“So,” Kim poked gingerly at the plate of food in front of her. “What’s your take on GJ’s new work ethic?”
“It’s not so new,” Shego remarked off-hand, glancing around discreetly at the people that filled the other tables in the restaurant. Doesn’t seem like we’re the centre of anyone’s attention right now, so we might just be in the clear. It looks as if we’re officially disguised. She turned back to face Kim; she had once more donned that impressively effective blonde wig. “I always figured that this would happen someday, Kim. An organization as big as them couldn’t possible have a workforce that is completely loyal, or completely agrees with the original spirit of its founding woman, namely the protection of the World. A couple of greedy, ambitious, and unscrupulous people are always bound to come out of the mold.”
Kim smiled a little playfully, “So you don’t mind that I’m not actually joining you on the bad side?”
Shego chuckled. “Kimmie, Kimmie, Kimmie,” she shook her head, smirking in that way she knew the blonde couldn’t resist. “When will you learn?”
She drove her fork into her plate for a politely-portioned mouthful from her plate of steak, bacon, sausage, eggs, and the lightest garnishing of vegetables. Hers was most definitely a carnivore’s appetite. “I’m always more about the thrill than the villainy,” she embellished around her mouthful of food.
“Villainy’s just the more fun way to get thrills.” She swallowed. “Hell, I’d even go hero again if you could promise me that same rush, which – since I’d be with you – is pretty much a given.” She smiled more gently. “You were always the greatest challenge to me, the biggest mystery – the best thrill.”
Kim’s eyes brightened, “aw, that’s so sweet Teri.”
“You play this game well, Kim.” Shego commented on the ease with which Kim slipped into their private little spy game. “But Heroism by way of Villainy? That’s something only a Possible could come up with.”
The younger girl shrugged, still glowing from Shego’s praise. “It’s not really that crazy an idea when you think about it.”
She dug into one of her pancakes, speaking through her food as best she could. “Look at the comics – Wolverine is kind of an anti-hero. He doesn’t hesitate to cross the line of principle, but he’s still a good guy. He’s just so much more interesting than the others because he’s not a clean good guy.”
Shego stared at Kim incredulously. You were a clean good guy a few years ago, Princess. Could that time have really changed you that much? “You’re comparing yourself to Wolverine?”
She leaned forward across the table, pushing her plate to one side to keep her hair from ending up in her meat-and-egg mountain. “Well, you’re definitely hotter than he is.” She leaned closer, half standing as she tried to steal a kiss, but Kim’s fingertips on her lips stopped her halfway. “What?” She drew back a little, slightly hurt by the rejection.
When Kim didn’t answer right away, Shego shifted her gaze to her face instead of the still upraised hand between them. “What is it?”
Kim’s eyes were now closed a little tightly but not screwed shut, and her eyebrows had drawn close together as she concentrated on something. Shego could sense Kim’s growing frustration as the sour scent-flavour filtered into the air. “There’s someone here – close to us,” Kim finally got out in a whisper-quiet voice. “Someone who knows both of us – very well,” she paused and her frustration eased off somewhat.
Shego leaned forward again. “Do you think he knows we’re here?” She began to scan the room again, moving as discreetly as she could.
“She knows very well that you two are here.”
Shego and Kim both looked around for the source of the new voice. Shego watched in confusion as Kim’s eyes grew wide in disbelief, and then the blonde-wigged girl whipped around in her seat, grabbing the tinted plastic divider and pulling herself up so she could look into the next booth.
“No way!” Shego heard Kim’s excitement as well as feel it, but she stubbornly refused to even think about indulging herself on the delicious emotion.
“Uh,” Kim hesitated for a second. “Is that really you…uh – Phyllis?”
A low, authoritative, and female chuckle answered Kim as the back of a brunette’s head rose into view. “Phyllis, Kimberly? Is that really the best you could come up with?” The brunette slid out of the booth and turned to face the two younger women. “Good day to you both.”
Shego’s breath caught in her throat when her eyes fell rose from the woman’s blue dress shirt-clad torso stomach to her face. The pictures of this woman had never been very good because she was very rarely seen in public like this, but that eye patch was unmistakable. And, although Shego had never met the woman, she’d heard all the rumours about her ruthlessness and penchant for espionage games.
It was Doctor Director.
And there was this evil grin on her face that told Shego they were about to get into a serious “discussion”.
Holy Crap!
Kim sat back and stared up at Dr Director. Wade said she’d disappeared but what are the chances she’d disappeared to Canada at all, let alone Montreal?
Out of the corner of her eye, Kim saw Shego tensing and remembered that Dr Director had also been one of Shego’s enemies, albeit in a very boring and professional way. Oh, she grimaced. This could get messy.
Leaning forward, Kim reached one hand out and grabbed Shego’s shoulder, trying to hold her back and calm her down. “Don’t worry, Teri,” she almost forgot to keep Shego’s name from crossing her lips, but not to keep the thief’s identity secret from the former head of Global Justice, but from any other people who were listening in. The one eyed woman had probably recognised Shego so there was no point in trying to hide it here. “Teri,” Kim repeated. “She doesn’t run GJ anymore, Teri.” She shook Shego by the shoulder she was gripping. “Teri?”
Shego slowly relaxed under Kim’s hand, and turned back to her food, keeping a wary eye on the newcomer who’d had the arrogance to interrupt the conversation she’d been having. “I trust you, Kim.” She muttered her grudging acceptance. “Not her.”
“As well you shouldn’t…Teri.” Director raised an eyebrow as the name slid off her own tongue. Then, she reached out of sight into her booth, bringing a half eaten plate of food into view. “May we join you?”
Shego bristled, but Kim just smiled. “Of course,” she shot a warning look at Shego, “but you might want to sit on this side of the table. I don’t think Teri likes you very much.”
“Com, William,” Dr Director called out to her dining companion. “There’s someone here you simply must meet.” She slid into the seat beside Kim, setting her food down in front of her.
“Yes Sir.” A black-haired man stepped into sight, his own plate of food held in plain view.
Dr Director sighed as the best agent that Global Justice had ever had on payroll sat down beside a still seething Shego. “How many times do I have to tell you, William? I haven’t been your superior for over three years; why do you insist on calling me that?”
Will Du’s shoulders straightened as he drew himself up proudly. “Because it is unjust what Philip Sincoli did – to you, to me, and to everyone else he’s threatened.”
Director nodded gravely, her resignation all too visible in her one good eye. “Unjust, but regrettably unavoidable. I rather like my family alive thank you.”
She turned to Kim, ignoring the shocked stares she was getting from all three of the people around the table as she spoke so casually on the subject of blackmail. “So, Kimberly,” the older woman smiled in an unusually friendly way that mildly unsettled Kim, solely because it was Dr Director who was smiling. “You look well. What brings you to Montreal? And please don’t use my middle name again.”
Kim blinked for a moment. Middle name? I don’t even know your first name – oh right… “Fine, Kelly.” Kim drew on her memory and remembered the name Dr Director had used to accept the delivery of Wade’s “package”, feeling a swell of relief when the former GJ CEO nodded approvingly. “I’ve been living here for the past four years.” She smirked and gestured to both “Kelly” and Will. “And you two?”
Dr Director smiled. “I was born and raised here, believe it or not. After I was forced into retirement, I decided to move back in with the family.” She looked around the restaurant briefly and gestured to her stony-faced companion. “William flew in this morning for another visit.” She ended the sentence with an almost angry-sounding growl.
Oh, this should be interesting, Kim thought. “He does this often?”
Director sighed, “increasingly more often this past year.” She glared at Will. “Ever since his sole remaining family member died of a congenital heart disfunction, he seems to have gotten it into his head that Global injustice has no means to control him, so he’s been trying to convince me to help him in an irrational, ill-planned, and ultimately unfeasible crusade against my organization.”
“But sir –,” Will began calmly. “We can move your family to a safe place now that we only have one family to consider.”
“No,” Director replied with an exasperated sigh. Yes, Kim thought. This is an old routine they’ve been going through for a long while. “You know as well as I do the resources that were available to Global Justice when I ran things. If we had wanted to find a criminal, we found them.” She glanced sidelong at Kim, the ghost of an amused and respectful smile tugging at her lips. “Of course, we never were able to track anyone down as quickly or as quietly as your associate, Mr. Load.”
Kim grinned. You rock, Wade. “He’s always been the best.”
Dr Director turned back to Will. “And Global Justice’s resources have only grown in the four years it has been under Philip Sincoli’s guidance.” She fixed him with a glare that Kim recognised from the good old days. It was Dr Director’s patented I’m-giving-an-order-and-I-expect-it-to-be-followed expression. “Do you really think we’d ever find a hole deep enough to hid my family?” She laid her fork and knife on the table carefully and rested her elbows on the table, interlacing her fingers casually.
Will Du spread his hands, “But sir, we could –.”
“No,” she replied firmly.
“But what if –.”
“No.”
“But –.”
“No.” Dr Director lashed out faster than either Kim or Shego had expected, slapping the younger man across one cheek, lunging out of her seat to stand over Will from across the table, fixing him with that bowel-liquefying stare. Calming herself, she slowly sat back down, glaring around at the surrounding tables, fixing her “Dr Director” look on each person who had stopped their conversations at her outburst until they slowly – uncomfortably – returned to their own worlds.
Wow, Kim thought, impressed by the display. Even blackmailed into retirement, she’s still got it. It’s a pity the bad guys know threatening loved ones always works. For one instant, Kim prayed to heavens that Wade knew what he was doing and did in fact have her family safe as he had promised.
“You’re lucky she wasn’t holding her knife when she did that,” Shego remarked dryly from her seat in one corner of the booth.
Will just reached up to rub his already reddened cheek. “No, I learned to wait until she puts her cutlery down.” When he lowered his hand, Kim saw that there were four short, parallel scars very close together on his lower jaw. My God, she looked back at Dr Director, who had turned her gaze downward to stare at her half-eaten plate of food. If Kim were to venture a guess, she’d say that the retired GJ woman wasn’t even seeing the plate, or even the table underneath it.
“Very well, sir.” Will moved to stand up, pushing his plate away from him. “If your answer remains unchanged, then I will return home.” He dug in his pockets and dropped enough money on the table to pay for his own meal with some extra. “Good day, sir.” He turned away.
“Don’t come back, William,” she replied in her commanding voice.
He only stopped walking for a moment, “Of course sir,” before he was on his way.
Dr Director watched him carefully until he’d left the restaurant. Then, she sat back and stared off into space for a long time. Shego returned her attention to her food after only a couple seconds, satisfied that the former GJ director didn’t pose a threat today. Kim took a little longer, but soon followed Shego’s lead, digging into her high stack of pancakes. This is turning into a far more interesting day than I’d expected. Who’d have thought? Yesterday, I was just a retired superhero-vigilante, alone in the world I’d created for myself post-High School, and today… She glanced over at Shego. I feel like I’ve finally found the one I love when she’s been standing sneering in front of me for years, I’m un-retired and getting ready to make war on Global Justice, and I’ve now run into the woman who ran the place when it was a good and wholesome peacekeeping organization. What has this world come to?
“He’ll be back,” Dr Director finally said. Turning to her own meal, she held up a piece of bacon on her fork and stared at it as if it held the answer to some question she’d never answered. “He always comes back.” She shook her head and bit down on her offensively unresponsive strip of meat. “It’s the one order I’ve given that he’s never followed.” She dug into her plate at a reasonable pace – nowhere near the rate that Shego was making her own food evaporate.
Kim looked up from her food. Shego was pretending to not listen, but the act didn’t fool Kim. “If you keep sending him away like that, why does he keep coming back?” Kim shoved another forkful of pancake in her mouth.
Doctor Director paused in her eating to contemplate another strip of bacon. “Since the death of his brother, William is under the impression that I am the only person left who he can trust as a friend.” She bit into the piece of bacon on her fork. “Of course, our relationship at the time was nothing close to friendship. So, we’ve been meeting every couple of days or weeks to jest talk over dinner or some other kind of activity.”
She took a long sip from her water glass. “This was actually one of our better days. Before you interrupted us,” she grinned suddenly again, “we were speculating on what you two could be doing sharing a peaceful meal in public.”
Her smile faded, “and before that, we were discussing our conflicting views on Canada’s participation – or lack thereof as the case may be – in certain influential wars of the past. WE were debating both Iraq wars when you came in.”
Shego had put both her fork and knife down about halfway through Dr Director’s explanation, closely followed once again by Kim as they both studied the oldest woman at the table with identical measuring looks. Gradually, a sly smirk spread across Shego’s face as the same idea occurred to both of them. Kim couldn’t help the quiet laugh that escaped her lips as she realized what was going on. Oh my goodness, she thought. I never thought that it could be possible.
Dr Director finally realized that the two women had stopped listening to her. “What?”
“Someone’s in love,” Shego finally said, successfully hiding her laughter behind her hand.
The brunette blushed mightily, an incredibly out of character response for a woman like her. “Oh,” she looked down at her now empty plate, flustered. “I always knew he looked up to me, but love?”
Kim nodded, smirking fiendishly. “There’s no other reason I can think of that he’d take that kind of abuse from you.”
Shego pulled her hand away from her grinning mouth so she could work a little more on her mountain of eggs, steak, bacon, and sausage, working carefully at picking out what pieces of egg she could find first. “It also explains the frequent dates,” she offered off-hand.
Kim nodded again, speaking through a mouthful of syrup and jam-drenched pancake. “And the getting together to gossip about mutual acquaintances,” she waved her fork between herself and Shego. “And to debate global politics like classmates.”
Dr Director looked between the two of them. “But…”
Shego interrupted, “have you gone to movies together too?”
“Kelly” looked away somewhat guiltily.
Kim grinned. “So, it’s not just Will who’s fallen in love.”
This time, Shego nodded. “Why else would someone willingly subject themselves to the torture of a chick flick?”
Dr Director bristled. “They weren’t all chick flicks, as you call them,” she declared.
Kim gestured to the redhead across the table from her, “thus proving my friend’s point.”
Shego smirked. “Check and Mate.”
Dr Director tried one more time, raising her left hand. “I’m married, you two.” She showed off the simple gold band that encircled her ring finger.
But Kim only smiled knowingly. “To Will Du.”
The brunette hung her head. “Yes.” When she looked up, she was smiling like she had suddenly inherited the whole planet.
Shego let out an amused laugh before diving back into her mountain of meat and eggs. “Kelly, you dog!”
Kim swallowed down another sickeningly sweet mouthful of pancake. God, this stuff is great. “So, the family that Global threatened isn’t a husband and kids…” she trailed off thoughtfully.
Dr Director shook her head, “mother, brothers, niece, and four nephews.” The brunette smiled faintly. “They can be damn annoying sometimes, but they’re still family.”
Kim nodded sympathetically, thinking about her twin brothers and the rest of her own family. Ah¸ she thought with only a trace amount of annoyance. Good old demonic tweebs…I’m counting on you, Wade – keep them safe. Keep them all safe from Global so I can worry about doing my thing. “So,” she brightened a little from her dark thoughts. “How long?”
Shego continued grinning around a mouthful of egg. “And how is he in bed?”
Dr Director smiled again. “Two years last month.” Her expression slid quite smoothly into her “Director” mask again. “And forget it. I don’t know either of you nearly well enough to divulge that kind of information.”
“Aw, shucks.” Shego pouted, but it was nothing compared to Kim’s not-so-secret and far more refined family weapon, which she wasn’t quite interested enough to use. Besides, the redhead knew that Shego was only asking to be the general, overall pain that she felt she had to be to make the world a less fluffy place. And I can’t help but love that… So, uninterested as they both were, Kim let the subject drop and asked a new question instead.
“And yet you don’t live together. Why?”
Dr Director grimaced. “Our relationship is a little…complicated. Global Justice doesn’t check up on us even half as much as they do you, Kimberly, but they do keep tabs on William and I. They probably know by know that he and I are married, and talk about the recent past whenever we get together, but the simple fact that we are both still alive seems to indicate that it is permissible behaviour. William and I have been increasing the frequency of our meetings to see if Global will actually allow us to live together as we would like to.”
She shook her head slowly, chuckling bitterly to herself. “I know it must sound ridiculous – Doctor Director, former head of Global Justice, tiptoeing around the roles. If it was solely my life or William’s on the line, we’d certainly say to the pit with Global Justice and Pisces International and move into a home, come Hell or high water, but with my family involved…well, William understands my desire for caution.”
She paused, chuckling a little less darkly this time. “But, enough about me,” she glanced up to study Shego with a practiced eye. “I can’t say I’ve always wanted to meet you, Teri – not without adding a phrase with something along the lines of ‘metre-thick armour plating’ somewhere in there – but it has in fact been a pleasure.”
She smiled in an attempt to be cheerful. “What brings you to Montreal?”
Shego pointed across the table at Kim. “Her,” was her simple-yet-sufficient reply.
There was that single arched eyebrow again. “Really?” She leaned forwards so she could glance from Kim to Shego, and the back. “I see,” she smirked triumphantly at what she’d discovered as she sat back. “So, you’ve finally managed to reform the infamous supervillain, have you Kimberly? Tamed the untameable? I must say, I’m impressed.”
Kim coughed nervously. If only, she thought, gazing at the woman who’d somehow managed to worm her way into her heart. She was so unreasonably beautiful, “actually-um. Teri’s the one who reformed me.”
Dr Director’s eyes widened in shock, “Are you serious?”
Shego grinned and waved a hand between her and Kim. “You’re looking at the world’s newest supervillain team.”
Kim nodded defiantly, “and Global Justice’s worst nightmares come to life.”
Shego laughed at that, her eyes moving to take in the redhead’s fiery expression. “We’re thinking of calling it ‘heroic villainy’ or ‘villainous heroism’ – whichever makes more heads explode from confusion.”
Dr Director smiled slightly at this turn of events. “So, I take it you’ve heard from Mr Load finally?” At Kim’s nod, the brunette continued in a lower voice. “I knew he’d come through for me. So,” she raised her voice back up to its previous conversation tone. “So, what are your plans?”
Kim shrugged nonchalantly, “oh, you know us; we’re all about improvising.”
Shego scowled at Dr Director. “What’s it to you?”
Director simply studied the two younger women with her coldest “Director” glare. “I just think you should be warned that if you plane to take and hold the world’s treasures for ransom, you’ll be sorely disappointed. Global Justice will not play that game by your rules.”
Shego scoffed, sounding supremely insulted by the words of the former GJ CEO. “Extortion? Please – that’s so overdone.”
Kim nodded. “We’re going so beyond that.” She turned to Shego. “What do you think? Steal the world’s treasures and just…hold onto them for a little while?”
Shego grinned, “And then, we could add insult to injury by returning them after a few weeks, proving that we can still break in even if they beef up their security.” Then, she snapped her fingers as if a sudden idea had occurred to her, and she looked about ready to voice it, but then her eyes flicked to the waiting Dr Director and she clammed up, forming instead a single silent word with her lips.
Later.
Later, indeed Shego. Kim felt a little disappointed that she wouldn’t hear what Shego had been thinking. She had felt her partner’s glee and sheer excitement at the idea, but she didn’t know the full extent of Shego’s growing plan. Sure, she could break into the older woman’s mind and take the answer to her burning curiosity, but she’d made a promise to Shego – no unauthorised traipsing into her mind – and she would abide by her word of honour.
Dr Director nodded her understanding of their plan – or at least, what had been said of their plan. “So, you plan to make Global Justice waste precious money and resources focusing on you two in a bid to frustrate them to the point of carelessness or force them into bankruptcy.” She rubbed her chin thoughtfully, “an intriguing idea to be sure, if a bit lacking in ambition.”
Kim reached out again to hold onto Shego’s shoulder as the volatile villain bristled once more. “What do you mean by that?” Shego looked like she was about ready to throw herself across the table and deck her across the face for that insult.
Dr Director must have been made of stronger stuff than she’d been letting on, because the one-eyed woman didn’t flinch away from the supervillain’s rather obvious ire. “I’m simply saying that you can’t hope to force my creation into bankruptcy without increasing the boldness of your plan.” She reached into a small pocket of her dark blue jacket. “You should know that Global Justice is currently netting over ninety million dollars every week.”
Kim’s eyes grew so wide they almost bulged out of her head. “Uh…” she tried to brush it off the way Shego would. “I guess we’ll just have to be really good.”
Shego narrowed her eyes at this new information, clearly unimpressed. “Exactly how do you know what’s going on now?”
Dr Director just smiled secretively. “Oh, I have my own ways to spy on my tormentors.” She pulled her hand out of her pocket, revealing a pale blue device.
Kim gasped softly. No way! She stared at the little box in the brunette’s hand. That colour, the slight hourglass shape…the buttons are a little different and the screen’s a little bigger, but still… She looked up at the brunette. “A Kimmunicator?” She kept her voice down, “but how –?”
“Watch,” Dr Director interrupted, laying the blue device on the table beside her empty plate. She flipped a switch and the screen brightened. “I got it in the mail about a year ago. Mr Load assured me that it was correctly equipped to hack into any Global Justice mainframe without being traced or back-hacked, which in turn means any computer on the planet – except of course for Mr Load’s own system.”
Shego looked at the plain blue device sceptically. “Are you sure? Global has some pretty serious tech capabilities. I’m still not so sure if Nerdlinger’s up to it.”
Dr Director nodded decisively. “I’ve tested it myself on numerous occasions and in many locations.”
Kim was too busy staring at the bright screen on the brunette’s Kimmunicator to pay any attention to the growing debate between the two other women. If anything but words became involved, then would be the time for Kim’s interference.
A red emblem had appeared on the screen, dead centre and superimposed over a large black circle, and it was blinking in and out of sight at a fairly steady but gradually quickening pace, and Kim was trying to make sense of it. It looked like a semi-circular arc or some part of a spiral, but there were numerous bulges along the curve’s length, starting from the wider part of the half-spiral and growing narrower and longer as the curve grew tighter until the very end, where the spiral ended with a rather out-of-place-seeming dot with a small and sharply curved spike protruding from the dot’s underside, pointing forward. Then, as Kim continued trying to analyze the emblem, it hit her like a very fast-moving car. It was the tail end of a…
“Scorpion,” she breathed in wonder, interrupting Shego and Dr Director’s discussion with her seemingly random comment. Kim looked up at the older woman in amazement. “Wade gave you Scorpio?”
Dr Director beamed down at the innocent-looking device. “His brainchild and the best weapon against the international organization I created.”
She smiled apologetically to Kim, “I’m afraid it wasn’t created for the sole purpose of being able to communicate freely with you, Kimberly, as productive a goal as that was since contact with Mr Load seems to have rekindled your interest in the world you retired from.”
She carefully slid the holy grail of data encryption transmitters over towards Kim. “And I think you could make far better use of it than I have been able to.” She sat back and frowned, “the rules have changed quite a lot since I was a full agent, and I find that an old dinosaur like me is only good for gathering intelligence on the enemy.”
Kim carefully took the device off the table and cradled it in both hands. It was easily Wade’s greatest creation in the seven years she had known the boy and Dr Director was just casually giving it away? Something didn’t feel right. “Kelly,” she looked up at the eye-patched brunette, “I really don’t think he’d appreciate you just throwing his baby away like this. He must have given it to you for a reason because I don’t even have this.”
Dr Director smirked. “I’m not throwing it away, Kimberly; I’m donating it to someone who can easily use it better – more efficiently.” She nodded her head to Kim. “This is your world now, Kimberly – my usefulness as an agent came to an end more than ten years ago. I can still manage agents better than anyone, but Global Justice isn’t an organization that I could take down with my rusty and outdated skills.” She smiled suddenly. “Besides, Mr Load would probably want me to give it to you all the same. In fact, when I first received this remarkable device, he gave me a list of people to whom I was allowed to even mention the existence of Scorpio and yours is the only name on it. Not even William knows that I’ve been looking into Global Justice’s activities.” She glanced across the table at the silent and suddenly passively observant Shego, smiling wryly. “Now, I don’t know if he’d accept Teri knowing, but since the two of you are so clearly working together, I guess it would be alright.”
“Okay,” Kim gratefully slipped the Scorpio Kimmunicator into her pocket and turned her full attention back to Dr Director. “Do you have any tips on how to use it?”
To answer that, Dr Director simply reached into another pocket and retrieved a set of keys. “4764 Lake. It’s the townhouse that I own until September, which is when William and I intend to attempt moving in together. You’ll find everything that I’ve been able to dig up, as well as everything you need to know to use Mr Load’s program. I’m not currently living there, so feel free to drop by and visit when ever you like.”
“Alright,” Kim took the keys and pocketed them. “It’ll probably have to wait until tomorrow or later because we’ve got plans for the day.” She waved a hand between her and Shego as the woman in question finally polished off her Mount Everest of food.
“In that case,” Dr Director stood from the booth and looked down at them both. “I’ll leave you to your day.” She reached into her pocket yet again and deposited a pair of twenty dollar bills on the table. “Don’t worry about paying me back for your meal; it really has been a pleasure.”
Shego nodded casually, wiping her lips with her napkin, but Kim looked back up at the brunette. “You don’t need to do this.”
Dr Director shook her head, lowering her voice as she smiled conspiratorially. “Get me my company back and I’ll call it even.” She looked around the restaurant slowly. “Life as a civilian is far more relaxing than my post at Global, but it’s boring and tedious.” She turned to go.
Shego looked up to offer a parting shot to the brunette’s back. “It was nice to finally meet you…Kelly.” She smirked.
Dr Director stopped and turned to face the two women. “Likewise Teri.” She gave Shego another measuring stare, “and I must say, the new look is good – but I’d suggest hair gel. It will go even farther towards making you someone else. And Kimberly,” she fixed a mildly disappointed glare on the redhead. “Trust me, it will take far more than a wig to disguise a face as well-known as yours for more than a few minutes.” She turned and walked away without another word.
Shego sat back, smiling contentedly as she studied her empty plate. “Better keep that thing safe, Pumpkin,” she gestured at the pocket where Kim had put the new toy. “There’s no telling how useful super-geek’s creation might be.” She looked up at Kim’s face. “Kim? Are you listening?”
But she wasn’t. Kim was drumming her fingers lightly on the table and staring off into space, lost deep in thought as an idea began to form in her head. More than a wig, huh? She considered her growing brainstorm. Could that actually work? I wonder why I’ve never thought of it before…
“Kim?”
“Huh?” She looked up quickly, startled out of her line of thought. “Oh, sorry Sara – I was just thinking about what she just said.” Turning in her seat, Kim caught sight of the waitress and raised her hand to get her attention.
Shego leaned forward across the table. “What’s going on?”
“I want to try something,” Kim replied distractedly, writing up a mental shopping list of things she would need to make this work.
Shego’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. “What are you up to?”
“Just hold on.” Kim looked around quickly and tried to calm her growing excitement and impatience.
Where the heck is that waitress?
“Okay, I get the new clothes, because everyone can use new clothes,” Shego walked into the deserted restroom of the mall an hour later. “But what is up with the bottles of paint,” she stopped and stood by the sinks, “and the comic book?”
“Did you really have to threaten that waitress?” Kim followed Shego into the restroom. She was staring intently into the open shopping bag in her hands that held an odd assortment of items from a wide variety of stores.
Shego almost snarled in annoyance. It was unbelievable how frustrating the redhead could be while at the same time remaining so adorably cute. Shego shoved the image aside; she had a bone to pick with her little Princess. “Of course I did. You wanted to get out of that restaurant like it was on fire.” She lunged forward and tore the bag out of her the younger woman’s hands. “Now, answer the question.”
“Hey!” Kim looked up and, seeing the look on Shego’s face, calmed down. “Alright Shego, I’m sorry I’ve been ignoring you, but I just wanted to get everything I needed before I forgot about it all.”
“Needed for what?” Shego kept a hold of the bag even as Kim reached out demandingly for it. Oh, no, she thought. You don’t order me around like that, Kimmie… “Talk to me – tell me what you’re trying to do and I’ll let you have your junk back.” She stared at Kim, letting her act fall away to reveal all the feelings she’d been trying to suppress that had been growing over the past hour. Hurt, anger, bitterness…do you know why I feel this way, Kim? “We’re supposed to be partners, Kim, but it feels like you’re leaving me behind.”
Kim’s outstretched arm fell to her side instantly and hung bonelessly as a look of remorse overcame her young, adorable features. Shego almost spat at the galling taste of the girl’s guilt as it hit her like a kidney punch. “Oh God – I’m sorry Shego. I didn’t realize –.” Her eyes were wide. “I just got all caught up in my plan and I’m used to having just Ron with me and –.”
“You don’t have Ron,” Shego interrupted quietly, setting the bag down on the multi-sink counter. “You have me, and neither of us are sidekicks.” She reached out a hand. “Equal partners remember?”
Kim smiled and grabbed the offered hand awkwardly. “Equal partners.” She looked up into Shego’s dark green eyes. “Thanks for the reality check.”
“Anytime, Princess.” Shego lowered her hand again. Count on it. She turned to the bag on the sink, the subject forgotten. “So, about your bag of junk…”
Kim brightened for a second, but then turned to glance at the restroom door. They had the place to themselves for now, but that wasn’t a permanent condition; someone could easily come in and interrupt the strange and definitely inhuman magic show the redhead was about to perform. “Okay, check this out.” She looked around for something she could use and her eyes fell on the door to one of the bathroom stalls. “Okay, I’ve already told you I’m an elemental, right?” She reached out one hand and laid her palm flat on the thin-plated iron door. “Anything I touch can be changed and transformed into ice, water, or steam – water in any of its three forms.” Concentrating, Kim turned the door under her hand into a solid sheet of ice, and then took her hand away. “Now see? It’ll stay a block of ice like that until I change it back. Of course, ice melts so it would be a very smart idea for me to revert it soon, but first…”
She turned and grabbed the free upper corner of the door in one hand, placing her other just below it. Then, banging her second hand as hard as she could on the sheet of ice, Kim pulled back on the corner of the door, snapping it off and sending a shower of dislodged ice chips into the stall. “Ice is also brittle, so it makes it easy to break things when I use my powers.” She passed her empty hand across the door, caressing the slick surface as she transformed it back into a dull grey iron door. Then, she stepped away from the stall, the corner of ice still cradled in one hand, and started walking toward the restroom door, which could still open at any time.
Shego stared at the gently swinging stall door. “I thank that’s called vandalism, Kimmie. My, you are learning fast.” She grinned at Kim.
Kim looked back at the de-cornered door and chuckled. “Don’t worry – I’ll fix it before we leave, but I needed something I could use to block the door. I don’t think we want anyone walking in on this.”
“No, I guess we don’t.” Shego walked forward so she could see what Kim was going to do with a corner of a door. There isn’t much you can do with a chunk of iron, is there?
“Now here’s the fun part,” Kim turned and leaned back against the door, the block of ice now cradled in both hands. “See, as an elemental, not only can I transform things into water and back, but I can also control that water, whether it was ever water to begin with or not.”
As Kim spoke, Shego watched the slab of ice in Kim’s hand melt into pure water over the span of only a few seconds. The weird thing was, the water remained suspended in that shape instead of falling to the floor and slipping through Kim’s fingers as Shego would have expected. Then, just as astonishingly, the block of…water started to flow around in Kim’s hand, collapsing rapidly into a large sphere of water.
Shifting around a little, Kim held the ball cradled in one hand while the other moved to rest on top. “As long as I maintain contact with it, I can form water or steam into any shape I want, but it has to be ice or its original state if I want it to keep its shape once I leave.” Kim looked up into Shego’s eyes, a playful smile twisting her lips and a devious glimmer in her eyes. “Back at your place, I could have used little ice statues of you instead of snowballs, but the ice would have been pointier and harder than what I used.”
Shego stared, wide-eyed at what she’d seen so far. “You know,” she began in an awed and admiring voice, “I’m beginning to see what you mean about it being more fun to learn everything about you over time.”
“See?” Reach up with both hands, Kim slowly raised her water-ball until it met with the hinge for the hydraulic arm that kept the door from opening or closing too fast. “And the cool thing about water,” she kept lifting the ball until the hinge was in the middle and completely surrounded by water, “Is that it gets in every little crack.”
The redhead closed her eyes and Shego watched as the ball of water returned once more to the grey iron slate colour of the stall-door fragment from which Kim had formed it, only now it was a smooth sphere that encased the hydraulic mechanism of the restroom door, effectively jamming it shut because the hinge could no longer bend like it was supposed to. Kim slowly opened her eyes and looked up at the jammed hinge for a second before returning her gaze to Shego, a satisfied smile lighting her face. “See – instant privacy.” She winked suggestively, “pretty cool, huh?”
Shego nodded dumbly, at a loss for words after the display she’d just seen. “That was…amazing.” She stepped away and pulled on the door handle. The door opened about half-a-centimetre before the metal ball stopped the hinge cold. “But I still don’t get it.” She turned back to the counter with the plastic bag of still-random-seeming items. “What does this,” she gestured back at the frozen hinge, “have to do with your bag of tricks?”
Kim smiled nervously. “See, that’s where it gets a little weird.” She moved away from the door and reached into the bag to start pulling things out. “Now, it’s one thing to transform a bathroom stall door and reshape it.” She placed the new clothes carefully on the counter and started tearing the sales tags off. “But,” Kim laid the comic book out right in front of her beside the sink, “it’s another thing entirely to do these kinds of things to myself.”
Sudden understanding rushed through Shego’s mind. So, she thought. That’s what the paint is for; I should have realized it when I saw it was water-based. I hope it works, because this sounds like it could be pretty cool. “So, you plan to use the paint to dye your hair?”
Kim nodded slowly as she pulled the four bottles of paint out of the bag. “And my skin, but that might get a little tricky.” Moving quickly, Kim started twisting the caps off the small paint bottles.
My, my, my…You just keep getting more and more interesting, don’t you Kimmie? “What do you mean by tricky?”
“Well,” Kim set the bottles down on the counter in front of her. “This paint is pretty liquid, so I can’t just mix it together and paint it on because it’s likely it’ll just rub off on pretty much anything I touch even if I do manage to get it to not drip off before it dries.” She took the three colour bottles – red, yellow, and blue – into her left hand and then dipped a finger from her right hand into each one. “If my plan works, on the other hand, the mixture that I make will end up settling just below the first few layers of skin, so it won’t rub off as easily and it should even look like a natural skin colour.”
Kim closed her eyes for a moment, and Shego watched with amazement as she quickly transformed into water. The change began at her face and rippled up into her hair, turning her long, orange-red tresses fluid and colourless. The effect then moved on down from there, passing through her head and running a wave of change down her neck to disappear under the collar of the black t-shirt Shego had lent her after burning through hers. For some reason, Kim felt the need to keep her clothes intact, and Shego guessed it was so the paint wouldn’t accidentally end up there, but she chose to ask no questions – there was no real need to question the redhead’s use of her own powers.
Once her entire body was finished the transition from flesh to water, Kim’s voice emerged from water lips, sounding no different than it had a few seconds earlier. “Okay, let’s try a little red…” The elemental shifted her stance a little so she could study the back of the hand whose fingers she’d dipped into the paint bottles.
Awed as she was by this unbelievable display of control from her old foe, Shego didn’t see a faint cloud of red water rise out of one of the bottles to swirl into the palm of Kim’s liquid hand and condense into a sold red splotch of paint. “And maybe some blue,” Kim muttered, a slightly smaller cloud rising from another bottle to combine with the red that was already sitting there, result in a deep reddish-purple.
Shego finally realized what her partner was doing and leaned forward for a closer look at the girl’s colour palette. “Okay, Kimmie.” She watched a stream of yellow rise from the last bottle. “You are now officially, a cool person.”
“Thanks, Shego.” Kim whispered, too busy focusing on getting the colour in her hand just right to spare any concentration on speaking further. A few more colour additions later and Kim sighed quietly. “I guess that’ll have to do.” She sounded almost…regretful as she stared down into her hand, which now had a dark brown cloud hanging just under the surface of her watery skin.
Shego took a step back to give Kim space. “Did you run out of paint?”
Kim’s colourless and somewhat transparent head swayed slightly from side-to-side. “No, but I’m low on blue, which I need for something else.”
“Why?” Shego snorted, amused. “Do you really think blue hair will make you unnoticeable?”
Kim’s liquid shoulders rose in a shrug. “No, it’s for my eyes.” She continued to study her watery hand as the dark brown cloud immediately vanished, transforming completely into water as the elemental sought to spread the mixture all over her body, the most efficient means of doing so being the use of her ability to move water around her body. “There,” Kim breathed finally.
Shego leaned close, “there what?”
No change came to the Kim-shaped pillar of water as Kim replied slowly, her mind still mostly occupied with the task at hand. “I’ve got my skin colour down, and now the eyes,” a blue cloud rose from one of the bottles, vanishing into nothing almost instantly. “And the hair,” Kim reached over and picked up the last bottle of paint – white – while gently setting the three other bottles down in the empty sink without reverting them back to their original forms. As soon as she released them the water formed bottles collapsed on themselves and flowed down the drain – never to be seen again.
Then, turning to her sole remaining bottle, Kim shifted it to water and dipped her finger inside, drawing out a long, thin stream of white as she gathered enough to colour her hair the way she wanted it. After a moment, when Kim’s entire hand was filled with the white paint, she turned it completely into water and shuttled it off to its destination. “Okay, last part,” Kim said finally.
Shego watched silently as Kim let the fourth bottle slide down the drain just like the other three. “Alright,” she grinned,” let’s see the new Princess.”
Water-Kim remained. “Just give me a second.” The water that made up her body shifted a little, and then she sighed and turned to face Shego, her eyes now level with those of the villainess. “Now, here’s the hard part.” Shego could hear and smell the fear in Kim’s voice and mind but it wasn’t very strong, so Shego considered it to be more along the lines of a mild unease or nervousness. “What’s wrong?” She reached out and laid one hand on Kim’s shoulder, surprised a little when her hand didn’t pass directly through.
Kim didn’t reply for a moment but when she did, her voice was quiet. “I don’t know how my body is going to react to having all this paint suddenly introduced into my system.” She paused. “My hair should be fine, and my skin might just itch a little, but I just put paint in my eye, so I’m worried about what’ll happen.”
Shego smiled comfortingly, having the class to not poke fun of her girl when she was in doubt. “Hey, look at it this way; there’s plenty of water around here and you can spit the paint out if it’s too bad.” She studied Water Kim for a second, wondering silently if maybe her nose looked a little different but not completely sure because she couldn’t see Kim’s features very clearly. “Personally,” she smirked teasingly, “I just think you’re too scared to risk it.”
Just as she’d expected, Shego felt a surge of anger from Kim’s mind. “Well, we can’t have that,” and an instant later, Water-Kim solidified and took on colour to become…
Shego stepped away, shocked. “Wow.”
I can barely believe it.
Kim’s lightly tanned and rosy skin was now a light mocha kind of shade, her long red hair now a bright, lightning white. Her eyes, which had closed fro the transition, now opened to reveal a pair of dark, ocean blue irises. But the change had gone far beyond mere colours. Shego could see now that Kim had actually changed the shape of her nose, widening it a touch while moving it just a little lower on her face. Her cheekbones had come down a little too, and her lips were a hair thinner. The longer Shego looked, the more she noticed the dozens of tiny subtle changes that worked to transform Kim into something else entirely. Glancing down at the comic book in front of Kim, Shego felt a suspicion grow in her head.
X-men, huh? That’s funny; Kimmie looks just like she was aiming to look like – no way! She studied Kim a little more closely as the girl quickly began to assess her impressive attempt at disguise in the mirror. The resemblance was really close, even though Kim’s model was just an illustration. “Hey,” she tried to get her partner’s attention.
Kim looked up quickly, as if startled out of her private observation. “Hm, no pain. That’s cool.” Her eyes focused on Shego. “Yeah?”
Shego pointed at the comic on the counter. “You chose a comic book character?”
Kim smiled a little sheepishly, her light brown cheeks darkening just a little. “Yeah,” she mumbled, “I like her.”
Shego narrowed her eyes as she spoke under her breath, thinking aloud about Kim’s choice of disguises. “Why Storm? What’s so special about her…?”
She glanced up at Kim’s blue eyes, a teasing smile lifting one side of her lips. “You wouldn’t happen to have any other powers, would you Kimmie?”
When Kim’s blush only deepened and the girl made no reply, Shego’s tiny smirk exploded into a full ear-to-ear grin. “Oh my God,” the elder breathed. “That is so ferociously cool.”
Shego stepped back. “Well? Come on – let’s see some of that magic.”
Kim shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other. “I,” he hesitated. “I try not to use it too much outside of training myself.”
Shego pursed her lips thoughtfully as she regarded Kim with a serious respect and curiosity. “Why not?”
Kim seemed nervous enough about the very question. “It makes me feel like I’m not human anymore – to control so much power.” She looked away, seeming ashamed – of all things! “Besides,” Kim looked back at Shego. “I figure the less I use my powers in public, the more difficult it’ll be for anyone to figure out my weaknesses.”
Shego nodded even though she didn’t really agree with the reasoning. “Well,” she gave Kim a slow, measuring look. It’s a very good disguise, Kimmie. I’m impressed that you can do so much with just one power. “I’m impressed that you have so much self-control, Kimmie. Me, I probably would have tried to take over the world by now.”
Kim laughed, “No you wouldn’t have.” She reached onto the counter and grabbed the pile of freshly bought clothes. “You said yourself that global domination wasn’t your thing.” She walked over to the row of bathroom stalls and stepped into one of them, closing the door behind her. “I just need to change my clothes and then we can get out of her.”
“Great.” Shego turned away and reached out to flip open the comic book, glancing over the pages of colourful illustrations and captions. I sure hope you don’t think of this as the height of intellectual stimulation, Princess, because I might have to teach you a thing or two about books.
Shego was about a quarter of the way through the comic when there came a sudden thump from the restroom door.
“Ow…”
The plasma-powered and cursed villainess almost burst out laughing. It seemed like someone had tried to come into the bathroom, but hadn’t realized the door wouldn’t open, and had promptly collided with the heavy metal of the restroom door.
Shego released a frustrated sigh, “you better hurry up Princess. We’re out of time.”
“Hello?” The voice from the other side of the door was loud and strained. “Please, can someone let me in? I really have to go.”
Kim swore and threw open the stall door, hopping on one bare foot as she pulled a pair of long jean shorts over her second leg. She’d already traded her black t-shirt for a dark red tank top that looked better than perfect on her. “I’m coming,” she mumbled, hopping over to the door as she finished pulling up her shorts. “Shego.” She reached up and placed one hand on the heavy iron ball that was currently jamming the hinge closed.
Shego watched in fascination. God, you’re beautiful. I could just… “Yeah?”
Kim’s eyes closed as a smirk spread across her face. “Think you can keep the door closed until I’ve put the stall back together?”
Shego snorted, “You’re joking right?”
Kim glared as the door thumped again. “Come on Shego. I can’t have anyone walking in on this.” She transformed the ball into water and carefully separated it from the hinge, freeing it to move if the woman outside pushed again. Holding the new ball of water in one hand, Kim pushed on the door to keep it closed as she turned pleading eyes on the older woman. “Please, Shego.”
Sighing, Shego reached one hand to lean hard on the door. As if anyone who’s out there could get past me that easily…
Kim smiled in thanks and ran to the vandalised stall door, water-ball in hand.
“…And all the King’s horses and all the King’s men…”
Kim glowered at Shego and swept a lock of white hair out of her eyes. “Shut up.”
“…Couldn’t put Humpty Dumpty together again!” Shego cackled joyously as she threw one leg over her parked Ghost’s sun-warmed leather seat. “Congratulations, Princess.” She pulled her bike helmet over her head. “That was definitely one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen.” She fired up the super-bike’s engine, raising her voice to be heard over the noise. “And what have we learned?” She was probably smirking inside that helmet as Kim climbed on behind her.
That you’re irresistible when you’re amused? Kim pushed the thought away even as it caused the tiniest smile to cross her face. “Fixing things is harder than breaking them?”
“Exactly.” Shego glanced behind her as she pulled out of the parking spot. “You know, Kimmie, sulking works a lot better when you’re not smiling.”
Kim fought the urge to laugh as she hurried to put her own helmet on. After all, it had been pretty funny.
After re-shaping the ball of water into the stall door’s corner and turning the door to water, Kim had carefully slipped the two together and changed them both back, hoping that it would be enough to fix the door. She’d finished changing her clothes, gone about gathering up her beloved comic book and everything else, and her elemental-style welding job had held together…for a few seconds, much to Shego’s amusement. As luck would have it, the woman outside who’d been in such a hurry had bolted straight for the hastily-repaired stall as soon as Shego had allowed the restroom door to be opened. The instant the woman had slammed the stall closed, the top corner of it had toppled forward, landing on the tiles with a loud clunk as if it had only been sitting on the door, waiting to fall.
Shego and Kim had both retreated at the sight and the sound of the innocent bystander’s startled screams. Kim’s new mocha skin had darkened considerably from the embarrassment, but Shego had been all too happy at the outcome, dissolving into uncontrollable laughter as soon as they’d left the restroom.
“Come now, Kimmie.” Shego pulled out onto the main street. “You can’t win ‘em all.”
Guess not, Kim thought, wishing for one insane moment that she had lost to this woman more often, simply for the chance to hear that laughter and see those tiny smirking grins.
“So,” Shego throttled up as most of the traffic split off to merge onto the freeway beneath the overpass they’d were on. “Off to the museum?”
Kim wrapped her arms around Shego’s waist and tucked her head close, cursing her helmet for being in the way. She really wanted to just burrow her head into her partner’s shoulder, breathing in the irresistible smell of her shampoo, which she just knew would be there waiting for her. What’s gotten into me? Her grin widened. I could just ride around the city with her all day. Too bad we’ve got plans…
“Yeah.”
“Well, let’s hit it.” Shego sped up again as the entire street seemed to empty out for them.
Kim squeezed Shego’s waist briefly to acknowledge her last words.
After they’d merged onto a highway further down, Shego really opened up her striking motorbike’s engine, rocketing past all the light traffic as if it were standing still. Only Kim’s grip on the woman’s waist kept her on the bike, but she was far from frightened. Nothing could frighten her when it came to Shego – not anymore. Because…
She felt safe.
A/N: Okay, not so much to report this time. Comment if you will.
Next time: Will I finally stop procrastinating and get onto some museum mission-ness, or will I just stick Shego and Kim together in a room to have a good heart to heart? You’ll only find out next time in “Four Years Later: Chapter 10”