Sky High: The Series

Episode 9

Strange Villains From Another TV Show

Part 3

"There it is," said Dr. Drakken as he hogged the binoculars. "That's where they're keeping it."

"It" was what had lured Dr. Drakken and Shego to Maxville to begin with; an experimental computer chip that could create an absolutely impenetrable defense against any and all forms of hacking or attacks by viruses no matter how advanced.

"Once I have the chip in my hands," purred Dr. Drakken, "I can modify it so that instead of being the ultimate means of defense it will infiltrate any system known. I shall have access to any data I wish…bank accounts, government secrets, even codes for weapons systems. I will use it to force the world to give in to my demands or I shall unleash utter chaos on them all."

"Ya hear that Speed," said Lash as they sat in the back of Dr. Drakken's small flying transport, "all that time sittin' around in Gwen's place while she did all this stupid plannin' was a big waste. We've only been working for Dr. D for a few hours and already he's getting' ready to take over the world."

"Cool," said Speed, "I'm glad we're already doin' something."

"I think you'll find that in this line of work there are planners and then there are doers," said Dr. Drakken, "and sometimes it's better to just make things up as you go along. It's always worked for me."

It was then that an explosion shook the building, creating a large hole in the wall on the second story. A lithe figure in green and black leapt out of the hole, wearing a backpack of some kind.

"What the…?" said Drakken as he focused his binoculars on the figure. His stomach sank as he recognized the figure, which ran across the courtyard, dodging all sorts of laser fire. She then leapt into a strange flying transport that took off like a shot, but not before Drakken noticed the strange symbol on the ship; the silhouette of a crowned head.

"Shego," growled Dr. Drakken, "what is she doing here? I swear if she's seeing some other evil mastermind behind my back…"

"Are you sure you're okay," Layla asked for possibly the hundredth time since Will had called her and told her that Shego had infiltrated his home and tried to blackmail him into freeing Dr. Drakken from custody until word came that he had already escaped. Now she was sitting in his living room, watching him pace back and forth.

"Yeah," said Will, "I just can't believe what's happened in the past couple of days. I guess I shouldn't be glad about Dr, Drakken getting away, but I am because now I don't have to break him out of jail. But Shego still knows my secret and that makes me vulnerable to her trying to blackmail me whenever she wants. And if she finds out who my parents are…"

Will's worries were interrupted by the automatic activation of the television in the front room, which his mother had programmed to turn on instantly in the event of news of a disaster or major crime taking place.

"…on the scene where the notorious villainess Shego has stolen a prototype computer chip being developed here at Maxville Labs. While the researchers are remaining quiet, a statement is expected from the facilities' head scientist Myron Medulla…"

"Oh great," moaned Will, "it sure didn't take her long to start committing crimes again. Why didn't I grab her when I had the chance?"

"Because then she'd expose you to the world, and that would in turn reveal who your parents were even if she didn't figure it out herself," said Layla.

"I've got to stop her," said Will. "This was all my fault to begin with. If I'd just stayed away from the stupid area when my parents were looking for Drakken and Shego they probably would have caught them and none of this would be happening."

"Well," said a voice behind Will he knew all too well, "that explains a few things."

Will felt his stomach drop into his socks as he slowly turned to find his mother standing behind him, her arms crossed as she looked at him over the top of her glasses.

"Will," she said, "maybe you'd better tell me exactly what is going on, and why your "friend" Kim just robbed Maxville Labs."

"Excellent," said Royal Pain as she examined the chip Shego had brought her, "this little beauty will make my plan run so much smoother."

"And just what is this great plan of yours," said Shego as she took the sparkling cider Stitches offered her on a tray he was carrying. "So far you've only told me to get the chip and nothing else. You're not going to be just making this up as you go along, are you?"

"Oh no," said Royal Pain as she carefully removed the chip from the examining table and gently placed it in a special case to protect it. "Don't confuse me with that baby blue malcontent you used to work for, Shego. I have been carefully orchestrating a plot to take over Maxville with no one being the wiser, and that little chip will be my insurance that no one will be able to circumvent the means to do that."

"That's all nice," said Shego as she sipped the cider, "but how does that put any cash in my pocket or get me revenge on Willie."

Behind her featureless mask Gwen smiled at the demeaning way Shego referred to their common enemy Will Stronghold. Though Gwen's motives for wanting revenge on Will were more personal, she could appreciate the way Shego's eyes seemed to light up whenever she talked about him.

"Revenge is a dish best served cold," said Royal Pain, "and patience is the only virtue I suffer from. So in other words relax and know we shall get what we desire once I finish recruiting a few more members into our little sisterhood."

"Great," grumbled Shego, "all you masterminds are the same. Wait, wait, and wait. Why can't you just be spontaneous and go smash a good guy just for the fun of it?"

Gwen could understand Shego's feelings, and she would dearly love to see Will beaten and humiliated as well. But she was not going to be premature and reveal her hand that she was back to her old villainous ways after getting out of jail like she had. Her entire plan was grounded in not drawing attention to herself in any way…at least until it was too late for the good guys.

"Sorry," said Royal Pain, "but if you really feel the need for some exercise, I can give you a little help with that. It seems Will has a certain love interest…a little redhead who he threw…someone I know…over for."

"Yeah," said Shego, "I know her. She was with him when I fought him in the alley."

"Well, you could always go out and have a little fun at her expense…and his as well."

Shego grinned evilly at the suggestion.

"Who does that little minx think she is?" stormed Drakken as he had a temper tantrum in his latest lair, which was the typical abandoned warehouse somewhere on the waterfront.

"How could she do this to me? I've treated her like my own daughter…well, maybe a step daughter or an adopted daughter…anyway…what was I saying?"

"You were mad about Shego working for another villain," chimed in Speed before Lash could stop him. Lash could only roll his eyes as he saw the evil scientist building up to another tirade.

"Yes…. another villain," hissed Dr. Drakken as his eyes narrowed menacingly. "I must find out who this is and teach them not to interfere in the plans of their betters…including stealing sidekicks."

"Shego's a sidekick?" said Speed. "She's sure a lot better than Stitches is. No wonder Gwen got her to work for her after she fired us."

Lash smacked himself in the forehead as Speed had just let slip something he had definitely not wanted Dr. Drakken to know. They had recognized the symbol on the escape vehicle Shego had used as that of Royal Pain, their former boss, but Lash had not wanted Drakken to find that out.

"Who," said Drakken as he glared at Speed, "is this…Gwen?"

Will slumped down onto the sofa beside Layla, totally spent after telling his mother about everything that had happened. He could only hope now that when she killed him, she'd do it quickly.

Josie took off her glasses, took a deep breath and looked at her son. How could anyone, even with super powers, get himself in such a mess at such a young age? Now she had a good idea what it must have been like for her own parents when she had first manifested her power to fly, which she didn't really have very good control of and would occasionally start floating up into the air involuntarily at the worst possible moments.

"Will," she finally said, unable to stop from smiling, "you did a very dangerous thing going into that area, especially taking Layla and the others with you. But you've also been very brave and smart trying to make up for your mistake, and I'm proud of you. And I want you to know that you don't have to hide anything from your father and I, no matter how scared or embarrassed you may be. We're your parents, and we'll always stand behind you."

Will looked up at his mother and smiled. Though he still felt bad, he also felt better.

"Now then," said Josie, "how are we going to deal with that little minx?"

A couple of hours later, a green and black figure moved swiftly through the neighborhood, making use of all the trees, hedges and parked cars to cover her movements. She finally came back to the house she knew well, the home of Will Stronghold.

Shego smiled to herself as she thought about what she could do to torture him…well, besides kidnapping his girlfriend, who she had learned from Royal Pain could control plants and that explained the incident with the attacking thorn vines back in the alley. Now that she knew what this "Layla" could do, Shego was confident she could handle her this time. A quick little nerve pinch and she'd be out like a light to be easily carried off and placed in a traditional "damsel in distress" death trap. But since Royal Pain had forbidden her to bring Layla back to her lair and she had no idea where Dr. Drakken was hiding out, Shego would have to innovate something for such a trap.

But if there was one thing Shego was good at, it was innovation.

She snuck past Will's house and came to the house next door, where Layla lived. Shego decided to case the place first and see if there was a way she could ambush Layla before she could make use of her plant powers. She was making her way around the side of the house towards the back when she heard voices on the other side of the fence and recognized them as Will and Layla's. Finding a convenient knothole, she peeked through to see the two sitting on the grass in the backyard, probably babbling about the stuff teenagers in love babble about. Shego had to stifle a wave of nausea at the sight of the sugarcoated sweetness of the scene, but she knew the best way to get Layla was to do it right under Will's nose. Her fists began glowing green as she prepared to leap over the fence.

Gwen had shed her armor after Shego left, and was wearing a simple pink t-shirt and jeans as she sat at the workbench, continuing to examine the chip. She was certain she could replicate it with her power to control technology, but she wanted to make sure she had everything memorized to perfection. Once she could, her full plan could finally begin to unfold, with or without minions.

"Beautiful," she said out loud to herself, "this is exquisite work."

"It is indeed," said a voice behind Gwen, making her jump in surprise and whirl around to find herself on the receiving end of a very nasty looking blaster.

"It is indeed beautiful," said Dr. Drakken with a wicked grin as he pointed the blaster at Gwen, "and I want to thank you for saving me the trouble of stealing it myself. Well, from the rightful owners, anyway."

"Drakken," hissed Gwen, her eyes narrowing as her mind raced to come up with a way out of this mess, "how did you get in here? How did you even find this place?"

"Both of those are excellent questions," said Dr. Drakken, "and both have the same answer. Come on out boys."

Gwen was again surprised, and then became angrier than ever to see Lash and Speed come out of the shadows to join Dr. Drakken.

Shego leapt over the fence, landing catlike on her feet to find herself facing off with Will and Layla. She had the element of surprise and made the most of it by blasting Will with an energy bolt and sending him flying. She then leapt at Layla…and got soundly slammed into the ground and pinned there by the huge apple tree Layla and Will had been sitting under. She was stunned by the impact, and her hands quit glowing. She glared up at the green dressed girl who stood there with a smug smile on her face as Will floated over and stood beside her. Shego tried to struggle free, but she couldn't move at all.

"So you caught me," said Shego, "big deal. I'm just going to blab your secret to the world…or at least the tabloid that will pay the most. Soon you two will be on every supermarket newsstand in the country."

"I don't think so," said a deep voice Shego knew all too well. She tried to turn her head and saw a huge muscular young man in a mask and costume that resembled her own, except it was blue in color.

"Long time no see, little sister," said Hego.

"You two dared betray me?" snarled Gwen.

"Hey, just lookin' out for ourselves," said Lash, though he said it while standing behind Dr. Drakken. "We got hired by somebody who appreciates us more."

"Yeah," said Speed, "and at least he has a plan for world domination instead of just messing around in a stupid lab all the time."

"I had a plan too, you morons," said Gwen, "and the reason I couldn't get things in motion was because I was always having to waste resources cleaning up after you two."

"Enough of this," said Drakken, "it's time we made our exit boys. But just to make sure no one follows us…"

Before anyone else could move, Drakken fired his weapon at Gwen.

"Oh, so the two of you thought my big brother could reason with me," laughed Shego as she glared at Will and Layla. "Good luck with that. I quit listening to the big doofus long ago."

"Maybe because I wasn't talking to you the right way," said Hego as he knelt down next to his trapped sister and pulled something from his utility belt.

"You promise to never reveal what you know about these two and their friends, or they won't be the only ones in the newspapers."

With that Hego showed Shego something that made her eyes nearly bug out in sheer terror.

"You wouldn't," she said, "I'm still your sister…you never threatened to use that even when I went rogue. Why now?"

"Simple," said Hego as he stood up, "I'm not goin to use it. I'm going to give it to Will here as insurance that you keep your word. So what do you say?"

"Alright," growled Shego, trying to regain her composure, "I won't say anything to anybody about Willy and his little girlfriend here. Now let me up."

In an instant the tree lifted itself off Shego, who climbed to her feet and brushed the leaves and twigs out of her hair.

"Fine," she said, "I just want to get out of this lousy town."

"You're not leaving that easily," said Hego.

"Oooo," said Shego, "what, you going to arrest me big brother? You haven't got the nerve."

"I'm not the one doing it," said Hego as he pointed behind Shego, who turned around and found herself staring into the eyes of the Commander and Jetstream.

"Great," muttered Shego, who realized there was no way she was going to escape what with Will and Layla there much less two of the greatest super heroes on earth right there, even if Hego didn't lift a finger. Without another word she held her hands up and Jetstream slapped a pair of power dampening handcuffs on her.

"I swear," muttered Shego, "I get my hands on Drakken for getting me into this mess, I'll beat him black AND blue."

Before Gwen realized it, a paralyzer beam that held her motionless struck her. She could only mentally curse as she saw Drakken start towards the exit, holding his prize.

"That doesn't hurt, does it?" asked Speed with real concern in his voice.

"Of course not," consoled Drakken, "but she'll really tingly when it wears off in about an hour. So will you."

Drakken then zapped Speed, stopping him place and wheeled around to face a startled Lash.

"Dude, what are you doing?" Lash nearly shrieked. "We freed you from jail and told you where you could find the chip. You double crossed us!"

"Hello," said Drakken, "I'm a super villain."

Lash stretched out of the way of the first blast and kept dodging until Drakken remembered he didn't have to hit the main body for the beam to work and zapped Lash in the foot. Lash was frozen in a very uncomfortable looking pose of stretched out limbs all coiled around in different directions.

"Hmmm," mused Dr. Drakken, "if that ray lasted longer I could probably sell you as modern art. Oh well, bye bye everyone, it's been a real blast…ray blast that is."

Laughing maniacally, Dr. Drakken left the lair and three young villains with something to think about.

After the Commander and Jetstream took Shego away, Hego turned to Will.

"That was a good idea you had to call me Will," said Hego as he shook Will's hand. "Say, that's quite a grip you've got there. Maybe when you get a little older we can go have a weight lifting competition; I don't have anyone my own age to work out with, and your dad and Mr. Incredible are kind of out of my weight class."

"Yeah," said Will, "that would be cool. But wait, how did you know my dad's the Commander but Shego didn't?"

"Actually she used to," grinned Hego as he showed Will and Layla what he had shown to Shego; a small metallic device that looked like a marker with a little light on top.

"It's a memory wiper/replacer I used on her when I first ran into her a while back after she went bad. It doesn't affect personal memories about things like family and such, but stuff dealing with non-core importance is wiped away. All she'll eventually remember is she came to Maxville with Dr. Drakken to steal something, they got separated and the Commander and Jetstream captured her. The reason she won't say anything about you before that happens is she thinks I've given you a picture of her when she was dressed up for her play in junior high. It was REALLY embarrassing."

"But what about Dr. Drakken," said Layla, "do you know how he escaped and where he is?"

"I'm afraid I don't," said Hego, "but I can help your parents look for him Will, as long as you promise to stay here with your friend and not go looking for him on your own."

"Don't worry about that," grinned Will, "I learned my lesson the first time. Come on Layla, you can help me get dinner ready for everybody."

"Mine, all mine," cackled Dr. Drakken as he held the chip in one hand while steering his flying car. "I should send those two stooges a nice fruit basket for being so helpful in getting me out of jail and handing the chip over to me…after I take over the world, of course."

Dr. Drakken was so caught up in his triumph that he failed to duck. Actually he failed to see the flock of ducks coming towards him until it was too late and the lead duck cleared the windshield and smacked Drakken in the face, knocking him unconscious and sending his flyer into a tailspin. Thankfully for the evil scientist the airbag deployed on impact as it crashed into a barn full of hay, so he wasn't hurt as he came to and found himself surrounded by a SWAT team, who had been called by the panicked farmer's wife. Seeing all those high tech weapons aimed at him paled in comparison to the terror he felt as he opened his hand and found the chip crushed into several small, useless pieces. All Dr. Drakken could do was pout as he was loaded into the back of the transport, on his way back to jail.

Drakken had been right about one thing; Gwen indeed felt tingly all over as the paralysis wore off. Able to move again, she started rubbing her arms and legs to remove the sensation of bugs crawling all over her as she approached the still frozen forms of Lash and Speed. Her mind was racing with all kinds of ideas of what to do to them, but then something else occurred to her. She approached Speed as he was again able to move, and she actually started rubbing his shoulders for him. Once Lash began wiggling she also rubbed his stretched out arms so the blood flow would return and they could assume their normal shape.

There were a few minutes of awkward silence before Lash finally spoke.

"Gwen," he said, swallowing his macho pride, "we're sorry we told Drakken about you and helped him get the chip. We were just so mad after you fired us like that. We thought we were friends…"

"We ARE friends," smiled Gwen, realizing she did mean it. "I shouldn't have lost it like that, it's just that I've been so busy trying to get the groundwork laid for my plan and I kept getting distracted…"

"You really forgive us," said Speed with big puppy dog eyes.

"Of course I forgive you," said Gwen as she hugged each of the boys in turn. "You were just trying to better yourselves, and took the opportunity as it presented itself. Besides, I didn't realize how much I'd miss you until you were gone."

"Really?" said Speed.

"Of course," smiled Gwen as she pinched his cheek, "now why don't you two go back to your old rooms…just don't mess up the place so badly, okay?"

Lash and Speed sauntered off, with Lash whispering to Speed how he knew all along how Gwen would react.

Once they were gone, Gwen opened the secret compartment on the examining table where she had hidden the real computer chip moments before she had been forced to hand over her first attempt at duplicating it. She smiled to herself and realized that she really wasn't mad at Lash and Speed, because they had bumbled into a way for both Dr. Drakken and the authorities to think that the real chip was destroyed, so no one would know it was safe and sound in her hands.

"I should fire those two more often" she said, "At this rate the city would be mine within a year."

The End