Ignition: particle two
Shego tapped her foot furiously, she had been expecting Kim to be slow after the night prior but it was a good eight hours after they said good night and Kim had more than enough time to get ready, explain the situation to the ‘rents and be standing out waiting for her. The Possible household was utterly silent for a change. Ordinarily due to the odd schedule everyone who lived here kept there was some sign of life almost twenty-four/seven. She would have hit the doorbell button, repeatedly, had it not been for remembering the migraine inducing chimes it had doled out the last time she touched the thing.
Kim wasn’t the best of morning people on a good day, since she had gotten spoilt to the lazy routine the last month imposed getting up after a night of tension filled fun was less than pleasant. She had been awake for at least an hour and still hadn’t managed to move from the position she had woken up in, she could have but she still had a lot of things to process out before she faced her mother and father in the next hour or two, then there was Shego. Shego should be there right now and patience was not a strong Shego trait. With that thought in mind she flipped back the covers and rolled out of bed. Shego had made it clear she was intent on altering the terms of the wager before it got started and she still needed to decide if she was going to allow it, a day added on to the wager duration for each day the cast meant another day she could just relax. She had gotten spoilt to that as well.
Just as her patience hit its end Kims mother opened the door, apparently Kim also got her morning face from the mother unit. Mrs. Possible was still the bright and cheery creature she always presented but at this point she was a bit ragged around the edges. “Feel free to laugh Ms. Go but expect the favour returned in spades. Come on in its freezing out there.” She was right about that Shego agreed as Mrs. Possible lead the way into the house. “There’s coffee in the kitchen but don’t open the icebox, Ron will be coming over tomorrow to clean up the mess he made.”
Shego arched an eyebrow as she followed the older woman inside and closed the door behind her. She had been expecting to be at war with Mrs. Possible right off the bat so the coffee offer caught her off guard. “Ok I’m not even going to bother asking what the sidekick did to your icebox I’ll just offer my quiet condolences and try not to let my imagination get too close.” She had seen Drakkens fridge, not a pretty site by any standards, she didn’t want to consider what Stoppable might be capable of with Drakkens help. “Is Kim ready yet?”
Kim leaned forward and stuck her head down through the entranceway beside the ladder, “Be right with you Shego, just give me a minute to finish getting my coat and shoes on.” She waited long enough to see Shego nod before withdrawing and turning back to the problem at hand, Shego hadn’t bothered to tell her where they would be going so she had packed then repacked then repacked again, not knowing was maddening. “Hey Shego,” she called as she leaned down once more. “Where exactly are we going? This is kind of need to know type information unless you expect me to cart my closet along for the trip as well.”
“What the f…” The glare Mrs. Possible shot her over the fresh cup of coffee in her hand was bone chilling so Shego choked back the explicative she wanted to shout. “Just pack for tropical, We’ll be just short of …” She looked over to Kims mother who had a patently deceptive smile on. Shego knew recon and if ever there was a telling sign of a scout in action it was their smile. “You know what Possible just pack for warm and … bring the gift I gave you. For christmas.”
Mrs. Possible scowled deeply, she didn’t like dealing with someone who could read her so easily. “I trust you’ll be explaining all of this before you carry off with my daughter, hmm?” The look on Shego’s face did not appear to be one of compliance or defiance, she looked rather pissed in point of fact.
Shego would have told her she was murder pissed if she hadn’t felt the need to not get Mrs. Possible in an even fouler mode. Kim on the other hand would be hearing about this for the duration of the flight. If she had to actually go so far as to kidnap Kim then Kim would never hear the end of it. “Possible, get your ass down her, Now!” She nearly leapt out of her skin at the loud thump she heard from the ladder/stairs to Kim’s room fortunately for all parties in the Possible house she realized quickly it was just Kim’s duffel and backpack which were followed immediately by Kim herself.
Looking from Shego to Mother and back again a few times she let her shoulders fall as she sighed loudly, it was now or never time. Straightening her posture she picked her duffel and pack up and walked to the front door depositing them there for ease of access should she need to escape. Neither her mother nor Shego appeared to be in an exceptionally friendly mode. As she walked into the kitchen and poured herself a cup of coffee, two sugars and a French vanilla cream, she ran through the short list of speeches she had prepared and discarded them all. Ordinary tactics simply would not work against this pair. “No toaste this morning eh Mom?” She had to smile at the look she got for that, if she didn’t her mother would be on her like a shark.
Shego didn’t let the glare on her face drop for an instant but she did enjoy the way Kim was handling the mother situation. “Your only tacking on more time Princess, You should have dealt with this the minute you got home last … err … when you got in.” She couldn’t really remember what time that would have been since she had ignored everything else save the cushy futon she collided with in her bedroom.
Before her mother could jump in Kim stepped between the two and went to open the icebox, her creamer was usually kept there so Ron wouldn’t take it all. When she heard both Shego and her mother shout a forceful ‘NO DON’T!’ she almost fell over backwards as she pulled her hand back. “Let me guess … Ron?” She sighed out of frustration as her mother nodded, ‘looks like it’ll be black and sweet this morning.’ She thought as she looked to Shego, ‘That actually works for me this morning.’ Sitting down across the table from her mother and at an angle to Shego Kim sipped once more at her coffee and savoured the rich flavour, she may prefer the super rich vanilla but straight up and sweet had its own appeal. “Don’t you want dad in here for this Mom?”
Mrs. Possibles bright blue eyes instantly focused into the dangerous sharp look she wore when she was preparing for a task, she was almost as intense as Kim when it came to important things and this was well beyond important. “You have a point dear, you go collect him and I’ll go wake the boys.” Kim was about to protest involving her brothers so she cut her off. “This is something that could affect the entire family correct?”
Kim was stumped by that one for a moment, it was Shego who answered. “Actually Mrs. Possible it doesn’t have to involve any of you, I think Kim is being too soft which is why she hasn’t explained this yet.” Shego wasn’t really mad at Kim for not having this sorted out but apparently she was fully intent on making them late. They had already missed the reserved flight and would have to fly in her private fighter jet, or possibly her more recent acquisition, either way she was considering sending Kim the fuel bill when it was all over with. “You had better hurry Kimmie, if this isn’t done in ten minutes you get another day tacked on and as it stands now the wager is for nearly a week.”
This time Kim didn’t even bat an eye, “Sounds good to me.” She just smiled at Shego and her mother then turned and dashed off to pry her dad loose from his home network. Sleep was almost an alien concept for him when he was working on a major project and she knew he had been ferociously busy for the last month plus. “Dad, we need your presence in the kitchen. Mom is dragging the tweebs there now.” She knew she had his attention, he had turned to face her and had a weird face on.
“Ok Kimmie-cub, just give me five more minutes and I’ll be done with this … project.” He had been desperate to avoid her, the project was actually her belated eighteenth birthday surprise and nearly every major player in the tech world had donated everything from time to money to materials for the gift. She had personally saved each and everyone from some form of catastrophe, they all wanted it to be a big surprise to show their gratitude but it was ferociously hard to keep anything secret from her, her job was to break secrets apart and expose them.
Shego fumed in silence as she poured herself another cup of coffee, she had been eyeing the cases of coco-moo in the corner but it scared her so she opted to leave the stuff alone, in the wrong hands that stuff could be dangerous. “I’m getting bored here Princess, I’ll give you till the count of…” The firm hand on her shoulder caught her off guard and her response was typical, for her at least. Plasma poured from the surface of her clenched fist as she ducked down and spun to deliver a stunning blow. Shego only just managed to stop herself as she recognized that it was Kims dad who managed to slip up silently behind her. He really was a quiet step.
James, for his part, simply ignored the edgy young woman, there was fresh coffee and he needed a cup. “Step away from the coffee and nobody gets hurt.” Shego wasn’t easily intimidated but the look on his face declared any interference would result in bodily harm done. When she moved aside he pounced the half full pot and poured out two cups, his wifes morning mug was sitting there waiting to be filled. “So are we finally going to get the whole story?”
Kim was openly staring at her father and Shego, she made note that even dad could motivate the warrior to step aside if the stakes were high enough, this was a coffee in the morning family and only the tweebs were kept away from it. They didn’t need anymore energy it was agreed. “Not exactly dad, but wait till mom gets back, don’t glare Shego I admit I should have done this sooner but regardless of the ‘when’ it is not going to be easy.” This seemed to appease her, which was a welcome relief. Standing she made her way to the now nearly empty pot topped off her cup and turned to target the couch, “Dammit Shego that’s my spot!”
“Kimmie please, Watch the language will you?” Mrs. Possible and the drowsy twins shuffled in, she went to the kitchen before joining the rest of the group in the living room. Handing her boys a mug-o-moo can she took her seat next to her husband on the loveseat. “Ok we’re assembled and mostly coherent so lets hear it Kim.” Game time was over it was now time for war, she may have forgiven the green skinned beauty but she hadn’t forgotten that that very same woman had made a career of making her daughters life far too complicated.
Kim cast her gaze from person to person sitting around her, she had never been this nervous and while she was scared she secretly enjoyed the feeling, it was very much like the most serious fights she had been involved in and she rather liked it. Her eyes met and locked with Shego’s jade green eyes and she decided to just let loose, they were asking for it after all. “Ok here’s the sitch to the degree I’m willing to cover right now. Shego and I had the biggest knock down drag out we have ever had. The first time we held absolutely nothing back and she beat me.” Her face flushed as she remembered that painful day.
“That’s not entirely accurate Pumkin.” Shego didn’t want to let Kim go on believing that she had lost, the other part, the holding back, she could only hope Kim would understand when she explained it fully. “We were both on the edge and fell at the same time, I don’t recall exactly who moved first afterwards but I do know I wasn’t ready to pick back up where we left off, hence the bet.”
Kims mother and father looked to each other trading curious glances before Mrs. Possible turned to face down Shego. “A bet? What kind of bet could you possibly make that would interest Kim?” She was long past concerned, Shego followed no rules save her own and if she had manipulated Kim into this Shego would end up preferring her green skin, Mrs. Possible could easily remove it, in excruciating ways that would send a shiver down the spine of anyone just for thinking about it.
Stepping to the plate as it were Kim decided it was time to drop the hammer and get it over with. “That’s enough Mom I got this covered.” Her mother didn’t like being talked to in that manner but at the moment Kim didn’t really care. “Back to the fight, as you know first hand Mom it was intense. We weren’t trying to kill each other just determine once and for all who was better, its what we do every time we fight. This time however, with nothing to hold us back we tore each other up pretty good and while we were recovering Shego made a suggestion that I will not go into detail on but was tempting.” She had been tempted outright by the proposal, the potential was just too much to pass over.
Mrs. Possible focused her razor sharp gaze on Shego, she was getting ever more outraged but schooled it well. “Kim you actually made a bet with your biggest enemy? Do you have any idea ho…”
Kim didn’t let her finish the sentence, if she had Shego might have gone nuclear hot. “I said I wouldn’t go into the details Mom but I will tell you the wager and the stakes. The stakes should get your attention. As Shego pointed out in our fight eventually one of us will hurt or kill the other, or someone we care about could be hurt or killed. It is dangerous work and I have made many enemies. She made me think about it.” She had actually been thinking that over from the start of this whole affair. “The stakes are our respective careers, I lose the bet I become her personal bodyguard, I win she becomes mine.” That didn’t come out the way she had intended and she felt the heat of a stupendous blush lighting her face.
Shego suppressed the smile she wanted to wear at the way Kim had worded that. “Ok y’know Yeah that pretty much covers the whole of it, can we go now?” She wanted to put as much distance between her and Mrs. Possible as she possibly could. It didn’t look like she would get the chance anytime soon though.
Mr. Possible looked at his daughter carefully, he had always held a strong unyielding love for her and he had been privately terrified she might not come back someday. From the sound of her description of her last fight it had come dangerously close to that exact scenario and could very easily happen again. “So what was the actual bet then?” He locked eyes with her, a deep affection clearly evident. “Kimmie-cub?”
“The bet started as a single day without me there to rescue people, things or hamper villainous plots and machinations. Against each other, we are fairly evenly matched so we had to turn to something outside our control and that sounded, to me, like the best way to go. I have faith in the people I know, they can get by without me for a day, a week I’m not so sure of but I changed the wager so I can’t deny Shego the alterations she is imposing.”
Mrs. Possible thought it over very seriously, the mention of life and death struggles triggered every ‘Mom’ alarm she had. She had been on a few of the missions her daughter dealt with and the way Kim handled each situation made it look easy when in fact it was anything but. “It does sound like a logical idea but I am curious, how did you alter the bet Kim?” She was worried about the Shego alterations but Kim changing the bet was not something she thought her daughter would do if the original favoured her.
“It’s been a nice quiet month hasn’t it Mom?” Kim grinned happily at Shego who just crossed her arms and pouted. “As proof that she was being on the level Shego arranged for all the typical knutcases that normally keep me busy to be otherwise indisposed, intentionally for the bet at that. I don’t like cheating for any reason so I decided the bet would start after the month she had arranged for, if the bet is to have any meaning the world has to handle the bad-guys by itself for a day. Well, a week now, it seems.” She cast a pointed look to Shego who simply grinned and shrugged.
“Hurt or kill one of us or someone we care about Princess. Never forget that aspect.” She saw Mrs. Possible flinch at that statement, it seemed to be the chink in her armour. “Note cast on said ‘World Rescuing Hero Chic’ sorry by the way Kim, I didn’t think it would be that bad, though it did serve to prove the point nicely. In this business, a slight miscalculation can be fatal.” She looked directly at Mrs. Possible before finishing. “Kim has come real close to that a couple of times that I know of personally and has put me as close at least as many times. It’s part of the job. The two of us are just in a different league altogether from the ‘regulars’ she deals with.”
Mr. Possible leaned his head forward and cupped his face in his hands for a moment, he did not like the way this discussion was heading because it meant he had to finally admit to himself Kim was not a child anymore. She might be a teen still but she had matured far faster than he had anticipated. “I wish you would just quit Kimmie-cub I really do. If Shego is right is it all really worth it?” He looked his daughter directly in the eyes, they had this down to a science after a fashion. He would simply stare and she would try whatever face was require to win him over. She wasn’t into the game this time however.
The concern in his voice did much to mollify her mounting tension, mom she could handle but dad was a different story at times. He could be flexible when he chose to be but when he set a rule it was impossible to change it, not even mom could do anything about that. “I will eventually dad but right now there is far more at stake than just my future plans. You didn’t forget that if I lose I go to work for her? I haven’t, the alternative, having her at my side, kind of hard to pass up.” Kim was scared out of her mind over the flipside of the wager. There were plenty of freaks out there more than capable of doing damage enough to require her input but there were precious few capable of containing them.
Mrs. Possible wasn’t sure if she should hug or throttle her daughter, the stakes were way to high but she had to agree with the reasoning behind it, even if it meant her daughter might end up switching sides. At least then she would have someone with her to really protect her, Ron was usually ok in that aspect but she couldn’t count the number of times Kim had come home fuming, in some cases quite literally, because Ron had messed up. “I don’t like this, not a bit.” She wouldn’t dare say she thought it was a good idea even though she did, Kim was an adult now and had made an adults call in a situation most would have been simply trying to survive. “That said, Kim it’s your decision all I can do is trust and hope that you know what you’re doing. I do have something to say to you however Shego.” She cast the hardest glare she could muster at the emerald and onyx villainess. “Regardless of how this ends up if I find out you let her get hurt I just want you to remember this, I cut on peoples brains for a living, do not think I would hesitate to do it for fun should my only daughter get hurt.”
Shego tried to swallow down the large dose of ‘oh shit!’ she had just been served. Kim’s mother pulled out all the stops when it concerned her daughter, of course it was kind of fitting, neurologists often made the scariest of bad guys, fucking with peoples heads was what they got paid to do after all. Still Shego had never been one to let intimidation get her, “Don’t threaten the villain like that Mrs. Possible it makes it harder to identify which side you’re on and tactics like that don’t work with me. I’ve shared a hundred different lairs with a scientist more than capable of matching you in ‘scare tactics’ in point of fact a lobotomy would be preferable to some of his more … inventive ideas.” She looked to Kim who nodded in agreement, being brain-tweaked was nothing compared to some of the things the old Drakken could do, if he’d ever had the chance to work alone. Turning back to the ‘rents she decided she had had her fill of the interrogation/intimidation routine, “It’s well past time for us to get the hell out of here … Princess.”
Mrs. Possible was about to reprimand Shego for language once more when her husband stood and walked to Kim. “I guess now is as good a time as any, come on Kim we were going to give this for your belated birthday party but … well I think you’re going to end up needing it before too long so might as well do it now.” Taking her hand he began leading her to the door that opened to the garage. “You too Shego, if you’re in such a hurry why don’t you grab Kimmie-cubs duffel and pack? Please and thank you.” He only looked at her long enough to see her face contort into an outraged expression that promptly turned to a blush as Mrs. Possible leaned over and grabbed up one of the bags Kim had deposited at the door, she handed Shego the heavier one she was sure of it.
Inside the garage it was pitch black, they had to use the short stairwell leading to it and with everyone using it the light was almost completely blocked making it hard to even see the floor at the bottom of the last step. Once Mr. Possible was sure everyone was safely on the floor he flipped the lights on and watched his daughters face. He really enjoyed surprising her, she always got so flustered with the big surprises and this one took the cake in the regard. “Well Kim, what do you think?” The car before them looked like nothing on the road, in truth it looked like a very small fighter jet, which it was, to a degree.
Shego watched Kim with a twinge of jealousy nipping at her heart, her brothers were nice enough but they never bothered with the small things like this, they had been to busy ‘saving the world’ to care about mundane things like birthdays. She thought about making some kind of sarcastic remark along the lines of potentially stealing the car but decided against it, Kim had finished drooling over the car and had run to her father throwing her arms around him in a fierce hug. Feeling like an intruder, which normally didn’t bother her, Shego turned to give them a moment of privacy, Mrs. Possible wasn’t going to let her though.
Mrs. Possible had been carefully observing the woman that had taken such a prominent role in her daughters life and was making a calculated guess, it was clear that Shego was after more than just a partner in crime. “No need to leave Shego, you survived another Possible party, makes you good as family in my book, so long as you remember what I said.” She had leaned in close enough to make sure only Shego would hear, she probably didn’t need to as her husband and the twins were gleefully explaining the details of the very unique auto. “Besides I don’t think she would be too happy if she looked up and didn’t see you.” With that hanging in the air between them Mrs. Possible smiled cheerfully, her bright blue eyes had gone from glacier cold to summer warm, the woman had more tricks up her sleeve than everyone else Shego knew with one Possible exception.
Kim slipped in and sat behind the steering wheel of her new car and marveled, the display was entirely holographic giving her highly detailed maps of the general area a speed indicator and dozens of other bells and whistles she thought she recognized from various jets tanks and ‘vehicles’ she had been privy to examining. She watched as her dad reached in and tapped a small, lit rectangle on the display that read ‘msg pend.’ Instantly the lights in the area dimmed and projected onto the special surface of the windshield was a high definition still of all the people who had helped build the car, at least it started out as a still frame. Without warning it began to play and she could hear some confused voices asking if it were recording already to which she chuckled. Give them an interplanetary spaceship and they can have it figured out in a day, give them a camcorder and watch them go knuts just trying to get it to record.
The tune was the birthday standard, Happy Birthday to You, however rocket scientists engineers Special ops commandos a few navies and assorted military forces could not get together well enough to hum a tune let alone try singing it. Needless to say they truly mangled the song but Kim didn’t mind in the least. Moments like this made what she did worth doing. “Thanks you guys.” She said as the recording ended. She expected to get out of the car for a moment and hug her family again but receive a rather alarming shock as the car door locked itself and a voice spoke out in digital, one she remembered all to well, ‘I thought you and Shego were in a hurry Kim.’
Shego blinked, ‘Since when did cars talk, or lock their owner in without being set to do so for that matter.’ This was taking a serious side-road into ‘way to freaky for tv’ but for this family it seemed fitting.
Kim gaped widely as she looked the interior of the car over. “Sadie? Is that really you?” The voice was the same but the car had changed a lot if it were indeed the same one. “Didn’t they need you for some wild project?” She had been curious about the fate of the A.I. for a while, the car had saved her life and was surprisingly fun.
The digital entity hardwired into the super chassis would have smiled broadly at the compliment from Kim, if she had had a mouth or even an avatar to communicate with, lacking those she initiated her soundboard and spoke out. “I am glad you remember me Kim yes I am Sadie. The funding for my project was cut after my old chassis got … bent. I will not name names but it was a total damage kind of thing.” She didn’t say any names but they could all see the red laser target indicator on Mr. Dr. Possibles forehead. “Someone thankfully requested my A.I. be salvaged and repurposed, after that things went black. I couldn’t even get into the mainframes holding the data for my new chassis. I do have to admit I like this one better. I have more toys to play with now.”
James Possible draped an arm around Kim then dangled the keys in front of her glazed over eyes. “I think you’ll be needing these Kimmie-cub. Sadie is keyed to accept almost any voice so be careful who you lend it to until you have had the chance to properly password protect her.” His eyes had gone straight to Shego but they held no malice, he preferred to have a good time regardless and seeing the woman squirm uneasily made him feel somewhat better for what was to come. “Now go on you two, we won’t hold you here any longer.” He watched, eyes brimming with emotion, as she keyed the lock manually and got out to hug him fiercely.
Jim and Tim had different thoughts on that and decided it was time to express them, in their typical fashion. Tim ran interference while Jim did the deed, Tim tugged on Kims shirt sleeve to get her attention, “If Shego gives you any static use the new hairdryer, it should be more than a match for her.” His little speech gave Jim the time he needed to deposit a small device in Kims backpack unnoticed, after all the discussion of maybe having their big sister taken from them they decided together to make sure that didn’t happen. They did truly love her in spite of how it appeared, besides if she weren’t there to knock their crazy projects out of the sky they’d be bored real quick.
Shego let the incident slide, she had read the whole thing as it played out and figured she wasn’t the only one but as nothing was being said there wasn’t anything to do for it now. “Well you heard the car Pumkin, we need to roll out.” She would never get tired of the faces Kim made when she used those pet names.
Kim nodded and hugged her mom tight then her dad again, “Don’t worry guys it’s Shego, no big.” She probably shouldn’t have put it like that but at this point speech wasn’t something she felt confident with. She ruffled her brothers hair before hugging them again then slipped into the drivers seat and nodded to her dad. “Open it now please and thank you.” The large door began rolling up and in moments she had the alien looking car screaming down the road, only after Sadie convinced her that she could handle any and all conditions, again. She wouldn’t know it but there were some extremely worried faces on those she left behind. “So Shego, where to?”
Shego looked over to her then pointed backward between them, with a crooked grin she simply said, “Back that way, to my house.”