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Chapter 02
If there were any words that could adequately describe the emotional state of Princess Morbucks as she stared with unseeing eyes over the skyline of Townsville then they were words that the disenfranchised young woman was unfamiliar with.
The attempt to apprehend Le Quack had been deemed an utter irrelevance the moment Buttercup had fallen, bloodied and barely clinging to consciousness. The avian crime boss and many of his underlings escaping as the only priority worthy of consideration became getting the former Powerpuff Girl to safety and to possibly the only person alive who could save her live; her father and creator, Professor Drake Utonium.
The flight to Townsville's largest hospital had been a torturous ordeal, not only for the mental and emotional toll it had taken on Princess as she had clutched Buttercup to her, blood staining her armoured suit with crimson smears but also on a simply physical level as the young woman; with no superpowers of her own to speak of had pushed her limited physiology to its breaking point with each extra, meagre ounce of speed and power she could draw out of her flight-pack. Eventually she had reached the cities' primary hospital, using a landing pad intended for those who had been airlifted to safety and promptly burst into the building; on the very edge of hysteria, screaming and demanding that someone help Buttercup and contact her father; as it was located a city which housed superheroes the hospital was able to accommodate the clearly seriously injured young woman and teams of professionals frantically sought to stabilise her until Professor Utonium arrived, flown to the scene by Bubbles. It was at this point that Princess had been escorted away by the staff of the hospital and told in no uncertain terms that only immediate family would be allowed to see Buttercup; with no amount of money or the political influence that the nurses seemed to believe that the disowned young woman still had at her disposal being able to change their stance on the matter.
She had been informed that Buttercup was still alive, Professor Utonium had saved her and as Princess continued to stare out at the city in a state of detached numbness she tried to convince herself that was all that mattered.
Whilst the doctors and nurses had been struggling to keep the wounded hero stable her father had known, almost instinctively what needed to be done and had brought the tools required for the task ahead of him; deft hands working with impossible speed and precision as he tended to his daughter. The Powerpuff Girls' blood was as unique as everything else about them and of a type unfamiliar to the vast majority of the worlds' doctors though mercifully the Professor had managed to accrue enough of it via means Princess was unsure if she wanted to know about to be able to provide a blood transfusion, Bubbles had remained on standby and offered to donate any blood or tissue that might be required without hesitation though this had ultimately proved unnecessary. Using specially made medical tools capable of cutting or piercing the normally invulnerable flesh of the superhuman sisters the Professor had done everything in his power to mend that bones and torn flesh of Buttercup's arm and shoulder before having several tubes implanted into her and stitching her wounds closed, monitoring her without ever leaving her side and silently hoping to whatever unnatural powers might be listening that the Chemical X that coursed through the girls' bodies would be enough to grant her a full and swift recovery.
After an indeterminate amount of time the sensation of the sun glaring from the surfaces of countless skyscrapers that rose up from the city and her own visor which still covered her face, directly into her eyes became too uncomfortable to bear Princess's shell-shocked lethargy abated enough to allow her to move and truly take stock of both her surroundings and her self.
Her crown-tipped faceplate was torn away almost the instant she spotted flecks of dried blood staining its' tinted surface and her breathing began to come in shallow, ragged gasps of distress as she took in the stains covering her arms and chest where she cradled Buttercup to herself; dropping the armoured visor to the ground beside her she began to strip away her armour, her partially collapsed flight-pack sliding away from its' fastenings on her back with a hiss of compressed air whilst she removed her gauntlets and opened the entire top half of the costume, allowing it to fall limply at her sides with a surprisingly weighty thud and leaving arms bare as she stood in the morning air on the roof of the hospital with only a form-fitting vest covering her upper body. Forcing her breathing under control through simple force of will and blinking back a fresh wave of tears Princess reached into a hidden pocket on the inside of her costume to retrieve her cellphone as she turned away from the skyline and morning sun to press her back against the wall that ran around the edge of the roof and slide down its' surface into a sitting position.
"Please be okay….please" the words left her in a trembling whimper, utterly devoid of the usual commanding aura that she carried herself with as she ignored the missed calls and text messages from Eddy in favour of scrolling through countless images of herself and Buttercup, stopping at one that had been taken at a concert the two of them had attended together, the headline act being a power metal band that the green-eyed girl had simply adored.
The sight of her girlfriend so wild and energetic, so unapologetically and unguardedly happy and with none of the brooding and menacing bravado she was often forced to wear as a mask twisted and broke something inside Princess; leaving her a sobbing mess.
"She's gonna make it" the voice that interrupted her private grief was soft, though with something unmistakably raw and fiery behind it that threatened to spill over at any moment. Princess quickly wiped her eyes and face in an effort to retain some level of control over herself and the situation as a whole, looking up to see none other than Bubbles Utonium standing over her with two cups of steaming coffee of questionable quality.
Bubbles looked terrible.
She wore the clothes that she had arrived at the hospital wearing the previous evening, a fluffy and comfortable baby blue hoodie whose bagginess left it engulfing her frame with a hood that featured a stylised and cartoonish representation of something resembling a unicorn, along with a white, summery skirt with a pastel floral pattern that peeked from beneath the oversized garment and well worn, creased and somewhat faded white sneakers. The entire outfit might have looked fashionable the day before but now it was simply dishevelled where she had slept fitfully for a few minutes at a time in one of the uncomfortable chairs lining the many sterile corridors whose glaring lights and medicinal stench launched a constant assault on the senses; strands of blonde has escaped the twin-tails that Bubbles had tied her hair into and the sunglasses with wide and tinted circular lenses that she had worn to at least somewhat disguise her identity were absent entirely, leaving the dark rings around her bloodshot eyes that stood in stark contrast to her currently deathly pale complexion on full display.
"She's gonna make it" Bubbles repeated, swaying slightly as she took a seat on the hard surface of the roof and made herself as comfortable as possible beside Princess, stealing a glance at the images on the phone and managing a weak, strained smile "She looks happy there-"
"Bubbles what's happening?" Princess's voice was raw and hoarse, lending urgency to the demand "Nobody is telling me anything damn it!"
"She's still unconscious and our Dad still isn't letting anybody else see her….I'll try and talk to him for you" Bubbles began, those words alone and the offer she made being enough of a kindness to assuage some of Princess's desperate anger and keep her from lashing out; after being the mediator for Buttercup and the rest of the Utonium family since she had left Townsville Bubbles had been one of very few people to offer the disowned Morbucks heiress an olive branch or any kind of second chance.
"Thank you" she sniffled, the words sounding more than a little strange coming from her.
"She's healing but it's slow" Bubbles continued, her expression darkening with a mix of fear and righteous, white-hot rage that Princess recognised intimately "It's too slow….it's like something is interfering with the Chemical X in her cells-"
"That can happen?" Princess gasped in sudden, abject terror.
"It shouldn't be possible" Bubbles shook her head "We….we've lost our powers before, but it was only ever really a temporary disabling; Chemical X is in every cell of our body, we naturally produce and metabolise it and it's just a part of who we are, we'll always get our powers back even if it takes months. Even the Professor's medical equipment can only temporarily disable our powers enough for to operate….whatever this is, it's something new; who were you guys fighting?"
"A gangster called Le Quack, he's small time; it just looked like a normal gun!" Princess exclaimed, horrified and lost as she tried to make sense of the information that she was being given.
"Boomer knows him" Bubbles muttered, pursing her lips "This doesn't make sense….he's a thief and petty crook-"
"What about Blossom?" Princess snapped suddenly and Bubbles's head whipped around, naked confusion written across her face at the statement
"What about Blossom?"
"When Buttercup….when" Princess faltered, the words clogging her throat "She asked me to find Blossom, it was the last thing she said to me. Where is she?"
"I don't know" Bubbles admitted, voice suddenly small and timid as countless possibilities came to her mind unbidden "I don't know where Blossom is, all I know is that she was on the moon yesterday….she wouldn't, whatever you're thinking, she wouldn't do it-"
"Are you sure?" Princess demanded, the hysterical edge finding its' way back into her voice and Bubbles quickly fell silent as she tried to remember the last time she and her redhead sister had truly been able to talk about things that mattered for any length of time, finding herself at a loss and realising that recently Blossom had been entirely consumed by an almost manic sense of duty that was spawned from the same source as her feud with Buttercup. Bubbles felt bile rise in her throat as she realised that she could not say with complete certainty that she knew what Blossom was capable of.
With that thought in mind the sound the sky being split by something breaching the planets' atmosphere felt like a dreadful omen.
"It's her" Bubbles whispered, rising to her feet and honing in on a magenta contrail streaking towards Townsville, wreathed in glowing flames as it re-entered the atmosphere.
"What're you going to do?" Princess barely dared to speak the words as she took a single step backwards, forced away as cyan lightning crackled around Bubbles. It was claimed that many superheroes had an aura of some sort that they projected, however in many cases such things were simply the product of charisma and their followers' ability to delude themselves; the Powerpuff Girls by contrast were the genuine article, producing a tangible and measurable warping effect on the space around them and Princess recognised the sudden shifting and oppressive pressure in the air that thundered against her skull and brought her out in a cold sweat for the warning sign that it was. Buttercup had always struggled with her anger and fought to keep herself and her powers under control, keeping her destructive abilities in check at all costs for fear of what they could do if unleashed against the wrong person whilst Bubbles was almost the opposite, a kind a gentle soul who allowed herself to feel freely; though when the cheery blonde felt emotions such as rage she was truly terrifying to behold and it was that primal terror that the maelstrom of crackling energies that swirled around her inspired at that moment.
"Wait here" the words were hissed through clenched teeth, filled with a seething fury as Bubbles levitated several feet above the ground "I'm going to talk to my sister"
Blossom had come as soon as she could though a sickening sense of guilt still clawed at her gut as she told herself that it was not soon enough.
The Broccoloid invasion of New Selene, humanities' first city on the surface of the moon had been halted but the chaos it had left in its' wake was by no means concluded and the Justice Friends were still needed. With the tattered remains of the alien fleet in full retreat heroes such as Miss-Spell and Capitol G had been able to use their powers for more humanitarian ends such as moving mountains of debris, leading the search for trapped survivors or holding collapsing structures upright for long enough for impromptu repairs to be administered. Fatboy had been instrumental in maintaining the morale of the beleaguered and terrified public, serving as the public face of the superhero community as he moved through the streets and brought aid to those who needed it wherever he could find them with a handful of lesser known heroes at his back. Dexter had been forced to work with his one time nemesis, villainous scientist turned admittedly egomaniacal philanthropist Mandark; the two of them setting their differences aside for long enough to pool their resources and intellects, sending forth their legions of robotic drones and overseeing the task of keeping the countless vital systems of the lunar colony functioning; seeing to it that the air and gravity did not fail due to damage done by the invaders. Further to this Dexter had also dispatched Monkey and a genetic monstrosity known simply as 'Charlie' into the city to track down and apprehend any remaining Broccoloid soldiers that may be attempting to seed New Selene with spores to create a sleeper cell.
Blossom, with her mantle of Major Glory had overseen all of this whilst also co-ordinating relief efforts from Earth.
She had returned to the relatively nearby space station operated by the Justice Friends, a truly magnificent work of art and science known simply as 'The High Ground' taking advantage of the fact that she was one of few beings capable of travelling through the void of space without any form of assistance and despatching the small army of security and relief workers to the surface of the moon before beginning a conference call with members of the United Nations, with President Bellum and a few notable others being willing to lend aid without condition though Blossom quickly found herself disgusted by the majority of the worlds' leaders as they showed how willing the were to use innocent lives as bargaining chips or leverage to extract political favours from Mandark of the worlds' superheroes. It was here, just as she had been ready to lose her temper that she had received word that Buttercup; the sister she had spoken to in three years had been shot and was currently in hospital. She had naturally, instantly adjourned the meeting with the conniving vultures that called themselves leaders and departed for Earth as fast as her superhuman powers would allow, informing Dexter of the situation and allowing him to assume overall control of the situation whilst giving the vaguest possible reason for her departure. Blossom had trusted her fellow redhead to handle the task before him with his usual dedication and gusto, whatever complicated history now existed between the two of them being completely irrelevant in comparison.
Though the diminutive genius was certainly not above using the occasion to air his grievances.
"And when you dropped a several hundred square-foot warehouse building inside of a sealed air-tight dome did you have any consideration for what it might do to the air pressure regulators?" his snappish, irritable voice sounded in Blossom's earpiece "And why exactly did you think that a giant rabbit would be the most suitable way of handling the situation?...Further to our previous discussion Blossom-"
"Now is not the time!" Blossom barked
"And it will conveniently never will be the time!" Dexter retorted angrily "You arrived with an untrained, uncontrolled giant animal and unleashed it in a city! Can you control it? Can anyone, or will Capitol G simply have to pet it and hope for the best? Does it have fleas? Or those giant too?….Did you undertake even the most basic and rudimentary amount of analysis and planning before you came up with this plan? A plan the you enacted without communicating with any of us and then flew away, satisfied that you had made yourself the spectacle that-"
"Buttercup was nearly killed last night!" Blossom's words came out in a choked, strangled sob as the accusations from her former friend, confidant and brief romantic partner tore at something within her. The communications channel remained silent for several seconds, long enough for Blossom to almost believe that Dexter had ended the transmission before he finally spoke again
"I see" his words were a slow croak, Blossom almost being able to hear the proverbial gears of his mind grinding to a halt as he struggled to find a solution for a problem that simply did not have one; as unparalleled as the man might have been in his chosen fields his ability to relate to others or offer any kind of emotional input or stability was almost non-existent.
"My sister is in critical condition in hospital" Blossom said slowly, forcing herself to remain calm as she hurtled towards her destination, superheated air glowing around her as she surged through the atmosphere; the sensation being more uncomfortable than truly painful "I don't care what you tell me about the numbers, or one person being acceptable losses to save others….I am one of two, maybe three people in the world who can give her a blood transfusion if she needs one. I need to be on Earth right now.
"I wouldn't have…." Dexter trailed off, likely catching himself as he realised that such a cold and pragmatic decision was exactly the kind of decision he could be expected to make and so instead he simply gave his leader his word "I will resolve the situation on the moon"
"Good. Major Glory out" with that Blossom ended the transmission and pushed onwards, the wind howling in her ears preventing her from truly gathering her thoughts as they raced through her mind, trying to make sense of the seemingly impossible news that she had been given. As it was the redhead young woman found her attention split between her own emotions and internal and struggle and the necessary task of ensuring that she didn't fly into the path of any oncoming aircraft as she had not cleared a flightpath for herself beforehand, meaning that Blossom didn't see the bolt of electric blue light hurtling towards her at tremendous speeds until it was almost too late.
Bubbles was approaching on what could only be a collision course and that fact left Blossom with ice in her veins.
Blossom honed in on the fast approaching blonde comet as well as her superhuman senses would allow and the sense of deep, primal dread only intensified. Before the Powerpuff Girls had disbanded it was widely accepted that whilst Blossom herself might have been the most knowledgable in overall strategy and used that knowledge to impressive effect, exploiting the weaknesses of her enemies to end battles and prevent catastrophes Buttercup Utonium was by far superior in terms of simple physical strength. What these widely accepted facts failed to consider however was that Bubbles, believed to be the most gentle of the sisters was a thoroughly emotional being and that her powers were tied to those emotions; for all of her upbeat cheer and quirky mannerisms when Bubbles Utonium was enraged she could fell titans and raze cities to the ground.
"Bubbles what's going-
"WHAT DID YOU DO?" she screamed question was delivered with a piercing shock-wave of pure concussive force that not only halted Blossom in her tracks, leaving her hovering mid-air as she tried to reorient herself but also changed the weather the for miles around them by forcing massive cloud formations aside. Blossom had only the briefest fraction of a second to try and brace herself before Bubbles was on her, her blonde hair wild, teeth bared and tears spilling from her eyes whilst her expression was contorted into one of inconsolable grief and rage; any thoughts had her sister was being forced to act against her will instantly left Blossom's mind and instead she desperately tried to understand how her sister had been worked into such a fury.
Only for Bubbles to lash out.
"I ASKED YOU A QUESTION BLOSSOM! WHAT DID YOU DO?" rather than a punch the assault came in the form of Bubbles reaching out and grasping Blossom's face and the side of her head in her hands, forcing her sister to meet her eyes and then slowly, deliberately beginning to apply pressure that would have crushed reinforced steel. The golden mask that Blossom wore as part of guise as Major Glory creaked ominously and simple survival instinct began to take hold, causing her to grab her sisters' arms and try to pull them away which only enraged the blonde girl even more. Just as the terrifyingly lethal grappling between the sisters began to become truly dangerous, the first trickle of blood beginning to leak from Blossom's nose as the pressure intensified the struggling redhead saw help arriving from an unlikely and frankly unwelcome source in the from of a golden comet streaking towards them.
Princess Morbucks had donned her hero suit once again and unleashing an incessant stream of pulse-blasts into Bubbles; the rippling waves of amethyst light and air reducing the oversized hoodie that she had been wearing to shredded scraps of fabric in an assault that would likely leave her bruised and aching but had not real consequence at that moment. Seeing this fail Princess surged upwards and forced herself into the space between the sisters, nearly tearing the wings from her flight-pack in the process as she delivered an uppercut to Bubbles's jaw to break her grip.
The attempt was laughable but it did manage to jolt Bubbles to her senses.
"What, what's going on?" Blossom demanded, removing the now warped and twisted golden mask from her face and touching her cheeks gingerly to check for any obvious signs of damage; glancing over at Bubbles she found herself overcome with an odd and misplaced sense of guilt as she watched her sister hovering in the air, racked with sobs, trembling and dry-heaving as the reality of what she had been about to do set in.
"What's going on?" Princess gave a bitter, scornful laugh that threatened to give way to furious screaming at any moment "Why don't you tell-"
"YOU DON'T TALK TO ME, NOT EVER!" Blossom roared, the air trembling around them with the force of her exclamation which might well have been heard on the ground as she glared at the young woman whom the years had done nothing to dull her loathing of. Blossom found hatred to be a strong word and did not use it freely, though she could say with almost complete certainty that she hated Princess Morbucks; first for the overwhelming scope of her crimes and secondly, most damnable of all for being the person who had broken her family. Blossom's hatred was not shared it seemed and Bubbles flew directly into her sisters' face, stopping mere inches away and glaring at her with a subdued but still present anger in her eyes
"She saved Buttercup, she got her to Townsville, got her away from the people who did this so you're gonna learn to be okay with her being here and you're gonna learn right now!" with that she prodded Blossom forcefully in the chest and the redhead was stunned at just how assertive her sister had become, truly a leader and hero in her own right rather than simply that most overlooked member of a team.
"How can Buttercup have been shot?" Blossom asked, beginning to grow frustrated at the situation and being painfully aware that every second they spent in the air was a second that they were not fixing the problem.
"Somebody gave the mob in Citiesville a new kind of bullet" Princess sneered, every syllable dripping with a scathing, venomous sense of accusation "One that can injure Buttercup and slow her healing down….And the last thing that she said to be me was to find you"
"So" Bubbles breathed out, knuckles popping as her fists clenched "For the last time, what did you do?"
"I….you think I-That I would, that I could possibly?" Blossom trailed off, the realisation of exactly what she suspected of left her sick to her stomach and an overwhelming sense of loss and sorrow struck her as she saw just how little trust there was left between them; her stammered question was met with frosty silence however and she quickly realised that her next words would likely define what, if any relationship she had with her sisters going forwards and in all likelihood her immediate safety as well. Searching for an answer Blossom's pink eyes widened as something occurred to her and its' implications frightened her as much as Bubble's wrath.
"Okay….I think I know what's going on" she began shakily "And I promise it's not what it looks like"
Buttercup Utonium was awake, though that wakefulness had come with such unrelenting waves of pain that the dark haired and green eyed girl was beginning to wish that she had remained unconscious.
"Damn it" she hissed through clenched and gritted teeth, her voice intolerably weak to her own ears as her initial attempt to pull herself into a sitting position was rewarded with an agony that stabbed, burned and throbbed all at once consuming the nerves of her entire right arm in fire and broken glass and spreading out across her chest and back in a pulsating tide whilst at the same time a bout of nausea churned her stomach and left her gagging on air.
"There's my little girl, that's the fighter I remember….and I think the swearing might be appropriate in this situation" the weak, barely audible voice filled with the faintest ghost of a chuckle was instantly recognisable despite how long it had been since Buttercup had last heard it and she quickly turned her head towards its' source; trying to reposition herself without tormenting her injured right arm any further. Her father, Professor Drake Utonium looked much as she remembered him though his signature pipe was understandably absent considering that they were obviously in a hospital and there were more streaks of silvery grey present within his hair, a condition that Buttercup couldn't help but feel she might be contributing to at that moment; more importantly however he was clearly exhausted to the point of barely being able to stay awake, with dark bags under his eyes and visible indentations where he had worn a mask for hours on end whilst treating her. Taking in the sight of him for what could only have been a few seconds but somehow felt far longer the green eyed girl was left blinking rapidly as her eyes began to sting and swallowing a sudden lump in her throat.
"Hey Dad….I suppose I could have just called or visited right?" the words came with a weak and watery chuckle and before Buttercup could even fully register the movement her father had crossed the small, private and most likely well defended room that she had been placed in to gently lift her and pull her into a tight, tender and impossibly gentle hug; his own voice as raw and shaky as hers when he spoke again.
"You're here, you're okay and that's all that matters….I thought I'd lost you" the two maintained the hug for a while longer before the Professor stepped back, allowing Buttercup to support her own weight whilst some semblance of professionalism crept into his voice despite the situation "You lost a lot of blood, fortunately I had enough on hand that there shouldn't be any noticeable effects due to loss of Chemical X….but that's the thing….Buttercup, the bullets that hit you broke bones and damaged muscles and you're not healing the way I'd expect; whatever did this to you is something I've never seen before"
"I know" Buttercup grimaced, the admission catching Professor Utonium off-guard though she turned away from him for a moment to concentrate on her arm; seeing that not only had various tubes and diodes been fitted but there was also a heavy metallic brace fitted around the limb presumably to keep her healing bones in place that rendered the arm immobile; that lack of mobility concerned her as she knew instinctively that she should have been able to buckle and crush the metal with ease however beneath the cascading waves of pain all she felt was a hollow sense of weakness, her fingers reacting to her attempts to flex them with uncertain and twitching motions that did nothing to reassure her.
"How long am I gonna be like this?" she demanded, the idea of being so badly hampered in both her crime-fighting and daily life unthinkable to her.
"I honestly can't say" the Professor admitted sadly "Whatever you were shot with is actively fighting your abilities….the best analogy I can find is that it's an anti-Chemical X poison-"
"Damn it" Buttercup hissed again, trying to force her cloudy and buzzing mind to work in a linear and sensible order so that she could marshal her thoughts and do what needed to be done; such clarity was kept from her however by disjointed images of her final moments of consciousness flashing before her eyes and leaving her needing to take several ragged gulps of air to steady herself
"Where are they? Princess and Jaw….Ed, they were with me last night where are-"
"They're okay" the Professor took her hand and spoke soothingly, knowing how brash Buttercup could be and frantically trying to bring her back from the edge of a reckless decision "I don't know who or where Ed is, but the Morbucks girl brought you here and she hasn't mentioned anybody else so I think it's safe to assume that your friends are safe-"
"Princess" Buttercup murmured "Her name is Princess and you can say it….where is she, is she okay?"
"She was more than a little shaken up, understandably….I think Bubbles went to check on her while you were in surgery"
"I really should do something nice for Bubbles" Buttercup mumbled, a content if hazy smile crossing her features for a moment before she forced herself to focus despite the pain and medication fighting for her attention "What about Blossom, where is she?"
"She isn't…." Professor Utonium trailed off, looking anywhere but at his daughter "Sandra called her but I haven't heard anything, I don't know if she's coming-"
"Dad she needs to be here, I need to talk to her-"
"Buttercup, you're okay if you want to make amends there's time-"
"It's not that….she needs to know that someone has weaponised one of her inventions" the silence that fell over the room at those words was profound; Professor Utonium being left in slack-jawed and disbelieving shock, jaw working for several moments before he finally managed to form words.
"You're saying that you think Blossom, Blossom of all people made what did this-"
"What? No!" Buttercup exclaimed, wincing as she shifted her posture into something more combative on pure instinct before letting out a bitter chuckle "Blossom thinks I'm an ass-hole but she wouldn't try to kill me….especially not like this; it's too underhanded"
"So what then?" Professor Utonium asked, breathing out a sigh of relief as he did so; glad that his own faith in his daughters' moral character seemed to be well deserved
"Did you never wonder how I got tattoos?" Buttercup snorted as she gestured to the ink adorning both of her arms "We can't even pierce our ears, it just heals in half a second. When I was fourteen I managed to talk Blossom into trying to give me a stick and poke tat with some of your equipment but it wouldn't take, the second the Chemical X kicked back in it forced all the ink out. On our birthday last year Blossom sent me a tattoo kit that she said would work on me….she made the first move, I took the gesture and then still never messaged her back so I guess she's right, I'm kind of an ass-hole"
"For what it's worth I wasn't expecting you to call" the sound of Blossom's voice broke the silence before it could become heavy again and both Buttercup and Professor Utonium turned to see the redhead woman clad in the costume of Major Glory, mask removed to reveal bruises forming on her face and dried blood lining her upper lip whilst beside her Bubbles shuffled guiltily with her eyes downcast; giving their father and sister an idea of exactly what had transpired between them.
The reunion between the Powerpuff Girls was cut short as an olive-skinned and golden-armoured batted them aside, refusing to be denied a moment longer.
"Don't you dare make me worry about you like this again!" Princess whimpered as she crossed the room in a single bound and all-but flung herself at Buttercup, burying her face in the crook of her neck; the green-eyed girl responded by pulling back and planting a kiss on her lips before resting her forehead against her partners'
"Hey come on, it's me. I'm too tough to die, everyone knows that" Princess managed a weak laugh at the absurdity of the comment before replying.
"I love you, so just don't go leaving on me-"
"I'm not going anywhere" the moment was intruded upon by the sound of Blossom clearing her throat and all eyes, some of them narrowed in openly hostile annoyance turned towards her.
"Buttercup I'm glad you're okay; but if someone has reverse engineered the tattoo gun and ink I made for you and turned it into a weapon-"
"Then you were an idiot for making it in the first place and an even bigger idiot for leaving the plans lying around" Princess interjected, placing herself between Buttercup and her sisters as though she still did not entirely trust them.
"Don't" Buttercup sighed "We're not having this argument….Blossom's right, we need to focus on what's important. Le Quack has that gun, the bullets and whatever else he had in that shipment he got away with last night; finding him is what's important"
"And what are you gonna do when you find him?" Blossom asked, eyeing Buttercup and her partner with sudden suspicion that was an accusation in of itself; the tensions and differences between then raising their heads once again now that the subject of crime-fighting had been broached.
"Hero stuff" Buttercup answered simply "We're not the bad guys here, whatever you want to think-"
"Stop it" Bubbles's voice was quiet but forceful "Blossom just stop, you know exactly what you're doing right now. Buttercup, you can't seriously be thinking about fighting anyone right now?"
"Bubbles is right" the Professor intoned solemnly "Until we know more about the effects of this weapon you can't put yourself in any undue danger….As a doctor and a scientist I'd like to keep you in for observation; as your father I'd like to remind you that you will always have a home with me, Sandra would love to see you again and Ken would very much like to meet the sister he hasn't seen or heard from in years"
"I-" Buttercup struggled to find words, suddenly left feeling guilty as she realised just how absent from her families' lives she'd allowed herself to become though she found her voice again as she glanced up at Princess and gently squeezed her hand "Does that offer extend to both of us?"
"I'm….I'm not sure if that would be for the best" the Professor cleared his throat, unable to meet his daughters' eye yet still unable to open his home to Princess Morbucks; someone who had known that many of the denizens of Monster Island had been unique, sapient and fully aware beings and had still chosen to wipe them out without mercy anyway. He could almost accept his daughters' claims that Princess was a reformed and good person, it was however the metric for goodness that was used that concerned him; as a scientist, a pacifist and a lover of life the young woman's methods and way of thinking was anathema to him and as a father the fact his daughter was so clearly in love with her scared him.
The issue was given some resolution before it could become another source of contention within the family however.
"Fine, Princess you can stay at my place; you can't miss it's Mojo Jojo's old base" the Professor looked from Bubbles, the most open, kind and forgiving of his three daughters to Buttercup and her partner; the headstrong daughter whom he had always suspected would change the world but drive him to despair in doing so and then to Blossom, the daughter perhaps most like himself who still glared at Princess with open suspicion and he realised that no matter how old and capable he might be he still owed his children an example to follow and as such the first attempt at diplomacy should come from him.
"I'll tell Sandra to expect you for dinner, all four of you"
Whilst Buttercup would loudly and defiantly proclaim that that the villains and crooks whose company she often found herself in whilst living in Citiesville were reformed characters, trying to make the world a better place outside of the framework of a system that had already failed them, Ace D Copular, leader of the Gangrene Gang was a notable exception.
Ace was a despicable and dangerous man who would use fear and violence to achieve his ends without a second thought and he revelled in that fact.
The green-skinned thug was not a heartless or uncaring man, quite the opposite in fact as for well over a decade his career in crime had been for the sole purpose of bettering the lives of those closest to him, the small handful of people whose lives genuinely mattered to him. Chief amongst the select few to earn that dubious honour were the members of the Gangrene Gang itself; though the original members of the gang that had gravitated to him upon its' inception were no longer present. Ace had spent a small fortune over the years to ensure that Big Billy and Grubber received the medical and psychological help that they needed, being honest enough with himself to admit the pair had no business living a life like his; Ace had also paid for Artura's transition and other medical bills and the last he had heard the youngest original member of the gang was living a peaceful life in another state with Ivy, half-sister of fellow gang member Snake. Snake himself was currently in prison on a variety of charges ranging from the truly heinous to the obviously falsified though even here Ace managed to ensure that his people prospered as he funnelled illegitimate money and contraband to his brother in arms through a variety of means. Those original members of the Gangrene Gang had steadily been replaced, with dozens upon dozens of fresh recruits being drawn from the ranks of Citiesville's impoverished and forgotten youth once the green-skinned man had moved there; a small army of young men and women hardened by an uncaring world whom Ace had unified and given a sense of purpose, banal as it might be and he considered each of these new recruits to be members of his vast extended family.
Another person Ace cared about was Buttercup Utonium; he like many gangsters considered himself, with a deluded sense of self-importance to be something of warrior and had always considered the Powerpuff Girls to be his rightful and worthy opponents until circumstance had seen them thrust together in the uncaring metropolis, surrounded by other failures and outcasts; from there Ace's begrudging respect for Buttercup had steadily become a weary camaraderie and a genuine friendship as it became clear that the two of them had some common ground and shared goals, no matter how different their approaches were and how vehemently they would deny such claims if pressed.
It was these facts, a convergence of Ace's ruthless nature and the lengths he was willing to go for those he considered his people that had led to the abandoned industrial estate on the outskirts of Citiesville being filled with the sound of revving dirt-bikes, screams for help that would not come and yelled threats and challenges.
"PUSSY! WHY YOU RUNNING? YO COME HERE FAM!" a particularly forceful yell made Ace chuckle, one of his up and coming recruits was clearly feeling especially bold today.
Upon learning from Ed, Edd and Eddy, who had been rightfully furious that information he had provided had led to Buttercup being shot by Le Quack the Gangrene Gang had been mobilised in force; within a few short hours they had learned that the avian mobster kept a plethora of stolen vehicles in an otherwise empty warehouse with minimal security where they would await sale, export or simply by broken down for parts. Ace had reasoned that whoever had been left in charge of such an operation would likely be someone with a measure of importance within Le Quack's organisation and someone who would have answers, with that in mind he positioned himself on the most likely escape route his prey would take and simply unleashing his minions; arming them with dirt-bikes, knives, machetes, axes, baseball bats and other such cruel implements and instructing them to not only seize Le Quack's assets but also to corral the person overseeing them into his path.
The plan had worked exactly as expected, there was after all something about being chased down like an animal by someone wielding a blade that inspired the most primal kind of fear.
Ace was currently leaning against a wall in a dimly lit and unobserved back alley leading off of the industrial estate, his usual vibrant designer clothes exchanged for an unremarkable black hoodie and sweatpants whilst his hair was tied back; he had debated wearing a mask to hide his face but had ultimately decided against it, deciding that he wanted Le Quack to know who was responsible, though not until it was too late to do anything about it.
The fleeing victim came into view soon enough, an unremarkable man of an indeterminate age, though he could not be older than thirty; already clutching at one of several profusely bleeding wounds and heaving and gasping for breath as he ran. Close behind him was a teen in similar attire to Ace himself; a young man by the name of Rico whose face was currently hidden beneath a green bandanna as he leapt off of the dirt-bike he had been riding and continued to give chase on foot, brandishing a machete and swinging just wildly enough to convince the escaping mobster that there was a genuine intent to kill. Eventually the bleeding man caught sight of Ace and realised that he had been played, though before he could act on that information Rico had tackled him to the ground and began raining kicks and blow with the handle of his weapon down on him.
"YEAH WHAT NOW PUSSY?" the half-crazed teen yelled "THINK YOU'RE BAD NOW? WHERE'S ALL YOUR GUNS NOW? COME ON FAM, SHOOT SOMEONE NOW!"
"Rico" Ace halted the boy with a word, reaching out and seizing his wrist before he could lose control and do something permanent that was not part of the plan. With his underling cowed by the gesture Ace stepped forward, first looming over his captured and bloodied victim and then crouching down to his eye level as he produced a switch-blade from his pocket, a weapon that had once been a gift to Artura which she had returned to him upon leaving the gang.
"Here's how this is gonna work" Ace began, his voice utterly calm and collected; its smoothness unnerving "I'm gonna talk and you're gonna listen, then you're gonna talk and I'm gonna listen and after I'm done listening I'm gonna decide if you get to go home to your family today"
"I don't know nothing man, I swear I don't-" the pleas and claims were silenced by muffled screams as Ace placed a hand over his victims' mouth before taking the switch-blade and forcing it slowly into the flesh of one of the man's hands.
"Shh, don't interrupt me" Ace continued to speak conversationally, as though nothing out of the ordinary were happening "Now your people moved some of my people off of the docks and that's going to be an entirely different conversation, one about you taking what's mine. Right now we're gonna have a talk about what else happened at the docks, about how a good friend of mine very nearly got smoked-"
"It's you!" the man screamed through the pain "You're the one snitching on us to the heroes, you little bum! The boss is-"
"Don't think of it as snitching" Ace countered as he stabbed into his victims' hand again "See Buttercup aint a cop so there's no rule against it and me and her go way back….your people made a mistake and now you get to decide if you're gonna be the fall guy for it. Either you can tell me where Le Quack is, or I can let Rico here finish the job off and get someone else to talk"
"Fuck you!" the man whose name Ace had no interest in learning spat a glob of blood and saliva on the ground, continuing to speak before there could be any consequences "You know what fuck it, I'll tell ya where to find the boss; but it's not 'cos I'm scared of ya, you hood-rat goblin-looking prick. I'm gonna tell ya where to find the boss 'cos I can't wait to see what he does to ya when ya get there! He's gonna-"
"I'm waiting" Ace noted casually as he rose to his feet and promptly trod on the man's wounded hand, causing him to scream in pain.
"Oh I'm gonna see you dead if it's the last thing I do ya little prick!" the mobster yelled, fighting back tears of pain "He's owns that old theatre down town, the one that was closed down by the health inspectors….he paid 'em so he could take it. That's where his main office is. If he's not handling business in person or at one of the clubs then that's probably where he is"
"Good to know, see how many problems we can solve if we all just talk" Ace chuckled before glancing down at the now bloody knife in his hands and taking the briefest of moments' to wonder if it was worth the risk of letting the man get away to inform Le Quack of what had been done, his hand was stayed only by the thought of the thought of Buttercup; he was doing this for her and in her name after all and he could not pretend like she would accept him murdering someone in cold blood, instead he pocketed the weapon and gestured for Rico, who had waited dutifully close by to come closer.
"Hey, hey I gave you what you wanted" the man stammered "Come on man, you don't need to do this, you said you'd let me go!" Ace paid him no mind and simply took the machete that his bloodthirsty and impressively dedicated underling carried from his grasp and made a simple compromise.
"Beat his ass 'til his Momma don't recognise him and then beat him a little more. He can't talk to anyone if he's in a coma" with that Ace walked away and allowed the cycle of gang violence to take its' course.
To say that things had been tense in the Utonium household was an understatement of cosmic proportions.
Boomer, having long-since earned the trust of his girlfriend and crime-fighting partners' father and step-mother to become an accepted and welcome part of the family had naturally volunteered to stay behind whilst Bubbles and Professor Drake made their way to the hospital; he and Sandra taking care of Ken who had understandably been deeply troubled by the news that one of his sisters, even if she was someone he could barely remember had been harmed.
"Is it really a good idea for him to be watching this kinda stuff?" Boomer asked Sandra Utonium, formerly Keane in a cautious whisper. The blonde young man, currently clad in a simple polo shirt and jeans in place of his easily recognisable costume gestured to where Ken sat and stared at a tablet with rapt attention, the eight year old had spent a respectable amount of the morning watching documentaries regarding shootings from both criminal and medical angles, as if he were trying to make sense of the new world he found himself in; a condition Boomer could admittedly relate to as the injury that Buttercup had received simply should not have happened.
"I think it helps, trying to sweep things under the rug and tell him everything is going to be fine didn't work….he's too bright, he knows how serious this is" Sandra stifled a yawn as she spoke, her usually bright blue-grey eyes were dull and unfocused and her everything about her body language spoke of a haggard exhaustion, the fact that she would be missing several days of work seemed an unavoidable certainty at this point. She and Boomer had taken turns trying various approaches to console the clearly frightened young boy before them and after he had refused sleep and no amount of well meaning attempts redirect his focus had achieved anything it seemed that simply monitoring his own attempts to try and understand, answering any questions he might have would be the best course of action.
However a pair of dull thuds outside promised answers from a more immediate source.
"I'll let them in" Boomer offered quietly, recognising the sound of two individuals landing on the driveway; the impacts sounding to trained ears as though they were less coordinated and graceful than Bubbles's usual flying, with at least one of two arrivals skidding slightly on the asphalt most likely because of tiredness. Making the way through the house at a brisk walk and fighting the urge to simply fly or break the sound barrier with his urgency the blonde teen reached the door and opened it; revealing Bubbles who looked every bit as weary as he had expected and oddly missing the hoodie that she had been wearing when she had left, though the fact that she was not an inconsolable and screaming wreck made it clear that as dire as the situation might be Buttercup was still alive. Bubbles lurched forward into his open arms, less melting into the waiting embrace and more simply flopping into him whilst completely physically, mentally and emotionally spent. Beside Bubbles was Blossom and the sight of the redhead clad in the costume of Major Glory, spattered with what seemed to be some sort of fruit or vegetable smoothie and clutching a dented and twisted mask whilst her face was a mass of bruises gave Boomer pause.
"Jesus are you okay?"
"Broccoloids" Blossom said bluntly as she gestured to the green stains littering her largely white costume; her terseness a mixture of simple exhaustion and the distance that she couldn't help but hold all former villains at no matter how reformed they claimed to be. Looking at her a moment longer Boomer quickly decided that there was nothing in the plant-like aliens' arsenal that could inflict the injuries on the redheads' face but also realised that if she was unwilling to discuss it with him then it simply was not his business and so he turned his focus back to Bubbles.
"What's happening?"
"A lot" she murmured weakly, using what little strength she had to hover a few inches above the ground so that she could nuzzle into him from a more comfortable angle.
"You wanna talk about it?" Boomer asked as he adjusted his grip as he held her against him, supporting her weight so that she could cease flying at any moment.
"We've gotta talk about it but I only wanna do it once, so can it wait for just a minute then I'll tell everybody at the same time….how's Kenny taking it?"
"Take as long as you need" Boomer assured her, pressing his lips gently against her forehead "He's scared, shaken up….I don't know if the fact he's never met Buttercup before makes it better or worse...Honestly I think it just makes it sad"
"Well that changes to day" Bubbled murmured softly, the merest trace of the usual sunshine the exuded returning to her voice "Buttercup probably isn't gonna be okay for a while, nobody knows how long but the Professor says she should be able to leave the hospital by this afternoon. We're having dinner together….She's bringing Princess with her"
"I won't be here" Blossom's frosty interruption reminded the pair of blondes who had been entirely focused on one another that she was still there, the sight of her standing just inside of the doorway oddly incongruous considering that she was the worlds' premiere superhero despite the fact that this was her childhood home.
"What the hell?" Bubbles demanded, something more than weariness giving her words a biting edge.
"Did you expect me to stay?" Blossom demanded incredulously "There was an alien invasion yesterday and now at least three major governments are trying to use relief efforts to extort superheroes. I need to research the weapon that was used to-"
"She's our sister!" Bubbles hissed
"And I'm glad she's okay, I really am Bubbles….you have no idea what that means to me, the thought that she could be gone with the two of us on bas terms made me hate myself" Blossom was clearly trying to keep herself from raising her voice and that ire instead expressed itself in the irises of her eyes beginning to glow "But I have responsibilities, the entire world-"
"Will carry on turning without you for one afternoon!" Bubbles's efforts to remain calm and civil were notably less successful "You're right we have no idea what anything means to you Blossom because you're never here! Neither is Buttercup but at least she's willing to try and patch things up, you're just gonna fly off again"
"She's right" Boomer chimed in, not wanting to overstep some unspoken boundaries but at the same time feeling that his input might be helpful "Look Blossom I know you don't really like me and that you never liked my brothers but it's been years and I still don't know where they are….If you don't like the idea of losing someone you're on bad terms with then you should fix things while you've got the chance. Life gives less even second chances than you do"
Despite the stinging barb that he had delivered the blonde boys' sentiments resonated and stirred something in Blossom.
"Fine" she finally breathed out, acceptance, defeat and grim resolve shining through in that single word.
"So….you're staying for dinner?" Bubbles asked carefully "And you're not going to threaten or insult Buttercup or Princess"
"I'll be here for Dinner" Blossom answered, raising her hand to stop any argument before it could start "I might have to leave for a while before then. Dexter can probably cover for me for a few days but he and the others need to know what's happening. I need a shower….I need to get out of this costume for, I don't know an hour"
"Okay" Bubbles nodded slowly, the sight of just how dejected and utterly broken the sister she had always been inspired by looked at that moment catching her off-guard and prompting her to pull Blossom into a tight hug, all animosity and tensions forgotten for just a few moments "I'll get you some clothes, I was gonna have to get some for Buttercup anyway"
"I'll let Sandra know that we're gonna have company and that I'm cooking dinner tonight" Boomer chimed in, turning away and continuing as he departed into the house "She's done enough already and needs a rest….hey maybe I should get Ken to give me a hand, it might give him something else to think about" Bubbles and Blossom watched him leave and the blonde girl turned to her sister, the pleasant smile never leaving her face and delivering her words with a smile.
"What I said about not threatening Princess, that goes for him too….please Blossom, just try and have an open mind" the redhead managed a small nod and despite all odds managed to crack a small smile.
"Fine but if he makes those burritos of his I'm gonna throw him to Jupiter" Bubbles found that it was a compromise she was willing to accept.
By the time Buttercup arrived at her childhood home the sun was already beginning to sink below the skyline of Townsville and the many towers of glass and steel that littered it.
"Welcome home" Professor Utonium said happily as he and Princess both helped her out of the taxi they had taken from the hospital; the dark-haired and green-eyed young woman's proud nature making her bristle at the implication that she was incapable before she stopped herself from reacting in anger and accepting the gesture for what it was. Bubbles had briefly returned to the hospital and provided clothes for the two young women who needed them and the worrying sight of Buttercup with her right arms supported by a sling and cast, held close to her body and her black, undercut hair falling around her ears now that it was no longer in its' usual mass of styled spikes was offset by the admittedly funny image of her wearing what was clearly the most unsuitably pastel and flowery outfit she could find.
The Professor's eyes moved to Princess and he reminded himself that he had promised to be as fair and understanding as he could be, regardless of what she had done in the past; the olive-skinned, freckled, scarlet-haired and dark-eyed young woman didn't look as utterly bedraggled and ruined as she had that morning now that she had managed to clean off much of the blood staining her black and gold armour before hiding the easily recognisable battle-suit beneath a baggy grey hoodie that Bubbles had provided. She also looked more healthy now that she had slept, curling up into Buttercup's uninjured side for a few hours of fitful rest which Professor Utonium could not deny had been heart-warming to see, though he was certain that Buttercup would react badly if he were to take any photos and so he had not; glancing at what Princess carried with her however he couldn't help the frown that creased his features.
"Are you sure you want to keep that?" he gestured at the sleeveless leather jacket Buttercup had been wearing whose shoulders were covered with blunted spiked, studs and whose breast was littered with various patches and badges; the garment now sporting a small hole in its' front and a larger, ragged role in its' back where the bullet had exited.
"Hell yeah I wanna keep it" Buttercup snorted, forgetting to whom she was speaking for a moment and quickly covering her mouth upon realising she had just cursed at her father "I like that jacket….It's personal, I'll clean it off and fix it"
"Well, if you're sure" her father gave a bemused smile as he led the brief walk towards the front door of the Utonium household and unlocked the door; Buttercup remained a step behind him and gave her partner a knowing glance before reaching out with her uninjured hand, taking Princess's hand and squeezing gently as she offered a confident smile.
"Come on, it'll be fine….Sandra will love you"
"Didn't I blow her school up?" Princess whispered nervously
"I think you might've kicked Blossom through a wall one time" Buttercup admitted with a smirk and a lopsided shrug "It'll still be fine, everyone has blown that school up at least once….That's actually really bad now I can hear how it sounds out loud" the bleak absurdity of that sentiment managed to get a round weak laughter from both Princess and the Professor and the three of them made their way into the home, Buttercup being almost overcome by a wave of sudden nostalgia as the familiar smell and sounds of her childhood washed over her and brought her to a sudden and emotional halt; her eyes roving the hall and taking in the sight of countless photographs that lined it including her and her sisters' at her fathers' wedding and the three of them holding aloft a much younger Ken Utonium.
The moment was broken by the sound of Princess's phone ringing and the redhead gave Buttercup and worried look
"It's from Eddy"
"Take it, let him know what's happening and find out what's happening on his end" as her girlfriend nodded and answered the call, stepping outside and speaking quietly Buttercup continued into the house; murmuring to her father as she did so "Does Ken even remember me?"
"He's eight….you left home a little before his fifth birthday. Consider this a fresh start with your brother" Buttercup noted that it was not exactly and answer but still it told her what she needed to know and she couldn't help but give a wry smile as she gestured to her ruined but slowly healing arm.
"Not much of a first impression" her father was ready to argue that fact with gusto yet the opportunity was taken from him as the pair stepped into the living room; where Buttercup was immediately enveloped in a careful, loose and but still emotional embrace from her step-mother.
"It's been so long since I've seen you" Sandra breathed out, stepping back to admire the sight of her regrettably estranged step-daughter and former pupil "You look great, but are you sure you're getting enough sleep-"
"Crime fighting is a full time job, the mob has me doing overtime" Buttercup chuckled before sweeping her eyes across the room. Blossom and Bubbles were both present and giving her bright smiles, Blossom looking noticeably more at peace after allowing herself to rest and pass the burden of all of the worlds' problems onto her allies within the Justice Friends, even if it was only for a few hours; between them however was Ken Utonium, the brother that Buttercup was ashamed at how little she knew. Swallowing a lump in her throat the green-eyed young woman crouched down to the boys' eye level and tried to exude as much of her customary confidence and charisma as possible.
"Hey kid…..sorry it's been so long, I would have stopped by the North Pole and got the Christmas Presents I had on back-order with Santa for ya but I'm banned from flying-"
"It's okay" Ken smiled "You don't have to pretend to believe in Santa Claus, or the Tooth Fairy; I'm eight years old-"
"Okay hold on who is lying to this kid!" Buttercup glanced around the room in faux outrage "The Tooth-Fairy is very real and they're morally bankrupt….it doesn't even have to be your teeth-"
"And tell everyone how you know that Buttercup" Blossom added slyly, shooting her sister a grin which Buttercup merely rolled her eyes at; honestly pleased to have the friendly bickering between herself and her sisters again.
"Hey Blossom" Bubbles smiled sweetly, an obvious precursor to her joining the verbal battle "Remember those golf clubs that you 'bought' for Dad"
"Perhaps it's best if you don't recount every questionable choice that three of you have made in front of your brother" the Professor sighed good naturedly "He already wants to pilot the dynamo system-"
"Or maybe Blossom can talk to Dynamite Diva and I can pilot her mecha!" Ken exclaimed hopefully.
"Maybe when you're older" Blossom nodded sagely.
"Besides" a new voice joined the conversation "If we're talking about bad choices I think I win by default" Boomer sidled into the living room with a smile that was brightest when directed at Bubbles. Buttercup glanced around the room, taking in each of her families' face and allowing an anger and sense of betrayal to bubble up within her at the total lack of surprise at the blonde boys' presence.
"So that's how it is?" she asked quietly, voice trembling with sudden anger.
"Buttercup" Sandra began "Boomer is not the same boy he used to be when Mojo-"
"You think I don't know that?" Buttercup laughed bitterly before pointing at Bubbles "Who do you think was the first person she told about the two of them being a thing? Me, because I'm the one person she could count on to not judge her for it!….So what's the deal Dad, why is Bubbles's favourite reformed supervillain okay but you can barely even look at Princess?"
"It's not the same and don't talk to Dad like-" Blossom tried to intervene only for her sister to round on her
"It's exactly the same!"
"Buttercup, please calm down" the Professor implored "You're right, I should apologise….you're absolutely right, I have been unfair-"
"If it's worth anything I think Princess is kinda cool, I don't have a problem-" Boomer trailed off as a gesture from Bubbles made it clear that he should be quiet, out of the corner of her eye Buttercup watched as Sandra took Ken out of the room; uncertain if whatever came next would be something suitable for a child his age.
"Boomer was made to be a weapon, he was made specifically to hurt the three of you and turned loose into the world; I have watched him grow into a better person. Boomer wakes up and makes a choice to be a better person every single day and fight his worst impulses….Princess has done horrible things Buttercup and maybe she has changed, but you have to understand that I haven't seen any of it. With the two of you leaving Townsville and working out of the public eye, never visiting that first impression of her is the only impression I have-"
"Then let me try and make another one" Princess's unusually timid, earnest voice announced her arrival into the room whose atmosphere now crackled with an electric tension; providing Buttercup a moment to reign in her anger before she could say something intentionally hurtful, taking a deep breath and mentally stepping back from the situation she focused on her girlfriend for a moment and saw the worry lining her face.
"What did Eddy say?" she braced herself for the worst as Princess shifted uncomfortably.
"Ace came to the club….he knows where Le Quack is gonna be all night, he got the information out of one of Le Quack's people, I don't wanna know how" she sighed and added "Ed was there and heard everything….If nobody else goes and stops Le Quack then he's gonna do it himself-"
"Is he insane?" Buttercup gasped "He's tough but he'll get killed on his own!"
"I know" Princess shook her head sadly "But I can probably get there before him, we'll be able to catch Le Quack red-handed with the evidence for everything he's doing and-"
"Still too risky, we don't know exactly how well armed his crew is right now" Buttercup countered
"And he still has the weapons based on my technology" Blossom added, something truly poisonous spilling into her words as the thought occurred to her.
"So" Buttercup stated matter-of-factly, turning first from Princess, to Boomer and then to her sisters "What're we gonna do about it?"
Author's Notes:
Okay so before we do anything else there's a couple little bits of admin and housekeeping to address.
Firstly I was seriously considering canning this whole project because I'll be honest my main story is an OC project which I can appreciate will always get less feedback and it's part five of a truly massive story; this is something I'm writing almost by request so the lack of feedback those requests equated to made it feel like a waste of effort, but I'm willing to give it another go.
Secondly I know I said bi-weekly updated and then delivered a new chapter in a week but don't start expecting that; I already had the first three chapters which are basically an opening mini-arc planned out and while I have the general shape of what comes next in my head it's not planned to the same degree.
Thirdly I'm an idiot and my own idiocy means I'm going to have go back through chapter one and retcon things which I absolutely despise something….I said Ken Utonium is eight years old because that's how old he is in Powerpuff Girls Z, I also said that Buttercup left Townsville roughly three years ago….So comments about the two of them having never met don't work and have to be altered.
As a final note, any comment that is just negativity will be deleted and the person posting it blocked; you're getting my time and effort for free and if the end result isn't good enough you can kindly go fuck yourself with a cactus dipped in chilli sauce.
Now, let's summarise shall we?:
Obviously Le Quack got away, along with whatever was in that arms shipment.
Yeah Princess is just a person with an Iron-Man suit….there's gonna be a point where the amount of G-Forces she subjects herself to flying at the same speeds as the girls takes a toll.
Superhero wards in major city hospitals are definitely a thing in a universe like this.
Operating on the girls is like that one scene in Jessica Jones where they realised they couldn't actually get a needle into Luke Cage and things like the unique blood type just makes sense….Their blood type is X.
Why was the Princess breaking down moment the part of this chapter I had most clearly in my head when I started writing it.
That is absolutely an outfit Bubbles would wear.
I really wanna explore the Bubbles and Princess dynamic more and I can feel Bubbles slowly becoming the main character of this story, at least for these early chapters.
A little word-building and setting up exactly why this new weapon is so dangerous.
Boomer knows of Le Quack because he lived on the farm from Courage the Cowardly Dog for a few years.
Now I'm not gonna do the whole "Evil Superman" trope that's been in the media for the last few years, but you do have to admit that from Bubbles's perspective Blossom looked really suspicious for a moment there.
The whole Powerpuff Girls having a tangible aura around them isn't based in canon but it does make sense and it's actually something that will be brought back and paid off much later because I have plans.
Where's all my old heads who know who and what 'Charlie' is.
Also I wanted a name for the Justice Friends orbital base that doesn't really give anything away; I was gonna use "The installation" but that's the base from The Boys so instead I went with 'The High Ground'.
Politicians are bastards and the fact that governments are right now using Covid vaccines as leverage to swipe other countries natural resources is proof that they would absolutely do this kind of thing.
Dexter is absolutely a dick….But he makes several points.
Okay so I feel like someone is gonna complain about the way I wrote Bubbles in this scene so I'm gonna clarify that I feel like a good character to compare her to is actually Gohan from DBZ, especially when he first goes SSJ2 against Cell.
As for the head squeeze….I watched Invincible recently.
For all of her gear Princess is just not in the same league as the girls.
Look Blossom, no matter how much she tries to be a symbol is still a person and that's what you have to remember about her interactions with people.
When I originally planned it the scene transition was gonna go straight into the talk about the tattoos and it was gonna be a comedic cut but in practice it didn't work.
So to reiterate, anti-Chemical X poison; this stuff isn't just suppressing the girls' powers it's actively stopping them from recovering as well.
The Professor really thought Buttercup wanted to see Blossom 'cos she thought it was gonna be for the final time.
Also worth noting that despite everything between them Buttercup never, not for one second suspected Blossom.
Yes, I specially mentioned that Buttercup has tattoos because it was a setup for this...If you haven't read my stories for other fandoms then hi; I'm Pariah and I like to foreshadow and play the long game.
Princess was absolutely not gonna wait another second but also, she barged passed Bubbles and Blossom because they allowed it.
Bubbles is the mediator of the family and sometimes that involves taking two idiots and cracking their skulls together.
I'm gonna come out say it, writing this scene I felt like I had to openly and clearly state that the Professor's problems with Princess come from the fact that she's an "Ends justify the means" kind of hero because otherwise his attitude might come off as homophobia and I don't want that.
The shift to the Ace scene was actually supposed to be another funny cut, right off the line from Buttercup about not being the bad guys.
So that's where the rest of the Gangrene Gang are; Artura is trans in this because of the gender change from the original show to Powerpuff Girls Z whilst Snake and Ivy are considered different characters.
Now I expect a lot of my readers to be American just because of how the internet is, so let me explain something about British Gang Culture….we don't use guns as much and drive-by shootings are rare, gangs here are fond of outnumbering and chasing down a victim and tend to use knives, usually around a fifteen inch blade. If you've ever been, or seen someone else get run down by a pack of maniacs who have the audacity to ask why you're running while carrying a blade fresh out of an anime then it's not something you'll forget.
The name Rico was picked at random, honestly named after one of the characters in a UK show called Drillin'.
The switch-blade is actually a reference to that one time Blossom thought it was a switch-blade and it turned out to be a comb.
I honestly dislike writing torture scenes so I made this brief, but still enough to make it clear that Ace is definitely one of the bad guys.
Now I said last chapter that Buttercup's team will use lethal force if there's no other choice, they're not a rigid as Batman about it….But they would still turn Ace over to the law if he murdered someone on their behalf.
Ken Utonium is a child, but also canonically highly intelligent….So telling him it's all gonna be okay just isn't gonna work.
I feel like Bubbles and Boomer are gonna be cute in every scene they're together; although there weren't anime references this chapter just because they didn't feel like they'd fit.
"Life gives less even second chances than you do" was a pretty nasty burn, Blossom just does not trust any former supervillain.
The boys and their burrito-fuelled 'Afterburners', need I say more?
Well Buttercup's arm is already out of the steel contraption holding it together and in a cast, so she's more injured than she should be but still definitely not on top form.
Of course she kept the battle jacket.
That school got smashed up so many times.
I think you all knew how this chapter was gonna end the moment Princess got that phone call.
Sandra/Miss Keane is the girls' stepmum….I get asked if I'm taking care of my self every single time I visit my mum or any other family member I don't see as often as I should.
The tooth fairy paying for anyone's teeth, the stolen golf clubs and Dynamo….gotta get those references in.
Boomer definitely wins bad choice bingo.
Buttercup is absolutely right to be angry there and this is another instance where I want to make clear that this is not a matter of bigotry.
Ed is absolutely hard-headed enough to go alone.
So, Powerpuff Girls reunion + Princess and Boomer.
Thank you to AmazingStuffs, Shadow88, OrcPaladinArthur, Nimeah, LordJimmy123 and Lurkweed for their reviews on the last chapter.
I'm glad that you're planning on sticking with the story for as long as I continue writing it.
I'm thankful for anyone who's followed my writing across multiple fandoms and your comments will always be appreciated.
Ben 10 isn't gonna show up, neither is Danny Phantom; this is gonna be mostly Powerpuff Girls with stuff from the other Cartoon Cartoons and adjacent stuff, so that's: Powerpuff Girls, Dexter's Lab, Courage the Cowardly Dog, Cow & Chicken (+I am Weasel), Grimm adventures of Billy and Mandy (And maybe Evil Con Carne) Johnny Bravo, Samurai Jack, Codename Kids Next Door and maybe Foster's home for imaginary friends.
I need to find a way to get actually get President Bellum on screen….although her not actually showing up does feel oddly fitting.
The whole de-nationalising the brand is the only thing that makes sense; otherwise you get into the territory of things like The Boys or Falcon and the Winter Soldier where one nation (America) is basically using or planning to use a superhero to enforce their will on the world, which is not who Blossom is.
If we're making RWBY comparisons then I feel like there's definitely some comparisons to be made between Princess and Weiss.
As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.