A.N. heya, here we go again what with the updating. Please leave a review would you kindly.
The Root of Evil
The bank was the last big thing to happen for a few weeks. Brick, however, began his days keeping the windows open, and took to his work. The dinner he shared with both Langston and Bellum, had began to fade to the back of his mind. Whenever he would hear something suspicious, he would fly out the window, find the problem, and if his brothers weren't needed, would deal with it himself.
The city took notice of the boys good deeds, and many reporters and journalists were vying to be the first to get something from them. Either a heroic act on tape, or an interview. Some had even tried faking a call for help, their disappointment was what always followed. Brick wanted their first interview to be after something just a little bit bigger than some common criminals.
One afternoon, as he typed on his computer for his final stretch to graduation, he heard the familiar sounds of blasters and screams. He looked outside his window to see pink, blue and green streaks race across the skies. Telescoping his vision he saw the bratty villain princess was the cause.
A quick rage soon bloomed inside Brick, but he knew Princess probably started the fight between her and the girls. "Nothing to be done about this one I guess." He internally sighed. About a week ago, he convinced Langston to help him get internet in their apartment. While the bill went to Langston, Brick took to running a paper route to pay the good doc for it. He sat typing away looking up past reports on the villainess who was now disrupting his concentration.
The Information he found was pretty much what he expected. Princess, using some military grade weapons, usually built by her father's company, would attack the girls. This would seem almost petty, but it often costed the citizens in property damage, and bodily harm. After being detained she never spent more than a few weeks in jail, before daddy would bail her out.
"Her bail is never cheap, why doesn't her father do something about it?" Brick reasoned in his head. He sighed and turned back to the window. The commotion still going on much to the fear of the townsfolk. The girls had been unable to detain her, for every time one got close she opened fire on someone innocent, and they would have to save them.
"You girls think you're so much better than me," Brick could hear her saying. "But if I was a Powerpuff than I wouldn't have to show you how much a serious threat I truly am." Brick shook his head at that claim. Brick never tried to pin the bad stuff he did on anybody. He did it because he thought it was fun. Whatever poor sap who got in his way was just unlucky, but he never said anyone else but him was responsible for his crimes. Brick would almost take offense to someone else claiming they were the reason he acted with such violence.
As he watched he finally pieced together why King Morebucks never did anything to prevent his daughters tantrums. He didn't live in the chaotic city she was presently torturing. He stepped out of his window and floated off to the big mansion outside the main city. Soon he was standing at the front door of the mansion that housed his intended target.
"Let's see how this works out." He said, while he pounded on the door. He was greeted by a man in a tux, a pencil thin mustache and a balding head.
"Yes?" The man said in a very professional proper new England accent.
"Hey, I take it your part of the staff here?" Brick avoided using the word help, thinking staff sounded more courteous. He wanted this to be easy, but didn't mind fighting his way in.
"Yes, and may I ask your business sir?" He replied with a slight bored expression.
"Yeah, names Brick. I'm here to talk to your boss." He replied arms folded.
"I'm afraid Mr. Morebucks isn't seeing anyone today, he has a Headache." The man said using air quotes on the last word.
"Well, that's a shame, cause I don't care." Brick said extending one hand out breaking the door. "His stupid daughter is destroying my city, and I'm having a word with him." Brick's voice turned to a growl, His eyes had a harsh piercing glow to them. "So you gonna lead me to him or will I do it myself?"
"Right this way." He said in shock of the boys complete flip in personality. Soon they were walking through the corridors until they were in front of a gaudy gold door. "The master's bedroom, sir. Should I announce your intrusion?" He didn't even have time to answer before Brick kicked the door in. He was greeted to the sight of King Morebucks in bed with two young women. All let out a scream of surprise as Brick floated in and stood on the foot of the bed.
"Hello!" Brick shouted, "So I take it you're the man in charge huh?" Brick let a smirk grow on his face as the man tried to gather his words. Brick looked to the two women, both were in their early 20's. He guessed they were just gold-diggers, with a motion with his head he ordered them to go away.
"What do you think you're doing barging in the room, of the wealthiest man in this state?" He finally said quickly tying a robe as his guests left.
"I'm here to take you in." Brick turned his attention back to the man after the girls were gone.
"Take me in for what?" He said holding the bridge of his nose. Brick was bluffing, but needed to seem like he was in control.
"Tell me, why is your company making energy weapons, that are presently being used against American citizens on American soil?" Brick asked, but before the King could answer Brick kept going. "Why are you financially backing a terrorist who is at this moment threatening lives?" He stepped closer to the man. "And why is it you keep seeing to the release of said terrorist?" He was within inches of the man, who was frightened by the interrogation the youth was giving him. He was used to people acting respectful, maybe a little on the kiss-ass side, so this new demeanor the boy showed was something almost entirely new to him. "You see, I do believe funding, harboring and aiding someone who repeatedly attacks an American city would result in some serious prison time." The smirk returning to Brick's face.
"You think I haven't had a river of lawyers knocking on my door asking these same questions?" The man said trying to show confidence. "I fight these claims in the courtroom, and win every time what hope do you have in succeeding?" He walked to the open door, hoping to usher the kid out of his bedroom.
"Sure you're probably right, except one thing." He sat down in one of the chairs in the room. "Those battles happen outside the public eye. You pay them off, and the good people of this town, never even think to question what happens to you when the girls arrest your daughter." he said waving his arm in the air as he spoke.
"Exactly, I have enough money to buy my way into any situation I want." King said folding his arms, then pointed out his door. "Now you know it's useless so why don't you just leave. I'm in a good mood today so I won't even press charges if you leave now." Brick, however, remained defiant.
"That certainly seems like a lot of power." Brick mused then walked up to the man. "But would you like to know the difference between me and those suites you fight in court?"
The man rolled his eyes with annoyance, "Oh please do tell." Brick grabbed his wrist and flew through the mansion until they were outside again. He took him and his passenger up to the sky.
"The difference is I can fly you to every single reporter who wants to have their exclusive interview with me, and tell everyone, live on TV how you have been, of your own free will, funding and aiding a felon many people would call terrorist." The man looked between the ground and the boys eyes.
"Nothing would stick, my companies would issue a gag order on any station playing the interview." He tried to sound confident, but was having trouble in the wind, and felt exposed in just his robe.
"All I need is the live interview to go out then the internet should do the rest. You don't own that." Brick said loosening his grip on the man to give him a small fright. "Do you think your PR wouldn't take a hit if I did that?"
It then dawned on him, that if the people backed out of contracts, and ceased doing business his power would crumble. As a last ditch effort to regain control he shouted, "This is illegal! You just barged into my private home without a warrant!" Brick turned his attention to the city view. Some buildings were smoldering, smoke lingering in the air.
"That's the destruction your daughter is doing. If that's what we're seeing so far away, how much more do you think we would see if I flew us closer? She: opened fire on innocents, destroyed private, public and federal property, and started a fight with three people, with weapons designed to destroy them. I think we could easily add attempted murder on that list. Meanwhile her guardian, IE. You, are doing nothing to stop her. I call that the delicious sound of probable cause. I'm well within the law here. You're not." Brick saw the look of terror grow on the man. He figured it was the realization someone finally cornered him, seeing as he was too selfish to actually care what his own daughter was doing.
"I'm a business man, we can talk about this can't we?" He finally said the words Brick was wanting to hear. They floated back down and Brick set him on the ground. King fell, his legs giving out as he landed.
"What do you offer?" Brick said looking down at the man.
Meanwhile...
The girls were hunched over, and out of breath. Princess had gotten some new chemical X seeking blasters, and attacked in the middle of lunch. Her secondary weapons were threatening the lives of the citizens whenever one of them got to close for her comfort, then opened fire on the girls themselves. Finally she wound up cornered in the industrial section of the city, where thankfully no one was out in the open.
Blossom had her attention while Bubbles and Buttercup flew up and pincer attacked the young lady. Soon she handed over, disarmed, to the police.
"Just you wait girls!" She shouted from the backseat of a squad car. "Once daddy hears about this I'll be released and I'll work on even better equipment!" Her threats being more of an aggravation, that anything else. Soon her eyes lit up as she reached down to answer her phone. A creepy smile on her face, "That's him now!" She jeered as she answered. Blossom looked at the youth in the car and wondered how she managed to even keep her phone when they took away everything else. "Hi daddy." She started talking. "Oh nothing just doing my usual thing of trying to bring those girls down. Oh no, your equipment worked fine, they just got lucky. Yeah?" suddenly her face grew worried. Blossom noticed this and tried to listen in, Princess was now speaking in a hushed tone. "What do you mean your cutting me off? No! I don't understand." Her whispers were harsh and filled with malice. Blossom thought she heard wrong but kept listening, "How am I supposed to get out if you won't bail me out? Our money is all I have against them. Yes I know it's your money not mine, but" She seemed to be interrupted. "I don't care! I thought you loved me. This is a funny way of showing it." Tears now filled her eyes as she listened to the news. "How can this be the best thing for me?" The tears fell from her eyes. "Yes daddy, if they let me go I'll see you at home." She finally yelled into her phone, "Thanks for nothing!" as she threw her phone at the other side of the car she wept into her hands.
"What's with her?" Buttercup asked leaning by Blossom as she watched it happen.
"I don't know." She replied, "For some reason her dad is pulling his financial support from her."
"Why would he do that?" Bubbles questioned.
"Simple babe." A rough voice came out from behind them, "He learned the real ramifications to his daughter's actions today." They turned around to see a smiling Brick floating behind them.
"What are you doing here?" Buttercup asked getting into a fighting position.
"Just doing you're job for ya toots." Brick smiled as he put his arms behind his head.
"How do you figure, we took her down, this is the first we've seen of you in about a month." Blossom shot back.
"You girls never thought to go after the source of the problem, just the symptom." He chuckled. "I paid her dad a visit and got him to cut her off. Without all that money backing her up she can't be a threat anymore." He laughed, "You're welcome." He said as he floated up and back home.
Brick couldn't help but snicker at his luck. He convinced the man to cut her off and told him to call her right then and there. He recorded the conversation on the cell phone the man had. The deal was he would cut her off, the last financial aid he was to give her was one lawyer to try and get her off incarceration, he didn't figure it would happen. She always stayed in until bail was paid. This time the father was forbidden to pay it, and apart from the basic things she needed to live, he wasn't meant to pay for a single thing for her. And finally after his passing she was legally disowned from the inheritance. It would go to his ex wife, but Brick had to stop by later to have him sign the contracts like he said he would. Going back on it, meant Brick would make good on his promise to flaunt him in front of any news source that would listen. He floated back into his apartment window and dutifully went back to his schoolwork. Noticing the clock it was just after 2PM his brothers wouldn't be home for another hour and half, and there was no way to tell how they would react when he told them what he did today, but for now he just enjoyed the silence of his apartment, and they rhythmic typing of keys on his keyboard.