(A/N: We'll get back to the good guys in a second. Let's see what the bad guys have up their sleeves...)

While the Titans and Team Possible drove through Middleton, Slade's hovercraft landed just outside of Dr. Drakken's evil lair. "A bit…conspicuous, isn't it?" Slade asked his new ally, observing the hilltop location. The tall buildings stood out rather obviously, though they were difficult to reach without a hovercraft of some kind. Drakken led him and Shego inside to the main control room. "It does have a sinister feeling to it, though, and the fact that it has not been destroyed yet speaks volumes."

"Emphasis on yet," Shego commented.

Dr. Drakken, who was anxious to impress his new guest, snapped at his green sidekick. "Shego! Why don't you go make yourself useful and take notes? We have plans to make!"

He threw Shego a notebook and pencil. She caught them instantly and settled herself down in a chair, propping her feet up and examining her nails. "I'll take notes when something worth noting happens," she said, bringing out her nail file that she always kept handy.

"Heh," Drakken said sheepishly to his other partner. "I'm sorry you'll have to deal with her little…attitude. She does make a great sidekick in combat, I assure you."

"Says the doofus who has never won a solo fight in his life," Shego butted in. "If I wasn't saving your butt so often…"

"SHEGO!"

"Right, right, taking notes." She tossed the nail file to the side and prepared to follow orders.

Slade's deep, sinister voice echoed through the empty room. "As I was saying before being so rudely interrupted by our mutual enemies, my proposition is simple. Because I have a poor history with apprentices in the past, I shall have you each perform a task for me. If you succeed, I shall allow you into my partnership as we take over the world, one city at a time. I have been observing you for some time, Doctor, and also Miss Shego."

Shego stood up and walked between the two super villains. "Whoa there, mister. Let's rewind that. You mean to say you've been stalking me?"

"Stalking is not the word I would use," Slade said. "It was necessary to be certain of the characters I would be dealing with. Like I said, I have a poor history with apprentices."

"Go on," Drakken told him, pushing Shego back to her chair. "And stay there," he whispered.

She threw a shot of green glowing energy at his head, missing on purpose so that it would only singe his hair. He yelped and ran behind Slade. Shego put on her most innocent face, which wasn't very innocent, and began taking notes like a good little sidekick.

"Interesting team dynamic you two have," Slade commented.

Drakken took a couple steps away from his human shield, now that it appeared the threat was gone. "She'll grow on you, you'll get used to it."

"Grow on you? Ugh!" she muttered from her seat. "Sounds like I'm some kind of fungus."

"I have," Slade continued, as though no interruption had occurred, "seen all of your latest designs, Doctor. Despite their constant failure, you do have a knack for technological experiments." Drakken pretended he understood what the man in metal was saying, when in reality his vocabulary skills were quite inferior to Slade's. "Your experiments with artificial life have been especially interesting. The Synthodrones specifically impressed me the most. So lifelike, so convincing, and yet completely under your own control."

Drakken was not used to such a compliment. The only person who usually said anything to him about his inventions was Shego, and if she was saying something nice, she was almost certainly being sarcarstic. "Why thank you," he stuttered. "I…I do try my best."

"Ha!" Shego exclaimed from her seat, briefly interrupting her doodle of Dr. Drakken's pants catching on fire.

Slade spoke again, "Shego has done magnificently as a thief for you, as well as a fighter and assistant. I have had the good fortune to observe many of her break-ins and battles with Team Possible." He turned his head to speak to her now. "You are ruthless, cunning, and deceitful in the best way, my dear. You remind me of myself a bit."

Shego put her legs down and sat up straight, blushing a little bit. No one could really see the blush, of course, thanks to the perks of having green skin. "Wow. Uh, I mean, thanks Mr…"

"Slade. Just Slade will do," he replied. "I think we can be on a first name basis now. Anyway, to best fit your talents, I have a challenge for each of you to fulfill. Succeed, and we shall work as partners in evil. My nemeses are the Teen Titans. I believe you've met. I once had a whole army of robot henchmen to carry out my plans. Thanks to those meddling teenagers I have none left and have been forced to do everything myself. Dr. Drakken, your challenge is to build me a prototype from which to create a new army of henchmen that the Titans cannot defeat."

"Is that all?" Drakken laughed. "Not to brag, but I design new robots in my sleep."

"Excellent," Slade said slowly, rubbing his hands together in the most menacing way.

That was when Shego noticed something odd about the situation. She stood up and walked up to the two men with one hand on her hip. "Okay, buddy, what's the catch?" she asked Slade.

"What catch?" he replied, his one eye narrowing.

"Don't play dumb with me," she said, the hand not on her hip lighting up. "You waltz into our secret headquarters and start telling us what to do like you're the boss, and you honestly expect me to think you'll just hand over the reins once we've done a couple chores for you? It seems to me like you're more interested in having henchmen than partners."

"Smart girl," he said. Though she could not see his mouth, Shego thought she could hear a smile in his voice. "I always thought so about you. You can see through everything, can't you?" By now, she wasn't sure if he was being honest or making fun of her. The mask kept that a secret. "I can understand your concern, Shego, but I assure you that this shall be an even give-and-take relationship for all three of us. We all need each other's skills to succeed together."

"Precisely!" Drakken interjected, feeling a bit left out of the conversation.

"Besides," he continued, "if I wanted henchmen, as you say, would I have invited on this team the one woman I can count on to disobey her master's orders?"

Her glowing hand went back to normal. "You've got a point there, Slade," she admitted, feeling kind of flattered, "but I've got one more question."

"And that is?"

"What's your job for me?"

Slade led her aside while Drakken turned on the giant computer screen. "There is a highly dangerous chemical I need to power my ultimate design. I need as large a quantity as possible. Thanks to the Titans, I have not been able to get my hands on more than a small sample for long. The chemical is called xenothium. Have you heard of it?"

"Hm…" she pondered his words, "…xenothium…I think Dr. D tried to use that stuff once. It's that red glowy stuff nobody's supposed to use outside of a lab, right?"

"Exactly. I need it. I need you to find it, and I need you to steal it for me."

"That's it?" she asked, disgusted. "A little robbery while Dr. D builds you a robot army?"

"Trust me," he told her, "you will find it very challenging. I expect a few heroes to meet you there."

Shego tossed her hair. "Heroes? Like they stand a chance!"