Author's notes: Work has been constant with the chapters' development. I'm currently writing the story's epilogue. It could honestly go longer, but it seems the story hasn't drawn much interest in the fandom. Not to say that the story is small by any means. It currently is sitting at around 100,000 words which will be a new record for me. It will also be the second story with a written ending which feels kind of nice. After that, my primary focus will go to the Ranma ½ fandom as I have plenty of unfinished stories there as well as a new one that I've been playing around with.
As for this story, I'd like to thank Omnisentinel, Digi-Girl101, and Acaykath for betaing the chapter. I know they are all really busy, but they still took the time to help me out by going over the story. It really helps to view chapters from another's point of view. Especially for me as going over and over the same thing just blinds me to things that would ordinarily be obvious.
I'd also like to thank CajunBear73, studyofchaos, and JPElles for reviewing the last chapter. As I mentioned, seeing the story from another's perspective is extremely helpful in development especially given how large the story is. It also helps to know people are interested in the story.
Drop in Reality
Chapter 4: Evil Squared
Shego gasped into consciousness, her hands clawing at her face only to find...nothing. Taking deep gulps of air, she examined her hands. Carefully she went over every part of her body only to find her standard jumpsuit. 'Was it all just a dream?'
"Finally awake, I see."
Shego spun around, finding Ron looking down at her.
"You tried to kill me!" Shego managed to croak out through her dry throat.
"Truly, Shego? Use that practical head of yours." Ron said, handing the woman a tall glass of water. Shaking fingers took the glass, pressing it against parched lips and inhaling it. Water trickled around the glass to splash on the ground as she greedily gulped. "Why would I come all this way, convince you to work for me, and then kill you just after you agree?" Ron asked, his finger's intertwined as he sat at her desk.
Shego breathed deeply, feeling alive again. Her mind went to the task at hand. "I suppose you're right. But if you weren't trying to kill me, just what did you do?"
"Exactly what I promised: placing you above Kim Possible."
Shego looked incredulous "…and the little matrix rehash was supposed to do this how?"
"That wasn't just some run-of-the-mill moss that covered you; it was your new suit."
Shego took a moment to look over herself, confirming her standard green and black jumpsuit. "Hate to tell you this kid, but this looks no different than what I was wearing much less Princess' super suit."
"Making a suit to match Kimberly's would be pointless. Mine is far superior."
"Still feels like this mythical suit is the emperor's new clothes; as far as I can see," Shego replied, lightly plucking at her jumpsuit.
"Think fast!" Ron's hand blurred, and Shego's own snaked out to catch whatever it was, only to duck as an explosion echoed through the small room. She coughed, waving away the smoke when she caught the faint outline of a green grid around her that slowly dissipated.
"Still think it's the emperor's new clothes?" Ron asked a smirk spread as he leaned back against the chair.
Shego stared at the space before her. A tentative hand slowly passed through the cloud of dust where the object exploded. "Wow, what was that?"
"The suit is powered by your cosmic abilities. Given the volatile nature of that energy, even defensive abilities are offensive. For instance, the force field didn't so much stop the object as explode it away. In addition, you have the perk that since you are the energy source, it never has to be removed. It is completely waterproof, multiplies your strength by ten, as well as a stealth ability that muffles sound and makes you invisible."
Shego raised a hand to her eyes lightly rubbing two fingers together to see if she could spot this 'suit' he was talking about. After choking the stuff down, she was pretty sure it was there at the very least. "I thought you said this was a step ahead; you pretty much described Kim's suit aside from being the battery."
"If you'd been listening, you'd know it does everything, but twice as effective. You'll also find that the shield can be adjusted to recreate your flame ability at any point within a meter of you. In addition," Ron trailed off going through his pockets. Shego had difficulty containing her glee at the thought that there was even more. She watched closely as he pulled a thin metallic item out. "…you will be able to fully use this."
Shego groaned, she had seen it before. She couldn't say how many long maddening nights had passed with nightmares of being Betty Crocker after that incident. "There is no way you're using that mind control chip on me," Shego growled, feeble green flames crackling in and out of existence around her body like fireflies.
"Please, if I wanted mindless drones, I would have built an army by now and for half the price. No, Drakken was onto an idea, but simply let it slip through his fingers."
"And what great idea was that?" Shego asked, her eyes never straying from it.
"This is a mind control chip that you control." The air grew heavy as Shego's eyebrows rose incredulously.
"You've got to be kidding me. Why would I want to use a mind control chip that I control? I already control my own body."
"Care to test it out?"
"No, I seriously do not..." Shego was too slow. Ron blurred before her eyes. She felt the touch of cold metal on her neck. Her hand reached behind her as the skin around it crawled, engulfing the chip and by the time her hand had reached the point, it was once again smooth skin.
"What the hell! Wait, I'm not hypnotized."
"Come on, Shego, follow the dotted line. If you can turn invisible because of the suit, it only makes sense that it is reflecting the image behind you. If it can be varied enough to do that, a less dramatic physical change is simplicity itself.
"What kind of change?"
Ron shook his head. "Seeing as a description is not working, we'll go by example. I've preset the chip to help demonstrate. Pamela Andrews"
Shego felt a chill go through her, closing her eyes tightly as her skin drew in on itself. After a long shiver, she opened her eyes and stared at him again.
"And what was that..." She stopped, bringing her hands to her throat as the high-pitched feminine voice came from her mouth. "What the..." Ron gestured to the oak full mirror behind her. When she turned, Shego looked in amazement as the long black hair had vanished. It was replaced by light blond curly locks reaching to her shoulders. She found piercing blue eyes replacing her standard black, not to mention that her suit had changed to a green-tinted summer dress.
"Do you see now? You can look like anyone."
"And if I can look like anyone and the mind control chip takes over to act like that person, I could be that person. There would be no mannerisms to give me away. It's the ultimate disguise," Shego responded, a smirk marring the petite features of her face.
"Finally, you see my point."
"How do I switch it over?" Shego asked, running her hand through her hair and finding it extremely smooth and silky. Even her clothes felt as if they were the finest silk.
"You simply have to call up the person's name in your mind and relax control of your body. The mind control chip will step in and act the part of the person starting from whatever point you have predetermined." Shego's eyes widened innocently as an exclamation came to her lips.
"Oh, good evening Mister Director. I am so sorry to intrude on you when you're at home. There has been a new development on the East Coast that needs your immediate attention." The wide-eyed look disappeared, replaced by a more common grin. "This, I could get used to. Is it limited to this secretary of yours?" Shego asked, possibilities running through her mind.
"No, you simply have to activate the learn function when you're around the person you want to imitate. It will take in all information and let you know when it has acquired enough to perform a mimic."
Shego shivered at the very thought. "Ok, boss boy, you've got both my interest and my services. After all, you've helped me out more in a couple of hours than the blue boy has since I met the lazy bastard. What's next?" Shego asked, her form slowly morphing into her original body and voice.
Ron smiled, "We have a lot to prepare. Kim Possible will start searching for me in three days. We'll head back to my lair to make preparations.
beep beep beep, beep beep.
The morning found a frazzled redhead flopped across a bed, her body twitching in time with the sounds intruding on her sleep.
"Ron, pick up the communicator, would you? My head's killing me." She groaned, the low sound pulsing a sharp throb of pain through her mind like tiny needles.
beep beep, beep beep,
Grunting, Kim's face lifted from the bed, her hand fumbling for the infernal noise. "Hello, Wade?" Kim asked, her nose curling before she threw the crusted sock away. With a grumble, her fingers continued to search along the side of her bed. Coming across another object, she felt to make sure it was metallic first before hitting the on button.
"Wade, can this wait? My head is killing me." Kim muttered, her eyes sealed shut before closing off the connection.
beep beep, beep beep.
Kim grunted in time with the beeping, her hands covering her ears. "All right already." She squinted, turning away from the searing light streaming through the window. Turning on the connection again, she barely made out the details of the boy genius staring back at her.
"Good god Kim, where have you been all this time?! I've been searching for you everywhere."
Kim stopped trying to open her eyes. "Shhh Wade, my head is killing me."
"Ah, sorry. Now, where have you been?" Wade asked in a lower tone.
"What do you mean? I've been in bed all night."
"Ok, what about the other seven?" Wade asked, his voice causing Kim to wince.
"What other seven?"
"Days, Kim, days. Where have you been for the past seven days?"
Kim awkwardly sat up, straining to open her eyes against the horrendous light.
"Look Wade, you're not making any sense. I've been home for the past seven days. For the past three, Ron has been following me around like a lost puppy so if you don't believe me why not ask him?"
"Unless you both came back at the same time, I can't, you guys just disappeared."
Kim squinted, straining to make out the corner Ron had been sleeping in. It looked like there was something there, but it wasn't quite Ron-shaped. 'Maybe he left early?'
"Ok Kim, let me spell it out, today is the twenty-ninth. You haven't been seen since the twenty-second when your Father saw you jump out the window. That's seven days."
Kim rubbed her temples, Wade's shout echoing in her skull. She finally managed to open her eyes enough to see somewhat. They shot open only to slam shut.
"What the heck happened to my room?" Kim winced at her own exclamation, but at least the noise was becoming more tolerable.
"You got me, but if you don't know then we've got a hit on the website that may help both our questions."
"Wade, I don't think this is the time to be worried about handling website sitches," Kim said, a sliver of annoyance coloring her voice as she sifted through the piles of name-brand clothes, ripped in half and strewn about like confetti.
"Even if the hit came from you?" Kim's hand froze over a pile of what used to be stuffing from one of her precious animals.
"Wait, I submitted it?"
"Yes, that's why I tried the Kimmunicator, I thought you may have come back."
"What did it say?"
"If you don't know, I wouldn't."
"At the moment I don't remember, but with this headache, I really can't be sure. If I did post something there should be some message."
Wade found himself facing two very red eyes as he backed away from the screen.
"Well, it's kind of encrypted with a message saying something weird like I'll know the passcode... Have you been drinking?" Wade asked incredulously.
"Wade, you know I don't drink," Kim asked annoyed, her brain trying to tease that cryptic message apart.
"Well according to the breath analyzer test I just took, you are."
"Focus Wade, one mystery at a time. I'm already confused."
"I'll say; if you weren't there to know what happened, who was?"
Kim stopped in her mission to find something halfway unshredded to wear. Something about Wade's statement sent shivers down her spine.
"Wade, this is going to sound strange, but I think Ron may have been right."
"About?" the boy genius asked with a raised eyebrow.
"He said I got hit by the beam and was completely different and wanted him to..."
"What Kim? Wanted Ron to what?"
"I think I know what the password is," Kim said with a sigh.
"Ok, what is it?" Wade asked, more than a little curious as the encryption was something he hadn't seen before.
"Zorpox." Wade's eyes widened. A lot of puzzle pieces appeared to click in place for the boy and from the way he frowned, he didn't like the picture they formed.
Wade quickly typed in the password. There was some blinking as the screen turned blank for a moment before a feed came through on the communicator.
Kim was almost unsurprised when she found her reflection wearing a skimpy purple party dress smirking back, beer cans and whisky were strewn about an unfamiliar room.
"Hello Kimmy, have a pleasant dream? I know I had a great time out on the town, and better yet, I don't have to deal with the hangover you're likely going through..."
Kim somehow felt that she was not going to like her evil self.
"Yes, it has been a great seven days and I bet you're just a little curious as to what is going on and why I'm talking to you." The other Kim grinned, taking a large swig of tequila. A twitch formed on Kim's brow.
"As you guessed, I've had Ron turn himself into Zorpox,"
The screen blurred replaced by the image of her room at night. Ron stood there shaking, his eyes focused on the crackling helmet in his hands. His breath was heavy; eyes tearing as he looked pleadingly into the camera. 'No, no naughty boy. Remember what will happen if you try.' Kim's heart broke as she watched the defeated look flow over her best friend/boyfriend's face, his trembling hands raising the device to himself.
'Mother, Father... please forgive me,' the boy whispered, a shaking finger touching the activation. His body convulsed under its light before he collapsed to the ground, laying still. Suddenly the picture switched back to the evil Kim. "Oh, wasn't that just a wonderful piece? And don't worry, he was as excellent as I had expected him to be.
"Before you pull out a pregnancy test, we didn't do anything... yet," Kim's visage said, licking her lips. "He gave me the excitement I'd been looking for even though he was unprepared. I can't wait to see what he pulls off now. Yup, that's right, I've given him these past seven days to prepare for us so that when we meet again…" The evil Kim trailed off, her lips turned up as she giggled.
"Anyway, you had best find him quick. Remember the last time he went evil, he had a machine that could control the world's weather in under four hours and tamed little Shego to boot. Now that he's had seven whole days, who knows what he's gotten up to? And, if you're thinking of tracking him," The evil Kim's hand raised. In its grasp something she hadn't seen in a very long time, a chip, dried blood smeared across it. "This won't help you much." With a slight twist of her thumb, the chip crumbled into tiny bits.
"Don't forget Kimmy, he has a head start and may have very well taken control of the world already." She examined her fingernails, a slight distasteful look crossing her features. "But don't worry, when you fail, I'll be there to clean up." The evil Kim's smirking face came closer to the camera before the feed shut off.
Kim groaned as she collapsed back onto her bed. "Wade, did you get all that?" The screen on her Kimmunicator flashed up. Wade was sitting with a rag across his forehead, the standard drink laying forgotten on the floor.
"Yeah, I've got to say, Kim, this is a problem. When the chip didn't come up with anything, I went through everything else I could think of to find you two. Until this morning, there wasn't so much as a peep. I thought you may have had some top-secret mission, or at least I had hoped it was only that."
"Stupid, stupid, stupid," Kim whispered, lightly slapping her forehead. "If I had only listened to Ron, we could have avoided this."
"Don't beat yourself up. There isn't anything you could have done to stop it."
Kim shook her head, "No, when we came back from Go tower, Ron warned me. He told me I had changed after being hit with the ray. He even told me what her plan was from the beginning, but I didn't even check it out."
"Not to intrude on the pity party, but if you were you and not her, why would you think something was wrong?" Wade asked.
"I should have anyway. When I woke up, everyone else was out so they couldn't have hit me with the ray again and it turned up missing to boot."
"Speaking of, how are you yourself again?" Wade shook his head. "I mean, if the ray wasn't around, how did you become normal?"
Kim sat up, eyes wide, "I... I don't know. It couldn't have been the ray because I had changed back and forced Ron to..." Kim's eyes teared as the look of terror in Ron flashed through her mind. She never wanted to see that, especially in Ron. The fact that she caused it…
"It must have been some kind of hypnosis, something that could be tripped by a keyword," Wade whispered, his head slightly tilted in deep thought.
"Hypnosis... wait, there are martial arts techniques that let you put yourself into a hypnotic trance. That must be what she did. But that means..."
"You're only a phrase away from reverting." Wade finished with a hint of fear in his voice. "I don't want to see that Kim out in the world again. No offense."
"None taken, I completely agree. The world doesn't need her around. But... without knowing the phrase, I couldn't do anything about it. Even hearing it to know what it was would revert me." Kim pinched the bridge of her nose, that headache making a comeback.
"So we're in a catch twenty-two," Wade mumbled, "Wait if we use the attitudinator again,"
"Wouldn't work, I'd just become her again without a trigger to turn me back. No, the only way is to diffuse the suggestion or bring her back and hit her with the device, and that second option, I'm none too willing to try."
"Agreed. For now, I'll look into finding some way to fix that problem. Next, what are we going to do about Ron?"
Kim lightly chewed her lower lip, her eyes grew distant.
"It isn't your fault Kim. If we're going to get Ron back, we both need our heads in the game," Wade said in a low soothing voice.
"You're right. We'll need to find him and have a way to turn him back when we do." Kim stood. With a plan, she could move forward. Just sitting around moping wasn't her style.
Wade's eyes grew wide as a crunch came from Kim's feet. "Ah, Kim, I think that was the device."
Kim looked down, her hand covering her mouth as she found the helmet all right, but in more pieces, than she had thought possible.
"Ah, Wade, any chance you could uh... fix this?" Kim asked, holding the Kimmunicator closer to the mess.
"No. When it was broken in half, that was one thing, but this, this is just a mess and there is no way of telling if it's all there. I'd bet she either hid or completely destroyed important parts, just to be on the safe side."
"Yeah, I can see myself being that thorough. Then we need a new one, Wade?" Kim whipped the Kimmunicator around, her expression was fierce.
"Whoa there, this thing isn't exactly simple. It was originally made by Henchco and then modified by Electronique, a certified electrical genius. I'll hack their system and do some checking to see what I can come up with."
"You rock Wade. Next, we need to find him," Kim's expression went white. "... he didn't already..."
"No, I'm pretty sure if he took over the world, I would have heard about it. Actually, things have been rather quiet recently. I have a program searching all security camera images for either you or Ron. Since you're back, I'll focus the search on him which should speed things up." Wade's voice came from the screen, accompanied by furious typing.
"Then I can..."
"Kimberly Ann Possible!" Kim sat bolt upright as the voice of her Father rolled over the room. She slowly turned around before being tackled to her bed, her face engulfed with red hair not her own.
"Oh, Kimmy we were so worried. Where have you been these last seven days? Wade couldn't find you and we've been panicked!" the hair lifted and blue eyes met green. "And what is that smell... Alcohol?"
Her Mom was suddenly replaced by the angry face of her Father, taking a sniff of her breath. "It is alcohol, Kimberly Ann..."
"Wait! I can explain, it wasn't me..."
"If it wasn't you, then how is there alcohol on your breath?"
"No, I mean I didn't drink it, it was my evil self."
"Evil self? Kim, you had us worried out of our minds, please don't go blaming things on an evil self like some three year..."
"No, it's really true, when we were helping Shego at Go tower, I was hit by the same beam as her and… and everything has gone horribly wrong." Kim turned her back on her parents, holding her hands over her eyes, a trail of tears slipping past. She still couldn't believe what she had done to her best friend.
Her parents looked at each other. For a rocket scientist and surgeon, they appeared completely baffled. The mother nodded in the direction of the door and Dr. Possible left quietly with a nod.
"Honey, I think we need to talk. I know that what happened must have been traumatic these past seven days, but we need to know what is going on or we can't help you."
The older Possible grunted as she found her favor returned tenfold, her daughter knocking her onto the bed, crying on her shoulder.
"That's just it Mom, I don't remember anything. I woke up this morning with a hangover only to find my life has continued without me and... and Ron..."
"What about Ron? We saw his sleeping bag that night, but he vanished too." Mrs. Possible whispered, slowly running her fingers through her distraught daughter's hair.
"I did it! I made him do it!"
"Do what?" Mrs. Possible lightly lifted her daughter's tear-stained face to meet her eyes.
"I forced him to use that device on himself and he looked so scared and, and..."
"Mrs. Possible, I'm sorry to intrude, but I think you may need to see this as well.
Mrs. Possible started at the unexpected voice but found that the Kimmunicator was flipped over on the bed.
"Ah, Wade, what do you have to show me?" She asked, picking up the device while her other hand continued to stroke Kim's hair. Kim huddled herself into her Mother's embrace and turned away as that video replayed itself.
Mrs. Possible's expression turned grim as she watched the footage. "Thank you, Wade. It isn't something I'd ever want to see happen, especially to either you or Ron." She sat Kim up and faced her properly on the bed.
"Kim, none of this is your fault..."
"But..."
"No buts. What's important now is that we find and return Ron as soon as possible. You already know that crying over what was won't help him, right?" She asked, her hand cupping Kim's cheek. The girl nodded. "I don't say it often, but I can't tell you how proud I am of you. I know you'll find a way to save Ron and bring him back to us," Mrs. Possible finished, bringing Kim in for a tight hug.
A determined light entered Kim's eyes as she hugged her Mother back, standing up afterward.
Mrs. Possible stood as well. "I'll talk to your Father and see if there is anything we can do to help."
Author's end notes: Another chapter done, nice. If anyone is concerned, Shego won't become an instant uber due to her new suit. Like anything, it will take time to adapt to the new powers and properly make them her own.
Let me know if you see any problems or see things that could be elaborated on. I'm always open to constructive criticism. After all, there is no way to improve if you don't understand what you're doing wrong in the first place.
I also appreciate hearing people's thoughts about the story and what is happening. As I mentioned in the beginning, they really help as I restructure the story to better fit the continuum. Reviews also let me know that people find the story interesting and that the effort placed into them is appreciated.
