Chapter Ten
As the hover pod sailed toward its destination, Jinx sat quietly (as if she had a choice).
The lair had exploded, and Kim and Ron and Rufus were dead? No... That can't be right...
Tears ran down her cheeks, and Charlie noticed.
"Hey, boss, the girl is crying. Got a tissue handy?" he said.
"No," said Shego, glancing back, "Just let her get it out of her system. She's got some busy days ahead."
Jinx sat and cried, but was unable to make a sound. Her chest heaved, and her stomach knotted. Charlie sat beside her and watched. But finally he glanced around, making sure he wasn't seen, then he patted her hand, and squeezed it gently.
After a while, the sorrow and loss subsided to the point where she could think again. 'All right, my friends are dead and I have to deal with it. Use the training about losing teammates I took at HIVE Academy. Turn my feelings into ice, and figure out what to do about it.
Revenge. They killed the only real family I've had ever had, and that ISN'T going to go unanswered. What to do, and how to do it. As long as I'm wearing this chip, I have to obey.'
She used what she was taught at HIVE Academy, reinforced and improved at Yamanouchi, to center and meditate even through her pain. It was very hard, but she could do this.
As she calmed herself, a memory surfaced. She was at Titan's Tower, waiting for the court to decide her fate. She and Raven were sitting on the couch in the living room, talking and drinking tea.
"So, I guess you meditate a lot, huh?" asked Jinx. She took a sip from her cup.
"Yes," Raven nodded, "I have to. It's easier for me to feel things now that my father-" she spat the word "-is gone, but if I don't keep control, the energy build up randomly destroys stuff."
"Huh, sounds a lot like what I do," Jinx replied.
Raven tilted her head and considered. "Yes, I suppose it does..."
The vision faded, and Jenny continued to meditate. Why had she thought of that? What was there that she could use?
kpkpkp
In the blackness came a voice, familiar and female.
"Ron? Tara? You okay? Rufus?" asked Kim Possible.
"Yeah, KP, right here. Rufus buddy?" said Ron, with worry in his voice.
He felt movement from his pocket. "O-kay!" said a squeaky voice. Ron sighed.
"I'm here, Kim, but try not to talk to me. It's hard holding off all this stuff and I need to concentrate," said Tara.
A few seconds later Kim broke a light stick taken from her utility belt, shook it, and looked at her companions. In the green light she saw Ron kneeling beside her, and Rufus with his head out of the pocket. Tara was standing, arms above her head. It LOOKED like she was holding off the stone and steel covering them. But that was impossible... wasn't it?
"Kim," said Ron, looking up at their blond friend, "I don't know how, but Tara IS doing that. The feeling from the MMP is very strong, and coming from her."
"...explain later," muttered Tara, "DO something."
"Wade, can you hear me?" asked Kim into her headset. No answer.
"Wade, come in, buddy!" said Ron with his, but with no better luck. "We're in a real jam this time."
"Yeah," agreed Kim. She swung the light stick around in the open space to see where they were. The steel door that had closed in their faces stood there, apparently unharmed. That was something. Then she remembered- the door opened out! That was something else, and might mean their salvation.
"Ron, I'm going to see if I can get this door open. You see if you can contact Wade," she said.
"On it, KP," was the reply, and he pulled out his Ronnunicator. He hit the connect button, and the fuzzy but visible visage of the young tech guru appeared.
"RON! You okay? What about..." he started.
"We're all fine, for now. We're trying to find a way out," Ron interrupted.
"The top of the lair collapsed on you!" he typed away. "But the lower levels seem to be intact. If you can find a way to them, you can get out."
"Good enough," said Kim. She pulled out her laser lipstick and started cutting the lock. It took some time to make any real progress, though. "Hang in there, Tara, won't be long now." she said over her shoulder.
"I'm okay," was the response, but it sounded strained.
A minute later, Kim gave a report. "I'm nearly through."
"So is Tara. Let me finish," said Ron. His eyes were glowing, visible even in the green light.
Kim moved back from the door and Ron kicked it. It slammed open, the remaining part of the lock shearing off. The steps led down, and except for random pieces of rock, seemed intact.
"Ron, out," said Kim. Then, "Tara, we're outside the door. Come on."
The blond girl took a small step back, then another, and another, and finally she was in the threshold, still holding her arms out, palms toward the mass over their heads. "I'm gonna let it go. Run."
Kim broke another light stick and held it near Tara's mouth. "Here." The blue-eyed girl took it in her teeth and nodded.
"We'll wait below," said Kim, then she turned away.
"Good luck," said Ron.
"Yeah, luck!" added Rufus.
Tara heard the footsteps behind her as they went down the stairs, getting fainter, then stopped. She turned off the mystical shield and ran for her life. Behind her the lair settled into its final rest, filling the space they had occupied, and small boulders bounced down the stairs after her. She caught up to Ron and Kim, who were waiting in the green light from their light sticks.
Just as she got beside them, they all heard a grinding noise that signalled a shift in the rubble. A small avalanche came down the stairs, but most of it stopped before it reached them. Only a few boulders kept rolling, and they were easily avoided. When the movement stopped, they turned to go.
"Thank you, Tara. When we get out, you've got some 'splainin' to do," said Kim with a grin.
kpkpkp
The hover pod landed neatly in the lair, and the passengers disembarked. The henchmen immediately headed for their quarters, but Shego, with Jinx behind her, addressed her boss.
"What's next, Dr. D?" asked Shego.
"I know we're all tired, Shego," he answered, "So tonight we'll just kick back and celebrate the demise of Kim Possible. Tomorrow we go to the Middleton Space Center and steal her dad's space plane. Then up to the space station, and world domination will be mine! Bwah hah hah!"
"Don't forget you've had help with this plan," came a cultured British voice from the door. Monty Fiske came in.
"You know how it is with an evil rant," said Drakken, "It's always first person singular."
"Indeed," the ex-Monkey Master said, dryly, "I have been watching the news, and I understand Stoppable and the cheerleader are dead?"
Drakken looked confused. "Who?"
Shego sighed. "Yeah, they're out of the picture now. Kind of a shame, since I wanted to do it, but I guess Pinky here can substitute." She turned to her charge and saw she was crying again. "Awww... isn't that sweet? She misses her friends. Follow me."
A few minutes later Jinx found herself in a small room sparsely furnished. An open door in the back was a bathroom.
"Okay, listen. You will not leave these two rooms, you will not try to contact Nerdlinger... uh, whatzizname, Wade. You will not use your power. You will not remove the chip. You will not talk to anyone but me. I'll bring you something to eat later. If you need me, use the intercom. Understand?"
"Yes, Shego," responded Jinx.
Shego paused and looked at the pink-haired hex thrower. "I can't wait until Dr. D is finished using you. You think you know what pain is now? Just wait. You're free to move around now." Shego closed the door, and locked it behind her.
As the villainess's footsteps faded, Jinx allowed her anger to surface. She had figured out what to do. She couldn't use her hexes, but she could still gather the energy. That was what the memory was telling her. Gather the power, and let it build. Keep building it until she couldn't contain it any longer. She would become a bad-luck bomb, and when it released, Drakken, Shego, Fiske, and the others would pay. Hopefully with their lives.
If she died too, so be it. If she survived and had to spend the rest of her life in prison, it would still be worth it. Her eyes glowed a very bright pink as her energy gathered. Then she reached up and scratched her cheek.
kpkpkp
When Shego got to the control room, Drakken looked at her. "Bad news. Kim Possible and the buffoon survived. They had some blond girl with them, too. Did we have any blond henchwomen?"
"No... I don't know who that is," she replied, looking at the TV report.
"Are you going to tell the girl?" Fiske asked.
Shego considered for all of two seconds. "Nah. If I told her, it would give her hope and distract from her job. What about the plan?"
"We'll stay the course," said Drakken, "Tomorrow will be soon enough."