Sitch of a Wish

Chapter 4 - Crouching Poodle, Hidden Drakken

Drew Lipski sat down in the chair in his office, glad to be free of his minders for a while. Fortunately for him, Gemini was focused on finding his sister, as well as whatever Hench had betrayed them and let her escape. He'd been told to wait in his office until the new 'Sultan' was ready for him.

He pulled out the old brass lamp, setting down on the table in front of himself. It was the one thing in the room that hadn't belonged, and while he wasn't sure why it'd been there, he didn't want to say anything to Hench or Gemini until he could learn more about it. He needed something, anything to get himself out from under their control.

Admittedly, an old lamp was hardly something to bet his life on, but given his other options, he was willing to give it a chance. He turned it, examining it in the light streaming in through the window. There was no clue as to who had dropped it, but he guessed it had probably been Possible or her idiot sidekick. Maybe it would let him know where they were hiding, or at least where they had used to plan their break in.

He absently rubbed the lamp as he watched the Henches swarming around the palace grounds. It was only when the lamp started shaking that he noticed the smoke gathering in the room. "What the... ?"

"Who are you?" A green skinned woman stepped out of the smoke, glaring at him. "You with the buffoon?"

"Buffoon?" He asked, confused. Who was this woman and where had she come from?

"Right, different teams, but clearly the same brainpower." She sighed. "Okay, let's make this fast. I'm Shego, genie of the lamp. You, the idiot holding it, get three wishes, no wishing for more or anything like that, okay?"

"Uh, genie?"

"Yes, a genie." The green girl answered, exasperated. "Do you understand?"

"Yes..." Lipski's thoughts slowly recovered from his surprise. "So you grant wishes-"

"Three wishes." The genie emphasized.

"-Three wishes." He repeated. "Any wish I want?"

"There's limits, but yeah, you can wish for a lot." She stared at him. "So yeah, that's the situation."

Lipski felt a smile growing on his face. It seemed that maybe his luck was changing after all. "Okay, I'm tired of being used and walked all over, so first, I wish that people would recognize my true greatness."

"Granted!" The genie's lips twitched up into a smile.

Lipski waited, but didn't feel any different. "Well?"

"Trust me, the wish worked." He really didn't like the smirk on Shego's face.

"Hmmmph..." He fixed his gaze on her. "I guess we'll see."

"Oh yeah, everyone will see." The genie snorted out a laugh.

"How could you lose the lamp?" Kim yelled.

"Well maybe you should have kept it yourself if you were so worried about it!" Ron growled back. "You just tossed it at me and ran off to go fight."

"Okay, this is bad. Really bad." Kim paced.

"Miss Possible, if we could focus on the more pressing issue of my brother and his attempted coup." Sultan Betty interrupted their argument. "We cannot allow him to hold the palace for much longer."

"Sorry, Majesty, I'm worried what might happen if one of them finds the lamp." Kim apologized. I'm also worried about Shego. What will they do when they find out she's a genie?

"The only way to get it back is to get back into the palace, and we need to reclaim it anyway, so let's concentrate on that for the moment. Once we're back in control, we can look for the lamp." The sultan sketched a quick map on a scrap of parchment. "Now tell me, how did you get past the guards the first time?"

"I just followed some of the guards and slipped in behind them while they were busy getting regrouped." Kim shrugged. "It was pretty close at times, though. Not sure we could all get in that way." She looked to Ron and Yori.

"We... Shego created a distraction for us at the front gate, and we used it to knock out the guards on the wall and slip in that way." He frowned. "I guess we can't do that now."

"What did she do?" Kim asked him.

"Oh, we had her do her smoke-fire-genie entrance. It sent them running."

"Smoke and fire..." Kim stared off into the distance. "Sultan, I think I might be able to get us through one of the gates."

"What's your plan, Miss Possible?" Sultan Betty focused on her.

"Ron, where did you leave that cart we used to bring Killigan here?"

"You turned me blue?!" Lipski screamed at her. "I didn't wish for this."

"Sure ya did." Shego did her best to ignore his tantrum. "You wanted people to recognize your greatness, well now they will every time they look at you."

"But... this isn't what I wanted!"

"Hello, genie here. It's sorta my job to mess up your wishes if I can." The green girl sighed. This guy was seriously getting on her nerves. He was hopelessly pathetic, pretty much the complete opposite of Kim, and he wasn't even that much fun to tease, as unlike Ron he missed most of her insults. Not to mention, he kept ranting about how he'd make her and everyone else pay for all the wrongs done to him.

"That's not fair!"

"So?" She turned her attention to cleaning her nails. Maybe he'd get the hint...

"Lord Drakken?" One of the Henches stuck his head through the doorway, bowing to the blue idiot. "Do you have time to help with the search?"

"And who is this Lord Drakken they keep asking for? It's getting hard to have a proper conversation with these interruptions." He fumed as he shooed the Hench back out the doorway.

"That's you. New skin tone, new name, new title. Congratulations." Shego hoped that maybe the next time one of the Henches checked on them, the moron would go bother him and leave her alone.

"You changed my name too?" Drakken gaped. "You... I... Gah!"

She continued to work on her nails. Sooner or later this idiot had to find something else to obsess over...

"...I think the postern gate would be our best target." Sultan Betty pointed to the spot on her map. "It gives us the shortest distance from the walls to the palace itself."

"Okay then, we'll go there. Ron and I will cover you and Yori while you place the bombs on the door hinges." Kim traced her finger to a nearby alley. "We pull back here and wait for them to go off, then rush in."

Betty nodded. "After last time, they'll be looking at any loud noise like this as a diversion for something else. They won't expect us to simply rush them like this."

"So then once we're inside-"

"Sheldon will be in the throne room. If we take him out, we'll pretty much win. Jack Hench won't stick around a lost cause, so he'll pull his troops back and leave my brother here while he escapes." The sultan continued. "After that, we can take our time, find the lamp and deal with Lipski and the other traitors. Any questions?" She looked at the three teens, but none of them had any. "Good. We'll go when they rotate the guards this evening."

The afternoon dragged on, time crawling by while Kim and Ron waited for nightfall. "Ron, what's wrong? I thought you'd be happy to be on a mission with Yori."

"I thought so too, but I really screwed up. I mean, we lost you in that first fight, then I messed up with my wish, and I finished up by losing the lamp." He sighed. "I blew my chance with her, I just know it."

"Don't think like that. This whole sitch has been crazy, and you did the best you could. You got us out of the palace. They were slowly closing in, and if you hadn't managed to get to us when you did, they'd have captured her mom and me. It might not have been perfect, but it worked. We'll get the palace and the lamp back."

"I guess..." He frowned.

"Look, you said you came up with the idea for the distraction at the gates the first time. You'll do fine this time." Kim patted his shoulder.

"Thanks, KP. I guess I always feel like I'm still five whenever we have to get briefed by the Sultan personally."

"Yeah, she can get scary." She agreed.

"Shego!" The blue idiot's voice grated on her hearing.

"What do you want, Drakken?" She growled.

"I need your help." He paced around the room, and Shego prepared to go back to her reading. Hopefully he'd start another rant about whatever trivial annoyance was currently bothering him, and she could safely tune him out.

"Did Hench refuse to schedule a karaoke night?" She asked. That had been his latest complaint.

"No! They're deliberately mocking me!" He held out a jar.

"Pickles? Seriously, you're bothering me about a jar of pickles."

"They must have glued it shut to spite me." He tried to open it, but his fingers just slid off the edge of the lid.

"Seriously, Hench and Gemini are currently trying to consolidate their control of this country and you think they'd waste time glueing your pickle jar closed?" Shego sighed. "Don't try to pry it up like that, just twist it and pop it off."

"You think I can't open a jar of pickles?"

"Doy, yes." She watched the blue idiot try yet again, this time twisting the top the wrong way.

"It's not working!" Drakken fumed.

"Well yeah, you're not doing it right." Shego picked the scroll back up and resumed her reading. Watching him had been mildly entertaining at first, but now it was just sad.

His face turned an amusing shade of purple as a wordless growl escaped him. He set the jar on the table in front of her with a loud thump. "Then I wish I could see you do better!" He yelled.

"Granted." She spoke the word before her brain had time to register it, her genie magic automatically responding to his wish. Did he really just wasted one on a stupid temper tantrum? She picked up the jar and gave the top a gentle twist, easily pulling it off. At this rate, he'd burn through his wishes in no time, and she'd be done with him. Hopefully Princess would get the lamp back, but even the buffoon would be preferable to Drakken. "There, wish complete."

"That - That doesn't count!" He glared.

"Uh, let's see. You used the words 'I wish', I granted it, so yeah, you're down to one."

"But I loosened it for you!"

The explosion shook them even in the cover of the nearby building. Kim, Ron and Yori dashed out after it settled, Sultan Betty following them a short distance behind her. The only two Henches still by the gate were easily taken down, and the four ran on to the main building. One of the brighter Henches had stayed behind and tried to bar the door, but he stood no chance against the teens.

They easily made their way through the palace, Yori and Betty leading them along lesser used passages. When they were in one of the servant's corridors next to the throne room, they regrouped and prepared to head in.

Yori tossed in a smoke bomb, and the three fighters leaped in, clearing the first group of Henches quickly. Kim pressed on, launching a kick at one goon before jumping over a sword swing from a second. She used her momentum to knock the man back into his companions, sending several of them crashing to the floor.

Kim paused, taking advantage of the break in the fight to scan the room. She could see more Henches pouring in from the other areas of the palace, and near the throne, Gemini, his golden glove glinting in the light. Once she had a fix on him, she worked her way over to Ron, helping him take down the last two Henches he was facing. "Ron, I spotted Gemini, let's go!"

"I'm with ya!" The sandy blond fell into position beside her, and the two began a careful advance towards the throne.

Another line of Henches fell into line, blocking their path. Kim and Ron fought their way through them, while Yori and the sultan brought up the rear. "Guards!" Gemini roared, and his personal guards lunged forward to protect him from them.

"Really, Sheldon?" Betty met her brother's gaze. "You think this is going to work out any better for you than your other plans have? And how could you hand our kingdom over to Jack Hench, of all people?"

"You're not in charge anymore Betty, I am!" He sneered. "And Hench serves me!"

"Then why are all the guards his? You have your personal bodyguards, but the rest are his men. Do you really think he's going to not betray you once things have settled down here?"

"I paid him well." Gemini retorted. "We both know he's very loyal to money."

"Hench is only loyal to Hench. He's wanted a kingdom of his own for a long time, you know that." Betty kept inching closer to her brother while they talked, and Kim did the same. With the two leaders busy with each other, the Henches and other guards had pulled back, clearly waiting for a signal to attack.

"Well, he won't take MY kingdom." Gemini glared. "And neither will you! Father should never have left you in charge! Guards, get them!"

With a roar, the massed Henches broke ranks and attacked. The royal guards were more disciplined, holding their formation as they advanced on the four heroes. The three teens held off the majority of them, while the sultan was easily able to take down any that slipped by in the chaos. When the four of them had finished off the Henches and started on the guards, Gemini turned to flee.

"Kim, get Sheldon! We can't let him escape!" Betty called to her.

"On it!" Kim sprinted towards the guards, using the shield of the closest one to vault over them, landing on the raised platform the throne rested on. She dashed on, catching the door Gemini used before he could lock it behind him. The lord tried to punch her, but she easily dodged the clumsy hit. She launched her own attack, though Gemini was able to use his gauntlet to shield himself from the worst of the damage. He kicked out, knocking over a nearby lamp to the ground and starting a fire on the carpets.

Kim leaped back, quickly scanning for a way around the fire. She hopped to the window, swinging through it and grabbing onto the edge of the wall. She climbed along the ledge to the next window and kicked it in so she could pursue the lord.

As she continued down the hallway, she heard raised voices from the room at the end.

"... and now Possible and her team are here. They'll arrest you too if you don't do something!" Gemini's voice carried from the room.

"So... it takes this for you to realise my true worth?" She recognized Vizier Lipski's voice - apparently Yori had been right when she'd relayed how the man had betrayed them. "Very well, I think I can do that."

Kim shoved the door all the way open. "Hold it, you two aren't getting away with... Vizier, why are you blue?"

"Kim Possible!" The blue man growled. He turned towards the side of the room. "You still serve me, right? Well, do your job and defend me!"

Kim angled herself so she could still watch the lords while also facing whoever was in the corner of the room. A familiar green glow lit the edge, and Shego strode forward, her plasma surrounding her fists. "Sorry, princess."

"Shego, why are you with them?" Kim gasped. From the corner of her eye, she could see the two lords using the distraction to run through the other door.

"I hafta protect the master of the lamp, genie rules and all." The green girl took up her fighting stance. "Guess we're on different teams for this one, cupcake." She lunged forward, her plasma-coated hands knifing in towards Kim's side...

Ron and Yori had managed to take down about half the royal guards, but he could feel himself getting tired and knew that he had to find a way to end the fight soon. The Henches hadn't been that difficult to defeat, but the royal guards were another matter. It seemed that Gemini trained his in a similar fashion to his sister, as they worked together well and didn't take foolish chances like the Henches.

"Not good." He muttered. He turned to Yori. "We gotta take some more out or they're gonna overwhelm us."

"Hai, Stoppable-san." The ninja pulled out another smoke bomb and tossed it at their feet. He was momentarily blinded himself, but Yori grabbed his hand and pulled him clear of it. A second smoke pellet aimed at the guards left them coughing and distracted. Ron and Yori managed to take out three of them before the rest recovered. The two teens jumped back into the smoke and circled to the other side to do it again.

" - you idiot! I thought you said you could take care of Possible once and for all. We're just running away from her while your weird green girl fights her!" He could hear Gemini yelling at someone from one of the halls as he made his way through the smoke.

Ron tapped Yori's shoulder and whispered to her. "I think I may have found Gemini, can you handle the last two while I grab him?"

"Of course." The princess nodded. She reached out and grabbed his hand, squeezing briefly. "Be careful, if they are running, they will be desperate."

"I..." Ron blushed. "Thanks."

He pushed the nearby door open and ran down the hallway. He couldn't hear the voices anymore, but he thought he remembered what direction they had come from. Taking his best guess, he turned right and headed into the room.

Gemini was there, talking with Vizier Lipski. Ron leaped in, taking a fighting stance while Rufus did the same. He prepared... "Dude, why are you blue?"

"Why does everyone insist on asking me that?" The vizier fumed.

"Uh, because you're blue?" He repeated.

"Drakken, stop delaying, do something about this!" Gemini glared at his companion.

"Don't rush me, Gemini." The blue man reached in his pocket and pulled out a familiar lamp and rubbed it. "Shego, I need you..."

"I thought you couldn't hurt me, the wish and all." Kim said to her as she launched a kick of her own.

Shego dodged out of the way and sent another plasma punch towards the redhead. "Yeah, well, defending the master of the lamp takes priority, sorry. Even if he is a total idiot."

"Shego... come on, you know this isn't right."

Shego sighed. "Yeah, this guy is a real moron. I owe the buffoon an apology when I'm done here. But I'm a genie, so... rules and all."

Kim leaped over her kick and hopped back a bit. "I don't mind sparring with you, but this feels wrong somehow. These guys are taking over our country."

"I don't like it either, but this is how it works." She lashed out again at the redhead. "This isn't really how I'd rather do this myself, cupcake."

"Please, Shego." The other girl swung at her halfheartedly.

"I can't, I..." Shego shivered as she felt her lamp being rubbed. "Oh snap..."

The world faded out and then back in. She found herself standing in front of Drakken and Gemini in a smaller room, with the buffoon standing across from them. The blue idiot held out the lamp and pointed at Ron. "Genie, I wish I had something to take care of him and his friends!"

"Granted!" She responded, her magic reacting to his third and final wish.

'yip, yip, yip, yip!" A small dog leaped out from the shadows, nipping at Ron's feet. Shego's heart sank as she recognized that poodle. Why did her magic have to conjure that, of all things?

"Ohhhhhkay... I was expecting something more..." Ron struggled to find the right word.

"...Fierce." Drakken turned to her. "You screwed up my wish! Again!"

"Doy, no I didn't!" Shego backed away from the dog, keeping her eyes on it. "Trust me, this is gonna be bad..."

"Is it... growing?" Ron had followed Shego's lead and backed off from the dog.

"Yeah, that's Commodore Puddles. Long ago, someone wished up that thing, wanting a destroyer that could also shrink to a more manageable size when needed." She winced as the dog's shoulder hit the roof, buckling it as the dog kept growing. "We might wanna run..."

"Not without your lamp!" The sandy haired boy charged at Drakken, slipping by the paw of the massive poodle. He tackled the vizier, knocking the lamp out of his hands. Leaving the lord on the floor, he grabbed the lamp and ran back to her. "There, got it!"

"Nice one, buf - Ron." She ran with him as the poodle kept growing and growing. "So where are we going?"

"Away from that dog." They dodged around falling chunks of the ceiling. "How big is it gonna get anyway?"

"Really big."

He frowned. "Snap."

"Yori, go after Stoppable. I don't like the way the palace is shaking." Her stepmother sat down on her throne. "Find him or Possible. If they haven't caught my brother by now, he's gone and we need to finish this up."

"Hai, mother." The ninja sprinted towards where she she last saw Ron running. She had to avoid several pieces of ceiling, but with her training, she had little trouble making her way through the halls. A loud crack shook the palace, and several men stumbled out of the room. Yori dropped into her fighting stance when she recognized Gemini's golden glove.

"Oh perfect, my mother's little pet project." The lord sneered. "It seems I might be able to salvage this after all."

"I would suggest surrender. Your sister would be merciful, I am sure." The ninja cautiously advanced on him.

"And here I was planning on accepting yours." He made a fist at her with his glove.

"I would never dishonor myself by considering it."

"Pity." His hand opened and a jolt of energy caught her. She gasped and writhed on the floor. "Still, even an unconscious hostage will serve my purposes."

"How...?" Her vision started to fade.

"I have many friends that want to see your 'stepmother' fail. Resources with special talents and magic of their own." He bound her hands. "I'll leave 'lord Drakken' to keep her busy for now, and when she's calmed down, I can discuss matters with her. She may have won this round, but now that I have you, she'll lose the war..."

Next Chapter: Dealing with the monster poodle, plus Wade enters the picture.