Chapter 9 : Hostile Acquisitions

Meanwhile, inside Kim's car as she and Ron drive to Go City Memorial Hospital :

"Well, that talk with the mayor wasn't overly useful, was it KP ?" Ron asked.

"Not really." Kim sighed as she eased the car into a parking spot, "At least he had the police forward everything they knew to us."

"Which was a whole lot of nothing !" Ron answered as he made sure Rufus was well hidden and safe in his pocket before getting out, "Nothing was stolen or broken into. The first - and ONLY - reports of those Bebebots doing anything in Go City was their rampage downtown !"

"True. But at least he told us which hospital they actually took Hego and the others to. Even Wade might have had some trouble finding out otherwise."

"Yeah, I guess. So, you think Team Go has any ideas as to what the Bebes were really up to ?"

"We'll find out when we ask them." Kim replied as they headed into the lobby, failing to notice the disguised Shego watching from a coffee shop across the street.

Their arrival, however, did not go unnoticed by a Bebebot hidden within the ductwork atop a high rise office building. Over seven blocks away.

The three Bebebots that had launched the attack never actually left Go City : when they powered up their hyperspeed, they merely ran in three different directions, to the tops of certain key buildings on the outskirts of the city. From those specific vantage points, at least one Bebebot at any given time could see where the local authorities took Team Go, no matter how many changes of directions or vehicles were used to hide the location.

They had deduced that, either from concern for her brothers, or from enlightened self-interest (or healthy paranoia), Shego would be lured back to Go City to investigate. All they had to do is watch and wait.

Through its infrared telescopic vision, it noticed Shego was now in Go City, and on the move.

"Target acquired." it reported through its mindlink to all the others, "Objective : Capture and assimilate data. Protocol Gamma Three."

Meanwhile, Kim and Ron were having some trouble getting in to see Team Go.

"I'm sorry, Miss Possible." the nurse on duty stated, "But visitation is restricted to family and Go City officials only."

"But they could know something that could prevent a major disaster !" Kim explained, "We're not going to be much of a bother. We just need to ask a few questions, then we'll leave them alone."

"I'm sorry, but rules are rules."

"It's okay. They're with me." a woman's voice behind Kim and Ron stated.

"Oh, hello Shego !" the nurse said cheerily, "You can go right in ! I'm afraid they're still out cold, but their prognosis is good. I'll have Doctor Ferris come in to answer your questions !"

"Yeah, thanks." Shego replied flatly while suppressing her usual sarcastic response to such overly cheerful people.

Then she noticed the smirks on Kim's and Ron's faces.

"I swear, if either one of you breathes even ONE WORD of this to anybody ... !" she sneered, wagging a finger at them as plasma flared and swirled around her hands.

"Hey - mum's the word !" Ron replied, putting up his hands to try to calm her down, "We won't tell anyone anything !"

"So - why are you being so helpful Shego ?" Kim asked, looking at her warily as they entered the room.

Shego sighed. "Because, Kimmie, if I didn't get you in to see them, you'd just break in and bother them. You're not the type to let little things like rules and regulations stand in your way."

"Say, didn't Vina say something like that ?" Ron absent-mindedly noted to Kim. Which earned him an evile glare in return.

Team Go were in two connected rooms - Hego and Mego in the room Shego, Kim and Ron had entered, while the twins were in the other room.

Hego didn't look too badly harmed, but both sides of Mego's and the Wego's faces were little more than swollen, purplish bruises above their neckbraces.

"Poor kids - now they're never going to hear the end of Mego's complaining about his 'damaged' face !" Shego mused to herself as she took a closer look at the Wegos. It looked like they had a bit of a rash in addition to their other facial injuries.

"Well, all things considered, it doesn't look like anyone was hurt as seriously as it looked." Kim stated after a rather long period of quiet from Shego, "But I suppose quick healing is a side effect of their comet powers, right ?"

"They shouldn't need to be healing from anything !" Shego stated with tightly clenched fists, "The twins are a bit too young to be doing the whole silly 'crime fighting superhero' thing without adult supervision. And Hego is too slow-witted to qualify in that department ! He'd have to be to NOT realize that this is how a hero's story always ends !"

Before Kim could ask Shego what she meant, the doctor arrived.

"Haven't seen you for years Shego !" he said with a bright smile, "I hope it doesn't take something like this incident to get you to visit more often !"

"So how bad were they hurt Doctor Ferris ?" Shego asked curtly to forestall any further small talk.

"They should be as good as new within a week." he replied, "Their injuries, though unusual, were not overly deadly."

"Unusual ? Unusual how ?" Kim asked.

Doctor Ferris looked at her, then glanced at Shego. "It's okay. Just answer her questions." she replied with a dismissive wave.

"Well, Hen- Hego seems to have been struck by some sort of high intensity sound wave." Doctor Ferris began as he shuffled his notes, "The CSI lab techs say it would've been like running into a brick wall at sixty miles an hour, twenty times a second. The only reason his flesh wasn't blasted off his bones was because of his superstrength. So he has the equivalent of minor bruising to all his internal organs. But the worst I expect he'll suffer from is a little ringing in the ears.

The others have massive bruising on both sides of their faces, some neck trauma, and some minor concussions on both sides of their brains, from being sloshed around inside their skulls." he continued on in macabre indifference as he pulled out an X-ray, "I've never seen this much minor injury to so broad an area before. Most unusual. But given how minor the actual damage is, and their general health and quick healing, they should be up and about within a week or two."

"And what about that rash on their faces ?" Shego asked, "Have you been using those bargain bin exam gloves again ?"

"Certainly not !" Doctor Ferris replied huffily, "I stopped using that brand years ago. After your ..."

Shego held up a finger as her plasma fired up and angrily swirled around her hands. "You are to never even THINK about mentioning that again ! Now, about that rash on Mego and the Wegos faces. You said it's not an allergic reaction ?"

"It's not a rash at all." he replied the moment Shego powered down, "They appear to be very large, but very shallow abrasions, just a few cell layers deep. They'll heal up completely in a day or two. Won't even leave any scars."

"How soon will they wake up ?" Kim asked.

"Best guess, given their meds ? Sometime tomorrow. But I would wait until late afternoon before asking them any questions."

Kim sighed as she tried to sort out her choices. One : she and Ron could stay in Go City overnight and talk to Team Go tomorrow afternoon. But that would involve missing a whole days' worth of classes. Then dealing with Mister Barkin.

Or : she and Ron could drive back to Middleton, then drive all the way back to Go City after school tomorrow, THEN back home again. Even with a rocket powered car, repeated trips become very tedious, not to mention the gas (and expense) needed to make so many trips. But on the other hand, no dealing with Mister Barkin.

But, then again, if she didn't stop the Bebebots' latest scheme, there may be nothing LEFT to worry about ever again.

"Thanks for the update Doctor Ferris. We won't take up any more of your time." Kim finally stated as she herded Ron out the door.

"Just a minute there princess !" Shego called after them, "I have a few questions for you !"

Scene : a small outdoor coffee shop a block away from the hospital. Kim is sitting to Shego's left, while Ron is to her right.

"Well, this brings back memories. Sort of." Ron nervously stated as he broke a breadstick in half and handed some to Rufus. The last time he was sitting this close to Shego, she was under the influence of Electronique's attitude repolarizer. Which was weird. Now that Shego was her old self, it was plain old scary.

"So, Doctor Ferris is your family's doctor, right ?" Kim asked as she swirled the mini marshmallows into her cocoa.

"What was your first clue Kimmie ?"

"The nurse said she'd send him in. And he seemed to know a lot about you and your brothers."

"Well, he's been our doctor since the comet incident. It's not like we have much choice in the matter." Shego replied glumly, "Do you have any idea how hard it is to find a doctor that deals with metahumans ?"

"I didn't think you and Team Go would need doctors. You having super-powers and all." Ron stated.

Shego growled. "Having super-powers does NOT make you invulnerable or immortal Ron ! We can get sick or injured just like everyone else ! It - just takes a bit more trauma to do it."

"Okay ! Okay ! We get the point !" Kim interrupted, "So, what did you want to ask me about ?"

"What were those things ?" Shego stated as her plasma aura brought the coffee in her cup to a sudden boil, "And why did they attack MY brothers ? The boys only deal with criminals in Go City, or criminals from Go City. They've NEVER fought those, whatever those things were before !"

"They're called 'Bebebots'," Kim began, "Doctor Drakken invented them a few years ago as part of a revenge plot against his old college roommates. The 'bots decided he was unfit to command and rebelled. Now they're on some sort of rampage to dominate our species or something. But they've never been THIS nasty before !"

"Wait - Doctor D created those things ?" Shego replied in a stunned tone, "Drakken ? The same guy who couldn't even take over Wisconsin ? You're saying he actually did something RIGHT ?! By accident ?"

"Yeah. Weird huh ?" Ron stated, "His failures are more successful than he is !"

"And you two have tangled with them before, right ?" Shego asked attentively.

"Yeah. Twice." Kim replied, "We destroyed the first three in Middleton. They were very strong and very fast, but vulnerable to a hypersonic emission. But then their hidden backup copies built a dozen or so hyperspeed Bebes. Me and Rufus destroyed some of them and their hive in the Gulf Coast about a year ago. Now, they're back. AGAIN."

"And now they're all different !" Ron stated, "Not like the first batches ! So far, none of the groups we've seen so far acted the same ! I mean, we've seen smart ones at their hive in Kansas, psychotic AND FLYING ones that attacked your brothers, and we got defectors like the Rossums. A whole range of tempers ! Not like a hive mind at all !"

"The Rossums ? Who are the Rossums ?" Shego asked.

"A trio of Bebebots that look - and act - human." Kim replied, "Apparently they've been living among us for about a year, studying us to try to find a counter to the Human Factor."

"Where are they now ?"

"In the custody of Global Justice." Kim answered, "They've probably been answering questions for hours now. And, speaking of answers, would Hego or the others know anything more about the Bebebot's recent activity ?"

Shego quirked an eyebrow at Kim. "My brothers ? Know anything ? Hardly ! They're not very good at the whole 'gathering intel' thing themselves. The most they would know is whatever the local task forces or the mayor tells them. And you've already talked to the mayor, right ?"

"Yes." Kim replied snippily, "Nobody knows anything ! Apparently the Bebes just showed up to fight. I'm all tapped out of guesses ! Unless YOU have any hunches you'd like to share Shego ?"

Shego stared into her coffee cup for a few moments before answering "Someone probably hired them to do it."

"Ohkay, WHY would you say that ?" Kim asked after she recovered from her slight shock.

"Their attack was perfect. TOO perfect." Shego replied, "No one in Team Go can fly, has a ranged attack, or good sense. A smart, flying opponent would have a crushing advantage over them. And those tactics the 'bots used ? It's like they were tailored SPECIFICALLY to take out Team Go."

"And Team Go does have several enemies." Ron noted as he finished off the last of his breadstick, "Who do you think would hire the Bebes ? Wait - HOW would they hire the Bebes ?"

"Doi ! Henchco's 'Rent-A-Goon' service most likely !" Shego replied, "He has a service to supply temporary sidekicks and lackeys. Do you remember that 'Ray X' fiasco last year Kimmie ? When you gave me that horrible head cold ?"

"Hey ! I WARNED you I had to sneeze !" Kim fumed back at her before contacting Wade with her Kimmunicator.

"Whatever. While I was out of commission, Doc looked for a temp to stand in for me. He used an evil temp agency."

"Oh, right ! It ended up being Duff and, uhmm, Hank Perkins !" Kim recalled just before Wade called back.

"Hey Kim !" his image on the tiny screen stated, "How are things going in Go City ?"

"Badly." she replied, "No one here has any idea about what the Bebes were up to. But Team Go is going to be fine, apparently. No permanent damage. How's your invoice search going ?"

"Badly." Wade replied, "Those invoices you recovered from the Kansas hive were legitimate - they were signed and paid for by an actual person. I'm still trying to peel back the layers of accounting bureaucracy to find out WHO it actually was, but it's not looking too good. They covered their tracks really well !"

"So the Bebes are getting human help ?" Ron interrupted, "Who would be twisted enough to help them take over the world ?"

"How many villains do we know that AREN'T twisted enough to want their help, Ron ?" Kim answered, "The Bebes are just advanced computers, and computers can be hacked into and infected with viruses. So with just a little bit of effort, a hacker could gain control of a powerful army. The Bebes would do all the hard work of taking over the world for him."

"Man, this REALLY tanks !" Ron muttered in disgust, "Is it really too much to know who we're really dealing with this time ?"

"We'll find out when we stop them !" Kim answered cheerily, "Wade, can you do a search of Henchco's services without being noticed ?"

"With my eyes closed and one hand behind my back !" Wade replied, "Why ?"

"Shego mentioned that Hench runs an evil temp agency. I just want to see if the Bebes are listed."

"Worth a look, I suppose ..." he replied absently as he typed furiously on his keyboards, "And there we go !"

"No way !!" Kim and Ron stated as they looked at the screen.

Displayed was a picture of a Bebebot, with hiring data listed below.

"This confirms some of what Ten-A told us, Ron !" Kim stated, "She said that most of the lower numbers had been recycled or destroyed on other missions !"

"'Ten-A' ? Who's Ten-A ?" Shego asked.

"Middle of the three Rossum sisters." Kim replied as she looked over the info on the screen, "I don't believe this ! Those older series Bebebots have been fully active and hiding for almost a year, and I didn't even know about it !"

"That's sort of the whole point of hiding out and laying low, Kimmie !"

"You mean anyone could have hired them ?" Ron asked, "Wow. Hmmmm - I wonder what kind of fundage that would require ?"

Kim glared at him until he quickly added "Hey, if they can be hired, maybe we can hire them to go away and leave everyone alone ! It's - just a thought !"

"They don't work for money Ron !" Kim replied as she read the data, "They work in trade ! They build gadgets and weapons for villains, and the villains provide them with supplies or lairs !"

"So THAT'S where they get all those gadgets from !" Ron noted, "But I thought everyone bought their stuff from Henchco ?"

"Almost everybody does Ron." Shego replied in a bored monotone, "Hench deals with bulk and big ticket items. It looks like those Bebe things deal in specialty items. Like if you need half a dozen gravity nullifiers or a few helicopter hats, and don't feel like making them yourself. Henchco probably could make them for you, but it would be expensive, and he'd probably keep the plans, then sell your inventions to the highest bidder !"

"You think Hench might have a beef with the Bebes ?" Ron asked, "They could be cutting into his business. And we could use all the help we can get."

"Nah." Shego replied, "It looks like they're too small time for him to notice or care about. He'd be more likely to hire them than to fight them."

She thought for a few more moments. "He also wouldn't hire them to attack Team Go. No heroes to fight, no reason for the villains to buy expensive weapons from him. And most of the team's other, more competent enemies are behind bars."

"So it could it be a new villain trying to make a name for himself then ?" Kim asked.

"No one has come forward to claim responsibility for the attack." Shego replied with a sigh. "So maybe it is someone new trying to take over the smart way. Maybe it's an old villain who - against type and all odds - developed the good sense to stay in the shadows until the right time. Or maybe those 'bots just wanted something money or trade couldn't buy - like combat experience, or knowing what it feels like to have superhuman blood on their hands or something !"

"Wait - 'blood on their hands' ?" Kim noted before a horrible idea came to her. "I just figured out why they were here in Go City !"

"Well, we're all ears Kimmie !" Shego replied, "Let's hear it !"

"They came here to steal samples of your brothers' DNA !" Kim stated triumphantly, "Half of their other thefts were for cell culture supplies ! Robots don't have cells ! They slapped your brothers around because their only exposed skin was on their faces !"

Shego recalled Doctor Ferris' words : "It's not a rash at all. They appear to be very large, but very shallow abrasions, just a few cell layers deep."

"That rash that wasn't a rash !" Shego reeled as she figured it out, "They ripped off a few layers of cells ! The beatings were just a side effect, or to throw everyone off !"

"Uh, Kim ? Shego ? Newsflash : The Bebes HATE humans !" Ron interrupted, "WHAT would they want human cells or DNA for ? Oh, no ! It's another synthochemical clone plot !" Ron freaked as he recalled those cut-rate duplicates of himself, Rufus, Kim and Bonnie rampaging around Bueno Nacho.

"They - or whoever's really running the show - don't need to clone Team Go," Shego noted, "Just their powers !"

"Their powers ? Shrinking ? ... and duplication ! Oh man !" Ron replied after smacking his forehead. "THE perfect power for a bunch of hive-minded robots ! But why didn't they take a sample of Hego's DNA ?"

"Because some of them already are superstrong." Kim continued, "They're on the lookout for NEW powers to upgrade themselves with !"

"It's amazing how easy things are to figure out with just a little bit more information !" Kim mused to herself, quite pleased that she had everything figured out and under control, "And who knew Shego would provide that little bit more ? Wait - if the Bebes are looking for new powers to upgrade themselves with ..."

Both Kim and Shego noticed the descending shadow in just the nick of time and somersaulted away - a drone Bebebot had launched itself from the top of a nearby building and landed on their table, shattering it with a resounding boom.

Ron, being a little slower to react, was knocked backwards onto his rump; Rufus, being on the table at the time, was catapulted in a wide arc through the air, landing amongst the flowers of a florist shop display on the other side of the street.

The Bebebot slowly stood up from its crouching position as a cloud of sickly yellowish smoke swirled around it.

"Look out Shego !" Kim yelled, "This one has superhuman abilities ! That means there are at least two more just like it around here somewhere !"

"Gee - thanks for the update Kimmie !" Shego replied with a feral grin as she glared at the automaton before them, then fired up her plasma.

Kim looked around for the other Bebebots. She could see two more a few yards away, but they weren't moving in to attack.

In fact, they seemed to be waiting for something ...

Then Kim's muscles started relaxing against her will moments after she noticed a strange smell.

"Wait - yellowish smoke ? Where is that coming from ?" Kim noted, looking around while trying to keep her muscles from failing, "Two, three, no - FOUR gas canisters ?! It must've thrown them on it's way down !"

"Shego ! Look out ! It's an ambush !" Kim shouted as her legs turned rubbery.

"No ! Really ?!" Shego replied sarcastically as threw a volley of plasma bolts at the closest Bebebot as she backed away, already starting to stagger.

By now, Rufus had managed to get back to the scene. Being a naked mole rat (and having eaten several hundred thousand times his body weight in preservative-laden junk food over the years), the Bebebot's gas had no effect on him. But all he could do was activate Kim's wrist Kimmunicator and contact Wade for help as the other Bebebots closed in ...

-----

Through supreme force of will, Kim was able to keep her eyelids open; all other voluntary muscles were too relaxed to respond in any way.

All she could do was watch as a Bebebot picked Shego up, toss her over its shoulder, then power up and hyperspeed away.

After ten minutes (that seemed like ten hours) helplessly trapped within her own body, the paramedics arrived to take her and Ron to the nearest hospital.

-----

"Okay, what was IN that gas ?!" Kim managed to ask a few moments after receiving an injection of an antidote. Her muscle strength and control was returning, but she was still having trouble sitting up.

"A curare derivative." Doctor Ferris replied, "Weakens all voluntary muscles, producing flaccid paralysis. Fortunately it has no effect on the involuntary muscles needed for breathing and heart function."

"But I was COMPLETELY AWAKE ! THE ! WHOLE ! TIME !" Kim yelled, trying to gesture, but ended up flailing about drunkenly.

"Well, yes, that is one of its more traumatizing effects."

"Who would use something like that ?" Ron asked, getting off his bed but still a bit wobbly, "And where would the Bebes get it ?"

"There are legitimate medical uses for curare derivatives." Dr Ferris groused in reply, "They're used anytime a patient must be kept completely immobile for long periods of time. That's why we had something that could act as an antidote on hand. But curare derivatives are never made as a gas !"

Kim pressed a few buttons on her wrist Kimmunicator. "Wade, contact GJ. We need to get back to GJ headquarters ! Like right now !"

"No problem Kim." he replied quickly, "Do I want to know why the rush order ?"

"The Bebebot sitch just got worse." Kim stated, "They kidnapped Shego !"