AnimeGirl 144 A/N: Hiya everyone. This chapter was based on an idea from my other would-be story. This chapter is also influenced by the song Stand in the Rain by Superchic[k]. I suggest you listen to it (just because it's an awesome song). This song is basically the chapters theme. Basically. If you want to see what other songs are used in this story, I suggest going to my page because where the rest of them are and where in the story they belong. I always liked the idea of songs in a story. Hope you all enjoy this chapter.
Be warned, I switched up the Nano Mission in here. You'll see where. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED, SO PLEASE DO NOT SAY ANYTHING ABOUT IT!
Disclaimer: I own nothing except maybe my character (it's half-and-half because I use the name in FusionFall, sort of). Everything else in FusionFall is the property of Cartoon Network, except something that is owned by Teletoon, and then Toonami.
Title: What Gets Me Through the War
Author: AnimeGirl 144
Chapter Fourteen: On My Own
No P.O.V.
The clouds had moved in that night, going against all weather reports. The clouds, almost as if acting on their own, wanted to no longer see Planet Fusion, so it covered the Earth with clouds, covering the stars and the moon. With the moon covered, there was no light. It was pitch black.
The dark clouds were what everyone woke up to the next morning. not even the sun could break through the clouds. Dexter found it a nice distraction from Fuse's planet, but the scenery was all too gloomy for the scientist. Gloom was never good for anyone's morals.
As the day was beginning, a high-pitched scream was emitted from an unknown source, though Mojo would swear that the scream was louder than anyone scream he'd ever heard. The scream had come from Providence, and anyone who wasn't awake before was now awake.
"Mallory sounds upset," Bobo commented as the group of Rex, Holiday, Six, White Knight (via monitor), Palmar, the twins, Numbuh One, Max, and Scotsman sat in the planning room.
Mallory came running into the room, looking upset, scared, worried, and a bit of questioning. Strange emotions considering she went to check on Alice who was in her bed. Did Alice not look that good?
"What's up Mal?" Rex asked.
"It's Alice! She's not in her bed!" Mallory informed.
Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at her.
"What?" Palmar asked.
"She's not in her bed?" Numbuh One demanded.
Mallory shook her head.
"She wasn't there," Mallory said again.
"She somehow escaped our watch," Holiday commented.
"Our monitors show no temperament," Six reported.
"You mean she disappeared out of thin air?" Numbuh One demanded with a glare.
"Even I can't do that," Mallory commented.
"I was with her last night, but I turned in early," Rex said. "She must have left after that."
"What are we going to do about Fuse?" Brent asked. "You know he'll go after her."
"Do you think Fuse took her?" Trent suggested.
Mallory, once worried, now looked angry at the very thought.
"That monster! I'll kill him if he hurt her," Mallory said, her eyes a blazed with fire.
"He's still on his planet. How can you get up there with everything grounded?" Palmar questioned.
Mallory looked at Rex and her teammates.
"The Space Elevator?"
"Been destroyed and hasn't been fixed," White Knight answered from the safety of his screen.
"The elevator broke the Treaty between the adults and the Kids Next Door," Numbuh One informed.
"Providence had no agreement with your afterschool program," White insulted.
"Afterschool-!" Numbuh One growled angrily at the man in white.
"Enough you two! This isn't helping to find Alice," Max said, trying to be a voice of reason.
"If Fuse and his goons nabbed her, we would have known," Rex said. "He would have made a show about it, sending in Monsters."
"Then she willingly left," Six concluded.
The twins, looking dismayed, looked at each other and said,
"Left?"
"We need to find her," Palmar stressed.
"Aye, we do laddie," the Scotsman said.
"But she may need some rest and time away from all of this," Max suggested. "She's been thrust into this war as our only chance of winning, and that had to have taken its toll on her. It would to anyone."
"But she can't be out there alone. Fuse will find her and kill her," Palmar argued.
"Uh, boss," Brent spoke up.
"Yeah?"
"Who's gonna tell Dexter?"
Alice's P.O.V.
Maybe running out of Providence in the middle of a rain storm wasn't such a smart idea, but it was too late to do anything about it now. My hands were firmly on my arms, trying to warm them up from the chill of the gloomy setting. I could have gone into one of the shops to warm up, but I couldn't afford to get notice; it defeats the whole purpose of running away. Well... could anyone recognize me? I looked at myself in the nearest window (thankfully the store was closed because otherwise this would be embarrassing). I had unusually blue hair, but still retained my gray eyes. If someone didn't know me well enough, they wouldn't recognize me. I was at least thankful the white wasn't a see-through white. Even drenched it still looked as white as I saw it before. No one (not even myself when I looked in the window) could even guess I was soaked to the bone.
I barely even remember how I left the base. I remember deforming the window (well, Arthena did that through me) and making it open wide enough for me to climb through then I returned it to its normal state. After that... well I don't remember anything after that except 'waking up' as I walked past the Sunken Mall. Arthena hasn't told me anything because she was resting, saying communication between us needed to be minimal in a hopes to not alert Fuse of my presence. I released a ragged sigh and continued down through Marquee Row before stopping at the benches in front of the fast food restaurant, the one across from the auditorium. I wrapped my arms around myself again in an attempt to keep myself warm until I felt something hugging my arm. Opening my eye, I looked to see Nano Buttercup hugging me, trying to keep me warm. I smiled thankfully at her, before feeling something holding my other arm, and looking, I discovered it to be Nano Numbuh Two. Then Nano Eddy... Then Nano Eduardo... All my Nanos appeared out of my NanoCom (yes, even Nano Him) and was hugging me, in a hopes to give me warmth. I smiled at them.
"Thank you," I said, shivering lightly when the breeze blew through. I wonder how the others are doing. I hope my Fusion form isn't hurting them.
No P.O.V.
"What do you mean she's missing?" Dexter shouted over the hologram transmission.
Shortly after Alice had gone missing, Palmar had contacted Dexter via Providence's machinery. Needless to say, the cheery boy genius was now upset to discover that their only hope of winning the war had walked out of the building under their noses. They just kept underestimating the teen girl. Though Palmar had been the one to contact Dexter, it was Numbuh One who was speaking with Dexter. The ten-year-old was, in all reality, a soldier, and his leader tone could make it easier for him to deliver the disturbing news.
"Exactly as I said," Numbuh One calmly and coolly answered. "She disappeared from our sights sometime late last night. We were hoping you could find her."
"And how would I do that?" Dexter asked.
"Don't you still have her tagged?" Numbuh One asked through clenched teeth.
"No. I got rid of it when she teamed up with Palmar and the twins. They were suppose to keep a watchful eye on her," Dexter said, throwing a look at Palmar.
Palmar shrugged, but not trusting his own mouth, kept it shut. The red-head only looked back at the bald operative.
"So you have no idea where she is? Or who might have taken her?" Dexter demanded, doing his best to not let his worry show.
"We thought Fuse, but we ruled that out," Brent spoke up.
"I'm still behind it!" Mallory piped up from the back.
"If it had been Fuse, his minions would have attacked the base," Six responded calmly, shooting down Mallory's thoughts.
"You suck, did anyone ever tell you that?" Mallory asked when she realized he was saying the truth.
"So we have no idea where she is?" Dexter demanded, pinching the bridge of his nose. "This isn't good. Fuse is growing stronger, and he's surely going to be after her." He looked at them. "All of you, go out and find her. I'm going to send a red alert to everyone that she's missing and needs to be found. If Fuse finds her, or... kills her,... the war will be lost."
"Right," the assembled group said.
"Oh, but you might want to get a caricature," Bobo spoke up.
"What do you mean?" Dexter questioned the talking monkey.
"She got a make-over, or so I've heard," Bobo said.
Palmar rolled his eyes and explained her new look, making Dexter's eyebrows shoot into his hairline. He immediately set Computress to draw what was being described to him. He'd have the whole world alerted of her disappearance and need to be found.
Alice's P.O.V.
I heard footsteps, a lot of them, coming towards me and my Nanos. They too heard the footsteps and disappeared back in my NanoCom, not wanting to be caught. I thought it was my friends, but was relieved (and a little upset) to see that it was only Sunny Bridges and his music class. The teacher saw me, kept walking, then stopped and did a double-take. His and his student's eyes were wide, probably finding it strange that I was out here in the cold weather. I offered them an embarrassed smile.
"Hey there girl. What are you doing out in this cold and wet weather?" Sunny asked.
"Yeah. Ain't ya cold?" the boy in the sailor hat asked.
"Uhm... taking a walk?" I offered.
"That's just strange," the girl of the Asian twins commented.
"I don't think it's strange!" the blond girl spoke up with a smile. "A walk always makes me happy, even in the rain! Oh, I love to walk and sing in the rain!"
"Sure ya do Madison," the sailor hat boy said. "Well, anyways, I'm Lil'D, and these are my friends and teacher."
Lil'D, I'm guessing he's the leader of the class, introduced me to his friends and his teacher. I only remember them by face because they've preformed a few times in the auditorium that was built with donated money by Sunny Bridges, who they named the auditorium after. I smiled kindly at them.
"So, what's your name?" Tamika questioned.
"M-my name?" I repeated. Should I tell them? As much as I hated to lie, I couldn't reveal my real name. What if they recognized me? "My name is... Kyra Xyrespace."
"Really? Strange name," Philly Phil said.
I just smiled at them, hoping they'd believe it. Why shouldn't they?
"So, what are you guys doing out here?" I asked, hoping to turn the table.
"We came to look at our auditorium," Kam answered.
"What's left of it," Edward said with a sorrowful sigh.
I followed their line of sight and felt a pang of pity and sympathy for them, the same I felt for Stickybeard and his ship. The auditorium is now an Infected Zone.
"Yeah. The Ganggreen Gang were suppose to be headlining tonight, but as you can see, it's cancelled," Sunny said.
"I'm sorry. That's terrible," I said.
"Well, we can't dwell on it too much," Sunny said.
"Yeah. The auditorium may be down, but we still have our music," Kim said, trying to sound cheerful.
"I just wish I could beat Fuse up for doing this," Lil'D said as he and his group began to walk away.
"For once, I'm with you on this one Lil'D," Tamika said.
The musical group disappeared back down into Marquee Row, leaving me alone at the deserted fast food place. They must of had some sort of super powers because no sooner did they leave then the sky release a rumble and a flash of light. Seconds later, the downpour began. I shivered and clutched my arms, but I was strangely drawn to the rain. I stood up, left my excuse for protection and stepped into the rain. As I looked up, I felt my shoulders sag and then the strangest thing happened... I began to cry. My warm tears mixed with the cold droplets that hit my skin.
I crumbled to my knees, placed my head in my hands, and began to cry. I don't know why I was really crying. Maybe the pain I felt of losing my mother? Maybe I was upset in betraying my friends and leaving them? Maybe it was the stress of the war and knowing that I was the only one who could end it? I don't know, all I know was, it felt really good to cry. But I must have looked like an idiot. Crying in the middle of the street in the middle of a rain storm? But it felt good, so I couldn't let that thought get me down.
"Hey! Girl! You okay?" a voice asked, making me freeze up.
I looked upward to see a girl in punk-gothic clothing staring down at me with concerned green eyes. Funny... why do they seem familiar? I didn't say a word as I continued to release sobs. The girl took my arm, gently pulled me up and walked me towards what I believed to be the Infected Zone. On closer inspection, I was right. We headed down the red tile made to look like a red carpet and towards the ticket booth. It had an archway that we could stand under, protecting us from the onslaught of the rain. I sniffled and rubbed my tears away, avoiding looking at the girl who probably thought I had issues.
"You okay? I saw you crying in the rain. Did something happen?" Geez, even her voice sounded familiar. Who is she?
I shook my head and looked up at her, noticing despite the tough-girl look, she was looking at me with concern. I did notice the running make-up and felt bad. I don't wear make-up because it's too time consuming, but I knew girls cared about stuff like that and I felt bad.
"I-I'm sorry about your make-up," I said.
"Hm?" she asked, touching her cheek and noticing that it had make-up on it. "Awh don't worry about it. I probably look more like a punk rocker now, right?"
I smiled a little and nodded, chuckling just a bit. She flashed me a grin before it turned into a small frown as she looked me over.
"You know, you look a little funny. Your clothes don't even look drenched," she muttered.
"Yeah... they're funny like that," I said.
"Well, my name's Belladonna," Belladonna introduced. "I'm part of the Ganggreen Gang band. I came here to see if it was true, and it was. How about yourself?"
"Uh... my name's Alice. Uhm, what's true?" I asked.
"Oh, that the Auditorium's been turned into an Infected Zone. Ace told me and I had to come down here to see for myself," she answered. "But why are you all the way down here? Not many folks were out today."
"Oh, I... I just thought some fresh air would be nice. The stress has been... overwhelming," I answered cautiously.
"Stress? What are you stressed about?"
"Just... everything. The war mainly," I answered.
"Yeah. That's how everyone is," she answered and I sighed a little in relief. "You know... you wear a lot of blue. Just like a... a girl I keep seeing."
"Hm?" I asked, looking up at her.
She had a faraway look on her face before she shook her head.
"Sorry. I lost my memory a while back, and weird memories keep popping into my head at random times," she said. "All I can remember is waking up by the shoreline and Ace there. He and the band took me in, and I've been with them ever since."
My suspicions kicked in as I observed her.
"How long ago did you lose your memory?" I asked cautiously, careful to not upset her.
"Hm... about two months or so?" she responded.
No... It couldn't be...
"Do you ever see... a monkey wearing a cape?" I asked.
She stared at me for the longest time before saying, "How did you know? I've never told anyone that."
My breath caught in my throat as I took a step back and leaned against the concreted wall. I can't believe it. I can't believe it.
"Belladonna... I... I don't think that's your real name," I said, not looking at her.
"What do you mean? Of course it is," she said, but her voice gave it away that she didn't think it was either.
"I... I think your name's... Buttercup. Of the Powerpuff Girls," I said, finally looking up at her.
Her eyes widened as her crossed arms uncrossed. They fell to her sides limply.
"Wh...what?" she asked.
"I think Ace was lying to you. You said you saw a monkey with a cape. His name is Mojo Jojo. As for the girl wearing blue, that's your sister Bubbles. You have another sister, her name's Blossom and she wears pink. Your father is a well-respected scientist with a smoke pipe. All three of you girls have super powers," I explained, watching her reaction carefully.
"So... so that explains why I can hover," she said. Her eyes widened as she held her forehead and fell to the ground. I quickly rushed to her side and held her shoulders. "A-Alice... Alice... I... I remember... Mojo... his laser blast sent me into the sea. I am Buttercup."
I smiled a little, glad that she remembered who she was. I looked to my left and saw that the rain storm had come and gone. I stepped away from her and observed the skies before heading towards the Dexbot who had to stand in the awful weather.
"Where are you going?" Buttercup asked when I made it halfway.
I stopped and looked behind me at her.
"I have to enter the Infected Zone and defeat the Fusion that resides inside," I answered.
"What? You can't do that," she said.
"I have to. It's my job," I answered, turning and heading back for the bot. Wait, would they even recognize me?
"I can't let you do this!" Buttercup said, making me stop again.
"I have to," I said to her. "No one else... no one else can."
She stared at me in surprise before blinking.
"So... you're that Alice," she said.
I nodded, not needing to say another word. She slowly nodded herself before standing up tall and sending me a serious look.
"Alright. Good luck then. I normally wouldn't let anyone do this alone, but since I can't remember how to use my powers, you've got to do this by yourself," Buttercup said to me.
I gave her a smile.
"Don't worry. I've done this before," I said, turning and heading back towards the Dexbot.
I took in a deep breath and stepped on the pad, wondering if the bot would recognize me. It did, and I was soon teleported into the Infected Zone.
No P.O.V.
A blinking noise was heard on the computer console, making Dexter look at it in shock. He saw that it was from the Dexbot stationed in Marquee Row.
"Alice," he muttered. "Computress! Contact Numbuh One immediately!"
Alice's P.O.V.
It had been tricky to maneuver through the auditorium. The platforms were always moving, and I had to time my jumps correctly in order to not fall on the Fusion Matter below. I headed more towards the bowling and stepped on the Fusion Portal, entering the lair. I held my weapon and shuddered a little in fear. My Nano Megas appeared out of my NanoCom and circled around my head. I smiled at him and gently touched him, my way of thanking him.
You will be fine Alice.
Arthena.
She didn't respond, but I felt her comforting aura inside of me. I nodded to myself and walked deeper into the lair with my Nano by my side. I soon came upon Vile Cabinets that spotted me before I could raise my weapon. I was already rusty? I defeated them with my Nano's assistance and continued on. I soon passed by and defeated the Vile Cabinents, putting my Nano away (he had to be tired by now). I came to the clearing and shot at the floating Fusion of Bubbles. I noticed that green started to form under my feet.
Move!
I obeyed Arthena and moved away from the green spot as fast as I could. However, an eruption sound sounded and it hit me, sending me flying to the side. I skidded to a halt and sat up, looking at where I used to be. What was that?
"Nano DeeDee," I called, hoping her ability would assist.
Nano DeeDee appeared and without needing to be ordered, attacked the Fusion with her Diva Dynamite. The Fusion was hit by it, releasing a snarl in pain. I stood back up and continued to shoot at it, though it was able to hit me with one of its goo balls, sending me backwards and back onto the ground. I switched out Nano DeeDee and called on Nano Numbuh Five. She used her Drop Kick, harming the Fusion. I raised my weapon again and shot the Fusion from where I sat. Within minutes, with another Drop Kick from Nano Numbuh Five, the Fusion turned into Matter then into Nano Bubbles, who giggled.
"Nice to meet you," she said before heading into the NanoCom with Nano Numbuh Five.
I stayed in my sitting position and sighed, feeling my body relax from the tense state it had been in. That blow had really hurt, but I was fine. I was still living, right? As I sat alone in the lair, knowing I'd need to get up and talk to Buttercup so she wouldn't worry, I felt a sad. I missed my friends. I know I left them to protect them from the Fusion me, but I still missed them. I released a tired sigh and shakily stood to my feet. I headed for the Portal and exited, then headed for the Dexbot and exited the Infected Zone. Just as I finished materializing on the other side, a pair of arms wrapped themselves around me. I was scared stiff, wondering if someone was attacking me, but the voice that spoke made me calm down.
"Oh Alice! I'm so glad you're safe!" Mallory said in happiness.
"Alice!" I heard the twins say.
More arms were wrapped around me. I had a hard time looking around, but I was able to see Palmar, Rex, Numbuh One and a monkey standing close, watching the twins and Mallory crushing me. I was also able to see Buttercup walk up to us with a smile on her face.
"You really are powerful. Glad to see you alive," she said to me.
"We were so worried about you Alice! Why did you run on us?" Mallory asked, not realizing I was dying in her grip.
"I thought you were still behind Fuse being the kidnapper?" Rex said from the sidelines.
"That was until Six ruined my idea," Mallory answered.
"Uhm... M-Mallory. Brent. Trent. Can you p-please release me?" I asked kindly.
"Oh great, you're choking her to death. She's probably going to die at your hands," the monkey said.
"Oh hush Bobo," Mallory said, though she and the twins relaxed their grip, allowing me to breathe.
"Ho-how did you find me?" I asked while I was regaining my lost breath.
"When you used the Dexbot, it triggered to Dexter, telling him where you were because only you could use the bot. He called us and we rushed here as quickly as we could," Mallory explained.
"Are you okay?" Palmar asked.
"You fought a Fusion by yourself?" Numbuh One asked, with a small frown.
Did he sound concern?
"Yes, and yes," I answered to both boys.
"Well, I'm glad you're alive," Buttercup said to me.
"Oh my gosh. You're Belladonna of the Ganggreen Gang! You guys are my favorite rock band!" Mallory said.
Everyone was silent, making her look at the boys.
"What? Even stars are allowed to have favorites," she said while crossing her arms.
Buttercup chuckled, "Thanks, but thanks to Alice, I've discovered I'm not really Belladonna."
"Huh?" Brent asked. "Then who are you?"
"My name's Buttercup, of the Powerpuff Girls," she responded.
Everyone's mouths widened.
"B-Buttercup. But you... you went missing nearly two months ago," Trent said.
"About the same time Belladonna was introduced to the band," Buttercup responded.
The eyes widening meant that they had pieced it together. Buttercup stood there with an almost victorious smirk with her knuckles on her hips.
"Well... what are you going to do now?" Palmar asked.
"Until I remember how to use my powers, I'm gonna stay with the band. I enjoy doing this," she said.
"Good luck then," Rex said with a smile.
"Thanks. So, what are you all going to do?" Buttercup asked.
"Mallory, Bobo and myself have to return to Providence and protect it from the Monsters that want to break in," Rex said.
"And I'll be returning to the Rust Bucket," Numbuh One said. "We're still coming up with ways to defeat Fuse and beat the Monsters, and hopefully clean up the Infected Zones."
"And you four?" she asked.
I kept my mouth shut, unsure of what to say. Palmar stepped up.
"We're also heading back to Providence to rest before heading towards the Wild," Palmar said.
"Yeah, Dexter said there was some trouble so we offered to check it out," Trent said.
"That's cool. Well, good luck guys. I'm going to head back to the gang," Buttercup said, giving us a wave as she headed down the sidewalk.
We waved goodbye to her before, as a group, we headed back towards Townsville Park. As we were walking under the gray clouds I felt tears sneak up on me. Why? Why was I crying? I did my best to wipe away the tears, but they kept coming and I released a small sob. I had hoped no one had heard it, but it was.
"Oh Alice, why are you crying?" Mallory asked.
I couldn't answer them straight away because I didn't know the answer. Was it like before, where there could be a number of reasons? Was I tired? Was I upset with myself for leaving my friends? Was I thankful for them still being my friends? Why was I crying?
"Why... why did you come... for me?" I asked through my sobs, my tears making it hard for me to see.
"Because you're our friend Alice," Mallory answered.
"We couldn't let anything happen to you," Palmar added.
"We care about you too much to let you get hurt," Numbuh One said.
A smile appeared on my face. They were really my friends. But I felt so guilty for leaving them.
"Alice, why did you run away?" Brent asked. "You had us scared."
"I... I was afraid my Fusion would come back to kill me,... and I was afraid it'd hurt all of you," I answered through my sobs. "I didn't want any of you to get hurt."
"Oh Alice," Trent released a sigh.
"You're such a thoughtful girl," Mallory said as I felt her arms wrap around my shoulders. "Don't ever do that to any of us again. You had us scared."
The guilt grew but I knew I deserved it.
"I...I'm sorry," I apologized.
I felt a hand on my head, but I didn't look up to see who's hand it belonged to.
"It's alright Alice," Numbuh One said. "Just don't ever do that again. We don't want to lose you."
My sob was stopped midway when I heard him, of all people, say that. I lowered my head and smiled a little more. I was... so happy. I rubbed my tears, thankful that they had stopped and smiled up at my friends. They smiled down at me, happy to see that I was better.
"Thank you," I said as I shakily got to my legs.
Mallory and Rex helped me stand up, saying it was time for me to rest. I didn't argue and allowed them to help me walk towards Providence. I really was tired.
No P.O.V.
"Dexter, Palmar Whitts has contacted you to inform you that they found Alice and are back at Providence," Computress informed.
Dexter released a sigh of relief as he sat down in the chair. Knowing Alice was safely watched made the stress on his shoulders slack. Only just a little bit.
"And he also informed me that she found Buttercup," Computress said.
Dexter's eyes widened before they returned to normal and he smiled.
"She just might win it for us," he muttered to himself.
"And Dexter," Computress said to catch his attention once more.
"Yes Computress?" Dexter asked, giving her his attention.
"Your guests you asked for have arrived," she informed.
"Thank you Computress. Send them in," he said.
She nodded and did so, and soon, he was greeted by a smiling Ben, a nervous looking Double D, an arrogant Mojo Jojo, and an upset Numbuh One (he had arrived at the Rust Bucket only to discover he had to walk back to City Station). Dexter regarded them as he stood up and placed his hands behind his back, taking on a full business composure.
"Thank you for coming gentlemen," Dexter said. "You are officially Guides for the young fighters in the war."
A/N: So, how was it? I kind of liked it, but I want to know what you all thought. Did anyone honestly think she'd get away with running away?
Alice has found Buttercup, and Dexter has officially started the Guides. We'll soon be seeing the vehicles appear.
Next chapter will be in the Camp Kidney area, including Leaky Lake and Acorn Flats. Expect the Bean Scouts and Squirrel Scouts.
Till, then, this has been AnimeGirl 144! Bye bye!