Chapter 2.

He called himself Adam Miller. That's all that Drakken knew about him. As long as he kept the money flowing, Dr. D didn't care who he was or even where he was from. He could've been from Mars for all he knew. But only having a name wasn't enough for Shego. She needed more. From the moment she laid eyes on him, she knew he was different from the usual pick of weirdo's that Drakken knew. They were megalomaniacs who made grand, immediate plans for world domination. This guy was different. He wasn't a grand planner. He was a schemer. He could set things in motion that could take years to come to fruition. And she could see that he was used to his plans working out. Shego could also see that as soon as this clone thing was finished, then they were finished. He would clean up any loose ends.

So Shego needed to know more. She got a hold of some contacts that she had made over her career as a thief and asked them for all the information they knew on Miller. What came back wasn't much. He first appeared on the global scene a few years ago, looking to buy stock in some major pharmaceutical companies. On the surface these companies seemed fine, the contacts told Shego, but underneath were doing research into things that were supposed to be forbidden science. Research into gene manipulation, human enhancement, and more important to her, cloning research. Miller had been throwing money around for a long time, but not long enough for her. It seems his money trail only went as far back as that Big Shell incident in New York a few years ago. Before that, it was like he never existed. She couldn't find any information on his early life, where his money came from, or how he had gained control of his own Russian special-ops unit.

They worried her, too. Drakken once again didn't care. He was so involved with his newest project that he hardly ever left his lab. Normally this would've suited Shego just fine because it would've kept him out of her hair, but with all these commando's running around, walking perimeters and taking control of security and what not, she just felt useless. She did console herself with the fact that if she ever needed to, she could easily wail on any of these guards with her plasma powers. She was different, they weren't. They were like cogs in a giant machine, trained to unemotional and immune to situations that would cause emotions. Shego liked her emotions. The feeling of ecstasy when she pulled off a crime, the frustration she felt when Drakken's plans folded in on themselves like a house of cards. Most importantly, though, she reveled in the exhilaration she felt when fighting…

Princess…

Shego knew that Kim was on to them. It had been too long since she and Dr. D had heard from her, so she knew that the Pumpkin would be showing up anytime now. She wasn't sure how she felt about that, though. Normally it would only be her plasma powers and a few hired flunkies guarding Drakken's lairs. Shego knew that Kim could get past the goons with no problem and that, loath to admit it as she was, the two of them were evenly matched. There was never any real danger for Kim from them. This situation was different though...

These guys are killers Kim, Shego thought to herself, Killers. They won't hold back just because you're young. If you're the enemy they'll point their guns and pull their triggers. I think you should stay away. Far away.

It almost seemed like Shego was praying, but she had long since stopped believing that God listened to her. It was then that the intruder alarm went off.

Oh, princess…

The Kimunicator went off. Normally that wouldn't bother Kim, but seeing as how it was past midnight on a school night, it irked her a bit.

"Go Wade." She said sleepily

"It's happening now." He said. "Global Justice is making their move."

"Does Ron know?"

"Yeah, I woke him up already." Wade replied.

"What about a ride?"

"Already on the way."

"Thanks Wade." And she hung up. This wasn't the first time that she'd been woken up in the middle of the night to go on a mission, but she hadn't enjoyed it the other times either. Well, no use lamenting it in bed, it would just make it harder to get up later on. So, she hauled herself out of bed, put on her mission clothes, and then jumped out her window to the grass below. Within three minutes of her leaving her house a car pulled up in front of her house. She walked up to it just in time to see the passenger's side door open up.

"Evening Miss Possible," the driver said, "I understand you need a ride to New Mexico."

"In the car?" She asked, a little unsure.

"Of course not, the car is just a taking us to the real ride."

"Oh," she said, "okay." And in she climbed.

"I'm Joe." He said as she sat down, sticking out his hand.

"Kim." She shook it. "You do know that I have a sidekick that we need to pick up, right?"

"I picked him up first." Joe answered.

"Then where is he?"

Joe pointed a thumb to the back seat. Sure enough Ron was sprawled across the entire back end of the car, fast asleep with Rufus snoring lightly on his stomach.

In fifteen minutes they were at Middleton airport. Kim shook Ron awake and they both got out of the car. In another five minutes they were loaded up in an airplane. A very fast airplane. Kim put on the headphones so that she could talk to Joe.

"I didn't know that SR-71's could hold more than two people." She said

"Normally they don't, but this baby is modified. The extra weight cuts down on speed, but the trade off is negligible. We'll get where you need to go in no time. Although, you do know that I can't land there. The runway isn't long enough and from what I understand there might be some danger to my baby here." He patted the instrument panel like petting a dog.

"Jumping won't be a problem."

"It can be at these speeds. Pull your chute too soon and it'll pop your shoulders right out of their sockets, and that would end your mission real quick. Wait too long and you might black out from the G's that you're pulling, and let me tell you, not a lot of people walk away from a drop like that, not even you I'd bet.

"Thanks for the advice. I'll keep it in mind."

"See that you do, I'd hate to be the guy who flew Kim Possible to her final mission."

"I'll make sure that's not the case."

"Good cuz we're coming up on the site. Jump in five minutes."

"Right. Thanks for the ride and advice and everything. Don't worry about Ron and me, we'll be fine. We're the heroes, after all." She turned and walked back to a cargo bay that normally wouldn't be on a Blackbird and readied to jump. Joe checked the instruments over one more time; making sure everything was ready for the Kim and Ron's jump.

"Heroes, huh, Joe thought to himself, 'heroes don't always win.'

The base had been on high alert for quite some time now. Apparently one of the "highly-trained" special-ops military guys had failed to report in, and efforts get him over the radio had so far failed. This set Drakken off, worrying that Kim Possible and that guy she's always with were soon going to bust in and ruin their plans. Miller, on the other hand, just smiled a very creepy smile.

"He's here." He said.

"What's-his-face?" Drakken asked, in a panicky little voice.

"No Dr. Doofus, not the Buffoon," Shego replied, "He's talking about someone else. You enemy that you mentioned before, I presume?"

"You presume correctly, my dear."

"And your toy soldiers can handle this guy, right?"

"If I go by past actions," Miller began, "then no. But we don't need to stop him, only delay him. Once he sees what we've accomplished here, he'll have a change of heart and go home."

"You really think so?" Drakken asked.

"Yes I do."

"Wait a minute," Shego said, "If your soldiers can't even handle one man, then why do we even need them? I bet I could take him."

Miller just looked at her. Then smiled that smile again and said, "Girl, you're not even in his league. You think your little thievery skills are top notch? You could "sneak" right by him and not even know he's there. And then, considering his mood, you would either wake up with a tremendous migraine or with a tranquilizer dart sticking out of your neck. That is, of course, if he's feeling generous."

"And if he isn't?" Drakken asked.

"Then you don't wake up at all." Miller ended.

This talk really got to Shego. She was the most dangerous woman in the world, a wanted criminal in nearly every country, a master martial artist who could take down several men without even breaking a sweat. No one could beat her. No one. Miller seemed to underestimating her, and whenever someone did that, she was very quick to put them in their place.

"I'm gonna find this guy," she said, "Whoever he is. I'm gonna find him and bring him here, then you can do whatever you want with him. How does that sound?"

"My dear, you are welcome to try." Miller smiled.

Infuriated even more, Shego turned on her heels and made for the exit. Miller called after her. "Don't worry about what he looks like, you'll find out when he finds you!" Shego stopped by the door and was about to turn around and say something really nasty, but nothing came to mind. So she just turned and left.

"I hope you're not too attached to your associate." Miller said to Drakken.

"Shego? I've been with her for years. She's my closest ally."

"Doesn't she regularly threaten and beat you?"

"Well, yes, but that's just the kind of relationship we have, you see."

"No, I don't see. I say you leave her behind."

"Leave Shego? But why?"

"She obviously hasn't helped you in your quest to rule the world, and she doesn't seem to be getting any further along in defeating your teenaged antagonist. Besides, with the money I'm giving you, you could buy an entire platoon of competent guards who wouldn't let anyone or anything touch you. I guarantee it."

"Guarantee, huh?" Drakken looked thoughtful, "She has been getting slower when I ask her to bring me my coco-moo…"

So far this was a cake walk. Kim and Ron had run into a few guards, and truthfully, it was a little nerve wracking to see them carrying around real, live AK-47's, but they all seemed to be distracted. They were tense and looked nervous. Kim learned early on the when someone is nervous, they get sloppy, and that sloppiness was what allowed the duo to sneak inside the base totally undetected. There was one close call, though. As the two of them approached the always appreciated air vent, they had to make a quick de-tour into some conveniently placed lockers to avoid being detected by two guards who seemingly appeared out of nowhere. As they walked by the lockers, though, Kim and Ron overheard them talking. It was all in Russian, and neither of them understood a word of it, but the tone of their voices made it quite clear that something major was going down. Well trained soldiers like these guys didn't get jumpy for no reason. After they had passed, they got out of the lockers and Kim quickly took out her Kimunicator, calleing up Wade.

"Yeah Kim?" the boy asked.

"Did you overhear those two guards conversation?"

"Yeah, I got it recorded. You want me to translate it?"

"Please and thank you!"

"Alright, running translation program now." Wade looked away from the screen to his own computer monitor, "Hmm, they were talking about an intruder."

"Us?" Ron asked.

"No, from what I understand, those guys were talking about someone else."

"Someone else is in this base too? Is it GJ?

No, Global Justice is still forty-five minutes away. They were talking about one guy. And whoever this guy is, he must be pretty hardcore to freak these soldier guys. I suggest that you do what you need to do then get out of there without being detected. I don't like going behind Dr. Directors back. She gives me chills."

"Don't worry, we'll get out in time. Right Ron?"

Ron gave a thumbs-up. "Always do!"

"Right," Wade said, "whatever. Just get it done please. Call me if you need me." And he signed off.

Kim looked up at the air vent. If the schematics Wade forwarded to Kim's Kimunicator were correct, then this vent would take them straight to the science lab, where Kim was guessing Drakken was doing his lab experiment. She looked over at Ron.

"Hope you're wearing your belt, "Ronster" because you're going to have to do a little climbing."

"Bought a new one just for this mission. Sloth-Mart's top of the line. It was the most expensive one they had and I had to let go of an entire paycheck to get it, so I expect results."

"Okay, let's try it out then." Kim said, smiling. She walked under the vent and used her laser-lipstick to cut the grating loose, then quickly caught it when it fell. Then she turned to him, and cupped her hands. "You first." Ron looked at her hands, then at the vent. Then her hands again. Then the vent. Then he stared at the vent a little longer. Then back to her hands.

"Today Ron!"

"Right, gotcha."

And he took off. When he reached her he put his foot in her hands, and she heaved with all her might. He sailed into the air and, miraculously, slid right into the vent. Kim looked up and was about to ask for a hand when something hit her face.

"Ron," she said, holding up his pants, "I think you should ask for your money back."

"DANGIT!"

Sneak past her. Why, just the thought of someone doing that was almost enough to make her laugh out loud. No one out-sneaked Shego. She was a master of getting into places that no one was supposed to get into, and was trained by the best. She had even walked the entire length of this base the first time they got there, analyzing it for weaknesses and searching for possible Possible entrances. She was pretty sure she had got them all covered. To make matters worse, when she passed some of the Russians, they looked downright nervous, and not of her! That idea was so foreign to her; she didn't even know what to make of it. How could one man make everyone so ill at ease? Well, when she found this mystery man, she would show him what plasma powers would do. It was as she was contemplating which orifice she was going to shove her flame-covered fist when it happened.

"Freeze!"

Someone had snuck up on her. Someone was right behind her. Someone was holding a gun to her head! She could feel the barrel up against the base of her skull. This pissed her off completely. Not at all concerned for the well-being of her head, Shego quickly spun on the man, lighting up her hands and swiping for the gun. The man grunted in surprise and jumped back, dropping the weapon.

For the first time Shego got a good look at him. He seemed to be in his late forties or early fifties, judging by his salt and pepper hair. He had stubble on his face, like he hadn't shaved in a couple of days. Like her, he was wearing a skin tight suit, except instead of just an ankle pouch, he had a complete military harness with gun holsters, pockets for clips and room for grenades. What really caught her attention, thought, was what was around his forehead. A ratty bandana that looked like it had seen too many missions and not enough washes.

He looked at where the gun had fallen, then over to Shego, raising his eyebrow in confusion.

"So," Shego began, "You're the one that's got the whole place jumpy. You sure don't look like much."

He didn't say anything, just looked at her.

"What? Cat got your tongue? Surprised that Mr. Bad-Ass-Soldier guy was unarmed by a girl? Or maybe you were surprised by this?" she flared her hands. "Never seen anything like this before, huh?"

"You took away my gun, but that doesn't mean I'm unarmed. Guess we'll have to do this the hard way." He said, spreading his legs slightly and taking a stance that clearly implied one thing, fighting.

"Buddy," Shego smiled, "you don't know what you're asking for." And she rushed him, hands burning bright.

She lunged with her right hand, intending to claw his face off when she was surprised for the second time. He avoided her attack. At the last second he moved his head out of the way. What's more, he caught her arm in the crook of his right elbow, totally missing the fire. Then with his left hand he punched her twice in the ribs, once in the face, then turned his arm so it was across her neck and pulled her down so that he could knee her in the face. Then he kicked her behind her knee so that she crumpled to the floor. Without the support of that leg, she sunk down to her left knee. That's when he grabbed her around the throat with his arm and hauled her up.

She put her hands on his arm, intending to burn right through to the bone when he stopped her by bringing the blade of a knife up to her neck.

"That's a neat trick you've got there Lighter Fluid, but if I feel any heat on my arm, the last thing you're gonna see is your blood putting out the fire. Got it?"

"You're a dead man, you hear me? I'm gonna kill you!"

"Yeah, join the club. Now, where is he?"

"I'm not telling you anything!"

The man drew the blade across her neck a little, cutting her. She felt the blood running down to her suit, staining it.

"If you don't tell me, "he said, "I'm going to cut your throat and go look for a more talkative guard. So I think it's a good idea to answer me."

"I'm not telling you where Drakken is, so you might as well kill me."

"Who?"

" 'Who' who?"

"I'm not looking for Drakken, whatever that is. Tell me where Ocelot is."

"Ocelot? There aren't any animals on this base, I checked."

The man grumbled. "Okay, you've had your chance."

Shego clenched her eyes shut and braced for the pain of the knife across her neck when-

"Wait! Stop!" It was a familiar voice. She opened her eyes. She couldn't believe it. She was here.

"Princess?"