The Darius Conflict

Fandom: Kim Possible (Disney)
Character: Shego
Word Count: 2,399
Warnings: None

The ground under Shego's feet shook as she ran across a broken street in downtown Go City. Lines of electricity shot along behind her, nipping at her heels. This new villain that had arisen suddenly proved himself to be far more dangerous than most of their opponents. This one actually managed to cause decent mayhem and destruction. The twins shot by her, jerking her out of the way before the electrical attack could surge through her. They let go of her arms, speeding towards their new opponent, and she stopped suddenly as she watched them circle the strange man. She found herself admiring the dangerous stranger that threatened the city she was sworn to protect. She admired his dark complexion and his bleach white hair. She even found herself taking notice of small details like the scar that ran across his right eye.

"Such foolish heroes." he laughed.

She admired that laughter.

"Wego, move!" Hego warned as the stranger lifted his powerful fist.

Shego admired that strength even as he used it to harm her brothers. His fist landed a few seconds too late as one of her youngest brothers zipped away and electricity flickered around his fingers. This seemed to motivate her and she signaled to the other twin who followed his brother. They both slid to a stop behind her and she reared her fists back as they glowed with green energy. The man only smirked as she lunged forward, sending a massive amount of destructive energy at his face. Her brothers winced as the energy made contact but as the smoke cleared it revealed the smirking face to be unharmed. And the man laughed again. Shego clenched her fists and growled under her breath. She did not admire that laughter anymore.

Hego launched at the man's back before she could do anything. He wrapped his arms around the stranger, pinning his arms to his side and squeezed as tightly as he dared. The man's smirk faded slightly as he tried to pull free but found himself unable to do so. Obviously he had underestimated them as a team. Shego looked shocked as the twins grabbed her around the waist and shot forward once more. She smirked as she realized what they were doing. She gathered as much energy in her hands as she could and put them together as they approached the new villain.

The combined strength of her energy and the momentum of the twins' speed was enough to do the trick. The stranger shouted out in pain as Shego's glowing fists hit him in the stomach hard. The impact caused Hego to release the villain and when he did so the stranger shot away from them all with speed that almost rivaled Wego's. He turned as he ran and slid across the ground, putting his hands together. Lightning began to crackle around his fingers and Team Go scattered. Shego had no problems rolling out of the way but the older two brothers' reaction time was a bit slow. Each twin grabbed the arm of a brother and jerked them along in opposite directions. The spot Mego had been standing in exploded as the attack hit the ground. The villain cursed and sneered at them. Shego got the impression he wasn't used to missing.

She glared at him and took a step forward. Her brothers didn't dare move in on her stand off and stood back, waiting for their opportunity to jump in again. Shego's eyes narrowed. So did the man's. His black trench coat fluttered around his ankles as a wind blew through the evacuated city. Shego's fingers flinched at her side as the villain raised his hand. She felt like she was in an old western movie. She would never call them lame again though. Her heart beat rapidly as she tried to predict when he would make his move. Every time he moved his fingers even a little she jerked back and raised her own. Soon the tension was broken by a nasally, annoyed voice.

"Oh, someone just shoot already!" Mego cried, throwing his hands in the air.

Shego rolled her eyes slightly and heard Mego gasp. She looked up to find the villain's hand shooting out at her. As his fingers stretched in her direction electricity shot down from his elbow. She almost couldn't move in her shock but as the bolt of lightning headed towards her she felt a pain in her legs. Her knees buckled and she fell, the electricity shooting over her head harmlessly. It wouldn't be until later that she would find out that Mego had kicked her in the back of the knees, forcing her to duck. She grumbled to herself as she stood but the villain was on the move again. They backed up into a circle, facing outward, as the villain shot around them in much the same way Wego did to their other villains.

"No fair." one twin began.

"That's our move." the other finished.

Shego's eyes shot back and forth as he shot by her in a blur. She raised a hand and attempted to pick him off each time he passed her. She growled in frustration as she kept missing. Mego wasn't even trying to keep up with his movements. He stood beside her with crossed arms as he stared straight ahead. Sometimes she felt like she could just rip his head off. He certainly didn't need to be giving her reasons to take her frustrations out on him. She was about to reach over and give him a good punch in the gut just for being annoying when the villain suddenly came to a stop in front of her. Her brothers scrambled to face him as well but before Team Go could react they were all hit with an attack they didn't even see coming. Shego saw it. The man smiled wickedly. His evil, smile with the distinguished fang on the right made her breath catch in her throat. He put his hand out and she felt her body fill with pain. They all fell to the ground with lightning crackling around them.

As Shego was losing consciousness she could see the villain walking over to them and she tried to rise to her feet. She put a hand on the ground in order to push herself up into a sitting position but it took all her strength to even rise a few centimeters from the ground. Her wrist buckled beneath her weight and she fell again. That much electricity running through your body wasn't good even if you were a superhero. The villain laughed and crouched beside her, pushing a strand of hair from her face. Shego thought she would rather have him kick her in the face but his thick fingers were so soft as they brushed across her skin.

"Such beauty and ferocity wasted on the side of good." he shook his head. "Such a shame. You'd make a great villain young lady."

Shego frowned at this suggestion but her vision was fading as he spoke so she had no way of issuing a snappy comeback even if she could think of one. She sank into darkness with the villain's golden eyes burning in the darkness of her mind even as she slept. When she woke again she shot out of sleep with a terrified look. She sighed in relief as she realized she was lying in her room at the Tower. Obviously the others had recovered more quickly than she had. She put a hand to her head and sat on the edge of her bed as she tried to come to grips with one of the very few losses she'd had to face.

The last thing the villain had said to her was still ringing in the back of her mind and she shook her head. What did he know? That man had no idea who she really was or how she really felt. Why would she want to hurt people or steal? Why would she want to do anything that would constitute as a crime? She was a hero. She helped people. Sure she enjoyed destruction, fire, crumbling buildings and the feeling of her fist making contact with those she fought. But those people deserved the beatings they got. That made it different. That made it right. Didn't it? Did the others enjoy fighting or did they just see it as something that had to be done. Surely at the least the twins felt the same even if it was due to youth.

She looked up as the door opened and Hego peeked in at his little sister. He smiled at the realization that she was okay and entered silently. She stared at him with a strange look in her eyes and though Hego had grown denser over the years - as though his super strength was sucking it's energy from his mind - he still knew when something was wrong with one of his siblings. And there was something seriously wrong with Shego lately. She was lost in thought more often than not with that look in her eyes. A look that said she had no idea what she was doing anymore. Maybe she was losing sight of her goals and her duty. Maybe her goals were changing. That worried Hego.

"Ya know, Shego." he began nervously. "We've all noticed you haven't been looking well lately. And ... if you ever wanted...to quit the team..."

"Why would I do that?!" Shego snapped, clenching the sheets.

"Well, maybe you've gotten tired of fighting and if you did-"

"I like fighting." she whispered in a strangely soft voice. "I'm not going anywhere."

"If you did," he continued, "we just wanted you to know that we would be supportive. And you'd always be our sister."

She released the sheets from her vise-like grip and smiled sadly, her eyes focused on her feet. They didn't mind if she quit. She could go live a normal life if she wanted. She was free. However, she knew she wouldn't leave. She frowned. She did love to fight more than anything. It was all that made her happy. She had forgotten the things that had made her happy before this had happened. She wouldn't know what to do if she left Team Go. She was trapped by herself. It was never Hego's fault. She'd lost all of who she was when that comet had hit. Now all she could identify as joy was a good fight with a strong villain. Like that new one that had shown up.

"Thanks, Hego." she sighed, standing. "Do you know anything about that guy we fought yet?"

"Mego found something out. He went to some of our rehabilitated sources." he said with a smile. "Let's go to the conference room so he can tell us about it."

She stood and followed Hego down the hall. She was a little upset at herself. Upon hearing that Mego knew more about the stranger she had grown quite excited though she hid it from Hego rather easily. She clenched a fist again and swore to herself that she would defeat this one. The rage at herself for being so drawn to him would be the fuel she needed. And of course her brothers would be a big help. She smiled slightly as she sat down at the large table and Hego nodded to Mego.

"This guy used to be some scientist in Middleton." Mego began, chin in his hand as he spoke. "In his mid-thirties he started to worry about aging. He tried to make himself immortal but the experiment blew up in his face. Literally. It sent so much electricity through his system it runs through his veins like blood now. Only his body reproduces it so when he uses an attack it doesn't use up his whole supply."

"What's his name?" Shego asked, suddenly.

"Huh?" Mego asked, looking apathetic. "Oh. Jack Darius. Most other villains call him Dr. Darius. I don't think he ever caused trouble in Middleton. He did most of his destructive work up north. He's been in the business about seven years. That's all I've got."

"I wonder why he turned into a bad guy." one of the twins said.

"That explosion must've made him crazy or something." the other stated simply.

"Why do people become villains." Shego wondered aloud.

"Various reasons, I'm sure." Mego replied dryly. "Can we skip the philosophy and work on a plan now?"

"Mego's right." Hego said, sternly. "We need to find a way to take this guy down before he really hurts someone. Anything on his base?"

"I said that was all I had." Mego groused. "Don't you ever listen?"

"Right...well..."

"I'll find him." Shego said, standing abruptly.

"We should all be searching for him." Hego objected.

"If it's just me the word might not get out as quickly that we're looking for him." Shego argued.

"Alright, Shego." he consented. "But don't do anything drastic. Find out where his base is then come back to get the rest of us."

Shego nodded slightly and stood, fists clenched at her sides as she turned from her brothers. She would find this Dr. Darius if it was the last thing she did. She'd find him and kill him. Team Go had never been known to kill. It would ruin their names as superheroes but as god as her witness this villain would die by the end of this. She would see the life leave those tainted, yellow eyes and the scarred face pale. She would watch as he twitched one last time and maybe a bit of electricity would shoot through his veins before his body ceased to live. She'd watch his soul burn out for making her feel this way! At any other time Shego might have found herself shocked at such a thought. At any other time she may have sensed that this was an indication she shouldn't be going it alone. However, now she was angry. Now she hated him. She hated him because he reminded her of what she was becoming. She hated herself and it was far more fun to kill another in hatred than oneself, she decided as she exited the tower. On the way out her fists began to glow green and she slammed one into the security keypad, smashing it into the wall.