Chapter 17
They stood in a group outside the shower building and worked out a plan. "You're sure it's Mornauck blood?" Dareena asked Derrick.
Derrick nodded. "Yeah, I'm sure."
"OK, we don't know how many of them there are, so we need to stay close." Blossom instructed.
"At least it looks like Brick got one of 'em," Darion stated, "There's pieces of it all over the place."
"True, but that doesn't mean it was the only one," Dareena replied.
"We search the place, but let's keep it quiet, agreed?" Blossom said. They all nodded. "Butch, you go with Dareena this time. There's only one way in and one way out of this building. Buttercup, Boomer, you guys take it and anything that comes towards it that's not friendly. Darion, you stick with me. Bubbles and Derrick, you guys take the shower stall section that Derrick saw."
They cautiously entred the building, prepared for whatever they'd find. They went separate ways once inside and searched around the large building.
Blossom followed Darion into the section he, Boomer, and Derrick had found. Blossom cringed as she saw the blood all over the walls and floor. Darion looked at the row of sinks and dropped to his knees. He reached under one and dragged out Brick's red baseball hat. It was soaked with blood and the clasp was broken.
"Aw, shit," Darion mumbled angrily. Blossom shushed him and took the hat from him. She turned to Buttercup and Boomer and held up Brick's hat. Buttercup covered her mouth with her hands in shock as Boomer hung his head. Boomer made a move to follow them, but Blossom held up her hand. She shook her head, furrowed her brow angrily, and mouthed, "Stay there!"
Boomer reluctantly retreated.
Bubbles floated down a long line of darkened shower stalls, looking all around her as Derrick followed behind her. She suddenly heard the sound of someone wheezing then a horribly congested cough. She froze when she realized that the trail on the floor was blood. It looked like someone had dragged something down the aisle. Her heart pounded as she slowly traced the trail to the end stall. The wheezing got consistently louder as she approached the stall, then suddenly stopped. She motioned to Derrick to hush as she gently pushed on the door. It was locked, so she slowly leaned to the crack between the door and its frame. There was something in the stall.
Her heart raced as she quietly drifted up to peek into the narrow space between the shower's exterior divider and the roof and look into the stall. She spun around as her hands flew to her mouth in shock. Tears began streaming down her face as Derrick shrugged. She shot passed him and back out to the others. Having no desire to face whatever Bubbles had seen on his own, Derrick took off running after her.
"The end one, on the right," Bubbles pointed out, her voice shaky as she tried to stop her tears.
Boomer floated up to the top of the shower stall and looked over the wall. He turned around, leaned his back on the stall and slid down.
"Is it him?" Blossom asked, afraid of the response. Without looking at her, Boomer closed his eyes and slowly nodded.
"Oh man," Derrick mumbled.
Darion furrowed his brow in anger and glared at the group. He got down on his knees and went to crawl under the stall's door.
"Darion, wait!" Dareena whispered as she grabbed Darion by his belt loops. Darion snarled at her and shoved her back. Dareena held her hands up and backed away, realizing that Darion was intent on going into the stall.
Darion ducked under the stall door and maneuvered around in the cramped area. He looked up to the ledge at the back of the stall. There sat Brick with his knees drawn up to his chest and his head leaning on the back wall of the shower. He was drenched in his own blood, his clothes were torn in several places, and his right hand lay limp on the ledge next to him. Darion cautiously crept over to Brick and gently laid a hand on Brick's right shoulder. Brick jumped and tried to lift his head from the wall. He mumbled something, then began to cough as Darion quickly turned and unlocked the door.
"Damn, he's still alive!" he told the others. Darion scooted back over to Brick as Boomer and Butch squeezed into the narrow stall. They picked him up as Darion held his head up and carried him out to the sink area. Brick groaned and tried to get loose from them as they laid him down. He was weak, groggy and glassy eyed as they gathered around him. The left side of his face was covered in blood from a vicious wound that began in the middle of his forehead, ran along side his nose and curved around his left eye which was now completely swollen shut. His lips were split open and he had long, deep slashes behind both ears.
Dareena knelt beside him and pointed to a rack of towels by the sinks. "Buttercup, grab a bunch of those."
Buttercup shot over to the towels, grabbed as many as she could carry and took them to Dareena. Dareena balled one up and gently pressed it to Brick's face. He jerked back and struggled to get up and away from her. Butch forced Brick to lay down with his head in Butch's lap. Boomer and Blossom held his arms down while Dareena put the towel back over Brick's facial wounds. "C'mon, hold still, Brick, we're here, OK?" she soothed.
"Lemme go," he answered groggily. Brick began coughing uncontrollably and he struggled for breath.
"Sit him up, he can't breath," Derrick instructed, "His nose is broken. You lay him down and it makes it worse."
"Sounds like the voice of experience," Blossom said as she and Boomer helped Brick sit up.
"It is," Derrick answered.
Dareena leaned towards Brick and asked, "Brick, can you hear me?"
Brick opened his right eye and looked at her. He slowly reached up and took hold of the towel she held on his left eye. He leaned over and coughed until he wheezed. Dareena saw a long stream of blood-stained mucous run out of his mouth and land on the floor. She put her arm around his shoulders as he leaned his head on her chest.
"God, his back is all cut up, too," Darion stated. He gently lifted Brick's torn shirt and shook his head upon seeing the many slashes and horrible bruises across Brick's back.
"Gimme one of those," Darion said to Buttercup. She handed him another towel and he carefully put it over the worst of the cuts on Brick's back. Brick arched his back and groaned.
"You guys seem pretty good at this," Buttercup remarked.
Dareena nodded and replied, "We've cleaned each other up like this more times than I care to think about."
Boomer shook his head in anger. He leaned towards Brick and demanded, "Brick, what happened? Who did this to you?"
Brick pulled back from Dareena. He held the towel on his face with both hands and answered in a choked voice, "Don't...don't know...what they...were... Monsters...bunch of 'em...ugly...big...really strong." He broke into another fit of coughing and gagged on his own blood. "Hurts!" he wheezed as he leaned over with his right arm across his stomach.
"We know, Brick, we're gonna get you fixed up," Blossom assured him.
"What do we do now?" Bubbles asked as tears continued streaming down her face.
"We get him to a hospital right now," Dareena answered. She and Derrick helped Brick to his feet. He staggered and continued to cough like mad.
Boomer took his right arm and put it around his shoulders, supporting Brick as he tried to walk towards the building's door.
Blossom stood in front of him, held him by the shoulders and asked, "Brick, can you fly?"
Brick slowly shook his head. He wiped his mouth with the towel now saturated with blood. "Here, clean one," Buttercup said as she stepped to him and put a clean towel over his eye. "OK?" she asked, looking into his face as she took another towel and gently wiped his swollen lips.
He nodded as she took his left elbow and she and Boomer helped him walk out of the building.
Outside, Dareena and her brothers changed into the bat and waited as Butch and Boomer floated up to its back with Brick. They carefully laid him on the bat and watched as long tentacles grew out of its back and wrapped around Brick, holding him securely to it.
"Hang on, Brick, goin' for a ride," Butch said.
"C'mon, let's go!" Bubbles insisted. They took off into the air and headed out over the farm towards Townsville. The bat glided behind them looking all around it. The bat suddenly screeched with anger as they headed over the silo they had dropped Shadau into. Blossom ranted as she also saw that there was now a huge hole torn in the side of the structure. Shadau had escaped.
Professor and Reese were waiting for them as they arrived at Townsville Hospital with Brick. Professor looked extremely worried, and as he saw Brick, his eyes widened in shock.
"Oh no," he said.
"Now you's know why I said do not get caught alone," Reese stated sternly. He picked Brick up as they approached the door and carried him into the emergency ward.
The receptionist inside gaped as Reese approached her with Brick. "Oh, my God!" she exclaimed and quickly came around the counter. She held the ward's door open for Reese, then hurried down a long hallway to the first available room.
Brick coughed and gagged as Reese carried him. "Can't breathe," he choked.
"OK, kiddo, just hang in there," Reese answered. Reese followed the receptionist into the room and gently sat Brick on the gurney in the middle of the small room.
Brick leaned over with the towel still on his face and raggedly coughed. He couldn't spit through his battered lips, so he let the blood in his mouth run out and onto the bed.
Boomer and Butch stood at his sides, helpless to do anything for him. Professor rounded them up and escorted them out of the room. The Girls floated after him, but he turned and quietly said, "No, Girls, you wait here. Dr. Scott will be here in just a sec, and he'll need your help, OK?"
They nodded and took up positions around Brick, not sure what Professor meant.
"Hey, how 'bout that?" Butch snickered. He pointed to Dareena and said, "You get to meet Dr. Scott!"
Dareena tilted her head and furrowed her brow, confused. "Huh?"
Butch held up his arm and showed her the dark scar from the bite mark she had left him with and grinned at her.
She rolled her eyes and groaned, "You're still sore over that, aren't you?"
Reese pointed to the waiting room outside as he took Derrick and Darion aside. "You guys get the tough job."
Derrick looked confused and asked, "Like what?"
He quietly answered, "Brick's not gonna be real happy with any of us in a few minutes, so you guys and Dareena get the job of hanging onto those two..." he pointed to Boomer and Butch as they floated behind Professor down the hallway to the waiting room. "Get it?" he asked as he raised his eyebrows.
Darion groaned, "Aww, man, they're gonna be pissed aren't they?"
Reese nodded and answered, "More than likely."
Derrick rolled his eyes and sighed. He and Darion followed Professor towards the waiting room as Reese closed the door behind him.
Bubbles watched the door close, then turned to her sisters. "What does he need us for?" she whispered.
Blossom shrugged and pushed Brick's blood-soaked hair out of his eyes as he coughed again. He leaned over as more blood ran out of his mouth and groaned. "This...sucks..." he wheezed in between breaths.
"I know," Blossom said, "Dr. Scott's gonna fix you up good as new."
"Said...I wasn't...the...one," Brick gagged.
Blossom, confused, put her arm around Brick's shoulders and pulled him to her chest. She fought back tears as he began coughing again. He began shivering and she hugged him close trying to comfort him.
The door opened and Dr. Scott came in followed by two men in maroon scrubs. Dr. Scott looked at Brick and said, "Wow, what a mess."
Brick nodded and coughed up more blood as Dr. Scott approached the bed. "Well, let's see what we have here, OK?" He gently tilted Brick's head up and carefully removed the towel Brick held over his left eye. Brick winced as Dr. Scott carefully but firmly wiped away blood from the wound around his eye. "A nasty mess," Dr. Scott stated. He indicated for one of the men with him to look over his shoulder at Brick's face. "See how it's torn open?"
"His back's all cut up, too," Blossom stated, "And he's cold."
"Another one on his leg, Dr. Scott," the man pointed out.
Dr. Scott nodded, carefully put the towel back over Brick's eye and released him. He stepped back and shook his head. "Oh, sorry, Girls, this is Kenny..." he said, pointing to the man who had been looking over his shoulder, "...and that's Dan. They're interns here at the hospital."
"How you doin', Girls?" Dan asked as Kenny waved at them.
"Better than Brick, anyway," Buttercup stated. "Is he gonna be OK?" she asked.
Dr. Scott nodded and replied, "Yep. He's got quite a few wounds, but we're going to take care of them right now."
"You...don't have'ta...talk about me...like...I'm not...here," Brick wheezed.
Dr. Scott nodded and replied, "OK, Brick, just hang in there, OK?" He turned to Kenny and said, "Bring Cart 7, I think everything we'll need is in that one."
Kenny nodded and left the room. Dr. Scott turned back to the Girls and Brick. He directed Blossom to sit on the bed behind Brick's back, Bubbles to sit at his feet as he pulled Brick's legs out from under him, and Buttercup to hover at Brick's right side. "You're fine, now," he said as if he were preparing them for a portrait and smiled.
Kenny returned with the cart and rolled it in next to Dr. Scott. Dr. Scott pulled on a pair of surgical gloves as Dan pulled out two narrow needles and one larger one. He filled them with a clear fluid from a small bottle with a rubber stopper. He turned them points up, one at a time, and tapped on them to release any air bubbles and handed one to Dr. Scott.
As Dr. Scott approached them, Brick suddenly looked up and asked, "What's...that for?" as he pointed to the syringe. Dr. Scott looked passed him and spoke to the Girls. "You Girls ready?" he asked.
They suddenly understood what their task was: They got the job of hanging onto Brick as Dr. Scott worked on closing his wounds. Blossom nodded and braced up to Brick's back. Bubbles held his feet to the bed as Buttercup and Kenny held his arms.
"Hey,...wait a sec," Brick insisted as Dr. Scott held his chin and tilted his head back. He removed the towel from Brick's eye and set it aside as Brick tried to back away from him. Blossom shoved him forward as Dr. Scott carefully dabbed Brick's swollen lips with a large gauze pad, then poked the needle into the split in Brick's upper lip. Brick jumped as if he had been stung and pushed back.
"OWWW!" he yelled and tried to turn his head away from the needle. He pulled his left arm away from Kenny and shoved at Dr. Scott and tried to pull his feet away from Bubbles.
"C'mon, Girls, you gotta help, OK?" Dr. Scott stated as he firmly held Brick's chin. Blossom wrapped her right arm around Brick's neck and pulled him tightly to her chest, forcing him to lean back on her. He wheezed as he struggled to get away from her. Bubbles sat on his feet and held onto his legs to keep him from kicking Dr. Scott. Buttercup held onto his right arm as Kenny held his left. Dan held Brick's head still as Dr. Scott tried again. "It's OK, Brick, this will just numb you up so I can put you back together. It's gonna hurt for a minute, but just hold still, OK?" He jabbed the needle into Brick's swollen upper lip again and Brick again shoved backwards. Blossom held fast as he continued to struggle against her.
Brick managed to get his left arm away from Kenny a second time and socked the man in the stomach. Kenny stepped back coughing and grabbed his stomach. Blossom snatched Brick's wrist and twisted his arm behind him. "Sorry, Brick, but you have to hold still!" she said in his ear.
"No...let go...," Brick huffed as he tried with the little bit of strength he had left to escape her grasp.
Dr. Scott pulled the needle out and dabbed Brick's lower lip. "Next one, Kenny," he instructed. Kenny regained his composure, took the empty syringe and handed the second one to Dr. Scott. He stuck Brick's lower lip as Brick tried like hell to get away.
"Now the tough one," Dr. Scott stated as he handed the second empty needle to Kenny and took the larger one. "This one's going to be nasty, Girls, hang on tight." He looked at Brick and said, "Close your eye and you won't see it coming. Trust me, Brick, this'll be over in a minute."
"Just...lemme go!" Brick demanded as his chest heaved.
"Close your eye, Brick, it'll be done in a minute," Dr. Scott repeated.
Realizing he wasn't getting out of what was coming, Brick shut his eye as Dr. Scott came at him with the last needle. He screamed and writhed in agony as Dr. Scott pushed the needle into the wound alongside his nose and slowly pushed the plunger, forcing the liquid into Brick's face.
Buttercup suddenly had to look away as a single tear ran out of Brick's right eye and streamed towards his ear. She had to forcibly hold back her own tears as her emotions got the best of her. On one hand, she felt guilty for leaving Brick alone and felt as if his injuries were somehow her fault. On the other, all she wanted to do was find whoever had beaten Brick so badly and kill them.
Out in the waiting room, Boomer and Butch had heard Brick as well. "Time to go," Boomer stated. They both took off towards the room where Brick's cries echoed to help their brother.
"Whoa, whoa!" Reese yelled.
Derrick and Darion grabbed Butch and Boomer and held them back.
"Guys, hold on!" Professor demanded.
Dareena stepped in front of the two. "Remember what we said. If we don't hear from Blossom first, then Brick's OK."
"Tough, we're gonna make sure," Boomer declared as he tried to get passed Darion.
"All you'll manage is to get thrown out, Boomer," Reese stated.
"Yeah, you're right, he's yelling, but stitches are never a fun thing to experience!" Darion shouted as he held onto Boomer.
"We stick to the plan," Derrick told them both as he held Butch, "Unless Blossom calls, we stay put."
"You both agreed earlier," Dareena reminded them.
They heard Blossom shout from down the hall, "Guys, settle down! He's gonna be OK."
Butch held up his hands and stepped back from Derrick. "Alright, alright."
Boomer and Darion glared at each other. Boomer finally shoved back from Darion and shouted, "Damn it, you look exactly like him, too!"
Darion held his ground and replied, "Can't help that, now, can I?"
"No," Boomer growled, "Guess you can't." He turned away from Darion and went back to his seat. He plopped down and hung his head. Professor sat next to him and put his arm around Boomer's shoulders. "He's OK, Boomer, just be patient."
A few hours later, Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup returned to the waiting room, exhausted, to find Professor sitting in a chair, asleep, with Butch leaning on his left arm and Boomer curled up next to him with his head on Professor's right leg. Dareena, Darion, and Derrick lay piled on each other on a large pastel brown leather couch along the room's outside wall. Dareena lay in the centre with her back to the couch's deep cushioned back and Derrick leaning on her legs. Darion lay curled up on his stomach, face-to-face with Dareena, her left arm draped over his back. Blossom smiled and floated over to Reese who sat on the end of the couch near Dareena's feet. Blood from Brick's face had run down her right arm and dried, and the front of her dress was stained as well.
"How is he?" Reese whispered as he leaned forward to her.
Blossom landed in front of him and replied, "He's a mess, but they say he's gonna be OK. I don't think I ever wanna watch anybody get stapled again."
Reese nodded and rubbed his eyes. "Hell of a way to learn a lesson, but at least he's OK." he stated as Dareena, Darion, and Derrick stirred.
Boomer slowly sat up and opened his eyes. When he saw the Girls, he quickly reached over and shook Butch awake. "They're back," he said.
Butch sat up and yawned. "He OK?"
Blossom smiled and nodded her head.
Professor woke as well as Dr. Scott entred the room. He grinned at them and pulled a chair over to sit between them.
"OK," he began, "Here's the deal. Brick's going to be OK, it's just going to be awhile. We had a heck of a time putting him back together, but we made it." He handed a chart to Professor to look at and continued, "He's got 50 plus stitches in his mouth, inside and out, about three teeth already gone, another two looking like they might come out as well. I hope those weren't his permanent teeth," he said as he looked at Professor.
Professor reluctantly nodded.
Dr. Scott shrugged and continued, "Well, dentistry isn't my specialty, but I'd say it'll be a good idea to take him to a good dentist once he's up and around again."
"What about his face?" Dareena asked.
"He'll have one wicked scar around that left eye after the stitches heal up. His nose is broken in two places and his left cheekbone is fractured just below his eye. He's young, so that should heal on its own quite nicely, " Dr. Scott said, "He's also got a pretty serious concussion, so we'll keep him here until we're sure he's over it."
"Good grief, what else?" Professor asked as he looked over the long chart.
Dr. Scott shrugged. "Bruised kidneys, the cut on his leg took almost 30 staples to close, the ones behind his ears took about ten each, and his back looked more like raw hamburger like he's been whipped. Most of the cuts required staples and stitches to close. He's got a puncture in the back of his left lung where four of his ribs are broken and a fragment pushed through it, so he's got a lot of fluid in his lungs. We've got a tube in him to let it drain until he stabilizes a bit more so we can fix that. You really want me to go on?"
"No, we get the idea," Reese answered for Professor. He looked around at the others to make sure they now understood the reason for his caution.
"Jesus," Derrick mumbled as he shook his head.
"Can we go see him at least?" Boomer asked.
"He's sleeping now, but I don't see why you can't peek in on him, sure," Dr. Scott replied. He stood up and they followed him into a long hallway to one of the I.C.U. rooms. He opened the door for them and escorted them in. Dr. Scott held Professor and Reese back in the doorway and quietly spoke to them.
The children approached the bed where Brick lay sleeping on his stomach. He had been stripped and cleaned up and his hair was still damp. He wore only a pair of green scrub shorts and had a sheet pulled over him to his waist. A large white pad covered his back and they could see that blood had oozed through it in several places. He had an I.V. needle in the crook of his left elbow that traced back over his head to a large clear plastic bag of fluid. He had another needle in the back of his right hand with a thin plastic tube that ran back to a strange machine sitting near the bed. The machine's blue casing had a short round cylinder of yellowish liquid in it and a small single pushbutton remote lying on top of it.
Another bag hung under the bed with blood-stained fluid draining into it from Brick's lungs. They also noticed that it was filling rapidly.
Boomer floated over to him and looked at his face. Boomer saw the long line of blue stitching holding Brick's torn skin together. Both of his eyes were now blackened and his left eyelid was purple from swelling. The slash behind his left ear was red and swollen as well, and Boomer could see the metal staples Dr. Scott had used to pull the cut closed. As he hovered next to the bed, he could hear Brick's congested breathing.
Boomer leaned over to him, put his right hand on the back of Brick's neck, and grinned. "Hey, man," he said quietly, "You're gonna be OK, how 'bout that?"
"Just when you thought he was down for good, huh?" Blossom said.
"You guys have a habit of coming back unexpectedly anyway, right?" Buttercup added nervously.
They giggled quietly between themselves. Butch noticed that Brick had thick leather straps around his wrists that were attached to the underside of the bed, holding him down on the bed. Butch lifted the bottom edge of the sheet and saw the same type of straps around his brother's ankles as well. He furrowed his brow and turned to Dr. Scott. "Hey, why'd you tie him down?" he asked angrily.
Dr. Scott turned from his conversation with Reese and the Professor to answer, "It's for his own good, Butch, trust me. He's hurt pretty badly and if he moves around too much and pulls any of his staples or stitches out, he'll only make it worse."
"He's gonna be pissed when he wakes up," Darion stated.
Dr. Scott chuckled and replied, "Yeah, you're probably right, but once he pulls out of those, we'll know he's got his strength back."
He turned back to Reese and Professor. "You know, I remember when those three boys tore up the whole town," Dr. Scott told Professor, indicating Boomer and Butch as well as Brick.
Professor shook his head and replied, "They're not like that anymore."
"I understand that," Dr. Scott continued, "The point is, I don't care how bad the kid is, nobody deserves the punishment that kid took."
Reese nodded his head and crossed his arms in front of himself angrily. "We already got a pretty good idea who got to him," he stated, "We just have to track him down."
Dr. Scott nodded as he put his hand on Professor's shoulder. "I hope you do. Whoever did this to him should be dragged through the streets then shot, but you didn't hear that from me."
Reese and Professor chuckled as Dr. Scott walked away.
"Thanks, Marty," Professor called after him. He sighed and turned to the children in the room. "C'mon, kids," he said, "Let's leave Brick alone for awhile, let him sleep."
Reese motioned to Dareena, Darion, and Derrick. "Yeah, you guys, too, let's go."
Boomer reluctantly nodded. He leaned to Brick again and said, "You behave yourself, now. No trouble-makin' without us!"
They each said their good-byes to Brick even though he didn't respond. Dareena gently kissed his forehead and rubbed his left temple. "See ya later," she whispered.
Buttercup hung back until they had all made their way to the door. "I'll be right there," she called as they left. She turned and looked at Brick. She laid her head on the bed next to him and stroked his hair. She felt a huge lump on the back of his head and gently rubbed it. She fought back her tears as she spoke to him. "Next time, don't be so bossy, OK?" she whispered, grinning. "We coulda taken those guys if we would've just stuck together, right?" Despite her efforts, tears began streaming down her face. She sniffled and finally said, "I'm so sorry, Brick. I shouldn't have left you alone. This is all my fault!"
"I think he'll understand, Buttercup." Buttercup turned to see Dareena leaning in the doorway. She quickly wiped her tears away and stammered, "Oh, um...I...I thought you had gone...with the others."
"I did," Dareena replied, "I was just checking on you." She smiled at Buttercup and asked, "You really like him, don't you?"
Buttercup chuckled weakly. "Yeah, right, we fight all the time, either he or Blossom's always in my face over one thing or another...told you, he's a spoiled brat."
"It's OK, Buttercup," Dareena stated, "So, you like him, what's the big deal?"
Buttercup rolled her eyes. "Yeah, right, how would you know?"
Dareena shrugged, "Just because I'm a daywalker now doesn't mean I'm not aware. Hey, I'm still basically an animal, I got instincts."
Buttercup shook her head and wiped more tears from her face. "I don't know what's wrong with me," she began, "Back there, when Dr. Scott was sticking this needle in him, I actually saw Brick cry."
Dareena shrugged and asked, "So? What's wrong with that?"
Buttercup shook her head angrily. "You don't get it. I had to look away 'cause I've NEVER seen him cry, no matter what we've gotten into, no matter what happens, I've never seen Brick cry. He's always been the toughest, and I guess now...well,...I don't know..."
"Now it's tough to see him down, huh?" Dareena finished for her, "It's OK, he's still a kid, remember?"
"I know, but..." Buttercup paused and looked at the floor.
Dareena smiled and replied, "And now you've figured out that you really like him, right? That's not a bad thing, Buttercup."
Buttercup sighed and turned back to Brick. She leaned her chin on the back of her left hand and smiled. "OK, so I admit it," she replied, "It's only until the next time he makes me mad, anyway. I give it a week after he's back up."
Dareena smiled as well. "Yeah, OK." She turned to leave and Buttercup spoke up.
"Don't tell any of them, OK?" she pleaded, "I'd never live that one down."
Dareena drew her fingers across her mouth as if closing a zipper. "Consider it our little secret. I'll wait up for you at the end of the hall."
"Thanks," Buttercup replied as Dareena turned and walked away. She returned to playing with Brick's hair. She grinned through her tears and said, "Hear that? Don't go getting used to this treatment. I can still kick your butt, ya know." She leaned forward and gently planted a kiss on his forehead.
She wiped the rest of her tears away as she floated out of the room and joined Dareena at the end of the hall. She noticed the angry looks on the faces of the rest of the group. She regained her composure and floated to the group.
"What's up?" she asked innocently.
"Just brainstorming, I guess," Blossom replied, "If Brick ran into Shadau's new Mornaucks, I'm wondering what we're gonna do to beat 'em."
Buttercup chuckled and asked, "You're tellin' me YOU don't have a plan?? That's a first!"
"I wouldn't go THAT far," Blossom replied, "I'm just not sure what our best angle here is gonna be. I mean, Reese said that Mornaucks are the weakest, right?"
"If they beat the hell outta Brick, they're pretty tough," Boomer answered.
"Exactly," Blossom said, "Plus, we also gotta figure out how we're gonna keep Shadau from coming after Darion, now."
"Huh??" Darion exclaimed.
"Brick said he wasn't 'the one'," Blossom explained, "I'm guessing Shadau's Mornaucks grabbed Brick by mistake. Once they realized their mistake, they beat him up instead."
"But, why me?" Darion asked.
Blossom answered, "Told you already, Darion, you've got the same stuff in you that we have. Shadau must be trying to finish the formula for Chemical X."
"Yeah, but why did they leave Brick alive?" Derrick asked, "That's a big no-no."
"Sun came up on them, would be my guess," Dareena answered, "Remember, Mornaucks and Shadau can't take the sunlight."
Dareena looked to Butch and asked, "If this formula is what Shadau is after, could he have gotten it from Brick?"
Butch shook his head. "No, Mojo didn't use Chemical X to make us," he explained, "Not in us."
Boomer grumbled, "I wanna find these guys so bad."
"You're not the only one," Derrick answered, "You saw the silo, right?"
They all nodded as Blossom said, "Yeah, Shadau's gone."
"How did he get out?" Bubbles asked.
"Probably had his new Mornaucks bust him out," Darion replied, "I don't know..."
"What?" Dareena prodded him, "What're you trying to say here? That they were still there?"
"Well, yeah," Darion replied, "Don't know how I know that. Just a feeling, I guess, like the creepy-crawlies you get after a roach walks over your hand."
"So, Dareena can 'hear' him, you can 'feel' him, what's your story, Derrick?" Blossom asked.
Derrick shrugged. "Guess I can smell 'em. Like you smell something you recognize, but can't quite place it."
"Is that what happened?" Butch asked him.
Derrick nodded. "Yeah, when we first found that room with all the blood on the walls. Knew something was up, just didn't know what."
Boomer grinned and stated, "This could all come in handy, huh?"
Blossom nodded as she, too, grinned. "Yeah, it could. OK, we're all in agreement here, right? We find him and his ghouls and we take them all down. I don't care what it takes, we're gonna make him pay for this."