I don't own these characters; Disney does.
9: Eyes on the Prize
Kim moved all day and all night through dense forest and swampland. Only when she was certain that no one followed her did she stop for rest. Finding the cover of dense brush, she rested her back against a sturdy tree. She listened for any sounds, but certain any scratching and creeping was from local fauna. The hot air seemed to choke her and for a moment she thought it might kill her. No, I won't be the one dying today. Sighing, she tried to relax if only to get a couple of hours of sleep, but that was not to be right now.
Before anything else came to mind and before she could settle herself, she thought of her crewmates and how they probably met their demise at the end of a Navy cutlass or a Navy bullet. Those not so lucky would of course met their end at the end of an Imperial noose — a pirate's necktie, the lads had jokingly referred to it (1). The lads…
Just thinking of those words, Kim was forced to think of Betty. The grouchy, old captain had taken her under her wing and taught her the life of a pirate. A strange pirate, but a pirate nonetheless. Betty showed her that such a life did not have to be about mere looting and killing. It was not about living completely and utterly lawless either. There was a unique freedom to being a pirate and one could do with that freedom many things, which included standing up for people who could not do it themselves as Betty often did and also offer people who had nothing something, which Betty certainly did.
Thinking of the captain led to thinking about Vivian, which saddened Kim even more. She felt close to Vivian in a way that was different from Betty. Usually, she thought she was closer to Betty because they were very similar, but now that she thought about it, she could tell that she had been just as close to Vivian. The nature of their friendship was just different from the one that she shared with Betty. It had been subtler, but had just as much substance.
Vivian was her confidante and she could talk about her personal life with the navigator. She could get emotional insight from Vivian. At the moment, she wished she had shared and opened up more. She knew she could trust Vivian and the older woman would have tried to help, but that was an opportunity lost. Vivian taught her more things she could imagine — how to chart maps, how to read maps, how to navigate by the stars, how to use all of the navigation instruments, and how she could find a friend in the sea if she only let it in.
Silently, Kim vowed to never forget these women. She prayed they did not meet their end, but even if they did and Fate finally won, she hoped to see them again someday. If they were indeed gone from this world, then she hoped they died how they lived — free. And, she hoped they died together, as that seemed to be the way they wanted it.
With that in mind, she into her pocket and pulled out the parchment, curious as to what Captain Betty Blackheart trusted her with so deeply. Unfolding the wrinkled, thin document, she blinked hard when she saw it was a map. Written across the top of it in Vivian's delicate calligraphy was the word "dreams." Studying the map, she could figure out the start point. It looked like she was going to have to make her way back to the southern seas and to the Middleton colony. From there, she would be able to follow the map, which seemed to be in code. Making matters worse, there was more than one path and she would have to figure out which one was the right one. She supposed those were security measures if the map ever got into the wrong hands, but Betty seemed to believe she would be able to decipher it.
"Did she entrust me with their dreams?" Kim wondered, studying the map like the puzzle it was. She would have to channel Vivian if she wanted to figure it out, she thought. But, she would figure it out.
Deciding it would be better to contemplate the map after a good rest, Kim folded the map up and secured it in her pocket. She fell into a light sleep almost immediately, having an exhausted, dreamless rest. When she woke up, she was determined to make her way back to the south and figure out the map to fulfill the dreams that she held.
"I won't let you down," she vowed.
-8-8-8-8-
The sea in the south did not just look different to Kim. It smelled different. It gave off a different aura, relaxed her instead of making her anxious and brooding like the northern sea. Still, the ocean made her pensive. Most of the time, when she found herself without something to do, she would stare into the water and roll around thoughts, memories, and ideas in her head until things that made sense did not, and things that were nonsense seemed logical.
Propped up against the gunwale, Kim watched the water as the ship she was on cut through it. She was lucky to be on board this ship. She had learned a lot on her own and one of the first things was that most sailors truly thought it was bad luck to have a woman onboard (2). She rolled her eyes at the very idea. Obviously they've never been on the Global Justice!
On her journey from the middle of nowhere in the northern colonies to the southern island colonies, Kim had also heard many rumors about the fate of the Global Justice Company. Many of the crew actually drowned before even making it to land because they could not swim. Apparently, a lot of sailors did not know how to swim for some superstitious — and in Kim's opinion very stupid — reason. She could not believe most men who spent their adult lives on water could not swim (3).
Other members of the Global Justice had died on the beach, ending their lives the way many of them wanted. Of course, Kim thought most of them would want to live a lot more than wanting a glorious death. Still, that was better than the few crewmen who were captured. They were shipped back to the Middleton colony since the crew mostly terrorized the stretch of sea between those islands and the Capital. Rumor had it that those pirates were going to subject to a show trial before being executed, a show of Imperial power over the colonies and the south sea and a warning to any other pirates.
No word reached her about the captain of the Global Justice or the loyal navigator who stayed with the captain until the bitter end. A frown slid onto Kim's face and she cut her eyes from the sea. Disgust clouded her vision and fogged over her mind. How could someone who could barely hold her own in a fight stay, while Kim, who was certain she was one of the best fighters on the Global Justice — hell, in the Empire — ran like a scared child? I should've been there with them. She should have gone down with them, like a crewmate was supposed to do. It was her sworn duty to stand and fight with the company.
But, it was also her sworn duty to obey the captain in a combat situation. That had definitely been a combat situation. Of course, she had been set to break that oath if only Vivian had not surprised her by shooting at her feet. She should have stood by her mentors and friends, like the rest of the crew. She quickly shook those thoughts away, knowing the memories would haunt her for days if she dwelled on it. Right now, the only thing she wanted to dwell on was reaching Middleton and figuring out the map. It was the least she could do for Betty and Vivian, she figured.
Movement further out to sea caught her attention. She could see it was a ship in the distance and it was getting closer. Her eyes narrowed as she tried to see the ship better. Something seemed off about the vessel, but she needed a better look before she could figure out just what it was. Luckily, she carried a spyglass with her. Yanking it out from her belt, she peered out to the approaching vessel and she knew what felt off now. Replacing her spyglass in her belt, she hopped off of the edge of the ship and marched up to the poop deck.
"Captain," Kim said, causing the commander of the ship to turn to her.
"Young lady, you shouldn't be up here," he scolded her.
"I know, but there's a suspicious looking ship coming up on us pretty fast," Kim reported, pointing out to sea at the vessel.
"This is a major shipping lane. We're bound to see one or two while we're out here," he answered in a patronizing tone, dismissing her with his eyes.
"Ones that fly that flag?" Kim inquired, shoving her spyglass on his eye.
He was about to dismiss her again, but he took a look first. He blinked hard. "Those aren't Imperial flags…" he murmured.
"Not only are they not Imperial flags, they're not flags of any nations with colonies in this part of the world. Very suspicious," Kim stated.
The captain sighed and shook his head. "Must be Cap'n Drakken."
"Cap'n Drakken?" Kim echoed, trying not to laugh at the odd rhyme.
"He's a pirate who thinks he's better than he is. He's managed to take down a few ships that weren't ready for him. Well, really, that weren't ready for his quartermaster (4) or his strange array of weapons," the captain explained.
Her eyebrows drew in close as she tried to figure out what might be strange about his weapons. She knew from Betty and Vivian that pirates could be creative with their guns and with the right intellect do amazing things with them. "What do you mean?"
"He's a tinkerer and that's what he's good at. A lot of his weapons have been modified and that's what allows him to take the few ships that he has. But, like I said, it's his quartermaster that's the real problem."
Kim was intrigued and almost wished she had not pointed out the ship, so she would get to see the pirates in action. "How so?"
"She's some type of demon wench. A Fury, or Valkyrie, or just the daughter of Satan himself," the captain answered with a tremble in his voice. "It's said she falls out of the sky onto ships with her hands burning with the touch of the devil."
Kim wondered what happened to lead to that sort of exaggeration. She knew the tales around Betty all had a core of truth to them that made huge men in large numbers quake in their boots at the mere mention of Betty Blackheart, but the stories were still blown way out of proportion. What was the core of truth to this dreaded quartermaster? Making it all the more interesting was the fact that the captain said "she." This most feared person was a woman.
"If we hurry we might be able to get out of the range of his catapults and guns," the captain said.
"Catapults?" Kim parroted in a confused tone. Who had catapults at sea? She considered she might have just heard wrong.
"Yes, that's what he uses to launch his quartermaster from his ship onto others. She tears through everything and everyone, so Drakken can easily take the ship. The catapult doesn't have the best range, but it's enough to cause trouble," the captain answered.
Kim nodded and ended her questions there, allowing the captain to get the ship out of the pirates' range. The redhead went back to her perch, watching the other vessel disappear in the distance. She could imagine the pirate captain hollering as the prize got further and further away. Betty went on a tear the one time that happened on the Global Justice until she put her hand through a piece of the ship. She had hurt her hand and almost cried when she noticed that she damaged her precious ship. Vivian had tended to her hand while Will had tended to the ship.
Not wanting to get lost in her memories, Kim shook those thoughts from her mind. Shifting thoughts quite easily, she thought about the markings on the map, trying to figure out what the symbols meant. That kept her occupied until the ship docked.
She was not in Middleton, but it was close enough. Inhaling deeply, she smiled as she took in the sweet air of the southern colonies. Confident feelings in place, she set out to find out about the town she was in and if she might be able to get a ride to the Middleton colony. From there, she would try to figure out the code and follow the map.
Wandering into a nearby tavern, Kim ignored the rowdy group of sailors who watched her with keen eyes as she entered. She noticed the din in the bar went down a bit when she stepped inside, which always happened. She knew folks were assessing her, wondering if she was someone they could take advantage of. They were welcome to try… and fail, like everyone else who tested her.
Kim sat down at a table in the middle of the bar. A waitress wandered over, almost as if she was scared to approach Kim because the redhead might be crazy. She eyed Kim, as if trying to figure out just how insane, suicidal, or lost Kim might be. Since she seemed perfectly fine, though obviously asking for trouble, the waitress came to take her order.
"Whatever tea you have," Kim said, and the waitress practically fell over while ears all over the tavern perked up.
"Tea? Are you sure you don't want something a little stronger? Ale? Rum?" the waitress inquired. She leaned in close. "It might help keep the brutes away for a little longer if you order something a little more normal," she whispered, glancing at all of the eager eyes that watched them. She knew the moment she walked away, many of the men were going to try to eat Kim alive.
Kim laughed. "No, thank you. Tea, please. I don't drink spirits." She gave the waitress a bright smile.
The waitress almost fell over again. She decided to stagger off before the redheaded girl got to see where her strangeness would get her. All eyes remained on Kim, but she did not seem to notice. Her tea was brought to her posthaste. Sipping her tea, she smiled as she found it quite refreshing. She pulled out her map and studied in the marks on the document. Her attention seemed to be on the map, but she was very much aware of her surroundings.
"Oh, that's it. She's got a map, too!" someone in the back grumbled. Kim had already taken in the group toward the back. They had not seemed very threatening from what she could tell, just a bunch of fat wannabe sea dogs.
"Hey, take it easy. A lot of other guys saw that, too, and they ain't moving. Maybe they know something you don't. Besides, if we start trouble in here, you know Navy officers will be in here quick and we can't chance getting arrested in the Empire."
Kim chuckled to herself. It was true the other men might have known something about her. She had been a pirate for over half-a-year, following Betty around. Some of the men in the bar could have easily seen her with Betty in the past or heard about her — Betty's redheaded shadow or Betty's salty puppy, they called her behind her back. To her face… well, they usually did not say anything about her to her face after she put them on their faces. Or they had about the redhead girl who sailed with the Hound of the Sea and did not particularly care for alcoholic beverages.
"She's an easy prize!" The argument persisted.
"You said that earlier about that ship that got away, too."
Kim briefly wondered if the gentlemen referred to the incident with the ship that she had come in on, the one that was approached by the pirates. She supposed she would have to listen for a little longer to find out. She just hoped those guys kept their conversation over there. She did not have much desire to "talk" to them in person.
"That ship was an easy prize! It just happened to pick up speed before Shego could catch it!"
"Don't bring me into this," a cranky female voice huffed.
"Okay, how could she not be an easy target? A waif with a treasure map? We need to get over there before someone else does! We need more money for me to build the ultimate weapon to take on the Empire!"
Kim almost spit her tea out. Who the hell actually had ambition to take on the Empire, thinking they would win? Especially when they were nothing more than obscure pirates. If they were the pirates that the captain told her about earlier, then they were more out of their minds than she first assumed. It would take a lot more than one pirate ship to defeat the entire Imperial Navy, no matter how "ultimate" the weapon was that they possessed.
Her thoughts were distracted when she noticed shadows moving closer to her. It did not take a genius to figure out they had finally decided she was an easy prize. She would have to prove them wrong.
"Excuse me, little lady," a voice said, prompting Kim to look up. She found an oddly blue-tinted man, who could only be a pirate considering how flamboyantly he was dressed, staring down at her with beady black eyes, one with a scar underneath it.
"Yes, what can I do for you?" Kim asked quite politely, going so far as to smile at the stranger, as well as the chubby fellows behind him.
"You can hand over that treasure map there," he ordered with a cocky grin, nodding toward the document in her hand.
Kim glanced down her map. "I don't think you want this."
He frowned for a moment and then smiled again. "I don't think you know who I am."
"No, I don't. Don't really care either. Now, you might want to go back to your table and leave me to my thoughts," she informed him. She doubted the map would do him any good, anyway. The code was hell to crack, and she still had not done it. Leave it to Vivian to make an impossible code, she thought.
He sputtered and glared. "Why, you! Don't you know I'm Captain Drakken? The most feared pirate around here?" he huffed.
The redhead arched an eyebrow, a glint in those olive eyes. Thanks to her time with Betty, many people actually knew about this look. It always meant trouble when she and Betty were out. It saved many men embarrassing moments, but apparently, the story had not reached this particular colony or maybe just the man did not know about it.
"Drakken, huh? Well, Cap'n Drakken, I'm minding my business. How about you do the same," Kim suggested, trying to be gracious and spare him the butt kicking that he seemed to be begging for.
"If you don't give us that map, we'll just take it," Drakken assured her with a cocky grin.
Kim smiled. "I would love for you to try."
Drakken made a noise like he was choking, shocked by her gall. "Get her!" he ordered.
The young woman snickered as several of the large and wide men stepped forward. Kim continued to laugh as one reached down to grab her, but she quickly jumped out of her seat. For a moment, the men thought she disappeared. She could almost see question marks above their heads as they stared at the chair, trying to figure out what happened. The sound of her giggling drew their attention to her, seeing her standing a few inches back with a playful smile on her face. They rushed her, not wanting to be made fools of.
Kim was certain she never had an easier fight in her life. A few well-placed kicks and the men kneeled before her. She smiled down at them while their captain backed up in horror.
"You might be some kind of demon girl, but you will give me that map!" Drakken declared.
"Come and get it," Kim dared him.
Drakken ordered more men at the petite redhead and they obeyed. The men charged Kim only to find themselves on their backs, just like their crewmates. Drakken backed up a little more, but he still seemed determined, determined to get his whole crew demoralized in Kim's opinion. An angry frown settled on his sky-colored face and he sort of hollered in frustration. More of his men went at Kim on his order and she floored them even easier than the others. They were barely a warm up.
"SHEGO!" Drakken screamed at the top of his lungs.
A loud groan could be heard from the back of the bar. "I'm trying to finish my food here!" a female voice huffed.
"I don't care about that! Shego, come get this map from this insolent wench!" Drakken pointed at Kim as if his finger had power.
Kim blinked. "Wench?" She had dropped people for less, but decided to hold off to see who this Shego person was.
Another long, complaining groan escaped the woman, but she complied to the point of getting up. There was a change in the air, like lightning crackled through it. Kim tensed a bit as she felt a charge race through her just from the woman's stance. Her aura screamed power and her stance was that of someone used to being in complete control. Even the way her emerald green jacket hung off of her seemed strong. And when Kim locked eyes with her, green on green, the rest of the world seemed to disappear in between.
Shego strode over to Kim like she owned the universe, but had no use for it. Her flowing black hair hung behind her in gentle waves like a calm, obsidian ocean, hiding thick golden earrings. Her boots did not dare to make a sound as she moved. Her black pants did not seem to sway with her as she moved either.
"What have we here?" Shego inquired, her voice mocking as well as the glint in her eyes. She was arrogant, but got a cocky grin from Kim in return for her attitude.
"Just a girl trying to have lunch," Kim replied, wondering why Shego had pale green skin. She considered there might be something wrong with Drakken and his crew that was manifesting itself through their skin tone.
A half-smirk settled onto Shego's visage. "Then gimme the map and you can get back to your lunch."
"Why should I give you something that's mine? Especially when you're obviously not strong enough to take it," Kim riposted.
Shego growled and her eyes flared with anger. "You must not know who you're dealing with, kid. Maybe if I enlighten you, you'll stop trying to gnaw your foot off."
"I don't think I'm the one who's putting her foot in her mouth. You might be trying to bite off more than you can chew. I will choke you," Kim promised.
"So sure of yourself? Don't you know I'm the Dragon of the Sea?" Shego asked. Honestly, she knew most people did not call her that, but she preferred that name to the many others that she had been given against her will.
"Never heard of you, or your two-bit outfit," Kim replied. She did not understand why pirates like to go by these weird nicknames either. Betty had no problem calling herself the Hound of the Sea, now there was this Dragon of the Sea. Kim would never call herself any of the nicknames she had. She disliked each and everyone she had been saddled with since her time at sea.
Shego growled again, obviously not liking that her infamy was not as widespread as she thought. Kim wondered where on Earth this crew was infamous. Drakken chimed in before Shego could completely lose her temper, though.
"Shego, will you just get the map already! Forget the intros!" he huffed, going so far as to stomp his foot.
"You're the boss." Shego shrugged.
The green-skinned woman attacked suddenly, thinking she would catch Kim off guard. The redhead was faster than she looked and dropped into her defensive stance easily. She sidestepped the attempt to punch her face into the back of her skull and countered with a kick, which Shego quickly blocked. The fight was officially on and no one had ever seen anything like it.
Due to their long hair, Kim and Shego looked like a swirl of black and red as they moved around each other in a violent dance. The blur of movement and sound went faster than anyone had ever seen. Impact echoes bounced off of the walls as blows landed, but it was hard to determine who landed more. Kim seemed to be winning, tagging Shego with several kicks while the older woman could not seem to lay a solid finger on Kim.
And then Kim got a taste of how Shego got the name "dragon." Sharp nails tore across Kim's cheek, cutting the skin easily, revealing her blood was just as red as any other humans, which empowered Shego. For a moment there, it seemed like she was fighting some sort of specter or demon.
"What sort of trick…" Kim muttered as she felt her warm blood oozing down her face.
"No trick. I told you, I'm a dragon," Shego remarked with a pompous grin as she put her hands up, displaying what could only be described as claws.
Kim chuckled, now tempted to reveal the nickname she earned from hanging out with Betty Blackheart. It would probably cause her opponent pause for a moment. It was not really a name she was proud of, like Shego seemed to be with "Dragon of the Sea.
"Then I guess I'll just have to be Saint George." Kim smirked as she put her hands back up.
The two women went at each other again, taking things up a notch from what everyone could tell. The match did not seem as one-sided as it did the first round. The tavern suffered more from their battle than they did as they worked hard trying to just touch each other. Hands and feet went through wood as if it was not even there. Whenever they came close to anyone else, the customers all backed away a respectable distance to avoid getting accidentally injured. Everyone was sure that a touch from just one of the women would probably fatally injure a regular human being.
I wonder why I haven't heard of her. She's pretty good, Kim thought as she put her forearms up to block a hit from her opponent. As soon as she finished that thought, she found out how good. Shego came back at her with a forceful kick that sent her flying back. She crashed into table and quickly rolled out of the way as Shego tried to come down on her with a double-fisted punch. The table was done, broken into bits.
The redhead jumped to her feet as Shego turned to figure out where she was. All Shego saw was a mass of red hair flying at her. Kim tackled the older woman with such force they both crashed through the window behind them. The crash did not even seem to slow them down. Shego was on her feet as soon as the audience ran to the window to see what was going on.
Kim preformed a roundhouse kick that knocked the scowling Shego back. Kim saw a chance and went after Shego with a combination of kicks. Shego's secret weapon was the only thing that stopped her. The green-skinned woman's hands ignited with jade energy that blazed like the purest fire. Kim leaped back to avoid having her stomach cut open… or maybe seared. She was not sure what would happen to her with this new power. What other tricks did her opponent have up her sleeves?
"Don't back away now. We're just getting started," Shego declared with a smile.
"I wouldn't dream of backing away," Kim replied. She had yet to back down from a fight and she would not start to today, even with the new, fantastical elements.
The audience could not believe the two women smiled at each other as they went at it again. Kim could feel the heat of Shego's hands nip at her skin. She was cautious of them, but did not let it distract her.
They seemed to be moving faster than before, appearing almost as blurs to everybody watching. The action only slowed down if one of them landed a hit. Grunts and growls came from the mix, but neither woman gave up much ground to the other. As the fight blazed on, everyone was ready to concede that neither of the women was human. It just was not possible.
The battle heated up until Kim grabbed a small barrel, looking to protect herself from Shego's burning hands. It was only after the hot claws cut through the wood Kim saw the words "black powder" written across it. She did not even have time to wonder who would have left that there as Shego's hands ignited the powder and they were blown apart in opposite directions. Kim was pretty sure she heard someone scream "Navy!" before she hit the warm water of the nearby ocean and was surrounded by darkness.
-8-8-8-8-
Next time: find out if Kim and Shego survive being blown up and if the Navy caught either of them.
1: Pirate's necktie — yeah, an actual term that pirates used when talking about a hangman's noose.
2: Sailors of the day believed it was bad luck to have a woman onboard. It was also bad luck to have redheads onboard. So, Kim is twice the bad luck.
3: Back in the 15th and 16th centuries, many sailors did not know how to swim. They would not learn how to swim because they believed that once the sea got a taste of you, it would want you back… forever.
4: Quartermaster — the captain's second-in-command with almost as much power as the captain. This officer led the boarding party when pirates went aboard prize ships. This officer also divided loot and food while also keeping order among the crew while they were on land.