Inner Turmoil- Chapter 15
Things had turned out to be more difficult than Buttercup had expected.
She was now squatting behind a lab table, breathless and sweaty, listening intently for the approach of her pursuers. They were mercifully stupid, and it had been horribly easy to lose them in the twisted corridors, especially with her advantage in speed. However, these men did have some sort of edge over her that she couldn't quite comprehend, and it only made her incredibly uneasy.
Buttercup sat, chewing her lip nervously. She'd been expecting them to have the usual lead bullets and big guns, but she'd been wrong. As soon as she'd entered the building, she'd met at least half a dozen of the armed grunts, and had easily dealt with them before any had had a chance to discharge any sort of firepower. Then at some point, after a giant explosion that she'd accidentally caused by blasting a circuit panel with her eye lasers, one that had looked like some sort of colonel had tracked her down a particularly long hallway. He'd had a barrage of enemy soldiers at his heels, and they were all carrying weapons that she didn't recognize, ones that the other men hadn't had. He seemed to have known how to deal with her, and as the first dart skimmed past her, barely missing her arm by inches, she'd realized that she was in deep shit.
Buttercup sat and surveyed the room around her, straining her ears anxiously for any sort of approach. She was in some sort of trashed lab room; the state of it giving her the impression that nothing had gone on in this place for a long time. It was very dim, seeing as most of the lights were either burned out or broken, and there was trash and debris all over the floor. She even thought she spotted a stain that reminded her horribly of blood.
She looked away quickly, cocking her head to one side in order to hear more clearly. Yes, she heard them approaching, quickly. Maybe they'd just pass by the room, and she'd be left unnoticed-
-And they did, and by the sound of it, there were only a few of them. Buttercup moved out from behind the broken lab table and peered around it to the door. From where she sat, the hallway looked empty, so she took this as her chance to make her move. She'd have to make her way back out, because ten minutes had already passed and she'd run out of time.
Very briefly, Buttercup's thoughts turned to her sisters on the floors below as she stole her way to the door. She hoped they were okay, and hoped that they'd found the professor and had made it out alive. She'd never know until she got out herself, which was something that was high on her list of priorities at the moment.
While beating up all the stupid soldiers had been simply elating at first, allowing her to let off some unneeded stress and the tension of her bottled up powers, it had at some point started to lose its gloss. It had gotten to the point where the constant barrage of enemies had become irksome, and it had been the same thing every time. They'd barely put up any sort of a fight, and to say the least, Buttercup had gotten bored among other things. Now she was just annoyed, and scared, and exhausted with stress, and she just wanted to get out and go home to the professor. What she would have done for a good hug at that moment.
Buttercup got to the door and peered around carefully, and saw the guards who had previously passed by the room standing at the far end of the bright hallway. Their backs were turned to her, and seemed to be in intense conversation, clearly oblivious that their prey was a mere hall length away. They were also standing in the direction she needed to be. There was no other choice but to take care of them.
Rolling her eyes, she glided out from the doorway and moved towards them silently, crouching her body low in preparation for a pounce. If they saw her, then her little improvised plan would be shot-
-And just as she made it to their backs, one of them gasped suddenly and spun on his heels, weapon pointing directly at her face. Buttercup latched onto the barrel in recoil, and in her blind panic snapped her wrist to the side, splitting the metal cleanly into two pieces. The man stood gaping, shocked by her mere presence. She used the opportunity to bring her half of the barrel in motion, connecting it with the soldier's head with a metallic thwack. He fell, spluttering and bleeding, but the other one was still conscious, and was regaining his composure fast.
He brought the weapon up, and Buttercup heard the distinct click of a dart entering the chamber. In one swift motion she pounced, latching onto the man's front as she pushed with all her strength towards the far wall. They went crashing together onto the cold concrete, and the combined force of her power and the solidity of the stone instantly knocked the guard unconscious, his back cracking with a sickening snap.
Then Buttercup felt the displacement of air as a dart bullet whizzed past her ear, burying its impossibly thick needle into the concrete. She turned, and saw three soldiers coming up from behind, the opposite direction she wanted to be in. Quickly, she leapt up and ran to her left where the hallway branched, hoping that she wouldn't run into any more of the soldiers.
But she did, and they were coming forward, guns raised and ready to fire the needles into her skin, and to fill her with whatever poison they possessed. In a split-second fit of panic she veered to the right, her only other option other than fighting. She didn't want to fight any more-
-For some reason Buttercup halted. She'd done nothing more than succeeding in running straight into a dead end, another of the trashed labs to be exact with no other visible way out. Then she realized all to well what had happened. They'd cornered her. Perhaps they were just a tiny bit smarter than she'd thought.
Her anger boiling, she spun around, ready to tear the first soldier apart, but she stopped dead, confused.
The man, the one she'd talked to in the corporate offices, the one with the nice business suit and clean, gray hair, the one who'd told her where the labs were. was standing in the doorway, with a weapon in his hands. He was flanked by soldiers, and that, added to his nicely presses clothes, made him look very odd indeed. For some reason he was smiling, a cold grin on his lips.
"Aren't too bright are you?" he sneered, his voice sultry and high. Buttercup, in anger, lunged at him, teeth bared.
He pulled the trigger once and the weapon exploded in his hands. The force of the impact sent Buttercup stumbling backwards. She stood silently, wide- eyed and shocked, freezing her entire body in confusion. She looked up at the man who was smiling, still aiming the weapon at her breast. For a split second, she thought she saw something familiar about his smile, then-
-He pulled the trigger again, and as before it shot with a loud explosion, knocking Buttercup back two more steps. She looked down, barely focused, and saw the strange bullets sticking from her chest, ends quivering-
-Another shot and the man stepped into the room, aiming the weapon at her face. At that moment Buttercup felt her limbs become numb, and her hearing clouded over as if she was listening to something through water. She looked up, her eyes blurring and fell to her knees, unable to hold her body up any longer. It was the most peculiar sensation, and it felt as if she has become a rag doll, losing all control of her muscles and functions.
Her vision was tunneling, but deep in the recesses of her brain she was putting the pieces together. She was being sedated, and had only seconds before she'd lose complete consciousness.
The businessman stepped over her, his eyes seeming to be glowing. Very slowly he kneeled down, hovering over her like an ethereal omen, watching her eagerly with eyes that were full of hatred, and evil.
"Sleep tight." he said, his voice a low hiss. In that split second, with just those two words, in that voice, Buttercup realized with a final spasm of horror who it really was that was leaning over her-
-But she lost consciousness before she could react, the snickering, eager face following her down into the dark.
***
Bubbles stepped lightly as she followed the professor's trail, her eyes darting every which way, every muscle in her body tense and ready. She'd left Blossom's side just minutes ago, and could already feel the solitary silence descending upon her like a fine mist. She felt her heart beating madly in her breast, and taking a deep breath, she tried to calm herself, scanning every inch of the cold halls as she moved.
Come on, Bubbles, you're almost there, she thought to herself, and that strengthened her resolve. The only real thought running through her mind was the professor's safety, and that definitely added an extra spring to her step. If anything happened to him, she'd never forgive herself, seeing as it was partially her fault that they'd found him.
But for a bunch of kidnappers and creators of bio weapons, they didn't seem to be too concerned with security. Since she's walked in the door there hadn't been any sort of resistance, and that worried Bubbles. Why on earth would the upper floors be guarded, while the basement below, where things clearly had been going on, was devoid of any sort of patrols? Was something deeper going on that none of them were aware of? Could the professor perhaps be on the upper floors?
No, that was impossible, because Bubbles could sense him getting closer. That was another one of the girls' advantages; they'd developed an acute "sixth sense" in regards to their father, and they could easily sense his presence as if it was a part of them. Whether or not that was part of the Chemical X radiation, or if it was just some sort of maternal thing, they didn't know, but for some reason it had always been the strongest in Bubbles. It was as if the professor had made a stronger emotional imprint on her during her younger years, and in fact, that was probably the truth. Bubbles had always been more dependent on him, just like a young fledgling would depend on the mother bird for its protection and well-being. That was also why she felt so incredibly determined to find him.
No, he was definitely down below. In fact, he was just a bit farther down the hallway. Most certainly, the lax in security was due to the fact the Buttercup was up above posing as a distraction. Perhaps their plan had worked just as they'd hoped.
Bubbles clenched her fists tightly as she approached a large steel door at the end of the hall, her hands so tight her nails dug into her sweating palms. It was a dead end, and the professor had to be in there, because there was no other place for him to be. For the first time in a long while, Bubbles felt fully confident, and even unstoppable. She knew she was walking into something serious, and it demanded her full alertness and concentration.
As soon as she walked up to the door, she was surprised to find it slide open, as if it had been expecting her approach. She jumped back a few spaces, momentarily stunned by the odd swish the door made as it slid against its inner mechanisms. Heart pounding, she narrowed her eyes and stepped into the room.
At first she thought that perhaps she'd made a mistake, or maybe there was some sort of trick to the room that she wasn't seeing, but as she stepped inside she noticed the professor was nowhere in sight. It was just another one of the laboratories, but this one was larger, and looked as if it had posed as more of a storage room than anything else. There were more of the scientific machines lining the walls, but none of them were working, and the lab tables were covered with piles of documents and folders. At first glance, Bubbles thought she was totally alone.
Something then drifted onto her awareness that made her instincts jump into full panic. She looked around wildly, confused. Something was in the room with her, and despite the fact that it felt all too familiar, it made her no less comfortable. Bubbles had felt this feeling too many times before, and the sudden resurgence of the danger hinted in the air made her insides freeze.
"My, sweet little Bubbles." a voice floated towards her from behind. Bubbles had walked in so quickly; she'd forgotten to check the wall beside the door.
"How did you know my name?" was the first thing that escaped her throat, and she turned slowly, knowing too well what she'd find. It was something in the voice that cued a memory that had long been forgotten, and she wasn't eager to turn, fearing what she might find.
Thankfully she was proven wrong, because as she turned she saw a man, oddly out of place in this violent atmosphere. He looked to be just over middle age, and with his suit and neatly groomed appearance he almost looked professional. Definitely not what she'd been expecting to see.
The professor was doubled over next to the man, bound and gagged. By the looks of it he didn't appear to be aware of his surroundings. He was clearly drugged, and by his fluttering eyes and limp posture, Bubbles knew he had no idea she was there. His general appearance was a mess, and Bubbles didn't doubt, with a stab of anger and guilt, that he'd probably been beaten. His dark hair was a mess and his clothes were in disarray, pieces of his shirt ripped and dirty. It was as if he'd just rolled out of bed after a night of mud wrestling, but was still partially asleep.
Bubbles watched the man warily, screwing her face into the most defiant expression she could muster. Her heart was pounding, and she kept stealing glances towards the professor, who looked as if he was about to keel over at any second.
She knew she could easily take this man out, but something was stopping her. Bubbles couldn't understand what was making her so apprehensive, but something in the man's expression was freezing her on the spot.
"I know many things about you. and I should warn you, that if you try anything, your father will be the lucky recipient of a full vile of arsenic." And he held up what looked like a needle and syringe, filled with some dangerous looking fluid. The man hovered it over the professor's neck, who didn't even flinch or seem to realize that there was a poisonous needle threatening his main artery.
"You wouldn't." Bubbles said stupidly, at a complete loss for words. She'd started shaking as soon as the man had lowered the needle towards the professor. She couldn't, and wouldn't risk doing something stupid, because that would only get him killed.
"Oh, I would," he said gleefully, his voice clearly not matching his outer appearance. Bubbles narrowed her eyes, realization slowly dawning on her, the expression unmistakably passing over her eyes. The man noticed, and suddenly let out a barking laugh that filled the entire room, the sound reverberating off the walls. There was a strange, ethereal echo to that laugh, and Bubbles only had a split second to comprehend something-
-The man very slowly lowered the needle away from the professor and watched her curiously. There was a strange, childish demeanor about his expression that seemed completely out of character, as if something about this situation thrilled him.
"What is it you want?" Bubbles sneered, glaring at the man with disgust. In her eyes he didn't deserve any sort of respect, especially considering what he'd done. It was some sort of gut feeling that told her he was responsible for everything; for their violent birth and childhood, and all the trouble that had been happening the past month, rising to a crescendo that resulted in her father being taken away against his will.
Bubbles suddenly wanted to kill him. It was a desire so powerful, it scared her, but she held her ground firmly, unwilling to make any sort of mistake.
"Oh, I thought that was obvious," he laughed. His face suddenly turned serious again, and he lifted the needle again just slightly, making Bubbles tense up. "There's so much potential to be tapped into. There's so much you and your sister can accomplish. for me-" He began to say, but Bubbles interrupted him.
"There are three of us," she said simply, watching the needle in the man's grasp. He waved his other hand casually, as if dismissing the entire conversation.
"I know." He said. "And if you come quietly, I'll let your father go," he spat the words as if the very idea of a fatherly figure in their lives was revolting. Bubbles wiggled her hand absently at her side; realizing what it must feel like to be Buttercup, tense twenty-four hours a day. She wanted to do something, but unlike Blossom, she was never good at coming up with plans on the spot.
"Stupid man." He said angrily, casting a fierce glance at the professor, who still seemed to be dazed. The man then turned to Bubbles, his eyes flashing over her body as if he was studying her. "It has been a while, hasn't it?"
"You stupid bastard," Bubbles hissed, rage filling her like an ocean. "I thought you would have given up by now. You have no chance." She said, throwing caution to the wind. She wasn't quite sure if what she suspected was true, but she was attempting to speak to the man as if she knew his secret, hoping to get him to reveal the truth. There was just something about the way he was acting, so familiar. it had to be.
"Oh?" He said casually, a smile gracing his lips. He then stepped away from the wall and moved towards Bubbles, his eyes staying on her face. Bubbles stepped back lightly out of caution, not exactly knowing what he was capable of. He continued to move towards her, drawing ever closer, and a deep feeling of dread bloomed inside of her as if it was sparked by his mere presence.
She cried out in alarm, seeing his eyes for what seemed like the first time, frightened by his advantage in size, and she threw out her fist in retaliation. He was nearly on top of her now, and instead of taking the blow he grabbed her arm in one fluid motion, clamping down on her wrist like a vice. As his skin made contact with hers, she felt a sense of overwhelming fear that nearly brought tears to her eyes. Bubbles looked up at him fiercely, barely able to comprehend what was happening. All at once, memories flooded back to her, as if they were being poured back into her brain-
-She was a child, angry at Buttercup for destroying her drawings. She was fleeing into the forest, sobbing violently. and a small butterfly came to her, comforting her, telling her to express her anger. tricking her-
-She was upset, sitting in her room in the dark, upset because Blossom and Buttercup were fighting again. She hated watching them fight, and wanted more than anything for them to be together again. Octi sat a few feet from her, and all at once he began speaking to her, comforting her, trying to confuse her so she'd inadvertently "break" up the group. so she'd separate them. make them weaker-
"YOU!" she roared, trying to tear herself away. "I'd suspected earlier. but now that I know-"
Bubbles stopped dead in mid sentence as she suddenly felt a sharp tingling in her neck. The man was smiling down at her, still holding her arm in his impossibly solid grip, the hand with the needle now up to her neck. He'd just injected her, and she could feel the fluid of the needle entering her veins, spreading throughout her body like a flood.
"All these years of planning, and waiting. now the real fun begins. Bubbles." he hissed, a malicious grin following his words. This man definitely wasn't a human, but instead of being able to fight back, Bubbles felt herself go incredibly weak all. All at once her legs buckled beneath her and she fell, dangling from the man's grip on her forearm. Her head dropped to her chest, and she dimly thought that she was dying, her head swimming with barely focused thoughts. If what that man had said about arsenic was true, she didn't have much longer.
Bubbles lost total consciousness, her body completely conking out as if someone had just flipped a switch to off. In those few scant seconds before she blacked out, before her thoughts completely shut down, Bubbles thought she heard laughing. The same insane, delighted cackling that she remembered from her past followed her down into the dark of unconsciousness.
Next chapter: Blossom's capture, and a deal that will only end in disaster.
Things had turned out to be more difficult than Buttercup had expected.
She was now squatting behind a lab table, breathless and sweaty, listening intently for the approach of her pursuers. They were mercifully stupid, and it had been horribly easy to lose them in the twisted corridors, especially with her advantage in speed. However, these men did have some sort of edge over her that she couldn't quite comprehend, and it only made her incredibly uneasy.
Buttercup sat, chewing her lip nervously. She'd been expecting them to have the usual lead bullets and big guns, but she'd been wrong. As soon as she'd entered the building, she'd met at least half a dozen of the armed grunts, and had easily dealt with them before any had had a chance to discharge any sort of firepower. Then at some point, after a giant explosion that she'd accidentally caused by blasting a circuit panel with her eye lasers, one that had looked like some sort of colonel had tracked her down a particularly long hallway. He'd had a barrage of enemy soldiers at his heels, and they were all carrying weapons that she didn't recognize, ones that the other men hadn't had. He seemed to have known how to deal with her, and as the first dart skimmed past her, barely missing her arm by inches, she'd realized that she was in deep shit.
Buttercup sat and surveyed the room around her, straining her ears anxiously for any sort of approach. She was in some sort of trashed lab room; the state of it giving her the impression that nothing had gone on in this place for a long time. It was very dim, seeing as most of the lights were either burned out or broken, and there was trash and debris all over the floor. She even thought she spotted a stain that reminded her horribly of blood.
She looked away quickly, cocking her head to one side in order to hear more clearly. Yes, she heard them approaching, quickly. Maybe they'd just pass by the room, and she'd be left unnoticed-
-And they did, and by the sound of it, there were only a few of them. Buttercup moved out from behind the broken lab table and peered around it to the door. From where she sat, the hallway looked empty, so she took this as her chance to make her move. She'd have to make her way back out, because ten minutes had already passed and she'd run out of time.
Very briefly, Buttercup's thoughts turned to her sisters on the floors below as she stole her way to the door. She hoped they were okay, and hoped that they'd found the professor and had made it out alive. She'd never know until she got out herself, which was something that was high on her list of priorities at the moment.
While beating up all the stupid soldiers had been simply elating at first, allowing her to let off some unneeded stress and the tension of her bottled up powers, it had at some point started to lose its gloss. It had gotten to the point where the constant barrage of enemies had become irksome, and it had been the same thing every time. They'd barely put up any sort of a fight, and to say the least, Buttercup had gotten bored among other things. Now she was just annoyed, and scared, and exhausted with stress, and she just wanted to get out and go home to the professor. What she would have done for a good hug at that moment.
Buttercup got to the door and peered around carefully, and saw the guards who had previously passed by the room standing at the far end of the bright hallway. Their backs were turned to her, and seemed to be in intense conversation, clearly oblivious that their prey was a mere hall length away. They were also standing in the direction she needed to be. There was no other choice but to take care of them.
Rolling her eyes, she glided out from the doorway and moved towards them silently, crouching her body low in preparation for a pounce. If they saw her, then her little improvised plan would be shot-
-And just as she made it to their backs, one of them gasped suddenly and spun on his heels, weapon pointing directly at her face. Buttercup latched onto the barrel in recoil, and in her blind panic snapped her wrist to the side, splitting the metal cleanly into two pieces. The man stood gaping, shocked by her mere presence. She used the opportunity to bring her half of the barrel in motion, connecting it with the soldier's head with a metallic thwack. He fell, spluttering and bleeding, but the other one was still conscious, and was regaining his composure fast.
He brought the weapon up, and Buttercup heard the distinct click of a dart entering the chamber. In one swift motion she pounced, latching onto the man's front as she pushed with all her strength towards the far wall. They went crashing together onto the cold concrete, and the combined force of her power and the solidity of the stone instantly knocked the guard unconscious, his back cracking with a sickening snap.
Then Buttercup felt the displacement of air as a dart bullet whizzed past her ear, burying its impossibly thick needle into the concrete. She turned, and saw three soldiers coming up from behind, the opposite direction she wanted to be in. Quickly, she leapt up and ran to her left where the hallway branched, hoping that she wouldn't run into any more of the soldiers.
But she did, and they were coming forward, guns raised and ready to fire the needles into her skin, and to fill her with whatever poison they possessed. In a split-second fit of panic she veered to the right, her only other option other than fighting. She didn't want to fight any more-
-For some reason Buttercup halted. She'd done nothing more than succeeding in running straight into a dead end, another of the trashed labs to be exact with no other visible way out. Then she realized all to well what had happened. They'd cornered her. Perhaps they were just a tiny bit smarter than she'd thought.
Her anger boiling, she spun around, ready to tear the first soldier apart, but she stopped dead, confused.
The man, the one she'd talked to in the corporate offices, the one with the nice business suit and clean, gray hair, the one who'd told her where the labs were. was standing in the doorway, with a weapon in his hands. He was flanked by soldiers, and that, added to his nicely presses clothes, made him look very odd indeed. For some reason he was smiling, a cold grin on his lips.
"Aren't too bright are you?" he sneered, his voice sultry and high. Buttercup, in anger, lunged at him, teeth bared.
He pulled the trigger once and the weapon exploded in his hands. The force of the impact sent Buttercup stumbling backwards. She stood silently, wide- eyed and shocked, freezing her entire body in confusion. She looked up at the man who was smiling, still aiming the weapon at her breast. For a split second, she thought she saw something familiar about his smile, then-
-He pulled the trigger again, and as before it shot with a loud explosion, knocking Buttercup back two more steps. She looked down, barely focused, and saw the strange bullets sticking from her chest, ends quivering-
-Another shot and the man stepped into the room, aiming the weapon at her face. At that moment Buttercup felt her limbs become numb, and her hearing clouded over as if she was listening to something through water. She looked up, her eyes blurring and fell to her knees, unable to hold her body up any longer. It was the most peculiar sensation, and it felt as if she has become a rag doll, losing all control of her muscles and functions.
Her vision was tunneling, but deep in the recesses of her brain she was putting the pieces together. She was being sedated, and had only seconds before she'd lose complete consciousness.
The businessman stepped over her, his eyes seeming to be glowing. Very slowly he kneeled down, hovering over her like an ethereal omen, watching her eagerly with eyes that were full of hatred, and evil.
"Sleep tight." he said, his voice a low hiss. In that split second, with just those two words, in that voice, Buttercup realized with a final spasm of horror who it really was that was leaning over her-
-But she lost consciousness before she could react, the snickering, eager face following her down into the dark.
***
Bubbles stepped lightly as she followed the professor's trail, her eyes darting every which way, every muscle in her body tense and ready. She'd left Blossom's side just minutes ago, and could already feel the solitary silence descending upon her like a fine mist. She felt her heart beating madly in her breast, and taking a deep breath, she tried to calm herself, scanning every inch of the cold halls as she moved.
Come on, Bubbles, you're almost there, she thought to herself, and that strengthened her resolve. The only real thought running through her mind was the professor's safety, and that definitely added an extra spring to her step. If anything happened to him, she'd never forgive herself, seeing as it was partially her fault that they'd found him.
But for a bunch of kidnappers and creators of bio weapons, they didn't seem to be too concerned with security. Since she's walked in the door there hadn't been any sort of resistance, and that worried Bubbles. Why on earth would the upper floors be guarded, while the basement below, where things clearly had been going on, was devoid of any sort of patrols? Was something deeper going on that none of them were aware of? Could the professor perhaps be on the upper floors?
No, that was impossible, because Bubbles could sense him getting closer. That was another one of the girls' advantages; they'd developed an acute "sixth sense" in regards to their father, and they could easily sense his presence as if it was a part of them. Whether or not that was part of the Chemical X radiation, or if it was just some sort of maternal thing, they didn't know, but for some reason it had always been the strongest in Bubbles. It was as if the professor had made a stronger emotional imprint on her during her younger years, and in fact, that was probably the truth. Bubbles had always been more dependent on him, just like a young fledgling would depend on the mother bird for its protection and well-being. That was also why she felt so incredibly determined to find him.
No, he was definitely down below. In fact, he was just a bit farther down the hallway. Most certainly, the lax in security was due to the fact the Buttercup was up above posing as a distraction. Perhaps their plan had worked just as they'd hoped.
Bubbles clenched her fists tightly as she approached a large steel door at the end of the hall, her hands so tight her nails dug into her sweating palms. It was a dead end, and the professor had to be in there, because there was no other place for him to be. For the first time in a long while, Bubbles felt fully confident, and even unstoppable. She knew she was walking into something serious, and it demanded her full alertness and concentration.
As soon as she walked up to the door, she was surprised to find it slide open, as if it had been expecting her approach. She jumped back a few spaces, momentarily stunned by the odd swish the door made as it slid against its inner mechanisms. Heart pounding, she narrowed her eyes and stepped into the room.
At first she thought that perhaps she'd made a mistake, or maybe there was some sort of trick to the room that she wasn't seeing, but as she stepped inside she noticed the professor was nowhere in sight. It was just another one of the laboratories, but this one was larger, and looked as if it had posed as more of a storage room than anything else. There were more of the scientific machines lining the walls, but none of them were working, and the lab tables were covered with piles of documents and folders. At first glance, Bubbles thought she was totally alone.
Something then drifted onto her awareness that made her instincts jump into full panic. She looked around wildly, confused. Something was in the room with her, and despite the fact that it felt all too familiar, it made her no less comfortable. Bubbles had felt this feeling too many times before, and the sudden resurgence of the danger hinted in the air made her insides freeze.
"My, sweet little Bubbles." a voice floated towards her from behind. Bubbles had walked in so quickly; she'd forgotten to check the wall beside the door.
"How did you know my name?" was the first thing that escaped her throat, and she turned slowly, knowing too well what she'd find. It was something in the voice that cued a memory that had long been forgotten, and she wasn't eager to turn, fearing what she might find.
Thankfully she was proven wrong, because as she turned she saw a man, oddly out of place in this violent atmosphere. He looked to be just over middle age, and with his suit and neatly groomed appearance he almost looked professional. Definitely not what she'd been expecting to see.
The professor was doubled over next to the man, bound and gagged. By the looks of it he didn't appear to be aware of his surroundings. He was clearly drugged, and by his fluttering eyes and limp posture, Bubbles knew he had no idea she was there. His general appearance was a mess, and Bubbles didn't doubt, with a stab of anger and guilt, that he'd probably been beaten. His dark hair was a mess and his clothes were in disarray, pieces of his shirt ripped and dirty. It was as if he'd just rolled out of bed after a night of mud wrestling, but was still partially asleep.
Bubbles watched the man warily, screwing her face into the most defiant expression she could muster. Her heart was pounding, and she kept stealing glances towards the professor, who looked as if he was about to keel over at any second.
She knew she could easily take this man out, but something was stopping her. Bubbles couldn't understand what was making her so apprehensive, but something in the man's expression was freezing her on the spot.
"I know many things about you. and I should warn you, that if you try anything, your father will be the lucky recipient of a full vile of arsenic." And he held up what looked like a needle and syringe, filled with some dangerous looking fluid. The man hovered it over the professor's neck, who didn't even flinch or seem to realize that there was a poisonous needle threatening his main artery.
"You wouldn't." Bubbles said stupidly, at a complete loss for words. She'd started shaking as soon as the man had lowered the needle towards the professor. She couldn't, and wouldn't risk doing something stupid, because that would only get him killed.
"Oh, I would," he said gleefully, his voice clearly not matching his outer appearance. Bubbles narrowed her eyes, realization slowly dawning on her, the expression unmistakably passing over her eyes. The man noticed, and suddenly let out a barking laugh that filled the entire room, the sound reverberating off the walls. There was a strange, ethereal echo to that laugh, and Bubbles only had a split second to comprehend something-
-The man very slowly lowered the needle away from the professor and watched her curiously. There was a strange, childish demeanor about his expression that seemed completely out of character, as if something about this situation thrilled him.
"What is it you want?" Bubbles sneered, glaring at the man with disgust. In her eyes he didn't deserve any sort of respect, especially considering what he'd done. It was some sort of gut feeling that told her he was responsible for everything; for their violent birth and childhood, and all the trouble that had been happening the past month, rising to a crescendo that resulted in her father being taken away against his will.
Bubbles suddenly wanted to kill him. It was a desire so powerful, it scared her, but she held her ground firmly, unwilling to make any sort of mistake.
"Oh, I thought that was obvious," he laughed. His face suddenly turned serious again, and he lifted the needle again just slightly, making Bubbles tense up. "There's so much potential to be tapped into. There's so much you and your sister can accomplish. for me-" He began to say, but Bubbles interrupted him.
"There are three of us," she said simply, watching the needle in the man's grasp. He waved his other hand casually, as if dismissing the entire conversation.
"I know." He said. "And if you come quietly, I'll let your father go," he spat the words as if the very idea of a fatherly figure in their lives was revolting. Bubbles wiggled her hand absently at her side; realizing what it must feel like to be Buttercup, tense twenty-four hours a day. She wanted to do something, but unlike Blossom, she was never good at coming up with plans on the spot.
"Stupid man." He said angrily, casting a fierce glance at the professor, who still seemed to be dazed. The man then turned to Bubbles, his eyes flashing over her body as if he was studying her. "It has been a while, hasn't it?"
"You stupid bastard," Bubbles hissed, rage filling her like an ocean. "I thought you would have given up by now. You have no chance." She said, throwing caution to the wind. She wasn't quite sure if what she suspected was true, but she was attempting to speak to the man as if she knew his secret, hoping to get him to reveal the truth. There was just something about the way he was acting, so familiar. it had to be.
"Oh?" He said casually, a smile gracing his lips. He then stepped away from the wall and moved towards Bubbles, his eyes staying on her face. Bubbles stepped back lightly out of caution, not exactly knowing what he was capable of. He continued to move towards her, drawing ever closer, and a deep feeling of dread bloomed inside of her as if it was sparked by his mere presence.
She cried out in alarm, seeing his eyes for what seemed like the first time, frightened by his advantage in size, and she threw out her fist in retaliation. He was nearly on top of her now, and instead of taking the blow he grabbed her arm in one fluid motion, clamping down on her wrist like a vice. As his skin made contact with hers, she felt a sense of overwhelming fear that nearly brought tears to her eyes. Bubbles looked up at him fiercely, barely able to comprehend what was happening. All at once, memories flooded back to her, as if they were being poured back into her brain-
-She was a child, angry at Buttercup for destroying her drawings. She was fleeing into the forest, sobbing violently. and a small butterfly came to her, comforting her, telling her to express her anger. tricking her-
-She was upset, sitting in her room in the dark, upset because Blossom and Buttercup were fighting again. She hated watching them fight, and wanted more than anything for them to be together again. Octi sat a few feet from her, and all at once he began speaking to her, comforting her, trying to confuse her so she'd inadvertently "break" up the group. so she'd separate them. make them weaker-
"YOU!" she roared, trying to tear herself away. "I'd suspected earlier. but now that I know-"
Bubbles stopped dead in mid sentence as she suddenly felt a sharp tingling in her neck. The man was smiling down at her, still holding her arm in his impossibly solid grip, the hand with the needle now up to her neck. He'd just injected her, and she could feel the fluid of the needle entering her veins, spreading throughout her body like a flood.
"All these years of planning, and waiting. now the real fun begins. Bubbles." he hissed, a malicious grin following his words. This man definitely wasn't a human, but instead of being able to fight back, Bubbles felt herself go incredibly weak all. All at once her legs buckled beneath her and she fell, dangling from the man's grip on her forearm. Her head dropped to her chest, and she dimly thought that she was dying, her head swimming with barely focused thoughts. If what that man had said about arsenic was true, she didn't have much longer.
Bubbles lost total consciousness, her body completely conking out as if someone had just flipped a switch to off. In those few scant seconds before she blacked out, before her thoughts completely shut down, Bubbles thought she heard laughing. The same insane, delighted cackling that she remembered from her past followed her down into the dark of unconsciousness.
Next chapter: Blossom's capture, and a deal that will only end in disaster.