And You And I

S203 (U1): They gave her time, doors bang, chain gang

Author's note:

Right, chapter three. This time we're going way back into the annals of Pink Floyd's history, all the way to their very first single; Arnold Layne. The line, they gave him time, doors bang, chain gang, is from this first single, albeit I replaced him with her for the chapter title. Anyway, enjoy.

##

Shego had awoken that morning from a dreamless sleep and had been more than a little confused to find herself inside the prison infirmary. The fog around her mind had receded for the most part, but she couldn't recall how on earth she'd gotten there. Eventually, after taking stock of herself, she had become aware of multiple sources of pain from all over her body. Only this had not helped matters. She could recall her dual with Kim, the volcano escape and getting blasted down the mountainside, all of which accounted for her current condition. In fact, it had only been when she had touched her right cheek and subsequently winced, that she'd received a fragment of memory. The blow had connected and sent her straight to the ground. On a subconscious level, she had then recalled the second strike; a kick to her abdomen, for she had then pressed at the sight and been treated to another flashback. This time, it had been accompanied with a brief glimpse at the face of her attacker; a woman she now definitely recognised as Morgan. She'd cursed herself for being so stupid; the first proper thought she could recall having since the GJ serum had been administered to her. However, try as she might, she'd failed to deduce why she had tangled with the woman.

The rest of Shego's morning had been fairly quiet. She'd taken time to get her bearings, including the simple act of finding out the date. She'd then discovered Motor Ed and Señor Senior, Junior, along with a Philip Azear or Mr Phaze as he preferred to be called, sharing the infirmary with her. Each of the villains had been there for the exact same reason; recovering from the various injuries Kim had dished out to them last week. This would have annoyed her, especially when Ed kept referring to her as Green or Babe, if only she'd had the capacity to feel. She'd eaten breakfast; scrambled eggs with toast, accompanied by a glass of orange juice, showered and been given a check-up along with more painkillers. After that, the doctor on duty had decided that she was fit enough to return to cellblock D. Half an hour later and a pair of guards had been restraining her with handcuffs and leg irons, before escorting her out of the infirmary. She'd gone quietly.

Shego walked through the drab grey corridors of cell block D, flanked by her entourage. Her gaze darted here, there and everywhere as she tried to make a mental note of every inmate and guard that she saw. There were several in both groups that she did not recognise. The inmates she didn't really care about. Most of them would be of the new batch of supervillains that had sprung up since the Lorwardian invasion and would not likely pose her any trouble. As for the guards, she could only assume they had been brought in by Captain Brooks, meaning they were probably cut from a similar cloth. Best to just avoid them, she thought. Besides, I'm not looking for trouble. I'll keep my head down until my glow returns enough so that I can escape. Unfortunately, she could be in for a long wait. The effect of the GJ serum seemed to last longer every time it was administered to her and her glow did not just return overnight. At least not since the earliest batches of the stuff. Instead, she'd wake up one morning and feel a faint spark inside her. Over time, she could not say how long, it would slowly turn into an ember and then a small flame; by which point she would be able to activate her glow but do little with it. As the flame grew, so too would the length of time she'd be able to keep her glow active. When it finally turned into a fire, she would be able to ignite her plasma. However, it would still take time for it to return to full strength, or at least a level strong enough to allow her to break out of jail. She would just need to ensure none of the guards caught her with her glow active. Otherwise, she could well find herself facing a second injection of the GJ serum.