I've been thinking about putting up a Kigo story for quite some time now, but I've been reluctant since I was juggling two other stories at that time. One of those stories has already been completed, but I was still reluctant to start on this particular story because of how busy I am in university. Thankfully, I decided to push through with this (with some constant annoyance from a friend of mine who's a Kigo fan).

I hope all of you enjoy this story!

Protection

Chapter 1: "A Startling Offer"

Her heart wrenched ever so painfully as she finally forced herself to look into those jade green orbs. She never thought that she was capable of feeling this awful amalgam of emotions being the villain she is. It wasn't supposed to turn out this way... It was just a job! A job that she took with much reluctance in all honesty. The infamous Shego, master thief and mercenary and of former glory of Team Go was only in it for the huge paycheck offered to her if she took the job. Well... There was also the other side deal that would give her immunity from the police and to some extent partial immunity from Global Justice. But those eyes! Even her will of stone, smooth and impenetrable, could not enable her to rip her gaze away from those jade green orbs filled with confusion and expectance. She had been found out and now she had to pay the price. She couldn't afford to be swayed by these trifling feelings within her... She just could not.

"Princess... Please... I can't," Shego whispered, her tone of voice a mixture of harshness and bordering begging. She was sitting on the ground, limply leaning against the stark wall. "I must not," she reiterated, her voice falling as her arch nemesis kneeled between her outstretched legs on the floor.

"I have to know, Shego," the redhead said softly. "There's something I have to find out."

"There is nothing, Kimmie." The pale green-hued villainess finally wrenched away from that piercing gaze. It had already become unbearable for her to be subjected to this kind of treatment. She hated it that she was showing weakness especially in front of the very person who induced it.

"Just this once, Shego." She inched closer, hands travelling slowly upward, lightly gliding across the smooth pale green skin of the older woman's cheeks. "Let me be the judge of that."

Then... Shego was engulfed by an intense heat... Innocence and sweetness twined with each other in a sunburst of heat, almost believing that it was even hotter than her powers of plasma. The raven-haired villainess willed herself to pull away from the delight-filled sunburst. She could not go down this path. It would never happen because of the sole reason that they were from different worlds. She had to remind the hero that the order of things will remain... that they exist on extreme sides like opposite sides of a coin and that nothing can be done to change it.

She did the first and only thing that came into her mind… she bolted up to her feet and ran.

It started rather innocently. Drakken and Shego had just been awarded and recognized as heroes of mankind after the attempted takeover by a duo of hulking aliens. The blue-tinted scientist realized that the life of a renowned hero weighs heavier in contrast to the life of an infamous mad scientist. The now good doctor currently works for the United Nations, tasked to create various inventions for the benefit of various sectors of society. As for Shego, the hero kind of life was alluring for the first few weeks, but the life filled with fame and expectations soon became too rich and tasteless for the palette of the green-hued villainess. There was no need for her to work for Drakken anymore since both the United Nations and the government were funding all his projects.

She already expected the uproar and disappointment from society when she made her decision and ultimately went back to her criminal ways. Shego had made her comeback by robbing a newly built high-security bank. Despite the high-tech security system the facility boasted, the raven-haired woman was able to bypass security without triggering the alarm. Hiding in the shadows of a plain-looking building's rooftop, Shego watched with a content smile as the baffled authorities faced an evidence-free crime scene and withstood the complaints of the bank owners. Of course, the succession of crimes was eventually pinned on her mostly thanks to Global Justice's involvement with the increasing crime rate. They figured that Shego's disappearance and short-lived transformation to good had something to do with the recent crime sprees.

Perhaps the only good thing about the involvement of the said organization was the lack of presence of a certain redhead. It was a great curiosity to the former Go City hero since her arch-nemesis would usually be behind her heels once Global Justice informs her of Shego's rampage. As it turned out, Kimberly Ann Possible was rather busy especially since she was bound to attend a renowned university. Rather than stay in her hometown of Middleton, the teenaged hero decided to take up the scholarship offered to her by Go University. Why Go University? It was closer to home compared to Harvard and New York University. Besides, Go University had a world-renowned course on European Studies, which produced numerous big-named diplomats and ambassadors. Not to mention it suited Kim's line of work perfectly since she is expected to travel around so much. What her family and friends didn't expect was her decision to also take up another major, Business Administration. Her parents dissuaded her to opt for just taking a minor in the said course instead, but their headstrong daughter refused. Nevertheless, they were proud parents of a hero who was majoring both in European Studies and in Business Administration on a full scholarship.

Shego didn't really care much when she found out about Kim's plans. She'd certainly steer away from her home after becoming a criminal again. The redhead and her brothers would certainly boost order in the city and would be a formidable team she would inevitably face if she was careless enough to commit crime in Go City. She certainly liked the thrill of going head-to-head with Kim, but she absolutely resented handling her overbearing and annoying brothers. She could do without the latter.

A few months later, the ever so evasive villainess just happened to be in the city, when the unexpected happened.

"A complete waste of time..." that was all Shego could mutter under her breath as she covertly watched the festivities below on the ground. "So much for this pit stop."

The green-hued villainess scowled deeply as she spotted the familiar blue, purple and red clad individuals parading down the crowded and confetti-strewn street. Her brothers have always loved the fame of being heroes and now they were going to bask in the ultimate kind of fame after today's events. Hego, Mego and the Wegos were going to be inducted to Go City's Hall of Fame. How about herself? Shego had already been inducted into the Hall back when she was still doing the hero business.

She had just turned twenty when a massive attack headed by their arch foe Aviarius occurred in various points of the city. Team Go had split up to tackle the attackers and as expected, Shego, the unofficial leader and the brains of the team had finished her part easily and ahead of her brothers. On her way to the aid of the twins, a bomb strategically placed in the foundations of a nearby hospital exploded as the staff and patients were evacuating to safety. The last people vacating the crumbling building were the nurses and volunteers carrying the infants.

She wasn't gifted with the power of strength like her eldest brother, but because of her cleverness or plain smarts as she liked to call it, she was able to devise a way to hold up the building for a few minutes. Unlike her brothers, the former hero had explored the limits of her comet-born powers. The raven-haired woman had found out that feeding her muscles a steady flow of her plasma, which divulges itself through the trademark fiery green energy collecting in her hands and forearms, would give her temporary spurts of super strength.

Unfortunately, she still did not know the full consequences that came with that technique in that particular point of time. She had held the whole weight of the falling building long enough for everyone to escape, but come the next day and the next two weeks, Shego was bedridden, too weak to move a single muscle in her body. Then the government decided to recognize her feat and the next thing she knew, Shego had a portrait of herself in the Hall of Fame. The newspaper's headline the next day featured a half page picture of her, bearing the weight of the building with her fiery energy covered hands with legs half sunk into concrete.

Mego had been the worst of the complainers, constantly whining at her bedside that the rest of them should have been inducted into the Hall of Fame for their work that day. It didn't make any sense that Shego would be the only person to be recognized for her efforts. Hego and the twins didn't seem to mind when they found out about city government's intention.

When she had left the hero life for the more exciting life of a criminal, Shego would often overhear the whispered conversations of people if her name had been removed from the Hall. "Oh I'm sure it's still there," she murmured, ducking into the shadows when her brothers got up to the stage. "It's probably collecting dust now in their storerooms." She scowled deeply as Hego lifted two parked cars that were in their way. Did he always have to show off his brute strength? It was exasperating. "They just don't know that I've been inducted again… inducted into the Hall of Infamy and Villains."

"Sorry for the delay!" The mayor spoke into the microphone, patting his sweaty forehead with a white handkerchief. "We'll be officially starting the induction ceremony!" He motioned to his two assistants, one holding four encased medals and the other holding framed certificates for each member of Team Go.

"Hey Hego," Mego elbowed the hulking man. "I thought you said Kim Possible was going to attend this as a special guest."

The blue-haired man leaned down slightly to speak softly to his younger brother. "She's on the guest list and she called a half hour ago saying that she was going to arrive late. Something about a make-up class."

"You think our sister is around to watch us be inducted into the Hall of Fame?" The purple-skinned man smirked looking over the crowd for signs of their treasonous sister.

"Not sis!" The twins chorused, waving to the ecstatic crowd.

"Well, you may be right about that," Hego mused, standing at attention as the mayor began his speech.

"Great work awhile ago, Miss Possible!"

"Oh it was nothing Professor Chandler! I guess being sent around the world for missions just gave me a knack for European History!" Kim replied with an enthusiastic wave.

The middle-aged professor laughed heartily. "Still have class or will you be heading back to your apartment already?"

The redhead shook her head. "I've been invited by Team Go to attend their induction to the city's Hall of Fame," she explained, glancing down at her wristwatch and noting the time with a slight frown. "I'm already rather late actually."

"You should have told me earlier that you were expected to attend the said event," the professor scolded. "I could have allowed you to cut my class… well just this once," he added, sheepishly. "I must reiterate though that you're probably one of my most brilliant students yet!" he exclaimed. "How could you manage to keep your grades up while fighting crime full time?"

Kim shrugged and tried to control her developing blush. "It's no big," she replied. "I guess that's what you get when you put a neurosurgeon and a rocket scientist together." She smiled in amusement as her professor chuckled at her comment. "Well I got to go! Hego and the rest of his brothers are waiting for me! If I'm quick I might be able to make the uncovering of their portraits in the Hall!" Kim waved goodbye to her professor and jogged down the paved path, effortlessly dodging around other students from Go University.

"Hey Kim!" A classmate of hers called from underneath the shade of a tree. The girl had dark ebony brown hair, almond shaped eyes that were a deep amber color and a tanned slim figure. Kim had met the popular, but rather soft-spoken girl in their physical education class. Kim was a cheerleader and Tai was a star football player recruited by Go University. They easily hit it off while they were made to go through a series of fitness tests. The quiet girl had easily kept up with the highly athletic and versatile Kim sparking a little competition that soon started a friendship between the two.

"Hey! Sorry I can't talk right now!" Kim called and waved at the girl. "Let's just meet up at the café tonight, Tai! Monique's in town and I want to introduce her to you!" The teen hero's best friend decided to drop out of Middleton University and move to New York to start the next semester at the acclaimed Fashion Institute of Technology. She had always known that her best friend would end up in the fashion industry especially with the way she dressed and her job at Club Banana.

"Later then Kim! Jogging later tonight?" The football player asked, retreating beneath the shade of the tree.

"Sure! I'll text you!" Kim shouted, vaulting over a bench and taking a shortcut across the lawn. She was hoping to get back to her apartment first to change into something more decent and to leave her school things before heading over to the induction of Team Go.

It was a good thing her apartment was just on the outer limits of the university. In three minutes, she had cleared one of the gates of the university and was briskly jogging towards a modest looking apartment complex. Part of her scholarship included living quarters for the eighteen year old girl. She had expected a room at one of the dormitories, but the university's administration had generously given her a spacious apartment instead. Kim raced up the stairs and swerved into the hallway with her keys in her hand. "I got to hurry!" she told herself as she let herself into her apartment. The university had certainly splurged for the teen hero. Kim's apartment boasted a fully furnished kitchen, living room, study, bathroom and bedroom. She was in the process of slipping on a nice pair of fitted black slacks and a pristine white long-sleeved polo when her kimmunicator rang. "Who could be calling me now?" Kim muttered, quickly buttoning down her shirt and flipping her auburn hair over her shoulder. "Kim here," she greeted after grabbing the device and switching it on.

"KP! I'm downstairs in the lobby!" The unmistakable voice of her boyfriend sounded from the communications device.

"Oh hi Ron!" Kim quickly flashed a smile at the blonde-haired boy. Ron Stoppable was still her partner in the whole hero business thing and her boyfriend too. He had expressed initial doubt and worry when he found out that his girlfriend was moving to Go City, but he eventually got used to the idea with the promise from Kim that they would meet up at least once a week. Her boyfriend was attending a culinary institute back in Middleton and was showing a lot of potential in becoming an excellent chef. From their last conversation, several renowned restaurants and hotels have called on Ron expressing interest in recruiting him. "Just give me two more minutes and I'll be right down!"

"Sure Kim!" Ron replied as he petted his hairless mole rat perched on his shoulder.

After hanging up, Kim grabbed a brush from her vanity and hurriedly tied her hair back in a ponytail as she made her way out of her bedroom and towards the hall closet. She tossed the brush onto the couch as she slid the closet door open and selected a pair of heels. "Do I have everything?" she wondered aloud, checking her belongings after slipping on her shoes. Seeing that everything was in order, the teen hero exited her apartment, locked the door and headed down the stairs.

"You look great Kim!" Ron gave Kim a bright smile, holding out his arms. "Am I right, buddy?" he asked the mole rat still perched on his shoulder.

"Uh-huh!" Rufus squeaked, giving Kim a thumbs-up sign before scurrying down Ron's arm and into his pocket to allow the couple to embrace.

"Thanks! You're so sweet," Kim pecked the blonde-haired boy on the cheek, grabbed hold of his hand and towed him towards the exit. "Come on! We need to get to city hall as fast as we can!" she told him as they stepped outside into the remaining daylight.

"Relax!" Ron ordered the redhead. "We're taking your car anyway!"

"But it'll be traffic especially since they're holding a big event!" Kim replied, fishing her keys out of her pocket as she headed towards the parking lot just adjacent to her apartment. She was already at the middle of the street when she noticed a red spot on her shirt. "A stain?" she cried out. "I barely stepped outside and there's a stain on one of my dress shirts!" She raised her hand in an attempt to rub the stain off. The red spot did not disappear; in fact, it jumped to the top of Kim's hand, which made the hero's green eyes widen in realization. "Ron! Get out of the way!" she shouted, her knees bending reflexively as she prepared herself to jump out of the range of firearm being aimed at her.

"Kim!" Ron shouted, finally spotting the source of the laser atop a rooftop. "There's a sniper!"

I know that! Kim thought as she flung herself to the side. If she could just get to the cover of a parked car nearby, she would be safe from the sniper's fire. The redhead was sailing through the air towards the car when she felt a flash of hot pain thud into her shoulder. Biting back a scream, Kim thudded onto the ground on her back. "I've… been shot?" She gripped her hurting shoulder and brought her hand in front of her face, the pupils of her emerald orbs diluting as she saw her own crimson blood staining her hand.

"Kim! I'm coming!" Ron shouted, his frantic footsteps getting louder and louder as he approached his girlfriend. Two more shots rang out, hitting the asphalted ground in front of Ron. "Watch it man!" He jumped back and glared up at the sniper on the roof. "Why don't you come down here and we'll settle things!" He waved his fist with an angry glare on his face. He intended to beat the unknown attacker to a bloody pulp.

Finally, the sniper chuckled, his deep voice unmistakably revealing that he was a man. "Just as I expected from the so-called lover of the Kim Possible," the sniper got up to his feet and looked down at the pair from his position on the roof. He was a tall man over six and a half feet tall and powerfully built underneath the zipped up black trench coat he wore. "I still wonder though why a boy of your stature managed to be accepted by a world-renowned hero."

"Shut up and come down here!" Ron roared. He glared up at the attacker, trying to get a better look at his face. The only thing he could actually recognize was the unruly long black tresses on the man's head. The trench coat collar was high and covered everything beneath his steel gray eyes.

"As you wish," he replied, stepping off the roof and falling to the ground ten stories below. With a grace that highly resembled that of a feline, the man landed on the ground with his knees slightly bent. He walked slowly towards the fallen redhead who was breathing hard and trying to control the flow of her blood. "I'll make this quick Stoppable," he told the furious boy. "Whatever attempt you do to try to save this girl," he pointed at Kim. "You will fail miserably. Nothing can stop me from getting what I want."

"And what is it that you want?" Ron demanded, clenching his fists and getting himself ready to call on his mystical monkey power.

The trench-coated man laughed and shook his head. "Power," he replied, clenching his fists for emphasis. "Or as other villains call it, word domination." He cocked his head to the side and regarded Ron with his steel gray eyes. "Well boy? Is that enough of an answer for you?"

"You're just one of those freaky criminals!" Ron shouted. "Well whatever! I'm going to beat you!" he claimed, getting into an attacking stance. "And if I don't beat you, which I really think is impossible, then Kim will do it!" He glanced quickly at his injured girlfriend. "When she gets better that is," he added.

"There won't be a next time!" The built man laughed hard as he stared down at the boy. "You do know why I am here?" he questioned him. "My actions earlier would have gave away my intention."

Ron's dark brown eyes narrowed in anger. "You were really trying to kill Kim?" he demanded in a shout. "Why kill her? She's just a girl going to college! Taking over the world has nothing to do with Kim!"

"Au contraire," the new and unknown villain replied patiently. "Kimberly Ann Possible has everything to do with getting world domination." He stepped towards the redhead, reached down, gripped Kim around the throat and lifted her into the air. "Kill Kim Possible and you get rid of the biggest obstacle to attain power and world domination," he explained, watching in interest as the girl struggled to breathe.

"Get your hands off her!" Ron ran forward, leaping into the air in a somersault and aiming a kick at the gray-eyed villain's midsection. As his foot connected with the man's stomach, he kicked up with his other leg at the man's arm and made him lose his grip around Kim's neck. The villain stumbled back from the hit as Ron twisted in midair. "Run Kim!" Ron told his girlfriend as he landed on his feet, knees bent low to the ground.

"I don't think so." The stretched his arm out at the blonde-haired boy.

"What are you going to do?" Ron taunted, dropping down once more into an offensive stance. "Don't tell me you're going to do a clothesline on me!" He was in the process of releasing a laugh when his voice got caught in his throat. "What the?!" He couldn't believe his eyes as the villain's outstretched arm began to shift.

Shifting seemed like such a simple term to use to describe the transformation of the man's arm. Flesh that was supposed to be firm and supple gave way to hard silver as metal partitions of flesh covered metal moved over and under before settling into its new shape. The once normal looking outstretched arm was now a large silver gun pointed at Ron.

"Surprised?" The man asked, twisting the muzzle of his gun-arm.

"What the hell are you?!" Ron sputtered. "You shot Kim with that?!" He pointed a shaky finger at the mechanical extension of his arm.

The man nodded his head turning his head to regard the sudden blast of police sirens. "To put it simply for you, they call me a cyborg," he replied. "But I'd rather be called Balken Steel." He shot a rain of bullets that glowed white with heat. "Try as you might, you won't be able to kill me. There's nothing human left in me to kill anyway," he added with a maniacal grin.

Ron rolled, jumped, flipped and ducked in order to avoid the barrage of bullets. If it weren't for his mystical monkey powers, he would probably be on the ground with his body riddled with bullets. He had to find an opening somehow to get rid of him before he did any more damage. I have to protect Kim! He thought to himself. There! Balken Steel's gun-arm continued to fire uselessly at him, bullets no longer leaving the muzzle. He had run out of ammo. Throwing himself against the wall of the apartment, Ron kicked at it to propel himself forward. "You're going down!" Ron shouted, flying through the air and throwing his fist out to meet the gray-eyed man's face.

"Idiot," the cyborg muttered as an audible click sounded. The gun on his arm disappeared and shifted to turn into a double bladed sword. Sidestepping the onslaught of the blonde-haired boy, Balken Steel rammed his knee hard up into Ron's stomach as the momentum of his wall kick kept him sailing through the air. As the boy's body bent in pain in midair, the cyborg grabbed the boy's head with his free hand and slammed him down hard into the ground, taking pleasure in hearing the familiar crunch of breaking bones. "I've done my research. This mystical monkey power is no match for me." He kicked repeatedly at the battered boy's body before picking him up. "Now why don't you take a nice nap?" 

With a yell of effort, he catapulted Ron's body into the side of the apartment building and watched him slam into the hard brick.

"No! Ron!" Kim shouted in vain as she rolled onto her knees, while still clutching at her bleeding gunshot injury. She couldn't believe it. Kim Possible was finally face to face with a villain who is ultimately ruthless and merciless.

"Ah so you finally speak," Balken mused, turning on his heels to regard the weakened hero. "You're getting rather pale," the cyborg pointed out, making his double bladed sword rotate 360 degrees as he slowly stepped towards Kim. "It's normal especially since you've lost a lot of blood."

"What are you going to do?" Kim asked, fear evident in her eyes.

"Why kill you of course!" The gray-eyed man smiled at Kim, his eyes devoid of emotion.

Back at Go City's city hall, the mayor was preparing to make his announcement to move the festivities to a reserved function room in a hotel. The induction of Team Go had gone without any trouble and now the brothers were entertaining questions from the numerous reporters and journalists attending the event.

"Looks like Kim Possible couldn't make it, Hego," Mego told his brother, posing readily for the cameras aimed at him.

Hego frowned and shook his head as the crowd around them began to increase in size. "I'm sure that she'll still be coming," he replied, putting his hands up in defense as the reporters stuck microphones and tape recorders at his face. "She'll be the reception at least."

"Will there be food?" The Wegos asked, placing their arms around each other's shoulders.

"It's a reception," Mego retorted. "Of course there'll be food!" He rubbed his eyes over his mask before turning an ear to the distant sound of sirens. "Something's happened," he observed. "Should we check it out?" he asked his eldest brother.

"Well…" Hego hesitated for a few seconds before he, his brothers and the others around them staggered at a sudden downburst of wind. "A Global Justice jet!" Hego exclaimed, looking up at the sky as the large dark blue jet hovered several feet above them. The door of the aircraft slid open to show the familiar eye-patched director of the organization.

"Team Go," Director Betty shouted from the jet's doorway. "We are in need of your assistance. There has been an attack in the area of Go University."

Hego frowned and motioned to his brothers. "Who is the attacker and has anyone been injured?" he asked, nodding an apology to the concerned mayor.

The director nodded her head. "We've seen the attacker through our satellite cameras, but he is a completely new entity. We got nothing from our databases and have no idea what he is capable of doing. As for the injured, he has successfully taken out Ron Stoppable."

"And Kim?" Hego pressed, not being able to conceal the worry in his voice.

"She's nursing a gunshot injury," the director replied, looking off at the distance with a grim look on her face. "If you don't hurry then we might be met with a lifeless body or two."

"Would you like to hear my reasons for taking this battle straight to you, Kim Possible?"

The redhead's lips twisted as she forced herself not to cry out in pain. All she could do now was continue glaring at her newest opponent and entertain him. She quickly glanced to where Ron's lifeless body lay. Inside, she was silently praying that her partner was fine, but still acknowledged that he would be badly hurt if he was indeed alive.

The gray-eyed man crossed his arms over his chest, taking care not to slice himself with his double bladed sword. "I take your silence as a yes," he answered for the hero, an amused smile forming on his thin lips. "You see Kim Possible, I've always been a patient man. Even when I was still fully human, my patience could be compared to that of a mountain… vast and unmoving." He smoothed his unruly raven hair with his remaining normal hand. "In this case, my patience became a problem," he explained. "I had been meaning to make my move to take over the world for quite some time now, but I knew that it would be not likely since you were around." He paced in front of the kneeling Kim with his arms languidly crossed over his chest. "Instead of going head on with you, I placed my bets on the other villains to take care of you."

"Coward," Kim growled, stemming the flow of her blood with her blood-soaked hand.

"Perhaps," Balken replied, looking like the insult had not taken any effect on him. "I should not have relied on the capabilities of these would-be criminals to dispose a cheerleader. Cowardice or pride?" he asked, looking thoughtfully at the wounded hero. "I'd like to say I'm an honest man so I'll say it was a little of both." His emotionless steel gray eyes locked with those jade green orbs. "In the past, I wasn't that…" he frowned, trying to look for the right word. "-confident yet of my abilities," he finished, lightly running his palm over his double bladed sword-arm. "At the same time, I did not want to make such an early appearance. There were quite a lot of villains who were vying for your attention. I'm the possessive type." He gave her another smile void of feelings. "I don't like sharing the spotlight with certain masked midgets, blue-skinned men, a real life monkey man and a father-son duo who know nothing about evil." The newest villain in town stopped pacing and grabbed hold of the front of Kim's shirt, easily lifting her off the ground. "I prefer to go one on one."

"Let go of me!" Kim cried, struggling to escape from the man's hold.

"I don't think so Miss Possible," Balken replied, easing his sword-arm up and resting the blades along Kim's smooth cheek. "The villains you fought were all rather stupid," he said with disdain, pressing down slightly and running the sharpened edge of his sword-arm down Kim's cheek. "If they had wanted to get rid of you, they should have stuck with the simplest of plans." He smiled sadistically as his blades finally drew blood from Kim's face. "A simple assault would have been sufficient, but they choose to implement elaborate plans of manipulating your mind or imprisoning you." The trench-coated man shook his head. "No matter, it will end today," he told the wide-eyed hero. He raised the girl higher into the air and brought back his sword-arm, positioning it for a direct thrust through Kim's body.

"Release her!"

A large projectile thudded into Balken Steel's mechanical arm. The villain looked up at the sky and could only grin up at the familiar letters emblazoned on the blue jet hovering above him. "Here's another party-crasher," he announced with false cheer, still not lowering his blade and keeping his hold on Kim Possible. "Come any closer and you'll be searching for a new recruit, director," he threatened the one-eyed woman aiming a large rifle at him. Suddenly, numerous footsteps sounded all around him as three different colored glows shone at the corners of his vision and over a dozen guns were pointed at him. "I see you've brought reinforcements," he said with a sigh, eying the Global Justice agents and the member of Team Go around him.

"Release Kim Possible," Director Betty ordered once again from the open doorway of her jet.

The steel-gray eyed man lifted his face to the sky and began to laugh. "I wonder who will get killed first, madam director?" he asked. "A fully armored cyborg or a mere human girl?" Throwing his opponents a maniacal grin, he flexed his arm and prepared to thrust his sword-arm through the redhead's body.

"Now Will!" The director shouted the order as Global Justice's top agent skillfully fired his watch-Taser at the back of the villain's neck. "Pulse him at full power!" She watched as the young man turned a small knob on his watch then pressed it as visible current travelled from the wires into Balken's flesh covered neck.

"Arghhh!" The gray-eyed man roared, his body went through spasms induced by the electricity running through his body. He may have been a cyborg, but his human organs and other remaining human parts were still prone to the electrical attack. He couldn't control his muscles anymore and lost his grip on Kim's shirt, dropping her to the ground as he fought against the strong current of electricity pulsing through his body.

As soon as Kim was released and on the ground, Hego swooped into action, sprinting forward and powerfully tackling the cyborg onto the ground with a spray of asphalt. The blue-haired strong man jumped out of the dust, quickly scooped the injured hero into his arms and carried her to the safety if his three brothers.

"Apprehend the criminal!" Director Betty barked, pointing at the crater created by Hego's powerful tackle. She watched in relief as her agents carefully moved towards the craters, guns pointed down. "Team Go please take Miss Possible and Stoppable to the nearest hospi-" Her voice was suddenly drowned out by deafening sound of bullets and the screams of her agents. "What the hell?!" She watched wide-eyed as each of her agents fell to the ground, bodies riddled with bullets.

"I hate it when people interrupt me," the familiar deep voice sounded from beneath the crater. As the dust settled, it was evident that Balken Steel was relatively unhurt. The assassin jumped out of the hole and stood on solid ground, stretching his neck from side to side as his two transformed gun-arms smoked from the muzzle. "This fight is between me and the girl," he informed the remaining agent of Global Justice, the director and Team Go. "Hand her over," he ordered ominously.

"We're outnumbered," the director growled. "Seeing how this Balken Steel survived a deadly blast from Will Du's Taser and a tackle from Hego, I highly doubt we'll be able to beat him," she thought aloud.

"Wego!" Hego shouted, lifting a car and heaving it at the cyborg. "Multiply and surround him!" He ran to another car and flung it again in the same direction. "Mego! Now is the time to try out growing bigger! Protect Kim and Ron!"

With a scowl, the purple-skinned lanky man closed his eyes as his purple energy coated his whole body. After a few seconds, Mego began to grow slowly to a height of twenty-five feet. The twins on the other hand had run off in different directions, multiplying as they made a circle around the criminal while Hego picked up two more cars and held them poised over his head.

"Move and I fire this rocket launcher at you!" Will Du shouted from above a fire escape. "I managed to get some of your DNA after using my Taser on you. This rocket is locked onto your DNA." He looked through the scope of the weapon.

The Director of Global Justice took this opportunity to make her demands again. "Surrender now and you won't be attacked," she offered, putting a hand behind her back and pressing a button on a hidden mechanical device. She wasn't going to take any chances so she called for more reinforcements.

The assassin let out a long sigh and raised his gun-arms. Team Go and Will Du stiffened at the action, thinking that the man was going to unleash a barrage of bullets at them. The relaxed slightly when both the mechanical arms shifted and began their transformation back to normal looking hands and arms. "I guess I have no choice…" Balken stared at them, a sudden grin developing on his face. "I'll retreat for now, but rest assured I will have Kim Possible's life!" He raised his fist in the air, which was already transforming into a new type of weapon.

"Get back Team Go!" Will shouted, taking aim at the assassin and firing his rocket launcher. They watched as Balken Steel drove his metal-clad fist into the ground, opening a fissure on the road as dust and debris whirled around him. The launched rocket sliced through the smoke and made contact, exploding in a burst of flame and scattered rock. The agent jumped down from the fire escape and cautiously made his way to the blast zone with Team Go at his sides.

"Well?" Director Betty asked after lowering herself down to the ground via ropes from the jet.

The top agent of the organization shook his head. "He escaped it somehow. There should have been traces of him here if the rocket had hit its mark."

"Hego!" Mego called, already back to his original size. "We better get these two the hospital!" he gestured at the already unconscious Kim and Ron.

"Damn it!" Betty cursed, motioning for the jet's pilot to touch down. "Bring them to the jet! We'll fly them to the nearest hospital!" After making sure that Team Go, Will Du and the two injured heroes were inside the aircraft, she ordered the pilot to take off.

"This had turned out to become a serious situation," Hego observed, looking grimly at the states of Kim Possible and her boyfriend.

"To make it worse, I really believe that this Balken Steel is not done with his assaults yet," Betty replied as they flew towards Go City Hospital.

The hospital staff was struggling that day. They had not expected a jet to land on their rooftop bearing Team Go, the director and top agent of Global Justice and the two unconscious forms of Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable. News had travelled fast and there were now dozens of reporters trying to get into the hospital to find out what had happened. Both Ron and Kim had to be both rushed to the operation rooms, with Ron being classes an almost fatal case.

A few hours later, Doctors James and Ann possible rushed into the hospital ward with Jim and Tim in tow. Ron's parents were still on their way from Middleton. "How is she?" The neurosurgeon asked as her husband stood behind his wife with his hands on her shoulders.

Director Betty let out a tired breath and handed a clipboard to the nurse she was talking to. "Kimberly's condition has been stabilized," she informed the concerned parents. "She only attained one gunshot wound to the shoulder and a few bruised to the body. She suffered extensive blood loss though, which has already been handled care of Will Du who donated the blood for the transfusion himself."

"Will Du?" Doctor James Possible asked, looking at the dark-haired agent who was sitting against the wall and deeply breathing through the induced nausea of donating blood.

Betty nodded. "The hospital's blood bank did not have AB- blood, which is the blood type of your daughter. Fortunately, our top agent also shares the same blood type and volunteered to donate blood for your daughter's blood transfusion."

"And Ronald?" Ann asked.

"He's currently in the intensive care unit," Betty replied. "He's suffering from a shattered cheekbone, a cracked skull and two broken ribs. Team Go is currently watching over him as of the moment. For now, I'd like to discuss another matter," she told the family.

"Can it wait? I'd like to see my daughter," Ann told the director.

Betty shook her head. "It is important for I deeply fear for your daughter's life," she replied, noting the distressed looks on the family's faces. "The man who is responsible for this is a completely unknown being. We only found out today when we rescued Kim and Ron that he goes by the name of Balken Steel, a cyborg specializing in weapons, assault and assassination." She leaned against the stark wall of the hospital hallway. "Apparently, he had wanted to do away with Kim Possible immediately in order to attain his goals of evil. I'm sorry to give you this information, but this man is a ruthless and merciless killer. I'm afraid he won't stop until he snuffs the life out of Kim."

"But you can protect her!" Ann cried out, her hands clenching into fists. "You're the director of Global Justice and command a vast army of agents! I'm sure there's something or someone in your organization who could protect Kim from this madman!"

"It's not that simple. My agents are spread all over the world and have different duties to attend to," Betty explained to the doctors. "Even if I was able to assign a squad or even a legion of my agents to Kim, I am doubtful that they will be able to protect her."

"You make it sound like that there is no stopping this killer," Doctor James Possible pointed out, anger burning in his green eyes.

"That situation is not farfetched Mister Possible," Betty replied. "In all my years as a part of Global Justice, I have never encountered such a villain who can kill with ease. Even the only criminal I knew of who's very capable of killing hesitates from committing such an act and has misgivings about it."

"Then nothing can be done?" Ann whispered, clutching the front of her chest. "There has to be something…"

A doctor came out of the room and stared at the arguing adults. "Pardon me, but you could see Miss Possible now," he told them, ushering Ann and the twins into the room. While Ann and her twin sons visited the now conscious Kim, James Possible remained outside with the director.

"Well?" he asked again. "Is it just as my wife said?"

The one-eyed director let out a long sigh. "I did not mean to look like I've given up on your daughter," she apologized to the rocket scientist, scuffing her foot against the clean floor. "I've already asked Team Go to keep an eye on Kim, but even they have their own responsibilities to attend to."

"Is there anything else?" James pressed, clearly worried for his daughter's life.

"There may be a way," Betty began, kneading her temples tiredly. "But even then I am not sure if I can arrange for it and assure you that it will work out."

James Possible stepped forward and looked desperately at the director. "Please," he begged.

Betty let out a defeated sigh and fished out her cellphone. There was only one way to ensure the life of Kim Possible and she knew that it was going to be easy to strike a deal like that.

At a deserted and dark portion of Go City, Shego stood leaning against a large black racing bike. The bike was the love of Shego's life and cost her a significant fortune. She reveled in the black carbon fiber chassis of her Ducati Desmosedici GP9 bike, it twin V4 L-engines with two-cylinder stroking each and sixteen valves. It was truly a powerful machine able to reach a speed of 210 miles per hour. It had cost her a whopping 75,000 dollars and an addition 25,000 for added features and customization. Where had she gotten the money? Surprisingly, she had gotten her finances from her legal investments, proving to be not just a expert criminal, but also a brilliant investor. She was smart compared to her brothers when she was still in the hero business. Instead of splurging on the building of Go Tower and other unnecessary things, Shego had invested what she had earned in various businesses and the stock market.

In reality, Shego did not need to continue her life of crime because of her accumulating wealth from her legal investments. The life of a villain just kept her blood flowing through her veins and she certainly wasn't ready to settle down and lead a boring life. It was getting quite late. Night was fast approaching and Shego had no plans of staying in her home city. She pushed herself away from her Ducati bike and was about to mount it when a car passed by, its windows open and letting out a blast of sound from the radio.

"-destructive attack occurred outside of Go University wounding two and killing more than a dozen of the police force sent to-" the radio reporter's voice died out as the car drove by the green-skinned villain.

"Interesting," Shego mused. "Looks like Hego and the others weren't able to handle this particular job properly." She shrugged and gripped the two handlebars of the large bike just as a squad of blue-jacketed and armed men surrounded her. "Tch! I haven't done a single evil thing in this city and I'm being arrested?" she growled, taking her hands away from the bike and clenching them into fists, green energy collecting and glowing around them.

"Holster your weapons, men," a woman's voice commanded from beyond the circle of men. "Calm down Shego. We are not here to take you to prison." The director of Global Justice stepped through the opening made by her men in the circle.

"Oh yeah?" Shego asked, the green plasma never leaving her hands and forearms. "Since when has the director of Global Justice ever passed up the opportunity to capture the infamous black sheep of Team Go?" Her feet slowly parted and planted themselves lightly on the ground while her knees bent in preparation to attack.

Betty let out an exasperated sigh as she took the two guns holstered at her belt and handed them to one of her agents. "Leave us," she ordered them, glaring to emphasize her point. As the men reluctantly backed away and headed down the street, Shego could not help but scowl at how things were turning out.

"I don't like this," Shego muttered, her stance still showing that she was wary and ready to attack.

"Neither do I," the director retorted. "But this is an urgent matter I must discuss with you."

For a few moments, neither of the women moved or made a sound. They merely stared at each other, waiting for the other to make a move to attack. Finally, Shego relented and extinguished her green plasma powers. "Alright Miss one-eye director, what is it that you want to talk about? Make it quick." She was just about to add that she most probably won't do what she asked, but Betty had beaten her to it.

"I know I know… you most probably won't accept my proposal, but it's still worth a try and I have come up with a few good deals to entice you to acceptance," Betty interrupted, ignoring the glare thrown by those dark emerald green eyes. "Have you heard about what happened at Go University?"

"Bits and pieces," Shego replied, looking uninterested. "Some dude injured and killed a few people and destroyed quite a bit of the area." She crossed her arms over her chest and looked at her clawed and gloved fingers. "I hope you're not pinning the blame on me like how your goody-two shoes organization did earlier." She walked towards the director.

The director frowned and opened her mouth to remind the villainess that it was indeed her who had been the cause of the recent bank robberies and theft related incidents, but decided not to speak of it. "No, we're quite sure that the man who almost killed Ron Stoppable and Kim Possible was the one who caused trouble in that area," she said bluntly.

Shego almost stumbled, but managed to regain her balance quickly. "Did I just hear right? Kimmie and that buffoon boyfriend of hers were almost killed?" She started to laugh hard. "This is a really stupid joke, director!"

"The buffoon boyfriend was powerless despite his mystical monkey powers," Betty pointed out with utmost seriousness. "He sustained grave injuries after trying to protect Kim who had been shot by a mysterious cyborg-like man."

Shego stopped laughing. She had always known that the director was an overly serious character, but somehow the tone of voice she was using on the villain was different. It wasn't just serious, but it also bore a tone of sincerity, fear and worry. "Pumpkin couldn't have fallen to some newcomer villain! She's more than that!"

"Unfortunately, this situation didn't turn out right." Betty shook her head. "Do you need me to bring you to Go City Hospital just to see if I'm telling the truth?" she asked the stunned villainess. "Your brothers are currently keeping watch over Kim and Ron."

"Hmphhh…" Shego growled, the small ball of concern that developed in her chest faded away as soon as she heard about her brothers. "What do you need me for then? It looks like you and my brothers have everything under control."

"It would seem that way but there's the other fact that we weren't able to capture or kill this certain Balken Steel," the director explained, looking weary to the bone.

"I still don't see how I come into this picture," Shego pointed out, starting to feel impatient. "If my brothers can't protect Kimmie, then I'm sure she'll be able to defend herself when she gets out of the hospital."

"You don't understand Shego. If you had seen how this Balken Steel attacked Kim and Ron, you wouldn't be so trusting of a completely recovered Kim's capabilities to defend herself. I'm sure there'll be some trauma," Betty told the frowning green-hued woman, looking at her carefully with her remaining eyes. "I want you on bodyguard duty," she finally told the shocked villainess.

"What?!" Shego roared, her hands bursting into green flame. "Listen here one-eye! I'm not just going to skip back over the line back to the good side to protect Kimmie!" She stepped forward threateningly.

"Why not?"

"Well doi!" Shego shouted, burying her glowing fist into the side of a building. "I'm a villain! She's a hero! I don't do good stuff anymore and that includes bodyguard detail!" She pulled her fist out, clenching a chunk of brick and crushed it.

"You will be given something in return if you accept the job," Betty informed the woman in a green and black catsuit.

Shego scowled and turned away, already planning to hop on her Ducati bike and race off and out of this city. "What if I tell you, I refuse?" she threw the question at the older woman.

"What if I tell you that you will be given a paycheck worth five million dollars with an initial down payment of a million and a half dollars?" Betty threw back at the raven-haired woman.

The green-eyed ex-hero stopped in her tracks and glanced over her shoulder to regard the director of the organization that has been trying to stop her criminal activities. "That's quite a big offer to just do bodyguard detail for Kimmie," she pointed out, interest shining in her eyes. "But that's not enough for me to do it."

Betty sighed and covered a frown with her hand. She had hoped that the large paycheck would be enough to buy Shego over. "If you manage successfully keep Kim Possible alive until we get a hold of Balken Steel then you will be granted full immunity from the police all over the world."

"And?" Shego looked expectantly at her.

This woman drives a hard bargain! Betty thought as she crossed her arms over her chest in thought. "All right," she agreed, offering her hand to Shego. "If successful, you will also get partial immunity from Global Justice," she told the ex-hero who stepped forward and gripped her hand in a handshake. At least until Balken Steel is dead or behind bars and Kim Possible will be ready to take you in, she thought silently.

"I expect the down payment in my bank account by tonight," Shego reluctantly told the director. "I assume you'll be providing me with the details and equipment needed for bodyguard detail?" she asked. "I need a disguise." She eyed the director with a scowl. "I can't just let anyone especially Kim know that I'm her bodyguard! I'm still and will always be a villain and this is just a temporary job!"

"Of course," Betty agreed. "You have proven your point well and we will send you a suitable disguise or outfit while you guard Kim Possible." She ran slightly sweaty fingers through her dark brown hair. "As for where you'll stay-"

"Don't bother," Shego interrupted, putting a hand up in front of Betty's face. "I have my own place that no one knows of." She certainly didn't want to find out that the director had intentions of placing her in the same living space as her new charge. "You needn't worry," she assured the director. "Kimmie lives in an apartment on Jackson Street outside the campus right?"

"Correct."

Shego turned around and hopped onto her Ducati bike. "I live close by there so I'll be able to keep an eye on princess," she informed the director as she ignited the engines. "When do I start?"

The director looked up at the starless night sky and prayed that she had made the right choice. "Immediately."

Author's Notes:

Well this is the first chapter. I'd like to believe that it turned out ok. Anyway, I decided to come up with this story partly because of the reason that there was a lack of villains who actually took their work seriously (hardly any brutality or Machiavellian characteristics) so I decided to come up with a new villain to help drive the plot of this story and also draw Kim and Shego together.

This is definitely a Kigo story, but there won't be any sparks until after a few chapters so bear with me for the next few months.

Next Chapter: The road to recovery and a mysterious stranger.