…Break…
They wearily entred the Utonium residence. Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup floated upstairs to clean up and don clean clothes as the rest of the children entred the living room. Boomer and Butch fell into chairs as Dareena, Derrick, and Darion plopped on the couch.
"So, now what do we do?" Derrick asked tiredly.
"I don't know," Dareena answered, "I really don't."
Professor continued passed them and entred the kitchen. He began pulling out pots and pans to make dinner for the children. He opened the cupboards and grabbed a box of instant potatoes. Reese followed him into the kitchen cautiously as Professor opened the refrigerator and took out milk and several eggs. Reese watched silently as Professor poured milk into a large bowl and cracked the eggs open over it. He stirred the ingredients methodically as Reese slowly approached the counter.
Reese paused, uncertain of how to break the silence. Finally he spoke. "I'm sorry, I really am."
Professor continued stirring the eggs and replied, "Yeah, so am I. I'm sorry that after all this time, you still don't trust me."
"What are you talkin' about?" Reese asked.
"Why won't you tell me the truth?" Professor shot back, "You still keep secrets from me, and I'm beginning to wonder how many I should know."
"I told you to not get into this, remember?" Reese stated.
Professor nodded. "OK, I'll admit, that's my fault. But let's forget that for now. Let's forget that one of my sons was nearly beaten to death today, OK? Let's talk about you and Shadau. Derrick asked you if you had ever owned a Mornauck…you said only one…Shadau was that one, wasn't he?"
Reese hung his head and slowly nodded.
"Why didn't you tell me that!" Professor suddenly exclaimed.
Reese shrugged and replied, "Just didn't seem to be something you needed to know, that's all."
"How many others were there over the years?" Professor asked sternly, "How many have I helped you get rid of?"
"Hey, the others weren't mine," Reese answered, "I swear, Shadau was the only one. I was young and stupid, and didn't even realize what I was doing yet. He's why I decided I'd never make any more. The only reason I changed him in the first place was because he annoyed the shit outta me. I figured I could at least have some control over him if I changed him, but I screwed up. He became a Mornauck, yeah, but he continued to change. Before I even knew it, he was a master. Now I figure he wants to be like me."
"So, all this time, I've been nothing more than your clean-up crew, huh?" Professor asked.
Reese sighed and answered, "No, you haven't. I swear, Shadau was the only one."
"Can he become like you?" Professor asked.
Reese shrugged and replied, "I don't know. He shouldn't have become a master, but like I said, I didn't know what I was doing. I guess anything's possible at this point."
"If he does, he's gonna be that much harder to get rid of, isn't he?" They turned to see Darion standing in the doorway, a look of concern on his face.
Professor sighed and stated, "Yes, Darion, he'll be a lot harder to kill that way."
"If he can track us down, why can't you do the same with him?" Darion asked Reese.
"He figured out how to tune me out years ago, kiddo," Reese answered, "When I try to find him, it's like a bad radio signal. Like flying blind."
"So, what if he wins?" Darion asked innocently, "What happens to us?"
"You'll be OK," Reese stated, "He can't hurt you anymore. You are what he wants to be. You're stronger than him. You're also a hell of a lot smarter. I think that's why he wanted you guys back. To see if you'd continue to change like he did. I think you guys were already on your way long before we found you."
"So, we woulda been masters anyway?" Darion asked.
Reese nodded. "Yeah, I think so. By making you daywalkers, I just accelerated the process."
Darion nodded and crossed his arms in front of himself. "Then we better get rid of him before that, huh?"
Reese and Professor grinned. "Yeah, I think that's the plan," Professor agreed.
Chapter 18
He slowly opened his eye to see the top of a brunette head lying on the bed next to his face. His eye focused further and he saw that it was Buttercup. She had fallen asleep in a chair next to his bed with her head on her forearm. He tried to move his left hand to wake her, then remembered the straps holding him down. He struggled to pull out of them, but found he was still too weak to do so. He lay there, watching her, until she finally stirred.
Buttercup lifted her head and looked around. She looked at him and her eyes widened.
"Hey," Brick said in a raspy voice.
"Wow, you're awake!" Buttercup exclaimed.
"Yeah, till they come in and knock me out again," he answered.
"How you feeling?" Buttercup asked.
"Like crap," Brick replied.
Buttercup stroked his head and smiled at him. "You look like crap, too, just to be completely honest here."
"Thanks a lot," Brick mumbled.
Buttercup turned from him and floated to a small table next to the door of his room. There was a large wicker basket filled with fruits and candy with a small card attached to it on the table.
"You got something here," she informed him as she pulled the card off, "Want me to read it for ya?"
"Yeah, what's it say?" Brick answered. He was extremely tired, but curious as well.
Buttercup opened the card and read, "It says, 'Get well soon, hope you're up and around soon, love and kisses, Mojo Jojo'."
Brick lifted his aching head to stare at her. "What?!"
Buttercup snickered and stated, "I'm kidding, it's from your hockey team!"
Brick chuckled, then moaned. "Aww, don't make me laugh. It hurts to laugh."
Buttercup put the card back and returned to his bedside. She continued playing with his hair. Brick noticed tears forming in her eyes and, confused, asked, "What's your problem?"
"I feel like crap, too," she answered, "I'm so sorry, Brick, I shouldn't have left you alone. I knew I wasn't supposed to, but I did anyway. Now look at you."
"Not your fault," Brick explained, "Probably better you left anyway. They woulda killed you."
"Yeah, right," Buttercup shot back, "We coulda taken them down."
"I'm serious," Brick continued, "They were lookin' for somebody. Thought I was that somebody. Some guy in a long white robe came in, said, 'That's not the one.' Then they beat the hell outta me."
"Long white robe?" Buttercup repeated, "Long nose, big forehead?"
Brick nodded weakly.
"That was Shadau!" Buttercup exclaimed, "Who were they looking for?"
Brick answered, "They didn't say."
Buttercup floated into the hospital's large cafeteria. Blossom and Dareena sat at a round table, sipping sodas and chatting. Looking around, Buttercup saw Butch and Derrick in the line to get something to eat. Boomer and Bubbles were at the drink fountain attempting to show Darion how it worked.
Buttercup plopped into one of the chairs across from Blossom and let out a heavy sigh.
"You OK?" Blossom asked.
Buttercup nodded. "Yeah, just tired, I guess. Brick's awake."
"Wow, really?" Dareena asked.
"Yeah, he's on some pretty heavy pain killers, though. He said they come in every couple hours and give him some and he's out like a light about 20 minutes later," Buttercup replied.
"Well, go on," Blossom instructed, "Get a drink. You'll feel better."
Buttercup nodded and slowly floated away from the table.
"You really look out for your sisters, huh?" Dareena asked Blossom.
Blossom nodded. "Yeah, I'm kind of the 'leader'."
"So, forgive the term, but who's the 'weak link' in your trio?" Dareena asked.
Blossom chuckled and replied, "If there is such a thing, I guess it would be Bubbles. She's so childish sometimes. Buttercup doesn't need anybody's help, but I guess I help keep her in line."
Dareena nodded towards Butch and asked, "OK, how about those guys? Who's the one to worry about?"
"None of 'em," Blossom answered, "You'd think Boomer, I guess because of his voice, but don't kid yourself. He's a little ditzy sometimes, but he's just as tough and capable as Brick and Butch."
"All the more reason to worry about these new Mornaucks, I guess," Dareena thought out loud, "If they're tough enough to take one of you down, imagine what else they could do."
"Yeah, you're not kidding," Blossom mumbled. She shook herself out of her thoughts and asked, "So, you seem to be the 'leader' with you and your brothers, too, right? Who's the one to worry about in your group?"
Dareena chuckled and replied, "Yeah, I have to look out for them. Darion's a lot like Bubbles. He's so innocent, I sometimes feel sorry for him being stuck in this life. Derrick's pretty self-sufficient, a bit moody, and mean as hell when he's mad, but he's a good kid. I've often wondered what they would've been like if they weren't stuck here with me. I really worry about Darion and what would happen to him if he ever ended up alone. He's the youngest, you know."
Blossom looked amazed and answered, "I thought you were all the same age, like us. Me, Bubbles and Buttercup are, and the Boys are a bit younger. How old is Darion?"
Dareena looked at Darion in his fascination over the soda fountain and replied, "Oh, he's still a baby, but don't say that in front of him. Drives him nuts. He's only 84."
Blossom coughed and choked on her soda as her eyes widened at Dareena. "84?! He's 84 years old?" she asked incredulously.
"Well, yeah, how old did you think he was?" Dareena asked.
"I thought you were all around the same age as us!" Blossom exclaimed.
"No," Dareena answered, "We've been around a bit longer than that. That's one of the curses of being a vampire…you live forever, whether you want to or not."
"So, how old are you and Derrick, then?" Blossom asked.
"Derrick's 296, and I remember the day he came to us like it was yesterday. Shadau took him from his father. He lived in a little farmhouse outside of London. I had met him on a street corner earlier in our trip there, begging for scraps. He told me his father used to beat him pretty badly, and wouldn't feed him since he was too young to work the fields. I couldn't believe anybody could be that heartless and cruel to a child. I asked Shadau if there was anything we could do for him, and his solution was to take Derrick out of the situation. Pretty simple, I guess."
"How about you?" Blossom asked cautiously, "How old are you? Where'd you come from?"
Dareena shrugged. "If my math serves me correctly, I'll be 415 next year. I was born in Athens, Greece, but Shadau took me from Sheffield. My father was a pretty successful merchant and moved our family to Sheffield for business reasons when I was about 4 years old. He didn't count on the change of weather, though. My entire family got sick and died within two years of moving. My father was first, and my brothers and sisters weren't too far behind him. My mother died on my sixth birthday. I sat by her bed and watched her die. I still don't know what was wrong with us, but I was sick as well, so at first, Shadau was my saviour. I only realized how miserable my life had become later."
"I'm sorry, Dareena," Blossom blurted out as she found she had no other words to express her feelings.
Dareena again shrugged. "It's not your fault, Blossom. It's all in the past. Now that Reese has made us daywalkers, hopefully life will improve for us."
"I hope so, too," Blossom stated with a smile.
Darion came running to the table with a drink cup in his hand.
"You gotta see this!" he exclaimed referring to the soda machine.
"I know, Darion, I already saw it," Dareena replied patiently.
Darion frowned. "I can't get one up on you, can I?"
Dareena shook her head. "Nope."
Chapter 19
They paced the hospital's waiting room, looking down the hallway for any signs of Brick. It had been over three weeks, and they were both anxious and impatient.
"C'mon, where are they?" Boomer mumbled.
"Relax, will ya?" Reese stated, "Patience is a virtue, remember?"
As if in answer to Boomer's statement, they finally caught a glimpse of Brick floating down the hallway followed by Professor Utonium. He wore a maroon scrub shirt, his black shorts, still torn in several places, and his black sneakers with the laces untied. He carried a McDonald's bag and was munching on a hamburger as he approached.
"Hey, stranger!" Butch called to him.
"Hey guys," Brick answered as he landed next to the group. His left eye was still slightly swollen, but open, and the splits in his lips had healed as well.
Dareena stepped to him and gave him a hug. "I'm glad to see you up and around."
"I'm glad to BE up and around," Brick answered.
"I see you can fly again, that's good," Blossom stated as she, too, gave him a hug.
"Yeah, that's one. My fire breath is there, it just hurts like hell, but no lasers yet," Brick explained, "Even if nothin' else comes back, I'm just happy I can fly again."
"Will the rest come back?" Buttercup asked.
Brick shrugged as he took another bite of his hamburger. "I guess when my eye opens the rest of the way, my lasers will be back. Hope so, anyway. My back hurts more than anything else. Thought they'd NEVER get done takin' all the stitches and crap out. I think that was worse than gettin' them put in!"
"That's because they numb you up when they put them in," Darion stated, "Not when they take 'em out."
"Yeah, I kinda figured that part out," Brick replied with a grin.
"What's with this?" Boomer asked, pointing to the IV needle still in the back of Brick's right hand.
Brick shrugged and answered, "I still got some sorta infection in my lungs. They told me that if they took all this out, they'd just have to string me back up with it if I don't get better. I figured it would be easier to leave it in. That way, they can give me the antibiotics I been on since I got here. Plus, they'll let me leave!"
"Can't blame ya there, then," Boomer chuckled.
"I dunno, three weeks, lazin' around, doin' nothing…sounds like it's right up your alley, Brick," Butch joked.
Brick rolled his eyes as the rest of the group chuckled at Butch's comment. Brick faked laughter and shoved Butch back a step. "Ha-ha, very funny."
"You gonna share those?" Butch asked, indicating the McDonald's bag.
Brick looked into the bag and answered, "Well, I can't eat all these myself. I'd probably throw up! There must be like twenty of 'em in here. This is the first real food I've had in awhile."
"As if you could call those 'real food'," Bubbles mumbled. She shook her head as Brick offered her the bag. "No thank you, I'm a vegetarian."
"A what?" Darion asked incredulously.
"A vegetarian!" Bubbles repeated.
"What kind of animal is a 'vegetarian'?" Darion asked, "Are they like people?"
"Vegetarians ARE people, silly!" Bubbles answered with a giggle.
"You eat PEOPLE??" Darion asked.
"No, Darion, a vegetarian is a person who only eats vegetables," Blossom explained with a giggle.
"Oh," Darion nodded, "What's a vegetable?"
"Where'd you get the hamburgers?" Buttercup asked with a chuckle as she tried desperately not to laugh at Darion.
Brick smiled and thumbed backwards. "It's an inside joke. See, every time one of the nurses came into my room, they'd always ask 'Can I get'cha anything else, honey?' I always said 'A HAMBURGER would be nice!' They gave 'em to me when they found out I was finally getting outta here today."
"Are they all cooked?" Derrick asked. The rest of the group turned to stare at him. "What?" he asked.
"They don't sell 'em if they're not cooked, Derrick!" Butch explained.
"Hey, you don't know until you ask, now, do you?" Derrick stated as he reached into the bag and pulled out a hamburger. He unwrapped it and sighed. "Oh well, better than nothing, I guess."
"C'mon, guys, I think Brick would like to go home," Professor stated.
"Definitely!" Brick answered.
Professor held the door open as all nine children left the hospital. Outside, the rest took to the air followed by the bat. Blossom stopped and turned to Brick, still on the ground.
"You coming?" she asked.
Brick shrugged and replied, "Nah, you go on. I'm gonna take it easy for awhile."
Blossom smiled and said, "Hey, I understand." She then took off after the others, but Buttercup returned and landed next to Brick.
"I'll stay with you, how 'bout that?" she stated.
"You don't have to," Brick told her.
"Yeah, I know, but look what happened the last time I left your sorry butt behind," Buttercup answered.
"Told ya, that wasn't your fault," Brick answered.
"Yeah, I know," she replied, "But it'll make me feel better, how's that?"
She suddenly wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him close.
"I'm so happy you're OK, Brick, I mean that," she stammered.
Brick hugged her and said, "Hey, shit happens, right?"
Buttercup released him and smiled. She held up her hand and suddenly said, "Oh, hey, I got a present for you!"
She turned and headed for the crosswalk in front of the hospital as Reese pulled up in his black Toronado. She returned with a white plastic bag and opened it. She produced a red baseball cap and handed it to Brick.
"Hey, cool!" Brick exclaimed as he took the hat.
"Sorry it's not your old one, it was really messed up and the clasp was busted," she explained.
"This one'll do," Brick stated as he adjusted the hat, bent it to his liking, then put it on his head backwards. "See? Besides, the old one was from Mojo…this one's from you. It's better already."
Buttercup grinned as Professor escorted them to Reese's car. They piled in as Reese tossed his cigarette out the window. Professor just shook his head.
"What?" Reese asked exasperated.
"Home, Alfred," Professor replied with a smirk.
Reese sighed, put the car in gear and shook his head. "Always the comedian."