Forgotten

Part 7

Remembered

They were all awake now, all of them saw the fall of a leader and all of them would remember it. The old one stood over the young girl, his face red with anger and his fists clenched tightly.

'If you had stayed here like it told you to do then the concussion grenades would have left you untouched but you decided that you knew better.' Stephen grabbed Blossom by the shoulders and shook her violently. 'You saved a few lives stopping that robot but in doing that you let William get all he needs to kill millions… maybe even billions of people. I thought you had at least enough intelligence to plan ahead but you just showed me what a miserable excuse of a leader you really are.' Stephen tossed Blossom aside and started swearing as loudly as he could shout.

Blossom lay on the road for a moment, totally devoid of emotion and feeling while her sisters ran to her side.

'Blossom are you ok?' Bubbles asked she took her sisters shoulder and looked into her cold eyes. Blossom stayed still for a few seconds then her eyes filled with tears and she began to weep freely.

'Oh that is it Stephen is going down.' Buttercup started to march in the direction of Stephen, fully intending to beat him into a pulp after they way he had treated Blossom. She very may have killed Stephen if Bubbles had not interfered once again.

'Buttercup don't, beating him up wont prove anything.' Bubbles said as she hugged Blossom as tightly as she could. 'Blossom needs us right now, please Buttercup.'

'…Fine.' Buttercup relented one last time as she stopped walking and went back over to Blossom and Bubbles.

'I have never seen such incompetence before in my life!' Stephen's voice filled the whole of the Utonium house. 'I gave the simplest of orders and they could not follow them…'

'Mr. De-joule if you don't stop shouting then I will be forced to ask you to leave.' Professor Utonium's voice was just above its normal levels as he used all his effort to suppress his own anger.

'Fine I will stop shouting but it does not change the face that right now a madman has a doomsday device and that he could have been stopped if your daughters had just done what I told them to do.' Stephens' voice was now just audible to the girls but they stopped paying attention to him. Bubbles and Buttercup were far more concerned with Blossom, she had stopped crying but she was still hurting after what Stephen had said.

'Come on Blossom snap out of this… if it will make you feel better I will go knock out some of Stephen's teeth. Heck you can even order me to do it, ordering me about always makes you feel better.' Buttercup tried as hard as Bubbles to get Blossom out of her depression and was so far failing just as miserably. Blossom was sitting on the bed hugging a stuffed rabbit toy and refusing to talk to her sisters.

'Blossom you're a great leader.' Bubbles said. 'You saved the day more times then I can count.'

'I was lucky that's all.' Blossom's first words in hours, at least that was some progress.

'That's not true, remember all those plans you came up with?' Buttercup said. 'I may hate them, they maybe as dull as hell but they were all good plans. You make a better leader then I ever could do.'

'If I was a good leader then William would never have gotten the device, it would be locked up and so would he.' Blossom said. 'If I had just done what Stephen told me to do then we would have stopped him. Stephen was right I am a bad leader.'

'Blossom don't listen to that jerk.' Buttercup said. 'He wouldn't know a good leader if one bit him on the nose.'

'Actually "That jerk" would know a good leader if he saw one.' Stephen was standing in the door way to the girl's room with both hands on his hips. 'But right now that really does not matter, William has won and no fighting over the past will fix that problem. Blossom stop sulking, stand up and look at me.' Stephen's voice took on such a commanding power that even Buttercup felt the urge to follow what he said, quickly suppressed by her burning hate for him. Blossom put down the stuffed toy, got of the bed and looked Stephen in the eye.

'I messed up.' Blossom simply said before averting her eyes to look away from Stephen.

'You did mess up, now look at me Blossom.' Blossom looked up at Stephen and for a moment saw him a she must have been in his prime, commanding and powerful. 'We may still have a chance to stop William but only if you follow my orders exactly. Will you everything I say without fail, without question or hesitation?'

'Yes.'

'And can you say the same for your sisters?' Stephen did not even glance at Bubbles and Buttercup when he said that.

'They will.' Stephen seemed happy with that and let Blossom look away.

It hurt Bubbles and Buttercup to see their sisters acting so meek and subservient. Blossom was just a shadow of who she used to be, and they were now going to follow the man responsible for her suffering. What made it worse was the smug expression on Stephen's face; it seemed to be saying "I finally took that stuck up girl down a peg. Showed her she is nothing and I am something."

'Ok then this is what we are going to do then.' Stephen started to order them like they were in the army, to him maybe they were. 'William must be putting the final touches to the device before he fires it sometime tomorrow. To do that he would have to be in some place big enough to hold the device, with a ready power system and on the surface so the beam could reach the satellites.'

'Did you try the factory where he built them before?' Bubbles asked.

'Yeah I bet that's where he is building them.' Buttercup said. 'If he's trying so hard to repeat history that would be the best place for it.'

'He's not there I all ready checked that factory several times.' Stephen said. 'Instead I want you three to go and check the south side of town while I will investigate the north side of town…'

'Maybe he just moved in there, or maybe he was hiding the device when you checked.' Bubbles said.

'Damn it listen I all ready checked over that place, I have gone through it with a fine toothcomb trying to find him there.' Stephen was red with anger once more and he shouted at the blue Power Puff Girl. 'There is nothing there, not even a hint that William has been there in over twenty years. He maybe dramatic but he is not stupid; he would know the factory is the first place I would check. So we will not waste anymore time searching there, you will search the south side and if we are lucky you might find him in time.' Stephen slammed the girl's door shut and then stomped out of their house to go to his car and start his own mission.

'That insensitive, conceited, arrogant, jerk!' Buttercup said. 'We suggest something and he explodes like we just suggested killing his parents.'

Something was nagging at Blossom, tugging away at the back of her mind trying to get her attention. This was where she usually came up with all of her plans, listening to the voice inside of her. But after she had failed so monumentally Blossom did everything she could to ignore that little voice. She put all her attention on flying, on scanning for any building that might have William in it. She could see both of her sisters flying beside her, Bubbles doing her best to search while Buttercup spent most of her time mumbling her breath.

You are a terrible leader. That was a new voice that had found its way into her mind, a voice very much like that of Stephen De-joule. You failed as a leader. Blossom tried to send this voice back with the other but it was just too strong. If you had been a better leader you might have come up with a plan that both stopped the robots and kept the convoy safe. The past was eating her up, it was consuming her whole in this voice and she could not even ask for help. She might have put up with the voice a little longer but it found just the right thing to say to twist the knife Stephen had put in her. If you were a better leader Brick and the other Rowdy Ruff Boys would still be alive. This was the last straw, the strain on Blossom was just to much as she felt a flood gate open inside her. All the pain she experienced when Brick had died flooded its way into her, the feeling of failure taking over her completely. Good you deserve this pain because you are such a bad leader. You deserve to suffer for what you did; you deserve nothing more then this. Blossom grabbed her head ready to scream out but she stopped when suddenly the world seem to have shifted around her.

Blossom was no longer flying; she was standing knee deep in water that was rising further and further up. The stench of oil and pollution was gone and now the smell of salt water filled her nose. Blossom opened her eyes and found she was standing in the ocean with the tide coming up rapidly.

'You know playing the martyr makes you look incredibly silly.' The voice came from behind her and she dared not turn round to see it. If it was who she thought it was then it would be the final proof she had gone mad.

'This isn't real.' Blossom said closing her eyes and trying to pull out of the fantasy.

'That's both very true and very false.' The voice said. 'You may not really be at a beach standing knee deep in water that is threatening to drown you… but you are drowning, just like I was. Blossom turn round and look at me… please?'

'No you can't be there, this is not real.' Blossom kept her eyes shut but the world would not go back to normal, and now the water was sloshing around at her thighs and still getting higher.

'Blossom I really don't have time to go over the same thing over and over again.' The voice said. 'I can't go in the water like you did for me… in a way I am part of the water that's trying to drown you. Blossom do you know the name of the ocean you're standing in right now?'

'Please leave me alone.' Blossom said.

'If you had done that then I would have drowned, and I have to repay the favor.' The voice said. 'I maybe just a memory but even then I pay all my debts. Now I asked if you know the name of the ocean you are now waist deep in. It's called the Past Blossom, and you are not the first one to be washed into it. Blossom you can walk out of it, just like did.'

'I messed up…' Blossom wailed.

'So what?' The voice said. 'Sorry Blossom but if you think you are the first great leader to make a few mistakes then you are mistaken. Mistakes are a part of life, learn from them and then move on.'

'But I am a leader, I am meant to be perfect in every way.'

'Perfection is in flaws Blossom, if you had none you could never learn and then you would never become truly perfect.' The voice went on. 'Blossom your chest deep in the past and the tide is still coming in, you don't have much time before you go under it and become lost.'

'If I was a good leader I would have found a way to save you.' Blossom said, feeling the water now reaching up to her neck. She opened her eyes and could see the sea steadily rise up, it would not be long before she would go under and this would all end for her.

'You're not still beating yourself up about that are you?' The voice said. 'Blossom there was nothing to be done; no one could have won that day. It's the past now, you can't undo that no matter what you do or think of. What matters is that you did your best that day, you tried everything and that's what makes you a good leader. Right now you are not doing your best; you are wallowing in self pity and trying to pass of your responsibilities.'

Blossom stood in the water, the cold washing around the very tip of her chin as it moved ever closer to covering her. She felt the sting of tears as they finally escaped her eyes and dripped into an ocean that has seen more tears then any other. Blossom turned round ready to get out of the water and was surprised to see she already was. There was no beach behind her just the sky, and the owner of the voice was no where to be seen. She was back in the sky flying with Bubbles and Buttercup looking for where William was hiding. Blossom cam to an abrupt stop shocking both of her sisters.

'Hey what's the deal, taking a break or something?' Buttercup asked.

'No I am done taking a break, now I'm taking charge.' Blossom said. 'We are ditching this worthless search; there is no way William is on the south side of town. There is no place here he could use. We are going to the factory he used before; it's the only place that fits him and what he has done so far. It won't take three minutes to check it over and if I am wrong who cares. And Buttercup, if Stephen so much as makes one comment about it you have my full permission to punch his lights out.'

Buttercup and Bubbles stood completely dumbfounded as Blossom seemed to come out of her depression almost instantly. Buttercup was the first to break out of her shocked state and jumped up punching the air.

'All right Blossom is back, kicking ass and taking names!' Buttercup shouted. 'Now all I need is to punch Stephen and this day will be complete.'

'Yay Blossom!' Bubbles said cheerfully. 'I was worried we had lost you there.'

'You almost did Bubbles but I pulled my self back with a little help.' Blossom said sweetly before putting on her most authoritarian voice. 'Power Puff Girls lets move out!'

The factory had not been used since William had been incarcerated; it had been locked in a legal deadlock for almost twenty years now and would probably fall apart before anyone could make a decision about it. So it stood empty and almost exactly the same as it had been at the end of the final fight between William and Stephen. It had been cleared out for evidence and then later by scavengers, but when the girls arrived it was far from dead. The whole building was filled with light that came from the power core of the device.

'Looks like you made the right call leader girl.' Buttercup said when they walked into the factory which was just like walking into the video of the final fight. The device was fully operational; the orb of energy that had once been the size of a base ball was now the size of a small house controlled by the four towers that had been in the convoy.

'We better tell Stephen we found it.' Bubbles said.

'Right.' Blossom turned on her communicator and set it to Stephen's frequency. 'Stephen this is Blossom come in.'

'Blossom what is it, I am busy right now.' Stephen's voice came back with a lot of heavy static, he must have been underground somewhere.

'Stephen we found where William is keeping the device.' There was nothing but silence from Stephens end. 'It's in the old factory where he had it the last time; I thought it might be here so checked. Stephen its up and running right now.'

'I see… It seems I owe you an apology Blossom.' Stephen finally said. 'I will give it to you as soon as I arrive. Wait for me; I know how to shut the device down. If William shows I recommend you hide, I still don't think you're a match for him yet. Stephen out.'

'The jerk actually admits he's wrong who would have thought it.' Buttercup said as she floated up the walkway to get a closer look at the device.

'Buttercup Stephen may not be a very nice guy but it takes a lot for a leader to admit when they are wrong… and even more to swallow your pride and ask forgiveness.' Blossom said. 'When he gets here at least try to be civil with him. After all if everything goes well this will be the last time we need to see him.'

Bubbles was not on the walkway with her sisters but looking around the factory. She had stumbled on where William must have been living all this time. There was a single blanket lying on the ground next to some boxes that had contained food of some sort in them. Bubbles bent down and felt the blanket; it was as cold as the floor showing that William had not slept there for a while at least. Bubbles was just kicking the garbage when she heard Blossom call for her.

'Coming.' Bubbles said flying up to the catwalk.

The girls stood watch over the device while they waited for Stephen to arrive. Blossom had glanced over the controls to the device and found they were way beyond anything she could have worked out. So with no other option they sat around watching the door hoping that Stephen would be the one to walk through it and not William Angelo. When the doors did open they all tensed up ready to fight if it was anyone but Stephen De-joule. There was a mixed feeling of relief and disappointment when Stephen walked in. In a way they had wanted William to walk through, to finally come out of the shadows and into the light where they would know his face.

'Stephen we're up here!' Bubbles shouted from the stop of the catwalk.

'Hang on a second, I'll fly down and pick you up.' Blossom started to hover ready to go and pick Stephen up when Stephen made a small sound of disgust. Instead of waiting he ran at full speed hitting the ladder and running up the rungs with in a second. Stephen flipped over the top and landed perfectly on the cat walk.

'Wow.' Buttercup could not help the surprise escaping her as Stephen walked past her and went to the computer controls.

'I'm old, not dead.' Stephen said as he started typing in commands into the computer. 'It's exactly the same as last time… well almost; it looks like William finished the firing mechanism this time.' Stephen pointed at the large gun like machine that was suspended over the roof. It was connected to both the computer and the device it's self and mounted so it could rotate to any angle imaginable.

'Can you shut it off?' Blossom asked.

'I think so, and then it should be safe for you to destroy it…' Stephen stopped typing and looked at Blossom. 'Blossom I have to apologize for the way I acted earlier I was wrong. As soon as I am done with this I will explain everything to you I swear, but right now would you be willing to accept the recommendations of an old fool?' Stephen's voice had lost all of its meanness now and it was impossible to hold a grudge against him when it was gone.

'Sure.' Blossom said.

'I will shut the device down while you and your sisters guard the door.' Stephen said. 'If William comes back slow him down any way you can, just buy me time to shut this device off.'

'Sure thing Stephen.' Blossom turned round to Buttercup and Bubbles. 'Ok girls you heard the man let guard that door.'

The Power Puff Girls flew down to the ground floor and stood in front of the door ready for any attack at any moment. Above them Stephen typed in commands at the speed of a professional typist. As he did the towers made different noises and the energy orb seemed to change color.

'Girls the gun turret is about to move back to the restart position don't be alarmed.' Stephen shouted over the edge of the railing just before the large gun device started to swing round with the whirl of servos and motors. The gun moved all round the room, pointing up and down as it did like it was trying to find an invisible target. The gun stopped suddenly as it pointed at the girls and then fired a single blast of golden light at them. The second it hit the girls felt sick and weak as their powers were stripped from them.

'What's going on here?' Blossom asked when she dropped out of the air and hit the floor, her power of flight gone just as if she had drank antidote X. She could see both of her sisters were suffering from the same problem as they picked themselves off the floor. Stephen gave no answer but the computers voice did.

'Warning energy core has passed three Calla-watts overload immanent… estimated time to destruction is fifteen minutes.' The core started to get brighter just as it had done when William Angelo had set it to overload twenty years ago.

Stephen walked away from the controls and went to the ladder once more this time he simply slid down the rails and skidded down to the ground floor where the girls were waiting for him.

'Stephen what did you do?' Blossom yelled at him.

'I used the device to remove your powers for about twenty-four hours then set the core to overload.' Stephen said but it took time for his word to fully sink into the girls. Stephen had just caused exactly what they had been trying to stop.

'Stephen why are you helping William Angelo?' Bubbles asked him with tears in her eyes, she had trusted Stephen even if he was mean. That was one of Bubbles biggest weakness, she trusted too much and so betrayal always hit her harder then others.

'William Angelo has been dead since January 3rd.' Stephen said. 'I should know I killed him.'

'This doesn't make any sense… if William has been dead since then who was assembling the device, who was it we have been fighting all this time?' Blossom just could not think strait; things just seemed to be going so wrong even her mind could not cope with it all.

'This whole time it was me you have been up against, not William Angelo.' Stephen said. 'I stole some stealth devices before I came here and they really helped me get around. I went to Cyberdine and stole the super computer using the sewer system to get it out. After that I noticed you three might be a problem to me, so I thought the best way to do anything was to join you. I would could keep an eye on you and make sure you did not get in my way. At OCP I made sure I was let right into the room with the power core, while you were searching the sewers I had the core in my pocket after faking that fight will William.' Stephen's voice was calm and almost nostalgic as he talked about what he had done.

'But that doesn't make any sense… if you were doing it then who left the Black roses and sent the Angelo robots against us?' Blossom asked.

'That was still me, it's true you can not make any of William's roses but there are many of them still about.' Stephen went on. 'If you know where to look you can find as many of them as you need to use. The robots were even easier, William had so many stock piles and the police never found them but I knew where they were. I activated them and sent them out to distract you… I must say you impressed me. I expected you would have to get me to come and help you but you managed to hold out on your own and I paid the price. It was not in my plan to be hit when the concussion grenades I set up went off, but nothing ever goes perfectly. The remaining drones did their job perfectly, taking the trucks and activating the stealth camo devices I stole to hide them. You three probably flew right over them and never even knew it.

I am really sorry about how I acted to you recently but it was all part of my plans. I knew I would not be able to control you as long as Blossom held full power, I had to stop destroy her confidence if I was to do this. I set it up so you would fail and take blame and then I did everything I could to rub salt into the wound. Again I am sorry, you are a fine leader Blossom… better then I ever was.'

The core made loud groaning sound as the metal towers fired more beams of energy into it trying to hold it steady. The computer was doing all it could but was all ready starting to lose its control and eventually it would lead to a second sun been made right in the middle of Townsville.

'But why Stephen?' Bubbles yelled. 'This makes no sense, you are a hero.'

'I promised to explain everything so I will Bubbles.' Stephen cleared his throat. 'I will try to be as fast I can; after all we have only a little time left. I guess I shall start with the beginning.

As you remember I stopped William using this device by jumping into it and letting its energy take my powers. When I recovered the government were left with a choice, they could restore my powers if they wished or leave me. It was decided that with William defeated there was no need for another "Project red." So I was left as I was. I could deal with that, a normal life sounded kind of nice to me at the time but I was wrong. The government destroyed all records of my existence and left me with only the clothes on my back. Not only that but when it seemed like the main scientists on the project might defect to another country they were all killed. Mary Stevens and Henry De-joule, my mother and father… they were both killed. Then they demanded that I pay over the tax I owed for my life in America. I never earned a dime yet they wanted tax from me… I just could not pay so they arrested me and put me in jail for five years. That same jail William Angelo was put in, ironic isn't it?'

'That's it; you want to destroy the world because you were put in jail for five years for tax evasion.' Buttercup said. 'I have heard lame reasons for evil but this has got to be the worst one ever.'

'No I am not doing this because of my time in jail; listen and I will tell you the whole story.' Stephen waited a moment for any more interruptions and then went on with his story. 'When I got out I had no qualifications, not documents apart from one that said I had been to jail. My chances of getting a job were so small I won't even go into them. So I left Townsville and moved to Citiesville where I began my career as a bum and a drunk whenever I could afford it. It was a cycle, I would get some crappy job that paid less money then it was worth and when it was over I would spend every cent I could on drink. When I ran out of money and drink I went looking for a job again so I could drink again. That's how I spent most of my time for about a decade or so.

One night I had just gotten pay and could really afford to splash out, no rotgut whisky for me I could have the good stuff. The good stuff nearly killed me; I drank too much, fell into the gutter and started to choke on my own vomit. I would have died then and there if three street kids had not found me and got me to the hospital. Brian, Benny and Buster… I don't know how they did it but they actually got me to the hospital faster then a car could have. I actually went looking for them, to thank them but they had split town by then.' All of the girls knew who Brian, Buster and Benny really were and where they had gone after saving Stephen De-joules life. It seemed so bizarre the number of coincidences in their lives, but this was not the time to think of them.

'When I woke up I was in a hospital bed and given a choice. I could go back to where I was or I could take the leaflet the nurse had that was to a shelter that specialized with alcoholics like myself. I tried the shelter; I had nothing to lose and everything to win. And by some miracle I will never understand the place actually worked. I have not had a drink since that night I nearly killed myself with it. I got cleaned up, got myself a half decent job which for once I managed to keep. All those things were great but the best thing was Lucy.' As soon as Stephen said her name he felt that twist in his heart that had been there since he killed William. His eyes lost their calm and filled with sadness once more, but Bubbles noticed that no matter how sad they looked, they never showed signs of tears.

'Who was Lucy?' Bubbles asked in a quiet voice.

'She was at the shelter with me, she had been alcoholic to and we sort of just clicked from there. We… we fell in love so quickly it was scary for me; I think she was the main reason I managed to keep off the drink. We got jobs at the same time and even started to share an apartment with each other. I was even thinking of marrying her if I could scrape enough cash for a wedding. But then William was released from Jail. If I had known, or heard about those children I would have taken Lucy and ran for all I was worth…. But I didn't know…

January was surprisingly warm this year, Stephen hardly needed his coat on today but Lucy would not let him leave with out. They had joked about it saying the usual banter before Stephen slid down the banister like a ten year old kid and nearly knocked Mrs. Patterson down as he did.

It was the third of January and that was an important date for Stephen and Lucy. It was the first year they had been living together and Stephen had planned to celebrate. He had gone to the store and managed to get his hands on all he would need to make Lucy's favorite dinner. Normal Stephen was banned from the kitchen, he was one of the world's worst cooks but he had been practicing secretly. One of their neighbors had let him use their kitchen and had even given him lessons and a decent price. Now he was sure that he could cook the meal with only messing it up a little… if he was lucky.

In the crook of his right arm Stephen held the brown shopping bag while his right hand span his keys round on his finger. He was going up the stairs two at a time when he noticed his land lord sitting on them, rolling up a cheap cigarette.

'Good day Mr. Lawson.' Stephen said as he stopped spinning his keys round and the land lord lifted his head up from his cigarette in the making.

Stephen had a moment to think how lucky he really was, Mr. Lawson was a pretty nice guy as long as you paid your rent on time. The apartments were falling apart but for Citiesville they were at least middle ranged and the people in them were as nice as you could ask. It was like the few nice people in the city had moved into these apartments to be close to each other.

'Stephen you look in a jolly mood today.' Mr. Lawson said with a smile on his face. 'You look like the cat that just got the milk.'

'Well I don't know about that Mr. Lawson, I might get the milk later but that depends on how my cooking turns out.' Mr. Lawson cocked his right eyebrow and stared at Stephen sternly but then broke down into laughter.

'You are a card Stephen.' Stephen nodded and started going up the stairs once more when Mr. Lawson called back to him. 'Oh Stephen a guy just went up don't know if you might know him. He don't live here and I never saw him before… gave me the shivers though, don't know why he just did.'

'Well we aren't expecting anyone I can tell you that much Mr. Lawson… maybe it's another caller for number four.' Stephen did not have to say anymore, room number four had a guest with rather bizarre tastes and they usually involved complete strangers.

'No he didn't look like number fours taste Stephen, but he might have been a friend of anyone up stairs I guess.' Mr. Lawson said. 'I will keep asking around, maybe when he comes down again I will ask him myself. Any way Stephen I think I talked your ear off long enough. Go see if you can get that milk of yours…' Mr. Lawson fell back into another fit of laughter as Stephen jogged up the stairs again.

Stephen reached his door and was still spinning his keys ready to put them in the lock. He froze when he noticed the door was slightly ajar, he had closed it when he left he was sure of that. Maybe Lucy opened it for some reason and didn't close it right. The voice was reasonable and totally logical yet it just did not ring true with Stephen. He put down the bag and went to his boot to pull out the hunting knife he had stuck in there. This was Citiesville and if you did not have a weapon you were likely to be found the next day minus your valuables and maybe a few organs.

The door opened silently as Stephen walked in using all the stealth he had been trained with. His footsteps were soundless and his breathing almost no existent. All the time his mind was telling him how he would find Lucy and would feel like a complete ass for over reacting. Heck if he just called out her name she would probably answer and then he could avoid some embarrassment. But all his training stopped him calling out, stopped him giving away his position.

The rooms so far were all clear, only one room was left and that was the bedroom. Stephen moved to the door and pushed it; it moved very slightly and left enough of a gap for him to see into the room. When he did look his head span and he felt weak. On the bed he had shared with Lucy for so many nights was the man he had done everything he could to stop. William Angelo was kneeling on the bed with his back to the door using a knife of his own. Lying bellow William with her throat slit was Lucy, William was in the middle of cutting his famous smile into her face.

Stephen never remembered this bit; the whole thing just seemed to turn red for him and then skip forward. It was like a film where a whole scene had been edited out and replaced with a red back drop. When the red was gone Stephen could feel a pain in his arm as he bought it down into something soft and yielding. He was stabbing William Angelo in the back, and it looked like he had been doing it for a long time. William was dead, as dead as Lucy, as dead as he parents and as dead as his past.

Stephen stopped plunging his knife into William's carcass and fell of the bed feeling sick. For a moment he dry heaved in the corner of the room and then managed to bring himself back. He got up and went over to the bed; he just could not leave that monster lying onto of Lucy. He grabbed William and tossed him to one side spitting on his body as he did so.

Now he could see Lucy properly, he face drained of color as her blood had soaked into the mattress. There was a horrible half smile cut into her face because William had been stopped mid job. Lucy was dead; the only person in the world Stephen gave a damn about was gone. If he was going to cry this was the moment, the ultimate pain in his life and it was expected of him to shed a few tears. He waited and nothing happened, no tears ever came to him. It seemed to government had done is job on him, crying was a sign of weakness and weakness was one thing they had stamped out of him a long time ago.

He could not just sit here all day long, not with two bodies lying next to him. He had work to do now, a purpose to fulfill and that purpose was in Townsville.

Stephen stopped talking for what seemed like the first time in hours, but of course that was impossible. He had condensed his life to no more then a few minutes of talk, but he had explained nearly everything in doing so. Bubbles was actually crying after hearing what Stephen had to say, even Buttercup felt some of her resentment for Stephen melt away.

'Everything about me has been erased, people don't remember my name, my records are gone, my family is dead, my love is dead and the only good I ever did in this world was undone. I gave up everything to put William in jail and they let him out because he was well behaved. It seems everyone wants me erased from history, so I am fulfilling that wish. It will be like Stephen De-joule never existed, and this device will do it all for me. I never stopped it exploding so this world should be nothing, and that's what it will be in about ten minutes.'

'Stephen you can't do this.' Blossom said. 'You are a hero, even if people don't remember that you are… even if the world treats you so badly that doesn't change the fact you are a hero.'

'I was a hero but they did not want a hero… now they get exactly what they want.' Stephen said. 'Blossom while I must commend your attempt to stop me its all ready to late, you have no powers and when the core starts to over load there is no way to stop it. It's too late for anyone to help. If I were you I would run now, if you are quick enough you might make it home. You and your family could enjoy one last brief moment of love before the end comes.'

'Stephen why did you take our powers away for only twenty-four hours if the world will end in ten minutes?' Blossom asked. 'I think it's because you don't want it to end, not really because you are not really evil. You are a hero and heroes do not hurt innocent people. Some people have treated you horribly but you want to punish the whole world for it.'

'You have no idea what my life has been like, what the past has done to me.' Stephen's anger was starting to show through but Blossom kept at him.

'I know what its like to let the past take you Stephen, to drown in it when you could easily walk right out of it.' Blossom said. 'The past is nothing but ghosts and memories, and nothing you do will change that Stephen. All you are doing now is taking away the future for everyone on this planet just so you can feel better.'

'Blossom I am warning you, you are starting to get on my nerves.' Stephen said through clenched teeth. 'You and your sisters should go now, if you don't you will never make it home in time.'

'Stephen… is this what Lucy would have wanted?' Bubbles asked and noticed how Stephen seemed to recoil like she had slapped him. 'Is this what your mother and father would have wanted you to do? If it is then go ahead and blow the world up.'

Stephen looked at Bubbles like she was some kind of monster planning to eat him whole. His face was white, his hands shaking and sweat started to drip off his forehead. It looked like he might come round but then he pulled out a gun from his belt and pointed it at the girls.

'Get out of here now before I shoot you.' Stephen said. 'You can all die here or you can go home and at least have some happiness before the end. Your choice.'

'Come on girls there's nothing more we can do here.' Blossom said.

The girls left Stephen alone in the factory, holding out his gun the whole time with the trigger almost pulled. Stephen you never killed anyone in your life, maybe that's the reason you are the only one alive in wolf pack? The voice sounded like Mary Stevens, the woman he called mother for a time. Killing never solves problems, you know that don't you? That was Henry De-joule's voice deep inside his mind.

'If I had killed William Angelo then this would never have happened!' Stephen shouted out and that seemed to end all the voices once more.

He put the gun back in its holster and felt around his pockets for his flask. He had gotten this flask when he hired out the car he had been driving, a cheep tin hip flask that he filled with some of the old rotgut whisky from his glory days as a bum. He had not even opened it since he had filled it, but it had heavy… seemed to be all ways pulling on him as if it wanted him to drink from it just to make it lighter. He thumbed the lid off the top and instantly his nose was assaulted by the smell of whisky. His shaking hands brought the flask to his lips and just hovered there, half of him begging for the drink the other half wishing to at least die sober.

'Go ahead boy drink it up, it will put hair in your chest, lead in your pencil and make you dance the cha-cha all night long!' That voice was one of the dead's, but it was as real as any could have been. A deeply American accent but where it was from was never sure. One time you would swear it was Texas, the next New York and then you might think it was more of an Alabama accent. Stephen knew the voice and acted to it with out thinking, his gun was out in a flash and a whole clip was unloaded into the man standing behind him.

'Boy it's a good thing I'm all ready dead or that would have hurt like a badger down a mine shaft I tell ya' so I do!' William started to laugh sending a shiver down Stephen's spine. 'My boy I fear you may kill me but once on life, just like you may only live only once and all that jabberwocky. So put the gun away and save some bullets, not that conservation will matter a hell of beans in a little while!'

William was wearing his cloak and hood that Harry Gregory would have recognized. The black cloak covered all of his body and the hood was pulled over so only the faintest suggestion of a face could be seen under it.

'Another specter from my shattered mind.' Stephen said putting the gun in its holster once more. 'Why have you come here, to torment me more before the end?'

'You are the one imagining I am here boy, so you should ask the question to yourself and not to the pig sticker man.' William said. 'If I was to guess though I would say that even you don't want to die alone, even if your last minutes are spent with me its better then going to the void alone my boy. Trust me on that. Now I think you were about to have something to dull the pain, a little shot in the arm, a wee tipple to take away your sorrow. Well boy the world is about to end, I think that is worth a drink if nothing else!'

Stephen looked at the hip flask for a moment then tossed it with all his strength. The metal flask clattered across the ground on the other side of the factory and let its cheap drink pour away onto the floor.

'Leave me alone, I wish to die in peace.' Stephen said as he started to climb up the ladder so he could monitor the computer.

'Sorry Steve but it looks like you want me to stick around and really who could blame you?' William was now standing on the catwalk giggling whenever he was not talking. 'Don't worry about it Steve my boy when the core explodes you will be dead and so the memory of me will die. We will both be dust in the wind and you can be alone at last.'

'I told you not to call me Steve, my name is Stephen!' Stephen swung a fist at William and not surprisingly it went right through him.

'But Stephen is so formal and you know how I just love to be laid back about such things.' William laughed once more. 'Oh come on boy don't tell me you can't take a little joking around? The ladies love a man who can laugh at himself you know.'

He just tried to ignore the phantom that stood behind him, constantly talking about the most stupid of subjects. His mind had been a horrid place recently, filled with ghosts of the past but soon it would be quiet and he could find some peace.

'Stephen?' The voice was not William's, it was not even the voice of a man, but it was the voice of a ghost. Stephen raised his head and looked out over the energy orb to see Lucy floating a few inches above it.

'No it can't be…' Of all the voices he had been plagued with Lucy had never been one of them. He had thought it strange at first but realized later that Lucy was the one person in his life that would never haunt him.

'Stephen, boy what the hell are you talking about?' William stopped laughing and now actually sounded concerned. 'I do believe you have a few marbles floating around your head and well they just gone and brought you to the good ship lollypop a day too early.'

'Lucy…' Stephen walked like he was in a dream, a soft floating motion the felt so unreal it was impossible.

'Oh boy Steve my boy you have gone nutso.' William said. 'I hate to be the one to tell you this but you are having a conversation with two imaginary friends and they can't even see each other… so that makes one of us even more imaginary then the other. Steve?' William's voice was there but Stephen could not hear it, his whole being was focused completely on the specter of Lucy.

'Stephen why are you doing this?' Lucy sounded far away. 'That little girl was right; I would never want you to do something like this. It's wrong, like what I did when I drank. I know you Stephen, you are not a bad man and this is not your way. Please stop it before it's too late.'

'Stephen I don't know what that bitch is telling you but I have a damn good idea.' William looked in the void where Stephen seemed to be staring. 'Leave him woman, he is a lost one and so belongs to me. It's too late for anything to be done so be silent and let this world end.'

'It's never too late Stephen; the past can be changed if you know how.' Lucy said. 'Will you listen to him or to me Stephen, it's your choice.'

'The time is nearly on us, all you worked so hard for is coming down to this Stephen.' William now had lost all trace of accent in his voice; he was just the voice of the other now. He was Thanatos, and he would be heard. 'You were a hero once; you saved billions of lives and made the world better. And now it's about to come crashing down, all your good deeds finally destroyed and by your own hand no less. At the very end you became evil because you did not realize that what people remember matters nothing… only actions remain, and only they matter. What do you say to that Stephen?'

Stephen let go of the railing and looked at the ageless form of William Angelo and wondered how many times he had come like this. How many people had this form stood before and played its part, the part of the devil. William Angelo was apart of him, because the real William was a dead body probably still lying on the floor of Stephen's apartment.

'What do I say William?' Stephen smiled a true smile for the first time in an age. 'I say that last time pays for all you bastard!' Stephen then jumped over the railing just as he had done twenty-four years ago. William saw this and ran trying to stop him, making a sound no human could but was the very personification of the word "No". William had no chance of stopping this, Stephen was gone before he could reach out with his bone white hand and clutch at nothing but air. And even if he had been closer he was nothing but a memory, and when you walk out of the sea memories can never harm you.

Stephen jumped and entered the light once more. So it was history repeated its self, both the mistake and the answer. Then there was nothing, and it was good.

The world did not end, as is its want. The sun went down that night and the moon rose just as it had done for a billion years and just as it would happily do for another billion years. The girls did make it home and they did enjoy a moment of love, but it was not the last even if it might have been the purest. Eventually their powers came back and it was time to find out the truth. They went back to the factory and found out what had happened. Stephen was lying dead on the floor, the device now powerless. But that is all in the past, and that is finished with.
There is a grave in Townsville cemetery, a single white stone written on which is simply.

"Stephen De-joule

Hero

Remembered"

The end

Author. Thank you for reading this story, and special thanks to Neo-Larry, Light Sneasel, Zero Unknown, Somewei, James of Vale and Jamie for your reviews. If anyone has any questions about this story please feel free to email me.

It should be noted the ending was not what I expected, it originally had William Angelo actually been Stephen De-joule. But I typed "William has been dead..." by mistake and that lead to this ending.

So what is next? Well I have that choice again, I could carry on this story line and see where it leads me, I could try a new story line or I could stop writing. Tell me what you think in your reviews.