Should I Stay or Should I Go?

No more procrastinating. It was time to finish the job and receive the other half of the payment from Max. Brick had figured out how to intimidate the woman who privately funded Townsville's smallest yet most prolific research group concerned with manipulating the human genome. Those scientists were renowned throughout the world for successfully completing Project X and creating the Powerpuff Girls. Professor Utonium was a member of that collective.

Brick had a visceral feeling that he should've asked Max what his motive was for wanting so many GE groups under his thumb. Deposing the final benefactor would be easy and he'd become vastly richer afterward, but the money didn't matter anymore; the Ruffs were financially secure enough to support themselves through multiple lifetimes. Yet Brick couldn't in good conscience leave the job unfinished when they had a reputation to uphold. Did that reputation matter, though, if this were the last contract? He had qualms about disrupting the Utonium family's livelihood by turning the collective over to Max, and not knowing the outcome made it difficult to decide what to do. To make matters worse, Brick's opportune moment to confront the benefactor coincided with the two weeks Blossom wanted to be in Mexico.

So which was more important to him? Did he go on the trip he'd been looking forward to and Blossom had been saving for all summer, or did he abide by his mercenary contract and threaten to blackmail someone for the last time?

The choice was obvious once Brick set his personal feelings aside, feelings he never should have developed in the first place. He was supposed to be better than that.

Blossom's shift at Café Een had just about ended. Brick waited the few minutes it took her to appear, receiving a beatific smile as she waved an envelope. "This is it, the last check before our trip! Let's go deposit it together!" He walked at her side on their way to the bank. "Oh, I forgot to tell you! I contacted the family I stayed with during my study abroad program and they said they'd be glad to have me again. I told them about you, too, and they want to meet you! They're in Mexico City. You haven't been there, right?" Brick shook his head. "Great! It's the capital so there's a lot to do! I figured we could just stay with them and fly to Guadalajara and the Yucatan, if that's okay with you." He made a non-committal sound that Blossom missed as she spoke to a teller. She beamed at the statement of her savings account on their way out. "Do you think this will be enough? I suppose we can always omit a few days if I need to work another week…"

Brick glanced at the amount and swallowed the lump that formed in his throat. $3500. "That's more than enough for one person," he said. Blossom faced him, frowning. "If it's just you, you should be able to have a great time."

"What do you mean 'just me'?" she asked. "We're going together, Brick."

"About that…" Her falling expression physically pained him. "Something came up, something personal. On Monday I'm going to Greece for a while."

What?! What the hell kind of personal business did he have to take care of in Greece?! "But… we were supposed to leave then!" Blossom proclaimed.

"I know. I'm sorry, but I have to do this. It's important." Brick shifted beneath the weight of her disappointed gaze. It also contained a glimmer of suspicion; he couldn't shake the feeling that she had an inkling as to why he was blowing her off.

The look faded after a minute, and Blossom sighed in resignation. "I didn't want to go without you, so I guess I won't. With this much money I can buy myself a Nervo for my birthday." Hope bloomed anew. "You'll be back by then, right?"

"I should be," he answered.

She tilted her head. "Are Butch and Boomer going with you to Greece?"

"No, just me." Brick was the one who accepted Max's contract so it was his responsibility to fulfill it.

He spent two weeks in the city of Volos waiting for the woman funding the Project X collective to show up with her male companion, enjoying a vacation while her husband was in the hospital. Brick played the role of tourist by shopping at upscale boutiques, eating at top-rated restaurants, walking along the waterfront, and visiting bars at night where he barely spent any money because people, mostly women, bought him drinks. Most of them also invited him to their hotel rooms which he tactfully denied. Finally, three days overdue, the financier arrived. Natasha Carrington was an angel investor and her boy toy was closer to Brick's age than hers.

He tailed them to one of the bars he frequented, a small blessing since he wouldn't look out of place among the patrons. Brick claimed a counter seat and studied the couple from the corner of his eye. They acted like they were all alone in the world, kissing and whispering and occasionally feeling each other up. Why did people have to do that in public? As if he hadn't seen enough displays of affection between Boomer and Bubbles since she started sleeping over at the penthouse, disturbing him with their nocturnal activities to the point where he bought a pair of headphones just so he could read in peace.

The young man walked off and Carrington's head immediately swiveled toward Brick. He made sure she caught him side-eyeing her before glancing away. "I love a fiery redhead," she purred while sidling up to him. "What can I get you?"

"Thought about trying the appletini," Brick replied, "but it seems like a girly drink."

The woman laughed. "Oh no, sweetie, vodka is a man's liquor." She ordered one of the bright green cocktails for him, pleased when his brow rose in approval. "Where are you staying? If it's too far, I'll gladly give you a ride."

The double entendre did not escape notice. "Thank you, but I'll be able to walk back to my hotel."

Carrington studied his vintage leather jacket and the Cartier around his wrist. "Whose trust fund baby are you?" she wondered.

"I don't belong to anyone but myself." Brick propped an elbow up on the counter, facing her squarely. "It's rather inappropriate to go around buying the companionship of young men like me, Natasha. What would your husband think?"

Several emotions flickered across her visage until settling on icy detachment. "My husband has been in a coma for over a year. I'm not going to apologize for being a woman with needs." Brick still judged her. "So, what do you want?"

"I want you to withdraw your funding from the GE group behind Project X."

She snorted. "Why on earth would I do that?"

"If you don't, your charity organizations will find out how charitable you've been with your husband's money." He lifted the martini. "Thanks for the donation." She glared. "I have photographic evidence of you and your 'friend' that would ruin everything you've built. I'm fairly certain there was a clause in that prenup about infidelity."

"But you won't do anything if I back out of the genome research? That's all?" Brick nodded. "Is there a time limit?"

"Withdraw your funding within the next three days or the pictures go public," he threatened. "I might also throw in a statement about how you propositioned me."

"Please don't," Carrington pleaded, "there are so many people who rely on my investments, including the Powerpuff Girls." Brick's jaw tightened at that. "I've never actually met them, but I know they do a lot of good for Townsville. And the man who designed them, John Utonium, is a good person. Will they be okay without me? Will someone else support them?"

"Yes," he assured. The woman turned around for a few seconds, smiling at her boy toy as he approached, and when she looked back Brick was gone.

He returned to the hotel, packed his things, paid cash for his stay, and flew home. The job was done, his conscience clear… only not really since he'd let Blossom down. But the shady business was over and the Ruffs were free to live however they wanted from now on. Maybe Brick could make things up to Blossom. Her birthday was in four days; if he gave her a meaningful present as thanks for all she'd done for him, maybe she'd forgive him.

"Where the hell've you been, Bro?" Butch demanded as soon as Brick came through the front door of the penthouse. Boomer zipped down from upstairs. "You can't ghost us like that!"

"Yeah, what the hell is up with you?" Boomer asked. "You hide out in your room all summer and then disappear without warning? Did we piss you off that much?"

Brick sighed, dropping his bag beside the kitchen counter before dropping himself onto a sofa. "I finished the job for Max."

"You went without us?!" Boomer yelled. "We're supposed to do that together!"

"Yeah, who had your back?" Butch added.

"No one. I didn't need it." Brick stared at the ceiling. "What do you two want in life?" His brothers shared a confused look. "What do you want to do? Who do you want to become? Where do you want home to be?"

Boomer inched forward. "Brick, are you okay? Sounds like you're having an existential crisis."

"These are serious questions!" He sat up, folding his hands beneath his chin. "Answer me, please. I'm listening." They were at a loss for words so Brick prompted them. "You want to stay here in Townsville, right?"

"Well… yeah," Boomer muttered. "I love Bubbles and I don't wanna leave her. She makes me believe we have a future together." No one derided him for saying that, so he raised his head. "And I thought I'd go into music, like production or radio or DJing. Mandark said I had natural talent and a good personality."

"What about you, Butch?" Brick queried.

He shrugged both shoulders. "I dunno… Lloyd and Mike made me start thinkin' I could play college football. They said I might get drafted by a professional team, but I'd have to get really good and stand out."

"Would they let you play with your powers?"

"No. I was gonna start trainin' without 'em, like Buttercup." He blushed.

Those were aspirations that anyone might have, but they meant more coming from his siblings who never had the opportunity to dream of such things until now. Brick rose to his feet. "All right. If that's what you two want, let's make it happen. The Rowdyruff Boys are officially retiring."

"What?!" they exclaimed. Boomer recovered first. "But what about you? What're you gonna do if we quit being mercenaries?"

"I'm not sure, but it doesn't matter right now. We've been in this game long enough. You two deserve the chance to achieve your dreams and live happily with the ones you love."

Butch frowned. "But… so do you, Bro. You're the one who got us to this point. We wouldn't've made it here without ya."

Boomer eyed Brick with uncertainty. "Are you gonna stay in Townsville, too?"

He ducked his chin. "For the time being. I think it would be beneficial to complete high school."

"And then what?" Butch pressed.

"I'll figure something out." His brothers looked mildly concerned. Brick had dictated every aspect of their life since they were kids; ironic that he had no idea what to do with his own. He might be able to operate independently for a while since mercenary work was all he knew and he was good at it. Why not continue doing what he'd been designed for? On the other hand, he greatly enjoyed learning; it might be nice to pursue higher education. Brick knew a lot, but there was a lot of knowledge that couldn't be gleaned from books alone, like how to make friends. He was grateful for experiencing that firsthand.

Butch and Boomer would remain in Townsville because their hearts had been captured by girls who called the city their forever home, but Brick still felt as if his could be out in the wide world. Either that or he was so deeply ingrained with the need to move around that he was incapable of staying in one place for too long. That might not be such a bad thing if he always had his brothers, and a certain redhead, to return to.

For once the Professor was not in his lab when his daughters came home from shopping, pacing before the TV instead. "What's wrong, Professor?" Blossom instantly inquired.

"Girls, you're back. I have something important to tell you." They all sat at the kitchen table, the man twiddling his thumbs while considering how best to word it. "You know that the research group I work with isn't government-funded, right? We rely on private investors to support our studies."

Bubbles nodded. "We know that, Professor. It's been the same lady since we were kids, right?"

"Not anymore." He looked stressed, not like his typical optimistic self. "Mrs. Carrington pulled her funding yesterday. Things are… a little chaotic right now. We were just about finished with a new compound derived from Chemical X, sensibly named Chemical Y, that has the potential to be much more effective than mere gene editing."

As if genetic editing was such a simple feat. "What's so special about it?" Buttercup asked.

His features brightened a bit. "This compound is a fusion of biology and technology. Chemical X had to be applied during the embryonic stage of your development, but Chemical Y can be applied at any time. It contains nanites programmed to make alterations on the cellular level."

Bubbles blinked. "I don't get it."

"He means tiny robots would rearrange protein sequences," Blossom said. "You remember biology class, don't you? At the base level, that's all we are– acids and proteins."

"Yes, but you three are special," the Professor went on. "Chemical X affected specific nucleotide sequences called telomeres. Think of them as shoelace aglets for your DNA strands. They 'tie off' chromosomes and protect them from deteriorating during cellular division, getting shorter and shorter until cells reach their Hayflick limit. After that, cellular senescence occurs and telomeres no longer replace bits of DNA lost during division. This is called telomerase, the mechanic behind aging. Chemical X altered that mechanic in a few unexpected ways. First, it accelerated your rates of cellular division and development, then it determined your Hayflick limits had been reached by age twelve. Telomerase went from expressed to absent but senescence didn't occur, essentially putting you in stasis. If I hadn't restarted that process with Antidote X, you girls would have remained twelve years old for the foreseeable future."

"But I like almost being an adult," Bubbles pouted.

"And I'm glad I was able to watch you grow into such accomplished young ladies." The Professor's countenance dimmed again. "Your unique abilities were also an unexpected effect of Chemical X. It was supposed to be an anti-aging compound but the results proved too unpredictable, so we began working on something we had more control over. The nanites in Chemical Y will behave exactly as programmed, making changes on the genetic level to cure physical and mental ailments. We were going to begin animal trials next week, but without Carrington's support…" He sighed. "What I'm trying to tell you girls is that finances may be tight for a while. We have a sizable nest egg, and I know you planned a big party for your eighteenth birthday…"

"But we have to be conscientious," Blossom deduced.

The man nodded. "We need to live a bit more… moderately until I have a steady source of income again."

"We have income too, Professor," Buttercup pointed out. "If you think we're not gonna help pay for anything, then you're not that smart."

"Thank you, Buttercup." The Professor leaned sideways to wrap an arm around her shoulders, earning a fake grumble of protest. "We'll figure things out. Everything will be okay."

After dinner the Girls convened in Bubbles' room since it was the largest, and they always did their best thinking together. "We have to come up with a new birthday plan," Blossom declared, pacing at the foot of the bed. "Maybe instead of inviting everyone we know, we could just invite our best friends. Robin, Mike, Julie, the guys…" Her trailing off meant "feel free to throw in ideas".

"It should definitely still be at the beach," Bubbles said. "It's free and there's enough room for everyone, plus we can use one of the picnic shelters."

Buttercup hummed. "How 'bout we just make the food ourselves instead of having it catered? That means you gotta let me help cook."

Her sisters cringed at the notion. "Fine, you can make some salads," Blossom agreed. "Bubbles will do her vegetarian menu and I'll handle the cake, which we still need to decide on."

"Black Forest cake!"

"Classic cheesecake."

Blossom pursed her lips. "How about… a zebra cheesecake with cherries?"

"Okay," her sisters chorused, grinning at one another. "And we're still gonna go swimming and play volleyball and frisbee?" Buttercup asked.

"Don't forget limbo!" Bubbles added.

"Of course, and those won't cost us a dime, either." Blossom thought for a moment. "I guess that's everything, right? Our party wasn't going to be wild and crazy in the first place."

The blonde squee'd and flopped back onto her pillows with her phone in hand. "Okay, you two have to leave so I can call Boomer and give him the details!"

Buttercup wrinkled her nose. "Why're you kicking us out for that? Do you talk dirty to each other?" Bubbles smiled slyly. "I was joking, but eww. Going now."

The morning of August 20th was spent having a lavish breakfast with the Professor, then the Puffs headed to the mall to buy new outfits for each other. Upon returning home they were surprised to see a familiar hypercar parked at the curb. Brick and Butch awaited them inside. "What're you guys doing here?" Buttercup questioned.

Butch beamed. "I'm takin' you on an outdoor adventure– we're gonna go on a competitive scavenger hunt! C'mon!"

"Wha?" was all she got out before he grabbed her hand and they got in the Porsche, zooming off.

Blossom gave Brick a bewildered stare. "I don't suppose you're about to whisk me away somewhere, too?"

He proffered a hand. "There's a new interactive exhibit at the planetarium I thought you might enjoy. Shall we?"

Bubbles nudged her sister toward Brick, tittering at Blossom's confusion. "Don't worry about me! Have fun!"

After they left, Boomer and the Professor emerged from around the corner. "I'm surprised that worked," the man remarked. "I thought they would hesitate."

"Professor," Bubbles said seriously, "Blossom and Buttercup are head over heels for Brick and Butch, they just haven't admitted it yet. Now let's get everything ready before the four of them come back."

The respective couples returned to Townsville at 17:30, convening at the beachfront park. Blossom figured out what was going on when she spotted the Professor's station wagon parked alongside their friends' cars. One of the covered areas had been decorated with lights and streamers. Beneath it was an assortment of food, a pile of presents, and what appeared to be three different cakes. She smiled at the Ruffs. "Did you three take the liberty of throwing our party?"

"It was Boomer's idea!" Bubbles explained. "He said it was unacceptable for us to do everything on our special day, so he set it up! Me and the Professor helped, of course."

"But… this looks like all the food we were gonna order from that catering place," Buttercup observed. "And there's a cake for each of us?"

"You do have different tastes," Brick pointed out. "You'll have to forgive me if I messed up your cheesecake. I've never made one before."

It looked pretty damn good to her. Everything did, and the fact that the Boys had put forth so much effort to ensure the Girls could enjoy their eighteenth birthday party was just plain nice of them. Robin, Mike, Julie, Wes, Susie, Mitch, Floyd, and Lloyd were in attendance, and Boomer even had a brand-new DJ setup he'd get to in a while. He and Bubbles filled their plates, sitting with Mike and Robin while trying to convince them to go on a double date since they were officially together now. "You gonna go out for the football team again?" Bubbles inquired of Mike.

"Yep, so is Lloyd," he answered. "Tryouts and practice start next week, actually. Hey, Butch!" Mike waved to get his attention. "You're going to help Lloyd and I take Townsville High to state again, right?" Butch only gave a thumbs-up since his mouth was full of food. "Hopefully we'll bring home the championship this year."

"Bet Robin'll look cute in your letterman!" Bubbles giggled at their simultaneous blush.

"Will Joey be on the team?" Boomer wondered.

Mike and Robin shared a look. "He can't play," the latter said. "Buttercup messed up his arm when they threw down in March." All her friends had heard about that incident by now and the general consensus was that Joey deserved what he got. Boomer couldn't help but wear a self-satisfied smirk. If he weren't super, Joey and Harry's bullying during after-school detention might've permanently damaged his hands and made it difficult for him to do anything tactile, including mix music.

Mitch abruptly slid in beside the blond couple, glancing around furtively. "Happy birthday, Bubbles. You know you can drink legally in most of the world now, right? I got something you might like." He withdrew a flask from inside his jacket.

Mike gasped. "Oh my god, Mitchell! Put that away!"

"Chill out, Michael," he returned, "Professor U's not watching. Take a quick sip, Bubbles."

She sniffed it cautiously. "What is it?"

"Coconut rum. It's sweet." She put it to her lips and tilted her head back, releasing a surprised "mmm!" Mitch returned the flask to his pocket. "Next time me 'n the twins throw a party, there'll be a bottle of this with your name on it." He grinned and left, acting casual.

At the adjacent table, Blossom and Brick sat opposite Buttercup and Butch. It took a while for conversation to flow since the four of them were starving, focused on eating. "So…" Blossom spoke first, "how was your scavenger hunt? How did that whole thing even work?"

"It was a lot of fun," Buttercup replied, "except for the half-dozen times Butch almost rolled our RZR."

"It was a race. I was tryin' to get around quickly," he stated.

She tutted. "It was at some camp in the middle of the state forest. They gave us a Polaris, a map, and a compass. We competed against five other teams to visit stations hidden throughout the woods. Whoever returned to camp with ten tokens first was the winner." She jerked a thumb at Butch. "We got second place 'cause this idiot didn't listen when I told him which direction west was."

"West is where the sun sets," Brick said matter-of-factly.

"See, Butch?! I told you! Everyone knows that except you!" He only shrugged and Buttercup huffed, but she was more amused than annoyed. "I'm assuming you guys went and did something, too?"

Blossom's irises sparkled. "Yes! We saw the brand-new exhibit at the planetarium. They let me look at Saturn through the telescope, and then we sat under this dome with a real-time passage of our galactic arm overhead. It had a holographic interface so you could zoom in on certain areas and see what's been mapped. It was fascinating!"

"Wow," Butch deadpanned, "you two are such nerds."

"At least I didn't attempt to injure a Powerpuff Girl on her birthday," Brick countered. "Hopefully the present you got will make up for not winning the scavenger hunt."

"Presents!" Bubbles shouted, as if waiting for that word to come up.

The Puffs tore into their gifts with fervor. Robin brought back souvenirs from Disney World, Susie knitted adorable doll keychains of their likenesses, Wes and Mike both went the safe route with gift cards, Mitch compiled mixed CDs with their favorite songs of all time, Julie made personalized beauty baskets, and Floyd and Lloyd gave them digital photo albums loaded with pictures from all the years they'd been friends. They even included more recent ones taken with the Ruffs, sentimentality threatening to bring tears to Blossom's eyes. It made her really happy that all the important people in her life had been so accepting of the Boys. She unwrapped Brick's present, gasping at the limited-edition purple Nervo. "How did you get this?! They were completely sold out when I went to buy it!"

"That's because I bought the very last one," he explained, trying and failing not to be smug about it.

Blossom leapt to her feet to throw her arms around him. "Thank you so much, Brick! I love it!" For the first time she could recall, he returned the embrace. Those few seconds he held her to his chest felt so good and right that she flushed excessively when they separated, ducking her head so he wouldn't see her scarlet cheeks.

Buttercup opened her present from Butch next. She hadn't expected anything in particular, but she was still surprised to find a pair of fingerless gloves. The black leather was creased and supple, and a green patina coated the brass knuckle rivets. "Try 'em on," Butch urged from beyond her shoulder. Doing so made her nervous for some reason; she had the sense they were an heirloom of sorts. Buttercup flexed her hands as he exhaled a breath of relief. "Awesome, perfect fit. I was worried they'd be too big."

"Thanks a lot, Butch." She twisted around to look up at him. "Where'd you get these?"

"Somebody I knew," he answered, rubbing the back of his neck. Buttercup noted his use of past tense.

Lastly was Boomer's gift to Bubbles. The box was small, rectangular, and lightweight. Tucked amid layers of tissue paper was a tiny ballerina made of pale blue glass, the ideal size to fit in one of her shadow boxes. "This is so cute and pretty!" she exclaimed, smooching him. "Thank you!"

Boomer laced their fingers. "You like it, really? It's Murano glass from Venice. I wanna take you there soon."

Bubbles chanced a glance at her father, finding him engrossed with Blossom's new Nervo. "That's something we'd have to talk about with the Professor. We kinda have to be careful with spending these days."

Julie wanted to take a picture just then so Bubbles didn't catch the worried expression that passed Boomer's features; however, Brick did. An unpleasant feeling unfurled in his gut, his three slices of cake tasting bitter despite being sweet and sugary. When Boomer started doing his DJ thing and Blossom asked Brick to dance, he almost said no because he couldn't bear the fact that he'd caused the Utonium's financial hardship. But she had danced with him on his birthday so it would've been unfair to deny her. "I swear you get better at salsa each time we do this," Blossom commented, thankfully looking down at his feet and not into his guilt-ridden countenance.

Brick swallowed his nerves. "Practice makes perfect or so they say."

She pursed her lips in mock censure. "I can't believe you went and bought that phone after I told you I was going to get it myself. That's almost cheating in terms of gift-giving since you knew exactly what I wanted."

There was an opening. "There's something else I want to do for you, Blossom." She quirked an eyebrow. "I know I can't apologize enough for ruining that vacation you planned, but there are still three weeks until school starts. We could spend two of them in Mazatlan, on me. Anything and everything you want."

"Brick…" Blossom shook her head once. "It was never about spending money. If it were, I would have gone at the beginning of the month. Don't you understand? The trip was about spending time with you."

"I understand that I let you down, and I want to make it up to you." The hand clasping hers tightened. "I'm so sorry, Blossom. Please say you'll go with me to Mazatlan and let me lavish you. You deserve it."

She sighed. Why did people keep saying she deserved things without knowing what she truly wanted? Blossom studied her friends grooving to the music in their own small groups, just like at Homecoming, and smiled. "Let's go for a walk, Brick." They wandered along the beach until the noise faded. "How far did you make it through the poetry list?"

"I'm on The Divine Comedy," he answered.

"Three-quarters, not bad. You must read fast." He hummed. "I know you had a three-point-seven GPA last year, pretty impressive considering how many random absences you took." Blossom paused just long enough for that observation to make him uncomfortable. "Are you continuing your education through senior year?"

"Yes," Brick confirmed.

She smiled broadly. "Then I expect you to give me a run for valedictorian."

"You can have it if it means I need to give a speech."

They shared a laugh, then quiet reigned once more. Blossom made a sound of consideration. "Two weeks of being pampered in Mazatlan, hm? Anyone would have to be crazy to say no to that. Tomorrow I'll tell my boss I'm using my vacation days."

Relief washed over Brick; she would live like royalty in that time. Whatever she wanted, he would provide. Whatever it took to earn her forgiveness. "We'll leave on Thursday, spend two weeks together, and return on September fifth."

Blossom nodded. "It's a plan." One he intended to stick to if the sincerity in his tone was any indication. Still, Brick wasn't completely off the hook. Being dismissed so easily had hurt a lot, and would continue to hurt unless he admitted why he'd done it. Although the sun had set the sand was still warm beneath her feet when she came to a stop, searching his eyes. "Brick, are you working for the Morbucks family?"

He stood frozen for the five longest seconds of his life. She knew. How long had she known? Wait, it didn't matter because the answer was no, he was not currently working for Max. If she said "were" or "had been" he would've answered honestly with a yes. He no longer wanted to lie to Blossom about anything, and saying no would not be a lie… yet it wasn't the whole truth, either. But she hadn't asked about then, she asked about now. His palms were clammy and his stomach churned with guilt and anxiety. He couldn't meet her gaze. "No, I'm not."

Blossom lifted her chin, staring down at him even though he was seven inches taller than her. Brick felt as if she judged his very soul, weighing all the good and bad he'd done in his life. She knew everything about him, his past and present, who he'd been when he arrived in Townsville versus who he was at this moment. She weathered his icy persona and managed to draw out some warmer qualities. He stood bare before her, awaiting her verdict, hoping she saw that he was his own man and not a tool; never again would he let anyone use him to do their dirty work. Brick couldn't continue living that life if it meant Blossom regarded him like she did now, like she shouldn't forgive him for hurting her.

"Promise me," she eventually spoke. "Promise me you didn't come back to do a job for Maximilian Morbucks."

Brick took up her hands to channel his honesty into them. "Blossom, I promise I'm here because I chose to be. My brothers and I are staying in Townsville of our own volition."

"Hmm." Oh god, that noise meant she didn't believe him. She knew Brick was a horrid, self-serving liar. "If you say so…" Blossom uttered, turning on her heel.

Brick could do nothing but watch her walk away. She returned to her party where her real friends who never misled her or attempted to tear her down out of spite greeted her with smiles and open arms. How had he deluded himself into believing he could be like them, a normal, ordinary teenager? There wasn't room for other people in his heart of stone. For the first time ever he felt its weight in his chest, and it ached.

Max waited until the day before their senior year began to summon the Ruffs to his home. As soon as the doors to the gaudy office closed, Boomer got comfortable in a chair while Butch inspected knick-knacks adorning the shelves, and Brick stood with his arms folded. Max finished signing a few documents before focusing on them. "Nice to see you again, Boys. I presume you know why you're here?"

"The other half of your payment is almost a month overdue," Brick said in a tone conveying his nearly-depleted tolerance for the man.

"For which I hope you accept my sincerest apologies. There were a few issues regarding the acquisition of the Project X collective and their intellectual properties." Boomer's brow furrowed minutely. "It's nothing you need concern yourselves with, of course. Here's the remainder of what I owe you." Brick folded the check in two and stuck it in his wallet as Max looked contemplative. "You know, there's a lot more money where that comes from. You could earn an even larger cut if you agreed to help protect all my new assets." Butch glanced over at that. "How about it? You and I, a permanent partnership? You'd never have to work for anyone but me again."

Brick shook his head. "I regret to inform you that we'll never be signing another contract. We're retired."

A guffaw filled the office. "Retired?! At your age?! But there's still so much you can do! So much wealth, power, and prestige to acquire! The entire world could be yours for the taking– you can have anything you want!"

"What we want is to graduate high school and start living our lives," Boomer said. "So thanks for the offer, but no thanks."

Max nodded. "Education is a worthwhile pursuit. I commend you for sticking with it." They started to leave. "By the way, I heard you're vacating Evergreen Tower. Don't feel obligated to move out just because our business is finished. As far as tenants go, you three were some of the kindest to that suite. I'll gladly offer you reduced rent to stay."

Brick denied him this time. "Thank you, but it doesn't quite feel like home."

"Suit yourselves," he shrugged. "Take care, Boys."

They returned to the penthouse to ensure their belongings were packed and ready for transport. Boomer had found a loft above a nightclub downtown. Rent was cheap because everyone soon tired of the noise, but it was perfect for him. Butch was heading to an upscale apartment complex with amenities including a pool, gym, rooftop terrace, and secure underground parking for his car. Brick had purchased a bungalow right on the waterfront so he could come and go across the ocean as he pleased. The brothers convened in the now-empty living room while movers carried their last few boxes onto the elevator. "Guess that's everything…" Boomer checked his phone for the zillionth time, frowning.

"Nothin' from Bubbles?" Butch also checked his Nervo. No new messages from Buttercup.

"Yeah, it's weird. She always texts or calls me back. She was super excited to see the loft."

"Butters 'n the guys said they'd help set up my new place, too." They both faced Brick. "You heard from Blossom since orientation?"

"No." He expected as much since things were more than a bit frosty between them upon returning from Mazatlan. Blossom acted polite during their senior orientation earlier that same day and congratulated him on getting his own house, but her guard was up around the Ruffs. Brick couldn't even say she was wrong about them because she was right. If she'd agree to hear him out, let him explain everything, maybe she'd understand and they could go back to how they were. After situating his new bedroom he dialed Blossom's number, unsurprised when it went to voicemail. Fine, he'd wait until tomorrow to speak to her in person.

Monday, September 9th, the Ruffs flew to Townsville High where everyone they hadn't regularly hung out with over summer break exclaimed how nice it was to see them again. Boomer signed up for Yearbook Club, Butch was already on the football team following tryouts, and Brick considered running for student council again with Wes but not Susie, who wanted to slack off that year. People kept approaching the brothers to ask the same question: had they seen the Powerpuff Girls that morning? It wasn't like them to be late on the first day of school.

First period, no Puffs. Second period, no Puffs. Third period, first lunch, fourth period… None of the three Powerpuff Girls had appeared in anyone's classes. Brick watched Boomer spend most of second lunch texting and calling Bubbles with no response. "Dammit, what's going on? Why won't she answer me? Y'know what, fuck it. I'm going to their house." Brick wordlessly flew at his side. The seed of anxiety planted in his gut that morning had grown into full-blown dread. Something was wrong. Something had happened to the Girls.

What had he done?

There was no answer when Boomer rang the bell, then knocked. He experimentally turned the handle and found the front door unlocked, shooting Brick a worried look. Inside they were struck by the stillness of the typically lively Utonium home. All the lights were off, the curtains closed, not a single thing out of place. Books on shelves, dishes in cupboards, clothes on hangers. They checked every room except the laboratory, but then it occurred to Boomer to simply bypass the biometric locks. "It's empty…" he relayed after scanning it with his X-ray vision. "The lab is totally empty. Where are they, Brick?"

"I wish I knew." Worse than not knowing where the Utoniums had gone was not knowing how to find them. Brick and Boomer returned to school, the former holding himself together much better than the latter despite trepidation brewing in his stomach. Then, as students finished filing into Brick's fifth-period technology class, he saw someone who might be able to help. "Dexter!" He almost tackled the boy before composing himself. "Dexter, you worked on the Nervo prototype, right? You're an expert on it?"

"Ah, yes, I suppose I am…" The fellow redhead adjusted his glasses. "Have we ever spoken before, Brick?"

"I don't believe so," he admitted, "but is there a way to track the location of a specific phone, Blossom's phone?"

Dexter owlishly tilted his head. "I didn't know Blossom had a Nervo."

"I got it for her birthday, a special color. I thought I might find her if I found her phone. I need to know if she and her sisters are okay."

Dexter withdrew his personal laptop from its case and claimed a secluded corner seat. "I can't track the precise location of Blossom's Nervo because all data sent and received, including GPS info, is encrypted using the same quantum technology as the Aegis network. But I can access some towers to see if it has pinged off any of them. That'll give you a general vicinity, at least." Brick had no chance of discerning the information flooding the monitor. "You said her Nervo is a special color? If it's a limited edition it'll have a unique signature. Do you know which model number it was?"

"Five-hundred," Brick supplied.

"Five-hundred, five-hundred… It's purple, isn't it? That's her favorite color." A pause. "It doesn't look like she's used any of the metro towers today. I'll widen the search." It took most of the period to achieve a result; both boys had to act like they were paying attention while their teacher went through the syllabus. Dexter kept his voice low. "Brick, I think I found it. Blossom's Nervo last signaled the tower in the northern outskirts of Townsville, near the industrial shipping yard. Why would she be there?"

"She might not be there willingly." Brick committed the location to memory before grabbing his bag to leave.

Dexter gulped. "You're going right now?"

"Yes."

"Wait!" Brick halted. "Please let me know if you find the Powerpuffs. Here's my number."

He ducked his chin. "Will do. And thanks for your help."

It took a single expression for Butch and Boomer to gather their things and ditch school without hesitation, flanking their leader on their way to the shipping yard. There were hundreds of buildings and warehouses to search, but again the process was expedited by an X-ray sweep. "There," Boomer pointed, "that one looks weird." The structure itself was innocuous enough but inside was a clean lobby featuring an information desk, body scanners, and armed men on the perimeter. There was also an elevator at the rear of the room, implying it led below ground.

Brick motioned for them to land, spying multiple cameras and exclusive keycard access. He pressed the button on the intercom and said, "Open the door right now or we'll do it for you."

An inappropriately cheerful feminine voice responded. "That won't be necessary. You've been granted guest access to this facility. Please wait a moment." When the steel panel slid aside to let them in, the armed men pointed SMGs at them.

Butch snorted. "Cute."

"Lower your weapons, please," the receptionist ordered. "The director has been expecting the Rowdyruff Boys." The men obeyed her.

"Who's the director?" Brick inquired.

"He'll meet you on one of the lower levels," she answered, flashing a too-large smile. "You'll find a map inside the elevator. It's voice-activated so just tell it where you'd like to go. Have a nice day!"

The map revealed that the facility went quite deep into the earth. "What the fuck is this place?" Boomer muttered. "Cryo Storage? Biochemistry Lab? Specimen Maintenance?"

Brick repeated that last one and the elevator descended, his stomach twisting itself into knots. For someone so observant Boomer missed the fact that they had clearly found a genetic research center, a rather shady one given the look of things. The doors opened to a tiny lobby with yet another receptionist seated at a desk. Behind him was a window to a room full of animal cages. Upon realizing who he faced, his eyes widened and he tapped his headset. "The Rowdyruff Boys are here, Professor."

Professor Utonium! Finally they could get some answers.

Or so they thought. It was a woman, not a man, who greeted them. She appeared completely average and unassuming except for her striking blue eyes, which were only so noticeable because her skin was white as paper. She wore glasses and her dark brown hair was secured in a neat bun with a pen stuck into it. "Oh, how long I've wanted to meet you three," she beamed. "I'm aware that you have no idea who I am but I know all about you. You could almost consider me your grandmother."

They were taken aback by that assertion. "What?"

"My name is Professor Joan Newtronium. I worked with John to develop the compound that changed Mojo into the hyper-intelligent simian that created you." The warmth in her smile disappeared. "You wouldn't exist if not for me."

"Who the fuck is John?" Butch blurted.

Boomer elbowed him. "That's Professor Utonium's first name, dumbass."

Brick ignored their name-calling, inching toward Professor Newtronium. "You… helped create Mojo Jojo?"

"In a sense. All John and I did was enhance his neural functionality to near-sapient levels of cognizance. My underlings are attempting to replicate those results in different animal species. Would you like a tour of this floor?"

"We don't give a shit about that!" Boomer exclaimed. "Where are the Powerpuff Girls? They're here, right?"

Joan eyed him narrowly, frigidly. "Yes, they're here." Brick caught the way she flinched when his siblings moved as if to leap on her. Not so collected, after all. "But there's a specific procedure for visiting them."

"Show us." The trio trailed her through Specimen Maintenance while a cacophony of beastly screeches assaulting their ears. It unnerved them to hear garbled words among the clamor. The next section was eerily quiet. The rooms on either side were larger, almost like prison cells with their accommodations, and a few had human occupants. Their impression of the facility was getting worse by the second.

The professor led them into a decontamination chamber. "Here we are. You must first relinquish any electronic items. Phones, watches, Bluetooth devices…" Simple enough. "Step two is to cleanse you of foreign contaminants. Stand in the capsule, close your eyes and hold your breath, and go through when it beeps." The third part of the procedure gave Brick pause for concern. Newtronium pressed some buttons on a panel and a small delivery tube whooshed in from elsewhere, dispensing three vials filled with viscous green liquid.

The Boys hedged as she proffered them. "What's that stuff?"

"The visitation chamber has strictly regulated environmental settings," she explained. "This compound will help you adjust to the pressure, temperature, and oxygen levels."

"Why aren't you taking it?"

"I've already acclimated. Just prick your arms." She watched them too keenly, but seeing the Girls was worth injecting themselves with the suspicious liquid. Newtronium used her keycard to access the room, a sterile space with a ballistic glass divider in the middle. "Send in the Powerpuffs, please," she said to someone on the other end of her headset.

Bubbles was the first to enter, gasping and bursting into tears at the sight of Boomer as they met at the barrier. "Hey, Sugar…" he breathed in relief, but tensed when he took in the rest of her appearance. There were dark circles beneath her bloodshot eyes. She wore a plain white T-shirt, white pants, and was barefoot. He spotted needle marks along her forearms in addition to bruises, rashes, and burn blisters. "What the hell is this?" he whispered, already vibrating with anger.

"Boomer…" she sniffled, "this place… it's a nightmare. Get us out! Please save us!"

"Knock it off, Bubbles." Buttercup came to stand behind her sister with her arms tightly crossed, glowering. "He's one of the reasons why we're here. You shouldn't even be talking to him." Boomer glanced between them in complete confusion.

Butch placed a hand on the glass next. "What's goin' on, Butters?"

"Don't act like you don't know!" she spat.

He spread his arms. "We got no clue what this place even is! Throw me a bone here!"

She shot him the most venomous glare imaginable. "If I had my powers I'd throw the three of you into a black hole and watch you become nothing."

If she had her powers? "They dosed you?" Butch tried.

"No shit! How else would they be able to do this to us?!" Buttercup tore off her shirt and hurled it at the divide. Butch paled at the symmetrical sets of fresh stitches decorating her lower abdomen as Brick covered his mouth with one hand, nauseous. "I look sooo pretty now that I've been vivisected, right? Bet you love seeing me so powerless, right, Butch?"

He closed his gaping mouth, turning to Professor Newtronium. "What's 'vivisected' mean?" She remained tight-lipped, staring at the wall with indifference.

Brick spoke through his fingers. "A vivisection is when one cuts into a living body as opposed to dissecting a cadaver." Bile rose in his throat. "Why did they…?"

Buttercup seethed with rage so Bubbles provided the explanation, trying to keep her voice steady. "The scientists wanted to take our eggs and put them in other women 'cause they thought they'd give birth superpowered babies, except… we don't have any eggs. We're infertile."

"What the… seriously?" Boomer could scarcely comprehend what she just said. Bubbles sobbed silently, her lower lip trembling, and she refused to meet his eyes. The fact that she looked ashamed of herself for being violated sparked an emotion too intense to name. Boomer spun around and had a grip on Professor Newtronium's throat before the action fully registered, but when it did and he decided he was going to kill her, electricity didn't surge through her like it was supposed to. He released her the next instant, staring at his useless hands. "What did you do? What'd you do to us?!" Brick tried igniting a flame and Butch attempted to generate a shield, both to no avail.

"The compound you took before entering this room contained Antidote X," the woman answered coolly, rubbing her neck. "It was the director's order to ensure you couldn't use your abilities to remove the Powerpuff Girls from this facility."

Which was exactly what they would be doing right now. "Who is the director?" Brick demanded. "Who do you work for?!"

"Maximilian Morbucks is in charge here." Blossom stood in the shadow of the doorway, as far as she could place herself from the Ruffs. "I refuse to believe you weren't aware of that since you spent so much time working for him. You pretended to be our friends only to sell us out to him."

That statement confirmed every single one of Brick's fears. Crushing guilt sent him to his knees. "Blossom, I swear I didn't know. I didn't know what Max wanted, I didn't know he was after you! You have to believe me– I wouldn't have accepted the job if I knew this would happen! Please, I'm sorry, I had no idea…"

The look she gave him was glacial. "Then you chose to be ignorant, and that's a choice I'll never forgive you for making."

Brick sat there on the floor, oblivious to his brothers cursing and threatening Professor Newtronium. His head was swimming, gut wrenching, vision tunneling. He had handed the Powerpuff Girls to Maximilian Morbucks on a silver platter. There was no way to undo that, to go back in time and refuse the contract, to fix what he'd broken. The price of his willful ignorance was too high to ever repay. No matter what he did following this moment, if he somehow managed to rescue the Puffs from the clutches of these twisted scientists, they still suffered because of him.

"Brick, snap out of it." Boomer shook him, eliciting no response. "C'mon, let's go. We need to think of a plan." He didn't move a muscle so Boomer smacked his cheek. "Brick! God dammit, we need you!"

"He's gonna be gone for a while, Bro," Butch quietly remarked. He hauled Brick over his shoulders in a fireman's carry. "He'll come back soon."

"Good. We're gonna need him when we blow this place to hell." They retrieved their personal belongings, then Boomer shoved past Professor Newtronium after she swiped her keycard at the exit. He heard her footsteps behind them and rounded on her. "You got that, lady? As soon as that green shit wears off we're gonna come back here and destroy everything. You're all going to die."

She remained stoic. "I wouldn't advise that. The Antidote X dose lasts for twenty-four hours. By then the Powerpuff Girls will have been moved to a different facility. If you attack us, you'll be designated as domestic terrorists."

"Worth it," Butch growled.

"Is it, really?" Butch and Boomer whirled to find Max sneering at them from the end of the hall. "You should have accepted my offer to protect my assets, that way you'd get to work alongside the Powerpuffs as their security force." He sighed dramatically. "Hindsight is twenty-twenty. So much for that enhanced vision of yours."

Boomer marched up to Max but without his powers he wasn't very intimidating. "Why do you want the Girls?"

"Oh, it's very straightforward. I'm going to use them for their intended purpose as biological weapons. After a bit of training and conditioning, they'll be able to assist my clients around the globe with their problems, by force if necessary."

"You're going to loan them to the highest bidders?!" Boomer drove a fist into the wall beside his head. "You can't do that! They're people! You can't sell people!"

"Thousands of years of slavery say otherwise." Max smirked as the boy winced and shook his bruised knuckles. "The Powerpuffs are now my intellectual property. I own them, therefore I can use them however I wish. I also own Chemical X, Antidote X, and the newly-developed Chemical Y. You could've been profiting off the sales slated to begin next week. I was going to extend the offer of partnership again, but now that I know you're emotionally invested in the Girls, I don't need you three sabotaging my enterprises. In fact, I'll have Joan escort you out now."

"Fucking fat piece of shit…" Boomer hissed. Bubbles would've berated him for that. He and Butch wordlessly trailed Newtronium through the animal laboratory, the subjects peaceful now that they'd been sedated. She claimed a corner of the elevator while the Boys fumed.

"We can go to the medical floor if you want to have Brick examined," she suggested.

"Don't need to," Butch said, "he's just in shock. He got like this once before, the first time he killed somebody. Melted the guy's face right off." Joan grimaced and he grinned, revealing his sharp canines. "I don't think you have a single clue what we're capable of when we get really fuckin' pissed."

"Like when I find out my girlfriend and her sisters are being tortured," Boomer said, his dark eyes glinting.

The woman raised her hands. Suddenly it didn't seem like such a great idea to be in a confined space with the Rowdyruffs. "I understand your feelings are a bit more profound than I initially observed. You care about the Powerpuff Girls and want to save them. I can help you."

"How?" they asked in unison.

"For one thing, I can tell you where they're being transferred. It's a paramilitary facility in Nevada."

"Paramilitary?" Butch echoed.

"Yes. The Morbucks employ their own elite forces, a private army. Max was hoping you'd become part of it."

"Give us the coordinates!" Boomer yelled.

Joan shrank back. "I don't know them off the top of my head! Even if I did, you would fail if you attacked it directly. There are countermeasures I can tell you how to avoid. However…" She drew herself up. "I would like a favor in return for this information."

Brick unexpectedly let out a scornful laugh. "No such thing as something for nothing… Put me down, Butch." His brother obliged, the elevator doors opening to the lobby. Newtronium instructed it to descend again so they could keep talking. "What do you want from us, Professor?"

She didn't answer right away, her gaze lingering on each of them in turn. "Did you know the Powerpuff Girls aren't the world's first superhumans?"

Butch blinked. "It wasn't us."

"No, it wasn't you, either. I'm responsible for laying the foundation that Mojo Jojo used to design you. Before Chemical X, there was Chemical W. That compound is what John and I initially tested on Mojo and other chimpanzees. It was unstable, rapidly degrading and leaving most of the subjects brain-dead. John rectified the degenerative effects with X, but I was determined to perfect W. We had a difference of opinion and I left his collective to join this one personally overseen by Maximilian."

Brick studied her. "You're Professor Utonium's disgraced former colleague who leaked the notes on X to the world. You were exiled from the scientific community." Newtronium defiantly lifted her chin but Brick was used to receiving that expression from Blossom, so he met it with a hard look of his own. "What did you do?"

"I injected Chemical W into human embryos without permission." She sighed, shoulders slumping. "They're out there in the world, my babies. Two boys and two girls with extraordinary abilities surpassing both yours and the Powerpuffs. Please don't take offense to that, it's true. I can give you dossiers with everything you need to know about them."

"You want us to find your super kids in exchange for giving us inside info that'll help us rescue the Puffs." Boomer glowered at her. "What the fuck do we need you for? Max is only human."

"A human with more resources and assets than you," she countered. "You have no idea what he plans to do with Chemical X. He's—" The elevator came to an abrupt halt, throwing the four occupants off-balance. "Medical Division," Newtronium dictated after fixing her glasses. Nothing happened. "Sequencing Lab." Still nothing. "Lobby?" As if taking a moment to consider her request, the elevator moved upward. "How odd. I'd better contact maintenance… Are communications down, too?" With a frustrated huff she moved the headset off her ear. The elevator stopped and revealed the Specimen Maintenance level once again. "We can wait here until comms are restored," Joan suggested.

Without warning the overhead lights shut off and a blaring alarm rang out. Brick clamped his hands over his ears since he could feel a migraine following his fugue state. "What the hell is going on?!"

"A security breach!" Newtronium entered the lab with the Boys on her heels. All the animals were screaming again, louder than before, and red beacons blinded them from every angle. They made it to the section of panicking human specimens but the professor ignored them entirely, running back to the corridor connected to the Powerpuff Girls' quarters. That hallway had an emergency exit, but they didn't get the chance to reach it. The wall to their left exploded.

The blast threw the four of them to the opposite side, pelting them with chunks of concrete and rebar. Butch narrowly avoided being impaled while bodily shielding his brothers. Once the shock wave subsided Brick spared the professor a glance, seeing her legs trapped beneath a hefty piece of debris and a stream of blood trickling out from under it. He knelt to remove it but then froze because an authoritative voice told him to.

"Don't help her." It was feminine, deep, and lightly accented. Two figures coalesced among the haze, coming into focus as the dust settled. One of the young women was very slender and pale with silver eyes and sleek white hair, about as tall as Butch. The shorter girl, the one who spoke, had warm brown skin, a muscular build, violet eyes, and aqua-colored hair that was incredibly garish compared to their surroundings. Blossom and Buttercup were tucked under her arms and her accomplice held Bubbles. All three Puffs appeared unconscious. "You're the Rowdyruff Boys." A statement, not a question. "Didn't think you'd be here, but you'll be hearing from us soon." They promptly vanished, a gust of air indicating they'd taken flight.

Brick scrambled to his feet to enter the space they had just occupied, standing at the bottom of a cylindrical shaft with blue sky high overhead. It was as if a giant laser or plasma cutter or something with the ability to vaporize solid material shot straight through the underground facility from the surface to where the Puffs had been held.

"What the fuck was that?" Butch gawked. "Did those chicks just take our girls?!"

"They totally did…" Boomer said, still processing the situation.

A cry from Professor Newtronium drew their attention. "Please, get me up. Don't leave me like this!"

They couldn't exactly navigate the facility without her keycard, which Brick plucked off her lapel. "Those two just did what you prevented us from accomplishing by taking the Powerpuffs away from this place. As far as I'm concerned, you're of no use to us now."

The woman scoffed, wheezing. "So arrogant, just as Max described you. You think you know so much but your world's about to change… for you and the Powerpuffs now that they're not in his possession. He'll do anything to get them back. If you listen to what Une and Tvaer tell you… you'll be targeted, too."

Brick knelt beside her. "Une and Tvaer? Those are their names?"

"Yes… my baby girls. I never thought they'd return here willingly." Joan shifted and let out another whimper of pain. "If they lead you to their brothers… you'll be able to bring them all back to me. They belong with me, not out there. They need me."

"Doesn't seem like it," Boomer remarked. "Seems like they want you to suffer."

"I've been suffering since they disappeared, not knowing whether they were alive or dead." She blinked slowly, reaching up. "Boys, please… Help me and I'll help you."

Brick stood. "We don't need you. And why would we assist someone who dosed us with Antidote X?" It was different than taking it of their own volition. They headed for the stairwell.

"It was Blossom!" Newtronium shouted. They halted. "That compound was designed to affect you specifically. We didn't engineer it here, we found it in John's lab." Her head lolled, a partial sneer turning her lips. "Blossom told me she asked him to make it in case you three attacked the city. Almost like she never trusted you."

Yes she had, up until last month. That's why the look she gave Brick pained him, condemning him for the gross betrayal of her trust. He deserved having his powers nullified and feeling weak and helpless, but he still had hope. Hope that the Puffs were safe with their Chemical W progenitors and he'd get the chance to apologize to them in person, although nothing he said could ever make amends for the time they spent in captivity. Besides, Brick wasn't naïve enough to believe his blood sample had been exclusively used to sequence his genome. He felt no animosity toward Blossom.

The Ruffs left the facility, climbing the mostly-intact emergency stairs to the surface. They found themselves a ways away from where they'd entered the subterranean structure, evading both emergency response teams and shipyard workers flocking to the hole in the ground. "What now, Bro?" Butch questioned once they stopped at a convenience store, earning strange looks for being covered in dirt and blood.

"We should wait to move until Une and Tvaer contact us," Brick decided. "We have no idea what they did with the Girls."

"They saved them." Boomer folded his arms, pouting. "That's supposed to be our job. Bubbles begged me to save her but I couldn't do anything!"

"I think there's still a chance to do right by them, act like heroes for once. We can prevent Max from getting his hands on them again." Brick's projected confidence waned. "I'm sorry I blanked back there."

Butch patted him. "It sucks knowin' they hate us now. We fucked up real bad."

"You two did nothing wrong," Brick refuted. "It's my fault, all of this. Everything leading up to now was my decision."

Boomer scowled at him. "Stop doing that. You don't get to shoulder all the blame."

"Yes I do. I'm the oldest and the most responsible." They each sighed for different reasons.

Retirement had been nice while it lasted.