It was a flight like any other. The stewardess was walking up and down the isles picking up the orders of the passengers. It wasn't odd at all except for the presence of a young girl sitting in first-class seats with what looked like a red iPod. The stewardess wouldn’t have been intrigued at all if it wasn’t for who the girl reminded her of.
“Miss Possible? Are you Kim Possible?” she asked as she forgot her job for a moment. In her defense, it wasn’t every day that one meets an international celebrity on the 16 hour flight from Colorado Springs to Tokyo.
The girl looked up from her “iPod” and briefly scowled at the older woman but quickly put on a smile. It was so quick the stewardess wondered if she just imagined it. “Kim Possible? Oh, the teen hero! No, no, I’m just a look-a-like. My name is actually…Sheyla.”
The stewardess blushed in embarrassment; of course Kim Possible wouldn’t be flying a commercial airline. “Oh, I’m so sorry for bothering you, Miss. You just…really look like her. Can I get you anything?”
‘Sheyla’ shook her head. “No thank you. I’ve had quite the day and I would just like to relax…” she let the sentence trail off as a blunt hint. The stewardess nodded and apologized one last time before walking through the curtain to second class.
“Ugh, I really need to change my hair style after this, it’s bad enough that I lost my contacts…” Kim lamented as she sunk into her seat.
The redhead punched a few keys on her communicator which, luckily, had a sat link. She idly sifted though her available funds; the new communicator she had picked up from Señor Senior, Sr. during one of her jobs had been a god-sent. ‘It’s better than Wade’s, that’s for sure. At least this one isn’t chipped.’
Her spirits were somewhat lifted when she saw that Dementor had already paid his fee. With that, she would have more than enough funds to get back into the swing of things once again. It didn’t solve her problem with conventional transportation, however.
“A hovercraft might work…” Kim quickly shook her head at that thought. “Nah, too ‘Shego’ for my tastes.” Kim chuckled. “Well, I’ll think of something later, right now I’ve got to nail down a safe place to lay-low for a bit.” she chirped to herself in a giddy voice.
‘Really,’ she internally mused, ‘I should have left months ago. This is going to be so much fun!’
The stewardess that had bothered her earlier walked past the first-class seats again. She let out a small sigh of relief; she was afraid that the girl she had bothered would complain to her superiors but it didn't look like she even remembered the conversation if the wide grin she was wearing was any indication.
Shego winced as her sleep was interrupted by sunlight dancing on her eyelids. She tried to turn in the bed she was in but found that her body felt like a lead weight. This was odd to her since she was used to her body being limber and ready to move no matter how long she slept. She tried to sit-up but something was restraining her.
“W-wha…what?” she slurred. All of her instincts were telling her something was wrong but she found she couldn't move most of her body. It was a feat that she managed to open her eyes.
“Ah, you're awake already?” As Shego's eyes became more focused, she found she was in a hospital room strapped to the bed she was laying in with several harnesses. Eventually, she looked over to where the voice had come from and was surprised to see Betty Director in a chair off to the side of the room. She had been looking through a file but set it aside when she rose to walk over to the super-powered woman.
The one-eyed agent kept her face neutral as she looked over the green-hued woman. Shego felt as if the woman was looking for something specific but couldn't pin the thought down.
Whatever the head of Global Justice was doing, it unnerved the super-charged woman. “What the hell is going on?” Shego asked as she tensed the restraints.
“That,” Betty started as she rose from her chair, “is what I hope to discover. What’s the last thing you remember, Shego?” she asked, curtly.
Shego, realizing she was in no condition to make matter worse by resisting, tilted her head in thought. “Uhhh…I came to kick some answers out of Kimmie about that Cleis…bitch…hey!” Shego’s head snapped up to glare at the one-eyed woman standing slightly off to the side. “You set me up!”
Betty Director looked genuinely confused. “What are you talking about, Shego? You kidnapped Kim Possible and you accuse us of something?” the older woman snorted.
“The hell I did! You and Kim set me up with Dementor and that whole Cleis thing!” the green-hued woman raved. “How you got Kimmie to even act less than perfect is amazing in itself.” Why Global Justice was continuing with this farce was beyond the thief, she briefly wondered if all of this was being tapped so they could use it as a training video or something.
Betty’s visible eye widened as she staggered back to her chair which she promptly fell into. “Wait, wait…Cleis did this too you?” she asked, paying that she was just misunderstanding the world-class thief.
Shego furrowed her brow, what didn’t this idiot understand? “No, Cleis didn’t do this, Kimmie did.” the woman stated. As an afterthought she added, “It’s not like it matters what you call the sneaky little brat, they’re both the same people.” she snorted.
The pale woman was surprised when Betty started to breath deeply as if she were hyperventilating. This was an opportunity, however, and Shego used the lapse in attention to test her bonds more now that she was fully aware.
“Will! Get in here, now!” Betty barked, abruptly bringing Shego’s attention back to the other occupant of her room.
‘So, I guess they’ll be taking me off to jail now, how nice.’ Shego mentally commented. It wasn’t as if Shego cared, even if they did have a cell made of that new plasma-shielding metal, she would still escape eventually, it would just take a bit more effort.
The slender form of the incompetent agent slipped through the hospital door as he rigidly saluted his superior. “Yes, Commander?”
“Put an alert out to all of our agents.” Dr. Director stated. Shego and Will snapped to attention at this; it was one of the most potent orders in the one-eyed woman's arsenal. “All active agents are to check their current information channels for Kim Possible. If she if found, they should not attempt to make contact but send a priority message back to headquarters. Understood?”
Will nodded, albeit with a confused look at Shego. The pale woman was equally perplexed. “Huh?” was all Shego could ask.
Betty Director heaved a massive sigh; if her suspicion was correct the amount of paperwork she was going to have to sift through would make Shego's defection look like a playground spat between children. “In short, Miss Go, if what you say is true Kim Possible just became one of the most wanted criminals on the face of the planet.”
“What?!” was the duel cry from both Will Du and Shego.
“Shego, there was not plot to capture you. The criminal, Cleis, is not one of our agents.” Dr. Director stated. “If Kim Possible incapacitated you and declared herself to be the thief known as “Cleis” then with her physical skill and technical knowledge of the interworkings of most of the major corporate headquarters that she at one time saved…” the older woman left her though hanging, hoping that one of the other two occupants of the room would put two and two together.
Shego’s world view cracked. “If she went bad with all of that knowledge…she could take my spot as the best thief in the word! That's cheating!” she cried in indignation.
Betty Director resisted the urge to strangle the raven-haired thief. “You’re missing the point entirely! You’re status as the big shit on the block means nothing if Cleis helps some madman build a doomsday machine!”
Both Will and Shego stared at the head of Global Justice as she took her time to compose herself. “Ah, sorry about that. Anyway, this is all a ‘what-if’ scenario.” Betty stated as she pinned the restrained ex-hero with a flat glare. “I still don’t believe you had nothing to do with Miss Possible’s disappearance.”
“Even though I may not agree with the way Kim Possible operates, I don’t believe her to be a common criminal.” Will Du snorted, agreeing with his superior like any good bootlicker should. “Still, I will go and issue the orders to our world agents. Shall I also get the containment crews to escort Shego to prison?”
This is the point when Shego got a bit fed-up with the conversations. Igniting her plasma, she easily cut through the simple bonds holding her down. With a flip off the bed, she placed herself next to the window that, ironically, Kim had used to escape the hospital the night before.
Will Du gaped at the bed then the woman. “You were supposed to be sedated!” he cried as if he were genuinely offended by the proceedings. Oddly, Betty Director didn't look too concerned.
Shego rolled her eyes at the whiny agent; how the hell had this man made the cut into Global Justice? “Doy! My body sifts toxins out of my system a lot faster than normal. You guys must be slipping.” she pointed out, honestly surprised that they would be so stupid. Before Will could even form a response, the thief had already cut though the glass and leapt out the second storey window.
“See ya later, losers!” Shego taunted as she used her gloves, which were strangely still on her hands despite being 'captured', to latch onto various parts of the building during her decent. She could hear Will Du shouting angry words of protest for as long as she was within hearing range. A part of Shego's mind asked why there were only a few guards patrolling the area but this part was vastly outgunned by the majority of Shego's brain which only wondered one thing: how to get revenge on Kim “Cleis” Possible…
Once she was certain Shego was out of hearing range, Dr. Director calmly walked over to the small mirror in the hospital room. “You should be a professional actor, Will.” she noted as she tapped on the glass. Will, now done with his yelling, stood respectably beside his superior
“I'm more than happy with the job I have. You, however, should get an Academy Award.” he answered as the hospital door opened, admitting a very distressed Anne and James Possible. Ron Stoppable followed after them in about the same state.
“That…that doesn't prove anything. Shego could be lying, she's a criminal!” Anne defended. Ron was uncharacteristically silent as he simply listened to everything being said.
Dr. Director's eye softened as she looked at the distressed woman; this would really drive the point home. “Mrs. Possible, the entire point of bringing you here was to show that Shego is just as confused as you are. Here, you should see this.” the one-eyed woman stated as she pulled out a sheet of paper from the folder she had been reading before Shego awoke.
Dr. Possible took the outstretched paper with a shaky hand. What was written on it was more a source of confusion than proof of her daughters guilt, however. “$119,131.60? What is this?” James asked for his wife.
“The one thing your daughter has that could be considered a vice.” Betty responded. “Her ego.”
Ron immediately stiffened while Ruffus started to chatter his displeasure at the comment. “Hey! Don't talk about KP like that! You don't have any-”
“Ronald, stop…” All eyes turned to Anne Possible as she shook her head. With more serenity than she was feeling, she handed the paper back to Dr. Director. “I won't help you throw my daughter in jail, you know that.”
The Director of Global Justice nodded. “Of course, you are her parents and I wouldn't think of putting you into that kind of situation. All I ask is that if she contacts you, just try to convince her to give herself up. Meanwhile, Global Justice will do everything possible to get this resolved quickly.”
Ron couldn't believe what he was hearing. “Mrs. P! Tell me you don't believe this!” he shouted. James Possible sighed and put his hand on Ron's shoulder.
“Ron, tell me the amount that 'Cleis' asked for.” he asked.
The boy made an annoyed face but still answered. “$119,131.60.”
“Don't you think it's a strange amount to ask for? So exact a series of numbers would be a bit foolish, wouldn't it?” he asked.
“Umm…now that you mention it, it is weird.” Ron admitted. “I still don't see what this has to do with anything!”
Dr. Director handed the boy a sheet of paper she was writing on a moment ago. Ron glared at her but took the offered item. On it was the alphabet, A-Z, all numbered. “So?” he snorted. Ruffus peered over his shoulder and gasped.
“Match the price Cleis charged with letters, Mr. Stoppable.” Betty ordered. The elder Possible's quickly wrapped the boy up in a hug once his face showed he understood and Dr. Director motioned for Will and herself to leave the trio alone for the time being.
Out in the hall, Will Du decided to speak-up while they walked towards their transportation. “Kim Possible got sloppy, it seems.”
Betty shook her head. “On the contrary, she's finally getting serious. Her jobs have been few and far between when you compare her career with the average thief so I suspect she was protecting her family until she was ready to let go. Some sort of final step into her new profession.” the one-eyed woman mused. “You weren't around back then, but Shego did the same thing. When she left Team Go, she made sure the world knew she did. Of course, she'll say she was so angry with Team Go that she didn't want anyone to ever group them together again, but Shego probably did it so her crimes wouldn't be reflected on her family.”
“I wonder why Kim Possible turned in the first place…” Will pondered. For once, Betty Director didn't have an answer.
She didn't have time to give Will an answer even if she had one as a younger agent ran up to the pair before they could climb into the awaiting Humvee that would whisk them back to headquarters.
“Commander!” the young agent yelled. “Kim Possible was sighted ten hours ago boarding a flight in Bolder Colorado bound for Tokyo!”
Betty smirked. “That means she's probably already on the ground there. Call our representatives in Japan and have Miss Possible's face at every airport and shipyard; I don't want her leaving that country. Also, leak this to the press, I want the criminal Cleis to be famous, we have to limit the amount of favors Miss Possible can call in from unsuspecting people.” Dr. Director ordered.
Once inside the backseat of the Humvee Betty ordered that they change their destination to the nearest air force base. After they were underway, the GJ head flipped open her personal communicator and started to type on the small keypad.
Will noticed his commander was browsing a website who's header he was surprised to see. “Kim Possible's website?” he asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Why do you think I let Shego escape? One little post on the forum here about a Cleis sighting in Tokyo and Shego will be there.” the older woman replied as she finished her typing.
“Forgive my apparent ignorance, but how would Shego being there help?” Will asked.
The woman gave him a level stare before answering. “How do you actually expect to locate someone who is familiar with all of Global Justice‘s capture procedures? Do you think you can outwit a criminal Kim Possible let alone restrain her if you do happen to find her, Will?”
Silence reigned in the vehicle until Betty snorted. “Thought so. If anyone can fight…Cleis…on equal footing it's Shego. As an added bonus, the commotion they will undoubtedly cause will give us Cleis' exact location so we can send a large-scale team in to restrain her and Shego after they've tired themselves out. Two birds with one stone, right?”
Will just stared at the woman for a few moments. “You're evil. Smart, but evil.” he stated, forgetting regulations and formality for the moment. Instead of scolding the young man, the one-eyed director only snickered to herself; Sheldon may have gotten the megalomaniac streak bent on world domination but unfortunately for the WEE leader, Betty Director inherited all of the actual talent…
“So…” Ron started from the back of James Possible's car. The trio had been silent for most of the drive from the hospital which was understandable; it's not every day that you find out your daughter went from the worlds greatest hero to it's biggest threat. Even if Kim didn't try and take over the world herself, she could still lead to it by stealing the things madmen like Dementor and Drakken needed.
Anne's face was a mask of stoicness. After her original outburst he had taken the exact details of Kim's criminal life in stride; to Ron’s surprise she had held up far better than Mr. Possible.
“Ronald, did you have any idea Kim was engaging in this behavior?”
“Of course not!” the boy snapped. Unlike Anne, he wasn’t one to mask his emotions very well. “I still don’t believe Kim did any of this willingly, it has to be some sorta plot by Drakken!” Ruffus chirped his agreement.
James glanced in the rearview mirror at his daughter’s best friend. “What do you mean? Like the attitude adjuster thing you were hit with?”
Ron nodded. “That has to be it, no way KP would become a criminal.”
“But why would we only notice now?” Anne spoke for the first time since getting in the car. “You heard Betty when we left Kimmie's room yesterday, Global Justice has been watching her for weeks.”
That was a valid point, Ron mentally conceded. Of it’s own volition, his mind drifted back to the earth shattering revelations they had been dealt the night before. The former sidekick remembered Mrs. Possible's anger when Dr. Director had pulled her aside and presented her case against Kim after the teen hero had disappeared from her hospital room.
What was worse is that the one-eyed woman wasn't 100% positive that Kim was indeed a most wanted criminal. It had taken hours to convince Mr. and Mrs. Possible to even entertain the idea, let alone wait as long as they did for Shego, the sole occupant of the room, to awaken.
'I still can hardly believe it…' Ron lamented as he recalled his reaction from behind the one-way mirror in Kim's room. Honestly, the boy didn't believe that something like the Attitudinator was responsible for Kim’s change of…perspective. Still…
“I swear I’ll get Kim back, Mr. and Mrs. P.” he stated with all honesty.
Anne looked in the rearview mirror, seemingly regarding the boy. After a few moments of this, she nodded her head with a sad expression. “Get my daughter back, Ron…please…” the older redhead managed to sob out as the precious hold on her emotions finally cracked…
To say Dr. Drew Lipsky was in a good mood would be the understatement of the year, if not century. Currently, the good doctor was throwing a party with every henchman in his lair present. There was confetti and various party streamers covering almost every doomsday invention in his large lab and music so loud that it was literally shaking the thick concrete walls. What was the reason for the celebration, you ask?
“Kim Possible is evillllll!” Drakken shouted over the loud techno music. This declaration caused the score of random henchmen to cheer in response. On the main screen of the lab’s control panel, the national news was flashing pictures of a familiar redhead next to a grainy security photo of the criminal ‘Cleis’ with the caption: “Kim Possible; public enemy #1” beneath the two pictures.
This was the scene that greeted Shego as she entered the mountain lair. The blaring techno music alone was enough to make her gape in disbelief but added to that were over a hundred dancing henchmen complete with strobe lights almost made her faint. Drakken dancing with a lampshade on his head didn’t help her sanity any.
The pale thief tried to yell out to her boss but the loud music coupled with that fact that Drakken was probably drunk half off his ass was keeping her from getting her point across.
With a visible twitch in her eye, Shego pushed her way through the dancing mob and headed towards the speakers. All anyone saw was a very annoyed Shego slice through the thick power cord with a blast of plasma.
“Now, what the hell is going on here?!” Shego yelled now that the music was cut. Any grumbling from the henchmen, and women, about the sudden silence was quickly over-ruled by the look Shego was sporting.
Most of the veteran subordinates knew that look; it was the infamous, ‘Get in my way and I’ll turn you into a boneless heap’ look. The newer recruits didn’t need the experience as, with the strobe lights still on, Shego looked very much like something out of a Steven King book.
“Move you body, every everybody, move your body…” Drakken was still dancing like a drunken idiot, which he was at the moment, as Shego stomped up to him. Lifting him off his feet by the collar of his lab coat, she shook him a few times for good measure.
The blue genius pulled the lampshade off his head and grinned at his sidekick, completely unaware of the mood Shego was in.
“Shego! It’s great that you’re here, we must celebrate!” he declared.
The raven-haired woman’s face softened a bit at the state of utter bliss Drakken was in; it wasn’t often that her blue-skinned boss was genuinely happy. Looking around at the party decorations and frightened henchmen made her feel even more like a heel so she set the inebriated scientist back down and grabbed the nearest henchman.
“Ok, just what is going on here?” she questioned.
“U-u-uh…d-doctor D-Drakken was celebrating K-Kim P-Possible becoming a c-criminal…” the man managed to sputter out. Shego’s face darkened once again and the poor lackey almost wet himself right then and there.
Much to everyone’s surprise, however, Shego let him go and glanced at the happy, if not a bit confused, Drakken.
‘Well, I guess they do deserve this…’ the ex-hero thought to herself as she took in the general atmosphere. Seeing the large news report playing on the screen behind her made her sigh.
“Well? What the hell are you all waiting for?” she barked, wheeling around on the throngs of henchmen(and women). Most of them looked at one another before starting to move for the doors of the lab assuming Shego wanted them out. “I thought we were having a party? Someone get the music started back up!” Shego yelled, completely shocking the entire crowd.
When no one moved, Shego lit up her fist and waved it menacingly at the horde. That made most of them jump to action as a replacement cable was quickly procured to fix the speaker Shego had abruptly decommissioned upon her initial arrival.
Soon, the blaring Techno music had started back up and the general party atmosphere had settled back over the room. The pale thief made her way over to the small bar that had been erected from some scrap machine of Drakken’s and fixed herself a beer. Watching the happy faces of the people she had come to work with, and terrorize, for the last few years caused a small smile to grace Shego’s beautiful face. She shook her head in amusement and took a sip of her drink.
‘I guess I can give Kimmie a day or two reprieve before I come and kick her teeth in.’ the woman thought to herself. ‘I guess you did prove something to me, Kim. Anything is possible for a Possible, even surprising the world…’
With that, Shego lifted her can in a toast to the picture of Kim ‘Cleis’ Possible that was still playing on the monitor. ‘After all, it’s a whole new ballgame now…’
Author Note: If you're still wondering what the significance of $119,131.60 is, match the numbers with letter ala their place in the alphabet. It spells out 'Kim P.'