CHAPTER 18 – Ducks and Drakes

The story so far: Drakken's Phoebus-driven plot is days from launch but he is still playing his cards close to his chest. GJ are still looking for Dementor and have no idea that Drakken is the real threat. A new hottie has just arrived at Middleton High School. Ron and Kim have independently decided to invite the other to be their partner at next week's Junior Prom.

Now read on …

Middleton High School – A week to Junior Prom

Math was definitely not Ron Stoppable's favorite lesson. Even in the absence of "Miss Goh", he felt intimidated by sideways eights and the rest of the panoply of weapons of math destruction. The subject was in his opinion designed to crush all traces of individuality. All this nonsense about the correct answer. Why couldn't the answer be a subject for discussion, like who was the best quarterback of all time?

But today was even more annoying than normal. Kim was attending an AP class so Ron didn't have his best friend to supply him with reassuring looks and hints when he found himself in the firing line for a question.

And worse still, Barkin had walked into the classroom just before the lesson started, with a grade A hottie in tow. "Stoppable, I want you to assist Mr. Eric Drake in finding his way around the school today." Ron recognized the young man who had approached him at the school gate. He had politely directed the newcomer to Mr. Barkin's office, not paying much attention to the boy.

But in the classroom, he could not fail to notice that every female student was striving to attract the attention of the newcomer. Eric Drake was brown-haired and brown-eyed, at least six foot tall with a chiseled jaw and an athletic body that clearly had benefitted from regular work-outs. And, judging from the near-swoons that followed Eric's eyes as they swept the room, a killer smile.

Great, now I have to play nursemaid to Hirotaka Mark 2, Ron thought sourly. Although he hadn't actually met the young man until his second visit to Japan, Felix had filled him in with the story of how the entire female student body of MHS - including Kim, Monique and Bonnie - had turned into crushing sheep when he and the Yamanouchi exchange student had swapped places for a fortnight.

As the break bell sounded, he hastened to leave the room. He really needed to find Kim. He could wait no longer to ask her to accompany him to the Prom before any more time passed. He knew that to avoid embarrassing her he needed to make it very clear right from the off that he was asking her strictly as a friend but he could not help a frisson of pleasure run down his spine as he recalled the first part of their "date" before the roof fell in.

Kim Possible flew out of her classroom intent on finding her best friend before he disappeared into another lesson after the break. She found herself strangely excited at the prospect of attending the Prom with him. An image of a goofy smile and limpid brown eyes looking into hers as they danced to a slow number came into her mind.

As Ron walked through the classroom door, he came face to face with Kim. The redhead blushed as she looked into his eyes.

"There's something I need to ask you," the pair spoke simultaneously. Both laughed nervously. "Jinx," she called.

"You first," the boy responded.

Here goes, she thought. She opened her mouth to speak. "I was wondering …".

She paused as a loud giggle came from behind the blond. Kim raised her eyes to look over his shoulder. She froze, her eyes widening. Her mouth opened but no sound emerged.

"Kim?" Ron queried. He noticed the direction of her gaze and turned around. The newcomer was staring back at her with amber-colored eyes, oblivious to Ron and to the cluster of girls gathered around him.

Her picture doesn't begin to do her justice. Eric thought. She's gorgeous. How can she be without a boyfriend?

His nanobots responded by producing a cloud of pheromones that wafted invisibly towards the girl. Kim unconsciously breathed in deeply as she raised a hand to her head, absentmindedly brushing back the loose hair from her face. Her eyes never left his.

Ron coughed, and his friend reluctantly turned towards him.

"Kim, this is Eric Drake – he's new here," Ron looked at his friend as if for the first time. Her face was flushed, her breathing shallow and she instinctively ran her tongue across her upper lip as she returned her attention to the newcomer.

A deep warm voice broke her reverie. "Call me Eric."

"Kim Possible," she breathed.

Eric smiled. "It's a pleasure to meet you." He reached out a hand. As her hand made contact with his, she twitched as if an electric shock had passed through her.

"Extreme steam," he murmured. She blushed in pleasure. Ron looked sharply at the newcomer.

Why is Kim behaving like she's lost her mind? Anyone else and she'd have slapped him by now!

"Kim, who's your friend?" Monique walked through the door, looking appraisingly at the young man who was unfamiliar to her but who looked like god's gift to high school girls. She could not fail to notice how the two of them appeared to be in a world of their own, nor the looks of disappointment on the faces of her female classmates, even ones in steady relationships, and the looks of dismay on the faces of their partners.

And Ron had a strange expression on his face that she could not decipher.

Felix, wheeling towards her, looked uncomfortable. "Mon, meet Eric Drake – he joined the school today."

Looks like Kim has found a Prom date at the eleventh hour. Only the biggest hottie of them all. The food chain is safe again. And I thought she was over that!

Neither Monique nor Ron realized that they shared exactly the same thought.

"Can I walk you to your next lesson?" the young man asked the teen hero. Her face lit up as he picked up her bag.

A thought percolated through Kim's cotton-candy mind as she tore her gaze away from Eric and turned back to Ron.

"What is it you wanted to ask me," she asked the boy.

Ron looked back at Kim. He thought to his conversation with himself the previous night. He should be happy that Kim had found someone who seemed immediately struck with her. But there was something about the newcomer and the instant chemistry between them that set his teeth on edge, something that didn't ring true. Kim didn't fall for someone just like that. At least not since Josh Mankey.

Or I am just jealing? With Tara spoken for?

"Nothing important," he finally responded. "I need to get ready for next class – you go with Eric. I'll see you later, KP."

He turned and left the room.

ooOooOoo

'Miss Goh' watched from a distance as Eric walked towards the entrance to Middleton High School. She saw him approach one of the students and the pair of them disappear into the school building. Her job was done now. She had spent the last three days preparing the synthodrone for his mission before bringing him on a transatlantic flight to Colorado as her nephew where he had flirted with the air hostesses who had no inkling of his true nature or that the flight was the final test of his readiness for the mission. Shego had watched closely during the flight but could see nothing amiss.

One of the key decisions that Drakken had to make when programming Eric was whether or not to let him know that he was non-human. It was decided that he should have no awareness of being a synthodrone while he remained in his "Love Kim" state – one reason for ensuring that he was anatomically correct. Once that pretense was dropped on Prom Night it would no longer matter. But until then, there was too much risk of him giving himself away if he knew his real status.

A crash course in high school life and a carefully constructed back story – helped by her time as a temporary teacher at the school – had been followed by a briefing on his target, including a description of Junior Prom and its importance to his mission.

Shego had quickly realized that the briefing was not going to be as straightforward as she had expected. Drakken had activated Bortel's Mark II chip as soon as Eric's mind was fully formed. As a result, the young man – or more accurately his nanobots – had fallen head over heels in love with Kim Possible's photograph. While this meant that his behavior when they met would be entirely in the character of a teenage boy crushing on a teenage girl, with no telltale signs to give away their real intentions, he was now programmed to be extremely protective of the teen hero.

In consequence, Shego had to lie to Eric about the purpose of his mission while ensuring that he would not blow his cover by saying something out of turn. She decided to keep it as simple and as close to the truth as possible. It had been explained to Eric that Drakken was a distant relative of Kim who had become aware of her unhappiness at school. Kim was lonely and without a date for the forthcoming Prom. Knowing that his ward, Eric, had fallen for Kim's photograph, he realized that he could make them both happy by enrolling Eric in her school and encouraging them to meet and attend the Prom together. If they became closer before then, then all to the good.

Naturally Eric would not want to embarrass Kim by revealing that he knew that she had no Prom date or that he was doing this at his benefactor's behest. He was therefore instructed to seek her out, after which he was programmed to forget completely about Shego and the others, go with the flow and do whatever came naturally. Given the Moodulator's effect on his artificial libido and the Kim-shaped design of his face and body, Shego was confident that he would woo the teen hero successfully and, come the launch of Drakken's plan, she would be safely out of the way and fully occupied with her boyfriend until it was too late.

Eric had also been provided with a cover story to explain his background to Kim's friends. He was to keep deliberately vague and on no account was he to reveal his home.

She was intensely curious about Drakken's endgame, which still remained opaque to her, and had extracted a promise from Drakken that he would reveal his whole plan when she returned. Tempting as it was to head straight back to Tibet, she had already decided to return home by a circuitous route. Shego was determined to get to the bottom of Bourne and its implications for Drakken. Miss Goh would be paying an unexpected visit to Dr. Jason Farnaby. Breaking cover was a risk, and she hadn't mentioned her furlough to Drakken, but was confident that he would not notice her absence – he was so caught up with the final details of whatever he was planning. And surely any breach of cover would be coming too late to make any difference to the plan whatever it was?

With a final look back at the School, Shego climbed into the car that she had rented at the airport and drove away.

By the following morning she was driving out of Pearson International, heading south east towards downtown Toronto, with an address in her pocket.

Later the same day

Ron waited by Kim's locker for her to appear. He wanted to walk home with her – or better still, have a snack with her at Bueno Nacho. They had much to talk about.

As he looked up he saw his best friend walking around the corner towards him. He grinned at her, but his smile became fixed as he saw that she was deeply engaged in conversation with someone else – the very person in fact that he wanted to discuss with Kim. As they approached him, Kim looked up from her reverie and smiled back at him.

"Hey Ron," she began. "Hope you don't mind if Eric joins us at Bueno Nacho this afternoon. I can't wait to show him – he's never had Tex-Mex before." She giggled coquettishly as she took Eric's arm and he rested his other arm across her shoulder.

Ron looked between them. They were behaving like newlyweds. And yet they had only met a few hours earlier. He was finding it hard to recognize his independent, no-nonsense friend in the girl standing in front of him.

The blond nodded silently as Kim emptied her bag of books into her locker, then took Eric's hand and led him out of the school building without a backward glance. Ron had to scamper to keep up with them.

At least this time she hasn't locked me in the janitor's cupboard, he thought tartly.

By the time they got to the restaurant, Ron was feeling like a third wheel, a sensation reinforced when Kim led Eric to her and Ron's favorite booth and slipped in beside Eric, leaving Ron to take the seat opposite.

Moodily, Ron ordered his usual naco, while Kim ordered salad for her and Eric.

As they waited for their orders to be fulfilled, Eric gave Ron a friendly look. "Kim tells me that you're her best friend," the newcomer asked. "So you must know everything about her?"

The freckled blond gave a cautious nod. "Yes, we've been friends since pre-K. I virtually live in her house when I'm not in mine."

Eric nodded enthusiastically. "Can you tell me about her parents? I want to make a good impression when I meet them."

Kim took his arm. "You'll be fine, babe," she assured him. "They'll love you." Her face added "like me".

Babe? Is this the Kim I've known for thirteen years? Already she's introducing him to her parents?

A thought struck him. The last time Kim behaved out of control and overly affectionately was …

Trying not to be too conspicuous, Ron stared carefully at the front of Kim's neck. She caught his eye, a look of puzzlement on her face.

"What are you doing, Ron?" she demanded.

"Go with me on this, KP," he pleaded. "Eric, can you check the back of Kim's neck for any small flashing red light please?" Kim scowled at him. Ron could be so annoying when his paranoia got the better of him. Didn't he think by now that she could tell the difference between moodulator-induced feelings and the real thing!

Eric was embarrassed for Kim. His eyes asked her for permission. She rolled her eyes but nodded consent. Eric leaned over and lifted her hair from the nape of her neck. Kim shivered involuntarily from the touch of his gentle hands. She held still, pulse racing, while he examined her neck, fighting the urge to turn around and plaster his face with kisses.

"Nothing to see, Ron," he reported cheerfully. "What were you expecting to find?" Eric was beginning to wonder if Kim's friend was quite normal. If Ron Stoppable was the best that she could do for company, no wonder she was so lonely. He was determined to become a real friend and make everything right for her.

Ron was anguished. All he had succeeded in doing was make himself look like an idiot to Kim and Eric. And if Kim was not moodulated, then what was going on? Or was it just his misfortune to be present when Kim found The One and, heaven forbid, no longer needed her best friend?

He was saved from giving an answer to Eric's question by the appearance of Lars with their food. Grateful for a distraction, Ron looked beyond the manager. "Where's Ned?" he questioned?

The burly Eurasian turned and glared icily at his interlocutor.

"I fired him. He was refusing to hand out Li'l Diablo toys with the kids' meals. Said they were too scary or some such nonsense. What's it to you anyway?"

Ron was of the view that if kid's meals were bad enough, then plastic toys were well beyond the pale but wisely kept his opinion to himself. His last argument with Lars had not ended well.

Ron ate in silence as Kim and Eric kept up an animated conversation. Ron listened as Kim told the new boy all about the school gossip, who was in and who was out. She enthused about her confidante Monique and warned him who to avoid, starting of course with Bonnie Rockwaller. They laughed together as Kim described some of Bonnie's more embarrassing moments when she had tried unsuccessfully to undermine her cheer captain, and Eric took her hand gently as she spoke. Ron wished he could be anywhere but there.

"Don't forget to tell him about the D-Hall bullies, KP", the freckled blond said with a hint of ire.

There's a loop and I'm not in it.

She stuttered, then turned to receive a reassuring smile from the boy sitting next to her.

Why is Ron being so, well, Ronnish?

Ron could not help notice that Eric had shared virtually nothing about himself. He determined to quiz the young man when Kim wasn't present. He had a pretty shrewd idea that the teen hero would not take too kindly to her boyfriend (he was already calling Eric that in his mind) being interrogated by her best friend.

If indeed I am still that.

Their meals over, the pair and the singleton got up to leave the restaurant. They were intercepted by Lars, who thrust a Li'l Diablo into Ron's hand.

"Hey," Ron exclaimed. "We're not kids!"

Lars looked impassive. "New rules this evening. Every purchaser must take a Li'l Diablo." His tone made it clear that this was not an option.

Ron started to protest but a piercing look from Kim stopped him in his tracks.

The sidekick looked askance at the plastic toy. It seemed positively evil. In fact he was sure that it was sneering at him. And he could swear that he heard it humming.

Chill, Stoppable, you're letting your imagination run riot again!

He gave an involuntary shiver as he handed it to Kim. "Give this to Jim and Tim," he suggested. "I'm sure they can turn it into a laser gun or something." She rolled her eyes as she took the object and placed it in her bag.

"Walk you home, Kim?" Eric asked her, a hand under her elbow before she could answer. She nodded happily. The natural leader was not used to someone else taking control but she found herself loving it.

The pair, with Ron in tow, headed in the direction of the Possible and Stoppable residences. Ron fell back as they approached Kim's house, a few hundred yards before his own.

He watched half-hidden by the trees across the road as Kim and Eric walked up to the front door, waiting as the door opened and Anne Possible scrutinized the new arrivals. Even from a distance, Ron could see a blush appear on Mrs. Dr. P's face as Eric took her outstretched hand and lifted it to his lips. Turning to her daughter, she asked lightly "Kimmie, where did you find this one?"

Where indeed, Ron thought sadly as he made his way to his own back yard and slowly climbed the ladder into the old tree house where he and Kim had spent many hours pondering life, the universe and everything. He sat for a minute, motionless, looking around at the many reminders of his childhood, most of them memories shared with the girl who had almost completely ignored him all evening.

Something is very wrong here. Wrong-sick even.

Ron had learned to trust the MMP-enhanced intuition that had been screaming at him all day.

Pulling out his cellphone, he sat himself down on the ancient sofa and rang a familiar number. Soon, the voice of Wade Load could be heard.

"Hey Ron, what's up?" the genius asked.

Ron took a deep breath. "Kim's gone all goo-goo eyes with perfect new boy Eric who's appeared from nowhere but she's not been moodulated, Bueno Nacho is under new management who hate curly straws and force their staff to give away plastic diablos even though they're scary, Dementor's nowhere to be seen and Sheila Goh-with-an-aitch is five hundred miles of bad road. And my brain is going full monkey on me."

"Whoa," Wade interrupted. "That's a lot of angst you've got there, Ron. Are you sure you're not getting things the teeniest bit out of proportion?" Privately, Wade was convinced that the appearance of Eric was what was causing Ron to freak out but he felt it wise to say nothing about that.

Ron exhaled. "Perhaps I am, Wade," he allowed. "But mark my words, something is very wrong-sick and it's all hellstick. We haven't got a lot of time to figure things out."

"I think you mean holistic, Ron," Wade corrected. "But you're right about one thing – Dementor's disappearance is greatly concerning Global Justice."

"There's a connection between Dementor and lover boy, I know it. He's just too good to be true."

Wade looked uncomfortable. "Ron, girls are a completely unknown quantity to me. Heck, so is puberty. But isn't Kim bound to find her soulmate sooner or later, and probably out of the blue. Maybe you've just got to get used to it being sooner. It's not like you like-like her is it? By the way, how are things going with Tara?"

Ron was about to ask how Wade knew about his feelings for the blonde cheerleader when he stopped.

Wade has the entire planet hacked – he probably has Felix's wheelchair wired for sound.

"Guess you're right, Wade," he conceded. "But I'm going to keep an eye on Bueno Nacho and Mister Perfect nonetheless."

"You do that, Ron," Wade agreed. "Good luck."

"You too," Ron responded as he disconnected the call.

ooOooOoo

Had Ron remained in the trees in front of the Possible home instead of going on to his tree house he could have had his suspicions of the new boy in town confirmed. Kim's new crush walked away from her front door after giving the girl a chaste peck on the cheeks. Once out of sight of the Possibles, Eric began to sprint at inhuman speed away from the house, keeping to the shadows, towards Bueno Nacho. While he was unaware of being a synthodrone, Drakken had programmed in some non-human autonomic instincts for efficiency when he was not being observed. Quietly he let himself in at the back of the building. Laying himself down in the pod which had travelled with him to Middleton, he instantly fell asleep while his brain transmitted the events of the day to a lair in Tibet.

Tibet - 6 days to Junior Prom

'Andrew Drake' was speaking to Hank Perkins. The acting CFO of Bueno Nacho Corporation had just confirmed that all the equipment that Drakken had requested had been delivered to the headquarters and would be fully installed in the next few days. Living quarters were being prepared for the imminent arrival of Drakken and his team, while an entire floor had been cleared to Drake's instructions to accommodate a further three hundred men, strangely without any facilities.

"You have sufficient high-tension cable to power the HQ tower broadcaster?" the villain demanded of his underling.

"Yes sir," came the response. "You wanted enough power to reach all parts of the globe. But that's going to drain a huge amount from the grid. As soon as we switch the tower on, everyone in the central United States will be asking questions about us." Perkins was no-one's fool and the strange requests and high-tech equipment that had passed his way were clearly little to do with the running of a fast food business. He had still failed to identity the owner of the business but he was sure that the acquisition had not been driven by normal commercial considerations, and secrecy was key to the new owner's plans.

"That won't matter. By the time that happens the world will be fully occupied with other matters."

Hank Perkins had a shrewd idea about the general nature of these other matters.

Drake's oddest requirement was to strip the Middleton Bueno Nacho of all unnecessary stock in order to free up space for six hundred coffin-like metallic containers – Perkins had a team working on this right now, and had even needed to rehire some staff just to have the task finished in time. Despite the need for space in the Middleton branch, Drake had emphasized that the toy diablos being given away with kids' meals were to remain and from now on would be given away even with adult meals across the globe. Hank had raised an eyebrow at this but Drake had brushed aside his questions. "Saturation, Perkins," his boss had insisted. "I want to see a Li'l Diablo in every household by Friday."

The combination of professionalism and the obsession with kids' toys brought a certain blue-skinned villain to mind but Perkins was not going to risk speculating out loud. Instead he changed the subject.

"When will you be arriving, sir?" asked the crooked lawyer.

"Expect us in four days. That'll give us 36 hours before we start our operation."

Perkins hesitated. "Can I ask sir the nature of your operation?"

Drakken scowled on the other end of the phone. "You'll find out with everyone else when the time comes." His tone brooked no comeback.

"Goodbye, sir."

Middleton - 6 days to Junior Prom

Ron saw little of Kim the following day after their Bueno Nacho evening with Eric. Whenever he spotted her in the corridor she was attached limpet-like to her beau. Ron had to admit that the boy was a good conversationalist. They seemed to be getting on famously.

The rest of the school had of course noticed that new boy Eric had eyes only for Kim Possible. Money was already changing hands as to which day he would ask her to the Prom. No money was being placed on the possibility that she would decline.

Ron managed to grab a few minutes with Eric just after their history class started. Unusually, he was not accompanied by Kim as she had another AP class. It was clear during the lesson that Eric was going to be an A student and that he would be joining her in all her AP classes as soon as assessments were made.

He asked casually where his classmate lived and had it taken him long to get home after the previous evening. Eric grinned at him and explained that he lived with a relative here in Middleton – an older second cousin who had taken him in after his parents were killed in a car accident several years earlier when he was only five years old. He regarded his cousin as a surrogate Dad and his cousin's companion as his mother. They had taught him all he knew. Unfortunately, they were both very quiet people and discouraged visitors. He would be delighted to invite Ron to his house but he needed to talk his parents around first. He couldn't even take Kim home to meet them yet. But at least they didn't interfere with his life outside home.

"But what about your family, Ron?" the boy suddenly asked.

Ron began to describe his family situation. He had got as far as his parents and was about to mention Rufus when suddenly Eric looked at his watch and gasped.

"Time for my next class. Sorry can't talk more. Must go. See you later."

And with a shake of his head he disappeared out of the classroom, leaving Ron to wonder if he really knew anything more about Eric than he had before and to realize that his question about getting home had not been answered.

He was pretty clear that Eric had little interest beyond politeness in enquiring about him.

ooOooOoo

As the pair walked hand in hand down the corridor toward their lockers, they spotted Steve Barkin walking towards them. Quickly Kim snatched her hand away from Eric but not before a dark cloud crossed Barkin's brow.

"Possible, I've told you before about PDAs on school premises. It's detention for you if I catch you doing that again this week."

Kim reddened. Eric came to her rescue.

"Sorry Mr. Barkin sir, it was me who took Kim's hand without her permission. I was unaware of your rule on PDAs," the boy spoke contritely.

Barkin looked suspiciously at the boy. While he was happy that the newcomer was so compliant with school rules, he did find him a bit too good to be true. In his experience, kids who seemed too good to be true usually proved to be so, and mayhem followed in due course.

"Alright Drake, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt since you're new here. But now you know the rule be aware I will enforce it strictly. Do I make myself clear young man?"

Eric looked suitably chastened as he agreed.

Barkin nodded, satisfied. "Now go and enjoy your evening – I want you both back fresh for tomorrow."

The teacher turned and walked away, leaving the two to grin mischievously at each other.

"Thanks for saving me," the teen hero whispered.

"Kim, …" Eric began. The redhead turned to him with a questioning look on her face.

"Would you go out with me on a date tomorrow night?" he asked tentatively.

The girl beamed with delight. She hugged the boy and nodded furiously.

"Can I take that as a yes?" Eric gave her a smile that sent a shiver of anticipation down her back.

"Please and thank you," she replied happily.

Toronto – 6 days to Junior Prom

Shego rolled the car into a parking bay and switched off the ignition. She looked around with a degree of puzzlement on her face. The street appeared deserted - apart from her own vehicle and a couple of parked cars on the other side of the road, the thoroughfare was bare. Tenement buildings occupied most of the east side of the road, while the west side was dominated by low-rise offices, interspersed with a parking lot or two and a fast food outlet. The whole place had an air of neglect. If anyone did live there – which she assumed to be the case – they were keeping themselves well-hidden. She looked again at the address. This was definitely the right street, and the address suggested one of the offices about fifty yards down on the right. But the entire place felt like it was deserted.

She shrugged. I suppose if you're running a black op you're hardly likely to base yourself in the CN Tower. Nevertheless she would have expected something more conventionally downtown. Her 'professional' career meant that she had encountered more than one Global Justice office and without exception they were always located in a commercial hub alongside banks, insurance companies, energy companies and so on. Assuming that this address was correct, this location was out of character for GJ, strengthening the suspicion voiced by Drew when they first came across the address at Jack Hench's that this was not a conventional GJ operational headquarters.

On the one hand this may be exactly where GJ renegades would conceal an unauthorized operation from Betty Director. On the other hand, it could be a delivery address given by GJ to HenchCo, with the real action happening elsewhere.

Or it might just be a long-abandoned office and HenchCo's records were out of date. In which case her search might come to an end before it had really started.

Uncertainty kept her in the stationary car, watching the building. A good ten minutes passed with no sign of activity either from the office or anywhere on the street. She noticed a side passage to the right of the office building that was secured by a locked gate.

Shego pondered her options for a few more minutes before realizing that she had to investigate more closely. Fruitless speculation would get her nowhere.

The black-haired villain stepped out of the vehicle, her kitbag and personal force field over her shoulder. Cautiously she approached the side gate, glancing casually into the office window as she passed. The lights were extinguished and there was no sign of movement. The front door appeared to be secured with a touchpad entry system. Not unusual for a low-rise office with no reception area and with no indication that the door was protecting highly-secret material. Her brief traverse in front of the building revealed no cameras or alarms.

In short, nothing to suggest that a clandestine operation was based here.

Option one was not looking too promising, unless by chance all the residents of the office were out.

With a growing suspicion that she was on a fool's errand Shego turned to examine the side gate now in front of her. It was secured by a simple pin tumbler lock, reinforcing her view that whoever owned the building had given minimal consideration to security. She decided to go old school and pick the lock. She would then use the force field to enter the building from the other side of the gate once she was through it and out of sight of the street or anyone in the office.

Glancing up and down the road, she confirmed that there was no-one in the line of sight to see what she was up to. A minute with one of her picks and the gate yielded to her ministrations as she slipped through into the side passage and closed the gate behind her. She followed the passageway to the rear of the building, where it became a transverse passage running along the rear of the buildings on either side. A series of rear doors appeared to lead into the back of each office, each flanked by a trash can that would presumably be brought through the side gate for emptying.

Standing at the rear door. Shego activated the PFF and phased herself into the office of interest. She found herself in a nondescript and bare room, with a sink unit and cupboards to either side of an internal door. A small refrigerator completed the furniture and a kettle sat on the surface beside the sink. Three unwashed cups sat beside the kettle. The place looked otherwise uninhabited.

Shego tried the internal door. It opened easily, revealing a front office comprising two desks and a large filing cabinet. A thin layer of dust covered the surfaces, suggesting even more that the building had been abandoned.

She walked over to the filing cabinet and opened a random drawer. It was empty. A second drawer was equally unhelpful. She started again at the top left and worked her way steadily down and across the drawers hoping to find something overlooked, anything that would at least confirm that this location had something to do with Global Justice. Her search was in vain however, with all drawers empty and as she closed the final drawer she groaned in frustration.

Abandoning the search, Shego left the building by the rear door. On an impulse she lifted the lid of the trash can and peered inside. The can appeared empty. However on closer inspection she saw a piece of grey paper stuck to its inside. She reached in and carefully detached it from the metal side. It was flimsy and tore as it was being removed. Enough remained however for Shego to recognize the familiar logo of HenchCo.

The paper appeared to be a delivery note and was dated three months earlier. The detail of the items delivered was impossible to read but the mere existence of the document confirmed that something was happening – or had recently been happening – at this location. The evidence suggested that the clandestine operation had been relocated within the last 90 days.

Shego pondered her options. She could try to find out where Bourne was now located and perhaps why this office had been abandoned. The obvious place to start would be to return to Jack Hench's office to search for a more recent dispatch. Or she could abandon her quest for now at least and return to Tibet before Dr. Drakken missed her.

If Drakken's crazy plan succeeds all this will become academic anyway. HenchCo will come under our control and Global Justice will be disbanded.

As she stood in indecision staring sightlessly at the rear door, she failed to notice a pinhole and tiny lens set into the wall beside the door. Turning away from the door, Shego made to walk back up the side passage when she felt a sharp pain in the side of her neck. She slapped at it only to find a thin needle protruding from her skin. Almost immediately she started to feel weak.

Snap, a booby trap.

She stumbled back through the gate and started across the road to her car. As she reached it, she felt in her pocket for her keys, but her hands felt thick and clumsy and she dropped the keys onto the road. She knew that she had been hit by a neurotoxin dart but had no idea if it was intended to incapacitate or kill an ordinary person. If the former, then her comet-enhanced healing should cut in any moment. Even the latter should wear off shortly. But it was imperative that she keep safe until she recovered.

As she ducked down to recover her keys she caught the glint of a sniper-scope from the second floor window of the building opposite to the one she had entered but the toxin had slowed down her reactions and she had no time to respond. She hissed in pain as a bullet hit her in the back, and a second one followed up in her thigh. The thief felt her legs give way as she fell to the ground.

The last thing she saw as she sank into darkness was an unfamiliar face smiling down at her and an unfamiliar voice calling her name.

Author's note - I have made a couple of references to Ron having been twice to Yamanouchi so far in this story. Canon mentions a single visit only (the exchange student) but does not exclude the possibility of a second one during a vacation. It suits my future purposes to have a second visit.