possible and her family."
Tokyo Airport
"Mr. Nakasume?" Kim raised an eyebrow in inquiry as a well-dressed, rather short, Japanese man wearing a hand tailored blue suit, accompanied by a stylishly dressed young Japanese woman met the redhead and her partner at the customs exit.
"Ms. Possible." The young woman answered back with a polite smile as the man gave a courteous nod of his head. "This is Mr. Nakasume. I am Yoshiko. I translate for Nakasume-san."
"So what's the sitch?" Kim asked as they walked through the terminal to Nakasume-san's waiting limousine.
"Excuse me?" The translator questioned, not understanding the teen hero's slang.
"I'm sorry." Kim apologized, "What's the situation?"
"Oh…my apologies." Yoshiko responded, her slight, almost imperceptible accent betraying the fact that she learned her English from an Australian teacher. "I'm afraid I do not understand the more…colorful…American expressions." Taking on a more businesslike demeanor, she took out her cellphone and replayed footage that had been taken inside the factory revealing both Drakken and Shego.
"They set off a silent alarm when they entered the factory." Yoshiko explained.
"That doesn't sound like Shego." Kim muttered, "She's a professional. She wouldn't make a mistake like that."
"It wasn't her." The translator agreed as the group entered the limousine, immediately speeding off to their destination. "It was the blue-skinned man who activated the alarm, alerting us and the police."
"So why haven't the police stormed the place?" Ron asked.
"Once we determined who had taken over our factory, we asked the police to wait until you arrived." Yoshiko responded, "Also, they are holding our workers hostage."
"How many?" Kim asked in a worried tone.
"Twenty." The interpreter responded.
"Twenty? That's all it takes to operate that big factory?" Ron exclaimed in disbelief as the limousine pulled up in front of the factory entrance where the police had already set up a command post.
"That's all we need for the third shift." Yoshiko further explained as they exited the car and made their way to the command post. "As the factory is fully automated, the workers are only needed to monitor systems and maintain the facility. We do not need a full staff at this time of night."
"Any word on the condition of the hostages?" Kim asked as they reached the command post.
"So far…" Yoshiko responded, "…they have been treated well." Pressing a button on her phone, she announced, "Here…I will play you a broadcast we received from the one calling himself Dr. Drakken.
"Attention Tokyo Police and Nakasume. I am holding twenty workers hostage. They will be safe so long as you do not interfere with my operations. Be warned—if you are so foolish as to launch an assault, then these innocent lives will be forfeit." The camera then panned to where Shego stood, the look of disgust on her face barely disguised.
"Shego doesn't look very happy about this." Kim observed.
"Not happy about there being hostages or that Drakken screwed the pooch?" Ron quipped.
"Both." The redhead answered back "Tara explained to me once that she doesn't like sloppy and this whole caper's been fucked up from the beginning."
"So…what's the plan, KP?" Ron asked as he handed his partner a carry bag containing her new catsuit and other mission paraphernalia.
"First, we get changed and then look at a plan of the building." Kim decided as the pair made their way to an empty van. "Once we see what we've got to work with, we'll find a way to get in quiet so that we can take them by surprise."
"Hear that Rufus?" Ron joked as his naked mole-rat companion popped his head up out of his human's pocket. "We're doing this sneaky, so you've gotta be quiet as a…well…you've gotta be quieter than a naked mole-rat. Understand?"
"Gotcha!" Rufus answered back with a wave as clambered up on his human's shoulder.
"Okay!" Kim grinned, "Then let's get ready to kick some ass!"
Tara and Hope—Middleton
"It's clear." Hope whispered to her partner as she observed the security guard first exiting and locking the office door behind him and then disappear down the corridor as he continued making his rounds. "We should have twenty minutes before the cleaning crew arrives."
"More than enough time." Tara replied as the pair sneaked up to the door of Rockwaller Consulting. Taking out her lockpicks as her best friend stood guard, the blonde adventuress quickly and skillfully picked the lock and opened the door. Spying the computer monitor on the receptionist's desk, she whispered, "We'll check that out first. Should give us an idea as to official callers and maybe a few extra surprises."
"Good idea." Hope agreed, "I'll do that, you see what's in the accountant's office. Then we'll both check out Mr. Rockwaller's stuff."
"Right." Tara acknowledged, "On with it then. We're on the clock."
"Wade?" Hope asked as she activated her Kimmunicator, "Can you hack into and download what's on this computer?"
"Not a problem." The computer genius responded. "I'm in. So far…nothing unusual. Client meetings—all legit. Phone calls to current and prospective clients. Running them through now. Hmmm…that's interesting…" The hacker murmured.
"What is?"
"I've got calls coming in from an unlisted number once a month." Wade reported. "They're relayed directly to Mr. Rockwaller's personal…not business…phone."
"Can you get a name to go with that number?"
"On it." Wade responded as he typed on his keyboard. "Nope. Whoever's calling is using a throwaway phone. Whatever's going on is definitely not official business."
"Yeah." Hope agreed, "Problem is, it could be anything from white collar crime to paying off a blackmailer to arranging to meet his mistress."
"Or it could be totally innocent." Wade interjected.
"Exactly." Hope agreed. "Without tapping into his personal phone, there's no way we can prove anything one way or another."
"Maybe we'll come up with something on the info I'm downloading." Wade answered back consolingly. "Hmmm…all routine. If there is anything, it's either in his computer or his bookkeeper's. I'll check with Tara and see what she has."
"Go ahead." Hope responded, "I'm gonna check the hardcopy files."
Hearing her Kimmunicator beep, Tara responded, "Wadesy. Just the bloke I wanna talk to. Can you break through this password and find anything useful on the files in this computer?"
"I'll see what I can do." The computer genius responded as he typed again on his keyboard. "I'm in. This one's a toughie. Our bookkeeper or whoever set his system up is good…really good. He set up some nice firewalls that would have tripped up the average hacker. Luckily…" his lips turned up in a self-satisfied grin as he took a sip of Slurpity Cola from a bendy straw, "…I'm not your average hacker. Hmmm…I've spotted a steady transfer of funds to an offshore bank account. Nothing that would normally set off alarms…a thousand dollars here…five thousand there. All well under the amount that has to be reported to the IRS and sufficiently spaced far enough apart to avoid raising eyebrows."
"What about payments coming in?" Tara asked. "Anything there besides what might be considered normal fees from old or new clients?"
"Everything looks routine so far…" Wade reported and then made a face, "That's odd."
"What is?"
"About six months ago, the company started receiving five thousand dollars a month from something or someone called the Benton Group billed as a retainer for services rendered. Give me a moment and I'll run a quick check on this Benton Group."
"Go ahead, Wadesy."
After a few moments, the ten-year old genius's face again appeared on the tine communicator screen. "It's headquartered out of country in…believe it or not…Rodegan."
"That conjures up all sorts of interesting possibilities." Tara murmured, "Anything else? Anything on the phone or email logs? Especially anything to or from this Benton Group?"
"There's a bunch of files that are encrypted." Wade responded. "Wow…this encryption is tough." Shaking his head, the genius hacker reluctantly admitted, "No way I can crack this on my own. I'm gonna have to forward this to GJ and Mother."
"Don't feel bad, Wadesy. I have a feeling we're gonna find much the same when we crack Mr. Rockwaller's computer." Tara acknowledged, further requesting, "But do be a dear and continue looking into whatever this Benton Group is. Something tells me that somehow and someway the Knights of Rodegan are tied in."
"Will do."
"Right. I'm gonna go through the hardcopies and then we'll take a looksee at Rockwaller's files."
"Just about wrapping up here, T." Hope interjected, "I'll meet you in the office."
"Shouldn't be but a moment, luv."
Entering Mr. Rockwaller's office, Tara found her partner already behind the desk checking the drawers. "Find anything?"
"Nope." Hope shook her head. "Just the usual stuff you'd see in an office." Glancing at the photos on the desk, she caustically remarked as she pointed first to the prominently displayed picture of Jack Rockwaller, standing, with a big smile on his face, in between Connie and Lonnie, with his arms on each of the shoulders, looking every inch the proud father, and then to a second, much smaller picture of his third daughter, Bonnie, as a young girl about ten-years old, in a ballerina costume, doing a routine at the barre. "Take three guesses who are Daddy's favorites."
"Yeah." Tara shook her head, "No wonder Bonnie turned out the way she did." Then, noticing the tiny picture sitting in a corner, she scoffed, "I guess we know what he thinks of his wife too."
Shaking her head, Hope responded, "I never liked that asshole. He used to give me the creeps when I stayed over at Bonnie's house. That smug grin on his face…how he'd always give Lonnie and Connie anything they wanted while virtually ignoring Bonnie. I hope we find something really dirty on that bastard."
Activating the computer, Tara spoke into her Kimmunicator, "Right, Wadesy…you're on. Find us some dirt."
"Trying to get in." After several moments where the pair could see the computer genius obviously working hard typing on his keyboard, he announced, "Finally! Whoever set this up for him did a good job. I had to bypass several alarms and encryptions just to get in. Looking through the files now. Besides the obvious stuff, just like with the bookkeeper's computer, there's a bunch of files that are heavily encrypted and with multiple alarms and firewalls in place. I'm gonna have to download and send them on to GJ and Mother too."
Hope called out in a whisper as she began rifling through the file cabinets while her partner perused the ledgers. "Find anything, bestie?"
"Nothing special, but I'm going to take some pictures anyway. Wade or someone else might be able to make sense of them. Anything from your end?"
"Maybe…" Hope responded as she held up a travel brochure. "I think this was left by accident." La Corazon…looks nice…think we can book a weekend there?"
"Had a lovely three day weekend with the most scrumptious surfer." Tara recollected with lascivious grin. "Very exclusive and private. Not exactly the sort of place one usually goes to with the family…or the spouse."
"But a perfect place to take your mistress for a week of fun and games without raising any suspicions." Hope finished. "We done here, T?"
"Yep, we're done." Tara replied and then asked their computer genius. "Wade, will you tell Kim that we'll fill her in when she gets back from Tokyo."
"Will do." Wade acknowledged. "Talk to you later."
"Time to vamoose?" Hope quipped.
"Time to scarper." Tara confirmed as the two cat-burglars exited the office, locking the door behind them and then, just as smoothly as they made their entrance into the building, exited out into the street. "Don't know about you, luv, but I'm up for a drink before heading home. I'll dial up Sergei and have him meet us."
"Sounds good to me." Hope replied as the two girls got into Tara's Alfa-Romeo and sped away. "Breaking and entry makes me thirsty and horny."
"Me too. I hope Sergei's ready for us."
Tokyo—Nakasume Plant
Entering the access tunnel Kim had spotted on the blue-prints of the building, Ron jokingly remarked, "You know what they make here other than video games?"
"What, Ron?" Kim replied with a crooked grin as she played along.
"The Z-chip!" Ron declared, a goofy smile still on his face, "It's supposed to be the fastest graphics system ever and it's slated to come out on Christmas."
"So?"
"Isn't it obvious, KP?" Ron chuckled as he delivered the punch line, "Drakken and Shego are trying to steal Christmas."
Laughing at her friend's joke, Kim bantered back, "Afraid I gotta go with that old archfoe staple…he's gonna try to conquer the world."
"A Grande Nacho platter on Christmas." Ron jibed, continuing the playful back and forth.
"You're on." Kim laughed merrily. "You know I like medium sauce."
After a short trek through the tunnel, the pair successfully emerged undetected in the factory. Taking out a special compact similar to the ones that Tara and Hope had, Kim used it to scan the area. "The alarms have all been deactivated and I'm picking up about twenty infrared signatures over there." The teen hero pointed to a closet.
"Gotta be the hostages." Ron concluded as his partner nodded her head in agreement.
"Right." Kim agreed as she took out a tiny device and handed it to her best friend. "I'll free the hostages while you plug this into the video system."
"In other words…" Ron's lips turned up in a crooked grin, "I'm the…"
"Distraction." Kim smiled back, "Yup."
"Always the distraction." Ron teased, "Never the main act."
"We all have our parts to play." Kim bantered back. Then, in a more serious tone, she asked, "Do you wanna switch off?"
'No." Ron shook his head, his smile now a warm grin. "I'm good. Besides, we both know I'm the best there is at distracting while you do your best work taking point. I got you covered, KP. I'll do my thing while you free those hostages."
"Thanks, Ron." Kim smiled as she gave her best friend a kiss on the cheek before taking off down the corridor. "You're the bon-diggedtiest."
Seething as the animated image on the computer screen kept on saying the same word, "Konnichiwa" over and over again, Drakken snapped angrily as he felt the presence of his assistant standing behind him. "Shego! Don't ever sneak up on me like that again!"
Amused at Drakken's reaction, Shego, making a note as to just how easy it was for her to draw closer to her mad employer undetected, remarked in a sarcastic tone, "I wasn't being sneaky, Dr. D," as she thought to herself, all traces of humor now gone. I don't know why, but I have a funny feeling that by not taking you out just now I might have made a big mistake.
"Ninjas make more noise than you." Drakken cursed, his outward display of anger hiding the growing anxiety as he realized just how easily he could have been dispatched by his stealthy associate just now. "Don't do that again!"
Just then, the video on the computer screen changed to reveal Ron Stoppable and Rufus. "Welcome heroes and villains to the first episode of the Ron Stoppable Show coming live from…somewhere."
"It's the Buffoon!" Dr. Drakken cried out in annoyance. "Find him and shut him up!"
"I'd like to introduce the other half of the show, my pal Rufus!" The tiny mole-rat appearing on screen, blew a raspberry at the two villains as Ron executed a comic bow. "And now for our first act…"
"Sorry, Stoppable." Shego grinned as she playfully bounced a plasma ball in her hands, "The ratings just came in and the network's cancelling your series."
"Duck!" Ron called out to his pet as he dived under cover, easily dodging the green villainess's plasma.
"Nice moves." Shego praised as she heard another familiar voice.
"I taught him that."
"Kimmie." Shego licked her lips in anticipation as she eyed her prey.
"I freed the hostages." Kim announced, not missing her adversary's slight head nod of gratitude. "What I'd like to know though is what are you doing raiding a video game factory? I'd think this would be small potatoes for you two."
"I told you, KP." Ron laughed, "Drakken's trying to steal Christmas."
"And I still say he's trying to take over the world." Kim jibed back as Shego looked on with amusement while Drakken watched in utter befuddlement. "So…which is it, Drakken?" Kim asked sweetly, "Take over the world…"
"Or steal Christmas?" Ron chimed in. "We've got a bet riding on this."
"Yeah…" Kim snorted, "A Nacho Grande Platter."
"Ohhh…can I get in on the action?" Shego joked sarcastically.
"Sorry…" Kim responded in a joking voice, "You're disqualified."
"Insider knowledge." Ron interjected, continuing the banter.
"Dammit!" Shego responded with a smirk. "You two are always ruining my fun."
"Enough!" Drakken yelled, silencing the joking. "You're not going to thwart my plan…not this time, Kim Possible. Time to go, Shego."
"Sorry, Pumpkin…maybe next time we'll dance." Shego grinned as she set off a charge that blew a hole in the room while at the same time pressing a button on a remote control. Grabbing a line that descended from a hover-disc, the two villains rode the line up through the hole to the disc, making their escape as the heroes looked on.
"Wouldn't you know it." Ron shook his head. "Tell me we've got a helicopter."
"Sorry." Kim responded with a sigh.
"Guess that means I can't say, Get in the choppa'" Ron joked, doing his best Ahnold imitation.
"Time to go home, Ron." Kim moaned both at the joke and at her archfoe's getaway.