A/N: It has been a spell since I wrote for PPG. But I haven't had this much fun with fanfiction in a long time. I want to throw out a special thanks to Sandstorm3D, who's story, "A Vendetta To Be Paid" is what inspired me to write another one of these. Hopefully you read. Hopefully you enjoy.
Buttercup Vs The New World Order
Chapter 1
There was a storm approaching.
What that meant nobody knew. Not even the meteorologists.
Especially the meteorologists, seeing as it was a metaphorical storm of which I speak.
Nobody knew what it meant, but they could all feel it encroaching. A thick, still static weighing down everything. Families could feel it in their stomachs. Businesses saw it push all around and down on them. Students let it weave into their "ironic" observations. It united all of them. People who had never before met. Never before spoken with one another. All of them were becoming of one mind.
Things were about to change.
It would be drastic. It would be deadly. It would be soon.
# # #
The wind was bouncing off the windscreen, dropping back into her hair, forcing the black mess into a constant and changing state of explosion. The miles of road behind her served as a reminder of the fights it had already gone through on this journey.
She had entered Colorado from the pan handle of Oklahoma four days ago. She had taken her time traveling up to Colorado Springs, where she left from this morning. But now she wanted to get to Denver as fast as possible. She was already about halfway there.
Her little cream colored Veedub Cabriolet had been running like an Olympian ever since she had bought it down in Texas. She got it used from a nice old lady who had hardly ever driven it. It had a few scratches in it, a dent or two in the rims and foggy headlamps, not to mention that hideous color, but it still had the original 1980's engine for a heart. All it needed was a bit of love. And she had plenty of that to give.
Thirty or so miles until Denver city proper. She would stop there for the day, take in some urban culture, then move ever onward to Rocky Mountain park where, hopefully, she would be able to lay down some serious tracks in the snow.
Her spirits were high. Probably because of the lovely weather. There were a few dangerous looking storm clouds in the direction she was heading, but where she was right now the sun was high and bright.
She laughed out loud. Her radio blasting loud enough to be heard over the wind. She screamed along with the song, "I'm! A! High! Way! Star!" Then she continued laughing down the road.
There was another car rapidly catching up to her, a silver horse emblazoned on the grill. The Mustang started to slow down, still going much faster than the cream rabbit. The Mustang, red with a thick black stripe running across the doors, pulled up next to her. The red car's engine roared. It either just wanted attention, or it wanted to race.
I'm not gonna race you! She thought. She reasoned that her car, almost thirty years old now, would look like a sloth on Codeine compared to the new Mustang. Besides, I'm not looking to vindicate a tiny penis.
She looked over at the people in the Mustang. Four men – boys, more like. Probably no older than seventeen.
Yup. Tiny penis.
The boys were hollering at her, the engine of their car still showing off with loud growls. She held her left hand out the window and flipped up her middlemost finger in response. The boys must have thought that was pretty funny cause they just laughed. The two windows on the Mustang closer to her rolled down, and two boys stuck their heads through. One in the front; the other in the back.
"Hey, baby!" the boy in front yelled, "Why don't you show us some skin?!"
She looked the four over for a moment, "How old are you?"
The boy in back answered, "Old enough!"
All four boys, even the one driving, were looking straight at her. Luckily for them traffic wasn't a concern right now. She was split on how to react. A part of her wanted to let it all go. Just lift her white tank-top, the black bra underneath too. Why not? No one else was around. No one knew her here. Just do it for the sake of doing it. Its something those kids would remember for the rest of their lives.
Another part of her, an equally powerful part, wanted to ram her Cabriolet right into their Mustang. Knock it right off the road then keep driving without looking back. A fiery arm stretching up to the sky in her rear-view mirror. An experience just as memorable
Instead she split the difference.
She laughed mirthlessly, "Kid, I don't think you could handle what I've got."
One of the boys yelled out, "Challenge accepted!"
She shook her head. She was going to slow down at this point to try and get the boys to move ahead of her. If they didn't take the hint she would pull the top of her car back up. Then she noticed something that changed her plans. There was smoke rising from under the hood of her little car. She hadn't noticed that for the past ten minutes the gauges on her dashboard we screaming at her, "OVERHEAT!"
She pulled the car off to the side of the road. Stopping a little further ahead of her, the boys' Mustang also pulled over. By the time the boys got out of their car and walked over to her, she had already propped the hood open and assessed the situation. The smell she noticed oddly reminded her of brownies. The coolant system must of sprung a small leak somewhere, an easy enough fix, but she didn't have any parts to fix it with. She did have some extra anti-freeze in the trunk. Hopefully enough to get the car all the way into the city where a proper mechanic could take a proper look at it. She would still need to let the engine cool down before she could do anything. A feat that promised to take long with that blazing sun right overhead.
The boys saw her leaning over the open engine compartment. They had a slight arrogant curiosity as to whether she even knew what she was looking at or just pretending, her being a girl and all. But mostly they were looking at how her white tank-top was pressing against her waist and hips. Her legs were barely covered by a dark blue pair of daisy-dukes. If she had leaned over just a bit further the boys would have been able to get a peak at her polished, round gluteus maximus. They also noted that she wasn't wearing any shoes or socks, and wondered how she wasn't burning her feet on the boiling tarmac.
"Is everything all right?" one of the boys asked. His voice sounded genuine in it's concern.
"Yeah," she responded, "Just need to let the engine rest a minute."
"If you need a ride–" one of the boys began.
"You can sit in back with us," his friend interrupted, "It'll be a tight squeeze with three people, but you can sit on my lap." The one boy who had asked her if she was alright groaned at this, another laughed a little.
Now you're just being creepy. She thought. She then let the bonnet fall back into place. She had her snowboard crammed into the back seat, where it was just barely fitting. Even if she wanted to, there was no way her and her things would all fit.
She walked around to the side of her car, lifted the top back over the seats and snapped it in place. "Thanks for the offer," she began to say to the boys, "but no." She then, with one hand, very easily lifted the whole Cabriolet above her head, "I think I can manage on my own."
Buttercup then continued floating towards Denver, car and all.
# # #
Buttercup usually avoided long flights. It got on the government's nerves, and it spooked air traffic controllers to see a small, unidentified flying object, often times moving incredibly fast. Mostly she just didn't like the attention it gave brought on her whenever someone saw her flying. She was used to the attention, but she didn't like it. Probably because she hated those people who always wanted to be seen. People like Princess Morebucks. What a bitch, that one.
So Buttercup flew with her car slightly faster than she had driven with it. She feared that going too fast might damage the already wounded rabbit. She was right outside the city now, looking for a place she might be able to put down her vehicle to get it repaired. She would probably leave the car with the mechanic for a week or so while she continued north-east towards the mountains. The old Volkswagen probably wouldn't have been able to make it up the steep roads anyways. After getting her fill of snowboarding she would fly back down, pick the car up (not literally this time), pay the nice man, and keep heading north. Maybe she'd stop in South Dakota to see Mount Rushmore.
Buttercup saw with her impressive sight, a small auto-tuning shop that didn't look too busy. She gently floated down and landed right in front. An old grease monkey must have seen her landing cause he came right out to meet her.
"I ain't never seen a flyin' car before," he said, lifting his trucker hat with one hand and running the other through his messy gray hair.
"And you never will," Buttercup answered tersely, "Not outside The Jetsons." She explained the situation to the man and asked how much it would cost to fix.
"Well, I'll take a look around the engine and see what the exact problem is, but if you're right then I could probably have it ready for you tomorrow. It should only run you about fifty."
Buttercup nodded her head, "Would it be okay if I left the car here for, lets say, eight days?"
The man scratched his head with the brim of his hat, "The thing is I can only hold so many cars in the garage, and I need the space for other costumers. If you wanted to stay I would have to charge you extra."
Buttercup agreed and handed the man her keys. She opened the door to pull out her snowboarding gear when there was a sudden noise, louder than any of the traffic nearby. It sounded like a tidal wave of thunder slowly rolling towards her. She turned to see where it had come from.
One of the buildings sticking through the firmament had erupted in fire. Pieces of it had blown off, and some were landing even as far away as she. The top of another building then burst. This second shock was what knocked everyone out of the first, as it was only then that people started screaming. The mechanic that had been talking to Buttercup began nervously backing away. A fireball with a steel core suddenly fell right next to the two, fisting a hole the size of a terrier through the hood of Buttercup's Cabriolet. The car pitched forward from the impact, rear wheels completely off the ground for a moment. The sudden impact had knocked the grease monkey off his feet. Buttercup remained standing. She put a hand on her car, as if checking for a pulse. The front axles had flattened, with both wheels now splayed to the side like duck feet.
"You never hurt anyone," she whispered to the vehicle.
A third explosion sounded. This one on ground level, and much much closer to Buttercup's position; right across the street. She didn't see any fire from this new eruption, but saw the dust rushing in a wave towards her. The force had knocked her off her feet, throwing her into the large bay doors of the repair shop. Her car, likewise, had been pushed into the garage, though it had gone right through the doors.
Buttercup got to her feet. There was a ringing in her ears and she was bruised. Feelings she hasn't felt in a long time. Emotionally she was concerned, angry, and a tinsy bit excited. She saw the man she had been talking to. He was groaning and clutching his knee up to his chest. His body rolled to and fro just a little bit. She went over to him, "Are you okay? Can you walk?"
He nodded his head, "I think so."
Buttercup helped him stand up. He limped slightly, and there was some blood coming down from under his hat, but otherwise he looked fine.
"Do you have a basement?" Buttercup asked. The man nodded his head again, "Get down there and get that leg wrapped up. Bring water if you can." She then helped him through the door of his repair shop.
She heard a loud groan, the sound steel made right before it gave up. She turned to see the building that produced the force which knocked her back moments ago was now beginning to lean over. Those first two explosions were at the top of buildings, only meant to scare people. But this third one happened at the base, and was meant to cause some real damage.
There were a few other explosions. In the chaos, Buttercup couldn't tell how large they were or where they had come from. But she knew that this building, falling down right in front of her, had to be dealt with. She flew about halfway up the building's side and began to push back against the way it was falling. It slowed down a bit, but the walls were cracking. Buttercup knew that it was about to just fall around her. She walked her arms up the side, hoping that towards the top might be more durable.
The force of the fall was greater up at the top of the building. The steel kept whining as Buttercup's efforts seemed less and less effective. She was falling with the building.
"Dammit!" she screamed with a final push.
It was too great. The building snapped in half. Buttercup carried the top half with her, but the bottom fell. Her efforts at least stopped it from knocking over any other buildings. She was able to put the top half down safely, though she was unaware as to how much the occupants inside had suffered.
She stepped back onto the street, still barefoot. There was almost no spot that wasn't littered with glass or concrete. A broken body or four. She walked slowly, dimly aware of the noise in her background. It sounded like an entire rain forest had been cut down, littered with desperate screams. Buttercup wasn't sure what to do.
There were a few police officers doing their best to direct people to safety, some helping the injured. The firefighters had given up on trying to actually fight fires, instead focusing on freeing folks trapped by debris. Buttercup knew she would be best suited to do the same, and began heaving huge mounds of steel and concrete, freeing some who had been buried alive.
Buttercup hadn't heard any explosions recently, but the fire and sirens and screams and shouting and shattering glass were enough noise. Suddenly a new sound came in. A sound that canceled all others out in Buttercup's mind. Not because of how loud it was, but because of what it meant.
There was a gunshot. It left a ghostly echo in its wake.
Buttercup saw it. One of the cops fell over. A few people were emerging from the destruction wearing unfamiliar uniforms. They carried AK-47s, and they were shooting all the cops and firefighters. Anyone wearing a uniform that wasn't their's was a target.
She moved like green lightning, blocking bullets before they could hit anyone else. In about two seconds time she had disabled all the people firing. She sprung to the closest one, ground cracking beneath her heavy steps. His rifle crunched in her grip, her other hand hoisted him by the collar before slamming him back down. Then she went to the next, repeating the process. Then the next. Then the next. Then the next. All in two seconds time.
Then something else entirely happened. Something Buttercup had a hard time rationalizing. There was a man, a thin thin man, floating towards her. He seemed to be balanced on a red mist that lingered around his feet. He was shirtless, showing tattoos painted all across his chest. Buttercup could see a few upside down crucifixes, and a large pentacle star in the center of his chest. In between these were red flames, and black monsters, skulls and torn flesh. Buttercup thought she could even see an almost comical rendition of Satan.
This floating man's arms were spread apart, palms facing outwards. There were innumerable gashes running the length of his forearms, the largest three were still bleeding. He pointed his arm towards the men Buttercup had just defeated. The blood on his arms came to life and turned into a mist similar to what he was floating on. The mist surrounded the men. They all screamed when this occurred, though for a moment it looked as though nothing was happening. Then the mist dove into their bodies, levitating them all off the ground. The screaming had stopped at this point.
Buttercup didn't waste any time. "Move!" she yelled to the police.
The police stopped staring at the scene and began to run in the opposite direction. When Buttercup looked back, the skin of the bodies that were suspended in the air split at the neck, armpit, and inner thigh. All their major arteries. It looked as though all their blood was ripped away, and now flowed into the floating man.
"Pawns cannot hope to defeat a queen," the man said, "But I am no pawn!" Blood began pouring from his wounds again.
"I don't have time for this!" Buttercup yelled. Her green eyes turned red, and beams of heat blasted the man down the street through the windows of a collapsed grocery store. She took to the sky before he came back out.
Buttercup was out of sight, but the bloody man stepped back into the street and said aloud, "There is not a shadow to hide in that won't feel the pain of the new world."
# # #
Buttercup had moved on to different parts of the city. It was bedlam everywhere. More of those soldiers from before were gunning down all police and anyone who tried to fight against them. Buttercup helped everyone she could get to safety before turning her ire onto the men with guns.
They unloaded every bullet they had as she walked towards them. Her shirt was ripping apart, but she wasn't slowing down. Her eyes remained fixed on the center of the group. The men began to sweat and panic. As soon as one turned to run Buttercup moved and was behind him before he even completed his one-eighty. There were more screams, but none that Buttercup cared about.
She left one of the men completely uninjured. All the others weren't about to wake up any time soon. She grabbed the one conscience man and flew up into the sky with him.
"Who are you people?! Who's in charge?!"
The man let out a small laugh, though it sounded forced and timorous, "N-no one's in charge of us. W-w-we all act in-in-dependently!"
Buttercup flipped the man upside down, holding on to him by only his left ankle. She looked at the man again but didn't speak. The man's sweat came out harder, but he shook his head no.
This response did not satisfy Buttercup, so she gently crashed the man against the wall of a nearby building.
"I won't!" he screamed, blood now staining his teeth.
Buttercup shrugged and let go.
The man fell the fifteen stories head first, screaming the whole way down. When he was only about a foot away from the ground Buttercup caught him, taking him back up into the sky, higher this time.
"I guess I should ask you your name before I drop you. Not even your teeth will survive to identify you by."
The man whimpered. Buttercup was sure he was about to crack. There was a jumbo TV pinned to the side of the building across the street. It suddenly came to life with light and sound. The man quickly yet fearfully pointed towards it. A new man appeared on the screen. Buttercup tossed the soldier in her hand casually onto the roof of a building. From there he ran away, clutching the seat of his pants.
The man on the TV spoke.
"Settle.
"Settle.
"People of the world, have no more fear. I am Captain Anarchy."
WHAT! Thought Buttercup, What the hell kind of name is that?! Its not even a good super villain name!
Captain Anarchy continued, "My people and I are here to set you all free. We are not terrorists. We do not have any demands. Your fear now is understandable, but it is merely the blinding light that comes from stepping into the sun for the very first time. You have all been sheltered from the real world. Sheltered by the authority that is government!
"We have done away with the governments of the world. Even as we speak, agents of freedom, like the ones in your very city, have been getting rid of all remnants of the terrible old ways."
This can't be happening everywhere, can it?
"You are no doubt confused. You don't know who to turn to. Turn to yourself! Become the king of your own domain! The police were the face of oppression, government the iron hands that controlled them! No longer will the rich be able to rely on their wealth for protection! If you want something, take it! This world is now truly yours for the first time.
"We are not here to conquer. My men are helping to facilitate change. A new world is upon us. The world you all silently cried out for. A world, not run by institutions, but by people. By you.
"Have you seen The Dark Knight Rises? Its a lot like that, except everywhere!
"My generals, men and women both of extraordinary abilities, are also out in the world, making sure that others with great powers don't interfere. Support them when you can, for they are the pointed spear of your salvation!
"This is the new world order!"
Buttercup could see the many people gathered around the television, staring up at it in awe. Someone began cheering. Reluctantly, others joined in. They split up. Most went to looting stores for anything that might help protect themselves and their families. A minority of folks continued searching through the rubble. Surprisingly, the soldiers who had been gunning people down were now helping to pull people out as well.
Buttercup saw all this. And she had only one thing to say.
"What a butt-faced jackass."
A/N: Thanks for making it this far down the page. If you liked it let me know. If you didn't still let me know. If you think there's room for improvement tell me that, too. Not sure exactly where the story will go from here. Hopefully to good places.