Forgotten

Part 2

William Angelo's last stand

In a former life the owner of Cyberdine computer systems inc. was known to a certain demon as "The pallid little thing." And not much had changed since then. Even after rising up from been William Angelo's lackey to owning such a huge business he was still a "pallid little thing" who only talked when he was forced.

'Mr. Phillips was deeply shocked by this event girls.' Mr. King said. 'We have one of the worlds top security systems and yet, well you can see how ineffective it was.'

Mr. King was Jerry "the pallid little thing" Phillip's assistant and, for most of the conversation with the Power Puff Girls, he did most of the talking. Mr. Phillip's sat at his desk looking into space as he thought of what this could mean for himself. He had used William Angelo's own money to build this empire, the same day as William was sentenced to life. What if the old boss wanted his money back, or revenge for Phillip's letting him swing alone?

'It doesn't seem that great a security system; I could steal from here with out breaking a sweat.' Buttercup said as she looked over the basic lay out of the building.

'Well yes your super powers could make short work of even this system, but you must see that what truly amazes us is how cleanly this was done.' Mr. King continued. 'If you did attack this facility we would have enough evidence to put you away no questions asked. But we have nothing for this current crime, apart from the rose of course.' The assistant nodded toward the black rose held in a plastic bag that sat on the end of the desk.

'Are you sure that you have no evidence at all?' Blossom asked, unlike Buttercup she could see how truly impressive security was at this research centre.

'Nothing at all, it was as if a ghost robbed us and not a man at all.' No one heard Jerry Phillip's mutter under his breath that it was not a man who robbed them.

'The suspect managed to get past every one of your alarms, cameras, guards, traps and doors with out leaving so much as a finger print?' Blossom said.

'Not only that, but somehow left with a very large super computer.' Mr. King said. 'You must understand that this computer was the size of a small room, to simply escape with it unnoticed is absurd.'

'What's so special about this computer?' Bubbles said.

'It was built in the early nineteen-eighties and still is far ahead of current technology.' Mr. King explained. 'It was built for a little known company which Cyberdine bought out early on. The system was very difficult to get due to some legal matters but since then it has been in our possession. We are… were… still researching it and still were unlocking new secrets from it. The computer is worth millions to us, and its potential to advance human knowledge is beyond price.'

'Well thank you for your help Mr. King and Mr. Phillip's and don't worry, we will find who ever it was who stole your computer.' Blossom said. 'The police will find evidence I'm sure, and when they do we'll catch who did this.'

'Yeah!' Bubbles shouted a little too zealously, earning her confused looks from everyone else in the room.

'Thank you girls.' Mr. King said as he showed the Power Puff Girls the way out. 'If you need anymore help please feel free to come back anytime.'

'He got out.' Phillip's said when the door closed on the girls and he was once again left alone. 'He really was let out, what fool did this?'

'Sir are you sure it was right not to tell the Power Puff Girls and police the whole truth?' Mr. King said after he had said his farewells to the Power Puff's.

'For our health, yes.' Phillip's said as he stood up. 'Charter a plane; I want to be in Tokyo by tomorrow.'

'Do you really think this William Angelo will come after you sir?' Mr. King asked and the only answer he got was Mr. Phillip's leaving the office to pack for his trip to some where he hoped was safe.

'I don't know why but I get the feeling they weren't telling us the whole story.' Blossom said as they left Cyberdine systems and started to fly above the city.

'Mr. King seemed nice enough to me, why would he not tell us everything?' Bubbles asked.

'I think you bow is on to tight leader girl.' Buttercup said. 'It's making you paranoid.'

'Stop it Buttercup.' Blossom gave her sister a sharp look before facing forward again.

'Ok then what do we do next?' Bubbles tried to change the subject before another fight would erupt.

'We need to know more about our opponent.' Blossom said. 'We hardly know more then his name, we can't do anything until we know what we are up against.'

'You better not be thinking what I think you are Blossom.' Buttercup said.

'We have to do some research at the library.'

'Ah I knew you would say that!' Buttercup said as she grabbed her head in frustration. 'What kind of dorky super hero goes to the library to fight crime? Do you ever see Superman or the Hulk go down to their local library to fight crime? No because super heroes are cool, and only nerds spend time at the library. So there is no way in hell you will get me to go there.'

'Stupid blackmail.' Buttercup said as she was looking over the shelves of the library. 'My blanky is my own private business and if Blossom starts blabbing about it at school…'

'You find anything yet Buttercup?' Bubbles asked as she came round the corner holding a tall pile of books.

'No.' Buttercup said as she tossed a book aside. 'It's not like it's an easy topic, "psychos of the decade fashion forgot." And another thing…'

'Can I be of any help?' A voice said behind Buttercup which caused the green Puff to jump up in the air and touch the ceiling.

'Buttercup are you all right?' Blossom said as she ran round the corner to see what was going on.

'I am very sorry if I frightened you little girl.' The voice said again, this time Buttercup could actually see who it came from. It was a man dressed in the cheapest suit on earth, with a name tag on the front that said "Barry Archer." And the symbol for Townsville library bellow it.

'How did you sneak up on me like that?' Buttercup asked as she caught her breath again.

'I did not mean to do it; it was just a pure accident.' Barry said. 'I just wanted to know if you needed any help, you were looking a wee bit lost.' Barry had a calming voice, something that seemed to sooth even Buttercup.

'Well you might be able to help us; we are trying to learn about a criminal called William Angelo.' As soon as Blossom said the name "William Angelo" Barry's eyes lit up like a child's at Christmas.

'William Angelo.' Barry said with a dreamy quality. 'Well you are in luck; I am a scholar of all that is William Angelo… possibly the greatest mystery of our time, and the greatest villain of all time.'

'You're and expert on William Angelo?' Bubbles asked.

'I would not call anyone an expert, there is just too much I don't know about William Angelo, but I am as close as you can find in this day and age.' Barry said with only a hint of pride in his voice. 'If you have any questions I would be more then happy to answer them.'

'Well we need to know as much as we can.' Blossom said. 'I guess the first question should be where he came from.'

'That is one thing I don't know, and as far as I know no one knows. William Angelo was first sighted walking down the Townsville highway at one thirty am on January 1st nineteen-eighty. He was offered lifts but refused them, walking the whole way into town. Before that there are no records of him ever existing, and I am not the only one to have looked.

'Well that was a whole lot of help, the guy just showed up one day.' Buttercup said.

'I am sorry but as I said, there are many mysteries when it comes to William Angelo.' Barry shrugged as he went on. 'He showed up walking and since then as far as I know he has walked everywhere, never taken any type of transport… which is scary in a way. There are stories that he would be seen walking down Townsville high street at nine in the morning, only to be seen walking around Paris at ten past nine.'

'So he can fly then?' Bubbles asked Barry.

'Not as far as I know, he had many powers but I think the best he could manage was levitation… not flight.'

'What other powers did he have?' Blossom said next.

'Hmm well he did have quiet a few young lady, and I don't know if he showed them all.' Barry moved a chair from under a table and sat down. 'He had incredible speed and strength, complimented by a perfect fighting style. He was known to use a revolver as a weapon, a weapon of the best quality that could kill even the strongest hero. He could heal himself given time, even fix broken bones as easy as clicking his fingers. But the majority of his powers seemed to come from a mystical source of some kind or another. He could summon the elements to do his will, bend time and space around him to what he saw fit and he could control the hearts and minds of nearly everyone on earth.'

'Sounds like a super version of Him.' Buttercup said.

'Him is a no good second rate knock off!' Barry said with a glint of anger flashing through his eyes. 'William Angelo owned Him along with every other criminal in this town. Him was used to keep William out of jail along with his cohorts and a few other minor jobs. If Him had not betrayed William Angelo then that low rate demon would still be under William's thumb.'

'Him really served under William?' Bubbles said, now starting to understand why Him had attacked her when she had gotten so close to Cyberdine systems.

'Yes he did, Him even feared William Angelo.' Barry said.

'If he was that powerful then how was he stopped?' Buttercup asked, she was now starting to worry about William. The photos she had seen told her he was ruthless and pure evil, and now it seemed he had the power to back it up.

'For almost a year William controlled all of Townsville both its legitimate side and its criminal under world.' Barry started to scratch his head as if trying to remember something lost to the washes of time. 'The government decided to act; I can't remember much on what they did… I am a fan of William Angelo and his mystery not how he was defeated you see. I think that is was some kind of do it yourself superhero called…err… um… it began with an S I am sure…. Stephen De-joule!' Barry clicked his fingers as he remembered the hero of long ago.

'Stephen De-joule?' Blossom said. 'I have never heard of anyone called Stephen De-joule, let alone a superhero.' Barry just shrugged to this.

'So this Stephen De-joule was as powerful as William Angelo?' Buttercup said.

'Oh yes, he had immunities to some of William's powers and was as strong and fast as William was.' Barry said. 'They had some of the greatest fights on earth, real brawls. It's a shame most of them have been lost over time, they were truly stupendous.'

'How did it end then?' Blossom asked.

'It ended with the end my child, as it always does.' For a moment Barry's voice lost its calming and mellowing effect and sent a shiver of fear through all three girls. 'William was betrayed and his final plan failed, it's as simple as that really. You see William always stayed a few steps ahead, suspected of every crime but never getting caught… he only went to trail three times and was only convicted on that last trial. But the last time he had no way out, Him gave Stephen De-joule the location of William latest creation…'

'What was it?' the Power Puff Girls asked at the same time causing Barry to smile as he held back laughter.

'He created a weapon, designed to take away anyone's superpowers.'

'That's it?' Buttercup said. 'He made a machine to take away superpowers. MoJo JoJo builds one of those every other week and still fails miserably.'

'In eighty-three such technology was unheard of little girl, and even by today's standard it is well in advance of what we could create.' Barry said never taking his eyes off Buttercup. 'And this was not just specific for one person or power type, it could take anyone's powers. Whether you had them from birth, use chemicals, technology or even mystical sources for your powers this machine could strip them from you for as long or short a time as William wanted. He planed to use a gun to fire it into space, and then use a satellite system to target anyone on earth he wanted to make powerless.'

'He could have taken away every superhero on earth with that thing.' Blossom said as she now saw how brilliant William's final plan had been.

'Yes he would have tipped the scales of balance to evil far too much for good to stand against him for long.' Barry said as he nodded. 'But lucky for all of us Him told Stephen De-joule where this device was been built, so he could stop it before its final stage. When Stephen did reach it the device had already been mostly built its energy core was working and the super computer that ran the machine was operational. All it lacked was the firing mechanism, with out which it was next to useless.'

'So what happened next?' Buttercup asked with greedy eyes, this was becoming a story which was after her own heart. A final and titanic battle for the fate of the human race.

'Well…' Barry stopped and clicked his fingers beside his head. 'Why don't I show you? Why I almost forgot about this. Come on follow me.' Barry said as he got out of his chair and started to walk to a door labeled "Authorized staff only!" in big red letters. The Girls shrugged and followed Barry as he went into the room, which turned out to be a video store room.

'What is it you're going to show us Mr. Archer?' Bubbles asked as the door closed behind them.

'Please call me Barry.' Barry said as he went over to a shelf and began to scan it for the right tape. 'And I am going to show you actual video footage of the final fight between William Angelo and Stephen De-joule. You see William had security cameras in the old factory he was using to build his device; these were confiscated and used against him at his trial. I managed to get a copy of the fight some years ago, and… oh here it is.' Barry pulled out an old video tape from the collection, the dust falling off it in a thick sheet. 'I hope this helps you girls.' Barry said as he put the tape into the player in the room and pressed play.

The factory had once been used to create children's toys, but after its owners became bankrupt and William bought it, the factory had a far more sinister purpose. The greatest weapon ever seen was been made with in its walls now, nearing its completion when it would bring chaos to the world. The device filled half the factory now, a giant orb of golden energy held by four machines that created it. Around it the machines that were building it continued their tasks, all controlled by the super computer at the highest point of the room.

Standing on catwalk high above the energy orb was a man dressed completely in white, from his tie to his shoes, in what had to be the most expensive suit on earth. His hair was bright blond and in a cut which might have cost more then his suit, but not as much as the watch which glinted at his wrist.

(Blossom: is that William Angelo?

Barry: Yes and no… it is him but he never looked like that.

Blossom: What do you mean?

Barry: All the images of William Angelo have been altered somehow; none look like he really did… some even depict him as a woman.

Buttercup: So what did he look like?

Barry: I can't remember… no one can. But I do know it was not like that, never like that.)

'Computer increase the energy yield by half a Calla-watt.' William said, his accent a sweet British one which could charm the birds off the trees. He sounded calm and happy as he ordered his computer like a slave. Unless someone told you so you would never believe this man had an evil bone in his body or was feared more then hell itself.

William was still pushing buttons on the main computer panel when the doors to the factory suddenly exploded in wards. The huge metal doors flew off their hinges and across the factory floor, ending up embedded into the far wall. Now standing at the threshold was a new character, his hand extended as if he had punched the door open.

'Knock, knock.' The new man said, his voice sounded older then he looked with no distinguishable accent to it. This was a solider no doubts, he wore coveralls that all but screamed mercenary commando. Strapped to his sides hung to pistols that had never drawn blood, and in his boot the handle of a knife could be seen.

(Bubbles: Is the guy with the sandy hair Stephen De-Joule?

Barry: Yes, the great hero of Townsville.)

'Stephen?' William was genuinely surprised for one of the few times in his very long life. 'I see I have been betrayed.' William said from high above on his platform.

'Come down here William!' Stephen shouted as he walked into the factory.

'I was not expecting you so soon Steve my boy, I don't suppose I can convince you to come back next week?' William smiled as he saw Stephen continue to walk into his factory. 'Oh well, guess its over. TTFN Steve!' William started to run down the catwalk, making a break for freedom so he could fight another day. Stephen had waited too long for this day; he was not letting William Angelo escape so easily. With one massive leap Stephen made it all the way to the top of the catwalk which was at least four stories high.

'One shall stand, one shall fall.' Stephen said as he landed in front of William Angelo, all ready moving into a fighting stance.

'I see my dramatic side is starting to rub off on you Steve.' William said as he skidded to a halt. 'Very well then boy, we end it here and now. No one runs, no one quits and tonight a victor will be decided. I will miss you Steve my boy.' William shot his hand down to his side where a silver revolver seemed to appear from nowhere flying up so fast not even the cameras could catch the move. But Stephen De-joule did see the attack coming; he had all ready started to move before William had put his hand to where the revolver waited. No one on earth could beat William Angelo to the draw, not even Stephen, but this was not a showdown. William had fired all six of his bullets in less then a second, all filling the space Stephen had occupied a moment earlier. Now with his gun empty William was vulnerable, Stephen drew his own pistol out and fired a single shot with it. The bullet flew out strait and true as any had before, smashing the sliver revolver out of William hand. There was a cry of pain as William saw his precious gun fall from the catwalk and down to the ground, lost for the rest of this fight.

'Damn it!' William said as he looked at his hurt hand, and then at the pistol now aimed at his head. It looked like it had all ended, in less then a minute a two year conflict was about to reach it close. But Stephen made history by surprising William Angelo twice in one day; he tossed his own gun over the side of the catwalk.

'We will fight hand to hand William.' Stephen said as he brushed his sandy hair back with one hand and tossed the other gun away with the other hand. 'Just you and me, one final time.'

'Such heroic nonsense.' William said while he straitened his expensive suit. 'You will regret not killing me when you had the chance Steve. I hope your morals do you well in heaven boy, I do.'

'Talking is done William, there is only fighting now.' And that was the last that was said by either man before the fight had reached it conclusion.

The first move was made by Stephen who ran across the catwalk to meet William Angelo head on. He came in with a low punch to the gut but William blocked it quickly with an open hand, stopping the fist before it had traveled more then a few inches. William made his own punch aimed for Stephen's head, but the hero put his free hand up and deflected the blow to one side, moving the other hand up just in time to stop a second punch aimed for his chin. William tried to back spin around and hit Stephen with the back of his fist, but Stephen again blocked with both hands, grabbing the arm and trying to twist it into a lock. William acted quickly to flip his weight over and come back with a punch meant for Stephen's kidney. Stephen span himself out of the way of the hit but in doing so had to let go of William's arm.

(Buttercup: I don't see what's so impressive about these guys, they're slow as turtles and I don't see any real power in their attacks.

Blossom: they are both tactically impressive, but I have to agree with Buttercup. They seem very slow

Barry: These cameras are slowing the action down so we can see it; these two have been clocked at moving well over nine hundred miles per hour before. And as for power, the cameras have stabilizers built into them but we sure did not. Each time they hit each other the effect showed up on the Richter scale.)

Five kicks flew at five different points on Stephen's body, each blocked by Stephen's own foot which followed the attacks perfectly. Stephen came in with a roundhouse kick which went over William's head, countered by an uppercut punch which Stephen just managed to avoid. Seeing an opening Stephen made a quick kick into William's solar plexus, the tip of his boot just hitting before William fell back to avoid taking the full brunt of the attack. It was the first hit of the fight, and it had hardly done anything to William who just dusted off his suit. Angelo attacked with his hands opened out like a beasts claws, slashing at his foe with a controlled ferocity. The air whistled as Stephen was forced back by the strikes of William, his blocks having to be precise, if he hit the hand his arm would but cut to ribbons. One the strikes finally slipped past his guard and slashed open his chest, four red streaks instantly appeared across his chest, first blood had been drawn.

Stephen had to counter quickly or he would be killed on this catwalk, with out really thinking Stephen made his move. Dropping down low he sprang to his left just under William's attack, Stephen losing a few hairs in the process, and now able to make his own quick attack. There was a blur even the cameras could not compensate for, while Stephen grabbed Williams arm with one hand and swung round the guard rail for the catwalk. There was only a brief moment for William to see what was happening before it was done, Stephen had his arm and had it right where he wanted. William's left arm hit the guard rain and then was pulled by the full weight of Stephen and he swung back round onto the cat walk. There was a loud crunching noise as bones shattered which was then replaced by William screaming. His arm was a ruined mess, the bones nothing more then shards floating around in the flesh.

The fight might have ended here and now if William was a normal fighter, but he was not even human. The screaming was replaced by laughing which in this hollow recording held none of its true power, but enough to make even the bravest man shiver. A noise like someone snapping trees in half filled the air as the arm started to bend on its own will, moving its shattered bones back into place. It all happened in the time it took for a single breath to be taken in, William Angelo now whole once more. He lifted his arm and tried flexing it a few times, and found it as good as new even if it was covered in small cuts that blood still oozed out of.

The fight continued at a rapid pace, both fighters giving their all as they danced above a second sun. They seemed perfectly matched for each other, every move one made seemed to be countered before it even started, and that counter itself stopped during the attack itself. Stephen made a hit on William, his hands moving in rapid chops into the stomach before he was pushed back by a fist in his shoulder. There was no rest as William attacked with a series of rapid punches which Stephen struggled to keep up with. Eventually he made a mistake and paid for it as an open hand crashed into his chest snapping two of is ribs and sending fire deep into his lungs. Even with the pain Stephen made an attack of his own, spinning the back of his heel into William face and feeling the law snap when it hit. He did not stop, did not show mercy, as he came round again with the front of his other foot hitting William in the thigh. This was a mistake on his part as his momentum had been stopped; Stephen did not have enough time to move before William grabbed his leg in a tight hold.

The sound of trees been broken came again as William made his jaw set back again then he threw Stephen off the top of the catwalk. His body went hurtling down to the ground with suicidal speed, but the skilled fighter managed to save himself. He placed both hands out and sprang into a series of flips to take away as much of the energy as he could. His wrists and arms had taken a lot of strain and tomorrow would hurt like hell, but for that to happen he would have to be still alive tomorrow.

William watched this from the catwalk silently cursing his adversary's skill before he jumped from the catwalk and back down to the factory floor. Now they had a free range of space to continue their battle, the possibility of falling gone. The battle went on, Stephen again making the first move but this time he was far more successful. He spread open both of his arms knocking William's own arms open as well, giving him a clear shot at his enemy. Using his left foot to push off Stephen got high enough to put all his power into a kick at William's head. His right foot flying up and making a direct hit. Blood spewed out of William's nose as he stumbled back, the cartilage already healing its self and the blood flow slowing down to a trickle.

The factory had hundreds of different machines, some still working other lay dead as their tasks had been fulfilled. After William had recovered it was one of these dead machine Stephen was to get a close encounter with. William charged Stephen who tried to stop him by planting a kick in his head, but William strafed just enough so the kick went over his shoulder, giving him the perfect leverage. Stephen could not stop William with only one foot on the ground, so went where William wanted him to go. He tried to stop this by hitting William over the head with some hard punches, one hard enough to cut open William's head and let his bright blond hair turn dark red. But it was not enough, as William ignored the pain and ran to the closest machine he could find. Stephen felt pain jump out of his spine as his back hit the metal, crushing it like it was made of wet tissue paper. He tried not to scream but the pain was too much and he let a yell escape from his mouth.

William still had Stephen in his grip and swung him round like he weighed nothing, smashing him into the wall causing a crater in concrete. Stephen again screamed out in pain as his sore back hit the solid wall again and again. He may have died here if the years of training had not forced his hand to act, Stephen did not even consciously think about what he was doing as he made his escape. Both his hands came down on William's neck in a double strike that sent the nerves into a chaotic spasm. Then there was a flash as Stephen kicked William off of him, sending the man in the white suit flying across the room and almost to the other wall. Stephen now fell free of his crater, his back still alive with pain and his energy feeling a low as a dead battery's. His breathing became hard as he struggled to be the first up, and on the other side of the room William was also making the same struggle. It was with sheer determination not to fail that Stephen pushed past the pain and rose to his feet first.

(Blossom: The fight is all ready over, Stephen has won.

Buttercup: What are you on about leader girl?

Blossom: William Angelo just lost the fight.)

There was not a second wasted as Stephen leapt up and attacked William Angelo before he could stand up once more. Stephen leapt the distance of the factory as to come down on William's neck, his knee driven into the bone and forcing the face into the concrete floor. William made a muffled sound of pain as his nose broke once more along with some of his teeth. As soon as the crack of breaking bones was heard Stephen jumped off William and rolled back out of the way.

The battered man

(Demon. God)

managed to slowly struggle back to it feet, his whole body quivering with pain. He never saw Stephen's knee as it rammed into his face with enough force to send him into the air if he was not been held tightly by Stephen. More blood seemed to appear from no where as a cut magically grew on William's face where the knee had struck. There was a wordless cry of pain just before William tried to make some futile attacks, his blows now seeming sluggish and worthless. Each move he made seemed to be effortlessly blocked by Stephen; his hands just seemed to move as gracefully as William's moved clumsily. William tried to double punch Stephen who let himself fall to his side, stopping his decent with his left hand. Using this drive Stephen tried a double kick which William blocked, but through more luck then skill now. His arms stopped the kicks and allowed him to try and hit once more, his right leg swept across to Stephens hand to try and knock him down. Stephen simply pushed off with his hand and jumped over the sweep kick and landed upright and ready to keep fighting. William however could not stop now he had committed to that move, his whole body swung round to face away from Stephen, leaving him completely open.

William did not see what had happened, only its results; he felt more agony in his back as he found himself soaring through the air. What he had not seen was Stephen flipping backwards and hitting William with a double kick that had enough strength to send him to the ceiling of the factory. He would have plummeted back down and possibly died if he had not managed to grab hold of the catwalk railing on the way back down. His arm wrapped round the metal guard railing and with what little energy he had left he dragged his body over the edge. Stephen watched this from below, catching his breath and letting some of his own injuries start to heal themselves. What he saw sickened him, William was crawling across the walkway to the second exit in the factory, so much for no one running and no one quitting.

William never had a real chance of escape, but his need to survive was too much as he crawled across the metal ground, leaving a trial of his own blood. He hardly even heard it when Stephen jumped up to his level and landed just a few feet ahead of him. Ironically they were right back where the fight started, this time William was but a shadow of his former self and Stephen still looked like a fighter even covered in as much blood as William was. There was a time when William may have tried begging for his life but this was not it, he had done too much to ever get that for this man. He simply tried to rush past him instead, staggering to his feet and making a blind charge for the door that lead to freedom. He took no more then three steps before Stephen's hand grabbed him by the neck and pulled him back.

(Buttercup: yeah that's it! Finish him off!

Bubbles: you're so blood thirsty Buttercup.

Blossom: Shush both of you; I want to see how this ends.)

They looked at each other, the victor and the vanquished, taking in this historic moment before its final climax. Stephen attacked with a ferocious punch to William's face, the hit sounding like thunder as his head snapped back and new blood flowed out of his face. William put his hands on Stephen's arm and tried to pull it off his neck but it was no good. Stephen hit him again and again with powerful punches to the face, each one causing more damage then the last and taking more of William's life. How many punches were thrown is not important, all that is was that it was enough to end this fight and make no doubt over who had won. William was a bloody mess held up by Stephen who now could have killed him as easily as killing a fly. Instead of landing a killer blow Stephen pulled back his arm as far as he could and hit William with one final devastating punch to the face. This time he let go of William's neck and so the defeated fighter flew like a bullet from his own gun. His body scraping across the catwalk and coming to a halt just next to the super computer which ran the device he was building.

'Give it up William, its over.' Stephen said as he came out of a fighting pose and looked at his conquered foe. 'No one has to die today.'

William was pulling himself up; using the computer to take his weight as he felt most of his energy was gone. He looked at Stephen with his one good eye; the other was closed tightly and swollen as blood leaked out of it.

'I am sorry boy but that's not how this story ends.' William's hands darted over the controls for the device and alarms started to ring out. 'I am afraid that our battle ends in one final draw Steve.'

'What did you do?' Stephen said as he looked around at the factory which was starting to shake so much not even the camera compensators could stay still.

'This device is basically as huge energy ball at the moment, with no focus its held in containment by force fields and regulated by this computer. However if the energy rate is allowed to go over three Calla-watts then nothing can stop it from continuing to expand its energy horizon. In simple terms this is one giant bomb that I have just set to explode.'

'Sop it right now and I will let you go William.' Stephen said as he stood out of the way, fully meaning to let William go if he stopped the bomb.

'Afraid I can't do that my boy, as I said nothing can stop this from happening when it gets started. The computer can not compensate for long, and when containment is lost the resulting explosion will be the equivalent to one-hundred Hydroton's.'

'That's enough to create a miniature sun; the whole planet will be destroyed!' Stephen said in shock as William started to laugh again.

'Not just our world, I think every one of the inner planets should be destroyed by the explosion.' William stopped laughing for a moment to say his last words. 'In about fifteen minutes this will all be for nothing. We will all be just dust in the wind.' At this he went off into another mad gale of laughter, only silenced when Stephen hit him one last time. Stephen streaked across the catwalk like a bolt of lightning and smashed William with a final uppercut, and so all laughing ceased. William's body went tumbling over the side of the catwalk his eyes rolled back to the whites and his limp body made a dull smack as it hit the ground.

(Bubbles: oh no how will he stop it!

Buttercup: It's obvious that he does, or else we wouldn't be here.

Blossom: Did William survive that fall?

Barry: I'll tell you in a second, just see how it ends.)

Stephen's hands danced over the computer controls as he desperately tried to find a way to stop the overload for occurring. He had for a moment thought of destroying the device, but that would have just released the energy and destroyed the planet anyway. His only hope was that William had lied and there was a away to stop an overload. Every command he tried came back with a negative, even after he had hacked through the codes and had full access to the system he could not stop the overload. It seemed William had not lied, the computer was doing all it could to stop the explosion and it was failing.

'Damn it all there has to be a way of stopping this.' Stephen said as he hit his hands against the control panel after he was given another negative command. He walked away from the panel and looked down on the glowing energy which was the source of the troubles. It did not look any different but he knew it was gathering energy at an alarming rate, and soon it would no longer be held in the confines of this device, instead it would fill the whole planet and then some. Stephen looked at it and thought of its original purpose, it was possible that could be used against it. With out a further thought Stephen jumped over the railing and into the orb of golden light below. There was a bright flash of light and then the cameras went dead as static snow filled every screen…

'That's it I am afraid.' Barry said as he ejected the tape and put it back in its rightful place. 'The whole of the security system overloaded at that point and cut out.'

'How did he stop the device?' Blossom asked when Barry came back from the shelves.

'Well from what I heard Stephen De-joule absorbed all of the energy into his own body and thus stopped the explosion.' Barry said. 'Quite cleaver really, seeming the energy was meant to be absorbed by the human body to take away their powers.'

'Did Stephen and William survive?' Bubbles asked.

'Well I can't rightly remember if Stephen did live through it, I have not heard of him since then.' Barry said as he turned off the equipment. 'William however did live, he was found badly hurt but he was fully healed two days later. Angelo stood trial a week after that and was found guilty of some serious crimes. He was transferred to Citiesville maximum security prison and placed in a special cell. That's where he's been for the past twenty four years.'

'Well thanks for telling us all of this; it will really help us out Mr. Archer.' Blossom said as they left the library to head for home.

'Don't mention it kids.' Barry said as they started to fly off. 'I'll be seeing you soon, real soon.'

'Yes now you tell me about it I do remember the final battle between William Angelo and Stephen De-joule… it was big news back then.' Professor Utonium said. He was sitting in the living room with his three daughters who had explained to him what had happened to them during the day.

'If that fight is anything to go by then this William could actually be a threat to us.' Blossom said. 'He has power and is mad enough to kill innocent people to get what he wants.'

'Here's a question.' Buttercup said. 'What on earth does he want? After been locked up for twenty years he shows up and starts committing some pretty stupid crimes.'

'He leaves hints that show it's defiantly him that doing this, if we catch him he cant weasel out again.' Bubbles said. 'Not with out Him to influence the judges and jury for him.'

'And what is he doing?' Blossom said. 'Stealing a computer seems petty to me. Why not start rebuilding his crime empire, or searching for Stephen De-joule?'

'He might be dead don't forget Blossom.' Professor Utonium said.

'Well I have no idea what to do next… apart to wait for his next move.' Blossom said.

'Ah I hate waiting for the bad guys to make the first move.' Buttercup said. 'That has to be the worst plan ever Blossom.'

'Well if you have any better ideas I'd like to hear them.' Another fight might have started if the door bell had not rung just then.

'Now who could that be?' Professor Utonium said as he went to the door to see a stranger standing there.

'Is this the Utonium residence?' The stranger asked.

'Yes it is, and who are you?' Professor Utonium asked.

'My name is Stephen De-joule.'