Intro
A man stood holding a short thick metal pole, looking over his creation, anxious to see the results of his latest experiment. Beside him, stood his other subjects, on his right, one of his first creations, a white-haired girl, on his left, a dark-haired boy.
They stood looking at the huge leech creature lying on a long table. It pulsed and the girl could see something writhing inside it.
The boy spoke up. "Why are we doin' this? Seems like a waste of time."
The man grew furious and struck the boy with the pole he had ready in case this experiment got out of hand. He smacked the boy in the face, knocking him backwards to the dusty floor. The boy slowly sat up, wiped the blood from his mouth, then cringed as the man turned to him, grabbed a handful of the boy's black hair and yanked him to his feet.
The boy let out a yelp as the man pulled him close to his face and scowled at him. "Do not question what I do," he stated menacingly, "I didn't bring your miserable hide into this world to question me, got it?"
The boy quickly nodded his head. The man released him with a shove as the girl looked on, wanting to help the boy, but not daring to move. She had seen the master's temper get worse and worse as of late, and his cruelty towards both her and her brother became more frequent.
The leech creature suddenly split open across the top and slimy muck ran out of its body. They suddenly saw a child's hand reach out of the creature, then its head. The girl felt a wave of excitement as she saw the child's long curly red hair. It took a deep watery sounding breath, then coughed up the mucus in its lungs in a long spew. It struggled to climb out of the leech cocoon, getting its shoulders out, then fell back with a squishy thump. The master lost his patience as the child again tried to get out of the leech.
"Come on, get out of there, you little shit!" he yelled as he stomped over to the leech and snatched the child from it by the hair. As he dragged the naked child out and held it out in front of him, the girl's excitement died. The child was another boy. "Damn, why couldn't you have been a girl?" she thought to herself, "Just what I need, another brother."
The red headed boy howled with pain as the master held him up by his hair. The master shook the boy and hollered, "Shut up, you weed, and open your damn eyes!"
The boy's eyes snapped open as he hung from the master's hand, panting with pain and fear. The master drew him close and peered into the boy's eyes. "Damn it, still didn't get the eyes right," he stated angrily. He then threw the boy to the floor in front of the girl and the dark-haired boy. He lay there shivering and coughed up more phlegm from his lungs as the girl wrapped a woolen blanket around him.
The girl looked up to the master and nervously said, "It worked, master!"
"Not the way I had hoped it would," the man replied.
"He doesn't look much like us," the dark-haired boy stated. The girl glared at him, fully expecting the master to beat the boy again.
"It will soon enough," the man answered, "Decorate it any way you like." He turned and headed towards the door of the dark room. The lanterns flickered as he strode by them.
"What do we call him?" the girl called to the man.
The man paused in the doorway and, without turning, replied, "Call it whatever you like. It's your problem now. Just make sure its ready to do its job."
Chapter 1 - A Halloween Diddy
The city of Townsville! A glorious Saturday morning that finds the entire Utonium residence bustling with activity! Well, almost...
Bubbles cracked the Boys' bedroom door open and peeked inside. It was dark as night in the room, but she could see the clock on the night table next to Brick's bed. It was already 8:30 a.m., yet they had not moved from their beds. She giggled as she pushed open the door and floated into the room. She passed Brick's bed and went to the bunk beds where Butch and Boomer slept peacefully. She drifted up to the top and hovered over Butch. She softly landed on the end of his bed and watched him sleeping.
"What?" Butch asked after she had stood there for several minutes. He slowly opened one eye and looked at her. "What did I do now?"
"That's the point," Bubbles replied, "You haven't done anything yet!" She giggled and began bouncing on Butch's bed. "C'mon, get up!"
Brick rolled over and watched Bubbles pouncing on Butch's bed. Her motion was causing both his brothers' heads to bounce off their pillows.
"Bubbles!" Butch yelled, "Quit it!"
"Please," Boomer grumbled from below them.
"Well, c'mon, get up!" Bubbles insisted, "How can you guys sleep so much?"
"Better question is, why are you always up at the crack of dawn?" Brick replied with a yawn.
"Yeah," Boomer added, "No school today, why don't you sleep in or something?"
"Oh, come on, get up, guys!" Bubbles replied as she floated over to the light switch. "Professor's already made breakfast, you missed it!" she informed them as she flipped the room's light on.
All three Boys groaned at the sudden flood of light. They rolled over and buried their heads in their pillows. Bubbles returned to Butch's bed and dragged him out from under his pillow.
"C'mon, you promised!" she reminded him.
"Aw, man, why me?" Butch asked.
"'Cause you told her you'd take her, that's why," Brick reminded him.
"Yeah!" Bubbles stated.
Butch sat up and rubbed his eyes. "OK, OK," he sighed, "I'm up."
Bubbles smiled and clapped her hands. "Finally!" She left the room as both Butch and Boomer crawled out of bed and got dressed. Boomer tossed a pillow at Brick, hitting him directly in the back of the head.
"C'mon, might as well face the crowds, right?" he asked.
Brick pulled the covers over his head and answered, "Later...turn off that stupid light on your way out, will ya?"
Boomer shook his head and flipped the light off as he and Butch left the room. They floated downstairs to find the other Girls sprawled out in the living room. Blossom, surrounded by the morning's newspaper, sat on the couch, munching on a bagel as she read through the day's headlines. Buttercup slept on the floor in front of the television with its volume blaring through the house.
Boomer yawned and pointed to Buttercup. "Did you get her up too early too?" he asked Blossom.
Blossom looked to her sister and replied, "No, she's grumpy in the morning, just like you."
Boomer shrugged and headed for the kitchen. Bubbles came racing from the side room with Butch's ice skates draped over her shoulder. She grabbed him by the front of his shirt and dragged him towards the front door. "C'mon!" she insisted.
Butch dug his feet in the carpet and pulled back from her. "Hey, hold on, will you? Let me wake up first!"
Blossom snickered from the couch. Butch looked at her and scowled.
"Hey, don't look at me like that," Blossom warned him, "You ought to know better than to promise Bubbles anything."
"That's 'cause I make you follow through!" Bubbles replied.
"Don't I know it." Blossom mumbled.
Butch looked at Bubbles and asked, "What, no breakfast first?"
Bubbles rolled her eyes and replied, "Oh, forget that! You missed it already!"
"Just go already!" Buttercup suddenly grumbled from the floor, "At least Bubbles won't whine anymore!"
"I do not whine!" Bubbles insisted.
Professor Utonium came from the kitchen and approached Butch and Bubbles.
"Where are you two off to?" he asked.
Bubbles jumped up and down with glee. "Butch is going to help me learn to ice skate!" she replied.
"Well, that's awful nice of you, Butch!" Professor stated.
Butch sighed, "Yeah, I'm just an all-around nice guy."
Professor looked into the kitchen where Boomer was making himself a bowl of cereal. He asked, "You're not waiting for your brothers?"
Bubbles shook her head as Butch replied, "Nah, Bubbles seems to think we ignore her if we all go."
"Well, you DO!" Bubbles informed him, "That's why I can't skate!"
Professor held out some cash and said, "Here, just promise me you'll get something decent to eat, OK?" He handed the money to Butch who stuffed it into his pocket. "Yeah, OK." Butch answered.
Bubbles dragged him outside and they shot off into the sky. Professor stood at the door and watched them take off, shaking his head. He closed the door after them and turned to Blossom. "Well, that's two more...where's Brick?"
Blossom pointed towards the Boys' upstairs bedroom. "Still lazing in bed." she answered.
Professor shrugged. "Well, let him. Nothing pressing right now anyway."
Chapter 2
Two hours later, Professor and Buttercup stood in the upstairs hallway putting clean towels away when Brick finally emerged from the bedroom. He wore a pair of black knee-length shorts and carried his red and black shirt and red hat with him. He still looked tired as he made his way past them towards the bathroom.
"Well, good morning!" Professor said cheerfully.
"Hey, Professor," Brick yawned.
"Nice eye," Buttercup stated.
He turned to scowl at her as Professor noticed Brick's right eye was blackened and swollen. "Good grief, what's that from?" Professor asked.
Brick continued into the bathroom and stood looking at his injured eye in the mirror. "If my calculations are correct, it was Fuzzy Lumpkins, in the library, with the lead pipe."
"Next time duck," Buttercup said. Brick threw his clothes on the floor and made a quick move to go after her, but she took off down the stairs and into the living room. She stood chuckling at him as Professor grabbed his arm.
"No fighting." Professor reminded him.
Brick retreated a step. "I know, I wasn't gonna," he stated as he bent down and retrieved his shirt and hat. Professor shook his head and went downstairs. Brick sighed and returned to examining his eye in the bathroom mirror.
He made his way downstairs a few minutes later and plopped on the couch next to Blossom who was still reading the newspaper.
"Gee, that IS a pretty one," Blossom said as she looked at Brick's black eye.
"Yeah, thanks a lot," he replied, "You could've warned me, you know."
Blossom shrugged. "I did, you just weren't paying attention."
Brick rolled his eyes and got up. He wandered into the kitchen where Boomer was finishing his cereal and studying a word puzzle on the cereal box. Brick opened the refrigerator and got out an apple and the orange juice. He drank the juice from the container and peered over Boomer's shoulder.
"It says 'New Orleans, Louisiana'," Brick informed Boomer.
Boomer looked up at his brother and asked, "How did you know?"
Brick shrugged and answered, "'Cause I did it already."
"Great, thanks a lot," Boomer replied sarcastically. "That IS a real shiner, by the way," he added after seeing Brick's eye.
Brick nodded. "Yeah, I heard. Worst thing is, I probably won't be able to play Tuesday's game."
"Wear a face shield," Boomer suggested.
Brick snorted. "Yeah, right, like staring through a dirty fish tank. Sign me up for that one."
"Well, it's either that, or you don't play and Butch and me get stuck with either Elmer or Mitch on the line with us again. Neither one of 'em are any good at centre," Boomer stated, "In fact, they both suck."
Brick bit into his apple and replied, "Relax, that's three days from now." He indicated his black eye. "Maybe this will be gone by then."
"Yeah, and maybe Bubbles can fill in for you by then, huh?" Boomer shot back, "She dragged Butch off to teach her how to skate today."
They looked at each other and suddenly burst into laughter.
"Maybe I'll fill in for you instead." The Boys hadn't noticed Buttercup in the kitchen doorway, hands on her hips, listening to their conversation.
Brick and Boomer broke into fresh fits of laughter at her comment. "What's so funny about that?" she demanded angrily, "You think a girl can't play ice hockey or something?"
"Definitely not Bubbles," Boomer replied.
"Even if Bubbles could skate, girls don't play hockey," Brick stated, "League rules."
"I can skate just as well as you guys," Buttercup stated confidently, "Probably better than you guys."
Brick chuckled. "Doubt it. Doesn't matter anyway. League rules. Girls don't play."
"That's why it's a "Boys' League", get it?" Boomer asked.
Buttercup crossed her arms in front of herself and furrowed her brow, preparing to argue further when Brick held up his hands and shook his head. "I'm not going to argue over this with you, OK? I'm done." He headed passed her and into the living room.
He continued passed Blossom on the couch, still reading through the newspaper. He paused to pull on his shirt and asked, "How can you read that stuff?"
"Just staying informed," she replied, "Always good to know what's going on in the world."
"Yeah, but it's always bad. Look..." Brick pointed to the headline on the page Blossom currently had in front of her and read aloud. "...'Another Disappearance in Dayton, Ohio, Foul Play Suspected'..."
"Yeah, that's like the fourth or fifth person in that area," Blossom informed him, "They think the cases in Philadelphia, New York, Pittsburgh, and now Dayton are all related somehow. Same scenario in each case, anyway."
"Like what?" Brick asked.
"Well, so far in each case, remember there's over twenty of them now, including this one, somebody is reported missing, in this case here, this guy was a police officer who didn't come back to the station after his shift was over. They do a preliminary investigation and find a blood spot or a single bone or a personal belonging in a secluded area of the city, either in an alleyway or under an overpass or something, but always on pavement. Never a whole body, at least not so far, and never out in the middle of nowhere, like a field or something. Almost like they want somebody to find the evidence. DNA testing is the only way they've even been able to determine who some of these missing people have been."
Blossom looked at the map included with the story and remarked, "Also seems like they're heading west, if this map is accurate. This all apparently started in Philadelphia and has gone from there."
"So, they just pick a place, take a few people, and move on, right?" Brick asked.
Blossom nodded. "That's what it seems like so far. If that's the case, they're about done with Dayton. They'll move on soon. Always a big city, too."
Brick shook his head and chomped on his apple. "See, always bad."
Chapter 3
Bubbles skipped along the sidewalk humming to herself and sucking on a lollipop. Butch wandered behind her, intensely studying the small video screen on his Game Boy Advance machine. He frantically pushed the buttons in an attempt to get Mario passed the various villains and killer mushrooms that would otherwise end his game.
"Aw, man!" Butch grumbled as Mario went down again.
"My turn!" Bubbles insisted. Butch handed her the game and they continued on. They had spent the entire day at the skating rink and Bubbles was extremely proud of her accomplishments in skating. She felt like she was on top of the world.
"Wow, I didn't realize it was so late," Butch stated, "It's getting dark already."
Bubbles nodded. "Yeah, but I had fun today! Thanks, Butch!" She paused her game and leaned over and planted a kiss on his cheek. He grumbled, "You're welcome."
They suddenly stopped as they heard what sounded like giggling from all around them. Looking around, they saw no one else in the narrow street, but both had the distinct feeling they were being watched.
"C'mon," Butch urged Bubbles. He took the game from her and put it in her backpack. "Let's see what's going on." They continued down the street and turned the corner. Butch's eyes glowed as he used his night vision to check for anyone following behind them.
"Well, what do we have here?" They spun around to where the voice with a slight British accent was coming from. Butch peered into the darkened alley and made out what looked like a young girl, roughly the same age as he and Bubbles, standing in a windowsill.
"I dunno, what do you think?" Butch and Bubbles turned again as another voice, also with a British accent, sounded behind them. Butch again searched the darkness, this time catching a glimpse of a young boy scampering up a wall as quickly as a spider to perch on top and follow their movements.
"Hmmm, looks like a snack." The third voice, complete with British accent, came from along side the pair. Butch caught sight of a second young boy making his way towards them from a dark doorway.
Butch and Bubbles stood back to back as the three closed in on them. The three giggled hysterically as they moved towards Butch and Bubbles.
"Isn't it passed your bedtime?" Butch yelled angrily.
"Let's just go," Bubbles insisted.
Butch shook his head. "No, I wanna know who these guys are."
"Awwww, where's mommy and daddy?" they heard the girl ask.
"None of your business." Butch shot back.
In the darkness, their eyes glowed yellow until they emerged into the light of a streetlamp. There were indeed three of them, one girl and two boys. The girl had long snow white hair with bangs across her forehead and the long sides tucked behind her ears. She also had ghoulish purple eyes.
One boy had long jet black hair with grey streaks through it pulled into a ponytail that reached his shoulder blades. His eyes were the grey of gathering storm clouds.
The other boy had fire red hair, parted on the left side, that hung in long spiral curls to his waist. His large eyes were orange like a Halloween jack-o-lantern. He also looked incredibly familiar.
They all wore black denim shorts and short sleeved black shirts, no shoes, and each had several silver rings in each ear. Their skin was ghastly white. They each also had horns.
Their horns stuck out from their hair roughly an inch and a half tall on top of their heads. They looked like devils.
"Little early for Halloween, isn't it?" Bubbles asked sarcastically.
The three burst into giggles again as they closed the distance between themselves and Butch and Bubbles. They suddenly sprang at Butch and Bubbles, hissing like cats. Butch and Bubbles shot up into the air and hovered over the three. They were stunned as they discovered they missed their target. The girl looked up and her eyes widened at seeing Bubbles and Butch floating above their heads.
"HUH?" she exclaimed.
Butch chuckled at her. "Not used to having the odds against you, huh?" he snarled.
"Now it's bed time!" Bubbles stated. She and Butch both shot lasers at the three who quickly separated to avoid the blasts.
"Get out of here!" the girl shouted. They took off in different directions, running faster than Butch and Bubbles had ever seen anybody run, including themselves.
"C'mon, get 'em!" Butch shouted. They blasted off after the black-haired boy as he quickly climbed walls, jumped over cars' hoods, and scrambled under debris in an effort to escape Butch and Bubbles. The girl wasn't too far from him, so Bubbles and Butch followed them. The red-haired boy would have to wait.
Butch and Bubbles zoomed overhead of the two trying to keep track of their movements. The two scrambled through the streets trying to zigzag as much as possible to confuse Butch and Bubbles. The boy headed left at one corner and the girl took off right. Bubbles followed the boy as Butch went after the girl.
Bubbles suddenly lost sight of the boy. She continued on trying to find him when she suddenly felt someone grab her left arm and slingshot her around 180 degrees directly into a building wall. She smashed through the wall, head first, and landed with a thud on the floor inside. Broken masonry collapsed in on her as she tried to cover her head. A huge chunk of the wall bashed her in the head and she blacked out.
As the dust settled, the boy cautiously approached Bubbles where she lay in the pile of broken bricks and cement. He stood over her and chuckled as he shook his head. "Don't know what you are, but you're weird."
As he slowly backed away from her, he tilted his head and sniffed the air. He left Bubbles in the pile and headed out of the building. He scaled up the building's wall and ran across the rooftop.
Butch was directly behind the girl though she continued to try to swerve back and forth to avoid him. He accelerated and tackled her from behind. They tumbled forward through a door, breaking the rotted wood in, as Butch wrapped his left arm around her throat and grabbed her right arm and twisted it behind her. She screamed like an animal and struggled to free herself from his grip. She tried to turn to kick at him, but Butch trapped her legs under his.
"You're caught, just give it up, will ya?" Butch shouted at her.
She continued to fight him off. She managed to get his arm out from around her neck. Butch screamed with pain as she bit into his arm causing him to release her. She tore away from him and jumped to a workbench under a window. Butch wrapped the end of his shirt around his arm which was now bleeding heavily. The girl glared at him in the dark and Butch realized that she held a chunk of his flesh in her teeth. He watched, stunned, as she slurped the chunk into her mouth and chomped on it. She grinned a wicked grin, and Butch saw that her teeth were pointed and looked razor sharp. She giggled and said, "MMMMM, sweet meat!"
Butch became enraged and lurched after her. She quickly spun around and smashed through the window and leaped across to the next building. She went through another window and tumbled across a room full of lockers. She rolled back to her feet and took off running again as Butch was right behind her. She ducked out of the room and down a hallway. Butch flew behind her as she headed through a large metal door. She slammed the door behind her and Butch heard the lock turn from the other side. He hit the door at full speed, blasting it inward off its hinges. He stood in a large room that looked like a boiler room. He didn't see the girl, even with his night vision. His rage continued to build the longer she remained out of sight and his forearm throbbed from her bite. He methodically searched the room for any signs of the girl.
He suddenly heard a screeching noise followed by two distinct howls. He then heard glass breaking and took off like a shot towards the sound. He caught a glimpse of the two boys helping the girl out the broken window and outside the building. Butch reached the window in time to see the three leap from the building and fall roughly 8 floors before catching on a power line. The red head slashed the line with his fingernails that looked more like cat claws causing it to spark briefly, and the three rode the cable to the ground.
"What was that?" the red head asked the girl, referring to Butch and Bubbles.
She shook her head. "Don't know. Let's not worry about it right now," she replied, looking to the sky, "We need to move."
They turned to head out of the alley and stopped short. Butch hovered directly in front of them.
"Uh-oh," the black haired boy mumbled.
The three turned back to the wall and started to climb quickly. Butch blasted the wall just above their heads with his lasers causing the three to drop back to the ground.
"You three are grounded," Butch snarled.
The girl smiled sweetly. "That's what you think..."
The three inhaled deeply and as they exhaled, a thick fog began to surround them. Butch noticed the temperature within the fog dropping dramatically. He began to head towards the three hidden in the fog.
"Enough games!" he shouted.
He stopped suddenly as a what looked like a huge bat came out of the fog towards him. Its eyes glowed yellow and its long snout opened to reveal its many fangs. Its wingspan was easily seven feet across and as it screamed towards him, Butch ducked to the ground. It zipped over his head and its jaws snapped shut within inches of his ear. The beast screeched its dismay at missing Butch, and headed out over the city. The fog cleared and Butch saw that the three were gone. He quickly used his night vision to search the area, then looked for the bat. He realized he had lost them.
He raged over his failure then picked up a cinder block and flung it with his remaining good arm through a car's rear window. He then flew off in search of Bubbles.
Chapter 4
"My God, guys, what happened?" Buttercup exclaimed as Bubbles and Butch entred the house. She went to Bubbles and examined the huge lump on the back of her sister's head. Bubbles stared straight ahead with glassy eyes.
"Professor!" Blossom shouted as she ran towards the door to Professor's lab. Brick and Boomer came from the side room to investigate the commotion.
"Butch, you OK?" Boomer asked upon seeing Butch's shirt soaked with blood.
"What happened?" Brick asked. He took Butch's arm and carefully peeled his shirt off the wound. "Holy cow, what's this?"
There was a large chunk of flesh ripped out of the top of Butch's left forearm just below his elbow and a section of skin roughly three inches long had been pulled away towards his wrist as well.
"Something bit me," Butch answered angrily. Blossom returned with an ice bag for Bubbles' head and several clean towels.
Professor Utonium entred the room and approached Butch. He carefully examined the wound on Butch's arm and shook his head. He seemed both shocked and angry, as if he had seen a similar wound before. Butch grimaced as Professor took one of the towels and carefully wrapped it around the wound.
"Out to the car, kids, we're going to take them to the hospital right now," Professor stated.
Chapter 5
"It's OK, Butch, I promise," Professor assured him. Butch peered into the basin that had been placed on table next to him. The liquid inside it was a brownish-red and looked similar to chocolate syrup. He shrugged and carefully put his wounded forearm into the liquid.
"Whoa, that burns!" he yelled as he snatched his arm back out of the liquid.
Professor gently took his arm and said, "It's an antibacterial wash, Butch, it'll only hurt for a second."
Professor stuck Butch's arm back into the basin and held it under the liquid. Butch gritted his teeth as it cleaned the bacteria from his wound.
"Owwwwww," he groaned. Then the liquid felt cool on his arm. Butch looked up at the Professor and grinned. "Hey, that's neat!"
Professor smiled and replied, "See, told you."
Dr. Scott came into the room to see Butch. He was on the downhill slide of fifty years old, blue eyes, grey hair, and black-framed glasses. He loped more than walked to the table where Butch sat. "Doin' OK?" he asked with a kind smile.
Butch nodded. The doctor tilted the basin slightly so the wash would penetrate the large bite at Butch's elbow. "I'll be back in a few minutes. Just leave that in there while I finish up with your sister, OK?"
Butch rolled his eyes as Dr. Scott walked back out of the room. "...My sister...," he grumbled.
Professor chuckled. "Well, she is,...in a way," he said, "You're all my kids now, so get used to it." He ruffed Butch's hair and gave him a light hug.
"Yeah, I guess," Butch replied.
Dr. Scott returned followed by a young nurse. The nurse carried a clipboard and she scribbled notes as Dr. Scott spoke to her. Dr. Scott came to the table and lifted Butch's arm from the basin. He pushed his glasses up his nose and looked at the wound. "You said you were bitten?" he asked Butch.
"Yeah," Butch answered.
"You OK here, Butch, I want to check on Bubbles, too," Professor asked.
Butch nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine."
"I'll send your brothers in to keep you company," Professor said as he left the room.
"This looks like an animal bite of some sort," Dr. Scott informed Butch.
"I don't know what it was," Butch replied.
"It would help if we knew what kind of animal it was, but that's OK, we'll just fix you up and send you home, OK?" Dr. Scott said, "This doesn't seem too serious."
"It is from where I'm sittin'," Butch replied, "Hurts like you wouldn't believe."
"Well, it doesn't look like anything that needs more than a good bandaging," Dr. Scott stated, "You'll be fine."
He walked over to a cabinet as Brick and Boomer entred the room and leaned on the table Butch sat on. Brick sipped on a can of Coke and stated, "That's nasty-lookin'," referring to Butch's arm.
Boomer nodded his agreement. "What bit you, anyway?" he asked as he climbed up on the table and sat next to Butch.
"I don't know," Butch said, but they could both tell he was lying.
Dr. Scott came back to the table with a small blue plastic bin full of bandages, cotton balls, gauze pads and thread. Dr. Scott cleaned and bandaged the wound, wrapped it in gauze, then put several pieces of white tape on the gauze.
"All done!" he exclaimed. The nurse packed the blue bin back up and put it back in the cabinet.
"Wait here, I'll be back in a few minutes to check on you again, OK?" Dr. Scott said. He turned to the nurse, spoke to her again, then left the room. The nurse went to a drawer and stood with her back to the Boys. She returned to the table as Butch cradled his arm to his chest and rocked back and forth.
"Have you ever had a tetanus shot?" she asked Butch.
"A what?" Butch asked.
"I'll take that as a no," the nurse replied. She produced a large needle and stuck it in Butch's right arm. He jumped and tried to pull away, but Brick shot over and held him still as the nurse pushed the plunger.
"Hang on, will ya?" Brick grumbled at him.
The nurse removed the needle and stuck a band-aid over the small hole in Butch's arm. "All done!" the nurse told him. She smiled at him, then turned and left the room.
"Man, that hurt!" Butch raged as Brick snickered at him and floated back towards Boomer, "I'm gonna kill that girl!"
"What girl?" Brick asked, surprised.
"The one that bit me, what do you think?" Butch yelled.
"Doctor what's-his-name said that's some sort of animal bite, didn't he?" Boomer asked.
"Well, trust me, it was a girl," Butch answered angrily.
Brick and Boomer snickered. "You got bit by a girl?"
"Yeah, keep laughin'," Butch replied, "It was a girl, a freaky lookin' girl, but a girl all the same."
"Freaky how?" Brick asked.
"I don't know, white hair, purple eyes, fangs, claws,...horns," Butch replied, "There's three of 'em, her and two boys. They don't fly, unless the big bat I saw was really them, but they're as strong as us and super fast, let me tell ya..." He looked at his brothers and saw they didn't buy his story.
"You think I'm makin' this up?" he asked.
Brick chuckled. "No, of course not! We believe you." He turned to Boomer and the two of them broke into laughter.
"Wait, I know, it was really a St. Bernard!" Boomer exclaimed.
"Nah, a Doberman!" Brick added.
"No, wait, I got it! A land shark!" Boomer cried as he and Brick laughed hysterically.
Butch got more angry the more they laughed until he stood up on the table, grabbed the basin and flung it at the wall behind his brothers. It hit directly between their heads with a clang, spilling the wash on them as they ducked, and fell to the floor with a metallic crash.
"It was a girl, OK?!" Butch yelled at them, "This isn't funny, this is messed up! I don't know what else to tell ya, but I know what I saw!"
Brick and Boomer slowly stood up to face Butch hovering over the table. Brick wiped the splatters of wash off his face with the sleeve of his shirt and approached Butch.
"OK, we're done," he stated, a serious look on his face. "You calm down and we'll talk, OK?"
"Why bother?!" Butch screamed at him, "You think I'm lyin'! Why would I make something like this up? Do you really think I'd try to cover up a dog bite by saying a girl kicked my butt instead? You don't think I could fight off a stinkin' dog? What, I'm not only a freak, but I'm crazy, now, too?!"
"Whoa, we didn't say you were crazy, Butch, though you keep this up and we'll find the backwards tuxedo for you yet," Brick said angrily.
"Settle down, will ya?" Boomer insisted as he, too, cautiously approached the table.
Butch panted with anger as he looked first at Boomer, then at Brick. He then slowly drifted back to the table and plopped down. He sat cross-legged with his head leaning in his right hand. He closed his eyes and sighed.
Brick put his hand on the back of Butch's neck. "C'mon, man, relax. Tell us what happened, OK?"
"I told you, it was a girl. A girl and two weird lookin' boys. They were creepy and they were fast, I mean faster than us, no joke," Butch told them, "I chased the girl and Bubbles went after one of the boys. I caught her, but she got loose and she bit me. She even ate the chunk she ripped off me!"
"She ate it?" Boomer asked in amazement.
Butch nodded. "Sucked it up like spaghetti," he replied, "Seemed like she enjoyed it, too."
Brick chuckled and Butch shoved him backwards. "See, you don't believe me!"
Brick sighed and replied, "C'mon, I'm tryin', just at least admit it's a pretty wild story, right?"
"What if I told you's I believe him?" Butch looked up as Brick and Boomer turned towards the voice. They saw a young man standing in the doorway with his arms crossed in front of himself, grinning at them. He looked to be in his early to mid-twenties and stood roughly five feet ten inches tall. Though he was a bit thin, he was well-tanned and muscular. He looked menacing and his eyes were black as ebony. He had long black hair that had been twisted into dreadlocks that reached down his back and a black beard and moustache. He wore a black tee shirt with a Harley Davidson Motorcycles emblem emblazoned on it, black jeans with the left knee torn out and black steel-toed boots with the laces untied. Below his shirt sleeves they saw that his arms were almost completely covered in tattoos.
Brick turned around to face the man and asked, "So, you're tellin' us our brother was bit by a girl with fangs, right?" He chuckled and shook his head. "C'mon, pal, we may be just kids to you, but we're not stupid."
"So, what is she, like a werewolf or somethin'?" Boomer snickered as Butch scowled at both his brothers.
The man considered the comment then answered, "No, actually, she's a vampire. So are her two little brothers."
"A vampire..." Brick repeated. He looked at Boomer and both broke into fresh fits of hysterical laughter.
"Hey, quit it!" Butch shouted, shoving Brick with his foot.
Brick turned to him, continued to snicker, and stated, "C'mon, Butch, Halloween's only a couple of weeks away, you probably saw a couple of kids trying out their new stuff."
"Afraid not," the man replied, "They're the real thing."
Brick and Boomer calmed their laughter as Butch looked to the man. "One of 'em bit me!" he told the man, "What's gonna happen to me?"
The man strode into the room to face them. He leaned on the table and rubbed his beard as if studying Butch and answered, "Nothing, don't worry about it."
Professor Utonium entred the room followed by Blossom and Buttercup. He saw the man standing by the Boys and said, "Oh, I see you guys have already met Reese."
"Not actually," Reese replied, "We're just havin' a few laughs. How's your daughter?"
"She's fine, just a pretty big bump on her head," Professor answered.
"He says the girl that bit Butch is a vampire, Professor," Boomer chuckled, "Now that's funny."
"I guess it would be if it weren't the truth," Professor stated.
"C'mon, you believe this, too, Professor?" Brick asked amazed.
"Well, what else do you call something with fangs, claws, and horns?" Buttercup snapped.
"I call it a couple of kids playing Halloween early," Brick shot back, "Sounds more reasonable, anyway."
"So, does that mean one of 'em is running around in his brand-new Brick Rowdyruff costume?" Blossom asked sarcastically.
"Huh?" Brick snorted.
"Bubbles said one of the boys looks exactly like you," Blossom explained, "And I believe her."
"Are you kidding?" Boomer asked as he looked to Butch.
Butch looked at Brick and said, "Yeah, he does. Well, minus the fangs, anyway, and the horns. And his hair is all these long curls, not straight, like yours. Other than that, he's a dead ringer for you."
Brick stood with his arms crossed in front of himself, looking at Butch and grumbled, "You and Bubbles drank the water in Professor's lab again, didn't you?"
"Why do you find this so unbelievable?" Buttercup demanded angrily as she turned to face Brick. "Your own brother is telling you this is for real, but you just wanna write it off as a joke!"
"'Cause it IS a joke, Buttercup!" Brick hollered at her, "Vampires don't exist!"
"Yeah, and little boys don't come out of toilets, either, yet here you are, we're stuck with you!" Buttercup shot back.
"Oh, not this again!" Brick shouted as he looked to the ceiling, "Is that your standard defense for everything, or is it just 'cause you can't come up with anything else?"
"Maybe it's because I'm more open-minded than you, toilet boy!" Buttercup yelled back.
Brick suddenly grabbed Buttercup by the front of her dress and pulled his fist back as if to punch her when Professor yanked them apart.
"Enough!" he shouted as he shoved Brick towards Boomer and Butch and Buttercup back to Blossom. Blossom held onto Buttercup as Boomer grabbed Brick by his shoulders and pulled him backwards.
"He started it," Buttercup growled.
Brick tried again to go after her, but Boomer spun him around to face him and angrily insisted, "Let it go, alright? This is stupid."
"Gee, this is fun," Reese snickered as he leaned on the table and watched the commotion.
Professor turned to glare at him and replied, "No comments from you."
He turned to Brick and angrily asked, "Now, can you settle down and listen for a few minutes?"
Brick looked away and replied, "Yeah, sure, whatever..."
"With a little more positive attitude, possibly?" Professor asked sternly.
Brick sighed and replied, "OK, OK, I'm all ears."
Professor turned to Buttercup and asked, "How about you? You going to settle down as well?"
Buttercup nodded as she continued to glare at Brick. "I'm listenin'."
"OK," Professor began, "I know it sounds crazy, but the three kids Butch and Bubbles saw are really vampires. Trust me on this."
"So, what's gonna happen to me?" Butch again asked, "That girl bit me! Doesn't that mean I'm gonna end up like them?"
"No," Reese replied, "You're fine. It doesn't work that way. A vampire will only make you like it if it wants to. Just 'cause she bit you doesn't mean you'll be one."
"Isn't that what they're supposed to do?" Boomer asked, "Make everybody else a vampire, too?"
"No, and if you think about it, it makes sense," Professor replied, "Why would you make everybody else like you? Creates too much competition, especially when the food source is limited. Vampires tend to be territorial and they're driven chiefly by self-interest. They don't particularly care how bad or good somebody else has it in life, so long as they get what they want."
"These three can't change anybody, anyway," Reese explained.
"They can't?" Blossom asked, "Why not?"
"'Cause they're what we call Mornaucks. They're created by a true vampire, usually for a specific purpose. They're basically slaves to whoever created them. They don't know anything other than what their master tells them." Reese explained.
"They can't figure out to change somebody on their own?" Blossom asked.
"No, their master won't give them the ability to change anybody," Reese replied, "The fewer Mornaucks you have, the easier it is to control them."
"So, there's different kinds of vampires?" Boomer asked.
"Yes, Boomer, there are," Professor answered, "The ones Butch and Bubbles saw are the more common kind. Like Reese said, they're made for a reason, they get to do all the grunt work. They're more vunerable than their master simply because it's easier for their master to control them that way."
"So, how do we get rid of them?" Buttercup asked sternly, "Shove a wooden stake through their hearts or somethin'?"
"No, that'll only hold them still, it won't kill them," Reese stated, "Probably just piss them off, actually."
"Well, what about holy water or something?" Boomer asked.
"Yeah, where we gonna get that?" Brick replied.
Reese chuckled and shook his head. "Hold on, guys," he said as he continued to snicker, "Some advice here. First off, forget everything you've ever seen in a vampire movie, OK? Most of it is bullshit. Hollywood makes a vampire's life seem way too good, anyway."
"What do you mean, 'too good'?" Buttercup asked, "Living forever seems like a decent idea!"
"Actually, it sucks," Reese answered.
"Why would that be bad?" Blossom asked sternly, "Immortality would give you the chance to figure things out, maybe help people stuck in a situation you've already gotten through. You could do anything you wanted!"
"Yeah, but look at on the other side," Reese explained, "Think of somebody you know, let's say...your sisters here, for example. You're a vampire, Blossom, you're immortal, your sisters aren't, in our little game here. You get to sit back and watch them grow up, age, and die. You, on the other hand, will never change, unless you're a certain kind of vampire, then at least you can control how old you look. Everything you now know as 'current' becomes history, technology continues on, possibly overwhelms you. You can't keep up with everything, unless you truly work at it. Eventually, everything you know is gone yet you're still here."
Blossom looked to Buttercup and replied glumly, "Yeah, OK, I see your point."
"So, how many types of vampires are there?" Boomer asked.
"Four main types that we know of," Professor answered, "The ones Butch and Bubbles saw are basically the bottom of the proverbial food chain. Mornaucks tend to be the weakest, as well. They're created by a master, a vampire with truly amazing powers, but limited, nonetheless. Above that, you have what's called 'daywalkers'. That kind of vampire can blend in, be undetectable, unless you know what you're looking for. There's quite a few of them, actually."
"They can also control how they look," Reese added, "If they choose to look young forever, they can do it, or if they want to age a bit, then take on a new identity, they can. That's how most of 'em get by, actually."
"So, you're tellin' us there's these 'daywalkers' around now, right?" Brick asked amazed.
Reese shrugged, "Well, yeah, you think it's coincidence that Madonna looks a lot like Marilyn Monroe?"
"Also, why do you think Dick Clark still looks like a teenager even though he's technically pushing 70 years old?" Professor added.
"Madonna's a vampire?" Blossom asked.
"No, Marilyn Monroe is," Reese answered, "Madonna's just her new identity."
"OK, how 'bout...Ozzy Osbourne," Boomer offered, "He one too?"
"No," Reese answered, "Afraid not. The man most likely to BE a vampire is in fact, not one."
"What's the fourth type?" Buttercup asked.
"Purebreds," Reese answered, "They're born vampires, and extremely rare. Most of 'em don't make it simply due to modern technology. The ultra-sound bit picks up their natural features and diagnoses them with birth defects. Some parents choose not to have a kid they think will be handicapped or messed up some way. Even if they DO make it into the world, the average parent doesn't feed their newborn blood. A purebred is extremely fragile at birth, so most die within the first year or so. SIDS is the most common way to blame their deaths. In reality, the parents unknowingly starve them to death. Even if they DO survive, they're just like regular humans. They age, they get diseases, they die. Immortality just isn't in their make-up and most of 'em carry a monstrous chip on their shoulder because of it. They know they're mortal, and they don't think it's fair that they, as purebreds, don't have the 'gift' of immortality that those they look down their noses at do. They're ill-mannered, bad-tempered, and extremely dangerous if they get the chance to mature."
"How do you know so much about vampires, anyway?" Brick asked sternly.
"'Cause I'm one," Reese replied confidently. He began to laugh and they could now see that his teeth were pointed. His canine teeth were extended more than they should be and they looked like something out of a horror film.
They stared at him in amazement. Brick looked to his brothers and stated, "OK, I'm weirded out, now, how about you guys?"
"I'm actually more curious how Professor knows so much," Blossom stated, "Do you follow them or something?"
Professor chuckled and replied, "Yeah, in a way. I've known Reese here all my life. He had I have tracked quite a few of the more nasty vampires down and disposed of them. See, the ones who choose to live their lives being as decent as they can be aren't a problem. The ones who step out of line are the ones we're concerned with. Seems like we have a problem here now, so I called Reese this morning. Did you know that two people in Townsville have now fallen victim to the same type of disappearances as in Dayton? I know you know what I'm talking about, Blossom, you read the newspaper this morning."
Blossom's eyes widened. She stammered, "So, why haven't WE heard anything about it? Who's missing?"
"You haven't heard about it yet because they haven't FOUND anything yet," Professor answered, "Genndy McCracken has been missing since yesterday morning. Also the comic book geek, Lenny Backster. Genndy was last seen at the Circle J at 12:00 at night getting milk and Lenny disappeared from the prison recreational yard a week ago. He was out for a evening stroll."
"What do we do?" Buttercup asked, "I mean, if they're vampires, how do we beat them?"
"Like I said, forget everything you've ever seen in a vampire movie," Reese replied, "It's mostly nonsense and Hollywood myths."
"OK, how about a 'for instance'?" Brick grumbled.
Reese shrugged. "OK, the holy water bit is nonsense. Doesn't work."
"The wooden stake through the heart doesn't either, right?" Butch offered.
"No, that'll only hold them down while you figure out what else to do," Professor answered.
"Garlic!" Boomer cried.
Reese nodded. "I actually like garlic, especially on spaghetti. Makes a dish worth eating."
Boomer scowled. Butch asked, "How 'bout sunlight?"
Reese nodded and replied, "Yeah, sunlight would definitely take care of our little tyrants now. Mornaucks are strictly nocturnal. You'll never see them out in the daylight 'cause it would indeed kill them."
"How about silver?" Brick asked, "Seem to remember something about that, too."
"That's a werewolf, Brick," Boomer answered.
Brick scratched his head. "Oh yeah."
"Crosses?" Buttercup asked.
Reese reached into the neckline of his shirt and pulled out a silver chain with a large crucifix on it. He shook his head.
"So how DO we get rid of 'em?" Brick asked.
"Standard is the stake, the sword, and the fire," Reese answered, "The stake through their chest will hold 'em still while you try to take their heads off with the sword. Then you burn what's left." He looked at Professor and asked, "You still any good with that sword of yours?"
Professor grinned and answered, "Yep, I think I can still manage."
"Don't tell us you're one, too," Blossom said to Professor.
Professor shook his head. "No, honey, I'm not."
Bubbles floated into the room and joined the group. She still looked glassy eyed, but alert as well. She sighed and sat next to Butch on the table. She leaned her aching head on his shoulder and looked them over.
"OK, so what do we do now?" she asked.
Professor picked Bubbles up and held her as she laid her head on his shoulder. He looked at Reese and stated, "I'm thinking getting rid of these three won't solve anything. Whoever controls them can just make more."
Reese nodded and replied, "Yeah, true. Don't think there's any new ones as of now, but you never know. We've been after them for how long now?"
"Long time," Professor replied.
"You haven't been able to get them?" Blossom asked.
Professor said, "No, Blossom, they're not easy to catch. Reese and I have made a go at it and can't seem to catch them. If we could, we'd hopefully be able to find their master as well. If their master made them, there's no telling what else he or she may have in mind." He looked the rest of the children over and added, "But I think Reese and I have a slight advantage now."
"You really wanna go there?" Reese asked incredulously.
"Bubbles and Butch have seen them," Professor replied, "And lived to tell the tale, such as it is. How many times has THAT happened?"
"Never," Reese replied. He shook his head and continued, "Hey, they're your kids."
"So what do we do?" Brick asked with a touch of annoyance in his voice.
Reese grinned cynically and replied, "Now we catch them."