A/N I wasn't going to do this, (have a chapter all from the bad guy's POV) but I figured we need a bit of a break of the teenage angst and get a bit of a glimpse into the conspiracy that's brewing… Enjoy!

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Chapter 19: Project X

Mojo Jojo was glad to be back to his old self. His injuries had healed remarkably quick; it only took a week for him to get on his feet again and now he felt stronger than ever. Of course he had his own genius to thank for that. He and his team mates at Project X had after years of experimentation had managed to create a drug that cut healing time in half. Mojo had an added advantage. Because of his genetic make-up and the fact he already had some Chemical X in his system, the drug worked even faster and temporarily gave him almost super strength. He stole samples of the drug to take later, after his dismissal from Project X, which he was sure was coming. He didn't care if his boss fired him, not any more. He had what he wanted, and Project X no longer met his needs, although he was grateful for them and intended to keep them and their cause clandestine. He would get his revenge without their help.

"Mojo!"

Mojo Jojo turned around to see Ace and Snake leaning against the doorframe to his office. "What do you want?"

"Letter, from the boss," Ace replied handing him a small white envelope.

Mojo took the letter, "I wonder if Carl had his wish and I am fired…"

"Open it and see," Snake shrugged.

Mojo took his letter opener and ripped the envelope, his eye however focused on Ace and Snake. "If I am, you will stand by me. Right?"

"Of course," Ace nodded, "We hate those girls as much as you do. We're in, if you'll allow it; our offer to join you still stands. You can trust us."

Mojo Jojo snorted, "Hmm, I don't know if I could trust a bunch of lowlife thugs like you and your gang Ace."

"I resent that statement, have we failed you before?" Ace frowned, Mojo gave him a look, "Who provided you with the means to get back on your feet at the time of your exile? Who was responsible for delaying the police when you blew up the Movie theatre?"

"That was you? I thought it was Carl!"

"You bet it was me. The police are a lot stronger now then before you left. Someone had to do something to protect you from reaping the consequences of your little rampage! Carl hates you, why would he do it except to save his own skin? He only got you out of there because I told him what could happen to the Project if he didn't," Ace explained, "Come on, what does the boss say?"

Mojo nodded, he had no more doubts of Ace's loyalty. He took the letter and read it to himself.

"Well?" Ace asked.

"It seems I'm not fired after all," Mojo smiled, as much as he had tried to convince himself that he didn't care about Project X anymore, he was actually relieved that they didn't fire him. They no longer met his needs as a whole, since they were no longer on the same wavelength, but he could still use their facilities. Besides, as long as he was with them, he was protected by them. He just had to be careful. He had to wait for the right moment to strike again for there was no room for failure the next time.

"That's surprising," Snake exclaimed.

Mojo snorted, "Nah, not really if you think about it. The boss likes me, considers me his partner. He says that my history with the Powerpuff Girls, my genius and my own link to chemical X makes me a valuable asset to the Project. Although I'm demoted, and on probation," Mojo chuckled, "Expect a letter from the boss real soon Ace. He wants you to keep a close eye on me, make sure I don't try anything else. Ironic, no?"

Ace laughed and shook his head, "I'll say! But seriously, what does he expect from me? Me and my crew can't watch you and keep an eye on the Powerpuff Girls 24/7, especially with all the heightened security everywhere! I have my own business to run!"

Mojo grinned, "If you can call that a business…"

"It helped you didn't it?" Ace retorted.

"I'm not saying it isn't a good thing to have connections," Mojo replied, "It has proved valuable, I must admit. I appreciate all that you've done for me. Hmm, maybe the boss needs more lackeys…"

"Take that back, we're more than just a bunch of your minions! The Gangreen gang may work for you and Project X, but we're still an independent gang, we answer to no one. We're freelancers, unlike you or your colleagues, we can quit anytime without worry. How dare you call us lackeys!" Ace frowned, Snake nodded in agreement.

"Oh relax Ace," Mojo sighed, "It appears I've hit a nerve and I apologize. You and your gang are still vital and important members of the team."

"Damn straight," Snake hissed.

Ace snorted in disagreement, "How important is it, keeping an eye on three teenage girls? I don't see how vital that is to Project X right now."

"The boss needs to keep tabs on them now that I gave them their much deserved dose of antidote X," Mojo replied.

"So it really was you who did that then?" Snake snickered, "I wonder if the boss would be so lenient with you if we confirmed everyone's suspicions as to who the culprit was."

"You wouldn't dare," Mojo gasped.

"Of course not." Ace rolled his eyes, glaring at Snake, "The Gangreen Gang applaud you for your actions, you know that! We don't care if years of research go down the drain. All we care about is our 'paycheque' and seeing those girls fall. Like you, we're losing patience and want to see results now. On the other hand though, if you just waited until the boss gets here, I wouldn't have such a mundane job," Ace complained, "I hate being your gopher."

"Hey, that's what you were hired for. Anyhow, I can guarantee the boss would've had you keep tabs on the Powerpuffs sooner or later anyway." Mojo Jojo replied, "Ever hear of the phrase 'know your enemy?' Besides, Project X aside, I need you to watch them. I need to wait until a moment where they are weak and distracted, but in order for me to do that, I need you to keep tabs on them. If you're really do want to join me in this little side project of mine, you'll do this. Trust me, your reward will be great."

"All right, fine," Ace nodded, looking a little more satisfied, but still rather disgruntled.

Mojo laughed, "Admit it Ace, it's not that bad, you yourself have said that you think they're hot. I too have to admit they're quite pleasing to the eye now that they've grown. Mundane or not, I thought the likes of you would enjoy stalking girls like them."

"He's got a point there," Snake snickered, nudging Ace who grinned.

"True enough," Ace nodded, "So Mojo, what's your plan of action anyway?"

"Nice try Ace," Mojo shook his head, "Like you said, you're freelancers so I'm not telling you any details. Your job is to follow orders without question. It's company policy."

"I'm not talking about the damn Project," Ace snapped.

"My policy too," Mojo Jojo said, "If you really want to see those girls suffer, you'll do as I say."

"Why don't we just destroy the girls ourselves instead of work for you? You can find your own sheep," Snake hissed. Ace glared at him.

"Be my guest," Mojo Jojo shrugged, "The likes of you come at a dime a dozen. But I can guarantee without my genius, you'd fail on your own."

"Well, without our connections, you'd fail too," Ace replied.

"You're not the only gang in Townsville with connections," Mojo Jojo replied.

"Fine," Ace sighed, "What do you want us to do?"

"Well, for now," Mojo Jojo said, "Get a sample of whatever the Professor's giving the girls. We need it for the Project, so they can find out how far along the Professor is with his own research. We don't want them to suspect us of having our own plans, do we?"

"I can do that," Ace nodded, "But it will be hard with all the heightened security in the area."

"That's not my problem, you can figure it out," Mojo Jojo replied, "What I want you to do for me, is lace what they do have with this," he produced a small vial from the inside pocket in his jacket, "It will make my… our job so much easier when we finish what I started."

Wicked grins crossed Ace and Snake's lips, "What is it?" Snake asked.

"Just a little something I whipped up at the lab," Mojo Jojo shrugged.

"Clever," Ace nodded with a laugh, "Well, come on Snake, we got things to do."

As Ace and Snake headed out the door, the saw Carl heading down the hallway, "Hey Carl."

Carl nodded to them, "Boys." He blew a cloud of smoke into their faces as tapped excess ash from his cigarette onto the floor. "Is Mojo Jojo in? I need to talk to him."

"Yeah," Snake said.

"Hey Carl, can I bum a cigarette off ya?" Ace asked.

Carl rolled his eyes and gave him one, mumbling something under his breath. Carl entered Mojo's office without bothering to knock. "Mojo Jojo!"

"Hey Carl," Mojo grinned, "I'm happy to announce that I'm not fired. I guess you didn't get your way after all."

Carl frowned, "Not completely, but I still have more power than you do as the financier of this Project. I talked to your boss a few minutes ago and threatened to stop funding Project X if he doesn't get rid of you."

Mojo Jojo laughed, "Like the boss would really listen to you! You need us as much as we need you. You're stuck with me."

"You don't have to tell me that," Carl said dryly, "But he and I were willing to come up with a little compromise, since I can't stand working with you and all, he agreed to transfer you."

"Again? I've been waiting three years to come back to Townsville!" Mojo Jojo exclaimed, "I've been here only two months! He can't send me away now!"

"He did," Carl grinned, "It was agreed that this is better for you and the Project if you to stay away from the Powerpuff Girls since you're so personally linked to them. It certainly will prevent you from attacking them again. We need them alive for now. You know that, so I don't understand why you had to try and kill them without Project X's consent!"

Mojo Jojo didn't reply, instead he was doing his best to restrain himself from killing Carl right then and there.

"You have two weeks to get your things pack and get out of Townsville," Carl grinned. "In the meantime, you're going to be watched closely, to make sure you don't try anything again."

"Yeah, I know," Mojo Jojo sighed, waving his letter, and trying to hide the fact that he was relieved his guards were the Gangreen Gang, "Ace and his gang are assigned to do that."

Carl nodded, "When you're not here. I've arranged to have security cameras installed in your office tonight. When you're not in your office, expect to always have an escort."

"This stinks," Mojo Jojo shook his head, "I'll bet you're happy. You've been dying to get rid of me one way or another ever since I got here."

"Deal with it," Carl shrugged, "Have a nice day."

Mojo Jojo watched him as he left with a sense of loathing. Two weeks. There wasn't much time for him to get his revenge on the girls, nor was there room for error. He thought it over and shrugged; he could do it.

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A/N Thanks everyone for the reviews!

Hairy Gregory: I probably was able to capture the stereotypical queen bitches personality because they're based on people I went to school with, OK, they're not based on per say, but they are exactly like some of the people I went to school with. Thanks as always! (And thanks for updating this on your site!)

Sweetdeath04: Hey, thanks for the review. So glad you like the fic!

Bella: Welcome back to the fic! Yeah, Buttercup realizes what Kevin is saying, but she's too stubborn and proud (mixed with a bit of denial). Thanks for the reviews!

Dooly: Precisely. That was why they didn't want to go public with their loss of powers at first, because of the enemies they made in the past. Of course they had no choice but to let the people know.

Karashi: Thanks for reviewing! I'm glad you like it!

PinkPuff514: Thanks for the review! Not much else to say. I always love reading your reviews. Oh! And update "Crimson Confusion" soon please! OK?

Vsiv1695: Where have you been?! It's good to see you back. Your review kind of confused me (it may be because I'm tired…) but I take that as a huge compliment if it makes you want to write again. And you should. I loved "We Will Fly No More"!