Middleton High

"The girls okay?" Kevin Guberman asked Sergei and Josh as the two boys finished their conversations with their girlfriends.

"Yeah." Josh replied. "They're getting ready to go in now."

"They will be fine." Sergei emphatically declared. "But I am worried about Sheila."

"Oh…" Kevin exclaimed, "Do they think she might be in trouble?"

"Da." The dark-haired Russian youth nodded his head. "Tara thinks Drakken might have turned on her."

"She'll be fine." Josh declared in a reassuring tone, "Kim and the girls won't let anything happen to her."

"Right. Sheila's tough. She's not going to let Drakken get the better of her." Steve nodded his head as he gestured in the direction of the three D-wing bullies congregated near a locker. "We're going to have to move quickly."

"We also have to be sure that Barkin doesn't catch wind of what we're doing." Kevin further emphasized.

"Mr. Barkin's in the auditorium." Sergei pointed out, conceding, "But we do have to be careful. Another teacher could easily catch us."

"Right." Josh nodded his head in agreement. So…is everyone set?"

"Yes." The other boys replied in unison.

"I got Mitch and Hank from the football team to back us up." Brick announced as he gestured at the fullback and defensive safety standing on either side of him.

"We're with you." Mitch announced as Hank nodded his head in agreement. "We don't like these bullies any more than you do. They give us jocks a bad name."

"We've also got back up from the soccer and baseball teams." Steve pointed out as Sergei nodded in agreement. "There's enough of us to make the bullies think twice about starting something."

"All right." Kevin announced, "Operation Table Flip is a go. Let's do this."

Drakken's Lair

"In fourth grade, I developed a ray that controlled rubber products because Danny Rivers dared me to do it." Drakken bragged to an apparently rapt audience consisting of Shego, with an uncharacteristically blank look to her face, and two of his henchmen, Boris and Karloff. "They said I was crazy, but after that, no one could beat me at dodgeball, foursquare, or tetherball and Danny Rivers had to eat a bug. Isn't that fascinating?"

"Yeah, Boss." Both henchmen dutifully replied.

"Yes, Dr. Drakken." A blank faced Shego echoed as she gazed admiringly at her master.

"Want to hear more stories about my youth, Shego?" Drakken asked with an evil grin.

"Please, Dr. Drakken!"

"All right…let's see…here's a good one. I was in sixth grade and Mandy Perkins…"

"I can't believe the boss put that thing in Shego's head." Boris whispered to his fellow henchman.

"Me neither." Karloff muttered back. "I wouldn't wanna be here if that thing ever stops working."

"Yeah." Boris whispered, "There's gonna be hell to pay if she ever busts loose."

"Maybe it's a good time for us to take our vacation?" Karloff opined, "The wife's been nagging me about taking her to Floppy World."

"Good idea." Boris agreed, "I'm gonna put in my request now. If I'm lucky, I'll be outta here when the roof blows off."

"Me too."

Furiously bashing the invisible walls of her mental prison, Shego's subconscious watched helplessly as the neuro-compliance chip her forced her conscious mind and body to carry out the whims of the mad scientist who had placed the foreign object in her mind. Screaming as Drakken ordered her body to hand him the instruments he needed to make more chips, Shego's subconscious, when the blue-skinned villain ordered her to fetch a dodo bird feather, shouted, her voice one of rage, anger, and anguish, "Laugh now, Drakken! I'm going to get my mind back and when I do, I'm going to fry your sorry ass!"

Peruvian Rainforest

"That must be the entrance to his lair." Kim said, pointing to a beautiful waterfall. "Any ideas?"

"Yeah." Tara responded. "I can hack us through his security system with Wadesy's help. Then we split up and hit Drakken from two sides."

"Good idea." The redhead nodded her head in agreement. "He'll be expecting me and Ron to come in from the front so you and Hope hitting him from behind will totally crush him."

"That's the plan." Hope smirked as she checked her weapons. Seeing the look on Kim's face, the raven-haired cheerleader gave her friend a reassuring grin, "Don't worry, Kimmie…I'm using non-lethal ammo."

"And my shuriken are tipped with a sedative." Tara added, contributing to the redhead's peace of mind.

"Thanks." Kim replied with a smile of her own. "Everyone ready?"

"We're set, luv." Tara replied as she went to work on the security system with Wade's guidance. Smiling in satisfaction as the door opened, the blonde adventuress cautioned, "Watch yourselves mates. Assuming Shego's under control of that chip…"

"And we'd be fools if we don't." Kim nodded her head.

"You think Drakken will order her to take the safeties off?" Ron asked as his blonde friend nodded her head.

"Yeah." Tara answered back in a low voice. "If I know Cheeky, she's fighting that thing with everything she's got, but she might not be able to help herself. So…be careful. I don't want anyone missing the Spirit Dance because they're laid up in hospital from plasma burns."

"Let's do this." Hope prompted as the foursome made their way to the lair and entered undetected.

Coming to a T-section, Kim whispered, "Okay here's where we split up. All goes well, we meet up in Drakken's lab. Good luck."

"Good luck to you too, mates." Tara whispered in an inaudible voice as the group divided, each team moving stealthily towards its goal. "We're on our way, Cheeky. Just hold on."

"Congratulate me, Shego!" Drakken crowed as he held up a tiny needle and a blowgun. "I have succeeded in placing a microchip on the tip of this needle. All I need to do is hit the neck of the person I'm aiming at and it will be implanted and its host will be completely under my control."

"Congratulations, Dr. Drakken." Shego responded admiringly as the chip in her head commanded.

"Aren't I a genius?" The mad scientist boasted.

"Yes, Dr. Drakken." Shego vocalized as her subconscious mind sobbed, "You are the smartest…most talented…and evilest person on Earth."

"Not just on Earth my slave." Drakken cackled, "In the universe."

"In the universe, Dr. Drakken."

Smiling as he glanced down at the security monitor, seeing the two separate teams as they maneuvered towards his lab, Drakken boasted, "The redundancies I built into the security system work perfectly." Addressing his mind controlled slave, the mad scientist ordered, "Take this blowgun and implant Kim Possible with the chip, then return with her." Turning to his henchmen, he ordered, "Boris…Karloff…you and the rest of the henchmen…capture and bring the other intruders to me."

"This is going too easy, Ron." Kim muttered nervously as she and her companion worked their way down the corridor to their foe's lab. We should have encountered at least a dozen henchmen by now." Taking out the handheld silicon phase disruptor her brothers had made for her, she handed it to her partner. "Take this. If there is a trap, take off and find Hope and Tara…"

"And leave you?" Ron shook his head, "No…don't forget the promise I made to you and your parents…"

Smiling warmly at her best friend, Kim replied in a gentle, yet assertive tone, "You won't be abandoning me, Ron. That device…" she glanced down at her brothers' invention, "…might be the only thing that can knock out that chip. We can't take the risk of it falling into Drakken's hands if he should somehow…"

"Get that chip in you?" Ron whispered as his friend inclined her head. Taking the device, the young man slipped it into his pocket, "Okay, KP. I'll do what you say."

"Thanks, Ron." Kim smiled back as Shego appeared. At once noticing her foe's glassy eyes, the redhead had time to utter a final exclamation and command before slipping into darkness, "Oh shit. Ron…run!"

"That's another bunch down." Hope let out a breath as she reloaded her pistol. "This keeps up I'm gonna run out of tranq bullets before Drakken runs out of henchies. Where's he getting them all from?"

"Not from Jack Hench." Tara replied as she tossed a drugged shuriken at a charging thug, striking him in the leg and rendering him unconscious. "These yobbos are strictly cannon fodder."

Smirking as two of the henchmen, apparently the leaders, turned around to run away, Hope cursed as she fired two rounds from her pistol, hitting both of the goons in the neck, "Oh no you don't assholes. We've got questions for you."

"Nice shooting, luv." Tara grinned as she took down the last of the charging henchmen with a trip and kick, stunning him. "Let's see what those two have to say." Approaching the two leaders, the blonde adventuress quickly bound them with plastic cuffs before injecting them with a stimulant. "Wake up, toerags. It's question and answer time."

Coming to consciousness, Boris felt the sharp point of a blade at his neck. "Please!" The henchman whimpered, "Don't kill me. I've got a wife and two kids."

"Tell us what we want to know, and you'll get to see your family again." Tara replied, gentling her voice tone slightly as she removed her knife from the man's throat.

"Anything!" The henchman sobbed, "I'll tell you anything you want to know."

"Good man." Tara responded sarcastically. "Now…where are Drakken and Shego?"

"Dr. Drakken's in his lab." Boris answered, "He knew you all were coming."

"Damn." Hope muttered, "Bastard's learning."

"Yeah…that's what he said." The henchman responded. "He sent us to take care of you and set a trap for Possible and her friend."

"What sort of trap?"

"He gave Shego a blow gun with one of those mind control things on a needle. He ordered her to shoot Possible with it and take the boy prisoner." Shaking his head, the goon admitted, "I don't know what he's got planned for the kid…but I don't think it's good."

"Are there any more of you?"

"No." Boris shook his head, "You and your friend took us all out. But…" He warned in a whiny voice, "Shego…the boss put that chip in her. She does whatever she tells him to do."

"What has he made her do?" Tara asked, her voice carrying an edge to it as all sorts of horrible scenarios played through her mind.

"Nothing really bad." Boris quickly replied, "Mostly fetch and carry type stuff, listening to his boring stories, doing stupid or silly stuff like trying to fetch a dodo bird or sticking straws in her nose and blowing out Coco Moo through 'em. Stuff like that. He hasn't made her do anything like what you're thinking."

"Your telling me that just saved his life." Tara avowed. "Now, we're just gonna kick his ass. Does he have any other surprises?"

"No." The man responded. "The lab's down the corridor, up the next flight of stairs, and on the left."

"You've been a font of information." Tara smirked as she put her knife back in its sheath. "Time to take a nap. The nice men with badges will come and take you to a place where your family can see you."

"Prison's a helluva lot safer than this place is gonna be when Shego breaks free from that thing." Boris replied before Tara knocked him out.

"It's gonna be a tough fight, T." Hope declared as the pair took stock of their situation. "Taking on Shego's bad enough. But a mind controlled Shego and Kim…gonna take a miracle to pull this off without someone getting hurt."

"Good thing I've got a miracle in my hand."

"Ron?" Hope exclaimed with a broad grin on her face as she recognized the young man approaching from the corridor, carrying a small device in his hand.

"Is that what I think it is, luv?" Tara inquired; her attention drawn to the device.

"Sure is." Ron replied, frowning. "Kim figured that there might be a trap, so she made me take the device and run once Shego showed up. I left Rufus behind to keep an eye on KP while I went to fetch you."

Taking out her Kimmunicator, Tara called up their tech wizard, "Wadesy…things have gone tits up here."

"What's the sitch? Are Kim and Ron okay?" Wade exclaimed, his face etched with worry as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

"Ron's fine, but Kim's in trouble." Tara reported as she turned her communicator over to Ron who repeated what he had earlier told his teammates. Speaking again to Wade, the blonde Englishwoman asked, "How does this thing in Ron's hand work?"

"The Tweebs told me that you have to get in close before activating it." Wade explained. "Once set off, it effectively short circuits the chip for a short period of time, knocking out whoever it's used on. The chip's still operational though…" The young genius warned. "To be one hundred percent safe, it has to be removed."

"How close do we have to get?" Hope asked.

"As close as possible." Wade responded, "Preferably less than five feet."

Nodding her head, Tara concluded their conversation, "Thanks Wade. Tell Betty to have a retrieval team ready. And…alert Kim's parents. I think we're gonna need her mother when we get back."

"Will do." Wade responded, adding, "Good luck."

"Thanks, Wadesy." Tara answered back with an affectionate grin, "We're gonna need all the luck we can get here." Turning to her two friends, she announced, "Right. Hope…you and I are going to have to tie up Kimmie and Shego long enough so that Ron can get close enough to use that device of his. I'll take Cheeky…you've got Kim."

"Got it, T." Hope replied with a nervous smile.

Placing a reassuring hand on her friend's arm, Tara advised, "You just have to keep her occupied long enough for Ron to get close. Stay on the defensive. Remember, Kim's an opportunist—don't give her any openings. You're equal in athletic ability. The big thing she's got going for her is experience, but I'm betting that both she and Cheeky are fighting that chip, so part of her is going to be distracted. Stay cool…remember our training sessions…and you'll do okay."

Smiling warmly at her best friend, Hope replied, "Thanks, bestie. You too. Watch out, Shego might not be able to control those fireballs she's going to be tossing at you. Don't let her burn you."

Turning to their male friend, Tara further advised, "Ron? You've got the hardest job of all. You've got to avoid attracting attention from Kim and Sheila while at the same time trying to get in close to them to use that device and all the while keep an eye out for Drakken. While he's not going to tangle with us, he might well decide to have a go at you. Best you take him out first."

Nodding his head in agreement, Ron declared with a broad grin, "Between me and Rufus, I think we can take Drakken out of the game."

"Right, then." Tara took a deep breath, "We know what we have to do…so let's do it."

"The neuro compliance chips are almost ready." Dr. Drakken crowed triumphantly to his two mind controlled slaves. "Soon my pets, with your help, they will be implanted in all of the world's leaders. I will control them and through them—the world!" The evil mad scientist cackled with glee, "Isn't that wonderful, my slaves?"

"Yes, Doctor Drakken!" Kim and Shego both replied admiringly as Ron and the Dirty Pair burst into the lab.

"Poor Dr. Drakken…" Tara taunted, her lips turned up in a sneer, "Still can't get a woman to stay with him without putting a chip in her head."

"Better give up to us now, Drakken." Ron warned, "Because when Kim and Shego get control of their minds again, guess who they're going to take their mad-on out on."

"The Buffon and the interlopers." Drakken sneered. "You're too late to stop me, fools! Shego…Possible…attack! You may kill the two thieves, but I want the Buffoon taken alive." Glaring at Ron with the eyes of a predator, the blue-skinned villain said in a menacing voice, "I have plans for you."

"Already made plans!" Ron mocked as he closed on the mad scientist, "I'm going to the Spirit Dance with my girlfriend! That's right, Little Boy Blue…I've got a girlfriend now while you're still going out with your sexbots."

"They're not sexbots!" Drakken screamed, "They're bebes!" His voice now taking on a sad tone, he uttered, "They all left me."

Tara followed up with a taunt as Shego launched a plasma ball at her. "What are you gonna do Drakken? Wank off in your bedroom like always?" Barely dodging the plasma ball, the blonde adventuress playfully chided her current opponent, "Little close there, Cheeky." Throwing her shuriken, she called out, "Catch!"

Hope also threw a taunt at Drakken as she barely dodged Kim's flying kick. "Me and my bestie have a big date lined up with our boyfriend."

Blocking Kim's punch, Hope countered with a jab that was also parried by the possessed redhead. "You gotta snap out of it, Kimmie!" The raven-haired cheerleader pleaded, hoping to get through to her friend, "Josh is counting on you going to the dance with him."

"Must kill Cutie." Shego uttered, her blonde opponent noticing how her voice tone hitched ever so slightly at the end.

"That's it, luv!" Tara said as she dodged a punch, "Keep fighting it. You're tougher than any damned chip."

Parrying a series of lightning punches from her redheaded sparring partner, Hope called out to her friend, "How are you doing, T?"

"Barely holding on, H!" Tara responded as she landed a kick on Shego's abdomen, driving the possessed villain back and temporarily stunning her. "How're you faring?"

"About the same!" Hope shouted back as she shook her head from a glancing blow received from her antagonist. "Ron! We need you!"

"Sooner rather than later, luv!"

"Hey, Drakken!" Ron called out as he charged at the mad scientist, "You ready to get it on?" Seeing the villain's eyes widening in surprise, the blond youth jeered, "Chicken, Drakken?"

"Scared of you, Buffoon?" The blue-skinned scientist mocked as he rushed into battle, "Never!"

"You know what you gotta do, Rufus!" Ron shouted as he engaged the mad doctor, decking him with a punch to the jaw that left the scientist reeling.

Following his human's orders, the tiny naked mole-rat skittered to a button next to where the neurochips were being contained and, jumping up, landed on the button with his rear.

"You…you hit me! Buffoon!" Drakken exclaimed as he wiped blood from his lips, "You'll pay for that effrontery!" His eyes widening as he saw a brilliant flash within the sealed container where his microchips were stored, the evil scientist cried out in a mix of anguish and rage, "You've melted my neural compliance chips! I'll kill you all!"

Taking advantage of his foe's momentary confusion, the young man raced to the intense fighting now going on between his friends. Getting the device the Tweebs had invented out from his pocket, Stoppable pushed the button as he uttered a quick prayer, "Please…please work!"

Cringing from the high pitched whine emitted by the silicon phase disruptor, Ron watched as both Kim and Shego began to convulse to the floor. Turning the device off, the worried youth rushed to his best friend's side as Tara, also recovering from the loud screeching, did the same with Shego, while Hope, seeing Drakken trying to sneak away, sneered as she drew her taser, "I don't think so, Blue." Jeering at the twitching form at her feet, she scowled, "Nighty night, asshole."

Just before slipping off into unconsciousness, Kim looked up and smiled at the sight of the blond youth, "Hey, Ron. I knew I could count on my best friend."

"Always, KP." The young man whispered as his friend slid off into a still slumber.

A similar story played itself out a few feet away as Shego, before fading into unconsciousness, looked into the eyes of the blonde holding her hand, her voice barely a whisper. "Thanks for the save, Cutie."

"Anytime, Cheeky." Tara laughed through her tears, "I'll just put it on the bill."

Quickly binding Drakken using a plastic cuff, Hope took out her Kimmunicator and hit the speed dial. Moments later, she turned to her friends. "I just notified Wade to send in the Global Justice pick up team and notify Kim's parents."

"We better get that info on those chips downloaded in case Betty decides to go back on her word." Tara advised as Hope nodded her head in agreement before giving Drakken a hard kick to his side.

"Tell Sheila when she wakes up that I remembered to follow through this time."

"I will, luv." Tara replied as Wade's voice came through the girls' Kimmunicators

"GJ should be at your location in about half an hour and I got hold of Mr. and Mrs. Possible. They'll meet you at the hospital."

Slumping to the floor and leaning back against a wall, Tara sighed as she lit a cigarette. "Looks like we're gonna be a while."

Middleton Medical Center

"We were lucky with Kim." Mrs. Dr. Possible said as she entered the waiting room. "The implant was only subcutaneous. It was easy to remove without invasive surgery. I'm keeping her overnight for observation, but she should be able to make it to the Spirit Dance."

"What about Sheila?" Tara anxiously asked.

"For some reason…we think to ensure that he maintained control over her…or simply out of petty revenge…it's gotten hard to tell now where Drew is concerned…" Dr. Possible sighed, "…he surgically implanted the chip on her cerebral cortex. Dr. Guberman and I had to go in and get it out. It was a difficult and delicate operation. She's in intensive care now…a little after surgery, she slipped into a coma. We think it might be a reaction to the chip being removed."

"Why did it affect her that way and not Kim?" Tara asked.

The neurosurgeon reported with a glum look on her face, "While removing the chip, we noticed a number of nano-tendrils coming from it that had worked their way into your friend's cerebrum and cerebellum. We had to be very careful removing them to avoid brain damage."

"Was there any…"

"No." Ann's lips turned up in a warm smile. "We were able to remove them without causing any damage. If anything…" The redheaded doctor said in an effort to bring in a positive note, "Her slipping into a coma might actually be a good sign. It means that her body is putting everything into healing itself."

"So…you think she'll come out of it soon?"

"I hope so." Ann replied, again giving the young blonde woman a reassuring smile. "The police aren't taking any chances. They've placed her under guard."

"Scared of an unconscious woman." Tara remarked sarcastically with a derisive sneer.

"She is a wanted criminal…" Ann reminded the younger woman.

Tara replied with a roll of her eyes. "The moment she's ready to scarper, she's gone and they're not going to be able to stop her." Her sarcastic demeanor now becoming more plaintive, she pleaded, "Can I see her?"

"It's against protocol…" The neurosurgeon hesitated, then, seeing the imploring look on the younger woman's face, smiled, "But I can pull some strings and let you in." Turning her attention to Hope and Sergei, Ann apologetically informed them, "I'm sorry, I can get Tara in, but I doubt they'll let you in—no matter how hard I push."

"It's okay, lyubov." Sergei said as he gave his blonde girlfriend a hug and gentle kiss, "Go see Sheila…you can tell her hello from us."

"Yeah, bestie." Hope smiled at her friend, "Give Sheila a kiss on the cheek from me too."

"Thanks, luvs." Tara responded as Ann cleared her throat.

"Come with me, Tara, and I'll get you in to see Sheila." Turning her attention to Ron, Josh, and the other teens in the room, the redheaded doctor instructed, "The nurse will take you to see Kim. She's up now and I think a visit from all of you will do her a world of good."

"Thank you Mrs. Dr. P." Ron answered back with a grin as the nurse standing next to Ann took charge of the teens.

"Follow me and I'll take you to her room."

"I'm sorry, but only one of you can see her at a time." The nurse declared as they reached the door to Kim's room.

"You go first, Ron." Josh prompted.

"No…" Ron shook his head, "You should see her first. She's your girlfriend."

"But you're her best friend." Josh replied with a smile. "She should see you first. We'll have plenty of time together. Now…" The young artist/musician urged, practically pushing the other boy to the door. "Go in and see her."

"Thanks." Ron acknowledged with a warm grin as he opened the door and entered the room. Seeing his best friend sitting up in her bed with a tray on her lap, he chuckled, "Did I catch you at dinner, KP?"

Spearing a string bean with her fork, Kim replied with a disgusted look on her face, "Hospital food…yuck."

"I hear you." Ron answered back as he sat down on the chair next to the bed. "Your mom says you'll be back in school in a couple of days."

Her smile returning to her face, Kim remarked, "Yeah. I can't wait."

"So…KP…" Ron hesitatingly asked, "How are you feeling…really?"

Sighing, the young redhead replied, "The truth?" As her best friend nodded his head, Kim confessed, "I feel like I was violated. Drakken took control of my body. My mind watched everything he made me and Shego do…watched as I fought Hope…and I couldn't do anything."

"He didn't make you…" Ron stammered.

"No." Kim shook her head, "Thank God. At least not with me—I wasn't under that long before you guys came and saved us." Lowering her head, the lovely redhead murmured, "I don't know about Shego though. She was under his control far longer. I hope he didn't."

"Tara and Hope told me that the henchman they interrogated said that Drakken didn't do anything like that to her. He just made her do mostly fetch and carry type stuff mixed in with some silly junk like fetching dodo birds and made her listen to a lot of boring stories—but that was it."

Sighing in relief, Kim replied, "Thank heaven. At least he showed some sense. I don't even want to imagine what Shego would do if he did do anything or let anyone else do something to her like that." Taking a moment to catch her breath, she remarked in a low voice, "I…we…Shego and I…were just his puppets. That was the worst."

Nodding his head in sympathy, Ron replied in a gentle voice, "Yeah. I guess I can see that."

"Okay, enough about being mind-controlled." Kim remarked, changing the subject. "Were all the chips destroyed?"

"Yeah." Ron answered back with a grin, "Rufus trashed the chips that Drakken had already made and Hope and Wade got all of the research data and made sure the Director destroyed it. Dr. Bortel was steamed, but…"

"Fuck him." Kim growled. "And fuck Drakken. Assholes know what's good for them, they'll stay far away from me—and especially Shego. I was only possessed for less than an hour. She was under Drakken's control for at least a week—maybe longer. When she finally regains consciousness, she's going to be one pissed off bitch."

Ron replied with a chuckle, "Yeah. Good thing Drakken's in jail and if I were Bortel, I'd find a deep hole and not come out for about ten…twenty years."

"At least!" Kim laughed.

Nodding in satisfaction at the gentle laughter coming from his friend, the young man smiled warmly, "I better go now, there's someone else who's dying to see you. Catch you later, KP."

"Hey, baby." Josh smiled warmly as he gazed on his girlfriend, "Ron says that you're feeling better now…are you?"

"Yeah." Kim answered back as her boyfriend leaned over and kissed her gently on her forehead, "Especially now."

As he smiled at the lovely redhead sitting up on the bed, Josh remembered what Sergei had told him earlier, after he had encouraged Ron to see Kim first.

"It is good that you let Ron go before you, tovarisch. He will comfort her in his way while you will in yours."

"What do you mean?" Josh responded with a confused look on his face.

"You will know, tovarisch." The Russian answered back with a grin.

Gazing deep into Kim's eyes, Josh did indeed know what he needed to do. Without saying a word, He embraced his girlfriend, silently caressing her as she sobbed.

"She's received permission to enter." Dr. Ann Possible declared to the police officer standing guard outside the prisoner's hospital room.

After checking to be sure the authorization was genuine, the officer unlocked the door. Entering the room, Tara saw that the guard was following her. Quickly wheeling about, the blonde Englishwoman glared at the policeman. "I want to see her alone."

"I'm sorry, Ma'am, but my orders are…"

"What do you think I'm going to do?" Tara sneered, "Make off with a comatose woman from the tenth floor? Now…leave us alone."

"Officer?" Ann suggested, interposing herself between the policeman and the young woman facing him, "The window is sealed and the only way out is through that door. Surely you can give them a little privacy?"

Nodding his head, the guard relented, "Sure. Take as much time as you need, Miss."

"Thank you." A considerably mollified Tara replied as the door behind her closed. Approaching the bed where her friend and sometime rival lay, she sat down and placed her palm over the sleeping woman.

"Hey, Cheeky. It's me…Cutie. I don't know if you can hear me, but I just wanted to let you know that we took down Drakken and now he's cooling his heels in gaol. We also made sure that anything having to do with those chips was destroyed, so there'll be no more of those fuckers made. Big dance in a couple of days. Would you believe that I'm actually excited about going to a high school dance? I know…it's silly, but I'm actually enjoying being a teenager again. Maybe it's because I had to grow up so quickly that I didn't really have much time to do all the usual teenage stuff. Maybe that's why Grandmama, Uncle John, and Auntie Emma wanted me to take this job in the first place." Taking the unconscious woman's hand and holding it, Tara said in a soft, low, voice, "You don't mind if I just sit here for a bit, do you, luv. We've got some time before visiting hours are up and I'd love to talk."

Sometime later, the room door opened and Tara heard Ann's voice call out to her in a mellow tone, "Tara…honey…visiting hours are over. I'm afraid you'll have to leave."

"Right, Mrs. Possible…Ann." Tara replied as she stood up and looked down on her fellow adventuress, "I'll come back later and fill you in on everything that happened at the dance…" Her lips turning up in a wicked grin, she added, "And after…I told you about the plans me and Hope have for Sergei…didn't I? Yeah…I did." Tara smiled, "I see that little grin on your face. I'll let Max and the others at the club know you're here too so they can see you." Bending down, she kissed the slumbering woman on her forehead. "Get well, luv. It's not the same without you here."

Middleton High—The Spirit Dance

Seeing his best friend wearing an especially daring maroon evening dress that bared her shoulders, with a curved slit on her right that began with the ankle and continued until it tapered at her upper thigh leaving a tantalizing view of her leg and hip that barely skirted crossing the line of acceptable attire. A gold necklace with rubies and gold earrings also set with rubies and high heel shoes completed the ensemble. "Looking good, KP!" Ron exclaimed as he and Zita approached the redhead and her beau. "I'm surprised Mr. Doctor P didn't have a stroke after seeing you in that dress."

"Lucky for me, he didn't. See me in the dress, that is." The redhead laughed lyrically. "He's working late tonight. Before leaving though, Mom gave me the 'look' and told me to remember to keep my panties…well…that g-string I'm wearing…on."

"What did you tell her?" Zita asked with a chuckle.

"I said I would." Kim replied primly before her lips turned up in a wicked grin before whispering in the other girl's ear, "But that thong's so skimpy it doesn't really matter if it's on or off."

"So…where are Hope, Tara, and Sergei?" Ron asked as he looked about.

"They should be here any time now." Kim replied, then, seeing a group of familiar faces, waved them over. "There they are now!" Hope! Tara! Sergei! Everyone—over here!"

"Wow!" Zita gasped as she saw the dresses the Dirty Pair were wearing—Hope in a black dress with silver trim, slit up to the upper thigh on right and with a plunging neckline, and Tara wearing a matching dress, but white and with gold trim, Sergei clad in a designer suit. "Where did the three of you get those dresses and where did Sergei get that suit?"

"We got the dresses at Blarneys." Tara replied with a wicked grin as she held out her hand, revealing a diamond ring, "And the jewelry's courtesy of Tiffany's."

"And I got the suit at The Crimson Pimpernel in the mall." Sergei interjected.

"That expensive men's store?" Ron exclaimed, "I nearly fainted when I saw the prices for their t-shirts!"

"Sergei's helping us on some jobs now." Hope explained.

"I didn't know that." Kim remarked, "When did this start?"

"A while ago." Tara replied, "You guys were busy at the time and Wade wasn't available. Something about being grounded for a week for calling in too many pizza deliveries."

"Da." The Russian youth nodded in agreement, "I help with logistics and communications when Wade is not available."

"You're being modest again, Sergei." Hope gently chided as she lauded, "He's been a big help in planning and setting up operations. Thanks to all that chess he plays, he's a champ at planning ahead and he's quick on the fly when things go FUBAR." Turning to Kim, she suggested, "You might want to consider keeping him on call as a reserve."

"You should consider it, luv." Tara recommended, "We can't always rely on Wade's help…what if he gets sick or his parents ground him like they did with the pizza deliveries…or something else happens that keeps him from doing what he does."

"Also, Wade doesn't like going out into the field." Hope added, "Good idea to have backup—just in case."

"They're making some good points, KP." Ron grinned, adding his support. "Backup could have come in handy in our last mission. What if all four of us had gotten zapped by Drakken?"

"All right! All right! You made your case." Kim laughed. "Welcome to the team, Sergei."

"Spasibo." The Russian responded with a grin. "I promise I won't let you down."

"So…" Kim asked as she looked around, spotting people she knew or whose faces she recognized going into the high school, "Where's our boy of the hour?"

"He should be here any moment now." Kevin Guberman said as he and his date, Liz Magnusson, joined the group. "They want to get pictures of him with everyone."

"Can't blame them for that." Jessica Sundstrom quipped as she and her date, Steve Foley, arrived. Smiling, she pointed and waved, "Oscar! Cindy! Come join us!"

"Hey." The newest varsity wrestler greeted as he and his cheerleader date approached the others. "Looks like the gang's all here."

"There's Jordan's parents' car." Kevin pointed as a late model Ford sedan drove up and Jordan, wearing a nice sports coat, slacks, shirt, and tie, got out along with his parents.

Shyly approaching the group, Jordan smiled as he managed a tentative wave. "Hi."

"Hey, Jordan." Hope grinned back as she kissed him on the cheek, with the other cheerleaders each doing the same in turn. "Glad you could make it."

Smiling, Jordan's mother approached the young people gathered together, "I just wanted to say thanks again to all of you for your visits and kind words and for giving my son this night. You're all wonderful."

"Yes, thank you." Jordan's father added as he readied his camera. "I hope you don't mind if we take a few pictures of all of you with our son."

"Not at all!" Kim smiled back at Mr. Cross as the girls all gathered around a blushing Jordan. "We're ready when you are!"

"Say cheese!" Mr Cross grinned as he snapped the picture. "Thanks, girls." Turning to his son, the proud father put his hand on the boy's shoulder. "Have a good time, son."

Kissing her boy on the cheek, Mrs. Cross echoed her husband's words, "Have fun."

"I will, Mom." Jordan replied shyly.

"Don't worry, Mr. and Mrs. Cross." Kevin assured the two parents, "Liz and I will bring Jordan back home."

Getting back into their car, the two parents waved their goodbyes as two of the junior varsity cheerleaders—Stephanie, a pretty brunette, and Carol, a petite blonde, each took their place on either of the boy's side. "Let's go, Jordan."

"See you inside!" Hope exclaimed. Once their guest of honor was safely inside the school, the lovely raven-haired cheerleader addressed her next remarks to her boyfriend, giving him a tender kiss, and the other boys, "Thanks Sergei…and you too Steve and Kevin…for stopping those bullies while we were gone."

"Yes." Tara smiled warmly at her friends as she also gave Sergei a kiss. "You're all proper aces in my book."

"It was the least we could do." Sergei bashfully responded, adding, "But Brick and Josh should get all the credit. Brick found out what they had planned to do to him and let us know."

"Yeah." Kevin nodded his head in agreement. "And Josh was the one who came up with the plan to deal with them without anyone getting hurt."

Chuckling, Jessica declared, "I'm getting the feeling that our QB isn't as dumb as he lets on."

"I know what you mean." Liz agreed. "I remember when I had car trouble, he fixed it straight away."

"He might not know his sines from his cosines." Kevin joked, "But he's no dummy. He can't be if he plays quarterback."

"Common smarts versus book smarts." Kim replied, giving her boyfriend a quick kiss before whispering in his ear, causing her young man to blush, "I know someone who's going to get an extra-special reward tonight."

"Just be sure to avoid going on any Rocket Booster tours in the near future, or you might end up as a passenger on Dr. Possible's next deep space probe, Josh." Hope quipped as she gave Josh a sly wink.

Inclining her head towards Brick and Bonnie, who were walking to the dance accompanied by Monique, Marcella, and their dates, Kim suggested. "We better get in ourselves." Squeezing her boyfriend's hand, she added, "And you've gotta set up for your first set."

"Why are we wasting our time, then." Tara agreed, "Time to party."

"Cutting it a little close, aren't you girls?" Mr. Barkin frowned as he saw the dresses that the trio were wearing. "Another centimeter higher or lower and you three would have been in dress code violation."

"Good thing I didn't go for the one that went all the way down to below the navel." Hope smirked as Tara winked at the burly substitute teacher.

"Or I didn't go for the one where the slit went all the way up past my hip."

Sipping the punch their boyfriends brought them, Bonnie and Monique gossiped at a table as their escorts dutifully listened in, chiming in with as safe a response as possible—usually along the lines of, "You're right," or "Yeah…she is…"

"Love your outfits!" Marcella, joining her friends at the table with her date in tow, gushed as both Bonnie and Monique preened.

"We got them at Club Banana." Bonnie boasted, "They're from the Junior Miss Exquisite Collection."

"You should have come with us." Monique interjected, "I could have gotten you a special discount."

"I wish I could have." Marcella sighed dejectedly, "But I had to go to Rockville with my parents to go to this stupid book fair that Mom wanted to see."

"Well, girlfriend…" Monique consoled, "Come by the store this weekend and I'll fix you up with a discount."

"Thanks, Mon. I need a new top to go with the skirt I just bought." Marcella grinned, as she glanced at the door. "Look…Here come the Trashy Trio with their dates and Nerd Boy and the other cheerleaders."

"What the…" Monique exclaimed as she and the other two girls at the table caught eye of the evening dresses their rivals were wearing. "Those three hos are all wearing designs by Lorelei Lee. They're from her Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend collection. I saw the dresses in one of my fashion magazines last month."

"Where did they get the money to afford those outfits—as if we didn't already know." Bonnie grumbled as she noticed that all eyes had now shifted from her table to Kim and her friends.

"They gotta have made it on their backs." Monique huffed. "Even off the rack, those dresses go for four digits—forget even being able to afford originals unless you're a millionaire."

"Or you're screwing one." Bonnie remarked in a tone dripping with venom.

Brick Flagg, on hearing the last few remarks from his date and her friend, took a sip of punch to hide the frown on his lips. Making his apologies to his date, he rose to his feet, "Excuse me. I'll be back in a moment."

"Take your time." Bonnie replied in a bored tone as she went back to her conversation.

"Dance with me?" Kim propositioned as Josh finished his set and the DJ took over.

"Sure." The young musician replied as he led his girlfriend to the dance floor. Spotting Jordan dancing with Hope, Tara, and Sergei, he remarked with a grin on his face, "Looks like he's having fun."

"Yeah." Kim acknowledged, leaning over to give her boyfriend a quick kiss.

"What was that for?" Josh asked with a leer.

"For being a great boyfriend." The redhead answered back. "For stopping those bullies who wanted to humiliate Jordan in front of the entire school…"

"I only helped." Josh demurred modestly. "It was Brick, Sergei, Kevin, and Steve who did the heavy lifting. They're the ones who faced those bullies down. I just kept watch for Mr. Barkin and then dumped those bullies' clothes in the dumpster."

Falling into her boyfriend's embrace as the music transitioned to a slow dance, Kim whispered in his ear, "I know that you're the one who came up with the plan to strip them and do to them what they were going to do to Jordan." Chuckling, she continued, "What's even better was what happened when they ran out into the hall right when the halls were full of students. I wish I could have been there to see it."

"Hey, baby…" Josh murmured in a gentle voice, "You had more important things to do—like stopping that crazy man and helping Tara's friend."

"What you boys did was in its way just as important." Kim replied as the slow dance ended and the couple retired to their table where their friends were already seated. "Those bullies wanted the same thing Drakken wanted—control over other people. The only difference was in the methods they used and the extent of their evil."

"KP's right." Ron agreed. "Those bullies are worse than Bonnie and her crew—those girls are just high school evil, but they're not quite Drakken conquer the world evil either. They're more like stupid and mean evil."

"That's a fair description of those yobbos." Tara agreed as she passed her flask underneath the table, "But something's happening with Drakken. He's become more like crazy conquer the world evil now. Which makes him all the more dangerous. Those bullies at least—hopefully—will grow up one day. If not…" The blonde Englishwoman shook her head, "Then they'll find out just how tough the next level is."

"I hope for their sakes they get their act together soon." Kevin sighed as he remembered the abuses heaped on his fellow chess club members. Then, seeing Jermaine who was now dancing awkwardly with his date for the evening, and Paul who was also on the floor moving enthusiastically, albeit clumsily, to the music, his dourness dissipated. "I'm glad those two were able to get dates for the dance." Squeezing his girlfriend's hand, Kevin smiled at the other redhead at the table, "Thanks, lover."

"My pleasure, sweetie." Liz answered back with a leer as she whispered in her boyfriend's ear, "And I'll let you know just how you can pleasure me later."

"What about you?" Steve whispered to his date, "Do you want me to…" to which Jessica responded with a smile and a single phrase.

"You better."

"Making plans for after the party I see." Crystal said with a mischievous smirk as she and her 'guest', Zoe joined the group at the table.

"Welcome to the real party." Hope greeted as she passed the flask under the table to the two girls who then poured a little of its contents into their plastic cups.

"We went by the hospital with Max and Big Mike to see Sheila yesterday." Zoe said with a frown as she sipped her juiced-up punch. Shaking her head, the stripper said in a somber tone, "It was painful seeing her like that…so helpless. Big Mike was in tears and Max was so mad that he was threatening to call in a few favors some people on the inside owe him to make Drakken's life miserable in prison."

"He didn't put a contract out on him, did he?" Tara asked.

"No." Zoe shook her head. "But, if I were Drakken, I'd beg to be kept in solitary during my stay."

"Bastard's in for a rude awakening when he discovers that Cheeky's not going to bust him out this time." Tara noted as she took a sip of her doctored punch, adding a bit more from her flask when she was sure none of the chaperones were looking.

Holding up her glass, Kim proposed a toast, "Here's to a long and unpleasant stay for Drakken in the big house!"

Nudging her best friend's side, Hope attracted Tara's attention to Brick, who was walking away from the table he shared with Bonnie and her coterie, noting the expression on the young jock's face. "Our QB is not a happy camper."

Shaking her head as she saw Bonnie and the other girls gossiping, Tara answered back with a sarcastic smirk, "I wouldn't be either if I had to listen to those harpies all night."

"Take three guesses as to who those bitches are gossiping about." Hope joked back.

"Sucker bet." Tara responded, noticing that Cindy had ended her dance with Jordan, the pair joining Oscar at their table. Smiling at her housemate, the lovely blonde prompted as the two young women took their places on either side of the man of the hour, "Wanna hang with us for a while, Jordan?"

Deciding that he had enough of the sniping and backbiting coming from his date and her friends, Brick, after muttering an excuse about needing to step out for a moment, made his way to the punch bowl. Smiling and greeting friends and fellow students, the generally affable jock took a plastic cup and, after filling it with punch, took a sip. Turning about, he watched as his fellow students danced to the music, almost not hearing the girl standing next to him.

"Excuse me…Excuse me."

The female voice finally getting his attention, Brick quickly turned towards it, seeing at once a thin, but still attractive, blue-eyed girl wearing a conservative, yet still stylish, black dress and with glasses that, while not unfashionable, were by no means the expensive designs favored by the glass wearing girls higher up in the food chain. Straight light-brown hair tied in a ponytail completed the picture as the quarterback saw that the girl had inclined her head slightly in the direction of the punch bowl.

"Excuse me." She said in a quiet voice, "I need to get by you so that I can get some punch."

"Let me do that for you." Brick offered as he grabbed a plastic cup, and filling it with punch, handed the drink to her. "My name's Brick."

"Sue." The girl responded as she nervously glanced away from the well-known quarterback.

"Are you new?" The affable quarterback inquired, "I don't recall seeing you around."

"I've been in school since the beginning of the year." The shy young woman replied as she took a sip of her punch. "I just keep to myself."

"So…" Brick prompted as he tried to make conversation with the shy girl, "Are you in any afterschool clubs? I don't remember seeing you on any of the girls' sports teams…"

"I'm in the concert band." Sue quietly replied. "I play the clarinet."

"That's the long black instrument that has holes in it that you blow through…isn't it?" Brick inquired as he scratched his head. "I remember Mr. Capriccio in humanities calling it a…wind wood…"

"Woodwind." Sue chuckled in spite of herself. Suddenly worried that she might have offended the school's most popular athlete, she glanced up at his face to see a bright smile instead of the glare that she had expected.

"Made you laugh." Brick gently teased. "You've got a nice laugh." The quarterback said in a softer voice, quickly apologizing immediately after uttering those words, "I'm sorry…I didn't mean to…I don't wanna come across as…I just meant that it was nice that…"

"It's all right." Sue responded with a shy smile. "I understand what you meant. But…umm…" The shy clarinet player gestured subtly towards the table where Brick's date was sitting, obviously scanning the room, "I think your date's looking for you and I wouldn't want you to get in trouble with her."

Glancing in the direction of Bonnie's table, the jock let out a sigh, "Yeah…I better go. I don't want you to get in trouble with her either. She can be a real…"

"So I've heard."

"Maybe we'll see each other at school?" Brick blurted out

"Maybe." Sue responded, a shy smile returning to her face. "Sure. See you around."

"So…after party party at our place?" Hope queried as the dance ended.

"Sounds good to me." Kim replied as she and Josh walked down the hall hand in hand. "Mom and Dad said it was okay for me to stay with you guys tonight." Calling the raven-haired cheerleader, she whispered in her ear, receiving in response a nod and a smirk as Hope whispered back.

"Sure. Go ahead. I'm gonna be with Sergei and Tara tonight, so the room's all yours."

"I think we're gonna take a rain check on the party if that's okay with you." Ron replied as Zita whispered in his ear, causing the blond youth to blush furiously in response.

"Uh Huh." Kim, knowing that Ron's parents were out of town on a cruise, flashed a wicked grin in response, receiving in return a wink and a smirk from Zita.

"Sorry. We're taking Jordan home and then we're gonna go take in the view at Lake Middleton." Kevin replied as Liz began nibbling his ear.

"We're not gonna be able to make it either." Jessica declared as she felt her boyfriend's hand on her rear. "Stevie boy's getting anxious…"

"Well…there's a ready cure for that." Tara quipped back with a lecherous grin. "You two have fun."

"Oh…" Jessica leered back, "We will."

"We've got plans too." Crystal said, barely repressing a moan of satisfaction as she felt Zoe's hand on her rear.

"You two have fun!" Tara grinned as the two girls walked away waving goodbye.

"Oh…we will." Zoe responded with a wink. "See ya at the Club!"

Tara and Hope's House

After nightcaps and just general joking and conversation, Tara nudged both Hope and their shared boyfriend, "Kimmie…Josh…we're going to turn in for the night."

"Night!" Hope leered as she wrapped one arm around Sergei while Tara did the same on the boy's other side. "See ya in the morning!"

"Good night!" Sergei grinned as he joined his girlfriends, closing their bedroom door behind them.

Smiling tantalizingly at her boyfriend, Kim took him by the hand, "Come with me, Josh. I want to show you something."

Guiding her beau into Hope's vacated room, Kim gently pushed him down on the bed as she closed the door. Turning the radio on, the lovely redhead held a finger to her young man's lips before he could utter what was on his mind. Slowly and seductively, she stripped off her dress, leaving nothing on but the skimpy lace undergarment she was wearing that she had purchased just for this night from Cassandra's Closet.

"Uh…Kim…" Josh gasped as he saw his all but naked girlfriend slowly approaching him. "I don't have…I mean…"

Smiling down at her boyfriend, Kim gave him a gentle kiss on his forehead. "Don't worry, sweetie. We're not going to do anything that can result in me getting pregnant and I'm going to keep my promise to Mom to keep my panties on. But I never said where they'd be." She said with a slight blush and a leer as she slowly slipped her panties down, with only one ankle keeping them on her body, keeping to the letter—if not the spirit—of the promise she made to her mother. "And just because we're not going all the way…yet…doesn't mean that we can't end this evening on a very happy note...for both of us. She pushed the young artist back until he was lying on his back, "Just lie back and let Kimmie take care of you. Then…you can take care of me."

The Stoppable Home

"Are you sure you're ready for this, Zita?"

"Sssshhh…" The lovely brown-skinned girl said as she guided her boyfriend to his bed. "I trust you. Do you trust me?"

"Yeah." Ron answered back with a whisper.

Rufus, sensing what was about to happen, chittered in a disgusted tone, "Girls…Yuck…need cheese."

Later that Evening

Kim and Josh

"Wow! That was…"

"Mmmm…yes…please and thank you."

Tara's Bedroom

"Hell yeah!"

"Damn! That was the best yet!"

"Okhuiet!"

Kevin and Liz

Mmmm…do that again.

"Nice."

Steve and Jessica

"Yee Haw!"

Ron and Zita

"Booyah!"

Crystal and Zoe

"Again?"

"Hell yeah."

Rufus

"Mmmm…cheese…"

A/N: The Double Entendre universe takes a sharp left-turn in this part from canon. However, the story has been building towards this ending for several episodes: The growing estrangement between Drakken and Shego comes to a head here as Drakken slides further into madness and Shego begins her road to redemption. As for Kim and Josh…their relationship has grown far deeper than in canon. One of my goals here was to not engage in either Kim or Josh bashing and also to avoid 'Super Ron'. I hope I'm succeeding in this. I also want to show Ron growing and maturing, but at the same time keeping that child-like innocence and simple joy in life. I hope I'm succeeding in that as well. The epilogue follows this part and that will end Season One.