My deepest and most sincere thanks to all those who wrote reviews. Comments and Criticism are the lifeblood of any author, and so long as my stories are being read, and someone is deriving enjoyment from them, then that lone driving force plunges me ever forward. Keep them coming! I read and savor every one without exception!

Like a good communist, I own nothing.

"Gauntlet: Diaspora"
Part 2

June 13

"Sporadic fighting continued in the region of Kashmir, as, for the second time in as many days, attempts at cease fire negotiations broke down..."

"I'd like to talk to you. Are you there?"

A soft voice: not comforting, but at least constant, replied. "I'm here."

"I knew I could count on you... you were always there..."

"Always there, Bubbles..."

"Another of them is going to be here soon. It's going to happen like I told you. Why can't I stop it? Please... tell me I'm doing the right thing... I need to hear I'm doing the right thing..."

"You are doing the right thing, Bubbles. You are a good girl."

Bubbles sighed, but smiled. "Thank you, Octi."

"Anytime, my angel."

"Do you think I'll see anything tonight?"

"Do you want to...?"

"No." Bubbles shook her head, and her blonde pigtails bobbled back and forth. "No! I had such a bad dream last night! I don't want another. Everyone was dead! The light..."

"The light is your enemy Bubbles. It deceives you."

"But..."

"Bubbles, I want to help you. I know you want to be in the light. I know you don't want it to be dark. But you must be strong. You must be strong for Buttercup, and Blossom and Butch and Boomer... You're a good girl. A good girl."

"Everything is so bad outside..."

"Sssh." Octi whispered, and she hugged him to her tightly. The plush toy in her arms brought her a relaxation and calm that she hadn't felt all day. Everything was so dark, even the crack in the door didn't help ease her fears. Even the Professor's warm smile, and soothing voice... no: only the plush toy in her arms held the demons and dreams at bay.

She was a good girl.

She was strong.

Inching under the covers, she closed her eyes, tried to fall sleep, and saw the light.

"Reports of renewed violence continued to mar any attempt at a mid east settlement, as, in Israel, the West Bank again became a war zone..."

Bonk!

On the television screen, there was a great flash of light. Lasting only an instant, it faded, as two characters parted: one jumping away from the other. A small number floated up into the air, and the still standing character fell into a crouch, and faded out into the background.

Bonk!

"Hey... you're doing really well." Blossom complimented, watching the game in between chapters to her book. It was one of the ones that -he- used to own. Certain parts were still indexed, and she'd hoped that looking through the book would help give her greater insight into him.

"Thanks." Boomer answered, softly.

"I mean it. I've never seen anyone fly through the game so fast."

Boomer didn't reply.

Blossom sighed, and went back to reading. She'd meant what she'd said. Granted, she really hadn't seen anyone else except Bubbles and Buttercup try their hand at "Puppet Pals: Endless Waltz," but from what she saw, she was impressed. The Mayor had a large cache of games for numerous gaming systems, everything from Nintendo to Playstation Two, and the Puppet Pals' Action/Adventure game was supposedly one of the hardest.

It was just that...

Boomer didn't really seem to be enjoying himself.

She'd hoped a bit of praise would help boost his spirits, but he was still in a depressed funk. Only Bubbles seemed able to have much effect on the once loud and outspoken Rowdyruff Boy, and to tell the truth, Blossom was starting to feel... useless. Sure, there was the effort of trying to keep everyone together and working, there was the responsibility she held towards the city she was slowly starting to dislike, and there were the chores she had to do. But nothing seemed to have much meaning.

Looking at Boomer, she silently cursed.

"Damn Brick for dying." Her mind hissed. "Damn him for saving me... for leaving me..."

It was a familiar chorus.

Useless.

Incompetent.

Unfit.

She shook her head, and cleared her thoughts. She wouldn't allow herself to go down that road again. Useless? No: She had proved that enough times. Without her, they never would have survived the massive, deformed spider monster... Incompetent? No: Her actions spoke well enough. Sure, there had been failures. Sure, there had been setbacks. Her track record, however, spoke volumes, and she NEVER gave up. Unfit? Maybe, once, when her self-pity had paralyzed her. In the end, however, even Brick had accorded her a gudgeoning respect.

He'd never said as much, but she felt it deep in the depths of her soul that he did. Her confidence bolstered, Blossom closed the book she had been reading, and made a decision. It was time to put her house in order.

"Boomer?" She turned to him, voice stronger.

"What?" He asked, quietly, expressive blue eyes leaving the screen.

"Boomer..." Blossom slowly smiled. It felt like ages since she'd smiled. He blinked at her, not understanding. Scooting over, next to him, she reached out and hugged him. At first, he was as tense and stiff as a board, but slowly, she felt his head rest on her shoulder. Tentatively, afraid of showing weakness, afraid of risking rejection, he returned the hug.

"Listen..." She took a deep breath, and said what she felt. It was harder than she thought it would be, but the warm confidence from deep within galvanized her. Moved her. "Boomer... I love you... we all do. I... I just want you to know that."

He didn't say anything.

Instead, Blossom heard what sounded like muffled hiccups. Boomer's embrace became desperate, like the grip of a drowning man on a life preserver. He didn't need words. She knew the feeling was mutual, and she knew that she needed to feel loved as much as he did. He wasn't alone.

"T... thanks... Red," Boomer said, still softly, but with a tiny touch more energy, a small bit more spirit. "Thanks..."

He wasn't alone.

He had Bubbles.

And he had her.

Even Buttercup, though the green Powerpuff would never admit it.

They had been enemies, but that was a lifetime ago.

They were family.

Together, they would survive anything.

"In what is being called the Second Tiananmen Square Massacre, a large body of student protesters in Beijing, many sporting anti-party slogans, were fired on as they marched on Mao's Tomb..."

June 14

"Time to wake up, Master Butch!"

The butler checked under the covers of a large, ample bed, but as expected, didn't see its occupant. The man sighed, and looked around the room in silent irritation. It was one of the guestrooms in Townsville Mansion - the residence of the Mayor. Charles Wellson had worked there nearly his entire life, after his family moved from England. The Mayor generally left the house early and often, leaving his wife in charge, which suited Charles perfectly.

The Mayor was a fickle and foolish fellow, but he had a good heart, and it was never much of a hassle taking care of the Mansion in his absence. The groundskeepers and the house staff went about their business with little distraction or problem, even from the lady of the house. Even the monsters that frequently attacked the city normally overlooked the Mayor's House. The only disturbance in recent memory had been when an uncouth fellow named 'Fuzzy Lumpkins' had held the title of Mayor, but that hadn't been for a very long period of time.

Fortunately.

"Master Butch! Are you awake?" Charles gave up looking. "Are you even hearing me?"

Recently, however, a new disturbance had entered the house. The Mayor had never had any children, or even adopted, so their presence had never been an issue in the past. This had been the way of things until two young boys, the surviving two Rowdyruffs, who had once held the city in a grip of terror (a slight exaggeration), were taken in as wards.

The more introverted of the two was never a problem.

Boomer was a well-behaved boy who did what he was asked, and usually left the house for long periods of time. When he was there, he was quiet and almost invisible, preferring to play a video game quietly by himself. His brother Butch, on the other hand, was more than a handful.

A crash came from the adjoining bathroom.

"Master Butch?"

"I'm fine! Get lost!!"

Charles frowned, knowing what had happened. "Master Butch, breakfast is served. The Lady of the house requests your presence at the table."

There was silence that seemed like an answer to the negative.

"Fine." Butch answered, gruffly. "Gimme a second."

Behind the door, water started to run. After a little over a minute, the water stopped, and the door opened. Butch floated out, wearing fighting tape around his hands and arms, and Charles could see that, inside the bathroom, the mirror had been broken. Again.

"I tripped."

Butch had noticed that Charles had seen what had happened inside, and gave his usual excuse. The boy was a mess - his hair was uncombed, and wild... he obviously hadn't bathed or showered in days. At least he was changed, and wearing his usual outfit. Unfortunately, his black and green shirt was wrinkled and splotched by splashes of dry blood. It desperately needed cleaning, but Charles had learned that Butch pretty much never changed out of his clothes.

"Of course, Master Butch." The butler inclined his head. Butch snorted loudly and walked out of the bedroom. The green Rowdyruff floated down the winding staircase, and into the dining room, past two waiting women in maid's outfits. He brushed them off when they approached him, and he sat at the table.

Boomer was there... recently, the blue Rowdyruff had looked very pale, but there was a bit more color to him today. He was eating, too, which was always a good sign. Butch grunted a small greeting to his brother, and without so much of a glance to the elderly woman who was their host; he started to eat whatever was put in front of him. He didn't taste it; he just shoveled it down.

Fuel for the fire.

Nothing more.

"How did you sleep, Butch? Well, I hope?" The elderly Mrs. Mayor asked, politely, from near the head of the table. The Mayor had already left, and his seat was empty. His dishes were untouched. He'd probably picked up some fast food on the way to his office.

Butch didn't answer.

"I slept well." Boomer said, after a pause.

"I'm glad to hear that, Boomer." Mrs. Mayor smiled vacantly.

Butch dropped his fork and stood up on his chair. "Done. I'm outta here."

"All right, have..." Before Mrs. Mayor could finish her sentence, Butch was heading for the door. "...Fun."

"Wait a second, man!" Boomer jumped out of his seat, and chased down his brother. "Butch! Wait up!"

"What... is it?" Butch pivoted, eyes slightly narrowed, obviously more than a bit annoyed.

"Blossom wanted me to take you over to see her."

"Issatso?" Butch spat, dismissively.

"Yeah." Boomer wasn't really used to this sort of situation, and shied back a bit when his angry brunette brother looked at him sourly. "I... kinda gave my word you'd be there, man."

Butch's scowl grew worse at that. A Rowdyruff's word was his bond. It was part of the unspoken code that they followed. There was loyalty, to each other, and to those they 'owed.' There was pride, in their work and in themselves, and then there was honor. If Boomer gave his word on it, Butch had little choice but to follow through.

"Yeah. Yeah. Let's gets this over with." It still pissed him off, however.

Butch crossed his arms, and the two Rowdyruff's floated out of Mayor's Manor, and into the sky. They never passed over the city itself, but instead flew low and fast over the sprawling suburbs. Butch had noticed, in the city proper, an increase in violent crime, and the sheer numbers of scum that crawled out of their holes to stalk the night. It suited him just fine.

It just meant ten or twelve more skulls to crack.

They circled the drab little home of the Powerpuff Girls, twice, before coming in for a landing. The thought of smashing through one of the windows came to Butch, but he dismissed it just as quickly. He wasn't particularly in the mood to deal with the consequences of such a thing, and while he couldn't care less what the girls thought of him, the last thing he was interested in at the moment was an argument or a feud.

Far better to show up, get this thing done, and leave.

They landed on soft grass, on a well cared for lawn, facing a pleasant little garden framing the steps to the door. It made Butch want to puke. But he waited, not vomiting, for Boomer to ring the doorbell, and then stand around for a few seconds. Butch waited, still not spilling it, as Blossom answered the door, and after exchanging quick greetings with Boomer, let the two boys in and escorted them through the house into the backyard. The mere sight of Blossom's stupid pink bow, well combed hair, and almost enthusiastic step in her walk made him want to snarl.

She'd gotten over things quickly.

Typical.

The pink puff's two sisters were waiting for them at the back door, and together, they went outside. It was a pretty typical back yard, with a few girly things strewn about. There was a football, too - Buttercup's, Butch knew. At the thought of her, Butch's frown was cast in iron

"You're probably wondering why I wanted to see you two." Blossom got right to the point.

That was fine with Butch.

"By your silence, I'll take that as a yes." Blossom coughed, and cleared her throat. "I don't believe our monster problems are over just yet. While I may be wrong... I don't believe we can take that chance. So I brought everyone together so we can talk about our abilities, and get to work better as a... team."

The 't' word!

Butch's mind seethed.

This upstart Powerpuff had some nerve!

"Consider this a sort of reintroduction to each other. A fresh start." Blossom smiled. Bubbles and Buttercup followed, more hesitantly. Butch saw that Boomer was at least partially amicable to the situation, as well. Butch was still frowning.

"I'll go first; follow my example." Blossom continued. "I'm Blossom - I come up with plans and things like that. I developed my special ability almost a year ago... As you know, it's Ice Breath. I've gotten much better at controlling it over the months."

"Boomer." Boomer quickly began where Blossom stopped. "I've got the usual set of stuff, like everyone here. My special power is..." He paused, a bit unsure. He looked to Bubbles, and then decided to keep going. "Invisibility. It doesn't work on cameras and stuff, though."

"What?!" Butch yelped, and looked at his brother curiously. "Invisibility? Since when?"

"A while, man. About three and a half weeks..." Boomer shrugged. "I kind of kept it a secret."

"W..." Butch mouthed the question again, and looked from Boomer to Bubbles. "Did the blonde girl know?"

"I told her a little while ago." Boomer seemed ashamed. Butch knew why - had Brick even known? Surely, he must have, and yet by Boomer's behavior, it looked like he hadn't even told their red ruff leader.

"Shit man..." Butch cursed, unashamedly.

"No cursing!" Blossom yelled, instantly. Butch cringed slightly at the noise, at least until he remembered who was yelling at him and straightened his back defiantly.

"I'm Bubbles!" Bubbles waved pleasantly, trying to defuse the situation. "Um... I can fly very fast... and... stuff. My... I'm not sure I have a special power..."

"What do you mean, you're not sure?" Butch asked.

"Bubbles..." Boomer said, softly. "Come on..."

"I... I see things... sometimes." Bubbles wrung her hands together, shyly. "Dreams n' stuff."

"She saw the monster's we've been fighting," Boomer explained. "At least since when we had her in lockup."

"This is the first I've ever heard of it!" Blossom put her hands on her hips, and faced her blonde sister. Boomer quickly stood next to his counterpart, and took her hand without hesitation.

"She doesn't like talking about it." Boomer was speaking for them, now, in what was a total reversal of what the relationship between the two had been just a day before. Butch looked on suspiciously. His brother was getting too attached to that sissy girl. Was she the reason why Boomer hadn't told anyone else about his special ability?

"It's ok," Bubbles spoke for herself, after a few pregnant seconds. "I didn't think telling anyone would help."

"Geez." Buttercup grumbled. "Well, I still don't have my special power, da... darn it. At least I don't think so."

"I've got mine. I can make myself tougher." Butch's eyes narrowed at Buttercup. These were the first words they'd exchanged in days. "Which means you can probably make yourself stronger or something."

"What makes you think that?" Blossom asked. She didn't like cutting into the conversation, but she had her own theories about the special power Buttercup would eventually develop. A little insight wouldn't hurt. Butch normally didn't say anything, anyway, unless he had a good reason for it. Otherwise he'd end up looking stupid, and that was probably the one thing Butch feared the most.

"Hmf!" Butch crossed his arms tightly and resisted answering. He relented after only a few seconds. "We're two sides of the same coin."

"Huh?" Boomer and Bubbles asked simultaneously.

"I think I see where you're going with that." Blossom scratched her chin. "Brick had some sort of fire ability, and I have ice. Boomer can apparently turn invisible, but he said it doesn't work on cameras... maybe it's like some sort of psionic power. Bubbles seeing stuff that she couldn't is like the opposite of that."

"You sure about that, Red?" Boomer didn't seem to like that description of his ability.

"We could have the Professor run a test to see..."

"No thanks," Boomer quickly said. "I don't think I'd be... comfortable with that."

"Che." Butch sneered. "This is a waste of time! I showed up. I said what you wanted: now I'm outta here!"

"Hey!" Blossom demanded. "I haven't dismissed you yet!"

Butch froze in midair. Slowly, he turned. "Your point... puff?"

Blossom stood her ground. She knew, deep down, that dealing with Butch meant keeping a firm hand. He was naturally very independent, but also very loyal. Butch respected power, and followed those he respected without question, and totally dismissed those he didn't. She had, obviously, yet to earn his respect, and thus, his loyalty. Taking him to fold earlier would be better for everyone involved instead of letting him continue down the dangerous lone road he was currently headed down.

"My point... is that we are having a meeting. And it isn't over yet."

Butch finally smiled. It was a vicious smile. A challenge.

Slowly, he started to laugh.

"I don't take orders from you, girlie. Never did. Never will." Butch let the words seep in. "That get through your thick-as-uranium skull at all?"

Blossom's eyes narrowed, and she silently floated up to his level. Boomer watched, unsure what to do. Bubbles was shaking her head, and her grip on his hand increased dramatically. Next to them, yet some distance away, Buttercup watched with mounting concern. Then, breaking the tension of the moment...

The hotline rang.