Author's Note: Sorry it's taken so long to get new chapter up. Please read and enjoy!
Chapter Two: The Heat is Put On
Normally, with one week left of suspension and ignoring the fact Kim had never been suspended from school in her life, Kim would have been excited about returning to school, but that was not the case. She hadn't found anything on the mystery lookalike and it appeared that her double had yet to make another move. The lack of action was unnerving. Why were things so quiet? Too quiet in fact much like the calm before a storm. Kim did not want to endure that storm.
The final week of suspension ended and Kim returned to school where everyone was whispering and shooting her nervous looks. Kim ignored them, going straight to her locker and opening it.
"KP!"
Kim turned to see her blonde sidekick running up to her closely followed by Monique. The fashionista pulled her into hug,
"We've missed you, girl!"
Kim smiled for the first time that day, glad that she still had her friends supporting her.
"Girl, DYFOWPTFA?" Monique asked.
"Did you find out who pulled the fire alarm?" Kim translated for a thoroughly lost looking Ron before turning to Monique, "I found nothing."
"Did you investigate Camille Leon?" Ron asked as Rufus popped his head out his master's pocket.
Kim sighed, "Yes and she had a solid alibi."
"Do you think they'll strike again?" Monique asked concernedly.
"Yes, I think whoever did this may not be done." Kim answered.
The computer in the teen heroine's locker beeped and Kim turned it on,
"Sitch me, Wade." Kim said automatically.
"It's Shego, she's robbing a bank." The young techie reported.
"Ride?"
"Already outside."
"Sorry, Mon, but duty calls." Kim said shooting her friend an apologetic look.
"As you say, it's no big."
Kim smiled gratefully and dashed toward the school entrance with Ron at her heels. As Wade had said there was a ride ready and waiting.
A column of smoke was billowing from a hole in the side of the bank when they arrived. Kim leapt through the hole into the bank. The inside of the bank was heavily charred and barely resembled a bank anymore. The green hued, plasma wielding villainess was still there carrying several bags of money out of the vault.
"You got enough?" Kim asked, crossing her arms.
Shego dropped the bags and flowed into a fighting stance. Kim copied the movement, not taking her eyes off of her arch-nemesis.
"Ron, look for any wounded and get them out!" Kim shouted as a thud and an 'oof' sounded from behind her.
"You got it, KP– Aw man!" Clearly his pants had chosen that moment to fall down.
Shego launched herself at Kim feinting with left hook. Kim blocked the real hit, a vicious uppercut and attempted a counter, but was forced to block again. Kim kept blocking looking for an opening and took one that only she or Shego would have seen. She landed a kick into the older woman's stomach, sending the villainess flying into an office with a crash. Kim leapt after her nemesis, determined to catch the thief, was forced to dive out of the room and into a cloud of smoke as an emerald colored explosion shook the building, sending debris flying in every direction.
Kim coughed violently as she inhaled a large amount of smoke and moved to the smoking doorway. A giant gaping hole greeted the teen heroine when she peered through the doorway. Kim carefully jumped over the wreckage of the desk and through the hole, coughing on the landing. She looked up and down the street but Shego was nowhere to be seen. She had gotten away. Again. Kim sighed and shook her head before turning back to the hole.
"Somebody, help!"
The weak cry was coming out of the office. Kim darted through the hole and looked around. Almost immediately she spotted a brown haired woman in her early thirties perhaps pinned beneath part of the desk. Kim dashed over to the desk and lifted it up with a grunt. The woman dragged herself slowly forward and once she was clear, Kim let the desk drop. Both sat coughing for a moment before K stood up.
"Thank you!" The woman cried as Kim helped her to her feet.
"It's no big— ouch!" Kim flinched as her arm began to sting angrily.
She looked at her arm and saw a large red burn. Kim stared at it. In all of her years fighting Shego, not once had the villainess ever burned her. Why would she suddenly do it now? She helped the woman out and they were immediately accosted by paramedics. The woman was taken somewhere else while Kim was directed to an ambulance where a second paramedic met them.
"Burn, 2nd degree, possibly third degree, Charlie." The paramedic behind said.
Charlie nodded and opened his bag, " Peter, you treat it while I check the other woman."
Peter nodded and pulled out an oxygen mask and canister. Kim took it from him and placed the mask over her face and opened the canister. She took a deep breath and exhaled while Peter carefully lathered a cream on her arm. Once he had finished. He took out some gauze and bandages out of his bag. He wrapped Kim's arm and handed her a small bottle.
"Apply this to the burn and change the bandages periodically." He instructed.
Kim nodded and thanked him. She looked at her now bandaged arm. What was going on?
Not for the first time since being framed for pulling the fire alarm at the school, Kim found herself unable to sleep. It had been a few days since the bank robbery and the Fire Marshal had told that the fire hadn't been caused by plasma, meaning she hadn't fought Shego that day. Whoever it was had been very convincing down to expertly emulating the villainess's fighting style and plasma power. It didn't add up. She rolled over onto her side. Was someone trying to frame both her and Shego?
Middleton High School was always silent at two o'clock in the morning but this morning it had a lone visitor carrying four Molotov cocktails. She lit one and quickly hurled it through the window of the main office. Next she threw one into the gym. By this time the fire alarm had begun to sound. The third Molotov cocktail found its way into Mr. Barkin's classroom and the last one into the wall just above Bonnie Rockwaller's locker. She laughed evilly and ran out of the school. She disappeared into the night as firetrucks and police cruisers began to pull up in front of the school.
Kim woke to the sounds of pounding on the front door and cries of "Police! Open up!"
Kim leapt out of her bed and out of her room. She heard her mom answer the door.
"Yes, what's the matter?" She asked politely.
"Ann, it's Kim. We're here to arrest her for arson." Came the reply.
Kim and Ann gasped in unison, "There's no way Kimmie would do something like that."
"We know that, but there's evidence." The officer explained.
"What kind of evidence?" Ann asked
"Well, somebody claimed to have seen Kim running away from the direction of the school, but we were unable to find evidence to support the claim." The officer said, sounding a little sheepish.
"If you don't have substantial evidence then why arrest her? Ann asked.
"Well, I... Umm, that's fair." The officer admitted, "We'll hold off on the arrest but know she's still a suspect."
"I will remember that." Came Ann's reply.
Kim returned to her room to process the conversation she had just overheard. She was a suspect in an arson investigation. If she didn't find her doppelganger soon, she was facing prison time.
"Not interested." She murmured before sitting down on her bed.
There was a knock at the door and Kim heard her mother's voice,
"Kimmie?"
Kim stood up, crossed the room and opened the door, "Yes, mom?"
"I want to ask you something and I want you to be honest with me." Ann said as Kim sat down on her bed.
"Okay."
Ann took a deep breath before she spoke "Are you setting things on fire?"
Kim couldn't believe her ears, did her own mother actually believe she, the girl who had saved the world numerous times, was an arsonist?
"Mom, I would never do anything like that." She said, biting back her anger.
Ann nodded and moved to leave the room,
"Thanks for being honest." She said then left the room.
Kim laid back on her bed and sighed, school tomorrow was not going to be fun and why did the weekend have to be so short?
It was one of the longest weeks of her life. Every day she had to endure her classmates skirting around her in the halls or just simply running in the opposite direction to avoid her, teachers watching her between classes, cheer practices where no one listened to her and Barkin pulling her out of class to basically interrogate her. Only Ron and Monique stood by her side. Feeling tired and worn, she gratefully left the school to head home for the weekend.
These happy thoughts were interrupted by a loud explosion from the teacher's parking lot. Kim ran over to the lot to see that one of the cars had erupted into flames. Even at a distance she could feel the heat. More explosions came from the student parking lot accompanied by the screams of students. Kim dashed over to the lot. Several cars were alight with fire. As she took in the sight she noticed that the flaming vehicles form two letters: 'KP.'
"Possible!" The shout didn't surprise her.
She turned to see Barkin storming up to her, "You've gone too far this time!" He bellowed.
"I didn't do this!" Kim half-shouted back.
"Then explain the calling card!" He demanded gesturing to the flaming vehicles.
When Kim didn't immediately reply he pointed at her and bellowed, "Consider yourself expelled, possible!"