Inner Turmoil- Chapter 17
Buttercup was furious. She didn't say a word to either Bubbles or the professor as they were lead down a long corridor, guards at their flanks. She was angry at Blossom, angry for being stupid, and angry for being weak and giving up. Buttercup just didn't understand what Blossom was trying to prove. It was just like her, always trying to play the noble, all-knowing hero, and it made Buttercup sick. Her sister had just gotten herself killed, and she would never see her again.
She looked over at Bubbles, who had her eyes to the floor. She wasn't crying, but her eyes were red and angry. She was trembling, and Buttercup could tell by the stiffness in her jaw that her teeth were clenched. Buttercup didn't say anything to her, why, she wasn't quite sure, but she doubted that Bubbles was in the mood for any sort of conversation. She looked different almost, like she was ready to snap at any moment. This was not the usual Bubbles walking next to her.
Buttercup then glance at the professor who was on her other side. For a split second she felt a surge of hatred pulse through her body. This was his entire fault, all of it. If he had never created them in the first place, then none of this would have happened. If he had never stolen them away. they wouldn't have known a life the likes of which they'd lived. They wouldn't have experienced all this, with its deep anger, violence and intense emotion.
Then Buttercup changed, almost to the point of crying. She couldn't tear her gaze away from his face, and had to fight off the urge to bury her body into his side. He was suffering just as much as they were, and she could tell by his face that he wasn't taking everything so well. She almost felt sorry for him, sorry because she'd been so mean to him, and sorry that she'd ever said anything hurtful to her father.
They kept walking for what seemed like forever. Nobody said a word for a while, but then Buttercup remembered something very crucial that sent a sudden jolt of panic through her body.
"Bubbles!" she hissed, trying to keep her voice low enough so that the armed men around them wouldn't be able to hear. Bubbles didn't say anything in response, but she turned her eyes in her sister's direction. Her normally clear blue eyes looked clouded over with worry.
"Bubbles, that man-"
Bubbles suddenly opened her mouth, speaking a bit louder than would have been necessary.
"Blossom doesn't know. She doesn't know about Him," she said very plainly, as if knowing that Him was around was no more important than talking about the weather. Bubbles kept her gaze on Buttercup, her expression unreadable.
"We have to do something."
"I tried to tell her, but she wouldn't listen. I tried. I tried," Bubbles looked very far off and dazed. Her gaze went out of focus and she looked like she was suddenly deep in thought.
"How could she not have seen? How could she not know." Buttercup said, her voice desperate and full of breath.
"Because he didn't want her to see." Bubbles said tonelessly, her eyes straight in front of her, eyeing the back of one of the guards. "He wanted us to know. but Blossom. I think something bad is going to happen."
"No shit!" Buttercup hissed angrily, her arms feeling very tense in their bounds. She really wanted to punch something, but couldn't, and she was starting to find that very aggravating.
All through this, the professor never said a word; the only sound that came from his direction was his heavy breathing. He didn't seem to be listening, or perhaps he was just blocking it out on purpose, not wanting to hear about Blossom's potential fate.
"We have to do something!" Buttercup whispered harshly, dropping her head to stare at the floor. She tried hard to fight off the tears that were stinging her eyes, but a single droplet managed to escape, cascading to the floor in one, shiny pearl. She felt completely helpless, like there was something she needed to do, but just couldn't. Blossom was in deep trouble, and Buttercup knew they were the only things that could save her, but they couldn't. They just couldn't do anything, and that was what was bugging Buttercup the most. It was like they were running through water, trying to grasp something important that was way off the shore, moving away from them; the water slowed their progress to a crawl. That was how held back she felt, and that made her even more vengeful.
If Blossom hadn't gone all-noble on them, then none of this would have happened. Did she actually trust that they'd be set free? Did Blossom actually think that these men would just drive them home, pat them on the heads, and then leave without a second thought? She must have been delusional, her stupid leader instincts clouding up her better judgment, because it certainly was being led astray.
"We can't do anything." Bubbles said finally, a new sense of urgency in her voice that was very subtle, but Buttercup could sense it all the same. The entire party had stopped walking, and that caused Buttercup to finally look up from the ground, only to be met by the worst. It was just as she'd expected. They weren't going to let them go.
There were newcomers among the armed men, walking up from both the front and behind. The men who had been guarding them seemed utterly calm as they also moved to face the two girls, weapons raised. This was definitely planned.
In a fit of panic Buttercup looked around her, fearful for the professor's safety. She knew they weren't going to let him walk away, and she wasn't about to go down without giving them hell first.
As the men came forward, aiming what looked like cattle prods at the two girls, Buttercup cried out, and in one swift motion she heaved her entire weight to her right. She shoved the professor into an open doorway, and just as he was out of harms way she heard Bubbles scream angrily. One of the men fell, his knee shattered, screaming and flailing from the pain. More of them were on her, and she kept struggling against their weapons, getting stunned time and again. She was losing an impossible battle. She fell, weak and dazed from the electric currents that kept ripping through her body, and one other man came forward with one of the tranquilizer guns. Buttercup knew Bubbles didn't stand a chance, but she lost focus of what was going on very early into the frenzy.
Buttercup had her own problems to deal with. They were coming towards her slowly, their stunners humming with life as they moved towards her cautiously. They were all around her, and she backed herself against the wall, not wanting to be attacked from behind. They were clearly afraid of her, reading her deadly expression that most clearly stated back off. One came forward, weapon raised, and she threw her leg forward, catching the guard by surprise as he fell over her. He cried out, and just as he fell towards her she brought her knee up and jammed it into the man's gut, causing him to scream harshly. He doubled over, and in a last ditch attempt to get him off her she moved both her bound fists into the air and brought them down brutally onto his neck, hearing a snap as he fell to the floor.
At the same time three others had come forward, and one of them jammed the stunner straight into her gut, causing her to scream. Her entire body went rigid, and she fell limply, suddenly terrified, not wanting to be sedated again. Her body trembled from numb pain, and she looked on, barely focused as she felt a needle once again enter the flesh of her neck. She was unconscious in under a minute.
They were both carried away, their screams falling on deaf ears, except for one pair. The men had forgotten all about the professor, who had been left alone in the dark room just off the hallway. He had knocked his head on something hard as he'd been thrown into the room, leaving him momentarily dazed by brilliant pain. He had gained focus just in time to see his girls get taken away, their bodies limp and still.
***
What a bunch of morons. They have no idea they're about to get seriously hurt.
Blossom's thoughts were very focused as she moved slowly down the long corridor, two men at her sides. They weren't paying any attention to her, which was just as well, seeing as they'd have no idea they were about to get pummeled.
She had a plan, and she was fairly sure it was going to work. Perhaps Levigne had gotten careless, or perhaps he'd underestimated her, but leaving her with only two guards to contain her? That seemed like a joke.
It had been her only chance to make a deal. Blossom thought that perhaps if she was to give herself up willingly, than Levigne would have been more inclined to bargain with her. Thankfully he had, and as far as she knew her family was being set free. At least, that's what she hoped, because the entire plan depended on that.
The only thing left to do now was to get her own body out of the mess she was in. Everything had to go perfectly, because the second they suspected something was up, she could lose her chance to break free. That was the only thing that mattered now. They could figure out how to deal with all these goons later, but first, Blossom had to make sure that her sisters, the professor and herself were as far away from this building as possible. Then they could take action.
Now-
Blossom suddenly doubled herself over, dropping to her knees, groaning weakly as she slid to the floor. The two guards that had been dragging her were held back as she pulled on both of their grips. They stumbled, and one of them swore as he regained his balance, just in time to lose his grip on Blossom's arm. The other guard let go, and she let her entire body flop onto the concrete, where she remained there, panting and still.
"Whaddaya' suppose is wrong with this one?" One of the men said softly, leaning over her as she convulsed weakly. She held onto her stomach, squeezing her eyes and contorting her face into the best impression of pain she could muster.
"Dunno'," the other said. "Sick I guess. Hey, wake up!"
He nudged her with his boot and she let out a squeak of protest. They both kneeled onto the floor to examine her more carefully. She turned her eyes to them, and they both backed off just slightly as if they were afraid of her, which didn't bother her in the least. They were greasy and disgusting, and she didn't want them to get too close to her, lest they spread some of their stink onto her.
"She does look pale."
"Sick." Blossom mumbled, trying to sound incoherent. Now as it was happening, she realized that it was actually a really stupid plan, and if they fell for it, then they deserved to die anyway.
She lifted her hands weakly; fumbling with the metal binds that held her wrists together. She dropped her hands again, the metal clanking against the floor as she let them fall weakly. She was trying to signal to them that she wanted the binds taken off, but she was starting to doubt that they would. Surely they weren't that thick?
"I think she wants the binds off." one of them said. "We should take her pulse, see how it sounds." Yes, they were that thick.
"Check her neck."
"No, the wrist is more accurate."
"Dying." she whispered, catching their attention. They'd suddenly started to sweat bullets.
"She can't die on us. and look, the binds are cutting into her skin. The Man wanted her in pristine condition."
"Oh all right, but hurry."
He moved to a set of keys on his belt, and Blossom heard the unmistakable sound of metal hitting metal. The ring of keys jingled as the guard unlatched it from its hook and brought it around, fumbling for the right one. She tried her hardest to suppress a triumphant smile, and was able to calm herself. These men were in fact, not very bright, and were about to pay for their grave error.
Blossom felt the metal slip off from her wrists and nearly cried out with joy as her skin once again felt cool air. She remained on the floor, not wanting to act too quickly, yet confident that whatever happened, she could now handle. Of course, she could have easily gotten away from them in the first place, with just her legs, or even her eye lasers or perhaps her ice breath. However, there was still the problem of the binds, and there would have been no way for her to remove them on her own. Sure, after they were knocked out she could have gotten to the keys, but how exactly was she supposed to unlock them with her hands tied together? It would have been impossible. Plus, this way, she had her arms free for the oncoming tussle.
One of the men lifted her left hand and started feeling around for a pulse. Blossom shifted herself just slightly, moving herself into a better position to pounce. The other man was eying her warily, waiting to see if she'd show any sign of strength. She could see his finger on the trigger of his gun, tense and ready.
"Her pulse. seems a little bit fast. and strong." he trailed off, as if some sort of realization was dawning on him. Blossom suddenly tensed in his grip, all the muscles in her arm tightening as she prepared herself. He was starting to understand his grave error, and looked down at Blossom just in time to see that her gaze had shifted into a tense and determined countenance. Her eyes were narrowed, and she stared up at the both of them, grinning slyly.
"Shit-"
Before either of them could react, Blossom tore her arm from his grasp, simultaneously grabbing the other man's throat with her other hand. With a sudden jerk of her palm, she squeezed his throat and he fell instantly unconscious, dropping to floor heavily as she released her grip. The other man, the one who had checked her pulse was moving his weapon around to shoot her, panic and fear in his eyes.
Blossom leapt up from the floor, catching the man totally off guard. She brought her leg around and kicked the weapon out of his grasp, causing it to skid down the hall away from his desperate reach. He turned, attempting to reach it in his horror, but Blossom grabbed him by the scruff of his neck before he could even move. She lifted him, throwing him against the wall, surprised at her own power. It had been a while since she'd used her powers. She'd forgotten how good it felt. the rush of adrenaline.
He didn't die, but the force of hitting the wall had knocked him unconscious. He slid to the floor, leaving a trail of blood and crumbling debris as he fell. His body had created a gaping dent in the wall, and Blossom stared at it for what seemed like forever, stunned, suddenly comprehending what could have been if her and her sisters had been used as weapons.
Blossom shook her head and turned away, suddenly wanting nothing more than to leave. She hoped that she wouldn't run into anyone else, because she didn't want to hurt any more guards. She just wanted to leave, and wanted to make sure that the rest of her family was okay.
Blossom kept her eyes off the two guards as she made her way towards what she thought was the exit. As she did so, she never stopped to notice the pair of eyes on her back, watching her silently from the shadows, anxiously waiting for one, final confrontation.
Buttercup was furious. She didn't say a word to either Bubbles or the professor as they were lead down a long corridor, guards at their flanks. She was angry at Blossom, angry for being stupid, and angry for being weak and giving up. Buttercup just didn't understand what Blossom was trying to prove. It was just like her, always trying to play the noble, all-knowing hero, and it made Buttercup sick. Her sister had just gotten herself killed, and she would never see her again.
She looked over at Bubbles, who had her eyes to the floor. She wasn't crying, but her eyes were red and angry. She was trembling, and Buttercup could tell by the stiffness in her jaw that her teeth were clenched. Buttercup didn't say anything to her, why, she wasn't quite sure, but she doubted that Bubbles was in the mood for any sort of conversation. She looked different almost, like she was ready to snap at any moment. This was not the usual Bubbles walking next to her.
Buttercup then glance at the professor who was on her other side. For a split second she felt a surge of hatred pulse through her body. This was his entire fault, all of it. If he had never created them in the first place, then none of this would have happened. If he had never stolen them away. they wouldn't have known a life the likes of which they'd lived. They wouldn't have experienced all this, with its deep anger, violence and intense emotion.
Then Buttercup changed, almost to the point of crying. She couldn't tear her gaze away from his face, and had to fight off the urge to bury her body into his side. He was suffering just as much as they were, and she could tell by his face that he wasn't taking everything so well. She almost felt sorry for him, sorry because she'd been so mean to him, and sorry that she'd ever said anything hurtful to her father.
They kept walking for what seemed like forever. Nobody said a word for a while, but then Buttercup remembered something very crucial that sent a sudden jolt of panic through her body.
"Bubbles!" she hissed, trying to keep her voice low enough so that the armed men around them wouldn't be able to hear. Bubbles didn't say anything in response, but she turned her eyes in her sister's direction. Her normally clear blue eyes looked clouded over with worry.
"Bubbles, that man-"
Bubbles suddenly opened her mouth, speaking a bit louder than would have been necessary.
"Blossom doesn't know. She doesn't know about Him," she said very plainly, as if knowing that Him was around was no more important than talking about the weather. Bubbles kept her gaze on Buttercup, her expression unreadable.
"We have to do something."
"I tried to tell her, but she wouldn't listen. I tried. I tried," Bubbles looked very far off and dazed. Her gaze went out of focus and she looked like she was suddenly deep in thought.
"How could she not have seen? How could she not know." Buttercup said, her voice desperate and full of breath.
"Because he didn't want her to see." Bubbles said tonelessly, her eyes straight in front of her, eyeing the back of one of the guards. "He wanted us to know. but Blossom. I think something bad is going to happen."
"No shit!" Buttercup hissed angrily, her arms feeling very tense in their bounds. She really wanted to punch something, but couldn't, and she was starting to find that very aggravating.
All through this, the professor never said a word; the only sound that came from his direction was his heavy breathing. He didn't seem to be listening, or perhaps he was just blocking it out on purpose, not wanting to hear about Blossom's potential fate.
"We have to do something!" Buttercup whispered harshly, dropping her head to stare at the floor. She tried hard to fight off the tears that were stinging her eyes, but a single droplet managed to escape, cascading to the floor in one, shiny pearl. She felt completely helpless, like there was something she needed to do, but just couldn't. Blossom was in deep trouble, and Buttercup knew they were the only things that could save her, but they couldn't. They just couldn't do anything, and that was what was bugging Buttercup the most. It was like they were running through water, trying to grasp something important that was way off the shore, moving away from them; the water slowed their progress to a crawl. That was how held back she felt, and that made her even more vengeful.
If Blossom hadn't gone all-noble on them, then none of this would have happened. Did she actually trust that they'd be set free? Did Blossom actually think that these men would just drive them home, pat them on the heads, and then leave without a second thought? She must have been delusional, her stupid leader instincts clouding up her better judgment, because it certainly was being led astray.
"We can't do anything." Bubbles said finally, a new sense of urgency in her voice that was very subtle, but Buttercup could sense it all the same. The entire party had stopped walking, and that caused Buttercup to finally look up from the ground, only to be met by the worst. It was just as she'd expected. They weren't going to let them go.
There were newcomers among the armed men, walking up from both the front and behind. The men who had been guarding them seemed utterly calm as they also moved to face the two girls, weapons raised. This was definitely planned.
In a fit of panic Buttercup looked around her, fearful for the professor's safety. She knew they weren't going to let him walk away, and she wasn't about to go down without giving them hell first.
As the men came forward, aiming what looked like cattle prods at the two girls, Buttercup cried out, and in one swift motion she heaved her entire weight to her right. She shoved the professor into an open doorway, and just as he was out of harms way she heard Bubbles scream angrily. One of the men fell, his knee shattered, screaming and flailing from the pain. More of them were on her, and she kept struggling against their weapons, getting stunned time and again. She was losing an impossible battle. She fell, weak and dazed from the electric currents that kept ripping through her body, and one other man came forward with one of the tranquilizer guns. Buttercup knew Bubbles didn't stand a chance, but she lost focus of what was going on very early into the frenzy.
Buttercup had her own problems to deal with. They were coming towards her slowly, their stunners humming with life as they moved towards her cautiously. They were all around her, and she backed herself against the wall, not wanting to be attacked from behind. They were clearly afraid of her, reading her deadly expression that most clearly stated back off. One came forward, weapon raised, and she threw her leg forward, catching the guard by surprise as he fell over her. He cried out, and just as he fell towards her she brought her knee up and jammed it into the man's gut, causing him to scream harshly. He doubled over, and in a last ditch attempt to get him off her she moved both her bound fists into the air and brought them down brutally onto his neck, hearing a snap as he fell to the floor.
At the same time three others had come forward, and one of them jammed the stunner straight into her gut, causing her to scream. Her entire body went rigid, and she fell limply, suddenly terrified, not wanting to be sedated again. Her body trembled from numb pain, and she looked on, barely focused as she felt a needle once again enter the flesh of her neck. She was unconscious in under a minute.
They were both carried away, their screams falling on deaf ears, except for one pair. The men had forgotten all about the professor, who had been left alone in the dark room just off the hallway. He had knocked his head on something hard as he'd been thrown into the room, leaving him momentarily dazed by brilliant pain. He had gained focus just in time to see his girls get taken away, their bodies limp and still.
***
What a bunch of morons. They have no idea they're about to get seriously hurt.
Blossom's thoughts were very focused as she moved slowly down the long corridor, two men at her sides. They weren't paying any attention to her, which was just as well, seeing as they'd have no idea they were about to get pummeled.
She had a plan, and she was fairly sure it was going to work. Perhaps Levigne had gotten careless, or perhaps he'd underestimated her, but leaving her with only two guards to contain her? That seemed like a joke.
It had been her only chance to make a deal. Blossom thought that perhaps if she was to give herself up willingly, than Levigne would have been more inclined to bargain with her. Thankfully he had, and as far as she knew her family was being set free. At least, that's what she hoped, because the entire plan depended on that.
The only thing left to do now was to get her own body out of the mess she was in. Everything had to go perfectly, because the second they suspected something was up, she could lose her chance to break free. That was the only thing that mattered now. They could figure out how to deal with all these goons later, but first, Blossom had to make sure that her sisters, the professor and herself were as far away from this building as possible. Then they could take action.
Now-
Blossom suddenly doubled herself over, dropping to her knees, groaning weakly as she slid to the floor. The two guards that had been dragging her were held back as she pulled on both of their grips. They stumbled, and one of them swore as he regained his balance, just in time to lose his grip on Blossom's arm. The other guard let go, and she let her entire body flop onto the concrete, where she remained there, panting and still.
"Whaddaya' suppose is wrong with this one?" One of the men said softly, leaning over her as she convulsed weakly. She held onto her stomach, squeezing her eyes and contorting her face into the best impression of pain she could muster.
"Dunno'," the other said. "Sick I guess. Hey, wake up!"
He nudged her with his boot and she let out a squeak of protest. They both kneeled onto the floor to examine her more carefully. She turned her eyes to them, and they both backed off just slightly as if they were afraid of her, which didn't bother her in the least. They were greasy and disgusting, and she didn't want them to get too close to her, lest they spread some of their stink onto her.
"She does look pale."
"Sick." Blossom mumbled, trying to sound incoherent. Now as it was happening, she realized that it was actually a really stupid plan, and if they fell for it, then they deserved to die anyway.
She lifted her hands weakly; fumbling with the metal binds that held her wrists together. She dropped her hands again, the metal clanking against the floor as she let them fall weakly. She was trying to signal to them that she wanted the binds taken off, but she was starting to doubt that they would. Surely they weren't that thick?
"I think she wants the binds off." one of them said. "We should take her pulse, see how it sounds." Yes, they were that thick.
"Check her neck."
"No, the wrist is more accurate."
"Dying." she whispered, catching their attention. They'd suddenly started to sweat bullets.
"She can't die on us. and look, the binds are cutting into her skin. The Man wanted her in pristine condition."
"Oh all right, but hurry."
He moved to a set of keys on his belt, and Blossom heard the unmistakable sound of metal hitting metal. The ring of keys jingled as the guard unlatched it from its hook and brought it around, fumbling for the right one. She tried her hardest to suppress a triumphant smile, and was able to calm herself. These men were in fact, not very bright, and were about to pay for their grave error.
Blossom felt the metal slip off from her wrists and nearly cried out with joy as her skin once again felt cool air. She remained on the floor, not wanting to act too quickly, yet confident that whatever happened, she could now handle. Of course, she could have easily gotten away from them in the first place, with just her legs, or even her eye lasers or perhaps her ice breath. However, there was still the problem of the binds, and there would have been no way for her to remove them on her own. Sure, after they were knocked out she could have gotten to the keys, but how exactly was she supposed to unlock them with her hands tied together? It would have been impossible. Plus, this way, she had her arms free for the oncoming tussle.
One of the men lifted her left hand and started feeling around for a pulse. Blossom shifted herself just slightly, moving herself into a better position to pounce. The other man was eying her warily, waiting to see if she'd show any sign of strength. She could see his finger on the trigger of his gun, tense and ready.
"Her pulse. seems a little bit fast. and strong." he trailed off, as if some sort of realization was dawning on him. Blossom suddenly tensed in his grip, all the muscles in her arm tightening as she prepared herself. He was starting to understand his grave error, and looked down at Blossom just in time to see that her gaze had shifted into a tense and determined countenance. Her eyes were narrowed, and she stared up at the both of them, grinning slyly.
"Shit-"
Before either of them could react, Blossom tore her arm from his grasp, simultaneously grabbing the other man's throat with her other hand. With a sudden jerk of her palm, she squeezed his throat and he fell instantly unconscious, dropping to floor heavily as she released her grip. The other man, the one who had checked her pulse was moving his weapon around to shoot her, panic and fear in his eyes.
Blossom leapt up from the floor, catching the man totally off guard. She brought her leg around and kicked the weapon out of his grasp, causing it to skid down the hall away from his desperate reach. He turned, attempting to reach it in his horror, but Blossom grabbed him by the scruff of his neck before he could even move. She lifted him, throwing him against the wall, surprised at her own power. It had been a while since she'd used her powers. She'd forgotten how good it felt. the rush of adrenaline.
He didn't die, but the force of hitting the wall had knocked him unconscious. He slid to the floor, leaving a trail of blood and crumbling debris as he fell. His body had created a gaping dent in the wall, and Blossom stared at it for what seemed like forever, stunned, suddenly comprehending what could have been if her and her sisters had been used as weapons.
Blossom shook her head and turned away, suddenly wanting nothing more than to leave. She hoped that she wouldn't run into anyone else, because she didn't want to hurt any more guards. She just wanted to leave, and wanted to make sure that the rest of her family was okay.
Blossom kept her eyes off the two guards as she made her way towards what she thought was the exit. As she did so, she never stopped to notice the pair of eyes on her back, watching her silently from the shadows, anxiously waiting for one, final confrontation.