Chapter 14 – Right On Time
Tap…. …..tap…. .
Brick massaged his furrowed brow as the incessant tapping broke the silence of the rooftop. He was beyond the point of annoyance now; if that tapping didn't stop soon he was going to murder someone! And it wasn't going to be the Simian guards down below.
Brick slowly turned his head and glared at the source of his frustration sitting on the other side of his blonde sibling.
Butch was slouched back against the edge wall seemingly without a care in the world, gazing up into the star filled sky as he tapped away on his cricket bat. How could he not know how maddening that was?
There still wasn't any rhythm to it! Brick would know, he had been cataloging the patterns for the last forty minutes and nothing! No rhyme, no reason, just like Butch's empty head.
Brick had tried to act like the grown up in this situation, really. He had kept his mouth shut and waited for Butch to grow bored, but for God's sake! Forty fucking minutes! Forty and he was still going strong!
What the hell was wrong with him?!
The redhead slammed a fist into the ground beside his lap and turned viciously towards the Green Ruff. As he opened his mouth, fully intending to rip Butch a new one with as many long and obscure words as possible just to piss him off, Boomer abruptly pushed himself to his feet.
The words died on Brick's tongue as he looked at the blonde quizzically. Boomer seemed intent on something, staring into the distance turning his head this way and that.
Butch noticed his sibling's odd behavior too and finally stopped his inane percussions to quirk an eyebrow at the blonde. "What the hell's gotten into you?"
Boomer ignored Butch and continued gazing at the city scape around him. Brick closed his mouth shut and climbed to his feet, wondering what had attracted Boomer's attention. Butch followed suit and both of them stood waiting for the blonde to respond.
A few moments later, Boomer finally pinned down whatever it was he was looking for. He lifted up a hand and pointed southwards. "There….do you hear that?"
Brick paused and struggled to listen for the sound…but he heard nothing. From the look on Butch's face, he got the same results.
Boomer turned his head towards his brothers. "Well? Do you?"
"Butch's stupidity? Yes, loud and clear, other than that? No, I don't hear anything." Brick said as he shook his head with a frown.
The Green Ruff sent a disgruntled glare at him but that, like usual, had no effect. Butch didn't respond to the jab verbally, instead he turned back to the outpost below them and checked on the gate. "Whatever it is, who cares? Ain't got nothing to do with us. We need to focus on that gate."
Brick rolled his eyes at Butch's single mindedness. The gate hadn't changed for the last hour; it wasn't likely to change anytime soon. He closed his eyes once more and tried to listen to the sound that caught Boomer's attention, his curiosity was quipped. It was better than listening to the amazing musical capabilities of Butch at least.
The wind blew past him gently; the sounds from the outpost caught his ears: sounds of sentries, of supplies being moved, the mechanical hum of the robots. He pushed that aside and tried to hear beyond it.
Slowly something caught his notice. It was almost imperceptible at first but as he focused in on it, it became clearer.
The distant hollow sound was vaguely familiar but Brick couldn't pin down exactly where he had heard it before. How had Boomer even heard that in the first place? Maybe not using your mouth enhanced your hearing?
"What do you think it is?" The blonde asked him quietly as he opened his eyes.
"I don't know….but I want to find out. Come on….Butch." Brick softly called back to his brother as he trotted towards the stairwell.
"Wha-wait, what? Where the hell are you guys going?" Butch kept his position back the wall edge and looked at them utterly confused.
"We're checking out that sound, move your ass." Brick called back as he started down the steps, ignoring the sputtered objections that followed his command.
He had learned over the years that the best way to get Butch to do what he wanted was either, put the fear of God in him and threaten him with bodily harm or simply give him no choice but to follow orders. With both him and Boomer already halfway down the stairs, Butch wasn't left with much choice.
Brick allowed a small smirk as he heard the last Ruff start down the steps, grumbling under his breath.
He didn't see what Butch was upset at; the outpost wasn't going to change anytime soon. If anything, he should be excited for this anomaly, it was something to do at least. Butch was all about spontaneity. He must really want to attack that base bad.
The air was a bit warmer down at ground level with all the buildings sheltering them from the wind. Taking a quick look around, Brick assured himself that there were no patrols about before moving at a light jog down the sidewalk.
His brothers kept pace behind him with surprising silence, surprising from Butch that was. His grumbling had stopped the moment they left the safety of the building. Maybe there were some electrons firing in that thick skull of his. Enough for him to keep his mouth shut when they were enemy territory at least.
They continued onward towards the sound for several minutes, the hollow drone resolved itself into a mechanical thrum and a series of dull clanking. It didn't take a genius to figure out what was creating it, there was only one predator in Old Townsville and it had a distinctive noise.
There was something off about it though, a haste was in the rhythm where normally it carried a slow, sedate pace. That bugged Brick. A lot. It tugged at his curiosity and while his brain was telling him to turn around and go back to the outpost, his intrigue urged him onward.
Damn his need to know everything.
Brick slowed to a walk and looked around. It was around midnight he guessed and darkness covered every crevice, nook, and cranny. Where to get the best vantage point? There was any number of taller buildings, rising eight or more floors. Which one was best?
It didn't really matter in the end he supposed, as long as it would get him a view of the Collector. Brick picked the building closest on his left and tried the door. It swung open with hardly any effort.
Perfect.
It was as they climbed the stairs that Butch's miraculous silence was finally broken. "Why the hell are we climbing this building? Let's go back, we know what the damn noise is now! It's only a Collector, nothing new, who cares?!"
Brick glanced at him from over his shoulder. "Yes, it's a Collector, but can't you hear the rhythm of its footsteps? It's after something and I want to know what."
Butch paused at the landing of the last flight of stairs and gaped at Brick incredulously. "Let me get this straight….You want to go looking for the Collector that's in predator mode?"
Brick shrugged at the accusation. Pretty much.
"What the hell man! You always get on my case for searching out 'dangerous situations'." Butch illustrated his point with finger air quotations. "And now you wanna run head long into one of the worst! I call double standards! That's not fucking fair!"
"Guess what? Life's not fair, in fact life's pretty much bitch out to screw you over. Doesn't matter anyway, I'm the leader and what I say goes. Sucks for you." Brick left Butch to his angry sputters, and shoved open the door to the roof.
He briefly heard Boomer mutter something back down the stairs but he couldn't quite make it out. Probably something about calming down, like that would work on Butch. No matter.
Brick came to a stop in the middle of the roof. The sound was clearer up here with no buildings to warp it. He cocked his head and listened …the Collector was definitely in predator mode and chasing after something, but what?
He had an inkling.
Boomer passed him silently and stood near the edge, shoving his hands into his pockets while he searched the cityscape for any signs.
Stomping boots followed by a hand rudely landing on his shoulder diverted Brick's attention away from the sound and instead towards his muscular brother glaring at him. A gloved finger was shoved barely an inch away from his face.
"You're a selfish dick, you know that?" The previous anger in Butch's tone was nearly gone now, whatever Boomer had said worked somehow.
Will wonders never cease?
The only problem was now Butch was sulking; time to nip that in the bud if he ever hoped to get the Green Ruff to help them find the damn Collector.
"And you're a dumbass. Now, are you going to go pout in a corner? Or help us find out what that Collector is chasing?" Brick asked him with a quirked eyebrow.
"I don't pout! Who do you think I am? Boomer? God! What does it even matter who the Collector's chasing? Probably some stupid refugee from New Townsville like always. They're gonna be dead in a minute anyway. This has just been a giant waste of time. We could have taken the outpost by now!"
Brick rolled his eyes at his brother's melodramatic, whining tone. Pulling away from Butch's grip, Brick walked up and stood next to his youngest brother.
"In case you haven't noticed, we are a rather long way from New Townsville." Brick replied as he crossed his arms over his chest and looked out. Where was that Collector?
"Yeah, so? What's that have to do with anything?" Butch scoffed as he took his place on Boomer's other side, following his brother's lead and looking for any sign of the metal monstrosity.
Brick rolled his eyes briefly. "Think Butch, how many people from New Townsville actually make it across the Divide?"
The brunette shrugged. "I don't know….one in every ten maybe?"
"Exactly, and out of that ten percent, how many actually make it more than a mile into the ruins?"
Butch shot him a bewildered look. "Ten percent? Where the hell did you get that? I said one out of every ten. That's one percent." He scoffed at what he perceived was a miscalculation on Brick's part.
Brick stared at the brunette for a few seconds in wonder. He wasn't that thick, was he? It wasn't possible anyone was that stupid. Yet despite his older brother's disbelief, Butch continued to chuckle, muttering about 'supposed geniuses' between his bouts of mirth.
He really was that much of an idiot.
It was a struggle not to slap a hand on his face, it really was, but somehow Brick managed it. Instead, he drew a deep breath. 'Patience Brick….he doesn't know he's that obtuse, patience.'
He changed his gaze from Butch's laughing form to Boomer, but the blonde was ignoring the both of them in favor of looking at the city below. Maybe he was smarter than Brick gave him credit for. Heaven knew Brick would have loved to ignore Butch at the moment.
Instead he took another deep breath and tried to explain the situation to his simpleton brother again.
"Fine Butch, how many of those, one out of every ten, actually make it more than a mile into the ruins?" He asked again.
The brunette stopped chuckling and thought about the question. A few seconds later he shrugged blandly. "…None really…"
Finally! The dots were in place, time to connect them for the imbecile.
"So, if we're fifteen miles away from the New Townsville and refugees don't make it more than a mile into Old Townsville, don't you think it's a bit odd that a Collector is chasing someone so deep inside the ruins?"
It was fascinating, in a morbid way, to see the comprehension dawn on his brother's face as he thought through Brick's question. What must it be like to have that slow of a thought process? Ugh, what a terrible curse. Thank God he got the brains out of the three of them.
"You think it might be the Puffs?" The Green Ruff asked.
"Exactly, now help us look."
"Found it." Both men blinked at Boomer's abrupt intrusion into the conversation.
The blonde pointed out an area a mile away and sure enough, the telltale signs of a Collector chase were there. A cloud of smoke was slowly rising into the night sky illuminated by several flashes of light, probably the Collector firing its flamethrowers if he were to guess. If the Collector was bringing out that much fire power there was a very good possibility it was chasing what he just happened to be seeking as well.
"Let's go boys."
Brick turned from the roofs edge and started running for the stairs, his brothers seconds behind him. This time when they met a Puff it would actually turn out right! He was going to use everything in his power to make damn sure of that!
Fwoosh!
Buttercup danced to the side as a stream of fire char grilled the road behind her. The air shimmered and embers flew past her as the street ignited and years of trash became kindling for the flames.
The heat chocked her lungs and made each step feel heavier than the last, but she pressed on. To stop was certain death, not only for herself, but for the three kids clinging desperately to her.
Over the whine of the Collector's alarm and crackling of the flames she could hear the choked sobs from the kids in her grasp. They had a right to be afraid, for the past fifteen minutes it had been an all-out sprint against the inevitable through an obstacle course of rubble, flames, and deadly harpoons. Hell, she kinda wanted to cry too….if she was weak like that, thankfully she wasn't.
She was surprised they had even made it this long against the robot behind them. Bubbles still maintained the lead and kept them moving in random zig zag patterns; taking turns down streets and alley ways alike to keep them out from the open.
As miraculous as their continued survival was, Buttercup knew it couldn't last much longer. Both her and her sister were slowing down as time wore, even little malnourished kids got heavy when you carried them as you ran for lives.
They were stuck in a race they couldn't afford to lose, but couldn't hope to win.
Buttercup drew a perverse sort of amusement from that. In the end it wouldn't matter how long they ran or how fast, they couldn't hope to escape the Collector chasing after them, but that didn't stop her or Bubbles from trying everything in their power to do so. She was always told she was too stubborn for her own good.
True enough.
Buttercup dodged to the side once more as three small harpoons skewered an overturned truck; the force of the impact sent it rolling end over end before it skidded to a stop, sending up a shower of sparks as it slowed.
This chase was getting more and more dangerous as time wore on. At first, the Collector had stuck with it's usually assault of harpoons but that soon escalated as she and Bubbles dodged away from them time and time again. Fire now shot at her back along with eight foot metal spears and whatever else the Collector could throw at her. Cars, trash cans, kiosks, anything and everything it could rip from the ground.
Nothing had connected yet, but the close calls were getting uncomfortably closer as she ran on. Whether this was because she was tiring or the Collector was correcting its aim, she had no clue. It didn't really matter anyway, only the fact that she could be hit did.
Jumping over a pothole, Buttercup readjusted her grip on the kids in her arms. John squirmed to grab a better hold on her. Good thing he did, already she had accidently lost a hold of the little boy a few times and his foresight was the only thing that kept him from tumbling to the ground.
How did this tiny little kid get so damn heavy? He certainly hadn't been like that when she first picked him up, but then again, fear and dread weighed her arms down as much as fatigue. Who wouldn't feel those things with a Collector less than three hundred meters behind you?
Even with that, carrying three kids should have been a cake walk, well cake run technically. Hell, she had carried men three times this kid's weight through hostile fire and never batted an eyelash or felt as much strain.
This was different though, it was like an extra weight was added to her shoulders when these kids trusted their lives to her care. The thing about soldiers were that they were trained in the art of war, they knew exactly what they were getting into when they picked up their weapons and went to battle. They were ready to fight for their beliefs, and if necessary, to die for them.
These kids, they hadn't signed up for any of this. It wasn't their fault that they had been thrown right into the middle of a war. There was no choice in the matter; this fate had been pushed upon them by her failure so long ago.
The thought made her cringe but it was the truth. Buttercup Utonium didn't run from the truth, she faced it like she did everything else: head on. It really was her and her sisters' fault this was all happening, if they had fought harder, tried more, anything really, this whole thing would be just a bad dream. The terrified children holding onto her could have had a normal life without a worry in the world.
Instead they were hunted like dogs…and once found, killed like them too.
When Buttercup had taken these kids under her protection she had made a promise to get them safely to base, but that was now looking like a promise she couldn't keep. A heavy frown furrowed her brow at the thought.
Dammit! A Powerpuff always kept her promises; at least, that was what she was supposed to do. This couldn't be an exception to the rule, she wouldn't let it be. Not here, not with these kids, not now.
Some way, somehow they were getting to base. She was going to keep these kids safe come hell or high water, which was an appropriate turn of phrase seeing as she might very well be visiting those fiery gates rather soon.
The sentiment caused Buttercup to pick up her pace with renewed vigor. She could do this, she would do this! Nothing was going to stand in her way.
She glanced over her shoulder, through Betty's wild hair, at their would be executioner clambering ever closer behind them.
Okay, maybe that would.
The Collector was slowly gaining on them, traveling quickly over the cluttered roads. Its clawed limbs tore up the ground and crushed any obstacle in its path. Nothing slowed it down, nothing really could. It was like being an ant and watching a lawn mower bearing down on you. If the sharp parts didn't kill you, the blunt force trauma would.
"ALLEY! LEFT!" Bubbles shout from up ahead alerted Buttercup to their course change. She could barely distinguish her sister darting into the corridor through the gloom but she could still see enough to follow her lead.
Instinct made her duck just in time to avoid decapitation as she entered the alley way, the metal spear intended for her skull drove through the wall to her right instead. Pieces of brick pelted her and her charges as the wall was crushed inward.
Buttercup winced as a piece caught her above the eye. Seconds later, blood seeped down her brow and clung to her eyes lashes. Blinking repeatedly, she tried to clear away the liquid that threaten to blind her.
Augh! What she wouldn't give to have just one hand free right now!
Escaping into the alley way gave them a few precious seconds lead on the robot while it tried to find a way to follow them through. Unfortunately, it was a quick learner.
Tremors shook the ground as the Collector threw itself onto the buildings that sheltered the alley way and it began scaling them. Still, it took more time for the robot to climb than it took them to run straight through. Thank God Bubbles had capitalized on that fact.
"RIGHT!" Once again Buttercup followed her sister's directions as she nearly flew from the alleyway…and then stumbled to complete stop at the sight of the street before her. The Green puff spit out a vicious curse
All the roads and avenues they had previously run through had been relatively empty. Sure there were a few cars and semis, but not enough for a city this size. It had been vaguely swimming through her mind, wondering where all the cars had run off too.
Well, now she knew.
Before her, rows and rows of cars and buses stood bumper to bumper, filling up each lane for miles along the broad thorough fare they had raced into. Bubbles had led them right onto one of the main roads cutting through Old Townsville and it was jammed packed. It was a mass exodus frozen in time, the only thing missing were the people.
There was no way they could run through this and maintain their lead on the Collector; it was going to take forever to weave through all these cars carrying her passengers. They made maneuvering hard enough as it was.
They needed to move on to another alley or side street before that Collector crossed the rooftop and got them in its sights again. If that happened, it would be like shooting fish in a barrel.
Buttercup took off, sticking to the sidewalk. "This is BAD!" She shouted up ahead to her sister who was already dashing ahead of her.
"I KNOW!" Bubbles shouted right back while she looked to and fro, searching for an alternate route.
"JUST PICK THE NE-"Buttercup was cut off as an air conditioning unit crashed into the ground directly in her path. Running as fast as she was, there was no time to stop or adjust her course and she careened right into it.
The air exploded from her lungs as her momentum carried her head over heels across the top of the conditioning unit and deposited her face first into the sidewalk on the other side.
Buttercup grimaced as she struggled to recover from the unexpected collision. Air refilled her abused lungs and the sharp pain that assaulted her face died down after a second, still, it was hard to push herself up.
She managed to get her hands underneath her and…..wait….her hands were empty. Her hands weren't supposed to be empty, there had been kids- SHIT!
The disorientation from the fall disappeared as Buttercup shoved herself up to her knees and looked around frantically for any sign of the children.
There!
Relief flooded her as she spied Betty cradling her hand against her chest five feet ahead. Erin was there too, curled up into a protective ball and sobbing into her tiny arms. Two out of three…what about John?
Looking left and right, Buttercup found no signs of the little boy and fear started creeping up her spine again. Where the hell was he?! He couldn't have flown far!
She tried to climb to her feet when a loud CLANK rang out directly behind her. The accompanying tremor threw her off balance and sent her sprawling once more into the concrete. The Green Puff recovered much quicker this time around and sat up, spitting out a mouth full of dirt and ash, to look at the disturbance.
As if she didn't already know what it was.
Leering down at her, the large glaring red eye pinned her with its emotionless gaze. For a moment, one single irrational moment, her heart stopped, her lungs seized, and Buttercup Utonium sat there, completely frozen in fear.
Any person in their right mind would have given up right then and there, would have pissed themselves and thrown in the towel, realized that they were hopelessly outclassed with no way out. Laid down and died.
Thankfully, Buttercup wasn't in a right state of mind, she was desperate. And desperate people did whatever they had to do to survive.
In Buttercup's case that was picking up the nearest rock she could grab and hurling it with all her might at the Collector's eye. The impact couldn't have injured it in way, it was a rock, but it did serve as a distraction. And any distraction was a good distraction as long as it kept the Collector from running her through or flame broiling her.
The Collector seemed confused as the small object crashed into its metal plated exterior. As if wondering if that was supposed to actually hurt it or not. Buttercup seized the opportunity to jump to her feet and grab another rock.
"GO!" She yelled at the two girls behind her as she chucked the rock at the robot again. The impact didn't even make a dent. Note to self, robot beats rock…badly.
While Erin was still curled into a ball of pity and fright, Betty at least was clear minded enough to instantly obey Buttercup's command. Smart girl. She used her good hand to haul Erin to her feet and half dragged her as she raced down the sidewalk towards Bubbles.
Her sister had noticed her fall and stood staring at her indecisively with wide blue eye. Knowing the blonde, Bubbles was probably struggling between using this opportunity to get farther away from the Collector and save the kids or come running back to save her. Well, she wouldn't get a choice in the matter.
"RUN BUBBLES! Take the kids and run!"
For an instant it looked as if the Blue Puff would rebel against her order, but that moment passed as Betty and Erin reached her. Bubbles gave her sister a brief nod before running off with the two girls in tow.
That only left John. There was still no sign of him. Seriously, where the hell was he?!
Buttercup jumped to the side as a series of small harpoons hissed by her arm. That was quickly followed up by a spray of fire that nearly caught her in the face. The heat of the flames pressed down on her as she somersaulted out of the way. Obviously the Collector was done playing; it was time to finish its prey.
Coming out of her somersault, Buttercup used her momentum to catapult herself over the conditioning unit once more. Vaulting over the other side, she nearly landed on a small shivering mass lying on the ground.
John!
Buttercup grabbed him by the back of his shirt and pulled him out of the way of another chain of harpoons.
This Collector was not letting up in the slightest. Buttercup didn't know how long she could dodge an assault like this at this range. They needed to get out of the danger zone fast. Some place she could actually maneuver in. She hoisted John up into her arms and briefly assessed his injuries as she avoided more flames.
The poor boy seemed out of it, with good reason. There was a massive gash that arched from his forehead back into his hair line. Blood matted down his dark brown hair and his eye stared unfocused into the distance. All signs were there for a concussion, he must have hit the air conditioning unit head on.
"Come on John, stay awake." Was all Buttercup could say before she was forced to twist out of the way of a huge claw diving at her.
The impact nearly caused her to lose her balance but she maintained her footing and staggered away as best she could. More claws rained down from above as the Collector closed in to finish her and the little boy off.
The Green Puff danced around blow after blow, each one coming down with enough force to crush a car in half. One hit and she'd be squished like a bug, not a comforting thought. Being so focused on the assault from above, Buttercup failed to notice one of the claws ripping itself from the ground and come sweeping at her from behind.
Wham!
Pain exploded through her back as she was completely blindsided and sent flying through the air into the sea of vehicles cluttering the street.
Buttercup had just enough time to curl protectively around John before the both of them slammed into the roof of an abandoned car. Despite her tight hold, the little boy flew from her hands and bounce across the roof before rolling off onto the street below.
A groan passed through her lips as Buttercup tried to pull herself from the collapsed roof. She had to get John, had to grab him and run. The effort to drag herself out caused pain to stab through her back. She fell back down with a gasp and took a second to simply breathe. Every inhale sent a burning sensation through her lungs.
Son of bitch that hurt. A back full of bruised ribs, maybe even a couple fractured ones. Another wave of fire burned as she inhaled once more.
Definitely some fractured ribs.
Wonderful, just what she needed. Fighting through the pain with gritted teeth, Buttercup rolled from the roof of the car and landed on her feet on the street below. She was proud to admit she only staggered a little on the landing.
John laid before her looking around in confusion. Poor kid probably had no idea about what was going on or where he even was. She lurched forward and bent down to pick him up when a hiss caught her ear.
That was right before a three foot piece of sharpened metal ripped through her left shoulder and out the other side, barely avoiding John's head. She couldn't contain a cry of pain as blood sprayed from her wound and she fell to the ground on top of him.
A haze clouded Buttercup's senses as she tried to regain control of her body. Her arm felt like slab of dead meat as it twitched unceremoniously. Tingles ran down her shoulder and blood steady flowed from the thin puncture wound.
No intense pain though, either the nerves around the wound had been severed or her adrenaline was kicking into over drive. Whichever one it was, she was thankful for it. Buttercup tried to flex her hand and was relieved to find it responded to the commands her brain sent, albeit a bit sluggishly. That meant the muscle damage was minimal. That was one good thing.
CRASH! Whhhvvvvv CLANK!
Abruptly the cars beside her and John were lifted up in the air and thrown aside as the Collector cleared the area surrounding them.
Whhhvvvvv CLANK!
The Collector halted directly over top of them, its red eye pining them down. All eight claws were firmly planted in the ground as a cavity opened up underneath its eye and began emitting a soft glow. The glow continued to grow brighter as turbines whirled inside the robot's patched iron casing.
The laser, she had almost forgotten they had those.
Although it was one of their most powerful weapons, it wasn't one of their most used. The damn thing took a long time to power up, especially when you could simply skewer your prey with a dozen harpoons in the same amount of time.
Well, it wasn't like she was going anywhere, the fucking robot could afford to take its sweet time.
She shakily pushed herself to her hands and knees, taking as much weight off her shoulder as possible. The effort caused a sheen of sweat to drip down her face and a new wave of blood to gush from her wound.
Still curled up on the ground below her, John let out a frightened whimper. He knew what was coming, even the haze fogging his mind right now couldn't block out the sense of their impending death. Unfocused eyes gazed up at her imploringly but the only thing she could think to do was smirk down at him softly. She was all out of tricks.
The laser glowed brightly behind her, causing sharp shadows to dance vividly across the ground. The whirl of the turbines filled Buttercup's ears and she heaved a ragged sigh.
This was it.
Using her damaged arm, she patted John's head softly. "It's okay, I'm here with ya." She said gently. The boy seemed to relax at her words and kept his gaze focused at her bright green eyes as they waited for the end to come.
The whirling machinery came to a crescendo and Buttercup had one last thought before they fired.
'Those fiery gates better be damn impressive.'
She shut her eyes tightly.
A harsh wind blew past her and a loud CRACK rang through the air. Bursts of crackling electricity replaced the sound of the whirling turbines and the bright light suddenly dimmed, the shadows it cast fleeing back into the darkness.
Buttercup's eyes snapped open and she realized her flesh hadn't been seared off her bones yet. Incredulously, she looked back over her shoulder and saw the reason why.
The harpoon still wobbled as it stood, buried two feet straight into the laser port of the Collector. The machinery sparked and smoke billowed into the wind until a small blast ignited from the cavity.
The explosion ripped open the Collectors metal chassis and sent parts cascading through the air. The force of it rocked the Collector back until it stood precariously on only two of its eight clawed appendages.
Buttercup shielded John from the rain of debris as it fell around them. After a few seconds, the torrent slowed and she raised her head again. Maybe that blast was enough to finish the robot off? It might have been small, but an explosion from inside was far more damaging from the outside. It could have taken out a vital system or two.
Turning around to sit up, Buttercup saw her hopes were unfounded. The Collector won the struggle to regain its balance and planted its claws back firmly into the street, sending up small clouds of dust and ash.
Dammit! Why were these things so fucking durable? Even though there was an impressively large chuck of its chassis missing in the front, the damn thing looked to be fully operational…and deadly. The blast didn't even phase it as it focused its eye back onto her and John, the red glare flickering only slightly through the gloom.
"Buttercup! Get up!" Two hands slid under her arms from behind and pulled her up off the ground before she recognized the sweet voice.
She was left staggering on her own as the arms of her sister retreated and Bubbles came from behind to scoop John up.
"Don't just stand there, hurry!" Bubbles called as took off in a run.
That was easier said than done, with a grimace Buttercup forced her tired legs to chase after the Blue Puff as she darted in between cars back towards the sidewalk. A brace of small harpoons peppered the ground behind her as she moved.
That Collector was not giving up. How many harpoons did that thing have? Shouldn't it have run out by now?!
Adrenaline pumped through her veins and the sharp pains of her ribs and shoulder dulled down to a light throb. With her second wind Buttercup managed to avoid the projectiles firing at her back and catch up to her blonde sister.
"You? The harpoon?" Buttercup managed to grunt out between breaths.
Bubbles nodded. "Well it was a lot more effective than rocks, no offense."
"None taken, where are the others?"
The blonde was about to answer when a Fwoosh came up from behind. The two sisters sprang apart and let a jet of fire pass between them. Buttercup grimaced at the heat of the flames and leaned as far away from it as possible. She already had a messed up ribs and a hole the size of a quarter through her shoulder, she didn't need third degree burns on top of it all.
The flames died down quick enough and she rejoined her sister as they ran on.
"The kids are around the next corner." Bubbles belatedly answered while nodding to the intersection they were fast approaching.
"Well, let's not keep them waiting." The Green Puff put on more speed and pivoted around the corner far more gracefully than she thought possible in her condition. Her sister followed only a second behind.
Their sudden entrance startled the four kids leaning against the building wall so badly that all of them jumped at least six inches into the air. Joseph squeaked as he stumbled on his landing and fell ungracefully to his butt. Bubbles scooped him up a moment later and looked back at Buttercup.
"Can you carry one of them?"
She answered by getting down on one knee and nodding to Betty. "Get on kid, watch the shoulder. Erin, here."
Betty climbed carefully onto her back, taking extra care not to bump her bloodied shoulder, while Buttercup picked up Erin with her functional arm. Standing up, Buttercup saw Kevin now clutching her sister's shoulders with a frightened but also excited look in his eye.
That crazy kid, he reminded her way too much of herself at that age.
Whvvvvvv CLANK!
And that was the sign telling them it was time to go.
They were already a hundred meters away when the Collector rounded the corner. Thankfully this street wasn't quite as crowded with vehicles and allowed them more room to dodge around the flying harpoons and jets of fire shot at their backs from behind.
Even with the lead the Collector began to gain ground on them, their extended escape had taken its toll on the two young ladies. No amount of adrenaline could lighten the dead weight of Buttercup's legs or her ragged breathing. The same was true for Bubbles; the blonde stumbled on a stray tire and nearly bit the dust before she caught herself.
Their chance for total escape was virtually nonexistent now and both of them knew it. Even so they would have kept running until their legs gave out... if it hadn't been for the semi-trailer that crashed into ground in front of them and cut off their route.
Both women skidded to a stop and gazed at the trailer in dismay. It stretched out across the entire street and blocked off any hope of escape.
Turning around, Buttercup growled at the sight of the Collector approaching menacingly through the smoke. The burning cars threw splashes of oranges and yellows across its pock marked, scarred frame and flickering in the darkness, the red eye glared down at them.
Overall, it was a very hellish sight indeed.
Erin clutched desperately at her vest as the hellion slowed to a stop and towered over them. Its joints creaked and groaned as it settled down.
At least they had managed to damage it as much as it had them. That one thought brought a smirk to Buttercup's face. Like her old drill sergeant used to say, 'If you're going down, take as many bastards with you as possible.' Well it wasn't much, but that damn robot was definitely going to need some tender loving care after this encounter.
Buttercup slowly knelt down and set Erin's feet on the ground. The little girl refused to relinquish her hold on the Green Puff's vest however and only sobbed harder into her shoulder. Betty slid down from her back and joined the impromptu group hug, leaving Buttercup with no choice but to hold the two young girls tightly.
Poor kids, they were so young.
Buttercup looked over to see Bubbles still holding John and Joseph in her arms; Kevin hid behind her legs and glared out petulantly at the Collector. For some reason, the scene caused a small chuckle to rise up in her throat. It was entirely inappropriate for the situation, but something about that kid made her laugh. He had guts, that was for sure.
A loud clunking sound emitted from the Collector as it switched out its smaller harpoons for the larger ones. It was a more mercifully quick death at least.
While the robot loaded its weaponry, Buttercup took a moment to look at all the kids. She wished she could have kept her promise and delivered them safely to the base. From Kevin's blatant outgoing disregard for following orders to Joseph's shy unassuming manner, all of them were characters in their own right. They probably would have been a riot to have around. The base could have used a little more laughter, especially Blossom.
The brunette's smirk died as she thought about her older sister. What she feared most was about to come true, both of her sisters were going to die and she would be left on her own.
Blossom couldn't handle being on her own dammit!
Who would chastise her when she worked too hard? Or make sure she actually went to bed instead of pouring over those stupid maps? Who was she going to trust to lead the raids when she finally got around to starting them? Those were her and Bubbles jobs! She needed them, just like they needed her.
They were a team…a family. Tears welled up in her bright green eyes as the situation fully sunk in.
Fuck! This wasn't fair!
They were the good guys! They weren't supposed to die by some nondescript machine in the middle of fucking nowhere! They were supposed to rise up and over throw Mojo, to bring down his empire and restore the world to its rightful balance and all that crap.
The clanking stopped as the Collector finished changing its weapon and it leaned down towards them. A ragged tired sigh escaped the Green Puffs lips. Well, like it or not, this was the end and there wasn't a damn thing she could do about it.
What a shitty way to die.
...THUNK!
The hollow sound echoed through the ruined street as every occupant froze. A large piece of broken concrete bounced off the top of the Collector and tumbled to the street before rolling to stop inches in front of her. Buttercup blinked at the rubble.
…What...the hell?
"YOU DUMBASS!"
The cry caused both Buttercup and Bubbles to divert their attention from the robot and look behind it.
Three figures stood by one of the burning cars. The one in the middle was still hunched over from his throw while the other two looked at him in different states of shock.
The individual on the thrower's right was the most shocked out of the two, judging by the way he clutched at his short black hair with his mouth agape. The other one was little more dignified in his reaction as he simply fixed an incredulous glare at the thrower, the firelight making his memorable red cap recognizable even at this distance.
…No way…..no fucking way.
Buttercup rubbed at her eyes to make sure it wasn't just the firelight playing tricks on them. She looked back up and blinked a couple times.
...nope they were still there.
The Rowdyruff Boys had just saved their lives.
…WHAT?!
The Collector straightened and turned ominously towards the new intruders. The thrower, who could only be Boomer, stood up and took a nervous step back.
Whvvv CLANK!
With that one step, the three young men snapped out of their respective dazes and things started happening all at once.
Brick snatched up a piece of nearby rubble and launched it at the Collector like his younger brother had. Boomer followed suit a moment later and the two of them fully captured the Collectors attention.
"What the hell are you two doing?!" Butch yelled out as he alternated glaring at his brother and the Collector, not sure which of the two deserved his ire more.
"Just shut up and RUN!" Brick yelled back as he turned tail and began racing down the street into the darkness.
"You don't need to fucking tell me twice!"
Boomer stood a moment longer and looked away from the Collector towards the girls.
"Run!" With that, he chucked one last rock and booked it after his brothers.
With new prey in its sights, for some strange wonderful miraculous reason, the Collector completely forgot about the girls and the children they held. It lumbered after the boys, firing off its harpoons into the darkness.
Buttercup knelt, frozen in shock, as the last vestiges of clanking disappeared into the night and they were left completely alone.
"Did….did we just-they…the….eh..huh?" Buttercup trailed off uncertainly with no words able to fully express her astonishment at their narrow escape from death.
"…yeah…" Bubbles reply was no better as the two of them continued looking into the darkness where their rescuers had run off into.
They probably would have remained that way for a good long while if Kevin hadn't of spoken up, the silence finally getting to his little ADHD hyperactive mind.
"Who were those guys?" He asked in awe as he tugged at Bubbles jacket.
She snapped out of her daze and looked down at him uncertainly. "Some people that I thought I knew, but now I'm not so sure."
The boy sent her a confused looked but Bubbles didn't offer anything more. Instead she adjusted the two boys in her arms and walked up to her sister. "Come on Buttercup, we need to get out of here."
The brunette absently nodded. "Yeah…yeah let's go." With a shake of her head she took command of her emotions and assumed her leadership role once more.
"Come on kids. We need to move it." Lifting up Erin into her arms, Buttercup ushered Betty and Kevin to follow Bubbles as she led them in the opposite direction of where the Collector had run off to.
Squeezing through the tight space between the semi-trailer and the brick wall, Buttercup sent one last look back into the darkness.
Her mind was still trying to process all that had happened in the last five minutes. No matter how many times she went over it, it all ended the same.
The Rowdyruff Boys had saved them.
It was with great confusion and the beginnings of a migraine that Buttercup turned back around and followed her sister as she lead them home.
A/N: Woooo, that was a long chapter. It might have been a bit too wordy but I think it works rather well. So yes, the Boys save the Girls from certain death (surprise, surprise. Like no one saw that coming) and now they are the prey.
Tune in next Saturday for the exciting chase conclusion! It's gonna be good, I'm just saying.
Oh! And a super special thank you to Lily975 for the awesome review! It really made my day! Thank you so much! To all you others out there in the cyberspaces, feel free to leave one to and tell me what you think. I like hearing from my readers, both critiques and praises.
See you guys next Saturday!