The wind shivered through the trees, leaves almost keening, disturbing the collected moisture, causing a slight mist to drop around her. The full moon cast odd shadows across the rutted pathway that wove crazily toward the invisible horizon. She could hear birds moving in the trees, feathers shuffling, beaks clicking, but no calls.
She crept silently forward, a shadow moving within shadows at the edge of the cleared space, well away from the center of the path. Each step was calculated, precise. She paused as she heard a slight rumble from the path behind. A bush quivered as the shadow took up residence behind it.
Light began to spill around the previous bend. She lowered her visor, covering glittering green eyes, as she watched as a procession of black and red robed things hove into sight.
Each of the black robed things carried a bright torch on a short pole, alternated with some holding a pennant with a serpentine symbol upon it. In the midst of the throng, six red robed things carried a gilded sedan, a supine figure laid out upon it, dressed only in a black cloth covering hips, chest, and head.
The procession made no sound as it passed her hide. No creaks or groans were forthcoming, not even the slurp of feet pulling from the clinging mud that the afternoon rain had left. The flames from the torches did not hiss or pop. The forest around her felt as if it were holding a breath until the procession passed.
She waited until the last torchbearer was out of sight before resuming her creep, now following the procession.
She rounded the next bend to find the eerie group had seemingly vanished. She looked until she found a likely tree and began to climb, heedless of the noise.
When she reached a height above the surrounding canopy, she shimmied out a branch and began scanning the path. When she found no trace within her natural limits, she pulled miniature binoculars from her tunic and used them.
She followed the road onward, the gentle slope as it began to move up the small mountain ahead. She caught a flicker from further atop the mountain, where it looked as if a god had lopped off the peak.
Scrambling back down, she set off at a run, all pretense of stealth abandoned in her need to reach the top before anything happened. The forest became a multi-shaded blur as the path slowly inclined, slowly fading into the background as she began to circle the mountain. She finally saw flickering light coming from between two enormous boulders.
She skidded to a stop, too late to mask her approach. The robed figures standing guard looked in her direction. She fell into a fighting stance as they advanced on her.
They stopped short and bowed, moving aside and gesturing for her to enter. Realizing she had no other choice, she nodded and walked into the clearing.
She bit back a cry at what greeted her. They had Her bound to a grotesquely carved altar of obsidian, her naked form still, black hair spilling over one side. Only the slight rise and fall of Her chest betraying She still lived. A figure robed in white, hood drawn, moved from behind to altar to stand a few paces away. Red eyes glittered, matched by flashing emeralds in return.
The figure raised a gloved hand and pointed, first at herself, then at Her.
She bit her lip…her head jerked as she nodded.
A green robe was wrapped around Her as She was carried out of her sight. The cowl nodded and she felt her arms grasped, her clothing torn from her body in scraps. She was dragged to the altar and bound to it's cold surface. The white robed figure loomed over her. She felt her skin crawl as a gloved hand slowly trailed to her chin and forced her to look sideways. She saw Her, held standing between two others. One held her head up by the simple expedient of gripping her hair. Her eyelids fluttered, open upon glittering black eyes that widened at what was seen. Two more figures moved forward as She began to struggle, weakly, to escape.
She looked away, back at the white robed figure and nodded. A twisted knife appeared in his hand, glittering in the flickering light.
Then it plunged into her chest, seeking her heart. Her mouth opened in a silent rictus of agony, body arching, trying to escape. She felt the blade twist as the figure probed deeper. She looked over at Her as she felt the lifeblood leaving her body, seeing the tears falling. She watched as She ripped free from her captors, racing towards her. She saw a figure rise from a shadow behind Her, axe raised and swinging. She opened her mouth to scream a warning when she felt the blade finally find her heart.
In the falling darkness, she watched the axe descend towards Her, twinkling in the failing light.
She summoned on last burst of strength and yelled…”Nooooooo…
“…ooooooo!” Kim screamed as she bolted upright, staring unknowingly at the carnage around her.
Next to her, Shego convulsed, throwing the woman upright, green fire exploding in every direction. Theo and the henchman were caught flatfooted in their attempt to get to Kim and watched dumbstruck as the fire skittered around her, leaving her unmarked.
Ten Weeks Earlier
Life in the lair had returned to somewhat normal with Kim running things. Mostly.
Kim sat in the control room contemplating the stack of paperwork sitting in front of her, waiting for her review and signatures.
Who knew running an evil operation would be so much work?
The first file contained Drakken's contingency plans. All two of them. Kim chucked the file into the small can next to the desk.
The next file contained Shego's contract. Donovan's assistant had thoughtfully tabbed the section dealing with medical coverage. She began frowning as she read through it.
Damn Drakken only had emergency care coverage on Shego…wonder if she knew.
She made a note, and picked up the next folder.
Three hours later, she was sitting with Drakken's accountant, trying not to throttle the little man.
“You're telling me that Drakken funded this entire operation…” she pointed for dramatic effect “…by contracting himself out between his own take over the world schemes to other villians?”
The small man nodded. “Yes Ms. Possible. He would have Shego steal numerous items he had no interest in and then sell or trade them with other villains for what he needed or wanted, or money of course.”
Kim rolled her eyes. “Don't tell me…Evil-Bay?”
The man started. “So Donovan did give you the full explanation.”
Kim goggled. “I was JOKING. You mean there's evil-mail, evil-web, and all that?”
“Of course…all part of the Interror-Net. Surely Donovan explained everything? Your new gear and identification, provided by the union of course, should be arriving any day now.”
Kim shook her head. “Oookay. What else do I need to know about the finances?”
“Well, you see…”
Kim felt tired after a long day of dealing with assuming command of Drakken's operation…bone tired.
She trudged down the hall leading to Dr. Kay's medical bay to check up on Shego. It had been almost a week since she had regained consciousness. A week since Theo had told her what happened.
She stopped and lifted her hand and concentrated…until a little white shadow flickered, encasing her limb. The light overhead shattered and one of the pipe braces running along the ceiling failed, causing an alarm to go off in maintenance.
Kim shook the plastic out of her hair and continued walking.
Theo looked up when the remote monitor she had following Kim went off. She watched the power meter climb with a frown. When it didn't reach Shego's readout level, she heaved a sigh of relief.
I don't know what I'm going to do if she ever manages to get it back. I remember the briefings about Shego's power right after the comet…brrrr…I don't know if I can help her get that kind of control.
She checked Shego's readouts again…no change. Looking at the clock, she used the com unit on the wall.
“Whoever's on duty up there better get word down to the kitchen. The new boss is going to be here in a few minutes…you ought to know by now she isn't going to eat ramen from the lab microwave like Drakken did.”
She heard the new door whoosh open behind her as Kim walked into the lab.
Turning around, she clucked at her new employer.
“Kim, Kim, Kim. You shouldn't let yourself go all day like that. That's what you have henchman for, dear.”
Kim leaned against Shego's unit and grasped her hand while looking at the readouts.
“Any changes doc?”
“None. I don't know what else to do with her.”
“What about Drakken?”
Theo sat down behind her desk. “Whatever they shot him with…it's not looking too good. His condition is out of my league. The convulsions are gone, but he's hardly got any higher brain activity. Unless we can, ahem, consult a specialist…I'd have to say he's gone for the duration.”
Kim was stroking Shego's hand. After a small caress, she turned back to Theo.
“You still need to monitor me?”
Theo looked at her lap, buying time to compose herself before answering.
“Yes. Even though they haven't materialized again, you showed a glow power much like Shego's when she carried you out of bio-immersion.” Theo paused, seeing a distraction. “Which is one of the things we need to get fixed, by the way.”
Kim winced. “I know…I know. Did you know that Drakken was almost broke? I emptied his accounts…the henchman are paid through the end of next month and the bills on this drafty mausoleum are paid through the end of the year. We have enough to function, food and fuel, for another two months without another influx, but that's it. We'll have to see what we can do in the meantime. Gotta be a way to do this…”
Theo choked off a smile and giggle. “Dinner should be here any minute.”
Kim looked back at the henchman crouched in concealment behind her…and grinned behind her mask.
They certainly took my lecturing to heart…especially after I beat the entire lot unconscious…twice.
She watched as Smitty ran a device over the digital lock on the case strapped to the floor of the otherwise-empty boxcar. The device flashed green and the locks disengaged.
“Bring up the containment unit and VERY carefully put it in…there. Signal the hovercraft…pick us up from the roof of this thing.”
As her henchman clambered up the small iron ladder leading to the roof, she turned back to the open case and brought something out of her pouch and put it in the open container.
Dr. Director sighed as another agent brought yet another red-lined folder to her desk.
“Another one?”
“Yes ma'am. It seems they picked off a shipment of stolen nuclear fuel rods on their way to somewhere in the Far East.”
Dr. Director put her head in her hands and groaned. The last thing she needed right now was a competentcriminal mastermind running loose. With Kim Possible out of action and still no further word from green ghost, Team Impossible's retirement, and Team Go's reluctance to leave the confines of Go City…GJ was getting spread too thin.
“Do we have a file established for this new one yet?”
The agent dug around on her desk, unearthing a black folder. Opening it, he began reading.
“Crimson Shadow, aka unknown. Sex, unknown. SOP is non-violent intervention with other villain ops and theft. The rest of the file is blank ma'am. We have nothing else on this new villain.”
“What about our contact in W.E.E.?”
The agent shook his head.
“According to our agent, Gemini won't even talk about this Crimson Shadow. Even after having four consecutive ops go bad. The last greek letter to mention the name hasn't been seen since.”
“Have any of the missing items turned up at the usual places?”
The agent put the file back down on the desk.
“That's what's strange ma'am. Absolutely nothing has shown up on the black market or on Evil-Bay. Whoever this Crimson Shadow is…our think tank downstairs says they have enough fissionables, bio agents, and bleeding edge technology that they could conquer the world many times over. They were asking why it hadn't already happened.”
Sighing, she picked up the latest “souvenir” left behind by this Crimson Shadow.
The Zippo was black with a stylized flame etch. She struck the thumbwheel and watched the flame flare crimson.
“Get me Neilson at MI-9.”
She snapped the Zippo shut and lined it up with the dozens of others that lined the far edge of her desk.
Who ARE you?
Kim's spirits were high as she brought up the secure line on the new com unit she just had installed.
“Wade…got the fuel for the research center in Florida. They still have that half million offer going?”
Wade sucked down the last of his forty-four ouncer and typed for a few seconds.
“Still there. Usual delivery arrangements?”
“You rock Wade…you have the Cayman account number…standard commission okay?”
Wade grinned.
“Not a problem. Mom wanted me to tell you thanks for the new kitchen, and the new SUV.”
“No big. Anyone figure out a way to speed up the recharge yet?”
Wade watched the hope well up in her eyes. He hated that question.
“No. But…someone suggested that the best people to answer the question would be…”
Kim sighed. She knew it was coming to this all along.
“Would be Team Go. Thanks Wade.”
She shut off the link and sat back, thinking.
Mego was sitting in the Go Tower situation room as both Hego and Wego were chasing down another Go city criminal…one that, yet again, didn't seem to need his special power to subdue.
He had almost dozed off when the screen buzzed to life.
A mechanical voice issued from the speakers. The screen was on, but pitch black.
“Mego. Are you alone in the tower?”
Mego fell over backwards and had to answer from the floor.
“Why'd you go and do that for, I was almost asleep!”
The voice sighed.
“Mego, your sister needs your help. Will you help her?”
Mego pulled his head up until his eyes crested the tabletop.
“Will it piss off Hego if I do?”
“Yes. I believe it would.”
Mego chuckled.
“So who are you and what do you need from me?”
Kim looked down at the small and heavy box that one of her henchman had retrieved from the floor of the maintenance entrance to Go Tower.
“Tell me again what the note said?”
Theo looked up to see Kim stroll in, henchman in tow. Instead of her usual frown, she was smiling.
“Theo, I believe we have just the thing we've been hoping for…just set the box down there and you and Theo might want to get into the hall and shut the door.”
Theo and the henchman stood outside, looking in through the small windows on the door as Kim lifted the box top.
A rainbow of light jumped out, passing through Kim and lighting up the room. Theo's eyes widened as she realized what Kim was doing. She slapped the door controls repeatedly…to no effect. She pounded on the door, trying to get Kim's attention. When Kim looked at the door, Theo sagged to the floor. Kim knew exactly what she was doing.
Kim lifted the tiny comet fragment from it's lead tomb and carried it over to Shego. She could feel a resonance with the stone, as if two notes were slowing blending into one.
She laid it on Shego's chest as the notes in her head merged. The feeling was overwhelming. She dragged herself over to Theo's desk and into her chair. Looking down at the readouts, she saw her power level rising fast. She glanced at Shego's. Hope began to drain from her and she started to move away. A faint flicker caught her eye and she sat back down.
Shego's power level began to rise…first one bar, then two, then three…rapidly approaching what Theo assumed was the level at which Shego's healing ability would kick in. When the meter passed that point, Kim retrieved the fragment and returned it to it's lead containment.
She touched a control on her belt, releasing the door controls in time for Theo to catch her as she fell to the floor, her legs unable to hold her up any longer.
For the past few days, Kim had spent most of her day sitting, holding Shego's hand, waiting for her to wake up.
Theo had tried prescribing sedatives, but Kim wouldn't take them…insisting that she needed to be fully functional when Shego awoke.
She had brought her Evil laptop to the lab to keep up with the day to day, only leaving the medical bay to bathe.
Theo had moved the two diagnostic units side by side after Kim hurt herself falling out of the one.
She had even resumed wearing what were obviously Shego's preferred sleeping outfits.
As if this weren't enough, her powers were now awake, and causing problems.
Kim stood with Theo in Shego's training room.
Theo was pointing.
“Over there is where the small moving targets are launched. As you increase the difficulty level, they get smaller and faster. Above level five, the get lasers of their own.”
Kim was nodding impatiently.
“Yes…yes…I get it. Let's give this a shot then, shall we?”
Theo retreated to the control booth and activated the simulation.
Kim watched as a rather large hoverbot popped out of the wall and began moving in what appeared to be a watch pattern. Remembering what she'd seen Shego do, she pointed her fist at the bot and concentrated.
Her hands lit with a ghostly fire and the air rippled between her hands and the bot…which launched straight up and suicided into the ceiling, raining debris all over the area.
The next bot simply dropped to the floor. The next opened along it's axis and the electronics simply fell out.
Theo was beginning to get a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. She hadn't considered that Kim's powers would end up being different from Shego's…since they seemed to come FROM Shego in the first place.
She spoke into the microphone.
“Kim, we're going to try something different. This next sim is one Shego uses to keep limber for evading laser grid security systems. She's taken this all the way to level 9. Don't touch the lasers, they'll burn.”
She flipped a switch and a security grid snapped into activity. Kim took one look and rolled her eyes.
“Theo, dial it up. I'll tell you when to stop.”
Theo dialed to level three, four, five, and six. Still no movement from Kim. She kept going through eight and stopped on nine.
“Kim, this is the setting Shego uses. Try this one?”
Kim shook her head and pointed up.
“Kim, are you sure?”
“So not the drama Theo. I've handled worse.”
Theo flipped on the camera system after dialing in level ten and sat back to watch.
Kim tilted her head to the side and concentrated on the beams, some of which were moving. After about a minute, she nodded, took two steps back and took off at a run.
Theo watched in horror as Kim took off running. She reached for the kill switch but stopped when horror changed to shock as Kim leaped.
Her body had acquired a faint ghostly outline, but Kim wasn't paying attention. She was twisting, bobbing, weaving, jumping, and tumbling to an internal music as she avoided the countless lasers, moving across the room in a precision ballet.
Theo watched as Kim flipped and rolled out of the opposite side and hit the big red switch, shutting down the grid. She was grinning from ear to ear.
When she didn't see Theo in the booth, she ran back and yanked the door open to find the Dr. sitting on the floor looking up at her. She blanched from the naked fear in Theo's eyes.
“Theo, what's wrong?”
Dr. Kay closed her eyes as she began to understand what was going on. This was worse than Shego could ever be…and she couldn't bring herself to tell her.
“Nothing. Just a shock is all. Even Shego can't do level ten.”
Kim's “training” continued. Theo monitored her staggering progress as she systematically mastered every training exercise and then just as systematically destroyed them.
Spaced between these sessions were brief periods of business and sleep…of which Kim was getting less and less.
She had her Pandaroo retrieved, thinking that might help. But it had no effect.
When she had destroyed the last of the training rooms is when the nightmares began.
Theo had been monitoring Kim more and more closely since she started having the disturbing dreams.
Shego's life signs had stabilized somewhere near normal, for her, yesterday, and Kim had not left her side since.
Currently, they were both sleeping…Shego in a deep, REM-less state, Kim deep into her fourth REM cycle.
She had dozed off when the monitoring units in front of her began to alarm. Both Kim and Shego were in REM, their alpha and delta waves almost synchronous.
She hit the alarm button, summoning the on-duty henchman.
Kim's body began to glow, a pearl color, and her body jerked. The air rippled towards the wall. One of her bookshelves collapsed as an instrument cart lost it's wheels and fell over. Kim jerked again, air rippling this time toward Theo. A light fell from the ceiling to the floor, one of her desk legs gave way and threw the desk contents to mix in with the glass.
Kim jerked once again, air rippling towards the supply cabinet, which sprang open (even though it was locked) and ejected bandages and tongue suppressors in every direction.
When she sat up and screamed, Theo and the now-arrived henchman were thrown from their feet as anything not bolted down fell or toppled. They weren't prepared when Shego sat up and fried everything not directly behind Kim.