Prison Break and Sea Monsters Part 1
Shego finished off her coffee as she walked into the lair on Thursday morning, her four day mini-vacation having really done the spot. She'd been able to spend some quality time getting her emotions in check, gotten a nice deep-tissue massage, and had blown off some tension with a flight attendant. She was back and ready for whatever Drakken had to throw at her. She was actually hoping to get out and steal some things. They hadn't raided HenchCo in a while... She walked through the henchmen's lounge to see a gaggle of them hanging out, and at the center, Lucius. They all fell silent when they saw her, and she rolled her eyes.
"Filling him in on what he missed?" asked Shego. They all scattered. "Welcome back, Lucius."
"Thanks," said Lucius nervously. "Also, thanks for letting me use Dr. Drakken's time-share in Punta Cana... I didn't know he had a lair there."
"Neither does he," muttered Shego as she headed through the doorway.
"See you tonight," said Lucius. Shego froze and back-pedaled.
"What?" asked Shego, raising a brow.
"Game Weekend. It got moved to tonight because Dr. Drakken has plans tomorrow night," said Lucius. "He posted it on the board, see?"
Shego looked at the break room wall, where a note posted stated just that. Friday night and Saturday afternoon were labeled Game Weekend instead of Saturday and Sunday. Shego raised a brow. Drakken forgoing karaoke night for game night? That was odd. She shrugged. Perhaps karaoke got switched.
Shego continued on her way to the lab. Perhaps a small theft or scheming was still game for the morning. She heard a familiar voice. Duff was still there, which meant... Shego groaned as she heard splashing. She entered the lab with a deep sigh. The massive tank was still there. Inside, a creature the size of a pony swam around.
"So, this is still here," said Shego as she walked into the room. Drakken and Duff were staring at the tank. "I thought this was only going to be a few days?"
"Yes, well DNAmy was no help," said Drakken with a shrug. Duff was patting the glass.
"She wanted to do experiments on her, the batty woman," scoffed Duff, his eyes narrowing. "Not on my Buttercup."
"Okay..." Shego mouthed the word 'Buttercup?' to Drakken. He rolled his eyes and shrugged. "So again, how did you get a baby sea monster?"
"Crashed into my underwater lair," said Duff with a shrug. "I was spending some time there while the castle got repainted."
"Right...okay," said Shego. She mentally began to question the sanity of her fellow villains as she took her normal seat.
"I think it's something neurological," said Drakken as the creature seemed to swim left more than anything, its flipper twitching. "DNAmy was really the only animal specialist we had, and Monkey Fist is no help... Shego, you got anyone?"
"A vet who specializes in sea monsters? No," said Shego with an eye-roll, though it wasn't outside the realm of possibilities. "Isn't that candy villain a neurologist or something...? If it's neurological...that's the best case... Otherwise we could find someone to kidnap... It's been a while," said Shego with a shrug. She looked at the computer. "I could take a look."
"No, then they'll know about Buttercup." Duff's eyes shot open. "Aye, you know it has to be someone from our circle. Who's this candy villain?"
"Dr. Carmella Sweets," said Drakken. Shego saw his brow furrow. He looked agitated. "She's otherwise detained at the moment."
"Well, Shego's itching for some violence," said Duff, and Shego nodded. "She could go bust her out."
"It beats watching a prehistoric fish swim in circles," shrugged Shego. It would be nice to facilitate a breakout... Last time was when they busted out Hector, which she still was foggy about.
Stupid Motor Ed...
"I don't know about that..." Drakken looked uneasy and Shego rolled her eyes at him. Drakken saw the look and continued. "What? Do we really know her? I mean, is she trustworthy?"
"Ohm, she's a villain," said Shego, indicating to the three of them. "The answer is no... But if we break her out, she'd probably be willing to at least look at...Cupcake?"
"Buttercup," said Drakken and Duff. Shego shook her head in annoyance.
"Yeah, whatever, Buttercup," shrugged Shego as she stood up. "Any objections?"
"No," said Drakken with a sigh as Duff grinned and patted the glass, Buttercup swimming around where it was placed.
"All right, I'll be back in a few hours," said Shego as she jumped up. "Try not to get dizzy."
"You know, it's funny to you, but me Buttercup doesn't like it," said Duff, shooting a glare after her as she left. He looked back at Drakken. "I do appreciate the help, Drakken."
"Yeah," groaned Drakken with an eye-roll. He was agitated as he sat on his desk. Duff rolled his eyes. "What?"
"You going to tell me, you're over your 'crush' on the green lass, but a woman you barely talked to hit it off with a henchman at a party... And that, you're not over?" said Duff, lifting his hands to make air quotes.
"I'm a complicated person, Killigan," said Drakken. He held up his fingers. "What was with the air-quotes?"
"I was emphasizing 'crush' with them," said Duff. Drakken glared.
"Either you're implying something more to the word crush, or your using air-quotes wrong," said Drakken. Duff shrugged and looked back at the tank, and Drakken grimaced. "Well, which is it?"
Too easy. Shego rolled her eyes as she impersonated a guard. It was honestly too easy. No one even batted an eyelash at a green guard. It wasn't like she hadn't been there before either. She walked among the cells, hearing chatter, noise, and singing. She froze. Singing wasn't unusual, but it was the yelling that accompanied it. Shego had to take a moment to realize the yelling voice sounded familiar. It was Cleopatra's... She'd actually forgotten she was in there. The sound was followed shortly by another familiar voice.
"Will you shut up!" yelled Pandora from across the room, her hands on the bars. "You're not even that good."
"Shut it!" came the yell of Cleopatra. "Both of you."
"Oh, I don't miss this," smirked Shego, but the singing stopped and the cheery voice of the person she was there to bust out replied.
"Why don't you mind your own business, Ruby!" said Carmella. Pandora growled.
"It's Pandora!" she yelled back.
"Well, she is stuck in a box," laughed Cleopatra. The giddy laugh of Carmella followed. "Shut up!"
"Pandora was never in the box, ladies. She opened it," came a male voice from the other half of the cells.
"I don't need your help, Hermes!" yelled Pandora. She moved away from her cell door and Shego saw her flop on her bed angrily.
"I could use some help, Hermes," came a male reply from farther down the hall.
"Keep dreaming," scoffed Hermes. Shego rolled her eyes and walked towards the cell in question to gain perspective. Cleopatra and Carmella were in fact sharing a cell, and it didn't look very kosher.
"Keep your bloody shit on your half!" yelled Cleopatra, her normally flawless attire and gold adornments replaced by a clashing bright orange.
"For the last time, there are...no...halves," snapped Carmella, her voice not conveying the anger on her face. "Otherwise your bed would be on the other side, not above mine!"
"You're a nightmare, you know. Your stupid singing, all this pink crap," snapped Cleopatra. "When we get out of here, I don't ever want to work with you again!"
"Fine by me, because I can't stand the way you're sending the title of villainess back a hundred years!" snapped Carmella. Shego had never realized how short the woman was without heels. Cleopatra practically towered over her; it was very comical.
"It's called playing my strengths!" snapped Cleopatra, stomping her foot in anger.
"Well I guess it's not like you have any other strengths," said Carmella, tapping Cleopatra's head.
"How dare you! I have a PhD too, you know," snapped Cleopatra. Carmella began to sing again. "Oh no, not this time!"
Shego watched the display of idiocy with a mixture of disgust and amusement. She watched as Cleopatra grabbed her pillow and covered her head. Carmella stopped singing and seemed to finally notice Shego, her brow raised as if trying to place who she was, and Shego smirked at the dawning expression on the blonde's face. Shego made a hush motion with her hands and unlocked the cell. Shego half expected her to grab Cleopatra, but without so much as a glance, Carmella shrugged and followed, a giddy grin on her face. She was quiet all the way to the entrance hall.
"Oh, this is fantastic! You're breaking me out right? Because I don't go that way, not that you're not a lovely woman... And Pandora has told me things," said Carmella. Shego clamped her hand over the woman's mouth.
"Shut up, we have to get out of here before head count," said Shego with a glare.
Carmella nodded and they walked swiftly through the hallways to the door beyond where Shego had blasted a way in, the female guard still unconscious and missing her clothes. It was still daylight out, so they had to walk cautiously away from any entrances. Shego was still shocked that her blast hadn't alerted anyone to her entry. The prison system was really getting sloppy considering this one held a good number of actual villains. If it was that easy, why didn't more just walk out? The sound of an alarm went off and Shego sighed.
"Run...hey!" snapped Shego as Carmella had already sprinted off. For someone so short and wearing slip-ons, Shego had to give her credit. "Left, the car's on the other side of the hill."
"Do you do this often?" asked Carmella as they slid down the hill to the hover car. "What is this?"
"Drakken's hover car, hop in," said Shego as she landed with grace. Carmella...not so much. She was barely in when Shego put it into drive, causing the other woman to fall in with a screech. "You okay, Dr. Sweets?"
"Ca-Carmella," she breathed heavily as she pulled herself off the hover car floor and sat down. Looking around, a grin began spreading on her face. "What a rush."
"The running or the flying?" asked Shego as she headed back to the lair.
"Both," said Carmella. She had a deranged sort of smile as she looked around. Shego raised a brow. "Cleopatra's going to beEEee sOOoo angry!"
"Yeah, well, didn't seem like the whole roomie thing was working out back there," said Shego. "Listen, in case you were wondering. A friend of Dr. Drakken's needs a little help with his...pet...and he thinks it's neurological. Since we sprung you, mind taking a look?"
"Of course not!" said Carmella, but then she looked hesitant. "But, if you don't mind, could we swing to my lair first? I have some of my old medical equipment there and orange really isn't my color."
"Why not," said Shego. Carmella put in the coordinates, and something clicked in Shego's head. "What did Pandora say about me...exactly?"
"Pandora? Oh, yeah, that," said Carmella with wide eyes. "Well, she said..."
"How long does a prison break take?" asked Duff as he paced. Drakken rolled his eyes, tapping away at his plan on the desk. "Ay, are you drawing a man?"
"No," said Drakken, sliding his paper away. "I'm designing a new synthodrone. It's very creepy how they all look alike."
"That's the point ain't it?" asked Duff. He raised a brow and slid the paper back out. "Why are you making them so...cute?"
"Never you mind," snapped Drakken and he shoved the paper in his drawer.
"You know, I'm starting to think I should start asking more questions," smirked Duff. Drakken rolled his eyes, but they heard footsteps. "Thank the greens, they're back."
"About time," said Drakken. He raised a brow as Shego and Carmella came in, confused by the lack of orange and by the brilliant pink lab-coat. He blinked at its brightness.
"Hellooo," hummed Carmella in a sing-song voice. She froze and looked at the tank. "Is that...what is that?"
"This is Buttercup," beamed Duff, patting the glass. "Duff Killigan."
"Carmella... Wow," said Carmella. She looked to Drakken and gave him a smile. "Hello there Dr. Drakken, it's been a while."
"Ahem, yes it has," said Drakken. He looked at Shego and then to the pink-clad woman. Shego shrugged. "Do you think you can help Killigan with this?"
"A brain's a brain," shrugged Carmella. "Can we get her out of the water? Buttercup? How...sweet."
"Shego," said Drakken. Shego rolled her eyes and went to get the tarps. "She keeps swimming left."
"Has she had any head trauma?" asked Carmella. Drakken and Duff looked at each other. "I'm taking that as a yes?"
"Who in this room doesn't have head trauma," muttered Shego as she tossed down tarps and watched the other three stare at Buttercup. "Fine, I'll do it myself."
Swimming Away →