“Hey, kid.”
Ron woke up, startled by the gruff voice. He sat up to see a police officer at the door of the cell. “Your girlfriend’s here to bail you out.” the officer continued.
“She’s not my girlfriend.” said Ron, sitting up.
“I’m not a girl, or I’m not a friend?’ said a warm, feminine voice behind the cop.
“Hey, Monique!” said Ron. “Sorry, I was expecting… I mean, I thought it’s be KP.”
“Kim’s still in the dumps.” said Monique, shaking her head. “So, you’ve been a bad boy… I had to pay to replace a police station window.”
Ron shrugged. “Sorry… impulse.”
The cop looked into the cell. The three Goony Birds were sitting/laying on the cold floor of the cell, apparently sleeping there despite the fact there were three empty bunks. “Care to explain what they’re doing down there?” the cop said.
“Sleeping?” said Ron, doing his best to look like an amiable buffoon.
“And the twenty minute gap in security footage last night?” asked the man.
Ron shrugged. “Um, camera was sleeping also?”
The cop shook his head. The kid in front of him looked like he’d have trouble fighting his way out of a wet paper bag… but he’d obviously managed to take down three large, well muscled men without back up. However, the men were not seriously hurt, with no broken bones, and the cop doubted these goons would be making any complaints. “I called up some cops in Middleton and asked them about you.” said the cop. He shook his head. “They might be right on the money about Kim Possible, but somehow I don’t think they know the whole story about you.”
Ron shrugged, embarrassed by the attention. To tell the truth, his powers of Monkey Kung-Fu were extremely erratic; however, when he (or Kim) needed them, the powers showed up. “Just lucky, I guess.’ Ron said.
The cop shook his head. “Well… your g… your female friend here paid for the window, and we’re not going to press charges. Now, unless those guys are going to press charges saying you assaulted them…”
“Sir, if an eighteen year old, un-muscular sidekick….” said Ron, gesturing toward himself. “beet up you and two of your friends, would YOU admit it?”
The cop smiled. “Got a point there, kid. Just as long as you don’t try to repeat your performance, I guess you’re free to go.”
“Got all I needed. And sorry about the window.” said Ron.
“So, what did you get?” asked Monique.
“Answers.” said Ron, briefly.
“Answers!” squeaked Rufus, poking up from where he had been hiding in Ron’s pockets.
Ron smiled. “Fortunately, Rufus was able to sneak himself and my Kimmunicator into the cell.”
“Good work.” said Monique.
“Good work.” said Mayor Jonathon G. Downe, in his private office. He turned to look at Hego. “Your methods are a bit extreme… my gods, using mind control on your own sister… but the results are clearly worth it.”
“Thank you, fa… I mean, Thank you, sir. “ said Hego. “I just want you and the city to be proud of us.”
Jonathon Downe nodded. “Shego back on the team is a positive asset for Team Go and Go City. Shego, even as a free lance do-gooder, openly a lesbian…”. Jonathon Downe shuddered. “Bad for all of Go City, and my chances of continuing as mayor of our fair city.” Jonathon Downe looked down at the broad expanse of his desk. “Especially if the press and public found out about the full details of my relationship with… Team Go.”
“Sir…” said Hego. “Perhaps now, with Team Go complete, it’s time you announced the truth.”
“I’d like to.” said Mayor Downe. “Believe me, I want all the world to know… but Shego is still too much of a danger to my campaign.”
Hego sighed. “Don’t worry, sir… I understand.”
Mayor Downe walked around his desk and placed a hand on one of Hego’s broad shoulders. “I know you do… son.”
Kim set in the middle of the apartment, her mouth open as she listened to the head goon’s voice being played back on Ron’s Kimmunicator.
“The boss told us to make a disturbance at the bank, then to let the customers go… we were supposed to spray you all when you guys came in. Boss managed to fool Hego into putting some sort of mind control thing ‘round Shego’s neck. The spray was supposed to make you all believe that Shego was acting of her own free will.”
“And then?” said Ron’s voice… even as a recording, there was a cold menace audible that Kim had never heard before… well, never heard when Ron was in his right mind, at least.
“Phase two… he’s got same way to override Hego’s control, going to get those neck things on ALL of Team Go, and make them do evil…”
Kim reached over and hit the stop button. “Ok.” she said. “We’ve got to get to Team Go, tell them we know what their doing, and get them to take Shego’s collar off BEFORE Phase Two starts. Monique, I need you to…”
“You better say you need me to come along.” said Monique. “No WAY I’m staying behind to baby sit this time. Why should Ron have all the fun?”
“Wanna go!” said Kasy, from where she and Sheki had been listening in the corner. Sheki nodded in confirmation of her sister’s words.
Kim frowned. “It might be dangerous…”
“Nah.” said Ron. “We just play this and threaten to take it to the press, and Hego will fold like a house of cards in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina. “
“All right.” said Kim. “We don’t have time to argue, since we don’t know when Phase Two will go into effect.”
Kim and Ron both put on a set of baby carrier harnesses, Ron having to readjust the straps since Shego had been the last one wearing it. Kasy and Sheki were then placed in the harnesses, against Kim and Ron’s chests.
“Let’s go.” said Monique, the only one not wearing a harness.
“Guys!” said Hego eagerly, entering the Go Tower command sister. “Oh, and you too, sis… Great news! Dad’s here to tell us how proud he is of us!”
“Big deal.” muttered Mego. “If daddy dearest is that proud, why doesn’t he admit that he’s the father of Team Go.”
“Now, Methuselah.” said Jonathon Downe, entering the room. “You know how the public would look on that… the Mayor of Go City, related to Go City’s greatest team of heroes? A clear conflict of interest.”
“Dad!” cried Wego-A and Wego-B, rushing over to hug Mayor Downe.
“Hi there, Webster and Winchester!” said Jonathon, hugging the two twins. He looked up at Shego. “What, no hug for your dear old father?”
‘If you REALY cared about us, you wouldn’t have sent us into hiding after the meteor hit’ thought Shego, trapped inside her own mind by the collar.
“Now, Shego, no need to be shy.” said Hego. “Go over and hug father.”
Robotically, Shego’s body moved over and wrapped her arms around Jonathon. Suddenly, realizing she was alone with her family, a second set of instructions kicked in. Before Shego realized what she was doing, she sent a pulse of plasma into the base of her father’s neck, driving him unconscious.
She stepped back, her hands pointing at Hego.
“What… STOP, sister!” demanded Hego.
Much to Shego’s surprise, Hego’s command had no effect on her. Instead, she unleashed a powerful blast of plasma right at Hego. A blast powerful enough to kill most people or knock down a wall, but just enough to knock the super-strong member of Team Go unconscious.
“Run!” yelled Mego, beginning to shrink down.
The Wegos used their power also, franticly duplicating in hope one of them would escape. Alas, Shego turned and blasted them with plasma bolts faster then they could replicate. At last sixteen Wegos were laying on the ground, stunned. Their bodies began to re-merge. Shego turned, searching for the last brother.
Mego, Methuselah Go Downe, had managed to wriggle his shrunken body under the door. As Shego walked out, he franticly hid behind a potted plant. So, he saw… and heard… as Shego began to speak to apparently empty air.
“Phase two almost completed. Mayor Downe, Hego, and the Wegos have been captured.” Shego said, in her mindless monotone. “Mego is temporarily at large.”
Shego paused, her head cocked as if listening to some voice that the hidden Mego couldn’t hear.
“Understood.” said Shego. “I will obey.”
Shego turned and reentered the conference room. Mego watched, silently and fearfully, as Shego carried first Hego, then Jonathon Down, and then finally both Wegos, up to where the Go Jet was stored. Mego tried to think of something he could do, but knew that he was no match for his sister in hand-to-hand combat, with or without their powers. As for contacting the police… well, Shego had proven often enough in her career as a criminal that the police were unable to stop her. Mego decided his only hope was to wait for Shego to leave and contact Kim Possible. And then pray that, somehow, Kim Possible could stop the woman she loved.
Kim pressed the doorbell at the entrance of Go Tower, waiting impatiently. The camera jerked and turned to look at Kim, Kasy, Sheki, Ron, and Monique. The doors then opened.
Kim shoved the doors further apart and marched in. She saw a very relieved looking Mego climbing down the stairs. “Thank goodness you’re here…” said Mego.
“WHERE’S HEGO?” demanded Kim, interrupting Mego.
Mego gulped. “I… I don’t know. Shego just knocked them unconscious and took them away in the Go Jet…”
“Sounds like Phase Two.” said Monique.
Kim frowned. She marched over to Mego and grabbed his purple shirt, pulling him close. “Did you know about Shego being mind controlled?”
Mego franticly shook his head. “Is that what it was?” he said. “Look, all the Wegos and I knew was that Shego was suddenly acting strange and obeying Hego… well, obeying him for a while. Hego said he’d explain later, and that it was all for Shego’s best interests…”
Kim growled. “For HEGO’S best interests, more like.”
“Well, whatever Hego did backfired on him.” said Mego. “Shego just stun-blasted him, da… Mayor Downe, and all the Wegos. I was able to hide.”
“The mayor also?” said Ron. “The goons didn’t mention him…”
“Rules for villains, #93.” said Kim. “Never tell your goons all the details of your plans.”
“How many of these rules are there?” asked Ron plantively.
Kim ignored him. “You said Shego put them in the Go Jet… is there any way to find out where it is?”
Mego nodded. “Yeah, we’ve got tracking built into the Go Jet.”
“Oooh, high-tech monitoring stuff!” said Ron.
“No, just Low-Jack.” said Mego.
“All right.” said Kim. “Let’s get started tracing the plane down…”
Meanwhile, in a secret cave in the cliffs overlooking stately Stop Manor…
“Ah, Mayor Down, I see you are awake.” cackled Aviarius.
Mayor Downe looked around. He was in some sort of large cave, the floor and walls covered in brown branches woven together to look like a nest. He was sitting in a metal chair, with straps holding him down.
“What’s the big idea, you bird-brained buffoon?” demanded Mayor Downe.
“Ah… patience.” said Aviarius. “I just thought I let you know that I know have ALL your children wearing my little collars.”
Aviarius gestured. One of the Goony Birds who had NOT participated in the bank raid pulled back a curtain, to reveal Hego, Shego, and two Wegos standing blankly against the wall. All four of them were wearing shiny metal Neural Inhibitor / Control Emulator collars.
“Soon…” said Aviarius, “I shall unleash them against your city.”
“What madness is this?” demanded Downe. “What do you plan to do with me?”
“Well, Mayor…” said Aviarius.
“Sir!” said a Goony Bird at a control panel.
“What is it?” demanded Aviarius. “I was just getting to the good part of me revealing my fiendish plans.”
“There’s a plane approaching.” reported the goon.
“Thanks for the ride.” said Kim.
“Anything for you and your two friends.” said the pilot. “After what you did for me and the boys back on the testing range…”
“Oh, anyone could have managed to hot glue gun the wing back on a X-9000 rocket plane while it was traveling super sonic.” said Kim. She forced herself to smile, wishing the pilot would just shut up so she could focus on finding Shego.
“Are you sure it was a good idea leaving Mego behind to watch the kids?” asked Monique.
“Positive.” said Kim. “If Aviarius needs the complete Team Go set for his plans, we don’t want Mego anywhere near him. And Kasy and Sheki are far too young to be taken along on a mission. They need to be at least sixteen before they can come along and save the world.”
“Actually, KP, didn’t you start at…” said Ron.
“Shut up.” said Kim, fastening a helmet on. “Ready to go?”
“Ready, Kim!” confirmed Ron, already wearing his helmet and having his parachute on. Rufus strapped his mini-helmet on.
“I don’t know if I can handle sky diving…” said Monique.
“It’s easy!” said Kim. “Just count to five and pull the cord.”
“We’re over the area where the Go Jet landed.” said the pilot. “Good luck!”
“Right!” said Kim, jumping out of what was a perfectly good aircraft.
“Booyah!” said Ron, following her.
“TTB… ” muttered Monique, and jumped out also. “Time to bail!”
Kim, Ron, and Monique landed within seconds of each other.
“Great job on your parachute landing!” congratulated Ron, helping Monique up and out of her parachute harness.
“Yeah, you did a lot better then Ron on his first landing.” said Kim. “You managed to keep your pants on.”
“Hey, that was the tree’s fault.” said Ron.
“Anyway, we need to go stealth mode.” said Kim. “We don’t want Aviarius to know we’re coming.”
“Quiet!” agreed Rufus, from his place in one of Ron’s pockets.
Kim, Ron, and Monique moved toward the cliffs, not noticing the metal-eyed bird partially hidden in the trees above them.
Aviarius pulled out a microphone. “Team Bird-Go! Go out and stop those meddlesome kids and their mole rat from coming here!”
Hego, Shego, and the Mego twins obediently marched out of the Bird-Cave.
“Remember.” said Kim, softly. “We need to sneak in and try to rescue Mayor Downe and Team Go…”
“Stop right there, Possible.”
Kim looked up when she heard the familiar voice. Shego was standing on a rock outcropping, her hands glowing bright green.
“Scatter!” yelled Kim, doing a shoulder roll. The move got her out of the way of the first two plasma blasts Shego threw at her, and gave time for Kim to get to cover.
Hego, in the mean while, was charging from the underbrush straight at Ron. Ron ran and then made a terror-fueled leap toward some branches. Moving with monkey like agility… a comparison that would have given Ron the heebee jeebies if anyone had pointed it out to him… Ron was soon halfway up the tree he had selected.
Monique, in the mean time, was trying to fight off six Wegos. While they were untrained fighters, their ability to act in perfect coordination with each other was making it a difficult challenge.
Kim rushed over to help Monique, dodging the plasma bolts Shego was throwing. “We have to retreat!” said Monique. Kim looked up at Shego, her heart yearning to somehow free her lover right this moment, and knew that Monique was right.
“I’ll be back for you…” said Kim, promising as she looked at the green-and-black clad woman.
“A little help here?” begged Ron, halfway up the tree. Instead of climbing, Hego had wrapped his arms around the trunk of the tree and was now working to lift the tree out of the ground.
Monique and Kim ran toward Hego, kicking and punching him. Distracted, Hego dropped the tree…
“WHOOOAH!” screamed Ron as the tree fell over, toward Shego… fortunately, Ron was able to cling to the top side, so he wasn’t crushed. Shego, not having any orders about avoiding falling trees, was knocked down by several of the branches.
“RUN!” ordered Kim, leading the way.
Ron and Monique followed. Hego stared after them… the orders had said to stop them from coming to the Bird Cave, and the three were clearly going the other way. He turned and went to check on his fallen siblings.
“Wade.” said Kim, into the Kimmunicator. “Team Go… most of it… is now being mind controlled, including Shego. You need to find some way I can go head to head with them.”
“Already on it.” said Wade. “There’s a scientist who’s been working on a secret project to try to duplicate Team Go’s powers using technology. He’s someone who owes you a favor… and his lab is right in Go City.”
Kim looked around. Ron, Monique, Kasy, Sheki, and Mego looked back at her. “All right, Wade.” said Kim. “Where is he?”
“Stop Labs.” said Wade, then proceeded to give Kim directions.