Kim padded downstairs in her bare feet. A week ago such a thing would have been unthinkable, due to the buildup of dust. Now Team Possible HQ was, if sparingly furnished, at least clean.
And ironically, considering Kim and Shego were currently fighting to stay out of each other's mission clothes, Kim was wearing Shego's pajama pants along with the T-shirt she'd worn last night. Shego was sprawled out in her bed right now, dead to the world and without a stitch on her. Kim had grabbed Shego's green pants because they were the closest thing handy.
Shego… Kim thought about the nude beauty and felt her face grow flushed. Oh God, the things they'd DONE to each other last night. Surely none of the tortures Shego had visited upon her while in Dr. Drakken's employ years ago had been followed by such sweet ecstasies! And while certainly Kim had never imagined her first time would turn out the way it did (until Shego re-entered her life, Kim hadn't even considered her first time would involve a girl!), Shego had no trouble blowing Kim's mind, without even the benefit of that one part of the body which no man could do without!
There was one moment that, fortunately, didn't turn out the way it might have. Shego's nipples were the same shade as the rest of her breasts, instead of being darker. That might have thrown Kim off a bit, if she hadn't already seen Shego naked poolside on the Seniors’ island.
The best part was, one corner of Kim's mind had analyzed and memorized Shego's moves the same way she would have during a fight. When Shego had finally rolled over, having driven her relentlessly to not one but two orgasms, she'd been surprised when the “inexperienced” Kim turned the tables and reduced her to incoherent whimpering.
Even then, it seemed, Kim's competitive spirit had not given Shego the chance to say she was the better lover.
“I have a lover,” Kim whispered. “I have a lover.”
She grinned unashamedly. It made her so happy to say that out loud! That was why she was downstairs, in a way. She felt so full of energy that she couldn't go on lying in bed, and she couldn't bear to wake Shego. Most wouldn't believe the raven-haired former villainess had it in her, but Shego had been surprisingly tender at times last night, and for that Kim chose to let her sleep.
It was a good thing no one was there to see her dancing around the main room at ten in the morning!
“Enjoying life, Kim?”
“YAAH!” Kim shrieked, spinning around.
Dr. Director leaned against the doorway of her office, a coffee mug in one hand. “Sorry,” she said. “Mind if I tell you a story?”
“A… story?” Kim asked. She was still reeling a little from the night's activities, and Dr. Director's unexpected presence left her dazed. Why was she here, and where was Thomas?
“You see,” Betty Director began, “Global Justice has always recruited people like yourself to be new agents - young, strong, fast, intelligent, determined, intuitive, often very attractive too. And these young men and women quickly found themselves working together on assignments, frequently life and death situations, and learning to trust one another with their lives.”
“Uh-huh,” Kim said, curious as to where this was going.
“And, as the agents became closer,” Dr. Director continued, “sometimes it was inevitable that the agents also became romantically involved with one another.”
“Oh,” Kim replied, turning red.
“Naturally Global Justice tried to discourage such relationships,” Dr. Director said. “It could create complications during assignments, as you can imagine.”
“Sure,” Kim said. What else could she say? The potential for distractions was there, although it had never created any problems for her and Shego.
Oh God, had Dr. Director arrived early enough to hear any sounds coming from Shego's room? Wasthat where this was coming from?
“Dr. Director,” Kim went on before the older woman could continue. “I don't know how long you've been here, but-”
“I arrived not five minutes ago, Kim,” Betty Director said.
“Ah,” Kim said. Now she was definitely confused.
“As a supervisory agent, and later the head of GJ, I became quite good at reading body language, Kim,” Dr. Director explained gently. “It was relatively simple to tell when two agents were interested in each other, or when someone had… the night before-”
“I got it,” a mortified Kim said quickly. Dr. Director had taken one look at her and seen the truth. Kim had, as the boys liked to say, gotten laid.
“Good,” Dr. Director said. She seemed a bit uncomfortable as well now. “That being said, Kim, I trust you didn't do anything like THAT last night? Because if you did, and I found about it, well… my next conversation with your mother could get a bit awkward.”
“You wouldn't-”
“Tell your mother? IF it was true? Of course not, it's not my place to tell. It would just be awkward, though, knowing this.”
They looked at each other for a moment.
“So,” Betty said briskly, “you didn't do anything out of the ordinary last night, right?”
Kim responded with almost military precision. “Nope, nothing at all,” she replied.
“Glad to hear it, Kim, glad to hear it.”
“Er, Dr. Director?”
“Yes?”
“Was there ever a time in GJ where you found out two of your agents had done - you know? And they were of the same sex?” Kim asked cautiously.
Dr. Director nodded. “Yes, once or twice.”
“What did you do?”
“Well, it was discouraged, the same as I would have if they were of the opposite sex,” she said. “But I never held it against them, or gave them less responsibility.”
“And if Shego and I became lovers-”
“Kim, this isn't GJ. I'm not your superior. It's your name on the company letterhead, remember?” Dr. Director said dryly. “I can't tell you what to do. If you don't think it will cause any problems, then you should do it.”
Kim nodded. “Thanks. Speaking of Mom, she wants me to tell her when it finally happens.”
“Really? Are you going to?”
“Well…”
“Don't worry, I won't tell any tales.”
“I said I would, but I think I'll wait until it's gone on for a little while. I mean, she has to know sooner or later. But I don't think I'll call her the morning after,” Kim said.
“Probably a good idea,” Dr. Director murmured. “She was just worried when she made you promise that. Mothers do that, they… worry.”
Kim sat down. “Dr. Director, is everything all right? Where's Tommy?”
“Thomas is asleep in my office,” Dr. Director said. “Yes, everything is all right - for now.”
She sat across from Kim. “You might as well know,” she added, “since this latest development happened because of Sappho.”
“Our spaceship?” Kim asked, raising an eyebrow. “He didn't - take her apart, did he?”
Dr. Director chuckled, but it lacked some of its humor. “No, nothing like that. Your father took me to meet Sappho yesterday, and I brought Thomas with me. While we were there, I discovered that my son… well, it seems he speaks binary.”
Kim stared at her for a minute. “You're kidding.”
Betty shook her head.
“He can speak computer?”
“Not speak it in the human sense, no. But when Sappho touched him at one point, he transmitted his thoughts to her in binary - a long series of 1s and 0s that would make no sense to you or me, but which Sappho comprehended perfectly.”
“What did he say?”
“Basically, that he liked her.”
“Shego would agree,” Kim muttered.
“Anyway,” Dr. Director said, “it shouldn't be altogether surprising. His birth mother designed him to be able to interact with computers, after all.” She scowled. “Thomas was conceived by his parents not so they could raise a child and love him, but so they could experiment on him and create a weapon.”
“Dr. Director-”
“Your mother says the Acceptable father must have operated on the mother while she was still pregnant,” she went on, heedless of Kim's attempt to interrupt. “Somehow he surgically grafted the cybernetic implants into Thomas’ brain without killing him, and as he grew, the implants grew with him. And they condemned him to a life that was anything but normal, a life that could end in madness or even a fatal aneurysm-”
“Dr. Director!” Kim said loudly.
Betty blinked and raised her head.
“The Acceptables are gone,” Kim reminded her. “He's free of them. You're his mother now, and I know you will raise him and love him the way children are meant to be. None of us know what those metal parts in his brain will do to him, but you're going to make sure that no matter what, they won't turn him into a machine too.”
Dr. Director took a deep breath. “Yes - thank you, Kim. I love Thomas like he was my own son, and that means I fear for him the same way. Because of my work, I never had time for a man in my life, so I thought I'd never have children.” She looked back into her office. “Now I can't imagine my life without him.”
Kim had never thought about children, of course. She wasn't even halfway through her twenties. But she knew her mother thought about it, and now she wondered what her mother had undoubtedly thought of months ago - by loving Shego, would SHE never have children?
She wasn't sure what she thought about that.
“Anyway,” Dr. Director said, wiping away a tear that was just beginning to form in the corner of her eye, “I came in early to think. Just as well that I did, too. We have our first paying mission.”
“Really?” Kim asked.
“Yes, a case of corporate theft. Our client says they had one half of a chemical compound stolen the other night. The other half is at their facility in Portland, Oregon. It hasn't been taken yet, and of course they've increased security, but they'd feel more secure if Team Possible was there. That way the thieves can be caught if they show up, and they have no choice BUT to show up.”
“What does the compound do?”
“I was told it wasn't relevant. Let's just say it's not ‘take over the world’ stuff, but it is quite valuable to the company,” Dr. Director told her. “And while we're waiting for Wade to find Monkey Fist's lair in central Africa-”
“Which is looking a lot like finding a needle in a haystack,” Kim said glumly.
“The Snake Charmer's information was pretty broad,” Dr. Director admitted. “Still, it is a lead. And he'll pop up sooner or later. In the meantime, there's more crime to be dealt with.”
Kim nodded. “Any idea who's responsible? DNAmy, maybe, or SSJ?”
“Apparently it's someone new. The criminal world doesn't revolve around your old nemeses, after all,” Dr. Director said.
“I don't know if I like that or not,” Kim replied.
“Several days ago,” he murmured. “And still no Kim Possible bashing down my door. I could probably hide here forever if that insufferable do-gooder hasn't found me by now.”
He logged off the Internet, but not before printing the news story from several days ago, about the “Snake Charmer” apprehended by Team Possible near Boston, Massachusetts.
“But we want her to find you, don't we?” the slim figure said behind him.
“Oh yes,” he said. “Oh yes, we do. Where Kim Possible goes, that pretender, that thief Ron Stoppable goes too. If our hissing friend in America couldn't give them the information they needed, though, then I shall have to… guide them further.”
“And soon, my dear,” Monkey Fist said, his hands caressing the arms of his chair while he clasped his toes just below his chin, “all the Mystical Monkey Power in the world will belong to ME!”
His mad laughter quickly became indistinguishable from the animal shrieking of his servants joining in. The jungle fortress was filled with their cries.
“You're going to make this work, right?”
“I told you-”
“Oh, I suppose eventually, yes. But I need to know now how much longer it's going to take. Otherwise I'll just have to go in myself. I can, you know.”
“Yes, I know,” he sighed. “Obviously the laser security grid is no match for you, Jaqui. And the pressure-activated panels on the floor. AND the motion detectors. AND-”
“Are you finished yet? Because if you're not, E-Cool, then stop talking to me and get on with it.”
The hacker, call sign “E-Cool”, growled something under his breath. He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and continued fiddling with the building's internal computer systems - specifically the ones that handled the vault security.
His partner Jaqui, a slim Chinese woman, looked intently at their prize. The cameras were running on a loop, so she was free to stand and look. She fidgeted a bit in her outfit, traditional Chinese robes that seemed inappropriate for a late-night heist. “Have you-” she began.
“Look!” E-Cool exploded. “You may THINK you can get through security, but you can't! Which is why I'm here!”
“Then why am I here?” she pouted. “Once the security is off, you can just stroll inside, retrieve the chemicals, and walk out again.”
“Must we go through this every time?” he muttered. “YOU are here in case the guards show up. Despite my impressive physique-”
“All six-foot-three inches and one hundred and forty pounds of it,” she said snidely.
“Exactly,” E-Cool grumbled. “I can't exactly hack into the guards and tell them to have another coffee! That's where you come in.”
“I pummel them soundly,” she purred.
“And, if I can't hack the security firewalls, then you get to do it your way. Fortunately,” he replied as he typed a few last keystrokes, “tonight we're doing it my way.”
The lasers guarding the vault disappeared.
“Poo,” she sighed.
Jaqui stepped over the threshold and entered the vault. No alarms went off as she took her first step.
“You know, I could have handled security here. But if you felt like you needed him to make it easier for you, then obviously you know your limitations.”
Jaqui whirled about, her robes flying off and floating onto the floor. Beneath she was dressed in a skintight outfit in crimson. She gripped a fan in each hand and whipped them open, revealing sharp edges.
“As for the outfit, well,” Shego said, still leaning against the wall where Jaqui couldn't have seen her from outside the vault, “you've got the body. Why hide it?”
“It's a testament to my heritage, actually,” Jaqui said coldly.
“Is the stealing a testament to your heritage too?” Kim replied from the other side of the vault.
“Time to go,” E-Cool muttered, closing up his laptop.
“Aw man, I was going to ask if I could check my email first,” Ron said from behind.
E-Cool turned just in time for Ron to drive his elbow into the hacker's face, breaking his glasses AND his nose.
“Well, well,” Jaqui said, turning to look at Kim, then back at Shego. “If it isn't the villain who went soft, and the heroine who went gay,” she sneered.
“Word spreads fast,” Kim said.
“Villains Digest Online, remember?” Shego reminded her. “They gossip like hens there.”
“Maybe you should go there too,” Jaqui spat. “Then you might have heard of me.”
“I really don't see the need,” Kim said. “You're not us.”
“So you can't win,” Shego added.
“No big.”
Jaqui didn't try to run, to her credit. And her first strike with her fans left a tear in the arm of Shego's outfit.
But as Kim's foot came speeding toward her jaw less than a minute later, Jaqui had time for just one more thought.
Gemini wasn't going to like this.
To be continued…