Chapter 25 – The Package has been Delivered
It wasn't until Bubbles stepped through the makeshift gates into the Resistance base that she released a sigh of relief. Blossom took the lead with her and Mitch a step behind. The rest of the ATA Squad came trailing in after them.
Those who were injured were being led across the lobby towards the Med Clinic to receive treatment. Thankfully no one else had died on the way here. Two men of the Resistance lost their lives today and that was more than enough in Bubbles book; it brought tears to her eyes just thinking about it.
As Mitch dismissed the uninjured portion of his squad to their after mission duties, Blossom took Bubbles by the arm and pulled her off to the side, out of ear shot from a majority of the bustling camp.
"I never got a chance to ask you, but you didn't run into any…old rivals during your mission did you?" Blossom asked in a serious voice.
"What? No, no I didn't, just Simian troops."
Blossom nodded at her reply with a pensive look on her face. She looked almost…disappointed? "Why do you ask?"
Blossom glanced back at her and shrugged a shoulder. "It seems like every time one of us goes out they tend to show up. I just wanted to see if that pattern was continuing, better for us that it didn't tonight. Lord knows how much that could have complicated matters."
Bubbles nodded in agreement as her sister shook herself and regained her authoritative persona. "I'm going to the Command Center to run through a debrief of the mission. I also need to get started on a report for the Cabinet while it's still fresh in my mind."
"Hey Bloss? Do you mind if I skip the mission debrief tonight?" Bubbles asked hesitantly. "I kinda have a lot on my mind and there are people that need to be taken care of at the Med Clinic. Not to mention these supplies need to get to the Quartermasters Office."
Okay, they were excuses to get out of a boring, drawn out meeting but they were all true. Bubbles didn't think she wanted to face the reality of what they had done tonight just yet. It was a big step and she needed a little time to come to terms with it, let it sink in.
Blossom must have picked that up because she gave her sister a small smile and a nod. "Sure, do your duties and then go get some shut eye. Is there anything else you need to tell me about the mission before I go?"
The blonde thought back through it briefly before shaking her head. As far as she remembered, she had told Blossom everything that had gone down tonight.
"Alright, I'll see you tomorrow then. Come find me when you're ready. Lieutenant!" Mitch raised his head at Blossom's call and waved to her as she gestured towards the nerve center of the base.
"See you later Bubbles."
"Bye Blossom…" Bubbles watched her older sister walk off with Mitch by her side, no doubt rehashing the mission already. The blonde repressed the urge to sigh at the Puff leader; it was always down to business with her.
Well, there was nothing she could change about that but there were a few people that probably needed her help right about now in the Med Clinic. Shouldering her stolen supplies, Bubbles set off to the Clinic to make herself useful and, if she was honest with herself, to keep her mind occupied from the carnage that she had caused tonight.
The Med Clinic had been prepared for the influx of wounded when the raid team made its way back into the base. The Professor and Ms. Keane had organized all their people to be ready and waiting for when the injured were brought in.
As a result, the tending of the wounded took a lot less time than Bubbles originally thought it would. Within an hour, all eight injured men and women of the Advanced Tactics and Armament Squad were patched up and resting comfortably in their medical beds. The worst of the injured would likely be there for three months while a majority would be ready for active duty in a matter of weeks. That brightened her spirits a little.
Bubbles winced as she washed the blood from her hands under a torrent of scalding hot water. Hot, hot, hot! But also soothing in a masochistic way. As she scrubbed, a familiar figure in a wheel chair rolled up to the sink.
"Thank you for the help Sweetie, you didn't have to come here after your mission but I'm glad you did. Some of our interns aren't as used to the realities of war as I would have thought." The Professor said as he took her place at the sink and rinsed off his hands.
He was referring to a young man the Resistance big wigs had sent him with the last bunch of supplies a few weeks ago. Supposedly, he was top of his class in the Resistance med training but when the injured started being brought in and the blood pooled on the floor the poor lad went into some sort of shock and had to be treated along with them.
Bubbles felt bad for the intern. Heck, she remembered the first time she was thrown head first into the combat medic profession; she fell into a dead faint when she saw a soldier come in with a missing leg.
It always took a while to get over the shock and horror at seeing another human being reduced to a bloodied carcass, it was even worse when they died during an operation. Thankfully that hadn't happened today.
She had an unfortunate feeling that the young intern in question would be getting a lot of practice over-coming his shock in the months to come.
Bubbles slipped out from her depressing thoughts and gave the Professor one of her brilliant smiles as he turned back to her. "Anything to help Dad. What are you going to do now that the patients are all seen to? Go see Blossom?"
He nodded and began wheeling himself towards the doorway, gesturing her to follow him. "Yes, I was going to go hear her mission report. I know the official debrief is probably over by now but I was hoping to get some information of how it went, better than expected I'm guessing by the low number of casualties." He nodded towards the beds.
"I'd say so, we accomplished the mission and even got a little something extra. Oh! That reminds me, I still need to drop those bags off to the Quartermaster's Office before I go to bed."
"They're right there by the door Honey, I wondered why those were in my Med Clinic." He scratched idly at his chin before giving her a smile. "Well, I'll leave you to it then. Ms. Keane, man the fort while I'm gone please." He called back over his shoulder.
Ms. Keane straightened from her task of writing on a patient's medical chart and nodded gracefully. "Of course sir."
"Ah, none of that! You're going to make me feel even older than I am. As if the white wasn't bad enough." He muttered the last part while fingering the wings of white hair surrounding his ears.
"I think it's rather dignified Daddy." Bubbles said with a giggle and leaned down to give him a kiss on the cheek. He returned her smile and offered one last casual salute to Ms. Keane before rolling out the door.
Seeing Ms. Keane reminded Bubbles of the kids they had taken in yesterday. Where were they now, hopefully not here in the clinic with the moaning patients? That wasn't something that five and six year olds needed to see, especially not when they had been through such a traumatic experience last night.
Bubbles left her bags by the door and stepped up to Ms. Keane's side as she finished the last of the medical records. The older brunette woman set her chart down and looked at Bubbles with a warm and curious smile. "Yes dear? What do you need?"
"I was wondering how the kids were holding up today Ms. Keane. Where are they now? Did they get their quarter assignments yet?"
"Oh, they're doing alright, a bit shell shocked still but that's to be expected with all the drastic changes they've been through lately. They're with Ms. Ellen right now; she has them over in their new quarters in Lobby C." Ms. Keane replied.
"Huh, I didn't think Lobby C was open yet."
"They only recently finished the drilling operations for the tunnel expansion project the other day. The kids were the first group assigned quarters there. It made Kevin feel very important."
Bubbles chuckled lightly as she thought about the little ADHD boy; it wasn't hard to guess how his reaction played out. Even though she had only known him for less than twenty four hours, Bubbles was convinced that he had more energy than anyone she had ever met in her life, maybe even more than Buttercup when they were children. Now there was a scary thought.
"I bet he was super excited about that."
Ms. Keane chuckled. "Excited is a bit tame of a description for it. But yes, they are all settling in just fine, although, the children were asking about you and Buttercup today before I came here. You might want to pay them a visit sometime soon dear."
Bubbles nodded at her with a smile forming on her lips, hearing that the kids were asking for them made a warm feeling spread throughout her. It felt good to be wanted. "I'll stop by after I finish up my work, but I still have a few things to do at the moment."
Ms. Keane gave her a nod of understanding. "I understand dear, whenever you have time."
"Right." With one last smile, Bubbles turned around and picked up her bags.
The next stop, Quartermaster Nicholas's Office.
It wasn't so much of an office as it was a large enclosed set of rooms that had been converted for storage purposes. Overseeing it all was Quartermaster Nicholas. His actual office was only the very first room that you walked into when you entered.
A large desk filled with stacks of paper sat behind a full length counter that stretched across the entire width of the room, from wall to wall. It was past the counter that you could get back into the storage rooms that held all the base's supplies. And behind that counter sat the man who over saw it all.
When Quartermaster Nicholas saw Bubbles enter his office a rare smile lifted the well-worn lines of his face, and he stood up with some difficulty. The clunk, clunk of his prosthetic leg beat on the concrete floors as he stepped up to the counter and leaned against it.
The man had lost his leg over twenty years ago during some battle in the pacific islands. When it had happened, instead of receiving an honorable discharge from the United States Army, he had opted to be transferred to the overseeing side of things. He had been a military man since he turned eighteen and as far as Bubbles knew, he intended to stay one until the day he died.
"Well gal, looks like you got yerself some treasure eh?" The gravely bass of his voice was often times confusing to understand for those who had minimal contact with him, but Bubbles had known him for nearly seven years so it required virtually no effort for her to decipher his words anymore. He was one of the first people she had met and befriended when she joined the Resistance.
It was a bit odd to think about, a little thirteen year old girl befriending a scarred and frightening man well in his forties, but his gruff exterior had fascinated Bubbles back then. She just knew that behind that prickly personality was a soft gooey center and as it turned out, she had been right. He held a special place in her heart; he was kinda like that grizzly old uncle that only came around a couple times of year but always had a special treat for you.
"I thought it was only s'pposed to be a hit an' run op?" He asked as he looked over the bags she was lugging around.
Bubbles shrugged with some difficulty. "What can I say? I just couldn't help myself. Besides, it's always prudent to get supplies whenever we can right? They were going to get blown up so I decided to take some for the spoils of war."
His laughter matched his voice; it was more of a low rumble that could be easily mistaken for a coughing fit than a standard expression of mirth but it made Bubbles smile to hear it. It was rare to get a laugh from the tough man.
"A'right, a'right. Haul 'em on back there. I'm a bit short on 'elp at the moment, so you'll have to sort 'em yerself." He said as he lifted up the folding portion of the counter, allowing her to bypass to the rooms beyond.
"Where is everyone?" Bubbles asked as she maneuvered her burden through the tight space.
"Ah, base patrol an' the like. S'curing the base is more import'nt than watchin' some supplies."
"Oh, I didn't know we were stretched that thin. That's fine. I know where everything goes anyway." Throughout all her scavenging missions she attained a familiarity of the storerooms and where everything went within them. It was handy knowledge to have in times like these.
"I'll leave it ta you then." Quartermaster Nicholas said as he dropped the counter back down and hobbled to his desk and the papers that awaited him there. Bubbles sent him a smile before she dragged her bags into the back rooms and began the process of sorting through them.
She hoped this wouldn't take very long, there were kids to see after all.
Most of the items in her first bag were preserved food rations. If she was judging the portions right, they could help bolster the base's food supplies for at least another two weeks. That right there was worth the trouble of her detour alone.
The second bag was also full of useful items, mostly ammunitions for their sparsely stocked armory. Buttercup would be ecstatic to hear about this little addition. Hopefully it would help get her mind off her resentment of being left behind too. Bubble still felt a bit bad that she hadn't been able to participate in the raid, not that she could have done anything to change that. Chalk it up to sisterly compassion.
After a half an hour sorting and filing all the food and ammunition into their proper places, Bubbles reached down into her last bag of stolen goods and pulled out the items that fascinated her most. The five uniforms were no longer freshly pressed but, despite being stuff hastily into a bag, were still folded rather nicely.
Bubbles cast a critical eye over the first uniform as she unfolded it and held it up before her. It matched the other four perfectly and besides some strange markings, it was rather unremarkable looking.
If she was to hazard a guess, she would say these were worker uniforms, maybe a special division by the markings on the collar. They definitely weren't guard uniforms, that was a little disappointing but she was sure Blossom could still find a way to make these useful somehow. Her sister was brilliant when it came to utilizing limited resources.
She'd have to bring Blossom here tomorrow morning and show her what she brought in, but for now, there were kids to visit and a sweet bed calling her name.
Bubbles refolded the uniform with a light yawn and gathered up its companions. Now where to put these? Somewhere out of the way so no one could misplace them. The backroom would probably be the perfect place. Hardly anyone went back there as far as she knew.
Bubbles nodded to herself and walked towards the end of the hallway to the dusty rooms. Honestly, someone needed to get back here and keep it clean. This Office had barely been operational for three months and dust was already starting to collect in piles nearly an inch thick. It was probably playing havoc on poor Quartermaster Nicholas' allergies.
Clicking her tongue, Bubbles found an empty space on a mid-level shelf and shoved the uniforms up onto it. While she situated them, a crinkling sound caught her attention. With a perplexed look, Bubbles dug through the uniforms and located the source of the noise.
It was a piece of paper.
A piece of paper? Why would a piece of paper be stuffed among newly manufactured uniforms? She guessed maybe someone dropped it in there by accident. Or maybe they had it in a pocket and it slipped out as they were loading supplies in the crate? Either way, her curiosity was itching to find out what was written on it.
Bubbles unfolded the crumpled paper and studied it, murmuring the words lightly to herself as she read.
"July 13th, 0800 hours. General notice to all Simian Army personnel: Be on the look-out for suspicious activity in the south eastern divisions of Old Townsville. Several recent patrols have been ambushed by an unidentified source, thought to be dissidents escaped from the city capital."
Bubbles heart sped up as she read through the first paragraph. The Resistance base was located in the south eastern section of the ruins of Old Townsville and they had performed ambushes. Did this mean the Simian Army already knew they were here? Well, given the raid tonight they knew either way now.
She bit her lip anxiously and read on. "Debriefing reports describe the attacks as performed by three individuals using hit and run tactics to confuse and disorientate our patrols. They leave no traces behind and all attempts to trap them have remained unsuccessful thus far.
If you notices any suspicious persons within the vicinity of any outpost, re-supply center, or frontier base, inform your superiors immediately. The safety of the Empire and your families depends on your vigilance and determination. Do not fail us, do not fail the Emperor. Long live the great Mojo Jojo
Captain of Army Intelligence, J. Howard." Bubbles murmur out the last sentence and stared at the paper, thinking through the intelligence brief.
Three individuals? That couldn't be referring to her and her sisters; they hadn't gone out on a team mission together since they were fourteen. Did that mean this wasn't about them?
…
It must have meant that. As far as she knew most ambushes sanctioned by Blossom were ordered to be carried out in teams of five or more; except in Buttercup's case of course. She was special.
And come to think of it, the date at the top meant this letter was sent out before the Resistance had even started plans of relocating the girls here. That meant it definitely wasn't about them.
Then who-
Bubbles eyes widened as the realization hit her.
The Boys…it just had to be. Who else would be aggressive and slightly suicidal enough to ambush and attack Simian patrols? And there was also the fact that in all her encounters with them, they were always claiming to be fighting against the Simian army.
Earlier, Bubbles had been inclined to disagree with her sisters that all of this mess with the boys was a trap to lure them into a false sense of security, but with this paper in hand she was now pretty convinced her sisters were wrong.
There was no way a note like this could have been planted for her to pick up. The Simian Army didn't even know they were going to hold an open assault on the base they hit tonight. The planning required to implement something this elaborate wasn't worth the effort. This had to be real, she could feel it and her feelings usually turned out right.
Of course, that meant that Boomer had been telling the truth when he told her he wasn't working for Mojo. He might even be actively working against him instead! For some strange reason, Bubbles felt a small flutter in her stomach at the thought of the young man not being a spy for her arch nemesis.
It made her feel…happy?
That sounded right…it was probably because that meant that instead of another enemy force, they had a potential third party player that might offer some support. The chances were low, she wasn't going to delude herself into thinking that the Rowdyruffs would actually help the Powerpuff Girls, but at least it wasn't an attack on two fronts now.
Blossom needed to know about this ASAP! The children and her bed would just have to wait until later.
Tucking the letter into one of her jacket pockets, Bubbles stored away the rest of the items in a hurry and threw the bags in their proper place. She rushed from the back rooms and threw a quick goodbye to Nicholas over her shoulder as she jogged from the Quartermasters Office into the lobby.
She was positive she set a new record for speed walking to the Command Center because it felt like barely a minute had passed as she dashed up the steps and made her way to the OR. Hopefully Blossom would still be in there and with any luck so would Buttercup. Both of them needed to hear about this.
Her prayers were answered as she stepped into the room and found her sisters plus Mitch and the Professor standing, or in the latter's case sitting, around the center table. Blossom was currently pointing to a spot on the map and explaining something to the Professor in detail while Mitch listened and Buttercup shifted anxiously in her seat.
How was she going to do this without arousing suspicion? Crap…she really should have thought about that before she barged in. Too late now.
Her abrupt entrance garnered the attention of group and they glanced at her in various states of surprise. Blossom quirked an eyebrow at her in a silent question.
"Um…" Real smooth.
Blossom's other brow rose and joined its companion. Let's try again shall we?
"I was…wondering…" Think, think, think, good excuse, Need a good excuse.
"Yeees?" Blossom's drawn out response only made her mind blank even more. Ohh! She was no good at coming up with things on the spot.
"Well, I was…going through the supplies and I took a closer look at those stolen uniforms I grabbed…"
"And?"
"I wanted…yours and Buttercup's opinion on them! I can't figure out what division they belong with and I thought you two might know." Bubbles finished in a rush, adding a sweet smile for that extra layer of convincing.
Okay, so it wasn't her best lie ever, but it worked. She got several weird looks from the group but Blossom nodded slowly. "Okaaaay, but couldn't this wait until morning?"
Bubbles shook her head quickly. "Nope! Why put off tomorrow what you can do today right? Besides you were almost done with the debrief anyway weren't you?"
"Yes! Dear Lord, yes we were!" Buttercup enthusiastic response garnered a disapproving look from both Blossom and their dad. Mitch just chuckled lightly in his hand.
Bubbles brow crinkle lightly in confusion, normally she chalk that up to Buttercup's naturally short attention span wanting a change of stimuli but there was something a little desperate in her plea. It was odd but if it helped her get her sisters in private she would take it.
Blossom reluctantly picked up her scattered papers on the table and addressed the Professor. "Well, I suppose we went over all the important aspects of the mission, anything else can be hashed over tomorrow. Besides, it is getting rather late."
"That's fine Blossom dear, my curiosity has been sated. I think it's time for all of us to get a bit of shut eye." The Professor said as he rolled away from the table. He did give Bubbles a curiously penetrating glance as he passed by but she only smiled wider in response. With a light shake of his head he let it go and rolled out.
"Here, here." Mitch muttered and hauled himself to his feet. He offered a casual salute and followed the Professor out the door while Blossom gestured Bubbles to a chair.
"Oh no, I was hoping to discuss it in private. Please?" The blonde asked as she gave the room and its occupants a subtle glance. She didn't doubt that the four privates manning the machines were picking up every word that was being spoken. And the words she had to say were too important for that kind of rumor mill.
Any rumor mill really.
Buttercup once again helped her out by jumping to her feet. "Yeah, a change of scenery would be nice. Besides these damn chairs make my ass numb."
"Language Buttercup." Blossom sighed with a tired roll of her eyes. She gathered up the last of her papers in her arms and led the three of them out the OR towards the Map Room.
You could tell how late it was getting by the lack of personnel running through the hallways. If Bubbles had to guess it was probably nearing midnight. No wonder she was bushed. Still, sleep could wait until she passed on her important find.
She had successfully gotten her sisters alone without arousing much suspicion, much being the key word. Now the only big hurdle left was how to breach the subject? Break it gently or bluntly? Or did it really matter?
No, not really. Bluntly it was then.
Blossom gestured her two sisters to take a seat in the comfortable selection of chairs that decorated the makeshift office while she shut the door and deposited her papers on a nearby desk.
"Finally! That took for freakin' ever." Buttercup complained as she plopped down on a chair.
Bubbles blinked at her curiously as she took a seat of her own. There was more going on there than just a short attention span stretched too thin.
Blossom noticed it too, or perhaps she had known all along? "Sorry Bubbles, but the uniforms will have to wait until after Buttercup spills whatever secret she has been desperately keeping." The redhead said as she joined them at the table.
"Hey how'd you know I have something to tell you?" The brunette asked.
Blossom cocked an eyebrow. "You mean besides the fact that you look like you've needed to use the restroom for the past hour? I can see it written all over your face, call it sister intuition, now spill BC."
It was easy to pick up the exhausted tone in her sister's voice, heck even a deaf man could of. The whirlwind day seemed to have taken its toll on the General's patience and she obviously wanted nothing more than to get a little bit of shut eye. Poor Blossom.
"Okay, okay." Buttercup held up her hands to placate her tired sister. "So while you two were out there tonight, doing your thing, I took on a base perimeter patrol."
Bubbles was surprised by the admission. Buttercup doing a routine base patrol? When was the last time something like that had happened? Not once that she could remember.
Blossom seemed less taken aback, she probably anticipated Buttercup would do something like that to get out of the base. "I assume something happened during your patrol?" She asked in a deadpan voice, clearly wanting Buttercup to speed up her little suspenseful narrative.
"Oh yeah, I ran into Brick."
There went the suspense. Big time.
Of all the things that Bubbles had been expecting Buttercup to say, that was definitely nowhere near the top of the list. She had run into Brick? That couldn't have led to anything good. Knowing her sister, she had probably punched first and thought to ask questions later, especially considering her run in with Butch a few weeks ago.
The only problem with that assumption was the fact that Buttercup didn't appear any more seriously injured than when Bubbles had last seen her. If there was a fight between her and Brick than she must have come out on top. The blonde had no clue how she might have done that with a handicap but it must have happened…except Brick was nowhere to be seen in the base, maybe that meant-Oh God!
Did she kill him!?
This time, Buttercup's confession caught Blossom off guard so much that she shot straight up in her seat. The dead tired look she was sporting barely a few seconds earlier was gone and now her eyes were sharply focused on her brunette sister.
"What?!" Disbelief colored her voice. "Run that by me again." The redhead asked as she leaned forward.
Bubbles was still rooted in her chair with a hand covering her mouth as she thought about the possibility of Brick lying in a cold, shallow grave. Buttercup wouldn't have wasted time on anything deeper.
"I ran in to Brick while I was patrolling…well, it's more like I spotted him while I was patrolling and well…I kinda…attacked him." Buttercup admitted and rubbed at the back of her neck.
Bubbles felt faint. She could see exactly how that went, she really did kill him! No! Oh why did this have to happen now? Right when she found the letter that proved their innocence!
Why was fate so cruel?
The blonde could only watch dumbly as Blossom and Buttercup continued their conversation. Blossom's wide eyes narrowed as the implications finally sunk in.
"You attacked Brick? Do I need to remind you that you had specific orders to avoid any and all contact with the Boys?" She asked in a clipped tone.
"Yeah, I know that technically I disobeyed orders, but he was so close to the base! I mean, isn't that suspicious? What was I supposed to do? Just go about my merry way? What if he had found our location and was going to report it to Mojo or something? He was alone, so I figured I'd go in, hit him a few times to subdue him and then bring him in for questioning." Buttercup replied without a hint of remorse.
"Are you serious? Buttercup, do you have any idea how irresponsible that was?! Did the fact that you're injured even cross your mind at all?" Buttercup scowled at the insult and was about to respond but Blossom kept on pushing. "How could you have possibly hoped to overcome an opponent of equal standing with a handicap? I mean, you're lucky to even be standing here right now! You even said Butch was stronger than you, how did you know Brick wasn't as well?"
"I figured that out pretty quick." The brunette muttered so quietly that Bubbles wasn't sure she heard it correctly.
Blossom caught it too and paused her berating mid rant to look at Buttercup in confusion. "Wait, what?"
The Green Puff let out a heavy sigh and looked like she wanted the ground to open up and swallow her whole. "He whooped my ass alright? Got me caught in an arm lock and disarmed me within a minute." She spat out.
Once again the two sisters were shocked into silence.
"So... you didn't kill him?" The question just slipped out of her mouth before Bubbles could contain herself.
Buttercup sent her a fierce scowl. "I wish, damn bastard was still alive and kicking when he let me go. God, that fucking smirk of his pisses the hell out of me just thinking about it." Her fists clenched tightly onto the poor chair arms causing them to creak in protest.
Oh thank the Maker! She hadn't killed him, they were still on neutral territory with the boys.
Whew… in hindsight, her rapid assumption was a bit out there but it was Buttercup they were talking about. Stranger more violent things had been known to happen around her. Like the base jumping incident back in Bogota.
Bubbles focus was brought back to the conversation at hand as Blossom regained the use of her vocal cords. "Whoa, hold on…he let you go?!"
It was a good thing none of them had weak hearts or they wouldn't have made it very far in this conversation. And to think it wasn't even half way over yet, Bubbles still had her little revelation to share.
Buttercup nodded silently at Blossom's question with a scowl still painted on her lips.
"Why would he do that?" Blossom wondered out loud as she sat back in her chair.
Buttercup worked her mouth once or twice before she could will herself to reply. "He, he wanted me to deliver some dumbass message to you."
"What message?"
"He said he wants to meet with us, six days from now on top of the Remmington building. Three o'clock." Buttercup finished deep breath and sat back to watch the emotions play out on her sisters faces.
If poor Blossom's heart had received a few shocks tonight, it was nothing compared to this. It was obvious to Bubbles that she had never expected something like this to happen. A face to face meeting with an arch rival she hadn't seen in a decade? That was something that happened in story books, not in real life.
Given what she had found in the note, it actually didn't surprise Bubbles as much as she thought it would. Butch had mentioned Brick's desire to meet during his exchange with Buttercup after all, they had warnings that this was coming. Maybe it was so shocking to Blossom because she had honestly thought the whole thing was a trap.
Well whatever it was, now was the perfect time to bring out her little piece of evidence. Bubbles dug into her pocket and pulled out the crumpled intelligence report. As she laid it flat on the table however, she found that she was being completely ignored.
"It's totally a trap Blossom, we obviously shouldn't go!" Buttercup said with a hand thumping against the table.
"I agree with you that it's a trap BC, but this could be the perfect way to get some more information. A face to face meeting with Brick, think of the possibilities."
"I can think of the possibilities alright, us lying dead in a ditch somewhere." The brunette replied with a glare.
"Um, girls?" Bubbles hesitantly interject...and was ignored once more.
"We won't end up in a ditch, I'm not saying we walk in fat and happy. We have to do this smart. We could bring along a fire team and place them on adjacent buildings, that way we have some covering fire if things escalate too quickly." Blossom said as she grabbed a pencil and some paper.
"What if they launch their trap before we even reach the building? What then?" Buttercup challenged.
"Girls?" Disregarded.
"We'll still have the fire team with us. That will give us the advantage in fight they try to pick a fight with us. It'll be ten versus three."
"Girls?!" Getting kinda pissed off now.
"If they're working for Mojo then they could have back up too! What if they bring in a company of Simian troops? What then Leader Girl?" At this point Buttercup was up on her feet leaning heavily towards Blossom who was quickly jotting down note after note on her paper.
"That's just a possibility we're going to have to risk. I need more information Buttercup and this is the best chance we've gotten so far. I intend to take it."
Bubbles had just about reached her limit with those two, in fact… she had reached her limit. It had been a long night and she was pretty much done with etiquette. Time for more drastic measures.
"GIRLS!" Bubbles slammed a fist down on the table as she yelled, jarring its legs and sending Blossom's papers sliding everywhere.
The conversation her two sisters were engrossed in was instantly cut off as both of them looked at her with their mouths hanging open. That was one way to get their attention.
The blonde cleared her throat innocently and gave them a sweet smile as she pushed the note across the table towards them. "You might want to look at this."
Buttercup was still gaping at her while Blossom picked up the intelligence note and read it. Her brows furrowed in concentration as she pursued line after line.
"Where'd you find this Bubbles?" The redhead asked as she finished and handed the report to Buttercup. The Green Puff plucked the paper from her hand a tad bit violently and read it with a frown.
"I found it in the stack of uniforms I took from the supply base we raided tonight. This is what I really wanted to talk to you about. "
"What's so important about this? They know we're here, big whoop, as if they didn't know that already after tonight." Buttercup said blithely as she tossed the paper onto the table top.
"That isn't about us Buttercup." Blossom said as she folded her hands under her chin. Bubbles could see the gears in her mind whirling around this new information.
Buttercup looked at her leader in bewilderment. "What do you mean it isn't about us?" She picked up the paper and tapped it lightly. "It's obvious talking about enhanced human beings and news flash Blossom, the only other super humans besides us are-" Lime green eyes widen in shock as the pieces finally clicked into place.
She looked between the two of them in disbelief. "What? No, the boys? Working against Mojo Jojo? You can't believe that!"
"Look at the date Buttercup, that was before we even got here." Bubbles gently pointed out.
"Psh, it's obviously a plant to lure us into thinking they're on our side. How convenient is it that this just so happens to be found the day Brick says he wants to meet? No way, I'm not buying it!" She said while stubbornly crossing her arms across her chest.
Bubbles resisted the urge to sigh at her sister's pigheadedness. "What about all of our encounters with them so far? They've had plenty of opportunities to get rid of us! Why go through all this trouble to set up some elaborate trap when they could have finished us off already?" Bubbles asked with her hands raised questioningly.
"Cause they're evil Bubbles! That's what evil people do! They make overly complicated plans so we can pick 'em apart and kick their ass to next Sunday! And THAT'S what we should be doing!" Buttercup argued right back.
"You can't honestly believe their still completely evil Buttercup. Not after they saved our lives!"
"Oh yes I can! And I do! Those slimy bastards are just waiting for us to run up to them and then WHAM! We get blown to hell! Do you really want to risk the mission on-"
"Quiet, both of you." Blossom's command cut through Buttercup's retort and silence filled the air as they obeyed.
The Puff leader gestured them to take their seats again. Bubbles quietly did so while she observed her older sister's face. Blossom had already made her decision about the meeting; she only hoped it would be the right one.
Unfolding her hands, Blossom placed them on the table and addressed the room. "Trap or no trap, we're going to this meeting." She quickly raised a hand to forestall Buttercup's angry objection. "I'm not saying it is or isn't a trap. With all the evidence and this piece of paper, it could be perfectly safe. Then again, this is the Rowdyruffs we're talking about and they are as devious as they come. The point is we won't know until we see them for ourselves."
Bubbles felt a small victorious smile bloom on her face as Buttercup's scowl deepened in protest.
"Besides," Blossom pushed herself onto her feet. "It's been ten years since I've seen Brick, it wouldn't do to be rude and decline such a nice invitation."
Taking that as a sign the meeting was at an end, nobody could change Blossom's mind when it was made up, Buttercup shoved herself to her feet and stalked from the room muttering something about chauvinistic pigs under her breath.
Bubbles watched her go with a wince but figured it was better to let her have some time to herself. She would have to come to terms with it eventually. Blossom shared her thought as she merely shook her head at Buttercup's brooding exit.
"We'll have to do some reconnaissance of the area this week, plan some escape roots in case things get hairy. " Blossom absently mindedly said as she gathered up her papers and stacked them neatly.
"Right, that shouldn't be too hard." Bubbles replied as she got to her feet. Walking passed her sister; she placed a hand on her shoulder. "You made the right choice Blossom. They need to at least be given the chance to explain their situation."
Blossom sighed heavily under her hand. "I hope you're right Bubbles…I really do."
A/N: The meeting is on people! Ah yeah! :D You have no idea how psyched I am for the next few chapters. It's going to be AWESOME! If I do say so myself!
Reviewer Recognition:
Lily975: Yes! everything so far has been leading up to this moment! All I'm gonna say about it, is that Brick better have something real good up his sleeve :D Thanks for the review!
My Silent Reader: Darn, I had a feeling I had guessed wrong . I hope your exams went well and you kicked butt on them! Sufficed to say, these next couple of chapters are going to be the most exciting for the story so far! Hehehe.
Scourge: Hehe! Glad you liked it, Butch is also so fun to write cause I can just go so over the top with him. I tried to make the Puffs reactions equally as fun but still different. They were a bit more accepting of the situation I think so it wasn't as gravely shocking or anything like that. Just wait until the meeting though :D
tweetybird99: Dang it! That was going to be my second guess! Ugh, I told you, bad at guessing games. Well, if the last chapter had you on the edge of your seat, then you'll need something to strap yourself down for the next couple of chapters. Excitement! Ego Clashing! And Possibly Mass Bodily Harm! Stay tuned, you'll like it.
NyanicornYay: I know your review for for chappter 19, but I'm gonna respond to it here. Yes, Rock solves everything! Except in a game of rock paper scissors lizard spock, then Spock wins ;D
TheCynic:Welcome back! I hope you had an awesome trip and I'm glad my humble little story could brighten your day! So yeah, now all the reactions are out of the way and the meeting is on! You guys won't have to wait long to read it cause I don't want to string it out. So prepare yourself!
Big thanks to all my reviewers out there! You guys make this so enjoyable! And a special thanks to all my new followers and favoriters: RiseOfTheFallenAngles and Devin Trinidad. Welcome aboard! I hope to hear from you guys :D Remember, I love getting me some reviews! So if you haven't left one yet, why not now? It would be cool. Just saying :D
Next Chapter:...Nope! Not gonna tell ya! Yes, yes I know. 'WHAT?! That's evil!' And yes, yes it is. Mwauahahaha! Needless to say, I am confident none of you will even expect what the next chapter is going to be about. (hint: it ain't in any of the Boys or Girls POV.) You guys will just have to come back next Saturday to find out what's in the mystery chapter! Have a good week!