Chapter 11: Follow me

Pontus Turkey…

Kim and Shego had found themselves on the sore of the black sea. Kim looked around the deserted beach for a moment before she turned to Shego. "Okay Shego not to put down your intelligence or anything but, I thought Amazon woman were a myth." Kim stated cautiously.

Shego eyed her over the edge of her map. "Nope, real as the air we breathe Kimmie. They were thought of as a myth up until some years back when a warrior's remains were found somewhere around here. They're far from mythological Princess, believe you me." She folded up the map and began heading down the beach. Kim followed close behind.

They walked for a long while before they came across a clump of trees. Shego began walking toward them. They climbed over moss covered boulders, through thick grass and between the trees; until they came to a huge stone pillar that had fallen ages ago. They made their way around it and discovered the moss infested entrance to the temple.

They rushed to the entrance but soon came to an abrupt halt. The door was nothing more than a huge stone wall that kept them from their prize. Kim brushed away the moss to find an oddly shaped indent in the wall; carvings circled around it. Kim pulled out the dull metal cube; she studied it and the indent.

She turned to Shego with a quizzical stare; Shego took the cube and shrugged. "Why don't you check the journal?" Shego suggested. Kim shook her head.

"That's not going to help us now. The journal ends the day the temple is found; I have no idea how they got in or even if they did." Kim took hold of the cube and placed it against the indent, nothing happened. Shego reached out to touch it, suddenly it began to glow and spread. She jerked her hand back and looked at Kim in surprise.

"What the hell was that?"

"I don't know…do it again."

Shego gave her a perplexed gaze but, reached out and touched the dull melting metal. Once again it glowed under her hand and began to spread into the indent; the further it spread the brighter it became, until the indent was filled and the bright light split the wall in quarters. The wall opened and revealed a long chamber; everything looked as though it had been built only yesterday.

The marble floors shined under the light of the torches, the path to the middle of the room was lined with silver and gold. Both woman were mesmerized by the sight, they stepped inside examining the vast and empty room.

Shego was very suspicious of this place, something felt very wrong about this place. Where was the ring they had searched the world over for? Why did she even care? Before she could voice her concerns she saw something lying in the middle of the room. Kim was the second to see the small glint of what she hoped to be her treasure. She rushed toward it. She fell to her knees, overjoyed, she turned to Shego.

"Shego, this is it! This is what we've been looking for! It's…it's beautiful." Kim said staring down at the ring.

"Great. Now let's destroy it and get out of here. It's caused us nothing but trouble." Shego demanded. She was beginning to question where the presentation was. She had expected more than just a ring on the floor.

Kim frowned deeply at this statement. How could Shego want to destroy the one thing she had been looking for? She had search so long and fought so hard to get there now she had to destroy it.

"Shego, we could use this to our advantage. Shego we could use this ring to take over the world, you know just as well as I do that you're destined for world take over. Think about it…you and I could rule the world. We could have everything we ever wanted!"

Shego shook her head. "I've already got everything I need. I couldn't ask for anymore, and if I wanted more I could get it without that ring."

Kim stared at her for a moment. Something in her eyes had changed; she had a shadow of greed in her eyes that Shego had never seen before. Kim turned back to the ring, smiling greedily.

"Kim let's just get out of here. I don't like what that ring is doing to you." Shego said; she placed a calm hand on Kim's shoulder. Kim pushed her away.

cup the ring and turned to Shego with a bitter glare. Without warning she lunged at Shego, throwing punches and kicks in every direction.

Shego blocked every blow but could not bring herself to retaliate. "Kimmie, what is wrong with you?" Shego blocked another kick. "This isn't you at all Kim." She ducked away from a punch and darted behind the girl. She took hold of Kim in a tight embrace.

"Listen. To. Me. You are letting this get to your head and you're doing things you would never do. The Kim I know would never do this; you would never attack me for no reason like this Kim. You're letting the power of that ring go to your head."

Kim struggled in her grasp. Cursing and flailing about, she turned her head and glared at Shego. She slipped the ring on her finger and began to laugh. The power was washing over her and she was beginning to feel the strength engulf her as she slowly broke free of Shego's grip. She turned to Shego with an apologetic stare.

"I'm sorry." Kim whispered. Before she knew it, her ears rang from the loud boom. Her eyes were blinded by the bright light that shot between them. Shego was thrown back and slid across the floor; she curled into a tight ball when the pain came to her, it was an indescribable pain. She could barely see what would happen next as her eyes filled with tears.

Kim stared down at her hand, smiling at the power she felt rushing through her. She began to laugh at the sensation it felt warm in her veins. Her laughter faded as the sensation stated to burn; it began to feel like a white hot fluid rushing throughout her body. The heat made it difficult to breathe; she struggled to get the ring off her finger and threw it across the room. There was a blast of light when the ring fell; it grew into a large sphere. A wind picked up around the sphere and began pulling everything around it inward.

Kim began to slide toward it; she fell to the floor clawing at the marble to save herself from her fate. Shego painfully crawled toward Kim and took hold of her hands. Both women began to slide toward the sphere. Shego screamed at the pain as she was dragged toward the sphere, the blood was leaving her body quicker than she could imagine.

The burn in Kim's body intensified as she was pulled closer. She felt her grip loosen from the pain; Shego was becoming weaker as the blood spilled from her wound. She willed herself to keep a tight hold but Kim was slipping away. Before she could readjust her grip the wind picked up speed and Kim slipped out of her grasp and slid into the sphere. Shego had no strength left, her eyes became heavy as the wind died down and the sphere began to fade. She fell into darkness just before the sphere disappeared.