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War and Peace
Next Morning
"I do not approve of this idea, Montgomery!" Maim huffily said to her son.
"Mother, we've been through this. I've left multiple times before on adventures and have always returned," Monkey Fist replied, agitated now and starting to get touchy.
"I simply don't see why I am forbidden to accompany you," she argued.
"Ach, hurry et up, Monty!" Killigan called from the jet.
Monkey Fist gave him a dirty sneer, then turned back to his mother. "Mum, look, I'm going to be rather blunt. You're an old and frail woman, I am not. Listen, the others are waiting. We'll be back before you even realize we're gone!" He bent down and dropped a soft kiss on her cheek. She started, taken aback by the tender gesture. "I promise you everything will be fine. You, Senor Senior, and Mama Lipsky will have a smashing good time! George will be here to keep you company as well as little Hana."
"Bye!" Hana chirped, waving happily.
Monkey Fist frowned at her but patted her head nonetheless. "Mother, see if you can't snatch that baby away from the heroes somehow. The Han is still a powerful weapon against the Yono. One I've been neglecting to pursue as of late, but that I really should get back to attempting to obtain."
Nanny Maim shook her head hopelessly at him. "Such a son I brought up," she bit.
"Is this going to be another belittling?" Monkey Fist demanded.
He started when Maim stood on her toes and kissed his cheek gently. "Make mumsy proud, my dear. Come back this time," she almost pled, suddenly looking very weary as she cupped her child's cheek. "I love you very deeply. I hope that one day you'll understand that."
Monkey Fist winced a bit, but didn't comment. "Farewell, mother. I love you too," he said, pressing her hands gently before walking away to go to the jet.
KP
"Now Drewbie, remember to brush your teeth and hair. Oh, and don't forget to bring a lunch," Mama Lipsky anxiously said to her son. She sniffed and burst into sobs, dragging Drakken into a crushing hug. Drakken cried out in pain and tried to struggle to no avail.
"M-mother. Can't. Breathe," he gasped.
"Oh, mommy's sorry, baby. I'm just so worried about you and little Eddie," Mama Lipsky said, dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief and sniffing.
"Now mother, we'll be fine," he said. "The people I'm working with are experts in their fields."
"Remember to get a good night's sleep! And make sure your cousin does too! Come back, precious," she begged.
Drakken groaned as his mother kissed him. He felt like he was going off to fight a war. Oh wait! He was. Just not against humans. How ironic. Sighing in defeat, he kissed his mother's forehead.
"I love you, mother," Drakken murmured to her quietly.
"I love you too, honey bunches," Mama Lipsky said. She left the jet, waving back at her son. Killigan shook his head reproachfully at his two friends as they rejoined him.
"What?!" they demanded sharply as a duo.
"Nevair mind," Killigan answered, putting his hands up in a defensive gesture.
"You're just jealous because you don't have a mother," Drakken childishly sneered.
"Are ye' daft, man? After witnessen' ye' two wi' yers, Ah count et a blessin'," Killigan replied.
KP
"Father, I can do this by myself!" Junior insisted.
"My son, you are hardly prepared to face a zombie apocalypse," Senior insisted, eyes filled with concern and anxiety.
"But I must, father. Ma Paloma needs me," Junior said, blowing a kiss at Bonnie, who was watching him sadly. She was staying, you see. Along with Felix, Zita, Debutante, Rufus, Pepe, and whoever else decided to back out. Justine had certainly wanted to, but they had needed her brain power. It had taken Ned's all to convince her, though. Why Justine had even bothered listening to the geeky assistant manager was beyond Bonnie's comprehension.
Felix and Zita hadn't exactly backed out, per say, but Felix's chair was acting up again and his mother had put her foot down. To send him out there like that would be to sign his death warrant. Zita had wanted to stay with him as well as her uncle and cousin for some family bonding. Of course, that plan had taken a solemn turn with Junior's sudden declaration that he was accompanying the others. It had almost given Senior a heart attack. Quite literally too.
"Junior, even I in all my agedness can hold my own better than you!" Senior insisted.
"Father, I am not as helpless as you would believe!" Junior firmly insisted. "I am not a child anymore."
"You are hardly even a man either, my son!" Senior said.
"Pappy, I will come back," Junior promised, pulling the old man close and hugging him tightly, but the young man's mind was set, and Senior felt his heart sinking. He was more unsure about this than Junior was. Senior swallowed over a lump in his throat and pulled the young man close.
"I know you will," Senior replied. He just hoped and prayed it wasn't in a body bag. He sniffed and kissed his child gently. "Be careful, Junior."
Junior smiled. Zita suddenly jumped into his arms, kissing her cousin's cheek. Junior grinned and kissed hers back. "Do not worry, Zita. Do you believe in me?" Junior questioned.
"I always have," she answered, smiling at her cousin.
Junior beamed and pulled away, heading towards the jet. Suddenly Bonnie raced towards him and spun her boyfriend around, throwing her arms about his neck and kissing him passionately with tears in her eyes. Junior held her back, shocked and then eager. After a moment, Bonnie pulled away, tears in her eyes. "Don't leave me," she begged, voice breaking.
"I will never leave you, mi vida," he murmured, nuzzling her nose with his. She smiled, but her eyes betrayed her grief and uncertainty.
"Junior, I-I think I love you. I mean like, for real, real," she whispered to him.
He smiled. "And I you, Bonnie. I will return," he said.
"With a wedding ring?" she sadly joked, laughing.
"Perhaps," Junior replied in all seriousness. Bonnie caught her breath and blushed deeply before looking down. He kissed her head again. "It will be the biggest, fanciest ring money can buy."
"Junior, I can't believe I'm like, saying this, but it could be a cheap ring from a cracker box and it wouldn't matter," Bonnie answered. "This probably sounds totally sappy, but when we started out as a thing, it was for the money, it was for the bragging rights, it was for the looks, it was for the social status… Then things sort of... changed… I grew up and started seeing you for, well, you."
Junior started then blushed deeply, grinning. He kissed her once more and left with a wave. "It was the same for me, my love!" he called back. She flushed and grinned a little. It was the first time she'd felt so truly loved in a while now... Okay, her mom notwithstanding.
KP
"Let it be known that I am completely against this!" Jack said, glowering at Will.
Will glared angrily back, challenging his father with his gaze. "What, you think I can't hold my own? I'm GJ's top agent, 'dad!'" he shot.
"You're also my only child!" Jack retorted. "The idea of you going out into an apocalyptic scenario terrifies me!"
"Mom, talk to him!" Will insisted to Betty.
Betty sighed deeply and said, "It terrifies me too, Will."
"Excuse me?!" Will exclaimed. "Uncle Sheldon!"
"Don't take it personally, my boy. It's just this thing with families," Gemini answered. "Besides, even if we all forbade it, would it stop you?"
Will started and grimaced a bit. "Maybe? Possibly?" They glared at him and he shifted. "No," he grumbled, looking down at the ground in annoyance. He hated being so easily read.
"William, I love you with everything I am and everything I have," Betty said, placing her hands on her child's shoulders. "Just the thought that I could lose you? I can't even bring myself to think about it."
Jack watched silently. No force on earth was going to convince that boy to stay on this island, he knew, and he resented that so, so much. He looked down at the ground. If his son died… Jack shuddered visibly before getting a hold of himself and looking firmly up at Will. "You'll do what your mother says when she says to do it. I can't hope you'll obey me, that would be asking too much, but at least obey your mom and your uncle."
"I'll be fine!" Will insisted. "Trust me. I can do this thing."
KP
"Last chance for anyone to back out," Amy said to all the others who were coming on this voyage to Go Tower. No one volunteered, and Amy sighed deeply. She just hoped they didn't lose too many before this was all said and done.
"You guys don't have to do this," Kim worriedly said to the others. "Shego, Ron, Monkey Fist, Killigan, Drakken, DNAmy, the ninjas, and I can handle it."
"No way, Kim, we're in this together," Tara said. "The others would be right there with us if they could be, but Felix's wheelchair acting up can't be a good thing, and I mean, personally I think that Bonnie might be getting, um, sick..."
"Then we must hurry all the more," Junior said, immediately protective of his dove.
"We'll make it, don't panic," Shego said, filing her gloves. "In Go Tower we can finally fix this mess."
"Let's go already then," Fukushima said from the co-pilot's seat.
"I believe perhaps you should stay behind," Monkey Fist replied, frowning at the boy.
"You are fearful for me, guardian," Fukushima noted in some amusement, eyes sparkling mischievously. "I am touched."
"Hardly fearful," Monkey Fist said with a scoff. "However, if Miss Rockwaller becomes infected, it would be a good idea to have someone who knows what they're doing protecting the others against her."
"Senior's more than capable of doing that, dude; and Zita kicks some serious tail!" Ron defended.
"Yeah. Plus Felix with that chair is unstoppable," Ned said, adjusting his glasses. "Did you know he saved my life once? I was up on the Bueno Nacho sign cleaning it, slipped, and fell off! I would have been a splat on the ground if Felix hadn't turned his chair into a hovercraft and caught me." He paused and for a moment looked sad and sort of worried. "He's uh, he's the only person I've ever really ever considered a friend..."
"Look around you, Ned! You have a bountiful supply," Ron said, throwing an arm around the assistant manager's shoulders and gesturing to the others. Kim and Monique winked at him. Justine spared a glance his way, tearing her eyes from her computer, and smiled softly. Hirotaka looked back from the pilot's seat and casually saluted, Josh gave him a thumbs up, Amelia blew a kiss, and Yori bowed his way. Fukushima didn't really pay attention until Hirotaka frowned at him and kicked him.
"Ow," Fukushima hissed. He gave his friend a dirty look but stopped when he saw that Hirotaka was giving him 'the glare'. Grimacing, he turned to Ned and bowed as well, albeit under some duress.
Managing a smile, Ned said, "Maybe you're right, Ron."
"You know it, dude!" Ron said.
"Uh huh, charming. Can we please get a move on already?" Shego said, intervening. The heroes frowned at the villains in some annoyance, but nonetheless started up the jet and began to take off.
KP
"I had no idea you had sibs, Shego," Adrena remarked, still finding it hard to believe from when she'd first told them about her brothers on Senior's island.
"Ugh, sadly," Shego replied, rolling her eyes. "Morons, every one of the. Hate them, blech."
"No you don't," Drakken sang.
She lit up a hand, giving him 'the look'. "One warning, Dr. D. One warning," she growled. Drakken grinned innocently, putting up his hands in a pacifying manner.
"We should be arriving at Go City within an hour," Falsetto remarked, looking at his high-tech watch which, among other things, could determine arrival times. HenchCo's finest. In fact, it had been a gift of goodwill from Jack. Having the King of Thieves show up at your gala didn't exactly foster trust, so his presence had been brought to Hench's attention immediately. Jack had ordered him to be brought up. He had figured he was going to be kicked out. Instead, Jack had offered nothing but praise, they'd got to talking, they'd 'clicked' and realized they were 'birds of a feather', so to speak, and at their parting Jack hand handed him the gift as a sign of trust and let him go on his merry way. He'd decided not to complete that heist that day. Months of planning down the drain, but what he'd gained in alliance with Jack Hench far outweighed what he would have gained otherwise.
"I have got to get one of those," Josh remarked, admiring the technology in the small device. "How much?"
"If you have to ask…" Falsetto began. He didn't need to finish. They all knew what it meant.
"You can't afford it," Tara ended anyway, shaking her head ruefully.
"Too bad. It would be a valuable asset in the workplace," Ned said.
Hench frowned curiously, ears figuratively perking up, and considered that. Hmm, the boy had a point. A slightly dumbed-down version fit to release to the public, and he could make mint. In theory. Side business maybe? Maybe even leave it in Hank's hands.
"Forget the watch! We have things to do of the utmost importance. Wade, check over our data on developing a cure. See if you can come up with something we've missed," Justine said.
"Wade was left behind," Ned said in confusion. No one had been inclined to take a twelve-year-old along on this ride.
"Ugh, right," Justine said.
"I can take a look. I mean, I wouldn't call myself a genius, but I did develop my own robot for the robot rumble and obliterate biology in school," Ned offered. She gave him a dubious look but then shrugged and handed over her computer. He smiled and started scanning the data. "Whoa. This is some seriously high-tech stuff."
"Of course it would be too complicated for you to..." Justine began.
"I can develop something to super-concentrate it! With a couple of basic modifications, it could be ready to release into the air as soon as the cure's complete," Ned cut off.
She started, blinking at him, then flushed a bit. "Oh," she said. "Uh, thank you."
"My pleasure Justine," Ned answered, smirking knowingly.
"Don't forget that we need to test the cure on Gemini first," Dr. Director said. Gemini was silent. She started and turned worriedly to him. "Gemini?" she asked, a little worried.
Gemini seemed to snap out of a daze, shaking his head. He blinked blankly at her then grimaced when he realized what had just happened. "Yes, of course. M-maybe I should go lie down."
"Not a chance. If you lie down now, you'll wake up one of them," Betty protested, taking her brother's hand and squeezing it. "Hold on. We're almost there."
"Yes. Yes, you're right," he muttered to her. Will watched his uncle anxiously. Jack worriedly observed his friend. This was getting worse and worse. He looked out the window and saw Go City in the distance. Here was hoping things turned around fast.
KP
Hirotaka sat frowning, tapping at the headset he wore. "Wha' es et, laddie?" Killigan, his current copilot, asked.
"I am unsure. There is only static… Wait, someone is trying to hail us!" Hirotaka exclaimed.
"Come in unidentified aircraft. Come in," a voice said. Hirotaka fumbled to find the right frequency. "Name Hego…Go Tower… under attack… brothers…. Help," the voice continued, becoming hard to pick out of the static
"Go Tower, we are on our way to assist you," Hirotaka answered. The voice speaking to him had to have been one of Shego's brothers. "Hold your ground." He cut off the radio and looked at Duff. "Go Tower is in trouble. Take control." He handed over the flying to Duff and got out of his seat, hurrying into the main area of the jet. "Shego-san, your brothers are under attack," he solemnly informed.
Shego looked up from her magazine so quickly that she almost gave herself whiplash. "What?!" she demanded, leaping to her feet. "What about my brothers? Where are they? Talk ninja!" she ordered, lighting her hands.
"It would seem that Go Tower is under siege," Hirotaka replied. "They are contacting us for help." Shego cursed under her breath and began agitatedly pacing.
"How far are we?" she demanded.
"Only moments," Hirotaka replied.
"Well make it seconds!" she yelled.
"The jet can only go so fast, Shego-san. If we move too quickly, we will overshoot it," Hirotaka reasoned.
"Calm yourself Shego," Drakken said, putting a firm hand on her shoulder. No one else had dared approach her in her current state. Shego spun on him and almost attacked, but Drakken seized her wrists, holding them away from him. "Shego please! There's only so much we can do right now!"
Shego, livid, willed herself to take a few deep breaths and began to calm down. He released her wrists and honestly expected a plasma blast to the face, but she simply massaged her forehead, looking stressed. Numbly she sat down and glared at the ground, cursing herself for losing her cool like that.
"Chill, Shego, they'll be fine," Ron assured. Shego shot him an ugly scowl and he withered.
"The boy is correct. You said yourself that Go Tower's defenses are firm," Monkey Fist told her.
"My brothers are idiots!" she replied.
"They have superpowers. They are immune. You do not have to fear," Fukushima said to her.
"Take it easy, people!" Barkin yelled. "We're approaching Go Tower." He turned to look towards it, eyes narrowed. Infected were swarming at the base, having probably crossed over to it during low tide.
KP
The jet zoomed towards the tower, Shego leaning over Hirotaka's seat. She put on a good front, but Hirotaka could sense her uncertainty. Suddenly Shego gasped, paling. Hirotaka squinted. "Who are the red and black figures racing about amongst the zombies?" he questioned.
"The twins!" Shego exclaimed, panicked. Immediately she raced from the cockpit. Hirotaka and Killigan gaped after her.
"Shego lassie, wha' are ye' doin'?!" Killigan exclaimed, quickly following her.
Shego bolted right passed the others, each one shocked, and seized Drakken by the collar, dragging him close. "Wrap your vines around me!" she ordered.
"Shego!" he exclaimed in horror. Had she been taken in by a Moodulator again?
"Wrap your vines around me!" she repeated.
"But-but this... I... Shego!" he began in protest.
"Not romantically!" she shouted. Though confused and a bit flustered, he did as she ordered. "Open the jet door!" she shouted at Hench. Hench shrugged and did so. Either he was opening it or she was breaking out, he knew. Before anyone could try and protest, Shego leapt from the plane!
"Shego!" they all exclaimed, racing to the door and looking down.
"Green Babe's gonna get herself killed!" Ed exclaimed in horror.
"I don't think so," Kim replied, eyes narrowing in determination. Immediately she leapt out of the plane after Shego and used her grappling hairdryer to swing down to the ground. Yori jumped after her, using her own grappling weapon to swing down after the two.
KP
Shego hit the ground first and started firing plasma every which way. Kim landed right after and immediately began fighting against the zombies determinedly, teeth clenched. Yori soon joined them and commenced to carving her way through the horde as well. "Never asked for your help, kiddies!" Shego yelled at them.
"You want us to go?" Kim challenged.
Shego grimaced a bit. Honestly? No. She'd known the minute she'd leapt from that plane that she'd made a potentially fatal mistake. There was no way even she could have taken on a hoard this size. "No," she begrudgingly admitted.
"Shego-san, duck!" Yori exclaimed. Shego obeyed and Yori whipped out a ninja star, throwing it into a zombie that had been about to bite the woman. It staggered back in pain before falling to the ground. The trio went back to back and continued punching out the crowds, fighting to reach the doors of Go Tower.
"What were you thinking, Shego?!" Kim demanded.
"I saw the Wego Twins," Shego answered quickly. Kim started. Ooh, that explained whatever temporary insanity had possessed her archrival to jump. She would have done the same had it been Jim and Tim... She felt a lump forming in her throat. She missed the tweebs. "Wegos, where are you two?! Wegos!" Shego called.
"Kim-san, Shego-san, there!" Yori said, pointing. Near the edge of a cliff, they saw one of the Wegos fighting back a hoard. All at once the hoard surged forward and the Wego fell off the cliff with a scream of fear.
"No!" Shego screamed, panic coming to her eyes. She tore through the hoard, ripping through the zombies standing at the edge, and slid to a stop, looking down in terror after the body. Just before she was about to jump after it, though, it vanished.
"Thank goodness it was only a clone!" Kim exclaimed, her own panic dying down a bit. She really, really didn't want Shego to go through something like that. That was the sort of tragedy she wouldn't have wished on her worst enemy.
"But how can we tell which are the real ones?" Yori asked.
"W-we don't," Shego said in realization, looking around and feeling increasingly more overwhelmed as she watched numerous clones of her little brothers being literally ripped apart. Each second she dreaded more and more that soon one of them… that soon one of them wouldn't be a clone…
KP
"Duck!" Kim screamed, pointing. Shego and Yori spun. The jet was swooping low. They gasped and hit the dirt as it flew through the masses, throwing the infected either off the edge of the cliff or knocking them down. Yori spotted Monkey Fist in the doorway of the plane, ready to seize the three girls. Yori grabbed Kim's arm. Kim, catching on, seized Shego's. The ninja held up her hand and felt the Englishman firmly grasp it, jerking the trio off of the ground and pulling them back inside the jet.
The three panted for breath, sprawling out on the ground. "Are you crazy or just insane?!" Barkin furiously demanded of the three, horrified at what they'd just done.
"Calm down, Mr. Barkin. They're okay," Amelia pacifyingly said.
"Well next time they can leap onto the plane themselves if they continue to be so rash!" Monkey Fist heatedly added, glaring at them.
"Stress getting you down? I have a cure for that," Hench said, cautiously gauging how much farther Monkey Fist and Barkin could be pressed before one or the other would snap. Better he figure it out than anyone else. As it turned out, the nobleman couldn't be pressed far at all. Letting out a monkey shriek, the man leapt at his throat. Motor Ed, though, swiftly got between the man and Jack, catching the Monkey Lord's attack and throwing him back.
"Keep cool, Tarzan, seriously," Ed said. Monkey Fist scowled then rose, pacing restlessly. They were right. He was getting too worked up. He had to calm himself down. Monkey Spirits be with whoever crossed him before he reached a stable point, though. Harrumphing, he promptly sat and began to meditate.
"Is he meditating?" Barkin incredulously asked Shego as he helped her up. "In the middle of an apocalypse?"
"Yeah, he does that," Shego said, glaring reproachfully at the nobleman.
"It was either that or he went mad monkey on us all," Betty said. "That really wouldn't have been a pretty sight."
"Shego, we'll find your brothers," Monique assured, seeing Shego gazing down at the battlefield below.
"Right, they're totally all just clones. I mean, your brothers can't be that stupid," Camille backed. Shego said nothing. She was torn between saying 'want a bet' and the fact that she knew Camille was right. Despite everything she claimed, her brothers did actually have a brain among them.
KP
The jet landed on the roof of Go Tower and the group sprang out, racing towards the rooftop entrance. They darted inside and barricaded it. Racing down the stairs, Shego called, "Hego, Mego, Wegos, where are you?!"
She led the group into the main conference room and almost fainted on the spot. They were all there sitting around the table and fearfully discussing what their next move should be. The four turned and their eyes filled with shock followed quickly after by relief. "Shego!" the Wego twins exclaimed in glee. They ran to her as fast as they could. Before she could blink, they'd leapt into her, enveloping her in hugs.
"You came, big sis, you came!" Wego One said, sobbing in relief.
"We thought you were dead!" Wego Two added.
"We didn't mean for you to jump out of the jet to try and save us! We didn't want you to die!" the duo exclaimed together.
Shego blinked blankly, trying to figure out how they knew about her madcap jump. She looked at the big screen and had her answer. They were monitoring everything around Go Tower, and she meant everything. She flushed at the realization. Ooh boy, time to save face. She frowned, looking back at them. "I did not try and save you! I just… fell. I couldn't have cared less if you tweebs got ripped to shreds!" she protested.
"Hey, that's my word," Kim said.
"Get used to it, princess," Shego replied.
"Little sister, you've come home!" Hego said, hurrying to her and enveloping her in a bear hug.
"Ach, Hego, can't breathe," Shego gasped.
"Ooh, sorry, my bad," Hego replied, putting her down guiltily. "Anyway, we knew you couldn't leave us, sis."
"Leave you? Oh please. I just came here for my stuff and a few weapons. I figured you were all zombie chow," she replied.
"Yeah, whatever. I guess, you know, it's okay that you're here," Mego grumbled, sauntering up to her. He didn't go for a hug though, instead lamely taking her hand and shaking it as if it was the last thing he wanted to do. Shego frowned at him. Promptly Mego went back to looking in his mirror.
"Don't mind him. The only thing he's been able to think about these past couple of days is you and what might have happened to you," Hego said to Shego.
"Really?" she incredulously asked. She couldn't honestly see the narcissist caring about anyone but himself. Hmm, she wasn't really one to talk, she realized, but hey, she wasn't as bad as Mego was!
"He hasn't picked up that mirror for two days," Wego One said.
"We've been keeping track," Wego Two proudly stated, holding out a paper to their big sister. Shego took it in surprise and raised an eyebrow. They were right. She wasn't sure if it was just a show Mego was putting on or not, but she had to admit she was a little touched. She handed the stats back to her little brothers.
"Call back the clones, little bros. You're looking exhausted," Hego protectively said to his youngest siblings.
Mego glanced over at the twins, looking a moment worried, then turned back to his mirror. To be honest though, he was hardly even seeing his image reflected in the glass anymore. Finally, he gave up with a frustrated sigh and put it away. "So, what's with the party?" he asked, referencing all the others who had arrived with his sister.
"It's a long story," Shego replied with a grimace, for the first time since this started feeling somewhat safe and relieved. She would really rather not acknowledge why that might be. No way was it because of her siblings. Nuh uh, nope, not a chance in Hades. This place was just… secure, that was all. Yeah, secure. Not like a security blanket! It was just secure.
KP
The survivors sat around the table quietly enjoying the first real meal they'd had since this thing began—they hadn't had much of a chance to eat on Senior's Island given they'd been so exhausted—and examining each other. After a moment, Barkin turned to Shego, "You never mentioned you had brothers. You know, when we were dating."
"You dated my sister?" Hego asked, raising an eyebrow. The guy fit Shego's mold, sure, tall, muscular, and built, but he didn't seem the type of guy Shego would be interested in for the long term.
"Briefly," Shego said, exchanging rueful smirks with Barkin. Drakken, on the other hand, was frowning jealously at the man. Why he felt jealous he didn't know. Nor did he particularly care to think about it. There were other things to worry about right now anyway.
They'd been given access to the lab and things on the cure front were progressing, but it was slow-going. "We need an action plan for when this cure is finally prepared. A good one," Drakken said. Honestly, though, he just wanted to get Shego and Barkin's attention off one another.
"Right," Barkin replied. He rose, slamming his hand on the table and entering military mode. "Listen up, people! Here's what we're going to do!"
"By all means, enlighten us," Fukushima sarcastically said. Monkey Fist smirked at the boy and playfully ruffled his hair as if he were a proud father. Fukushima grinned a bit. Truth be told, he'd long wished for such contact as this; an affectionate and parental touch. He had never had it as a child after his mother died. As far as parental figures went after that, there was only Sensei. Sensei, however, had never become a father figure. He had been nothing more than a teacher and master. The older students at Yamanouchi hadn't really served as parental figures either. They could hardly have cared one way or another about the younger ones. They were more focused on their studies. He couldn't count the times he'd woken up weeping, or the times he'd been frightened or mourning his mother, and wanted someone to come to him. No one ever had... No one but Hirotaka. For the most part, though, he'd been left to self-soothe. He almost hated the Monkey Lord on remembering all those moments that the man could have and should have been there but wasn't...
Barkin frowned at the ninja's interruption and continued. "As I was saying, we need to take up offensive positions! We can't let those things push us around. We arm ourselves to the teeth and go out there, people! Death or victory!"
"Mmm, not a fan of the idea," Falsetto remarked, not keen on the plot. Death was no friend of his for sure.
"We die if we do, we die if we don't," Barkin replied.
"Mr. Barkin, Steve…?" Jack fished as he stood up, tenting his fingers.
Barkin glared at the businessman and said, "Mr. Barkin to you, buster," he replied.
"Mr. Barkin, while I do agree our prospects are less than stellar at the moment, there are other, safer ways to go about this. As it stands, your plan leaves much to be desired," Jack said.
Barkin narrowed his eyes coldly. "You got something to say then, Private?" he asked.
Jack frowned a little, not liking or trusting the tone Barkin had taken. "As a matter of fact…" he began, putting on the smile again.
"Well too bad, maggot! A war zone is no place for a draft-dodging rich boy to voice his opinions!" Barkin yelled like a drill Sergeant, jabbing a finger roughly into Jack's chest. Jack started and frowned, eyes starting to glitter. He didn't believe he liked this 'Steve Barkin's' attitude. Barkin began to pace as he continued his little rant. "You Private School Preps disgust me. Always thinking the world owes you something. Well it doesn't!" Jack felt a scowl blossoming across his lips. This man was fast making his way onto the hit list.
"Is it just me, or does Mr. Barkin have some deep-rooted issues with rich kids?" Ron asked.
"High School. Jonny Masterson of the Minnesota Mastersons, it wasn't pretty," Barkin said, grimacing and shuddering a bit. "I remember myself back then. Little Stevie Barkin just trying to fit in and survive in that soulless trap that was high school!" He clenched his fists dramatically as he spoke. "Jonny Masterson. Senior. Prep school transfer student with a bunch of thugs at his back. The snobbish remarks, the taunting gazes, the bullying, the humiliation... He always figured he was some kind of big shot! Big man on campus! The entire school bowed and scraped to him. They practically licked his boots. At least until I stepped up and freed them all from his reign of tyranny!" He sniffed a bit. "Never a prouder moment until the day I enlisted."
Jack scoffed, rolling his eyes, then put on a grin again and entered schmoozing mode. "Listen, Mr. Barkin, I feel where you're coming from, I really do!" he smoothly said, spreading his arms apart to make himself appear open and friendly. Goodness knew it would take a lot of sweet talking on his part to win the guy over. Barkin suspiciously glared at him. "High school misfit, pushed around by the no-good rich bully who thought he was all that. I get what it's like. I wasn't always the multi-billionaire you see before you today. I was once a lowly student in a normal school, struggling to find his way in this world. I'm not this 'Jonny Masterson,' let me assure you," Jack continued, emanating empathy. Besides, Barkin wouldn't be having problems with good old Jonny Masterson ever again. That piece of work had made the mistake of double-crossing him. Well, attempting to. The Masterson connections hadn't saved him then. He still wasn't sure what his people had done to the guy. He preferred not to know. Kept his hands clean of the whole messy, or not so messy, affair. "Come on. Give me a chance. I'm not such a bad guy."
"Well…" Barkin began, looking ponderous. "Wait, what are you trying to do? Your twisted little mind games won't work on me."
"Mind games? Mr. Barkin, you wound me deeply," Jack said, putting on a perfect mask of hurt.
"Oh no, I won't be taken in by your innocent look. You're just like Jonny!" Barkin said.
"Jonny got what was coming to him," Jack replied, taking a slightly darker angle. Barkin started, blinking at him in surprise. Jack smirked. "Mmm hmm, I knew him too, and I know what happened to him after high school."
"What do you mean?" Barkin asked
"Jonny brought his bad high school attitude into the real world and well, long story short, it didn't go well for him. Leave it at that," Jack replied.
For a moment, Barkin looked somewhat intrigued. At least until Will decided to open his mouth. "Oh that is just like you, Hench! Seriously mom? What did you see in this guy?!" the boy demanded, gesturing at jack with both arms. "You know what? Forget it! I don't even wanna know."
Feeding off Will's animosity, Barkin's guard went right back up. "You rich boys. So useless! While I was out there fighting for my people and country, you were driving around in some flashy car picking up girls left and right, having a jolly good time! With other men's wives probably! Men who had more guts than you! What was it? Fake injury? Fake disease? Swallowed cotton ball?"
"Don't get pi... testy with me because I refused to fight some battle that never made a difference!" Jack retorted sharply. "Don't make me into the villain because I refused to go out onto some godforsaken battlefield and slaughter masses upon masses of young men and women because the government said jump! What did you accomplish out there, Barkin? What did you gain in pursuit of false ideals and imagined or perceived threats to freedom? A medal?Bragging rights? Governmental praise?! What did it get you in the end? A position as a school teacher, that's what!"
"And a position at Smarty Mart," Ron spoke up timidly.
"Oh it gets better and better. That was your thanks for putting your life on the line for a government that doesn't actually give a flying flip about you," Jack said.
"I made something of myself!" Barkin shot.
"I'm sorry, who's the one with billions?" Jack testily snapped. "Don't try blowing your own horn around me, Barkin. It won't work. You give me that 'higher than thou' crap? Save it!"
"You sell weapons to supervillains and cartels! A pimp on the streets could claim to be higher than thou! You could have been out there fighting for this country!" Barkin shot.
"Why would I waste a single breath on a country that's only ever cared about itself and its own glory and pride?" Jack replied. "Forcing their ideals on others, intruding in lands they're not wanted in for the sake of enforcing some sort of twisted ideal they can't even back up for themselves! They reward you for taking lives and call you a hero. That should tell you everything you need to know about them. And any other nation that does the same, for that matter. In fact, you know what? The world would probably be better off if some supervillain took it over!"
KP
Immediately gasps echoed through the onlookers, jaws dropping and eyes locking on the businessman. There was a stunned silence as Barkin tried to process what he'd just heard, staring at Jack in shock. "You-you've gone mad, man!" the teacher finally managed to blurt. "If this world falls to one of your 'clients' there'll be tyranny!"
"There'll be peace!" Jack snapped. Again there was a long silence, Jack's eyes flashing and Barkin looking shocked.
Betty stood up in concern. "Jack, maybe we should just…" she began.
"You call being under the rule of a supervillain peace?" Barkin demanded, cutting her off and causing her to gasp softly in surprise.
"Take a moment to think about it. The entire world united under one ruler. No one to fight against, no government to wage war against another, and no reason for children to go off to fight and die for something that ultimately won't even make a difference in the grand scheme of time. Sure, if the wrong villain gets the reins, maybe things will be bleak and miserable and static. Maybe it won't be a world worth living in, but it's not like the one we had before it was much better off! There'd be one single tyrant, one person to blame, and people would be united under one unified banner. If the whole world is under the same rule, everyone is put on an even playing field. You won't be able to turn a blind eye to the rest of the earth and lock yourself safely away in your protected little bubble, because you'll be suffering just the same as everyone else."
"What about freedom?!" Barkin demanded.
"You're not free, Stevie! Don't think for a second anyone is! If anybody thinks different, they're as delusional as the governments they serve!" Jack shouted. "Wars breaking out in one place after another with no visible end, famines and draughts, natural disasters and economic collapse, greed, short-sightedness, corrupt governments, mass murders, black and white thinking, need I go on? I'm not giving my life for a world that's dying around me. I see it coming. I'm faced with the absolute worst scum society has to offer every single day! I hate to break it to you, Barkin, but living in constant fear isn't freedom! Sometimes nothing is better than something."
"You warped, twisted little…" Barkin began.
"Little what?" Jack growled starting to stalk dangerously back and forth.
There was dead silence as the two men glared daggers at one another, eyes narrowed. "Um, what just happened here?" Monique tightly asked.
"Shh," Amelia said, shushing her.
"I'm not saying war is going to bring peace, I'm just…" Barkin began in a calmer tone. He trailed off. He wasn't sure what he was saying anymore.
"We're not here to discuss war, peace, and social dynamics. We're here to discuss the problem happening outside these walls right now. Going out to face the hoards, regardless of what we plan to do, will be a nightmare, but we can't, I repeat can't, race headlong into infected masses hoping for the best. We need a strategy," Jack said.
"We don't have time to strategize," Barkin argued. "We've got one shot at this. If we blow it, the world as we know it is doomed!"
"You know what? Fine! Go with your plan. But when the straggling survivors stumble back inside defeated and traumatized, you'll regret not listening to me," Jack warned.
"I say we should hear out Hench," Hego remarked. After all, the businessman had succeeded in bringing the crew this far it seemed.
"Mr. Hench isn't in charge anymore," Barkin replied. "I am."
"I never claimed to be in charge," Jack replied. Barkin could claim authority all he wanted now, he decided. Any and all losses that happened from this point forward would be on the teacher's head, and he would be accountable for every single one. Even if the losses weren't directly his fault. When you took on the role of a leader, you took on the role of a scapegoat. When things got bad, people always looked for someone to blame. It was just human nature. More often than not, that blame came back on the one in charge, and if they were any kind of decent leader, they took it on the nose instead of passing the buck.
"Shego, are we gonna die?" the Wego twins uncertainly asked their older sister, uncertain about all the dissension going around. Shego was quiet. She didn't know anymore. She honestly didn't know.