Kim drummed her fingertips on a dingy table in the common area. She pined for the vacant photo booth a mere fifty feet away. Power was restored to the Middleton mall by happenstance a few days prior. However, that was nowhere near the biggest miracle of late.
Kim couldn't imagine mundane reasons for Shego's reappearance. Someone must have unearthed a genie's lamp. They could have pillaged a cursed monkey paw. Or, maybe they found a bottled fairy and set her free.
Perhaps Shego herself was the explorer who made the wish. Kim knew Shego had the emotional stability of an active volcano. She was unwilling to show her true feelings until they erupted in a volatile plume. The lost photograph had triggered an earthquake that expelled years-old by tephra.
Kim had dived into the caldera with cautious optimism, but she also had reservations. Ron's complete lack of faith in Shego stymied her. He thought it was wrong for the two of them to hang out. To him, Shego was scary and akin to an ancient relic- disqualifying her as a friend, evil or not.
Kim neither feared Shego nor had compunctions about her age. No, what bothered Kim the most, aside from Shego's moral alignment, was her many contradictions. She'd do something heroic while screaming to the high heavens that it was for an evil reason. She'd help Drakken drain the Great Lakes, condemning many land animals to an early death, but worry about the fate of the fish.
Kim pinched the bridge of her nose. The longer she considered Shego's actions, the greater chance she'd catch a splitting headache. There was one thing she knew for certain- Shego liked her. Although, as the sun crept lower over the Western horizon, Kim began to wonder about that, too.
Kim checked her wrist Kimmunicator for the third time in the past hour, knowing Shego was late: 4:45 PM. She commandeered her handheld like the winning pull of the claw in an arcade machine.
Kim
"Shego? Where are you? It's 4:45."
After sending the text, Kim stomped over to a nearby soda machine. She put in a dollar. The machine ate her bill and didn't give her the drink she selected. She kicked it with her combat boot. Nothing happened. She kicked it again as she heard her Kimmunicator beep.
Shego
"Really? You were expecting twice in one day?"
Kim
"What? But you said you'd be here!"
Shego
"Too bad, so sad. Try again later. Or not. I'm not Ms. Go."
Kim pursed her lips in annoyance. She changed Shego's screen name.
Kim
"I'm going to get you back for this!"
Egomaniac
"Good luck, Kimmie."
Kim pressed the red button on her handheld Kimmunicator. Wade's face popped up on the screen. He was slurping canary-colored liquid through a straw. He appeared both disconcerted and unimpressed until he saw Kim's face.
"Oh! Hey, Kim. You got something to save me from these Snowman Hank reruns? Ron insisted I check it out, and well…"
Kim giggled and placed a hand on her hip, her dour mood starting to lift.
"I want to know if Drakken's Middleton lair is still operable! As for Snowman Hank? Remember, Ron and Drakken are the target demographic."
Wade picked up his remote and jabbed the power button. He massaged his forehead in consternation.
"That does explain a lot. Is Drakken up to something? Last I heard…" Wade trailed off. He was in danger of spilling the beans.
"No. I want to find Shego," Kim admitted, a mite too preoccupied to recognize the slip.
Wade's attention went from couch potato to nuclear technician level in a blink. He poured over his monitors, checking for major crime alerts.
"Shego? Has she already broken her pardon? Man…I was hoping she'd lay low, at least for a while. Villain activity could really hinder reconstruction efforts."
Kim frowned at Wade's apprehension. His digits were at the ready over his keyboard. He was a maestro, waiting to play a symphony of code to snuff out the threat of verdant flames. Kim wanted to criticize him for it, but she couldn't. His wariness was warranted.
"No, she visited me today at the MIS. She said she'd meet me here at the mall, but she stood me up."
Wade raised an eyebrow as he mulled the new information over. After a moment of consideration, he scratched his head, perplexed.
"That's…strange, Kim. Did she tell you what she wanted? Is Team Go in trouble?"
Wade watched Kim look away, the oddest little guilty half-smile spreading on her cheeks. Kim never avoided eye contact, owing to her confident and domineering demeanor. Never, except when she was trying to seem less threatening to guys…huh?
"That's what I thought too, but no. She wanted to talk about…um," Kim was at a loss. She knew Shego would be upset if she told Wade- or anyone- about their closet discussion. "I can't tell you, but- I think she wants to be friends with me, Wade. We both know she can be an amazing ally."
Wade wasn't often caught unawares. He should have predicted and prepared for this. The puzzle pieces of Kim and Shego's interactions stacked themselves before him. No matter how he ordered them, there was only one solution. Inevitable or not, he cared first for Kim's safety.
"Are you sure about this, Kim? Shego's-"
"Unpredictable, I know," Kim hadn't realized she'd lowered her head. "But I'll be kicking myself if I don't try. Isn't it better if she's not our enemy?" Kim disarmed Wade with her earnestness.
Wade tried to adjust to the reality of his internal conclusion as his fingers flew over the keyboard. He pulled up the latest satellite image of Dr. Drakken's Middleton Lair. It was intact. He pressed the final key and displayed it on the Kimmunicator.
"The Middleton lair is operable. As you know, it's about a thirty minute drive from your location. How do you plan to get in?" Wade wondered, "The usual route?"
Kim tapped her foot as she pondered the entry options. The grime-caked ducts of the Middleton lair had acquired many scoot marks and shoe prints. Cobwebs galore always stuck in her hair. Wayward screws gouged runs in the fabric of her mission wear.
Kim recalled how impeccable Shego looked at MIS. Her black lipstick never smudged, her designer clothes repelled creases, and she'd never seen her with a hairbrush. The ventilation system wouldn't do. Kim couldn't just drop in blanketed in dust- she had to show Shego up.
"Nah. It's about time I use the front door."
6:30 PM
Kim had her hair swirled into a neat bun, some strands left hanging to frame her face. Red lipstick had been applied with surgical precision by Kim's mother. She wore an asymmetrical lilypad green top that bore half her midriff. Black suede skinny jeans rose to her bellybutton. Combat boots were an unavoidable side effect of scaling a sheer cliff, but she'd chosen her cleanest pair.
Kim glared into the camera mounted within the false limestone door of the Middleton lair. Shego had ample time to spot her outfit, but was choosing not to comment. It was up to Kim to saddle up and spur Shego to act.
"Too busy admiring to speak? Can't believe I dressed better than you? Vertical stripes are so last year!"
Kim smirked as Shego's irritation radiated through the intercom.
"Kimmie, dressing in my colors isn't an entry ticket! Shoo!"
"What was it you texted me? Too bad, so sad? Friends don't stand each other up, Shego!"
A petulant sigh wafted out of the camera.
"Yeah, yeah. Can't you get the buffoon to entertain you? Or is he too focused on failing to beat his own high score in Jetris?"
Kim reviled Shego's disrespect of Ron, but her smirk widened further. She'd discerned how to topple Shego's tower of indifference.
"If you must know, Ron is in Japan learning to harness his Mystical Monkey Power at will. Maybe someday, if you train really hard, you'll be as strong as him!"
The response was immediate.
"No way, Princess! I'm the strongest, and you know it!"
Kim made sure to scoff extra loud, cross her arms, and turn her nose up at the lens.
"Ron, Zero. You, Three! Three, Shego!"
"Kimmie, you're not making sense!"
"Three," Kim leaned in close to the ocular orb. Her smirk was downright devilish. A caricature of the moment would be complete with horns and a barbed tail.
"The number of times Warmonga kicked your butt!"
The jarring intermittence of crashes and slams resounded through the speaker. To Kim, it was the sweet song of victory. Even the pitiful whine of Dr. Drakken was music to her ears.
"Shego, no! We can't replace those with the chip shortage! SHEGO!"
Kim snickered and adopted a striking stance. She was in the path of an EF-5 multi-vortex tornado without a storm cellar. A ghastly green accompanied the mesocyclone's arrival, but Kim welcomed it. She smiled at the flood of molten steel that spelled her doom.
"Kimmie! They'll brand your ass with an infinity symbol when I'm done with you!"
Shego bolted from the gash in the weeping door. She spiraled through the air, elbows bent and palms open. Her green energy fanned in a twist behind her. Kim drove her knee into Shego's stomach, but suffered a bruising blow to each shoulder.
The two went down in a heap and rolled over and over. There were punches that didn't quite land, armbars that didn't quite hold, and vital points kept just out of reach. The edge of the plateau scrolled closer, but neither combatant paid any mind. As long as they held the top position, that's all that mattered.
The ground fell away, and Kim found herself upside-down, blood rushing to her head. Shego sat on her shins, an owl strutting on her pristine roost. Kim opened her mouth, but Shego placed a lukewarm, fiery finger on her lips.
"Careful what you say now, Pumpkin! If it sucks, I might drop you!"
"You definitely would," Kim coughed, squinting through the waning rays of sunlight.
"Kimmie, you're supposed to say, 'you wouldn't', and that's when I drop you! Don't take the fun out of it!" Shego sniggered at Kim's reddening face.
"You would because you know I'd land it. I know you."
Shego drug her hand down her face. Exasperated, she offered Kim a lifeline.
"Doesn't matter, I win! Get up here- I'm not done tattooing my name on your asscheeks!"
Kim felt fortunate that her skin was already rosy. Shego's hand was still wreathed in her glow, but Kim accepted it with no complaint. She used the momentum of Shego's effort to launch herself up and over. She pivoted in midair and kicked Shego in the small of her back.
Shego tumbled forward and splayed her legs out. She caught herself by digging in her toes as she slid over the edge of the cliff. Kim gloated as she cuffed Shego's ankles. Her grip was more powerful than that of a treeborne gorilla.
"Score's even, Shego. You'll have to reschedule at the parlor!"
Shego enlisted her abdominal strength to rise up. She snarled and flung a nonlethal force blast at Kim's chest. Kim was forced to rotate and drop Shego to avoid it. She flipped and cartwheeled to escape from the ensuing kinetic barrage.
The wrist Kimmunicator played an urgent ringtone. Kim answered as she pirouetted out of a plasma grenade's range.
"What's the sitch?"
"Big news, Kim! Dr. Director's on the line."
"Can she take a message?" Kim performed a back handspring over a sharpshot bolt. "Little busy."
"It's too important to wait. Sorry to interrupt your, uh, meeting? with Shego." Wade was nonplussed. As expected, Kim's video feed was a blur of browns, grays, and what he'd termed "Shego green". The display was in constant motion whenever those two women met.
"Hang up, Princess! Nerdlinger can wait his turn!"
Kim held up her arms in a T-for-timeout configuration. She took a sharp inhale at Shego's ironic reaction. Shego looked like a parent being called into work while their family was at an amusement park.
"Weren't you just telling me to leave?"
Shego huffed, her mouth making a displeased diagonal slash. She aimed one final ball of energy at Kim for good measure. Kim hopped aside.
"Dammit, this better be good!"
Shego stalked over to Kim and loomed behind her. Kim lifted her chin to observe the woman who was almost a full head taller than her. Shego's returning stare was analogous to a hawk sweeping its territory for prey. Kim could have sworn Shego's irises flitted to examine her lipstick.
"Well? Out with it, Nerdlinger," Shego maintained her challenge. Kim also gave no quarter.
"I'll patch Dr. Director through now. Uh, Shego? I'm not sure if you can-"
"I do what I want!" Shego's gruff interruption echoed around the valley below.
"Um, okay," Wade gulped. His thumb hovered over the key to transfer the call.
Kim's neutral stare became a glare as she heard Wade's meek acquiescence. Shego was earning herself a lecture about treating Kim's other friends with respect.
"Here's Dr. Director. Wade out."
Dr. Betty Director sat rigid in her office chair. She eyed the six empty coffee cups on her desk. There had been little time for rest in the Lorwardian invasion aftermath. Everyone everywhere needed help all at once. She was the head of the organization which provided the most relief.
Today's call was important, but it didn't feel that way to Dr. Director- her terminal was blank and full of static. Its fuzzy boundaries annoyed her. She didn't suffer tardiness. In this case, she had no choice but to wait.
Dr. Director assumed she'd succumbed to sleep when the screen jolted to life. Shego and Kim were together, standing close, close enough to maim. And yet, neither was attacking. They were staring into each other's eyes in silence. Although the challenge in their body language was apparent, the interaction was downright cordial compared to the status quo.
"Kim and Shego, together? Hmm…this could work in Global Justice's favor. Wouldn't hurt to make a suggestion."
Dr. Director cleared her throat.
"Ladies, eyes forward. I have exciting news. The US commander-in-chief has authorized use of the completed Centurion Project. It's part of the new Invasion Defense initiative."
That announcement caught both Shego's and Kim's attention. Kim beamed at Dr. Director, whereas Shego snorted. Shego's sardonic drawl and Kim's enthusiastic chirp competed through the receiver.
"Great, another do-gooder trinket!"
"Spankin'!"
Dr. Director paused to allow the statement to sink in, then continued, "Because the Centurion Project was constructed at incredible cost, there is only one finished suit available. Ms. Possible, you've been selected to wield it. Congratulations. Will you accept this responsibility?"
Kim gave Shego a sidelong, boastful glance as she nodded.
"Yes, although…the Centurion Project had a deployment issue when I last used it. It reacts when I'm nervous, not when I'm in mission mode. Has that been fixed?"
Dr. Director allowed Kim a terse smile for her retrospective insight.
"Not yet, which is why I need you to come to GJ headquarters tonight. Our scientists need to take readings of your vitals while you're in the suit."
Kim frowned at Dr. Director's image.
"I've had a big day. Can it wait 'til tomorrow?"
"Sorry, Ms. Possible. World governments are apprehensive about the vulnerability of our planet. This must be done ASAP. When you arrive, we'll work on reconfiguring the activation system to your parameters. The Centurion Project was designed to fit the rule- not the exception."
As Kim sighed in resignation, Shego narrowed her eyes. That was the only indication the former villainess was unsettled. She examined her fingernails and attempted to act carefree.
"That means the suit was meant for mass production, doesn't it? Your pencil pushers spill tea on their books or something?"
Dr. Director felt like she'd stepped on a banana peel. Sometimes, it was easy to forget that underneath all the sarcasm and narcissism, Shego was highly intelligent. She watched as Kim, too, recognized the paradigm shift that would create. The power differential between regular soldiers and people like Kim and Shego would all but disappear.
Something bizarre happened in front of Dr. Director. Kim's worried eyes sought out Shego. Shego shrugged, but her lips formed a grim line, betraying her disquiet. Upon first impression, Shego's look was cold and impassive, but Dr. Director noticed a softness beneath. It was as though Shego wanted to comfort Kim, but couldn't bring herself to do so.
Shego had shown her hand, and Dr. Director intended to take full advantage.
"That's classified. However, I can tell you about some exciting upgrades to the completed project. The suit can now move at hyperspeed and turn invisible. You can thank your friends Dr. Lipsky and Mr. Load." Like any good politician, Betty Director was well versed in two essential techniques- redirecting and distracting.
A squeal emanated from the remains of the lair's entryway. Kim giggled at Shego's extended groan.
"Dr. D, how long have you been watching us?"
Drakken stepped into view. He waggled his fingers with a sheepish grin. "Why, I followed you here, Shego! I couldn't miss your defeat of Kim Possible, could I? Now, I shall explain my involvement in the Centurion Project!"
Shego smiled and rolled her eyes. Buttering her up first worked wonders. Kim took note.
"Alright, go on."
"Well, it was I who installed the hyperdrive. I took the technology from my Bebes and modified it for use in the Centurion Project. It was not a difficult task for a genius like me! No, not at all! I was in and out in three days' time!"
Shego's expression darkened, as though a cumulonimbus had formed above her.
"Dr. D, where was this competence when you were trying to take over the world!" Shego growled, fists on her hips, leaning toward him with a frown. Her temper was getting an intense workout today.
"Shego, Drakken's been improving his Bebes for what? Twenty years? Doesn't he deserve at least a little credit for his accomplishment?" Kim placed a soft hand on Shego's shoulder.
Shego spun and covered Kim's hand with her own. Her glow gave a gentle flare, the intensity of a firefly as it reached room temperature. It tickled along Kim's skin and rose goosebumps in its wake. There was a gradual increase in heat as Shego played chicken with Kim's burn tolerance.
Kim gasped, unmoving, entranced by the sensation and visuals. Every time she fought Shego, she did the flamenco with flames. She flirted with fire whirls. Not even the final circle of Hell could faze her anymore.
"Kimmie, why do you look like you're enjoying this?! I'm burning you, got it? Fire! Hot!" Shego extinguished her glow and slapped Kim's hand away.
Kim burst out laughing like a shoddy dam. Her hand remained unharmed.
"Oh, whatever! Dr. D," Shego rounded on Drakken, who was trying not to smile. "I guess that's kinda impressive, but why'd you volunteer? It's incomprehensible!" Shego blew hair out of her face and crossed her arms irritably.
"Oh, but I didn't," Drakken rubbed his hands together with mild menace. He pulled a golden receipt out of his navy lab coat. "So many zeros, Shego!"
Shego trudged over and peered at the receipt. She gave a low whistle. Kim snuck behind her and gave her bunny ears, also examining the receipt. If not for his years of experience with Shego's wrath, Drakken wouldn't have been able to hold in his chuckle.
"You know what, Dr. D? Fair enough. Also, Kimmie?"
"Hmm?" Kim hummed, in a chipper mood.
"Move your fingers or lose them. Your choice."
Kim withdrew her hand. She turned back to look at her wrist Kimmunicator, glowing with amusement.
Dr. Director rested her chin on her upturned palm. Kim and Shego had been bitter rivals before. What had happened in the two weeks since the Lorwardian invasion? Or had the invasion itself changed something between them? She commenced her strategy.
"Shego, since you're with Ms. Possible, would you like to help us calibrate the Centurion Project? Global Justice would be in your debt."
"First," Shego swiveled and held up a middle finger with a blowtorch tip. "I'm not with Kimmie! She tracked me down and barged in here on her own! Second," Shego held up a second middle finger- two offensive candles floated in the encroaching dusk. "No way in hell am I helping Global Justice!"
"Sure," Dr. Director was diplomatic and amicable. She'd already seen Shego's cards. She pointed to the left like she was showing a winning hand. "But it appears Ms. Possible disagrees."
Shego made the grievous error of glancing down. The puppy dog pout pounced on her train of thought and derailed it. A black hole emerged and swallowed her resistance into its accretion disk. There was no stopping her fortress collapsing under the unrelenting gravity.
"Augh! Fine! I'll tag along, but I won't help!"