Author's Note: Sorry this one took so long. I had to cut out some content as they were more fit for the next chapter, so in a sense, the next chapter is already 20% done. Enjoy!

Chapter 167: An Uncertain Present

The City of Townsville. Outskirts. Lombardi Family Estate.

25 MAR (Saturday) 1989. 2332.

"BLOSSOM!" Professor Utonium screamed when he saw Blossom and the state that she was in. A bullet had ripped through her throat. Said bullet had penetrated her neck, leaving behind an unsightly hole from which blood was gushing out and pooling underneath.

Kneeling down beside the dying Blossom, the professor snapped his fingers close to her soulless eyes. "Blossom, can you see me?" he asked, but got no response. "Can you hear me?" Still nothing. It wasn't encouraging to the professor. All the while, Bubbles, and Buttercup were staring at him, wide-eyed. They were both convinced, like Blossom, that he was dead. But there he was, right before them, and they were speechless from how he just appeared out of nowhere, in the middle of what was practically a war zone.

The professor didn't wait; he didn't even have the time to explain everything to Bubbles and Buttercup. He began unpacking his first-aid kit; he had barely started when Blossom began coughing out blood. Blood spurted out from the hole in her neck. Speckles of it landed on the professor, but he pressed on. After doing a quick examination, he began cleaning the wound, then covered it in gauze and bandages.

"We'll need to get her to an operating theatre," he said to Bubbles and Buttercup. Time was running short even though Blossom was enhanced. He knew that the Powerpuff Girls could hold their breath for far longer than even the most enduring of swimmers and divers, but a hole in the trachea was another matter entirely. Blossom's ability to handle the lack of air would be sorely tested; how long her brain could last without a steady supply of oxygen was an open question, and all this was compounded by the fact that Blossom was losing a lot of blood. The blood loss was the only known variable here; the professor knew from experience that she could lose three-quarters of her blood and still live.


The City of Townsville. Outskirts. Lombardi Family Estate.

25 MAR (Saturday) 1989. 2334.

When Detective Wednesday saw what had happened to Blossom and her sisters, he knew what to do immediately. Professor Utonium had reached them, but he was going to need transportation to an operating theatre. He'd called it in, and asked for an ambulance to be put on standby to bring a high-priority patient not to a hospital, but to the USDO headquarters.

The Talking Dog, Stanley Talker, had reunited with Bubbles, but only briefly. He couldn't be more gladdened that she was alive, even if not exactly well. To him, that was enough. He'd been one of those who had escorted the Girls to the ambulance. He'd even let Bubbles ride on his back just like when they first met.

Buttercup, on the other hand, had to fly alone. She was hurt badly, but not bad enough that someone had to pay her any special attention, so she flew her way to the ambulance, following Professor Utonium, who carried Blossom, and the Talking Dog, who carried Bubbles like a horse. There were still stragglers on the side of the now-fallen Lombardi, so a squad of soldiers, along with Detective Wednesday, had to protect them while they evacuated the burning mansion.

There were still explosions, still the rattle of wild gunshots. The fire raged all around them, tearing down the mansion wall by wall, door by door like a vindictive pursuer. The soldiers were popping off rounds, dropping a few gangsters in the distance. One or two of the USDO soldiers themselves fell, only for others to quickly seize them and drag them along. The detective contributed to this, shooting rounds from his pistol, and helping with one of the wounded soldiers who was shot in the leg.

But the mansion was huge. It would be a while before they could get out.


The City of Townsville. Outskirts. Lombardi Family Estate.

25 MAR (Saturday) 1989. 2336.

Captain James 'Boomer' Wilbur had been scouring the mansion for any other gangsters on the side of the Lombardi, and he wasn't disappointed. Due to being crucified in the forests of the Pokey Oaks Woodland Reserve, he had missed a lot of action while he was being hospitalized. Not anymore. Now… now he was making up for it.

He'd heard the news while he was still lying in the USDO headquarters' hospital wing. The Powerpuff Girls had gone rogue. They'd gone and 'Ran Away', causing the entire organization to go nuts with the follow-up SOP for such a scenario. Most feared that they might have gone to the other side, or become rogue in every sense of the word - becoming independent outlaws who would cause mayhem the likes of which the USDO had never had to deal with before.

But Boomer knew better. Before the shit hit the fan in Townsville, back when things were a little tamer after Mojo Jojo was defeated at the Morbucks labs, he had the privilege of working closely with the Girls. He'd learned about them that way - how nice Blossom was, how sweet Bubbles was, and how tough Buttercup was.

He knew they were in trouble. He was supposed to be in the ward and in therapy for another week, but he muscled his way into the operations to secure the Powerpuff Girls. He helped every way he could, and when he received the call that the Girls were found in the Lombardi Mansion, he grabbed whatever men who used to belong to his squad and jumped straight in.

He tried. He tried like he never did before. By the time he was done, he and his grenade launcher had been responsible for half the fire in the mansion, the other half being caused by Blossom's heat beams. As luck would have it, he was never destined to help the Girls directly, but he took comfort in the fact that his presence had lightened the load for the Girls, and for his fellow ace captains, Brick and Butch.

And now it was over. Standing in the very same cellar where the final confrontation between the Powerpuff Girls and the Amoeba Boys took place, he took in the surroundings, seeing and hearing shadows and ghosts of what came before. It was finally over. The Amoeba Boys were no more, and along with them, the Lombardi crime family had crumbled along with their shadow empire, and since they had taken over the biggest gangs of Townsville, those gangs had crumbled too, with many of their members either dead or arrested. It wasn't just in the mansion either. It was as if Townsville was caught in a fever. The USDO, which mobilized the TPD, the FBI, and the CIA, began raiding numerous locations throughout the city, arresting numerous gangs for their crimes. It had been planned for a long time, and motivated by the criminal gangs' increasing activities, with everything coming to a head during the Battle of the Lombardi Mansion.

Boomer stood under the hole where Blossom and Bossman broke through and looked up. He adjusted his spectacles. It was quickly spattered with drops of water. Mists of water were coming down like magical rain. There was no fire left above - a collaboration between several fire stations had ensured that. The mansion would be saved after all, perhaps as another museum, a testament to how the Powerpuff Girls, despite being wronged by almost everyone, had decided to do the right thing and save a city that didn't deserve them.

It was finally over.

"Alright guys, let's pack it up and proceed for extraction," he ordered his squad. His men filed out of the cellar, towards the stairs leading up. He was the last one to turn to the exit. Holding his grenade launcher closely, he began walking away, his gear crinkling and tinkling.

That was when he heard some kind of a slimy, slurping sound. He turned around, and in the shadows, he thought he saw some kind of a blue-green goo slipping into a corner drain. Come to think of it, the cellar was spattered with all kinds of goo. By now, the walls were cleared of the stuff, as the goo had likely dripped to the floor. What were they? He couldn't quite tell, not that it was important. In the end, he thought it was likely the contents of the many prickled foodstuffs in the cellar that were all blown up while the battle between the Powerpuff Girls and the Amoeba Boys raged.

Satisfied with his assessment, he turned back to the stairs and ran to catch up with the rest of his squad.


The City of Townsville. Outskirts. Lombardi Family Estate.

25 MAR (Saturday) 1989. ?.

Blossom could feel herself floating; with what little cognition she had left, she wondered why she was doing that even though she wasn't flying. She could almost see nothing, and before she could make out anything, she drifted off.

Get her to the ambulance, quick! Someone shouted, or was it all in her mind?

Every single time Blossom came to, she saw a different part of the Lombardi mansion, some with stone ceilings, others wooden. Fire. She saw fire in different places.

Stay with us, Blossom- someone told her. Or was it a voice created by her dying mind? She couldn't figure out who it was, but it sounded male. It reminded her of Dad. Tears dripped down her eyes, mixed with blood. She didn't even have the energy to cry; what came out was a mere whimper.

It's going to be okay- someone reassured her. At this point, she couldn't even tell who it was.

Whiteness. She came in and out of it, switching between fire and pain and this whiteness. In the land of fire and pain, Blossom saw that she was floating out of the front entrance of the mansion, where numerous vehicles were parked, one of which was an ambulance. Shadowy figures were running about, but one of them stood front and center, large and muscular, as if waiting for her - but she would never find out who it was, for the whiteness of the other world had washed him away, replaced him with none other than…

Bunny.

Somehow, everything stopped when Blossom saw her, that Chemical X2-infused Girl who appeared to be eight years of age, decked out in purple high-tech armor shrunken down to fit her frame. She was a symbol of justice, and she stood there like a statue, her eyes piercing Blossom as if she was studying her.

The next thing she knew, Blossom was standing, no longer carried around by shadow beings, but the pain in her stomach and the pain in her throat was still real. Collapsing before Bunny on her knees, Blossom clutched the wound in her stomach, trying her best to will it away, or convince herself that it wasn't a big deal. When it had faded enough, she looked up at Bunny, who continued to gaze down at her sternly.

"Bunny… I…" Blossom cried. "I'm sorry for everything."

"I'm sorry I was mean to you, that I've hurt you and…" Blossom went on crying. All her apologies felt meaningless, for she knew that they wouldn't take away the fact that Bunny was dead, and had suffered under her thumb before that. "-and I'm sorry. I wish I- I wish I had been a better sister- and- a better leader…"

Bunny, who was here with her somehow, knelt down. Blossom could feel her eyes bearing down on her even though she was spilling tears onto the white floor. There was no way she could expect forgiveness even though she was apologizing. If anything, she didn't want to be forgiven. She was miserable, and she believed with all her heart that she deserved to be.

She was miserable, but it all changed when Bunny cupped Blossom's chin in her hand and lifted her head so they could face each other. Their eyes met, purple on pink.

"I forgive you, Blossom," Bunny said. "Thank you for everything."

Blossom smiled, tears still streaming down her cheeks.

"You're hurting yourself," Bunny said. "Let it go… Let me go."

It would be a tall order, letting things go, letting Bunny go.

"What do I do now?" Blossom asked tearfully.

"Go, Blossom. Be at peace," Bunny said curtly, her face stoic. She let go of Blossom's chin. Blossom hugged her, and she liked the strength in Bunny, a strength she knew she wouldn't find in herself.

Together, they watched as the white came into focus. In the distance was The House. Dad, Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup was playing with the snow on the lawn.

"It's beautiful. You've lived such a wonderful life, helped so many people," Bunny said, and with that, the room exploded in a shower of white, blinding light. When that cleared up, there was a flight of golden stairs before them. "Let's go, Blossom."

"But… to where?" Blossom asked as she held Bunny's hand. Bunny simply turned to her and smiled.

"To be rewarded," Bunny simply said as she stroked Blossom's cheek and gently pulled her along, giggling. Soon, the both of them giggled as they ascended the golden stairs. Blossom looked behind her one last time, seeing her family a final time, their laughter and chatter fading away, as if a distant memory, to be left behind, perhaps for something better.


The City of Townsville. Downtown. USDO Headquarters.

28 MAR (Tuesday) 1989. 0946.

Bubbles sat on the ledge of the USDO Headquarters roof, looking down at the empty plaza. There was no one outside as it had been raining. It had been a few days since the Siege of the Lombardi Mansion, and her body had largely healed thanks to the Chemical-X in her blood, but an overwhelming sense of emptiness had filled her, and it wouldn't leave. There were just some things that would never heal.

Bubbles and Buttercup had been debriefed as soon as they were able-bodied. Buttercup had been given command of The Powerpuff Girls, or at least what remained of it. They were a Girl short, two, if counting Bunny, and when General Blackwater debriefed them in his usual gruff voice, Bubbles could sense something else in him too. A lack of care, perhaps? Of course, the general had an odd way of showing care, with his bellows and orders and forceful persuasions, but now all that was absent. He simply delivered what he had to say, asked them a few questions and that was about it; he was gone when he was done. He seemed like a completely different man.

What was more was that the general had mentioned, in his low voice, in almost a whisper, that their unit, The Powerpuff Girls, might just be retired instead - in accordance with the wishes of their Dad. After all, what was a unit without its commander? What was a unit with half its strength gone, especially when the organs lost were the brain and the muscle? The battle was won, but it was a Pyrrhic victory. But of course, it wasn't the general's decision to make, and the decision hadn't been made yet. The general had simply said that it was a distinct possibility, and the conditions were ideal for it, what with Townsville having been brought to its new golden age practically overnight. In other words, there would be no need for the Powerpuff Girls anymore, and this new golden age could be sufficiently protected by the soldiers of the USDO.

Bubbles didn't even have a family to lean on anymore. It was as if Dad wasn't even there. Most of the time, she couldn't find him, and even when she did, he was more a ghost than a person as he would mostly try to avoid her and would barely even speak to her when she got close. Buttercup, of course, was Buttercup, acting as if nothing had happened, as if she had been the commander and the leader of the Powerpuff Girls all along as if Blossom never existed. Whenever Bubbles tried to approach Buttercup, Bubbles would find her playing with her USDO-issued toys, or laughing at the idiot box in the cafeteria while munching away at some sandwiches. Most of the time, Bubbles would just be alone.

Alice would visit her occasionally, but Bubbles knew that she was just doing her job as a psychiatrist. Their talks did not interest her at all, as Bubbles couldn't help but wallow in despair. The only thing that stuck out was how Alice would talk about how life would be afterward, especially after retirement. Alice talked about how Bubbles would adjust and cope with her new life and her losses, how there were ways to do it, that she would help her through it.

But Alice just simply wouldn't get it. Bubbles did not want to move on. She'd made it abundantly clear in their latest session today when she screamed at her - which resulted in a weak sonic scream that forced Alice into cover.

That was just before she retreated to the HQ rooftop, soaking under the rain as she stared into nothing, wondering. What was the point of living if someone so important - someone who completed her - was just gone? Bubbles could simply die, right here, right now. Right then, she let herself go, letting herself fall off the ledge. Before she knew it, she had hit the concrete pavement in the HQ's plaza face-down. She could even feel it crack underneath her. There was pain, but it was nothing compared to the sheer despair she felt in her heart. She knew she was alive, but she simply lay there, feeling the rain beating down on her all over, feeling the cold.

"Bubbles! Oh my God, Bubbles!" she could hear someone shouting for her. A female voice. She didn't reply. She didn't care. "Bubbles!"

She felt someone scoop her up. She'd seen, albeit involuntarily, who it was. Alice. Of course it was. It couldn't be Dad, it couldn't be Buttercup. Of course, it couldn't be Blossom or Bunny. Or Mom. Alice cradled Bubbles in her arms, holding her closely and tightly.

"Are you alright?" Alice asked. Bubbles didn't reply. "Don't do something stupid like that again!"

"Why? It's not like I'll die, not like-" Bubbles stopped short of saying it. She simply went limp. The thought of the tragedy was enough to sap her dry of the little modicum of energy she had left.

"Don't talk like that," Alice said as she brought Bubbles back into the USDO headquarters. "It's stupid of General Blackwater to tell you things like that- as if- as if- but Blossom is not dead! There's still hope!"

"The general said 'her chances aren't good," Bubbles quoted the general.

"That doesn't mean she's dead," Alice said. "Your Dad and Doctor Simmons were able to bring her back - twice now - when her heart stopped."

They were back inside, a receptionist had produced a towel for Alice to wrap around Bubbles. Once safely inside the white towel, the psychiatrist sat the little Girl down on a waiting chair and knelt down beside her.

"But why did her heart stop twice?" Bubbles asked, not convinced at all. "She wants to leave…"

"But why was she back twice?" Alice countered. "Glass half full, Bubbles. Remember that. Blossom's clinging on to life, and I think I know why."

"Why?" Bubbles asked, for the first time, feeling a little alive, curious for the first time in a long time.

"Tell you what, promise to eat your breakfast and we'll talk about it, okay?" Alice struck a bargain with the enhanced Girl. "I know it doesn't look like it, but your Dad would want you to."

"Pinky promise then…" Bubbles stuck out a pinkie, a gesture that Alice gladly reciprocated.


The City of Townsville. Downtown. USDO Headquarters.

28 MAR (Tuesday) 1989. 1328.

Blossom opened her eyes. The blinding light was still there, but it wasn't as blinding this time. Squinting hard, she allowed her eyes to adjust. Pretty soon, she was able to make out a rectangular box. There was a white ceiling, and the rectangular box was actually a ceiling light.

The first thing Blossom did was to feel her neck, but the first thing she felt was weakness, intense weakness. Her arms felt normal, not superpowered. The second thing Blossom felt was a scar on her neck, but it didn't feel obvious, nor nearly as rough as a fresh wound would have been. She tried lifting her head from the softness beneath it. Pillow. Bed? She lifted her head and saw that there was no blood on her dress. No, not a dress. She was wearing some kind of a gown. White hospital gown?

The pain in her throat forced her to lie back down. She'd seen something else. Tubes going into her. A bed, as suspected. A white room. But she didn't see everything.

"Looks like somebody's awake," Blossom heard someone say from the side. It was a male voice, a soothing, caring voice. There was the sound of a chair creaking and getting dragged across the carpeted floor. A dull, dragging sound. Blossom tried to sit up, but a large hand gently pressed her down, wordlessly advising against it.

She didn't even have to turn her head to find out who it was; her neck was still hurting a little anyway. The person leaned forward and came into view.

Dad.

It was Dad.

Blossom's eyes swam with tears the moment she saw his face.

"I thought you were dead," Blossom said, her voice cracked and weak.

"Oh, you silly sugar-bun…" Dad teased Blossom as he played with her hair. "What makes you think I'm going to leave the world just like that?" He laughed.

Sugar-bun. That was a new one. But Blossom couldn't help but make the connection. Sugar-bun. Bun. Bunny. Blossom began crying immediately.

"Hey… Blossom, hey…" Dad tried to soothe Blossom the moment she started tearing up. "It's okay. It's over. You're safe now. You know I'll always be there for you."

"It's not that," Blossom cried. "Bunny-"

"-Is avenged," Dad completed Blossom's sentence for her. "I know what you are going to say. It's your fault. You're to blame for what happened. You weren't good enough as a sister, or as a leader. I've even heard it in your sleep."

"It's true-"

"Hush, Blossom," Dad put a finger on Blossom's cracked lips. "It doesn't matter. We all make mistakes, and we all make a metric tonne of mistakes when we're kids. You're a kid, and you were in over your head even if you, for all practical purposes, have superpowers. Sure, they're still your mistakes, but the most important thing is… you regret them and feel remorse for them. You've learned from them and tried to make things right - have made things right… So hush now, Blossom. It's going to be fine."

Blossom cried, cried like she never had before. For all her intelligence and leadership and past stoicism and superpowers, she cried like she never did before, as a child would. Professor Utonium had been right; Blossom was a child, and for all her superpowers, she was hurting like one. Cradling Blossom in his arms, Professor Utonium sang to her, and comforted her.


Television Recording 03261989-TNN

The following transcript is created from 0800-0815 on the day itself.

(Logo of the TNN shows and fades)

Stanley Whitfield: Good morning, Townsville. We begin this morning with some major news. Close to midnight yesterday, the Powerpuff Girls - Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup - were sighted heading straight for the Lombardi mansion on the outskirts of Townsville - rumored to be the headquarters of the infamous and mysterious Lombardi Crime Family.

Authorities have confirmed that the Powerpuff Girls were found to have been fighting against the Lombardi mafia in the mansion. The resultant skirmish reportedly lasted two hours, with the USDO, the TPD, the FBI, and even the CIA contributing manpower to contain the outbreak of violence.

Dozens were reportedly killed in the skirmish, with over a hundred wounded. The USDO confirmed that among the casualties are the three dons of the Lombardi Crime Family: Bosco 'Bossman' Ricci, Silvano 'The Slim' Ricci, and Ethan 'Junior' Ricci', who were reportedly killed in a confrontation with the Powerpuff Girls. Their bodies have yet to be found.

Sally Perth: The skirmish in the mansion is currently assumed to be the end to the Powerpuff Girls Runaway Crisis. The USDO has confirmed that the Powerpuff Girls have been hospitalized in the USDO headquarters. This is after the Girls had put Townsville on edge by running away from home yesterday, putting the TPD, USDO, and even the Townsville National Guard on high alert especially when they appeared in several locations around the city, including the Mayor's office, resulting in property damage and casualties.

The USDO has also commented that the Powerpuff Girls have proven themselves to be firmly on the side of Townsville, as their recent actions show, and that there have been some misunderstandings resulting in the Runaway Crisis. This is contrary to earlier statements that the USDO had put out, urging citizens to be cautious and report any sightings of the Powerpuff Girls, even stating that there is a possibility of the Girls going rogue. What do you think, Stanley?

Stanley Whitley: (laughs) I've never doubted the Powerpuff Girls even for a second. Looks like they've pulled through and done the city a favor as a bonus! (holds a hand over one ear) This just in… the USDO has released another statement. Numerous leaders and members belonging to other gangs were found in the Lombardi Mansion. The USDO, with TPD assistance, has made numerous simultaneous raids and arrests throughout the night. Hundreds, including many high-profile targets, were taken in.

And it couldn't have been possible without the chaos caused by the Powerpuff Girls.

Sally Perth: (laugh) So once again, it seems that the day is saved… Thanks to the Powerpuff Girls.

Stanley Whitley: Right you are, Sally Perth, right you are. Now, in some related news: Townsville's very own Talking Dog was there in the Lombardi Mansion, to serve and protect as a new member of the Townsville Police Department. Join us as we hear straight from the Talking Dog the gripping details of the quagmire that was the Siege of Lombardi Mansion…