The Kim Possible characters are owned by Disney: Shego, Kim, Ron, Rufus, Wade, Global Justice, and any other that has or will appear or be mentioned. The only original character are Sheila Go, The Corrupted Supreme One, Duane Tiamat, and Assistant Sherry

Awakenings

Chapter 1 - Our Darkest Hour

Shego's eyes slowly fluttered open. She could hear a soft, soothing sound from behind, the sound of someone gently humming. Shego slowly looked over her shoulder and saw Kim's mother sitting next to her bed, humming to herself as she was carefully peeling off bloody gauzes from her back. There wasn't any way for Shego to know if she was almost done or not but Dr. Possible had amassed quite a pile on the metal tray on the nearby night stand. Shego didn't know what to feel just then, she was having such awful nightmares and seeing Kim's own mother should have sent her over the brink. But her humming, that hauntingly soothing sound, calmed her somehow, it removed all the anxiety she felt. "How... how long was I out?" Shego finally asked.

Anne stopped her humming and quietly set down the tongs she was using to extract the gauzes. "Oh, you're awake now, that's very good," she commented. "If you mean how long since Okinawa, it's been nine days."

Shego groaned and dropped her head back on to her pillow. "Nine days? What happened to me?"

"Actually... it seems like a miracle. They said you were a complete wreck; your bones were shattered, your organs were ruptured. Not to mention these nasty scars on your back. You shouldn't even be alive but all the doctors say you're physically able to walk whenever you want."

Shego shook her head. "Wait... no... this doesn't make any sense. Where am I? Why are you helping me? What happened?"

Mrs. Dr. Possible sighed. "You're in Global Justice Central, it's where your family took you when they left Japan. They want to keep... Kim's death a secret to the world... but they brought us here because they thought we deserved to know. Jonathan is helping them design some robot or whatever it was to fight the monster that did this to her... and that to you. I'm here because... I needed something to keep my mind off... oh...god," Anne chocked out before she began to cry. Remembering that her own daughter's corpse was only a short walk away overwhelmed her.

Shego tried to turn her body but the pain in her back suddenly flared up. She tensed and gasped sharply, she could feel her damaged flesh pulling painfully in different directions. "SHIT!" she cried out, her eyes watering in pain.

That snapped Dr. Possible out of her episode and she quickly reached for a bottle by the stand. Using a clean cloth rag, she poured a clear gel out from the bottle and gently applied it across Shego's damaged back. "Shh... relax, it's ok. This salve will dull the pain but if you keep making sudden movements like that, you'll start bleeding again."

Shego gnashed her teeth together and punched her fist into the bed as hard as she could. "This isn't fair... This isn't god damn fair! I should've died!"

"Shego! Enough!"

"No... common... don't tell me you don't think so yourself. That you don't wish it was me that died instead of-AH!" Shego's sudden scream was caused by Anne digging her fingers into one of her scars.

"I said that's enough, Shego! Kimmie... died doing what she believed... she died a hero because she tried to save you and stop that... thing. And from what I've heard... you did the same thing, you risked your life trying to avenge my daughter... to kill that monster... even though you knew what she was capable of..."

Shego closed her eyes, she never felt this weak before. "No... I'm just as much a monster... that thing is my future... I didn't care if I died only because I didn't want to become her. I'm better off dead anyway... the world needs Kim Possible... not Shelly Go..."

There was a silence in the room. Even though Dr. Anne Possible continued to treat Shego's back, neither of them spoke a word for nearly an hour. "As... I was saying... I wanted to keep myself busy. So... since I am a medical doctor... I volunteered to be your caretaker. I think that covers your first two questions... the third might be tricker to answer."

Shego stayed silent for awhile. Her outburst gave her a lot to think about, mostly about herself personally and questioning who she really was. "My family..."

Anne nodded and started applying new bandages over her now dry back. "You're mother has been spending a lot of time in the mess hall... she's developing a drinking problem."

"She's always had a drinking problem, she's just feeding it."

"Regardless, that's what she has been up to. Your brothers seem to have trouble adjusting without their powers but Hego seems ready to cope with it. You're ninja partner and Ron have been training non-stop since we got here. I think he's trying to repress his sorrow but he seems so cold now. His eyes look dead, I don't think he's slept since he found out about Kimmie..."

Shego slowly nodded, shifting her body slightly to let Dr. Possible better apply the bandages. "What about GJ, and that worm Tiamat... and where's that bitch now?"

"As far as I've been told, Global Justice was able to pass off TiamaCorp to a new owner but when the Okinawa facility blew up, it made a deep impact in the global market. I know they're planning something bigger but they're keeping me out of the loop as far as I can tell. Tiamat is in holding somewhere in the lower levels and... that woman... she seems to be globe hopping, we're not sure what she's planning though."

"I want to go after her... I have to kill her."

"Shego, you can barely move let alone fight."

Shego pulled herself out of bed, winching slightly from the pain it caused. "I don't care! I owe that bitch big time!" she snarled. She turned to Anne and raised and clenched fist. "I owe her for what she did to me!"

Anne's face became cold and serious as she stood up from her chair. "For what she did to you or what she did to Kimmie? Because I don't think you're the type to go on a suicide mission just to uphold your own good name. I think you either want to avenge my daughter or die to escape your own guilt!"

Her words cut through Shego like a knife. Her fist dropped to her side and she hung her head. She was confused, she wasn't even sure what she wanted anymore; revenge, absolution, death, they all seemed appealing to her and it was now driving her mad. Her body began to shake but it calmed when Dr. Possible walked over and embraced her. "Shego... you risked your life trying to avenge my daughter... I don't care what you think happened... I'll always remember that you were willing to give your life for her... and I know she would've done the same for you."

For a long time, no one had ever treated Shego with such honest compassion and kindness. It was a strange feeling for Shego and she became so overwhelmed that she clutched onto Dr. Possible and wept. "I... don't know what to do anymore... I hate being this helpless!"

Dr. Possible gently rubbed her hand near the back of Shego's neck, trying to sooth her back to a calm state. "You're not helpless. You're family is here to support you, I know Ron will help too and I promise I'll be here when you need help. You don't have to stand alone anymore, we're all here with you now."

Ron circled Yori slowly, the deep black rings under his eyes and the frazzled mess his hair had become made him look less than human. He had been awake nearly a week straight, determined never to stop his training until he could summon the mystical monkey powers at will. He charged at her, bellowing out a fierce battle cry as he engaged her in another sparing session. Yori only agreed to spare with Ron in hopes that it would somehow give him a new insight into himself and learn to be at peace with what happened. But the less he slept, the more he succumbed to his inner demons, fighting more and more viciously. In a way, his plan was working; never before could he draw out his mystical fighting ability so quickly at will but Yori felt the price for such mastery was too high. "Stoppable-san, you must rest. This is becoming madness, you are no longer yourself," she said while blocking his incoming strikes.

Ron continued his attack, going after Yori as if he intended to seriously injure her. "Madness?! This isn't madness, I'm just plain mad!" he spat out. He came at her with another flurry of deflected hits but caught her off guard with a powerful straight kick into her mid-section. His kick held nothing back and it sent Yori back flying a few feet, powerless to withstand a direct attack augmented by the mystical monkey power. She rolled into a kneeling position and coughed hoarsely, trying to regain her breath. "Damn it! You said you were going to help me, get serious!" he growled.

Not waiting for Yori to get up on her own, he marched over to her and forced her head up by yanking back a handful of her hair. He raised his hand, intent to slap her for what his twisted state of mind thought was her own shortcoming. He let out a sudden yelp of pain as his hand was suddenly twisted behind his back. "What do you think you're doing to my sidekick, sidekick?"

Ron turned his head and leered at Shego who was restraining his hand. "Let me go Shego, it's none of your business."

"I'm making it my business. Now how about you just walk away and get some sleep? Or at least something to cover up those nasty bags under your eyes. I don't want to hurt you."

"Well, the feeling isn't mutual!" He yanked himself free and turned to Shego. She stepped back and raised her hands, not sure if she was ready for a fight in her condition. "I'm going to do to you what KP should've done years ag-!"

He stopped mid-sentence and his mouth just hung open, a slight trail of droll began to form before he collapsed out cold. Yori had gotten up while his back was turned and used her training to block the flow of one of his major arteries. "No need for alarm Shego. He should awaken in ten hours or so, hopefully well rested and fully rational minded," she said. Yori tried to move forward but she stiffen, groaning in pain. She clutched her stomach and began to shiver.

Shego quickly went to her side and tried to assist her. "You need medical help, Dr. Possible is just outside. We'll keep lover boy there locked up somewhere safe while we're at it."

Yori shook her head and slowly stood herself upright. "No... it's my fault he's gotten this bad. I should've known all this training was his way of repressing his remorse. I thought if I helped him, it would lead him to find inner-peace and finally accept Kim Possible's death. But he was too far gone since the start... he blames himself for her death and the stronger he becomes, the more guilt he feels for having not trained when she was alive."

Shego shook her head. "What, that's insane. I'm the reason Kimmie died, not him."

Yori slowly looked at her, a bit confused. "I don't understand. You did more than any of us against that beast. You even risked your own life for Kim Possible, we all saw it."

"But that was after she died and she rushed in because I was in trouble. See? It's my fault! If I didn't get pinned down like that, she would still be alive."

Yori shook her head slowly and carefully picked Ron up off the floor. "I am sorry Shego, but I disagree with you. Kim Possible's sense of duty and honor would not have allowed her to do anything less than what she did. Even if you were not in danger, she still would have done all she could to try and stop that monstrous Corrupted One. That day, both you and Kim Possible showed great valor and I can only one day wish to emulate it."

Shego slowly backed away and then made her way toward the door. "You're wrong... I have no honor and there was no valor... I'm just some thug that got lucky."

After leaving the room, Shego turned to her side and saw that Dr. Possible was still waiting for her outside. "You should listen to her. She's young but she's very wise for her age."

Shego shook her head. "So what, you brought me down here to show me this? That the sidekick thinks it's his fault too? Or maybe that the ninja girl actually thinks I'm a hero because I got my ass kicked and my body torn up? Sorry but I'm still not buying it."

"Common, I'm feeling a little hungry. Let's go to the mess hall, my treat."

Besides a single person sitting on one of the tables, the mess hall was completely empty due to the late hour. Only a few of the overhead lights were turned on but enough to fully illuminate Sheila as she traced her thumb over the mouth of an open bottle. Her hair looked like an unkept mane save for her mutated white stripe. Gone was her white variant of the Go jumpsuit, replaced with an unwashed white shirt and a pair of old blue jeans. She knocked back her bottle, gulping down the contents until she felt it pulled from her hands. "Hey, I told you janitors I-" she slurred blindly until she actually picked her head up high enough to see who it was. "Shelly! You're awake!"

Shego placed the bottle on the floor and turned back to her mother. "What are you doing mom? I'm pretty sure hitting the bottle won't help you from preventing that angina to redevelop."

Sheila scowled and turned her face away. "Look, forget about me. I had my second chance at life and now I'm just living on borrowed time anyway. If I die, hell, at least I did some good with the extra time."

Shego growled and jerked her mother to her by the shirt collar. "Yeah, but I'm the one that gave you that extra time and I don't want to see you piss it away!"

Sheila pushed her daughter's hand away and slid herself off from the table, landing with a slight stagger. "Look, what's left for me, huh? The boys don't need a leader anymore since they can't be Team Go without their powers, I'm a failure as a mother, and I let the world's most beloved teen icon have her neck snapped like a candy cane!"

Shego crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. "Oh great, not another delusional guilt trip. It's my fault, understand? She died saving me!"

Sheila turned her head back toward Shego but looked confused and a bit disoriented from the alcohol. "You... no... that's not right. I was team leader... I should've been in control of the situation... should've thought of a way to counter attack."

"Oh please, don't give me that pile of crap! Everyone might not want to see it but I know the reason why you're so hung up about Kimmie's death. That's because of your sick, pedophilic girl crush on her. Yeah, I know about it, ever since you turned younger you were so obvious about it that it's pathetic."

Sheila glared at Shego and quickly cocked her arm back before throwing a wild punch. Shego caught it by the wrist and held her there easily enough. "You bitch! Fine, you're right, I had a thing for her; I thought she was very attractive and being younger gave me back some of my more... animal instincts."

Shego winched slightly from hearing that. "Okay mom, a little too much information on that one."

Sheila smirked, her face showed she was still fairly intoxicated but still lucid minded. "Oh common, can you blame me? A fit, hard body like her's? I know you must've thought about it yourself every now and then."

That final exchange was enough to make Shego release Sheila's wrist and actually reeled back with cringe. "Oh, I did NOT need to hear my mother say that! You're sick!"

Sheila snapped her hand back to her side. "I'd rather be sick than a sexless hermit."

"What is that suppose to mean?"

"Look at you Shelly; mid-twenties, you inherited my great looks but what do you do with them? You keep everyone as far away from you as possible, you show no interest in the opposite sex or any kind of sex. Face it, you're going to die alone and miserable if you keep acting this way."

Shego snarled; hearing her mother say that to her was like a slap to the face. "Oh, this from the booze hound barfly that got divorced."

"Well, at least I was married. Can you say the same when your clock starts ticking?"

With that, Shego lunged at her mother, toppling her onto her back. The two engaged in a fruitless struggle on the ground, no form, no purpose, just a childish fight fueled by irrational anger. After a while of rolling around in the floor, Shego forced herself off her mother, the pain in her back starting to make itself known again but not too severely. "I don't know why I even bother, I'm leaving!"

Sheila picked herself up to a kneeling stand. "Shelly..."

Shego snapped herself around. "Don't you call me that again, don't you EVER call me that again! I'm not Shelly, I'm not your daughter, and I never want to speak to you again!" Shego stormed out of the mess hall, not even giving a slight backward glance to her mother. Outside, Dr. Possible, who was waiting for her outside, tried to stop her but Shego pushed her away. "I don't care what you want to say to me, I'm not going back in there!"

Anne, a bit rattled at first by her sudden hostility, ran after Shego. "She's your mother Shego, your family. How can you turn your back on her?" she asked.

Shego stopped and turned around. "Look! I didn't have the perfect Brady family life you and Kimmie had! My dad left because my mom was a nightmare to be with and when I dropped out of the team, she never even so much as looked at me or tried to contact me in all those years. I tried to make it up to that woman, I thought making her younger would give us another chance to fix that bond but it didn't work! You know, all of this happened because I wanted to find a way to stop being evil, thinking that I could find the answer by helping my mother. But in the end, it was all waste of time... and now... ARGH!"

Anne Possible approached Shego, she was unnerved by Shego's outrage but she stood firm. "I think I know why you say you hate your mother. It's because you two are so much alike it's amazing. But every time you see her, you can only see your own flaws and she must be doing the same. You two concentrate so much on your own flaws that you can't let anyone get close to you... you can't even get close to each other. Shego... please... give it another try," she pleaded softly, slowly reaching out her hand toward her.

Shego stood there for a moment but she suddenly shrank back and swatted her hand wildly when Mrs. Dr. Possible's hand became too close for her. "NO!" she screamed and it was quickly followed by an almost sickening thud. Shego began to pant heavily as she looked down; she had accidently backhanded Dr. Possible across the face and sent her reeling to the floor, a bright red welt on her face.

Shego tried to say something but slowly began to step back and finally ran off, seemingly overwhelmed by her own actions. Anne cradled her hand gently on her cheek, the hot sting of pain made her breath sharply through her clenched teeth. Slowly, she arose back to her feet, looking behind her as she heard footsteps turning the corner and heading toward her. "I told you she wouldn't change," Dr. Director said plainly. "We should've put her in holding for everyone's safety." Anne scowled at Betty and stormed past her, pushing her aside without a second thought. Betty slowly followed until she stood outside the doorway of the mess hall, watching Anne Possible trying to comfort Sheila who had been bawling on the floor since Shego stormed out. "I told her Shego wouldn't change. So stubborn... just like her daughter."

After storming blindly down the halls of Global Justice central, Shego finally found somewhere private to hide herself in, away from prying eyes. If Shego bothered to look around, she would have seen that she was in a storage area still under construction. However, Shego was completely consumed with her own misery to notice, breaking down to the floor and weeping openly.

Everything seemed pointless now, everything she thought was helping her to become a better person and find a peaceful, happy life was beginning to seem like a lie. Her hope to rebuild the shattered relationship with her mother; dashed. A chance to earnestly join the side of good; lost when she rejected Kim's offer in Tahoe. And now, when finally someone showed true and honest concern for her, for the first time feeling true love and support; she swatted at it across the face. What was left for her now? What more did she have to live for but evil and greed, destined to become the ruthless monster that killed Kim Possible and shattered her body for mere enjoyment.

Shego stopped crying for a moment and slowly brushed her fingers over the bandages that covered her scars. She didn't need a mirror to see them, she didn't need to trace them with her hand to feel out how they looked like. She could remember it all vividly, being held down by those four dopplegangers, her jumpsuit ripped apart from the seams, exposing her backside to them. The horrid pain of those claws tearing into her skin, even cutting clean through her muscles. The agony almost drove her mad but she could still sense what was being carved into her back. Her initials, the initials of the fallen hero. KP. Her back would always bare the name of her greatest rival, the name of the one who could've lead her to salvation. But now she had no rival and, like the picture she saw burned to ash in front of her own eyes, all hope for saving her tainted soul seemed to have become merely dust in the wind. "No... I can't give up. She might be gone but I can't let that bitch win. I don't care what happens to me anymore... Kimmie's getting her revenge... and I'll make sure of it."