Boilerplate Disclaimer: The various characters from Kim Possible are owned by Disney the great and powerful. Any and all registered trade names are property of their respective owners. Cheap shots at celebrities constitute fair usage.

Don Henley is best known for his work with The Eagles. His most successful solo work was Dirty Laundry, 1982. I had originally meant to put more on the media's reporting into the chapter.

I make my livin' off the evenin' news
Just give me somethin', somethin' I can use
People love it when you lose
They love dirty laundry

Dirty Little Secrets, Dirty Little Lies

After the examination of the crime scene Kim and Shego slept well. The next morning Shego turned the television to NBC for news and weather as she worked in the kitchen when she heard the robbery mentioned. Turning off the stove she hurried to the set only to see pictures of Edith, herself, and Kim on the screen. "Last night the police examined the scene of yesterday's robbery with Edith Eichmann, former Olympic fencer and criminal who has just finished her sentence; Sierra Knight, formerly known as Shego who has also served time in prison; and Kim Possible, the young woman who put Shego behind bars and is currently a first year law school. The discussion here on Channel 10 is whether the police actually have a plan in place or are wildly desperate. My personal thought–"

Shego picked up the remote and hit 'off'. "Shit."

"Wha?" Kim called from the bedroom where she was getting dressed.

"I've been outed. Hope I don't lose my job."

"Outed?"

"As a criminal."

"You said Coach Miller wasn't worried about that."

"Coach Miller wasn't worried about anything. He wanted help. I hope he doesn't get his ass fired for sticking his neck out for me."

In another Boston apartment Imari Pérez had not slept well. Even though she was not officially in charge, and hadn't wanted to hire Eve in the first place, she would be taking the blame if anything went wrong.

She had the television set on NBC for news and weather. There wouldn't be anything new about Camille Leon or the robbery or she would have been contacted overnight. Pictures went up of the team investigating the scene of the robbery and an empty-headed anchor intoned, "Last night the police examined the scene of yesterday's robbery with Edith Eichmann, former Olympic fencer and criminal who has just finished her sentence; Sierra Knight, formerly known as Shego who has also served time in prison; and Kim Possible, the young woman who put Shego behind bars and is currently a first year law school. The discussion here on Channel 10 is whether the police actually have a plan in place or are wildly desperate. My personal thought is desperate. The police are clearly in over their heads if they're bringing in convicted felons to–"

Imari turned off the television "Shit."

Five second later her telephone rang and the officer knew, without even looking at caller ID, that it would be a superior officer.

In a Boston motel room, with a police officer posted in the hall outside. Edith Eichmann enjoyed the best night's sleep she'd had in years, with no prison schedule to keep she didn't wake up in time for the news broadcast. It wouldn't have mattered to her. She might even have taken some satisfaction in the police being embarrassed.

Eventually there was a knock on the door, "Eve? You up? Imari here, I need to take you to the lab to do your analysis."

Most of the work in the police lab stopped as Eve began her analysis. Not that it was necessary to stop the other work, but the men in the lab wanted to stare at the gorgeous woman. Their persistent offers of, "Anything I can do to help you?" were annoying, but other than giving her directions on where equipment was kept in the lab they were all useless in terms of the actual help they could provide. They were all competent scientists and/or technicians in their own areas, but had no clue what the tall woman was doing. And, to be perfectly honest, Eve was not entirely certain either about how to confirm, or invalidate, her hypothesis.

One of the conditions of Eve working with the Boston police was the assurance there would always be a police officer nearby. Imari had been willing to discard the idea of handcuffs, but agreed having an officer watching the felon was a good idea. After seeing the tall blonde's picture on television, or watching her walk through the lab, there was no shortage of volunteers for the onerous duty of staying close to her.

As the blonde worked in the lab Officer Pérez was called on the carpet in her Captain's office. "Why in the hell did you bring in a convict?"

"Ah, actually, Sir, it was your idea."

"My idea? It was in your report."

"My report did not recommend hiring her. I said she had been recommended for the job as someone who might be able to help us analyze the MIT theft. I did not suggest we should; I even pointed out that she was still in prison – which I assumed would make her ineligible for consideration."

"Then you should have left it out of your report!" he snapped.

"I should leave things out of my reports?"

"If they're not useful!"

"Ah, how do I know what information is useful and which should be left out?"

He changed the subject, "And why did you have those other two women along? That is hardly proper police procedure."

"There is a chance the robbery is tied in with both the MIT theft by Camille Leon we originally wanted Ms Eichmann for. Ms. Eichmann insisted on Ms. Knight coming along to assist her – apparently they know each other – and Ms Possible has experience with Camille Leon." Pérez decided that the fighting between Shego and Eve was one of those things that should be kept out of a report.

"It was inappropriate."

"I thought we needed Ms. Eichmann's help, that was why you asked her–"

"You will stop saying that."

"But–"

"No. She's here now. Let's not worry about the past. Now that we've got her, does she understand the MIT theft? Does she know why anyone would want to steal Professor Haber's research? Is there any tie-in with that and the robbery or Camille Leon?"

"She appears very competent. She understood the implications of Haber's research and thought it could be tied in whatever destroyed the wall. She thinks the research had potential for some sort of destructive weapon. She's in the lab now hoping for confirmation."

"Great," grumbled the Captain in a tone of voice that clearly indicated something was far from great. "We'll need a press conference this afternoon. Keep me informed and, your reports?"

"Yes?"

"I applaud your thoroughness. Add more of your own commentary for clarity."

At the start of each class Kim was asked about her work with the police, and said she was not free to say anything. George took that to mean she was not free to tell anyone else, but, since he had been the person she asked the police to call, he should be allowed to hear the details. George had always been annoying. That, at least, had not changed.

The Athletic Department held their press conference at 10:30.

The Athletic Director had the lights on him and the microphones in his face. Behind him, to his right stood Coach Miller and to his left was Shego. The AD fielded several questions as to whether there were plans to fire Coach Knight. His answers were repetitions on the theme of, "She is doing the job she was hired to do – and doing it well." Did he know that the department had hired a convicted felon? "Yes, I had been made aware of that fact at the time Ms. Knight was considered for a coaching position. She had served her time and we don't believe in punishing anyone more than required by law. She was hired for her qualifications." He wasn't sure if Coach Miller had informed him of all the details of Shego's felony conviction, or how recently she had gotten out of prison, but thought showing a united front was important. It also allowed him a segue. "And now, I'll let you ask Coach Miller any questions you might have for him."

Coach Miller assured the media that Coach Knight was an asset for the program and, "Coach Dare is considering asking her to help with some other sports. As to why Coach Knight was with the police yesterday, I'll let her answer that," and handed the mike over.

Shego glared at him. "As has been stated, I was hired to because the program thought I had something to offer the program. I'm grateful for the opportunity and the fact that was more important to them than my recent history. I am doing my best, but will resign if requested. I don't think I'd be allowed to say anything about what the police are doing, even if I knew. I had recommended a brilliant scientist–"

"–and world class fencer," Coach Miller added.

"–to the police as someone who might be able to help them in an investigation. She asked me to come along and the police allowed it."

"Does she know what caused the wall to fall apart?"

"I've already said I wouldn't say anything on that, even if I knew. Which I don't. Hopefully the police will have their own press conference."

In the Court House Judge Davis sighed happily and smiled. His name had not been mentioned. He had done nothing illegal or improper in expediting Shego's change of name request, but sometimes the public was less informed about the law than was healthy in a democracy and might misunderstand his decision.

At the end of press conference the Athletic Director invited Shego and Coach Miller to his office. He closed and locked the door and unlocked the bottom drawer of his file cabinet. Taking out a bottle he poured a generous shot into each of three paper cups and handed them out. "It's just here to celebrate a really big win," he assured them, "or to take away a little sting after a really big loss."

Shego took a sip, "Was this a win or a loss. I said I'd resign if requested. Would it be easier for you?"

"Hell no. At least if you don't fuck up. I think we came out sounding good." He looked at Coach Miller, "What did you think?"

"You were brilliant!"

"You don't need to suck up. You're doing fine." He turned back to Shego, "Most fans don't care much about anything but football and basketball – and we don't set the world on fire in either. A little publicity for some of our other programs – especially those we do well in – could be nice."

After lunch Imari met with Eve. "I'm pretty sure the wall disintegration is tied with the MIT theft."

The brown officer chewed her lip nervously. "Can you do better than pretty sure? I've got my Captain breathing down my neck."

"Look, I am a genius, but resonance frequencies are not my area of specialty. You weren't sure what the research robbery was about. I figured that out for sure. You wondered it if would tie in the destruction of the wall. The samples I took show the silicate molecules in wall have been shattered. Silicate was a large part of the structure integrity of the wall. An explosion would not just take out the silicates, nor would acid. Best guess? Harmonic vibrations set to the shatter the silicates and without them the wall crumbled. I can't give you one hundred percent certainty with what I have to work with."

"Sorry, what you have sounds great. I'm grateful. I'm just under a lot of pressure... Thanks. Where do we go from here?"

"You tell me. I've done my job."

"Think another meeting with Kim and Shego could help?"

The blonde raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Help? I can't imagine Shego being... Well, it couldn't hurt."

"I've been saddled with being in charge of this. I'm in over my head. You're great – and those two have helped. I'd like another brainstorming session."

"A restaurant. Doesn't have to be expensive – but I want a nice steak."

"A steak house? You are technically a prisoner! You don't choose–"

"I think better with a good meal."

"Fine," the officer grumbled, "I'll call the dynamic duo and make a reservation if they can come."

Despite Eve Eichmann's photogenic appeal she was not present at the police press conference in mid-afternoon. Imari Pérez stood behind the Captain and was not allowed to say anything.

The Captain was feeling upbeat. The tall blonde woman had tied the robbery of Haber's research and the wall destruction together. It was one investigation instead of two. Instead of three, really, since the MIT robbery was assumed to be the work of Camille Leon. Not that he told everything to the press.

Despite being relatively new to the force Officer Pérez was now officially in charge of the investigation. It would probably mean a fast promotion if she succeeded. She was pretty sure it also meant she'd be the scapegoat if things didn't go well, and the captain thought things would go to Hell.

Not that the captain would admit that in the press conference. He assured the public the police were working hard on the investigation. He complimented Officer Pérez for the initiative she had shown so far. Being complimented for taking initiative was a bad sign – it meant you were being fingered as the person to blame if things went south. He said it three times.

When questioned if the police knew what brought down the wall the captain said it was still under investigation and declined to comment further. For him Eve's "pretty sure" equaled one hundred percent certainty. But there was no point, at the moment, in letting the perpetrators know how much the police actually knew, or did not know, about them.

The male uniformed officer on Eichmann watch joined the four women at the table that night. Imari said a little prayer the expense report she turned in wouldn't be examined too closely, and a second prayer the media wouldn't be watching them. "I assume you're wondering why I invited you here tonight?" Pérez joked nervously.

"To hear you arrested Camille?" asked Shego sarcastically.

The officer shot her a black look. "I'm scared, okay? I've not had a lead before, and this is big. You three have all helped me and I'm hoping you might have more ideas. Eve has results, but first..." She turned to Eve, "Shego suggested the police we check for Camille, in disguise, running up hotel bills on credit. We're pretty sure she has been in Boston for a couple months now." She then addressed everyone at the table. "We have two, maybe three unsolved jewelry store robberies in the period after we believe Camille arrived. We can't be certain she is the perp, but it looks likely."

Kim asked, "Has anything been recovered?"

"No, gold is easy to melt down."

"And fungible," added Kim.

Shego decided not to ask what that meant. Probably a word Kim had picked up in a law class. Context suggested it meant it would somehow be easy to to transmit gold into cash.

"Gems?" continued Kim. "I've heard there are some kind of records to identify really high end items."

"True... But the robberies have netted only a few that valuable. None have been recovered, but maybe Camille has a good fence who'll move them to Europe or something."

"Or she'll keep them for herself," Kim suggested. "She likes jewelry."

"Certainly possible. Now, there was video from MIT and we've used facial recognition software for a positive ID on one of the men who accompanied Camille there and a probable on the other–"

"And we all know facial recognition software is infallible, right Kim?" Shego commented dryly.

"She did look like me at the time," Kim reminded the pale woman.

"The software is not perfect," Imari conceded, "especially for people of color, but it recognized Kim's face – and IDed you," she reminded Shego.

"Have the men been located?" Kim asked.

"No... But we've got APB's out on them. They are locals."

"Gang?"

"Not that we know, but we can't rule it out. They both have long records."

Pérez asked Eve to give Kim and Shego an idea of what she had found in the lab.

Shego looked thoughtful, "One thing I want to know, how dangerous is this shit as a weapon?"

"It knocked a large hole in a stone wall."

"I guess I mean how dangerous is it for humans. Drakken came up with stuff did some serious damage. Could the resonance thing find out what disintegrates calcium and would a person's bones just fall apart?"

"Doubtful. It might be theoretically possible," Eve told her, "But it would take awhile to get the calcium molecules vibrating with sympathetic resonance. This wouldn't be like a blast from a death ray. It would be more like tie a victim down, find the resonance frequency, and if the victim doesn't squirm around too much it might be possible."

Kim asked, "So, can we assume the wall was probably subjected to the vibration for a fair amount of time before it crumbled?"

"Probably hours."

"Eve? Would there be some... some kind of something that could be detected if the weapon is turned on?"

"I might be able to adapt a frequency counter and or a spectrum analyzer in some way. Calibration will be a bitch."

"Assuming the gang stays in Boston," Shego pointed out. "Any idea how big this thing is? We talking something you can carry in your pocket or something that needs a semi to haul it around?"

"Closer to the semi end of the question. Maybe more of UPS truck or a camper van. It would have some really big dish speakers and the computers to analyze the harmonic spectrum of the materials to be attacked. And it would take serious power. The more juice the less time it would take to knock a hole in the wall. Plug it into a standard outlet and it would have taken the hours I mentioned. There might be room for a generator on our truck. Might cut the time required."

"And make sure you don't set it to disintegrate iron. Be hard on the truck."

Kim's brow was furrowed in thought. "Wait, you said Camille was committing robberies in Boston before the MIT theft?"

"Yes... We can't prove it at the moment, but probably."

"Camille looks out for herself. And, unless she was doing a lot of reading of scientific journals she wasn't big on science stuff. If the research was so obscure you needed to call in a genius to help interpret it – how would Camille have heard of it? Why the earlier thefts before the MIT robbery? Were they set ups to get enough money to buy the equipment for the sound device?"

"But how could she be getting money to buy equipment ahead of time if the MIT research hadn't been stolen yet? Unless..."

"Unless it was someone's plan, who knew something about the research and what it was capable of. It sounds, to me, like she's working for someone."

"So, whoever Camille is working with knew the potential for the research! He or she must be someone in communication with Professor Haber!"

"Or at the very least in communication with someone in communication. The number of people who would know how to make use of it must be pretty small," Shego commented and looked to Eve for confirmation.

The blonde looked thoughtful and nodded agreement.

"You might also contact the prison in California," suggested Kim. "Maybe the mastermind contacted Camille while she was in prison. They probably keep records of who sends mail to prisoners or makes calls to them."

"Worth asking," Perez agreed. She breathed a sigh of relief. "Thanks. I feel better. Eve? You'll try and figure out some kind of monitoring or detection device?"

"Tomorrow's priority. Oh, Shego?"

"Yes?"

"Apparently you have been helping the police. I apologize to thinking you were less than competent. I mean, just because it took a whole team of superheroes to bring me down and a little high school girl captured–"

Shego flushed, "Hey, it wasn't just Kim. Remember Wade? Super-genius? And she had Ron and Rufus on her team too!"

"Who are Ron and Rufus?" asked Edith.

"It doesn't matter," Kim told her firmly. "Part of the team behind capturing Shego. It took all of us. And, at the moment, we're all on Team Pérez, right?"

Shego and Eve shrugged, and Imari nodded and murmered, "Thanks."