And You And I

S230(U14): Motorway city

Author's note:

Hey, all and welcome to the latest update of And You And I. This is a single chapter update, but is huge nonetheless. When I started writing this chapter, I had no idea about what was going to happen, other than Kim and Shego going rocket-skating; that was it. As a result, I expected this to simply be about 10K words; the typical length for an encounter between them. What I did not expect was for this chapter to turn into an absolute monster and take the record for the longest chapter I've ever written; at 21350 words! Seriously, I have no clue how on earth this chapter became so long, as it did not feel that length when writing it, or when I've read it back since.

The chapter title; Motorway city, is the title of a Hawkwind track from their Levitation album. Not only did the track and the cover art of the single version lend its name to the chapter, but it also inspired the city itself. So, with thanks to all of you, here it is, Motorway city.

Enjoy.

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The sun had just dipped below the horizon in the sprawling metropolis affectionately known as Motorway City, resulting in a sky that transitioned smoothly from a dark brown, through a dull orange and thin band of aqua blue, to a sheet of cobalt, across which a few wisps of white cloud drifted lazily. The city itself was a sprawling hive of concrete, metal and glass skyscrapers, each seemingly competing with its nearest neighbours for the accolades of tallest and most interesting design. However, as impressive a feat of engineering that these buildings were, it paled in comparison with what existed below. For through this dense concrete jungle, a network of high-speed roads twisted and turned around the buildings; over and under one another, at points stacking up to four high. Thirty years ago, wealth, prosperity, ambition and creativity had flocked to this city in abundance and over the course of the three decades that followed; it had developed into the sprawling navigator's nightmare it was today. Yes, Motorway City had been created by great minds; backed by serious wealth, only without a steadying hand to curtail unbridled creativity. Designed with passion to represent the city of the future, it had become, in this post Lorwardian invasion world, a piece of abstract art that nowhere had the funds or the gall to recreate.

Alas, like the rest of the world's great cities, Motorway City had suffered a direct attack by the Lorwardians and the clean-up had been costly. Coffers emptied almost overnight and with the global economic crash preventing them from refilling, repair and rebuild projects had one by one been put on hold, resulting in a multitude of still damaged buildings, closed carriageways and silent construction sites. Not that the city had lost all of its charm. Come nine pm, the skyscrapers would still light up the night sky like an orange flame. Exclusive clubs, lounges and cocktail bars would still open on the top floors of many buildings, giving a breathtaking view to those with the money to frequent them. And down below, the streets were a hive of late-night shops, bars and restaurants. Not to mention, in the centre, beneath the main nexus point of the road system, the lantern-lit market of street food and stalls selling everything from liquor to liquorice; ham to hamsters. You could acquire almost anything, so long as you knew who to talk to and did not ask too many questions. In short, the Nexus market was the sort of place where the casual couple out on a date mixed with the most nefarious of villains and no one knew who was who.

About five miles west of the Nexus market, Kim Possible pulled the Sloth into the deserted car park of an unfinished building, her GPS saying, "you have arrived at your destination," followed by, "hicka-bicka-boo!... hoo-sha!" Next time I see those Tweebs, they are de-tweebifying this computer system or I'm telling mom about their nuclear waste deposit in the back yard! Climbing out of the car, she took a moment to look around. Shego sure knows how to pick a spot, this place is certainly off the beaten track. Granted, that had probably the idea. If her rival intended to arrive via hovercraft, an abandoned construction site in a quiet area of the outskirts would be a good place to hide it.