------All the Lonely People------
Mojo Jojo sat in his throne, staring at the stars through a magnificent skylight while idly swirling his wine in his goblet. He let out a sigh and placed the goblet on the arm of his throne and then rose and began to pace, talking to himself.
"It has been nine years since the day when those wretched Powerpuff's were contained. Nine years since we took over. It was rather brilliant of me to suggest that we each rule one fourth of the planet. With myself ruling Eurasia, Him in control of Africa and South America, Princess in North America, and Fuzzy in Australia, everything has been rather peaceful," he laughed quietly to himself, "Or as peaceful as one can expect with four evil masterminds ruling the globe!"
"But something is not right, that is to say that things how they are are wrong, and what is worse is that I have no idea as to how to rectify this error. Curse those Powerpuff Girls! I will not be happy until they are gone from this world! I desire their non-existence, and yet I have no means with which to finish them off for good!"
He cursed under his breath and stormed off to his drawing room, where he began to frantically scribble out equations and plans that would hopefully lead him to a means to end the Powerpuff Girls.
"Perhaps if I add these to my existing androids. Yes.. quadruple the power Grahh, but that would slow them down, and they're already too slow. Perhaps a flying apparatus of some sort?. Bah, there is nothing fast enough in existence! Curses!!"
Plan after crumpled plan flew in the general direction of his garbage can. Finally, after nearly three hours of fruitless planning, Mojo threw down his stub of a pencil.
"There is nothing that I can create that is a match for those accursed girls! And I must not forget to take into account the reactions of my allies.' No doubt they will try to take over the world themselves if the Powerpuff threat were removed. Fear of the girls is the only thing keeping the others at bay, so to act hastily would surely lead to my downfall."
"Of course," he said, walking to his vast computer room, "If I were to eliminate the others beforehand, then the death of the Powerpuff Girls would be but a trifle! But how to kill them? Hm, computer, display all information concerning the other members of the Beat Alls,"
The computer beeped in confirmation and the many monitors were soon filled with information concerning Princess and Fuzzy. Unfortunately for Mojo, he had little to no data on Him.
"Now let me see Fuzzy is untouchable due to the forcefield that surrounds the entirety of Australia. This makes it impossible for outside forces to get in. Of course, it was me who developed and installed the security system, and so I would have no problem whatsoever of creating a feedback loop and getting rid of that hillbilly without dirtying my hands. He is quite fond of sitting in the control room and surveying the lack of trespasser on his property'. Him and that banjo of his" Mojo typed up a program that would allow him to remove Fuzzy from the picture.
"As for Princess, well, with the mass quantity of androids and robots and other assorted automatons she continually requests for her vendetta against that accursed Buttercup, a simple reprogramming should have those machines doing the dirty work for me!" and once again his monkey digits flew across the keyboard.
Mojo paused in his scheming and looked at a small monitor, which bore all the information he had on Him. "Evilest of the Evil, Cruelest of the Cruel. Pah, just a lot of smoke and mirrors, and that that bizarre Dr. Frank N' Furter routine. He rarely involves himself in physical fights, so he can't be all that strong. Perhaps if I were to trap him in a forcefield much like the one he uses to imprison those accursed girls yes, the irony of that is very satisfying!" Mojo then began to draw up a schematic of the device with which to generate the forcefield. He paused for a moment and checked over the monitor again. "Hm, some have speculated that Him is in fact the devil. There may be some merit to this claim. Ah, I know! I will trap him and then reduce the size of the forcefield so that he is crushed, and then for good measure I will have the forcefield generator and Him put into a rocket and shot into the nether reaches of space, where the rocket will promptly eject Him and then detonate so that he will have no means of returning! Even if he does manage to return, it will no doubt be eons after my death, so what would I care!"
With his plans now completed, Mojo returned to his throne room where he quickly finished off his wine. "Yes, tonight has been a most productive night, and perhaps on the morrow I shall devise a means with which to destroy the Powerpuff Girls once and for all!"
---[:-:]---
Princess was enjoying herself immensely. She was watching as two very fine young men fought to the death for her praises. The gladiatorial contests she had reinstated were her favorite sport, as only the most divine specimens of maleness were allowed. It was also gratifying to know that it was her idea to have most of the men's brains scooped out in order to make them subservient. She didn't know how it was done though; she always left the heavy thinking to her team of scientists. She laughed at the thought of them. Arrogant fools they had been before she had them fitted with her own personal collars. A push of a button and she could inject a poison straight into their bloodstream. How she enjoyed ruling.
One of the gladiators, a man in his early twenties with black hair and coffee coloured skin, swung his wicked looking glaive at waist level and caught the other man across his stomach. The wounded man fell backwards, his internal organs caught on the end of the other man's blade. The crowd of fearful onlookers quickly got to their feet and began cheering madly. Failure to do so would mean certain death. Princess clapped as well, giving an appraising look over the living man in the arena. She motioned to one of her aids (another brainless male). "Have him cleaned up and sent to my chambers."
The manservant bowed, saying, "Yes, Milady," in a monotone voice. Princess smirked as she rose to retire to her private chambers. "All of them slaves," she said to the empty corridor, "And all of them mine!"
Her palace was a wonder of marble and gold. Everything shone and glittered in its gilded beauty. It had the feel of an ancient Egyptian palace, though far more extravagant. Two manservants in loincloths swung open the wide golden doors of Princess' bedroom. The room was circular with large open windows and an impressive four-poster bed. There was also a large mirror standing to the left of the bed. Princess surveyed herself in the mirror.
She was tall and elegant looking, her ivory skin contrasting nicely with her long, curly red hair. As she had worn in her youth, she now wore a golden power suit, but this model was far more advanced, and left little to the imagination. In her mind, she was the pinnacle of perfection. A build that wasn't too bulky or skinny, all the necessary equipment was the right size. Too small and she would look inadequate, too big and she would look sleazy.
The doors too her bedroom swung open once more and the dark skinned man from the arena strode in. Up close, Princess could see the tracery of scars running up and down his body. Like most of her other servants, this one had also been clad in a loincloth.
"Am I not perfect?" Princess asked the docile fighter. His answer was predictable.
"Yes, Milady."
Despite the lobotomy, the man's foreign accent was still present. No doubt this was one of the rebels who had been trying to assassinate Mojo. Out of all the Beat Alls, she and Mojo were the only two that had ever relied on each other. Mojo's technology was something that Princess needed, and her money was crucial to his research.
"You know, I think the monkey plans to kill me," she said to the man, circling him like a predator circles its prey.
"None can harm the majesty that is Princess Morebucks." He droned. She traced her finger along a scar that ran just below the man's hairline, "Of course you would say that.. all you can do now is sing my praise!" her hand traveled down to a small but deep scar. Obviously it was the work of one of Mojo's androids. "Would it surprise you to know how I know Mojo and the others want to kill me? No, never mind, half your brain is missing so you wouldn't even care,"
"My only care in the world is the happiness of you."
"Well, since you are so insistent, I shall tell you," she said, sinking
gracefully into a chair by the window. "Some people have a way with animals, others
with machines. They understand how they work. I, on the other hand, understand people. I
can find out what drives them, what they fear, what they desire, just as easily as one
would read a book. You see, I understand the souls of men. You are but an empty shell now,
but with your mind, I'm betting you were of the proud and noble sort. It was one of
those oh so popular assassin parties you were in, wasn't it? You were shot in your
escape attempt, so you stayed behind to cover for your friends, didn't you?"
"I have no memory of my life before you came into it."
"No matter, I know I am right. I have the gift of being able to figure people out. My allies' are no different to read. They are driven by many different motives, but those motives all boil down to greed. They want everything, and for that matter so do I, yet I know how to use their greed to stop them. I shall sow the seeds of discord, and they will eliminate each other. Only I will remain, and then I shall be Queen!"
The man showed no signs of understanding what Princess had said. That didn't matter to Princess though, so long as he followed her bidding. She beckoned him with a finger.
"Now, come and give me pleasure worthy of a Goddess!"
---[:-:]---
Fuzzy Lumpkins slowly rocked back and forth in his rocking chair, gently twanging the strings of his faithful banjo, Jo. He always enjoyed sitting out on his porch at sunset; it reminded him of the day when the Powerpuff Girls had been removed from the picture. He sighed happily and plucked out a random tune. With his security system, no one could get on his pro-pah-teh' and disturb his peace. He looked over at his trusty boom stick, leaning against his log stump table. Maybe one of these days he would use it to get rid of the others. But not today violence could come after a good night's sleep.
---[:-:]---
Him sat in his bathtub, watching the events of the world through a pink cloud. "Ah, how wonderful to see plots of treachery take root.. simply divine!"
He lifted his rubber ducky to his ear and gave it a squeeze, "You don't say, Mr. Quackers! I would like to torment their souls for all eternity too! But we won't be hasty. If we let them think they have a chance, then their pain will be that much sweeter when I CRUSH THEM!!"
He waved his claw and the image was replaced by a split image of the now eighteen year old Powerpuff Girls. "But if I'm not mistaken, I believe the next move is theirs!"
---[:-:]---
Bubbles sat crouched over a microscope, all of her attention focused on the slide beneath the lens. Ever since her imprisonment (and after the insistence of Blossom) she had been learning all she could from the Professors extensive library in the hopes of discovering a means of escape. So far none of her plans had worked, but she was hoping that her experimentation with mutagens would produce fruit.
The cells on the slid began to divide, carrying the mutation on to the next generation. Bubbles wanted to laugh, but she satisfied herself with a grin instead. She didn't want anything to disturb her little science project. Everything was going smoothly, but then the newer cells began to die. Before she had a chance to react, all of the cells on the slide were dead. Bubbles sat there in shock for a moment, unable to believe that her best idea of escape had just died before her eyes. She straightened up and let out a half sob, half laugh. "Nine months I spent nearly a year on that and it has the nerve to die!" she said to the ceiling. She leaned back, covering her face with her hands as she uttered a hysterical cry before toppling over on her stool and crashing to the floor.
"Of course I should have realized it wouldn't work. The genome speeds up the replication process, but so much so that it was burnt out before it could do any good it would only have killed us"
She rolled on her side and lay there on the cold floor of the laboratory. It was three in the morning and she was still in her pajamas. She couldn't seem to recall changing out of them, or even going to bed or eating for the past week. She had been so sure that she had found a means of escape that she had forgotten all else. Now that she thought about it, she was very hungry, and badly in need of a pee.
And then, like had happened on so many other failed attempts, she felt a comforting presence sit down behind her and place a consoling hand on her arm. She could never see it, but she knew it was there. The spirit, or whatever it was, seemed to have been with her all her life, always radiating sympathy when her plans failed, and encouragement when they worked.
"I just wish I knew what to do I know the girls are counting on me, but this was never my thing. My grip on things based in reality was never that firm"
The mood of the apparition changed to one of encouragement, almost as if to say then play to your strengths.' Bubbles sat up and looked at her hands, "You're probably right. I should probably go to bed though maybe I'll think clearer when I'm rested"
The spirit gave its affirmation and Bubbles rose to leave the lab. At
the top of the stairs she stopped and looked down to where she felt the presence was.
"Thank you," she said, before shutting off the light and closing the door.
".your welcome."
---[:-:]---
Buttercup let out an exasperated sigh as she dusted her hands off on her jacket. Princess had sent her regular army of androids in an attempt to kill her. She floated over to a pile of wrecked robots and rooted around the mess until she found what she was looking for. She lifted up the severed head of one of the androids and tapped it in the temple. The lights in its eyes flickered on and stared up at her. The head of the machine was made of some shiny metal, and roughly resembled a human skull. Buttercup held it at arms length and began to speak to it. "Tell me again why you sent these pieces of crap after me at four in the frickin' morning?" she growled. There was a brief crackling and a voice emanated from the robot's open mouth.
"Oh, just bored really, and tormenting you is always good for a laugh. I hope you're pissed?" said Princess' voice. Buttercup snorted, "If I am then it's because I don't like being woken up in the middle of the night, but I guess with all your nighttime activities,' you're used to it. Tell me, are your man bitches keeping you happy?"
"Wouldn't you like to know. And they aren't my man bitches,' as you say. They are my man servants."
"Servants get paid, bitches don't. So I guess that would make
you a bitch too, because if you were a whore, then you'd be getting' paid
too!"
Princess laughed sarcastically, "Yes, your wit is so entertaining. But just
you wait, one of these days I'll kill you, I swear I will!"
"I doubt it!" Buttercup laughed, "The next time I see you will be when you are in Hell. And where am I? Looking down, from Heaven, because I am pure and holy!"
"My god, that was corny! Did you read that off a religious
pamphlet?"
"Actually, it was something someone had written in a yearbook I found in a library.
Of course, I doubt you can read so I don't think you really care"
"Oh I can read, more than you can imagine. But I grow weary of this dialog. I shall
retire now."
"I bet you'll have a fucking' good sleep as well."
"My, how sarcasm suits you"
Buttercup gave a fake smile before crushing the head in her hands. "Now hopefully I can sleep in peace"
---[:-:]---
Blossom sat with her back against the barrier. She checked her watch again, and it read quarter to six. She yawned and stretched, silently cursing Princess and all the surveillance she had put around the barrier. It was her fault that she had to be up in the freezing pre-dawn, waiting for one of the resistance operatives to make contact. Though she could neither escape from the barrier, nor see or hear her sisters through it, other people seemed perfectly able to pass through, as well and see and hear through the barrier. Unfortunately though, Princess had kept the security around the barrier practically air tight, so visitors were few and far between. There was a rustling and a figure emerged beside her. "Sorry I'm late, traffic was murder!"
Blossom got up and helped the man to his feet. He was the only operative who ever made it through the security, and was like a guardian angle to the girls, bringing words of encouragement from the outside world. "Gregory! It's good to see you again!"
The man chuckled, "It's Hairy Gregory' to you! And your father sends his regards," he said, handing her a thick envelope. "I'm sure the girls will be very pleased," Blossom said. Gregory looked at the horizon; it was beginning to become lighter. "Well, I'd best be off before the drones wake up. It would be a crying shame if I died!" he said before giving a mock salute and slipping back into the night. Blossom watched his retreating form until he disappeared behind a rock outcropping. Then, with letter in hand, she flew home.
Dear girls,
I'm sorry for the delay in getting this letter to you, but as you know, Mojo has sent Princess his latest batch of androids. While you may be able to tear through them as easily as you would a wet paper bag, it does take some doing when you lack superpowers. But hopefully this won't last for long. I've included all the information we've received on the Beat Alls activities. As usual, nothing about Him. It does seem though that the rest of them are planning to do each other in, so it's a safe bet that Him is thinking along the same lines. We managed to get all kinds of information on what Mojo is planning though. That little bug in his computer is proving to be quite handy. I've included all the relevant information concerning that. Please stay well and try not to worry too much. We're working on ways to get you all out from this end, so at least Bubbles can know that she's not alone in your bid for freedom.
All my love,
Professor Utonium
Blossom finished reading the letter and then began to browse through the other papers in the envelope. It was mostly printouts and charts on Mojo's plans for the others, though there was a surprising lack of any rhetoricalness. "Maybe he only repeats himself when he's stressed?" Blossom mused as she got up to go to bed.
------End Chapter 1------
Well, that was on hell of a big ass chapter!
It was originally going to be two separate chapters (split up between the Mojo bit and the
Princess bit), but I decided it would make more sense to have it all in one chapter.
And you may have noticed that I included Hairy Gregory in this chapter. The reason for
this is because he has always been supportive of this project, right from its rocky
beginnings. So, thank you Hairy Gregory! *gives him candy*
Speaking of Hairy Gregory, he asked a question as to whether or not this version would
have the same plot as the last one. Well, for that to be the case, there would have had to
have been a plot in the first place ^_^;;
At the time when I began writing EB, I had been going on a major PpG fic binge, and so EB
was kinda my way of rewriting other peoples stories to suit my liking. As far as plot
goes, all I had was that the Beat Alls take over, the RrB are brought back, and the
conversation between Bubbles and Boomer. So once I got there, I lost interest in the
story. There were also a few problems that I didn't feel up to digging myself out of, so I
decided to chuck the whole thing and start over from the beginning!
I wanted to do it right, so before I wrote the prolog, I sat down and wrote the plot. I
was up till three in the morning too... but that was probably because I started writing
around two in the morning.. The juices flow best at night I suppose. So, yeah, that's it
for this week. I'll try and get the next chappie out next Monday, but if not, well, I have
the rest of the week :P
Random Ivanova Quote of the Day:
"Don't. You're too young to know that much pain."
