I do not own any Disney characters named herein and am only borrowing them to tell a nonprofit tale meant for entertainment purposes only.
Kim Possible: Gifted
By LJ58
6
Shego smiled at the redhead who seemed pretty friendly, and curious when she wasn't on the edge of losing control. They talked about a lot of silly things as she drove, and it was astonishing at how bright the girl was in spite of not knowing much in the way of practical, everyday matters.
"Your….car doesn't work like others I've seen," she finally commented after a long silence as Shego shifted down again, and then up as they hit another long sloping hill before cresting it.
"I don't use an automatic. This is a manual stick. I've got four gears in this baby, and with the 445 I have in her was rebuilt for speed, so not much on the ground can touch her," Shego boasted.
"So, it's fast," Kim murmured, watching her shift up again, and the car accelerated once more as they moved back down onto a smooth stretch that let the car speed down the road without Shego shifting again.
"Very," she grinned. "Only reason I keep this gas hog," she grinned.
"Gas….hog. This means….you use a great deal of fuel?"
"Wow, you are quick. That's just what it means. So, how come you act like a newbie, and yet you're out here hoofing the big road like a pro?"
"I….do not understand you," Kim frowned as she tried to decipher the woman's words.
"I guessed not, Kimberly," Shego said evenly.
Kim tensed, and her hands began to glow through her hoody's pockets as her anxiety spiked.
"Calm down, Kimmie. Believe it, or not. I'm on your side."
"My….side?"
"Can you stay calm, and listen?"
Kim licked her lips, her glow fading, and asked, "What do you want?"
"To help you," Shego told her.
"Why," Kim scowled now.
"Because, believe it or not, I know how it feels to be burned by the boys with brass on their shoulders. Soldiers. Doctors. Quacks. Those guys are pretty much all the same on certain levels."
"I won't go back," Kim said mulishly. "I won't," she said as her fists clenched, and started to glow again.
"Let's not do something we'll both regret. I'm being honest here, Kimmie, I'm taking you home. I think that's where you need to go right now. Am I right?"
"They…. They told me my parents were dead," she said, and the glow faded as Kim's eyes stayed bright, this time with brimming tears.
"Yeah, they lie a lot, too. Hey, wanna hear a joke? How can you tell when a politician lies," Shego launched into the jibe.
"Uh…."
"Their lips move," Shego smirked.
Kim stared at her a moment, then her lips quirked. "I get it," she giggled. "I get it. Their lips move," she echoed and laughed.
"Doesn't sound like you've had much experience laughing either," Shego said kindly.
"No," Kim sighed. "I was….just a hamster in a maze. Not even that, sometimes."
"Harsh," Shego said. "Listen, Kimmie, and stay calm. Okay? Can you do that?"
She nodded.
"I just want to go home," she said quietly as she stared at the road again.
"That's where I'm taking you, Kimmie. First, I'm going to tell you some hard truths. Okay?"
"Okay," Kim said, eyeing the strange woman, and wondering just who she was, and who had sent her.
"I'm a freelancer. You know what I mean?"
"Uh, no," Kim sighed.
"It means, I work for myself. I do a lot of….different jobs. Mostly finding lost things, or lost people," she said. "Sometimes, I….take care of them, too. You know what I mean," she said bluntly.
"Like me," Kim grimaced now, looking uneasy again.
"Like you. Thing is, the more I followed you, and the more I learned, the more I knew you don't deserve what they want to do to you. You deserve to go home and make peace with your family. To make peace with yourself. Maybe… Maybe even make a real life for yourself."
"Won't they get mad at you, too," she asked.
Shego laughed now.
"Kimmie, I've had people mad at me most of my life. A few more aren't going to bother me. Besides, the guys you left behind deserve to be disappointed," the redhead was told. "And what happened to you? What they did? That was way past wrong."
Kim sighed and looked back to the window on her right again.
"I was…. I felt lost a long time. Nothing mattered. Nothing. I was just….there. Then…..I saw my dad again," she said, tears sparkling, "He was on the television box, and I knew they had been lying to me. Lying all along. And it made me wonder what else they lied about," she said, wiping her eyes.
"Probably everything, Kimmie," Shego told her. "It's what their kind do. Lie. They use people. If they could have turned you into a weapon, an assassin, or whatever, they would. And they wouldn't have batted an eye if you died while they tried. They're like that."
"I….killed some of them. When I broke out," she admitted.
"I know. I saw the film of your escape," Shego admitted.
"Oh. It….It didn't hit me until later. What I did. What I…. Could do."
"Yeah? What did you decide about it?"
"It made me sick," Kim told her. "It made me sick, and I only felt worse when I realized that was just what they wanted from me all along," she said as she stared out the window.
"Probably. Still, I don't think you're looking at this from the right angle, Kimmie," Shego told her now.
"What do you mean?"
"You're young. They probably didn't let you know, or learn much, did they?"
"I can read," she said proudly, "But…. They wouldn't let me read much. Mostly….science or military manuals."
"I'll bet. See, the point is, Red," she called her now, "Is I don't think you're realizing something yet."
"What do you mean," Kim frowned.
"What I mean is that you don't seem to realize that you, Kimmie, are in the driver's seat now."
Kim looked at her, and Shego laughed.
"It's an expression, Kimmie. Slang. It means you are the one in charge. See, following you, I figured it out. You're a lot more powerful than even you realize," she told her. "With the right training, with the right help, you could become literally unstoppable."
"Why would I….."
"And then those clowns would never be able to touch you again," Shego told her.
"Can I ask you something?"
"Sure," Shego nodded.
"Why are you really helping me? What's in it for you?"
Shego drove in silence for a few minutes, and then looked over at the earnest, innocent face, and gave a cold, hard smile.
"Revenge," she told her just as earnestly, guessing the guileless little girl didn't really have a clue about lying, or subtlety as yet. "Let me tell you a story, Red. It's an ugly, gruesome story, and it doesn't have a happy ending, but it's true. See, I once had four brothers. One of them followed me into government work back in the day. He had this goofy notion of being a hero. Saving the world. America, and apple pie. That kind of thing. So we both went into the Agency. CIA," she explained. "Only it was run by some of the same clowns that probably locked you up, and tried to throw away the key."
"Something….happened to him," Kim realized.
"Oh, yeah. Something happened. Someone had this bright idea to use some kind of serum they created from an unknown source to make super-powered agents they could send out at will. It's all about power and control with these guys, I think you already know."
"Yeah," Kim sighed wearily.
"Henry volunteered, thinking he was going to be a real hero," she said quietly. "He was an idiot like that, but he really did think he could be a hero."
"But he wasn't?"
"What he was….was dead. Only it took him hours to die. In agony. Because whatever that serum was, it didn't work. Not the way they planned it. It took me a lot of years, and a lot of work, but I just recently found out the serum came from you, Kimmie. Even back then, they were trying to use you. So, yeah, I owe them, too, and I don't mind sticking a very big thumb in their eye."
"That is….slang, too," Kim asked, eyeing her hands.
"Yep. It means we're gonna disappoint those clowns in a very big, very serious way. So, stick with me, Kimmie, and you'll at least learn a lot of slang. You know, the fact is, with your power, I should teach you some martial arts, too. That would make you really formidable."
"You mean… Fighting," Kim frowned.
"Probably not what you know. Or think. Trust me, you'll love it. If you want to rest you can. "We're still quite a few hours out, and I'll wake you when we get there."
"I'm not tired," Kim said, and just stared out the window, watching the world go by.
Shego grinned when she looked over not ten minutes later and saw the redhead was out like a light, and snoring lightly.
"Not tired, Red," she asked quietly and kept going.
~KP~
"Where are we," Kim frowned as she sat up as the car's soothing rumble abruptly stilled, and Kim started awake.
"Just pulled in to fuel up, and thought we could get some chow, and stretch our legs," Shego told her as the station's lights cut into the predawn darkness.
"I am hungry," Kim smiled faintly as she adjusted her hoody.
"So, I know you grabbed some hair dye. Why didn't you use it?"
"My hair….seems to reject it. It kind of….melted it away after just a few minutes," Kim admitted with a grimace.
"Really? Wow, who knew?"
"Is it safe to go in here," Kim asked, not likely the brightly lit façade.
"Trust me, you're probably not the strangest thing some of the people here have probably seen. You haven't been to California yet," Shego sniggered.
"California," she frowned as Shego unbuckled, and climbed out to go around, and put fuel in the car's tank. "That is….a place?"
Kim leaned over and eyed her as Shego nodded back as she fueled the car.
"Yep, lots of strange looking people out there. Some of them probably come through this very truck stop," she told the redhead. "So, they're used to seeing some strange people at times. Don't worry, you'll be fine."
"I would like to eat something," she said and pulled up her backpack. "But I only have a few dollars left…."
"Don't worry. It's on me," Shego said, capping her tank, and putting the nozzle away. "We'll go in, and get some food after I pay for the gas. Ready," she asked, starting the car, and pulling up to the building before them.
Kim eyed the glass façade and frowned.
"You are sure it's okay? I….haven't done too well around others," she admitted anxiously.
"You just need to meet nicer people," Kim was told. "Come on, Red. I'm hungry, too," she said and climbed out of the car again.
Kim watched her lock the car and followed her inside.
"Hello, squirt," a big man in denim coveralls grinned as he paused, holding the door open for them.
"Uh…."
"She's bashful. Thank the nice man, Kimmie, and let's go eat," she told the stunned girl just stood staring up at the big man.
"Th-Thank you," Kim stammered as the big man smiled at her.
"Not a problem, little girl," he winked and walked off.
"That was…."
"He was just being friendly. See, some people can be nice."
"The man in that car that wrecked wasn't nice," she frowned.
"Well, you run into that type, too. Trust me, and you'll be fine," Shego said, and walked over the fuel desk, and said, "Pump Three?"
"That all," the bored kid behind the counter asked as he took the card from her.
"Yep. Just the gas, and then we're hitting the café."
"Open 24/7," he nodded as if they were going to be there that long.
"C'mon, Kimmie. Food time," she said after taking her receipt and card back, seeing Kim staring at a display case of tiny, glass animals.
"How do they make things like that," Kim asked, glancing back at the tiny statuettes that drew her gaze.
"If that surprises you, Kimmie," Shego grinned, "You are in for a world of surprises before you figure things out."
Kim smiled at her, letting the woman lead her to a booth in a corner, and sat down with Shego sitting across from her.
"See. No problem," Shego told her as no one pointed, shouted, or did anything that might alarm her.
"What can I get you, two ladies, to drink," a woman asked, shocking Kim who had not seen her approach. Surprised, she turned at the words, and gasped, shrinking back in her booth.
"Yeah, she's bashful. She's been abused. I'm trying to help her," Shego told the waitress who frowned at the cringing girl.
"No one will hurt you here, sweetie," the waitress told her with a smile. "Now, what would you like to drink?"
"Uhm….."
"Milk," Shego told her. "And a coffee for me, regular black."
"Do you know what you'd like to order yet," the older woman asked, looking to Shego still as she noted Kim kept cringing as if trying to hide her face.
"It's okay, Kim," Shego told her more firmly as the woman walked away after Shego ordered two breakfast specials with extra biscuits. "You're okay here. No one is going to attack you. I promise."
"She…. I just….."
"Snuck up on you, did she," Shego asked knowingly.
"Kinda," Kim grimaced. "I….don't really like being surprised," she shivered.
"I'll bet. Like I said, though, these people have probably seen all kinds. Don't worry so much. We'll eat, then be on our way," Shego reassured her.
Kim looked around, now keeping a wary eye around her, noting the others in the room, and listening to the buzz of low conversations. Then the waitress appeared again to set two glasses of water down, and then a glass of milk and a steaming cup of coffee before Shego.
Kim eyed the cup, and asked, "Can I try that," she asked shyly as the waitress left again.
"You sure? I drink mine black. No cream or sugar."
"I just…want a taste. The doctors never let me have anything but water," she said.
"Really? Wow. I'd have broken out a lot sooner in your place if they held back my caffeine," Shego grinned.
Kim carefully lifted the cup, and sipped, and made a face.
"Oh, that's terrible," the redhead said earnestly after just one cautious sip. "I'll stick with water."
"Try the milk, nut," Shego grinned at her.
Kim lifted the chilled glass, and sipped cautiously from the milk, and then licked her lips. "That's…..good," she beamed, and all but gulped the glass down. "Really good," she smiled as she set the empty glass down.
"I thought you'd like it. So, no milk either?"
"Just water."
"Seems like they were being really cautious about what they let you do or have, huh," Shego asked.
Kim sighed and looked down now. "It was….terrible in there," Kim murmured with a haunted look in her eyes, and then looked back up at the brunette. "I'm never going back, Shego. No matter what, I'm never going back."
"That's the plan, Kimmie. You trust me and stick with me, and we'll not only keep you free but maybe even cut those strings they want to put on you."
"Strings?"
"Slang, Red. They still want to control you. Like a puppet. Get it?"
"Oh. Oh, okay. No strings," Kim said with a firm nod as the waitress appeared, and this time Kim smiled, and asked, "More milk please," as the woman sat two large platters heaped with food in front of them.
"Sure, sweetie," the woman smiled at her. "No problem."
The woman took her glass, and Shego started to season her eggs as Kim gasped, and said, "So much food," she said, and took to all but inhaling it. "Oh. Oh, this is….so good," she almost cried as she began to eat.
"So, they didn't feed you either?"
"Not like this," she blushed. "I….. I have never tasted such good food," she declared as the waitress returned just then, setting the fresh milk down, and gaping at Kim's almost empty plate already.
"Well, Jimmy will be glad to hear you're enjoying his cooking," the older woman told Kim as she smiled at the way Kim eyed the fresh glass of milk. "Anything else, ladies?"
"I think we're good," Shego grinned as Kim kept eating, and was making no attempt to even pretend she wasn't enjoying every bite as she fast cleaned what remained of her plate.
"Go ahead," Shego nodded as Kim eyed the extra biscuits.
Kim smiled, and grabbed all three, and quickly gulped those down before finishing her milk, and only then drinking the water.
"Have a nice day, ladies," the waitress waved as they prepared to leave. "Stay safe," she added.
"Do you think she knows something," Kim hissed as they left the café in the truck stop, going back out into the store half.
"Now you're being paranoid. She was just being nice. Like the truck driver."
"Truck….driver?"
"The big man that opened the door for us. He was probably a truck driver. Need to go to the restroom before we go," she asked after paying their bill.
"Uh….."
"C'mon," Shego grabbed her hand, and dragged her toward the back.
"Dykes," a scrawny bearded man sneered as Shego led her through the store.
"What," Kim frowned, not familiar with the word.
"He's just a lonely man that can't get a date, so he picks on others he's jealous of," Shego drawled rather loudly, making the man sputter, and more than a few customers snigger. "Okay, see, restroom," she pointed at the sign. "This is the ladies. That's us. Come on."
"I know this part," Kim blushed, "But I never saw them with doors," she said and eyed the stalls.
"Well, here we can have privacy. Just find an open one, and don't forget to wash your hands after," she advised as she headed for an open stall herself.
To Be Continued…