Boilerplate Disclaimer: Disney owns all the various characters from the Kim Possible series. Any and all registered trade names property of their respective owners. Cheap shots at celebrities constitute fair usage.
Chapter 5 - 11:00 am
Will stood in line for the shoeshine stand. He wondered why the paparazzi hadn't staked out the stand. Everybody who was anybody needed to talk to Johnny the Snitch at some point, and if felt like they were all ahead of him today. He wondered briefly if his honorary police badge could move him ahead faster. Then he noticed the Pope standing five places in front of him in line, and the President of the United States three places back. It didn't look like an honorary police badge was going to cut it.
Mego had obtained the morning schedule for Christine Marshall through the simple process of lying to her social secretary.
Christine seemed far too busy with her life to have a hand in the abduction of Hego. On the other hand, Mego reflected, she could be trying to establish an alibi by constant activity. He picked up her trail in the lobby of the Marshall building. Her block of stock insured the CEO always had time to listen and she was invited to all the Board meetings. He followed her as she left the Board meeting slightly before noon and headed for a luncheon appointment with a women's group. He changed size periodically as he followed her to make it more difficult to notice him. Watching her hips as she walked the two blocks to the restaurant made him wonder why she couldn't have had a mad crush on him.
At the central police headquarters downtown Ed had been asked to work with Lieutenant Frank Drebin. Drebin possessed one virtue, his inability to hold a thought longer than thirty seconds insured that he never figured out the identity of Team Go members. The downside was that they had to nudge him periodically and remind him to breathe.
Drebin proudly showed the Wego a pile of tips phoned into the police as a result of the news on the radio and television.
"Great! How many officers are following up on the tips?"
"Following up?"
"Yes, investigating to see if there is any useful information here."
"Uh, sorry, I knew I forgot something."
Kim gave Shego a hug and wished her luck. She noticed the Wegos still looked away a little nervously at the display of affection.
Shego went to the hovercraft and headed for the Nest of Aviarius that Wade had located more than a year earlier. She was not certain if he still used it, but was her only place to start.
As Shego left Go Tower Kim turned to a Will, "I want to follow her."
"Uh, okay. Why are you telling me this?"
"Well, I don't know the city. I need you to drive."
"Want me to come along KP?"
"Sure, Ron. I'm not sure what there is for us to do here until some solid leads are developed."
"What was that thing Shego did with 'Bang' and 'Monkey Fist'?"
"I just saved your life, Ron."
"Thanks KP."
"I'm still trying to decide if it was a good idea."
"Well, if you want my opinion, I'm in favor of saving my life. Now that my vote is on record, why are we following Shego?"
"To make sure she doesn't kill anyone."
"Come on down to the lower level," Ed called to them from a door which opened onto a stairway. "The city has given us some confiscated cars. It helps to have different vehicles to use in going places. Keeps us from being easily identified. Want to know what we call them?"
"Please don't tell me you called them Go Carts."
"Ah, you guessed."
"I'm beginning to understand why Shego wanted out of here," Kim whispered to Ron as they headed for the stairs.
As they selected a vehicle Will asked the obvious question, "And how do you plan on us following Sis?"
"The tracking device I planted on her when I gave her the hug can be picked up by my Kimmunicator."
"Way to go, KP!" said Ron and they exchanged a high five.
The fine layer of dust around portions of the Nest suggested that Aviarius was taking a less active role in crime these days, although some areas remained dust-free and cluttered - suggesting he hadn't abandoned the hideout. A cursory sweep of the Nest revealed nothing of importance for locating Hego. Shego deliberately tripped an alarm and waited.
Aviarius charged into his lair, then skidded to a halt when he saw the woman clad in green and black. "You!"
"Yes, it's me. And I'm sorry but I'm in a hurry. You want to talk about Hego the hard way or the easy way? It makes no difference to me - but you will be talking in about two minutes."
"I don't think so," he sneered and grabbed a talon gun from the wall rack and fired it at her.
The resulting explosion was impressive - but surprising only to Aviarius.
"You really are slowing down your criminal activity. I spiked that gun more than a year ago. I figured Hego would get to see you looking foolish." Aviarius was prone, face down on the floor. She was on his back, her right knee keeping his right arm pinned down while she twisted his left arm back where she could control his hand.
"You have chosen to go the hard way. Let me know when you're ready to talk - I'm developing more control over how much heat I can generate. For example, " Shego took his little finger in her hand, "this is about how much heat you'd get if you stuck your hand under the hot water faucet. Annoying, but not really painful."
Aviarius gritted his teeth and said nothing.
Shego moved her grip to his ring finger. "First degree burn. Grabbing a cast iron skillet on the stove that you didn't know was hot."
Aviarius let out a yip of pain.
She moved to his middle finger. "Second degree burns cause minor tissue damage. Unless extensive they don't require medical attention. Don't worry - I'll stop before it reaches third degree burn. I'm saving that for your index finger."
His scream was loud and long, lasting even after she had released his middle finger and transferred her hold to his index finger. "I'm guessing you want to talk now, before I do real damage to you."
"You're a hero. You're not supposed to do this!"
"You have me confused with my brother. I'm not a hero - haven't been in years. Now, third degree burns cause serious damage to human tissue-"
"What do you want to know?"
"Oh, let's start with where's Hego?"
"I don't know! I swear to God, I don't know!"
"Well, what do you know that might be of interest? Any information on the old gang?"
"I haven't seen anybody in years!"
"No one in years? How disappointing. Now, as I was explaining, third degree burns cause-"
"Hellpike! I had a call from Hellpike around a week ago."
"A phone call? Why did he call you?"
"That bastard Obtinus had told him my real name."
"See what happens when you lie down with pigs? Why did he call?"
"He said he'd heard Obtinus was dead, and wanted to know if it was true. I said yes. He laughed and said he hoped the will hadn't been changed."
"Why was he in Obtinus's will?"
"The old fool liked good looking young men. God, Hellpike used to treat him like shit and all he did was ask for more. Hellpike got tired of him and moved out to California."
"What happened to Obtinus?"
"Got stomped by the boy-friend of some cute young thing he was hitting on. I don't know why the old fool was in to leather boys."
"Obtinus die recently?"
"No, been a couple years. News must have been slow reaching the coast. Or maybe Hellpike didn't know and needed money and thought he could squeeze some out of his old sugar daddy."
"Tank suits, what can you tell me?"
"Obtinus was working on robotic controls. I don't know how far he got, swear to God."
"Hydraulic Woman?"
"You think she had something to do with Hego disappearing?"
"No, just a test to see if you're paying attention. I'm going to give you thirty seconds to think of something else I want to hear so I won't have to leave you with another souvenir of our lovely chat."
It took the Pope forever to finish with Johnny the Snitch, but Ed's turn finally came and he sat down for a shoeshine.
"My brother's missing."
"Hey, I heard. Sorry - I don't know nothing."
Will slipped him a twenty.
"This morning, about one-thirty, at the Stockyard's Steak House. He and a woman were taken."
"You're not much help, Johnny, we knew that already."
The snitch shrugged, "I told you, I don't know nothing."
Will slipped him another twenty. "But word on the street is that Hellpike is back in town and was wearing a tank suit this morning."
"Thanks, Johnny."
"Yeah, yeah. Just remember, you didn't hear it here. Is the president still back there?"
"Yes."
Johnny shrugged, "I don't know why he comes - he never listens except to the voices in his head."
Author's Note: You get the Bang if you read Best Enemies.