Blinding Me with Science

Blossom sighed since she was home alone, mostly. The Professor had returned to his lab where she wouldn't see him until dinner, Bubbles and Buttercup were undergoing their sports physicals, and because it was only the first day she didn't have any assignments to complete. Her work schedule had been changed to accommodate school so she no longer had to get ready for that in the afternoon. She flicked through TV channels but there was nothing good on. She went to see if the kitchen needed cleaning but it was still spotless from that morning. The Girls had tidied the whole house in an attempt to make life easier for their dear father who worked so hard.

Her phone trilled and she assumed it was Robin wanting confirmation of their new hours since she was absent-minded about those sorts of things, but the text was from an unknown number. It said: Tell me why you have to give up your powers for school.

Who is this? Blossom replied, although she had an inkling based on the demanding tone.

Brick

It has nothing to do with you, she sent.

A few moments passed, then: I'm concerned.

About her and her sisters? No way. Brick had made it quite clear he cared for no one more than himself. Blossom tapped her phone against her lips in contemplation. It wasn't a secret that they had to suppress their powers while on campus due to a previous incident, but mostly everyone had forgotten about it by now and treated them like normal girls. The exact details had never been made public, though. It's not a big deal, I'll tell you tomorrow. Followed by: How did you get my number, anyway?

Your friend Robin.

Robin probably thought Brick wanted to flirt with her after they met at the café and had readily provided it. She was such a hopeless romantic, albeit terribly misguided in this instance.

The next morning Blossom found Brick leaning against her locker, the perma-scowl on his face preventing anyone from saying hello. "That's not an expression a candidate for student council president should wear," she admonished, shooing him aside to access her books.

"I'm not running for student council," he returned.

"You should. Extracurricular activities look good on college applications."

Brick forgot that college was something real students took into consideration during their high school career. "I'll think about it."

"Well, think fast. You have competition." He followed her pointing finger to a poster advocating some guy named Wes Goingon. 'Wes has your best interests at heart!' it read, and he was not amused by the rhyme. He walked with Blossom to the fifth floor where all the technology classes were located. They claimed an empty alcove, Brick regarding her intently as she sighed since she'd rather be reading her coding manual than talking to him. "In seventh grade there was an altercation with Princess. She was harassing Bubbles so Buttercup pushed her away, giving her a concussion. She wanted to sue but her father and the Professor came to an agreement out of court. We take Antidote X every morning to nullify our powers for precisely nine hours which is long enough for us to get through the school day. When Bubbles and Buttercup participate in a game, they take a little bit more so no one can accuse them of cheating. We don't want to ruffle anyone's feathers."

Brick pinched the bridge of his nose. "Let me get this straight… You intentionally stifle your natural abilities because one brat got put in her place and other people are jealous? Are you serious?" Blossom opened her mouth but he wasn't done. "That's ridiculous. You and I were made to be better than the average human in every way. I can't believe you let them limit you in order to make themselves feel better."

Her lips pursed. "You don't get it. The Morbucks would've bankrupted us if we tried fighting them. The Professor might have lost funding for his research due to bad press. We would've been destitute."

"No, you wouldn't," he refuted. "There are plenty of applications and good-paying opportunities for your powers. How do you think we managed to survive on our own at seven years old?"

"I don't know," she said curtly, "I honestly thought you were dead."

Brick was almost offended. The only thing in the world capable of harming the Rowdyruffs were the Powerpuffs who had apparently caved to societal pressure to be normal… normal and weak. He leaned in, voice low. "I'm actually disappointed to learn about this. Now I know that if we ever feel like fucking shit up, as Buttercup so eloquently put it, the three of you won't be able to do a damn thing to stop us."

Blossom lifted her chin. "Don't be so arrogant, Brick. Of course we established countermeasures in case of an emergency. If there's any kind of domestic attack or natural disaster, we activate adrenaline patches that purge the Antidote X from our systems."

"Patches?" He examined every inch of her exposed skin, finding no discrepancies. "Where?"

"Under our bras where they're the least likely to get hit on accident." Blossom snickered at his flustered expression; she could've taken a picture and framed it. "I'll make you a deal, also. Since you three are allegedly just here to get an education, if you behave I won't suggest to Principal Keane that you take Antidote X, too."

He took a reflexive step back. "There's no way in hell you could force me to surrender my powers."

"We can indeed force you, but I'd prefer not to resort to violence. So be good boys and keep your grades up." With that Blossom spun on her heel and sashayed into her coding class.

Brick glowered at the space she had just occupied. How dare she threaten him when she lacked the strength to support it. He could kill her in an instant, long before she activated the adrenaline. That undeservedly condescending attitude stoked his rage but he managed to quell it by breathing deeply and counting to ten, then he too headed for first period. Rather than listen to the teacher he thought about how to make Blossom eat her words. She seemed convinced the Ruffs were going to mess with the school in some way, so wouldn't it be ironic if everyone believed they could do no wrong? He had to obtain a social position allowing him to control the perception of his peers but thankfully an opportunity had already presented itself for him to do just that.

Brick waited until third period with the blonde Powerpuff, practically pouncing on her when she walked through the door. "Bubbles, I decided to run for student council president. I was wondering if you could assist with my campaign."

She clapped her hands in delight and gave him a brief tight hug, ignoring the way he cringed. "Yay, I knew you'd agree to it! We can totally brainstorm some ideas during lunch and I'll start on your posters fifth period! I have art," she explained. Brick nodded his appreciation. He didn't really understand her desire to befriend him and his brothers, but if it helped him achieve his goals he wasn't going to dissuade her. The thought of Blossom's own sister inadvertently knocking her down a peg made him smile all the way to the cafeteria where it vanished in an instant.

Butch passed his physical with flying colors just like Joey said he would, and apparently since he was tall and excellent at throwing a football the coach wanted to make him a quarterback. He got some equipment and a designated locker, introduced himself to the other team members, and seemingly became buddies with them overnight because the next day Joey shouted across the whole lunchroom for Butch to come sit with him and the guys. After bullshitting for a minute he examined the Culinary Arts counter, but the redhead wasn't there. "You lookin' for someone?" asked a lineman named Harry Pitt. He had buzzed hair, sallow skin, narrow dark eyes, and a bulky build that made him ideal for the position.

"Blossom," Butch answered.

A few chuckles arose as Joey shook his head pityingly. "You got a thing for the queen of the nerds, huh? Forget it, man. She won't give you the time of day unless you're some kinda genius."

"Basically you have to be Dexter," said Mike Believe, a boy who was surprisingly perceptive despite being engrossed by his phone. "Blossom is a bit of an ice queen to everyone else. Besides…" As if possessing some kind of sixth sense, he looked up and everyone else followed his gaze to Buttercup while she carried a tray to a table on the perimeter. "She's the hottest girl at this school."

"Buttercup?" Butch gaped. "You're shittin' me. Have you seen Blossom's curves?"

Joey spread his hands. "They just don't compare to her sister's ad, my man."

He cracked a soda, frowning. "What ad?"

"You ain't seen it yet? Do you live under a friggin' rock?" Harry asked.

"Excuse me for being new around here." He took a drink. "What ad?" Joey angled his phone toward Butch and he promptly spit out the cola, ignoring everyone's reactions as his eyes went wide and he snatched up the device.

It was unmistakably Buttercup. She stood with her hands on her hips looking down her nose at the camera, lips parted slightly in a smirk and eyes faintly glowing green. She was dimly lit from behind, shadows and highlights lending her an enticing physique. She wore a sports bra, shorts, and fingerless gloves, her sparring outfit. A caption at the top read 'Finish Him' and below was 'Crush: new fragrance for women'.

Butch didn't say anything, couldn't find the words. Joey retrieved his phone from his limp fingers with a chuckle. "You're welcome."

"Wh-what the fuck is that?"

"Buttercup is a model," Mike explained. "She did the photo shoot for that perfume ad right before school started."

"She's a model?" Butch echoed, like it was the most impossible thing he'd ever heard.

"Uh huh. You can see her whole portfolio on her agency's website, Lux Management. But that picture is the best she's taken so far, in my opinion."

He sat there dumbfounded for a beat, then furiously searched for her gallery on his own phone. Nothing else even came close to having the same impact as the Crush ad. Butch zipped over to where she ate, earning a bewildered look as he appeared in the air before her. "Why didn't you tell me you were a fuckin' model?!" he yelled, and the entire cafeteria fell silent.

Buttercup recovered, scowling at him. "'Cause it's nobody's business but mine!" The way he regarded her made her very uncomfortable. "Go away, you're creeping me out." Instead of leaving Butch grabbed her upper arms and came even closer. She tried shaking him off but his grip was vise-like. Panic welled up; she couldn't reach her patch and without her powers she didn't have the strength to fight back. As the toughest member of the Rowdyruff Boys there were innumerable ways Butch could hurt her. However, the desire to cause her harm wasn't what she saw in his forest green eyes just then. It looked like lust which actually freaked her out more.

A hand unexpectedly clamped down on his shoulder and yanked him away. Buttercup glanced up to see Brick hovering beside her. "What the fuck do you think you're doing, Butch?" he growled.

"Bro…" He blinked rapidly, returning to his senses. "Uh, that wasn't what it looked like…" The siblings stared at one another until a shout rang out.

"Whoa, you guys can fly! Are you supers?!"

Brick realized too late they'd totally blown their cover. Students swarmed both him and Butch, asking a hundred questions a second and getting way too close for comfort. He shot toward the ceiling before they could put their hands on him, surveying the sea of inquisitive faces below and thinking quickly about how to turn this situation to his advantage. "Um, hello," he waved. "My name is Brick, that's my brother Butch, and we have a third brother named Boomer. Some of you might remember us as the Rowdyruff Boys." Mutters of recognition reached his ears. "We just came back to Townsville to get an education, not cause trouble for anyone. In fact, I would like the opportunity to contribute to this academic community by becoming the student council president of the junior class, so… please consider voting for me in the upcoming election."

"Woohoo! Yay, Brick!" Bubbles cheered, then others started cheering for him, too; if Bubbles endorsed him, he couldn't be a bad guy. He cracked a partial smile since he was unaccustomed to being in the spotlight, but what better way to do damage control than by redirecting attention to himself? Butch drifted toward the exit, streaking away once he was clear. Brick hastily tailed him and caught him in an empty hallway, grabbing his shirt and shoving him up against the wall with a forearm pressed to his throat.

"Do you want to tell me what the fuck I walked in on you doing to Buttercup?" he bit out.

"Nothin', Bro, I swear!" Butch winced at the pressure on his windpipe. "I wasn't gonna do anything to her!"

"Yes you were, I could see it. You were tense like you get before a combat mission." His brother gulped. "Were you trying to start a fight with her right in front of everyone? Didn't I explicitly tell you to lay low and not mess with the goddamn Powerpuffs?"

"Y-you did, and I wasn't gonna!" Brick's glare continued boring into him. "I swear, Bro! I wasn't gonna hit her or anything. I just wanted…" His cheeks darkened. "Brick, I gotta show you somethin'. Let go." He did and Butch withdrew his Nervo, projecting the onscreen image. Brick's countenance shifted to complete surprise. "Look, look at this. Can you believe it?"

"Not really." How on earth had a rude, brash, feisty little girl become this young woman exuding such confidence? Brick felt his face grow warm and forced himself to avert his gaze. Now he understood how such an advertisement had elicited amorous feelings among her male friends. "Don't tell me you were going to… kiss her or something." The very notion made him shudder.

Butch rubbed the back of his neck. "I dunno, I wasn't thinkin' straight. I couldn't." Bewitching, that's what the photograph was. Those intense eyes were the focal point of the shot conveying that she was about to deliver the ending blow. Finish him, indeed. No man could stand against her.

Things were a bit calmer when they returned to the cafeteria, Butch's teammates notwithstanding. They were ecstatic to have someone like him playing for Townsville, surely guaranteed to win the Homecoming game against Citiesville next month. While the other guys lauded Butch for his awesome skills they hadn't even seen yet, Joey sat passively "So, you gonna ask Buttercup to Homecoming?" he inquired.

"What, the game?"

"No, the dance. 'Cause if you don't, I will. The way you went after her, though… it looked like you were about to shove your tongue down her throat."

Butch laughed nervously. He had no clue what the fuck he'd been about to do, acting purely on impulse. In that moment he'd wanted her more than anything in the world. "Dunno, it's Buttercup. She's hot but kinda crazy, y'know?"

Joey chuckled. "Yeah, I know– I've only gone to school with her all my life. We used to be friends in elementary, but when I started playing football in junior high we ran in different circles. She dropped off my radar but that ass is too fine for me to ignore any longer."

Since Butch was still a new kid and didn't want to cause another commotion by cockblocking the team captain, he banished the idea of asking Buttercup to be his date to Homecoming. He was pretty sure she'd just tell him to fuck off. "If you want her then go for it. I'm not gonna get in your way."

Joey was glad to see that Butch recognized him as the alpha of the group even though he was superhuman. Best to keep the Rowdyruff on a short leash, anyway. "Good," he said, his smile more conniving than amicable. "I can tell we're gonna be best friends."

Blossom was not happy by the time the second lunch hour rolled around. Not only were people whispering Brick's, Boomer's, and Butch's names in the same sentences alongside "superhuman" and "Rowdyruff Boys", the school network was severely lagging due to a surge of traffic to a certain website. She went upstairs to the computer lab and was not surprised to see some of the more technologically-inclined students of Townsville High gathered there, Dexter among them. "I know what's going on," she announced, and they all turned her way. "Everybody just found out that my sister models. They're all trying to access her online portfolio."

"When did Bubbles become a model?" a senior asked.

"Not Bubbles, Buttercup," she corrected.

"What? Seriously?" Blossom sighed while he searched for her images. A few other boys gathered around to murmur their approval but Dexter wasn't among them. He didn't have eyes for anyone.

"I think we need to add the agency's site and any Buttercup-related keywords to the filter," she suggested with some reluctance. Aside from censoring sensitive subjects the school didn't throttle student internet access, but gossip regarding her sister had reached Blossom's ears and in addition to not liking the majority of what she heard, Buttercup's gallery was causing an inconvenience by hogging bandwidth as the images were downloaded. "Dexter, would you mind?"

"Not at all," he answered, taking a seat at the master computer. It was reserved for the person in charge of cyber security whom Dexter had befriended, so he'd been given administrative privileges. Blossom sat beside him while he entered the network filter settings and began inputting terms.

They spent so much time in this room after they met freshman year. Dexter appeared in every single one of Blossom's sophomore-level classes where they stuck together like glue to avoid persecution for their above-average intelligence. She was fascinated by his genius when it came to engineering and programming. He showed her all kinds of gadgets and gizmos he'd built, and it was she who encouraged him to enter the competition that won him the opportunity to help develop the Nervo prototype. His passion inspired her to learn more about the technology the modern world relied on and now she was sort of a jill-of-all-trades when it came to computers.

Freshman Blossom had considered Dexter very cute. She'd been five-foot-four and he was shorter than her, stick thin in contrast to her curvy figure, with a mop of bright red hair he constantly blew out of his face until Bubbles cut it for him. And he had an adorable habit of adjusting his glasses whenever something didn't go according to his calculations, like when she kissed his cheek for the first time. They accomplished so much together, prided themselves for being known as the smartest, most ambitious couple at Townsville High, and even made it work long distance after Blossom decided to study abroad. Dexter even tried learning Spanish for her since he was already fluent in French and Russian, and when she returned in June she hoped he'd be ready to take their relationship to the next level.

Instead, they went the opposite direction.

Dexter had no desire for physical intimacy, plain and simple. He loved Blossom for her voracious mind, he appreciated her as his intellectual equal, and he thought she was a beautiful, brilliant person, but he wasn't attracted to her body. His lack of interest made her feel insecure and guilty for craving that kind of affection. Wasn't it a good thing that he cared more about her inner workings than her outward appearance? He treated her with such respect and other boys just wanted to know her bra size. After getting hired at Café Een with Robin, Blossom and Dexter slowly grew apart over the summer. He had numerous projects to focus on while she reconnected with her sisters and their friends. Neither of them really reached out to spend time with the other, and when they finally did in August it felt forced. They broke up because of mutual disinterest, yet Blossom still considered it her fault for wanting something that Dexter was uncomfortable with giving.

"All done," he said, checking his watch. "I'd better get something to eat before fifth. Bye, Blossom."

"See you, Dex." God, it was hard pretending there wasn't such a huge wall between them now. She never should've kissed him, then they would still be close friends. Why did she have to go and be spontaneous for once instead of adhering to a preplanned sequence of life events? Blossom didn't feel like returning to the cafeteria so she texted Robin instead, asking her to bring her a chicken Caesar salad from their workplace. She had a car so she bought lunch off campus often, and they both got an employee discount in addition to the student discount. When Robin returned they ate outside on a bench, Blossom's phone chiming while she had a forkful of lettuce in her mouth. She sure was getting a lot of texts lately.

Buttercup says what happened with Princess isn't the only reason you take Antidote X.

"Who is it?" Robin wondered as Blossom frowned.

"Brick, again." Her friend drew in a breath of excitement. "It's not like that. He wants to know about the antidote." Though she didn't understand why because it had nothing to do with him. Who was the nosy one now, hm?

"Are you going to tell him?"

"It's really not his business." But the Ruffs were also superhumans like them, so maybe… maybe they were encountering some of the same issues as the Puffs? But they were the same age so they would've experienced them around the same time. Probably. Blossom had no idea how similar their genetic compositions were and not knowing that suddenly bothered her a lot. There had to be countermeasures to stop the Boys if they decided to cause chaos and destruction. In the event the Powerpuffs failed to take them out, the ordinary citizens of Townsville had to be able to. Come by the Professor's lab after school. He can explain everything, she said.

The lab at your house?

Yes

Where do you live? Blossom provided her address. I'll be there.

Aren't you supposed to be paying attention in European History right now? she asked.

I already know everything about the Roman Empire since I lived all over Europe for five years. It collapsed because of imperialism and nepotism. That's it.

"Blossom, you're smiling at your phone," Robin commented. "What did he say?"

She quickly set it down. "Nothing, he's just being Brick."

"Suave and sophisticated?"

"Arrogant," she corrected.

Bubbles bid Boomer goodbye when sixth period ended, saddened that they only shared one class and she couldn't hang out with him after school due to cheer practice. The fact that she wanted to spend time with him at all was enough for Boomer. He saw Brick take off into the sky as a streak of red light, but he wasn't flying in the direction of the penthouse. Boomer followed, quickly catching up. "Where are you going?" he asked. His brother seemed shocked to see him, clearly distracted by more pressing matters.

"…Professor Utonium's laboratory," Brick hesitantly replied.

"Why?"

"To find out if there's a legitimate threat to our livelihood."

Boomer mulled it over. His siblings almost never kept him informed, dispensing knowledge on an as-needed basis, but he was usually able to piece things together. He may not have been very bright but he was observant, and because Brick and Butch almost always underestimated him, he surprised the hell out of them by providing unexpected insight in most situations. Brick was probably being paranoid about the whole Antidote X thing, but Boomer had to admit he was curious as to why the Puffs took it willingly. They landed in the Utoniums' empty driveway, waiting for Blossom and her creator to arrive.

A few minutes later, just as the station wagon started to turn in, the Professor slammed on the brakes. "Blossom, who are those boys and what are they doing at our house?"

"Those are two of the three Rowdyruff Boys, Professor. Brick and Boomer." He rotated in his seat to give her a look of mild horror. "They said they returned to Townsville to get diplomas."

"They said that?" He regarded them suspiciously. "Surely they're up to something nefarious."

"They haven't done anything nefarious so far," Blossom deigned to admit, "but they weren't exactly forthcoming about what they've been up to the last ten years." Ooh, that gave her an idea how to get what she wanted. "Brick found out about us taking Antidote X so I told him that you could explain why. I suppose Boomer must've followed him."

"Where's the one with spikey hair?" the Professor wondered.

"Butch is at football practice. He's on the team." Blossom tried not to laugh at how cautiously the car pulled up to them, Boomer glancing down at the mere inch between his knees and the bumper and offering a thumbs-up. The Professor hung back as both boys trailed Blossom inside and over to the laboratory door that unlocked after a retinal scan. "Come on, Professor," she beckoned, "I can't do the genome sequencing."

"The what?" all three men chorused. Brick then protectively stepped in front of Boomer, glaring. "We didn't come here to be experimented on!"

"Don't be so dramatic, it's just a blood sample." He didn't budge so she turned her back on him. "Fine, then I guess you don't care about how Antidote X would affect you." She and the Professor descended a set of stairs and when they reached the decontamination chamber Blossom didn't have to check to make sure the Boys had followed. "Put these on," she instructed, handing them masks and gloves. "Close your eyes as you step through the arch or it'll sting."

Boomer thought there was a lot of cool stuff in the lab and set to work examining it while the Professor kept an eye on him. Brick simply stood right inside the doorway with his arms folded. "Blossom, you need to give me some answers before I lose my cool and start breaking things."

"Has anyone ever told you that you don't need to threaten people over every little thing?" she retorted.

"That's not how it works in my world."

"What world is that?" Brick scoffed, turning away. "All I want to know is what you three were up to during the last decade! Is that so offensive?"

He considered it. "I doubt you'll like the answer."

"And I doubt you'll be satisfied by what you learn here today, but I think we're both mature enough to handle a little disappointment every now and then." She tossed her hair, briefly scenting the air with strawberries. "What were you doing?"

Brick heaved a sigh. He might as well give her a real reason to assume the worst of him. "We were mercenaries for hire. Black ops. Assassinations. Political coups. Sabotage. Security work. High-profile rescues. Data extraction. Need I go on?"

"N-no, I get the gist of it. Um, wow…" Blossom regarded him with wide, conflicted eyes. "You murdered people? For money?"

"Sometimes." She looked at Boomer, utterly stricken. He always came off as the least-awful Ruff but now she couldn't stop imagining his electric baseball bat reducing someone's skull to confetti. Or did they use guns? No, they wouldn't have a need for such things being biological weapons. That must have been what Brick meant when he said there were opportunities in the world for people like them. The Puffs were bioweapons too, only they exclusively used their superhuman abilities to help people. Townsville didn't require them as often now that all the villains had retired, died off, or been incarcerated for life. Brick's neutral tone regained her attention. "I told you what you wanted to know, now tell me why you take Antidote X. Why was it even invented?"

"Oh, umm… It's kind of a long story and I don't know all the scientific details, but we need it to stabilize our powers. Or to be more specific, we needed something to regulate our biochemistry when we turned twelve."

One of his eyebrows arched high. "Go on."

"The incident with Princess led to its development. She was threatening to cut Bubbles' hair, chasing her around a classroom with scissors, and Bubbles had grown it down to her backside so she was very proud of it. Buttercup came in and stopped Princess by shoving her through a wall. Not just into it, but all the way out the other side. It was a miracle she only got a concussion and didn't break any bones. But Buttercup just gave her a little push and it was much stronger than anticipated. The Professor ran some tests on us as the Morbucks prepared to take us to court. He discovered that our power output had increased exponentially over the last few years, but because we hadn't been using our abilities on a regular basis due to running out of criminals and mutants to fight, we had less control over them." Blossom opened a sealed canister and withdrew a flask of red liquid. "Enter Antidote X. The Professor synthesized it as part of the court agreement to deweaponize us, but it also, umm, regulates hormones… Professor!" She blushed at her toes as he approached. "Please explain to Brick about the hormones."

"Ah, yes. You see, when children reach a certain age their bodies begin to change and develop secondary sex characteristics—"

Brick waved his hands. "I don't need to hear about that, Professor Utonium!"

He flashed what could have been considered a mischievous grin. "But that didn't happen to my girls."

"Huh? Why not?" Boomer asked. The subject didn't bother him one bit.

"An oversight on my part, really. The Girls were genetically engineered from the DNA up using specific genotypes manipulated under strict guidelines established by my colleagues in the field. Introducing Chemical X to their DNA structure had the unanticipated side effect of hindering hormone production that occurs during puberty. I had to induce it artificially, so I included it as a component of Antidote X."

The Boys looked so lost. "If we don't take it, we'll stop aging correctly and we won't have any control over our powers," Blossom summarized. "And this is why I invited you here. It's evident that you three didn't suffer any developmental hiccups, so if you let the Professor draw your blood he can sequence your genomes and see how they differ from ours."

Brick crossed his arms again. "And what makes you think I'd willingly give you my blood? Couldn't you use it to synthesize a variant of Antidote X that only affects us?"

The Professor nodded once. "If I were interested in deweaponizing you, that is indeed the course of action I would take. But the more practical reason to sequence your DNA is to find out if you're prone to health hazards, which I'm more than certain Mojo Jojo didn't take into account when he engineered you." He adopted a kind, fatherly expression, throwing them off a bit. "The fact of the matter is you were made in an environment with many more risk factors than the one in which my girls were designed. They were created from carefully selected genetic material which was then spliced into specific nucleotide sequences. They'll never develop health problems that affect the majority of humankind– allergies, asthma, diabetes, arthritis, osteoporosis, dementia, cancer… There's a possibility you might suffer any of those ailments as you get older, so if we sequence your genomes now you can take preventative measures. What do you say?"

Boomer thrust out his arm. "Take my blood. I don't wanna get sick and die!" The Professor poked his fingertip with a special vial, turning it from clear to red. He'd been wincing but cracked an eye. "Oh, was that it?" Brick also acquiesced, acting like the pinprick was a great invasion of his personal space. It wasn't nearly as unpleasant as the things Him had put them through, though.

"Now we just need a sample from Butch." Blossom handed him a vial. "Could you fly back to school and get one?"

"Are you sure you want to know what he's made of? It's probably terrifying." He accepted the little tube nonetheless, noting the smile that reached her eyes. It took Brick less than a minute to return with Butch's sample. "How long until the results?" he queried.

"One day. If you come over after school tomorrow we can decode them together." The Professor glanced up at that but didn't overrule her invitation. The Rowdyruff Boys seemed to have mellowed out since their youth, and Blossom could handle them if they decided to cause a ruckus in their home. At least, he had faith that she could.

After Brick and Boomer left, Blossom went to her room and sat at her computer desk, pondering a potentially risky course of action. She decided to go for it and launched an encryption program before starting her investigation. Somewhere out there on a secure server was all the data the government had appropriated after shutting down Mojo Jojo's lab. There had to be files and notes regarding the Boys' creation, morbid curiosity fueling Blossom's need to learn exactly how Mojo's process differed from the Professor's. And there was also the person who brought the Ruffs back from near-death to consider, some mysterious and brilliant individual who rectified all of Mojo's mistakes and put them on equal footing with the Girls. They had shared one last battle before the Rowdyruffs simply got bored and left, and Blossom thought that was the end of things. She thought Townsville would never see them again.

She opened her laptop, launched the same encryption program, and began an automated deep web search for anything regarding their activities. Who had they assassinated and rescued? Which governments had they helped overthrow? What kinds of people had paid for their protection services? The results started trickling in immediately, articles and videos and referrals filling the folder she had everything downloaded to. Apparently they'd kept very busy over the years and she wondered how much money their illicit activities yielded. What did they even spend it on?

Blossom ate dinner with her family as usual but then went right back to her digital treasure hunt, following paths that led nowhere and constantly backtracking. Finally, at three in the morning, she found the server that Mojo's data had been relocated to. It was in the care of some second-rate security company. She hacked into their network with ease and enacted a brute force attack, letting it run as her eyelids grew heavier and heavier. She fell asleep in her desk chair and only got a few hours before her alarm went off, but her programs had finished running by then. Her laptop said "no more results found" and her desktop said "data extraction complete", so she transferred everything to an external hard drive as she took a shower and got dressed, yawning all the while.

"Need some under eye brightener?" Bubbles offered as soon as she entered the kitchen. Blossom let her sister do her makeup to hide the fact that she'd been up all night. People even commented on how nice she looked when she got to school, which was amusing; nobody complimented her otherwise. She made it through first period, barely, and couldn't fight the veil of slumber any longer upon entering Physics, resting her head on her arms.

Brick arrived at his seat, staring at Blossom. He never expected her to be the type who fell asleep in class. "Wake up," he said, poking her elbow with his pencil. She only mumbled incoherently. He rolled his eyes; not like he cared if she got in trouble for snoozing at her desk. When the teacher walked in he gave the girl a long look before shaking his head slightly. "You're going to let her get away with this?" Brick gestured, frowning.

"Blossom is an exceptional student. I know she'll easily get caught up with the material we cover today. Besides, she must have been awake late for a good reason. Let her be."

Brick scowled at her, but if Blossom were conscious she would have returned the expression with a rather self-satisfied one of her own. The details of his entire life from inception to present-day now existed on a mass storage device in her room.