Chapter 14: Long Ride Home
While the helicopter came closer, Ron reached down and pulled out a smoke grenade and threw it.
Only he forgot to pull the pin, saying when he realized it, "Aw, man."
He pulled out another one and threw it, which this time with the pin pulled.
After the red smoke rose over the trees, a CH-47 came over the trees right where the smoke was coming up at.
While it circled the group, a voice was heard over the mic, "We see several people. It's them! They all made it out."
"Not all of us you stupid air jockey," Shego said sadly while she got up and watch the craft start to land close to them.
After the craft lit in a flat area below everyone, two men came out of the Helios and motioned everyone to get on. After everyone boarded, the helicopter lifted off and headed East. Most of the scientists were cheering and clapping as the craft took off. The only sound being heard besides the cheers was bullets striking the Helios and the crewman sitting on the cargo door firing a machine gun into the dark snow covered woods. After a few seconds, everyone in the craft saw several Uh-60's rush by them, heading to the center.
Kim and Ron were sitting together holding hands and said nothing while they watched Shego. Shego was turned from everyone looking out one of the windows.
Kim was worried about this type of Shego, who wasn't herself so Kim asked, "Shego. You alright?"
"Don't say anything to me princess," Shego said while half turning and looking at Kim.
"But Shego…," but Kim was cut off by Shego speaking.
"Don't push your luck," Shego said while she flamed up a hand and pointed it right at Kim.
"Alright. Just concerned about you," Kim tried to explain while she let go of Ron's hand and got ready to fight Shego if she had to.
"Stop it with the buddy, buddy crap, princess. Our truce was over the second we got out of that center," Shego said while she turned all the way around and faced Kim.
"Ladiez, pleaze. We're all in mid air. We don't need either of you cauzing uz to crazh," Dementor yelled down at the ladies, who looked ready to square off.
"What did you say" Shego questioned with anger while she looked up the helicopter trying to find where Dementor was.
"You heard what I zaid. Now pleaze if your going to fight. Pleaze wait until we're on the ground again."
"That's it. Your toast when I get to you ," Shego snapped while she begin to get up, flaming both talons, but she was stopped by Drakken.
"Please Shego. He's right. You'll kill us all," Drakken said while he tried to restrain Shego.
"And your point is," she replied while she was about to get by Drakken.
"Shego, whatever is got you upset can wait until later to deal with," Drakken said while he begun to bear hug Shego.
"Drakken, the best you can to is leave me alone before you get me really upset," Shego spat while she tried to get out of Drakken's grip.
"I'm sorry, Shego, but this has to been done," Kim said as she got up.
"What," Shego inquired before she turned in time to see Kim swinging the butt end of a pistol right at her, but Shego couldn't block it because Drakken was holding her.
After Kim knocked Shego out, Drakken and Kim got Shego up and laid her down on the bench then strapped her down so she couldn't fall onto the floor.
After sitting back down, Drakken asked, "So Kim, what are you going to do with us now?"
"Me, myself nothing. Neither of you have did anything yet except break out of jail and I think the MP's at the base will handle that," Kim said while she looked at Shego for a second then back up to Drakken.
"All this ruined my plan. I could still try it. That is if Shego here doesn't go berserk on me for what I did," Drakken said before he looked down at Shego.
"Yeah. About trying to get Shego to help. I won't for awhile," Ron said.
"Why is that buffoon," Drakken questioned while he turned his gaze from Shego up to Ron.
"My name isn't buffoon! And to answer your question. Shego isn't her henchwoman self right now and might not be for awhile."
"You can act like one sometimes, but I guess you got a point."
"Aw, man. Did you have to say I act like one too. He said that to me before the mission," Ron said half-hearted before he turned his look down to the floor and looked like he started to cry.
"He," Drakken questioned with a puzzled look.
"The man who told you to relax, Drakken," Kim explained before she began to comfort Ron.
"Oh. I didn't pay much attention to him. I was scared to death of the shooting going on," Drakken said while he turned and checked on Shego, who began to stir.
"Um, Kim! She's waking back up," Drakken said as he jumped to his feet.
"Oh great," Kim said while she got up too.
After a few seconds, Shego's eyes opened up and she looked around. Drakken shrieked and stepped back.
Shego then said, "If you don't want me to crash this helicopter, you better undo these straps. Now!"
Drakken reached over and undid the straps with caution. After the straps were undone, Shego sat straight up, causing Drakken to back step again.
Shego just turned her head and looked at Drakken and pointed a flaming hand at him while she said, "If you ever to do what you did earlier. I'll make you wished you hadn't. And you princess, never hit me like that again," before her hand went out and she just stared at Kim as she lowered her hand.
"Shego, it was for you own good. You could hurt a lot of these people in your state," Kim tried to explain while she watched Shego as she sat back down.
"Well, princess. Its not your place to worry about me," Shego stated before turned her stare from Kim back to the window.
"As long as your upset, its my place. You can endanger everyone one of us right now."
Shego laughed a little after hearing this and said, "Don't worry. I get even later. Sooner or later I will."
"What that suppose to mean," Kim asked, but she never got an answer because Shego didn't say anything else the whole time of the ride home.
After the helicopter landed at Andrews Air Force base, everyone came out of the helicopter to a cheering base. About everyone at the base was standing around the helicopter.
While the cheering continued, General Cooper walked up through the middle of them and stopped as he got to the inside of the circle of people and turned and looked at the crowd before he said, "Alright enough, we got scientists to check out and inbound injured rangers to worry about. Get back to your post," which caused the crowd to disperse except the men who went and lead the scientist to the infirmary.
Dr. Dementor was lead away saying, "I am ok. Pleaze let me go."
The sight of this caused Drakken to say, "He might need shots. Give him every kind of shot you got!"
"I get you back if they do Drakken," Dementor yelled back before he was pushed into the infirmary.
Drakken laughed at that, but stopped laughing when a soldier ran up to him, trying to take him away, but Shego stopped the man with a flaming hand stuck in his face and Shego said, "This one stays."
"Fine lady. Sheez," the soldier said while he back stepped from the hand.
"What you say," Shego snapped, causing a look of terror came across the man's face.
"Not a...nothing ma'am, good day," the man said, who turned and started running away like a scowled dog, which caused Shego to laugh.
"Well that won't help me later, Shego," General Cooper said , who walked up to the teens, Drakken, and Shego during Shego's display.
"He asked for it," Shego said as she unlit her hand and turned to look at the General.
"Maybe so. So only three of you returned. I assume Merrick didn't make it out,"the General asked as he turned and looked back at the men running about.
"What did you call him? How did you know his name," Kim inquired with a confused look.
"Well...I called him Merrick because that's his name and since he's assumed dead, I can call him that," Cooper explained while he turned and looked at Kim.
"What? You knew? Why didn't you tell him," Shego spat with a look of anger on her face.
"Yes, Shego, I knew. I am a soldier. I take orders like the rest do. I was there when the project started. I was told to never mention a thing about it to anyone, even to the subjects as they called them."
"But why? What harm will it do for him to at least know his name without having to go back there to find out," Ron asked with a depressed look.
"Because Ron, if he knew his real name, then he would be like everyone else. Being able to think for himself. The government decided it was best to use the nanos to control him. I hated calling Merrick all the names he came up with," Cooper said in a sad tone as he turned his look to the ground.
"You people are sick! He was a human being and you sound like he was some kind play thing," Shego screamed, who lit up her hands.
"I never said he was, Shego. I thought of him as a son. Like my own. Yet some believed he was just for their amusement, but not wanting the experiment to be found out to the world. I admit I'm ashamed of the affair. Now with him dead though, I believe those same people are breathing a sigh of relieve," Cooper said while he looked up at Shego.
"Well, I hope someday they get what they deserve," Shego said as her unlit her hands.
"I wondered something, Shego. The only reason he went on the mission was to be around you. Did he ever tell you why," the general asked while he turned and started walking away.
"Nothing besides he knew me for some reason. What he learned, I'll never know now," Shego explained, sounding as if she was fighting back tears.
"I see, but you never know what is possible anymore. You know a wise man once said 'you learn from what you observe through your eyes,'" Cooper said while he peered back at the four of them before he walked into the dark.
"What in the world is that suppose to mean," Shego said while she peered up at the general now gone out of sight.
She shrugged her shoulders and turned to Drakken and said, "Ok Dr. D. Time to get out of here."
"Yes, quite right," Drakken said while he ran and stood by Shego.
Once he was to her, Shego pulled out a small handheld device and pressed the button on it. In matter of seconds, Drakken's hovercraft came flying across the sky and came back and lit beside Drakken and Shego.
Drakken jumped in and Shego was about to when she was stopped by Kim saying, "Shego! Wait please."
"No can do, Kimmie. This mission is over remember and anyone that would cause me to stay is dead now," Shego said while she turned and looked at Kim before she raised up a flaming hand.
"Wait, Shego. At least tell me how you are going to deal with him being gone!"
"Sorry, Kim, no," Shego snapped before she shot her plasma at Kim.
Kim dodged the blast only to see Shego jump into the hovercraft and the craft take off into the night sky. Kim stood up and shook her head.
While she started walking by Ron, she said, "Come Ron. Its time we got home too."
Ron stood there for a second looking at where the craft disappear into the night sky before he ran up to Kim and said, "So we get to see the old Shego again it looks like."
"Yeah Ron. It does."
"It was nice the way it was. I'll miss it."
"It was Ron, but I doubt she ever be the same. Umm, Ron. Where's Rufus?"
"Oh no," Ron said while he slapped himself on the head before he took off running, leaving Kim alone, only for him to come back with Rufus. Rufus was fussing, pointing every where.
"I know. I know, little guy. I know only thing that will cheer you up. Bueno Nacho," Ron said, which got a "yeah" out of Rufus.
Kim and Ron walked, with Rufus in tow, to a C-130 and boarded the craft before it took off and landed in Middleton.
Home sweet home, they thought as they came off the plane.
When they got into the terminal, both their set of parents met them. There was lively talk amongst themselves before they left the airport and went home where things were the same as they remembered them two days before.