Part 11: Counterstrike
The small army marched through the city streets with their weapons held at the ready. Professor Utonium and Jerry walked at the head of the small band of newly christened warriors, each clutching one of the Professor's Sonic Disruptors in their arms. These weapons were their only defense against the onslaught they were about to bring down on themselves. If they were fortunate, they might be enough to stun their enemies and trap them... but that was a very long shot, the Professor thought secretly.
The army ground to a halt in the small park that surrounded the volcano, now full of dead grass and trees, with various small children's toys abandoned all around. Jerry stepped ahead of the small army and raised his Sonic Disruptor. He gripped the switch and turned it on. All they could hear was a soft vibration from deep within the machine as its mechanisms turned on. But the immense sound was enough to shake the volcano down to its very core.
Jerry turned off his weapon and lowered it to watch as the vibration ceased. Everything watched silently until the volcano began to rumble on its own, growing louder with each passing second. Several Townspeople gripped their weapons nervously, but none could look away.
Suddenly a mass of shadows burst forth from the cone of the volcano, showering the landscape in molten lava as they plunged down toward the small army. "Everyone, ready!" Jerry shouted. Every weapon was raised as the shadows plunged toward them. A quick count, and Jerry realized there were still only five. Blossom wasn't among them yet. As they'd hoped.
Silence prevailed until the shadows loomed close and Jerry finally yelled "Fire!" The end result was visually disappointing. Hums arose from the Sonic Disruptors, and powerful beams of light shot toward the shadows. But their effect was not. The shadows howled in surprise and rage as the sound cut through their ears and the lights seared their retinas, forcing them to veer off course from the initial assault.
Emboldened by their small victory, the Townspeople pressed the assault, bombarding the shadows with everything they had. Four of the shadows fled a distance away, but one of them whirled and streaked toward the army, closer to the ground while most of the army was watching the sky.
The shadow buried itself deep into the group, knocking at least a dozen people off their feet, and probably killing half as many. Jerry rushed over and turned on his Sonic disruptor, keeping it aimed straight at the shadow. It wailed angrily and took off into the sky again, clutching its ears.
Jerry pulled out his wallet and flipped it open, seeing an image of Alice and Crimson displayed on the screen. "We've got them out here, begin your mission girls." He told them.
"We're on it." Alice and Crimson nodded in unison as the screen went dark. Jerry put his wallet away, turning to continue the fight against the shadows of past heroes.
Alice swung herself into the small cavern that led deeper into the volcano, landing in a low crouch with a heavy thud. Crimson landed beside her and they crept further along, keeping as silent as possible. The air was extremely hot in here, and they were sweating within moments of reaching one of the deeper tunnels. But still they pressed on, wandering through the mazelike corridors.
"God, it feels like an oven in here..." Crimson growled. Wiping her forehead with the back of one sleeve.
"I wish... I could go for a nice plate of cheese fries." Alice replied. She'd been craving food for the last few days, but knew she couldn't go about asking for more than everyone else got despite her pregnancy.
"Hold on..." Crimson stopped, listening. Alice stopped and listened. They could hear a small guttural noise... it almost sounded like someone chanting in the distance. "Do you think it's Him?"
"One way to find out what it is." Alice marched down the tunnel, eager to get this over with and get out of this heat. And back to her Professor.
They reached the end of the tunnel and emerged into a small prison-type area. Within the rock-created cells, they could see two figures. One was the missing Powerpuff Girl, Blossom. The other they only knew from one time several months ago, when she'd helped save them from Edison. She was the one who was chanting softly to herself, something about being sorry and not listening.
"Hey, it's one of the junior spies." Crimson remarked, walking up to the cell. "I wonder why He'd bother taking her. She's not very important to all this, why not just kill her?"
"Whatever the reason get her out while I go for Blossom." Alice pulled out her Lipstick Laser and used it to slice through the molten bars of the cell. Crimson did the same with the blonde's cell, until they both marched inside up to their respective captives.
"Hey, Powerpuff Girl, wake up." Alice slapped the little girl lightly. Slowly Blossom's large eyes opened and she looked up at the spy. "We're getting you out of here. Any idea how to get these chains off?" She tried using hr lipstick laser, but the chain didn't even heat up.
"Who... you..." Blossom breathed confusedly, staring up at her. Staring into her eyes, Alice could barely see any of the life she'd seen weeks ago in WOOHP headquarters. Suddenly she closed her eyes and the chains snapped off her wrists, dropping her to the ground.
"Blossom!?" Alice knelt down beside Blossom, slapping her cheek lightly. Blossom remained still on the floor however.
"Whoa!" Crimson exclaimed. Alice whirled in surprise, looking through the bars of the cell to see Crimson staring at the blonde spy. Her eyes were glowing with red light... not unlike those shadows outside. Her mind was being controlled somehow... "Is he trying to do this to everybody?"
"Get her down." Alice stood and approached the bars between the cells.
"How? These things are unbreakable or something!" Crimson yanked as hard as she could, but the chains wouldn't budge. Finally she stopped and wiped her forehead, looking through the bars at Alice. Her eyes went wide as she looked past her partner. "DUCK!"
Alice spread her legs, going into a low splits second before something lashed out over her head. It slammed into the bars separating the two cells, shattering them with enough force to break them into chunks smaller than her fingernail. She sprung herself forward, flipping through the air to land on the other side of Clover's cell, landing in a crouch.
"Damnit... we're too late." Alice growled. Blossom floated in her cell, her eyes as deep red as the shadows that were currently locked in battle outside. "Get her down, we have to get out of here." Alice stepped back as Blossom floated forward menacingly.
"Damn... hmmm..." Crimson took out her laser lipstick and directed it at the rock that the chains were attached to. Alice leapt into the air when Blossom lunged again, flying over her head and rolling away when she hit the ground.
"Hurry it up Crimson!" Alice shouted, narrowly rolling out of the way in time to avoid having her head split open like a watermelon.
"Got her!" Crimson finished cutting through the rock and held Clover in her arms, chains still dangling from her wrists. "Let's hit the road before someone even worse than her shows up!" Crimson darted out of the cage, holding Clover close to her chest.
Alice watched Blossom's movements, waiting for another charge before leap/rolling toward the exit and slipping a Butterfly Barrette Bomb out of her belt. "Sorry Blossom, we tried!" She hurled it at the ceiling and charged down the hall away from the area. Blossom streaked out of the cell, but the bomb detonated with enough force to flatten her against the ground. It also caused the ceiling to cave in around her, burying her under a mountain of rubble.
"We have to get out of this mountain before she gets free. Or He finds us." Crimson stated the obvious. Alice sighed. She hoped Jerry and the Professor's battles were going better.
For a while, their weapons were enough to hold the shadows at bay. But while they may have been under mind control, they weren't stupid. They couldn't get close, so they took to hurling things at the small army. Stop signs cut people in half, busses crushed them in groups, shards of glass from broken windows impaled them left and right. And out in the open park around the volcano, it was like shooting fish in a barrel for the shadows.
It wasn't long before Professor Utonium realized how hopeless this was. Even when they were able to use their weapons effectively against them, they hadn't been enough to stun them. The best they could hope for was a stalemate, and thanks to his weapons' short battery life, even that could only last a short time. Several peoples' weapons had already run out of juice.
The Professor moved over to Jerry, who was trying to keep his Sonic Disruptor aimed at one of the quick-moving shadows. "We have to get out of here. Our weapons aren't effective enough, and they're running out of... power..." He trailed off when suddenly, Jerry's weapon switched off. Several others followed, until suddenly the entire army was left defenseless.
The shadows quickly realized their new advantage, and swooped in for the kill. They swooped down like vultures, picking people up and hurtling them into buildings, streets, signs, or even each other. The people screamed and broke into a full panic, running in every direction.
"We can't leave without the spies." Jerry insisted, running back toward the volcano. The Professor followed him quickly, running with him along the dead grass up to the base of the volcano. Suddenly a deathly stillness filled the air, pricking the back of his neck.
The Professor turned slowly, looking up at the sky. The shadows had gathered overhead, raising their hands above their head. Black energy began to form in their hands, growing in intensity. "No... God no..." The Professor muttered in horror. He'd seen his girls do this only a few times before. With three it was too powerful... it could kill anything. With five...
The shadows thrust their hands downward, their power igniting and meeting at a spot a few feet in front of them. A stream of black energy ripped into the Earth itself, disintegrating buildings, the street, anything it touched. The energy swept across the city, wiping out anybody foolish enough to try to run through it, or who was caught in its path.
Jerry and the Professor stumbled back as the stream moved across the park, disintegrating the surroundings and other people on its way toward them. Just before it touched however, the stream subsided. The Professor blinked and looked up at the shadows in confusion.
They just stared down at him steadily before whirling and streaking back toward the volcano. They plunged into the cone, leaving The Professor alone. He didn't get why... He would surely want the Professor dead. But then... he realized that the girls had always had some degree of control over their actions.
Everything the Powerpuff Girls held an emotional attachment to remained intact. Pokey Oaks Kindergarten still stood, Miss Bellum, Miss Keane, and all of their child friends remained alive through the onslaught, and just now they'd spared the Professor.
Suddenly, both Jerry and the Professor were thrown off their feet when the ground under their feet started rocking.
Alice pumped her legs as fast as she could without leaving Crimson behind, burdened by Clover's unconscious form as she was. "Come on, we're almost there... I think." Alice encouraged her friend. The heat was taking its toll on them both, sapping their strength every second they were in here. They were already covered in their own sweat, their hair matted to their heads.
Suddenly the Earth heaved, throwing them both to the ground. Clover slammed into the ground limply, groaning in pain and half-opening her shining crimson eyes. Alice looked up at the ceiling. "Shit... the bomb must have destabilized the entire tunnel system..."
"Hey, maybe He'll get buried in here." Crimson commented, lifting Clover in her arms again as she climbed to her feet.
"Great, now let's try not to get buried ourselves." Alice lurched forward, with Crimson following close behind her. The ceiling started to fall, but Alice grabbed Clover's chains and yanked them forward, pulling Crimson along behind her. Eventually, they emerged into the blood red sky, collapsing to the ground from exhaustion.
"Spies! We were beginning to worry." Jerry knelt down beside them, looking down at Clover. "Oh my... Clover was in there? What about Blossom? Did you find her?"
"Yeah... but she turned..." Crimson replied, looking up at him. "She's one of the shadows now..."
"Oh dear..." Jerry hung his head. Professor Utonium knelt down beside Alice, putting a hand on her shoulder.
"Are you okay?" He asked softly.
"Yeah... I'll be fine." Alice smiled slightly, panting for breath. Suddenly the ground shook again, even deeper this time as a roar erupted form the cone above them.
"The volcano's erupting! Come on, we have to get out of here." The Professor lifted Alice into his arms, while Jerry picked up Clover, and Crimson climbed to her feet. They charged across the park as magma shot out of the cone, droplets spewing far enough to splash the nearby buildings. One drop hit the ground right near them, splashing onto Crimson's pant leg.
"AGH! Shit, shit, shit!" Crimson kicked her leg furiously and growled in pain. She didn't have too much time to worry about it though, so she followed the others after dislodging as much of the magma as she could, running with a heavy limp now.
Soon they were far enough away to all collapse to the ground. Crimson grunted and pulled her boot off, pulling her pant leg up to her knee. Her calve was scorched black, already flaking from the severe burns. Jerry moved to help her treat her wound while the Professor walked up to Clover, kneeling down beside her.
He put one hand on her eyelid, pushing it open. Her eyes pulsed with crimson energy, startling him into letting go. Slowly he opened her eyes again, staring into those deep red pools. Looking down, he noticed that the glowing chains around her wrists were pulsing as well... in fact, they were pulsing in time with her eyes.
"Anything you can do for her Professor?" Alice knelt down beside him, staring into Clover's blank eyes.
"I don't know..." The Professor replied. They'd lost Blossom, and almost all of the remaining Townsville residents already. It was just lucky that the children had remained back at the small settlement. And now, he couldn't figure out what was happening to Clover. He was using her for something, and these chains were His link to her. But what was he doing with her...?
Alice, Profesor Utonium (who carried Clover), Jerry, and Crimson (who was being helped by Jerry) walked back to the settlement after Jerry had helped Crimson bandage and clean off her burned leg. Few adults had made it back to the settlement, Miss Keane and Sarah Bellum, among a few others, stood in the middle of a group of children. The children were chattering fearfully at the few remaining adults, trying to pry answers out of them.
"Children please, calm down." Miss Keane knelt down to try to calm the children, wrapping her arms around several of them. "It's okay, I promise. You'll all be okay." She gave them a comforting smile while the redhead broke from the group of children and approached them.
"It's good to see more friendly faces come back..." She told them with a gentle smile.
"It's good to see you too Sarah." The Professor told her. "But if you don't mind, I should get to work on figuring out these chains... excuse me." He walked back her, still carrying the unconscious Clover to a nearby tent and closing the flap behind him.
Alice gulped and looked up at the almost monstrously tall redhead, giving her a nervous smile. "So... how are the kids? Do you need any help?"
"More than we're likely to find out here." Sarah looked back at the group of kids, giving a small sigh. "Almost every one of their parents died in the battle... if it wasn't for Miss Keane, they would probably be panicked by now." Alice nodded as she watched the short, but kind-faced woman reassuring the children with an ease born of long practice.
Jerry helped Crimson hobble toward a small lawn chair set up beside one of the tents, setting her down to let her rest her throbbing leg. "Thanks Jerry. God this thing hurts like Hell..." She grunted, reaching down to put her hands around the burnt and blackened section of her leg.
"Try to stay off of it for a little while, and it should be fine." Jerry replied softly. They waited with the few adults and many children left for several hours. A few more adults found their way back to the settlement, and were greeted with open arms by those who were already there. Everyone was in a daze, and Alice couldn't blame them. It felt like a bad dream, everything had changed overnight.
Finally the Professor emerged from the tent he'd taken Closer into with a solemn look on his face. "Jerry, Alice, Crimson. Come with me." He told them seriously. The four named exchanged glances, then followed him back into the tent. Clover was lying on the bed with her hands still bound by those strange glowing chains in front of her. Her glowing red eyes were open, and she struggled absently against her chains, mumbling to herself feverishly.
"Have you discovered what's wrong with her? Can you remove the chains?" Jerry asked.
"Yes, and yes..." The Professor replied. "But there's something to think about before we do." He sat down in a chair he'd up beside the small bed, staring up at them. "These chains link her to Him... as long as she wears them, he can use her mind at will... their minds are connected... they're one."
"So... what does that mean, exactly?" Alice asked.
"If one of those minds were to stop working... both would?" Crimson asked.
"That's the theory." Professor Utonium nodded. Alice stared at him blankly. One mind stopped functioning... did he mean...
"You want to kill Clover!?" Alice exclaimed. "Are you crazy? She's an innocent girl, whose only crime was to try to help you fight against these evil little assholes!"
Crimson shrugged. "Hey, like they say, the needs of the many..."
Alice cut her off. "Don't feed me that Star Trek bullshit!" She shouted. "We're not talking about someone bravely sacrificing themselves for the good of others in some wondrous magical fantasy! We're talking about a real life cold-blooded murder here!" The others remained silent, all staring at the ground deep in thought. "She deserves as much of a chance of survival as the rest of us. And we don't even know for sure if killing her will get Him. The Professor could be wrong."
"Yes, it's true." The Professor nodded. "But I thought if there was any chance we might be able to end this all, here and now, it should be discussed." He looked up at Jerry and Crimson.
"I say we go for it." Crimson replied. "Even if it doesn't work, it won't matter much. We'll all be dead soon enough anyway." All eyes turned to Jerry, who was staring at the ground deep in thought. Alice knew he thought of all of his agents as his own daughters, so this had to be extra rough on him.
Finally Jerry looked around at them, his gaze finally settling on Clover's mumbling, feverish body on the bed. "I cannot order one of my own agents to death... no matter what the circumstances." He closed his eyes. "This wasn't a mission I sent her on... she volunteered to do this because she believed in what we wanted to do. I cannot turn my back on her after that, no matter what it may mean for the rest of us."
Alice smiled victoriously, while Crimson grumbled and shook her head. Professor Utonium nodded solemnly up at him. "I'll remove the chains, but it could take a little while."
"Take all the time you need. We'll go decide what course of action to take next." Jerry stood up and turned to leave, leaving his spies and the Professor in the tent. Crimson shot a glare at Alice before leaving. Alice turned to Professor Utonium, who was examining the chains with his steady gaze.
"Good luck Professor..." Alice turned to leave, letting him continue his work. No matter how desperate the situation got, she wasn't about to let them start killing innocent people in the off chance that it might help their cause. A victory through such means wouldn't be a real victory, because they would have become what they were fighting against. Jerry had seen that... but Crimson hadn't...
Alex gripped the steering wheel of her newly acquired Ford convertible with both hands, riding down the highway with her foot pressed down hard on the gas pedal. Clover rode in the passengers seat, leaning against the door with her feet propped up on the dashboard. Despite the heavy wind, her hair remained stiff, reminding her that she was still an imaginary figment.
"What are we going to do now... Clover?" Alex asked softly, giving her friend a look that begged to be given some objective to make everything right.
"We make all of those demon-serving bastards pay for what they did to you Alex... it's their fault." Clover looked back at her grimly, her eyes setting into a grim line. "Don't ever forget what they did... they all have to pay."
"You're scaring me Clover..." Alex replied softly. "You... you sound like you're not going to be here to help me."
"I'm sorry Alex, but I won't be." Alex stared at her in shock. "Just remember... they ALL have to pay... every last one of them." Suddenly she vanished, as if she had never been there in the first place.
"C... Clover!?" Alex slammed her foot on the brakes, sending the car skidding along the street until it finally came to a stop. "Clover! No! Don't leave me alone again!" Alex crawled to the passengers seat, as though she could dig under the seat and find Clover hiding there. She felt around desperately, searching for any sign of her friend.
"I don't want to be alone again... please..." Alex muttered fearfully, her hands beginning to shake. She was alone again... but she could still fulfill Clover's last wish. She wanted Alex to bring Him down... Him and all of His followers. She would fulfill her wish... it was all she could do. She wanted to bring this all to an end. If that was the only way, then so be it.
Clover's emerald blue eyes opened slowly, for the first time in weeks seeing through her own eyes, with control of her own mind. She saw Professor Utonium sitting over her, looking down at her with a gentle smile on his face. She heard the sound of chains falling to the floor. She could feel the wetness on her cheeks where tears had been flowing freely.
"Good morning." Professor Utonium told her softly.
"A... Alex..." Clover muttered. She could remember everything she'd said to her over the last few weeks... every word... every lie. The poor girl had believed every word... she'd listened to herself trick and manipulate her the entire way, and couldn't do a damn thing to stop it. Now it might have been too late... she had to find Alex.
"Alex? What about her?" The Professor asked confusedly.
"Where's Jerry? I have to see him." Clover sat up. She wasn't about to let her best friend go on a psychopathic rampage across the country because of her. She would save Alex's life... she would save Alex's soul if it was the last thing she did.
The Las Vegas strip was rather disappointing since none of the neon lights that made the city famous were working anymore. Now the city of lights was reduced to a city of memories, with shining structures reminding the world of what had once been. The casinos and nightclubs that had dubbed this town 'Sin City' were now abandoned and silent. A depressing sight for what had once had the most abundant nightlife in the country. As if there was a night anymore. That Hellish red glow never left now.
"Hey, there's the Excalibur. And the Luxor." Mandy grinned, watching the crumbling landmarks pass by her window. "Would you believe with all my family's wealth we never once came here?"
"Really? That's a surprise. Why not?" Sam asked curiously.
"Too 'sinful'." Mandy stuck out her tongue. "My mom was against just about everything. Premarital sex, gambling, drinking, homosexuality..." She trailed off. Sam chuckled and gave her a sly look.
"Well, who cares what she was against now? The world is ours." Sam gestured to the crumbling and run-down buildings that surrounded her.
"Hey, pull over!" Mandy exclaimed. Sam pulled them to the side of the road and Mandy climbed out, running into a nearby building. Sam climbed out and ran after her, finding her way inside as Mandy walked up on a stage inside of a large auditorium. "You know, I've always wanted to perform in Vegas. It was like a dream since as long as I could remember."
"Perform what?" Sam walked up to the edge of the stage.
"No clue." Mandy replied. "Just perform something." She did a twirl or two around the stage, laughing at herself when she almost got dizzy and fell on her butt. "Whoa... I don't know how those dancers do it."
"It's like anything, you gotta practice." Sam pulled herself up onto the stage. "But I hear it's easier with two people."
"Is it now?" Mandy grinned as Sam walked up to her. Sam nodded and took Mandy's hands in hers, sliding her body up to Mandy's. She started sliding back and forth on the stage, with Mandy following her lead and leaning against her. They moved to an imaginary beat, with an imaginary audience sitting in the crowd and watching with smiles on their faces.
"It's like having our prom on a grand stage..." Mandy sighed wistfully, resting her cheek on Sam's shoulder.
"We can. Get some balloons, some snazzy dresses... or maybe a tux for me..." Sam noted.
Mandy smirked and looked at her face. "Why would YOU get the tux?"
"Because I'm the dominant one."
"Oh, SO not."
"Oh yes I am."
"Nuh-uh!"
"Yuh-huh!" Sam stuck her tongue out.
Mandy smirked and silenced her with a deep kiss, capturing her tongue as it was being stuck out defiantly. Sam leaned against her, letting her hands slide over Mandy's waist. Soon Mandy ended the kiss and leaned her head on Sam's shoulder again, just enjoying the soft dance in the middle of the Las Vegas stage. It had been a long time dream for her, and as with most of her dreams it seemed, they were coming true only now that society had crumbled. Irony never ceased to amaze her.
TO BE CONTINUED