FUSIONFALL OR:

HOW WE GOT TOGETHER TO FIGHT THE INVASION

PART 2: THE BUTTERCUP INCIDENT

"Today's the day!"

The city of Townsville was alive. Crowds of thousands flowed into its streets, pressing forward in bursts, a heartbeat of movement nourished by colour and sound. People pushed and pushed, all hoping to edge their way just a little bit further to attain that much-coveted spot where it was all happening. Music blared out from speakers floating in the air, decorated with banners and bunting that shook with each vibration, bits and pieces sometimes falling off for the crowd to snatch up to use as props as they sang along. High above, the skies were being painted with streaks of green, white, and blue, as mini jets drew the Dexlabs logo and reminded everyone that yes, TODAY WAS THE DAY.

Attempting to maintain a semblance of order, the officers of the Townsville Police force had erected barriers along the sidewalks, seeking to contain the parade-goers in the open road. They desperately shouted commands, waving frantically in a bid to remind everyone of their authority, but this mostly washed over ears that had been deafened by excitement. Further complicating things for them were the dozens of opportunists who had taken up shop along the barriers, skulking around the perimeters to sell counterfeit merchandise or offer to instapaint the faces of fans who wanted to rep Dexlabs' colours. Suspiciously, the vast majority of these vendors were wearing the same outfit - a cheap Hawaiian shirt and a crumpled straw hat, their smiles rigid and their voices oddly robotic. In fact, from the way many of them kept reaching up to adjust what appeared to be the very skin on their face… It seemed that a certain jealous rival had sent them in the hope of making a quick buck off the event as well.

For those who actually managed to make it into the square, Dexbots had been stationed to herd them towards one of a dozen or so floating mega-screens, which hovered at an angle over areas marked out on the ground. With less than an hour to go the screens cycled quietly between one of two images: the animated Dexlabs logo and a countdown steadily approaching the moment of truth, the same that had been teasing the world for the better part of the past year. Amid the screens, zipping back and forth to adjust their view were news drones approved to record the event, coming from channels such as the Townsville News Network, Bellwood NOW, Pow Cards Magazine, and RoboTV. Also moving amongst them were a number of creatures, odd things that seemed to be taking notes in their own special ways. These were beings that could only have come from those distant foreign lands the residents of Townsville knew little to nothing about, places where society was rumoured to operate through entirely different means than the ones they had here.

Of course despite the strange visitors, everyone's attention was hard-focussed on the wide-open front doors of Dexlabs HQ, beckoning like open arms into the entrance hall. The way in, however, was being heavily guarded, open only to the select few VIPs that were allowed to walk the red carpet. On the surrounding steps were the old-school news crews, those who preferred to do their work in traditional print, such as the Townsville Gazette and the Adults Only Edition (who were still not interested in changing their name). Lights from the crews' cameras flashed as guests steadily arrived, announcing them as they paused for a few photos and entertained the journalists who came over to shove a microphone into their face. Most hurried away as soon as they could, eager to get to their places in time to start the show.

Inside, the entrance hall was just as much of a hubbub as out. The usual exhibits had been tidied away in favour of mounting a display of intrigue: a series of objects, tools, and notes that told the story of a journey that until now, had been kept a strict secret. Particularly for the academics in attendance, it had created a huge buzz – intoxicated by being given just enough information to understand the magnitude of the project, but infuriated by the missing pieces that Dexter had intentionally omitted to retain the element of surprise. There was, however, a building rumour. A single word that was spreading like wildfire. Whatever it was that Dexter had been working on required a colossal amount of energy, which coupled with clear attempts to improve upon his existing warping technology, suggested that he was trying to transport something beyond distance. And beyond distance, there was only one thing:

Time.

Nobody could allow themselves to believe it until they had the evidence to confirm for certain. But of course, only one person could provide it. And right now, he was with his family, stood at the foot of the stage quietly talking to them while Computress turned away any who might disturb their conversation.

"… But why did you have to wear the turtleneck? It's so dark, and it makes you look so much older than you really are."

"I like the turtleneck, Mom. It goes well with this suit."

"But why not something like a nice white shirt? You don't even need to wear a tie - in fact I think you would look quite handsome paired with the dark blue. Your dad might even have one of his old shirts in your size at home, if it's not too late we could-"

"I'm not going to wear one of Dad's shirts! Anyway it doesn't even matter, the turtleneck is part of my image, it's what the public expects of me."

"Oh, there you go again with the 'public image'. You're such a nice boy, why do they always have to make you look so serious?"

"I am a scientist, Mom. When your work is as important as mine, you have to be serious."

Dexter's mother sighed. "Well, all right, if you say so," she said before reaching up to adjust his collar. Dexter resigned himself to letting her fiddle, sharing a knowing look with his father who stood by, casually rocking on his feet with his hands in his pockets. They looked over to see Dee Dee coming back to join them, having pranced around the room to mingle with everyone and anyone who would stop for a chat. Plastered across her face was an even huger beaming smile than they thought would have been possible for today, as her childhood instincts screamed at the sight of all the stuff she could play with. But no, Dee Dee was mature now, and she had promised Dexter, Mom, Dad, Mom and Dad, Dad and Mom, Computress, and Dexter again that she would absolutely in no way whatsoever touch anything that might interfere with Dexter's big day.

Although, it was always worth asking. She skipped to Dad's side, pulling on his arm to loop hers through it. In an exaggerated show of nonchalance, she tried to broach the subject with Dexter once again.

"Sooo, Dexter-"

"No."

"I was just going to ask-"

"No."

"But maybe I could help just a teensy-"

"No, Dee Dee!"

"Ugh, fine." Dee Dee rolled her eyes. Dad smiled and continued rocking on his feet.

A Dexbot glided down from the stage to consult with Computress. She nodded, sent it back, and turned to inform Dexter. "Dexter, they are ready for you now," she said.

Dexter nodded. "I see. It is time. Mom, Dad, Dee Dee – I gotta go. I'll see you again at the after party."

"Oh, this is so exciting! Best of luck sweetie, I know you're going to do great." Mom fussed over him as Dexter gradually pulled away from her hug. "We're counting on you, son," Dad said as he squeezed Dexter's shoulder affectionately. Dee Dee attempted to hold her grudge for all of two seconds before she swept him up in her embrace, her impossibly strong arms forcing him to hold still as she sang well wishes for her little brother. Eventually, Dexter was liberated from his family's goodbyes, and made his way up the stairs to the stage.

The crowd instantly shut up to watch him climb. They studied him with intensity even as he shed his suit jacket in favour of donning his iconic Howie lab coat, paired with his signature purple gloves. Dexter adjusted his glasses and stepped up to the microphone to address the crowd. He looked around the room, noting all the faces gazing up at him with bated breath. He saw the ones he knew, his family mouthing words of encouragement, and finally met Utonium's eye, the Professor's excited grin no longer something he could conceal. Feeling the moment come, Dexter took a breath, cleared his throat, and began. "Greetings, one and all. Thank you all for coming on this very special day. It is Dexlabs' pleasure, as it is my personal privilege, to finally be able to host you. There are many things I have prepared to explain, but first… I think I'll just show you."

Dexter signalled Computress, who in turn communicated an unspoken instruction to the Dexbots in position. They activated a hidden set of trapdoors in the stage, which began to slide apart with a smooth ksssh, retracting into the space behind them to allow a large rectangular opening to form. From below, a platform began to rise, bringing with it a great bulbous object, sat atop a cylindrical base with cables connecting it to a control panel. The invention powered on as it rose, a bright white light pulsing out from the seams in its segmented texture which then cooled down to a pale blue. In its front was a circular hatch door. But the most curious thing was what else came with it on the platform, or rather who, because it was a person.

Murmurs echoed through the audience. Dexter waited as the platform settled into place, exchanging a slight nod with the volunteer. Satisfied that everything was ready, he turned back to the microphone. "Today, I present my crowning achievement. Today I introduce to you… The Time Machine."

Gasps all round. It couldn't really be. The crowd sprung into furore, a hundred different conversations erupting throughout the room as people divided themselves over whether Dexter was actually being serious. This man - no, this boy was claiming that he had singlehandedly solved in one year what thousands had tried and failed to do in the past millennia. It was absolutely impossible. It was going to be an embarrassment – no, a scandal. And yet… there Dexter was, waiting patiently for them to finish quarrelling, untroubled by the comments being flung at him.

When the commotion at last settled down, Dexter chuckled slightly to himself. "I do thank you for your passion. It was… more or less what I was expecting. And now that we have that out of the way, it is time to demonstrate the legitimacy of my creation."

Dexter beckoned to the volunteer to come join him at the front of the stage. The audience peered at them with wary eyes, searching for the reason for their being there. Dexter's voice adopted a presentational quality as he gestured towards them. "First, I would like to introduce you to my volunteer, an exceptional individual, who has kindly agreed to participate." He paused, smiling encouragingly as the volunteer introduced themselves. "And for the sake of the audience," he continued, "Can you confirm that I have invited you purely for your unbiased participation on this day, and that prior to this day you have had no involvement in the development of this project?" He nodded, somewhat theatrically as the volunteer confirmed, and so Dexter proceeded with the next question, following the beats of the conversation they had rehearsed dozens of times over, aiming to highlight to the onlookers why he had selected this specific person for the role of volunteer.

When Dexter finished his line of questioning, he then moved on to outline the same plan he had to Utonium earlier that week. There were many hecklers, of course, which Dexter took in his stride, answering their questions with an earnestness than ignored the scepticism undercutting them. Until finally, Dexter reached the end of his brief and the only thing left to do was begin.

Dexter moved to his position behind the control panel. The volunteer stepped up to the hatch door, shifting back slightly when it released from its frame with a gust of cool air and slid to the side to let them in. Within was a simple circular room, with a similar control panel to the one Dexter had set up outside, although shaped more like a cockpit. A pilot's seat was positioned in front of the controls. "Whenever you are ready," Dexter said to the volunteer. He watched them from over his glasses as they pulled themselves in, walking over to slide into the pilot's seat. The volunteer looked back to nod before tapping a button on the panel menus, causing the door of the time machine to slide back into place, the lights rapidly pulsing a few time times before calming back down. It was now primed for command.

Dexter passed his hands over his control panel, skimming through menus to bring up what he needed. He tapped on an icon which brought up a live image of the volunteer in front of him, then dragged his finger up a slider to activate the sound. "Hello?" he said, testing. "It is I, Dexter. Can you hear me in there?" The volunteer voiced that they could. Dexter nodded. The audience stared, entranced. "Thank you for volunteering for this important time travel experiment," he reiterated. "I'm going to need you to input your profile into the system before we begin. Stand by and I'll bring it up on your monitor." He selected the option to set up a new profile, which prompted him to verify admin access. He placed his palm on the screen, allowing the panel to read it. Once his access was approved, he cast the profile set up UI to the volunteer's screen, allowing them to do as instructed.

Dexter's panel flashed with a notification to indicate successful set up. He flicked through their data to make sure it had registered correctly. "Excellent," he said. "Bio-scan is complete. Let's make sure your communicator is functioning." He glanced at Computress, who was already reaching up to tap at her temple. "All communication systems are functional, Dexter. I will be able to reconnect with the volunteer upon arrival in the future," she confirmed. Dexter's excitement was starting to show now. "Affirmative," he grunted in approval. "All right, I'm powering up the main engine now. You may feel a little bump."

Dexter took a deep breath to regain his composure, then began to twist the dial to start the engine. The machine roared into life, the power of the engine causing the entire stage to reverberate as it warmed up. The rumbling was joined by the sound of air beginning to release under high pressure, gushing out in long stretches akin to deep breaths. Now, the rumbling was spreading out to the rest of room, the ground itself quaking as the machine groaned, waiting for permission to take off. It was causing members of the audience to cling to each other, nervous to feel such force from such a distance.

Dexter, on the other hand, was loving it. "Wow, are you seeing these readings?!" he shouted, "A fine day for science, indeed!" He quickly brought up the date and time he had pre-set for the machine to travel to, making sure everything was in order. Sharing one last look with the volunteer, he placed his hand down once more to unlock the final button that would initiate the journey. "Prepare for launch," he called out, "Three… Two… One-"

CRRRACK-BOOOM!

The far roof of Dexlabs' entrance hall collapsed inwards as an implosion rocked the building.

It threw Dexter forward, causing his head to slam into the screen. Dizzied, he flailed to support himself, his hands grabbing at the panel, causing its menus to cycle through at random, changing a dozen different settings in rapid succession. Dexter pulled himself up in time to see a glaring error message scream up at him, and hear the sound of the machine launching anyway. "NO!" he shouted, but it was too late.

Before he could process what had just happened another thundering blast blew another hole in the wall, and he spun around to see Mojo Jojo's giant robot forcing its way in.

It reached forward to grip the metal framework, sheets of glass shattering on the ground as it peeled it back to shove a shoulder through the opening. Crawling over the robot's body came dozens of minions, screeching with delight as they bounced off to jetpack through the air like harpies. A horrible guffaw resonated through the room, projected from the metallic grimace shielding the villain inside, glinting like the mask of a terrible warlord. The laugh festered into Mojo's cackling voice: "IT IS I, MOJO JOJO, ESCAPED FROM YOUR PATHETIC PRISON, COME TO WREAK VENGEANCE AND SEIZE THE DEXLABS INVENTION TO MAKE IT MY OWN!"

Chaos tore through the hall. The sound of terror and panic clawed at the walls, the floors, and the ceiling as people ran in all directions to find safety. The minions came swooping down to scare them back, howling with laughter as they herded the audience like frightened sheep. "THERE IT IS MY MINIONS!" Mojo shouted from his chamber, controlling the robot to point a massive finger in the direction of the stage. "ON THE STAGE – FETCH IT, GRAB IT, TAKE IT AT ONCE!" The minions abruptly stopped and chanted their assent, then turned to speed towards it-

Only to be met with the force of three titanic fists pummelling them back to where they came from. They belonged to the Powerpuff Girls, risen above to meet them with a fury that ruptured the sound barrier from their sudden movement and caused the air to ripple with static. The minions were whiplashed back towards the far wall, two smacking against the brickwork like ragdolls, leaving cracks in the brickwork as they dropped to the floor, whilst a third sailed straight through the glass, tumbling over themselves to land in a limp pile somewhere out in the square.

The girls dominated the space above the crowd, intimidating the minions from approaching any further. Blossom scanned the scene, eyes rapidly taking in the number of the enemies they needed to handle. Her voice boomed to command her sisters: "Buttercup, push the robot back out into the open! Bubbles, force the rest of the minions after them – we need to take this fight outside! I'll get these people to safety first and-"

"I got you!" Blossom's instructions were interrupted by a raspy voice from below. She glanced down and realised she had forgotten they were not alone – there was Ben, already transformed into XLR8 and zooming about to bring people back to where Max and Rook were ushering them into Dexlabs' rear.

"Not just him, me too!" came yet another voice – Dexter, standing fiercely in the middle of the stage, eyes aflame with rage. "Computress!" he roared, "Activate Dexlabs' defensive protocols! Show these fools that they've picked the wrong house!"

"Affirmative", Computress responded, and her cool green eyes glazed over with a burning red. The rest of the Dexbots immediately followed, their normally squat bodies expanding upwards and out in order to release hidden guns in their shoulders. "DEXBOT READY FOR BATTLE," they droned in unison, and turned to take aim at the invader threatening their territory.

"We've got it covered, Blossom!" XLR8 shouted up at her, "Go with your sisters and finish that monkey!"

"Understood," Blossom nodded and took off.

Outside, the girls had driven back Mojo into the centre of the square. A colossal construction, the robot crouched much like the ape that piloted it, with gigantic cable-like limbs designed to be able to flex in all directions, terminating in barrelled forearms and shins equipped with its instruments of destruction.

"Seriously, Mojo?" Buttercup was calling out to the villain as Blossom pulled up beside them. The girls hovered opposite the giant's scowl, glaring into its eyes where surely Mojo met their gaze unflinching. "You couldn't stay put for just one more day, you had to break out and ruin things for everyone now," Buttercup continued. "Where do you even think this is gonna lead, huh? You don't think we're just gonna beat you back into jail again?"

"I would not be so confident, girl," Mojo's voice echoed back, coming with a calmness that promised even more threat than his shouting. "You caught us unawares on the Orchid Bay, where we concede that we were unprepared for you, and did not expect your arrival. But now…" The robot shifted its weight aggressively, tremendous knuckles crunching forward into closer ground. "Now we are evenly matched. Or at least, I am." Then he bellowed with inhuman ferocity and sprang at them.

The girls plunged low to avoid his clutches, looping in smooth arcs to face him as they came back up. The robot landed on its hands and carried the momentum forward, flipping over its head to land on its feet. Instantly, it pushed back off the ground, the torso rotating 180° so that Mojo was facing front again as he launched himself back towards them. This time, the girls met him in the air – snaking around the cable arms to viciously attack the robot's head and torso. Blossom and Buttercup grabbed at the base of the head, gripping it to try pry it off so that they could get to the villain inside. Bubbles whirled, narrowly avoiding the robot's hands clawing after her. After an impressive dodge, she paused to float in front of Mojo and pull a face to tease him.

"Bubbles!" her sisters shouted as a minion came flying towards her. Bubbles dashed out of the way just as the simian's hands were about to grab her collar. Others came following, swarming to support their leader. In addition to the robot's swinging arms, the girls now had to contend with a forest of minion fists and their constant stream of bolts.

Buttercup used the robot's body as a jungle gym, ducking under its limbs to trick the minions into accidentally shooting at Mojo and jumping off its shoulders to torpedo into them. Meanwhile, Blossom and Bubbles changed their focus to immobilising the arms, arms that were now shooting out miniature rockets that pursued relentlessly until one of the girls could lead them away to blow up safely. Bubbles screamed at one, charging straight through the blast, and ripped a launcher from the robot's wrist before it could fire off another one. She kept her hands in the opening it created and pulled with all her might, stretching the arm out into a taut line – giving Blossom the opportunity she needed to envelop it with her ice breath. She blew out a torrent of cold, moisture crystallising on the surface as the cable stiffened and became brittle. Seeing it to be frozen, Bubbles let go and sped up the arm, reaching out to rip it cleanly from its socket.

Mojo yowled as if it was his own arm that had been taken. The robot stumbled back involuntarily, slamming into the villain's own minions that failed to get out of the way. Buttercup cackled with delight, giving chase so she could mock him. "Well, well, well, look who's got all his arms? Oh wait, not you." She laughed, swerving to avoid the debris the robot flung at her. "All right, I got a show to watch after this, let's get this over with so I don't miss it." She darted randomly, striking dents all over the robot's body or lasering the joints to weaken them. Mojo tried and failed to swat her out of the way, shouting incoherently with frustration as she laughed and whooped, easily avoiding his clumsy movements.

The other girls came in to support their sister, covering each other's backs from a minion's frantic swipe or a stray bolt whizzing past. Handicapped by the missing arm, the robot opted to move in zig-zags, bouncing to different parts of the square to catch them off guard. After a few near misses, the girls started to aim for the legs, looking for openings in Mojo's guard that would allow them an opportunity to dive for a counterattack.

The robot jumped and fumbled its landing, stumbling for half a second before Mojo could reign it back into position. Buttercup sped forward, seeing the briefest moment for her to dash towards its left ankle - where the joint had been flexed to its maximum, making it the perfect target to rip straight through. But before she could get to it the robot's right knee suddenly came smacking into her, as the robot shifted its weight in order bring its right leg out in a twisting kick. It was a feint, and Mojo had sneaked up on her with a hit square in the chest.

Buttercup was knocked violently back, wind forced out of her lungs, flipping several times over as she temporarily lost control of her flight. She lost her momentum and managed to slow herself to a stop, but her head rolled with nausea as she gasped to regain her breath. Mojo's voice snarled at her. "YOU THINK I WOULD BE CAUGHT AGAIN SO EASILY?" he roared. The robot dropped to a kneel and brought up its remaining arm. "HAVE YOU STILL NOT LEARNED HOW EASY YOU ARE TO DISTRACT?" It closed its hand into a fist, only for that fist to rotate and disappear into its cylindrical forearm, leaving a gaping hole. From within the hole came a harsh white light, its intensity building up with alarming speed, a piercing noise increasing with it.

"You are not the only one who knows how to have fun, Buttercup." Mojo spat. "Let us see how much fun we can have with the new modification I have added - say hello to my energy cannon," he said before aiming it at the stunned Powerpuff Girl.

"NO!" Blossom shouted, speeding to move her sister out of the way. She reached forward as she closed in, both hands stretching to push her, but-

BOOOOOOOOOOM

The energy cannon burst with a beam of white light, its deafening sound silencing all except it.

Blossom was thrown back by the blast, temporarily blinded by its unbearable brilliance. Bubbles swerved to catch her, pulling her out of harm's way. The blast went on and on, drowning out everything, washing out everything so that they couldn't see, couldn't hear, even feel where they were as Mojo unleashed his devastation. Bubbles flew randomly until she hit the ground, dragging her sister underneath her to protect her from being hurt further.

And then the light faded and the act was done.

Bubbles raised her head and tentatively opened her eyes. She looked around to see that they had landed in the shade of one of the last few trees that remained standing, among the mess of upturned earth and scattered rubble that Tech Square had become. Thankfully, no building other than Dexlabs had been hit directly and no civilian had been hurt, able to escape to shelter before the battle had kicked off. Blossom stirred from underneath Bubbles, rubbing her own eyes that were still stinging from staring right into the beam. The girls pulled themselves to their feet and looked up to see that the robot was completely frozen, as if Mojo could no longer move it. Strange, they thought as they launched themselves back into the air, and flew towards where-

Wait.

"Where's Buttercup?" Bubbles said, confused. The girls span around, searching the area for their sister, but she was nowhere to be found. "Buttercup?!" Blossom called out, a horrible fear creeping into her throat. The girls turned to look at the robot, or rather, glare at Mojo.

"I… have done something. Something that cannot be undone," Mojo began. "The beam was more powerful than I-"

"What did you do?!" Blossom yelled.

"Please understand, I just wanted to teach her a lesson, I did not mean for-"

"WHAT DID YOU DO?!" Blossom screamed and charged at him.

The girls rained savagery upon the robot. They amputated its arm and legs in an instant, following the crippled torso to the ground where they pounded and pounded and pounded at the metal until it tore like wet cardboard, reaching in to rip out handfuls of crackling wire and oil-soaked tubing. They mauled through the neck piece that held the robot's face in place, wrenching off chunks of material that they threw mindlessly over their shoulders, uncaring about anything but getting through to the monster cowering inside.

Beneath the outer layer was a transparent dome where they could finally see Mojo, gaping stupidly in his pathetic chamber as he could do nothing but wait for the demons to come for him. He winced as they cracked the reinforced glass, bringing up his arms to shield himself as loose shards shot past him to embed themselves into the surrounding walls. A hand reached in to grab him by the throat and he was yanked clean out, only to be thrown straight into the ground in the centre of the square.

He slammed into the earth, super-evolved body searing with pain from the impact. Before he could even take a breath the girls appeared in front of him and began beating him senseless, brain thudding against the wall of its casing as his face took hit after hit after hit. This could be it, a single thought wandered through his mind, experience completely detached from his body. This could be the day they actually end me. A strange sense of peace overcame him, intertwining with the pain, and so Mojo Jojo accepted his destiny.

The beating stopped.

Mojo opened his swollen, bloodied, bruised eyes. At first, all he could see were vague shapes and colours through all the tears. But gradually things came back into focus, and he could see that the girls had been pulled back, arms held in a vice grip by a tall, lean blue alien.

"Stop, you'll kill him!" the alien was shouting. The girls were shouting back, a string of unfocussed sentences that failed to articulate through all the adrenaline and emotion. "It doesn't matter," the alien was still talking to them, somehow understanding what they were saying. "This isn't who we are - we can't stoop down to his level!"

"I don't care anymore!" one of them bawled.

"You have to try," the alien responded. "Otherwise you have to go through me."

The seriousness of the alien's words seemed to get through to them. The girls regained their composure. Mojo could feel their eyes, overcasting him with a cloud of absolute hate. He had gone too far, he knew it. He had to make peace. He parted his lips, breath wheezing, weak voice drifting out on the exhale.

"I… Am… Sorry…" he managed.

"Get out of Townsville. Get out and do not come back."

Blossom's voice had aged a thousand years, embodied with the threat of total and utter ruination. It promised him a danger that struck an ice-cold fear into his heart and the hearts of all those who watched from a distance, minions and civilians alike, frozen in place by a wrath that they had never seen before.

"GO ON, TAKE HIM!" Blossom ordered, and the minions scurried towards their broken leader, gaze averted in terror as they gingerly lifted him from the crater he was nestled in. The minions took off into the air, carrying a Mojo Jojo that was rapidly giving in to unconsciousness, and disappeared never to be seen again.

XLR8 transformed back into Ben in a flash of green light, and he finally let go of the girls' arms. He stepped away to give them some space. The girls stood there awkwardly, looking dumbly at the space in front of them, then at each other, minds completely blank.

Buttercup was gone.

They searched each other's faces, waiting desperately for the other to make a decision. They had no ideas, not even one, on what to do. Then a noise from behind stirred their attention, causing them to look and see Professer Utonium had stepped out from the crowd.

The Professor's face was an ashen mask, drained of all colour. His arms hung limply at his sides, and his eyes stared into nothing. Nothing until they met those of his daughters, and then they were flooded with grief and pain, and with the first of many tears to come.

The last two Powerpuff Girls finally started to cry and ran into the arms of their father.

END OF PART 2