A Top Secret US Government Research Lab located somewhere in Arizona

As Drakken's hired shapeshifting infiltrator, now taking on the form of a male U.S. Army corporal, approached the guard station, a grin appeared on his (her, in her true form) face as he (she) overheard the conversation between the two guards.

"Hey, Frank…you got my coffee?"

"Yeah, right here, Scott." The other guard, bearing two mugs of steaming hot coffee, answered back with a toothy grin as he handed one of the mugs to his partner, "Didn't Madge tell you to lay off the caffeine?"

Taking a sip of the strong black brew, Frank joked back, "Wait until you've had to listen to Sergeant Muldoon bragging constantly about his grand kids!" Holding up his mug, he quipped, "Within a month, you're gonna want an IV drip of this stuff."

"Smells good. Wouldn't mind a cup myself."

"Help yourself." The guard named Scott said as he pointed to a coffee pot on a table.

"I wish I could, but I've got to deliver these…" The infiltrator replied as he (she) approached the guard station, handing the guards the ID she had taken from the corporal she kidnapped earlier. "Corporal Sam Marcum. I have some classified dispatches that have to be hand delivered to Major Thorne."

After carefully scrutinizing the corporal's identification card and not finding any errors, Scott slipped the card through a magnetic reader. Nodding his head in satisfaction, the guard handed the ID card back to the infiltrator. "All appears in order, Corporal. Just empty your pockets of anything metallic in that tray..." Scott inclined his head towards a tray sitting on the counter next to what looked like a magnetic screener. "…and walk through the scanner."

"Sure thing." The infiltrator acknowledged, emptying his (her) pockets and then walking through the portal without tripping any sensors.

"Here's your gear." Frank said as he handed the tray containing the corporal's personal effects back to the shapeshifter who then quickly placed them back in his (her) pocket. "You can go now, but you'll have to pass one more checkpoint before you can get to Major Thorne."

"Thanks." The infiltrator replied as he (she) entered the security area. "Gonna need someone with more rank to get any further." Drakken's spy muttered to herself. A few minutes later, she spotted a female captain enter the women's room. "Perfect." The infiltrator grinned as she (he) slipped into the restroom unobserved. Moments later, a female U.S. Army captain with regulation length brown hair exited the restroom. Smirking, the infiltrator perused her new ID. "Captain Francine Knowles assigned to Special Projects. Perfect."

Fooling both the retinal scanner and fingerprint analyzer, the infiltrator entered the laboratory where her objective was kept. Spotting the department head, Dr. Cyrus Bortel, hunched over a console muttering what seemed to the spy to be a series of incomprehensible equations, the shapeshifter cleared her throat, "Dr. Bortel?"

Startled by the sudden intrusion, the scientist jerked his head up from the console, "What the…" At once recognizing the officer standing a few feet from him, Bortel grumbled a response, "Yes, Captain? What is it? Can't you see I'm busy?"

"I'm sorry, Sir." The infiltrator replied in a silky voice, "But I have these top secret dispatches for your eyes only. I'm to hand deliver them to you and have you sign for them."

"Oh…very well!" The scientist answered back with a sigh as he made his way to the desk, followed closely behind by the spy. "Let's get this over with so that you can get on with your work and I can get back to mine."

"My thoughts exactly." The infiltrator quipped with an evil grin as she quickly and smoothly knocked the scientist out. "Now…where are you…" She muttered as she examined the laboratory, searching for her prize. Her lips again turning up in a smirk, she whispered triumphantly as she snatched the chip, placing it in a small box that was expressly designed to fool x-ray and magnetic scanners. "Time to go."

Minutes later, Corporal Marcum again underwent security check at the lab entrance. Nodding his (her) head at the guards, the infiltrator remarked on his (her) way out, "Have a good shift!"

Having successfully accomplished her mission, the infiltrator shifted back to her normal attractive lithe fair-skinned blonde form as she got in the front seat of a red Ferrari 812 GTS. Taking out her cell phone, she hit the speed dial. "I've got it."

"Excellent." Dr. Drakken's voice exclaimed. "Meet me at the prearranged rendezvous and we'll make the swap."

"See you then." Camille de Leon smiled as she contemplated the tiny chip in her hand. "I don't know what you do, little one, but I've got a feeling you're gonna give someone a very bad day."

Drakken's Caribbean Lair

"Where is Shego?" Dr. Drakken demanded as he collared one of his henchmen in the corridor between her quarters and his lab.

Gulping nervously, the hired thug replied, "She mentioned something about going out for a tan."

Nodding his head in satisfaction, the blue-skinned mad scientist replied, "Good. I have to leave the lair for a while. If she asks where I am, tell her I had to run an errand for my mother and will be back soon."

"Yes, Sir." The henchman promptly responded as his employer walked away. "Whew!" The goon murmured as he approached a fellow guard further down the corridor. "I thought for a moment he was gonna make me go get her."

Laughing, the other thug joked, "The reward can be worth the risk sometimes—depends on what sort of mood she's in. If she's in a good mood, you get to see the twins in all their glory."

"And if she's in a bad mood?"

"Ask Waters…he's still recovering from that burn she gave him when she hit him on his ass with one of those plasma balls of hers."

A few hours later, the two guards were confronted by the raven-haired villainess herself as she returned from her time in the sun, a slender robe belted around her waist. "Where's Dr. D?" She demanded in a crisp voice that at once alerted the senior henchman to the fact that Drakken's associate was not in a good mood.

"He told us to tell you that he had to run an errand and would be back soon." The guard subserviently replied.

"Hmmm…" Shego vocalized as she cupped her chin, "He normally sends me out to fetch and carry his shit. Did he say where he's going?" She further demanded, her voice taking on a petulant tone.

"No, Ma'am." The thug politely responded, adding placatingly, "But he did say that it was for his mother."

"That's right." Shego nodded her head, seemingly satisfied at the answer, "Her birthday is the end of the month and he never forgets it. When he comes back, tell him I'm in my quarters, but not to disturb me unless absolutely necessary."

"Understood, Ma'am." The henchman crisply responded, sighing in relief as the temperamental villainess disappeared down the corridor. "Good thing Drakken didn't order us to disturb her." He whispered to the goon standing next to him. "Something's got her upset."

Smirking as their relief approached, the other thug remarked to his partner, "Good thing our shift's done. I don't want be anywhere around here if she decides to take whatever's gotten her upset out on someone."

"Tell me about it." The other guard grinned as the two men taking over the shift arrived. "It's all yours boys. Take it easy and steer clear of Shego."

As she soaked in her tub, Shego mused, "I should check in on Cutie and find out if she and Cheerleader have found out anything about that drug ring. I'd like to go see her, but Drakken's been keeping a close eye on me recently. I'm half tempted to turn off the lair's security and monitoring devices and split anyway, but he's probably given the henchmen orders to report to him the moment I leave the lair and I really don't feel like taking them all out right now. Another thing…" She sighed as she sipped from a glass of wine, "If he does decide to do something really stupid or dangerous, I'm probably the only who can stop him before he does too much damage—hopefully without killing him in the process."

Getting out of the tub and drying herself off, the green-skinned villainess continued her reverie, "I'm curious as to why Drakken picked now to get his mother her present. He normally waits until a week or so before. Either he's found something that he had to get right away or…there's something else going on—and I've got a bad feeling that something else is the correct answer. Okay, Dr. D…" Shego clenched her teeth as she put on her bathrobe, "Let's see what you've got up your sleeve."

An isolated stretch of road near Ensenada on the Baja Peninsula

Smirking in satisfaction as a red Ferrari pulled over to the side of the road next to his hover-disc and an attractive blonde haired woman carrying a satchel got out and walked towards him, Dr. Drakken cleared his throat, "I appreciate punctuality. Do you have it?"

"I do." Camille de Leon replied as she came to a stop a few feet from the mad scientist. "Do you have the payment?"

"Yes." Drakken nodded his head as he gestured at the brief case standing next to him.

Nodding her head, the shapeshifter responded as she held out the satchel. "Let's make the swap."

Picking up the brief case, Drakken handed it to the woman at the exact same time that she handed the satchel off to him. Opening the container, the mad scientist nodded his head in satisfaction, "Good work."

Examining the contents of the brief case, Camille smiled, "So…all I need to do is point and press the button?"

"That's all." Drakken replied with a toothy grin. "Every electronic or surveillance device with in a fifty meter radius will be rendered inoperative for five minutes. That should be long enough for you to accomplish whatever it is you have planned."

"It is." Camille answered back with an evil grin. "Pleasure doing business with you, Dr. Drakken."

"Likewise." The blue-skinned villain responded, adding as an aside, "I wonder…would you be interested in making our business relationship more long-term? There is a possibility that I might be looking for a new associate in the near future. I can promise a good salary and benefits."

Shaking her head, Camille chuckled, "No thank you. I prefer being a free agent. But, do keep me in mind if you have another job and we'll talk."

"I most certainly will." Drakken acknowledged with an evil grin of his own as he turned towards his hover-disc. "I'm sure our paths shall cross again."

Middleton—Hope and Tara's House

"Your usual?" Tara asked her two guests as she joined her housemate behind the bar.

"Yeah." Kim and Ron both called out simultaneously, Kim quickly saying before her best friend could speak, "Jinx! You owe me a soda."

"Right." The blonde Englishwoman smirked as she fixed a margarita for Kim and poured a bottle of Slurpity Cola into a glass with ice for Ron.

"I've got your G and T and a rum and coke for me." Hope interjected as the two girls picked up the drinks and joined their friends in the living room.

Taking their seats on the couch, Tara activated her communications device, "Okay, Wadesy, we're all here, you can begin your briefing."

"Thanks, Tara." Wade responded as his image appeared on the big screen television monitor that doubled as a comm. unit. "Mother has encrypted more of both Mr. Rockwaller's and his accountant's files. I have good news and bad news. What do you want to hear first?"

Inclining her head towards Kim, the young redhead smiled warmly at her friend as she took a sip from her margarita before answering her team's child genius. "Good news first, Wade. Please and thank you."

"Okay." The dark skinned youth replied, "The first bit of good news—well kinda sorta good news…is that my drone managed to sneak a peek at what was in that satchel that Mahler received. It contains a spreadsheet and what looks like account ledgers and memos."

"What do they say?" Hope inquired as she sipped her rum and coke.

"That's the sorta not so good news." Wade frowned. "What the probe could read was all in code. I've passed the info on to Mother and Global Justice. Hopefully, their cryptographers will have better luck than me.

"Any more good news?" Ron asked as he sipped his cola.

"Yeah." Wade replied. "From what has been decrypted so far, there is no proof that Mr. Rockwaller is or has been involved in any of the drug smuggling or manufacturing operations."

"That is good news!" Ron sighed with relief as he took a drink of cola. "I wasn't looking forward to telling Bonnie that her dad was a crook."

"Ummm…" Wade interrupted, stammering, "I'm afraid he still might be." Seeing the looks of concern on the face of all of his friends, the hacker clarified, "We're still decrypting the files concerning his dealings with the Benton Group, but all point towards him taking a portion of the retainer and investment fees taken in each month and siphoning them off to an offshore banking account—apparently to support the woman he's been seeing. If nothing else, he is guilty of embezzlement and Mother is concerned that his ties to both the Knights of Rodegan and MALUS could run much deeper."

"Shit." Hope grimaced as she took a drink from her rum and coke. "If it were just simple embezzlement…"

Lighting a cigarette and inhaling, Tara finished her housemate's thought, "We could use that to squeeze him into dumping that tart he's banging and make him give back the money he buggered off with. But if there's more, the best we can do is wait and watch until Mother gets more of those files encrypted."

"I was afraid you were going to say that." Kim sighed, "Like I said yesterday, I might not like Bonnie personally, but I don't want to see her crushed either. It's one thing if she falls on her ass in practice…it's another when…"

"We understand, Kim." Tara interjected. "We all feel the same."

"Yeah, KP." Ron declared as Hope nodded her head in agreement, "We all want to help Bonnie, but like Tara said, we can't really do anything right now but watch and wait."

Returning to the topic at hand, Hope asked Wade, "Anything more on the accountant?"

"Oh, yes." Wade responded, licking his lips in anticipation, "It seems our accountant…by the way, the name he's using, Kyle Gessler, is an alias. His real name is Anton Krycheck…a Rodegan national with ties to the Knights. And there are indications that he is involved in the drug trade."

"Which means the Knights of Rodegan are too." Hope growled as Kim interrupted with a sigh.

"Another Rodegan connection." Kim grimaced as she sipped her margarita. "For such a tiny country, it's making an awful big stink."

"Tell me about it." Hope agreed, adding, "So…when do we take this punk down?"

"We need to get a look into that warehouse." Tara declared. "If they are making and distributing those drugs from there, then we hit it and hit it hard. But when we do go in, we need to make sure that we recover as much information as possible."

"Can you make up something that could give us a peek into the warehouse, Wade?" Kim asked.

"It'll have to be stealth capable…maybe a short-term invisibility cloak that deflects the visible portion of the spectrum?" Wade murmured to himself as he contemplated the problem placed before him, "But they're sure to have infrared, microwave, and UV sensors there as well…gotta find a way to bypass those…also need a passive sensor system…too much risk of an active scan being detected…" After several moments of contemplation, a sly grin appeared on the young genius's face, "Yeah…I can come up with something. It'll take me some time though—it's not so much putting the thing together…" he further elaborated, "…it's ordering the parts and waiting for them to come in. Even with our new connections to Global Justice and British Intelligence, it's still going to take a while."

"We understand. Thank you, Wade." Kim replied as she finished her drink.

"Anything else, Wade?" Tara asked the boy genius.

"Nope. Nothing now. I better get started on that drone…you all take it easy."

"Will do." Ron exclaimed, speaking for the others, "Later!" After Wade's image disappeared, leaving a blank screen, the blond youth turned to his friends, "So…what now? We just wait?"

"Not much we can do, luv." Tara replied, "We wait and we watch and then after Wade gets us a look inside that warehouse and we know what we're dealing with…"

"We kick ass." Hope interrupted, everyone nodding their heads in agreement. Seeing Kim's empty glass, the raven-haired cheerleader inquired, "Refill?"

"Please and thank you." Kim replied with a smile as another image appeared on the television, this one of the Global Justice Director, in uniform and wearing her eyepatch.

"What's up, Betty?" Tara asked as Hope went behind the bar to refresh everyone's drinks.

"I've got a job for you, if you're interested." Betty responded.

"What sort of job?" The blonde Englishwoman inquired as Kim and Ron looked on intently.

"It's a job for all four of you." The GJ director crisply responded. "A top secret research lab in Arizona was recently broken into and a valuable top secret item stolen."

"Any idea on the thief?" Kim queried as Hope handed her a fresh margarita.

"No." Betty shook her head, "But a professional did it. I'd stream the security cam footage for you, but it's top secret—you'll have to be physically at the site in order to see it."

"So…you want us to go, take a look, and report back to you?" Hope asked as settled in on the couch, curling her legs under her like a cat.

"For starters, yes." The director affirmed. "After you've done that, report back and we'll go on from there."

"Why all four of us?" Ron asked, "KP and I could handle this or Tara and Hope could. Why do you need all of us?"

"Tara and Hope are both more qualified in dealing with B and E and security systems issues than you two are." Betty answered back. "Tara's connections might also come in handy."

Chuckling, Tara interjected as she sipped her gin and tonic. "In other words, I know the players and how they operate."

"Just so." Betty responded with pursed lips.

After giving the others a questioning look and receiving nods from all of them, Tara replied with a wicked grin. "Sure…we'll go out there and take a look—for the usual consulting fees of course. Terms negotiable should we find out something and you want us to pursue it."

"Of course." Betty agreed with a nod of her head.

"For all four of us." Tara added with a smirk.

Letting out a sigh of resignation, the GJ director affirmed, "For all four of you."

"Pleasure doing business with you, Betty darling." Tara responded as Kim and Ron both tried to maintain straight faces, "We'll let you know what we find out."

"Thank you." Betty replied, "A Global Justice hoverjet will be by to pick you up shortly."

Arizona Top Secret Research Lab

"I'm still a little uncomfortable about the notion of getting paid for helping people." Kim murmured to her two best female friends as they and their male companion entered the laboratory after passing the beefed up security screenings. "I mean, I didn't start out wanting to get rich or anything like that."

"Look at this way, Kim…" Tara replied in a reassuring tone of voice, "Betty gets paid for running Global Justice—right?"

"Yeah." The redhead nodded her head in agreement.

"And her agents are being paid?"

"Right."

"And so are the police, firemen, and paramedics in Middleton and other places—right?"

"Of course."

"Your mother gets paid too, doesn't she?." Tara pointed out, gently pressing her point home. "Yes, her first priority is helping people, but she also gets paid—and paid very well—for her work."

Sighing, Kim conceded, "I guess I can see where you're coming from, but…"

"And being paid for your work doesn't mean that you can't do pro bono work for someone who can't afford to pay." Hope interjected, adding to the conversation. "Like that time you and Ron helped that old lady recover those old baby pictures of her son who was killed in Vietnam. She offered to pay you, but the two of you settled for a glass of milk and a slice of blackberry cobbler each."

"Yeah." Ron smiled as he recalled that particular mission. "That milk was ice cold and the blackberry cobbler was topped with fresh homemade whipped cream."

"Okay…Okay…you win!" Kim laughed as they approached the lab where the theft occurred, ruefully admitting, "And yeah, it did feel good seeing that deposit with all those zeros at the end in my bank account and spending some of that on our little shopping spree."

"So, Kimmie…" Tara asked with an evil grin, "When are you going to let Josh see that wicked little number you bought at Cassandra's Closet?"

The scarlet blush on her face giving her away, Kim was spared from having to answer by an accented male voice calling out to her and her friends. "Are you the ones Global Justice sent?" Shaking his head dismissively, a short, stocky, bald-headed man with wide ears seemingly facing forward and wearing a white lab coat and black horned-rim glasses with circular lenses whined, "You seem awfully young to be the highly trained agents that I was promised."

"If you don't want our help, luv." Tara bit back, accentuating every word in her upper-class British accent, "Then we will gladly leave and you can try to find your device yourself."

"Yeah." Hope added in a frosty voice, "We get paid either way."

Playing good cop to her friends' bad cops, Kim interjected placatingly, "Sir, the Director wouldn't have sent us if she didn't think we were able to help you."

Catching on to the girls' game, Ron chimed in seemingly on cue, "The lab's security chief's boss is also okay with our helping out. Besides…" He concluded with an affable grin, "What have you got to lose?"

"Oh…very well." The scientist heaved an exasperated sigh. "An experimental microchip was stolen from my lab a couple of days ago."

"Any idea who stole it?" Kim inquired as the head of security entered accompanied by two individual, a male corporal, and a female captain.

"That's a good question, Ms. Possible." The head of security, wearing the uniform of a U.S. Army major interjected as he and the other two joined the conversation. "I am Major Alexander Thorne." Inclining his head to the woman standing next to him, he continued his introductions. "This is Captain Francine Knowles, my second in command."

The brown-haired woman curtly nodded her head. "Ms. Possible."

"And this is Corporal Sam Marcum. He was supposed to deliver a dispatch personally to me."

"Ma'am." The corporal politely introduced himself.

Guiding the group to a security monitor, Thorne began his briefing. "This is the security camera footage taken at the time of the theft." As the footage played out, the major continued his narration. "After the theft occurred, both Captain Knowles and Corporal Marcum were suspected of working together. Captain Knowles was held in custody; however, we could not find Corporal Marcum until we received a call from the Arizona State Police telling us that they found the corporal walking in the desert near a small town wearing nothing but his underwear."

"So both the captain and the corporal were framed." Tara concluded, the major nodding his agreement at her conclusion.

"Correct. Once we'd found and interrogated Marcum, I ordered Captain Knowles released. Pending a physical and mental examination, both should be restored to full duty soon."

"What exactly did the thief steal?" Kim inquired.

"That's classified. Need to know only." Major Thorne primly replied.

"If you're going to ask us to recover that damned chip." Hope declared, locking eyes with the major, "Then you're going to have to tell us what it does."

"My friend's right." Tara argued, "We're not going into a situation blind. If that's what you want, then send in your own trained monkeys."

Again taking on the role of good cop, Kim interjected in a conciliatory tone, "It really would help us if we knew what we were facing Major. I'm sure a quick call to Ms. Director would quickly take care of any security concerns you might have."

Having already been told by his superior in no uncertain terms and over his vigorous objections to cooperate fully with the mercenary teenagers standing before him, the major gritted his teeth as he reluctantly gestured at the scientist standing next to him, "Dr. Cyrus Bortel. will fill you in on what you need to know."

"As I mentioned before the Major and Captain joined us, the thief stole my latest project…" Dr. Bortel declared, "It's a neuro-compliance chip."

"All right…" Ron quipped, "Let's pretend I don't know what that means…"

"Putting it in layman's terms." The chubby scientist lectured in a condescending tone of voice, "It overrides the brain and central nervous system of whoever it has been implanted in."

"Wait a minute…" Hope interjected, "Let me get this straight. You've developed a microchip that can be implanted in someone that will allow you to take control over whatever they say or do?"

"In essence…" Dr. Bortel replied in a patronizing voice, "Yes."

"You stupid wanker!" Tara spat out angrily. "What the hell do you arseholes think you're doing? This is the sort of shite I'd expect out of Drakken or MALUS!"

"You gotta admit…" Kim interrupted, her voice also taking on a frosty tone, "This sounds ferociously unethical."

"That's the understatement of the century, luv." Tara scowled.

"Ahem…" Dr. Bortel cleared his throat, "I'm just a scientist and inventor. I do not decide how my inventions are to be used. If you have problems with my invention, then I would suggest you take it up with the leaders and politicians who make those decisions."

"The device was developed as a means of effectively controlling dangerous prisoners non-violently." Major Thorne pompously declared.

"And you jackasses lost it." Hope remarked with a sneer.

"So…who has it?" Ron asked.

"We don't know." Dr. Bortel ruefully responded.

"There have been no ransom demands and no terrorist group has taken credit." Major Thorne interjected.

Turning her attention back to Dr. Bortel and Major Thorne, the Englishwoman declared, "We'll get with Betty and let her know that we agree to locate and recover your chip—on the condition that it—and all the notes concerning how to make it and the theory surrounding it— are destroyed—and we want to watch you do it to make sure."

"We agree with Tara." Kim announced, adding her voice to the demands as Hope, Ron, and Rufus all nodded their heads in agreement. "We recover the chip from Drakken or whoever has it and once we do—you destroy it in front of us."

"Otherwise…" Tara threatened, "We go to every media outlet in the world…chip in hand…and spill everything."

"Do that and you'll be committing treason." Thorne threatened, glaring at the blonde Englishwoman, "You might not be a US citizen, Missy, but I can see to it that Immigration deports your little ass back to Old Blighty."

"Go ahead and try if you've got the balls you stupid git." Tara spat back, not even hiding her contempt for the hidebound officer.

"Major?" Captain Knowles interrupted, "I've got both the Director of Global Justice and General Howard on the line for you." Taking the phone, Thorne quietly listened, the scowl on his face growing even more intense. "Yes, Sir. Yes, Ma'am. I will. Yes, Sir…Ma'am…they'll receive my full cooperation." Turning back to the young people gathered in the room, the major's poker face returned as he reluctantly conceded, "Once you recover the chip, it and all of Dr. Bortel's research notes will be destroyed in your presence."

"What? No! I will not permit it!" Dr. Bortel angrily protested. "I spent two years working on that chip and I'm not going to let a group of high school students…"

"We'll need everything you've gotten from your interrogations as well as the security cam footage." Kim requested, cutting off the outraged scientist mid-rant. "You can download it to our team computer expert and tech…Wade Lode. He'll be in touch with you after we leave. So…" She asked, her tone once again polite and deferential, "If there's nothing else, we'll go now. It's a long flight back to Middleton and we've got school tomorrow."

"You had to go and ruin the moment." Ron laughed as he and the others left the lab. "I just know Barkin's going to give us a pop quiz tomorrow morning."

After they were all safely on the Global Justice hoverjet and on their way back to Middleton, Tara declared with a thin smile as she lit a cigarette and inhaled. "I don't know who has it now, but I think I can tell you who stole it."

"Who?" Kim asked, giving her friend a questioning look.

"Camille Leon." Tara answered, "Her daddy made a killing in the cat food business and left her a fortune that she quickly spent. Before running out of money, she got a genius plastic surgeon who had developed some sort of experimental technique that allows her to shift into the form of anyone she's seen."

"A shapeshifter…" Kim mused, "That would explain how she was able to defeat all of the lab's security precautions."

"Just what we need!" Ron sighed, "Another villain wanting to conquer the world."

"Cammie's not a wanna-be world beater like Drakken or Dementor." Tara laughed, "She's more like Sheila. She steals for kicks and to pay for her villa on the Rivera, ski lodge at Aspen, penthouse on Park Avenue, private plane, and all her other goodies. The big difference between her and Cheeky is that Sheila's got a line that she won't cross, while Cammie's morals are more…shall we say flexible."

"You think she might be working for Drakken?" Kim queried.

"Him or Dementor, and I don't think it's dear Demenz."

"Why not?" Ron inquired.

"Dementor likes to take the direct approach. He'd just hit the lab with his henchmen." Tara explained.

"That's normally Drakken's style too." Kim countered. "Like with Nakasume. He and Shego hit the factory together."

"The operative word here is together." Tara answered back. "The last time I talked to Sheila, she said that Drakken was acting odder than is typical—even for him. Ever since that bit with the clones, Cheeky said that he's been keeping stuff from her a lot more than usual. She also told me that he was spending a lot of time in his lab." A worried look appearing on the blonde adventuress's face, she mused, "Could be he's getting ready to turn on her."

"Do unto others before they do you in first." Ron snorted, "I bet that's the first commandment in the villain's handbook."

"That or the second." Hope interjected, quipping, "We could always ask Senor Senior to look it up for us in his book."

"Either way…" Tara sighed, "Cheeky could be in big trouble." Her voice now taking on an almost beseeching tone, the British agent pleaded, "I know you and Sheila have history, Kim, but would you…"

"Help you help her?" Kim interrupted; her lips turned up in a warm smile as she grasped her friend's hands in hers. "Of course we will. That's what friends are for. Right, Ron?"

"Right, KP." The blond youth nodded his head in agreement as Rufus popped out of his pocket and gave Tara an OK symbol.

"Thanks, Kim…Ron." Tara smiled at her friends. "You too Rufus. When we get home, I'm giving both of you extra big hugs…"

"What about me?" Rufus chittered with a sniffle.

Smiling down at the little naked mole-rat, Tara replied, "I haven't forgotten you, little guy. When we get home, you're getting a piece of real English Stilton cheese."

"Yum!"

Possible Home the Next Morning

Hearing the phone ring, Kim rushed in from the bathroom where she had just finished her usual morning get ready for school routine. On recognizing the voice on the other end of the line, the young redhead answered with a surprised look on her face. "Bonnie? You normally don't call here this early. Is something wrong?"

"Did you get a chance to check your email yet?" Kim's rival answered in a smug voice.

"No." Kim responded, her surprised expression now one of suspicion. "Why? Is there something I should see?"

"Just check it out. I'll wait."

"Why do I have a feeling I'm not going to like this." Kim muttered in a barely audible tone as she turned on her computer and checked her email. Finding the email in question, the teen hero gritted her teeth as she picked up the phone and spoke in a flat tone of voice, "I'll talk to you later, Bonnie."

"Sure." The voice on the other end replied between fits of laughter. "I'm sure that zit you were putting cream on will go away before the dance."

"That was not a zit!" Kim practically screamed into the phone, "That was moisturizer!"

"Yeah." Bonnie laughed, "Whatever."

On hearing the laughter coming from her twin sibling's room, Kim burst in yelling, "You little shi…I mean fu…you…little TWEEBS!" Then looking down at her dismantled Kimmunicator, the angry redhead again yelled, "What the HELL did you two little brats do to my communicator?!"

"Kim!" James Possible shouted from downstairs, "Language!"

"What's going on up there, Kimmie?" Ann Possible asked as she entered her twin sons' bedroom.

"I'm about to become an only child." Kim responded in a menacing voice as she glared at her younger brothers. "First the Tweebs sent a mass emailing of me in the bathroom…"

"We didn't show her in the shower or on the potty." Jim protested.

"Yeah." Tim chimed in, "We made sure to cut those parts out before we uploaded the pictures."

"And after that, they tore apart my Kimmunicator." Kim growled, still shooting daggers with her eyes at her brothers.

"Jim…Tim…" Mrs. Possible demanded, glaring at her young sons, "What did your father and I tell you about invading your sister's privacy?"

"You said not to do it." Both twins sheepishly replied, adding in their defense, "We needed the trilithium power cell from her Kimmunicator so that we could finish putting together our silicon phase disruptor. See…" The Tweebs announced proudly as the held up the hand held electronic device, "Doesn't it look cool?"

"Yes it does." James said admiringly, then seeing the cross looks he was getting from both his wife and daughter, quickly admonished, "But that's still no excuse for you taking Kim's communicator and tearing it apart. And nothing excuses you violating your sister's privacy like you did."

"We'll put it back together." Jim promised as his brother nodded in agreement.

"Yeah. We promise. We'll have it fixed by breakfast."

"What about taking pictures of me in the bathroom?" Kim protested, not wanting to let her brothers off the hook so easily.

"We sent the pictures out as a mass emailing." Tim answered back, "We can't do anything about them now—honest!"

"You shouldn't have sent them out in the first place." Ann rebuked, "For that, we're taking away your computer and all the rest of your electronics for a month."

"Awww, Mom!"

"Wanna try for two months?" Ann cautioned as she glared at her misbehaving boys.

"No, Mom."

"Good." The Possible matriarch nodded her head once in satisfaction. "Once you get dressed and finish putting together Kim's communicator, you can join us for breakfast." Smiling at her daughter, Ann prompted, phrasing her command as a polite request, "Breakfast is ready dear."

In an effort to lighten the mood, James also favored his daughter with a grin, "Your Mom outdid herself this morning! Bacon, eggs, fresh biscuits, hash browns, and pancakes."

"Carb city." Kim, her anger over her brother's antics beginning to fade, chuckled as she walked with her parents down to the kitchen and poured herself a cup of coffee.

"Gotta fuel up for the day's adventures!" James replied as he joined his daughter at the coffee pot.

"So…how did it go at the lab yesterday, honey?" Ann asked.

"An experimental mind control chip was stolen by a shapeshifter." Kim responded, further elaborating. "Tara thinks that it's someone she knows—Camille Leon."

"I remember reading about her in the lifestyle page of the paper sometime back." Ann recalled. "Didn't her father leave her a fortune?"

"Yeah." James interjected, "I remember reading about him in the business section. He came up with a new type of cat food that was supposed to be irresistible for even the most finicky cats. Remember the tv advertisements of the talking cat…"

"You mean Norris?" Kim chuckled, "Yeah…I used to love watching those when I was a kid."

"I read that it was his idea to run that ad." James recollected. "That cat food made him millions—at least!"

"So…why is his daughter a thief?" Ann pondered, "She's got all that money…"

"According to Tara, she spent most of it on private yachts, planes, villas, ski lodges, sports cars and stuff like that." Kim replied. "She steals to keep up her lifestyle and…Tara says she does it for kicks as well."

"That's a shame." Kim's mom shook her head, "She has everything anyone could ever want…could do anything she wanted…and she throws it all away."

"How does she change her appearance as she does?" James mused aloud, "To be able to shapeshift like that, her basic genetic structure would have to have been almost completely reworked."

"She'd also need extensive surgery." Ann further opined. "I can only think of a few individuals who are capable of both. In fact, I can count them on the fingers of one hand and still have fingers left over."

"If you were to take a guess…" Kim inquired, "Who would you say did it?"

Letting out a breath of air, the neurosurgeon replied, "I'd say the likeliest candidate would be Dr. Fred Beaufox. His license to practice medicine has been revoked by several countries' regulatory agencies—including this one—for malpractice. I also read where he was fired from his teaching position at Go City Medical School for unethical experiments."

"I remember reading something about that too." James interjected, "He wrote a paper on a technique he called nanomorphing in which he stated that it was possible for an individual to mimic the appearance and characteristics of any person they've seen with the proper DNA restructuring accompanied by nanobot implants. Of course, the more the shapeshifter knows about the person they're mimicking…"

"The more like the real person they appear." Kim concluded, her father nodding his head in agreement.

"Right." James affirmed, further inquiring, "How long did that corporal say he was held by her?"

"I think he said about three days." Kim replied as she cupped her chin, "So…you think she spent that time studying him?"

"I think so." Mr. Doctor Possible nodded his head. "Three days of constant observation would have given her plenty of time to learn enough about him to fool most security screenings. About the only test it wouldn't fool probably would have been a retinal scan."

"When we went through the screening…" Kim recalled, "Tara told me that it was an iris scan."

"I see." James mused, "While an iris scan is usually very effective, there are ways around it. It's a lot tougher to fool a retinal scan."

"I'm surprised they didn't have a retinal scanner." Kim observed.

"Oh…" James let out a breath of air, "I bet you they have one now."

"Horses and barn doors." Ann chuckled as she guided her husband and daughter to the table, "Now, you two…eat. You both have a big day today."

Middleton High

"I can't believe Spirit Dance is only four more days away!" Liz exclaimed as she walked down the hall with Tara and Hope.

"Looking forward to showing Kevin off to all the other girls?" Hope asked mischievously with a smirk on her face.

"And why shouldn't I?" Liz answered back with a toothy grin. "Looks and brains in one package…what girl could ask for more?" Turning about rapidly in the direction of the derisive snort coming from behind her, Liz grumped, "Something funny, Bonnie?"

"Yeah." The teal-eyed teenager sniped, "You and the chess nerd."

"Kevin's not the only chess nerd, Bonnie luv." Tara retorted. "Me and Hope play and Kevin's teaching Liz how to play."

"And she's gotten pretty good." Hope added. "Yesterday she beat Dave Ponder and he's right up there with T and Kevin and Sergei."

"I think Dave was distracted…" Liz snickered, "He met this pretty gymnast last week and asked her to the Spirit Dance."

"Really?" Hope exclaimed with a wide grin as she and her friends deliberately tuned Bonnie out of their conversation. "What did she say?"

"She said yes." Liz replied. "The rest of us haven't met her yet, but he's gonna bring her by after school so we can all say Hi to her."

"Brilliant!" Tara acclaimed. "All we've gotta do now is fix Jermaine and Paul up with dates and we'll all be set. I wonder…" the blonde cheerleader tapped her temple with her index finger, "…maybe we can get one of the JV cheerleaders? Audra or Charmaine maybe for Jermaine and what about Emily for Paul? She's an honor student and kinda shy…"

"Audra said something about going out with Logan Neal from the golf team." Hope answered back, "But I think Charmaine's available and she's smart enough to look beyond the surface, so she might be persuaded to go to the dance with Jermaine. And Emily sounds perfect for Paul."

"I'll talk to Charmaine and Emily and see if they're interested." Liz volunteered as Bonnie, her irritation at being ignored showing on her face, gave a derisive snort.

"Just when you think you've seen everything—a nerd dating service!" Turning her back on the three rebellious cheerleaders, Bonnie, now accompanied by Marcella and Monique sneered, "Our boys are taking us out to the Crystal Swan for dinner before the dance. We'll be thinking of you while your dates treat you to the all you can eat pizza buffet at J. P. Bearymore's."

Shaking her head, Liz let out a breath of air, "You know…the one thing I regret more than anything else about dating Kevin?"

"What?" Tara asked.

"That I didn't do it earlier." Liz laughed merrily as she saw the look of surprise on the blonde cheerleader's face. "Gotcha!"

"Yeah…" Hope admitted with a snicker. "That was a good one."

"You had me worried for a second, luv." Tara chuckled.

"Sorry…" Liz apologized, "But I couldn't resist. Well…" She sighed as she opened her locker and got out her books for the next class. "I better go or I'm gonna be late for class. Seeya at lunch."

"Later!" The Dirty Pair responded as their Kimmunicator's beeped. "Yeah, Wadesy." Tara answered, "What's up?"

"Mother's got more of those files decrypted."

"Not here, Wade." Tara replied in a hushed tone. "Too many ears. Give us two minutes and then call back."

"Right." Wade responded as he disconnected.

"Utility closet's out." Hope murmured, "Remember…Barkin changed the locks."

"Girls' restroom's out also." Tara remarked in response, "Too great a chance of someone walking in." Spotting a vacant classroom, Tara pulled her friend's sleeve. "Over here…Ms. Allen has her planning period now and she likes to spend it in the faculty lounge. We should be able to talk freely there."

"Let's go." Hope answered back as the pair made their way into the classroom, closing the door behind them. "Over here." The raven-haired teen pointed towards a corner of the room. As the two adventuresses made their way to the secluded corner, Tara's phone beeped again.

"Go ahead, Wade, luv. It's safe now."

"Jackpot!" The tech genius exclaimed with a big smile on his face. "First…according to these files, Bonnie's father isn't involved with the drugs."

"That is good news." Hope replied. "Anything else?"

"Yeah." Wade's smile vanished. "It looks like he's been embezzling and is guilty of tax evasion. Mother passed the info on to Betty. I'll switch you to her."

Wade's image was immediately replaced by the image of the Director of Global Justice. "Tara…Hope. As Wade has already informed you, it looks like Mr. Rockwaller has committed some serious crimes. However, we will not be passing this information on to either the local or federal authorities just yet."

"You're looking to use him as an informant or for something else." Tara immediately surmised.

"Also correct." Betty affirmed. "While he is not directly tied in to either MALUS or the Knights of Rodegan, he has contacts who are. He can be a useful informant and he might also serve in a variety of other capacities. We're in the process of formulating plans as to how to best utilize him now. Once we do have something, we'll set him up with a handler. But, until then, he remains undisturbed."

"Try not to get him hurt or killed." Tara replied with a frown. "Bonnie might not be our friend, but he is her father and we don't want to see her hurt. And we especially don't want to go to her father's funeral because you put him into something over his head."

"No promises." The director responded, "But we'll do the best we can to keep him safe. Director out."

Turning her attention back to the Team Possible computer genius, Tara inquired, "Did those files have anything on the drug manufacturing."

"Yeah." Wade answered back. "They've moved their facility to another location. We couldn't find the new location in the files, but we did find a codename: Stevedore. I've got data mining bots scouring the internet and am still monitoring Rockwaller's bookkeeper and all of his communications and I've slipped in a tiny virus into his computer that will allow me to access his hard drive and key commands. Don't worry…I'll keep you updated if anything develops." After a moment's pause, he further added, "If you want, I can also set it up where we can keep an eye on Mr. Rockwaller without Global Justice knowing…just to be sure he stays safe."

"You're a peach, Wade." Hope replied, smiling at the young techie.

"Yeah. You're a bit of the all right." Tara added with a grin, "Please and thank you, Wadesy." Letting out a sigh as the bell rang, the Dirty Pair said their goodbyes. "We better go or Barkin will give us detention and knowing him, it'll be on the day of the Spirit Dance. Later, luv!"

"Well…that complicates things." Hope sighed as the duo walked out of the classroom. "Still…it's better than it could have been."

"Now…" Tara replied as she shook her head, "All we have to do is track down that chip before Drakken or whoever Camille sold it to decides to use it."

"He might have already used it." Hope cautioned with a worried frown.

"That's what I'm afraid of." Tara murmured under her breath.

Middleton High Brick overhears bullies plotting against Jordan and Josh talks him out of directly confronting the bully. Instead, the pair tell Sergei and the others

As he walked to his locker, Josh Mankey heard a loud voice calling out his name. Quickly turning about, the young artist-musician saw Brick Flagg, the quarterback and captain of the football team, approaching him with a wide grin on his face. "Hey, Brick." Josh greeted with a smile of his own, "What's up?"

"I was just wondering how Kim and the girls were doing." The quarterback responded, "It's been a few days since we've seen them at practice."

"They just got back from a mission." Josh replied as the two boys walked down the hall together. "She couldn't talk too much about it though because it's classified."

"It must be hard sometimes…" Brick pondered, "…her going off on secret missions and all. How are you able to…"

"Deal with it?" Josh grinned and shrugged his shoulders. "Pretty much the same way Sergei does with Tara and Hope. I just accept that's just who she is." Chuckling, he commented, "You know what's funny? She asked me that very question a while back. I told her that her wanting to help people was the think that drew me most to her. I'd never ask her to change."

"I guess I can see that." Brick replied, nodding his head in understanding.

"So…" Josh inquired, "How are you and Bonnie doing?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Brick responded with a mildly forlorn note in his voice, "I'm not sure. Sometimes I think everything's going okay and then…all of a sudden…she's riding me about something or other…like the shirt I'm wearing or that I ordered a rare steak…stuff like that."

"Is there something wrong?" Josh asked, "I mean…I don't want you to say anything you're not supposed to, but…"

"No…it's okay." The jock smiled before heaving a sigh. "I'm not sure if you've heard or not, but Bonnie's home life isn't that good."

"I'd heard bits and pieces." Josh confirmed.

"It's mostly her sisters and her old man." Brick declared. "Her sisters keep riding her. They're grown up and in college, but they're worse than my older sister's little boys—and they're only five and six."

"That sucks." Josh commiserated.

"Yeah." Brick nodded in agreement. "Since she and Monique became friends, she's been a little better—at least towards me—but she still has it in for Kim and the Pair."

"You know…" Josh admitted, "I've never really understood why Kim and Bonnie are the way they are towards each other. And I have no idea why Monique has it in for Tara and Hope like she does."

Shaking his head, Brick responded, "I'm sorry. Neither one of them tells me anything. Bonnie's always telling me to do something or take her somewhere and as for Monique…" The jock shrugged his shoulders, "I have no idea."

As Josh was about to respond the two boys passed by a door where they heard another boy's voice.

"Just before the Spirit Rally we're gonna grab that Jordan nerd and drag him in here. You with me so far?"

"Yeah. We grab the nerd and strip all his clothes off him…"

Another voice, this one stifling laughter, chimed in. "Then we dump glue and feathers all over him."

"And then we chase down the hall just as everyone's heading to the assembly." The first voice concluded. "That'll show him and the rest of those nerds who's in charge here."

As Brick was about to kick open the door, he felt a hand on his shoulder and then heard Josh's whispered voice.

"No, Brick. You do that and we'll both get suspended along with the bullies. The bullies won't care about a ten-day suspension—been there done that. But it'll mess you up. You're holding on to a C average. If you miss ten days, there's no way you can make that up. You'll fail and your college career will be ruined."

"We can't let them get away with what they're wanting to do to that boy." Brick protested as a sly grin crossed Josh's face.

"They won't." The artist-musician replied, "I've got a plan, but we're gonna need the help of a few friends—and I know just who to ask."

"All right." Brick nodded his head in agreement. "As long as we stop those bullies I'm okay with whatever you're cooking up."

"Great." Josh grinned, "Now we just need to get hold of Sergei, Steve, and Kevin and clue them in. Those bullies won't even know what hit them."

Drakken's Lair

Spotting Drakken hunched over a console in his lab, Shego called out, "You're back, Dr. D? Did you find a present for your mother?"

"Huh?" Startled, the blue-skinned mad scientist jerked his head up, "Oh…Shego…" His voice now taking on an oily character, a smirk appeared on the villain's face as he spoke. "Oh yes! I got her a most wonderful gift. She's going to love it!"

"Oh?" Shego replied, "What did you get her."

His lips turning up in a sly grin, Drakken responded, "Oh…I don't want to spoil the surprise." Seeing the dubious look on his sidekick's face, the scientist quickly requested, "I need a sample of cesium silicate for my new anti-molecular disruptor gun. Would you get it for me, please? It's in a shielded container in the rare earth storage room."

Shrugging her shoulders, Shego acknowledged, "Okay. Be back soon."

"Thank you, Shego." Drakken replied as he activated the surveillance monitors, tracking his sidekick as she walked down the hall and entered the storage room. Once she had entered, the mad scientist pressed a button and then a second button in rapid succession. "The gas shouldn't take long." Drakken sneered as he activated the audio and video feed in the locked room.

Hearing a loud thunk coming from the door, immediately followed by a hissing sound coming from the vents, Shego scowled. "Shit. Anesthezine gas mixed with a flammable compound. I call up a fireball, this whole room goes up." Looking up, she at once spotted the video camera. "You son of a bitch." She growled as she held up a middle finger to the camera. Feeling her consciousness beginning to ebb away, Shego quickly typed in a set of numbers to a certain number and pressing send, cursed before collapsing to the floor, "Fuck you, Drakken."

"Sticks and stones, Shego." Drakken cackled as he activated his comm. "Boris and Karloff. Fetch Shego from Storage Room Beta and bring her into my lab." Laughing at the sight of his henchmen's eyes widening with fear, the evil scientist quipped, "Don't worry, that gas will keep her unconscious for at least two hours." Looking down at the microchip, Drakken sneered, "Long enough to ensure that she stays my slave forever."

Middleton

It was all Kim, Tara, and Hope could do to stay awake as Mr. Barkin reached the halfway point of his lecture on the Cold War and the ABM Treaty—Ron having already succumbed to sleep—when the Kimmunicators of all three girls, along with the one owned by their sleeping companion, beeped.

"Trashy Trio!" The substitute teacher growled, irritated at the interruption, but also realizing that it had to be something extremely important for all three girls and Stoppable to be called at the same time. "Wake up Sleeping Beauty and take it outside. You know what to do when you're done with whatever it is you have to do."

"Yes, Mr. Barkin." Kim responded as Zita nudged her boyfriend awake.

"C'mon, Stoppable." Tara urged as the blond teenager sluggishly wiped the sleep from his eyes, "Duty calls."

Watching as the foursome left his room, the burly former Marine teacher muttered under his breath, "Good hunting girls…you too Stoppable."

Answering her phone as she exited the classroom with her friends, Kim grinned as she saw the image of her team's technician on her tiny viewscreen, "Thanks, Wade. You got us out of the most boring lecture ever."

"I just received a coded text." Wade apologetically reported as he displayed the text—a series of numbers, letters, and characters all seemingly random. "I'm sorry, I couldn't make anything of it."

"Don't feel bad, Wadesy." Tara interjected in a soothing voice, "It's an old UNCLE code—only a few of us know it now. Let me take a look at it." After a few moments, a worried look overtook her face.

"What did it say?" Ron, seeing the concerned expression on his friend's face, asked in a soft tone.

Tara anxiously answered, "QT and then a set of coordinates—latitude and longitude."

"QT?" Kim queried.

"Short for Cutie." Tara replied. "The message was from Sheila and intended for me. Something bad has happened to her. That last sequence, is a word—Help."

"You think Drakken turned on her?" Ron asked.

"Yeah." A disconsolate Tara nodded her head, "And assuming he has that neuro-compliance chip."

"Shit." Hope cursed in a low voice.

"Right." Tara agreed, urging, "We have to get her out."

"Give me a moment." Wade cut in, "I'll pin down a location." A few moments later, the computer genius announced, "I got it. It's a location in the Peruvian rainforest. I've notified Global Justice and they're dispatching a hoverjet. It should be at your school by the time you exit the building."

"Thanks, Wade. Do us a favor—please and thank you."

"Sure Kim—what?"

"Call my folks and Josh…"

"And Sergei…" Hope and Tara both interjected.

"And tell them what's happening."

"I'll tell Zita on our way out." Ron added.

"Will do, KP…girls." Wade assured. Adding, almost as an afterthought, "Kim? Your brothers wanted me to give you something. I think it was to make up for what they did to your Kimmunicator although they wouldn't admit it."

"What, Wade?" Kim asked with a suspicious tone to her voice.

"It's a silicon phase disruptor." Wade explained, "Somehow or other, they managed to make it handheld. If Drakken's implanted Shego or anyone else with one of those chips, get close to them and use it. The phase disruptor should jam the frequency used by the neural compliance chip to control its host—provided it works, that it."

"Thanks, Wade." Kim replied, "If we have to use it and it works, I'll thank the Tweebs and let Mom and Dad know."

"They'd appreciate that." Wade chuckled, "They're not happy about being grounded for a month without their toys."

"You're a darling, Wadesy." Tara replied as Hope blew the bashful young genius a kiss.

Signaling her friends, Kim urged, "Come on…we've gotta get our gear and go. We can change on the hoverjet."

Peruvian Rainforest—Dr. Drakken's Lair

Watching with concern as an uncharacteristically silent Tara lit another cigarette, Hope wandered over to her best friend and sat down beside her. Gently touching her on the wrist, the raven-haired cheerleader consoled, "You okay?"

"Not really." Tara replied as she took a drag from her cigarette and exhaled. "I know Sheila. If Drakken has implanted that chip into her…" she moaned as she shook her head, "…when she gets free…"

"You think she'll lose it?" Hope asked.

"I hope not." Tara grimly replied as she put out her cigarette, "Because if she does, a whole lot of innocent people are gonna end up paying the price for that lunatic's backstab."

Placing her hand over that of her worried partner's, Hope answered back in a reassuring tone. "We're gonna rescue Sheila, kick Drakken's ass all the way to the moon and then if he did put that thing in her head, we're gonna get it out and stick with her until she gets sick and tired of us." Seeing the faintest traces of a smile appearing on the blonde woman's face, Hope grinned, "Am I right?"

"Yeah, luv." Tara responded warmly as her and Hope's Kimmunicator beeped. "Sergei." Tara grinned, giving the raven-haired cheerleader a warm smile, "Did someone tell him to call us right about now?"

"Could be." Hope unapologetically smirked back, "I figured we both could use a little lift before we take care of business."

Answering her Kimmunicator, Tara smiled at her shared lover, "Hey, lover. Calling to check up on us?"

"I just wanted to see how my lyubovniki were faring and fill you in on today's news." Sergei answered back with a grin. Addressing his next remarks to his blonde lover, the young Russian man consoled, "You will find Sheila my lyubov and if she has been hurt, we will all help her heal."

"Thanks, luv." Tara replied in a soft voice, "And thank you…" she said, grasping her best friend's hand in hers as she spoke, "…both of you…for being so accepting of my…complicated…relationship with Sheila. There aren't too many men or women for that matter…who'd be so understanding."

"Is part of who you are." Sergei answered back. "Is part of what makes you special."

"So…what's going on at the school?" Hope asked with a chuckle, "Any interesting gossip?"

"Da." The Russian grinned. "Steve told me that Jessica flashed him just before batting practice."

"Hah!" Both girls laughed, "So…how badly did it screw up his hitting?"

"The coach had to switch him to fielding grounders." Sergei chortled, "But he kept missing them too. Once the coach and the rest of the team found out the reason for his mistakes, they took a cooler full of ice and dumped it over his head. Coach told him that should cool him off and then told him that Jessica was banned from practice for the rest of the season."

Laughing, Hope asked with a twinkle in her eyes, "Anything else?"

"Oh, Da!" Sergei's laughter grew even richer, "Liz and Kevin got caught making out in one of the utility closets by Mr. Barkin. They got three days detention—to be served after the dance."

Gasping for air between laughs, Tara inquired, "Did they get locked in?"

"Nyet." Sergei grinned, "Kevin kept the door from closing by using duct tape."

"Didn't I tell you duct tape can solve any problem, bestie!" Hope grinned as she playfully poked her elbow into her blonde friend's side.

"All right…all right!" Tara laughed as she lit a cigarette. "Any other goodies, lover?"

For the next several minutes, the threesome talked and gossiped as two other Kimmunicator conversations went on. Hearing their Kimmunicators ring at the same time as their friends, both Kim and Ron answered, smiling broadly at the images on the screen.

"Hey, Josh…"

"Hi, Zita…"

"Your friend Wade set it up where we can talk." Josh said as Ron moved to another corner of the hoverjet to give his best friend…and himself…privacy to talk to their significant others. For the next several minutes the pair also talked and gossiped until the Global Justice pilot called out. "We're almost there."

"Gotta go, Josh…"

"Take care of yourself, Kim…"

"See ya later, Zita!"

"Be careful, Ron."

"Later, studmuffin!"

"Good hunting, lyubovniki. I have faith you will save Sheila. We will all celebrate when you return."

The pilot again called out to his passengers, "We're at the LZ, good luck!"

Landing safely on the ground, the four heroes quickly concealed their parachutes as Ron quipped, "I've figured out why Drakken wants mind control powers."

"Okay, Ron…" Kim sighed, playing along, "Why does Drakken want mind control powers?"

"It's perfectly obvious, Kim." The blond youth replied with a big grin on his face, "He wants to make all of us listen to stories about his warped childhood."

"Time to go, Ron!"