Kim waited impatiently outside of her house the next morning as 7AM grew near. She was dressed up, as instructed, and so instead of her mission clothes, was wearing a pink floral skirt, matching blouse and strappy sandal-like heels. Ron, too, had followed instructions and was in his blue suit complete with tie. He could not be completely formal, though, and so had set off the whole outfit with sneakers. Rufus, obviously having thought that Shego’s ‘have them dressed and at your house at 7’ instruction had also included him, had dressed himself in a suit that exactly matched Ron’s, but he was barefoot.
Just as Kim was about to start getting really antsy, one of Drakken’s aircraft came into view. It was of the hovering variety, and so Shego was able to land it right on the Possible front lawn. Kim sighed, still a bit hesitant about the whole thing, but squaring her shoulders and shouldering her duffle bag, she marched determinedly toward the hovercraft. Picking up his own bag, Ron followed suit.
The gangplank came down and Ron and Kim boarded. Shego turned around to greet them, and Ron, being the teenaged boy that he was, could not prevent his jaw from going slack and his tongue from lolling out. Kim, thinking it was jealousy she was feeling, whacked him for his troubles, all the while admitting that the well-moneyed corporate shark look worked well for Shego. Taking her own advice, she had abandoned her mottled black and green catsuit in favor of a form-fitting black pantsuit and green blouse. Black heels finished the overall look, and Kim found herself slightly ashamed of her own now immature-seeming outfit.
“Ready to go, Princess?” Shego asked, surreptitiously noting Kim’s outfit as Kim had done hers. Kimmie looked nice, she decided, but of course she was not going to tell her that.
“As ready as I’ll ever be,” Kim replied truthfully, still having an uneasy feeling about the whole trip.
“Cheer up, Pumpkin,” Shego laughed, amused at her discomfort. “This is going to be the easy part.”
“Says you,” Kim muttered, taking her seat and strapping in.
Shego was about to reply, but then noticed Ron about to touch the control panel. “Sit down and strap in before I make you, Stoppable,” she ordered. Ron quickly found his seat and they took off for Chicago.
The flight was uneventful and for the most part silent. The three of them were still not very comfortable with each other and it showed. Ron had tried his best to lighten the mood as his job of sidekick called for, but Shego was having none of it, and his attempts at levity led to long, uncomfortable and awkward silences. Kim breathed one sigh of relief when he at last gave up and another when the distinctive Chicago skyline came into their sightline. She settled in for the landing as O’Hare came into view, but much to her surprise, Shego bypassed it, instead flying straight for the downtown skyscrapers, weaving in and out of them effortlessly until she found the building she wanted. She landed softly on the helipad on the roof, shutting down the engines and extending the gangplank.
“This doesn’t look like the Field Museum,” Kim noted.
“It’s not,” Shego confirmed succinctly. “Leave your stuff here and let’s go. We have a 9AM appointment.”
“For what?” Kim asked promptly.
“To see my lawyer,” Shego replied truthfully and smirked when Kim was shocked into silence. They crossed the roof to the access door, which opened on their arrival to reveal a security guard. Kim readied herself for a fight, but the guard merely waited until Shego explained their presence on his roof. “We have a 9AM appointment with Robert Holtzman,” she told him.
The guard consulted his pad. “Of course. Right this way, Ms. Goshen,” he said politely. He looked at Kim. “It is so nice to finally meet you, Ms. Possible. Right this way, please,” he said, opening the door for them all.
“Thank you,” Kim replied politely, following Shego into the building.
“After you, Mr. Stoppable,” the guard said.
“Hey Rufus, he knows my name!” Ron crowed, hi-fiving the naked mole rat as they followed after Kim and Shego.
Shego led the way down the corridor to a door, obviously familiar with the territory. They went through it and it turned out to open into a large opulent lobby, complete with a receptionist sitting at a large desk. She eyed them all warily, but before she could ask why they were bothering her, Shego answered her question. “Tell Bob that his 9 o’clock is here, and if he keeps us waiting I am taking my business elsewhere,” she ordered.
“And you would be?” the receptionist oozed mock-politely.
“My last name is Goshen,” Shego replied simply and the receptionist gasped. She suddenly could not get on the intercom fast enough, and she listened intently to the voice on the other end. When she hung up, the respect in her tone was obvious.
“Mr. Holtzman’s office…” she began.
“…is the one at the end of the hall,” Shego finished for her. “Thanks for all of the help.” She took off in that direction and Kim, Ron and Rufus trotted after her. At the end of the hall, they were confronted with another desk, this one occupied with a cherubically faced older woman who broke out into a smile at the appearance of Shego. “I never thought I would live long enough to see you back in Chicago,” she said with a smile.
“Hey Mary,” Shego said, a smirk acknowledging the jibe. “Is he in?”
“Of course he is in,” Mary replied, in a “well, duh” tone. “He would not miss this for the world.” She turned her gaze to Kim. “You have to be Ms. Possible,” she stated. “It is very nice to finally meet you,” she said, rising and offering a hand.
Kim took it. “Thank you,” she said, shaking it.
“Go on in,” Mary offered to Kim and Shego. To Ron, she offered something else. “Could I show you to our cafeteria, Mr. Stoppable?” she asked. Ron hesitated, not wanting to leave Kim. “It has a Bueno Nacho kiosk,” she mentioned. Ron looked at Kim pleadingly and Kim nodded.
“All right! Of course you may show me the cafeteria, my good lady,” Ron said exuberantly and shaking her head slightly, Mary led him down the hall.
“Why can’t Ron be here?” Kim asked, picking up on the diversion tactic easily.
“Attorney-client privilege,” Shego replied nonchalantly.
“I am not a client,” Kim countered.
Shego shrugged. “Yup, you are,” she informed Kim as she opened the door.
“What?” Kim protested, but before she could say more, a deep male voice interrupted her.
“Must you always scare the staff into wetting themselves when you deign to come in?” Bob asked plaintively from behind his desk.
“Mary seemed in control of herself,” Shego retorted, and Bob laughed.
“About time you came back around, young lady,” he replied, holding out his hand. Shego shook it good-naturedly. “Bob, meet Kimberly Possible, Nana Mim’s great-grandniece,” she said, drawing Kim into the conversation. “Bob here was Nana Mim and Nana Sheila’s attorney,” she explained. “And since you are Mim’s heir, he is your attorney too.”
“Very nice to meet you, sir,” Kim replied to be polite. “Shego, can I talk to you over here for a second?” Shego shrugged and allowed herself to be led to a corner. “How did you know I was Mim’s heir?” Kim demanded, outraged at the intrusion into her privacy. “I didn’t know I was Mim’s heir until a couple of days ago, and you didn’t even know Mim was a Possible!”
“It wasn’t hard to deduce, Princess,” Shego pointed out. “I have always known that I was not their only heir, and after Nana Mim dropped her little bombshell, the only um, possible, choice I had was you. And I was right.” Kim sighed sharply, still upset but finding no way around the logic. As they came back over, Bob could sense the tension and sought to diffuse it.
“I have heard and read so much about you that it is nice to met you in person,” he said pleasantly. “And from what I read, you take after Mim in more than just looks.” Kim smiled, and Bob decided to press on. “So, Sheila, your message said that you had a question about Mim and Sheila’s will,” he said, turning to Shego.
“Yeah, well, it is like this,” Shego started. “When I was like 5, Nana Mim and Nana Sheila gave me a necklace that my mom took away from me after they died. It was actually some sort of South American artifact, and Mom gave it to the Field Museum here in Chicago. For reasons I can’t explain, I need it back and I need it back now. So, I need to know if they explicitly left it to me, and if they did, I need you to start the paperwork to get it back.”
Bob nodded. “Let’s see what I can come up with,” he said, waking up his computer. “We just recently digitized all of our important documents so I should be able to call it up for you.” He clicked a few times. “Ah, here is their folder, ‘Goshen, Sheila L. and Possible, Miriam K’.” Another couple of clicks and a will popped up on the screen. “Let’s see, property, stocks, cash, ah here we are, jewelry. ‘To our great-grandniece, Sheila Miriam Goshen, we bequeath the following items…’” he scanned through the lengthy list, “…and last but not least, one unnamed amulet from an ancient South American culture, dated to at least 1000 B.C. by experts, already to be found in her possession. Because its value as a historical item makes it attractive to others, we feel it must be reiterated that is indeed her rightful possession, given to her by us and that may not be taken away.’”
“Guess Mom just flat out ignored that part,” Shego muttered. “All right, Bob; I need you to get it back for me as quickly as you can.”
Kim sat there, dumbfounded that Shego, master thief and self-proclaimed evil person, was taking the legalroute to regain what they needed. It was the last thing she expected, and on the surface, she did not believe it. This had to be a trick of Shego’s somehow.
“I’ll do my best, Sheila,” Bob mused, “but if this artifact is as valuable as you say, the Field is not going to want to give it up. They will have to eventually, but they will fight it every inch of the way. I’ll start all of the paperwork and try to get a court order to allow you to take temporary possession, but I would wager it will take at least six months to a year to get it back.”
“That’s not good enough, Bob,” Shego stated. “What else do you have?”
“You could ask them,” Bob said, only half-joking. “They might just give it to you.”
“That is as good as anything that we have right now,” Shego mused. “Come on, Princess. We have a museum to visit.” She got up to leave and Kim followed suit.
“Sheila, wait,” Bob forestalled her. He got up, going to a safe that was hidden behind a portrait on the wall. He entered the combination, opened the door and extracted a small box. “Here,” he said, holding it out to her, “this became yours four years ago and you neglected to pick it up.”
Shego knew what was in the box. “I didn’t want to pick it up, Bob, and I still don’t,” she admitted gruffly. “It was Nana Sheila’s prized possession, and I don’t really deserve it.”
Bob ignored her and put it into her hand anyway. She held the box gingerly as if it would bite and then carefully opened the lid. Inside lay a ring, and Kim recognized it as the ring she had seen Sheila wearing in the mirror, the one that Mim had an identical one of, and the one thing in the mirror that had made Shego recognize Sheila. This was Sheila’s wedding ring, Kim realized, and the sight of it was doing something significant to Shego and in turn to Kim. All of Shego’s natural hubris had been stripped away, and there was only a look of profound sadness on her face. It wasn’t the face of pure evil, Kim decided, nor would pure evil have come to her lawyer in order to get what was rightfully hers. All of the little bits and pieces Kim knew of Shego assembled themselves into one big picture and Kim, to her amazement, found herself liking what she saw.
“You should take it, Shego,” she said softly, causing Shego to look up in surprise. “They would want you to have it.”
“No, they wouldn’t,” Shego muttered.
“Yes, they would,” Kim insisted. “They know who you work for, Shego; they know who you are and what you do. And they love you anyways. They are always going to see the good in you even when you don’t think there is any. You are their Junior; you always will be, and there is nothing that you can do that will change that.”
Shego scowled at her, not wanting to believe, but damn it all to hell, Kim was right. They did know whom she worked for; they had even joked with her about it. And, they had, in spite of her protests that she was no longer a hero, managed to rope her into this damn mission with this damn annoying teenager because they knew she wouldn’t refuse them. “Get over yourself, stupid,” she told herself. “The hero is right; they know all about you and they could give a shit.” Her grip tightened around the box, snapping it shut, and she turned to Kim. “Thanks, Princess,” she said, a slight, but genuine smile on her face.
“Don’t mention it…Junior,” Kim teased, unable to resist.
“Don’t push your luck, Kimmie,” Shego warned her, but with a smirk on her face. “Come on. Let’s go collect the sidekick and the mole rat and see how long it takes the museum people to tell us to get lost. Bye, Bob,” she added as she walked out the door.
“Bye, Sheila,” he answered as she walked out the door. “May I have a word with you, Ms. Possible?” he asked as Kim turned to leave.
“Um, sure?” Kim said apprehensively, not knowing what to expect.
“As the lawyer for your estate, I feel I must warn you that cavorting with convicted criminals is not the best way to maintain the good standing of the family name,” he said, a scolding look on his face.
Kim’s first instinct was to be offended, but she realized quickly that he was joking. “True, but then it seems that representing convicted criminals and doing their legal bidding might not do much for a respectable law firm’s standing, either,” she countered.
“Not if they pay well and we win the case,” Bob laughed. “But seriously, Ms. Possible, I asked you to stay because I have something for you as well.” He held out another small box. “This ring was Mim’s, and she left it to you. You are supposed to officially inherit it at eighteen along with the rest of the estate, but you are here, you seem to be a mature person, and I think you should get it now.”
Kim took the box. “Thank you, Mr. Holtzman,” she said. “Now that I have learned so much about her, it will be nice to have something of hers.”
“You are welcome, Ms. Possible,” he replied. “Now you had better take off after Sheila before you get left.”
Kim chuckled. “Bye, sir,” she said as she left his office in pursuit of Shego.
The meeting at the museum went about as they had it expected it would: they asked for the amulet and were nearly laughed off of the premises, politely of course. They had been lucky to get the meeting at all; it was only after Shego had name dropped and Kim had called in favors with a few people she had helped out a few times that the president of the museum had even deigned to meet. It had lasted all of about 15 minutes, and after they had explained what they wanted, they were told that he could do nothing for them; the piece had been donated to the museum and if that had been done illegally, they needed to contact their lawyers. Kim and Shego thanked him for his time; well, at least Kim did. Shego had nearly set his tie on fire because his attitude was starting to irk her.
As security was escorting them out of the building, Shego decided to take a little detour. “Hey Princess,” she whispered to Kim. “Wanna see it before they throw us out?” Kim, a little peeved herself at how they had been treated, nodded. She alerted Ron, who let Rufus in on the plans. Rufus set things in motion by ditching his suit, running over to a female patron of the museum standing several feet away and making his naked presence known by climbing up her clothing. He perched on her shoulder and chittered away, doing his best impression of a zoology lab escapee. Predictably, the woman screamed at the top of her lungs and the security guards attending them abandoned them in order to help out. Kim, Shego and Ron took the opportunity to make a quick right at Sue the resident T. rex into the ancient culture gallery.
They found it with ease and after looking at it carefully, Kim was decidedly underwhelmed. It was a small disc about 5 centimeters across and made out of what appeared to be silver. It had tiny inscriptions on the face and a small hole in the center. That was it. It wasn’t glowing, it wasn’t gaudy and Kim found herself skeptical that the theft of this tiny item was going to cause the end of the world.
“Not much to look at, is it?” Shego asked, reading Kim’s thoughts by the expression on her face.
“No,” Kim replied.
“That’s why I think Nana Sheila and Nana Mim are nuts,” Shego said bluntly. “But they did come back from the dead, so I guess they are serious.” They looked up as Rufus came scurrying into the room. He dove into Ron’s pocket and the four of them retreated as the angry bellows of the security guards came from the other side of the room. Once outside, Shego gave the building a once over. “We need to get back to Bob’s, get our stuff and change. It’s time for Plan B,” she said.
“And what’s Plan B?” Kim prompted.
“We steal it,” Shego replied with a smirk on her face.On Top of The Field Museum, several hours later
Kim sat in the hovercraft moping. In a matter of minutes, she was going to become a criminal, and though she could really see no other option, she wasn’t happy with it.
“Cheer up, Princess; I got you a gift,” Shego said, shoving a black knitted cap on her head.
“A ski cap?” Kim questioned grumpily. “Why don’t we put shoe polish on our faces while we are at it?”
“Sidekick boy already has enough on for all of us,” Shego said wryly, pointing out Ron. Kim glanced at him and couldn’t help but crack a smile. He looked absolutely ridiculous; he had chosen white shoe polish instead of black and looked like those living snowmen that had fought a while back. The smile only lasted for a moment though, and Kim went back to being pouty. “Look, Pumpkin, I know this goes against everything you hold dear, but we have to do it. The greater good and all that bullshit,” Shego protested.
Kim sighed. “I know, Shego. I just wish we didn’t,” she said. She pouted a moment longer, then roused herself. “But I do thank you for trying to do it the right way,” she thanked her.
“Don’t thank me. The trip to the museum was a diversion,” Shego said, an unapologetic smirk on her face. “They will assume that we have to lay low now that we have revealed our intentions. But you know what happens when you assume.”
“What?” Ron asked, interested.
“Never mind, Ron,” Kim hushed him. “So the trip to the museum was a diversion. What about the meeting with Mr. Holtzman? Was that a trick too?” Kim asked, about to get really pissed if Shego had played her.
“Nope, that was real,” Shego answered indifferently. “I didn’t think that Bob would be able to anything quickly, but I promised Nana Mim and Nana Sheila that I would try to keep your reputation as a do-gooder intact. Well, I kept my end of the bargain, so now we do it my way.”
“Fine,” Kim acquiesced. “Are we ready?” She plucked the cap off her head. “And do I really need the stupid cap? I have done plenty of covert missions without one.”
“Not really, but you do look cute in it, Princess,” Shego said with a wink, and Kim for the life of her could not tell if she was being sarcastic or not.She eyedShego suspiciously but did not say a word.
“I’ll take it!” Ron offered. “It will complete my look.”
“You don’t need a look, Stoppable,” Shego informed him. “You and the rat are staying with the hovercraft.”
“Aw, man!” Ron whined.
“Let’s go, Kimmie,” Shego said, ignoring him, and together she and Kim left the craft.
They crept carefully along, looking for any security cameras up there that might not have shown up on Wade’s schematics. It was just their luck that a world famous exhibit was at the Field at the same time as they were attempting their heist. It meant that security was tighter than it had been and security devices might be in places that they were not expecting. They made it to their access point without difficulty, though, and after a quick consult to Wade that there was no kind of alarm attached to it and that he had the security cameras under control, they popped it open and slithered inside. Once through the ductwork and on the upper floor, they used rappelling lines to drop down to the main floor where the amulet was located.
To their right lay the special exhibit, and they could see all kinds of motion detectors and other security devices diligently guarding it. What they needed was to the left, however, and no such obstacles blocked their path. They went right over to the case they had seen that afternoon, and Shego lit up her index finger, using it to cut her way carefully through the glass. Pushing the circle of glass out of her way, she reached in and grabbed the little disc of silver they had come for. Things were going perfectly, or so they thought.
Ron was sitting in the passenger’s seat of the hovercraft griping to Rufus about being left behind when he noticed the dark forms coming over the side of the roof. “That’s not good, Rufus,” he said. Rufus nodded. He thought for a moment. “We have to keep them away from the getaway car,” he decided. Thinking fast, he grabbed some nearby cable and carefully exited the hovercraft, being careful not to attract any attention. He positioned himself a good distance away from it and sat down. “Tie me up good, Rufus,” he told the mole rat. “We have to make this look good.” Rufus did as he was told, tying himself up for good measure. “Help!” Ron wailed. “He-ee-lp!”
“Over here!” came the alert and soon Ron found himself surrounded by an armed SWAT team. “What happened here, son?” one of them asked. “Don’t you work with Kim Possible?”
“Yes, yes I do,” Ron agreed, stalling for time while he thought of something “She is in the museum trying to catch Shego,” he lied. “I was up here looking for Drakken when he, um, knocked me on the head and tied me up.”
“Which way did he go?” several team members asked him.
“That way,” Ron said, pointing to the roof access door. “Shego was taking too long so he went in to help.”
“Cut him loose,” the captain ordered. When Ron was freed, he gave the order to move out. “Stay up here, son. We will take care of this.”
“Okay, sir,” Ron agreed wholeheartedly, and the captain disappeared into the access door with his men. After he was gone, Ron, figuring he should block the door somehow, got a laser weld from the hovercraft and melted all of the hinges and the doorknob. He then called Kim.
“KP! We just had a SWAT team on the roof! You guys have to get out of there!” Ron yelled frantically.
“SWAT team?” Kim questioned as she and Shego left the gallery, the amulet safe in Shego’s ankle pouch. She hung back to make sure she had heard right. Shego, on the other hand, walked right out into the foyer.
“Freeze!” the commander ordered as the floodlights came on.
“Well, fuck,” Shego commented quietly. She looked over to the rappel lines for a quick escape, but they had been cut. “Double fuck.” Kim saw the lights come on from where she was standing and made a split-second decision.
“Stop this instant, Shego!” she bellowed, running out of the gallery at full speed and tackling Shego to the ground. Shego responded instinctively by lighting up her hands and the two of them wrestled on the ground for a few minutes before Shego came to herself. Kim could see the accusation in her eyes, but before Shego could call her on being a traitorous bitch, she let her in on what she was thinking. “Grab my hairdryer and make for the roof, Shego,” she hissed as they continued to fight. “I’ll follow and they won’t shoot at you if I am up there too.”
Shego nodded, cracking a smile at Kim’s unexpected deviousness. She grabbed the hairdryer and kicked Kim away, but not so far away that Kim could not catch up. “Thanks for the lift, Princess,” she said, waving the grappling gun in a taunting gesture before she aimed and shot it skyward. The hook found its purchase on the second floor railing and she rapidly started to climb up. Trying to stay in character like Shego had, Kim growled, flipped herself off the floor and took off after her. Shego had made it halfway to the second floor by the time she started, so she used the ever-helpful T. rex Sue to make her ascent, scampering up the skeleton. Carefully judging the distance, she gingerly leapt off the fossil and grabbed onto Shego’s ankle, dangling in midair.
Shego grunted as the extra weight was added, but did not stop, pulling them both up. She reached the railing and flipped over, flinging Kim over the railing and on to the floor in one motion. She abandoned the grappling gun and made for the roof access stairs, only to rethink that course of action when the SWAT team from the roof came barreling out. “Damn it!” she cursed, diving into the ducts that she and Kim had used to access the place. Kim, after she had gotten up off the floor and retrieved her hairdryer, followed suit.
They scurried quickly through the ducts and Shego blasted off the panel to the roof, no longer concerned with being silent. She ran to the hovercraft, got in and strapped herself down, noting that Ron and the mole rat were already good to go. A helicopter appeared suddenly above them, and having no choice, she raised the gangplank and took off.
“What about Kim?” Ron protested frantically.
“Patience, Stoppable,” Shego told him, smiling when she heard the “thunk” of a grappling hook attaching itself to the antenna of the hovercraft. “That would be her,” she said confidently. “Call her and tell her to hold on; we have to outrun these guys.” Ron did as he was told, saw that it was indeed Kim who was at the other end of the grappling line attached to them and breathed a sigh of relief.
Shego hit the accelerator and they took off. The helicopter gave chase for a while, but then gave up as Shego expertly shook them off her tail. When it was safe, she slowed the hovercraft to a hover and allowed Kim to climb aboard. “You should have worn the hat,” she pointed out, laughing openly as Kim’s wind-teased bouffant came into view.
Kim glared at her, and finding nothing better to say, merely said, “Shut up, Shego,” causing Shego to laugh harder. “We barely escape with our lives and all you can do is laugh at my hair?” Kim asked incredulously.
Shego shrugged. “It’s a great stress reliever,” she said, winding down. “And you have to admit that it is funny.” Kim cracked a smile, begrudgingly conceding the point. “But seriously, Princess, nice thinking out there. You saved our asses. You too, Stoppable,” she added, surprising Ron. “Those guys I ran into were coming from the roof and I noticed that they hadn’t touched the hovercraft. The door back to the roof wasn’t exactly working, either. That had to be your doing.”
“Yup, that was Ron the man,” Ron said proudly, happy that she had acknowledged him.
“So where to now?” Shego asked.
“South America?” Kim answered.
“”We can’t yet,” Shego replied. “We never figured out how to get in the temple.”
Kim got up and went to her bag, rummaging around for a few seconds before pulling out Mim and Sheila’s journals. “Will these do?” she asked facetiously.
“All right, KP!” Ron cheered.
“And why did you being those?” Shego asked, impressed that she had thought of it. Kim would make an excellent thief if she ever had the inclination.
“Because I had a feeling that we might have some people looking for us after we got done in Chicago and we might not make it back to Middleton,” Kim said wryly.
“See, already thinking like a criminal. Ever thought about changing professions?” Shego cajoled.
“No,” Kim said flatly.
“See, no vision whatsoever,” Shego sighed. “That is what makes you a boring hero.”
“Yes, it does and now I would like to save the world,” Kim stated.
“Pfft. Heroes. Who needs them?” Shego sniffed.
“You do, apparently,” Kim retorted. “Now quit being a pain and take us to South America,” she ordered, her voice firm, but her tone light.
Shego saluted, acknowledging the truth in the statement. “Aye-aye, Cap’n,” she said wryly, turning them south.