Dr. Drakken has severely upset Shego by announcing the time and location of Kim Possible and Shego's wedding ceremony on the In-Terror-Net. Now Drakken must not only prevent some of Kim's old foes from crashing the ceremony, but he must face down and defeat the deadliest, most powerful villain of them all... the Alchemist. -KIGO-
Note: I've spent over a week fighting the flu. It's not fun. It ruins a lot of things, including my motivation to write. But I'm forcing myself to write tonight. Hopefully, this chapter will be worth the wait. Thanks for everyone who's stuck with me.
Disclaimer: Kim Possible and all IP as it is presented in the canon animated television series is Copyright and Trademark by the Disney Company. This is a non-profit fan fiction piece.
Kim Possible: TSOD – Wedding Elements, Chapter Four
The two young girls ran frantically through the barren metallic corridor. As they rounded a corner, they narrowly avoided several blast attacks... one made of earth and stone, one made of fire, and one made of wind.
The younger of the two, with long raven black hair and brilliant green eyes, could not have been any older than thirteen. She glanced behind her to confirm her worst fears. The villain known as the Alchemist was right behind them, running after them at full-tilt. One hand was surrounded by water while the other was surrounded by earth and stone.
"We can't outrun him, Gloria!" the young girl screamed.
The other girl, maybe a year or two older, with ruddy skin, raven black hair in braids, and a black leather outfit, kept running, not daring to look back. "Just keeping running, Sheila. I've got an idea."
As the two of them kept running, Gloria punched a control panel as she passed by it. As she did, a thick blast door dropped down behind the two girls, separating them from the advancing villain.
The two girls stopped and looked behind them. Even as they did, they could hear the blasts wailing against the door, dents forming from the other side.
"That's not going to stop him forever," Sheila panicked. "Where are Hank and Myron? This was supposed to be a simple distract-and-capture. We did the distracting. They were supposed to capture. Where did they go?"
Gloria looked sympathetically at Sheila. Sheila's brothers had failed to appear in the Alchemist's control room at the time that they had planned. So now the two girls were running for their lives with nothing to show for it.
"Sheila, I need you to escape, love," Gloria said in grim determination.
"What?" Sheila breathed, looking at her companion.
"I need you to escape," Gloria repeated. "I'm going to try to rapid-fire teleport him around the room for as long as I can. But you need to escape. Go find out what happened to Hank and Myron. Devise a new plan to capture the Alchemist. But I need you to live."
"No!" Sheila screamed, tugging at Gloria's arm. "You're coming, too. I won't let you die. I won't. You're my... you're my everything!"
Gloria smiled at the just-barely-a-teenager and smiled. "I know I am, love. So promise me something, okay? Whatever happens, I want you to be happy. Don't let my memory drag you down. Promise me."
Sheila was sobbing uncontrollably. "I promise I'll be happy! Just come with me! Please!"
Gloria leaned down and lifted Sheila's chin, kissing the young girl tenderly on the lips. She then punched another control panel beside her and a blast door dropped right behind Sheila.
"What?" Sheila breathed as realization dawned as to what Gloria was about to do.
"I love you, Sheila," Gloria said, tears welling up in her eyes. "Always and forever."
With that, Gloria held out her hand. Sheila felt a cool, tingling sensation. Suddenly, she was on the far side of the blast door from Gloria.
Sheila blinked. As she realized what had just happened, she screamed incoherent obscenities at the door.
Back on the other side of the blast door, Gloria turned back to the first blast door. The latter door finally gave way to the Alchemist's relentless attacks. In a cloud of smoke and debris, the Alchemist emerged, pure malevolence in his eyes.
Gloria dropped into a defensive stance, priming her teleportation powers in each hand. "Come on, then, you lousy son of a bitch. Let's see how long you last against the heroism of Sidestep."
"Yes," the Alchemist laughed. The laughter echoed throughout the corridor as if multiple people were laughing. "Sidestep. You are not of Team Go, but you have adventured with them aplenty. Tell me, sweet Sidestep. How did it feel to tear Team Go apart?"
"What are you talking about?" Gloria hissed, keeping her battle stance. The longer she could keep the Alchemist talking without her having to use her powers against him, the more time that Sheila had to get away.
"It is sheer simplicity itself," the Alchemist replied, grinning devilishly. "Your presence with Team Go was preordained by us. It is we who set you on the road to seek out Team Go."
Gloria's eyes grew wide. "You were the one who killed my parents," she growled.
"Once you had insinuated yourself with Team Go, the seed of dissension was planted. All we needed to do was give it... a little push."
Gloria's mind boggled at the realization. "Father Sun and Mother Earth," she swore under her breath. "You've been driving Hank mad. You knew he'd have the hots for me and you made sure he got jealous of Sheila and me."
"Twas a trivial task, given Hego's simple mind," the Alchemist laughed. Again, the echo as if multiple people were laughing. "And now, with your death, Shego shall be blamed for her negligence and Go City's foremost protectors shall be split asunder!"
Gloria cursed herself wildly at that point. In sacrificing her life to make sure the Sheila lived, Gloria had guaranteed the destruction of Team Go. There was no win-win situation to be had now.
Unless she killed the Alchemist and she lived.
Gloria's eyes lit up with an preternatural light. "Thunderbird, lend me strength!"
The Alchemist laughed maniacally. "You truly think your petty primal spirits can help you defeat us? Your naivete amuses us."
Suddenly, the Alchemist lit up in a brilliant cascade of energy... hurricane winds alternating with torrential flame alternating with frigid ice alternating with vicious sandstorms all in rapid succession. He lashed out with these energies, striking at Gloria with a speed that would have instantly eviscerated a lesser person.
But Gloria was ready. With a rapid succession of lightning strikes, Gloria teleported in and out of reality, narrowly avoiding each energy blast that the Alchemist levied against the young hero. Finally, Gloria teleported behind the Alchemist and struck him with a roundhouse kick that sent the villain smashing into one of the side walls.
"We applaud your tenacity and skill," the Alchemist laughed as he stood back up from the floor. "But it shall avail you naught. It has been preordained that you shall die by our hands."
"Come at me, then, bro," Gloria growled, launching herself at the villain.
Gloria began a series of rapid teleportations that allowed her to dodge and weave through the barrage of air, earth, fire, and water attacks that the Alchemist launched at the young hero. The Alchemist seemed to be caught completely by surprise when Gloria appeared directly in front of him, both of her hands gripped firmly on his shoulders.
"I might die today," Gloria growled. "But I'm taking you with me."
With that, Gloria began teleporting around the room, taking the Alchemist along for the ride. The teleports happened so fast that a casual observer would have been hard pressed to keep up with them. Every time that Gloria reappeared in reality, she violently smashed the Alchemist's body into a nearby wall. Each time she smashed the Alchemist's body into a nearby wall, the Alchemist exploded in a fury of elemental energy, be it lightning, ice, fire, or stone. Gloria bit through the pain of each attack, refusing to yield to the villain.
Gloria's final teleport placed her in the center of the room, where she somersault-smashed the Alchemist's body into the floor with a force unequaled by few metahumans aside from Hego.
The Alchemist's body began to flicker, as if he were being rendered by a corrupted computer program. Flickers of fire or lightning cascaded around his body as he struggled to his hands and knees.
"It ends now, Alchemist," Gloria seethed, coughing up blood as she did so.
"You may defeat us today," the Alchemist replied, smiling painfully at the hero. "But we will return. You shall not."
It all happened in an instant. As Gloria lashed out with a teleportation attack, the Alchemist lashed out with a simultaneous cascade of elemental energy. Gloria felt her body being fried, electrocuted, frozen, and pummeled all at once as she fought to focus on her attack, one that teleported several portions of the Alchemist's body to several different locations around the room.
As Gloria's charred and broken body collapsed to the floor, her rapidly fading consciousness marveled at the fact that she did not see any blood at all. Instead, the Alchemist's body parts evaporated as if they were cubes of incense lit aflame.
Gloria was choking in her last breaths as she heard the sound of metal rending against metal. The blast door that she had teleported Sheila beyond was being lifted by two huge ham hands. The blast door slammed up into the ceiling as Hank, Myron, and Sheila ran into the room.
"GLORIA!" all three of them screamed as they saw Gloria's burnt and mutilated body.
Sheila is safe, the Alchemist is gone, Gloria thought to herself as she felt the darkness overtake her. I can die happy. I love you, Sheila. Always and forever. Please forgive me... and Hank.
Then Gloria slipped into the darkness. And she never woke back up.
Dr. Elizabeth Director, leader of the United Nations' Division of Global Justice and Law Enforcement, turned and gazed out over the people assembled within the church. She and her second-in-command, Special Agent Will Du, had just finished ushering people to their seats in anticipation of the ceremony. Betty had ushered the groom's guests while Will Du had ushered the bride's guests.
One would have thought that such an affair would have been a lopsided job, with Betty getting the lion's share of the work. But that wasn't quite the case. Shego, the bride, did indeed have fewer guests, but not by much. Señor Senior Sr., his son Junior, and his daughter-in-law, Bonnie, came as Shego's guests, as did several members of the Seniors' household staff. More than a few members of Kris' maiden family had attended as Shego's guests as well. Jack Hench, owner of HenchCo, attended as Shego's guest as well, along with several of his personal assistants. Martin Smarty, owner of Club Banana and Smarty Mart, once a erstwhile paramour of Shego's, attended as her guest, having long since come to terms with their falling out. The Wego twins, who were not part of the wedding party, duplicated themselves just enough to fill up the rest of the pews on Shego's side of the church, in the interest of making Will Du feel important, they claimed.
Unsurprisingly, Kim's side was much more of an ensemble cast. At the front sat Kim's family: Anne Possible, Nana Possible, Cody "Slim" Possible, and Larry McCarthy (Kim's maternal cousin). Behind them were personal family friends: Khianna Load (Wade's mother), Michael and Yolanda Rochon (Monique's parents), Felix Renton, Dr. Cynthia Renton (Felix's mother), and Dr. Stuart Pendus. Behind them were Zita Renton's extended family, the Flores. Behind them were Master Sensei, Yori, Hirotaka, and a few other members of the Yamanoichi ninja clan. Finally, more than a few individuals grateful to Kim for her assistance in the past had attended, wishing to share their blessings to her happiness.
Betty paused and glanced at Will Du with a smile. So far, the wedding was going off without a hitch. And she was appreciating that. But, as Betty looked at Will Du, she couldn't help but chuckle. Will Du was gazing out over Kim's side of the guest pews. Somehow sensing that she was being watched, Yori turned around and smiled softly at Will Du before waving at him. Will Du smiled and bowed his head politely to the wave. Betty shook her head and chuckled. Ah, to be young and in love again.
Suddenly, the song Truly Madly Deeply, by Savage Garden, began playing through the church. Both Betty and Will Du quickly stepped back to make way for the procession of the wedding party.
First through the door was Jim Possible, escorting Dr. Vivian Porter. They walked slowly down the aisle before separating and taking their places in front of the altar. Next came Tim Possible, escorting Zita Renton. Once Tim and Zita were in place, Wade Load entered, escorting Kris Goldberg. Finally, Myron Goldberg, aka Mego, entered, escorting Monique Rochon. Once the best man and the maid of honor had taken their places, the entire wedding party turned to look at the door.
All eyes turned as the next couple entered into the chamber. The 'groom,' Kim Possible, entered, being escorted by her father, Dr. James Possible. Everyone stood in stunned awe at Kim's tuxedo, which somehow made her appear feminine and exquisitely beautiful in spite of it being a slack suit. James escorted his daughter to the altar and then, very reluctantly, released her arm so that he could kiss her gently on the cheek then take his seat next to his wife on the front pew.
Kim took her place at the altar, taking a deep breath and turning to gaze back at the door along with everyone else in the room. Her heart was pounding so loud that she could feel it in her ears. She was about to see her love, her fiancé, her bride, Shego, in her wedding gown. The anticipation was killing her.
Drakken rolled to the side and fired his blaster bazooka. Dementor and Adrena Lynn dodged the blast easily, but Killigan was not so lucky. The Scotsman was about to nine-iron a golf ball when the blast hit him. The golf ball exploded at the same time, sending Killigan up and over the edge of the building.
Drakken stood up and backed up into someone. Spinning around, Drakken saw his cousin, Motor Ed, standing there.
"Oh, good," Drakken sighed in relief. "I was scared it might've been..."
Motor Ed started to haul his fist back to punch Drakken. However, he was stopped short by a semi-truck plowing into him and sending him tumbling across the rooftop.
"Dude, seriously!" Motor Ed, the real Motor Ed, called out from inside of the semi-truck. "Like, shapeshifter in the ranks! Pay the fuck attention!"
The first 'Motor Ed' growled and shapeshifted back to her default form at Camille Leon. As she dropped into a cat-like battle stance, Summer Gale flew over her head, carried by gust-force winds emanating from her gloves. Summer Gale flew past Motor Ed's truck and strafed it with lightning strikes intended to disable it. Motor Ed responded by transforming the truck into its jet form and flying off to circle around and ram into Summer Gale's flying form.
Drakken was not idle. Sensing a figure hurtling towards him, Drakken spun around and used his blaster bazooka as a club. He caught Adrena Lynn upside the head, sending her tumbling across the rooftop.
A click next to Drakken's ear stopped the mad scientist cold.
Drakken glanced out of the corner of his eye to see Dementor standing next to him with a strange looking pistol held to Drakken's head.
"I have you dead to rights, Drakken," Dementor growled. "Zis Neuron Scrambler Ray shall reduce your already befuddled brain to ze state of a newborn baby. You shall feel ze pain of betraying ze forces of Evil, mein freund."
Before Dementor could pull the trigger, however, Summer Gale tumbled from the sky and smashed into the diminutive Teutonic totalitarian. Both villains tumbled painfully across the rooftop.
Drakken spun around and fired off his blaster bazooka again. Just in time, too, because Camille Leon had just about jumped onto the ex-villain. The blast sent Camille Leon hurtling across the rooftop and smashing into the side of the portable toilet. The portable toilet tilted over and fell onto its side.
"Ew! Yuck!" came Larry's voice from inside the portable toilet.
Drakken grunted and tossed aside his blaster bazooka, pulling two pulp-fiction style ray guns from his belt. He stood defiantly against Dementor, Adrena Lynn, Summer Gale, Camille Leon, and Duff Killigan (who had just climbed back up onto the rooftop). As the five villains closed in on Drakken, Drakken backed up to the edge of the rooftop behind him. The villains paused as Motor Ed's jet rose up above the rooftop behind Drakken.
"I take it all of your henchmen are keeping all of my henchmen busy," Drakken said. It wasn't a question. It was a statement.
Dementor grinned evilly. "Your intellect is quite astute today, dear Drakken. But it vill not do you any good. It is five against two. You vill do yourself a favor by surrendering."
"Not when Shego's happiness is at stake," Drakken growled. "She's more than just a sidekick. She's like a daughter to me. Trust me, Dementor. You don't know what it's like to fight until you have someone you love to fight for."
"Yeah, what he said," Motor Ed shouted over the P.A. system of his jet. "Seriously."
"Pah, you have grown soft, Drakken," Dementor laughed. "It vill be a pleasure to prune you from the garden of Evil. Masters of Criminal Masterminds and Epic Villainy, let us finish this!"
"You really do have to think of a more condensed name for your group," Drakken offered. "I mean, it's almost as bad as saying the United Nations' Division of Global Justice and Law Enforcement. Maybe you could call yourselves the MOCMEVs or something."
Drakken ducked as two blaster beams shot just narrowly over his head. Adrena Lynn stood there with two smoking blaster pistols in her hands.
"Um, or maybe not?" Drakken gulped.
The rooftop lit up like a Christmas tree as blaster fires from Dementor, Adrena Lynn, and Camille Leon, supplemented by lightning strikes from Summer Gale and bomb blasts from Duff Killigan, crossed with blaster fires from Drakken and Motor Ed's jet.
As Truly Madly Deeply faded away, the music was replaced by Felix Mendelssohn's Wedding March, as remixed by DJ Faux. All heads within the church turned towards the double doors as they slowly slid open.
Kim decided right then and there that her best friend, the bride's maid of honor and the designer of both Kim's tuxedo and Shego's wedding gown, was absolutely right. The gown did make Kim's head swim.
Shego stepped into the chamber on the arms of her eldest brother, Hego. Hego was dressed in a traditional tuxedo (tailored immaculately to his muscular build, of course). But Shego...
Wow! Just... wow!
Shego's gown was a shoulderless affair. A single black rose served as a brooch at the base of her neck, between where the shoulder blades met. The material of the top flared out beneath the rose, a sublime forest green color of the finest Italian silk that fit Shego's bossom perfectly. The gown continued down her torso and over her hips in a snug, body-glove fashion. At the middle of her hips, a series of large black roses fell across her hips like a loose sash. Then the gown flared dramatically. Wavy layers of forest green and midnight black lace alternated with each other in a mystifying bell effect of a skirt that cascaded all of the way to the floor. A transparent green lace veil, held onto Shego's head by a jade green tiara, drapped like a waterfall over Shego's hair, shoulders, back, and arms. And, probably just because she could, Shego was supplementing the effect with teasing flickers of plasma flame, like an aurora-like nimbus around her body.
As Shego and Hego stepped down the aisle in cadence to the music, they were followed by Joss Possible. The freckle-faced 16-year-old beauty was dressed in a gown similar to the bridesmaids. She was carrying a basket of flowers in one hand and a baby boy—Shego's nephew, one-year-old Jesse James Goldberg—in the other arm. Jesse James held a small ring case as if it were a doll.
Kim nearly fainted at the sight of her bride. Mego smiled and rested his hands on Kim's shoulders in order to steady her.
Shego's face was a odd mixture of smug satisfaction at the guests' reaction to her gown and rampant anxiety at her role as the bride. No single person in the room, save for perhaps Kim herself, could possibly understand the full range of emotions that was running amok inside of the woman. A single snap of someone's fingers would likely cause the ex-villainess to run screaming from the building. Only the sight of her beautiful groom, Kim Possible, standing regally at the altar waiting for her, gave Shego the confidence to take each and every step forward as the music played.
Finally, Shego and Hego reached the altar. Joss and Jesse James dutifully took their place behind the wedding couple. Hego kissed his sister lightly on the cheek before taking his seat on the front pew.
Mego and Monique admired the wedding couple. Kim and Shego glanced at each other and smiled sheepishly.
For a few moments, nothing else in the world existed save for each other.
Drakken spun around and fired off his twin blaster pistols in opposite directions. Adrena Lynn and Camille Leon each narrowly dodged the blasts, causing both to abort their charge against the mad scientist. Duff Killigan and Professor Dementor both ran across the rooftop in a crisscrossing pattern as Motor Ed fired down at them from his jet.
Motor Ed blinked as Summer Gale rose up in front of him.
"It seems you're being a naughty boy, Motor Ed," Summer Gale smiled, traces of electrical sparks caressing her computerized gloves. "The Mistress of the Weather Forecast might need to spank your naughty little ass."
While hovering in midair, Summer Gale flexed into a dramatic pose. Sparks flew from her gloves. The clouds darkened above Motor Ed and Summer Gale, the winds around them began to pick up to dangerous speeds, and lightning began to strike around Motor Ed's jet. Summer Gale then shot Motor Ed a feral grin.
"Oh, no, you don't, babe," Motor Ed growled. "Like, seriously, not cool."
Summer Gale blinked and shot a 'oh, shit' look on her face as Motor Ed fired a missile from his jet. The missile slammed into Summer Gale and carried the villainess along with it.
Drakken ducked and tumbled backwards along the rooftop as both Adrena Lynn and Camille Leon dove in to punch the mad scientist. They both missed Drakken and Adrena Lynn's fist instead caught Camille Leon's chin. The debuttante lurched sideways to the force of the stunt woman's punch, spinning and flying back along the rooftop. Drakken stood back up and fired both of his blasters at Adrena Lynn. The blasts caught the stunt woman dead-on, causing Adrena Lynn to tumble across the rooftop towards Camille Leon.
Professor Dementor stood up, growled, and dusted himself off. Turning his gaze on Drakken, Dementor narrowed his eyes and stalked towards his primary rival in the field of evil mad science. However, as Dementor stalked towards Drakken, he passed by the upturned portable toilet. The door suddenly flew open, a leg stuck itself out, and Dementor tripped over the leg. The leg pulled itself back into the portable toilet, a splash of refuse shot out to cover Dementor, and the door shut again.
"I got one, boss!" Larry's voice called out from inside of the portable toilet.
Duff Killigan ran up to the edge of the building, teed a golf ball, and pulled out a five iron club from his shoulder harness.
"Och, Motor Ed!" Killigan called out to the jet hovering nearby. "Ye shoulda not allied yerself wit' the likes of Drakken. Now ye've got yerself in the same pickle as him! Taste explosive golf ball! FORE!"
As Killigan hauled back his golf club to shoot the golf ball at Motor Ed, a lightning strike struck right in front of the Scotsman. The resulting explosion sent Killigan tumbling backwards several yards.
"Och! Summer! Are ye daft, lass!" Killigan screamed. "Why'd ye do that? Yer aim's off!"
"It is not this inconsiderate whelp's aim that is in question," came an ominous voice. The voice sounded like it was several different voices layers over themselves.
All of the combatants stopped to turn towards the direction of the voice. Floating in midair, several dozen yards away from Motor Ed's jet, was a tall, regal figure. The man was tall, fit, and trim. He was dressed handsomely in what seemed like a noble's costume from a Renaissance Festival. A flowing, billowing cape fluttered behind the man. His handsome, angular face featured a sharp mustache and goatee, well-groomed auburn hair, and fiery eyes. He held up one hand, within which was the neck of one Summer Gale.
"Professor Dementor," the man said, grinning sadistically. "We do believe that you have misplaced your servant."
"Hey!" Adrena Lynn growled at the man. "We're not servants! We're partners!"
"Yeah, what she said!" Camille Leon agreed, pointing at Adrena Lynn.
As Professor Dementor considered the new man carefully, Duff Killigan glanced over at Drakken. Drakken looked far more panicked than even the blue-skinned idiot usually was.
"No," Drakken gasped. "No! Not you! Not here! Not now!"
"Drakken!" Killigan called out to the mad scientist. "Who is this fool, daft lad?"
"I don't know, dudes," Motor Ed growled from within his jet. "But I ain't gonna wait for find out. Seriously, dude, you're toast!"
With that, Motor Ed fired off two more missiles at the man. The man, undeterred, simply hand up his free hand as if to command the missiles to stop. Two huge chunks of rock ripped up from the street below, hovered by the man for a split second, then hurtled themselves at the missiles. The missiles slammed into the rocks, detonating in a ball of fiery fury.
"Woah, dude!" Motor Ed breathed.
"Blimey!" Killigan agreed.
"Somevun get Summer Gale avay from him!" Dementor suddenly screamed. "He's..."
"Too late," the man grinned maniacally.
Suddenly, the man erupted into a cascade of rapidly changing forms of energy. Jolts of lightning, hail, flames, and stones pummeled Summer Gale's body in rapid succession. Summer Gale screamed in agony as her body was brutally pummeled. This went on for several moments, with Dementor, Drakken, Motor Ed, and Killigan all attacking the man in a vain attempt to stop him. All of their attacks met some invisible barrier and exploded, as if the man were protected by a shield of wind.
Finally, Summer Gale's body caved into the assault. With one final scream of pain, Summer Gale's body exploded into a storm of blood and gore. The other villains all stopped and stared in shock and horror as bits and pieces of Summer Gale's body rained down onto the rooftop. Puddles of Summer Gale's blood pooled at several points around the villains.
"He... he killed her...," Adrena Lynn breathed, staring in complete shock at the man. "He fucking killed her. We... we're not supposed to do that. We villains... we live by a code..."
"Your petty mortal codes do not concern us," the man gloated, laughing maniacally. "After twelve long years, we have returned to the mortal realm to bring the gift of death and destruction onto your frail flesh forms. We are the Alchemist. And we are your destruction! And once we have disposed of you, we shall finish the job we started twelve years ago."
Dementor rose a brow to that. "And... vat job vould zat be?"
"The complete destruction of the one force that was able to defeat him before," Drakken breathed, his voice full of fright. "Team Go."
The Alchemist grinned a toothy, wicked smiled. "Starting with our last murderer's erstwhile paramour, Shego."
Drakken, Dementor, Adrena Lynn, Camille Leon, Motor Ed, and Duff Killigan all braced themselves for what was to come next.
[END CHAPTER FOUR]