As the two women sat back to back on the cavern floor, a few random thoughts passed through Kim’s mind as she pondered their illumination problem.
“Shego, tell me about those creatures that raided the armory. What were they like?”
“They were definitely not human, but they were humanoid. They were small, filthy and stinky. Phew! They were roughly two feet tall and hardly put up any fight. I don’t think that they could see very well because they kept running into each other. I bet the daylight was too strong for them.”
“Did they drag you down here with them or did you follow?”
Shego answered so faintly that Kim could not understand the reply.
“You what?”
“I fell, OK? I said I fell. They were all jumping down into the pit; I was right behind them when the edges started to break away. I didn’t see the need to chase them down here, but suddenly I was falling right along with them.” Shego paused, and then said, “Come to think of it, they didn’t really seem to care that I was with them. Once we hit bottom, they disappeared. I heard them run off, and then nothing. Until you arrived.”
Shego gave Kim a one-armed hug. “My hero.”
“Nuts, some hero. I can’t even… ” Kim didn’t bother to finish her sentence. There was no point. She felt Shego’s arm around her waist, held her lover’s hand with their fingers interlocked. She saw how pale their hands looked. She saw…
“Hey! I can see!”
Kim began looking around wildly, turning her head left and right. There was something that allowed her to just barely make out vague shapes around them, as well as see Shego’s recumbent form beside her. If he moved her eyes too fast, it was all a blur. But if she kept her eyes wide open and stared long enough, she could see!
“What do you mean? How can you see?”
Kim raised her hands and slowly moved them towards Shego’s face. Sure enough, Shego reacted before they could touch her, taking the slightly smaller hands in her own.
“Kimmie, you’re a genius.” Glancing around, Shego postulated, “It’s got to be some sort of natural bioluminescence. It just took a while before our eyes adjusted to it. It could be a fungus, or… what?”
Kim had been smiling with unbridled affection for her mate. “Look at the big brain on Shego!”
“Hel-loo, graduated High School, I did! Hel-loo!”
The women used their newfound vision to make another search of their surroundings for anything that survived Kim’s plummet. They found nothing else except for the infrared viewer, which was badly broken.
With each of them holding onto the rocket-board, they slowly walked in the direction that Shego thought she’d heard the creatures move. Not that Shego was too keen to renew the acquaintance, but that seemed the likely way to find a central passage.
Will Du had been correct; there was plenty of water to be found. After a few hundred feet, there was a tiny spring flowing from between the rocks and it led in the same directly they’d chosen to move. The glowing fungus was more prevalent along the damper areas of the walls and floor, making their way easy to see.
Hours of walking eventually culminated in having spent a day under ground. They frequently came across pools, seemingly clean and pure, but didn’t drink until they had taken the precaution of using the purification tablets. Hygiene was limited, and Kim was the only one whose modesty inhibited her willingness to ‘relieve herself’ in such a confined space. Shego proved that she had no such issues. They just had to be certain that they didn’t foul their water supply.
The main problem was going to be food. Neither woman had the first clue of how far they might have to travel before they found passage to the surface. If they were down here for too long the concentrates would run out, no matter how much they rationed them. While neither prospect appealed to them, they began looking for other kinds of ingenious life that they might have to eat to survive.
One day of travel became two, then three. In the perpetual twilight of the glowing fungus, sleeping when they were tired and walking once they had rested, they lost track of the passing of time. They found that they never felt too hot or cold either, even with the varying levels of moisture. Air quality was something that they learned to be aware of, however. There were occasional pockets of methane and other noxious gases or just stale air that they couldn’t breathe. These had to be avoided.
Still they marched on, almost always making physical contact with each other, often talking of home and family, but neither sticking to one topic for too long. Without frequently distracting each other with changes of subject, each risked becoming too heartbroken over being away from their children, Shego as much as Kim.
“K-Kim, wait… I… ” Kim had taken the lead this time, so she wouldn’t have known something was amiss if Shego hadn’t spoken. “I need… to sit down… for a moment.”
Kim turned and held her wife, slowly letting them both rest down on the floor of the passage. It had been approximately two weeks since they’d become trapped. The only things that kept their spirits up were hope of seeing their children and families again, and also that their tracking devices were telling the world that they were still moving, and therefore alive.
“What’s wrong?” Kim held Shego close. The taller woman was shaking, but her skin wasn’t cold or flushed. “Do you feel sick, like you’re going to throw up?”
Shego managed to chuckle. “No, Mom. Thanks, anyway. No, Kimmie, I just felt really dizzy all of a sudden. I feel better already, but I can’t explain it. Sure, we’re both hungry, but I don’t think it was hunger that made me dizzy. You’re just as hungry as I am… and you’ve been keeping pace like a trooper.”
Kim called a rest break and they each compared all they new about symptoms of hunger, dehydration (albeit very unlikely), poison, infection, allergies or parasites. They could find nothing to point to any of those causes for Shego feeling weak (Kim was careful not to use that word).
There was something, however, nagging at the back of Kim’s mind. Then, she remembered it.
“Shego, other than your ability to store and convert sunlight to plasma emissions, has your albinism ever given you any health problems?”
Shego had mentioned to Kim how she received her powers many times. “Well, after my contact with the meteor, my folks had my brothers and I subjected to all sorts of tests. My genetic structure was altered, but other than a few vitamin deficiencies, I was in the pink… to coin a phrase.”
Kim thought about this. “I think that being stuck down here in the darkness is preventing your body from making something vital, possibly vitamin D. It’s created by our bodies through exposure to sunlight. We’ve both been out of the sun for days, and even though we’re both lacking a source of several vitamins and nutrients right now, I’d guess that a side effect of your powers keeps you from making enough of it normally.”
Shego reflected on what she heard. “Crap. What can we do?”
“We might not have to do anything. You should still be OK for a few more days. Hopefully, we’ll find something for you by then.” Kim must have looked pensive and Shego called her on it.
“But we might not.” Kim did not answer. She was down here for Shego. She would save the woman she loved, even at the cost of her own life. The march was resumed, but at a slower pace.
Generally, they had been following a straight line; the compass was of little help since ‘upwards’ might be in any given direction. They had agreed that the better plan of action would be to find the ‘Troglodytes’ (as Shego had named them) and then trick, beg or force (again Shego’s idea) the little ‘Trogs’ to lead them to the surface.
The tiny stream of water that had been running along their chosen path for much of the journey suddenly stopped. The narrow tunnel had opened up into what appeared to be an enormous gallery of stalagmites, stalactites and crystal formations.
Furthermore, and of much greater impact to their plans of escape, there seemed to be an endless, black subterranean lake on the other side of the stone ‘forest’.
Kim decided to call a halt; they had little choice until they could find a way to the other side of the lake. Shego had acclimated herself to the slower pace and seemed to be doing much better, even thought Kim was always by her side.
The ‘shore’ of this underground lake consisted of tiny, worn pebbles, and the water was as black as Shego’s hair; not a ripple disturbed the surface.
“The good news is that we brought our own boat.” Kim gestured towards the ‘Moon Doggie’.”
“And the bad news is… ?” Shego was leaning up against a stalagmite, massaging her feet and calves.
“I don’t think we should use the rocket thruster to speed our way across. We don’t know how big the lake is, so we might not have enough fuel, either to cross the lake or to regain the surface once we find a way upwards.”
“You’re a buzz-killer, Princess.” Shego muttered. “I’m going swimming.” Shego was already taking off her uniform.
Kim gasped at this suggestion. “In there?” Kim pointed towards the lake. “Nothing doing! There might be monsters!”
With a sigh, Shego turned away from the beach. “No, silly, over this way. Check it out.” Shego walked back up the shore and Kim followed. There was a pool several yards away from the lake, apparently the terminus of the stream from the tunnel. The water seemed to have worn a depression in softer rock before it met resistance and overflowed into the lake, it’s original destination. This pool, along with an overhang in the wall of the cavern, created a small grotto.
The fungus absolutely flourished here, the ambient light just slightly stronger than that of starlight through a clear sky. After days of only the faintest glow to light their way, the grotto shone like the full moon to their light-starved eyes.
Since there had been little that they could do about personal grooming before now, other than basic hygiene, Kim was reminded of just how filthy they both were. The idea of a bath, even a cold one, was appealing and she followed Shego.
For her part, Shego had already divested herself of her ragged uniform, and was kneeling before the pool, testing the temperature and depth.
“It’s not ice cold, but still cool, and I can see bottom. It’s no deeper than the local wading pool back home.” With that, Shego slid into the water and completely submerged herself. When she resurfaced, Shego floated on her back, totally relishing the support the water gave to her weary body.
Looking up at her lover, Shego asked, “Are you coming in or… what?”
Kim was gazing down at Shego, at the pale loveliness of her wife’s body, of how her skin shone brightly in the glowing pool, and how Shego’s hair spread outwards like a billowing black cloud. The scene was of unearthly beauty.
Suddenly realizing what had captured Kim’s attention, Shego looked down the length of her body and smiled back at Kim. “Do you like what you see?”
“Oh, yes. Kim likes.”
“And you are waiting for a graven invitation, I take it?”
“Just admiring the view for a moment. Have I told you lately how beautiful you are?”
Not replying immediately, Shego cupped her hands underneath her breasts and slowly ran her lands along her tall form, across her stomach and down to her sex, then resting on her thighs. “Talk is cheap, Princess. Why don’t you get your bubble butt in here and do something about it?”
Kim removed her own clothes; both the fabric and her skin equally caked with grime. She looked up sharply as a low whistle cut through the silence.
“Wow… Kimmie, let me tell you, no one would ever guess that you were the mother of twins.” Shego cocked her head to one side. “Except for the boobs. Yep, the boobs definitely have more heft to them than the old days.”
Kim felt a little guilty to hear Shego say this, even if she also felt gratified. Giving birth to their twin daughters was one of the best events in her young life. She had been concerned however, that she might not be able to regain her youthful figure. It wasn’t just to keep her body in fighting trim that Kim had been worried; Kim was ashamed to admit that she could be vain.
She lowered herself into the water, taking a deep breath first. Kim stayed under the water as long as she could to allow the water to break up the dirt on her skin and in her hair. Upon surfacing, Kim threw her hair back to keep it out of her face and to help the water drain out. Before she could even open her eyes, Shego was upon her.
Buoyant in the shallow pool, their bodies intertwined and they shared a passionate kiss. As if needing each other more than oxygen, their mouths remained locked as their hands visited familiar territories.
When the kiss broke, Kim and Shego intertwined in a helix of caresses. Shego, usually a little harsh at first when making love, was gentle as her fingers located Kim’s tender sex. The penetration was careful and deliberate, finely calculated by the once-criminal mind to make Kim putty in Shego’s hands. Kim’s muscles contracted around Shego’s fingers and held them tightly Shego was glad that Kim was keeping up with her exercise.
While the one hand remained occupied, Shego used her other hand to find the sweet spot that Kim liked to have massaged near her tailbone. The area was very tender and Kim would become totally helpless after a little probing. Probably a result of some old battle injury, Shego thought ruefully. Between breaths of air, Shego gave special attention to Kim’s belly using lips and tongue.
Kim had been gripping the sides of the pool with her outstretched hands, eyes raised to the grotto ceiling. During her sexual encounters with Shego, Kim was often embarrassed by her desire to scream at the top of her lungs, especially when she would climax. Shego would laugh heartily at Kim’s attempts not to wake their daughters. This time, however, hundreds of feet of packed rock and earth meant that Kim could orgasm as loud as she wanted.
And she did, repeatedly.
Shego made eye contact with Kim. “You got some sugar for me?”
Kim gasped as she caught her breath. “You just wait and see.” Kim launched herself across the pool, carrying Shego to the other side. Shego’s breasts, full and firm, were Kim’s first port of call. The fact that it was Kim Possible nuzzling them, more than the act of foreplay itself, always seemed to drive Shego into a slow burn towards ecstasy.
Floating against each other, Kim used her knee to gently pry apart Shego’s legs. Bringing their pelvises together, Kim used her upper thigh to slowly massage her wife’s sex. Then, while Kim’s lips alternated between Shego’s breasts and mouth, Kim’s hands traveled downwards.
While Kim offered her own breasts to Shego, Kim’s hands found what she was searching for. A well-placed thumb, slipped deep inside Shego, elicited a sharp intake of breath between clenched teeth. With a last suckle at each dark green nipple, Kim lowered her head beneath the surface of the pool and removed her thumb from Shego, quickly replacing it with her tongue.
Shego had long kept her nether region free of hair by means of a severely limited plasma emission. The once smooth flesh was warm against Kim’s face, but the hair was growing back and it prickled her nose and cheeks. The former cheerleader had proved herself an apt pupil when Shego began sharing with her the finer points of lovemaking. Shego had been shocked when Kim not only learned so quickly how to pleasure her older mate, but also began to introduce her own unique ideas.
This technique had been refined over the years. At one point when Kim lifted her head for air, she had an inspiration. Taking a deep breath, Kim lowered her head down into the pool and used her fingers to gently spread Shego’s labia wide. Taking aim carefully in the pale aura of the glowing walls, Kim blew a stream of bubbles up into Shego’s sex.
Shego bucked and went ridged, her legs shooting straight outward beside Kim’s head. Kim rose up and moved closer to Shego… but quickly noticed that something wasn’t right.
“Shego!” Kim yelled into her spouse’s face, desperate to know what was wrong.
Shego was taking short, panting breaths, not unlike someone in the throws of ecstasy. Unlike a normal orgasm, Shego didn’t seem to be regaining any control over her limbs. She didn’t even appear to be fully conscious, and her eyes were rolled back. Kim took Shego’s limp form in her arms and held her lover’s head up from the water. Wracked by muscle spasms, Shego appeared to be having a seizure.
After many fearful minutes being cradled in Kim’s arms, Shego’s body relaxed and her breathing became slower and steady. Shego moved her arms and turned her head left and right, as if searching the grotto for Kim.
“I’m here, baby. I’m right here.” Kim held Shego as tightly as she ever held their daughters. “Can you hear my voice?”
“… ”
Shego made a few false starts before she was finally able to get the words out.
“Still here. You know, there are worse ways to go than being screwed to death.”
Caught between a laugh and a sob, Kim held Shego close and buried her face in Shego’s hair. The tears came freely.
“What happened? What’s the last thing you remember?”
“Well, the bubble trick was new. We’ll want to use that for our next swimming party.” Shego must have regained some of her strength; she gave Kim a weak hug around the younger woman’s waist. “But then… nothing, until I knew that you were holding me. I saw lights pop in my head and that’s the last I knew.”
“Shego, something is seriously wrong with you, whether it’s a vitamin deficiency or what, I thought you were having a stroke just now.”
“I did. Didn’t you feel it? Maybe my technique is getting a little rusty, but still… ”
“DAMN IT, SHEGO… ” Kim’s level of fear and pain had reached a crescendo. “You could have died in my arms!”
They each thought about that for a moment, letting silence return to the grotto.
“Sorry, Pumpkin. You’re right, there is something wrong with me.” Shego pulled herself upright, but let Kim continue to hold support her.
“We have to face the possibility that only one of us might make it out of here. That only one of us will” Shego paused, “will see our children again. I don’t like to admit defeat. You know how I hate to lose. Death is the ultimate ‘game over’ for me. I was never afraid of death before I met you, because at that time of my life I had very little to stay alive for.”
Shego had regained enough control of her motor function to turn and look Kim square in the eyes. She was still so weak and frail that only Kim kept Shego’s head upright.
Nonetheless, Kim met Shego’s gaze and didn’t waiver.
“Now you listen to me. We have both faced death a thousand times, mostly mine at your hands,” Kim deliberately said this to provoke a reaction. Shego didn’t provide one.
“We each know that every mission comes with ample risk of not making it back home. Remember that old saying, that ‘a coward dies a thousand deaths, but a hero dies but one’? I came down into this nasty, stinky hole for you. And not only so that we could do the bump and grind at the earth’s core!”
This finally snapped Shego out of her funk. “I love you, Kimberly Possible. I just don’t know how well I can keep up with you. I won’t let you carry me. If it comes to that, I want you to leave me and continue to look for a way out. Maybe you can send ‘GJ’ back with help.”
Kim’s didn’t speak, just shook her head back and forth.
“Kim, I know that you don’t like to hear such thing from me, but I’ve already set back a lot, and I mean a LOT of money in trust for our daughters. If I don’t make it… ”
Kim gently placed her hand over Shego’s mouth. “I will say this only once, so please listen carefully. I will not be your widow, and I will not raise your orphans. We are going to sit here until you get some more of your strength back and then we’re going to find a way across that lake out there. Do you understand me?”
Kim waited for an answer. Shego wasn’t ready to give it yet.
“I said, do you… ?”
“YES… yes, I heard you. I just… I… hate being like this, so pitiful and helpless.”
Kim was unrelenting. “So, are we leaving together?”
“Yes, ma’am.” Shego let Kim hold her as if she were a baby. Then she gasped.
“Shego, what? Are you OK?” Kim was afraid that Shego was about to have another attack.
Shego had been pressing close to Kim and had been slowly moving her arms to embrace the younger woman when she noticed something amazing.
“Kim, look at yourself.”
Kim looked down, though it took her a moment to see what Shego had noticed. When she finally realized what it was, she grinned and held Shego even tighter.
Here in the dim phosphorescent glow, beyond everything they knew, with fading resources and uncertain hope, Kim’s skin appeared to be the identical shade of pale green as Shego’s.