This was, quite honestly, the hardest chapter for me to write because there is so much that has to be communicated in this chapter for the next upcoming six chapters without spoiling what's going to happen next. I've worked on this specific chapter again and again and again, and I hope it meets everyone's expectations. After this we're heading straight for the grand finale of Taking Responsibility. I'm not going to post author's notes until the end, so see you all at the finish line!
Oh, before we get started, I want to draw to everyone's attention to the TVTropes site because on the PpG Recommendation site, yours truly, this story and TMD are on there! I'm truly happy and thrilled that Mistress Kizuna recommended me! Thank you so much!
The Breath before the Plunge
Somewei
Breaking out of a place was a lot harder with two people tagging along as opposed to being by herself. On her third day at the Thailand camp, Blossom had made up her mind that simply breaking out wasn't enough anymore. This camp, she had come to find out, was an essential labor camp that specialized in making weapons for the war that Hota Wata and Rocko Socko engaged in. If she managed to destroy the camp and free the slaves, then it would be a great blow to the foolish war that the primates insisted on having and it would hinder Mojo economically. Two birds with one stone.
She knew that if she actually went through with her plan to destroy the camp, she couldn't resurface. Mojo (and Brick) would definitely know it was her who was behind the trouble. After all, it wouldn't be coincidental that the camp was destroyed only days after her arrival there. But Blossom didn't mind it. In all honesty, she knew that Mojo suspected she wasn't who she said she was. Moreover, she wouldn't be able to return to the palace anymore anyway. Mojo would never call her back to the palace nor would he tell Brick where she was. She had run her course at the palace. It was time she left the surface for good.
The next time she would return to the palace she wouldn't be Cammy Anderson. No, she'd be Blossom Utonium.
So, she waited, watched and bided her time, taking mental notes about where everything and everyone was. She carefully noted when shifts changed with guards and when the workers were left most unattended. Both Mitch and Kim provided her with as much information as they could and neither of them drew attention to themselves or their relationship with her. When they were questioned by others about how they knew her, both of them simply said that the three of them had gone to school and that they simply wanted to help her out. It wasn't a lie…the others simply didn't know they were helping her out in other ways.
While she plotted and planned, Blossom thought momentarily about getting Miyuki out of where she was being kept. During the duration of her stay, she would toss and turn at night about going after her friend. She wanted to so bad help out the Japanese girl, but something (her paranoia maybe?) was keeping her from extending her plan to Cha-Ching, Cha-Ching's residence. What if, she had reasoned, Cha-Ching, Cha-Ching reported seeing her?
It's too risky, was all she could think.
It was one thing in having Mojo and Brick think she was simply a clever human trying to sabotage Mojo's empire, but it was another if they realized she was the supposedly dead Blossom. It would endanger her sisters. As of right now nobody knew of Miyuki's connection to the girls, so she was safe. As much as it pained Blossom, she eventually decided to wait until Mojo was overthrown before she went after Miyuki.
I just hope she can forgive me for making her wait this long.
Blossom broke out of her thoughts when Kim slid down next to her. The Asian teenager nudged the redhead's arm before handing over a stale, hardened piece of bread. Blossom scrunched her face up, but accepted the scrap of food. While they didn't eat luxurious foods back at the base, it was certainly better than what they were being feed here. The two girls were quiet before Kim murmured, "How's everything going?"
They – Blossom, Kim and Mitch – never spoke openly about the plan to escape for fear of someone overhearing them. Thus, the three set up a system of communication that was spoken in double meanings. Certain phrases or words that sounded like one thing meant something entirely different.
Blossom cringed as she swallowed the chunk of bread she bit into. "Good, good. I think I'm really getting the hang of things."
I'm almost done figuring out my plan.
Kim nodded slowly. "I'm glad. Do you need me to teach you anything else?"
Anymore information needed?
The redhead was quiet for a second. "No."
The two girls fell into a comfortable silence before Kim released a breath. "You know…Mitch and I, we're…happy at how far you've come along." She paused briefly before whispering, "We wish we could help you more."
Blossom turned her attention to Kim. Those words had an underlying meaning, but they were not part of the little system that was used to relay information between each other. The super-powered teen carefully examined the human girl's face before finally understanding what was trying to be conveyed.
Thank you for helping us…and we're sorry.
"Don't worry about it," murmured Blossom as she smiled softly. "I mean it."
The two girls sat in silence a little longer before Kim sighed heavily. Finally, she stood up and placed a hand on Blossom's shoulder for a moment before going inside. Before she went inside the barracks, Kim called over her shoulder, "Get some rest. You work too hard."
The redheaded girl said nothing as Kim went inside to go to sleep. With her enhanced hearing, the snores from the occupants inside reached her, but it did nothing to lull the anxiety in her mind. She fingered the little bread she had left in her hands before tossing it away from her. A vague part of her registered that she would regret it later, but she didn't care.
Kim's words echoed in her mind for a second. Shaking her head, she said, "It's never enough."
There was always something to be done. Always some plan to be created. Always some problem that needed to be solved. She was smart enough, brilliant enough, to tackle whatever issue was before her, but on nights like this, with no one to talk to, on nights so similar to those haunting days on that God forsaken rock in space, Blossom had to wonder if it was ever enough; if her work was ever enough.
She leaned her head back on the wood wall behind her and stared at the stars above her. Familiar faces flashed through her mind and once again she was brought back to Miyuki, who was waiting for her. She thought of Buttercup and Bubbles, who were no doubt worried about her. She thought of Ms. Bellum and Ms. Keane – one woman who threw the Professor in jail and allowed the condemnation of her sisters and the other who attempted to treat them like normal little girls, no matter the displays of power she had witnessed. She thought of the Professor.
Blossom had been reflecting back on that day so long ago. She could still hear the screams of the citizens of Townsville as Mojo and his army attacked them. She could still feel the air in her lungs being sucked from her small frame when the Professor doubted them.
I should forgive him, she thought forlornly. If I can forgive Ms. Bellum, the real brains behind the Mayor and his campaign to tear us down, then I can forgive the Professor.
Truthfully, if Blossom had been in his place, she might've doubted her creations too. It wasn't that he didn't love them. She could remember the joy and happiness in his face when he spent time with his three little girls. She could remember him telling them that they were special and the town just needed time to adjust. But she also remembered the shock on his face when they flew used their powers. He had no idea what they were capable of. When he heard that the girls were accused of helping Mojo, which they did do, John Utonium was torn – torn between his fellow townspeople and three little girls he barely knew. He was confused, he was conflicted. He was human.
"We're not," she murmured. We're not human. No matter how much we look like them.
Mojo knew that. And he knew he could use their vulnerability to his advantage. He knew how to use them. And he knew to sell the girls out at the right moment. Blossom squeezed her eyes shut as anger crept up on her. Mojo knew the potential the girls had, what they could do. He knew that given the right motivation, the girls could've easily defeated him right then and there.
"He fears us," she whispered harshly.
That's why he didn't attack John that day. That was why he created the boys. That was why he tried to kill them. Mojo feared them.
Blossom snapped her eyes open. No more. They had wasted enough time. This was the moment that the girls needed to overthrow Mojo. They had destroyed his factories, discovered his plans, and made his greatest creations doubt him. They, the girls, needed to attack now.
Mojo would put up a fight, there was no question. Perhaps he'd call in reinforcements. That was fine. The girls knew how to use their powers. He could send up the satellite. That was a problem, yes, but they could dismantle the weapon. And the boys…
She felt a pang in her chest as she thought of the boys. The three girls worked so hard to distract the boys. Their original mission was to seduce them, make them putty in the girls' hands, but along the way the three girls had wordlessly changed their objective: to make the boys see their wrongs. They were misguided and didn't know about any other choice.
The boys would be hurt – emotionally – if the girls moved in for the attack. They would defend Mojo because that was all they knew and the girls would have to use the polyduranium fibroid to make sure the boys didn't attack. And Brick…Brick would be angry, she knew. The boy had come to trust her and it hurt Blossom to think she'd had to break that trust.
Do you love him?
Buttercup had asked her that. She had said no. She would still say no, but she cared about him. She didn't want to hurt him. She didn't want to destroy him and anything good that was coming out in his personality and morals. She didn't want to break that trust. She wanted to protect him. Because she cared, because she was so damn close to loving the boy he was when it was the two of them. He was stubborn, arrogant and an ass, but he was smart and confused and he was vulnerable. Nobody else could see, but she could. She understood him.
This would break him.
And she lied to him.
No, Buttercup, she thought, I don't love him because how can I love him when any relationship we'd have would be started with a lie?
But…she couldn't let the world stay in danger for him. So, it would hurt him. He would hate her. But she would protect him as best as she could by keeping him out of the fight and then protecting him from the people that would want harm to come to him. Because she'd been there and she knew the boy he was and knew that boy needed protecting.
"It's time," she said to no one as she got up and moved inside.
She hadn't spoken to him in so long. She had been avoiding him.
Knowing smiles, strange reflexes, secrecy.
He was no stranger to those concepts, those abilities. Mojo always had a knowing smile, Butch always had strange (but great) reflexes, and Brick was always shrouded in secrecy (especially in recent months). But coming from Amber, it was different.
Boomer knew something was up. Things around him were shifting, changing, and he didn't know what it was. Butch had no clue that something was up. Mojo knew somebody was fighting against him. Brick knew something, something vital, but his brother wasn't speaking about it. And Amber…she knew something too, but wasn't directly sharing the information she knew.
He needed answers. He needed them now. He had never been one to pursue answers like Brick had, but Boomer needed the answers.
So when he spotted Amber, he moved in quickly towards her. He was quiet – no one would be able to hear him – and it pegged him as strange when her head twitched as if she heard something, but stopped herself from turning around. He was thankful because it made him grabbing her so much easier.
She didn't scream when he clamped his hand over her mouth. She didn't fight back when he dragged her into an empty room. In fact, she didn't even look at him in shock when he turned her around to face him. Her facial expression remained neutral as he said, demanded, "Tell me what you know."
"I don't know what you're talking about," she said innocently when he removed his hand.
But she wasn't innocent. Something told him she wasn't innocent. He sighed heavily and rubbed his eyes. Nothing made sense. "Yes, you do."
"No, I don't."
"Amber!" he hissed. "I know you know something. I don't know how I know, but I do."
She said nothing for a second before she quietly whispered, "Boomer, I don't know what you're talking about."
She looked confused and maybe she should be. They had been talking about forgiveness and the good and bad about humanity. They had been on good terms. He never once breathed his suspicions about her whenever they met up, but now he had to. It was too much now.
He shook his head. "Amber, I can feel everything shifting. Ever since Cammy left, things have changed. You're tense. Brittany's more alert. What's happening?" Again, she said nothing. "I haven't spoken with anyone about what I think. Brick, Butch, Mojo – none of them know."
Conflict caused Amber's face to scrunch up. Boomer could literally see the various thoughts flashing through her mind before she murmured, "I know nothing." Her eyes flashed towards his and held them as if she was trying to tell him something. "But even if I did, I wouldn't tell you. I…I can't tell you."
The look on her face was suddenly enough. Yes, something was up and she knew what it was. But she couldn't tell him. Frowning, he softly said, "Things are going to change and there's nothing I can do, is there?"
She shook her head. "Change will always happen. There's nothing any of us can do about that. You can only accept it."
It was a strange conversation – the strangest one he had ever had. Cammy being forced to leave was the beginning of whatever standstill the world had been in. Change was going to happen – and it wouldn't be good for Mojo, he knew – and there was nothing he could do but accept it, as Amber said.
Cammy was an important figure. He suddenly got the feeling that Brick's former assistant was more than what she let on. That Amber and Brittany were too. As he stared at the dark-haired maid that he had come to care about, a flash of blonde appeared in his mind's eye. Everything, at that moment, fell into place.
He released a breath before he glanced at Amber – if that was even her real name. He leaned down and gently, lightly kissed her on the lips. It was the kiss of life and death. She gasped at the contact but before she could react he pulled away. Giving her a sad smile, he whispered, "I think I know what's happening, and I'm going to do nothing. I'm not standing in your way. You do what you need to do. To help the people you need to help. Be who you need to be."
And with that, he walked away.
No word from Blossom.
That painful thought remained plastered on the walls of her mind. Even as she played video games and hung out with Butch, her mind could not get away from the fact that she had not heard a thing from her sister, her leader. Buttercup tried paying attention to what was going on around her, but the dark-haired teen was stressed out. Being the pseudo-leader for the team was hard and donning a red-haired wig was doing nothing for her nerves because she was constantly reminded of the painful absence of Leader Girl.
Buttercup used to think that Blossom overreacted and that being the leader was easy, but after her short trial of leadership, the emerald-eyed girl was willing to take back every negative thought she directed towards Blossom if it meant getting her sister back safe and sound.
John had reassured her that Blossom was alright and although she was still mad at her creator, Professor Utonium's words and warm, comforting tone was something that Buttercup was seeking more and more. Ms. Keane, also, provided comfort, though it bothered Buttercup that only her father seemed to provide any semblance of stability that had been severely lacking ever since Wayne told her that Blossom was in trouble.
Bubbles, of course, did nothing to help. Between sobbing about how she wanted her sister and freaking out about the mini-robots in her body, Buttercup was ready to snap the blonde girl in half. The only thing that kept her sane and Bubbles in one piece was Blossom's voice in her head chiding her for her lack of patience.
Come home soon, Leader Girl, Buttercup thought tiredly. I don't know how much more I can take.
"Hey, Brittany, you okay?"
Buttercup jumped and remembered that she should be paying attention to the teenage boy (and the deck of cards) in front of her. When she glanced at Butch, she noticed genuine concern in his eyes. Though he was wild, rough, and irritating, Butch was proving to be deeper than what she had originally given him credit for. His womanizing skills were still bad, yes, but they had lessened considerably ever since she bit his head off and earned his respect. And moments like this when he was worried for her endeared her to the boy more than she cared to admit.
"Yeah, Butch, I'm fine," she grumbled as she shook her head and looked down at her cards.
He snorted. "Bullshit. I know you're not okay."
For a brief moment Buttercup considered telling him a more colorful version of 'screw you', but bit back the harsh words because she realized that that was his way of saying that he didn't believe her and that it was okay to not be okay or tough in front of him.
Again, it unnerved her that she felt this level of comfort with the one boy that she used to want to strangle to death.
Butch, realizing that Buttercup (Brittany, as he knew her) was not going to speak, quietly said, "I know Cammy's removal is bothering you. I get the fact that you, Amber and Cammy are close. Like sisters, you know?"
A part of her, the Blossom half of her, realized she should panic about the fact that Butch recognized the level of connection the three girls shared, but she also knew that Butch was not Brick and Butch was simply making an innocent observation. So, instead of snapping at him, she grumbled, "Yeah, we are. We're all each other have."
Blossom once told her the best lies were the ones with a grain of truth in them. Well, she was telling the truth when she said that Blossom and Bubbles were all that she had and vice versa. Though, lately, Buttercup was starting to think otherwise. John was steadily becoming an important fixture in her life.
Her counterpart nodded. "I did some research. You can't tell Brick or anyone else. This stays between us otherwise I'm kicking your ass, comprende?"
Again, despite the harsh words, Buttercup recognized the worry Butch had for her getting into trouble. "Yeah, I got it."
"Cammy's in Thailand." This, Buttercup knew. "On the outskirts of Bangkok."
This, Buttercup didn't know. Her eyes widened as she realized just how much not only she, but Butch, could get into trouble for knowing that. She could only imagine the amount of difficulty he went through to get that information. Finally, finally, finally, Buttercup had an idea of where her sister was. It was a tremendous amount of relief to know where her sister was. She was torn between screaming in joy and crying, both of which would've severely been out of character for her.
So, imagine her surprise when she leaned across the table and kissed Butch on the cheek. Butch blinked in astonishment at the same time Buttercup did. Neither of them was expecting that. Turning away from him so he wouldn't see her face flush, she grumbled, "Thanks, Butch. You have no idea how grateful I am."
He shrugged, also not looking at her. "Yeah, well, it's what best friends do for each other."
She still didn't look at him when he said those words and she felt like a complete girl for letting her heart melt. That was probably the mushiest thing he ever said to her. And she had to let him know that. "You're such a girl."
"Shut up. You know you love me."
Damn that boy. Betraying him, now that he called her his best friend, was going to painful.
"The hills."
Blossom raised an eyebrow. "The hills? That's it?"
Mitch shot his former classmate an irritated look. "You have a better idea?"
The redheaded girl said nothing as she cast Kim a sidelong glance to see what the Asian girl thought. Kim sighed heavily. The three of them had been discussing the finer points of Blossom's plan. While the super-powered teen had pretty much completed a plan, there were still some things that she was not sure about. For one, where the three of them were going to take the other inmates once they broke out of the prison.
Originally, Blossom was going to simply breakout by herself and take Kim and Mitch with her, but Kim had adamantly refused to leave when she knew that others were being left behind. Blossom attempted to explain to Kim that causing a mass prison breakout would be much more difficult, risky and time consuming, but Kim (and Mitch, eventually) refused to go along with Blossom if it meant the other inmates stayed.
Blossom was tempted to leave her two former classmates to their own devices and leave without them. It certainly would've been easier for her and less stressful, but two things had convinced her to go along with a mass breakout: one, the guilt that Miyuki was locked up somewhere forced her to comply with Kim and Mitch as she didn't want their imprisonment added to the guilt already there, and two, Blossom could take this opportunity to destroy another factory.
Destroying factories was hard on the girls as it was hard to break free from the boys. While it had been easy to shut down various important systems and scramble information from the inside, doing work on the outside for extended periods of time was straining on the three girls. The only small comfort they had was that Hayato and Setsuko were calming the various rebellions around the globe down, and John, Sandy and Sara were intercepting messages as best as they could. So, taking this small chance to destroy a factory and distract Mojo with finding her would hopefully help her sisters back home.
"I can't come up with anything," Kim said with a heavy sigh, leaning back against the poorly constructed barracks and deeply breathing in the night air.
The three teens had been actively discussing where the three were going to lead the humans and the best they could come up with was, as Mitch pointed out, the hills. Blossom did not like that suggestion. "I don't like it. The guards can possibly find you."
"Not necessarily," Mitch retorted.
Kim shot Mitch a careful look at his words before a grin broke out on his face. Blossom, seeing this, was confused, thus prompting Kim to explain. "Remember how we used to work that underground railroad system?"
Blossom nodded. "Yeah, I do."
Kim's grin widened even further. "Typically speaking, the underground passageways were always near camps in hopes of finding escapees and leading them to safety. The hills just beyond would be an ideal spot for Freedom Workers to create passages."
"Freedom Workers?"
Mitch shrugged. "That's what we called ourselves. It started as a joint effort between the English speaking countries and expanded to the other countries."
Blossom furrowed her brows in concentration. For a brief moment, the three were silent. Finally, the redheaded girl said, "If I can get you to those tunnels, can you see if there are passageways?"
Kim nodded. "Sure."
Blossom stood up. "Mitch, stay here and make sure no one comes out. It's bad enough we're going to have to tell everyone that we're going to break out in a couple of days. I don't need anyone seeing what I'm about to do. Kim, you stay right here until I come get you."
Both Kim and Mitch exchanged perplexed glances, but followed Blossom as she moved into the shadows of the barracks so she was out of sight of the guards standing around the fence. They watched as she pushed herself into the air, looked in the direction of the hills before spinning her body so fast that they could no longer see her body properly. Their eyes widened even further as the small whirlwind that Blossom created plunged into the earth. The ground rumbled briefly as Blossom disappeared into the dirt, creating a small tunnel in her path.
Kim shook her head slowly. "Wow."
"Seriously," Mitch agreed. "That's amazing."
"Mitch," the girl said suddenly, pushing her classmate in the direction of the barracks entrance. "Go inside and do as Blossom says!"
"Stop pushing me, woman!" he complained as he moved away from them.
Kim was quiet as she waited to hear the door close. Seconds after hearing the front entrance to their barracks quietly shut, Blossom suddenly appeared next to her and breathed out, "Ready?"
The Chinese-American teenager gasped, startled, before she replied, "Yeah."
Blossom nodded, grabbed her friend's hand, and led her into the tunnel. As soon as they were in far enough, the redheaded teen whispered, "I'm going to carry you now, okay? It's faster if I fly us there. You'd be surprised at what I found at the end of the tunnel."
"Why? What'd you–whoa!"
Without warning, Blossom tugged her friend into her arms and took off a breakneck speed down the tunnel. It took all of Kim's willpower not to scream from the speed and the darkness, the only light coming from Blossom's pink streak. In a matter of seconds, the two girls flew out of the tunnel and into a larger passageway, constructed from wood and rock.
Landing on the ground and placing Kim on her feet, Blossom asked, "Is this what you were talking about?"
Kim nodded as she examined the passageway. "This is exactly it."
Blossom pointed further down the tunnel. "If you keep following it, it takes you to a place that is extremely far away from the prison. You and Mitch are going to have to lead everyone there."
Kim shot her friend a shocked look. "What do you mean 'Mitch and I'? Aren't you coming with us?"
The super-powered teen shook her head. "No. While you and Mitch get everyone out, I'm going to be causing chaos back at the prison before I close up the tunnel behind you."
"But –"
"Kim, I can't come with you. I have to get back to my sisters," Blossom explained carefully and slowly. "We have a mission to complete. I've already risked enough by staying as long as I have. I have to get back to them and stop Mojo for good."
Kim's face twisted into worry and sadness for a moment before she straightened her back and literally put on a brave face. "I'm upset you can't come with us, but I understand. You have things to do." She grasped Blossom's hands. "I am grateful, though, that you're doing this for everyone."
Blossom smiled. "It's no problem. C'mon, let's get back before Mitch starts to worry and someone notices that hole in the ground."
One week and Brick had barely spoken a word to him. Worse yet, the boy had not done any research about whoever was behind the espionage on his kingdom. Mojo narrowed his eyes and frowned deeply. This was troubling. He had given Brick enough time to investigate and discover the culprits, but the boy had done next to nothing. All this time, an unnecessary amount of time, was spent doing nothing.
Mojo had finally had it. Something that should've been solved weeks – months – ago was taking too long. So can he be blamed for impatience as he watched various bounty hunters file into his office? While there were various primate bounty hunters, there were also human bounty hunters in the mix. These human bounty hunters were able to stay out of slavery by hunting down their own kind and placing them into the lifetime servitude that they all tried avoiding. It was cruel, but using their desperation for freedom was the perfect motivation for the human bounty hunters to betray mankind.
Specific human bounty hunters, though, caught his attention and nearly caused him to cruelly smile. His eyes immediately sought out a curvaceous female bounty hunter. Her hair snapped wildly as her pale skin glowed in the gloomy lighting and her green eyes observed and calculated her surroundings.
Johanna Turner – more commonly known as Sedusa – was exactly the type of person he wanted for this job. Sedusa was manipulative, cunning, and cutthroat. She had no mercy for her prey, as she called them, and was relentless. Sedusa would, more than likely, complete the job the fastest and most efficiently.
His eyes moved towards the next bounty hunter, another female. Her blonde hair was tied up as she examined her fingernails. Every now and then her eyes would flicker up towards a man that attempted to spoke to her before her face scrunched up in disgust. The female gender symbol hanging around her neck was a clear indication of her disdain for males. Andrea Bell was another cutthroat and would work relentlessly to get the job done. While he had more confidence in Sedusa, Femme Fatale, as Andrea called herself, was another Mojo could depend on.
Once everyone had been filed in, Mojo motioned for Wayne to close the door and then addressed the crowd before him. "Welcome brothers and friends."
His opening statement caused everyone to turn their attention to Mojo (while Femme Fatale muttered "sexist monkey!" underneath her breath). This time Mojo did grin.
"I am pleased so many of you have shown up. I have a job for all of you. You see, someone has been messing with my systems and causing problems for me. I need them found. I don't care how you find them, just bring them in. I will pay all of you handsomely if you find the culprits," Mojo explained, loving the looks of bloodthirsty glee being warped on the bounty hunters' faces. Allowing his sharp teeth to show in exuberance, Mojo grabbed a picture from his desk and handed it to one of the bounty hunters. The picture was a satellite shot of Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup. As the picture was passed down the line, he said, "I will pay great money to those who bring me these three girls. Even greater if they are dead."
The bounty hunters chuckled maliciously to themselves at the prospect of money, nearly causing Mojo to laugh. Greed was a wonderful thing to use to his advantage. As he dismissed the bounty hunters and unleashed them upon the world, he didn't fail to notice the cruel smirk on Sedusa's lips nor the expression of hate directed towards him by Femme Fatale.
Oh, yes, Brick may have failed him, but he had confidence that Sedusa, Femme Fatale, and Princess Morbucks (who already started her search) would not. He glanced down at his plans. "Three more days until my precious satellite launches and then human race will fully be mine."
Ms. Bellum sat in the control room, mindlessly going through the files. She was on high alert and searching for any messages that Blossom could possibly send – though it was rather unlikely that, if she were to send a message, it would be electronically. She doubted Blossom would risk using an unsecured computer. Regardless, Sara was sure Blossom didn't have access to a computer.
Just as Ms. Bellum was ready to get up and relieve herself from her post, the computer 'pinged' and a message popped up. Furrowing her eyebrows, she quickly read the message, her eyes widening with each word.
Satellite to launch in three days. Time has run out.
– W
She stood up abruptly and rushed out of the room. She had to notify John and the girls.
Princess was annoying. Oh, she had been annoying prior to his meeting Cammy, but she was even more annoying now that she thought she had a chance. She didn't take a hint. Didn't his callous words when he found out that Cammy had been reassigned elsewhere have any affect on this annoying girl? He could've sworn he told her that he didn't like her – never would, in fact. She must be hard of hearing, he decided. Either that, or she had selective hearing and was just too damn stubborn to leave him alone. Brave of the girl to keep pestering him – especially since he less than a centimeter away from losing his temper and snapping her in half.
Brick rubbed his left temple. He had gone soft. He would've snapped Princess in half several months ago before she even opened her mouth. Now he was putting up with her incessant chatter and only contemplating about all the damage he could do to her. Damn, Cammy made him soft. Maybe Mojo was right.
No, no, Mojo wasn't right. Mojo was never right.
Brick was relieved when he came up to his room. Quickly escaping into his personal sanctuary, he slammed the door on Princess's face, not caring if she hurt herself or if his actions seemed rude. He was just glad to be away from all her talking.
His head was pounding from his irritation with Princess and the stress he had felt for the past week. As he sat down at his computer, he had a strong sense of déjà vu and had to remember that this time Cammy was not going to come waltzing through his door. He squeezed his eyes shut as he reflected back on the kiss the two shared. It was innocent and not long, but it was enough to make Brick feel out of whack, but also very guilty.
If I hadn't gotten close to her, she wouldn't be where she is.
Had this been a year ago, Brick would've blamed Cammy for his weakness. But he knew that he had a choice in whether or not he allowed her into his life. He cared for her too much and he couldn't protect her when it mattered most. Now she was suffering the consequences for his actions.
He opened his eyes and stared at his desktop. Slowly, cautiously, Brick turned opened up the files that allowed him to search through the slave database. As if in autopilot, he brought up three files: Amber Smith, Brittany Wilson, and Cameron Anderson. He could see the links to the three profiles, but before he could click on their names and see their information, something stopped him.
His finger hovered over the mouse, internally debating whether or not he should look at their information. While his duty was telling him to investigate the three girls, his mind was telling him otherwise. If he looked at their information and saw inaccurate information or something that proved Cammy, Amber, and Brittany weren't who they said they were, then that caused a number of problems for Brick. He couldn't do it. He couldn't look and see if he was wrong because if he was that meant that Mojo was right and he had been fooled along by the teenager girl he allowed into his life. He didn't want to know if he was wrong.
They say ignorance is bliss and Brick used to think that the fool that chose to remain ignorant deserved his comeuppance. Though he still believed it, he now knew why people chose to turn a blind eye at certain things. He couldn't look at their information, at Cammy's information. He couldn't look and prove whether Mojo was right or wrong. He didn't want to. He wanted to remain believing that Cammy was who she said she was and that she was innocent this whole time.
Shaking his head, Brick sealed his fate by highlighting the three names. He stared at the 'delete' button on his keyboard for some time before he closed his eyes and pressed it. His eyes snapped open the moment the 'delete' button was pushed and watched as the computer erased any information on Amber Smith, Brittany Wilson and, more importantly, Cammy Anderson.
Yes, ignorance was bliss.
"No, Buttercup."
"What do you mean 'no'?"
John sighed heavily. "Buttercup, I already said it was too much of a risk!"
The dark-haired girl grit her teeth and looked murderous. Beside her, Bubbles was murmuring to her sister, trying to keep her calm. It wasn't working. "What do you mean it's too much of a risk? We know she's on the outskirts of Bangkok! Can't we just go find her and bring her home?"
"Buttercup, sweetie," Ms. Keane interjected softly, attempting to diffuse the situation. "Your father is right. It's too risky. Believe me, sweetheart, when I say he wants Blossom home just as much as you, but we can't risk having you and Bubbles potentially exposing yourself to save her. Do you know how it's going to look if we find her so short after Butch told you where she is?"
"Damn it!" yelled Buttercup. "I don't care! I want her home!"
John had been temporarily distracted by the fact that his most hotheaded daughter had not objected to Sandy calling him her father. However, he quickly returned to reality when Buttercup yelled so loud that it felt like the conference room shook. Sighing once more, he went up to her and grasped her by her arms, forcing her to look at him. "Buttercup, you may not trust me and you may still be angry with me, but believe me when I say we are going to get Blossom back."
Silence befell the room as Buttercup stared at her father. Her jaw repeatedly clenched and unclenched as his words were tossed around in his head. After what seemed like an eternity, Bubbles, next to her, murmured, "I believe you, Professor. I believe you…Dad."
John desperately wanted to break down at Bubbles' acknowledgement of his role in her life, but remained strong as he continued looking at Buttercup. He was shocked when Buttercup heaved back a breath and glanced down at the ground. Her body shook and it took Professor Utonium a second to realize that she was crying. He face twisted into one of sympathy and pain as he drew his daughter into his arms. "Oh, sweetie, it's okay."
Buttercup continued to cry in her father's arms as she wrapped her arms around him as tightly as his body would allow her. "Promise me we'll get her back."
A fierce sense of paternal protection flared through him as he hugged her. Slowly, he drew his blonde daughter into his arms and tightly embraced them both. Kissing them both on their heads, he passionately whispered, "We'll get her back, girls. I promise."
Ms. Keane quietly cried as she watched the scene before her. She knew John had desperately wanted the girls to trust him and love him as they once had. And so as Buttercup and Bubbles finally allowed their father back into their lives, Sandy placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed it. All John did as he hugged two of his three girls was smile back at her.
Blossom looked up from the delicate weapon and its various pieces that she was putting together and eyed the foreman, who was walking around, critically eyeing everyone and scowling at anyone that he didn't seem to particularly like. Her eyes flickered over to where Mitch was standing and he barely nodded at her when their eyes met. Next to her, Kim was working diligently, though her body was tense like a cat ready to spring up and catch its prey. Blossom looked back up to where the foreman was again and found him inching his way closer to her and Kim. When he was close enough, she sprung into action.
With a quick move, she scratched her left ear and the commotion began. With a practiced ease, both Blossom and Kim dropped their weapons, scattering parts everywhere. The small, circular pieces of the weapon clattered to the floor and workers were walking by slipped on them, causing the objects that were in their hands to fly into the air. A loud 'smack' echoed across the warehouse, startling others and forcing them to drop what they were doing.
Production immediately halted as people were scared out of their concentration, and squeaks and squeals broke the tense silence. At the cries of the workers around them, the foreman, his sneer worsening, watched as the assembly lines broke into chaos and noise cluttered the air. Over the endless babbling of the workers, Mitch raised his voice and shouted, "Grenades! Someone dropped grenades!"
This caused even further chaos as people panicked. The foreman, to his credit, kept calm and shouted over them, "Enough! ENOUGH! CALM DOWN, YOU STUPID PEOPLE!"
The yells of their boss forced some semblance of order as they looked at the speaking foreman. "Evacuate to your barracks now! You will stay there until we call you back in!"
Instantaneously, people began filing out of the room, nervously looking around for the supposed grenades on the floor. Kim, clutching Blossom's hand, lashed out a hand towards Mitch, who grabbed on to the Chinese-American girl's hand. As the three walked through the crowd, knowing that there was no such grenades on the floor, Blossom murmured to them, "Good work, Mitch. I'll see you both at the end."
Without any words from them, the redheaded girl slipped away from the crowd, making sure she wasn't seen by the foreman or the guards leading the slaves away from the workhouse. She quickly clamored over to the factory was that churning hot metal for some of the weapons and slipped inside. There were only two guards inside. Though a mistake for the regional lord, it was advantage for Blossom as she grabbed the first guard and knocked him out.
As she dragged away the unconscious guard into the dark, she made enough noise to grab the attention of the second guard. She waited in the darkness for the second guard to come and investigate, and when he did, she pounced on him so fast, he didn't know what happened as his eyes fell shut.
With the guards disabled, Blossom floated into the air and examined the mechanics of the factory. Finding it weakest spot, she used her eye beams to zap at the screws and bolts that held up some heated metal. The bowl holding the metal snapped from where it was and came crashing down on the metal blow it, the collision creating a miniature explosion.
Outside, Blossom could hear guards speaking quickly to each other as they came to investigate the noise. She watched from the air as the liquidated metal and fire inched its way closer to some gun powder that was carelessly stored in factory. Satisfied when she saw that the fire was only inches from the powder, she exited the factory and fly to a spot just behind the workhouse.
As she slipped into the last of the masses of slaves, she didn't flinch when the factory exploded. The slaves screeched in fear at the explosion and the few guards there tried to keep them in order as they shoved them into their barracks before they ran off in the direction of the factory, where another explosion occurred.
Blossom looked through a dirty window. As she watched guards scramble in the direction of the fires, Kim and Mitch came up to her, wearing matching focused expressions. When the super-powered teen was satisfied that all the guards were nowhere near the slave quarters, she whispered to them, "Go!"
"Alright, people!" Kim murmured, catching the other slaves' attention. "Time to go!"
Mitch opened up the door and said over his shoulder, "First group, go!"
As was part of the plan they discussed with the slaves the previous night, the first batch of slaves moved quickly and quietly out of the barracks, following Mitch to the hole Blossom created that led to the hill underground passageways. When Mitch returned with no slaves, Kim said, "Second group, follow me!"
The second batch followed Kim outside as Blossom moved away from the window, towards the door. As she passed by Mitch, she clapped him on the shoulder before slipping out and moving towards the workhouse again. As she approached the workhouse, she noticed that several guards were backing away from the factory towards the slave quarters. Thinking quickly, Blossom used her eyebeams once again to destroy the workhouse, forcing another explosion into the air.
She moved away from the workhouse when she noticed the guards that were heading towards the slave quarters move towards the workhouse, looking panicked and flustered. Blossom smiled when she knew that the burning factory and workhouse would keep the guards busy.
She kept a sharp out eye on both buildings, causing small explosions when the fires seemed to start dying out, for a good ten minutes, giving Mitch and Kim enough time to get out the numerous slaves from the barracks into the underground passageways.
When twenty minutes had passed since the start of the escape, Blossom moved towards the nearby Governor's house and blew it up as insurance, shifting the attention of the guards once again. Satisfied that the guards were sufficiently occupied, the redheaded girl retreated to the barracks were Mitch and Kim were leading the last to the slaves into the tunnels. Seeing that they were done and that Blossom was back, the three teens met up at the entrance of the tunnels.
"Thank you, Blossom," Mitch said. "For getting us out, for helping everyone – everything."
Blossom grabbed both of their forearms, smiling at them. "It's no problem. You both stay safe."
Kim returned her smile with one of her own, tears building up in her eyes. "We will, Blossom. You stay safe too." She inhaled a shaky breath. "I wish you could come, but I understand that you have things to do."
Mitch gripped Blossom's arm tightly, though the redhead didn't feel it. With a solemn expression on his face, he said, "You give our regards to Mojo, okay?"
The super-powered teen hugged them both. "I promise, I will. Now go. Quickly, before they come."
Nodding their thanks one last time, both Mitch and Kim disappeared into the tunnels to lead the slaves away from the camp and into safety. As soon as they were out of sight, Blossom used her superpowers to drag up enough dirt and mud to close up the hole she created a couple of days prior. Before she left, she made sure the dirt covering the hole blended in with the ground surrounding it before taking off, heading in the direction of the base, leaving behind her classmates, the shouting guards, the burning buildings, and the Thailand camp.
Though Blossom could've arrived at the American base in a matter of seconds, she made sure she moved slow enough to not attract attention. So, it had been a couple of hours of flight when she arrived at the underground base in the United States. Her home was dimmed and quiet when she breathed in the artificial oxygen in the air and it had never been more welcome than it had been at that moment.
She took a moment to realize that she was, in fact, home before she forced her tired body to move down the familiar passageways of the base. She had considered going to her sisters or the Professor, but found that her body was taking her in the direction of her room instead and decided to let everyone know she was back after she got a couple of hours of sleep.
Just when she reached her doorknob, she heard a familiar squeal of "BLOSSOM!" before someone collided with her body. Having little strength to hold herself up, Blossom and the person went tumbling down to the ground.
"Oh, Blossom!" the person, Bubbles, said. "I was so worried. I'm so glad you're home! So, so glad! Do you have anything how glad I am? Because I am very glad! Oh, Blossom!"
"Let me breathe, Bubbles!" rasped out Blossom from the tight hug her sister was giving her.
The blonde, realizing how tightly she was holding her leader, gasped and pulled away. "Oh, I'm sorry. It's just, you have no idea how much I missed you."
"I can imagine, believe me," the redhead sardonically said, sitting up.
"What's going on?" a newcomer asked before a gasp rang out across the hallway. "LEADER GIRL!"
Just as Blossom recovered from the impact of Bubbles' body, she felt her body collide with Buttercup's as the dark-haired girl uncharacteristically hugged her sister. Bubbles, from where she was sitting next to the 'older' girl, jumped into the hug, forming a group hug from with her sisters and teammates. As they piled on top of her, Blossom gasped out, "AIR! I need air!"
As the two emotionally drained girls pulled away from the one person they had been longing to see since her disappearance, they could hear John Utonium's relieved voice say, "Blossom, it's good to see you."
"Are you going to jump on top of me too?" Blossom sarcastically asked as she shot her sisters' a teasing look, who blushed in response.
John chuckled as he offered his hand to the girl. "No, I'm afraid not." She accepted his hand and was surprised when he tugged her into a hug. "I am, however, going to say that I so very relieved to know you're safe."
The redheaded remained in her father's arms, shocked that he was hugging her. Her eyes sought out her sisters, who merely smiled at the two. She stared at them for a moment before she realized that neither were bothered about the hug – Buttercup, especially. Realizing, at that moment, that the two had forgiven their father, she relaxed her body and hugged him back. "Thanks. Glad to be home."
Behind him, Sara and Sandy approached the family and grinned at the sight before him. They grinned even further when Buttercup and Bubbles joined in on the hug. The two women let the Utoniums have their moment before Sara cleared her throat. "I hate to break up such a precious moment, but Blossom, we have much to talk about."
The four pulled away to let Blossom see the mayor's assistant, who was looking grim. Breaking away from her family persona, she slipped into the role of the leader once more. "Let's head to the conference room, and then you can tell me everything."
Nodding in agreement, the group of six quickly moved into the conference room where the story exchanges began. Sandy looked overtly joyous when Blossom told her that Mitch and Kim were alive and safe. For a moment, as Blossom relayed the story of her destroying the camp, the redhead thought that her family and the two women wouldn't be pleased, but the story actually caused the others to relay to her all the information she missed – including when the satellite going to be launched.
"Tomorrow?" breathed the redhead. "It's launching tomorrow?"
John nodded. "Wayne sent us a message two days ago."
"We were afraid, Blossom," Ms. Keane interjected, "that you wouldn't show up in time."
Blossom nodded absentmindedly, her mind racing over the information she learned and forming new plans. As she thought, she mumbled, "It's a good thing, then, that I left when I did and that Bubbles found me when she did. I would've come to you tomorrow instead of now."
"But you're here now," Buttercup added. "That's what matters."
"Thankfully," agreed Bubbles. She glanced towards her dark-haired sister. "Buttercup was just about ready to go get you herself. Only Dad stopped her from going, saying that you could get out yourself and that you wouldn't want us risking anything."
Blossom vaguely registered that her sister called the Professor 'Dad', but didn't say anything about it. Rather, her eyes came into focus as she stared at the blonde. "And you have those mini-robots in you?"
Ms. Bellum nodded. "She does."
The leader of the trio of girls was going to push back the attack date to another week, but when she heard that Bubbles was also in danger of being subjected to Mojo's plans, that changed everything. She couldn't put humanity through that torture, much less her sister. They had to move and they had to move now. Glancing up, she said, "We're moving out tomorrow."
"Tomorrow?"
Blossom nodded. "Yes, especially with the information that Mojo is going to launch that satellite and Bubbles being in danger."
Everyone in the conference room exchanged loaded looks. This was the moment that they had been waiting for since the moment that they knew Mojo needed to be taken down. A lot was riding on this battle. The freedom of the human race, for one, and the girls' redemption, for another, was riding on the girls winning against Mojo. It was a lot to shoulder, but the girls weren't thinking about that. They were thinking about how they were finally going to get back at Mojo for accusing them of something they were manipulated into.
"The boys," Bubbles murmured quietly. "What are we going to do about them?"
Bubbles knew that Boomer was not going to be a problem. He already said that he was going to step aside and let the girls do what they needed to do. Of course, her sisters didn't know that. They were probably thinking Boomer was going to give them the same amount of problems that his brothers would.
Buttercup looked down at her hands. She may have hated Butch when she first started this mission, but now she didn't. Butch had become one of her good friends and she truly enjoyed spending time with him. She knew that once her identity was revealed, one of two things could happen. He would either become very angry with her, attack, and never speak to her again. Or he would understand, but still not be happy about the fact that she lied to him.
Blossom, for her part, returned to the agonizing prospect that Brick was going to hate her, which, of course, upset her. She shouldn't be worried about hurting him. However, that feeling of needing to protect him attacked her once again and she felt nauseous about what she was going to do. She couldn't, though, forsake the world for him. So, no matter how sick she felt, she knew what she needed to do. Kiss or no, Brick would have to accept that she was not Cammy Anderson, but his counterpart.
"We use the polyduranium fibroid," she replied to her sister's question. "We keep them out of the way."
"What time are you beginning the conclusion to Operation ABC?" John asked solemnly, not commenting about the various emotions that were splayed across his daughters' faces when Bubbles brought up the subject of the boys.
Blossom frowned. "Mojo leaves the palace at six in the evening tomorrow." She made eye contact with everyone in the room. "We conclude Operation ABC tomorrow at seven in the evening."