A/N: Special thanks to "Psychedelic Leviathan". His fic "Memories of the Future" reminded me what it was I originally strove to create with my fics, and inspired me to write this fanfic (and probably all future chapters, of which there will be many more thanks to him) more quickly.
Part 3: The Calm
It was amazing. Last night they had returned to Professor Utonium's house with Alex and Blossom in tow. Now at almost two o'clock in the afternoon they were hiding inside the large home offices of the World Organization Of Human Protection like a pile of rats gathering at the highest point of a sinking ship. That demon thing hadn't even made a move yet, and the tension that permeated the building was already almost unbearable.
Professor Utonium had come with them, spending most of his time analyzing the self-proclaimed Whoopass Girl. Clover hadn't known her before this transformation, but it seemed it was quite a switch. "I could change her back." Professor Utonium had told her early that morning. "But my lab sank into the ground after you girls came and got me." A wry smirk twisted his handsome, aged features. "I can assure you, it was no accident."
Jerry was right in the next room, but more unreachable than Clover had ever seen him. His phones rang off the hook as rumors of last night's events circulated through the organization. Word spread very fast in this technological age, though he tried his damndest to keep it within the organization so as to avoid a full-scale citizen riot.
Alex, after twelve hours, was still unconscious and lying on one of the steel tables in what normally served as the Emergency Room. They were using it as a temporary hospital because it was closer to Jerry's office, and they could more easily get to her if Hell, literally, started breaking loose. She had suffered a mild concussion from Bubbles' last blow to the head, and could be out cold anywhere from an hour to a month the doctor said. As if Clover didn't have enough to worry about.
Sam stayed by her side despite the lack of chairs in the cold unforgiving room. When her legs got tired she sat or laid on the floor beside her, occasionally grabbing a book from WOOHP's extensive library. Unfortunately, these books were all science and history related, but she found old historical accounts that seemed almost as interesting as fiction. Somehow though, Clover knew Alex would be sobbing in boredom if she was able.
As for Clover herself, she wandered aimlessly throughout the building, keeping to herself and occasionally exchanging a greeting with the men in black that made up WOOHP's in-office personnel. She would have stayed by Alex, but she was feeling too guilty about what she'd said to her and Sam yesterday... about not being best friends anymore. With Alex in a coma and a demon just waiting to go on a rampage against the world... that argument seemed so damn petty it almost made her cry.
It didn't matter though. When the demon struck, she would be too busy saving the world to worry about a petty useless argument.
Jerry sat in the leatherbound, swiveling chair that was tailor-made to fit his aging body. The screen in front of him was registering calls from WOOHP agents all over the world, all of whom had been put on high alert. He reached over and tapped a button on his video-phone to answer it even before he heard the ring. "WOOHP central office."
A familiar voice on the screen brought a nostalgic smile to his lips. "Jerry, why have we been brought back into service? We told you we're retired!" Pam demanded angrily. She was dressed in a new, more modern WOOHP uniform similar to the current team of spies, and was calling from WOOHP's Antarctic base.
"Yeah, I'm getting married tomorrow!" Alice complained behind her.
"Congratulations. I'll send you a gift basket." Jerry quipped.
Crimson shoved them both out of the way, putting her face up against the screen of the videophone. "Even worse than being called back is being called back for NOTHING. Now tell us what the Hell is going on! What's with this high-alert, and why are we here?"
"We have reason to believe that the world is in danger." Jerry replied.
"Obviously, there's always some nut job out to take over the world." Pam reappeared on the screen. "That doesn't explain what this has to do with us." Jerry let out a soft sigh.
Alice pushed her friends aside to speak. "We're sorry Jerry, but we've just gotten settled down into our lives again after being brainwashed by Edison, we want to relax."
"I understand Alice." Jerry looked up at them gravely. "But I'm not simply talking about someone with a revenge scheme. I'm talking about the end of civilization. Perhaps the deaths of all living things, perhaps their enslavement. I'm not quite sure... but I know that you three are the greatest team of spies I've ever had the privilege of working with. The world needs you girls. It needs all of us."
The three middle-aged former spies stared at him steadily, as though trying to figure out if he was joking or not. Finally Pam nodded and gave him a slight smile. "Okay Jerry... you've got us. But just for a while."
"And only for old time's sake." Alice winked.
"Thank you ladies. I'll be in touch." Jerry touched the small control pad on the desk beside him and the image faded from the screen.
"I hope you were being polite about THEM being your best team of spies." Clover quipped as she walked into the room. She carried a large tray of steaming stew, milk, and steamed vegetables. She set the tray on the table as Jerry smirked.
"Now Clover, no use getting jealous. I favor none of my spies, it would be like choosing between my own children. Thank you." Jerry grabbed the fork from the tray and started eating.
"So, enslavement of humanity huh? What have you heard about this demon-thing that I haven't?" Clover asked.
Jerry looked up at her around a mouthful of mashed potatoes. He spoke after swallowing. "Professor Utonium warned us about... Him... after his girls were kidnapped. The consequences of leaving him unopposed were too great, so we sent you after them... but it seems like we ALL played right into his hands... er... claws."
"We have the pink one." Clover reminded him.
"One against five isn't very good odds." Jerry shook his head. "Professor Utonium is searching, but there's no Chemical-X or Antidote-X left after his lab sank into the Earth, so using that to our advantage is out..." He turned to his food again, the unspoken words hanging clearly in the air. There might be no way to stop Him once he comes.
Sam opened her eyes suddenly, snapping out of the world in which she, Clover, and Alex had just discovered a previously unknown store in the mall. She rubbed her eyes with a deep yawn, looking down at her Latino friend still lying on the table with a bandage around her head. Sam reached out to squeeze her hand, hoping to feel her squeeze back, or any form of acknowledgement. Of course, none came.
With a deep, drained sigh Sam pushed herself up from the floor. God her knees were so stiff... they popped for three minutes as she walked out the door into the long empty hallways of WOOHP. She'd been in there nonstop for the last five days, and still nothing had happened. It seemed like the air itself was standing still, waiting for something to happen.
Sam moved down the hallway, stopping when she heard Professor Utonium's voice from the WOOHP laboratory. "This is hopeless..."
"As I told you." Blossom's voice replied sarcastically. She sang lightly. "All paths will converge into one, and then the world will come undone."
Sam pushed the laboratory door open. Professor Utonium was sitting on a stiff chair in front of a table, on which the Whoopass Girl was trapped by a box of glowing, yellowish lasers. "Professor?" Sam called. She hadn't thought about what happened in his lab since the mission ended.
He looked back at her. "Samantha. Come on in." He rubbed his eyes and pushed himself back in the chair as she entered. Blossom's large, pink eyes followed her movement. "Are you holding up okay?"
"Well enough, I guess. I'm just wondering what the big hold up is." Sam shook her head. "What is he planning... there has to be a way to find out."
Professor Utonium shook his head. "It's an old war strategy. Sometimes the most powerful psychological move is to simply wait, and let your enemies work themselves into a frenzy. Then strike while they're at their weakest." He shook his head. "Him is a master of Psychological Warfare."
"You look hungry Professor." Sam changed the subject quickly.
"I suppose I am..." The Professor replied with a sigh. His stomach growled in agreement. "Would you watch Blossom while I go find something?"
"No problem at all." Sam stood aside and watched the Professor leave before sitting down in his chair. When she turned toward the glowing yellow energy box, she found the Whoopass girl still staring straight at her. "Do you need something?" Sam asked as graciously as she could, though in truth she was beyond weirded out.
"There's no victory here you know." Blossom told her. "I know... I remember... I've seen what is destined to become."
"What are you, a psychic?"
Blossom shook her head gravely. "No... I've been to the future. Everything was dead inside... the people, the plants... the sky... it was all dead. And it was all our fault..."
The people shuffled out of the old and crumbling buildings, looking like a pale wave of old and decrepit flesh and bone underneath the blood red sky. A zombie like cry echoed forth like a death knoll. "Powerpuff Girls..." Old friends from school, every citizen of Townsville that remained in this Hellhole emerged under the crimson sun, which wasn't all that many. Still they shuffled up to the trembling girls, stopping in a circle around them.
"You did this..." One accusing voice split from the crowd. But he was soon joined by the rest of the pack. "You did this Powerpuff Girls."
"No..." Blossom shuddered in horror, trying to back away but only bumping into her sisters.
The people began to move forward, crowing around the girls and pushing them closer together. "It's your fault." The monotone, zombie like tone slowly melted into hatred and unbridled fury. "It's your fault. Your fault!"
"Wh... wh..." Blossom looked down at her shaking hands, in her eyes stained red. "What have we done!?" She cried in despair, dropping to her knees as tears dripped down her cheeks. She could hear Bubbles and Buttercup breaking down behind her, screaming in anger and despair...
"We thought we would change it by coming back to the present and protecting Townsville like we always did..." Blossom lamented thoughtlessly. She seemed to smile when she saw Sam's horrified expression. "But it seems like, whether by negligence or by pulling the trigger ourselves... we were always destined to bring the world to an end in the future. It's strange... I once would have been frightened by that." Her eyes locked on Sam's. "The future... is here."
Clover stood wearily in the hallway, lacking the motivation or the energy to move it seemed. It had been five days since they'd encountered Him, but they'd still seen neither hide nor hair of him. All this waiting was really eating at her nerves. Why didn't the bastard just get it over with and attack!? She liked it so much better when she could go after some bad guy actively trying to take over the world. At this point she didn't even care if she won. She just wanted to get it over with.
Clover jumped in surprise when Sam stumbled out of the nearby laboratory, stumbling into the wall shaking and pale-faced. "Sammy? What happened?" Clover rushed over to her and took her arm to help steady her. Sam looked up at her, not really seeing her for several moments.
"Clover..." Sam stuttered, her frantic eyes staring into hers for some kind of comfort. "Clover... God..." She wrapped her arms around her tightly, burying her face in her shoulder.
"Sam, calm down, everything's okay..." Clover whispered in her ear, rubbing her back comfortingly. "Now talk to me... what's going on? Why are you so spooked?" Clover asked.
Sam gulped and pulled away from her slightly. They stared into each others eyes, until Sam finally looked down and wiped at her cheeks with the back of her glove. "N... nothing Clover." Sam smiled an obviously forced smile. "I'm just shaken up is all... all this waiting is getting to me."
"Yeah, I can totally relate." Clover gave her a gentle smile and squeezed her shoulder. Her smile faded and she sighed. "Look Sam... about what I said before this all started... about you not being my best friend..."
"Oh pah." Sam waved her off with one hand. "I know you never meant it." She said.
"You think... Alex does too?" Clover asked.
"Of course she does." Sam patted her shoulder gently. Her face was still pale, but she was acting more normal than she had been moments before. "Come on... let's go be there when she wakes up. Both of us together." Sam suggested. Clover couldn't suppress a grin as she and Sam marched down the hall again, leaning against each other.
Jerry sat behind his desk, watching the lights on the map begin to spread across the whole country. They signified the confirmed places where people knew about Him... word had finally gone beyond WOOHP. He'd known it would happen eventually, and he was frankly surprised he'd kept it under wraps for the four days he did.
Suddenly the screen flashed to life, showing an image of the oval office with the President sitting at his desk. "Okay Jerry, give it to me straight. What's going on? And why did I have to read about it in the newspaper?" The president demanded angrily.
"A necessary precaution I assure you Mr. President." Jerry replied. "I was hoping we could resolve the situation before anyone found out about it to avoid a mass panic."
The President nodded sagely. "But word got out."
"Unfortunately."
The President looked back as a large rock bounced off of the window behind his desk. The sound of angry cries and yells floated up from outside the building, demanding answers. "I have to say something Jerry. This is getting out of hand. Tell me what's going on."
"Basically... an impending invasion." Jerry replied softly. "An unknown type of creature with immense power is going to strike... he was held back, but those protectors are gone now. He'll be able to attack with impunity."
"I'm not hearing any comforting words Jerry."
"I apologize for that."
"I'm going to put the country on high-alert. Moblize the military."
Jerry shook his head, staring at the president gravely. "I don't think that will do a whole lot of good sir."
"I cannot and will not sit here waiting for this... thing to wipe out the human race." The president replied. "I'm giving a press conference tomorrow about it. And then we'll upgrade the military status. If he shows his face in America, he'll be greeting with a missile." The president's face faded from the screen, leaving Jerry to simply sigh and shake his head.
"What to do when there's no hope left..." He muttered.
Her head was fuzzy... she couldn't remember much. Flashes of lights in darkness... glowing red pools that seemed to shift strangely... then it came back. The girls they'd been sent to save... they'd turned on them. She'd been knocked unconscious... she must have been out a long time. This was confirmed when Alex reached up with one hand to find a bandage wrapped firmly around it.
She opened her eyes, squinting against the sharp lights overhead. Turning her head, she could see Sam and Clover lying on the floor beside what looked, and felt, like a steel desk in the middle of WOOHP headquarters. They were both asleep on the floor, still wearing their WOOHP uniforms. It couldn't have been that long if they were still at WOOHP could it?
Alex shifted on the table to swing her legs over the side. Apparently this was enough to wake her friends, because Clover was on her in an instant. "Alex! You're awake!" She wrapped her up in a tight hug, grinning broadly. "I was SO worried you wouldn't snap out of it..."
"I feel fine Clover... except for a pounding headache." Alex replied with a soft smile. Before she knew it Sam was on her other side.
"Don't do that to us again girl! You were out for almost a week!" Sam told her.
"Hey, sorry, I'll set an alarm clock next time." Alex joked. Her friends smiled and nudged her arms playfully. "I assume we somehow got all of those mutant things captured?" She asked. Sam and Clover's delighted expressions darkened, both looking away from her. "Girls?"
"Most of them were taken by... something." Sam replied, her face becoming the emotionless mask she used when she had to convey bad news. "Professor Utonium says it's pretty bad... downright disastrous actually."
Alex blinked, staring at her steadily. "I don't get it, where are they? Why are we here? Did they let us go? I don't understand."
"Long story short, they were taken by some evil guy, and they haven't been seen since." Clover informed her.
"We've been waiting for them to make their move, but they haven't yet." Sam shook her head. "But until they do, come on. You probably need something to eat." At the mention of food, Alex's unintentionally deprived stomach growled loudly, drawing a deep blush to Alex's cheeks. Sam grinned and pulled her off the table. "Let's get something to eat in you, then you can start worrying endlessly like the rest of us." Alex smiled gratefully as Sam pulled her away from the hard steel table.
Alex was led through the cold lifeless corridors of the central WOOHP office, with Sam pulling and Clover pushing from behind. They entered another room moments later. Alex didn't know it was possible for a kitchen to look so drab and lifeless. Everything was made of solid steel, even the cabinet doors had to be an inch thick. It was good to know that if someone ever succeeded in breaking into this highly fortified and classified government building, their Fruit Loops would remain safe.
"What would you like Alex?" Sam marched up to the cabinets and pulled them open one at a time to see their contents. "Powder... more powder... or a somewhat brown-looking powder."
"Mmm..." Alex hummed lightly, trying to decide. "Well I'm partial to powder but powder might be just as good at this point." Sam and Clover chuckled as Sam set about trying to make the powder edible. The TV in the corner of the kitchen was turned to the news, as every TV seemed to be. "Is something special happening today?"
"The President's addressing the demon situation." Sam replied.
"Oh yeah, there he is." Alex pointed. Sam stopped what she was doing and moved beside Alex to watch. Clover stepped forward and turned up the volume so they could listen.
The President approached the podium and cleared his throat. There wasn't even any applause, the deathly silence that gripped WOOHP all week seemed to have extended beyond its walls. "My fellow Americans. We have all learned within the last twenty-four hours, of an impending threat to not just this nation, but the world."
"This threat is a grave one, but rest assured that the mightiest nation in history will not fall t..." He stopped suddenly, his eyes going wide as his body twitched. Slowly he lifted from the ground, until he was being suspending over Buttercup's head. His blood rained down on the top of her head, but she seemed to revel in it with a broad grin.
The crowd at the scene screamed and began to scatter as the girl tossed the President's inert form over the podium. She looked the same as ever, but now here eyes were replaced by pools of blood red energy that seemed to endlessly swirl around itself. She had a grin on her face as she wiped the blood from her hair, licking it off her hand leisurely.
She grabbed one of the microphones off the podium, floating in front of it. Her voice was dark and gritty, somewhere between her old voice and Him's demonic growl. "As we speak, the leaders of the most powerful nations in the world are being replaced. You will not resist these replacements... anyone who fights it will suffer far worse than death."
From off of the camera a few volleys of gunfire bounced off of her. She turned toward them irritably, her eyes pulsing until a crimson beam swept outward. Even more screams of pain and terror erupted from the audience. "And you WILL bring us Powerpuff Girl Blossom!" Buttercup screamed, staring straight at the camera. For a moment Alex was afraid she was staring right at her before remembering it was just a TV screen.
"For every hour that Blossom isn't delivered, another city will be demolished. Starting with this one." She dropped the microphone with a grin as four other streaks of light came down from behind her. She joined them in the charge, slamming into the camera and plunging the TV into static until the normal newscasters came on.
"Oh my God..." Clover muttered in horror. "They just took out the President of the Unites States on international television."
"This must have been what they were waiting for." Sam realized, her mouth hanging open. "Something like this will cause a mass panic in every country in the world. Everything will dissolve into chaos..."
"It's the end of the world as we know it..." Alex sung grimly. "And I feel fine..."
TO BE CONTINUED