Chapter 9: The Masquerade
The City of Townsville. Esperanza Acres. Morbucks Family Mansion.
3 FEB 1989 (Friday). 1955.
The masquerade was held in a grand hall. Massive long tables were arranged on two sides of the hall to hold an equally massive and lavish number of buffet selection. The number of guests was in the hundreds - some sat and chat behind round tables, while others stood and held stately conversations. All of them wore intricately complex masks. This time around, the USDO had taken responsibility for security and had posted guards even within the hall. Even the guards weren't spared from the dress code, and they had been issued bulletproof masks to maintain it. A live orchestra - a small group of 'just' dozens - was playing classical music composed by geniuses of ages past on a stage.
The hall was as vertical as it was horizontal - there was a flight of stairs on either side of the hall, made of expensive Mahogany, leading up to a balcony area overlooking the hall, where yet more guests were hosted. Some of them stood at the banisters, looking down on the rest. It was on the second floor where Professor Utonium and Selicia found themselves at. The professor had selected a simple silver-and-white owl mask that spared his forehead and lower face, while Selicia had picked a most alluring mask modeled after the Greek Medusa, plated with bronze.
The professor was becoming increasingly worried about the Girls. He could never stop being worried for them - even though it wasn't the first time he had seen them off to the Elodie 'Princess' Morbucks. But he didn't have to worry for long, for soon, the lights dimmed.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, the time has come…" a disembodied and mysterious voice of the emcee boomed over the speakers. The orchestra stopped reciting their Mozart. "Introducing Townsville's rising heroines - the city's newest defenders - the very girls who saved the Morbucks and dozens of other important names…"
The main doors leading into the hall opened. A spotlight casting light that was similar to the heart-light Detective Mullens and Olivia had devised was focused on the entrance. Everyone could already see them, but since it was dark, their eyes were the first thing everyone noticed, provoking gasps and shouts of surprise and fear from those who weren't wise to the main attraction of the party. A pair of glowing pink eyes, blue eyes, and green eyes floated in the dark.
The Girls walked out of the doors and into the spotlight, revealing themselves in their fullest glory, with Princess standing between the two of them - Bubbles and Blossom, and she was holding Bubbles' hand as a way to calm the timid one down.
"Some call them The Three - others call them the Angels of Justice - Elodie 'Princess' Morbucks is proud to call them friends - Introducing… Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup!" the emcee went on, then fell silent. There was supposed to be a standing ovation. Buttercup crossed her arms - she wondered what the big deal was all about, and she could only think of eating at this point, as it was past dinnertime and her stomach was rumbling.
It started slowly at first. Mister Morbucks, who was recognizable despite the golden mask he was wearing, began clapping. A few people followed, and soon, like wildfire, it'd spread to everyone else. Slow to come, the whole hall eventually erupted in applause. Blossom found it somewhat encouraging; she smiled. Bubbles actually found it intimidating. Buttercup raised an eyebrow at this.
"Wave at them, Girls, and smile," Elodie suggested to Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup. They did just that with varying degrees of willingness and success, following the Princess' lead as she waved at the crowd first. The applause grew louder. "See? They like the three of you."
"Showing the grace and beauty of angels, our dearest Princess, and her new friends will lead us off in a dance…" the emcee continued. Buttercup's jaw dropped and she froze up when she heard the word. Blossom and Bubbles' reaction wasn't any less dramatic. While Blossom and Bubbles liked the idea of dancing from what they had heard about it from the stories both Dad and Mom had read or recounted to them, and from what they had seen on the television, they knew from what the professor said about the amount of practice it would take that they weren't ready - in fact, they were caught completely by surprise and hadn't even practiced for a single second!
"D-d-dance? But-" Buttercup uttered in disbelief at what she had gotten herself into. Now, she was starting to believe that she should have stayed in bed, or the couch, watching ESPN. She hated the idea of dancing - the only kind of dance she'd ever like were the dance steps of war, to be executed in battle while music composed by death and destruction was played.
"I c-can't…" Bubbles stammered, her face flushed red despite her makeup.
"But how?" Blossom questioned, beginning to feel awkwardness and shame unlike what she had felt before. The Girls could only be thankful that they were wearing masks.
"Don't worry, Girls," the Princess said, far too serenely calm that it made all three of her friends felt worse. Where she was sickly and unsuited to the outside world, she was a born natural when it came to the social and intellectual sphere – so natural that it was heartbreaking for everyone concerned that she was like a candle burning twice as bright… "I'll never leave my best friends hanging."
Taking Bubbles and Blossom by the hands, she led them to the center of the hall. Buttercup, having no choice as she knew enough about social behavior not to turn tail and run, followed.
They weren't alone. Two boys came up and met them in the center of the hall. The party had gone silent as if expecting something religiously miraculous to happen.
The boys were older than they were, about twice the Girls' physical age. One of them wore a matching bird mask, though it was smaller than Blossom's; he had brown hair. The other had a mask with a similar feline motif to Buttercup's, though, again, it was smaller – his hair was straw yellow. The Girls did not know it, but the Princess had made deliberate choices when it came to the boys and their masks. The boys' masks were smaller to accentuate the Girls', therefore emphasizing their importance and making them more noticeable – not that the Girls needed that kind of help. The boys involved had danced for years, having come from equally affluent families like hers, and far more strict when it came to social conduct.
"May I take your hand?" Bird Mask Boy stuck out his hand for Blossom to take, smiling. Blossom found herself blushing a little in a way she didn't understand. "I've done this before. You're in safe hands."
With a shy smile, Blossom took his hand and stepped up. The boy wasn't much older than she was, and yet his recent prepubescent growth spurt meant that her head couldn't even reach his neck. He guided her other hand to his shoulder before carrying her off into a waltz. On cue, the orchestra began playing a relatively simple and slow-paced classical waltz for the children to dance to.
In sequence, Cat Mask Boy did the same with Buttercup. The tomboy was reluctant of course, but when she spotted Daddy looking at her – recognizing him easily even with his white-silver owl mask – she took the offer, afraid that she would disappoint him and lose out to Blossom. The boy pulled her up into a loose embrace and followed the bird pair. "Oh, brother," Buttercup groaned at her predicament.
"Don't panic," Cat Mask Boy whispered to Buttercup, who took offense to his advice. "Don't look at them. Look at me." But she took them regardless, stubborn as she was. The boy himself found it difficult to make eye contact with Buttercup because of her intimidating, glaring and glowing transhuman eyes but persevered regardless, and Buttercup found it surprisingly difficult to make eye contact with him for reasons beyond her.
"P-princess… W-who am I dancing with?" Bubbles stuttered, realizing that they were one boy short. All sorts of depressing scenarios started popping up in her head – that she had been pranked, or that there was a mistake and she would have to depart shamefully because of it. Either way, there was likely a ditch for her to bury herself in forever.
The Princess walked around and stood before her. She extended a gloved hand.
"You're dancing with me, Bubbles," the Princess revealed with her pearly white teeth showing in an expectant smile. "Please?"
Bubbles did not know what to make of it. Daddy had said that men and women would dance in a ball like this – he never said anything about children dancing, or two girls dancing together. Or she and her sisters, for that matter. But fearing rejection and awkwardness, she took the Princess's hand. The Princess guided her towards her, putting Bubbles' hand on her neck before putting her own purple-covered hand on Bubbles' waist. Bubbles blushed behind her mask – she had never done anything like this before, much less in front of a huge crowd.
"I've been practicing for weeks," the Princess reassured Bubbles, who nonetheless looked incredibly awkward and unsure of herself and the circumstances she'd been put in. "We should be fine. Just follow my steps, Bubbles."
"But why? Why me and not a boy?" Bubbles asked, trying hard not to burst into tears because of the surreal nature of the ball – she wasn't sad, just weirded out.
"I just want to dance with the girl who saved my life, that's all," the Princess admitted. "It's something I want to do before I…" a tear broke out of her left eye. She let it slide down her cheek, hoping that it would go unnoticed. But Bubbles' vision was too excellent, and she decided not to ask any more questions to avoid ruining the day.
Surprisingly, it didn't end in a complete disaster, considering that the senior dancer had only a few weeks of training experience and the junior, none. Some among the crowd took it as a good sign. Some had to hide their ire at seeing the irregularity that was two little girls dancing together. Others saw it as a living work of art.
As Princess was her friend, Bubbles decided to let it go, and allow herself and her friend to enjoy the moment.
"I'm sorry if you wanted to dance with a boy," the Princess apologized. "I just thought you'd want this too. I've been selfish."
"No, it's fine," Bubbles said as they continued waltzing their way slowly around the hall, following behind Buttercup, who kept stepping on her dance partner's shoes but was otherwise surprisingly lithe and graceful in mimicking her partner's steps. Had it been up to her, she wouldn't have stepped onto the dance floor at all, considering that she was completely unprepared. "I was just surprised. And scared."
"So was I when we were in that hole. Thanks for saving my life, Bubbles," the Princess said, still struggling to keep a lid on her emotions – being five meant nothing to her mental age, as she had already struggled more than some adults in her short time on Earth. "Thanks for everything. I've never had a friend as good as you."
"Aw shucks, don't mention it," Bubbles said, feeling flushed by the Princess' compliments. However, she could easily feel – and she knew – that all was not right with the Princess despite everything, and she wanted to make it all better for her special friend. "We're best friends forever, Elodie. I'll be there for you forever and you won't have to be sad again."
As the waltz continued, Blossom and Bubbles were beginning to get into the flow of it and enjoy themselves. Buttercup, however, was Buttercup, and she had ensured that even her 'lucky' dance partner, was becoming impatient with her stepping on his shoes. Elodie, his cousin, had spoken volumes of Buttercup – that she was incredibly cool and tough, and someone that everyone must get to know because of how she had saved the City of Townsville – blah, blah, blah – Elodie could get really animated when she was excited, which was a rare thing considering her failing health. Elodie had failed to mention how poorly raised Buttercup was!
Bird Mask Boy, however, was having the time of his life. Blossom was a quick study, and she had taken his advice to the letter, swaying and moving in sync with him. It was little wonder, considering what Elodie, his poor cancer-stricken cousin, had said about her. Something about being able to fly and dance in the air like a bird, in addition to the whole thing about her being the protector of Townsville – despite seeing Blossom on the news, he still find it hard to believe as he wasn't a Townsville local and hadn't seen it all in action first-hand, nor felt the effects it had on society at large. Now he knew - now, he was wiser.
"Thanks for dancing with me," Blossom said awkwardly and almost fearfully as they continued to spin gracefully on the dance floor, all the while watched by hundreds of pairs of eyes. "I was really scared in the beginning."
"That's how it's like the first time I danced, too," Bird Mask Boy said. "But you're jesting, right? I saw you on CNN once. You were so confident and brave when you fought those bank robbers, and that was after you got your bottom kicked in Morbucks' laboratory, from what I heard."
"Oh…" Blossom fell silent – Bird Mask Boy had managed to dig up some bad memories from that day, even if things did turn around that day when she had to face Ace and his Gangreen Gang.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be rude," the boy apologized formally, with his dignity still secure. "I thought it was a glorious day when you saved my uncle's lab and his friends."
"Uncle?" Blossom said, confused. She'd heard that word before from Daddy, but he'd refused to give her anything beyond what it meant. "So your mom is Mister Morbucks' sister?"
"I'm his nephew, yes," Bird Mask Boy said even as they danced away, their motions becoming second nature "How about we introduce ourselves properly? I'm Anthony Charles Morton, son of Earl Morton and Antoinette Morton. Your turn."
"Blossom Utonium… Urm… Daughter of…" Blossom struggled with her introduction. She had never found the need for such formalities. In fact, she'd realized that she had hardly ever referred to Daddy and Mommy by their names, and they were surprisingly hard to recall. Oh, the shame of it all! "I'm sorry…"
"It's fine. It happens when you're new to the scene," Bird Mask Boy said. Blossom had never felt so ashamed in her entire life before, and so many times about so many things within such a short span of time. She couldn't even meet her dance mate's eyes any longer, and so she looked to the side, only to see a most suspicious thing in the background. Across the sea of spectators, there were some men and women moving forward, discreetly pushing through the shoulders in front of them. As they were masked, she couldn't tell who they were or even if they had the looks of criminals or not.
"-especially when you've never been to a party like this-"
That was when she was forced to spin around because of the waltz, and by the time she could see the same area, those suspicious guests were closer. Quickly focusing her eyesight, she zoomed through the many stationary guests to look under the mask of one of the suspicious guests with her x-ray vision, only to find a face that looked neither familiar nor threatening. Looking down, however…
She saw that one of them had stuck a hand in his jacket, his fingers wrapped around the handle of a pistol.
"-and of course – are you listening?"
They made another turn on the waltz. Anxiety struck Blossom when she realized that something dangerous was about to happen. By the time she was able to see the suspicious guests again, they had managed to push through to the front.
The man with his hand in his jacket withdrew it, and out came a pistol. He pointed it at Blossom.
"Look out!" Blossom screamed before pushing Anthony Charles Morton to the ground and kicking off to a high floating position. The masked man fired his pistol, but Blossom could not feel the shot - he must have missed. The guests of the entire hall were sent scrambling - some hiding at the edge of the hall or behind furniture and the grand stairs, while others got down where they were.
Blossom returned fire with her twin thermal beam, hitting the man and sending him sprawling to the ground. Her hawk mask was burned as a result. The fire was spreading across her face, but it could not hurt her. Neither was she distracted by it, especially when her friends were in danger.
"Bubbles, Buttercup!" Blossom issued the call to arms for her sisters urgently, but they were already in action. Buttercup had forced her dance mate to the ground perhaps a little too hard, while Bubbles was shielding the Princess by stepping in front of her with her arms out. "Go left, right! Now!" It was her primary tactic - the three-point attack, which was incredibly simple and predictable, but with all her successes, there was no need to innovate.
There were three other masked assassins who had pushed through. Bubbles flew towards a lady in an elegant red gown who had pulled a hidden pistol out from her handbag. She couldn't even squeeze the trigger when she pointed it at Bubbles. Being just as nonviolent as Blossom, she tackled the woman to the ground, before pinning her arm to the back with the lady shouting in pain and abject fear, prying her pistol from her hand easily. Buttercup, on the other hand, had pulled her concealed pistol out from her ankle holster and pointed it at her target, who seemed to have frozen up while lifting his revolver. She would have shot the gutless, but thick-framed gray-masked assassin had Blossom not flown up to her and pushed the gun up. She ended up discharging a round into the ceiling.
"No killing, Buttercup!" Blossom chided her sister.
"I wasn't going to!" Buttercup shouted her lie before dislodging herself from Blossom's grip and charging at the huge tuxedo-wearing assassin. She winded up a punch and sent him flying yards down the hall.
The last assassin, another lady who was in a hefty Victorian-era gown, had pulled an old revolver in one hand and a fan in the other. Blossom saw her too late, and she fired the old revolver at them… Only for none of them to feel the sting of a bullet. Blossom found it odd but had no time to dawdle. She zipped towards the assassin, who just stood there, unsure of herself, before giving the back of her knee a hooking kick. When she fell to the floor, Blossom struck her in the base of her skull effortlessly to knock her out.
The Girls looked around. There were no more attackers. It felt easy. Far too easy. Perhaps deceptively too easy. Coming back together, they surveyed the hall for any other assassins, but for the life of them, they couldn't find any, nor detect other surprises. The party guests were behaving strangely in that they hadn't panicked nor ran out of the mansion as normal civilians should have - even the guards were sluggish in their duty to arrest the assassins. Professor Utonium and Selicia were on the way down from the second-floor balcony.
The huge tuxedo-wearing assassin sat up, before pulling his gray mask off. The Girls gasped.
It was Mister Morbucks. He'd swapped his golden mask for a gray mask.
"Ladies and gentleman, give it up for Townsville's protectors - our defenders - the Angels of Justice - Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup!" the disembodied voice of the emcee boomed through the speaker once more. The Girls, confused, drifted downwards to the floor as they tried to process what was going on. They did not even know that they had touched down on the floor.
Mister Morbucks began clapping even as he winced at the bruise on his jaw where Buttercup had given him a punch. A round of applause slowly started, but when it got going, it became louder than before, when they were just dancing.
"Girls! Girls!" Professor Utonium shouted as he was running up to them. "Are you alright?"
"Buttercup!" Selicia followed behind the professor. As soon as she had reached Buttercup, she began checking her for gunshot wounds. The professor did the same with Blossom and Bubbles. In the meantime, the Princess had wanted to speak to Bubbles, but decided that it was wiser to let her best friend's family have their moment first.
Mister Morbucks was helped to his feet by some of his guests, after which he simply adjusted his tuxedo before turning around and leaving, his job in the masquerade, more dangerous than he had anticipated, was complete.
"What's going on, Dad?" Blossom asked, still confused. "I don't understand!"
"Yeah! There were no bullets when they shot at us! What gives?" Buttercup added. Her sisters thought her observation to be on point.
"Dad…" Bubbles was upset again - she had envisioned the ball to be a haven free from guns and bullets and fighting - but she was wrong once again. Why couldn't she have her peace? The professor got down on a knee to give her a reassuring hug. The Princess could only look on, herself upset that Bubbles had been made sad once more. She didn't expect her to become upset - it was all supposed to be for the Girls' benefit, her father had said. The Princess couldn't help but feel guilty about the emotional damage she had unwittingly done to her friends.
"I think I know what's going on," the professor said angrily as he stood up once more. "Morbucks!" For a brief moment when he turned around to leave the hall, he caught sight of Princess. At that moment when their eyes met, he couldn't help but accuse her wordlessly with his condescending gaze, of being a party to the staged attack. The glare from Mister Utonium was enough to cause the Princess to break into tears. But the Girls' father knew who the real conspirator was. "Selicia, watch the Girls!"
"What're you doing!?" Selicia asked as she scooped Buttercup up.
"I'm going to have a little talk with our host!" the professor growled as he broke into a jog, chasing after Mister Morbucks. What made him even madder was the fact that the USDO was also party to this - it was all but certain, judging by the fact that they had allowed this to happen. There were metal detectors up front and guards on every entrance into the mansion. The guards in the hall itself were even acting as they were too slow to the draw. Then, there were the guests - he knew from their relatively tame reaction that they, too, knew about this. 'Sickening voyeurs!' he screamed inside. They had even admitted their guilt without knowing it, too, by going back to what they were doing before the staged attack. He felt like he could wring some of them by the neck had the Girls not been around. It was staged - all of it. One huge conspiracy, all to watch the Girls perform like a bunch of zoo animals! Or- or- Circus animals! Circus freaks! The professor had never felt such rage ever since he was pursuing Mojo Jojo.
Professor Utonium barged out of the hall and flew down the corridor towards the faint sound of footsteps echoing in the distance and the far off figure of Mister Morbucks.
"Come back here!" he screamed in rage just as Mister Morbucks had rounded the corner. "How dare you abuse my Girls!" And when he followed, he was met with two private security officers pointing their pistols at him. Mister Morbucks turned around, still nursing the bruise on his jaw.
"You fat bastard!" the professor continued insulting the billionaire. "You'll choke on your meal for that!"
"Calm yourself, Mister Utonium," Morbucks said as he leaned against the wall of the corridor, besides some expensive painting. His legs were still shaking from what Buttercup had nearly done to him. "There was no harm done. The bullets we used were blanks. If anything, I was in greater danger than your Girls. Just look at what Buttercup did to me - and she was pointing a gun - filled with live rounds no doubt - at me. I thought I was going to die there and then."
"Good! You deserve it! Every bit of it!" the professor howled with rage. He would have gone all out on Mister Morbucks had it not been for his private security officers, who looked every bit as intimidating as he was, what with their masks.
"Come now, Mister Utonium," Morbucks tried to reason with the man, but it had only served to stoke the fire.
"Do you know how stressed out the Girls are!? Especially Bubbles!? They needed a distraction - and I thought you were giving it to them!" the professor accused madly. "Do you know how traumatizing this will be - is - for them!? For her!? She's suffering from depression and PTSD, you asshole!"
"I… honestly did not think…" Morbucks' voice trailed off, but he picked himself up quickly. "Look, it was all for the Girls' good. I've mentioned to you that this is a fund-raising ball - me and my peers are going to donate a fortune to the USDO, specifically to the Girls' program. They know about Townsville's plight but they needed to see what the Girls were capable of! Before you make an investment, you have to see the product first! That's what they-"
Morbucks had reminded the professor of Silverslick there and then, who had nearly gotten Bubbles killed with his system.
"DO NOT CALL MY GIRLS PRODUCTS, YOU OVERPRICED PIECE OF SHIT!" the professor screamed hell and fury at Morbucks, who actually looked like he was cowed by the scientist despite his bodyguards.
"I was just… Look, I was just describing things from my peers' perspective. You know how some rich people are like - I can promise you that I'm an exception," Morbucks tried to keep his calm. As a sign of good faith, he gestured for his men to put away their weapons, which they did. "Anyway, doesn't matter what we say here. It's done. But whatever sacrifice the Girls have made, it wouldn't be for nothing. I estimate at least 54 million dollars going to your Girls' program, whatever it's called - no strings attached."
"You know, this fundraiser is my baby girl's idea," Mister Morbucks went on. The professor thought that every word from the ball of lard was filled with slime. "But she's innocent in both senses of the word, and so was that charade just now. Fine, blame me all you want because I planned the whole thing, but this is all for my Elodie – she really loves your daughters and wanted to help them. If you'd see things from a child's perspective you would-"
"I DON'T GIVE A DAMN!" the professor screamed in rage. The tycoon kept quiet immediately, himself offended by how lightly the professor had treated his daughter's efforts and initiative and feelings.
"You need to listen to the man, professor," Thomas could hear a familiar voice behind him. Male. Deep. Gravelly. He turned around and saw General Blackwater in his dress uniform.
"You of all people!" the professor yelled before hurling a punch at the general, who intercepted it with a grip in mid-air effortlessly. The professor tried to pull his fist back, but the general's grip was vice-like.
"This is bigger than the both of us!" the general bellowed when he delivered a low punch to the professor's stomach. He sunk to the floor, clutching his stomach. "And this is certainly bigger than the 'family' you've built around the Girls and Selicia. Get that in your head."
"Are you sure that's necessary, general?" Mister Morbucks asked, concerned despite the fierce exchange he's had with the professor.
"Yes," the general replied as he stepped past the professor nonchalantly. "He'll get it. Now, we have matters to discuss."
"Fuck the both of you…" the professor murmured as he was still on the floor, clutching his stomach. The general had hardly put any energy into that punch, but it'd still hurt like hell. The only consolation was that the general had controlled himself well enough to avoid injuring him. A direct blow to the celiac plexus was the perfect target for temporary incapacitation - he as a doctor could recognize it instantly.
"-status of the research projects-" he could barely hear the conversation going on between the general and the tycoon, not that he cared. Picking himself up, he returned the way he came. The Girls needed him - it was all he cared about.
