Name: Lents, Daniel

Sex: M

D.O.B: 17 August 1982

Occupation: Office Manager

Dexter hadn't bothered looking for the human body's information until his DexBots moved the corpse to the analysis lab. The carcass now lay on a cold cadaver dissection table across the room. Dexter was suited in an alternative lab coat, white gloves instead of purple, a mask over his mouth and nose, and a cap on his head to prevent stray strands of his red hair from landing amongst the delicate work procedure.

However, now, he was frozen. He had looked a little too much when he found a photograph of Daniel Lents himself, smiling happily with his wife and child. Such a heart breaking thing to see, knowing the man in the photo was now dead.

Dexter slipped the picture back into the wallet and set it down on the counter. He picked up a scalpel and walked over to the dead man, nervously fumbling with the surgeon's knife in his hand. Dexter placed it down onto the tray next to the cadaver table and picked up an audio recorder. An old fashioned one that he dubbed obsolete.

He looked over the corpse. It was stripped with no covering except for a cloth over the pelvis area. Dexter then noted his observations into the recording device.

"Subject: Daniel Lents. Born August 17, 1982 and died at the age of 27, July 21, 2009 at 3:27AM. A victim of the Fusion virus found in Townsville Park. No recent visible wounds," The boy-genius lifted the man's forearm and looked at the palm. "Surgical scar on the right palm. Looks like he suffered a massive case of carpal tunnel."

He placed the recorder down, but close enough for it to pick up his voice. He lifted his white clad hands and forced the mouth of the man open, flashing a light inside that he had gotten from the small table next to him.

"Dehydrated. Fillers in the molars. He's in the stages of rigor mortis," Dexter leaned up and stared down. "He died looking of shock. His eyes are wide open. But he should have died slowly from the loss of blood. His eyes should be shut."

"Oh well," He sighed and took the scalpel off the table. "External observations complete. Let's see the internal damage."

Dexter raised the scalpel and pressed it down into the pinkish red skin of the corpse's chest and he dragged it along the flesh. Blood seeped slowly out of the cut as the blade trailed slowly down the sternum.

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"What do you mean there's a virus?" Numbah Four griped. He pulled his blond bangs out of the way of his eyes to study the contraption in Ben's hands. Ben is question had Bubbles and Buttercup stand at his sides, keeping Numbah Two from coming by to study it up close.

"We're not so sure, Numbah Four," answered Blossom. "Dexter didn't say precisely, but it's pretty clear it was left behind by the Fusions."

"Dex was infected last night," Ben added. "He was throwing up blood but he's better now."

"And today they found someone who died from it," piped Bubbles.

"Died!?" eeped Numbah Three, bringing her sleeve engulfed hands over her mouth.

"Way to keep them from panicking, Bubbles," groaned Buttercup.

"I'm sorry."

"Dex is walking proof that you can recover from it, though," said Ben.

It was Numbah One's turn to step in. "So this virus is airborne?"

"Yes," replied Blossom. "Ben will scan Sector V for traces."

"And if it's here, what should we do?"

"Isn't it obvious?" The green clad Powerpuff butted in. "Haul ass out of here!"

"Evacuation is a solution," Blossom restated.

"Right," sighed Numbah One. "Right, let's find out. It would be best to go to the top of the tree house. The higher you are, the better view you have."

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"If anyone even coughs, we'll give you a call. Frankie out."

Professor Utonium sat at the master computer in the main section of DexLabs. He was to call and contact anyone and everyone involved in the war against Fuse and still resigned in Fusion sightings. He would've been in the dissection lab with Dexter to help him with the autopsy, but the boy made it clear that time was something they couldn't afford.

Dexter claimed that he could do the post-mortem on his own while he needed someone to retrieve status reports on residences' health. And Professor Utonium knew full well that he wouldn't let DeeDee at the controls.

DeeDee herself was sitting close behind the adult, listening in to the calls. She wished there was something she could do to help. Such a situation was stressful and they needed all the help they could get.

"Mandark is in Genius Grove," Dexter's voice echoed in her head.

DeeDee stood up from her seat and stepped up until she stood next to the chair Utonium sat in. "Professor?"

"Yes, DeeDee?"

"Did you contact Genius Grove yet?"

Utonium paused to think. Did he? He did. And he didn't get an answer. He leaned over to the controls and typed in the contact number for Genius Grove. The Professor looked up to the screen while speaking, "Yes, I did. But no one answered."

Connecting to Genius Grove……………………… Connection timed out.

"No answer."

"Mandark is in Genius Grove," DeeDee spoke, repeating her little brother's words. "Try again."

Professor Utonium did not stall. Again he reentered the contact number. Again he stared up at the screen. Again the connection made its attempt to reach out and grab hold of someone at the other end.

Connecting to Genius Grove……………

But this time, something answered.

"Greeting, humanoids."

"It's a Mandroid," muttered Utonium. "Is Mandark there?"

"Negative. Master has left to his lab in Tech Square."

"What time did he leave?"

"8:47A.M."

Utonium looked at the digital clock of the computer screen. 10:02A.M.

"Alright, thank you," said Utonium before disconnecting.

Utonium then entered in the number for Mandark Industries and watched as the system tried to connect. Only to fail. The man growled and tried again. Repeatedly, he strived to gain an answer from the evil boy-genius, whose residence was right across the street of the DexLabs building.

He wasn't answering and for which Professor Utonium feared the worse. One more time, he keyed the number. One more time he glared as the screen as though he were sending a mental transmission, threatening the other end to answer.

Connection timed out.

Utonium leaned back in the chair, bothered. He let out a huff as he pondered possibilities. He grimaced at the slightest thought of Dexter at the cadaver. The dead body. That could be Mandark.

"DeeDee, you…" Utonium turned around to face the girl. "DeeDee?" But she was gone.

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Ben stared at the display on the micro-scan device. He was standing on the highest platform of the tree house, with thanks from the Powerpuff Girls. Buttercup looked over the edge, staring all the way down at the mess left behind by the Fusion attack. Buildings demolished, trees fallen, the fountain smashed, cars wrecked… all reduce to rubble.

"Man, this place is in chaos," said Buttercup. "See anything yet, Ben?"

"This is bad..."

"This is bad?" Blossom reiterated. "What do you mean by that?"

"Look."

Blossom took the device and aimed it to Ben's previous target. Far off into the distance. One gaze at the screen and she gasped, causing her sisters to leap to her side and look over her shoulder.

On the image, the landscape was black in white. Right over the scenery the skies were patched in an ocean like current of orange. The virus, invisible to the naked eye, loomed high over their heads just waiting for its next victim.

No doubt about it. Sector V was infected.

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He leaned heavily against the wall next to the door. He tried to hard to enter the pin number to access the lab right, but a throbbing headache and a case of nausea caused his fingers to slip and push the wrong keys. Mandark crossed his arm across his abdomen as he felt the urge to hurl. He clutched a hand over his mouth and pressed his weight against the wall in front of him.

Maybe if he just rested a moment. Mandark groaned and his body bowed forward. His cape draped over his body and concealed his show of weakness. Mandark's knees trembled and he let out a wheeze as he felt his stomach churn with an ache. He was afraid to open his mouth in fear it would grant his stomach permission to project its contents out on the sidewalk.

He groaned once more and squeezed his eyes shut. Mandark had woken up early morning feeling a little woozy. He abided it and went on to work, only to feel more sluggish as the minutes went by. Before long he felt a headache and a sudden loss of appetite.

The raven haired teen hadn't eaten breakfast because of which and he questioned why he felt so nauseous. Possibly the food he consumed the night before at the victory party? Mandark didn't eat much. Maybe a few chips and half a cup of punch, but not enough that would really upset his stomach. He had left early when he realized DeeDee was already gone.

Now Mandark was slowly slipping down to the sidewalk he stood on. He wished someone was with him. He'd never felt so sick in his life. He didn't want to suffer alone. Mandark struggled to stay standing and that struggle was an all out war against his quivering body.

"Mandark?" That voiced caused the ailed teen's pounding heart to flutter. "Mandark! Are you alright!?"

He looked up over his shoulder. Mandark's eyes were a blur, even with his glasses due to the tears built up from his agony. But he could tell as clear as day that the pink clad figure running toward him was like an angel.

He removed his hand and made a failed attempt to straighten his back.

"Dee," Mandark rasped out as she stopped in front of him. "Dee… D-"

Mandark's words came to an abrupt halt. He collapsed forward to his knees as he spewed bright red blood from his mouth. His palms pressed flat onto the ground and as the geyser continued its sudden eruption.

It happened in an instant and in the process Mandark's glasses fell from his face and into the crimson fluid. His stone grey eyes stared in shock as every joint in his body quaked from fatigue and he lost control. He was crying.

"What the hell is wrong with me!?"