Villain: Redux

By: Yay Ninja Bob

Part II: Hate & War

Chapter 13

Recovery

It had only been a couple of hours since her sibling had stormed off after their quarrel that night. Disappearing for a few hours after an angry blow up like that was not an uncommon thing for Buttercup to do, but still Blossom could not help but worry. As soon as Bubbles had settled down enough to fall asleep for the night, the team leader went out on her own to conduct their midnight sweeps solo. However, Blossom's mission that night was not tracking down villains or hunting aliens, but instead finding Buttercup.

It was ten past midnight and the majority of the city was sound asleep for the night. The quietness of the streets below only made it easier for Blossom to listen out for the mechanical beeping alarm that belonged to her sibling's wrist communicator. The pink Puff had tried all night to reach Buttercup through the shared communication device, but the green Puff never answered. Blossom flew across the city and followed the distant beeping alarm that matched the same tone that rang from her own wrist. She had hoped to find Buttercup, but as she drew closer to the sound, she saw for herself that the green wristwatch lay abandoned on an empty street with no owner in sight.

Blossom touched down onto the blackened asphalt and knelt for the beeping communicator. As she silenced the green wristwatch's alarm, she felt a sudden coldness run over her, and felt herself beginning to tremble. Finding her sibling's wristwatch abandoned on the ground like that instantly stirred up the most painful of memories. She could not help but be reminded of the time when she and Bubbles discovered their sibling's deserted bracelet on the jungle floors of Monster Isle, just before they found Buttercup next...

The pink Puff shut her eyes tightly as she held onto the green wristwatch and tried to ignore the haunting imagery of that horrible, fateful day that began to resurface. "BUTTERCUP!" Blossom called out as she opened her bubblegum eyes once more and looked desperately around the empty street. "...Where are you?" She finished more quietly and waited intently for an answer, but there was none. The chill within her only worsened as she felt her chest ache painfully.

"It's not going to be like that again," Blossom tried to convince herself in her mind then, "That won't ever happen again. It can't happen again... Buttercup will be OK. She has to be OK..." She closed her eyes and breathed deeply, forcing herself to listen to what she was telling herself and ignore the unsettling feeling in her gut. "It was just a fight- a misunderstanding. Once she cools down, she'll come back home. She'll come back... She always comes back..."

Blossom took another deep breath as she stored her sibling's wrist communicator in her pants pocket. She looked up and stared for a moment at the empty night sky, pleading quietly to herself, "Please be OK, Buttercup... Wherever you are..."


There was only a small sliver of moonlight that shone through the makeshift entrance of the water tower's tank. It was just enough light to illuminate Mojo's work area he had set up beside the small cut opening. The moonlight's dim glow wasn't ideal, but it would have to do for then. Even with his power generators assembled and ready, the work lamps, along with the majority of his supplies, were still some two-hundred and fifty feet below hidden and waiting to be carried up the tower. It was supposed to be an easy task for his superpowered help to complete for him, but with that help now lying incapacitated and seemingly comatose in the corner of his lair, he would have to find another way.

During their initial construction, Mojo had already asked the green Powerpuff to cut away a large portion of the largest center metal pipe within the tower, which he had planned to build an elevator within. The simian worked quickly with what little he had, which was just some rope and scrap metal. He sat at his workstation to assemble a temporary pulley system to install within the center pipe. He would not be able to carry quite everything he needed up the tower that way, but at least he could keep the construction of his lair moving forward somewhat. It would certainly be better than trying to physically haul what he could on his own up the ladder.

As Mojo worked he simultaneously kept a watchful eye on the unconscious Puff in the corner. He was still unsure of what to make of the superhero's dormant state. The child had yet to move at all for the last three hours. The strange electric green power that had erupted suddenly from the green Puff was certainly the cause, but what that power was and why it left the hero completely wasted afterwards was still a mystery. Joey had pleaded out loud for the power to stop. "Not again," Mojo recalled to himself. The words were said with both fear and desperation. So... what exactly happened before?

Mojo stood from his workstation and began to haul the pieces to his makeshift pulley system over to the center pipe. As he stumbled briefly with the heavy bundle of ropes, he could not help but mutter his annoyances out loud to himself, knowing that if everything had just gone according to plan his lair's construction would have easily been underway then. Previously, he had hoped to complete construction that night with the green Puff's assistance, but without the superhero's abilities, he knew then he would be lucky to just get his equipment inside the new base before sunrise.

As the short simian struggled in the dark, the massive hollow interior of the metal water tank caused the villain's low grumbles to echo throughout the lair. Far across the room from him, still lay the unmoving Powerpuff. As Mojo's ongoing tinkering and grumbling continued to echo round the young hero's head for some time, the noise gradually, slowly stirred them awake.

The sounds were distant, muffled and they faded in and out as the green Puff struggled still to regain consciousness. With nearly every ounce of energy drained from them, the superpowered teen barely had enough strength to lift their eyelids open just wide enough to see the darkened faraway curved ceiling of the water tank. It took some time for the half-lucid hero to register where they were and recall what had just happened, and by the time they had made the connection, what little energy they had managed to rebuild was spent when the hero forced themself to turn their head towards the sound of Mojo. Their weakened gaze settled on Mojo in the distance for just a short moment, before their exhausted eyes fell shut again.

As the green Puff felt themself slowly lose their frail grasp of the surrounding world, the last thing they could faintly make out was the sight of somebody suddenly standing beside them- a thirteen-year-old with a bloody, beaten face and a wild fear in her one good eye as she stood over them.

"Hey! Hey, can you hear me now?!" the kid shouted down at the green Puff, "Get up already, would ya?! We gotta get outta here! It's only a matter of time before Mojo takes his revenge out on us, and kills us while you're down! Dude, come on! Get up! Get up! GET UP!"

For once, the kid's advice was something the hero agreed with, but try as they might, it was impossible to move, let alone stay awake for much longer. Their latest "power surge" had taken its toll, and it would be a long time before a full recovery would be complete. The kid's panicking sounded more and more distant as Buttercup slipped further and further away into unconsciousness once more.

"He's gonna kill us! He's gonna kill us!"

She was probably right, and as scared as the kid sounded, for some reason Buttercup did not share any of that same fear. Sure, the hero was numb from lack of power, but strangely enough the idea of possibly never waking up again didn't exactly seem all that bad to them. Just before their last bit of consciousness slipped away, the green Puff wondered lastly why the very real likelihood of their own death didn't seem to matter to them as much as it probably should.


The massive grand corridors of Morbucks Manor were quiet like most mornings on the estate. As Alfred unlocked the main home's front door and stepped inside, he was greeted by the impatient high pitched barks of Princess's pet Pomeranian, Precious, who sat in the foyer waiting for his return just as he did every morning. "Yes, here you are, Precious," Alfred answered the yipping dog as he knelt down to set a small paper cup filled with whipped cream in front of him, "One Puppuccino."

As the tiny red haired dog lapped away at his treat, Alfred ascended the home's grand staircase to deliver Princess's usual morning ice coffee next.

Princess had the purple drapes to her office windows drawn open, and the morning summer sun shone brightly behind from where she sat at her work desk. The young heiress hummed peacefully to herself as she scribbled away on her yellow paged notebook.

"Your iced coffee, Miss," Alfred announced as he entered the office.

"Thank you, Alfred," Princess responded without looking up from her writing.

As Alfred sat the beverage down on a spot on the desk, he tried to curiously peak at what Princess was working on as he stood beside her, but the teenager quickly turned over the notebook and shot the nosy butler a narrowed, serious stare, "Alfred! I'm plotting! You know how I hate it when you peak before I've finished!"

Alfred responded with a weak smile, "Forgive me, Miss. I was simply curious as to what has had you so preoccupied for the last two days."

Princess kept her notebook turned over as she pouted for one last moment before sighing deeply. "Well, with that stupid monkey still out there, I've had to make some readjustments to my grand scheme." Princess reached for her iced coffee and took a sip as she muttered quietly to herself, "I still can't believe he managed to get away..."

"I'm sorry, Miss. I'm sure your latest plan will be even better."

Princess set aside her drink and sat up in her chair once more with a smile, "Well, I hate to brag before I'm done, but I really think it might be, Alfred. After all, everything now gets to include my new partner in crime, Joey."

Alfred watched the dreamy-eyed expression sweep the youngster's face at the mere mention of her new friend's name, and smiled weakly once more, "I see..."

"That reminds me!" Princess suddenly exclaimed with a small gasp. She searched underneath her collection of folders on her desk for something, "I have an errand for you today, Alfred."

"Of course, Miss. What do you need?"

"I've designed new matching uniforms for Joey and I," Princess spun around in her desk chair with a proud grin as she held out a sheet of paper for Alfred to take, "Have them made, and make sure to find a discreet seamstress, alright?"

As Alfred took the sheet from Princess, he paused as he tried to find the most delicate way to continue. "Princess..." he began with a weak smile, "Perhaps... we should wait to have these made until you speak with Joey about them first-"

Princess interrupted him with a quick gasp, "Did Joey call?!" she asked eagerly.

"No, Princess," Alfred answered with a small frown, "There hasn't been any calls..."

"...Oh," Princess's excited expression faded as she sat back in her chair once more. The teenager reached into her pants pocket and retrieved her cell phone. She scrolled through the device with a small frown.

Alfred handed the uniform designs back to Princess with a weak smile, "I'm sure Joey will call soon enough, but... I think it might be best to wait until then. After all, we can't have anything properly made until we have Joey's measurements, right?"

Princess lowered her cellphone once more and looked up at Alfred as she took the designs from him. "Yes..." she replied somewhat quietly, "I suppose you're right, Alfred..."

"Very well then," Alfred replied with another weak smile, "I'll leave you to your scheming then, Princess-"

"Alfred," Princess interrupted the butler just as he turned to leave. She waited for him to face her again before continuing, "You don't think... Joey might be... avoiding me... do you?"

"No, Miss," Alfred answered quickly, "Why would anyone do that-" Alfred stopped as he watched Princess hang her head as she stared glumly at her cellphone. He frowned, "Princess... if that turns out to be the case, you know that it wouldn't be because of any fault of your own. You know that, don't you?"

Princess glanced up at Alfred, but said nothing before she turned in her seat again to face her desk. As her brown eyes settled on her collection of new ideas she had been plotting with Joey in mind, she began to rethink things for the first time then. It had been nearly two days and she hadn't heard from Joey since she last saw them at the Discovery Dome. The only way she even knew that Joey had made it out that night without getting caught was from the news report she read in the paper the next day. She had been so preoccupied with replanning everything to include Joey since they had promised to help her, she hadn't even realized this until then.

"Princess?" Alfred inquired after several minutes of silence.

Princess sipped quietly from her iced coffee before she turned back to Alfred, "Say..." she tilted her head curiously, "What's your honest opinion of Joey, Alfred?"

"Well..." Alfred began slowly, "They seem... nice... I suppose-"

"Just tell me what you think, Alfred," Princess demanded with a pout, "Seriously, I want to know!"

Alfred hesitated. "Very well," he cleared his throat, "Joey is... mysterious, obviously." Just as soon as the swoon returned on Princess' face, it disappeared as soon as Alfred added, "Perhaps, too mysterious, I think..."

Princess frowned, "Go on..."

Alfred sighed as he continued, "The mask thing is, well, odd," he continued honestly. "And, well, I don't appreciate how this Joey seems to come and go whenever they choose. And to not even call you for days at a time, when I know for a fact you've been trying to reach them yourself. And well... if you ask me, I don't think your father would approve at all-"

Princess interrupted him next with a small gasp, "Daddy would too like Joey!" she protested.

Alfred bit his tongue for a moment, "Forgive me, Princess, but... I suppose I just don't get it. You barely know anything about them- not even a face to match to their name. Who knows what they could be hiding!"

As Alfred made his last point, Princess turned away from him and spoke low, "You're right, Alfred. You don't get it." She straightened her posture as she reached for her pen and notebook once more, "I'd like my privacy to work again, if you don't mind."

Alfred frowned slightly as he turned to leave, "Of course, Miss. I'll leave you to it."

Princess waited until he had left the room completely before she turned over her notebook once more. As she turned the page to a clean sheet of yellow lined paper, she paused with her pen in hand as she struggled to find her place once more. "Ugh," she groaned after a full minute of drawing a blank, "Alfred totally threw me off now!" she pouted as she reclined in her seat.

As the short teen spun round in her swivel chair several times, she continued to vent out loud to herself, "I mean! How dare he say I barely know anything about Joey! I know that they're sixteen years old, and that they play the bass, and that they're super strong, and..." Princess paused briefly as her mind flashed back to their last time spent together at the Discovery Dome. A dreamy look involuntarily swept her face once more as she continued her list, "Spontaneous, so spontaneous... and they're courageous and brave... and daring... They ruined those Powerpukes' birthday just for me, and they promised to help me destroy them, too!" Princess paused to sigh deeply. "And sure... I guess I wish I knew what they looked like, but... I'm sure Joey will show me whenever they feel comfortable enough to do so..." as Princess spoke she massaged a spot behind her back just behind her neck and frowned to herself. "Alfred just can't understand, but... I do..."

The dreamy eyed girl absentmindedly doodled hearts upon her notepad as she continued to replay in her mind every moment she had spent with her masked crush, and daydream about what the future could bring next. As she thought back to the first time they met, a new idea came to mind suddenly. "Of course! I met Joey through Ace! Duh! He'll know where I can find them!" Princess could not help but squeal with joy as she leapt from her seat and hurried out of her office for her bedroom suite down the hallway where she could plan the perfect outfit for the day. After all, if she was going to plan to surprise Joey, then she needed to look good.


The last time Blossom had checked the time it was 4:25 AM. She had only meant to close her eyes for just a moment as she rested her head on her computer desk. She meant to stay awake until Buttercup's return home, but exhaustion had her beat. It was nearly 10 AM then, and the tall redhead was still passed out, hunched over on her computer desk chair, her head resting on her desk before her.

"BLOSSOM!" Bubbles shouted at the top of her lungs as she burst into her sister's pink colored room with a bright flash of baby blue light.

The high pitched exclamation was enough to wake Blossom instantly and she sat up with a jolt, "What? What time is it?" she asked as she snapped awake, "Is it Buttercup? Is she back?" Before Blossom could check the time for herself, Bubbles grabbed her by the arm and quickly yanked her to her feet, pulling her along with her as she hurried back down the hallway.

Bubbles led Blossom into their sibling's bedroom, explaining quickly along the way, "I just woke up and I wanted to see if Buttercup was back so I went to her room but she wasn't inside-"

"She's really still not back?" Blossom blinked in disbelief as Bubbles pulled her into Buttercup's room.

"No, and look!" Bubbles frowned as she gestured to the birdcage that sat upon Buttercup's dresser.

Blossom blinked at the empty birdcage for several moments. She could see for herself that the two parakeets were not there and the cage's wire door had been left wide open. "The birds are missing too?"

Bubbles nodded quickly, "I checked everywhere in the house once I saw, but they're not here! They're not anywhere! They're gone!" Her baby blue eyes began to glisten with tears as she spoke with a small squeak, "Blossom... what could this mean?"

Blossom slowly shook her head as she glanced about her sibling's empty bedroom with a befuddled expression, "I... I don't know, Bubbles..." She turned back towards her sister whose tears had begun to fall.

The pigtailed girl threw her arms around Blossom as she started to cry and hugged her tightly, "I don't understand, Blossom! Where's Lorenzo and Maria? Wh-where's Buttercup? Where did she go and why isn't she back yet?"

Blossom held onto her crying sister, and patted her hair gently as she tried her best to soothe her. As much as she tried to think of an encouraging thing to say in that moment, Blossom was at a loss for words and had no answers to give. She was just as confused and scared for their sibling as Bubbles was, but what could she do about it then? All she could do was hold back her own tears and stay as strong as possible for Bubbles' sake. She held onto the tall crybaby who continued to weep on her shoulder and spoke gently after a while, "It's... it's going to be OK, Bubbles..."

"Y-you really think so?"

Blossom gulped a little, "Yeah..."

As the two sisters clung to one another for support, they heard the sound of their home's doorbell suddenly ring out. The two exchanged quick glances with one another before they quickly darted out the door and down their home's staircase together. As the girls reached the final step their eyes fell on the Professor who was answering the front door.

"Hello, Mayor," he greeted the tall redheaded politician as she stepped inside their home, "Thank you again for coming by so quickly."

"Of course, Professor. Anything I can do to help my girls," Bellum replied with a small smile, "Still no word from Buttercup then?"

The Professor frowned as he shook his head. As he and the mayor turned around together, they noticed both Blossom and Bubbles watching from the stairway.

"Good morning, Girls," Mayor Bellum greeted with a kind smile.

"Morning, Miss Bellum," Bubbles wiped away the tears from her cheeks as she forced a smile.

"Good morning, Mayor," Blossom greeted somewhat shyly from where she stood at the foot of the staircase. Her face flushed red briefly as she realized she was still dressed in her pajamas then. "What brings you by?"

"I'm just here to see how you girls are doing," Mayor Bellum continued as she approached both girls with the Professor at her side.

"Buttercup's missing, Miss Bellum," Bubbles spoke in a soft squeak.

"Yes, the Professor told me," Mayor Bellum frowned as her eyes fell on the tearful blue Powerpuff, "But rest assured that I have every unit on the lookout for her until she's found and safely brought home."

"Thank you, Mayor," Blossom replied quietly.

Bellum stood before the two teenagers and reached out to them. She rested a hand on each of their shoulders as she spoke softly, "I know since your birthday, things have been quite chaotic for you all. There's certainly been enough going on to make me feel overwhelmed at times, so I can't imagine how difficult it must be for you girls." She paused to give each girl a small, encouraging smile, "I'm sure Buttercup will turn up soon... sometimes we just need a little break, right?"

As Bellum looked to Blossom, the team leader answered quietly, "...Right..."

"Why don't you two take today to rest yourselves, hmm?" Mayor Bellum continued. "I don't want you girls getting too overwhelmed."

"That's nice, Mayor, but we can't just stay home with our sister missing, and all the villains still free, and-"

"Yes, I know Blossom," the mayor interrupted with a smile, "And you've been doing such a wonderful job so far, but now that the Professor has our new hotline system set up for us, if anything turns up, well, we can just give you a call. There's no need exhausting yourselves every day with your surveillance sweeps when I have an entire police force who can do that for you. You girls have school starting again in just a couple weeks, right?"

"Yeah," Bubbles answered with a nod and a squeak.

Mayor Bellum smiled at the pigtailed girl, "So you should try and have a little fun before your summer break is up then."

Bubbles nodded along slowly while Blossom stood quiet for a moment. "But, Mayor," she began hesitantly, "What if... something happens?"

"Like the mayor said, Blossom," Professor stepped in next, "Then she will call you. Right, Mayor?"

"That's right," Bellum answered simply.

"But what about the investigations? What about the Alien?" Blossom continued to insist.

Bellum rested her hand on the pink Puff's shoulder once more, "We're handling it, Blossom. Our investigating team is still working very hard I assure you."

"Well... will I still get copies of their findings every day? I... I still want to continue my own investigation if that's OK..."

Mayor Bellum smiled, "If that's what you want, Dear, then yes. I will see to it personally that everything we find is sent your way, OK?"

Blossom looked between the Professor and Mayor Bellum and nodded slowly. "OK..." she gulped nervously, "Thank you, Mayor."

"Fantastic," Bellum replied with a smile. She turned to the Professor next, "Now, Professor, I believe you have a new cell prototype to show me while I'm here?"

"Yes, Mayor," the Professor replied, "Please, right this way..."


Ace swapped his work safety goggles for his pair of dark shades as he clocked out for lunch that afternoon. He carried his brown paper lunch sack in one hand while he fished around for his cigarettes in his pants pocket, and came to his usual lunch spot along the chain link fence that ran along the construction site. He sat down in a shaded area on the grass, with his back against the fencing. Balancing a single cigarette between his lips, he retrieved a lighter next from his pocket, lit up and took a long, deep drag.

It had been a hard work day so far for Ace. With everything going on back home, he hadn't been able to get much sleep as of late. Things had been so great when the gang showed up at first, but the party didn't last for very long. Arturo had already been pretty tense with him since he learned Sophia's babysitter turned out to be Townsville's biggest outlaw. In his defense however, at the time, Ace had no way of knowing what the kid would eventually do. Having a Powerpuff as a babysitter seemed like the safest hands Ace could have left Sophia in, after all. Not to mention, it was a plus for him financially that he could pay the teenager in weed.

As if Arturo wasn't upset enough, Tyler had to go and get the gang caught up the other day and give his cousin another reason to want to leave town. Sure, the gang and Tyler got out of the situation OK, but it wasn't enough to keep Arturo from calling his mother behind his back and alerting her to what was happening. Of course, his mom was just itching for a reason to chew him out and lecture him on what he'd done wrong. When Ace returned home from work that day, she was waiting on the phone with Arturo for her chance to tear into him. She wanted Arturo and the gang to move up north with her, where they could hide far from Townsville. She wanted him and Sophia up there, too, living with her. Nevermind the life he had managed to build for himself. Nevermind that Soph had school in a couple of weeks and would have no friends up north. Tyler and Betty still relied on him for half the rent to their condo- what about them? They worked for him, too, and what about his business? What about his band?

Another long drag, and as Ace exhaled he tilted his head upward and watched the smoke get carried away by the afternoon summer breeze. Beyond the construction sight, Ace watched as a team of men worked high up on a nearby billboard advertisement, replacing the old Powerpuff display with a fresh new one. Ace lowered his shades for a moment as he reached next for his cellphone in his pocket. He opened his phone's text messages and reread the last text he had received from Buttercup two days prior. "Hey, Ace. I have an idea. Call me before work. I'll be up."

He felt bad for ignoring the message for two days, but as good-intentioned as the kid was, he and the gang were still in a lot of trouble because of that prison break. Still, the kid showed up for Tyler and his gang when they needed it. Without the superhero's help, they would have been caught for sure, and as messy as the situation was, Ace also knew that without "the Alien" his gang wouldn't have no type of freedom at all.

Ace took another drag from his cigarette before balancing it between his lips once more as he began to type a message out to Buttercup. "Hey Kid. Sorry I'm just getting back to ya. Call me when ya can." He hit send and returned his phone to his pockets once more.

As Ace retrieved his ham and cheese sandwich from his lunch sack next, he looked across the construction site and noticed then a black and white police cruiser parked outside his boss's work trailer. He watched from afar as his boss stood with a police officer just outside the work trailer and chatted. As they spoke, Ace could tell that his boss kept glancing in Ace's direction. Sure enough, the officer eventually looked over to him next, and soon was walking casually towards him. "Aw, shit," Ace muttered from behind his uneaten sandwich. He tossed the sandwich back into his brown paper sack and stood to greet the officer as he came at him, "Hey there, Officer-"

"Andrew Espinoza?" the policeman interrupted.

"Yeah."

"Also known as Ace, correct?"

Ace gave a nod, "Yep. That'd be correct, Sir. How can I help ya?"

"You're a hard man to track down, Ace."

"That's 'cause I'm so good at staying outta trouble nowadays, Officer," Ace smirked, but the policeman seemed unamused.

"I'm sure you're aware of the prison break that took place last week."

"Sure, but I don't know nothin' except for whatever's being said on the news-" Ace was cut short as the officer held out a business card for him to take next. Ace took the card in hand that held the address and information for Townsville Police Department on it.

"We'd like you to come down to the precinct tomorrow and answer some questions for us, if you don't mind," the policeman said. "I've talked to your boss already about things and he's already agreed to give you the day off so that you can help us with our investigation."

"Well then I guess I can't say 'no' then, can I?" Ace muttered a little as he studied the card in his hands for a moment. The officer raised an eyebrow, and Ace forced himself to be polite again to avoid problems, "Sure thing, Officer. That's no problem at all."

Ace watched as the officer retreated back to his cruiser. His boss Fred waited until the police car had pulled out of the construction site before he approached Ace next. "Everything alright, my man?" he asked.

"Yeah," Ace muttered, "I'm good."

"Don't worry, my man, I put in a good word for ya. I told that cop straight up, you're one of the best workers I got."

"Thanks, Fred."

"Anytime, my man." As Fred gave the slender green man a pat on the back, he and Ace watched as a black stretched limousine pulled into the construction site next. "Aw, shit," Fred muttered next, "It's the boss."

Ace and Fred watched as the limo's driver, Alfred, stepped out and opened the rear door, and out stepped Princess. "Yo, how is she the boss anyway?" Ace turned to Fred, "Isn't it her dad that owns everything?"

Fred wore a plastered fake smile as he waved to the young heiress in the distance. Behind his forced grin he muttered under his breath to Ace, "It's some sorta internship program her dad set up a couple years back. Guess he's trying to train the girl young to take over the family business or something. I'll tell you what though, having a snobby little teenager for a boss is some degrading ass shit-" Fred stopped, his tone changing suddenly as Princess drew nearer, "Miss Princess! What a surprise! I didn't know you'd be dropping by today-"

Princess gave the hardhat worker a small smile before glancing at Ace. "I have some work that needs to be done at the manor today," Princess explained casually to Fred. "Could I borrow one of your workers for the rest of the afternoon?" She looked at Ace again, "Actually, he'll do just fine," she smiled deviously.

Ace rolled his eyes from behind his shades, knowing the young heiress was up to no good. What could she possibly want from him now? As if he didn't have enough going on already thanks to her.

Fred shrugged, "You're the boss, Miss Princess."

The short girl's smile only widened, "Excellent," she looked to Ace, "Let's go."

Ace raised the brown paper bag in her hand, "But I'm still on lunch-"

"You can eat in the car," Princess replied simply as she began back towards the limousine.

Ace sighed heavily to himself before he followed behind the short heiress. "I better at least still get paid for this..."


Even in the green Puff's dreamscape, their body felt heavy, worn and weak from where they lay on the cool, stone floor. It took a while for the skinny teenager to find the strength to sit up and as they did they groaned loudly as their muscles ached terribly. As the hero held onto their throbbing head and looked about their surroundings they at first mistook the curved steel walls and ceiling of the domed building to be the same water tank where their true body lay then. However as they spotted Mojo in the distance, they saw that his villainous uniform was gone and replaced with a tattered trench coat, and his helmet was replaced with a large brown paper bag. As the short simian turned around, the green Puff next realized that he was much younger looking then. They took a second look at their surroundings once more and slowly realized, "Huh... this was a long time ago..."

The dreaming adolescent tried to stand, but still felt too weak. They gave up and stayed sitting upon the floor as they watched the green skinned chimp from afar who did not seem to notice them. As the younger Mojo- then known as simply Jojo- stood with a roll of blueprints in hand, a bright green light flashed suddenly beside him.

"Hey, Jojo, you think you can use this?" a five-year-old Buttercup asked eagerly of the simian as she held onto a large cardboard box filled with assorted junk.

"Ah, yes, excellent, Buttercup," Jojo replied as he peered into the box with a devious grin. "That will do just nicely. Once we complete construction on the dome, I can certainly use it for our ultimate design..."

"Cool!" the small, floating child grinned big, "I saw more just like it at the junkyard!" she shouted as she began to fly away, "I'll be right back with more then!"

"Be speedy, young Buttercup and do not linger! We cannot afford your absence for long!" Jojo shouted after her as she flew, "After all, we still have much to complete before nightfall has ended!"

"Well," the dreaming green Puff muttered to themself as they watched from afar, "I guess I'm not dead yet. I mean... I can't be dreaming if I'm dead... right?" Their emerald eyes followed their younger self in the distance as she shot off towards her sisters who had just returned from outside the dome building.

"Bubbles and I are all done with the telescope!" the small pink Puff announced proudly. "How's the rest of your treasure hunt going, Buttercup?"

"Good!" the tiny tomboy grinned, "Jojo said he could use more of this, so I was gonna go find more. You guys wanna come with me?"

"Yeah!" five-year-old Bubbles' high pitched squeaks were somehow even squeakier than the green Puff remembered.

"Yeah," five-year-old Blossom nodded in agreement, "I'm sure if we split up, we'll be able to find more in no time! Let's go!" she shot off with a flash of pink light.

"Yay! Treasure hunting!" the little pigtailed Puff clapped with joy before disappearing next with a flash of baby blue light.

"Hold up!" five-year-old Buttercup shouted after them, "Let me just put this away first-" as the kindergartner turned around her big, bright green eyes landed on the teenager who watched her in the distance. The ravenhaired child sat the box down on the floor before zipping over to them next. "Hey!" she shouted as she appeared just before Joey with a flash of green light, "Who are you?"

Joey blinked back at their younger self then for a moment. Had she really been that small at that age? "Uh, hey," they waved awkwardly, "I'm Joey."

"Are you a friend of Jojo's?"

"Uh," Joey shrugged, "Sure."

"Oh OK, cool-" the kindergartner smiled at Joey, but suddenly flinched as her green eyes grew wide and she pointed behind them, "Hey lookout! There's a zombie behind you!"

"What?" Joey blinked at the child before glancing over their shoulder. Their eyes immediately narrowed on the blood soaked thirteen-year-old. "Oh. You."

"Yeah, me," the kid shrugged from behind.

The superpowered kindergartner that floated before them continued to stare at the bloody, acid seared thirteen-year-old with wide, fearful eyes, "Who are you?"

A devious grin swept the younger teen's face as she turned towards the child next, "Me? You know me."

"No I don't!"

"Sure you do!" the kid laughed as they crept closer to the tiny green Puff. She paused as she leaned towards herself with a wicked smile, "I'm you from the future!"

The tiny tomboy's eyes widened as she looked her older self up and down, "...Wh-what happened?"

"Don't listen to her," Joey shook their head at the blood-soaked kid, before they looked back at their five-year-old self, "She's joking. Just... go do that treasure hunt with your sisters. Remember?"

"Huh?" the tiny Puff blinked between the two for a moment before she nodded, "Uh... Oh yeah! I gotta go! Later!" and with that the child disappeared with a flash of bright green light.

"Dude," the kid continued to laugh a little, "Did ya see how freaked out she was when I told her I was her from the future-"

"Why would you want to torture our younger self like that?" Joey rolled their eyes.

"I dunno! It's fun!" the kid shrugged, "Besides, none of this is real! It's all just a dream! So come on, let's get you outta here and back to the real world."

"Nah, I'm not ready yet-"

"What are you talkin' about? Of course you are! Let's go!"

"Dude, I tried, alright?" Joey argued from where they sat on the ground, "I can barely stand up-"

"Well," the kid stood behind Joey and grasped their shoulders with their bloody hands, "Lemme help you-"

"Dude!" Joey nudged the kid away with one elbow and glared, "Back off!"

The kid blinked back at the green Puff for several moments before a scowl crossed her face next. "Dude! I'm just tryin' to help!"

"You're always 'just trying to help!' Maybe I don't want your crazy fucking hallucinatory help!"

"Yo, in case you forgot, you're still currently trapped in Mojo Jojo's lair right now! You've been knocked out for like ever, and it's only a matter of time before he-"

"Kills us," Joey completed with a grumble, "Yeah, yeah. I get it-"

"Nah, Dude. You don't get it," the kid shook her head as she walked around herself in a circle, "Come on, we gotta get up!"

"I told you, I can't!" Joey crossed their arms.

"Yes, you can!" the kid stomped their foot angrily as she stood before them. She reached out with both bloody, beaten hands and tried to yank the sixteen-year-old up off the ground who instantly fought back.

The green Puff's weakened state only made it an even match for their tug-o-war, as the two clawed at one another, "Dude! I said back off!"

"Get up!"

"No!"

"Get up now!"

"NO!"

"Get up! Get up! GET UP!"


The steady mechanical cranks of Mojo's torque wrench echoed throughout the hollow interior of the massive water tank. The short simian leaned up against the massive switchboard panel he had built earlier in the day as he completed construction to the final turbine generator that sat upon his lap. He held the cylindrical metal device up for close inspection as he sat aside his wrench, and spun the blades within the device around with one finger and watched them glide effortlessly like a pinwheel in the breeze. Mojo wore a satisfied smirk, feeling accomplished. After all, it was the hundred and ninety-seventh turbine he had built on his own, and he had just three more to go before he could move onto his next stage of construction.

As Mojo stood to stretch for a moment, his eyes fell on the passed out Powerpuff some ten feet away from him. He noticed that the teen had rolled over in their sleep and lay with their back towards them, in a curled up position as they clung to themself. The Puff had hardly moved at all prior to then, so he took it as a good sign that they indeed were slowly recovering. This was definitely a good thing for him, since much of his lair's construction would still be dependent upon the superpowered teenager's super abilities.

Mojo checked his watch for the time and decided that it would be a good time for him to stop momentarily for a quick lunch break. As the simian walked past the slumbering teenager, he was suddenly startled by the green Puff who sat up with a jolt. He stopped in his tracks and faced the teen who stared forward with glazed over, dimmed green eyes, completely silent.

Mojo waved his gloved hand in front of the sixteen-year-old's face, but got no response from them as they continued to stare straight ahead without blinking. Mojo snapped his fingers next, but still nothing. He took a step back away from the teen and scratched his chin in serious thought, "Well... this is odd."

Mojo took another step back as Joey suddenly began to rise to their feet, "I... have to... get up..." the green Puff spoke low and monotone, and seemed to struggle to keep their balance as they hovered slightly off the ground next. "I... have to... go..."

"Go?" Mojo repeated as he watched the teen wobble clumsily in the air just some two feet off the ground, still looking dazed and obviously weak. He scoffed a little, "It does not appear that you are fit to go anywhere right now," the simian folded his arms across his chest, "Clearly you are very unwell, not in good shape at all, and still very weak! It is very evident that you are ill, and have been for quite some time since your freakish self-destructing power blast last night!"

As Mojo lectured the teen from the floor he watched as they tried to fly off anyway, only their weakened power gave out instantly and the teen came crashing back to the ground, landing face first on top of his finished energy switchboard and denting the metal surface upon impact.

"Hey!" Mojo shouted as he rushed over to them, "Do you have any idea how long that took Mojo to build?!"

As the skinny teenager struggled to lift themself up, their tired muscles gave out again, and the green Puff collapsed onto the ground weakly once more. "I... have to... go..." their voice was muffled against the surface of the metal floor where they lay on their belly.

Mojo stepped over them as he studied the Joey-shaped crater left behind on the switchboard's surface, "Grargh!" the villain clenched his fists in frustration. "Child, you are proving to be more of a nuisance to Mojo than you are a help! No, you have been anything but useful! On the contrary, you have been totally useless! Only creating more problems, obstacles and complications for Mojo! I will now have to replace this entire top panel thanks to your clumsiness!"

As the short villain ranted, he felt a tug on his cape from below and looked down. The green Puff stared up at him from where they lay still on their belly, still with a dimmed look in their eyes. "Please..." they began as they held a trembling scarred hand out towards Mojo, "Please... help me... I... have to go... I have to go or else... Mojo... he's gonna kill me... Mojo's gonna kill me... Can you help me...?"

Mojo raised an eyebrow as he watched Joey's weakened scarred hand fall away once more as they forced themself onto their knees. The green Puff's tired muscles continued to physically tremble, as the dazed hero struggled to crawl upon their knees, obviously determined to leave. The villain wasn't sure what to make of the green Puff's strange behavior, but he could see that they were definitely not in a right state of mind then.

As Joey collapsed again onto their belly from exhaustion, he knelt down over them, "Child, you are delirious from your weakened state. As Mojo stated earlier, clearly, you need more rest before you will be able to go anywhere-"

Joey turned their head so that they looked at Mojo, "But... Mojo's gonna kill me..."

"Mojo will not kill you," Mojo began as he shook his head. "...For now," he added more quietly. He showed Joey a smirk, "After all, Mojo requires your assistance still, correct? He certainly cannot kill you before you have finished building his lair for him, yes?"

"But... he's bad. He's... evil. He's..."

"You are afraid of Mojo?"

The green Puff nodded.

Mojo smirked a little again, but shook it away. He reached out and placed a comforting hand on the teen's shoulder. "You have nothing to fear."

"I don't?"

"No, Child. You are safe with me."

"Promise?" Joey's lazy dim eyes seemed to widen a little then as they gazed up at the villain.

Mojo nodded slowly, "Yes. Mojo promises." He offered a hand to the teenager and they took it quickly as Mojo helped them to their feet. As soon as the green Puff stood, they had to lean against the simian half their size for support as Mojo guided them back across the room slowly, "Now, let us lay you back down over here, yes?"

Mojo returned Joey to their spot in the corner and helped them back onto the floor. As the teenager rested upon their back finally and closed their eyes, Mojo walked over to a nearby storage pile and retrieved a tattered black backpack. As Mojo returned he saw that Joey was sitting up once more. They turned their head towards Mojo as he came near, "Wait... how did I get here?" Joey glanced about the room, looking confused, "Wait... where'd she go?"

"Who?" Mojo stopped before Joey.

"The kid-"

"Kid-?"

"Wait... you got rid of her- how did you-?"

"Hush now," Mojo gently pressed against Joey's shoulder with one hand, guiding them back onto the floor. "It is time for rest, you sad, demented child."

Joey blinked back in confusion as the villain forced them to lay back down, "What... what happened?"

"Here," Mojo said as he slid the teenager's bag underneath their head, "A pillow, and," he paused as he reached for his cape's fasten round his neck. "A blanket," he concluded as he lay his purple cape over the teenager. "Everything required for a proper sleep."

"Sleep?" Joey repeated as Mojo tucked them in with his cape. "No... I... I think I'm better. I'm better-"

"You do not look better, nor do you sound better, and I would have to conclude that you are, in fact, not better. You are not making sense- babbling nonsense- practically speaking in tongues with such lunacy! Physically your body is still weak and debilitated! Surely if you try to leave now, you will fly out of this tower and go crashing down onto the streets of Downtown! So, listen to Mojo and rest until you are much less frail, and much less delirious and crazy. For now, you must sleep until you are truly better."

Joey blinked up at Mojo as he spoke to them, unsure of how to interpret the sudden kindness.

"What are you doing?" Mojo questioned as he still stood over the teenager.

"Uh... lying here?"

"You are staring. You cannot sleep while you stare," he wagged his finger sternly, "So close your eyes, and go to sleep!"

Joey shut their eyes.

After a short while, Joey could hear the sound of Mojo's footsteps retreating, and then returning once more. Soon after, Joey could hear the sound of a wrench cranking beside them. They opened one eye and peeked to see Mojo sitting beside where they lay as he continued his work quietly. It was true that they still felt very tired and drained from their power surge, but the green Puff hadn't anticipated Mojo actually showing any care. Knowing that they had been passed out for hours, it was a surprise to discover that they were even still living then.

As the teen curiously watched him work with one eye, Mojo turned and caught them peeking. He tapped his wrench against the stubborn teen's forehead, "Rest!"

Joey shut their eyes once more. As Mojo continued to work, he was sure to keep a watchful eye on the teen to ensure that they slumbered. After several minutes he could hear them snoring softly. He glanced at them then and saw that the green Puff seemed to wear a small smirk in their sleep. Mojo smirked to himself next, as he shook his head, "Strange kid..."


"OK, Princess, you wanna tell me where we're goin' now?" Ace spoke up as soon as the black stretch limousine pulled out of his job construction site.

Princess smiled as she turned in her seat to face Ace, "Well, that's up to you to tell me, Ace."

Ace sighed, "Look, Kid. I don't have any time for no games today, a'ight? Whaddya need?"

"Jeez," Princess muttered, "Somebody's in a bad mood-"

Ace interrupted, unamused. "Just tell me what ya want."

"Fine," Princess replied with a huff, unamused herself with the ex-gangster's short attitude. "I need you to tell me where I can find Joey."

"Find who?"

"Joey."

"Joey?"

"Yes, Joey."

Ace stared at Princess for a moment, before asking again, "...Joey who?"

"Joey! I don't know their last name!" Princess threw up her hands. "Joey, your band's bass player? Fea? Your friend in the mask?!"

Ace continued to stare at Princess for another moment before he gave a short laugh as he shook his head, "Right... Joey."

"Right," Princess repeated. "So do you know where they live?"

Ace sighed, "Look, Princess, I don't know nothin' about Joey-"

"What do you mean you don't know anything about them?! They're supposed to be your friend!"

"Sorry I can't help you, Princess," Ace said with a shrug.

"Ugh!" Princess groaned, "Well this was a waste of time then!"

"You're telling me," Ace muttered low.

"Alfred!" Princess called out to her driver, "Pull over now!"

The limo pulled alongside the curb, and Alfred got out to open the rear door for Ace.

"You can leave now," Princess said with her arms crossed and an upturned nose.

Ace blinked at the spoiled girl, "Yo, you just drove me like five miles in the opposite direction from my house-"

"You should be happy! You have the rest of the day off!"

"Yeah that I gotta spend walkin' home since my bus pass is still in my work locker!" as Ace raised his voice he heard Alfred loudly clear his throat from where he stood just outside the door. "A'ight fine," Ace muttered as he exited the limo, "Thanks for the ride."

While Ace stood on the empty sidewalk and watched the black limo drive away he dialed for his bandmate Tyler's cell and waited for an answer.

"Yo 'sup?" Tyler's voice answered on the other end.

"Ty, I need ya to come pick me up."

"From work?"

"Nah, I'm stuck somewhere down on Main street-" Ace paused as he looked for the nearest street sign, "Between Grove and Bolsa."

"Why aren't you at work, Bro?"

"Man, just come and get me, a'ight?"

"A'ight, a'ight. I'm on my way. See ya soon."

"See ya."

As Ace hung up with Tyler, he exhaled deeply. He checked his phone messages, but had none. Ace briefly reread the message he had texted earlier, and wondered if Cuppo- or apparently Joey- would be getting back to him soon. He also wondered if the kid was aware that Princess was trying to track Joey down. His last advice to the teenager had been to play it cool. Getting mixed up further with that Princess was definitely not playing it cool.

But Ace couldn't spend much time worrying about the green Powerpuff. After all, he had to figure out a way to keep the gang hidden safely from the police now that he knew they had him under their radar. As he returned his cell to his pocket and swapped it out for his unfinished lunchtime cigarette, Ace could not help but recall his cousin's request to leave town. He sat down on the curb with his cigarette and began to think carefully about this. If the cops had finally managed to figure out where Ace worked, then finding his home residence wouldn't be much harder for them. It was still a good sign that the cop that turned up hadn't immediately tried to slap his cuffs on him. That probably meant there was nothing on him at that point, and hopefully he would be able to keep it that way. As much as it pained him to think about, Ace knew then that when he got home, he'd probably have to take his mom up on her offer to hide the gang up north with her...

After several minutes Tyler showed up at last in his gray pickup truck, "Yo! Need a ride?" the shaggy haired punker grinned from behind the steering wheel as he pulled up along the curb where Ace sat.

Ace tossed his finished cigarette butt over his shoulder before he climbed into the passenger seat, "Yo, just get us home, Ty. We got a lot to deal with tonight, Man."

Tyler raised an eyebrow as he pulled back onto the road, "What's up?"

Ace sighed heavily as he reclined against his seat. He lifted his shades for a moment to massage the bridge of his nose, "Cops showed up at work today."

"Shit, Dude. For real?"

"Yeah. They asked me to come down to the police department tomorrow for some questioning-"

"So they don't know nothin' yet-"

"They know enough, Ty," Ace kept his gaze out the passenger window as he spoke, "We ain't got no choice at this point. The gang's gotta leave town. Tonight."

"Tonight?!" Tyler shouted. "Yo, that's crazy!"

"We can't risk them gettin' found out, Man."

"Yeah, but-" Tyler stopped, "Does that mean you're leavin' town, too?"

"Nah, for now I gotta stay. Cops already found me, right? If I go missin' now they'll only be more suspicious. Maybe once shit cools down again, I'll head that way next..."

The truck came to a stop at a red light and Ace glanced at Tyler who stared back at him with a concerned look. "Yo... what about Soph?"

Ace looked away again before answering, "You know Arturo's already been talkin' with my mom about him and Soph moving up north with her. She's his kid, after all. 'Course she's gonna go with him-"

"But, Dude," Tyler interrupted, "She's like practically your daughter! You're just gonna let her go like that?"

"Yo, what choice do I have, Man?"

"But you raised her-"

"I only raised her 'cause Arturo couldn't," Ace answered as he continued to stare out the passenger window as the truck rolled along once more. "Do I wish Soph could stay with me? Yeah, 'course I do. But Arturo never got the chance of being a real dad for Soph. He got locked up when she was just two, and honestly, Man, that was all 'cause of me. He... deserves a chance to be the kid's dad. He is the kid's dad..."

The two men were silent for a long time as they continued to drive home.

"Dude," Tyler spoke up after a while, "This sucks."

Ace glanced at Tyler, "Yeah, it does..."


It had taken almost a full day for the green Powerpuff to recharge their energy, but at long last, the hero awoke that early evening, finally feeling rested. As the green Puff sat up they looked around for a moment, they saw that the interior of the water tank was no longer darkened. It was still pretty dim, but it seemed that Mojo was able to get some lighting set up. There was the low humming of two portable generators running just behind Joey and they could see that they sat beside the large pile of supplies that they had collected with Mojo the night before. They could not see Mojo, but they could hear the echoes of him hammering somewhere within the massive center pipe of the water tank and saw a pile of tools scattered near the wide metal cylinder.

As Joey rose further, they gently pulled aside the purple colored cape that had been covering them while they slept. Leaving Mojo's cape on the ground felt in poor taste, so as the teenager stood, they found a spot on top of a nearby energy panel to carefully place the garment, before they made their way over to where Mojo was working. As they reached the center pipe, they came around to the makeshift "doorway" of the eventual elevator and peered inside. As they stuck their head into the opening, the taut heavy cable ropes that hung on either side of the giant tunnelway began to move as Mojo hoisted himself upward, standing upon the pulley's platform. Joey stood aside as the short simian stepped off from the metal rig and onto the ground beside them.

Mojo reached for the headlamp he wore fixed around his helmet and shut off its light as his eyes fell on the green Puff. "Ah, I see that you are up again," he looked the teen up and down, "How are you feeling?"

Joey shrugged, "Alright I guess."

"Hmph," Mojo continued to study them closely, "You certainly appear to be at least looking better- no more wobbling- no shakes or trembles- you're standing just fine at least. You still look a bit pale, but... I suppose you naturally are... Hmm... tell Mojo, what city are we in?"

Joey raised an eyebrow, but answered, "Townsville-"

"What is two plus two?"

"Four-"

"Who am I?"

"Mojo-"

"And who are you?"

"Joey-" the green Puff stopped, "I mean... Buttercup-" they stopped again, "You know what I mean!"

Mojo smirked.

"How long was I out for?"

Mojo looked down at the Rolex on his wrist, "Just about twenty hours it would seem," he looked up at the green Puff, "Practically a full day. Your family must be wondering where you are, where you could be, and why you've been missing for so long..." Mojo spotted his cape across the room and walked past the teenager to retrieve it. As he refastened his cape around his neck he turned back around and continued, "I suppose you will need to be getting back to them."

Joey blinked back at Mojo for a moment, "Well I... I should probably finish what we started here first. I mean... once I go back home, there's no way I'm not getting grounded for the rest of my life, so it's just gonna be harder to come back. So... let's just finish your lair first... or whatever."

"Hmph," Mojo paused, "Very well then." He walked over to the nearby storage pile and disappeared briefly behind the large heap. When the short simian reappeared he held two red apples in one hand and two bottled waters in the other. He walked back over to Joey and placed an apple and water in each of their scarred hands, "First, it has been a full day so you will need to eat something. Here."

Joey looked down at the food and then at Mojo, "...Thanks..." They watched as Mojo sat down with his own apple and water, before joining him on the floor as well.

"Once we begin, Mojo will have you first start on constructing our floors and insulating the base," Mojo spoke as he bit into his apple and reached for the folded blueprints he had stored underneath his uniform. He sprawled the plans out for Joey to see as he continued, "Meanwhile Mojo will continue with the turbine installation which is nearly complete."

"OK, cool, I guess," Joey nodded along before they took a bite from their apple.

Mojo looked up from the blueprints and studied Joey for a bit. "And you are certain that you are feeling better now?"

Joey shrugged, "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Hmph. You are strangely and peculiarly casual about this. That is to say, Mojo finds it odd that you aren't more concerned with the fact that you were incapacitated for an entire day. Not to mention your freaky little explosion beforehand- what was that?"

"Professor calls them power surges," Joey spoke with their mouth full.

"Power surges?"

Joey swallowed, "Yeah." They paused, "I guess I haven't really had one quite that big before though..."

Mojo raised an eyebrow, "And these surges... are they frequent?"

"Nah, I take medication for 'em."

"To keep these surges at bay?"

"Well yeah," Joey paused again, "I guess it hasn't been working as good as it used to..."

"Medication often needs readjustments," Mojo spoke as he sipped from his water bottle, "You should tell Utonium that you require a higher dosage."

"Yeah, he's increased it before... a couple times actually..." Joey's voice grew quiet, "But... last time he had to do it, he said that it was getting to be too much or somethin' so... I dunno... He said somethin' about if my current dosage isn't enough to maintain a proper power balance, then it would be unsustainable to continue my treatment like that, and he'd have to consider trying somethin' else..."

Mojo curiously watched as the skinny teen looked to squirm uncomfortably then. "Did he mention what alternative he had in mind?"

Joey glanced at Mojo briefly before looking away again. "Yeah... Antidote X."

Mojo stared at the child for a long time as they continued to finish their small meal in silence. "Giving up your powers would be a drastic step to take," Mojo began again after a while, "Surely, there has to be another alternative before it comes to that?"

"Yeah, well," the teenager scoffed a little, "That's why I don't tell him nothin' about it anymore." They tossed aside their apple core and looked to Mojo, "I'm done. Can we get started now?"

"Yes," Mojo nodded as he rose to his feet, "Let us begin..."


It had been a full day since Buttercup went missing, and the mood within the Utonium household had been tense all day. Blossom had tried her best to keep her mind preoccupied to try to keep from worrying over something she could not control. Her sibling could be anywhere, and she and Bubbles had checked every place they could think of on their own to try and find her, but she was nowhere to be found. Buttercup had run away before, but never for this long, and never overnight anywhere. As time passed, it was becoming more and more difficult to ignore the nausea that had been with her all day.

Despite having ample time to devote to her investigative efforts concerning the Alien, Blossom hadn't felt up to it, at all. However, once she had finished reading her third consecutive novel for the evening and realized it was nearly midnight, she figured it would be best to check her e-mail for any updates from the mayor before heading to bed for the night. Sure enough, she had an unopened message waiting with the latest findings from Townsville PD.

The first half of the nightly report concerned the progress that had been made concerning the Gangreen Gang. There was a place of residence, work and phone number now found for Andrew Espinoza- Ace. According to the report, so far Ace seemed cooperative with the investigation and would be in for questioning the next day.

As her bubblegum eyes quickly scanned the text on her computer screen, they grew wide as she came across something else she had no prior knowledge about. There were several witness reports detailing a strange beam of light in the sky seen at approximately 10:15 PM above Downtown Townsville. According to the reports the light show seemed to cause no known damage, but investigators believed the strange activity might relate to the Alien.

Blossom gasped when she read this. Her mind flashed back to the night before when her sibling had stormed out of their home, and the knot in her stomach only tightened as she realized that 10:15 PM was not too long after Buttercup left that night. It seemed like too much of a coincidence and instantly the hero's mind began to race.

"What if when Buttercup left last night the Alien was out there? If the beam of light was from him, then he must have been out there at the same time! So Buttercup should have seen it, and if she had she would have tried to see what it was herself. What if she ran into the Alien then? Or... what if the reason for the light was because it was the Alien who saw Buttercup first and the beam was some sort of attack? What if Buttercup hadn't actually run away? What if she'd been missing all day because... because... the Alien took her?! Or hurt her, or worse..."

Blossom could feel her head growing dizzy from all the horrible scenarios she invented then in her mind from this one piece of information. She felt sick to her stomach as she continued to read the report, desperate to find more answers.

As Blossom's anxious thoughts began to spiral, she heard a gentle knock on her door as her sister Bubbles peeked shyly inside. "Blossom..." the pigtail girl squeaked, "Are you going to bed soon?" She stepped inside the room and floated over to where her sister sat at her desk, "I... I-I don't wanna sleep alone tonight..."

Blossom looked up from her computer monitor. As much as she wanted to share the new information she had just read with Bubbles then, she could see that the puffy bags underneath her sister's baby blue eyes had only gotten worse. The sensitive girl had been a wreck all day. Blossom knew that if Bubbles jumped to the same conclusions that she had just made... she wouldn't be able to handle it.

"Yeah," Blossom forced a weak smile, pretending as best she could. "I'm almost done working, Bubs." The redhead turned in her seat and gestured towards her bed, "Go get comfy and I'll come to bed in a few minutes, OK?"

Bubbles sniffled, "Actually... I was wondering if we could sleep in Buttercup's room? If she comes back tonight... I don't want her to think that we don't care, and... I wanna be there as soon as she's back so that I can tell her that I'm sorry and-and that I've missed her so much and that I love her, and-and-and-"

As the blonde broke down again, Blossom immediately rose from her chair and wrapped her arms around her sister, "Shh, Bubbles... don't get yourself worked up again... Come on," Blossom took her sister by the arm and began to lead her out the room and down the hallway, "Let's put you to bed, OK?"

As the sisters entered Buttercup's bedroom together, they were surprised to see the Professor inside. Their father sat upon the twin sized mattress and looked to be lost in thought as they came into the room.

"Oh, hello, Girls," the Professor stood as soon as he noticed his daughters' presence, shaking away his dazed expression. "It's late," he continued softly. "You two should be in bed..."

"We were gonna spend the night in Buttercup's room," Bubbles explained through quiet sniffles, "In case she turns up tonight..."

"That's sweet of you, Girls," the Professor smiled weakly. He reached into his lab coat and pulled out a cell phone, "I was just here to leave this for Buttercup. It's the same model as her last phone, so I hope she likes it." He sat the device gently down on the bedside nightstand before he walked to his daughters across the room.

As the Professor stopped before Blossom and Bubbles, both teenagers immediately threw their arms around their father and hugged him tightly. He held them too, and the three shared a long, silent embrace for several minutes.

"Everything is going to be alright, Girls. Just have patience," the Professor said quietly after a while, still holding onto his daughters tightly. He planted a kiss on top of each of their heads, "Goodnight. I love you."

"We love you too, Professor," Blossom and Bubbles responded in unison as they watched their dad leave the room. "Goodnight..."

Blossom turned to her sister, "Come on, Bubbles. Let's get to bed..."

Bubbles nodded and flew over to her sibling's mattress. As Blossom hit the bedroom's light switch and slowly floated over to the bed next, Bubbles reached for Buttercup's cellphone on the nightstand and plugged it into its charger. When the device's screen lit up in the dark, Bubbles could see there was an unanswered text message waiting on the device and she gasped, "Blossom! Somebody texted Buttercup today!"

Blossom looked to Bubbles and saw that the blonde had the cellphone in her hands and seemed to be reading whatever was there, "Bubbles!" she began to lecture immediately, "Don't go through Buttercup's phone-"

"But it could be a clue!"

Blossom hesitated, "Well who is it from?"

"I dunno! All her contacts are gone, but it's a 2-1-3 number..."

"2-1-3? That's the area code for the east side..." Blossom sat beside Bubbles and reached for the phone next, reading the message out loud: "Hey Kid. Sorry I'm just getting back to ya. Call me when ya can." She blinked at the text for a full minute, "Kid?" she repeated, "Who would call her Kid?"

Blossom looked to Bubbles who shrugged, "I know she has other friends, but I dunno who they are," she frowned, "She never wanted me to meet them..."

"What?" Blossom blinked at Bubbles.

Bubbles squeaked as she threw her hands over her mouth, "Please don't tell her I told you that!"

Blossom frowned, "Well what do you know about them?"

"Nothing really! Well, except..."

"Except?"

"Well, except that they smoke weed together, but please don't tell Buttercup that I told you that!"

Blossom frowned, "I won't, Bubbles." She sighed deeply and looked at the phone again. As she looked again at the unknown number, she raised an eyebrow as she noticed something seemed familiar. "Wait a minute... 2-1-3-5-5-5-" Blossom stopped with a sharp gasp before she disappeared quickly with a flash of pink light, taking the phone with her.

Bubbles shot off after Blossom and followed her back to the pink bedroom next door. She found Blossom back at her computer desk, holding the phone up to the screen. "Oh my God," she breathed out loud, "It's the same number! Oh my God! It's him! Why would he be texting Buttercup?!"

"Who?" Bubbles blinked from the doorway.

Blossom looked up at Bubbles, her bubblegum eyes wide with disbelief, "Ace."


As thin framed as the skinny teenager was, the cylinder glass tubing was still a tight spot to be in as they held their breath under the bright, blue water that filled the compact reservoir system. The green Puff worked upside down as they used their scarred fingers to securely tighten the final bolt to the submerged hydropowered turbine engine at the base of the tower. Once the job was complete, they quickly swam back up the two hundred and fifty foot, clear tubed tank which led to the pool of the heightened water tank above.

"Alright!" Joey announced as they resurfaced and climbed onto the platform where Mojo waited for them, "I think we got it now!"

As the teenager stood beside Mojo, he turned to the nearby wall switch and flipped it, causing the mechanics of the hydropowered system to hum to life. A devious smirk swept his face as he watched the water beneath them begin to swirl with increasing velocity. "Yes!" the villain could not help but celebrate, "Excellent work, Joey!"

"Thanks." The green Puff responded with a small smile before they shook themselves off like a wet dog, unintentionally soaking the short simian at their side. "Oops. Sorry."

Mojo glared momentarily at the sixteen-year-old, but found himself in too good a mood to stay angry. "Come," he said as he picked up the cloth of his cape and wrung it out a little with his hands, "Let us run one final, ultimate test before our work is complete tonight." Mojo began to walk across the platform and Joey followed just one step behind. As they passed another wall, Mojo hit another switch and the mechanical platform they stepped off from began to retract and move slowly, eventually sealing the space above the pool of water.

"What's left to test?" Joey asked as they followed across the room.

Mojo came to a stop at the elevator doors, "Now that we have a suitable and proper power system fully functional and operating, there should finally be enough energy being generated for our elevator lift to run smoothly." He pressed a button by the polished metal doors, a bright ding sounded, and the doors opened. Mojo gestured towards the opening, "After you."

Joey stepped inside and Mojo stepped in after. Mojo pressed another button, and the elevator doors shut. Joey looked about the small, box room with clear glass walls. They had first found the design of a glass elevator to be strange, but as the elevator car began to slowly descend down the water tower lair's base, they could see out the glass walls and watch the bright blue water freely flow up and down the surrounding clear shaft. The hundreds of propelling, spinning water turbines that lined the inner tubing of the hydropowered system spun gracefully in sync with one another. It was actually pretty neat.

"You know," Joey spoke as they continued to look out the side of the elevator, "If you added some fish in here, this would actually make a pretty sick looking aquarium."

Mojo glanced at the green Puff, "Yes, that does sound peaceful, however I doubt any creature would survive the water's current-"

"Hey, you ever seen the Omen?" Joey interrupted suddenly.

"The Omen-?"

"Yeah. Well, not the first one, but the second one. Or was it the third one? Shit, I can't remember... no wait! Yeah, it was definitely the second one!"

"This is a movie film?"

"Yeah!"

"No, Mojo has not seen it."

"Oh, well, there's this scene with this scientist, right? Anyways, he gets into this elevator and he presses the button for where he wants to go. He's like, trying to go down or somethin' but instead the elevator starts going up. He's like, 'What the fuck? Yo, that's not what I pressed,' and so he presses the button again and again, but the elevator just keeps goin' up and up. Anyways, sure enough, it gets to the top and instead of the doors opening and lettin' him out, the whole elevator car just starts falling. He's like, 'Oh shit! Well, I'm fucking dead!' 'cause this elevator car is just like free-falling like thirty stories or somethin'! Anyways, it crashes all the way to the bottom and this scientist falls over, but when he's lying there he realizes he's actually fine. He's like, 'Phew! I thought I was dead!' He totally thinks he survived everything, right? But what he doesn't realize is that the elevator's cable wire had actually snapped! So while he's lying on the floor of the car that cable wire is coming down fast! It's zooming down so quick, it cuts right through the elevator- straight down the middle! And- WHAM! It comes slicing through and cuts that sucker right in two- right across his stomach! His guts start pouring all out of him and shit! It's crazy!"

"That is a very strange and uncomfortable story to share while we ride for the first time in an elevator Mojo had entrusted you to assemble," Mojo looked up at the green Puff who wore a grin as their attention was still focused on the moving water outside the elevator walls.

As the elevator car reached the base of the tower, the doors opened briefly before shutting again. "Well, going down seems to have worked. Now let's see if we survive going up, hmm?" Mojo said as he pressed another button on the elevator's control panel, and the car began to ascend back upwards.

The ride back up to the top of the tower was mostly silent. Joey continued to curiously observe the mechanics of Mojo's design during their ascension. Mojo could not help but notice that the teenager's emerald eyes seemed to almost sparkle with wonderment. He smirked to himself, happy to see someone else appreciating the beauty of his work.

"Hey... Mojo?"

"Yes, Joey?"

"...Nevermind."

The elevator car reached its destination and Mojo and Joey stepped out through the doors together and back into the brand new lair. "And so we survive!" Mojo said with a short laugh as the elevator doors shut once more behind them. "Well, with everything operational and working, it would seem like our work tonight is at long last complete."

Joey blinked down at the simian for a moment, "Really? What about like... furniture and stuff?"

"Mojo can easily take care of those final details on his own. Your work, however, is finished. Your job is complete. Your deal with me is fulfilled. And so now... you may return home." the villain spoke as he casually strolled across the room, stopping at a small pile of remaining supplies and materials. He reached down and picked up something from the ground and returned to the teenager. "Here we are," Mojo began as he handed a tattered black backpack to Joey, "All your belongings you left here are inside-"

"Oh shit, I almost forgot about this!" Joey exclaimed as they took the backpack from Mojo.

"Yes. Twenty-five grand. Hmph. If you ask Mojo, you really should have been paid more by Morbucks for your work. Of course, at least that wretched little brat had the decency to pay you- an unfair payment, but you were paid nonetheless, unlike Mojo. However, you really should not market your talents so cheaply in the future. It is important and vital to know your value- your worth- and do not sell yourself short! If not, you will only continue to be used and exploited by others..."

As the simian shared his opinion, Joey unzipped the backpack to check for everything inside. "Hey... what's this?"

"Hmm? Ah, yes, that. Well, I did not want so much material going to waste. After your stupefied acrobatic failures earlier today, Mojo had to replace the panel you damaged. However as mangled as you left it, I could not think of another way to repurpose the heavily warped material, so..."

Joey pulled the oval shaped piece of metal out from the black bag and held it in their hands. It was a mask made from recycled material of the water tower. Clearly, Mojo had put some effort into trying to replicate their old mask. It had a similar shape, round eye sockets layered with dark mesh inside of them, and a single strap in the back to fix round their head. It was painted a darker green than their previous mask, but Joey actually liked the color better. As they traced the crooked features of the mask's face, they realized the wide forehead and narrow nose bridge was much like their own.

Joey slid the new mask on over their face. It fit like a glove.

"Hey, Mojo...?" the teenager's voice was muffled from behind their mask.

"Yes, Joey?"

"Are you still going to try and destroy me one day?"

"Hmph," Mojo reached past the teenager for the elevator button and pressed it. "It will always be Mojo's quest to destroy the Powerpuff Girls," he said as the elevator doors opened. He guided Joey through the opening with one hand, remaining still on the other side. As the green Puff stood inside, they blinked back at Mojo through their mask. "It is nothing personal," the villain finished with a smirk.

Joey could not help but smile from behind their mask. As the elevator doors shut, they gave the simian a final, small wave, "See ya, Mojo."

"Yes. Mojo will see you again, I am sure... Joey."


"Miss, it is nearly two in the morning now. Don't you think it is time for us to head back home for the night?"

"Just keep driving, Alfred. I'll tell you when you can stop."

Alfred watched the sulking teenager from his rearview mirror and frowned. Princess had been in a strange mood all day, especially since her idea to track down Joey had failed earlier. The redhead sat in the back of the limo with her head resting glumly on the window as she watched everything they passed. The girl had said she needed to go for a drive to clear her mind, but it had been hours since they initially set out. They must have circled the city fully a dozen times by then.

As Princess stared out the window, she tilted her head up towards the sky and watched the passing billboards. As her brown eyes settled on a brand new Powerpuff advertisement, her eyes narrowed at first. After all, she was always naturally disgusted by the sight of her enemies. However as the limo drew nearer, they next widened with surprise as she realized she could see a shadowy silhouette of somebody standing upon the tall advertisement. As they drove by, Princess could see that whoever was up there was tagging up the billboard with cans of spray paint. Princess gasped at the sight of this, "Alfred, stop!"

The limo screeched to a stop and Princess immediately leapt out from the vehicle, not bothering to wait for Alfred to open the door. She stepped onto the curb of the sidewalk that ran below the advertisement, and stared up at it with wide eyes. "Joey..."


The green Puff stepped out of the tower elevator and watched as the doors shut behind them. The seal of the hidden entrance's doors was so tight, it blended seamlessly with the base of the tower. It was definitely something that could easily be overlooked unless one knew it was there, of course. The tall bushes and foliage that surrounded the tower also helped keep the secret entry hidden.

The skinny, masked teenager crept out from the grassy hedges and faced the city that lay beyond. They glanced down at the black bag they carried and wondered if it was truly a good idea to bring their reward money home with them. The other day the hero had thought of a way to put the cash to good use, but they wondered if it would be rude of them to show up unannounced so late at night. Still, the green Puff knew that if they went home then, they'd run the risk of not getting another opportunity, and so they slung their backpack over their shoulder and began their walk towards the east side.

As the sixteen-year-old strolled across the Downtown Bridge they looked up at the fresh, bright new Powerpuff display that hung in the night sky. The image displayed was from the previous day's photoshoot. In fact, it was the exact same photo Blossom had shown them the night before, and soon as the green Puff realized this, their initial instinct was to look away in disgust. However, as their supervision focused on the shadow of someone standing up on the tall advertisement, they looked more closely and smiled as they recognized the shaggy haired punker. "Ty!"

The green Puff shot off towards the billboard, and within a split second they appeared before Tyler with a flash of green light. The guitarist jumped backward from the unexpected sight of the green faced mask, "Yo! What the fuck?!"

"Shit, sorry," the skinny teen laughed a little from behind their mask, "Didn't mean to scare ya."

Tyler blinked at the mask for a moment. "Fea? Is that you?"

"Oh," the green Puff removed their mask, "Forgot I was still wearing this," they laughed again. "Dude! What the hell are you doin' up here?"

Tyler shook the can of spray paint in his had and frowned, "Just... lettin' out some frustrations, I guess." He glanced over his shoulder at the bright Powerpuff backdrop before looking back at the teenager, "Nothin' against you, of course. Or your sisters, really. Just... tired of this bullshit city, ya know?"

"Yeah," the green Puff muttered as they stood beside Tyler and looked up at the advertisement, too. "Same, Dude." They reached for a can of spray paint that sat at their feet and shook it, "Can I help?"

Tyler stepped aside with a smirk, "Have at it, Bro."

As the sixteen-year-old began blacking out their sister Blossom's perfect smile with paint, Tyler sat down his own can of spray paint and retrieved a rolled joint from his pants pocket and lit up. Once a sizable gap had been painted in their sister's front teeth, the green Puff moved next to their own image and sprayed a giant 'V' across the right side of the paper-Buttercup's face.

"It's fucked up, Man," Tyler continued to vent as he puffed on his marijuanna cigarette and watched the Powerpuff's tagwork. "Shit's so fucking depressing right now back at home, I couldn't stand to be there, ya know? I mean... I'm allowed to miss the kid, too, right? I ain't like her blood relative or nothin' but like, this shit ain't fair, ya know? Kid calls me 'Uncle Ty,' but her dad's so pissed off at me for just tryin' to make the best outta what we got, it don't even matter. Fuck, I was the one to teach Soph how to ride a bike! Yo, you were there, remember?"

"Huh?" the green Puff glanced over their shoulder at Tyler, "What about Sophia?"

"Didn'tcha ever talk to Ace today? He said he texted you-"

"Nah, I haven't been home for a while. What's going on?"

"Dude. The cops found out where Ace works, and now everyone's panicking! The whole gang is leavin' town tonight, and Arturo's taking Soph with 'em!"

"What?!"

"Yeah, Man! Shit, I thought you heard by now-"

"Well, where are they going?"

"Up north to go and hide out with Ace's mom. Some place called Neighborfield or something. I dunno-"

"When are they leaving?"

"I dunno, when I left earlier they were still packing Sophia's stuff up, and Ace wanted to wait for the roads to be empty."

"Fuck," the green Puff cursed under their breath, "Is Ace leavin' too?"

"Nah, he's gotta stay. Since the cops got tabs on him now, he don't wanna lead them to the rest of the gang, ya know? He's just driving up with them tonight to make sure Soph gets settled in alright and everything."

"Shit, alright. Come on, let's get back there before they leave-"

"HELP!" a sudden loud scream from below startled both of them at the same time.

"Yo, what the fuck was that?!" Tyler exclaimed as he and the green Puff peered over the ledge of the billboard's railing.

As their emerald eyes fell on the dangling redhead halfway down the billboard's access ladder, Joey gasped, "Princess!"

Princess had been so determined to reach the person she believed to be Joey at the top of the high advertisement, she hadn't quite accounted for how far up the climb would be. Once she had reached the halfway point, she had looked down and her fear of heights instantly paralyzed her. She had been clinging to the ladder for quite some time before her increasing panic had caused her to slip and lose her footing. Lucky for her, there was a hero there to hear her call for help, and as she lost her final grip of the ladder, she landed safely in the arms of the flying, masked teenager.

"Got ya!" Joey said as they snatched her up before she could fall.

"J-Joey?" Princess blinked at the green mask, she then looked below as they hovered still in the air together and screamed again.

Joey flinched from the piercing loud scream, "OK, OK! Calm down!" They flew down with Princess to the ground, but even after they landed, the redhead still clung tightly to their body and trembled with her eyes shut tightly. "Princess... we're on the ground now..."

Princess slowly pried one eye opened and looked down. She relaxed her grip of Joey as her nerves finally began to settle.

Joey gently set Princess down on her feet, "You OK?"

Princess clutched one hand to her chest, "Yeah... I'm OK..." She looked to Joey again and then shouted, "YOU CAN FLY?!"

"Uh... yes?"

Princess blinked at the masked face, still in shock. "Since when?!"

"Since... birth?"

"So... are you really an alien or something?!"

"Well... something like that-"

"Princess!" Alfred shouted next. The skinny butler was out of breath by the time he reached them. "Princess, are you alright?!"

"Yes, Alfred, I'm fine," Princess responded as she dusted herself off. She returned her attention to Joey and socked hem in the arm.

Joey flinched, even though the blow was hardly felt, "Dude, what was that for?!"

"I can't believe you've never told me before that you can fly!" Princess shouted. "This totally changes everything! Omigosh! Just think of the possibilities!"

"Possibilities? For what?" Joey blinked from behind their mask.

"Come on!" Princess grabbed Joey by the arm, "I've been working for days on the perfect villain-duo teamup for us, but now that I know you can fly- omigosh we have so much to replan now! It's going to be even better!"

"Woah-woah-woah," Joey pulled away from Princess, "I can't go with ya-"

"Why not?"

"Yo, Fea!" Tyler shouted from behind as he hopped off the billboard's access ladder. "You ready, Man? We should get going before it's too late."

Joey glanced behind at Tyler, "Just a second, Dude!" They turned back to the redhead who stared up at them with a somewhat heartbroken expression on her face. "Sorry, Princess, but I gotta go. See ya..."

Princess stared back at Joey. At first, she felt sad, but as she watched the masked teenager turn away from her and leave as if it were nothing, she felt suddenly angry. "See ya?" she repeated with disgust, "SEE YA?! THAT'S IT?!"

Joey and Tyler turned around together after hearing the heiress shout behind them.

"Listen here, Joey!" Princess continued to shout as she marched up to them, "You know, I've spent the last two days doing nothing but making the perfect plans for our team-up to destroy the Powerpuff Girls! I even designed us matching new uniforms with adorable matching masks to wear! I almost just died trying to see you! But it's not like you care anyways! After all, you haven't even had the decency to call me or text me for days! I call and call, and text and text, but do you ever reply? NO! You know, I thought you were different! But you're not! You're just as fake as everybody else in this stupid city! And you know what?! YOU DON'T DESERVE ME!"

Joey blinked back from behind their mask in stunned shock as the five-foot redhead stormed back to her limo. "Dude..." they began as they watched the black limousine speed away down the street, "What'd I do? Did I do something? Didn't I just like... save her life and shit? She didn't even thank me for that, and then she just goes off 'cause I won't go home with her?"

Tyler whistled from where he stood beside them, "Those crazy ones, Man," he shook his head. "They're fun, but they'll get ya every time if you're not careful." The punker gave his friend a pat on the back, "Come on, Man. Let's go."

The green Puff shook their head as they walked beside Tyler down the road, "Dude... I don't get it. I thought the two of us were really vibing so far." They removed their mask and stored it underneath their baggy black jacket.

"Don't even trip," Tyler spoke as the two of them crossed the street together, "When a crazy girl yells at you like that, it's only because she's crazy about you, Man."

"Really?"

"Yeah, Dude. Trust me."

"Is Betty crazy?"

Tyler shrugged, "Sometimes."

As the two came down the road that led back to Ace's condo, they could see that the back of Tyler's pickup truck had been fully loaded and packed with Sophia's bedroom set. Ace stood beside the vehicle as he tightened a strap that securely kept everything in place. As the Puff and punker came up the driveway together, Tyler shouted to Ace, "Yo! Look who came to say goodbye!"

Ace looked up and lowered his shades a little. "Just in time, I see." He greeted the teenager with a high-five, "Glad ya made it. Soph's been asking all day if she'd get to see ya before we go."

The green Puff frowned a little, "Yeah..."

"Come on, let's go inside," Ace led them back to the condo. "The gang's waitin' in the garage and Soph's in her room packing the last of her clothes with her dad."

As they stepped inside the small home, the green Puff stopped Ace for a moment. "Dude... I've been wanting to talk to you about something..."

Ace turned around and faced the teenager, "Yeah, sorry about not gettin' back to you right away-"

"It's OK. I get it. You got a lot going on... 'cause of me."

Ace frowned, "Come on, Kid, it ain't all 'cause of you-"

"Nah, it is, and... I'm sorry." The sixteen-year-old slung off their backpack and handed it to Ace, "This is for you and the gang."

Ace took the black bag and unzipped it. He lowered his shades as he peered inside. "Yo, how much is this?!" his eyes widened at the sight of the stacks of money.

"Twenty-five grand. You think it'll help?"

Ace blinked down at the cash and then at Cuppo. "Yeah," he shook his head in disbelief, "It'll definitely help. Thanks, Kid."

A small smile swept the teen's face, but it faded shortly after. They squirmed nervously a bit as they continued, "I... also wanted to ask you something..."

"What's that?"

"Well... I've been thinkin' and... well, I remember you told me about how when you started up the Gangreen Gang. You said you were sixteen then, right?"

Ace raised an eyebrow, unsure of where the conversation was heading, "Yeah... that's right..."

"Well, I'm sixteen now, so... I dunno... I was kinda thinking... maybe... I can join you guys?"

"Join us? You mean join the gang?"

"Well, yeah-"

"Kid, there ain't really no gang no more. We're just... family."

"Well... can I join that?"

Ace stared back at the teenager, quiet for a long time. "Cuppo... you got a family. What are you saying? What do you mean?"

"Well I thought at first maybe I could move in here, you know? I mean, if I'm around you wouldn't have to worry about nothin' and I can be like your guys's bodyguard or something. But... I guess with the gang leaving town... I mean, I wasn't exactly expecting to leave town tonight, but if I have to, I will! I can make sure everyone's safe up north, you know? I'll make sure nobody gets locked up again! And since you gotta stay behind, I can always keep a good eye on Soph for ya-"

"Slow down, Cuppo," Ace shook his head. "Ya can't leave town tonight with the gang-"

"But I can help!" as the green Puff shouted, their voice cracked a little. Their emerald eyes began to glisten with tears as the teenager fought back their rising emotions, "I... I just... I can't go back home, Ace. I don't want to go back home... Please... just... give me a chance?"

As Ace stared back at the teenager, he wasn't sure what to say. When he was the kid's age, he had run away from home, too. He definitely understood where the sixteen-year-old was coming from, but there was absolutely no way he could have the Powerpuff around without putting the rest of the gang in jeopardy.

Tyler spoke up from across the living room, "Yo, Ace-"

"Not now, Ty," Ace interrupted.

"But, Ace-"

Ace ignored him as he continued to speak to the green Puff, "Look, Cuppo," he sighed, "It ain't nothing personal, a'ight? It's just... too risky, Man. I mean... you're a Powerpuff Girl. If you go missing, you don't think people are gonna be out looking for ya? I'm sorry, Kid, but you can't stay here, and you can't leave town with the gang. I know life ain't perfect for ya back home, but you just gotta hang in there, a'ight-?"

"But you don't understand!" the green Puff's voice cracked as they shouted again, "I hate it there! I can't stand it!"

As the teenager began to shout, Ace looked beyond the teen at Tyler who seemed to run to the door. Ace could see that he cracked it open just ajar and spoke low to someone on the other side, but as the green Puff continued to shout, he couldn't hear what was going on. It wasn't until the pink and blue Puffs barged past the punker and into the home, did he realize what was happening, "Shit. Cuppo-"

"Please, Ace!" the green Puff continued with their back turned towards the door, unaware of their sisters' presence. "I-I'll do anything, alright? Anything! I'll clean! I can't really cook, but I'll do it! I'll watch Soph whenever you guys need it! Just please don't make me go back home! I'm so fucking miserable there! I just can't stand it anymore!"

"Yo, Kid, really-" Ace tried to warn the teenager again, but was quickly cut off at the Puff continued to rant. Meanwhile, Blossom and Bubbles stood behind their sibling, listening with their mouths agape.

"I've been trying to hang in there, OK?!" the tears were really falling then, "I've been trying for a long time, but I can't anymore! I swear sometimes I feel like I can't even breathe when I'm at home! I have to get outta there before I lose my fucking mind! Nobody understands me! Nobody gets it! They don't care! Nobody cares! Not the Professor! Not my sisters! No one!"

"Of course we care!" Blossom shouted, unable to keep quiet any longer.

The green Puff froze immediately at the sound of Blossom's voice. Their heart dropped instantly from their chest to their gut as they turned around to face their sisters.

"Of course we care, Buttercup!" Blossom's bubblegum eyes were flooding fast with tears, "How could you say that we don't?! We've been worried sick about you since you've been gone! I was really scared something might have happened to you! I was afraid that you might be dead!"

As Blossom's voice grew louder, Bubbles, who had been silently crying at her side stepped up and gently pulled her back. "Buttercup," she squeaked next, "We just want you to come home... You're our sister... We love you... Don't you love us...?"

The green Puff blinked back. After a full minute, the tomboy opened their mouth to speak, but was interrupted by a tiny excited voice behind them.

"Buttercup!" Sophia shouted happily as she ran out from her bedroom, "Buttercup, you came to say goodbye after all!"

Blossom and Bubbles exchanged confused glances as they watched the tiny green child run up to their sibling, who quickly wiped the tears from their face before turning around to greet the youngster. "H-hey, Runt," the green Puff smiled weakly as they tousled the eight-year-old's hair, "'Course I did."

"My daddy says we're moving in with my abuela. Will you come and visit me?"

"S-sure, Runt..."

"Promise?"

"Yeah," the green Puff gulped as they glanced briefly at their sisters who watched them intently. "Promise..."

"Soph," Ace took the small kid by the hand and began to lead her away, "Let's finish packing, a'ight?"

"But Daddy and I just finished!"

Ace quickly pushed the child back into the bedroom, attempting to keep the door as shut as possible, but as Blossom watched her pink eyes were glowing and her sibling could see for themself that she was beginning to figure things out.

"You were planning to run away with fugitives of the law?!" Blossom asked with a stunned, dropped jaw as her x-ray vision quickly scanned the entire condo. She gasped, "They're all here! The entire Gangreen Gang!"

The green Puff stepped towards their sister, "Look, Blossom, I can explain-"

"Explain what exactly?" Blossom shook her head in disbelief, "You knew that the Gangreen Gang was here all along? How could you not say anything?! You know that they're villains! You know that they're wanted! We are supposed to be the ones to catch them! You were supposed to be the one to do it! Remember?!"

"Well, I don't wanna, alright?!" the tomboy snapped back. "They deserve to get locked up- why?! 'Cause the mayor told you so?! Arturo's a father, you know?! And little Soph? That's his kid, alright?! He's been locked up for six years! His daughter's eight! Can't you see how fucked up that is?! I don't wanna be a part of something that's just gonna ruin people's lives who don't deserve it! They don't have superpowers or super gadgets or some evil plot to take over the world! They're just regular fucking people who made mistakes! So what?! You wanna punish them forever?! Like you've never made a fucking mistake?!"

"They broke out of prison, Buttercup-" Blossom began, but was quickly cut off by her sibling.

"So?! They didn't cause the prison break! They shouldn't have even been in there to begin with! But now that they're out all they want is to get outta town so they have a shot at havin' normal lives again! Ugh!" the hero tore at their raven hair, "You wanna know why I didn't say shit? Well this is why! I knew you wouldn't understand!"

"No!" Bubbles shouted through tears next, "Please, Buttercup! Maybe it's true we don't understand, but we want to understand! Right, Blossom?"

Blossom looked from Bubbles to Buttercup. "Right..."

The green Puff shook her head, "You two will never understand..."

As Blossom watched the green Puff look away from them, she knew she had to find a way to diffuse the situation. She had to find some way to convince Buttercup to come back home. Dragging their sibling away by force would surely only make things worse. Perhaps... a compromise?

The redhead spoke softly as she cautiously stepped towards the green Puff, "Buttercup... we're just... very confused. It's like... you have an entirely separate life that... we didn't even know about..." The pink Puff wiped away her tears, "It hurts to know you think you can't share things with us..." Blossom paused as she looked about the room once more, "If you're really vouching for these guys then... we hear you, OK? We care, Buttercup. We really do. If we have to let the Gangreen Gang go to prove it, then we will... Just please... come home."

"Please, Buttercup," Bubbles added with a squeak, "We promise we'll figure everything out," she pleaded. "Together."

The green Puff stood silent for a long time. Both their sisters stared back at them with tears still in their eyes as they waited for their sibling to say something. The raven haired hero took a long deep breath, "You swear you're gonna let the gang go?"

"Well, we can't exactly stop the police's ongoing investigation, but if they're leaving town anyways..." Blossom bit her lip, "I suppose it wouldn't be hard for us to just... look the other way... If you say that they're good then... we trust you, Buttercup."

The green Puff could easily see the pain in her sister's face as she made the statement. It wasn't easy for her. And as upsetting as the idea of returning home truly was, there didn't seem to be any other option then. It wasn't as if Ace was exactly welcoming with the idea of them staying there anyways, and where else did they have to go? Plus frankly at that point... they were exhausted.

"...Alright," the green Puff gave in at last. "Let's go home..."

Home is what they called it, but as Joey surrendered to their sisters that night, they knew what they'd really be returning to was nothing more than a prison. But... at least the gang had their guaranteed freedom that night. And that was at least something.