And You And I

Chapter 21: The ace of spades

It was late, although not that you could tell that from inside the main chamber of Dr Drakken's lair. Windows were an excess expense that the super-villain often chose to eschew when building his lairs these days, given that they were, as Duff Killigan had so finely put it earlier that evening, 'constructed on the cheap'. Gathered around a large rectangular table, the two men in question were sat with usual stalwart of their gaming days, DNAmy and the late in the day replacement for Professor Dementor; Shego.

Shego swirled the glass in her hand as she stared into the eyes of the Scotsman sat opposite her. After Drakken had, against all conceivable odds and reason, used a remote-controlled drone to order and collect Pizza from a parlour in Middleton, they'd all eaten and then settled down to play Texas hold 'em. Killigan had 'taught' her the rules, but after she had made some significant winnings, he, along with the others, had cottoned onto the fact that she was well versed in the game. Ru-Ru, the naked-mole-shark, had rolled over laughing when the golfer finally made the deduction. Apparently, she'd fooled everyone but him with the lie she'd told at the end of Monopoly.

Absentmindedly, Shego reached into the bowl of peanuts and fed one to the rodent-fish. The creature had donned its little croupier's hat again and was serving as the dealer, chip broker and peanut eater. Much to his creator's heartache, he'd elected to make his perch beside the green-skinned woman; who had actually become rather fond of him. Though not that she was going to admit that to anyone. "What are you going to do, Duffy?" she asked with a heap of sass in her tone.

"I'll see yer hundred and raise ye another five," Killigan said and tossed the chips onto the pile in the centre of the table.

Like all the other games it had been fiercely competitive. The two scientists having the advantage of being able to calculate all the combination odds in their heads, but also being the worst bluffers at the table. The net result had been that Shego wiped Drakken out with a measly two-pair, while Killigan got his revenge on Amy for her bankrupting him during Monopoly. On doing so, the Scotsman had produced a bottle of single-malt whisky and she had happily taken him up on the offer of a 'wee dram or two'. That had been an hour ago. Now the once full bottle sat with only a few measures left in it.

Shego took a sip of the rather fine scotch as she locked eyes with her opponent. "I'll see your five hundred." She tossed the chips onto the pile. Now we'll see if your bluffing or not, the pot having just reached that point where you could still fold without suffering too big a loss, but putting any more in would compel you to go all the way.

"I'll call ye on that, Lass," Killigan said. "Ladies first."

The man's decision to check instead of raise told Shego what she needed to know and she flashed him a wicked smile, you are so bluffing, Duffy. "Three tens," she said as she placed her cards face-up on the table.

"Ach, I dinnae believe it!" the Scotsman exclaimed as he threw his cards down. "I wis sure ye were bluffing, Lass."

"'Fraid not, Duffy." She drank the last of her scotch, then started collecting her chips.

Beside her, Ru-Ru clapped, before scampering around the table to collect the cards. When he returned, Shego tossed him another couple of peanuts.

"Stop stuffin' yer face ye wee beastie and get the cairds dealt!" Killigan boomed, he reached for the bottle of scotch, but she beat him to it.

"At-at-ah," Shego admonished and waggled a finger at him, "the winner gets first dibs." She poured herself a decent measure before handing the bottle over.

On either side of them, Drakken and Amy were sitting with glasses of cocoa-moo and watching the dual intently.

Ru-Ru finished his peanuts, picked up the deck of cards and dealt them each two face down.