Chapter 25

The strong, bitter smell floated through the room, as Blossom helped herself to hot cup of coffee. She stirred in a teaspoon of sugar and little bit of delicious cream. She poured another cup for Brick, who was fast asleep at the table, his arms folded beneath his head. She placed his cup on the table and pushed it next to him. He snored loudly and awoke.

"Coffee?" Blossom offered, taking a seat. Brick nodded and eagerly drank from his cup. Blossom took a sip from her own, then placed it down on a makeshift napkin coaster.

"So, go over the plans one more time?" Blossom asked. She grabbed a piece of paper covered in scribbles and hasty writing. On the paper were two lists, one titled "Blossom" and the other titled "Brick." The two had worked out several scenarios of what was to happen in three days time when Princess put her dastardly plan into effect, and each had several counter-plans, all of which were Okayed by Don Guerelli during a short meeting yesterday. They narrowed down all the scenarios to the most likely contender, and they worked out one big counter-plan that they needed to have memorized as soon as possible.

"Okay," Blossom started, covering the plan with her hand, and looking straight at Brick. "I will be hiding in the Loop near the Sears tower, since it is, well, the Sears Tower, and it's the business district after all, so I can protect it."

"I'll be at 900 North Michigan," Brick said sleepily, stifling a yawn. "The biggest shopping area, and another likely target for everything."

"If I see anything, I will notify you with my cell phone that Don Guerelli so kindly gave me," Blossom said, tapping at the very luxurious phone next to her on the table. Guerelli bought one for her and one for Brick, when he found out that they had no way of communicating with each other.

"Same here," Brick said, taking another gulp of coffee. Blossom rolled her eyes.

"Say it, Brick. You'll remember it better," she scolded.

"Fine," Brick sighed. He downed the rest of his coffee, and slammed the cup on the table. He frowned. "If I see anything, I will notify you with my cell phone that Don Guerelli also so graciously gave me."

"Please don't mock me," Blossom groaned, trying desperately not to fight with Brick again. It had been a rough few days since the meeting, with the two of them very stressed and thus very irritable. They had a lot to do and very little time to accomplish their duties. Blossom wanted to keep things stable between her and Brick, but the two argued day and night as they brainstormed their strategy. Brick was very worried about the time issue, not believing they would be prepared, but Blossom scoffed at the idea. She was only mildly concerned about the time between then and the encounter with Princess – she was fully confident that they would plan well and succeed. Her confidence helped her more than anything, and she hoped it did something for Brick.

What Blossom was not at all concerned with was the 30th day of their mission looming so close. In fact, she was looking forward to it, because she doubted anything would happen. She had been thinking more about that lately, since they were now on Day 24. She never did talk to the Professor or Mojo again, mostly because she didn't want to worry about them more than she already was. Anything that would distract her from preparing for the battle did not sound good, and contacting them would be a stupid thing indeed. Actually, anything that would distract her emotionally was bad. Her thoughts on the Chemical X situation never really did go away, though. It was one of those things like a specific word you can't remember – it eats away at you, and you can't properly settle down until you figure out what it is. She tried to find every logical reason for the theory to make sense, but nothing did. Ever. She was fully confident nothing would happen, but she never mentioned it out loud again. Why bother Brick any more than he was? And again, she didn't want to speak to the Professor or Mojo. Then again, her assurance was strongly battling some small sense of apprehension. The situation was serious enough to trouble the Professor, and if it troubled him, it troubled Blossom, too. There was more to it that Blossom did not know, and she knew she wasn't going to find out any time soon. Might as well do with what you have, right?

Brick rubbed his temples, trying to ease the budding headache in his brain. Blossom took another small sip from her mug.

"Can we just relax?" Brick pleaded. "I'm exhausted. We've been thinking all day, and my brain hurts."

"I know," Blossom said. "But we need to be prepared. You're the one worried about everything."

"Well, yeah, and now I'm worried I'm going to be too tired to do anything," Brick retorted, folding his arms across his chest. Blossom leaned her head on her forefinger, again trying to hold back her anger.

"Just one more time, okay?" Blossom urged. She gestured to her cup. "That's why I made coffee."

"I'm just… I'm too tired," Brick said, pushing his chair out and standing up. He ignored Blossom's glares and hopped on the couch. Blossom rolled her eyes and stared out the window, looking at the same grubby red bricks in the alley, at the same ancient pile of trash against the wall, and the same shadows cast by the moonlight. She sighed and looked back at Brick.

"Just sleep, then, okay?" Blossom grumbled, as she stood and collected the dirty mugs. She tossed them in the sink and headed over to the bed. Brick glanced at her, not bothering to reply to her. He probably was being touchier than intended, but he was, honestly, simply frustrated with the situation. For someone with such an enormous ego, he was more self-conscious than he would ever show. He was very pessimistic, and didn't believe they would succeed. They were only two people – two people with super powers, yes – but compared to hundreds of powerfully armed men, and one of the most dangerous women he's ever met, he and Blossom had one tough battle ahead of them. It didn't help that Brick felt like he was also battling an even more powerful enemy: time. The battle was three days away, and the 30th day of the mission was in six. Everything was getting closer and closer, and Brick was not doing well under the pressure. All of this, unfortunately, was taken out on Blossom, but she was miraculously handling it quite well. Brick was incredibly grateful that she kept her cool, because as anxious as he was, he was secretly assured a little by her confidence. He tried to be nice to demonstrate his gratitude, but his temper would get the better him, and at this moment, this was exactly the problem. Tomorrow, he'd try to be more polite. Right now, he might as well sleep.

"Alright, well I'm going to think some more, then maybe sleep," Blossom announced. She removed her belt and placed it on the side table. She leaned back on the bed, curling up in the corner as usual.

Then… her wrist began to vibrate. She shot up and held her wrist in front of her. It was her wristcuff – someone was calling.

"Brick!" she called. "Someone's calling me."

"What?" Brick rolled off the couch and staggered over. Her rubbed his eyes and peered over her shoulder. Blossom glanced at him. She slipped open the lid.

"Professor?"

"Guess again."

Blossom gasped. Brick sank down in the bed next to her, as the two stared at Bubbles and Boomer, smiling up at him from the little computer screen.

"Bubbles? Boomer? What?" Blossom stuttered. She laughed nervously, placing a hand over her mouth. She bit her knuckles, biting back a sob. Bubbles giggled, her voice bubbling through the speaker. Brick rubber his eyes again, trying to believe what he was seeing.

"Hi, Blossom," Bubbles said. "It's nice to see you."

"It's great to see you, too!" Blossom choked. She clicked the cuff off her wrist and held it so the Brick and Blossom could see it better.

"Whoa, Boomer," Brick chuckled. "You look different…"

"Do I?" Boomer asked, looking down at himself. His skin did look a little darker, but he wasn't sure if it was just him or the smoke clinging to his skin.

"How are you?" Bubbles asked, her sweet smile never falling from her face.

"I'm… I'm alright," Blossom replied.

"I'm not," Brick snapped. He sighed and rolled his eyes.

"Why not?" Boomer asked, one eyebrow raised.

"Tell us how you two are first," Blossom said, hoping maybe the subject would change.

"I'm pretty good, actually," Bubbles said, beaming at Boomer. Boomer felt himself start to blush, and he reached his hand up to hide his face. He immediately thought this would be stupid, so he ran his fingers through his hair and hoped he would just stop turning red.

"I'm tired, myself," he answered. "It's… it's been a long day."

"What happened?" Blossom questioned.

"No, you first," Bubbles said. "We have a lot more to tell you."

Blossom did most of the talking, but she and Brick told about the party, meeting Princess, the poisoning, the code, the mafia, and the meetings with the Don. They explained Princess' plan, what they knew and what they inferred, and all about their own plans to defeat her. Bubbles and Boomer listened intently, very intrigued by their story.

"Now you," Blossom said, hungry to know everything about their adventure. Bubbles and Boomer repeated their story to them; it was easier and much faster the second time around. When they finished, Bubbles jumped up, and smiled even wider.

"We talked to Butch and Buttercup!" she exclaimed. Blossom grinned, rather excited to hear Buttercup's name.

"What happened with them?" Brick asked, also really interested in their tale. Bubbles and Boomer told them all about the other team, including the spiders, Sedusa, and the cameras.

"They look different, too," Boomer added. "They're all pale and grungy-looking."

"Did you see Butch but his head on Buttercup's shoulder?" Bubbles asked suddenly, looking curiously at Boomer.

"What?" Brick spat. Boomer shuffled uncomfortably on the screen.

"Yeah, I did see that," he admitted. He didn't think Bubbles caught it, too. Bubbles laughed to herself and looked back Blossom and Brick.

"Butch also lost his shirt," Bubbles said, almost with the same tone as a gossiping schoolgirl.

"What are you implying?" Brick demanded. He didn't like what he thought she was implying; his brother would not… would he? No way.

"I don't know," Bubbles lied, looking off to the side coyly. "They were awfully close."

"Probably just trying to look at the camera together," Brick said, hoping his words were the truth. "I highly doubt there's anything more to it."

"Me, too," Boomer asked, definitely not wanting to be against Brick on this one. Butch and Buttercup just sounded so unlikely, and he wasn't sure he'd feel if it was true. He knew that Brick would be furious, because honestly? A Powerpuff Girl and a Rowdyruff Boy? That just wasn't right. They were enemies, and that was it. Yes, they were in on the mission together, but they were made to be enemies, and everything was done, they would go back to that. Boomer suddenly didn't like that thought… He genuinely liked Bubbles. He wouldn't mind being friends with her from now on. They kind of were, anyways. And if Butch and Buttercup were an item, that only left Brick and Blossom. How was their relationship going? We're they getting along? From the looks of it, yes, but it wasn't anything more than that. Boomer suddenly stopped, feeling the analyzing things any further was just too much at the moment.

"So, Morbucks Machinery," Blossom repeated with a smirk, and again, changing the subject. "That's it! Were those spiders Morbucks, too?" Blossom asked. Bubbles shook her head.

"We don't know. We asked the same thing, and they didn't know either."

"I'm sure they were," Blossom concluded. Her mind raced with ideas, each one clearly fitting with the next. Everything was making a little more sense. "Princess is behind those mind control devices, and she's behind the spiders. She… she wants to take over the world. It all makes sense!

"I believe she's been using the devices to control the world leaders, who are being forced against each other, to aide her in an easy conquest. It also distracts the media and law from her weapon industry, which is being run through the underground. That's why she's been connecting with organized criminals, so that she can develop an international military to help her takeover.

"Those devices were being tested on animals, and the testing was overseen by Fuzzy Lumpkins. Little did he know, he was being controlled, too, for whatever reason. Maybe because he's not that intelligent, or at least cooperative. Anyways, the spiders are weapons, and they were hidden in a cave, overseen by Sedusa, but I doubt she's being controlled. She sounds normal from what you explained.

"There's still a few holes that we need to figure out: why Fuzzy was being controlled, why Sedusa is part of this, why there were cameras watching you guys and Butch and Buttercup, and how all of this relates to Princess's plan the day after tomorrow."

Blossom explained everything at top-speed, not once allowing room for the others to interrupt. Brick stared at her, mouth hanging slightly. Boomer just looked confused, but Bubbles, quite used to Blossom's puzzle solving, was smiling triumphantly up at her sister.

"It all makes sense," she agreed. "It makes even more sense when you add Him in as a factor."

Blossom's eyes widened. She completely forgot to factor Him in!

"Yes! But maybe we need to figure that one out, too. What does Him have to do with anything? Is he the center of all of this? If anything, it looks more like Princess is the main problem, but maybe not after all. Perhaps we'll discover more when we face her."

"Sounds good," Bubbles said.

"You know," Brick stated with a sigh. "This is all way too much for my brain."

"Are you serious?" Boomer laughed through the screen. "Too much for my brother Brick? No way."

"I'm exhausted!" Brick snapped. "And this is just way too much to soak in for one night. I gotta lay down."

"Look," Blossom said, more to Brick than anyone. "We'll see if my speculations are correct in a few days time. In the mean time, we've got a lot to do and a lot to think about. Bubbles? Boomer?" The two looked up at her and nodded. "Are you coming back to Townsville?"

"Yes," the two answered simultaneously.

"Good," Blossom said. "When we defeat Princess, we'll clean up really fast and head back home. You guys should be there by then. Try to contact Butch and Buttercup and have them head back home when we can. I think we should take everything that we know and talk to Mojo Jojo and the Professor."

"Have you talked to them?" Bubbles asked suddenly, her voice filled with concern.

"No," Blossom said sadly. "But it'll be better just to see them in person, right?"

"Yeah…"

"Exactly. So you guys head home. Tell Butch and Buttercup to head home soon. We'll defeat Princess, and had back as soon as we can. In the mean time…" Blossom sighed and readjusted the cuff in her hands. "I love you, Bubbles. I miss you, and I can't wait to see you and Boomer when we get home."

"You, too, Blossom," Bubbles said with a smile. "See you soon, then."

"Bye, guys," Boomer waved his hand.

"Bye, Boomer. Bubbles, too, I guess," Brick said, tilting his head.

"Bye, you two."

Then after a short pause, Bubbles and Boomer were gone. Brick leapt off the bed, and Blossom reattached the cuff on her wrist. She turned to Brick.

"First of all, I really wish you'd chill out," she said scornfully. "Second, could you please not be rude to my sisters? Thanks?"

"I'm tired," Brick said exasperated. "I'm sorry, okay?"

"Third," Blossom continued. "Please stop being so negative. We'll get through this. We'll get home, and we'll figure out what's going on. We have time. So, please, please, be a little more positive, okay?"

Brick stared at her, as her bright pink eyes begged him to comply. He then realized that she looked just as tired, just as exhausted as he was. Even after her exciting account of everything, she looked about as ragged as he felt. And then… he felt very sorry for acting the way he did. He felt sorry for being a complete ass to her, and for acting childish about everything. He felt sorry for losing faith in the mission, and for over-analyzing and being over-pessimistic. He still couldn't admit all of this to her, but he knew he had to something.

"Okay."

It was all he could muster. Blossom smiled warmly and nodded her head. She thanked him, then rolled over in the bed, her back facing him. Brick smirked and hopped back on the couch. He lay there a moment in a thought. He was now officially pissed at himself for going against his pride. But yet, perhaps it was necessary, he reasoned. He would see how necessary it was in a few days time.