A Turn For the Worst

Buttercup felt like she was going insane. In a fit of frustration she pitched her bed through the window and it fell with a loud crash onto the concrete below, shattering into splinters. She was sick of being confined to this tiny room, unable to tell what was going on outside. It had been almost a day and she had heard no news from both Bubbles and Blossom. She just had to know what was going on. Broken bones or not, she was going to get out of there and nobody was going to stop her.

She took off through the broken window and flew full speed into the night. She knew where she wanted to go. It did not take long for her to reach her destination. Buttercup circled low and spotted the entrance that would lead her into the demon tower.

She wasted no time and dove right into the tower, entering the cavernous interior. She darted down the lengthy corridor, arbitrarily turning this way and that, not even paying attention to where she was going. She traveled for what seemed like hours, growing extremely frustrated as one empty corridor led to another. She had expected to have been immediately thrown into a battle upon entering the tower, but instead it was dead silent in the endless maze.

Buttercup eventually stopped her flying and took a moment to get her head together. She took a look around to see if she could get her bearings. The room looked the same as all the others, with different proportions, but having the same bleak emptiness as the others.

"Maybe I should have looked where I was going," Buttercup thought to herself, realizing just how lost she was. "I wonder if Bubbles and Blossom are lost here too. That would explain why they haven't come back to the hospital to report to me. I should try to contact them somehow." Buttercup thought hard about how she could reach her sisters in the seemingly endless maze of corridors around her. She then got an idea. She could use her supersonic voice to call out to them. The walls seemed perfect for carrying the sound and one of them would be bound to hear her call. She drew in a deep breath and screamed at the top of her lungs, "BUBBLES! BLOSSOM! WHERE ARE YOU."

Just as she thought her voice echoed down the corridors, sounding as if fifty Buttercups were calling the same message all throughout the tower. She waited, hearing no reply, and so decided to try again. She called out to them even louder than before, but still the only voice she heard was her own. She decided to give it one more try, but this time instead of saying anything in particular she just screamed as loud and as long as she could. She found she had had to stop short because her own voice reverberating through the chamber a thousand times over was becoming a strain on her ears. She waited and listened as the echoes slowly faded into nonexistence. In its place was complete and total silence.

"Where the hell are those two," Buttercup thought to herself. "There is no way their super sonic hearing couldn't have picked that up. She decided to wait it out where she was. There was no point in moving anyway so she was better off staying still. If her sisters heard her they would surely give some sort of sign. Perhaps if she focused really hard she would hear their faint cries through the walls.

She closed her eyes and cleared her head, emptying her mind of all thought as she listened intently for any sound whatsoever. Even in her focused state, she could not hear a sound. Suddenly she caught wind of a steady rhythm. It sounded like a heart beat, and it was drawing nearer and nearer. She listened intently as the rhythm grew steadily louder. It was moving around her, but the owner was managing to stay out of sight somehow. Patiently she waited, listening as the heartbeat found its way directly behind her. There was now the sound of breathing, the sound of footsteps, muffled beyond human hearing but clear as day to her ears. She could feel the air moving as a form moved ever closer towards her.

"Hello Buttercup. Long time, no see." came a deep voice from behind her. "I thought is was your voice that I heard being carried by the walls." Buttercup spun around to find herself looking into the fierce green eyes of her Rowdyruff counterpart. He gleamed at with a menacing glare that spelled death and destruction.

"Well, if it isn't Butch. You like you've been through hell," Buttercup commented.

"You could say that," said Butch with a menacing grin.

Buttercup did not like the look Butch was giving her. He was obviously out for blood and hers was fresh for the taking. She stared him down with a fierce gaze, not about to let him see her fear. She had no idea what kind of power he possessed, but she was not one to back down in a hostile situation.

"Where are my sisters," she demanded. "I wouldn't be surprised if you had something to do with their disappearance."

Butch's grin grew wider on his face. "I don't believe your sisters will be doing much crime fighting in the future," he said with an ominous tone. "I personally took care of Blossom and I'm quite sure Boomer has finished Bubbles off. You're the only one left now. A pity really, but you will join them both soon enough." Butch licked his lips in eager anticipation, his fist making a loud cracking noise as he clenched them over and over. He looked Buttercup up and down as if trying to size her up, his eyes glowing with bloodlust.

"Your lying," Buttercup snarled. "You couldn't possibly have killed Blossom. We've beaten you so many times in the past, and we've only gotten stronger since then. My sisters would have cleaned the floor with you, no doubt about it"

Butch bellowed with a cruel laughter that sent a chill down Buttercup's spine. "You are so naïve. What do you think me and my brothers have been doing all these years. We have long since surpassed the strength of you pathetic powerpuffs. You are nothing compared to us. You have the injuries to prove it.

Buttercup remembered the night before when she had challenged the mysterious cloaked man, only to break her hand against his face and have her ribs effortlessly broken with a single blow. She never even considered that it had been a Rowdyruff Boy behind that hood.

"My brother made quick work of you back at the night club," Butch continued. "Why he let you live I will never understand, but I guess that leaves me with the pleasure of ending your life. I'll be sure to make it very slow and very, very painful."

Butch began his advance on Buttercup and she backed away as fear overtook her. It now dawned on her that it was a one sided battle with little to no chance of survival on her part. How was she going to get out of this? If both her sisters were really dead than she would surely meet the same fate. There was no hope for her. Fighting was useless if you could not even put a scratch in your enemy.

She did the first thing that came to mind. She ran. Moving as swift as lightning she bolted for the nearest open corridor, but Butch was already there before she knew it and before she could stop herself she found his hand around her throat. In an instant her airway had been cut off. She clawed fiercely at the arm, but it would not budge.

For the first time in her life Buttercup felt truly helpless. No amount of power she had could free her from the Rowdyruff's iron grasp. It seemed like the end then and there, but then Butch unrepentantly tossed her aside, her body rolling several times before hitting the wall.

"You make this too easy," he said. "I expected you to put up more of a struggle. I guess time has made you soft."

Buttercup coughed and sputtered as she sucked fresh air filled her starved lungs. She struggled to her feet and tried to run again, but Butch grabbed her by the hair and threw her head against the ground. While she was down he kicked her in the stomach. Once. Twice. Three times. Buttercup could hardly breath after the assault, hunched over into a tight ball to shield her stomach from any more blows. Butch smiled all the while, a dark sadistic smile that showed only joy and rapture in Buttercups torment and despair.

"Look at you. Simply pathetic. The toughest fighter they used to call you, and now this. If only your adoring fans could see you now. Hunched over as you are like a little baby. How they would mock you. Buttercup the baby, they would call you"

"Shut up," Buttercup wheezed, her blood boiling from Butch's remarks.

"What was that? Have I insulted you in some way?" Butch said in a mocking gesture.

Buttercup climbed to her feet, ignoring the lurching pain in her stomach. "I said shut up," she repeated fiercely, her eyes burning with pure hatred.

Butch threw a rapid backhand which sent Buttercup flying against the far wall. "You watch your tongue woman," he snarled, his tone becoming vicious and dead serious.

Buttercup got back to her feet and glared at Butch with such ferocity that if looks could kill, Butch would have endured a literal slaughter. "I'm not afraid of you. I'll fight you with my last breath. You may have the power to kill me, but you'll have to go through hell to do it."

"I have been to Hell and back, and compared to the tortures I have endured there, killing you will be one of the easiest things I've ever done." With that Butch made his final advance on Buttercup, walking with a slow gait to drag out Buttercup's ultimate demise in a tormenting fashion. Buttercup knew this was the end. She hated herself for being so weak, so frail and helpless when she needed most of all to be strong and unyeilding. She would not go out in glorious battle like she had sometimes imagined. She would die a mere victim, like any girl who happened to be cornered by some escaped convict or deranged serial killer.

"How can it end this way?" she thought dismally. "How can it possibly end this way?"

Butch ran his finger from Buttercup's chin down her neck and stopped it on her chest just over her heart. He made a little circle with his finger as if marking the spot as his ultimate target. Buttercup could only stare back at him helplessly, knowing full well that any retaliation would only result in further beatings. It was better to let him finish the job now rather than provoke him to torture her further.

Butch reared back his hand , his fingers pressed together like a spear, ready to striker her in the heart. He bared his teeth and narrowed his eyes on his target. Buttercup refused to close her eyes and kept them fixated on Butch, waiting for the blow to come.

Suddenly a had grabbed Butch's arm from behind and threw him aside with such force that he became imbedded in the wall. He was unscathed, but was overcome with shock and became very angry at the thought that someone would have such a nerve as to attack him. His anger quickly vanished though when he saw who it was who had thrown him aside. Standing over Buttercup with eyes aflame with unspeakable anger was his brother Brick.

Butch could not have been more stunned. Why would Brick go out of his way to protect the girl. Brick approached him, not saying a word but the anger still remaining fresh on his face. He put his face right up to Butch's, his expression like stone but the anger just as apparent through those burning eyes.

"Let us get one thing straight Amducious," he began, his voice as calm as still water but as cold as ice. "Buttecup is mine. You are not to touch her again, unless you want to deal with me. Understand?"

Butch did not even blink an eye as Brick spoke, but his expression was clear that he understood his words perfectly. Without another word her vanished into the stone. Brick turned back to Buttercup, his expression softening to one of concern. She stood back against the wall looking back at him, not knowing whether to be afraid of or grateful to the redheaded Rowdyruff. He approached her slowly but she pressed herself against the wall, her eyes filled with great distrust.

"I'm not going to hurt you," Brick said softly as he came right up to Buttercup. She no longer had the energy to resist felt her body lose its balance. She fell straight into the arms of the man, her consciousness slipping from her. He lifted her body into his arms and vanished into the shadows.

Boomer went crashing through several walls before coming to a halt in one of the corridors within the demon tower. He smiled with great delight at Bubble's newly emerged strength. "It's perfect," he thought. "She is nearly as powerful as I am. With that kind of power I could become much stronger than I am now, maybe even stronger than my brothers. I only need to drive her power as high as it will go, and then I will make the final strike."

By now Bubbles had reappeared, her body radiating pure white energy fed by her deep anger and blinding hatred. She threw herself upon Boomer in a psychotic rage, slamming her fists against his body with ruthless vigor. Boomer wondered just how much of Bubbles was left within this mad woman. He blocked every blow with his arms, but each strike was painfully felt, and he wondered just how much long her could keep it up before something broke.

Apparently Bubbles had been going light on him as one particular punch, much more powerful than the others, landed against his forearm, snapping the bone in two. Boomer withdrew from Bubbles' assault, quickly resetting the bone and healing the arm. He realized that he would have to be more cautious now. Bubbles had become dangerously strong, and she could do him major harm if he weren't careful. He still wasn't satisfied with the results of her strength. A few more well placed blows and taunts would bring her to the desired level, and then he would move in for the kill.

Bubbles was all but lost in the deep rage that consumed her. Power unlike she had ever felt flowed through her body and the only desire she possessed was to use it to tear Boomer apart limb from limb. She fought like a wildcat, but the Rowdyruff managed to meet her blow for blow, occasionally buckling to her attacks, only to come back with an extra powerful attack of his own. It was ultimately a fruitless struggle as the two superhumans duked it out within the confines of the tower. Several hours had passed and she was no closer to defeating the blond Rowdyruff.

The battle eventually led within Boomer's chambers. The two combatants found themselves standing on opposite sides of the black pool that sat in the center of the room, both catching their breaths form the intense battle.

"Well Bubbles. You have proven yourself to be quite a warrior. I would have never expected you to reach such a high level of power, but you proved me wrong. Sadly it was all for naught. Despite all you have achieved, you never even had a chance to defeat me. Your power will become my power as I suck the life out of you and leave your empty corpse to rot."

Boomer dove into the black pool, disappearing beneath the surface. Bubbles, not knowing what to expect, stood on guard, keeping her eyes lock on the black liquid. Suddenly the surface sprang to life, a black mass shooting upwards towards the ceiling. It flung itself towards Bubbles, faster than she could react, and grabbed her and flung her up towards the ceiling. In the next instant thousands of black spears sprouted from the liquid, piercing Bubbles at every point in her body. The spears clung to the wall, trapping her body in a black web. Another form rose from the pool, a giant black spider with four glowing red eyes. It crawled its way up the web until it was face to face with Bubbles. The head receded to reveal Boomer's face smiling back at her.

"It was a pleasure Bubbles, really it was. I will enjoy every ounce of your spirit." The spider head returned and Boomer bared his fangs, as large as a dagger each, and drove them into Bubbles' flesh. All at once the power seemed to fade from her body. The glow in her eyes disappeared and her body retuned to a normal state. As reason returned to her she realize now the trap that had been set, too late though, as the deadly bite sent her falling into eternal darkness.