Chapter I / Between A Rock And A Hot Plate
She ran as if her life depended on it. Her calves burned, her breath came in hot, ragged gasps from her chest. Run, run and don’t slow down, never stop, never stop…
Never let it catch you.
“Faster, Mommy! Faster!” cried young Kasy Ann Possible.
“Wheelie, please, Mommy?” pleaded her fraternal twin sister, Sheki Go Possible.
“This is Red Leader to base, we are ready for our attack run!” huffed Kimberly Possible, former world-saver, semi-retired, and mother of the two little girls. “Prepare for hyperactive speed!”
She made a slight change in her direction, deviating towards the curb at the end of the sidewalk. She pushed down on the handle of the double-stroller, lifting the front wheels several inches off the ground, making the stroller take an extra high bounce as it left the curb. This made both children scream with delight. Kim kept running, her shock of red hair flowing behind her head except for what was sticking to her neck, damp with sweat.
“Wheeeeeee!”
The stroller returned to earth with a resounding thud after its short flight, the extra-strength shock absorbers taking most of the impact, but not so much that the little girls didn’t scream with joy and excitement.
The stroller had been a gift to the girls on their 1st birthday, a marvel of engineering by a good friend of Kim’s whose abilities were more geared to the world of computers. Both children could sit comfortably beside each other and the suspension, wheelbase and extended handle had been designed to allow Kim full freedom of motion when she took the girls with her on her daily run.
Already an extremely fit and healthy young woman, once used to strenuous activity but now having settled down to a far less dangerous lifestyle, Kim Possible looked forward to her morning run each day.
She yearned sometimes for the old days and secretly feared that she would become weak and useless before her time. Her family was her life, but even with their love what else did she have to show for herself? So, irrationally convinced that her endurance and fighting readiness were fading, Kim literally hit the ground running each morning. It also gave her more time with her children.
Kim eventually ran into a familiar cul-de-sac and right up the walkway of her home. It was non-descript but large enough for her active children, by no means the largest house on their block. There were flowerboxes, Kim’s personal touch, on the front porch and plenty of toys in the yard.
Instead of going to the front door, Kim finished her jog at the side gate of her back yard; like many homes the front door was for more formal use and there was another entrance that was preferred. Rolling her giggling daughters through the back yard, Kim tousled their hair and led them into the kitchen for breakfast.
It was almost 7:00 AM on a warm summer morning and, after several grueling weeks of class work and assignments, Kim had granted herself a nice long vacation away from her collegiate studies. Hers was not a normal life by any definition; rather than attending college, the young woman participated in online seminars and interactive sessions with various professors and trainers. Occasionally she would visit a local facility for evaluations and testing, but her children kept her close to home these days.
Having been forced into young motherhood as a result of an evil genius’ plan to ruin her world-saving career, the unexpected pregnancy and eventual birth of her daughters had earned Kim a level of maturity beyond her years. While still in her late teens, the ‘girl who could do anything’ had indeed done quite a lot in her young life. Some of those things had not been without hardship and pain, but she also had more than enough love in her life to compensate.
The very reason for her extended hiatus away from the global scene was one that he didn’t like to think about. The joyous birth of her daughters notwithstanding, Kim knew that it would be some time before she could trust herself again. In truth, there were many people who trusted Kim; indeed, they trusted her with their lives. One of those people greeted the three as they entered the kitchen.
The warmth and affection that Kim felt for this person was slightly shadowed, just like a hand cupped round a candle flame, by a vague pang of sadness. Once fierce enemies, they had often fought to a standstill over criminal activity: one to commit, one to prevent. After years of refusing to accept the possibility of feeling intimate love for another woman, Kim had eventually accepted the other woman’s subtle advances and reciprocated with the same degree of love and affection.
Not to mention the really great sex.
Shego was seated at the table, adding creamer to her coffee; her Princess never could make a decent cup.
With the blessings of their respective families, they had become spouses in marriage and parents to their children. It was Shego’s DNA, mixed with a retrovirus, that caused Kim become pregnant and to carry their two healthy children to full term. It was this event that bonded them together, heart and soul, forever.
While Kim still carried a trim, athletic build, Shego was more muscular, giving her feminine curves greater definition. Shego was also a few inches taller, had long, flowing black hair with green high-lights, unlike Kim’s shorter red tresses, and her skin was a very pale whitish-green compared to Kim’s peach skin tones. Add to this the ability to convert sunlight into a plasma field that radiated from her hands and you couldn’t have two more apparently different people.
“Momma’s up, momma’s up…!”
Sheki and Kasy ran around Shego, hugging her long legs and screaming. Kneeling down to plant a gentle kiss on their foreheads, their mom let the girls make their chaotic way to the playroom before breakfast was made.
The two little girls were an ironic reflection of Kim and Shego themselves. Kasy was the more boisterous and adventurous of the two, gravitating towards mud pies and wearing jeans and t-shirts. Sheki, on the other hand, tended to hang back and observe, only becoming involved after careful assessment of a situation. She also preferred to wear very feminine items like dresses with ribbons.
In addition, the children’s hair color mimicked that of their parents: Kasy’s was fiery red and Sheki’s was deeply black and green. The one feature that they shared was the same pale green skin that Shego had, and also Shego’s ability to generate plasma fields, albeit very weak due to their youth. Kim would be lying if she said that this didn’t occasionally make her feel like an outsider, regardless to Shego’s frequent assertions to the contrary.
“Damn, Princess, don’t you look all hot and sweaty… how did you know what I wanted for breakfast?” The taller woman was already dressed for ‘work’, having become an independent freelancer for Global Justice to fill the void left by Kim’s absence. Other than a few slight modifications added by Global Justice, Shego’s traditional green and black uniform had changed little over time.
Shego embraced Kim and they shared their own special kiss, Kim gently wrapping herself in Shego’s long hair, and then ended the embrace with a quick squeeze of Shego’s firm bottom. Kim looked up at her with green fire in her eyes.
“When do you have to leave? Can I chase you around the sack for awhile?”
Normally the more aggressive member of their relationship, Shego was pleasantly surprised whenever Kim took a more assertive role in their love life; while by no means submissive, Kim was often more than happy to let Shego take control because positions of dominance made Shego feel more comfortable. Kim had known this long ago.
“No can do, Pumpkin. I could be contacted any second; I’ve been kept on immediate ‘stand-by’ with Global Justice for days.” She sighed. “You know this.”
Kim didn’t care for this answer, and made to argue, but Shego raised a preemptive hand to ward off Kim’s forthcoming questions.
“And you know that I can’t elaborate on the reason why, either. If you can put up with this for just a little while longer, I’ll let you have your way with me.”
Not being able to make a substantive verbal reprisal, Kim’s gaze never wavered as she reached down and touched Shego there, and there…
Shego broke into a broad grin.
“You are feisty this morning! Maybe we can do something before I have to go.” They separated and Kim began to collect the items she would need to fix their morning meal.
“Are you making eggs today?”
“Yes, I’m making ‘Eggs Drakken’ and once I chop and add the green peppers, I’m going to RULE THE WORLD!” Kim turned around and adopted the classic pose of a maniacal tyrant, her hands raised skyward. “Girls! Table!”
“Rulla world, rulla world!” Kasy and Sheki agreed as they ran to their chairs.
“All of my girls are feeling their oats today! Maybe I should ask ‘GJ’ for some time off.” She was eyeing Kim’s running shorts with distaste, wishing that they were down on the floor instead of covering Kim’s posterior.
As she lightly scrambled the eggs, Kim watched her family at the table; Shego was helping the children with their cereal. The redhead smiled, thinking that this was a far cry from the woman who was once a much-hated enemy. There was a time when Kim only saw Shego smile when certain death was about to befall the young heroine. Now here she was, laughing and playing with their daughters, making funny faces to amuse them, and even going so far as to make the salt and pepper shakers perform a song-and-dance routine.
Making sure that their daughters were focused on eating, Kim struck a much more seductive pose and sauntered over to her wife. She stood quietly behind her spouse and reached from behind to gently cup Shego’s face in her hands. While no words were spoken, Shego turned her head so that she could brush her lips across Kim’s palm, then wrist, turning her head even further around to lick at Kim’s inner elbow.
The latest version of the Kimmunicator chose that moment to chirp loudly, prompting a resigned look from Shego and a disappointed look from Kim; the children kept eating.
“Oopsie, it’s the Shegophone!”
Kim’s term for the communication device elicited a mild snarl from the raven-haired woman. Holding the device close to her ear, Shego took the call.
“Yes, I’m here. Yes, I… yes… no, I didn’t… I said that she doesn’t… I’ll be right there.”
”Let me guess… you are to report immediately and not disclose any details of your mission to a certain redhead who shall remain nameless. Am I right?” Kim set a plate of eggs on toast on the table. Shego stood and gulped down her breakfast.
“I confess to being more than a little P-I-S-S-E-D at the way that one-eyed wench has written you off. I remember when you used to be able to whip anyone, except me, of course, any day of the week.”
This comment surprised Kim, but she didn’t allow herself to feel hurt. Hadn’t she been thinking along those very same lines lately? Shego felt nothing but love and respect for her younger bride, but still the words stung Kim. If she couldn’t make herself feel better about it, she would at least make the love of life feel better.
“It’s Ok, baby. We both knew that I would have to stay out of the big picture for a while. The girls were only born two years ago, and it’s been less than year since the Havo…”
“No, don’t say it.” Shego met her gaze. “Please don’t ever speak about it again.”
“But it happened.”
“Kimmie, please… don’t. I can’t handle it.”
“Well, regardless, if the world doesn’t think that I can save it anymore, who am I to argue? That’s just fine with me.” She spoke without rancor. “You three are my whole world now.”
Shego moved to embrace her.
“You are my world. You rock my world.” Shego made a subtle thrust with her hip into Kim’s lower pelvis and wrapped her strong arms around the young redhead in a bear hug so tight that Kim was lifted from the floor and had to fight for breath.
“Your fire fills the cold, dead space at the center of my heart. Do you remember how often I threatened to lock you away in an ivory tower? If I could, I’d hide you away where the world would never find you. I’d never have to share you with anyone.” Shego breathed deeply the scent of her wife’s hair.
“If you had your way, I’d never be free.”
“Too bad; I’ve won and you can’t leave me.”
“Right; you have me and I’ll never leave you. That means that I have you right where I want you.” Kim buried her face in Shego’s neck and nuzzled.
“Kim, just understand that you are much too important to so many people; people that want you safe.” Global Justice could wait; the women stayed locked in each other’s arms for some little time.
“I guess I should be happy keeping you in the kitchen. How does ‘barefoot and pregnant’ sound to you?”
“Didn’t know you had a foot fetish.” A rosy flush covered Kim’s face. “As for pregnant, we’ll talk about that some other time. Maybe your old buddy Dr. Drakken still has some ‘Shego Cocktail’ brewed somewhere, but as I recall the next baby is to be yours.”
Shego grinned. Other than a few weekly sparing sessions, this was as close to ‘the old days’ as they came to fighting. She gave Kim one last kiss and also gave a big smooch to each of their children.
“Later, Princess. I’ll do my best to be home for dinner. If the kids are already asleep when I get home, don’t wear anything… complicated.”
She was gone in a green and black rush, and it wasn’t more than a few heartbeats before Kim was already missing her. She sighed and took a bite of her own egg, accidentally spilling some runny yoke on her shirt. Meanwhile, the children had discovered the fun to be had from drinking from the ‘wrong’ side of their glasses.
Chapter II / Attack Of The Troglodytes
Recent doubts about her present and future aside, Kim didn’t let her personal concerns interfere with keeping house. She took her role as ’domestic goddess’ very seriously; rooms were cleaned, bills paid, children cleaned, and occasionally Kim logged into her website to check her messages.
At one time her website, as well as her original Kimmunicator, were the best way for her to receive notification of an impending worldwide disaster. The site, however, had long since been reduced to an archive of media articles and testimonials from Kim’s past exploits. From time to time, friends and acquaintances would leave her messages, but today there was nothing.
No big.
She returned to her chores while her thoughts strayed to what the ideal kindergarten would be for her children. She’d heard rumors of a place in Westchester County, New York that might be worth looking into. Carrying her laundry through the living room, Kim turned on the television to catch the mid-morning news for some background noise.
“…rupt this program for a live feed from our affiliate in Middleton. Terry, tell us what’s happening out there.”
“Well, Margo, it seems that a group of unknown assailants have stolen a stockpile of weapons and munitions from the Middleton armory. It is not know at this time if this is the work of terrorists, but the assailants were first observed moving around inside the high-security area with no evidence as to how they breached the perimeter.”
Kim froze and stared at the television set.
“There appears to be a large section of disturbed earth, leading officials to believe that the assailants may have tunneled their way up through the ground. We have a camera standing by and can show some of the scenes from outside the perimeter. I have to advise our viewers that the image is a little grainy and we cannot be sure if anyone inside is living or dead…”
Kim’s attention was riveted on the screen. Dollars to doughnuts, she’d bet that this was the emergency that Shego had been summoned to deal with.
An image appeared on the television screen, overexposed in the harsh glare of late morning sunlight. Typical army base, Kim thought. Quonset huts, munitions depots, motor pool, large open pit surrounded by dark mounds of fresh earth…
Huh?
Suddenly, there was movement; dark figures were running from the huts and garages. They looked small; were they midgets?
They were apparently making their way towards the open pit but none of them were moving in a straight line, running about in apparent confusion. They were either wrapped in dark rags or whatever it was they were wearing was so tattered and filthy as to make them appear almost bestial. Most of the figures dragged or carried boxes with them; probably weapons.
Then, Kim saw Shego.
The green and black warrior could be seen moving everywhere at once. She was keeping her distance from the weird little creatures, but instead of fighting hand-to-hand, Shego was throwing super-heated plasma bolts. Whenever she struck a direct hit, the dark, ragged things went flying head over heels. It looked to Kim as if the creatures would regroup just long enough to collect fallen comrades, leaving their stolen prizes where they had landed on the grass. If this was supposed to be a weapons theft, it was certainly a strangely executed one.
After what was only a few seconds of real time, all of the creatures had managed to climb or fall down into the earthen pit. With both hands blazing, Shego made as if to follow them, but hung back, apparently wondering if the true threat was over or if she should pursue. At that moment, some unknown force caused the television camera to pitch wildly. When the image finally stabilized, the pit had collapsed slightly and an expanding cloud of dirt obscured any sign of Shego
Kim had sunk down into a seated position on the floor. Her heart felt dead and her blood seemed frozen in her veins. Kim wondered what was making the picture get so blurry, then she realized that here eyes were tearing up.
“Once the base was considered safe, the authorities discovered that base personnel were alive and unharmed, but had been rendered unconscious by some unknown means. Amazingly, there were no casualties and very few wounded. Those rendered unconscious responded to medical treatment immediately. Several cases of grenades and disposable rocket launchers were missing. There were no bodies left at the scene of these mysterious beings, and the fate of an unnamed government law enforcement agent remains unknown…”
The house was silent. In the washroom, the dryer made an occasional ticking noise as the metal cooled after having run a load of clothes. She slowly reached for the remote control and turned the television set off and an empty husk in the shape of Kim Possible sat crumpled in a heap on her living room floor, staring at a blank screen. She stayed like that for several moments.
Then she heard her children playing in the back yard, maybe with their dolls or trucks in the sand box. Kim rose to her feet and walked to the telephone where she made two quick calls.
“Mom, this is Kim. Yes, I was… I was watching. I need to go. May I bring the girls over to stay with you? Thank you. I’ll be there very shortly.”
“Wade, this is Kim. No, I know you don’t know any details yet. Yes, I know that I’ve been out of the game. Just tell the authorities on the scene that I’m on my way. Please do this for me, Wade. Please and thank you.”
Kim ran up to their shared bedroom, taking three stairs at a time. She reached into the closet and found a hanger that she hardly ever glanced at anymore and laid out a slightly worn, but otherwise intact, outfit of clothes: one pair of cargo utility pants and one reinforced Kevlar weave t-shirt hemmed at the midriff. Her high-traction, impact resistant footwear was already on her feet from that morning’s run; she could never have found a better pair of running shoes in a million years.
In less than half of an hour, Kim was attempting to explain her presence to the Military Police posted at the armory gates. Without her own Kimmunicator, Kim didn’t have the luxury of contacting ‘GJ’ to obtain the proper credentials. Even her old friend Wade, still a minor but himself an agent in training, no longer had free-reign to assist her.
Kim was becoming desperate to gain access and assist in the search for Shego. Fortunately, help quickly arrived in an unexpected form.
“Officer, I am Special Agent Du, Will Du of Global Justice. Here is my identification. I will be overseeing operations from this point forward, and I will take care of Ms. Possible.”
Kim had turned at the sound of the familiar voice behind her. Will hadn’t changed much since she had last seen him. For such a young man, Will carried himself with a presence of someone twice his age and was twice as smug too. Kim was surprised to see a few wrinkles around Will’s eyes, giving his face a slightly softer look. More than that, she was shocked to see him smiling.
“Ms. Possible… Kim. It’s very good to see you again, although not under these circumstances. Please, while there is hope.” He offered his hand, which she accepted.
“I’ve been given full authority to brief you on the situation here and can assure of our support. Now, I’m sure you’re more than a little anxious to get started, but we do need to talk first.”
Kim was startled at this unexpected development; she took a deep breath and the cloud over her heart lifted slightly. She was going to find Shego and save her, no matter what the cost.
The base of operations was simply the Quonset hut closest to the collapsed pit. ‘GJ’ technical specialists and field agents were clustered over very pretty elaborate monitoring equipment, only some of which she could recognize. It was odd that those items that she could identify were often used to measure seismic disturbances.
Agent Du led her to a small office furnished with standard military issue desks and chairs, but also a newly installed ‘GJ’ communication transmitter. The device was already activated and a familiar face greeted Kim as she entered the room.
“Kimberly, welcome.” The strong and clipped voice of Dr. Director, chief administrator of Global Justice, was only slightly distorted by the transmitter.
“Hello, Dr. Director. What’s the sitch?” Kim perched herself atop a desk while Will Du remained standing.
“At the risk of indulging in a few swift pleasantries, I heartily congratulate you on the success of your personal life since taking your extended leave of absence from the world-scene. That dreadful HAVOK incident was a major obstacle that only you could live through, to be sure.” The single eye of the older woman pierced her with its gaze.
“You were a major source of inspiration to many of our younger agents, and the number of new female recruits has never been higher. Not to mention how proud we all were of your accomplishments and the immense debt of gratitude Global Justice, indeed, the entire World, owes you.”
At one time, Kim would have responded with ‘No Big’, but her heart was occupied solely with the prospect of saving Shego. Instead, she nodded her head and said nothing. Kim winced inwardly when the word ‘were’ was used, the past tense galling her.
“The situation is as follows: for the past several weeks, Global Justice has been investigating thefts of weaponry by unknown forces who have gained access to the various storage facilities by means of traveling underground. After the first few events, we’ve had our agents, including Shego, on constant standby. They were to report to wherever the next theft would take place. We’ve been using seismic monitoring sensors in an attempt to alert us of the next event. Apparently, we were right to have done so.”
“Shego never told me about any of this” Kim said softly, more to herself than to anyone else. Did they trust her so little these days?
“And she was absolutely right not to. With your status as an independent operative indefinitely suspended, you are technically a ‘civilian’ and this was a matter of national security.” Not wanting to upset or offend the younger woman, Dr. Director temporarily lowered her militant bearing and spoke in tones that expressed genuine empathy.
“Kimberly, it’s only because of our trust and faith in you and your abilities that we were are able to bend the rules and be meeting like this at all. You are not the brash girl that you once were. You have been through fire and Hell and have become something so much better. You are also a wife and mother, and apparently perfect at being both, or so Shego would have me believe.”
Hearing these words brought tears to Kim’s eyes. Then the deeper meaning of what was just said sank into her consciousness.
“You mean, Shego talks about me, about our home life, to you?” Kim would never have imagined Shego actually sharing personal information like that with anybody; Shego was fiercely private about her feelings and about her love with Kim.
“Well, of course she does, dear girl! Not exactly around the water cooler or anything like that, but she’s always saying how proud she is of you. You are the most important thing in her life.” Again that eye looked into the center of Kim’s brain. “Why ever would you have reason to doubt this?”
Again, Kim had nothing to say. The mix of love she felt for Shego, and the disgust she felt at herself or her recent feelings of worthlessness, gave her firm resolve to see this matter through successfully. She would not fail. Sensing this, Dr. Director resumed control of the briefing.
“Agent Du, please outfit Acting Agent Possible with her equipment. There is little time to lose, Kimberly.” There was a hint of a salute. “Good fortune and Godspeed.”
With that, the receiver was deactivated and Will moved from where he had been hovering near the wall and motioned Kim to following him from the office. They walked to a table loaded with various tools and harnesses and something that looked like a rocket-powered surfboard.
“Kim, the challenge is not that we don’t know where Shego is, but we have no easy way to get down to her.”
Will held a computer printout to Kim; it appeared to be an aerial representation of the base. There was a large black ‘X’ marked in the vicinity of the motor pool. There was also a smaller green ‘x’ several hundred yards to the east.
“The black mark represents the pit, and the green mark is Shego’s location. All ‘GJ’ agents are fitted with a tracking emitter in their field uniforms.” Like a magician practicing legerdemain, Will produced a tiny silver button and clipped it to Kim’s collar.
“Now we’ll be able to monitor you as well.” He gestured to several technicians waiting around them. The techs closed in on Kim and they were finished with her so fast that she hadn’t even reacted to their presence.
“You are now outfitted with an infrared imaging viewer, climbing gear, wrist compass with chronometer, water-purification tablets and several days worth of protein concentrates.” Will let Kim take a moment to inspect the gear herself and familiarize herself with it’s operation. He was pleasantly surprised to see how efficiently she did so and had no questions about her competence.
“Now, let me show you this…” Will led Kim over to the ‘surfboard’. It was indeed a reinforced fiberglass board, with a small nozzle fitted at the aft end for thrust.
“Since the earth around the pit is so loose, the entire thing could totally collapse at any time or at the slightest disturbance. To that end, we propose that you will ‘surf’ down the tunnel at a high rate of speed, using the naturally existing contours of the loose soil. You will surface the same way.”
“Is this as hydro… um, aero… no, wait… geodynamic as it looks?” Even under the circumstances, she had to marvel at the ingenuity in developing such a device.
“Very. In fact, Dr. Director personally tested it herself a few months ago when she took a recreational leave of absence with Edw… um… never mind.” He returned his attention to Kim when he saw her reading something on the underside of the board.
“Was it she that stenciled ‘Moon Doggie’ here?” This question generated a few muffled snickers from the technicians, causing Will to snap to attention.
“Hm, I don’t seem to recall…”
If anything, this brief moment of levity made Kim acknowledge that he had hopes for her success. A few minor adjustments and system checks later, Kim was escorted to the pit. The dark, loose earth was raggedly piled around the opening and, looking down the length of the angled decent, Kim wondered of Shego could see the light from the hole in whatever dank cave she’d become trapped in. Kim shuddered and prepared herself to use the board as the techs had shown her.
“I have two questions, and then I’d better be going. First, you gave me water-purification tablets, but no water. Also, what about weapons? Those little critters I watched on the news report didn’t even see human. What do I do if I run into any?”
“As for water, the assailants are using an ancient system of caves that were originally carved from the living rock by the passage of water. You should find plenty of it already down there. As for weapons, the wrist compass has a stunner like the one I used on your friend Ron several years ago.” Will smiled at that memory.
“You should be able to stand up to just about anything down there.” Will reached out and placed his hand on her shoulder.
“Please remember that this is a rescue mission, not a counter-attack. You are to locate Shego and then return to the surface immediately. We have outfitted you with supplies and equipment just in case the ‘Moon Doggie’ fails to bring you back up. In that event, ‘GJ’ will devise an alternate plan, though it may take a few hours or days to implement.”
Grateful for the unexpected support and assistance from this occasionally annoying agent, and her sudden desire to ‘irk’ him for old time’s sake, Kim stepped forward and gave Will a big hug, accompanied by an equally big kiss on the cheek. It took several seconds for Special Agent Du to compose himself.
“Thanks, Agent Du, for everything. Really; I won’t let ‘GJ’ down.” He acknowledged her display of emotion with very little of his own.
“One last item; if for any reason the pit should completely collapse, there is still hope of returning to the surface. Every time these creatures attacked, they apparently made use of the natural cave systems, even though we don’t know what methods they used to tunnel to the surface. These caves are likely interconnected and should have multiple points of egress. We may not be able to help you directly but we can monitor your location with the tracking devices.”
The time was now. Less than one hour had elapsed from the heart-wrenching image on the television until this moment, but Kim needed to move. Her earlier feelings of hope were slowly being eroded by images of Shego, hurt and trapped, maybe without any hope of seeing daylight again, stuck at he bottom of this awful hole. Kim offered Agent Du a simple salute and climbed on the ‘Moon Doggie’.
Standing on the machine much like she would a normal surfboard, Kim placed her hind foot into a stirrup. Her front foot slipped into a smaller, looser stirrup, from which she would steer. With a well-balanced motion, Kim jerked the board up off the ground, pointed the front edge of the board into the mouth of the pit and activated the rocket. In a subdued flash of flame, she was gone.
Will Du stood by the edge of the pit for a moment longer, then walked back to the base to monitor the rescue operation.
Chapter III / Fancy Meeting A Girl Like You In A Place Like This
If not for the infrared viewer making everything, well, so red… Kim could have been ‘shooting the tubes’ at the beach somewhere.
Although Kim had never been claustrophobic, the experience was bizarre to say the least; the earth itself smelled damp and rank, but not much more than a garden after being tilled. Fortunately for Kim, the remaining aperture of the partially collapsed pit was large enough for her and the rocket-board to glide over and around any obstructions. Kim did her best not to touch or disturb the surrounding soil any more than necessary, lest the tunnel close completely, not only sealing off the only known means of escape, but likely crush her as well. Even so, she was rapidly becoming filthy from the dirt all around her.
She knew that once this was over she would need a nice, long shower. An image of Shego in the shower with her, and their usual caresses, brought her out of her reverie. This was not the time to lose focus. Another image of her entire family, Shego and the children, sharing a bath as they often did, made a lump form in her throat.
It was at this point that Kim noticed something different about her decent. The rocket board was reasonably quiet and she hadn’t wanted to make any unnecessary noise, but she was aware of something going on behind her. Not quite a noise, but more like a pressure wave and a slight rumbling in the tunnel.
Glancing behind her, Kim was horrified to see that the tunnel was indeed collapsing; moving almost like a fluid, the hole was being filled behind her by a moving wall of earth. Uncertain about boosting the power of the rocket, Kim instead used what she knew about surfing to gain additional speed. Even if the way behind her was closed, Will’s parting comments gave her the information she needed to return her and Shego home.
Something else caught her attention; it was another noise, this time from underneath the board. With her infrared viewers on, Kim could not immediately tell what the reason for the sound was, and then it became clear to her. Although she had started her decent on loosely packed soil, she was now sliding over rock. The board jerked and bucked under her feet, no longer as able to follow her direction cleanly.
Before Kim could think of any way to slow down, speed up, or do anything, the tunnel opened up around her. What had been a sloped chute was now a black void, with nothing close enough to register clearly on her viewer. Kim fell like a stone into the stygian darkness. She thought of her children…
“Princess, wake up. Princess…”
Kim ached all over. She lay on her back and at a very uncomfortable angle, with her neck bent down and her chin pressing against her chest. She’d heard the voice speaking to her, but her thoughts were too muddled to form a reply.
Taking one experimental breath… then another… Kim decided that she was alive, but apparently blind. After several blinks, it was obvious that her infrared viewer was either broken or had been lost, and that she wasn’t necessarily blind but that there was nothing to see.
“Come on, Princess, talk to me… please don’t be hurt…”
Kim knew the voice to be Shego’s and she could also tell from its proximity that Shego was right next to her. Furthermore, the reason that her head was at such an uncomfortable angle was because it was resting on Shego’s lap.
“Don’t… you know that… you’re not supposed… to move an accident victim?”
Shego sobbed loudly with relief and her hand found Kim’s face. A second later, her mouth found Kim’s mouth. Kim would have preferred to take a few more breaths at this time, but Shego didn’t relent. Only after Shego began to cover the rest of Kim’s dirty face with kisses could the younger women catch her breath.
“I’m alright, I think. I guess I was out, huh?” Kim had begun flexing her muscles and shifting her body, testing for breaks and damage. She felt intact but very, very sore.
There were a few sniffles in the darkness before Shego’s voice returned.
“You could say that. You could also say that while I was sitting here in a nasty pool of who-knows-what, you came flying into this hole in the ground and almost took my head off.” Shego was combing her fingers through Kim’s hair. Kim felt a drop of water hit her face and wondered if Shego was crying.
“Are you OK, Shego? Are you hurt?”
“Of course I’m not hurt.” Shego’s voice was slightly muffled and there was a sound as if she were wiping at her face. “You just made such a mess when all of that dirt followed you in here, I got all sorts of crap in my eyes.”
Kim decided to let the matter drop. She slowly and carefully rolled over onto her side, then up into a kneeling position. With Shego’s help, Kim stood on her own feet. Yes, she was going to be very sore for a while.
“I brought all kinds of survival equipment with me, so let’s see if any of it survived the crash.” Kim kept looking around her, failing to pierce the black veil of the cavern. “Shego, could you fire up our plasma flame? That should be plenty of light.”
“I… I can’t.”
“Are you sure that you’re not hurt? Is there gas down here?” Kim sniffed the air but couldn’t smell anything that might explode if Shego ‘lit up’.
“No, I said I’m fine… but… I can’t generate any plasma, no matter how hard I concentrate.”
Puzzled, Kim groped in the darkness, wanting nothing more than to embrace her lover. She located the taller woman, but Shego was rigid, unwilling to accept the embrace.
“What, then? What is wrong?”
“First, you tell me what in the HELL prompted you to come down here after me? This isn’t your job anymore, Kimmie! Your job is to be the mother to our children! Who will look after them if something happens to us?”
Shego was almost yelling now, the anger in her voice shocking Kim as it echoed within the confined space and came back at her from all sides. Feeling that her decision to assist in the rescue had been sound, Kim felt a little defensive.
“Hey, who did this sort of thing everyday of the week, and sometimes twice on Sundays? I saw a news report of you in combat with those critters; I was watching the news and thought I had just watched you DIE! No one was going to keep me away!” Kim felt the heat of her own anger rising.
“Even Dr. Director and Agent Du agreed that I was the best suited for this mission!”
“Never everyday of the week, Princess! You had to go to cheerleading practice, remember?” Shego was taunting her now, just like the old days, with words selected to cut like razors.
“I’m the one that made her living by getting myself into, and out of, dangerous scrapes. Some rescue mission this was! Now we’re both trapped down here!”
Even without the viewer over her face, Kim was seeing red.
“Did it ever occur to you, Kimmie, that maybe ‘GJ’ was just hoping to keep you out of their hair? That you might make a bigger mess from being out of practice for so long that they threw you a bone to keep you busy? That now our children will be alone… have to be raised by strangers… hey, OW!”
Still holding her spouse tightly, Kim’s embrace had turned into a vicious clench. With all her strength, Kim shoved Shego away from her. The tall woman must have lost her footing in the inky blackness because Kim heard the clattering of stones as Shego slipped and fell over.
“They are not strangers, they are my PARENTS and you know DAMN well how much they love those children and how much they love you and… and why would you say such… such HORRIBLE things like that?”
Kim’s legs became weak with anguish and frustration and she sank down to the floor of the cavern. She wept.
Shego roused herself and followed the sound to its source, gently enfolding Kim in her arms.
“Get AWAY from me!” cried Kim through her tears.
Shego did not move away from Kim, nor did she let go.
“Kimmie… I am so, so sorry. Please, please, please…” Shego began rocking them both back and forth, like an infant in a cradle. “Please forgive me.”
The rocking and the warmth of Shego’s body spoke volumes to the scared and angry little girl buried as deep in Kim’s psyche, just as they were both literally buried deep in the earth. Kim let herself be coddled for a few minutes.
“At least shut up if you won’t get away from me.”
“Forgive…” The voice was barely a whisper; Kim knew she heard tears in Shego’s voice this time. They remained in the darkness, holding each other as if their souls depended on it, rocking like frightened children. After what could have been minutes or hours, Kim raised her head and found Shego’s mouth with her own. Kim made the kiss short but heartfelt.
“Fancy meeting a girl like you in a place like this.”
“Still love me?”
“I’m not sure.”
“Shrew.”
“Hag.”
“Bitch.”
“… poopie head.”
“Judas PRIEST, Princess, you never could swear.” Shego punctuated their embrace with a firm squeeze and let go of her wife. They moved apart but held hands in the darkness and began to think of their immediate situation.
“Let’s see if we can salvage any of the stuff that you brought down with you. I couldn’t see much of your entrance, but was that a surfboard I saw you riding? It shot out a flame that lit up everything for a second or two.”
“Yep, and it’s probably the most important piece of equipment I had, except for the viewer.” This made Kim pause. “Exactly what did you mean when you said that your plasma wouldn’t generate?”
“It’s like this: you know that my ability to generate plasma fields with my hands is fueled by my body’s ability to store and convert ultraviolet radiation, primarily from the sun, right?”
“That’s the textbook answer, but yeah, sure. And?”
“Well, you were watching me fight those creatures on the news, right? Believe me, I wasn’t sparing the horses on that fight, let me tell you…” Shego lifted Kim’s hand and gave it a little nibble. “Just like when we used to go at it.”
“Don’t change the subject! What exactly is wrong?”
“What is wrong is that I’ve apparently used all of the energy that I’d stored recently. Usually just walking around in normal sunlight for a few minutes each day is enough to keep me going without a reduction in power, and sunbathing can keep me topped-off for days. But now it looks like I can’t even strike a match until we can find some sunlight. Which isn’t likely, down here…” Shego lapsed into silence.
“Wait a minute. We’ve been together for how long and I didn’t know about this??”
“Hel-loo! Sworn enemies, bitter foes! We don’t tell each other about our ‘Achilles Heel’. Hel-loo!”
“That sucks.”
“Tell me about it. So, let’s see what equipment we can find in this dump.”
After several minutes of blindly feeling about on the cavern floor, the women reached the conclusion that they were in dire straights. The rocket board seemed intact, but since it had only thrust and no lift, they would have to carry it instead of riding it. The water-purification tablets were located, as were most of the food concentrates. The infrared viewer was definitely gone, and probably broken as well. The only other piece of equipment they could use was the wrist compass, but its electro-shock capabilities had been damaged.
“We’re lucky to have found what we did, baby. It sounds like I hit pretty hard when I came down.”
“You did, Princess. That rocket lit everything up like a flare. I thought… I though you were dead.”
Kim knew that Shego hated feeling ‘weak’ or ‘helpless’. These words, Kim also knew, where the closest that Shego ever came to admitting fear or defeat. Love and passion were to be had from by Shego in abundance, but only to a select few, namely her wife and children. Therefore, Kim saw no reason to make Shego suffer.
“Listen to me. We’re both alive and healthy. Will Du said that if we follow these caves, we would eventually find a path to the surface. And they can track our movements so they’ll know we’re OK when they see that we’re moving. Right?”
“OK, little Miss Possible, riddle me this: how are we to find our way anywhere when we can’t see a blessed thing?” Shego made a noise of derision. “Even SSJ could see how that would be a problem!”
“She has a good point, Father.”
“Ghaa! You do that entirely too well!”
“Yeah, it’s righteously dark, here, man. Seriously.”
“Stop it!” Shego giggled.
“Ok, ok. Let me think about this for a minute. Remember, anything’s possible for…”
“Oh, for the love of Mike, please don’t start that again!” Shego paused. “Hey, can you do Killigan?”
“Hey, tha rabbet dinna belong to yu!”
Chapter IV / Thirty Days In The Hole
“Shego, tell me about those creatures that raided the armory. What were they like?” 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.
“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?”
“…”
“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.” She huffed with frustration.
“Come to think of it, they didn’t really seem to care that I was there or not. 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. She was just barely able to 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?”
“Look at the big brain on Shego!” Kim had been smiling with unbridled affection for her mate.
“Hel-loo, graduated High School! 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 indeed badly broken.
Deciding that it was time to take action, and 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 and the only real concern was that they didn’t foul their water sources.
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 was appealing, they began looking for other kinds of indigenous life that they might 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 in physical contact with each other, often talking of home and family, but never 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, baby?” 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, as well as 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 had 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.”
“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.”
“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.
Another brief halt was called when Kim put her foot into it, quite literally.
“Ewww!”
“What, Kimmie? Did you step in dog poop?”
“Yuck! Very funny… I think it’s a mushroom.” Kim crouched down to examine the broad pale caps of the thick growths at her feet.
“You know, we might be able to eat these.”
“No way! Those could be poisonous or hallucinogenic; we could trip out or something.”
“Somehow I doubt that we have to worry about that… look, see how several of the caps have been pulled off from the stems? Maybe your little friends picked a few for the road when they passed through here.”
“Yeah, or maybe they use them to brew toxins to coat darts with!”
“You are one spooky chick.” Kim stood up and gave her wife a quick kiss on the cheek. “But I love you. Just what do you know about ‘shrooms’ anyway?”
“Uh, uh, Pumpkin. What happens at the ‘Villain Of The Year Banquet’ stays at the ‘Villain Of The Year Banquet’.”
Careful to ingest only a tiny portion, Kim’s guess was fortunately correct; they were edible and she felt no ill effects. In this manner they would be able to stave off starvation as long as the remaining protein concentrates were severely rationed. They collected more mushrooms of that same variety as they traveled.
A string of endless days followed, miles were lost beneath their feet.
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 named them, and then trick, beg or force 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.
“In there?” Kim pointed towards the lake, incredulous. “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 luminescent fungus absolutely flourished here; the ambient light was just a little stronger than that of a starlight sky on a clear night. After days of only the faintest glow to light their way, the grotto shone like the full moon to their light-starved eyes. The glow was above, within and even below the surface, illuminating the entire scene.
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.
“Are you coming in or… what?” Shego looked up at her lover.
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?”
“Talk is cheap, Princess. Why don’t you get your bubble butt in here and do something about it?” 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.
Kim removed her own clothes; both the fabric and her skin beneath equally caked with grime. She looked up sharply as a low whistle cut through the silence.
“Wow… Kimmie, 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 but she had been very concerned that she might not regain her 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 writhed in a helix of caresses.
Shego, usually a little harsh at first when making love, was gentle this time 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 exercises.
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 loudly as she wanted.
And she did, repeatedly.
“You got some sugar for me?” Shego made eye contact with Kim.
“You just wait and see.” Kim gasped as she caught her breath.
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.
The experienced lover had been shocked at how quickly the younger woman had learned to please her partner, and even more so when Kim 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 hard stream of bubbles up into Shego’s sex.
“Ugh… damn, Kimmie… damn…” Shego bucked and went ridged, her legs shooting straight outward beside Kim’s head.
The younger woman rose up and moved closer to further caress her wife… and quickly realized that something was very wrong.
“Shego!” Kim yelled into her spouse’s face, desperate to know what was wrong.
The woman was taking short, panting breaths, not unlike someone in the throws of ecstasy; unlike a normal orgasm, however, 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 in her head. Kim took Shego’s limp form in her arms and held her lover’s head up from the water. Wracked by muscle spasms, Shego was having a seizure.
After fearful minutes being cradled in Kim’s arms, Shego’s body relaxed and her breathing became slower and steadier. 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. The voice was weak, but Shego was lucid.
“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 thing I knew.”
“Baby, 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 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 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, a hero dies but one’? I came down into this nasty, stinky hole for you… and not just 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 Ann Possible, I just don’t know how well I can keep up with you and 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 didn’t speak, just shook her head back and forth.
“Damn it, Kim, you need to listen to me now! I know that you don’t like to talk about such things, but you’ve got to accept reality!” There was a pause for breath.
“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 notice what Shego had seen. 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 stared in amazement at what her bride had noticed.
Their skin was the same shade of pale green.
To Be Continued…
Author’s Notes on the Rewrite: Nothing too drastic, just a little clean up and refinement. A few format changes and rephrasing, as well as a few extras that I’ve picked up since I first started. Please hang around for ‘Deep Down / Omega’.