Chapter Eight
"Hold it right there, Drakken!" shouted Kim.
"KIM POSSIBLE!" said Drakken, turning to them. "I was expecting you!" He grabbed the pistol, which appeared to be the same one he had in the video, and stood up. "I've gotten rid of everybody else who has held me back, and now I will finish the job!"
He took aim, but a pink hex bolt hit the weapon. He pulled the trigger, but nothing happened. "BAH!" he shouted, and tossed it away.
Kim ran toward him and jumped into a flying kick.
The blue villain tapped a button on the control console and Kim slammed into a force field that sprang up between them. She bounced, and used the momentum to jump back, flipping into a standing position.
"BWAAAHHAAAHAAA!" he laughed, evilly.
"Okay..." said Kim to no one in particular, "I can't get to him, but he can't get to us either."
"Want me to drop the field?" asked Jinx, hexes at the ready.
"No, check on Shego," said Kim.
Jenny ran over and stood over the fallen henchwoman. She lay unmoving, and did not appear to be breathing. The puddle of blood was a little bigger now.
She knelt and reached for the Jennunicator, when Shego's eyes suddenly opened, and she slapped her open palm against Jinx's forehead.
"GOTCHA!" she cackled, and stood up.
Jinx squatted, unmoving, a blinking red chip now visible in the middle of her forehead.
"Wha..." said Ron, "KIM! Jenny's been ambushed!"
"What do you mean, Ron?" answered Kim, turning toward her teammate and her enemy. She resumed her fighting stance.
Shego lit a hand. "Uh uh uh, Kimmie, not if you want her uncooked!"
"Let her go, Shego, I'm the one you want," said Kim, shifting her stance.
Shego shook her head. "Tisk, tisk, what an ego," she said, "What makes you so sure?"
Kim stopped, startled out of her stance. "Uh..."
"Stand up!" the evil sidekick ordered Jinx, who complied.
"Do you really think you were ever any more than an annoyance to me?" asked the villainess, addressing Kim. She removed the headset from Jenny and dropped it.
Kim ignored the question, which she recognized rightly as an attempt to make her mad and take her off her game. "Shego, you hate mind control as much as I do. Why would you do that?"
Shego had the grace to look a bit sheepish. "Yeah, you're right, I do hate this. But for once Doctor D's got a good plan, and Pinky here is an important part of it. This was the best way to get her."
"So... your boss never did go crazy?" asked Ron. He looked over his shoulder at Drakken, who still stood behind the barrier and looked smug.
"Mmmm... that's a matter of opinion..." she answered with a smirk.
"SHEGO!" said Drakken, "Your words hurt!"
"But what do you think, sidekick?" she gestured, and most the henchmen who had fled the scene came in, each carrying a stun stick and a broad grin. She held up a hand, and the henchmen stopped.
"I should have known..." said Kim, rolling her eyes.
"Well, doy, Princess!" was the reply, "It took you twelve minutes to get here after I called, and the henchmen didn't leave through the secret entrance you were looking for until you did! Big freakin' clue!" She smirked. "Guess you aren't as smart as your parents and brothers, huh?"
Kim growled and set herself to attack, but Shego gestured, and the henchmen moved into the room.
Rufus gave a squeak, and disappeared into Ron's pocket, closing the flap behind him.
"Jenny!" shouted Kim, "I order you to take off the chip!"
But the Mistress of Luck didn't move.
"Sorry, Kimmie, nice try, though!" said Shego.
"Just so you know, Shego, even if you don't care," said Kim, eyeballing the henchmen, "You've just used up the only favor you will ever get from me."
As the henchmen surrounded the heroes, Shego took Jinx's arm. "You're right, Princess, I don't care," was the reply, and she turned her attention to Jinx. "You, follow me, and don't get lost."
"Yes, Shego," said Jinx in a monotone, and fell into step behind her captor.
"You're not going to fight me?" called Kim.
"Sorry, Kimmie, other things to do," replied the villainess over her shoulder as she and Jinx left the room.
"Goodbye, Kimberly Ann, and buffoon," said Drakken, and disappeared through a door behind him, laughing.
Kim and Ron lost sight of their friend and partner as the henchmen drew in around them.
"Ready, Ron?" Kim asked. She was determined to make this short, and get Jenny back.
"More than ready, KP," he answered, and took a Tai Sheng Pek Quar stance.
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Tara sat at her desk, eyes wide, and a hand over her mouth. She didn't move. She barely dared to breathe. They were in trouble! Big time trouble!
"Tara, honey, you okay?" came a voice behind her. Her mom came up and put her hands on her daughter's shoulders.
"Mom..." said Tara, pointing at the screen.
"Oh, dear, that does look bad. We'd better call the police," said Mrs. Matthews. she was looking at two camera views that were almost dizzying with their leaps, spins, and occasional arm or leg hitting a red-clad person. The third view just showed the floor and part of a wall.
"I already have, ma'am," said Wade's voice from the computer.
Tara turned away from the monitor, and sat on the bed, tears pouring down her cheeks.
'They're gonna get hurt, and- and Jenny's being mind controlled!' she thought. 'What can I do? Did I go through all of that depression and anxiety just to lose her anyway?'
Surprisingly, a feeling of calm settled over her. She grabbed a tissue and dried her eyes. What was happening...? She was feeling like she had just spent time in meditation; calm, collected, mind clear, emotions in check.
This is it, said a voice in her head, a voice she wasn't sure was hers, the time is now!
Time... time for...? The Amulet! It was time to make the decision! Tara reached under the bed and pulled out the box. She put it down on the bed and opened it.
The movement attracted her mom's attention. "Tara? What's that?"
"Something I was given at the Yamanouchi School," she replied. "It might be able to help."
"What are you talking about?" asked her mom, "They gave you something?"
The eerily calm blond handed her mom the letter, but didn't reply. She was staring at the Amulet and the scroll.
"Tara, don't do anything you shouldn't!" came Wade's voice, "Trust them to get Jenny back!"
She heard the words, but was thinking. Should she do this? The letter warned her she would be in danger in the future if she did. But on the other hand, Kim, Ron, Rufus and Jenny had come and rescued her without a second thought. Could she do any less for them? These thoughts passed in a flash, and she made her choice.
"No, Wade," said Tara in a voice her mom had never heard her use before, "This has to be my decision. I think I can help Jenny. I lost her before because I couldn't do anything, but I won't lose her because I DIDN'T do anything!"
Her mom looked at her after scanning the letter. "Do what you need to, honey, I'll support you." She was conflicted about what was going on, but she trusted her daughter, and to a lesser extent the place in Japan that had helped her.
"Thanks, mom." As instructed, she picked up the scroll and unrolled it. The Japanese script seemed to sail off the parchment and into her eyes. There was a moment of confusion, then everything became clear. She understood the Amulet's power, and what it could do. This had been the right choice. She could help her friends, and she would.
She put down the scroll and picked up the Amulet. For a second she admired the intricate detail of the monkey carving on one side. There was writing on the other side, but she didn't recognize the script. Then she put the cord over her head, the Amulet itself resting on her breastbone. The power of the Mystical Monkey Monks flowed into her and was channeled into the new paths the scroll had made in her mind. She felt it all, while at the same time remaining calm and in control.
To Mrs. Matthews and Wade, it looked like Tara had looked at the scroll for about two seconds, then looked at both sides of the Amulet before putting it on. But as soon as she did, a blue glow surrounded her, plainly visible in the room's light.
Her mom gasped at the sight, but Wade said "It's okay, Mrs. Matthews, I've seen this before. She's okay, trust me."
Tara turned to them, her blue eyes burning even more brightly. "Mom, I'm taking the car." She turned and ran from the room and down the stairs. A few seconds later, the door opened and slammed shut.
"Oh, my, now what?" said her mom, sitting heavily in the chair.