When Kim Possible woke up the next day she found herself waking up to an empty and alien bed. It took her a while to realize that she wasn’t in her own safe house, beneath the covers with Pandaroo, but in a mountain ski lodge with the covers twisted around her body and the pillows tossed on the red carpeted ground. There was also a absence of two other figures who were suppose to be asleep on the cots that laid beside the bed.
A wolf and a tiger.
Kim rushed to untangle herself from the covers of the bed, only to end up falling from off the side of the bed in a heap of limbs and squeals. When I get my hands on those two,she thought, I’ll chain them to the wall and leave them there! Well, she wouldn’t do that exactly, after all, it wasn’t like Betty was the bad one. Shego had probably drug the ex-head of GJ from the room.
Well, there was no time to dwell on it now, however. She had to find them, wherever they may have gone.
“This is so not the drama.”
After Kim had showered and gotten dressed as fast as she possibly she quickly exited the room and went down to the entrance lobby. I must have broken some sort of record for getting ready at the speed of light,she thought.
When she entered the lobby she sighed, finding no sign of Shego or Betty, but there was someone else there.
“Hey, KP!”
“Good morning, Ron,” Kim said with a smile, waiting for her best friend and his mole rat to jog over to where she was, “Did you get a good nights sleep?”
“Me and Rufus kept hearing some weird noises, but it was fine.” Ron said, scratching the top of his head with mild confusion as he watched Kim blush.
“Something wrong, KP?”
“Shego and Betty weren’t in the room this morning. I don’t know where they are.”
“Uh-oh.” Rufus squeaked, squeezing out of the pocket on Ron’s cargo pants and scrambling up to settle on his shoulder.
“Right, little buddy. That’s not good is it?” Ron asked.
“It sure isn’t, they’re suppose to be on a leash I think, at all times. Or at least have supervision.”
“And our pair has neither?”
“Exactly.”
“That is so wrong.” Ron grimaced, only imaging what sort of trouble Shego alone could get into.
“I’m not that worried, I mean, Betty is with her…she wouldn’t do anything crazy with GJ’s head with her, right?” Kim asked, hoping to find the answer in Ron, but her best friend didn’t look so sure. Kim sighed, “Come on, we better keep looking.”
There was a sudden noise, like a lot of yelling and shouting of excitement that roared across the lodge lobby soon enough.
Kim could only think of one cause for such a sudden uproar.
“I thought this place was empty!” Ron yelled, following after a sudden speeding Kim as she followed the cries to the origin of the sound.
“Well, remember? Didn’t Mr. Dough say a few people were lingering about?”
“Oh yeah!”
“I swear if Shego hurts one hair on any of those people,” Kim growled, skidding to a sudden halt at the entrance to the open arcade section to the waiting area in the lobby, blinking at the gathering crowd around some sort of game system. “False alarm…”
“Hey! They have Crazy Crazy Dance here!” Ron said with excitment, motioning toward the small crowd of people, “Whoever is on there now is working the machine like mad!”
“Ron, sorry to say this but I don’t really care whose working any sort of Crazy…Dance thing.”
“It’s Shego and Betty!”
“It’s who?”
Sure enough it was Shego and Betty who were on the CCD game system, their feet thumping to the odd rythme of some sort of a song Kim failed to recognize.
“Oh oh, let’s go watch, KP!” Ron said, reaching out to snatch Kim’s wrist. Before Kim had a moment to protest she felt herself being dragged across the lobby room to the rest of the smaller crowd.
“I don’t know about this.” Kim muttered, feeling Ron push him and her to the front of the crowd to watch Shego and Betty play what had to be some stupid game. I didn’t even know Dr. Director played games.
Kim watched Shego and Betty play the game, watched their feet move across the pad on the ground that had a bunch of confusing directions on it. It was a huge rectangle consisting of two squares. Shego on one side, and Betty on the other. Both women were watching the screen as the song played, a nice slow steady tempo, and directions flowed across the screen.
We learned to run at speed of light
And to fall down from any height
It's true, but just remember that
What we do is what you just can't do
The song played, Ron bouncing his foot to the beat as if he was playing.
“Looks easy.” Kim commented, turning toward Ron as he gave her a serious face.
“Wrong, KP! It’s super hard. This is Crazy Crazy Dance 3.67. Just wait till it speeds up!”
“It speeds up?” Kim asked, “What the directions on the screen or the song--”
“Shhh! It’s coming up!”
Sure enough, when Kim turned back to look at the screen a voice suddenly cried out and the song sped up considerably, becoming an even faster techno beat. Kim’s eye’d widen as she watched Betty and Shego move in sync, their feet slamming on the odd light up pieces with the directions of left, right, up, and down as arrows.
“Keep up, Director!” Shego grunted, slamming down on two squares at once with both her feet spread apart.
“I know what I’m doing!” Betty panted, “You just keep an eye on the screen!”
We are what we're supposed to be
Illusions of your fantasy
All dots and lines that speak and say
What we do is what you wish to do
“Shit, is it suppose to move this fast?”
We are the color symphony
We do the things you wanna see
Frame by frame, to the extreme
“Apparently,” Betty said, answering Shego as she twisted to the side to catch a stray direction arrow that had almost fallen down her screen without her notice of it.
Our friends are so unreasonable
They do the unpredictable
All dots lines that speak and say
What we do is what you wish to do
Kim was amazed the two of them could keep up with such a fast beat, it was like…the dance from hell or something. There were just so many directions on the screen at one time, some of them by themselves, some of them paired together with other directions that seemed impossible to hit at the same time…
It's all an orchestra of strings
Doin’ unbelievable things
Frame by frame, to the extreme
One by one, we're makin’ it fun
But they were, and it was amazing, like a graceful act or show. No wonder the crowd had gathered to watch. If Kim knew exactly what she was watching just then, hell, she might have came over too.
“Wooo! Go go go!” Ron called, getting into the same mood as the crowd of CCD freaks around them.
We are the Cartoon Heroes - oh-oh-oh
We are the ones who're gonna last forever
We came out of a crazy mind - oh-oh-oh
And walked out on a piece of paper
Left, right, down, up, left and up together. It went on and on…but as Kim studied the machine more she began to remember her and Shego’s fights.
Suddenly the song slowed down to a halt, returning to it’s regular tempo and Kim watched as Shego and Betty slowed down with it, hitting the next few directions so that the screen spit out the words ‘Perfect’ and ‘Awesome’ when they did so.
I wonder,Kim thought, Is this how Shego trains for her fights with me? She seems so good at it. But then again so does Betty. I’ve seen, Dr. Director fight too, but I didn’t get to study…
Ron interrupted Kim’s thoughts soon enough once the song ended. “They’re done, KP, they passed the level.”
“Are they going to play again?” Kim said, distractedly. She wanted to see how they played, maybe she could play too…
After all, they way their moving to the song is like how someone moves to the music of a battle.
“Nah, I don’t think so…They’re sorta staring at you.”
Kim looked up then, and sure as rain they were. “Oh! Oh?…OH! Get down from there. You two are in so much trouble!”
“Oh, I knew this was a bad idea, Ms. Shego.” Betty muttered, stepping off from the CCD dance pad and heading over to where Kim Possible was standing.
“Shut it, Director.” Shego growled, shoving her hands into the dark green colored jeans she’d chosen to wore for the evening, “You wasn’t complaining when we got on this game.”
“Hmph, I just wanted to prove you wrong is all.”
“I guess, hell, I didn’t know an old hag like you could play so well either. Learn something new everyday.” Shego said, slying, watching Director blush and her expression become enraged.
“Now you see here, Ms. Shego-”
But Kim interrupted them both, holding up her hand. “Can we not argue? We have a mission to solve after all. I’ll overlook this little ‘adventure’ only if you two will teach me how to play that game when we get back later.”
Shego and Betty were shocked at first, but Betty quickly recovered herself and Shego only grinned.
“Sure thing, Princess, sure thing.”
Kim sighed, nodding to Ron, “You ready?”
“As always, KP.”
With a nod Kim motioned for Betty and Shego to follow, not bothering with the leashes and just shoving the pair ahead of her as they headed back to the rooms. “Then let’s all go get our coats and get started!”
Of course, as while Shego and Betty had been playing Crazy Crazy Dance the small crowd of employees hadn’t been the only ones to watch them…
“She’s here? Ms. Perfect, even here? I see her wherever I go!”
Bonnie steamed, clutching her hands into fists as she hid behind a corner, frowning and shoving her expensive gloves into an equally expensive ski coat.
She’s got that weirdo with her too, and those two women…just what are they doing out here?
Bonnie, of course, wouldn’t be left out of the action. Now was a best time as any to find out what Little Ms. Head Cheerleader was up to.
Bonnie would follow them and see what sort of evil and taboo things Kim was dipping into.
Then she’d tell the entire school, right?
Right.
Watch out, Kim Possible, I might not know what your up to, but I’m going to find out, and when I do…
Bam!
Elimination.
Shego muttered and cursed as she trucked through the heavy snow. Thuck thuck thuck thuck, that was all she heard as she sluggishly moved through an endless sea of chunky white stuff.
“I hate snow.”
“We know, Ms. Shego, you’ve said so about five times.” Betty muttered, agitated by Shego’s constant complaining.
“Well damn, I just wanted to make sure you all knew just one more time.” Shego said, voice filled with sarcasm and fake sweetness.
“Please you two, can we just get to this temple place without all the bickering and whining?” Kim sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose as she felt the beginnings of a headache.
“Where the hell is the damn thing anyway?” Shego said, waving her arms about to motion to the endless sea of white before everyone’s vision. “And don’t’ you guys usually have a ride to where you need to go anyway?”
“Well…” Kim said, but Ron answered for her.
“We don’t need a ride to get to the temple place! We’re all heroes, they do stuff like this. Rough it out in the wilderness and all that stuff. Besides, the map said it was nearby, no need to get anything.”
“I was mistaken…” Betty whispered, Shego being the only one who could hear it, “I thought Mr. Stoppable was intelligent and calculating…but this, walking around in a snow desert, is not a smart action to take to this situation.”
“Your telling me.” Shego muttered, forcing herself on after a pale looking Kim.
“Ron…are you sure you know where we’re going?”
“Of course I do! Rufus.” Once called the bundled up naked mole rat stuck his head out from within Ron’s coat. “We are going the right way…right?”
“Oh god! This is worse then working with Drakken, he’s asking a rat for directions!”
“It’s a naked mole rat!” Ron exclaimed, clearly as insulted as Rufus was.
“Uh-huh, naked.” Rufus added before pointing toward a blurry shape against the white smooth snow.
“My goodness, you can have mirages in the mountains and the desert.”
“No, Betaroo. I think it’s the temple.” Kim said, relief in her tone.
The four of them plus one naked mole rat trekked forward, peeking into the entrance of the temple with caution.
“So…uh…” Ron began, “This is the place huh?”
“Creepy.” Rufus said, shuddering.
“I have to agree…” Betty added.
“You three are cowards.” Shego muttered, but she didn’t step forward either. I’m not dumb, that place is giving even me the ‘dark nega-vibes’ sensation.
“Okay guys…a mission is a mission, and it’s got to be completed. Besides, there are no such things as ghosts. It’s probably just some kid in a monster suit or something. Like in the cartoons.”
“I dunno, KP.” Ron gulped, yelling when he was suddenly shoved to the side by a angry Shego as she stomped in.
“I don’t care, the faster this is done the faster we get back to the lodge right? Let’s get the hell started.” The group entered then, jogging to catch up with an impatient Shego.
“Ron, flashlight.”
“Got it right here, KP.”
Soon the dark building was illuminated with light. Kim held the flashlight firmly as she brought its artificial glow over the old temple walls, feeling the sudden cold draft that wafted in from the long hallway they were walking down.
“Spiderwebs…” Betty shivered.
“What, afraid?” Shego teased.
“No, Ms. Shego. I am not…they’re just disgusting is all.” Betty mumbled, hating to explain herself.
The group continued to walk in silence for awhile, feeling the press of the darkness around them and only making them more so subjected to fear. Shego sudden growl caused Kim to eep, bumping into Ron’s back who screamed and Betty mirrored him.
“Calm down!” Shego yelled, snatching the flashlight out of Kim’s hand as she moved to the front of the group to finish guiding it. “Scaredy cats…you guys are going way to slow with this. Let’s find this damn kid, nail ‘em, and get back to the lodge.” After all, Shego still hadn’t tried out that hot spring yet.
More silence, and yet still darker before the temple emptied out into a cave.
“Figures, something dark and spooky is always in a cave.” Kim said, rolling her eyes.
“Yup, shouldn't be long now.”
More walking, deeper and further, and soon enough…
“We’re lost aren’t we?”
“N-no!” Shego mumbled, glancing toward the never ending hall. “I mean, it’s impossible to get lost in a one way hall right?”
“Should be,” Betty answered, feeling an odd claustrophobia creep up her spine. She was not a fan of dark enclosed underground places.
Which is fine, because a cave is not underground right? Betty thought, trying to calm herself.
Shego smirked as the cave opened up into a large room with golden walls and a few questionable statues against the walls. “There, see? Told ya I’d get us there didn’t I? Never doubt me.”
“But I don’t see any ghost or kids that would be used for scaring away costumers…” Kim said thoughtfully, breaking off from the group to explore. “Odd…too, because this place is lit up like a cake.”
The golden room was beautiful on the other hand, gold colored torches lit and burning brightly, giving the room more light then the tiny flashlight could have ever hoped to give. Kim listened to the echo of her booted feet slap against the gold floor as she went to examine a statue of a naked man who was covering himself with a sheet. “See anything suspicious?”
“No,” Shego said as she moved to the left side of the room and Ron went to the front, Betty staying behind at the entrance of the room. “If anything this place looks like Hernando’s hideaway.”
The reference went over the young sidekick and hero’s heads, but Betty caught the hint and coughed to smoother a giggle.
Shego realized she had a lot in common with the ex-head then.
She didn’t know whether to be afraid by that or not.
“Hey,” Ron said, waving toward the others, “There’s some bed here and a notebook.”
“See?” Kim said, “No such things as ghosts. Just some bad kid causing and stirring up trouble.” Kim left her area to approach the back of Ron who’d picked up the notebook.
“Maybe there are some clues in here as to where the kid went?”Ron said, helpfully as Rufus leapt off his shoulder to do some exploring of his own.
“I know…a dark, secluded place…” Shego began to mumbled, humming the tune to some sort of tango as she moved over to a suitcase that Kim had over looked in her area. Betty, curious as well, moved to join the ex-villainess. “A place where no one knows your face.”
Kim settled down beside Ron on the bed, taking the notebook from his hands to open it up on her own lap and leaf through it’s pages.
“Said something about animal spirits and power.” Ron said.
“Animal spirits?” Kim asked, stopping at a particular page with a horrible sketch of a panda bear.
“A glass of wine, a fast embrace.” Shego said, flipping open the suitcase as Betty gasped behind her from what was inside.
“Says here that there are talismans used to draw the power and characteristics of the animal into them and make it into some sort of martial arts technique.” Kim read, running her finger across another page.
“Like Monkey Kung Fu?” Ron asked, more so studying the horrible panda bear drawing.
“I guess.” Kim replied, turning another page.
Shego dumped the suitcase and all it’s contents onto the floor, spilling out photographs and papers all over the golden floor before the hard clank of a large key alerted the pair reading the notebook. “It’s called…Hernando’s Hideaway.”
Betty reached down to pick up the key as Kim and Ron closed up the notebook and came over. “Ole.”
“What’s that?” Kim asked, holding out her hand for the key.
“We found it in the suitcase stashed in this corner.” Shego said, watching Betty drop the key into Kim’s hands and Ron bend over to shuffle through the photographs.
“Well, whatever was here was dipping into things they shouldn’t have. Mystic ancient powers and such.”
“Supernatural mumbo, jumbo?” Shego wrinkled her nose in distaste.
“Sounds like the Lotus Blade incident. Or the monkey talisman.”
“Huh?” Shego asked as Kim and Ron gave the Director strange looks.
“Oh uh…we, at Global Justice, record all of Team Possible’s missions.” Betty began uncomfortably as Kim began to look a tad bit concerned. “We do it to keep track of all the odd events. The attempt to retrieve the Lotus Blade from Japan was recorded in order to keep track of the moving of Mythical and Dangerous Objects. Same goes for the amulet that was slowly turning Kim into a monkey.”
“Uh huh…” Kim said, slowly, giving Betty one last look over before glancing at the photos.
“Whoever was down here sure did take a lot of pictures.”
“I hope it’s not Monkey Fist…again,” Kim mumbled, after all he was the one to try and steal the items Betty was talking about.
“Nah, can’t be.” Ron said, lifting the photograph and showing it to Kim. “It’s just some blonde haired kid. Maybe a scientist or explorer or something.”
“Well hell, we aren’t going to find anything just sitting around like this.” Shego said.
“But something had to have scared the kid away.” Kim said, glancing around the room.
“Well, maybe he found some powers he had no business messing with and unleashed them? Vengeful spirits and the ilk, that would explain the lodge haunting.”
“Half right and half wrong, as always, Dr. Director.”
The group whirled around then, in surprise to find the plump form of Mr. Dough. Kim relaxed slightly, but the growl from Shego told her something was not quite right with the man. For one, he no longer looked so…happy and pleasant.
“Mr. Dough? What are you doing here?” Ron asked, oblivious to the sudden danger in the air, filling the small room.
“He knows my name,” Betty whispered, fingertips reaching for the belt around her waist and hooking her thumb into her pants waistband.
“We didn’t tell ‘em either,” Shego snarled, “He’s not what he seems, Princess.”
Kim was shocked, but not thrown off balance by the sudden developments. She moved to the front of her group, throwing out her hands as she began to speak. “Mr. Dough, we’re here to save your lodge, have you forgotten? Why are you here, and why are you calling Betaroo Dr. Director?”
“Because I’m not stupid, Kim Possible, I watch the American news and besides I work for Global Justice.”
There was a collected gasp from the group, but Mr. Dough continued.
“Well, not really GJ, just WEE which controls GJ now.”
“WHAT?” Betty roared, and Kim lunged to hold the older woman back who, by the mention of that damnable organization was most defiantly thrown into a rage.
Mr. Dough laughed. “That’s right, Master Gemini hired me to find the talismans you’ve been reading about. You know, going through a grown mans things is so rude…”
“So then who called us out here?” Shego asked, stepping infront of a panting Director and a struggling Kim.
“My damned brother was the one who really did it. He doesn’t know about any of this. He doesn’t know I hate this stinking lodge and I want to get rid of it, he doesn’t know that Master Gemini offered me a high paying job to get out of this damn hell-hole filled with serving snotty guest after snotty guest.”
“Wow, I would have suspected the brother actually.” Ron said, which was not very helpful in the least.
“So Scar is working with my brother?” Director yelled, wanting to be heard. “I should of known it, I should have! That dirty, good for nothing, whining, bitching, son of a…”
Betty caught herself then, listened to the pounding of her heart as Kim gasped. She wasn’t sure she’d heard Betty curse before, that and she’d almost called her mother a…well, you know. Shego grinned. “Oh, so there is some fire in that old spirit.”
“Enough of this!” Mr. Dough yelled, to gather the attention of the collected party back to himself. “I’m going to get rid of you, Kim Possible, you and your ‘pets’ and report back to Master Gemini. He’ll give me a bonus for this.”
“Wait!” Kim said, releasing Betty from her grasp.
“Let’s get ready to rumble!” Shego shouted, most certainly in the mood to pound some Canadian bacon but Betty was there before she’d even had the chance to call her fire.
Nimble fingertips unleashed the leather belt around Betty’s waist with grace, her wrist pulling back before the belt’s edge was sent forward. Mr. Dough twisted to the side and caught it, just as Betty tried to yank it back, causing her to falter.
“What?” Betty snarled.
Mr. Dough grinned, “Ah! Beltwondo? Your anger clouds your skill, Dr. Director.” With a fist full of the belt he yanked hard. Betty let go, knowing when to relinquish a weapon and when to hold onto one.
“He’s a martial artist?” Kim whispered, stepping up beside Shego whose fists were alight with green fire. “And what is Beltwondo?”
“Move it, Director! It’s my turn.”
Betty sneered, stepping slowly out of the way but she looked much to calm to be out of the game just yet.
Shego charged forward then, swinging out with a plasma fire fist, watching in amusement as the fat guy bended backwards so that the fist swung right over his belly. “Oh yeah, this is gonna be some dance.”
Dance? Kim thought, thinking back to the CCR game, but she didn’t have time for that.
Shego moved with graceful steps, sweeping her leg toward Dough’s own to knock him down, connecting and sending the male onto his bottom. Quickly, he flipped back up, fist pulled back to deliver his retaliation on Shego, who was preparing for the block. He didn’t know what hit him though, when a dress shoed foot slammed into his side and sent him careering off against a golden wall.
“Aw damnit, Director, I can do it myself.” Shego pouted, turning to look toward Dough who groaned and struggled to sit up. Betty only watched him cooly, stray locks of her fresh cut hair hanging over her eye patch as she brought her leg back to her body.
“Dr. Director is a kick boxer?” Ron whispered.
“Apparently,” Kim muttered, a tad upset that the mission had degraded to this…and why the hell wasn’t she out there kicking butt too? Shego and Betty were taking all the fun!
Dough groaned when he sat up, baring his teeth in anger. “How dare you…you wench!”
Shego and Betty stood side by side, once again reminding Kim of the CCR game. Shego slipped into her fighting stance, grinning her battle lust grin while Betty slid into her own, cooly displaying held back aggression.
But, Dough wasn’t done just yet. “Haha, you wanna know why people have been running from this place?” He asked.
“Not really, I just wanna kick your ass.” Shego replied, taking a step forward, but found her path suddenly blocked by Kim, who held out her arms and nodded.
Dough reached into his suit jacket, pulling out a long silver necklace with a stone on the chain. Slinging it over his neck he laughed demonically, holding out his arms and raising them to the sky with triumph. “It’s because if this little baby right here!”
Suddenly, above him grew a shadow which seemed to devour the light in the room. It slowly took shape, forming into…
Kim gasped in disgust, “Is that a rat?”
“Better then a monkey,” Ron muttered, rubbing his chin in thought and mild relief, “But that is still sick and wrong!”
The eye patch wearing woman took one small step back, finding her footing on the golden floor and crouching slightly in wait, but Shego, being impatient, was not one for waiting. “So what? He’s got a huge shadow now? That’s not going to save his ass.” Flaring the plasma fire around her arms and fists she kicked off into a run, arm cocked back to deliver a powerful blow to his face. Dough countered, shifting a palm forward to catch Shego’s flying fist, surprising the green skinned woman when the burning of his hand did not cause Dough to flinch to shrink away. Instead, he gripped her fist tighter and Shego gasped from sudden pain.
“I heard you were ruthless but intelligent,” The rat spirited man grinned, flashing perfect teeth toward Shego who suddenly sent out her other fist to be caught as well, “But I guess I heard wrong.”
Shego felt weightless then before her back connected hard with a golden wall and pain blossomed from the action. She slid down and lied there with a thump, eyes shut tight but not unconscious. No, she was pissed.
Betty hissed, blowing breath out through her nose with a shudder, glancing to the spot where Shego twitched a leg. Good, she was still alive. Her attention turned back to Dough, who dusted himself off as if Shego had been nothing to him. Kim rushed over to Shego, kneeling at her side to grab the green skinned woman by the shoulder.
“Shego? Are you alright?” Kim whispered, but mentally kicked herself afterwards. Of course Shego wasn’t alright, she’d just been tossed into a wall.
“KP!” Ron yelled, holding Rufus who had just newly returned. “Rufus found something!”
“But we just can’t leave!” Kim hissed, reaching under Shego’s shoulders to help the shaking woman sit up.
“When I get my hands on him…”Shego mumbled.
“I can handle it.” Betty said, tossing a look over her shoulder. “Follow The Ron Factor, he knows what he’s doing.”
“Better pay attention, Director!” Dough screamed, him and his shadow moving forward for an open palmed slap.
Kim allowed Shego to steady her weight on her as they stood, watched Betty dance beneath the slap and step to the side. She’s avoiding his hits…Kim thought as she dragged Shego to where Ron was standing, I hope Ron knows what he’s doing too, if he could slap Shego around like that then…
“KP! Back to earth, KP!” Ron waved his arms about after he’d set Rufus down, who spoke in his normal half human half mole rat speech and waved the trio to follow.
“I’m here, Ron, let’s roll.” Kim spared Betty one last look before slipping into the smaller cavern that a statue had been hiding.
“Rufus found this place while we were looking through the notebook,” Which Ron still held tucked beneath his arm, “I pushed the statue out the way while you and everyone else were distracted.”
“Good thinking, Ron.” Kim said, shaking under the weight of Shego’s body. No one ever said she was light.
“Need some help, KP?” Ron asked, moving to the side to scoop up Shego’s other arm, who groaned when she felt it move.
Kim was suddenly very glad Ron had come along on this trip with her, he really was the best friend she ever could have. “Thanks Ron.”
“Np prob, KP.” Ron said, his expression serious.
“Do you think…if Betty doesn’t survive up there…”
“Don’t think like that, KP. I’m sure she’ll be fine.” Ron nodded, “I believe in her. She’ll buy us the time we need to find something to help us. Maybe…maybe something in this book.”
I’m putting all my trust in this Ron Factor of yours, Betaroo…Kim thought, Please let it work.
With Ron and Kim working together to drag a stunned Shego it didn’t take them long to come upon another room dressed up much like the golden room. This one was silver in color, but a tad smaller then the first one. More so, as large as living room. With a nod Kim left Ron with Shego, slipping out from under her arm to investigate the floating necklaces over a large stone slab. They all glowed softly, all six of them…but two were missing.
“Rat.” Ron whispered and Rufus nodded as he leapt up onto the stone slab to point at each floating symbol above them. “And something else.”
“You know what they say?” Kim asked, surprised really. “Looks like jibberish to me.”
“It’s greek, KP. I see a lot of it on Everlot, it’s like secret code for some of us.”
“You still play Everlot?” Kim asked.
Ron blushed a bit and shrugged, almost cutely. “I…I play sometime, still, you know, alittle bit.”
Kim giggled, but Shego’s sudden groan reminded her of the business and danger at hand.
“Where are we?” Shego asked. She brung her arm from around Ron’s neck and stood straight, rubbing her injured back. That was something else,Shego thought before grunting as Kim gave her a crushing hug.
“Oh I’m glad you’re alright, Shego!”
Shego, in turn, blushed and shrugged. “I heal fast, I wasn’t really hurt.” Shego took the time to look around after that, examining the room with a frown. “Where’s the eye patched fiend?”
“Betty?” Kim asked, before biting her lip as she released Shego.
“Oh man, don’t tell me she bit the dust.”
“Of course not!” Kim said, “She’s buying us time.”
Ron in the meantime, after Shego had let him go, wandered over to the slab, examining each word.
Rat, Panda, Wolf, Tiger, Fox, Mouse, Monkey, and something else I can’t read…
Shudder, “Monkey…”
“Monkey?” Kim asked, wrinkling her nose in distaste and unpleasant memories. “I thought that had been destroyed, or lost, or whatever…”
“It probably regenerated itself and popped up back here. This temple must be their…house or something.” Ron said, before he reached forward.
“Don’t even think about touching those.” Came a sudden snarl.
Shego, Kim and Ron whirled around once again as the small form of Dough came past the entrance, Betty in his grasp as he drug her unmoving body behind him.
“I have to say, she was hard to catch.” Dough laughed, lifting his hand to toss the Director toward the group.
Shego and Kim both reached forward to catch Betty’s slumped form, relieved that their teammate was still breathing at least.
“Dammit,” Shego snarled, feeling some emotion for the Director, after all, she was the only other person who knew what it felt like to suddenly loose human status. “How the hell are we gonna beat this freak?”
Kim frowned then, determined as she glanced to the orbs. “These are what he wants.” Suddenly, she reached out, snatching them up into her grasp. “He’s not getting them.”
Dough snarled, stepping further into the smaller room. “You best give me those now little girl, you don’t know what your dealing with.”
“But I do.” Echoed another voice.
“Brother?”
“Cents!” Ron and Kim yelled, Shego only groaned.
“Another one?”
Cents stood behind his brother, dressed in his business slacks and suit just as Dough was. Around his neck also shined a talisman.
“That must be the missing one!” Ron whispered.
“Uh-huh,” Rufus said, crawling up Ron’s leg to settle on his shoulder again, “Dragon!”
Cents gave Kim Possible and her friends a slow nod before narrowing his gaze at his brother. “I found out about what you were doing one day I had followed you. That’s why I called Team Possible, to get you to cease this stupid endeavor of yours. Working for evil? Brother, we aren’t about that. You soiled our family’s temple with your greed.”
“You know nothing about my dreams and plans, this isn’t simply greed!”
Cents shook his head. “What has been done is now completed, you’ve broken the trust of our clan.”
“Clan?” Kim whispered, flashing Ron a confused look that he returned. Apparently, WEE was dipping into things they had no business dipping in.
Now, so were they.
Dough said nothing else, simply lunged for his brother with a cry of rage and fustration. Cents easily dodged him, just shifting his body to the side before he twisted, turning to face his brother fully and putting himself between Kim Possible and Dough.
“I shall hold him off, when you find a clearing, run.” Cents grunted out, extending his hands in front of his body before a burst of electricity ran down his arms to his hands to craft and create a long symbol covered pole.
“Whoa!” Shego exclaimed, “I’d like to learn how to do that.”
Dough, on the other hand, wasn’t as impressed as the group and hooking his fingers he rushed forward again…just like a rat. Cents swung the pole forward, meaning to slam it against Dough’s body, but the taller man missed as his shorter brother ducked beneath it. And the dance began.
“Okay…” Ron said, nervously as he moved to the outer wall where Kim and Shego were slowly creeping with a still unconscious Betty.
“Lemme sling her over my back, Princess.” Shego grunted, finding the current dragging they were doing with the Director a tad difficult.
“We just can’t leave him here…” Kim hissed, clutching the orbs to her chest as Shego took Betty from her and placed her over her shoulder in a fireman’s carry.
Shego paused and so did Ron, but they both looked unsure. Ron more so then Shego.
“What should we do then, KP?”
There was a grunt, Cents hunching over as his blood lusting brother punched him square in the chest.
“Maybe we can slip one of these things on and try out luck?”
Ron gave a sharp nod and motioning for a corner the group moved on, sitting down there and shifting through the talismans. Kim tried one on first, picking up a random blue talisman on a necklace and looping it over her head.
“Well?” Shego growled.
“Nothing.” Kim sighed, slipping it off. “I guess you have to be special or something.”
“Maybe we should just run,” Ron offered, moving a shaky hand toward the Monkey talisman before shaking his head.
“No Ron,” Kim muttered, snatching up another one with a growing frustration and finding no effect for that one as well. “We’re Team Possible, we don’t give up. Look, there are only six of them, one of them has to work for us. Look, open the notebook, maybe we can scan it, see how one of these things work.”
Shego stared hard at the talismans as Kim and Ron began to leaf through the notebook again but what good would that do if Cents was defeated or stunned and they all got slaughtered? Shego frowned, fingertips resting against Betty’s mop of uneven cut hair and listening to the sound of battle in the background. That guys not going to last much longer,Shego thought, sliding her green gaze to the scene, He’s holding back…because it’s his brother and he doesn’t want to hurt him. But Shego snarled soon enough. But that bastard ain’t no kin of mine.
Your wasting time…
Shego jerked then, glancing around with wide eyes, unnoticed by Ron and Kim who continued to look through the book with desperation.
Yo, to your left.
Shego blinked, lifting a hand to rub at her eyes as she groaned and shook her head. I’m going insane, or I’ve been in the dark for too long.
You aren’t losing your sanity, and your eye site is fine.
Then why, Shego thought, was she seeing what she was? There, standing at her side was a large black furred wolf, it’s narrow head painted with a large green spot around the muzzle and the paws. It’s ears flicked forward, as it shifted it’s head to the fighting brothers then back to Shego.
If you wish to help the Dragon defeat the Rat you must place me around your neck.
“No way,” Shego whispered, unheard by Kim and Ron who were still preoccupied, but Betty shifted and groaned, eyes fluttering open.
You don’t have much of a choice. The Dragon’s emotions are getting in the way of his hunt…with me, with us, we will defeat him. Now do it. There isn’t room for much argument.
Shego shuddered as the wolf flashed her a rather sharp teeth, its jaws opening slightly in threat, but she had the feeling it was laughing at her, or smiling. Not trying to really look hostile.
The one who rests on your lap. Heh, give her that one.
The wolf motioned it’s head toward another talisman, the blue one that Kim had tried on but then put down. Once again Shego shook her head, this was just way to freaky. Apparently though, the wolf had grown impatient and with a loud snap of it’s jaws that Shego was surprised Ron and Kim didn’t hear Shego reached into the pile and put the black talisman around her neck.
“What are you doing Shego?” Kim asked, watching Shego slip the blue one around a more conscious and confused Betty.
“Okay, Princess. That wolf is telling me to do it!”
Kim looked distressed and Shego was unsure as of why before the wolf gave a chuckle that rolled down Shego’s spine.
She can’t see me, only you, because I’ve chosen you.
Great,Shego thought, Now she thinks I’m crazy.
“Look, Pumpkin, you gotta trust me okay?”
Kim shook her head. “Shego, it won’t work, I tried that one already.”
“It’ll work with me, just…just trust me.”
Kim frowned as Betty sat up fully but soon enough she nodded. “I trust you.”
Turning around and flashing Kim a grin she would turn to face the battle, which during the time they had been talking, had gone from bad to worse.
This better work, dammit.
Do not doubt my power, and I will not doubt your ability to weld it.
With a snarp nod Shego charged forward with a battle cry, alerting the two men to her actions. Cents was down on the ground, his brother’s fat fingertips around his neck, choking him. Cents eyes grew wide with surprise before they narrowed in pain. That was when Dough looked up, only to have his face punched by a glowing plasma hand.
The rat possessed man reared up and off his brother, roaring with some inhuman sound and clutching his face.
“I hit the bastard!” Shego cried, surprised herself that she’d managed to connect.
Of course you did.
With a smirk Shego moved in for another hit, pausing as she was jerked, a pale hand clutching her wrist.
“Please, don’t kill him.” Cents wheezed out through sore throat muscles.
With a slow nod Shego gulped, “I’ll try, but I can’t promise anything.”
Cents let her go, head thumping on the ground so he could catch his breath and Shego would let him…while she pummeled his brother.
“Oomph!” Shego fell to her knees as Dough laughed, retracting his hand and getting ready to bring it down upon her head. Dammit! Got distracted. Shego closed her eyes, preparing for the pain of the blow but it never hit…
Dough had fallen onto his back with Betty upon his chest, straddling the lodge owners belly and trying to find a hold on his throat while the male clawed at her sleeved arms, ripping the fabric up to shreds. Soon enough he’d reach her flesh but…Betty didn’t seem to notice this. With her lips pulled back from her teeth in a animalistic snarl her talisman glowed a pale white. “What’s mine is mine, and no one touches what’s mine, give it back, give back what belongs to me! Gemini, Gemini you bastard, I’ll kill you, you were never anything!” She spit in Dough’s face, hissing viciously. Shego watched, shocked and to a degree, afraid.
Best get her, the White Tiger has little control over its temper and aggression. Sigh, it must have tapped into her agitation and fueled itself.
What the hell is that suppose to mean? You mean I just gave Director a rage amplifier?
Well, the White Tiger is normally so calm and collected, the host must have been pushed beyond her mental limits.
Great…
Kim was yelling and shouting from the corner of the room as Ron held her back, obviously, going to Betty as she was would not have been a good idea, but Ron couldn’t seem to get her to understand that. Shego whipped her head back toward Director, watching the shadows play across the wall, a tiger and rat twisting and writhing. They were fighting even on that level?
“Betaroo!” Kim yelled, “Heel!”
Suddenly Betty stopped, as if the reality of that name crashed and washed over her, bringing back awareness and mental stability. “Huh?” She asked, that was when Dough suddenly bucked up, tossing the Director over his head and onto the floor.
“Good job, Princess!” Shego yelled, though Betty didn’t get back up, she was much to shocked over her actions. “Looks like I’ve got to do this.”
Cents was up and moving, using his pole to walk himself over to Shego. “You have to call your talisman.” The thin man coughed, holding up his palm. “Focus on your inner beast and draw it forth.”
Shego scoffed, swearing she didn’t need any such thing, but Dough was regaining himself and she wanted to end this quickly.
After all, those hot springs were calling her name and it was so damn cold.
Holding out both her hands she took a deep breath and felt something within her chest, a power that was different from her plasma fire, something that had not been there before. She clutched her hands into a fist and suddenly, within her minds eye stood the wolf. It tilted back it’s head and howled, the power suddenly thrumming from the amulet around her neck and echoing down her arms like heat. It licked at her flesh but did not burn. It traveled down her body to her closed palms before exploding into a shape. A blade first, before the hilt was formed, heavy and solid in Shego’s grasp. When Shego reopened her eyes with a gasp she saw before her a decent sized katana, the blade flat and square, several symbols carved into the metal.
Dough grew pale when he saw the blade. He wouldn’t be able to stop that as easily as a something blunt like a sword. This was sharp…this was…
Suddenly Shego grinned, though it wasn’t something pleasant or teasing, like the grins she would have given Kim before a good fight, something she always looked forward too, no this one seemed sadistic and uncaring, this one was…
It was wolfish.
“What’s happening, KP?” Ron whispered, gathering the notebook and other amulets from off the ground.
“I…don’t know.” Kim whispered, responding but barely. She could feel it, actually feel the brush of Shego’s amulet, it’s power, thick in the air. The other amulets in Ron’s grasped hummed to life, as if they felt it too. Another animal spirit was awakened.
Shego chuckled, clutching the sword within her grasp as a thought occurred to her. The wolf seemed to laugh within her mind.
Try it.
And she did.
Dough stumbled back as the blade within Shego’s grasp suddenly lit up with plasma fire, Shego’s grin growing wide and broad as she watched with pleasure as the fire spread from her palm across the blade like liquid until it was coating the metal like a snugly fit glove.
“Well, Mr. Dough, shall we play a game?” Shego purred.
Betty slowly got up with a soft growl, rubbing the back of her head as she felt her heart stop hammering in her chest. Lifting up her eye she gave Shego and Dough a glance, gasping at what she saw. Shego, a weapon in her grasp and on fire, and a scared looking Dough as well.
“It’s called, Crazy Crazy Dance…” Shego chirped, pleasantly, ever playful even before defeating and humiliating her opponent.
Betty’s eye grew wide, her fingertips twitching as she glanced to them then to her side where there stood, much like Shego’s wolf had appeared before her, a large white black stripped tiger, whose eye–the same one as Betty’s–was ruined. There was a long scar running from the muzzle to the eye, which portrayed how it had lost it. Betty wondered…
It was the Wolf that took it. The Tiger’s voice snarled into her mind, causing her to wince.That action you took, it was stupid and unplanned. Let’s get it right this time.
Although the animal spirit that spook with her was rude, for one, and aggressive, Betty rose, knowing that with this talisman she could defeat her brother and his entire organization once and for all.
Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, one step at a time.
The Tiger was almost gentle when it spoke next.
You wish to call the true talismans power? Look for it.
Betty turned her head to ask, but then, just like that, it was gone.
Shego smirked, swung the sword wide and nearly took out one of Dough’s limbs as he stumbled back, preparing to block another thrust of the blade. Shego was playing with him, he realized, and it only angered his animal spirit. Dough wondered where the hell his kick-ass weapon was?
“You see…I give you directions,” Shego said, swinging the blade out in a wide arch to the left, watching Dough clumsily duck beneath the blade, “And you have to follow them.”
Kim and Ron were soon both watching the display with wide eyes, having rushed over to Cents to help him stand.
“But, you have to watch out!” Shego yelled, swiping for the man again as he barely managed to dodge. “Cuz the beat gets faster…and so do the directions.”
Betty cupped her hands together, taking a deep breath as she focused to gain her center, to search that part of herself that only she knew, and there, sleeping, was something she had not felt there before. She gasped it, with visible hands and ripped, pulling out a sudden wind that blew across the small room and caused Shego’s flame to falter.
“Eh?” Shego muttered, cursing when Dough suddenly swung for her and she’d barely had enough time to move out of the way.
Kim’s jaw popped open when the song of a chime echoed within the room and it began to…snow?
“Oh wow!” Ron shouted, Rufus just as suddenly excited. “We’re underground and it’s snowing!”
Betty glanced up, though somehow knew it was her doing, looking to what was within her grasp she swallowed hard, the hilt firmly held in her grasp and around said hilt was the chime that kept ringing with her movement. But what had really caused Betty to stare toward her hand was the weapon she held.
It wasn’t a belt.
It was something better.
With a flick of her wrist Betty and a lift of her arm Betty brought the chain whip over her head before gracefully moving it back down the ground once more. It snapped against the silver floor with a heavy thud, the chains slithering over the earth before Betty gave a soft conserved smile, an official smile which held no emotion, nothing but business.
“Of course, sometimes, the game can be played with a partner…”
Shego smirked, lowering her head as she began to walk back toward Mr. Dough. “Yes, that’s right, so are you ready to play?”
“Because, we are.” Betty added.
Dough wasn’t.
Cents stood in front of the lodge he and his brother had built so that they’d be closer to the temple that held the animal spirits, but now, as he looked to Kim Possible and her companions, he knew he’d be leaving the animal spirits in the right hands.
“Thank you so much, Ms. Possible. I’ll be sure to take my brother to the proper people.” Slung over his shoulder laid his brother, burned and bruised, welts across his back and other portions of his body, and the talisman of the rat was off, held in Cents other hand.
“Are you sure we couldn’t take that one off your hands?” Kim asked meekly, but Cents shook his head.
“This talisman choose to ally itself with him, it too shall be punished.”
“Oh,” Kim whispered, she hadn’t known that the animal spirits could be punished as well.
“I offer you the rest of the weekend, but then I must suggest you leave. This place is unholy now, and I’ll have to close it down, WEE knows too much now.” There was a sigh and a shake of his head, but he continued on. “Please, use whatever facilities you’d like before you leave.”
“Hot springs, hell yeah!” Shego cried, still shivering and huddled in her winter coat, but grinning all the same.
Kim was relieved after Shego and Betty had defeated Dough, not wanting to ever have to experience calling Betty back from her rage, or watch Shego’s sadistic expression or joy of battle again. It was frightening in a way. But now, the two seemed normal enough, the talismans still around their necks but hidden away as Betty rolled up a snow ball and pelted Ron in the back of the head with it.
“Hey!”
Kim smiled, she was sure they’d be okay, but now, now they’d really have to get on the ball. Pulling out her Kiminucator, she contacted Wade.
The super ten year old genius popped onto the screen immediately. “What’s up, Kim?”
“Boy have I got a story to tell you.”
To be continued…