Hi everyone.
So, some things to say before you start reading this chapter.
Again, I'm sorry it took so long to publish this one. Actually, it has been finished for almost two months, but some things happened and I didn't put it online until now.
My academic year is over right now, so I'll have a lot more free time to write. I hope I'll be able to write and publish at least two more chapters this summer, but I think it's better if I don't make any promises. That way, neither you nor me will be disappointed.
Finally, a strong warning. As said at the beginning of the last chapter, I changed the rating of the story because in this chapter, there is a really harsh scene. I guess it will affect some of you more than others, but still, I'm warning you because it is hard to read. And it was quite hard to write, too.
Anyway, I really hope you'll like this chapter and I also hope I'll manage to write the next chapter before long. Also, I'm quite glad since the chapters are becoming longer and longer, which means It's becoming easier for me to write and keep up with the story.
Enjoy !
Ottawa
The redhead crouched on the rooftop of the small building and looked down. The street, though not particularly big, was busy and crowded. Mostly shops could be found there, with a few houses and two bars. Kim oriented her gaze straight to one of them at the end of the street, right at a crossroads. She felt her fists tighten. Finally.
She had spent the last four days following Shego's tracks since the incident at the warehouse. She had been able to follow the blood trails at first, but her luck had quickly run out. After all, Shego was an experienced criminal. It wasn't a surprise that she would cover her tracks and that included bandaging whatever part of her body that was spilling blood. Kim had actually lost her near the Canadian border. So she decided to ask around. But the teen had been careful: she had disguised herself to avoid Shego hearing about a young redhead asking about a woman with green hands. It had taken some time, but she had finally come across some useful information. A woman similar to the description she gave everytime she asked for the villain had apparently been spotted in Ottawa, where she currently was. Being even more careful than before, Kim had searched through the whole town, asking around again, observing from the rooftops and concealing herself within the crowd. And now, she had found her. Actually, she had found this place three hours ago. But somehow, for some reason, she hesitated. She didn't know if it was because she feared Shego might have found out and was expecting her or if she simply didn't know how to handle the upcoming fight. But she felt really uneasy about all of this.
Kim shook her head. She couldn't falter now. It was just Shego. What was so different from the other times ? She killed Ron, did you forget already ? She shrugged. She couldn't lose her focus. Not now. She took a few deep breaths and swiftly strode forward. She began to climb down the building before jumping half-way down and landing gracefully on the street. The people walking along the street were too busy chatting to notice the young girl who had just dropped from a two-store building. Keeping her eyew on the bars door, she crossed the road. She stopped in front of the entrance to the establishment. This was it. She exhaled deeply and walked in.
The inside of the bar was well lit. There were tables all around the redhead. There were booths on each side of the room, each consisting of a table with two small couches facing each other. The counter stood right in front of the door, with a waiter behind it serving drinks to some clients who were discussing something about a football match. Kim carefully looked around her. She quickly spotted a familiar figure in one of the booths to her right. Her heart suddenly began to race. Before entering the bar, she had decided to handle the whole situation as calmy and discreetly as possible. But these thoughts vanished from her mind as soon as she saw a pale hand grabbing the glass in front of it and lifting it to what probably was a thirsty mouth. Almost running, the teen walked rapidly towards the said table and stopped beside the woman sitting on the couch.
"Took you long enough."
Kim didn't answer and just sat on the opposite couch, facing her nemesis for the first time in weeks. When Shego put down her glass though, Kim couldn't help but widen her eyes. For a second, she almost felt sorry for her enemy.
The woman was disguised. That's why Kim didn't notice her bad shape before looking at her from the front. She had dyed her hair blonde and cut it. It now only reached her neck. She had also changed clothes, wearing a white top with a green logo – old habits die hard – and a pair of black pants. A brown jacket was at her side on the couch. But the most surprising was the make-up: her skin, usually so pale that it looked green, was now more coloured, almost pink. She had even put lenses to change the colour of her eyes. She had applied the make-up to her arms too. Now that Kim was looking at her, she wondered how she had been able to recognize her. I guess I know her too well after all these years of fighting. But that wasn't what had troubled Kim.
Even the details of the disguise couldn't hide the signs. Her eyes were red, probably from tiredness, and were oddly wide, as if Shego was trying not to let them close. The rest of her face looked pretty much intact. But what was disturbing was the fact that she was actually missing an ear. The right one, to be precise. The woman had covered it with bandages and had let a few strands of hair over it, but it was still easy to see if you paid attention. Plus, the bandage was red, obviously from the blood leaking out of the wound. Kim then noticed her arms. Without the jacket's sleeves covering them, she could see many bruises, cuts and even burn marks. One in particular seemed really nasty, running from her wrist to her elbow and being a dark shade of purple. Small red pecks on her white top could also be seen. She probably had more cuts on her body. Finally, the teen looked up and locked eyes with the villain. She wondered what had happened.
It doesn't matter. She killed Ron.
She froze. Her gaze became cold. What a fool she was. A few bruises and wounds and she already felt pity for her nemesis ? Heh, right. Keep thinking of Ron. This is for him. She deserves it. Everything of it. Exactly. Whatever happened to her, she deserved it. And she, Kim Possible, wasn't going to feel any compassion for this bi –
"Lost your tongue ? You're usually more talkative. Is my outfit troubling you ?"
Kim smiled coldly.
"My tongue's still there. I was just thinking how much I'd love to widen all those cuts on your arms."
"Now that's the Kimmie I know ! But seriously now, you sure took your time. Was that rooftop over there really comfortable ?"
Kim frowned. How did she know...?
"Come on, I know you're good at tracking people and everything, but you still have a lot to learn when it comes to concealing yourself."
The teen opened her mouth, ready to respond to the teasing, before mentally slapping herself. Don't lose your focus, damn it !
"Shut up. Let me do the talking. You'll talk when I tell you to."
"Ooh, you kiss your mother with that mouth ?"
"I said shut up."
This time, Shego kept quiet. She shrugged. She knew why the teen hero was here. After all, she had waited for her. She wasn't naïve enough so as to think she would be able to escape the young girl indefinitely. She took a sip of her drink and waited for the redhead to start talking.
"You know why I'm here. I want to know everything. Start talking."
"And what will you do after that ?"
"That's none of your concern. But I can assure you, it won't be pretty. So hurry up and tell me everything."
Shego sighed. She closed her eyes and thought for a moment. She opened them and looked directly into the teen's eyes.
"I'll tell you. But trust me Princess, you won't like it one bit."
"I'm way past that point, now. Because of you and Drakken."
"I know." The older woman paused. "I'm sorry. About what we've done. But it wasn't our fault."
"This isn't a good start for you, Shego..."
"I know. But you gotta hear the whole story."
Honestly, Kim didn't know why she wasn't pummeling her enemy's face with her fists. She had wanted to find her for days, desiring to beat her up until she'd bleed out...So why was she just sitting here, talking to her like an old friend ? She shrugged. Whatever. Either way, I need to hear what she has to say. When she's done, if I don't like it, I'll just have some fun with her. Like good old times. She focused her eyes on Shego again. She saw her take a deep breath and got ready for the tale that was coming.
"It all started some weeks ago. About ten days before you came to the hideout." Kim tensed up as she recalled the events of that day. "Drakken was excited about this new project he had..."
"What project ?"
"I don't know, Princess. He could be quite secretive when he wanted to. I guess it was a sign he was getting better at all this plotting evil schemes thing. Either way, he wouldn't tell me anything about it. He just was really passionate about it, he worked on it every day and there were even nights when I heard him in his office. To be honest, I had never seen him that much into a project."
"Why all the fuss about this project ? He should have known we would have stopped it."
To Kim's surprise, Shego shook her head, a smug smile appearing on her tired face.
"I don't think so, not this time. The way he talked about it...He was convinced this would give us a strong, definite advantage against you." Her smile slowly faded away as she plunged deeper into her memories. "Then, one day, I woke up to a really strange sensation. Have you ever waken up feeling like your body is moving on its own ? Like you don't really have any control over it ?"
"Sometimes, yeah, when I'm really tired even after sleeping. What does this have to do with everything ?"
"Well, it was exactly that feeling, without the tiredness. Truth is, I really didn't have any control over my body anymore. Well, it's not exactly true. I did control my body, but I didn't control my mind."
"Don't try to confuse me here. What the hell are you trying to say ?"
"You remember the time when Drakken implanted a chip on you and me so that we would obey his every order ?" Kim nodded. "Well, it was the same. With some differences: I was totally conscious the whole time and I remember everything that happened while I was being manipulated."
"Wait...So you're saying Drakken put a chip inside you to manipulate you ? Why would he do that ?"
"I never said it was Drakken's doing. The thing is, he was under the same influence as I was. He had a chip too." Shego paused. Kim could feel the frustration building up inside her nemesis. "I still can't understand how it happened or who did it. All I know, is that a voice kept talking inside my head, giving me orders and telling me what to do. And I did it. Or better said, my body did it, even if I didn't want to. I'm guessing Drakken was having the same thing."
"How can you be so sure it wasn't Drakken ? After all, you were supposedly controlled. How could you know that it wasn't him ?"
Shego's eyes hardened. She gave a fierce look to the teen before answering.
"I spent years working with him. I know – I knew him. Even if he acted the same as usual, there was something different about him. The way he moved, the way he talked. It just seemed...abnormal."
Kim instantly thought back to that fateful day. She focused on her memories of her fight with the pale-skinned henchwoman. Her movements had seemed quite slow at the time, at least slower than usual. Could she be telling the truth ? Maybe she was being controlled...That would explain it. But not everything.
"Your explication is a bit too easy. How do you explain everything that happened ? And if you were controlled, how did you get free ? I suppose you are now, otherwise this place would be swarming with henchmen from whoever was manipulating you...If what you're telling me is true."
"Heh, I guess it looks that way...Well, during the days before you came to the lair, the voice made us do different tasks. I don't know everything Drakken did. I'm guessing he was being told to work on the laser-thingies and the chemicals I was forced to steal..." Kim couldn't help but scoff at those words. Not like she needed to be forced to steal anything. But Shego ignored her. "I didn't even know you were coming that day. If the voice knew, it never told us anything. It just gave us instructions and we obeyed." She paused before talking again, this time with a softer voice. "I didn't know about the bomb. I discovered it at the same time you did, when Drakken and I were escaping. And I couldn't do anything." Another pause. "I'm sorry."
The villainess had lowered her gaze during her tale. She looked up, only to see a tear roll down Kim's cheek. Almost at the same moment, she felt a sharp pain run through her leg. She resisted the urge to look under the table, focusing on the teen's face, which was now very close to hers.
"Don't you dare say that again. You don't get to feel sorry about it. You don't get to regret it. You don't get to act like the victim. You killed him. Am I clear ?"
Shego looked into her eyes. For the first time, she felt a shiver of fear run down her spine because of Kim. Slowly, she nodded. The sharp pain remained in her leg, telling her that the girl was keeping her boot pressed against her limb. She sighed and went on with her tale.
"Alright. After...that, nothing made sense anymore. You would think that the voice would have ordered us to steal all the money in the world, precious materials, powerful and destructive inventions...But nothing. It just made us perform small robberies, stealing jewels and small amounts of money." Kim nodded. She had thought the same thing when Wade had told her about the evil duo's activities while she was...well, taking a break. "It was really weird, you know ? Not having you come after us...For me, at least. You know how I enjoyed our fights."
"Sorry to disappoint you, but I don't think it will happen anymore after I'm done with you. But before that, tell me...if everything you're saying is true, how did you escape the mind control ?"
Shego shivered. Kim noticed she was beginning to shake. She pressed her boot harder against the woman's leg: she didn't want her to breakdown. Not now. She wanted answers. Shego exhaled deeply and began to talk, her eyes focused on the table.
"Well, if you're here now, that means you found the warehouse and what was inside."
"You mean Drakken's corpse ?"
The words slipped out of her mouth without her even realizing it. She saw Shego's eyes look up and lock onto her own. What she saw in them was something disturbingly familiar: hurt and sadness. She instantly felt regret over her words. But she quickly dismissed it. She refused to feel pity for her enemy. Not now, of all times. With a single look, she urged Shego to keep going.
"...Yeah." She paused. "I guess we both had served our purpose. The voice didn't need us anymore. We had already spent a week in the warehouse. We were just sitting on the floor, doing nothing. Then, one day, it spoke. It just said two words. 'Kill Drakken'." Shego's shoulders began to shake. "So, my body just stood up. It walked and turned to face him." Tears formed in her eyes. "I suppose the voice told him to kill me, because he was facing me too and he had a...a gun in his hand." Her voice broke. A small tear slowly fell down her cheek, leaving a wet trail behind. Shego didn't notice it. "You know what's almost funny ? I'm sure you've noticed that during our last fight my movements were not as fluid as usual. That's because the chip basically makes the person it's implanted in totally submissive. That means that the movements, the reflexes, the instincts, the reaction time, everything is slower, even if for a fraction of second. I'm sure the voice was hoping that Drakken and I would kill each other. The problem is, even with the chip, my movements were slightly faster than his." Tears were now falling without restraint on her face. "I shot my plasma first. It reached him. That's what saved me. The impact deviated his gunshot. So, instead of my abdomen, the bullet reached my ear and blew it away. But the funnier part comes now: when my ear came off, I was freed. I could move again. I guess the chip was implanted in or behind it. The thing is, by trying to kill me, Drew actually saved me." She had used her former boss' true name without realizing it. Tears kept falling silently while her body shook all over. "I went to him. But he was already dead. I couldn't find any pulse. He was just lying there, pain all over his face. There was nothing I could do. So I did what I had to do. I searched for my ear. I found what was left of it. It still had some traces of the chip glued to it. So I threw it into the sea and I left. And now you've found me."
Kim kept silent. She was petrified. She was at a loss for words and acts. Her mind was on the verge of being flooded by a wave of pity, compassion and sadness towards Shego. She just couldn't believe it. Of course, a small voice kept telling her that all of it could be fake, that those were lies to manipulate her. But she knew it wasn't. And it wasn't just because she had never seen Shego cry before. It was all about her. Her voice, her eyes. All the hurt that seemed to flow out of her body. Kim herself felt her eyes starting to tear up.
But it soon changed into a dark anger. She was so angry. At Drakken and Shego for killing Ron. Even if she believed Shego's story, she couldn't just forget that they were the ones who did it, manipulated or not. She was angry at the voice, for causing all of this. She was angry at herself, for not being able to save Ron. But more than everything, she was angry because she knew how Shego felt. No. No, I don't. She was forced to kill Drakken. Someone made her kill a man that she appreciated, that she might have even loved. She watched him die because of her. And that angered her beyond everything she had ever known. Her fists clenched.
I'll kill them. The ones who did this to all of us. I'll get them and I'll hit them until I'm satisfied. And then I'll hit them again. And again. And again. I'll kill them, even if it's the last thing I –
"Hey there, you two cuties. Would you please be so kind as to put your hands up ? We have a few things to settle with you."
Mortified, Kim already knew what was there. She turned either way to face a group of eight henchmen, all of them pointing machine guns at both her and Shego. She slowly put her hands up,eyes looking straight at the guns aimed at her. Damn it. I should have checked I wasn't being followed...
"Hey, I said both of you ! Come on !"
From the corner of her eye, she saw Shego, face in her hands, shaking and sobbing. The henchman who spoke earlier, obviously the leader of the group, strode forward and grabbed the woman's arm.
"I told you to lift your hands ! Now do as I say or – "
He never finished his sentence. Kim seemed to see in slow-motion what was happening. In less than two seconds, Shego had grabbed the man's head so that it was now emprisoned in an armlock, which was threatening to break his neck at any moment. Her hands were glowing a strong, dark shade of green.
"Don't come any closer or your leader dies right here and now."
The henchmen hesitated. Kim gritted her teeth. Damn, she's really ressourceful. And she's good, she kept up her act to lure them in...Her train of thoughts was stopped when she suddenly noticed the tears that were still falling from Shego's eyes. What the...
She didn't have time to finish. With a sinister sound, Shego brutally twisted the leader's neck, letting him fall to the floor with a surprised and pained expression on his face. His comrades, too shocked to react, just stood there. Shego smiled coldly, like a predator before it's prey.
"So sorry about that, my hand slipped. Now, stay right there, Princess. I've been waiting for this moment more than you'll ever know."
Kim gulped down.
Well, shit.
Somewhere
Ron slowly opened his eyes. A grunt escaped his lips as he lifted his head to look around him.
The room was empty, like always.
He didn't know how much time had elapsed since the last time those guys used the machine on him. I guess I've been unconscious the whole time, huh ? Sighing, he shook his limbs. He was still hanging by the same chains that hindered him from focusing his powers. He mentally smiled, though. He knew he had managed to let some of his energy flow out of the room and, hopefully, out of the lair. And he hoped someone would somehow spot it. He clenched his fists. He had no other hope. But it was better than nothing. And it was enough to get him to keep fighting and resisting to the torture. He would never give in. He knew that Kim was searching for him, somewhere. He could feel it. And that was the only motivation he needed. He had to be alive when Kim would come for him. There was no other choice.
"I see we're in a good mood today !"
Ron shivered. The voice, again. This couldn't be good news.
"Now, now, don't be so down all of a sudden ! I just came by to see how you were doing."
"What do you want ?"
"Ugh, you're not really nice, are you ? Well, I'm just looking for some distraction. I have this operation that's taking place right now and I must say I'm getting excited. If it all goes well, then all my plans will go smoothly."
"And if it doesn't ?"
"Damn, you really kill all the fun, don't you ? Well, if it doesn't, that's not a problem. I'll just have to take care of it in a different way. After all, brute force was never my thing."
"What's your thing, then ?"
"Well, as I told you last time, technology has never let me down before. You could even say it's what's made me what I am today. So yeah, I'm more a 'behind the lines' kind of person. But I reckon that you've got to get your hands dirty sometimes."
"Is that why you're here ? To 'get your hands dirty' ?"
The voice laughed. Ron frowned and took a second to think. Again, he had this feeling...Just now, the voice had seemed so strangely familiar, but he couldn't put his finger on whatever made him feel that way. Was it something that was said ? Or the way it was said ?
"Well, more or less." Pause. "You know these scenes in movies or in books, when the villain has captured the hero and the situation seems hopeless for the good guys, but somehow they still find a way to beat the bad ones and win ?"
"Are we really going to talk about that ? I'm more of a video games kind of guy, to be honest."
"Let me finish, you'll like where this conversation leads. Recently, I came to ask myself how they did it. I mean, of course, the author decides whether it's the good or the bad guys that win. But how does he justify it ? I found two reasons: first, there's determination. Of course, without it, whether you're the hero or the villain, you'll fail. And second, there's hope. No matter the book, you'll always see that the good guys have some kind of hope. Whether it's incarnated by someone, an item or just a goal, hope is the main motivation that leads to the villain's defeat."
"That's nice. Now, can you please finish quickly ? I'd like to get to sleep before you bore me to death with your story."
"You're helpless...As you wish. I'll get to the end as fast as I can." A light chuckle followed. "After that, everything became obvious. Hope is the first thing you have to break in your enemies. By killing it, you destroy all their will to keep going. That's the key to success. And that's what I'm going to do with you." An ominous feeling began to creep in Ron's mind. I'm not sure I want to hear the next words... "These last few days, I've noticed something about you. You've grown strangely more determined and you keep resisting, even after I've used the machine twice on you. I understood it was that hope that you cling to that's allowing you to keep going. And the important question is: what is it that incarnates this hope ? The answer came easily." The voice paused, as if wanting to create a dramatic effect. As much as Ron hated it, he had to admit it worked. He already knew what was that answer, of course, but he still wanted to hear it. "Kim Possible. She's the problem. As long as she's out there, my plans are in danger. You were right the first time we talked. She's a threat. That's why I'm going to take care of her. You know the operation I was talking about earlier ? It's a mission to take her out for good. She won't bother me anymore after this."
Ron felt a knot form in his abdomen. Kim...Damn it, please be safe. But he didn't want to show his concern. He shrugged and looked straight at the loudspeaker in the upper corner of the room.
"Please. She's stronger that that. No matter how many goons you send after her, she will take care of them. And she will find me and kick your ass."
To his surprise, the voice laughed again.
"You know, I just realized that I still haven't told you about it. Oh man, I can be so forgetful at times..." The voice stopped to laugh yet again. "You see, there's a reason why she still hasn't found you. There's a reason why she isn't here right now, kicking my ass as you say. She thinks you're dead."
The words echoed in Ron's mind. Huh ? The words grew stronger with each passing second, soon taking over his whole brain. Dead ? No, he's lying. I mean, I'm right here, I'm alive. She can't think that. I'm not dead !
"You don't believe me ? They buried you and all. Well, of course, they didn't find your body after the explosion, but I don't think anyone expected to find anything after such a huge blast. If I recall, dear Kimberly spent some time at the hospital. Too bad she didn't die with the blast, though, it would have spared me some problems..."
Ron wasn't listening. His mind wandered back to the day of the explosion. Was it true ? Now that he thought about it, the blast was indeed really powerful. He recalled that everything became a giant ball of fire. He thought for sure he was going to die. But, at the last moment, some kind of protective bubble activated and envelopped him, protecting him from the explosion. He had fallen inconscious almost immediately because of the power from the blast. And then he had awaken here, in this room, all bruised and with numerous wounds on his body. Of course, if everything had been carefully planned, he guessed someone could have easily faked his death considering the circumstances. But still, he couldn't bring himself to believe it. Did she really think he was dead ? He dropped his head. How can she find me if she thinks I'm already gone ? It's over. I'm going to die here. And even worse, she's going to die too –
He suddenly widened his eyes. If she thinks I'm dead, why does she need to be taken care of ? Why is she such a big threat ? He looked up.
"It doesn't matter if she thinks that I'm dead."
"Yeah, keep telling yourself that. You'll die here, alone."
"Maybe. But the fact that you're so eager to take her out can mean two things. One, you have a personal grudge against her. But if it was the case, I guess she would be in my place right now, enduring different kinds of torture. That tells me I'm your objective." He paused. The voice said nothing. Heh, looks like I'm right. "So it only leaves one option. It's exactly as you said earlier: she's a threat to your plans. That means that she's closing in on you. Even if she thinks I died, she's still investigating and from what you're saying, she must be getting really close. So yeah, it doesn't matter. Because she will find you either way. And then she will find me. And you'll lose."
A long silence followed. Ron's heartbeat was louder than ever. He didn't know how the voice was going to react. He waited for an angry answer. That's why the sudden burst of laughter startled him.
"Wow, that's a surprise ! Who knew you had such deduction abilities ? But you're right. As much as it pains me, I have to admit that she's quite ressourceful. But I am too. That's why I always have a backup plan. Destroying your hope can be done in two ways. One, getting rid of Kimberly. If that were to fail...Well, I still have you, haven't I ? I just have to break you directly."
Ron forced a chuckle out of his mouth.
"Break me directly ? Come on, you've already tortured me several times. Plus, you said that you weren't into brute force. So, what could you possibly do to break me ?"
Ron didn't like where this conversation was going. He liked it even less when the voice talked again.
"I did say that. But you're forgetting two things: I have goons that are into brute force. And I've only used physical torture until now. So, we'll switch to a mix of physical and mental torture. Actually, we'll switch right now." Ron froze. The door opened and he saw two men walk in. The first one was quite tall and very muscular, with arms almost as large as Ron's head. The second one was a bit taller but with a less impressive figure. His uniform still showed his muscles though, indicating that he was quite strong too. "You see, I'm a very tolerant man. All the henchmen I've recruited are here solely based on their loyalty, their professionalism and their abilities. I don't judge their tastes and preferences and they can do whatever they want on their free time. The two men in the room with you now are quite inclined towards men. And I mean sexually inclined."
Ron gulped down. His body was so tense it felt like wood. He sort of knew where this was going, but he didn't want to believe it. There's no way he's going to do that.
"There's a problem, though. Lately, this project of mine has needed a lot of time and focus. So they haven't had a lot of free time to have fun. So I decided to let them have some with you. They might be a little rough, but hey, with all the torture I've already iinflicted you, you should be used to it, right ?"
Ron was petrified. He saw the two men get closer to him in slow-motion. Eyes wide, he felt the chains that were holding him move so that he would get closer to the ground. Once his feet touched the ground, he saw the taller one go behind him. He felt him grab his pants and lower them to his ankles. That awoke his instincts. Struggling against the goon's hands, he tried to kick him and crawl away from him.
"Get away ! Don't touch me ! DON'T TOUCH ME !"
He managed to land a hit to the henchman's face. But Ron didn't see the other goon. The man grabbed his arms and turned him so that the teen was face against the ground. The other goon, his face still aching from the kick, grabbed the blonde's legs and spread them. Ron's eyes widened.
"No ! No, don't do it ! Don't, please ! DON'T !"
His eyes began to tear up. He heard clothes rustling. And then he felt it. Something hard was touching his leg. His face became pale. He jerked his legs, trying to land another kick, struggling, trying to stand up or move the man that kept him pinned to the ground. But with the chains restraining his strength, he couldn't do anything. He could only feel the man getting closer and closer, slowly reaching for his goal. Ron, too shocked to scream, could only mumble.
"No...please, no...Please. I'll do anything. Don't do it. Please..."
The man put his hands on Ron's bottom and spread his cheeks. This wasn't the first time he did this sort of thing. After all, that's why the boss had called him for this mission. Grabbing his manhood with one hand, he got it closer to the hole he was aiming at until it was resting against it. He could hear the boy sobbing under his colleague. Taking a deep breath, he thrusted his member inside in one, strong movement.
Ron's eyes bulged out of his face. His mouth was wide open, forming a silent scream of horror and pain. No...Take it out...Please...Take it out ! Take it out ! It hurts ! I don't want that ! Please, anything but that ! Please...He could feel this thing slowly penetrating him, going deeper and deeper in his body, hurting him all the way. A tsunami of thoughts flooded his mind. Thoughts of pain, of hurt, of shock. It felt like a sword slowly stabbing him, ripping thoroughly through his organs, marking them with horrid pain.
Suddenly, it stopped. He still felt the man inside him, invading his body, but he wasn't moving anymore. For a brief second, Ron hoped. He hoped that was it. It was over. Now he would just take it out and leave him there. Then he felt him move back. Slowly taking it out. Ron's mind filled with hope. Yes, please, take it out. Please, be done with it. Please, please, please ! He couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief when he felt almost the whole member being taken out. And suddenly, the man thrusted again, this time faster and harder. Ron was propelled forward. This time, he screamed in pain. Why ? WHY ?! Why won't he take it out ? TAKE IT OUT ! PLEASE ! Leave me alone ! Stop this !
Trembling, Ron could feel the member move faster and faster. He felt the man's hands land on his hips and lift them so that the teen was on all fours. The other goon moved to the side but kept grabbing onto Ron's arms to pin him down. The henchman inside him kept moving, each time with more brutality, each thrust bringing even more pain to Ron's body and mind. Tears were now falling freely from his eyes, flooding his face. Not able to do anything else, he closed his eyes. He tried to focus on anything, anything that could distract him from the monstrous meat that was ripping his body apart from the inside. But his mind came up with nothing. All that came to him was a feeling of powerlessness.
That's when he heard it.
Kim.
Her voice.
Eyes closed, he felt a small relief come to his mind. That's it. He would focus on her. On her voice. Just think of her. Keep it up. Keep thinking of her. Nothing else matters. There's nothing else here. Only me and her voice. Talk to me, Kim. Keep talking. He could hear it so close, so well...
His eyes jerked open. The pain came back like a tornado, sending any other thought away. His body hurt like never before. The goon kept thrusting, burying himself deeper in the teen everytime. But Kim's voice was stronger. Too strong. And Ron understood.
The loudspeaker. Kim's voice came from there. And it got louder with every passing second, creeping in Ron's mind, overflowing everything. But now it was different.
At first, it soothed him. But now, it echoed in his brain. It went everywhere. And it mixed with his thoughts. No. Turn it off. Stop it. Stop, all of you ! STOP !
"TURN IT OFF ! Shut up ! Shut up, shut up, shut up ! Turn it off !"
Ron was sobbing. He couldn't take it. No, he couldn't. He didn't want to hear it. Not anymore. Not her voice. Not with this. Not now. He screamed again. He didn't know whether it was from the immense pain he felt or from his rage. But he kept screaming, wanting to cover her voice with his.
Suddenly, he felt the man take his meat out. Ron's eyes widened. Was it over ? Were they done ? He froze again. They. They're two. That was the first. He felt two stong hands turn him. He found himself face up. And what he saw made him shake in fear.
The second goon was on his knees, between the teen's spread legs. But what petrified him was the look on the man's eyes. It was a look of pure lust. Is that what I am ? Just a toy to satisfy them ? A strong hand reached out and grabbed Ron's face, forcing him to lock eyes with the henchman. The tears still let him see these dark eyes that seemed to invade his mind. Then, brutally, he felt a second meat penetrate him.
At the exact moment the goon's manhood reached the deep end of his insides, Ron gasped, eyes tearing up even more but still locked on to the ones in front of him. He couldn't close his eyes. He didn't know why, but he couldn't. He just kept staring into them, the pain quickly spreading all over his body while the man began to thrust with more violence than the other. And then, he heard it. Kim's voice, again. Laughing, talking, saying words with no sense at all, but still talking. The sound crept in his ears, his mind, overcoming everything else.
Ron broke.
His mouth gaped. His eyes stayed open, but his gaze drifted away, looking at nothing in particular. He stopped moving, stopped struggling. He just lied there, body shaking with every thrust from the man, his open mouth forming no words, no scream. His mind was blank. Nothing came through.
He didn't react while the goon kept moving his member inside him, raping his insides with everything he had.
He didn't react when the man took it out.
He didn't react when the two goons jerked off next to him.
He didn't move when their seed splattered his legs and shirt.
And he said nothing as they dressed themselves and got out of the room.
He didn't hear the voice when it talked through the loudspeaker.
"I guess you're tired, after all this effort. I'll let you rest for now. But don't worry, I'll be back soon enough."
Ron stayed where he was, lying on his back, half-naked. His eyes were as blank as his mind. His body seemed lifeless.
Only one thing echoed within his brain.
Kim's voice.
Ottawa
Kim had spent some years fighting crime and specifically Shego. They were on par during their fights, even though the teen won most of the times. Still, what the young hero was witnessing was beyond any fight they'd had.
Before any of the goons could react, the older woman jumped forward and punched one of them so hard he was hurled to the opposite wall, carving a hole in it. He fell to the ground, unconscious, leaving a trail of blood on the wall. When the remaining six henchmen turned their gazes back to her, she had already started spinning on her left leg. The closest one barely had time to lift his gun before her right foot reached him right in the stomach, making him bend forward in pain. Shego forced his head further down with her hand at the same time that lifted her knee. A clear cracking noise told Kim the man was far from getting up any time soon.
Seeing the other five men holding their guns firmly and ready to shoot, the redhead quickly grabbed a chair next to the booth and hurled it in their direction. They dropped in time to avoid the projectile and got up, changing their aim to the young cheerleader. But Kim had been way faster. Following the chair, she'd run and jumped on a table before jumping again. Now in mid-air, she suddenly spread her legs, hitting two of the gunmen in the head and sending them to the ground. Meanwhile, Shego took care of another goon, grabbing him by the collar stabbing him with her bare, glowing hand. The man growled before falling limply to the floor. Now, only two remained.
Unfortunately, the effect of surprise had worn out. The two henchmen began to fire their arms, aiming at both women. Kim dived behind a table, managing to evade the bullets. Shego, on the other hand, was much closer to the goons. She backflipped and jumped around for a few seconds, distracting the two gunmen before diving behind a couch on the other side of the room. Kim saw her opportunity. She quickly ran out of her hiding spot and ran straight to the men still focused on Shego. When they noticed her, they turned and fired at her. But once again, the teen was faster. She had already dropped to the ground and, taking advantage of her momentum, she slid until she reached their legs, tackling them and sending them to the ground. She then quickly turned on her stomach and used her hands as leverage to lift herself up to her feet. Noticing one of the goons already reaching for his gun, she gave him a brutal kick to the head, rendering him instantly unconscious. Turning around to take care of the last one, she saw Shego already by his side, her hand glowing. Kim then looked around and felt a chill run down her spine.
The bar was empty. The few people that were there when had walked in had left as soon as they had seen the henchmen with their guns. Now, eight bodies were scattered all around the room. Kim knew that the three men she had taken care of were still alive. Badly hurt, that was for sure, but alive. She couldn't say the same for the others, though. The leader was dead, obviously. The stabbed goon was unconscious and his wound was still leaking blood. He was surely dying. The one that Shego had thrown against the wall was dead too. Shego had made sure of it while Kim tackled the last two gunmen earlier by shooting plasma right to his heart, killing him on the spot. Kim then noticed the last two. The one the older woman was standing next to had smoke coming out of a deep wound in his chest. Shego's doing, obviously. And the goon who took the her knee in the face was still on the ground, face down, a small pool of blood around his head. Probably still alive, but he would have severe brain damage. Kim shivered. Damn. I'm sort of happy she never went this far with me.
She looked up at the woman. Her eyes were as cold as ice. But then, a look of hurt came upon her face. She began to wobble, as if shifting her weight from one feet to the other. Her knees suddenly gave up and Shego found herself on the ground, resting on her back, panting and breathing heavily. Kim's heart tightened. She ran to her side and crouched, already checking her body for wounds. She instantly noticed the red stain that was slowly getting bigger on Shego's shirt. Kim bit her lip and lift the garment up, only to see two holes in Shego's stomach. She hadn't managed to avoid all the bullets from the goons. Still, it was amazing that only those two had reached her. But the wounds looked bad. Blood was already starting to spill out. Shego's eyes were struggling to stay open. Fuck, what do I do ? I can't let her die. I still need answers. She reached for her Kimmunicator in her pocket and turned it on. Wade's face appeared, looking worried.
"Kim ! Is everything alright ?"
"Not really." Seeing Wade about to talk, she cut him off. "Don't worry, I'm fine, just a few bruises. But Shego's in a bad shape. I need transportation. But discreet this time. I don't want people to be able to track us. Plus, the police will soon be here and I don't think I'll be able to explain all of this." She paused, thinking deeply. "I need some place to take her to treat her wounds."
"Transportation is on its way. They'll wait for you behind the bar. Just use the back door and they'll be there in three minutes." He paused. "I'm guessing no hospitals, huh ?"
"No. Try to find me some doctor nearby. A trustworthy one. Then, when she's patched up, I'll take her home. My mom will treat her wounds better."
Wade said nothing. He didn't know yet what Shego had told Kim. He had mixed feelings about his friend bringing her arch-foe into her own home. But he trusted her. He looked at his computer screen.
"They'll be here in a minute. I've sent them coordinates, they know where to take you. Keep me posted ! And Kim, be careful."
"Yeah, I promise."
Kim cut off the comunication. Heaving, she lifted Shego up and took her in her arms. The woman mumbled incomprehensibly, but Kim paid no attention. As she started walking towards the back door, she noticed something near one of the goons. Crouching while holding Shego, she reached out with her hand and picked up what looked like a small electronic device. She put it in her pocket and began walking again. Right now, the priority was to save Shego. Kim shivered. Who knew I'd do something like this someday ?
She reached the back alley behind the door. Less than ten seconds later, a car pulled up in front of her, a middle-aged man behind the wheel.
"Get in ! We gotta get moving fast if we don't want the police to follow us."
Kim nodded and quickly but carefully put Shego on the backseat. As soon as she was seated, the man drove off, driving as though speed limitations didn't even exist. They had no time to lose.
Somewhere in Mexico
The young girl focused. Eyes closed, she breathed calmly, with a steady pace. She needed to be careful not to miss anything. She was sitting in what seemed to be a tunnel, legs crossed under her, hands forming a strange sign.
She felt concern grow within her. Damn it ! She couldn't find anything ! She growled in frustration and opened her eyes. Clenching her fist, she tried to relax. Calm down. You need to focus. Don't let your feelings disturb you from your task. She exhaled deeply, closing her eyes again.
That's it. Feel the energy around you. She could feel waves swirling around her. She smiled. Energy was everywhere. Now that she could detect it, she only needed to look for the one she needed. She exhaled again and slowly expanded her spirit, allowing her to feel all energy waves in a very large radius. Out of all the people who could detect and track down energetic signatures, she was by far the most capable one. If she wanted to, she could enlarge her detection range to the whole hemisphere, though with great effort.
Suddenly, she spotted small traces of energy. A small group, maybe ten people, moving fast and in her direction. Focusing, she identified all of the energetic signatures and let out a sigh of relief. They made it. Good. A smile appeared again on her face, only to become a frown almost instantly. What's that ? She could feel another wave of energy. It was quite far away, but it was strangely strong. Gathering her strength, she focused harder than before, trying to see if she could identify it and even pinpoint it. Come on. Talk to me, who are you ? She gritted her teeth. Sweat began to pour down her forehead. It was so far away and somehow it felt so close !
Then, it was gone. No energy wave left. It had vanished as suddenly as it had appeared. The girl opened her eyes and fell forward, supporting herself with her hands. She was panting hard. Sweat was dripping from her face. Sitting back, she let out a light chuckle. She had a surprised look, as though she didn't believe what she had just found.
I've got to tell Sensei.
Three days later, Possible residence
Shego opened her eyes only to close them right away, blinded by the light focused on her face.
"She's awake. Don't push her too much, she's still a bit weak."
Who was talking ?
"Don't worry about her. Even weak, she still packs a punch."
That voice, she knew. Kimmie. Grunting, she slowly got up. Feeling a sharp pain in her side, she lifted her shirt and saw stitches running over three centimeters of flesh. She winced before glancing around. Was she in a basement ? It sure looked like it. She was sitting on a bed in a corner of the room. Next to her, there was a small table with medical equipment all over it: bandages, syringes, scissors, scalpels...She could also see blood marks and a pair of medical gloves. Apart from that, the room was quite empty. There was a sink, where a tall woman with red hair was washing her hands. In front of the bed, Shego noticed a couch and also the young redhead that was looking at her with intense eyes.
"Where are we ?"
The teen stood up and got closer to the bed.
"At my place." Anticipating the next question, Kim answered. "This woman here is my mom. She treated your injuries." She paused. "A thank you would be appreciated, you know."
Shego almost scoffed. But she was indeed thankful. Kim could have let her die in Canada and she would have completely understood it. Instead, she had brought her here and her mother had saved her. She nodded and turned to Kim's mom.
"Thanks. You didn't have to do it."
The woman turned. Shego was struck by the strong ressemblance with her daughter, but mostly by the coldness in her eyes.
"Don't thank me. I'm a doctor. And to be honest, I don't like one bit having you here. Not after what you did. I'll let Kim deal with you. I'll come back in a few to check on your injuries."
And she went to the stairs and and left the room. Shego turned back to Kim. She could see the same coldness in her eyes. She sighed. I can't really blame them.
"I guess I deserved that."
Kim kept quiet. She was deep in thought. Then, as she opened her mouth to talk, she was interrupted by a familiar sound.
She took out her Kimmunicator and answered Wade's call.
"Hey Wade. Got any news for me ?"
"Yeah, but not really good. Remember the device we found on Drakken ?"
"Yup." Seeing Shego's lost look, she quickly explained. "At the warehouse, we found Drakken's chip. We couldn't recover it and it was destroyed, but Wade was able to record its electronic signal to try and track it down." She turned back to the screen. "And ? What did you find ?"
"That's the problem. The one who created it is smart. Like, smart as hell. It doesn't emit a unique signal, which means that there are multiple sources. Basically, I've tracked it down to multiple locations around the world. It could be any one of them."
Kim sighed. Technically, she could go and check out all these places, but it would take days, if not weeks.
"Anything else ?"
"Yeah. After analyzing the signal, it turns out what Shego told you is true. It really was a chip meant for mental control. Just like the one created by Drakken a few years back, but enhanced. Looks like they were manipulated."
Kim nodded. That was all the confirmation she needed. Deep down, she already knew Shego was telling the truth. The way she spoke back in Canada...Maybe it was naïve of her, but she trusted her nemesis. Still, it was too bad Wade couldn't make any progress with the chip...
Her eyes widened. Damn, I totally forgot about it !
"Wait a sec' Wade, I'll be right back."
Leaving her Kimmunicator on the couch, she ran upstairs to her room. She quickly found the pants she was wearing in Canada. She searched in the pocket and found the device she had picked up back in the bar. She quickly returned to the basement.
"I completely forgot about it with the trip back to Middleton, but I found this small device in the bar next to a henchman. I don't think it's the same as the one we found implanted in Drakken, but could you examine it ?"
She put it on the screen and saw Wade begin an analysis.A few seconds later, the young genius looked at the results on his computer. Turning back to Kim, he looked excited.
"This is good ! It's not the same device, it's different !"
"How is this good ?"
"Well, it's nothing impressive, really, it's a chip meant for communication and all. But its electronic signature is different from Drakken's chip. Which means, if I can track it down, I can cross-reference both results to narrow down the locations ! It's still a long shot, but it's way better. I'll get right to it. I'll keep you posted !"
"All right."
Kim cut off the call.
"So...If we're lucky, genius boy here will find the ones who did this ?"
"His name's Wade, Shego. And yeah. Let's just hope he can find a location."
Shego nodded.
"How long have I been unconscious, by the way ? My memories are really fuzzy after the bar..."
Kim looked at her. It didn't surprise her that she didn't remember. Shego's injuries were bad. In fact, it was hard to believe she could already move a bit around, considering how serious the wounds were.
"Well, Wade found some transportation for us. It brought us to a doctor in the outskirts of Otttawa. You were in bad shape, so we had to stay over there for two days. I kept checking if the police or more henchmen had found us, but we were lucky. Eventually you got a bit better, but you still had a high fever. The doctor didn't have the necessary equipment to treat you fully, so we had to get here quickly so my mom could examine you. Wade found us a plane at night and we arrived here yesterday. You've been sleeping since then."
Kim kept looking at Shego. She wanted to ask her something, but she was reluctant. She didn't know how she would react and it made her a bit nervous. She fidgeted with the bed's blanket.
"I'm sorry about Drakken's death."
Shego looked up at the teenager. She was surprised and a bit taken aback, but she quickly understood that Kim really felt that way. She laid back on the bed and sighed.
"Thanks, I guess. I should say the same thing for your sidekick...I mean, for Ron."
Kim just nodded, eyes still locked on to the blanket.
"You really cared about him, didn't you Shego ?"
The older woman didn't answer right away. She seemed lost in thought. Kim looked up and was surprised to see a smile appear on Shego's face. Not a cruel, nor a smug one. A genuine smile. Wow. That's something I didn't think I'd see.
"Yeah, you could say that." She paused. "You know, when I think about it, you don't know how I met him, don't you ?"
"No, I don't." Shego let out a small chuckle.
"Heh, it's quite funny, actually. It was about one year before you fought us for the first time. I had just finished a job for some businessman. He wanted information on some competitor's product. Iit was so easy, I swear. They barely had any security. Either way, I had just gotten to the hotel. I went to my room, began pouring water in the tub to take a bath...And then I heard a crash. So I went back to the bedroom and there he was. Drakken had literally crashed into my hotel room with his hoverboard. I was so furious. Here I was, trying to relax after a job well done...And some douche just crashed into my hotel room ? So I went up to him, I grabbed him by the collar and I started yelling at him. And yet, he didn't beg. He just smiled and he looked at me before saying that he had been looking for me. I was like 'what the hell are you talking about ?' And he just went on, saying he had heard of me from a colleague of his and he wanted to recruit me for an indefinite time. I was still angry, but I must say the situation was hilarious. The dude wants to recruit me and he thinks the better way to do it is to crash his flying machine into my hotel room ? So, as you can guess, I refused. "
"How did he convince you then ?"
"Well, I don't think it will surprise you, but he just took out a bag from his hoverboard and he showed me what was in it. He had like a whole million dollars in there. And that was it. I've always liked money, you know ? And, if I'm being honest, I didn't really care who I worked with as long as I got paid."
"A million ? Wow. I guess he was quite successful as a villain before I got into the whole hero thing. But still, the money must have run out at some point, right ? So why did you stay ?"
"You're right. We kept spending money to recruit henchmen, to plan heists and also to build his inventions. Eventually, we ended up with nothing left. At first, I stayed because I could see he had plans, ideas. I mean, the guy had potential, you know ? His plans were a bit stupid, sometimes far too complicated...But still. So yeah, I stayed because I was thinking that he would be a good investment in the future." She paused to laugh. "Turns out he didn't. But by the time I realized that, it was too late. What would you know ? I grew to like the guy. Of course, he got on my nerves all the time, he was careless, he could be very stupid and all...But still. I'd gotten used to being around him and I had learned to somehow appreciate how he was. I kept taking jobs from other villains from time to time, but in the end I always came back." Another pause. "And Drakken gave it back, you know ? The appreciation, I mean. You see, in this world, people like me are just a contract. They're just people you recruit for a short period of time and when you don't need them anymore, you kinda just throw them away. This way of life suited me, it still does. But with Drakken, it felt different. You could see he was grateful that I stayed there, that I helped him with his plans, even when he didn't have money anymore. It was nice..."
Kim kept silent. Saying she was dumbstruck would be an understatement. Who knew Shego could have such feelings ? She really wasn't expecting all that. And she expected even less the question that followed.t.
"It was different between you and Ron, wasn't it ?"
Kim jumped at the question. She felt herself blush a bit. Why am I blushing ? It's a totally innocent question ! Shego smiled smugly and began to tease her.
"Look at you blush, Princess. Is there something I should know about this ? Or maybe you don't even know it yourself ?"
"Shut up, it's not like that !" Kim exhaled deeply, trying to calm her heartbeat. "Ron and I were childhood friends, that's all. We were very close."
"Very close, hm...?"
"I said not like that ! Ugh, seriously..." The redhead paused. Her look softened. "Yeah, it was different from you and Drakken. We got along from the moment we met. It was in kindergarten. I was being bullied by some boys from the class." Shego scoffed. Kim rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I know, I was being bullied by four years old. Really funny. Either way, Ron was the first who came to me and defended me against them. And we became inseparable. We've been together since then. We've always been close, we shared many things. You know, in some aspects he kinda looked like Drakken. He could be really stupid at times and he could get on my nerves...But we rarely argued. And even when we did, we couldn't stay mad at each other for more than a few hours." She paused, lost in her memories. "Actually, the last big argument we had was at the beginning of high school. I had started to spend some time with a boy. We weren't really dating, but we did quite a few things together. And well, I kinda pushed Ron aside. It bothered him and we got into this argument. After that, we didn't talk to each other for a whole day. It went better the next day. He was so used to dropping by my place so that we would go to school together that he did that day too, even if we weren't talking. We started walking together towards the school and at some point, we just burst out laughing. And it was all fine after that."
"I'll be damned...Tell me why you weren't a couple again ? I mean, hell, it's so obvious even I can see it !"
Kim blushed even more.
"Stop it, you don't know what you're talking about."
"Oh yeah ? Let's clear things up: you're childhood friends. You've been together forever, blah, blah. First proof: as you start going out with some dude he becomes jealous because you spend less and less time with him and more with the other boy. You want more ? All right, second proof: he follows you on your missions, even though he's ten times more vulnerable than you in these situations. Plus, he agrees to do the most dangerous part, the distraction. He agrees to all of this, just to help you. And I'm sure he did it just so that you didn't have to do everything by yourself and so that he could protect you in some way. Plus, he was always worried about you during your missions, that was obvious. Tell me if I got anything wrong."
Kim stood there, face fully red, mouth open. She quickly closed it and chose to answer as emotionlessly as possible.
"Whatever. I don't even care about what you're saying." Then, without letting Shego cut her off, she went on. "I'm tired, I'm going to lay down. You focus on getting better. I might need to ask you some more questions later."
Shego watched the teen walk up the stairs. As she reached the door, the woman spoke, loud enough so that Kim would hear her.
"Keep telling yourself that. You know I'm right."
Blushing yet again, Kim walked out of the room.
Fuck, Shego..
A few hours later
Kim suddenly woke up, eyes wide.
Feeling strange, she went to her bathroom and looked at her reflection in the mirror. Her face was as red as her hair. Why is my face so red ? Maybe it was her dream. She had slept nicely, better than the last few nights. She thought back, trying to remember what she had dreamt about. Then, she blushed even more. It was about Ron.
Damn that Shego, she had gotten to her with her funny ideas before..But still, she couldn't shake off the images of her dream. Her and Ron, escaping alive but both hurt from the explosion in Drakken's lair. Them going to the hospital, spending time together in their rooms while they recovered, talking and laughing...kissing...
She hid her face in her hands. Ugh, stop it ! Even if I felt that way, it wouldn't matter now that he's – Her body tensed. Well, it was true. He was dead. What was the point of figuring her feelings out now ? Either way, it was too late. It would only hurt her all the more. Still, did she really...?
A sound interrupted her train of thoughts. She recognized her Kimmunicator. She then realized that was the sound that had woken her up. She quickly ran to her bed and picked up the device. She turned it on.
"Wade ?"
"Kim ! I've got news, and it's important !"
Kim felt her heart race. Finally. Did he have a lead ? She resisted the urge to know for a few seconds. She ran back the stairs to the basement, only to find Shego reading a magazine. The older woman arched a brow when she saw the teen storm in the room, but said nothing as she noticed she had her Kimmunicator in her hand.
"Go, Wade."
"Well, I've finally tracked down the signal from the device you picked up in Ottawa. Like Drakken's chip, it brought me to several locations, but when I cross-referenced both results, it narrowed down to five locations."
"That's less than before ! It'll be way faster to check these places !"
"Wait, I haven't told you everything yet." Kim and Shego listened closely. "Since there were only five locations, I decided to scan the energetic and electronic signals that emerged from those places. " He saw that Kim was going to ask a question and cut her off. "I hacked a satellite. Nothing bad, nobody noticed me." He ignored Shego's scoff and went on with his explanation. "In most places, nothing stood out. But there was one where I detected some strange energetic signature. So I compared it to some that I've recorded on my computer over the years, to see if my system could recognize anything. And it did ! You'll never guess what it was."
"Wade, no offense, but I'm not really in the mood for dramatic pauses."
"Fine.." The young genius sighed. "You remember a few months ago, when you went to Japan and you found out about Ron's training in Yamanouchi ?" Kim nodded, not seeing Shego's confused look. "Well, after that, I...kinda recorded the energetic signature from the Sensei's powers. I figured it could be useful one day, if we ever needed to contact or look for him and Yori for some reason. So I kept it in my computer's memory. Turns out, the energetic signals I spotted earlier are similar to the ones from Yamanouchi !"
"Wait, you mean...Are you implying that Monkey Fist is behind this whole plan ?"
"That's not possible", Shego said. "He's been out of the villain business for some time now. Last I heard, he was in Norway looking for some ancient monkey species that live under very cold temperatures." She saw Kim's surprised expression. "What ? One of the first things I did when I arrived in Canada was to ask my informants about the other villains, in case we were being targeted by a colleague. Turns out, none of your known enemies are involved."
Kim looked at Shego for a few seconds, then shrugged and focused again on Wade.
"So, what do you think Wade ?"
"Well, I doubt it's a coincidence. Either it's a new enemy linked to Yamanouchi and those monkey powers or our oponent has prisoners from the school. In any case, there's a connection to Japan, that's for sure. But going back to what I was saying, I know where this guy's hideout is !"
"Really ? Where is it ?"
"On an island near New Zealand. It's small and last I checked, it was a desert area. I'm not so sure of that now, but I can't get images of the landscape. Looks like they have a jammer or something."
"You rock, Wade. When can you get me a plane to go there ?"
"Hold on, Princess." Kim glanced over at Shego, who was now standing next to the bed, wincing a bit at the pain in her side. "You're not thinking of going there without me, are you ?"
"Shego, you still haven't fully recovered. And we can't waste any time."
"Stop it. I need to go. I have to be there when you get him. I want to kick this guy in the stomach and see just how much pain he can stand. There's nothing you can do to stop me from coming with you."
Kim withstood her look for nearly a minute. She knew Shego was right. She couldn't hinder her from coming along. She sighed.
"All right. But my mom will check your injuries to make sure you're in good shape." A smug smile appeared on her face. "After all, I'm sure you don't want to be dead weight, don't you Shego ?"
"Heh, if I ever become dead weight, you'd better kill me there and then. But fine, call your mom."
Turning back to the Kimmunicator's screen, Kim smiled.
"You heard that, Wade. Make the plane wait until tomorrow morning."
"As you wish. Until then, I'll try to contact Yori, see how they're doing in Japan. If this is about monkey powers, we might as well ask them what they think of this whole situation."
"Good thinking. Keep me posted !"
And with that, the communication ended. After a few moments of silence, Shego cleared her throat.
"So, tell me something...What's the deal with Ron and those freaky monkey powers ?"
Somewhere in Mexico, a few hours earlier
The cave was large enough to welcome a bit less than a hundred people. Right now, it was occupied by fifty teenagers dressed in black kimonos. But the most surprising was how well the large group seemed to be organized.
The cave was separated in three distinct areas. The first one was filled with blankets and pillows. The second one was where the majority of the teens was at that moment and was a training ground. The young boys and girls were practicing martial arts but to any outsider, it would have looked like an elegant, graceful dance. Their movements were fluid and there was no hesitation in their gestures nor their focus. The last area was located at the far end of the cave and was now currently occupied by a small group of people who were discussing.
"Sensei !"
The whole group turned their heads towards the young girl that had just spoke. She stood mere meters away, panting. A slender figure stood up from the group. She had only one arm, her right one. The other had been cut clean weeks ago when their school had been burned to the ground. The young girl bowed respectfully. Then, Sensei spoke.
"What is it, Yukitomo ?"
"Sensei, there's another group of students coming this way ! They will soon be here."
Yukitomo paused, exhaling deeply. Her Sensei stood still, waiting for her to catch her breath. She guessed the young girl still had information. Indeed, a new group of students reaching the cave was good news, but it didn't need her to rush here to warn them. Once Yukitomo had calmed down, Seisei spoke.
"Anything else ?"
"Yes. While searching for other students that would be coming here, I detected a strong energy far from here."
"And ?" Yukitomo saw her Sensei frown. Was she concerned ?
"I managed to identify it before it vanished. I'm confident that it was Stoppable-san."
Silence fell upon the small assembly. For a few long seconds, nobody said a word. Then, Sensei spoke.
"Are you sure ?"
"Yes. He's the only one I know to have such a strong energy. And you know my abilities allow me to recognize energies I've come across before. It's the exact same one."
Sensei breathed deeply.
"Where ?"
"An island, near New Zealand."
She waited for her Sensei to ask more questions. Seeing she wasn't needed anymore, she bowed again before going back to the entrance of the cave to resume her spotting mission. The Sensei stood still for a few seconds. Then, she looked at the teens sitting around her.
"Tell everyone to get ready. We'll move out in two hours. Let the students that are coming rest until then. They'll need their strength. Taika." One of the students stood up.
"Yes, Sensei ?"
"Go to the closest town. There's a harbor there. Ask for Matteo Suàrez. Tell him Sensei needs a ship to New Zealand. He'll make arrangements. We'll meet there as soon as we can." The boy nodded. "Go."
In a flash, he was already running out of the cave. He was soon followed by the other teens, who were now scattering in the cave to notify the other students of their imminent departure. Sensei then turned around and walked to a small table behind her. She grabbed the map that had been spread there when they had arrived and examined the route they were going to take. After some calculations, she rolled up the piece of paper and put it in her backpack. Pausing for a moment, her memories went back to just a few months ago, when a young American boy had come to their help.
A sad smile appeared on Yori's face.
I'm sorry, Stoppable-san. It looks like we need your help again...
Somewhere
The man chuckled. Man, how I love seeing this !
He was currently sitting in his office, looking at the monitors on his desk. They showed him images of th cell where his prisoner was being held. Young Ron was currently having his powers absorbed by the machine. But this time was so much more satisfying than the others. Because right now, Ron was broken.
His plan had worked. He had to admit he was a bit reluctant at first to have him raped. Not that the act disgusted him: he just wasn't sure of the strength of the consequences. But now that he saw his prisoner without any reaction at all, he was beaming with joy. Finally, he had destroyed all of his hope. He was also glad he'd thought of making him listen to his dear Kim's voice during the act. That was the kind of torture that he liked the most.
And the results were perfect ! Even while his energy was being taken from him, Ron didn't make a sound. He didn't scream, didn't whine, didn't cry, didn't resist. He did nothing: he just stared blankly, lifelessly at the ground. His mind was completely fractured. Hm, I wonder...Should I record it to watch it again later...? It's kind of relaxing to watch.
His thoughts were disrupted by a knock on his door. He clicked his tongue, annoyed at the sudden interruption.
"Come in." He waited until the goon had walked in the room. "I hope it's important."
"Sir, our radars have detected a plane coming towards the island. It's getting closer. What should we do ?"
"Already ? Tsk, they're earlier than expected...No matter. Get the surface-to-air missiles ready. Take them out as soon as they come within our range."
He stopped to think. He knew it was Kim Possible. Shego was probably with her, too. He clenched his fist. The goons he had sent to Ottawa were supposed to take them out. Well, Shego was in fact the primary objective. After all, she had information that could be useful to the teen hero. Unfortunately, he had underestimated them. The whole team had been taken out. Only four were still alive, one with significant brain damage, the other three so badly hurt that they would be out of business for a few months. But it didn't matter. He could take them out now.
Then, an idea crept in his mind. What if he didn't take them out...? He could let them come, while he got ready to retreat in another lair of his. He could let them explore this hideout. Of course, they would eventually find Ron. That was the point. He grinned. I wonder how she will react when she finds him in this state ? I'm sure it will be hilarious. Plus, he had taken a lot of energy from the boy. He had enough to begin his search for the Shoi, the Han and the Yono. He turned to the goon, which had stayed in the doorframe, waiting for his boss' final orders.
"I've changed my mind. Get the weapons ready but do not take the plane down. Try firing some missiles, but be careful to miss them. I want you to delay them for a few minutes. Meanwhile, I want everyone to get ready to leave this base. We're going to our other lair. Get the planes and the helicopters ready." He pointed to the monitor, which now showed the goons exiting Ron's cell with the machine. "Leave the boy there. Now go."
The henchman left the room and closed the door behind him. The man turned back to his monitor and watched the screen for a few seconds. Then, he got up and quickly packed the few things he needed to bring with him. As he left the room, he couldn't help but smile.
This is going to be so much fun.