Authors Note: Thanks again to everyone for reading and reviewing. Your support means a lot to me.

Disclaimer: I don't own Kim Possible.

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Thought of the day: If you don't expect gratitude you'll seldom be disappointed.

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Project PARROT: Physiological Augmentation Refining Radioactive and Organic Technology.

It was the project he and many others had devoted years of research to. It was the dream children and adults alike made reality. Mayor Byrd was setting out to create a team of superheroes to maintain order and control in Go City. It was the solution to the city's problems. It was also the cause of most of them. And it was all thanks to a tiny shard of rock.

Drew found the irony of it amusing. He wouldn't have always thought so. But he had long ago learned how mean-spirited people could be. He now felt indifferent toward the faceless mob.

Then there was the second layer to the situation. He knew very well what Byrd's intentions were if he actually did get his wish. Sure, he would use his team of superheroes for the public good; to an extent. They would be completely loyal to him. They would obey his orders, his will. Drew knew that the mayor would never relinquish his power as long as he had his small army in his back pocket. In fact, Drew knew that his ambitions would only grow if he got a taste of absolute power. With a team of real life superheroes at his disposal world domination was not just a dream of famous generals and conquerors of the past. It too could become a reality.

Drew let out a deep breath as he wiped his hand across his forehead. He instinctively pulled back the sleeve of his white lab coat and looked to his left wrist to check the time, but remembered that he was not wearing a watch as soon as he saw his bare flesh. Instead he turned around to check the wall-mounted clock behind him. It had been several hours now since his lunch break had ended. He wanted a break. He deserved a break. And so he would take one.

He stood and grabbed one of the chairs in the lab and dragged it over to where an old television sat on a small table. He set the chair down in front of it and turned it on. With no remote in sight he flipped through the channels manually searching for anything of value. He smiled as he thought about the millions of dollars of technology that was in this room alone, and yet there was not a simple remote control for the television to be found.

Many of the channels he tried gave him nothing but static or blank screens. This time his reaction was far less positive. The Nest didn't even have cable. At least this room didn't. Was Byrd really that cheap? He finally settled on the early evening news on one of the few channels available to him.

"Another murder on the north side last night in an alley near the corner of Halsted Street. A young woman's body was found lying there alone. Early reports are that she died of a stabbing wound to the abdomen, and further details will come following the autopsy."

Despite his ill-will toward the public, Drew never liked to see anyone die. He wasn't a monster, even if he sometimes worked for them. But his thoughts of the murder victim vanished from his mind as the anchorwoman continued speaking.

"Footage of a potential suspect was caught on a traffic light security camera," she said as the video footage replaced her face and began playing.

The footage showed a young woman clad in a black and green cat suit walking out of the alley and to a parked motorcycle. Red stains could clearly be seen on the green parts of her outfit. The video lasted only a few seconds, ending when the woman drove away from the alley where the murder took place.

"What do we have here?" he said softly to himself. "Has this angel fallen from grace?"

"Police have identified the woman as none other than Shego, a member of the superhero team known as Team Go. It is known that the police have contacted the team at their headquarters for her to be brought in for questioning. But other than this, neither the Go City police department nor Team Go has made any kind of statement."

Drew watched the story with fascination. He knew that Shego hadn't committed the murder. She and her brothers had been the faithful defenders of the city for two years now. For one of them to suddenly decide to betray the team and the cause was completely out of the question. Still though, the law was the law. The young woman would have to face the scrutiny of being a suspect. She would have to be brought in and questioned. Even Team Go was not above the law. But it didn't stop a wave of ideas from entering his mind.

He had been so focused on the story in front of him that he hadn't cared when he heard the door open behind him. But a furious shout soon got his attention.

"What are you doing Lipsky?" the all too familiar shrill voice shouted.

Drew stood up and turned to see the angry form of Mayor Byrd standing there with his hands on his hips.

"Nothing. I was just taking-"

"That's right! You were doing nothing! I'm not paying you to sit around here and watch TV!"

Drew looked down to the floor, unable to meet the angry gaze of his employer. But it didn't stop the mayor from continuing his assault.

"You think that you can try to be lazy on my watch?" he yelled. "If it wasn't for me you wouldn't even have a job here! You're a screw up, Lipsky! You always have been! You didn't even graduate college! And no school will take you back after the stunt you pulled!"

Drew almost winced at the mention of his past at his university. The mayor was right. With his record no reputable school would ever accept him into its ranks. And thus he would never be able to earn his doctorate and get the respect he truly deserved.

"And I can also ensure that no one in this city ever hires you. So you'd better not cross me again. You're not the only man out there who can do the things I need done. You're just the best at it, but don't think that even you aren't expendable. Everyone in this city is except me!"

Convinced that Byrd's rant was over, Drew looked back up at him and spoke with as much confidence he could muster.

"Please understand that the rest of the team and I have been working very hard lately," Drew said calmly. "The devices and machines for Project PARROT are almost ready for their first test subject."

"You had better hurry up. Everything needs to be completed in the next few months or else it's over for all of us. And this includes having this project make a positive impact on the public."

Drew knew what he was referring to. In only a few short months Byrd's term as mayor would be over. His public opinion was at an all time low. If things continued how they were he was guaranteed to not be reelected. That was why the project not only had to be finished by then, but also had to begin to clean up the city's crime. Once the people got a look of Byrd's creations, his champions, they would love and adore him. He would be a hero himself for creating an unstoppable force of crime fighters.

"I assure you that things will be ready in the next few days. There are still certain parts that have not yet arrived. They are absolutely necessary in order for the testing to begin."

"Don't worry Lipsky, you'll be getting your equipment tonight. There's a midnight shipment coming in at the port. Nobody knows about it except for me and the people directly under me," he said before changing subjects. "By the way, have you found a suitable subject for the first transformation attempt?"

Drew walked over to one of his tables and began searching through papers. He nodded to himself when he finally found what he was looking for.

"Yes Mayor Byrd. I have her details right here."

Byrd snatched the paper from Drew's fingers and began reading it aloud to himself.

"Electra Nikonechnai, former Soviet Olympic gymnast, moved to America in 1992 with her family, blah blah blah," he said as he quickly lost interest in the personnel file. "So you're sure this woman will be capable of receiving the treatments that you and the other scientists have come up with?"

"Well there are no guarantees to any of this of course. This is all highly experimental and ground-breaking research," Drew explained. "But we believe that her body is capable of handling the immense alterations that will be thrust upon it. She's more than willing to risk it, if you're worried about a potential lawsuit. She already signed the wavier."

Byrd laughed at insinuation that he was worried.

"Lawsuit? If anything goes wrong this woman will never see the light of day again. There will be nobody to sue us. Furthermore, this project and this place don't even exist as far as anyone in the public is concerned."

"Yes, yes I suppose you're right," Drew agreed. "But I firmly believe that everything will go according to plan."

"Good," Byrd said delightedly. "Electra Nikonechnai will be the first of many to march out of this laboratory and crush every adversary, every criminal, and every person who dares get in my way! Then there will finally be peace in this city. And soon enough there will be peace in the entire world!"

Drew nodded silently as the mayor went on.

"Other than the parts that you need, is everything else in this lab fully operational?"

"Yes, I have tested out several of the machines and can personally guarantee that they work perfectly," Drew said as he walked over to one of them and placed a hand on it. "This one can change a person's skin pigment, even to a color that is not natural to the human body. I remember you said that superheroes need to have distinct physical features besides just wearing masks. With this you can change a person's skin color to resemble what Shego and Mego of Team Go have. Or you can go with any other color in the spectrum such as red or blue."

"I am pleased to hear this. Now get back to work. I would hate for anything unfortunate to happen to you when we are so close to achieving success."

"Yes Mayor Byrd. Right away."

With that, Mayor Byrd turned and exited the room. A hateful glare watched him every step of the way.

XXXXXXXXXX

Images still flashed in her head when she closed her eyes. It took a lot to keep her mind off of the events of a couple nights ago.

Shego was in her room lying in bed. Her attempts to lose herself in a novel had failed. She wished that she could escape into a world of fiction and fantasy. She didn't even think of the fact that she was actually living in such a world. Superheroes were not supposed to exist in the real world. But her mind was too focused on other things to realize this.

She had come to a decision earlier. She no longer considered her great powers to be a blessing. They were what she had originally decided they were. They were a curse. Had these powers not been thrust upon her she wouldn't have been in the position to see that girl die. If not for her that girl would still be alive. But what could she do? She couldn't change the fact that she did have these powers. She couldn't change the fact that she was a member of Team Go. And she couldn't change the fact that without her a lot more people would be dead. It was just so much easier to be able to put a face on one side of the argument. On one side she had countless lives that she had saved, and none of them had a name or face to go with them. They were just numbers. But on the other she had a teenager who had died in her arms. Her last words, her last breath, had both been in Shego's presence. And that hurt more than she would ever admit to anyone.

She glared over to her door when she heard a loud knock on it. It was too loud to be any of her younger brothers. No, this was the authoritative and super-strong knock of Hego. After all, what was the point of having enhanced strength if you didn't get to show it off? It was followed by an annoying, angry call.

"Shego? Are you in there?"

Sometimes his stupidity just made her want to punch him in the face. She always had plenty of opportunities when they were sparring. But they never satisfied her. She was never angry with him when they sparred. It was moments like this that would be the best time to unleash her fury on him.

"What do you want?"

"I want you to open the door. We need to talk."

She let out an annoyed sigh as she stood up and went to unlock her door. He barged in and took a seat on her bed. She remained standing there looking at him with folded arms.

"Shego… sister, do you know why I'm here?"

"No. But I assume you're about to tell me."

He nodded.

"What happened with you the other day, it's become a bit of an issue."

A bit of an issue. It had become a bit of an issue. She didn't know whether she should scream at him or smack him across the face. Or both.

"The media is having a field day with what happened. There's video footage of you fleeing the scene of the crime."

"I didn't do anything! I tried to save her!"

He put his arms up to try to make her settle down.

"I know, I know," he said calmly. "Trust me; no one here doubts your word. Nor do we believe you were the one to actually kill her."

"You mean people actually think…" she whispered.

"Well, there will always be some people out there who want to believe in a conspiracy. Just don't pay any attention to them."

She hadn't heard a word he just said.

"After everything I've done for this city, there are actually people out there who think I'm a murderer?"

"Look the point isn't what's true or not. The point is that this is severely tarnishing the image of the team."

She looked at him wide-eyed, her hands unconsciously forming fists.

"You're worried about our reputation?"

"Of course. Team Go has worked hard to build a good reputation. The public perceives us as good, wholesome and morally sound. And we are. We can't have things like this undermining our popularity and fame."

"I see…"

"Now what you did the other day was reckless. You went out to fight crime alone. There's no 'I' in team, Shego. What if you had been the one to get hurt rather than some girl?"

Some girl? Of course, to Hego it was just another faceless person. It was a number to him, like everyone else out that that he and the rest of the team had saved. But to Shego she was more than a number. She had a face.

"You'd better not be saying what I think you're saying," she warned him.

"What I'm saying is that it was foolish to go out by yourself. A good superhero always has a sidekick. Whether that sidekick fights by his side or is at home behind the scenes, you always need someone to have your back. And you broke this rule of superheroes by going solo."

Yet another lecture about the rules of being a superhero. He always seemed to have some reference for whatever the scenario was. Only this time she didn't just tune him out while nodding mindlessly. Her ears were wide open for this one. And it couldn't have had a worse effect.

Shego couldn't hide the growing anger in her voice.

"Are you somehow trying to tell me that this is my fault?"

"I'm not here to pass judgment or place the blame on anyone. But-"

"But? But what?" she cut him off. "Do I have to remind you that we were all supposed to go out that night? Do you remember that you agreed to meet me at the rendezvous point with the rest of the team? And where were you, Hego? Why weren't you with me that night?"

"Well the team voted that-"

"I don't care about what the team voted!" she shrieked. "You weren't out there because you were sitting on your ass stuffing your face with pizza all night while a girl died in my arms! So don't you even try to pass the blame onto me!"

"The rest of the family agreed that we needed a night off. Even superheroes need a break from it sometimes. Like when the Fearless Ferret-"

"If you make another freakin' Fearless Ferret reference you're going to need to find a way to eat that pizza through a straw."

"Fine. But the point is that we're still human. We need time off every once in a while."

"We don't get time off, Hego," she sighed. "The bad guys don't take a day off. Crime doesn't take a day off. You've seen how bad this city has gotten. How can we live with ourselves if someone dies when… when we could have prevented it?"

The image of the dying girl returned to her head. Shego could have prevented her death. She should have prevented it. But she didn't. She had been too busy having fun. She had not taken the job seriously enough. Never again.

"How can we protect the people out there if we're not rested and at our best?" Hego countered. "I know that we have great responsibility with our powers. But what good are we to the people if we're too worn out to defend them?"

Shego didn't care about his argument. He hadn't been there. He didn't experience what she did. If he had then he would be singing a different tune.

"Just get out of my face, Henry. I'm not in the mood for this right now."

Hego didn't even bother to correct her for using his real name. He frowned as he stood up and put a comforting hand on her shoulder. He knew that she was in a bad place right now. And despite the fact that he felt that she had put herself in the situation to begin with, he still knew that he had to be understanding and compassionate for the good of the team.

"Look sis, I think I know a way to cheer you up. The mayor is holding a charity fundraising dinner tonight in our honor. We've all been invited to the Go City Banquet Hall as his guests. The thing is going to last the whole night. Tons of food and entertainment and fun. I think you'll have a great time, and it will help take your mind off of what happened the other day."

She didn't even bother wondering how Mayor Byrd had the gall to be throwing some kind of fundraiser when the city was in chaos. He and his wealthy upper-class friends would be stuffing their faces and talking about themselves all night long. Meanwhile it would be another night of crime and terror for everyone else who wasn't as fortunate. She knew her answer without having to think about it.

"No Hego. I just can't do that. This isn't a game to me anymore. This isn't some great honor or blessing. This is a war. And I can't sit back and socialize with all of those privileged fat cats who couldn't give a damn about the rest of the people in this city when they're all at risk. You can go if you want, but the rest of us are going on patrol tonight."

"Well actually… the rest of the team has already agreed to go to the dinner. I mean, how could we say no to this honor? We're finally getting to enjoy all the benefits of these great powers. Isn't this the kind of thing you deserve after all of the years of being so unhappy and ashamed about your powers?"

She closed her eyes and exhaled deeply. She knew on some level he was right. After years of wondering why she had been cursed with her new looks, after years of feeling like a freak, she did deserve to be treated like the hero that she was. But at the same time she knew that she couldn't abandon the people who were counting on her. To do so would make her no better than the wealthy men and women who would be attending the dinner.

She looked him dead in the eyes and refused to waver from her answer.

"I'm sorry, but the answer is still no. You guys go have your fun. But I'm going to be doing what you said we would be doing two years ago."

She turned to leave her room, but was stopped when Hego grabbed her arm. She spun around to look at him. A serious expression was etched on his face.

"You can't go out alone again. What did we just talk about? Do you really want another disaster to happen?"

Even with his superior strength, Hego could not maintain his grip on her arm when she was roused to anger. She yanked it away forcefully, catching him by surprise.

"Don't suddenly think you can tell me what to do. I've always followed your rules because they were the right thing to do. You made decisions that a leader should make. But not this time. I'm not going to follow orders from someone who is in this for the fame instead of the well-being of the public we're supposed to defend."

Without waiting for a reply she marched out of her room to try to get as far away from her older brother as she could.

"Shego!" he yelled after her. "I forbid you to go! As the team leader I will not stand for this disrespect!"

She stopped in her tracks and turned back to him.

"Try to stop me. We both know how that will turn out."

Her mood had gone from foul to furious. She no longer just wanted to be away from him in a different room. She had to get out of the Go Tower. It was only the early evening, but it was never too early to begin her hunting. And it would be a lot better than being confined to her island home with her eldest brother.

She grabbed the belongings that she needed for the night and stormed out of the tower. The last and most important item she stuffed in her pocket before she left was her cell phone.

XXXXXXXXXX

Shego desperately wished that she could feel the cool breeze against her skin as she sped down one of the sparsely populated streets of the industrial district of Go City. Already this evening she had broken up a gang fight and stopped the robbery of a convenience store. In both instances the police were left with several broken, bleeding bodies to rush to the hospital. She took no chances of letting anyone else die. She would beat them to a bloody pulp; she would break bones and tear ligaments when needed. But they would always be left alive for someone else to clean up.

All of this had worked up a sweat that she desperately sought relief from. But she knew that wearing her helmet was more important than the refreshment that being without it would bring. Her superpowers had blessed her with many things that made her superior to the common man, but a thicker skull was not one of them.

She could smell the water in Go City Harbor as she continued prowling the streets searching for any sign of trouble. This place like most others was deserted at night, save the desperate criminals who sought to make a living from the suffering of others. The headlight of her motorcycle illuminated the docks off in the distance. It was there that she saw something out of the ordinary.

There were workers out there. They weren't supposed to be out at night. It was already past midnight. Never mind the fact that ships were not scheduled to make deliveries at night. Even if they were the crews would be foolish to be out unloading the cargo without some sort of protection. She decided to investigate the situation for herself. If they were public workers then they could use her assistance. And if they were something worse then she would merely be doing her civic duty.

She pulled her motorcycle up around twenty yards away from where they were standing. After dismounting it and placing the helmet on its seat she walked purposefully over to the workers. A number of them were still hauling crates to a nearby truck, while others had caught sight of her and stared in her direction. As she grew closer a pair of them moved to stand in front of her, blocking her view of the others.

"What seems to be the problem?" one of the men asked.

She examined the two up and down from their stubbly beards to their heavy leather work boots. Both were muscular which she didn't think was unusual for men who lifted and moved cargo for a living. But both of them seemed to have an authoritative confidence about them. Most men would be at least a little nervous about being confronted by her.

If they thought they were intimidating her then they couldn't have been more wrong. Her voice held nothing but cold professionalism when she replied.

"Just wondering what's going on here. You people are either stupid or getting paid a ton of money to be out here at this hour loading stuff into that truck."

"Look lady, this is none of your business," the second man said. "We're doing just fine here. Now if you don't mind we're in a hurry."

She tried to step around them, but they again barred her path. She glared at them, but they showed no signs of moving.

"I suggest that you don't do that again," she warned them. "I'm not in a very pleasant mood tonight."

"Yeah? Well this here is private property," the first man said as he nodded off to the crates that were being moved. "And if you try to intrude then we'll be forced to defend ourselves and our employer's property. This is none of your business. So run along."

The other man cracked his knuckles in an attempt to emphasize the point. Shego was used to people trying to threaten her. It seemed that no matter how many criminals she put behind bars that there were still people out there who thought they could take her. She knew in her gut that something was off about these two and this whole situation. She wasn't the police. She didn't need proof. Her instincts were enough for her.

"Yeah… no."

Without warning she sent a fist flying into the first man's face. She was rewarded with a loud crunch as she shattered his nose and sent him falling to the ground in agony.

The second of the men swung as hard as he could at Shego's head, but was still not even close to hitting her. After ducking under the swing with little effort she lashed out and struck him in his ribcage. He stumbled back a step wheezing, but he would get no respite. A second fist crashed into his jaw sending him tumbling to the wooden planks of the dock and out of the fight.

The commotion had gotten the attention of the other workers who all began making their way toward the lone woman. Some carried pipes and crowbars, while others had nothing but their bare fists. It didn't matter to the young heroine. She had faced worse odds than this before. And back then she had still considered it a game. Back then she didn't attempt to be as clean and efficient as she could be. But now she had her mind focused on one thing and one thing alone. She had to end this fight as quickly and brutally as possible.

A man attempting to swing a lead pipe at her chest looked at her in horror when she caught his wrists in mid swing. Using her superior strength she pried his hands off of the pipe and bent his wrists at an angle that should have been impossible for the human anatomy to attain. After hearing numerous satisfying cracks she released him and he, like the other two, fell as he screamed.

Her hands ignited and she hurled balls of fiery green energy in the direction of her attackers. Some dove for cover behind the crates and boxes on the dock while others were hit squarely in their chests. The energy was not lethal, but would knock them out of the melee. A few errant shots slammed into the crates and in one case, a light post. Shego growled in frustration as she saw the metal pole crash down onto the wood and begin sparking. But she had no time to do anything about it. There were still people who she had to deal with.

Two more men came at her with weapons in their hands. As she had been doing for the past two years, she ducked and weaved through their blows with grace. But unlike what she used to do, she did not let them get a chance to recover and try again. She struck hard and with no mercy, shattering bones and spilling blood as she did so. In an instant these two were down and crying out in pain like the rest of them. She looked around to see how many were left and noticed that they had began to run for the truck they had been loading up.

Before she could turn to go back to her motorcycle she saw a final man swing at her with a crowbar. She caught the metal weapon as it came down on her and ignited her hands. The object snapped in two, leaving a confused and terrified man standing before her. He received a punch to the gut for his efforts, and he fell to his hands and knees trying to catch his breath. But he would not be able to do so, as Shego grabbed him by his collar and picked him up off the ground. She held him a foot off of the dock and stared at his terror-stricken eyes intently.

"What was in those crates!" she roared.

The man's legs squirmed in the air as he tried to loosen the grip she had on his shirt. After several seconds she began shaking him and repeated the question.

"What was in the crates?"

"I- I don't know!" he said quickly. "They didn't tell us!"

"Who is 'they'?"

"I can't-"

"You can and you will! Who are you working for!"

"Please don't make me! You don't want to mess with these people!"

In her anger she lifted him up higher into the air. Her arm was fully extended now and he was several feet from the surface. Her free right hand became engulfed in emerald fire as she formed a fist and held it up threateningly at him.

"No, you don't want to mess with me," she corrected him. "If you don't tell me who you're working for then I'll make sure you can never work again."

"Okay okay! Please- please just don't hurt me. Please, I have a family."

The mention of a family lessened her anger inside, but she did nothing to show this on the outside. She continued holding him in the air with a glowing green fist ready to strike him at a moment's notice.

"It was the mayor. The mayor hired us to deliver equipment to his lab."

"What lab?"

"I don't know. It's some place outside of the city. Real rural place. Inside of a mountain or something. I thought it sounded crazy too, but some of the guys have actually been there."

Her rage returned at the mention of the mayor. It figured that he would be behind a shady operation like this.

"You claim it's inside a mountain. Is it Go Mountain?"

"Yeah. There ain't any other big mountains around here. It had to be Go Mountain. I told you everything I know. Please just don't hurt me."

The flame in her hand extinguished as she set the man back down on the ground. But before she released him she spoke to him in a very serious tone.

"Go home now. Go back to your family and never work for the mayor again. I'll remember your face. And if I ever catch you doing anything illegal like this again you'll wish that you had gotten off as easily as the rest of these scumbags."

The man looked around seeing men either unconscious or whimpering and squirming in pain. He knew without a doubt that most of them would require medical attention. He nodded nervously at her threat.

"Yeah. I'm… I'm going."

The man ran away from the scene as quickly as he could and never looked back at the woman who could have broken his body, or worse.

Shego walked around the dock for a couple of minutes looking for any sign of what might have been the cargo that the mayor was expecting. Her search was rewarded when she found a crate that had been left behind by the few men who had escaped. She tore the cover off of it and found various pieces of electronic equipment inside. She didn't know exactly what they were, but if there was one thing she knew about Mayor Byrd by now, it was that anything he was up to couldn't be good. And the fact that this shipment had been scheduled for a secret midnight delivery did nothing to ease her suspicion.

This, combined with new information about some lab hidden in Go Mountain made her feel that something was very wrong in Go City. And it was all going on underneath her and her brother's noses.

XXXXXXXXXX

Drew watched with interest as Mayor Byrd unleashed yet another tirade on one of the men who had been responsible the equipment shipment the previous night. Even in his burgundy suit the mayor still seemed to be able to intimidate the man.

Things had not gone according to plan. While most of the electronic equipment had successfully made it to The Nest, the majority of the men did not. What the few people who had escaped police custody told them was alarming. They had a problem. And it was a problem in the form of a self-righteous young superhero.

She wasn't supposed to be there. She wasn't supposed to be out at all that night. Byrd had purposefully held the dinner to celebrate the achievements of Team Go that evening. The streets were supposed to be clear of any potential problems while the final pieces needed for Project PARROT were delivered. But now a few components were missing. Drew was certain that he would be able to continue on without them. Some of the pieces were just spares, while others he could find a way to do without. But that wasn't the issue that concerned the mayor the most. Shego had now stuck her nose in his most personal business. The entire operation was at risk. And if the corruption ever came to light then it would be the end for everyone involved in it. They could not risk that happening. The situation had to be dealt with swiftly.

Drew ran his fingers through his thick black hair trying to think of a solution. He was a genius after all; he should have been able to find a way out of this whole mess. But the constant screeching of the mayor was threatening to drive him mad. Part of him wanted to go over to the mayor and tell him to shut his annoying mouth. But he knew that the momentary feeling of satisfaction would be outweighed by the consequences of doing so. He needed to bite his tongue for the moment.

Blissful silence finally settled in the lab after Byrd ordered the incompetent men out of The Nest. He stomped over to where Drew was working and sat down beside him. But such peace did not last for long, and the mayor soon began ranting again.

"I can't believe that this is happening! All I ask is for one night off from those fools, and this is what I get? Can that stubborn woman not accept a damn dinner held in her damn honor?"

Drew knew the question was rhetorical and kept his mouth shut. The last thing he wanted was to be a target of the annoying man's wrath.

"I mean, come on! Her brothers know how to play this game. They go out, they save some lives, they become champions of the people, and they get rewarded for it. Then you have little miss collateral damage here blowing up my port and sending half a dozen men to the emergency room!"

He was right about that. The men that Shego had beaten were all in critical, but stable condition. She had done just enough damage to ensure that they would not be back doing any criminal activities for months, but did not put their lives at risk. The level of carnage inflicted was carefully applied and had just as much in common with art as it did violence.

Perhaps that was the answer. It gave Drew an idea.

"She's going to ruin everything!" Byrd whined.

"Mayor Byrd, I believe I may have an idea," Drew said calmly.

"Oh really? Please go on."

Drew set down the electronic objects he was working on onto the table and focused his full attention on his employer.

"Shego has already been in the news lately for her involvement in the death of that young woman on the north side of the city. Of course we both know that she didn't kill her, and that she must have done everything in her power to save her life."

"Of course. Are you going somewhere with this?"

Drew ignored the man's rudeness and continued.

"Last night she caused a lot of damage. The fallen light post caused a fire on the dock that the shipment was being unloaded onto. Several men are in the hospital now because of her. As you said, she caused a lot of collateral damage."

"I still don't see your point, Lipsky," Byrd said impatiently.

"It's simple. Shego is a loose cannon. She's taking her power and authority too far. She's starting to believe that she's above the law. That's the perception that we must make the people believe in."

A wicked grin spread on the mayor's face as he finally understood where Drew was going.

"So you want to run a smear campaign," he said thoughtfully. "You want to discredit her and destroy her reputation."

"Precisely. Even if she did somehow manage to figure out what's going on here, even if she did suspect you of any criminal activity, no one would believe her. No one would trust a masked vigilante who thinks she can do what she wants with no consequences. The public has already seen video of her fleeing the scene of a murder. What we need to do is turn the people against her completely."

"Yes, I like that. This is an excellent idea, Lipsky. I knew I hired you for something. Good work."

Drew was not used to praise, especially from this man. He decided to savor the moment.

"Thank you sir. I do my best."

"And you must continue to do your best. We are scheduled to conduct the first transformation attempt at the end of the week. You need to have everything prepared by then. I don't care what it takes. This lab must be fully operational."

"It will be. I was assembling the final machine before we began talking. Everything will be ready for Electra."

"Good. I will begin working with my advisors on coming up with the best way to discredit Shego. It's such a shame that she had to be so headstrong. Her brothers are good little pawns. They will fit right in with my new regime. But she is a cancer that needs to be cut out so that the rest of the body can survive. I think the first step will be to test the loyalty of Team Go. Tomorrow we're going to hold a little press conference."

"A press conference about what?"

Byrd stood up and smiled mischievously at his scientist.

"About the actions of our favorite little vigilante as of late."

Without saying another word, Byrd turned and strolled out of the room leaving Drew alone to finish his work. Everything would be completed on schedule. Nothing and no one would stand in his way. Especially now that he had come up with an entirely new piece to his plan.