"Not enough lettuce, too much salsa and don't get me started on those beans!" Ned, the manager at Bueno Nacho, berated Kim as she tried to prepare another customer's order. This was the third time for today that she had apparently messed up a taco according to her boss.

"Sorry." Kim grumbled as she began making a new one. This job looked so much easier at first glance.

Ned pointed over at Ron who was diligently sending food out one after another with little effort. "You could learn a lot from your fellow employee. Now make another taco combo set on the double, you have three new orders coming in after that."

Ned walked away with his clipboard that she wanted to break in half. Kim groaned mentally in her head and got to work, painstakingly measuring the amount of ingredients before passing them over to Ron to send them out. An older middle aged couple glared at her incompetence as they pointedly kept looking at their watch while waiting for their food. The worst part was this wasn't even the busiest part of the day. Customers filtered in but not enough to create huge lines. She shuddered just thinking about it.

She could get through this. Only two weeks and she could buy her new green leather jacket from Club Banana.

"C'mon, KP. Pick up the pace!" Ron snapped his fingers impatiently. "We got customers waiting."

His attitude was definitely not helping her mood. "First of all, I'm moving as fast as I can. Second, I thought you didn't even want this job!"

"I didn't know what I wanted Kim." Ron dramatically put his Bueno Nacho hat on his chest. "I was lost until I found my true calling. I belong to Bueno Nacho!"

With that exclamation, he sauntered off, probably to once again convince Ned to put his Naco on the menu.

"Two weeks to jacket, two weeks to jacket." Kim told herself, leaning her forehead on the soda dispenser.

"I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"

Kim was startled out of her funk and saw Danny grinning at her from the other side of the counter.

"Should I leave you and the soda machine alone for a bit before I place my order?" Her friend teasingly wiggled his eyebrows.

"You're a riot." Kim replied sarcastically. Inwardly, she was glad to see another friendly face. Her new part time job was less glamorous than she would've hoped. She thought dragging Ron along for the ride would make things less monotonous and irritating. That plan backfired on her really quick. "What brings you here?"

Danny shrugged. "My turn to pick the place to eat and to my utter disbelief, I have been craving that monstrosity Ron calls a Naco."

Kim made a face. "How could you guys eat that stuff?"

"Hey, give the guy some credit, he knows his Bueno Nacho." Danny said, glancing past Kim. "Dude must be in heaven. He gets to see all the backroom stuff we mortals on this side of the counter can only dream of."

"More like a nightmare." Kim muttered, but Danny laughed as he caught it.

"Careful, I might just have to report this insubordination."

"You wouldn't dare."

Danny's grin took on a mischievous glint and Kim's expression morphed into horror as he called out to her manager. "Hey Ned!"

The older teen in question turned as Kim held her breath until Danny spoke again.

"Liking the new tie, dude."

"Why thank you, Danny. It's a clip-on." Ned was pleased to demonstrate the easy release of his accessory. "Quick removal in case of grease fires."

When Ned turned around to get back to his regular duties, Kim reached over the counter and smacked Danny on the chest. "You jerk! Don't scare me like that."

"Your expression was worth it."

Kim huffed in mock anger but she knew Danny would never do anything mean on purpose. She'd been learning a lot of things about him lately. The Ember fiasco last week had opened her eyes to a new side of him. His calm and confident demeanor during the whole situation was a jarring contrast from his usual carefree and laid back attitude. It was clear to anyone that Danny had been in his element that night. He liked to downplay his involvement after the craziness was good and done because apparently they found him stuffed in a utility closet and he had been trapped throughout the whole fight. He said he tried to distract a bouncer from coming into the control room where the communicator was plugged into and was swiftly man-handled. He was pretty embarrassed about the whole thing but they were quick to assure him that it was because of his plan that they succeeded.

That and the timely intervention of Phantom…

"Uh, hello?" Bonnie stomped over to the counter and poked Danny in the ribs. "You were supposed to be ordering food."

"What, I can't make small talk?" Danny rubbed his side.

Bonnie turned her attention to Kim and her smile turned wicked. "Oh hey, Kim. Love the new outfit. Really suits you."

It was Danny's turn to poke Bonnie in the side. "Be nice."

Kim was about to make a snide retort of her own when she spotted her boss observing her from the side with his clipboard at the ready. Of course he chose now of all times to pay attention to what she was doing. She must've had at least two strikes already. Another would mean her pay would be docked an hour, which meant she had to play nice. Right now, she was an employee and Bonnie was a customer.

"Welcome to Bueno Nacho, how may I help you?" Kim put on the biggest and fakest smile as she could.

"Oh wow, I could get used to this." Bonnie looked absolutely delighted. "Hmm, what are your low fat options? How mild is the diablo sauce? I don't like any tomatoes so can you be a dear and take those out? I'd really appreciate it."

Kim answered all of the girl's infuriating questions which she knew were nothing more than attempts to get her riled up. Her paycheck was not getting docked just because of Bonnie. With the image of her soon to be green leather jacket in mind, she resisted the urge to lean over the counter and wipe the smirk off the girl's face. She'd pay her back for this during cheer practice tomorrow.

Thankfully, Danny stepped in. "Okay, you've had your fun Bon. I'm sure Kim has better things to do than cater to our outrageous concerns."

"Hey, I'll have you know that my concerns are valid!" Bonnie insisted.

Danny rolled his eyes. "I'll have a nacho and taco combo set, grande sized. Tara will have the grilled chicken salad the same as Bonnie with some churros."

Bonnie pouted at Danny. "Spoilsport." She began to head back to their shared table where Tara was sitting but not before getting one last dig in. "But I was serious about that tomato thing. If I see even a single slice of tomato, I'm seriously going to complain."

"Sorry about that. She really has a mouth on her, huh?" Danny said as he paid for their order.

"Tell me about it." Kim rang up their bill and handed him the receipt.

Danny then took out an extra five dollars out of his pocket and was about to put it in the tip jar before Kim grabbed his hand. "Danny, you don't have to do that."

"It's no problem." Danny smiled at her reassuringly. "I want to. Think of it as a small apology for the stunt I pulled earlier."

Kim's heart skipped a beat as he gave her that earnest smile. Another thing she was beginning to learn about him, it seemed. When she first met him, he was always…distracted. But nowadays, he smiled a lot more. She liked seeing him smile.

She let go of his hand, albeit reluctantly. "Thanks. That's real sweet of you."

He nodded. "Don't mention it."

She watched him head over to their table and slid into the booth beside Bonnie before preparing their order. They began talking about something she was too far away to hear but something about Danny's comment triggered a memory of not too long ago.

"Where's that other mouthy girl and her ghostly boy toy?"

Ember had asked her that in the middle of their fight. In the heat of the moment, Kim didn't really understand what the ghost meant. Why did she say that? Back at the school, she only fought Phantom before fleeing once the authorities started to arrive. But then again, the video she watched only covered the first half of the fight. There was another part of it she didn't see since it took place on the roof…

But if that was the case, someone else had to have been present during their scuffle. Kim knew that she shouldn't take a ghost's words at face value but it had been thrown out so casually. She couldn't just dismiss them because certain things did seem to line up. Sam said she found herself in the hallway and the other two people not affected by the spell were boys. That left only one person the ghost was talking about and Kim didn't like the implications.

Somehow, Bonnie was connected to Phantom. However, Danny also mentioned that the two of them were in the classroom together during the whole event. Something wasn't right and this whole mess left Kim with more questions than answers. She had to get to the bottom of this.

Ned clearing his throat snapped her out of her thoughts. "Daydreaming, Ms. Possible?"

Kim had been so distracted by her train of thought that she didn't realize her finger was still on the button of the cheese dispenser. Thick and gooey cheese overflowed from the order of nachos, down the counter top until it left a small puddle on the floor.

"Whoops?"

She was promptly handed a mop without another word.

"I take back everything I said earlier, we should eat here more often." Bonnie grinned in amusement as she watched Kim flounder in her new part time job. "Dinner and a show."

Tara also watched but was more sympathetic to the redhead's plight. "It's her first day, cut her some slack Bonnie."

"Are you kidding? I am going to milk this."

"You're just mad because Kim wasn't impressed by the new routine you suggested for cheerleading practice."

Bonnie put a hand over her heart and pretended to be hurt. "Do I really seem that petty?"

"Yes." Both Tara and Danny said without missing a beat.

"Alright you got me there." Bonnie admitted with a shrug. "It's just nice to see little Miss Perfect taken down a few pegs."

Tara sent Danny an exasperated look to which he responded with a shrug. The two girls have always been at each other's throats for as long as they could remember. No one could pinpoint when their little rivalry started but Tara would bet that Bonnie instigated it. She loved her best friend to death but the other girl's pride was definitely a problem at times. Soon enough it became routine for them. Bonnie would start something and Kim would respond until the two figured out who "won" in their little battles.

Rinse and repeat.

Honestly, the whole rivalry thing sounded exhausting. Tara would much rather focus on other fun things in life. One of which was heading their way.

"Holla, senior and senioritas!" Ron greeted them and Tara giggled at his adorkable enthusiasm. "I hope we're all having a muy bueno day today!" He set down their orders with a slight flourish.

"Someone's in a good mood." Danny said. "Did you finally convince corporate to put your Naco on the menu?"

"Not yet, but soon they shall see the light in the form of cheesy and beefy deliciousness. It's only a matter of time."

"Ugh, I'm trying to eat here." Bonnie complained, rifling through her salad in search of tomatoes. "Go away Stoppable."

"T-Thanks for bringing our food over Ron." Tara smiled at the freckled teen. Damn it, why did she stutter? Thankfully, he didn't seem to notice.

"It's my pleasure!" Ron gave an exaggerated salute before heading back to his post. Tara watched him leave from the corner of her eye before turning back to her salad.

"What was that?" Danny looked pointedly at her, a small grin starting to form.

Busted. Got to deflect.

"What was what?" Tara played dumb and stuffed a forkful of greens and shredded chicken into her mouth.

"Thanks for bringing me my salad Ron. You're so dreamy and hot with the way you fold burritos." Danny spoke in a poor approximation of her voice, put a hand on his forehead and pretended to swoon.

"I did not say that!" Tara's face grew hot in embarrassment.

"Didn't need to. It's written all over your face." Danny's chuckle was cut short as a foot connected with his leg. "Ow!"

"You're crushing on Stoppable?" Bonnie looked genuinely aghast. "Danny, I think our best friend's an impostor."

"Shush up, you guys!" Tara hissed and quickly made sure no one heard. "Okay, so what if I am? He's sweet and funny. What's so bad about that?"

"Don't forget total weirdo."

"I prefer to think of it as quirky."

"Please, talk some sense into her." Bonnie turned to Danny beside her.

"Hey, Ron's a good guy. Maybe not the sharpest tool in the shed but Tara could do much worse." Danny defended. Unfolding his soft taco and dumping the contents of his nachos into it before folding it up again. Grease, cheese, and sauce started to spill from the sides as he picked up his sloppy creation.

Bonnie made a disgusted face as he took a bite out of his food. "She could also do a lot better!"

Danny didn't bother to continue the argument in favor of eating his food. He dabbed his face with a napkin to wipe off some of the excess grease. At least he wasn't a total slob. Before he could take another bite, something caught his attention as he raised his hand. "Hey Josh, over here!"

She and Bonnie turned just in time to see the rather handsome blonde approach their table. "Mind if I crash this little party?"

"No prob." Tara slid over on the couch to make room. He smiled gratefully before setting his own tray of food down.

"What's with the fancy digs?" Danny pointed out his rather crisp attire which consisted of a shirt and tie combo finished off with a black vest.

"Let's just say Kim's not the only one who picked up a new job." Josh said, sipping on his soda. "I'm waiting tables at the new Italian joint a few streets up."

"Angelo's? Ugh, I knew we should've gone there instead." Bonnie complained, giving Danny a pout.

"Hey, we all agreed that it was my turn to pick the place. Did I whine about that last salad bar we went to?"

"No." Bonnie petulantly admitted. "I just heard that they served some of the best ravioli in town. Jessica couldn't shut up about it and it got me curious."

"You better believe it." Josh chuckled. "You have no idea how many orders of that stuff I've had to take today."

"Don't listen to him Bonnie!" Danny dramatically held out his arm in front of the girl. "He's been forced to advertise his new employer's place of business even during his off hours. Look at the poor bastard, they've already laid claim on his soul in exchange for raviolis!"

"Damn, you've caught me red-handed Fenton!" Josh replied in an equally dramatic fashion. "But, what can I do? They have me tangled up in their machinations like spaghetti on a fork!"

The two boys then broke into laughter and Tara couldn't help but role her eyes at their antics. Mom was right. Boys didn't grow up. They just grow bigger as time passes. The conversation thankfully flowed back down to regular school stuff. Bonnie couldn't resist grilling him about his break-up with Kim, hoping to get another leg up on her rival. Suffice to say that the girl was disappointed when Josh casually told them that the two of them just had different interests and parted on good terms shortly after the dance.

Still, it was nice seeing Danny socialize again. It was hard to believe that only a month ago, Danny had been cut off from the rest of the world as a result of the burden that had been forced on him.

Tara remembered a time before his accident and their little spat. Back then, although he never noticed it, Danny had been one of the popular kids in school. His easy-going nature made him approachable and it didn't hurt that he was able to score the winning soccer goal during the finals in their freshman year. She giggled to herself as she remembered the huge celebration afterwards. Danny sang "We are the champions!" until his voice went hoarse and wouldn't stop even though Bonnie had dumped a whole glass of soda on his head in annoyance.

Good times.

"What's so funny?" Danny asked.

Tara shook her head. "Not telling~"

The three other teens shrugged and continued talking for a few more minutes before Josh checked his watch. "Sorry to cut and run but my lunch break's almost over."

"Catch you later dude." The two boys shared a fist bump before the handsome blonde left.

"When did you two get so chummy?" Bonnie asked. Tara was also curious since as far as she knew, the two boys hardly ever spoke to each other before.

"I think it was a few days before the dance." Danny recalled, finishing the last of his Naco. "Ran into him while I was gathering up my courage to face you guys again. Gave me a good pep talk. After that, well we just sort of clicked."

"Oooh, kinky." Bonnie teased.

"Not like that!" Danny sputtered, almost choking on his soda. The two girls shared a laugh.

"Oh relax, I was just kidding." Bonnie slapped his shoulder playfully. "It was just a surprise that's all. You were pretty much a brooding loner up until now."

"I wasn't that bad." Danny said. He turned to Tara. "Was I?"

"No offence Danny, but you did kind of give off broody vibes."

"Don't worry, you're our little broody ghosty boy." Bonnie pinched one of his cheeks, much to his annoyance.

Tara hid a smile behind her hand as Danny tried to pry Bonnie off. She noticed that her best friend has been getting rather handsy with him as of late. Ever since she got hypnotized, still a weird experience by the way, the two had grown closer in a subtle way. They gave her the scoop of what happened with Ember but Tara felt Bonnie in particular had left a few details out. However, the blonde was able to put two and two together whenever her friend scowled at the mention of a particular goth girl.

So another girl finally lit a fire under Bonnie's ass and showed her that Danny was not completely unaware of the opposite sex. Oh she knew Bonnie had it bad for Danny since middle school and personally Tara was rooting for her. She knew that they could be good for one another. But also, she would respect Danny's decision if he ever did date another girl as long as she made him happy.

"Okay you two, stop flirting." Tara couldn't resist stirring the pot a little. "The movie starts in twenty minutes and we better get going."

Their beet red faces and fervent denials only made the blonde laugh.

Too easy.

Kim was a frustrated mess as she packed the necessary things she needed for her new mission. Stupid Ron and his burrito folding. He also had the nerve to accuse her of being jealous that he was succeeding at something, which totally wasn't the case! It was just his attitude that drove her up the wall. Ever since he got promoted two days ago, he let all the corporate power go to his head. Ugh, now she had to fly over to Wisconsin alone to stop another of Drakken's schemes.

Ding Dong!

"Tweebs, could you get the door!" Kim yelled from her room. She was kind of in a hurry.

"We can't!" came the reply.

"Just get the door, I'm in a rush!"

"Do you want the house to explode!?"

The doorbell rang again.

"Grr, fine!" Kim was not in the mood for this. The twins just had to be messing around with explosives at the moment. She stomped down the stairs, half-way dressed in her mission pants and her normal wear. She pulled the front door open with more force than strictly necessary. "Yes?"

"Is this a bad time?" Danny caught the rather intense look on her face. On his shoulder was his school bag and he held a history book under one arm. Kim wanted to smack herself. She forgot to cancel today's tutoring session with all of the shit she'd been dealing with recently.

Kim took a calming breath. No need to take her anger out on the guy. "I'm really sorry, Danny. Can we reschedule?"

"No worries. We're pretty much catching up on the lessons anyway." Danny waved it off. He then stowed away his book back in his bag, not needing it anymore. "So, where's Ron? You guys going to meet up somewhere for your mission?"

"He's busy." Kim's expression turned sour. "The new Bueno Nacho Manager has more important things to do."

A look of understanding crossed his face. "Well, I'm sure he'll come around soon enough. He learned his lesson during his temporary hairdo phase, right?"

"I guess so." Ron does get carried away with whatever it is that catches his attention most of the time.

"I bet you that when you come back from your mission he'll be the first one to apologize." Danny confidently stated.

Kim tried for a half-hearted smile. "I'll hold you to that."

"So, where are you headed this time? Europe?"

"A little bit more local. I have to fly over to Wisconsin to take care of Drakken and whatever it is he plans to do with a stolen laser drill…"

The reaction he gave at the mention of Wisconsin was immediate but subtle. Danny's expression tightened and a sudden alarm registered in his eyes before coming back into a neutral state. If Kim hadn't been paying attention, she would have missed it entirely. What on Earth?

"Trouble in the Midwest, huh?" Danny tried to keep his tone casual but there was an edge to it as well.

"Yeah, just the usual sitch. Nothing I haven't dealt with before."

He nodded absently, but she could tell his mind had gone elsewhere for the moment. Kim's eyes narrowed a fraction as she scrutinized the teen in front of her. The quiet shift in his mood was bizarre. One moment he was his usual self but now he seemed troubled. Questions floated about her mind as she remembered more instances of Danny's strange behavior ever since they became friends.

Kim's investigation about the rooftop incident during the week yielded minimal results. Between her new job and her regular school duties, she hadn't been able to spend as much time on that particular endeavor. She had tried to coax some answers out of Bonnie during practice but the girl never gave her a straight answer other than what she and Danny already said before. However, the girl may have unwittingly given her another lead to follow and it was standing right in front of her.

"Hey, if Ron's not here, maybe I could fill in for today."

The suggestion made Kim do a double take as if she didn't hear him correctly. "Come again?"

Danny couldn't meet her eyes. "You guys handle your missions as a team right?"

"Yes, but Danny, this isn't fun and games." Kim told him. "Ron and I have been doing this for a while now so we know the usual dangers to expect but it does get dicey at times."

"Good, all the more reason you need someone to watch your back."

"Wade, can be my look out."

"Can Wade get you out of a mess if you get knocked unconscious or trapped?"

"Danny, where is this coming from?" Kim crossed her arms and looked at him expectantly. His sudden insistence on accompanying her on this mission was disconcerting.

"I just think it would be better if you weren't handling this alone." Danny pushed. "You're amazing and I see you guys on the news almost every week, but don't forget that it's Team Possible doing all that stuff." He put specific emphasis on the word team.

Kim conceded that he had a point but she also couldn't help but feel like she was missing something. The concern in his eyes was genuine, but the intensity of it was startling. He only reacted this way once he heard her destination. Something about Wisconsin scared him to the point he wanted to keep her safe. But what could a teen whose parents hunt and study ghosts for a living be frightened of?

Only one way to find out it seemed. "Okay."

His relief was palpable but before he could speak, Kim held up a hand. "But, there's going to be some ground rules. You follow my lead, alright? This isn't like some bouncer who'll rough you up a bit. These guys are criminals and won't pull their punches."

"Got it." He nodded.

Kim made him wait in the living room while she dashed upstairs to finish changing into her mission outfit and handed one of Ron's spare ones to Danny. While he got ready, the redhead took out her communicator and called up the other member of their team. "What's up Kim? Haven't left yet?"

"Slight change of plan, Wade. Someone's tagging along."

"Did Ron change his mind?"

"No, it's Danny." Kim bit her lip as she began having second thoughts about bringing him along. "Could you do me a favor? Search for any ghost sightings or activity in Wisconsin. Any at all would do, even if it was just some stupid haunted house story."

"What for?" Wade asked.

"Let's call it a hunch for now." Kim said, cryptically.

"Alright, I'll get back to you when I have something."

"Please and thank you." Kim switched off the gadget at the same time she heard the door to the bathroom open.

Danny stepped around into the living room outfitted in the Team Possible mission outfit. Whereas the black shirt was a little loose around Ron's lanky frame, it fit Danny's physique a little better and he seemed to have no trouble moving in the cargo pants. Kim was once again reminded that before his accident, Danny was one of the school athletes back in the day. Judging by the definition of his body under the mission shirt, he still kept himself in shape.

"So, how are we getting to Wisconsin?"

"Wade booked us a ride." Kim began to lead them out of the house. As the two teens hailed a cab to get to Wade's designated mode of transport for the day, she vowed to keep an eye on Danny. Both to keep him out of harm's way and maybe even get to the bottom of certain things. She had a theory that sounded completely absurd even in her own mind but until she could find even a crumb of evidence, she'd keep it close to the chest for now.

"Also, why do my pockets smell like old cheese?"

Danny touched down without issue thanks to his parachute. The adrenaline pumping through him was a familiar sensation during his nightly patrols but skydiving in his human form was a novel experience. "That was awesome."

Kim also landed without issue a few feet from him. "Not bad for a first timer. You sure you haven't done this before?"

"Nope, but I wouldn't mind doing it again." Danny told her. Technically, it was the truth. He never jumped out of a plane on purpose. There was that time Vlad had tricked him and his mom on a fake vacation, but that was an emergency.

"Well, getting here is the easy part." Kim motioned for him to follow as she made her way to the edge of the building. Also, fun fact, the "building" they were on was actually a giant block of Wisconsin Swiss cheese. Most people would think it was a cheese covered building. Okay, so he got bored on the flight over and read the in-flight magazine, big deal. She found an entry point using one of the many large openings dotting the entire structure that led deeper into a network of tunnels. Danny followed, not as gracefully as his companion but at least he didn't make too much noise on the way down. He figured they wanted to be stealthy for this. Crouching low in the tunnels, the two navigated themselves toward the center of the cheese.

Danny had to constantly remind himself not to resort to using his powers, especially now. Things would undoubtedly be easier for him if he could just go ghost right here but that would cause even more problems for him down the line. For one thing, Kim was already suspicious of him it seemed. Bonnie mentioned that the redhead had been prodding her about the rooftop incident the past few days and his attitude earlier probably didn't help matters. It wouldn't be hard to connect the dots if Phantom just happened to show up in Wisconsin. However, Danny had good reasons for not letting her travel here alone.

After all, he couldn't afford to let Vlad anywhere near Kim. There was no telling what he would do and being the opportunistic bastard that he was, he wouldn't let an opening like this slide. Spreading his honed ghost sense as far as he could, Danny couldn't find a single trace of a ghostly presence anywhere near at the moment. They were safe for now.

Not on my watch, Fruit-loop.

Kim slowed her pace to a stop and held up a hand prompting him to do the same. She gestured ahead of them where Danny could see lights and they could also hear a faint bit of commotion. They must've been close to their objective. The redhead then reached into her bag for her grappling hook gun disguised as a hair dryer.

"Okay, this is where we split up for now." Kim told him. "I'll go on ahead and disable the laser. If I can get to it before they notice me, we can be in and out with no fuss."

"Sounds good. So that means I'll be the distraction?"

Kim shook her head. "No, you'll be staying here as my lookout. If anything goes wrong, I want you to get out of here and call for help."

"That sounds swell for me but I can't just leave you here." Danny frowned, not liking this plan. She was being frustratingly stubborn about coddling him it seemed.

"I'll be fine but I can't focus on the task at hand if I have to protect you." Kim said. She placed a hand over his and her gaze softened. "I appreciate you worrying over me Danny, I really do but it works both ways. You don't have much fighting experience and frankly, a distraction won't do much good since they'll be looking for me regardless. Please, for me, just hang back for now."

Danny bit down on his tongue before he almost blurted out that yes, he could fight. It was annoying but everything she said made perfect sense from her perspective. He was the guy who got beat up by a bouncer according to their fake cover story and to deny it now would open up questions he wasn't ready to answer. In the end, he gave her a reluctant nod.

Kim gave his hand a squeeze and a reassuring smile. "Be back in a sec."

She then darted off ahead, leaving him with the backpack and the communicator. It didn't take long for her to vanish from his line of sight. He slung the backpack securely on both shoulders and crept along further into the tunnel once a few minutes had passed. At the very least, he wanted to get a good view of the situation.

He took a slight detour from where Kim left and veered a good distance to the right. The sounds coming from the inside was getting louder now and once he reached the edge, Danny was able to catch a glimpse down below. In the center of the large space in front of him was the giant laser drill operating at full power. The bright energy emitting from the large machine was enough to illuminate the interior. Next to it was another machine, circular in structure and quite large. The ground level was littered with crates in large haphazard stacks. It was apparent that this was set up in a rush judging from the open wooden boxes and large messy wires strewn about in their own organized chaos.

Despite the large set-up, there was one jarring problem. It was too quiet. Aside from the constant hum of the giant laser, there was little other background noise. For an operation as big as this, they would at least need several other people running maintenance, right?

Danny grabbed a pair of binoculars from the backpack and scanned the area for any sign of Kim. He had to give it to her, the girl knew how to move without being seen. But then he caught a subtle movement to the North end of the space below. He trained his binoculars toward the spot where he saw a glimpse of two figures in ready positions. Before he could even think about doing anything, it was already too late.

Kim had unknowingly walked into a trap.

Dozens of figures clad in red sprung from their positions, staffs crackling with electricity held at the ready. From the way they were positioned in a loose circle, he deduced that the lone person amongst the goons must be Kim who was caught in the middle. A lithe figure, better hidden than the rest, dropped down in front of the redhead. Danny was too far away to get a good look at them but judging from the green outfit and the glowing palms, that must've been the infamous Shego.

"Fucking fantastic." Danny cursed as he watched the goons drag Kim away without a fight. They were taking her to some sort of mechanical constraint where a man in mostly blue scientist garb waited. So there's the Dr. Drakken he's heard so much about. "Whelp, sorry Kim, but cutting and running isn't really my style."

He fished out the communicator and turned it on. "Hey, Wade. We have a little situation here."

"I kinda guessed since you're the one who's calling me right now." The ten year-old said.

"Great, does this happen a lot?"

"Once or twice the bad guys get lucky."

"So, since Ron's not here, can you remind me what he usually does on these missions?"

"Uuuuh…"

Danny gave him a deadpan stare as the kid fumbled for an answer.

"Well you see, it's kind of hard to describe what Ron does exactly." Wade scratched his cheek bashfully. "He brings a certain kind of unpredictability during the missions. If Ron doesn't know what he's about to do next, how can the bad guys know?"

"You're telling me he just wings it?" Danny pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Pretty much."

"Alright, different approach." Danny said, he peered over the side once more to take stock of the new developments. Kim was now restrained while the Drakken guy was pacing back and forth, making dramatic gestures. Was…was he doing a monologue? Anyways, everybody else had gone back to their respective duties it seemed. The Shego woman was now making her way up to, what Danny assumed was, the control panel for the laser drill. "I'll call you back."

The makings of a plan started to form as he recalled the moment Kim fell into the trap laid for her. For a brief moment, Kim had been ready to go down swinging but it wasn't until Shego appeared that she realized the fight wouldn't be in her favor. From what he could guess, Kim could take on dozens of goons no problem but only if Shego was taken out of the equation.

Danny scrounged around the backpack for a specific item. Fortunately, his fingers grasped the tiny container he was looking for. With this, and a little bit of luck, he might be able to pull it off.

"Well, here goes nothing."

Kim struggled against her metal restraints to no avail. She was annoyed with herself for falling for such an obvious ploy. She should've known something was up when she didn't spot the usual amount of goons patrolling. Her head wasn't in the game and even now she could only worry about her friend, still thankfully hidden up above. Hopefully, he'd taken her advice and called for back-up.

"Don't bother resisting, Kim Possible!" Dr. Drakken couldn't resist gloating. "In under an hour, my laser drill will reach molten magma which will then be used to level the entire state of Wisconsin, which I will then rename: Drakkenville!"

"Your laser drill?" Kim raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Didn't you just steal that a few days ago? For a mad scientist, you sure steal other people's inventions a lot. Why can't you make your own stuff?"

Drakken scowled at her. "It's called outsourcing. Why make it myself when I can have others do it for me?"

"Sounds pretty lazy to me."

"Bah, your attempts to get under my skin is pointless seeing as you're incapable of stopping me this time!"

Okay, point to him on that one.

"Shego! How much longer until we breach the crust?" Drakken yelled up at the woman.

Through the PA system, Shego replied. "About that, we got a little problem."

"What now?!"

"The laser's losing power for some reason. Something's wrong with one of our generators."

"Then go fix it!" Drakken replied petulantly.

"I'm working here. Unlike some people, I'm actually doing something right now."

Drakken growled at the little dig from his own subordinate. "Excuse me, I have to go make a scene."

He stalked off in the direction of the supposed problem, giving Kim a few minutes to herself. The mad scientist was so confident that he didn't bother posting a couple of guards to watch her. She wriggled once more in an attempt to loosen the binds somehow. Off in the distance, she could hear Drakken yelling at a few of his henchmen. If she could only reach the release button a few inches away from her…

"Did someone order an escape?" A familiar voice spoke. She was both glad and alarmed to hear it. Danny soon appeared in her line of sight, creeping along the edge of cover and looking a bit winded. "Note to self, cutting through thick military grade cable is harder than it looks."

"What are you doing? I told you to get help!" Kim hissed at him.

Danny shrugged. "I'm a bad listener and you can yell at me all you want on the way home but first, let's get you out of here."

"Fine, it's the button over there." Kim couldn't stay too mad at him. They had bigger things to worry about at the moment. The metal clamps soon gave way with a clunk sound. Kim wasted no time in dragging him out of sight. "Thanks."

"That's what I'm here for." Danny said. "Listen, I have a plan, but you're not going to like it."

"Sounds, interesting." An equally familiar but less friendly voice said above them. Shego landed a few feet behind them with her smirk in place and glowing green hands at the ready. "Mind letting me in on it?"

Kim assumed a fighting stance and placed herself in front of Danny. "Go disable the laser drill, I'll take care of this."

"Oh, what's this?" Shego trained her eyes on Danny and gave him a quick once over. "Finally traded up your sidekick, I see. Good choice Kimmy, at least this one's a bit easier on the eyes than the blonde buffoon."

"I'm more of a temp." Danny butted in. "The job's pretty dangerous but the benefits are great."

"He's a talkative one too." Shego noted.

Kim didn't take her eyes off the enemy ready to pounce at any moment. "Why are you still here?"

"Like I said, I have a plan." Danny whispered back. "This is going to sound crazy but I'll distract her and you go handle the drill."

"Don't be stupid! She's dangerous."

"Trust me."

There it was again. It was the same as the Ember incident. The sudden unyielding determination and focus in his voice was unmistakable. Kim knew how insane it would be to pit Danny against a criminal who was as skilled as Shego but he wouldn't be saying this if he didn't have an ace up his sleeve. Hoping that she wouldn't come to regret this later, she gave him a nod of agreement.

"Talking time is over kiddos." Shego crouched. "The fun starts now!"

The villainess leapt into the air with Kim as her target but was intercepted when Danny tackled her from the side. The two of them fell hard in a tangle of limbs. Shego hadn't been expecting him to interfere in their usual one on ones so it was a perfect opening for her to move.

"Go, I got this!" Danny called out.

"New boy wants to play." Shego said, getting up. "Fine, I could use a warm up."

Kim hesitated for a second but decided to leave it in his hands for now. If she could do her part quick enough, she would be able to take over from there. She just hoped he could hold out until then.

"Let's see what you've got sidekick."

Danny ducked a pair of green energy blasts his opponent threw his way. The greenish hue was vaguely familiar in a way but he couldn't afford to be distracted with idle thoughts. Step one, distract Shego while Kim accomplished the mission was a success. Now for step two: Survive.

He hastily dodged a quick follow up as she decided to bring the fight to close quarters. Her sharp nails grazed his cheek, but thankfully nothing else as he managed to move his head out of the way. However, he failed to account for a roundhouse kick to his ribs that knocked the wind right out of him. He threw a wide punch of his own but she easily blocked it with her forearm and kicked him square in the stomach.

Danny doubled over and tried to create some distance between them. Damn, she packed a punch.

"Tired already?" Shego tutted. "Does new boy have a boo-boo?"

Her nails weren't the only thing that was sharp it seemed.

"Not bad for a woman in her late thirties." Danny quipped back, appearing more confident than he felt. "Better watch out, menopause is right around the corner."

Shego's mocking grin faltered into a scowl. Her glowing green hands burned just a little brighter. "Care to repeat that?"

"Hard of hearing too? Yikes." Danny continued. That's right lady, keep your anger directed at me. Off in the distance, he could hear sounds of bodies hitting the floor as well as Drakken yelling angrily. "Mom always said never to make fun of older women."

Shego was on him in an instant and the only thing Danny could think of was: dodge, move, block, and pain. Oh there was a lot of pain. He fought back as best as he could under the circumstances but Shego was too good. He was able to catch her by surprise earlier but now she was focused entirely on him.

Man, not being able to use his powers sucked.

In a display of amazing agility and flexibility on her part, Shego was able to flip into the air and use her thighs to wrap around his head. She leveraged the momentum from her flip and slammed him into the ground. Danny now found himself gasping for air as she literally squeezed the life out of him.

"Nothing else to say? Come on, I'm listening."

He would've made a witty comeback if it wasn't for the fact that all he could say was: hack, gurgle, and wheeze.

"Where's that bravado now, sidekick?"

The oxygen circulating throughout his body was getting dangerously low and he could hear his own pulse throbbing. He was getting so loopy that he actually found it hilarious that he was living out one of many of men's wet dreams, getting strangled by a pair of thick thighs from a gorgeous woman. What a way to go.

But, good sense finally took over and Danny was able to quickly reach into his pocket to reveal his trump card. He uncapped the small container of knockout gas disguised as lip gloss and held it up to her face. Shego gasped and reflexively knocked it out of his hands but it was too late. A single whiff was all it took and he felt the grip on his windpipe go slack.

Danny gasped and coughed as he greedily sucked in huge amounts of air. Luckily, the lip gloss had rolled a good distance away where he could hold his breathe long enough to put the lid back on. Shego was sprawled on the floor, unconscious. The teen slumped down on the floor next to her, exhausted. Even with his greater healing factor thanks to his ghost powers, these injuries were going to sting like a bitch tomorrow.

"No! My laser! My Magmachine!" Drakken wailed. "Curse you, Kim Po-!"

His diatribe was cut short as Danny heard another body hitting the ground with a thud. The bright light and constant hum coming from the giant machine eventually faded. Emergency spotlights came on and the sound of sirens was growing louder outside. Mission accomplished.

The two scorch marks on the crates in front of him caught his attention. He then looked over to the woman responsible for those marks. Now that he could get a proper look at her, aside from her obviously curvaceous figure, her complexion was startlingly pale with a tinge of green. Was it a byproduct of her powers? How did she even get them?

More importantly, why did they feel strangely similar to his own ecto-blasts?

Focusing on his ghost sense, he didn't feel the usual sensation that alerted him to an unnatural presence nearby. But still, he couldn't shake the similarities of her ability to one of his own.

How strange…

One by one, the group of henchmen were loaded up on the backs of police vehicles. A familiar enough sight for Kim as she stood close enough to monitor the process. Of course, it was the last two people that caught her attention as Drakken and Shego were the last ones to be brought out in handcuffs. Shego looked especially miffed by the fact she lost to someone other than the redhead.

"You think you're all that! But' you're not!" The police van's door slammed shut.

She watched the vehicle leave before heading over to an ambulance where her friend was getting treated for any wounds. The medic was just finishing up with the final stitch on the side of his cheek where Shego had managed to land a nasty cut.

"All good to go son." The medic clapped him lightly on the shoulder. "I recommend getting plenty of rest for the next few days and avoid doing anything strenuous, alright?"

"You got it. Thanks." Danny stood and smiled as he saw her. "Are you still mad?"

"You have no idea." She couldn't even begin to describe how worried she had been when she saw the sorry state he had been. The fact that Shego laid unconscious didn't even register until she had been done fussing over him. "That was your crazy plan, get beat up and give me a mini heart attack?"

He had the audacity to chuckle. "It worked, didn't it? Bad guys are behind bars. Wisconsin is still Wisconsin. And the cheese building is mostly intact."

"You're lucky I can't hit you right now." Kim griped. "That was incredibly stupid of you. Putting yourself at risk like that."

"I know, I know and I'm so-!"

Whatever he had been about to say was cut short as Kim leaned up and planted a small peck on his uninjured cheek.

"It was also very brave."

Kim didn't wait for his response as she quickly began to walk away before he could see how flushed her face was. All the pent up stress and worry had bubbled over and she was just honestly so relieved he was okay. In all fairness, things could have been a lot worse.

Danny was many things, but perhaps the most apt term for him would be surprising. She never would have thought that the two of them would be friends just because he was the social outcast not too long ago but here they were. He never seemed interested in his parent's line of work and yet he was fairly knowledgeable about ghosts and the equipment used to hunt them. And only a few hours ago, she never would have guessed that Danny would come out on top of a fight with Shego of all people.

So yes, her friend was full of surprises. She glanced back to see him still staring into space with a dazed look. Kim still had questions, and she had a feeling Danny had the answers but she could wait.

After all, unravelling the mystery was half the fun.

The two burly prison guards kept a tight grip on both of her arms as they escorted her through the prison. They were lucky that she was shackled with specially designed manacles courtesy of Global Justice. Whatever, this dinky prison wouldn't hold her long anyway. Either her boss would find a way to bust them out or she would get tired of waiting for him and bust herself out. It was only a matter of how long she was willing to tolerate sleeping in a cramped cell that would make her decision for her.

They pushed her roughly into an empty interrogation room. At least, she thought it was empty at first.

"Thank you, gentlemen." A smooth voice said to the guards. "That will be all for now."

The two muscle-heads nodded and closed the door without another word. A man in a crisp business suit sat at one end of the plane metal table. He gave her a disarming smile and gestured to the chair opposite of him. "Please, sit down. I've been waiting for you."

Shego looked at the man suspiciously before complying. She plopped her manacled hands on the table.

"Oh how rude of me," The person apologized. "Here, allow me."

He slipped a special electronic key from his pocket and used it to unlock her bindings.

"Thanks." Shego muttered.

"It's my pleasure. After all, I want you to be as comfortable as possible during our little talk. I find negotiations work much more smoothly if both parties are at ease."

"Alright, cut to the chase here money-bags. What do you want?"

"A direct woman, aren't you?" The man chuckled. "I respect that. Well, introductions are in order. I'm Vlad Masters, CEO and founder of Vlad Co."

The name struck a chord with her. With her line of work, she was always on the lookout for her next big score. Vlad Masters was one of them. "I think I've stolen from you before."

"Yes, quite a few million dollars actually." Vlad admitted. "I was very peeved."

"So what, you here to sue me, is that it?" Shego inspected her nails. "Well, get in line pal. You're about a few billionaires behind."

An amused chuckled slipped past his lips. "Nothing so mundane. No, I'm here to offer you a job. One that will satisfy your proclivities for dubious pursuits."

Shego pretended not to care but her attention was piqued. She's dealt with these types before. These eccentric billionaires always wanted someone else to do their dirty work for them and they always paid extremely well. The only thing Shego was interested in was how much they were willing to pay. "So, you want me to steal something or rough up some of your business rivals?"

"I was thinking I'd hire you on a more…permanent basis."

Now she was definitely listening. Drakken might be a screw-up but he paid her well enough that she could indulge in long two week vacations on tropical islands. It was mainly the reason she put up with all his bullshit plans and schemes in the first place. But now, someone else was offering essentially the same thing. However, you didn't survive in this business without being suspicious of everybody. She had contacts in all the right places and connections to almost all the prominent figures in the criminal underworld. But she'd never heard of Vlad Masters in any of those circles, not even a whisper.

That fact alone was very telling about the man who sat before her. The subtle flourish of his power was also a jarring thought. He had a specialized key to unlock manacles specifically designed to hold her. The guards answered to him, which meant they were under his thumb as well. His posture was also relaxed despite being stuck in the same room as her with nothing holding her back. It meant that he wasn't even threatened by her at all.

He was dangerous. She shouldn't underestimate him.

"You should know that my services don't come cheap."

"Money is not an issue." Vlad said. "In fact, I think you'll find my terms to be very generous."

"I'm listening."

"You will be hired on an on-call basis. You are free to pursue your own endeavors while off duty. My resources shall be yours to use whenever you wish as long as it is within reason and with permission. However, if I require your services, you will respond promptly and immediately cease whatever it is you're doing at the moment. No exceptions. As for your fee…"

Vlad slid a check on the table for her to inspect. Shego's eyes nearly bulged at the amount. That was a lot of zeroes.

"Well, my dear? What do you think?"

Shego reluctantly put the check down. As far as offers went, that was definitely as good as it was going to get. It was already a definite improvement from her current contract with Drakken. But only a complete idiot would accept something like this straight away. There was always a catch and besides, she hardly knew anything about Vlad Masters. Drakken at least had a reputation so she had an idea for what she was signing up for but this man in front of her was a mystery, a dangerous one at that.

Better the devil you know than the one you don't.

The saying existed for a reason.

"I'll think about it." Shego finally said after mulling it over. "I'm still under a current contract with my other employer. Can't just cut and run whenever I feel like it."

If he was disappointed by her answer, Vlad didn't show it. "Very well. I can understand you need time to consider your options." He reached inside his coat pocket and handed her a sleek business card. "I can't promise when but one day you'll realize that you've been playing slot machines for chump change until now. When you're ready to step past the velvet ropes up in the penthouses where the real game is played, give me a call."

Developments and more developments. Thankfully I've had some more time to write these past couple weeks so this chapter is done earlier than I thought it would be. Bonnie better watch out, Kim's gaining on her it seems hahaha. Anyways, hope you enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. This episode of Kim Possible is one of the most memorable for me.