Allies and Rivals III


This fic happens after Allies and Rivals II: Commander and the Leader. But reading that fic and my other fics is not necessary for understanding or enjoying this fic. There are references to my other fics, notably Allies and Rivals and Allies and Rivals II. However, the only thing that needs to be understood in this was that a certain Dr William Edwards was the one who recreated the Rowdyruff Boys, not Him, after they were first destroyed by the girls by being kissed, and under his guidance, they were not evil anymore. And they were in alliance with the girls, called the Ruff Puff Alliance, with Blossom and Brick alternating as leader.


Summary: The Powerpuff Girls and Rowdyruff Boys race against time to prevent an evil from escaping to this world. Who are your true friends, allies, and enemies?


Disclaimer: I don't own the Powerpuff Girls or their characters. The Powerpuff Girls are owned by Craig McCracken and Cartoon Network. I only own my own characters, the most prominent of which is Dr Edwards.


Chapter V

Wish for the Future


A. Chat with the Boys

The City of Townsville…

Dr. Edwards was staring at a screen, observing the training room through surveillance cameras. Mr. Hoefel, the murderer of Mr. Grulp, was sleeping in a makeshift bed Dr. Edwards prepared for him. The Professor and girls already had gone home. The boys were standing besides their father, looking at Mr. Hoefel.

"I'm very proud of you," said Dr. Edwards to his boys. "I only wish you could have beaten him to a pulp first!"

"We already did that Dad," said Boomer.

"Yeah! His screams and pleads for mercy was music to our ears," said Butch.

"If he wasn't unconscious when Bubbles turned him over to me, I'd beat him up silly," said the doctor.

"Dad, maybe we can make it up tomorrow morning? You can turn on the various simulations! I bet even at level one he'd get murdered," said Brick.

"Won't that be nice?" said Dr. Edwards. "Ha, sometimes, I wonder if we really are evil?" he laughed. "By the way, what do you plan to do with him?"

"If it were up to me, I'd kill him," said Brick. "But, it's not up to me, and Blossom insisted that he be left alive. Anyway, she's right. There are far more to be gained in keeping the bastard alive than outright killing him."

"So, what exactly are you planning?" asked the Doctor.

"Well, we plan to burn him in oil," said Butch jokingly, chuckling.

"Or cut him up with knives till he is bleeding but not dead, then pour salt in it!" said Boomer. "Won't that be cool?"

"Seriously though," said Brick. "Blossom and I agreed to keep him here prisoner for the duration of the crisis, till we get the police back from being evil at least. We now know the extent of corruption and evil in the police force today, so we can't properly turn him over to them."

"Hopefully, when we do, the courts will sentence the bastard with—hey Dad, do our state still use boiling in oil as capital punishment?" asked Butch.

"No," said Dr. Edwards. "They use the electric chair and the gas chamber. Both, according to the Supreme Court, does meet the standards for the 'cruel and unusual' punishment in the Constitution!"

"Aw fooey! We should have a public hanging!" ranted Boomer. "Then we can all laugh and cheer as he dangled from the rope and his life squeezed out of him! But I guess seeing him fry in the chair would also be okay too."

"I can only hope that his execution would be long and painful," said Dr. Edwards. He then yawned. "It's way past your bed time, boys, and you better go to bed."

"Yes Dad," said all three obediently. Then, without being told, they went to the bathroom, brush their teeth, washed their faces, and changed to their pajamas, then went to their separate rooms. At that point, Ms. Lawrence, who was still awake and had just finished doing some last minute chores, joined him.

Dr. Edwards, accompanied by Ms. Lawrence, then went to each of their rooms and said goodnight. He was proud of them, and considered himself lucky to have them.

"And to think, Tiffany, ur, em, I mean Ms. Lawrence, that four years ago, Professor Utonium was my sworn enemy, and I made the experiment to try to prove him a fraud. How times change," he said.

"I know," said Ms. Lawrence, clutching Dr. Edwards's right elbow. "Five years ago, William, when the Rowdyruff Boys first came, I was twenty, and I hated them. They were evil, and their master was Mojo Jojo. I never thought that they would turn good, especially when they again showed up a year later. And you can, no, I insist, call me Tiffany."

"Since you already call me William, and I'm nineteen years older than you, then why not?" said Dr. Edwards. "Okay, Tiffany, though you will still be called Ms. Lawrence by the kids, okay?"

"Okay," said Ms. Lawrence.

"Ah, those boys. The boys that I accidentally recreated really were evil, and were sworn enemies of the Powerpuff Girls! How times change! Anyway, that was the past. They are now heroes, admired by everyone except villains. They are also smart—very smart indeed. In fact, both the Powerpuff Girls and the Rowdyruff Boys have the knowledge, logic and intelligence, of a twenty-year-old person or older, yet in some ways, are still ten-year-old kids. How lucky the Professor and I are. My boys, their future is bright! They're my heirs—to my fortune, influence, power and connections, the likes of which you or anyone else could only imagine. What you have seen is only the tip of the iceberg," the Doctor said to Ms. Lawrence. "They were the sons I thought I never would have when my wife died ten years ago, and as a result, my line would continue."

"Yes, I know," said Ms. Lawrence. "They practically worship you, and would literally commit suicide if you ordered them to. You really did a good job raising them, and I know that when they grow up, they'll be at the top of this world."

"Yes, the boys were as loyal as the girls were good," said Dr. Edwards. "And you yourself didn't do bad job these past four years either. Well, tomorrow certainly will be an interesting day. Goodnight!"

He yawned as he went to his room, locked the door behind him, leaving Ms. Lawrence on the living room alone. She checked if all the doors are locked, then she herself hit the sack.


B. Fatherly Love

The next day…

Dr. Edwards rose from his bed and looked at the clock. It was nine-thirty. 'Nine-thirty?' he thought, as he again checked the clock, then his watch. 'Damn it! What the hell! I never oversleep! I think I'll call and say I won't be going to work today.' He immediately went to the bathroom, bathed, and changed into a blue suit, white shirt, red tie, and blue hat. He then went to see if his boys are still there.

He found nothing.

He tried to find Ms. Lawrence, but instead he found a note on the refrigerator telling him that she had gone out to the grocery store. 'The boys must have gone and interrogated Kaczinsci with the girls,' the doctor said. 'I think I'll call the Professor.'

He then tried to call, but the phone was dead. 'That's strange! I just paid the bills a few days ago,' said the doctor. He then tried using his cellular phone, but the Professor's cellular phone seemed to be off.

'I think I'm going to work after all,' the doctor said, as he went to his garage. He went to his car, and drove off towards the center of the city towards the HQ of his corporation.

However, as he was driving, the road suddenly was ripped off the ground, and the asphalt suddenly led to the sky above. He hit the brakes, but the car didn't stop. He turned the wheel, but the car didn't turn. The car suddenly accelerated, and it followed the road towards the sky.

Dr. Edwards panicked. "Oh my God, what's happening?" he said as his car zoomed on the asphalt high in the air, still going upwards. Soon, it stopped. Trembling, he opened the door and peeked. He was horrified. His car was floating in the sky. The asphalt road where the car passed in going to the sky was gone.

"I think I'm insane," said Dr. Edwards as he closed the door and buried his face in his hands.

'Hello, Doctor,' a voice suddenly was heard by the doctor.

Dr. Edwards turned to the back of his car. "Huh, who's that? Show yourself! I have a gun you know," he said, grabbing a .45 pistol from the holster hidden beneath his coat. "And I won't hesitate to shoot."

'Ah Mr. Edwards, but you can't shoot what you can't see,' said the Voice.

Dr. Edwards return his gun to his holster. "Okay, who are you and why am I here?"

"Oh nothing. I'm only here to grant you a wish," said the strange voice. "You can call me, the Voice."

"'A wish? The Voice? Hm, what kind of wish?"'

'Anything you want,' said the Voice, 'and I can grant it to you!'

"Really? Well, I won't wish for anything. I have everything I ever wanted," said Dr. Edwards.

'Really?'

"Yup! I am very rich, very powerful, own dozens of guns, owns the largest track of land in Townsville, am one of the smartest men in Townsville and Citiesville, have good friends in the John, Sandy, Sara, and Tiffany, is respected by most of the city, and is feared by the rest, have made peace with my past, am head of one of the most powerful families in this city, have three young sons that are everything a father could have dreamed for. All this is I have! What more could I wish for?"

'Ah, you see, you are very contented with your present life,' said the Voice. 'But what about the future?'

"What about it?" asked the Doctor.

'It's like this. Today might be all sunshine, but tomorrow, well, there might by clouds hovering,' said the Voice. 'Why don't you insure your future?'

"What do you mean?" asked the Doctor.

'Well, your sons, the Rowdyruff Boys,' said the Voice.

"What about them?" asked Dr. Edwards.

'Well, sir, do you think that they'll grow up into fine young men?' asked the Voice.

"Of course. Look at them. They're bright. They're smart. They're hardworking. They're loyal. They're powerful. And they're my heirs," said Dr. Edwards. "When they are old enough, not only will they have tremendous physical power, but also political, financial, economic, and social power as well, just as I have now."

'Really? I have no doubt about their material well- being, you know,' said the Voice. 'What I'm concerned about is their morality.'

"Huh?"

'Do you trust that your sons won't become evil again?' said the Voice.

"Ha! They won't become evil again," said Dr. Edwards contemptuously. "I won't let them. And if you know as much as you claim to know, Voice, then you'd know they'll die first before being disloyal or being disobedient. Ha, their loyalty to me, I have discovered through the years, is their highest virtue. I won't let them become evil as long as I'm alive!"

'How about after you die? You know you won't live forever,' said the Voice. 'They will become evil again when you are gone.'

"You don't even know that," said Dr. Edwards. "What? Do you have some kind of crystal ball that can see far into the future?"

'Now that you mentioned it, I do,' said the Voice. 'Now sit back and relax while I show you events that will come to pass.'

Dr. Edwards suddenly found himself in the back seat of his car.

'We all know that because of the talents and power of your sons, they will reach high and achieve greatness,' said the Voice. 'The only question is, how will they use it? For good or for evil? Will they join the ranks of Caesar, Churchill, Newton, Roosevelt, or Washington, or will they join Hitler, Stalin, Attila the Hun, Genghis Khan in notoriety? I know the answer to that, because I can see through the future!'

"So? Get on with it! Don't kill me with suspense!" said Dr. Edwards impatiently.

'Your sons will become evil. Together, a few years after you die, they will conquer the world!' said the Voice.

"Well, in that case, that ain't so bad," said the Doctor. "Nobody ever has conquered the world, and if my sons were the first ones to do it, I'd be mighty proud of them."

'I see you're not as good and virtuous as the Professor,' said the Voice. 'Then it might interest you that the methods aren't exactly peachy. People will be killed."

"So? People always die in wars," said the Doctor. "Killing enemy soldiers or anyone who can resist in war is no crime. And I'd assume that you meant that there would be a war so they can do it?"

'You don't get it, do you? They won't just kill soldiers! They will massacre civilians! Yes, massacre is the word! Deliberately! They will wipe out cities just for their pleasure! They would enslave mankind! Literally! They would make the entire world miserable! Yes, they would bring hell on earth!'

"I don't believe you!" said Dr. Edwards. "My sons are not psychopaths! They may be ambitious, but they would do no such thing!"

"Oh no? Perhaps you'll change your mind when you see what really happened? Sir, feast your eyes to this!' said the Voice, as a crystal ball suddenly appeared at the front of the car, and an image of the future appeared.

It was a dark age. It showed war, famine, pestilence, massacres, purges, corruption and death. Suddenly, he saw his sons, grown up, about forty years old, raining destruction on the earth. Brick was watching while Butch and Boomer lobbed powerful beams at cities teaming with millions, and all three laughed in wicked pleasure as they heard one collective scream of pain, then the silence of death. He was horrified as they just took anything they want from anybody, and acted like he never thought them anything. 'That, is the world of the future,' said the Voice. 'They would rule the world, but it would be hell. It would be worse than Hitler and Stalin combined. Nine-tenths of humanity dead because of yours sons! Not for any worthy cause but to satisfy their own brutal desires and their greed! But that's not all!'

The image in the crystal ball changed. Soon, there were three women about forty years of age, the same as his boys in the crystal ball. Judging by their appearance it was the Powerpuff Girls. There was a terrific fight between the two, and it ended with the destruction of the Rowdyruff Boys! 'And so, the Powerpuff Girls, whom your boys earlier defeated and left for dead, wasn't really dead, and your boys were not only defeated, but also dead and destroyed! And you know, it's not yet over. Your name, and that of your sons, will be forever be tarnished. Men will curse at your name and that of your sons, and women will spit at the image of your family, from that day on. A bright new dawn shall emerge on the world when the Rowdyruffs are killed, and your name, and that of your sons, would be forever blackened. Everyone who knows you would be ashamed to have been associated with you, and your sons will be remembered as depraved monsters who almost wiped out humanity, and everyone will curse your name, Dr. William K. Edwards, for recreating the creatures that will eventually destroy the world as we know it! Yes, both you and I know that the boys are inherently evil, just like the Powerpuff Girls are inherently good. You are the only one who can restrain their evil and actually convert it into good, but, when you're gone, the evil that is only natural in them will resurface!'

"That is the future?" said the Doctor, his voice breaking. "Oh no, this can't be! This can't be! I won't let that happen!"

'Oh no, you won't, as long as you're alive that is. But when you die, your influence with them will be gone, and the evil that—that, for years you have suppressed, will come alive! Oh you can do nothing. It's part of their genes. Loyalty is their highest value, followed by evil. Once you are gone, they'll have no one to be loyal to, and their evil will once again emerge. And you can do nothing about it!' said the Voice.

Dr. Edwards realized that what the Voice is telling him was right. "Then I'd guess there's no hope for my boys or my good name after all!"

'Don't despair, Doctor. Remember, you still have a wish from me?' said the Voice.

"Oh yes, a wish! But I'd bet you can't change the future," said Dr. Edwards dejectedly.

'Who says I can't,' said the Voice. 'I know the future. I am all powerful! What you see is what will happen if things go the normal way. And you can't do anything about it. However, if you wish, I can alter it!'

There was hope in the doctor's voice as he spoke. "You can? Is there something I need to do? Something I need to pay? Surely, you won't just give that wish for free, you know."

'No. I am feeling generous today. Besides, I came here not only to help you, but also to change the future. I, the Voice, am very concerned about what will happen, and don't want the world to suffer,' said the Voice. 'It's my concern too, and not only your sons. The whole world would benefit from them not becoming evil.'

"Okay! If you put it that way, then I'll do anything to ensure a bright future not only for the boys, but also for the world and the Powerpuff Girls. I wish, um, yes, I wish, that my sons, when they are all grown up and when I'm dead, that they would remain good, and be true to the principles that I have thought or will teach to them until I die. In other words, voice, I wish they won't be evil," wished Dr. Edwards, "again."

'Your wish is my command,' said the Voice, and immediately, an inverted V mark, colored the same as his skin, formed in his forehead. It was unnoticed by Dr. Edwards, who didn't feel a thing when that happened. 'There's one more thing. You must accept your wish. If you must, I'm going to show you the implications of your wish on the future.'

Soon, the crystal ball showed a different image. It was a different one from the one he just saw earlier. It was cast thirty years on the future, when the boys have grown into forty-year-old men. But it wasn't dark like his earlier vision. First of all was a vision of Brick in a black suit talking on TV from the Oval Office. "Brick is the President of the United States?" asked Dr. Edwards.

'Yes. He was the most popular and successful president of his time, and he added Canada to the union, and had led the Allies for victory in the third World War with no damage to the United States itself with minimal American casualties,' said the Voice. 'He is admired and adulated in the entire Western World and beyond for saving the world against the tyranny of the enemy who tried to conquer Europe and the world.'

Then the image switched to that of Butch. He was wearing a gray suit sitting in a high swivel chair at the end of a table with a couple of younger men in suits sitting at either end. There was a younger man making a presentation in a graph. 'Butch will be your successor as the President, owner, largest stockholder and Chief Executive Officer of Edtech Corp. He will make your company even bigger, and more powerful, and will employ more people than any other corporation in the world. He also will be hailed as another Bill Gates, J.D. Rockefeller, Henry Ford, and Carnegie. He will be admired for being innovative, for making the price of your goods so cheap, and making a very huge profit while he's at it.'

Then the scene shifted to that of Boomer. He was wearing a while lab coat over a blue suit. He was wearing goggles, and was in a laboratory alone. Behind him was a large blackboard with various mathematical formulas. Scattered on the table is a microscope, a laptop, and a couple of scientific calculators. He was pouring one liquid formula from a beaker to mix it to another. 'And that is James, or should I say, Boomer. He inherited your lab, and your love for science. He, at this time, is a Nobel laureate for physics thrice and chemistry twice. He will discover many scientific theories, and will be hailed by the world as one of the greatest scientists in the world in par with Newton and Einstein. Of course, I won't tell you what he'll discover.'

Dr. Edwards was agape. Everything he had wished for his sons had come true in the vision. He was beaming with pride and admiration.

Then the scene changed to a large house, not quite a mansion but a large family house. There was a large banner in front, indicating that it is a family reunion. Then the scene shifted inside. 'You see, your boys got married and had children, and yes, all three of them had at least one boy.' Then the scene shifted where the kids, boys and girls, ages ranged four to ten were playing around, while the Rowdyruff Boys were standing looking, with their wives besides them. Dr. Edwards tried to look at the faces of the women, but he found them blurred so he couldn't identify them, unlike the clear faces of the men and the children. "Who did my boys marry?"

'Ha, that would remain a secret,' said the Voice. 'I'm not telling who!'

"Aw come on! I want to know who!" asked Dr. Edwards.

'Sorry! That information is off-limits!' said the Voice.

"Let me guess. Um, one of them is Princess Morebucks? Ugh! I hope not! But it has its advantages, namely, it would give our family the wealth of Spencer Morebucks, but oh! Making that bitch a relative and part of the family is not worth it!" Dr. Edwards ranted.

The Voice was silent at his jab at Princess Morebucks.

"Maybe it was the Powerpuff Girls?" Dr. Edwards. "You know, Blossom for Brick, Butch for Buttercup, and Bubbles for Boomer. Now that would be match made in heaven. I mean, with that happening, it would absorb into the family all the influence and respect and popularity that the Professor always had. Ha, it would make me and my sons more influential in the city, as the Powerpuff Girls are the most beloved in my city, and beyond. And their sons would be the heirs to all those power, wealth, and influence of our two families, Utonium and Edwards, and we would be the most influential family in Townsville and in the United States!"

'So you don't care about feelings, just advantages?' said the Voice.

"Well, yes, I care," said Dr. Edwards. "But who am I kidding? That's why all of that is wishful thinking. The Rowdyruff Boys would never like the girls, nor love them or even marry them. They might be allies, but they are also rivals! All of them are too proud, and I don't think anyone of them is going to bend to the other. No, realistically, it won't happen, though it would be a public relations coup and a very significant family alliance if that happened!"

'Well, now that you have seen the future that will be brought about, then I ask you, do you accept this wish, or would you like the future to be bleak, and the world to be nearly dead, and your sons destroyed and your name cursed?'

Dr. Edwards wasted no time. "Yes, I accept the wish!"

'Good,' said the Voice, and it began laughing manically.

Dr. Edwards was happy, and he didn't notice that the color of the inverted V mark on his forehead became black.


C. The Professor's Turn

Later…

Professor Utonium was at his office in the University, reading reports filed by his subordinates. He was looking at the University Budget, and it was giving him lots of headaches. 'If only the government would give us more subsidies,' thought the Professor.

Suddenly, the windows suddenly opened, and a gush of wind from the outside suddenly began sucking the insides of the office. Soon, most of the papers and furniture were blown out of the office. The Professor tried to dash for the door, but found that he couldn't open it. Soon, he too was sucked out of the office.

He found himself in a white empty space when the wind died down. Standing up, he found out that the ground was white, and it stretched out in all directions.

In fact, he couldn't see the horizon, or anything, but the color white.

'Hello, Professor,' a Voice suddenly spoke out of nowhere.

"Huh? I think I must have hit my head too hard," said the Professor, shaking. "Now I'm hearing voices."

'No, you, Professor, are not hearing voices' said the Voice.

"Now the voices I'm hearing in my head are telling me I'm not hearing voices! Boy, I really need to stop watching late night horror shows with the girls," said the Professor.

'Listen, I am the Voice, and I am no figment of your imagination,' said the Voice.

"Really? Well, then, hello voice. Huh? Where are you?"

'You can't see me, because I have no physical form. However, I am all-powerful, and I can talk to anyone I wish to, and now, it's your turn,' said the Voice.

"Well then, okay. Hello Mr. Voice. What can I do for you?" asked the Professor politely.

'Well, it's not what you can do for me, it's what I can do for you,' said the Voice. 'And just call me 'Voice' said the Voice.

"Not a very original name, huh? What if there's other voices around here. What shall I call them? Speech, vibration, rhythms, accents?" chuckled the Professor. "Oh what am I saying? So Voice, you, said something about doing something for me? What does that mean?"

'Oh, I am here to grant you any wish you want,' said the Voice.

"Any wish? Wow! This is neat! Ha, I'd bet William didn't have anything like a voice that grants wishes. But I don't know," said Prof. Utonium. "I have no idea what to wish for. I have everything I've ever wanted. I mean, I have a nice home, three loving, caring, daughters who happen to be the most powerful girls in the world, a nice job at the university, a best friend who shares a lot of my hobbies, a nice car, a peaceful Townsville, and a lots of friends."

'Not to mention being one of the most respected scientists in the country, a four time Noble Prize laureate, and one of the most beloved people in Townsville,' said the Voice.

"Oh yeah! That too!" said the Professor.

'Well, I'll tell you what you want! You want to become rich!' said the Voice.

"Of course I do! Who wouldn't want to be rich? But I don't know if I would actually take it if offered. You see, I'm perfectly contented with life! But being rich is nice!" said the Professor.

'But you're also envious of your friend because of it,' said the Voice. 'Even though you get a hefty sum from your post as University, you also want the millions of dollars that Dr. Edwards get as pocket change every day, right?'

"Yeah!" said the Professor. "I never knew how he makes so much money."

'And you're never good with handling money, you know,' said the Voice.

"Yeah! I'm always spending money I intend to save, you know, impulse buying? And most probably, after a year, those that I buy I throw out. That's why my personal savings are always small. Adequate for emergencies—yes, but still. William, well, let's say he's one of the stingiest and parsimonious men out there and that he can make money faster than I thought possible. He always cuts costs without reducing quality. If it wasn't for Tiffany, his house would be as bare as an empty warehouse as it was four years ago. Anyway, it served him well," said the Professor.

'Anyway, you need financial security,' said the Voice.

"No I don't! I have a pretty secure job as University President!"

'Ah, Professor, but the question is, is it really secure? Do you really think that you won't be fired from this job? What would you do if that happened? Apply for welfare? Go, hat in hand, and ask for dole from your friend?'

The Professor may be nicer and more of a goody-two-shoes than Dr. Edwards, but he was also proud. "No, I will never, ever go and accept any kind of dole! I always have earned my own money and I'll earn mine—legitimately and honestly."

The Voice chuckled. "Or have your daughters' college fund depleted? Or you having to mortgage your house in order to pay for your bills? Then living in an apartment filled with vermin when your house is dispossessed?'

"That won't happen! Ever!" said the Professor.

'Now listen. I have a proposition that would make you nearly as rich as your friend. And I guarantee that all of it would be legitimately and honestly earned,' said the Voice. 'No, you won't just find some treasure in a cave or something, or suddenly have your house transformed into a mansion. No, you will earn it, and I'll make sure you do. So, what do you think?'

"Well, it's certainly worth a try," said the Professor. "Okay, so what exactly do I do?"

'Just say, I wish to be rich,' said the Voice.

"And?"

'Well, that's it! And you have to accept you wish too if you want it to be effective,' said the Voice.

"Okay. I wish to be rich," said Professor Utonium.

'Your wish is my command,' said the Voice.

An inverted V mark appeared on his forehead, though it' color of is that of his skin, but John Utonium didn't notice it.

"Well, nothing's changed," said the Professor.

'Well, you have to go back to the world to notice the change,' said the Voice.

The Professor thought hard. "So how do I go back to Townsville?"

'Well, I can bring you back,' said the Voice.

"But?"

'Well, I'm still not sure that you want this wish? And until I know for certainty whether or not you've accepted the wish, then I can't bring you back!'

"What the fck? I practically wished for it! How can you be not sure?"

'Well, answer this question first. Do you accept your wish, or do you wish to renege on it. Either answer would allow me to bring you back to your world,'' said the Voice.

"I want to accept the wish," said the Professor. "How do I do it?"

'Well, just said I accept my wish, then it's accepted with finality!' said the Voice.

"Okay. I accept my wish," said the Professor, and immediately, the flesh colored inverted V mark on his forehead became black.

'Excellent,' said the Voice as he laughed manically. 'All is going according to plan!'