Author's notes: Yup, it's been a long, long time since the last update. Unfortunately, work has been really busy. That in tandem with some heavy fleshing out of this chapter has caused a bit of a dislike for editing, making for even more delays. I'd like to thank mkdd00 from Deviant art for letting me use his 'Attitude Adjusted Kim' picture as the representation for this story. I'd also like to thank Cassibeth and Acaykath for reviewing the chapter and pointing out where things stopped making sense.
Past that, on with the show!
Drop in Reality
Chapter 7: Death's Door
Drakken grit his teeth, stifling the groan that ached to bubble up. His shoes squeaked, nearly sliding from under him as the gynoid leaned into his shoulder. First one tentative step, then another, he panted under the exertion, flinching whenever sparks snapped into life from fizzled circuits mere inches from his face. "I better be quick," he mumbled under his breath. With a small whoosh, the door closed behind them.
The hanger left behind was silent aside from the occasional groan from one of the various henchmen, some in heaps, others spread along the walls. Even the worst of them only sported angry black bruises that bloomed on their faces. For all appearances, there was no one conscious. If one were to listen carefully, they may have caught the subtle hiss of pained breathing. If they squinted and looked at just the right place, they may have even caught a distorted shimmer of light leaning back against one of the few stacks of crates not littered across the floor. That shimmer pulsed, the air going wild like heat vapor from a car on a hot day. Then, as if pulled from another reality, an arm appeared, followed by a torso covered in a white, bordering on honeydew, jumpsuit.
Shego clutched her side, her breathing ragged as her rebellious body stiffened against yet another wave of pain. She hesitantly removed her hand, releasing a strangled gasp as her wound became exposed, a red-smeared slash cutting across her abdomen from the bottom left near to her navel. Her eyelids snapped shut, replacing pressure while she forced her breathing to become even and measured. Sound was her enemy, and she could not afford to lose, not again. Crouching, she examined the exit Drakken had left through. She sat at the small gap between two crates, making sure there would be no double back by that abominable doll. He'd probably fix her, but Shego didn't care, as long as that… thing wasn't here right now. After several long minutes, Shego allowed herself to ease her muscles, almost letting a grunt of pain escape her lips. She was stronger than that. She was…
She shook her head to ward off the humiliating loss. Her eyes examined herself, noticing and then dismissing just how pale green her suit had become, not a hint of black was visible. Her focus settled on the jagged slash across her abdomen, blood leaking despite her hand's firm pressure.
"Got to get that taken care of," Shego whispered. Closing her eyes, she willed the suit to cover and stem the blood loss. A tiny hiss escaped from the area, opening her eyes, she found the suit shrivel like plastic above a fire, white ash falling away.
With a pained gulp, Shego stopped her efforts; the suit thankfully ceased shriveling. She staggered away, wrinkling her nose as she approached a heavy-set henchman out cold against an overturned crate.
"No helping it," she mumbled. She crouched, grabbing hold of the bottom of his shirt with her right hand, the left she used to cut up and around in a spiral. She used this start to unwind a length of fabric from the man's torso in a thin strip. Throughout the process, the man's heavy wheezing of pain-induced sleep never wavered. Once the impromptu bandage was long enough, she ripped the end away from the shirt. Standing, she clenched her teeth as she wrapped them around her waist, tightly covering the wound, and stimming her lifeblood from seeping away.
That task done, she forced her weary eyes to travel over the transport still warm from her recent use. "I have to get this going before the blue boy finishes up those repairs."
Shego limped away from the crates, climbing the rope ladder. Each rung took long precious seconds, and her legs felt like that of a newborn baby. By the time she reached the top, her breathing came in heavy rasps that only slowly settled. She leaned into the cockpit, her fingers flying over the controls, each as familiar as her own hand. With a final flick, the screen came alive with the image of the world. A tiny flashing dot happily chirped to mark her location. A new line formed, weaving its way across the country to settle itself on a new point in South America. Another happy chirp confirmed the destination, the engines roaring to life.
The cave entrance shuddered open, allowing the lumbering plane to exit and pick up velocity on its merry journey. Shego stood in the hanger, the only witness to its departure. With a pained twitch, she made her way to the side of the cavern, lightly tapping a non-descript section of the rocky face. To her left, the wall flipped open revealing one of the few things that Drakken had made specifically for her, her old hoverboard. Two large rockets mounted the back of the long surfboard-like body, a long green lightning bolt shooting down the middle. Her eyes flicked between it and the still open cavern. It was hardly intended to handle distance, but… she was running out of options. Every fiber of her knowing the plane was bugged. This way, at least, she knew no one would be following her and if she were lucky, they would be in for a nice long goose chase.
With a flip, the board came to life, hovering over the ground. Shego's arms moved like lead as they laboriously settled herself onto it, her usual grace escaping her like vapor in the air. She slowly lowered herself to lay flat, but her arms failed midway, flopping down hard. The sudden impact jarred her wound causing a gasp to escape her lips. Fighting through the pain, she clasped the board around the middle. With a tap, another console flipped open. Its miniature version of the plane's navigation system lets off several happy chirps under her fingers before setting off on its journey. Shego tightened her grip as the board accelerated; her teeth clenched as another surge of pain shot through her side. The cooling night air rushed over her, leaving her chilled. Her eyes almost closed then, oh how she wanted to release herself into the beckoning darkness. If she did, she knew she would never wake.
The nightlife of the city spread out below her. Lights as far as the eye could see, filled with cars honking and the general murmur of its citizens taking advantage of the time to live it up.
It had been a long, long trip; longer than she had ever known. Each bump of turbulence made her want to vomit whatever was left of her last meal. But she was finally here. Her board followed her instructions to the letter, landing on the top floor of a skeletal building strung together by a myriad of steel beams and bolts. At its core resided the only functional piece of equipment. A shabby elevator was used by the construction crew. Shego's teeth ground together as she gingerly slid off the board. With her weight gone, the transport lost its life, dropping to the ground with a thud. Through force of will, Shego dragged the dead weight behind her forming a thin tendril connecting her to the here and now. As she approached, the elevator opened.
She stumbled inside against the far wall with a thump; the whole room spun wildly around her. Several long minutes passed before the sense of vertigo lifted and she was able to turn her attention to the grime-covered panel with eight well used buttons. Currently the seventh was depressed. She lightly tapped 1,6,2,5,5, and 6 in close succession causing the door to slide shut.
Her stomach nearly did lose her lunch as the elevator rocked to life, laboriously shuddering for every inch it descended. A small click marked each floor as it passed by, six, five, four, three, two, one. As soon as the last vestiges of artificial city light disappeared, a change occurred, the creaking and shuddering of the elevator ceased as if it ran along the smoothest of silk. Still, the elevator descended, and the same click sounded as floor after floor. After each, it went faster and faster until the sound of clicks became a toneless blur.
Shego nearly collapsed as the elevator stopped, a small ding announcing her arrival. The tattered doors opened smoothly to reveal a small metallic room no bigger than a bathroom stall. On the ceiling facing her sat a small camera, a little red light flashing as it focused on her. She glanced at it even as her attention traced the outline of a single door that lay below it. She chuckled at the thought of anyone stupid enough to use that door without permission.
While her attention was elsewhere, the camera's little red light flashed. A broad red beam swept across the entire room. As soon as it finished, the light extinguished itself with a positive chirp. The elevator doors snapped shut, and the ones before her slid smoothly open to reveal a hallway beyond.
As soon as Shego cleared the entrance, the board slipped through her fingers to clatter against the floor. She made better use of the hand to steady herself against the cool black marble that made up the corridor's sides. One foot trailed after the other as she hobbled along. The whole ceiling illuminated a brilliant yellow as she approached just as they dimmed to darkness behind her. She passed many doors, some held booby traps for any unwary intruder. She had been very certain to memorize all of them for some were less than pleasant.
Such facts trailed on the edge of her consciousness as she approached one particular unassuming door.
It had a simple knob which she pulled then pushed instead of turning and it quietly popped open for her. Before her was a large room the size of a high school auditorium filled with various pieces of equipment, some flashing in random designs that only their creator understood. Indeed, she spotted him bent over a table with no less than six bright lights focused on a metallic cylinder with angry snaps coming up from a soldering iron as they touched the surface. She noticed that he wore something similar to his pre-transformation mission gear, a set of cargo pants with a black top.
She approached loudly, knocking over items she knew were non-breakable or explosive. It was only after the fourth such loud clatter that the expression on his face slowly drew back, his head coming up. She had seen it before; his attention shifted over the room, slowly settling on her, taking her in as if trying to place a random thread in an enormous tapestry. With an almost audible snap, his eyes fully focused. He silently looked her up and down, taking in her state with professional precision.
"You ran into some difficulties." It wasn't a question, and Shego didn't feel like explaining.
"Something like that, I'm going to need some help bandaging this up." Shego indicated her side where a nasty gnash was covered by the haphazard field dressing.
"That won't be necessary," he replied flippantly, turning off the tool and setting it aside.
Shego had spent the last six hours holding on for dear life in the worst pain she could ever remember, she was not in any mood to deal with his attitude.
"Listen here, Boss Boy," he flinched at the pet nickname she had chosen for him. "I need some serious medical attention or this is going to become infected if it isn't already." Shego winced as her outburst ruptured the wound, staining the cloth a new shade of red.
Ron's expression didn't change, his eyes slowly following a trail of blood that escaped the bandage before meeting her own. "Do not take me for a fool, Shego. I knew you would be hurt at some point. I built the suit with an automatic healing function; it will take care of that."
"I hate to say it, Sherlock, but it's been hours and it's only gotten worse," Shego responded, forcing down her rage.
"Of course it has, the regeneration will only activate once you are at rest otherwise its... effects... would become a distraction during a fight that you could ill afford. I would highly suggest eating a lot and getting to sleep very soon. The longer you wait, the worse it will be."
Shego's head pounded; red flecks flickered across her vision before she toppled. The unforgiving concrete never welcomed her. Her eyes opened as she felt a light slap across the cheek. He was there, his face a mask of professional detachment hovering above her.
'Was that a flash of concern?' She nearly shook her head as she realized that his arms were supporting her. How had he gone over ten meters to catch her? She couldn't guess but was immensely thankful.
"It would be a very bad idea to go to sleep without eating first," he admonished lightly. "If you do, the suit may very well eat you alive. I can ill afford such a thing." She barely made out his voice, it sounded so distant as if drifting away. She felt her body lift bridal style as he moved her. Time stopped having meaning by this point as flashes of walls passed by and the squeal of electric doors opened.
The next concrete sensation was something cool pressed against her lips. Her eyes fluttered to see a small piece of bread held before her. She took the piece in her mouth. The sensation of food seemed to wake every fiber of her being. Her nostrils flared as the sense went into overdrive.
Meat.
Her mouth watered as it had never before. She wanted… no she needed it! She weakly squirmed in his grasp, trying to turn towards the delicacies that must be just out of sight. His other hand lightly restrained her feeble efforts. There was no force and yet her frantic struggle remained fruitless.
"Not yet. Eat this first." The requirement given, Shego chewed through one bread crust after another.
When the last crumb disappeared, her eyes swiveled as far as they could to just barely make out what she wanted. An array of meats lay on the table, a whole turkey, steaming ham, and others she couldn't quite turn far enough to make out. Her eyes went to his, not quite begging, but coming close. As promised, he picked up several slices of ham, its smell intoxicating, her mouth salivated as its heavenly aroma approached. Her hands found new life as they snatched four pieces, stuffing them into her mouth. Her hand reached for more but was stopped by his light grip on her wrist. She wanted to scream in frustration but realized there simply was no more room. She chewed just enough to swallow. When no trace remained, his grip disappeared and the precious meat was inhaled once again. Several sessions of chewing followed and even as they did, she felt warmth radiate out from her navel, spreading pleasantly.
After the devoured ham, came the turkey, smothered in rich brown gravy, then long strips of beef cut into small bites. She had no idea where it all came from or where it went, she just needed more. When every last morsel was gone, her eyelids drooped, rising only to fall again. Another light slap to the cheek brought her treasonous eyes up to meet his for a moment before they dropped again.
She felt a light pressure from below, but her mind was in the clouds, a pleasant feeling she had never had before as if she was detached from the wound that had caused her so much pain. There may have been motion, and there may have been more doors opening and shutting, but she didn't care. Her head was filled with cotton candy bliss. She felt another shift as something light supported her whole back. A flutter of her eyes confirmed contentedly that she now rested on her bed. Her head turned, seeing him stand in the doorframe facing her, his expression one she had never seen before, almost concerned. "I do not envy you this night, but I promise, if you live through it, you will feel better."
His words were only half-heard as the fluffy feeling seemed to swaddle her mind. With a last click, the door closed, its light source disappearing and Shego was alone.
Some small portion of her mind realized she had made it. Once again, she had defied the odds and come through alive. If Ron was right, she would be healed quickly. For the first time in over a quarter day, Shego allowed her tensed muscles to relax. One by one, her entire body attained a state of repose. Just as with all the other muscles, her eyelids accepted defeat. All thoughts of the meaning behind his parting words were lost in a sea of tranquility.
No sooner had they shut when her eyelids snapped open. The fuzzy feeling had vanished and her joints locked on their own. They refused to respond to her no matter how hard she commanded them. One by one, her limbs started to vibrate. It was slow at first, barely even recognizable. It almost felt like a whole-body twitch that became greater every second. Just before she felt like her body would surely shatter from the spasms, the motion stopped. There was no sense of relief as the sensation was replaced by white-hot searing needles stabbing into her wound. Slowly they spread out, every inch of her body pierced by sharp lengths of molten steel. She wanted to yell, she wanted to scream, she wanted to get away, but her muscles refused. Just as the last needle seemed to go straight through her heart, things somehow got worse.
If her body allowed, the shriek she would have uttered would have broken rock as her very skin stripped off of her left arm, hovering in the air, her muscled skeleton laid bare. Her eyes followed the skin's unearthly flight pleading for its return.
To her horror, fire streaked through her body and the rest of her skin slowly curled away, joining its forerunner in the air to form a parody of a human, eyeless holes looking down at her. It seemed to smile before the face dropped down onto her own. Her sight was barely interrupted as she watched in horror as segments of skin slammed onto their counterpart, snaking around her flaming muscles, stretching and tightening like an anaconda. Every twitch, every vibration radiated through her mind as she pleaded deliriously for unconsciousness to take her. The needles returned with a vengeance, sewing individual pieces of skin together before her eyes.
"That is such a good look for you." Shego would have gasped, jumped away, anything as from the inky blackness appeared Kim Possible herself. That smirk, those hard eyes, she recognized them from their brief encounter after the attitudinator. It was the unKim. The girl walked up, revealing she wore her standard mission gear. She lightly sat down on the bed, leering at the withering exposed skin. "Oh, yes, this looks like so much fun," Kim said, her fingertip caressing the flesh sending a new torrent of pain to throb from the touch.
"What was that? More?" Kim asked, her right hand rising into the air.
Shego cringed as the hand slashed, racing towards her exposed stomach, but the expected impact never arrived. Her breathing came deep as she found the limb had stopped, another hand restraining it around the wrist, mere inches away from contact. The other arm appeared disembodied but slowly resolved. If it were possible, her eyes would have widened further as another Kim Possible appeared.
"Now don't be too rough with her, I want my chance after everything she's done to me," the normal Kim said while wearing a... cheerleader uniform?
"Oh, Miss Goody Two-Shoes makes an appearance. Well, if you really want to talk to her, be my guest," The unKim stood, smirking behind her doppelganger as her hand lightly stroked Shego's leg, electricity shot across her synapses at the touch, and just as quickly the unKim melted into the darkness.
The regular Kim stood above her, looking at her, not saying a word as she stared into Shego's eyes accusingly. "You took him away from me," she whispered. "If it wasn't for you, my Ron would be where he belongs; with me. You should have kept your nose out and stayed with that piece of trash Drakken." Kim shook her head slowly. "But not Shego. No, you had to jump in on that electro villain's side, to start this whole mess."
"Yes Shego, you should have stayed with me." Again, a figure appeared, his scared blue face all too familiar. "If you had, I would not be forced to take such drastic measures, for you see, there is no one to open my pickle jars," He said, the infernal object in his left hand. "It was your lot in life to open them and without purpose, you simply don't deserve to exist," the blue man said, shaking his head. "That is the reason that you are now helpless. I shall take the opportunity to make you disappear as surely as your purpose." From behind his back, he pulled a large gun. It emitted a high-pitched squeal as it charged, its brightening tip pointing at her thunderously beating heart. Her eyes flicked to the 'good' Kim only to find that accusing glare.
She could almost see his trigger finger squeeze, just a little more and...
"Stop." The voice echoed through the darkness, causing ripples along its smooth surface. The voice was light yet commanding. It seemed to work as the finger left the trigger, the man holding it frozen in place, horror written across his blue face.
Two hands resolved themselves behind Kim and Drakken, lightly grasping their respective shoulders. The hands retreated; their unresisting captives flowed back into the darkness where they once again swirled into nothingness. Those hands reappeared, followed by a mop of unruly yellow hair and familiar freckles, his face drained of any emotion, those eyes calculating as they gazed down at her.
He bent down, out of her range of vision, next to her ear. "We have a bargain." The words were low and sent a small shiver through her body. "I promised that you would become strong, stronger than even Kim Possible." His hand reached up to cup her cheek. She wanted to recoil, but it made contact. Her eyes widened at the sensation of his cool hand. There was no pain only a coolness that radiated from the light touch, pacifying the agonizing flesh to leave only a dull throb. "Until that time comes…" Shego nearly melted against the hand and the relief it promised. "…You. Are. Mine." He whispered.
As fast as it started, every pin stabbing through her evaporated. Shego sat up screaming. Her chest heaved in time with her madly hammering heart, sweat dripping down her face. Her eyes darted across the room only to find… no one. There was no Ron, Drakken or twin Kims.
Her breathing only slowly came under control. She lowered her eyes to her translucent nightgown. She swallowed before pulling the covers away. Her eyes grew wide when they met her pale green skin. There was no sign of the crisscrossing aberration from moments ago. She tentatively touched where her various wounds had been only to find smooth unscarred skin.
"It...it was a dream?" Shego was surprised at the gravelly voice, her throat cracked with every word.
She blinked as she lifted her hand, feeling her cheek. It still felt cool.
Shaking her head, Shego stood up on wobbly legs. Her arms flailed before she found herself right back where she started. With a grimace, she forced her body to obey. One tentative step led to another, her focus solely on taking each without falling. Her eyes strayed to the quivery legs with a sneer.
"Weakness," she growled just as she toppled against the nearest wall, panting as if she were an out-of-shape slob. Her fingers curled into fists shaking for a completely different reason than the soreness that suffused them.
Her fists slammed against the wall, and shoving herself away, she walked at a fast clip through the automatic door of her room. One step became ten even as her breathing came in gasps. Twenty more and the world was spinning, the hallway filled with specks of red even as it tilted wildly. With a final huff, she toppled to the ground. She lay there gasping, eyes squeezed shut. "I'm…not…this… weak." She choked out. "Not like back then," her eyes went distant to unwanted memories.
A dry raspy cough brought her back. "Water," she whispered. Her eyes focused, finding she had somehow made it to the kitchen, the sink just a few feet in front of her. She crawled on her stomach, using a nearby chair to set herself upright. She slammed the faucets on, taking a long drag, sputtering as she was forced to release the life-giving fluid in exchange for air. She leaned against the counter. She could almost feel the refreshing fluid coursing through her, bringing life back to her sore body.
As she rested, her nose twitched. Another twitch brought her eyes around, locking onto a large pot on the stove. Shuffling over, she lifted it to find a stew happily bubbling. The mere sight brought growls from below. Hot or not, the stew was finished in a flash. A small satisfied smile spread as the food settled. She almost felt human, her strength returning quickly.
Shego took a moment to pluck at her nightgown. With a brief snap of concentration, it transformed into her standard jumpsuit. Its color faded, but a satisfied smile settled as she noticed it became a more vibrant green by the moment.
Her appetite sated, Shego meandered out into the hall, her legs taking her with ever more power.
When she reached the room that usually held her boss, the door swung open and she double-blinked in surprise. All the various equipment had disappeared. In its place was a large white room, it was so white that it hurt her eyes to look at any point even though there was no apparent source. It seemed to emanate from the wall itself.
She meandered through the door, head on a swivel. Something about the room ticking at her senses as not right. Drawing closer to one wall, she noticed there were no edges or grooves. The whole room looked as if it was carved out of a single impossibly large block of white marble
Shaking her head at the oddity, she continued to walk in the cavernous room, blinking when her eyes came across something other than endless white. A speck of black near the far corner. Coming closer, she found a scene that she could almost describe as adorable.
Ron Stoppable was stooped over on his side, small snores escaping his lips. The acetylene torch burning a nice cheery blue a few feet from his face did make it a little disturbing.
Shego leaned over him, turning it off. From her new vantage, she noticed a section of the white stone that seemed to be flipped in, previously hidden by Ron's body. She shifted forward a little curious. Within was a multitude of flickering lights flashing randomly. 'Well, at least the room didn't mysteriously change to marble,' Shego thought with a shrug.
A particularly loud snore drew her attention to the boy. She watched his chest rise and fall, his face completely relaxed for the first time since they had joined forces. 'So innocent…so fragile…so… so…. weak.' She shook her head. The boy was anything but weak. In these scant few weeks, he had made millions. Not by robbing banks. No, the company he set up was flooding with business. Leaders from around the world fall over themselves in hopes of contracting his impossible services.
No, they both did this. With his mind and their abilities, they were unstoppable. Her thoughts flashed through scenes of the two working fluidly, him disrupting security cameras while she made the smallest tap into the back of one of the many computers. They stole not a cent that day, nor left a trace of their tampering. There was no destruction. They were there to neither steal nor destroy, but to hack. Not any old computer, but one of the largest supercomputer mainframes in existence. She double-blinked as she found her finger shifting his hair away from his sleeping face. It jerked back as if scolded.
He groaned at the sudden movement, his eyes slowly opening.
Her lips thinned as she thought about what the boy had given her. Power. She had stood toe to toe with a super-fast android. Something she could never have hoped to accomplish in the past.
She knew full well that if it hadn't been for this... boy... she would have died. She owed him.
His pupils focused on her, scrunching in confusion. Even her trained eyes almost missed it as he jumped into an attack stance, one arm positioned to block, the other chambered to strike. They stayed only a moment before relaxing at his side. "Ah, Shego. It looks like you finally healed," he said, recognition crossing his face.
"Yeah… Wait, how long was I out?" Shego asked.
Ron shrugged, "About a week, fortunately, there haven't been any significant developments since then. Actually, your timing couldn't be better," he said, ducking down to examine the little opening he had been holed up against. His eyes scanned it critically before nodding. He flipped it down where the edges congealed seamlessly with their neighbors.
Standing, he returned his attention to her. "I've just finished this room to help train you in your abilities." He continued before the little twitch of distaste crossing her lips could lead to any disagreement. "I had hoped you would have more time to develop them naturally, but with the appearance of them, the timetable has been stepped up."
Shego blinked as the wall behind him flashed from its pure white to a scene she had hoped to forget. It was Drakken's lair. Her image was crouched, a fierce flood of power shifting around her. Snaps of energy arced away, lapping at the ground. An android running full tilt towards her. Just as fast as it appeared, the vision vanished.
"What was…" Shego's question was interrupted by a raised finger.
His features became neutral as he tilted his head to examine her. She felt nervous. Whatever that was, it meant he knew of her screw-up. Now for the lecture. Whenever something went wrong, Drakken was always there to lecture her. The seconds stretched as, for some reason, his silence wove its way through her stomach, a sick feeling rising in her chest.
"I can…"
Again, she was cut off by a gesture.
"You are one of the best in the world. But there are others. A moment of hesitation and you are done. I will not give them that chance. We'll need to step up your training."
"What?" Shego looked over the enormous room again. It must have been as large as a football stadium and nearly as high. Quite an accomplishment given it used to be only a fraction of the size. "Why would you do all this for me?" She whispered to herself. Drakken prattled on and on when there was a failure, but he never lifted a finger to help much less all this.
But Ron. He worked non-stop, judging by the circles under his eyes, for a week. All that for her…
Shego started when she felt his hand rest on her shoulder, his eyes staring into hers. "Our enemies grow in number and strength by the day. Anything in my power, I will do so that when the day we face them comes, all they will find is crushing defeat." His chocolate brown eyes were intense as they seemed to delve into her soul.
Shego's heart pounded under that intense gaze. Each of his words was etched into her mind. 'A partner. That's what I am to him, isn't it? A real honest to god partner. Not some backstab at the first convenience alliance. No, he's giving me his everything. And I'll,' Shego's expression firmed as she nodded back. 'I'll do the same.'
Ron nodded in turn, stepping away. "Now, we have to get started." The boy ducked down to pick up the discarded torch. When he righted himself, he motioned for her to stay as he walked away.
Shego watched him go, many unfamiliar emotions welling up.
'I guess this is what Kimmy must feel like,' crossed her mind unbidden.
Ron approached another wall where a door slid to the side, revealing a small room filled with screens, many focused on herself. The door slid back into place once he entered, with no trace of its existence.
"I've analyzed your wounds and what was recorded from the bug you planted. From them, I can infer that the battle was greatly decided based on your energy consumption. We'll therefore begin at this stage."
Shego looked around at the booming voice that echoed from the walls.
"And just how are we going to do that, Boss Boy?" Shego smiled, feeling comfortable with the nickname.
"You need to integrate your senses with the suit's abilities and use them to create singular points of force to stop projectiles. That should greatly reduce energy consumption. Are you ready?"
Shego nodded her assent.
She got down into a loose stance, allowing a little energy to gather into her hands. Projectile meant it would likely be a small ball. She could stop one of those easy with her hands if all else failed.
A small pop was her only warning. Shego stumbled, and pain flared on her left hip even as her hands covered it. She noticed something twirling around at her feet. Stooping, she picked up the object, analyzing it for a moment before anger rose.
"You're friggen shooting rubber bullets at me?" Shego demanded, her voice rising. "How the hell do you think I'll be able to stop these things?" She exclaimed, throwing it at the ground to bounce away.
"We have no time for kid's gloves and any real-life application requires at least this level. If you believe it too easy, I can certainly use live ammunition."
Shego shuddered; the boy wasn't joking, he really would. Shego didn't much like firearms, they were for wimps. Stay away from the point of a gun, dance around it, and a few moves later, the weapon was gone and the wimp wielding it was a stuttering buffoon incredulously looking at their bygone protection.
"Focus Shego, do not think of the bullets, find your center and extend your senses. As a martial artist, they will understand what is happening faster than you can."
"Easy for you to say, you're not about to be pelted," Shego muttered under her breath. She retook her stance. She would become stronger. And when they were ready, there would be a reckoning.
Thunk, Shego grunted as another bullet hit her other side. 'That is if I manage to survive this.'
Author's end Notes: I like how this chapter turned out. The slow, more detailed perspective worked fairly well with how I would imagine someone injured would perceive things. I also like the dream sequence. It was very fluid and frightening, but at no time does it feel like it wasn't really happening until people started popping out. I think Shego's weakened perspective, especially when she starts to lose consciousness, came out fairly well too.
I've been reviewing the next chapter and it's probably going to be a while before it comes out. Although it's technically done, it's not nearly as well fleshed out which takes a whole lot of time.
Thank you for taking the time to look through this chapter. If you have a few more minutes, leave a review about what you think or even errors you found, I know those buggers are still in there somewhere. Aside from that, it's off to the next chapter.
