Chapter 7
Knowledge Is Powerlessness
The professor had been hiding away in a hotel for the past three days, and Bubbles felt so lonely staying in that big empty house by herself. She did her best to go about her day as if life was normal, but she couldn't convince herself that everything was fine. She knew the Saga Cartel was up to something, and being on alert for "the call" kept her on edge.
On this particular day Bubbles put on a nice sparkly dress and tried to look like she was okay. It was Saturday, but not just any Saturday. This was the Saturday of the mayoral debates. Sarah Bellum was running for mayor now that the previous mayor was retiring, and her opponents were Talking Dog Jr. and Harold Smith. The dog felt like a joke candidate, but Harold Smith was legitimately a problem.
Bubbles remembered when the Smiths were their neighbors. They started out normal enough, and the girls even played with their daughter Julie, but then one day Harold went crazy and turned to super villainy. He had even threatened to melt the professor's head!
What had started as an isolated incident involving one nutcase soon became an entire evil family. That family now ran a crime syndicate, as well as a few legal businesses to keep suspicion off them. Blossom had actually arrested Bud Smith last year for racketeering.
Bubbles wondered for a moment if Harold Smith could be Mr. Big, but that didn't make any sense. The Smiths and the Saga Cartel were rivals. Blossom frequently had to de-escalate turf wars and arrest members of both gangs. It wouldn't make sense for Harold (or technically Mary Ann) to rule both mobs.
Bubbles sighed as she thought about this. Why was this so hard to figure out? It wasn't like Mr. Big or his cartel were particularly subtle. He even stole the fridge for crying out loud! How does someone steal a fridge and nobody notice? There had to be angle Bubbles was missing.
Someone knocked on the door, and Bubbles could feel her heart racing. It was probably her sisters coming over to take her to watch the debates, but what if it wasn't? What if it was a message from Mr. Big? What if he was delivering the professor's head in a box like in those scary movies?
With trepidation, Bubbles slowly crept up to the door, and the person on the other side knocked again. Bubbles paused, but then worked up the courage to slowly open the door. When she did, it was only Buttercup, who admittedly didn't look very happy at the moment.
"Bubbles! What took you so long?" Buttercup snapped irritably.
"I'm sorry. I was worried you were the professor's head," Bubbles replied apologetically.
"Huh?" Buttercup looked befuddled, and Bubbles just winced in reply, "Whatever. Let's just go already. Blossom is waiting for us at City Hall."
"Is Butch going to be there?" Bubbles asked curiously.
"Nah. He hates politics. I don't blame him," Buttercup replied nonchalantly, "He was getting on my nerves anyway. We got into a fight about whose turn it was to order pizza."
"If you two fight so much then why are you still dating?" Bubbles asked.
"Because we like fighting with each other, and no one else would get that," Buttercup replied.
Buttercup was correct in that assumption, because Bubbles definitely didn't understand. A boyfriend was someone that lifted you up when you were feeling down, yet Butch and Buttercup seemed determined to tear each other to shreds. Bubbles would never date someone like Butch, but then again Buttercup was the only one with a relationship, so Bubbles couldn't help but wonder if she was just missing something.
The girls flew quick as a flash to City Hall, and when they got there Blossom was already talking to Ms. Bellum before the debate. Ms. Bellum was still as lovely and intelligent as ever, even if she had a few more grey hairs than before and had replaced her pencil skirts with pantsuits.
"Girls, I'm so glad you came," Ms. Bellum greeted them warmly, "Blossom and I were just going over some of my talking points and potential responses to questions."
"She's gonna kick Smith's butt," Blossom declared proudly.
"I'm glad to be here too!" A withered and shaky voice shouted from behind Ms. Bellum.
The Powerpuffs turned in unison to see the old mayor hobble over to them, his arthritic hand barely able to hold his three-pronged cane. His eyes were closed, his head shook, and he wore a smile that seemed to never fade.
"Ms. Bellum, which way is the pickle stand?" The old mayor asked.
"I told you Mor-, um, Mayor, this isn't the food court at the mall," Ms. Bellum gently informed him, "We're at City Hall, remember? Where you used to work?"
"Ah, yes! I do have a lot of work to do," The old mayor proclaimed, "Ms. Bellum, hold my calls. I have to find that pesky paperwork..."
The old mayor then shuffled off, and a nurse helped him to his seat in the front row of the debate, which was to be held outside on the steps of City Hall.
"It's so weird seeing him like that," Blossom commented sadly.
"He has his good days and his bad days," Ms. Bellum replied wanly, "Today he thinks he still works as the mayor. Yesterday he thought he was 10 years old. Who knows where he'll think he is tomorrow?"
"Can't they give him something for that?" Buttercup asked.
"I'm afraid not," Ms. Bellum sighed, "The best we can do is just make him feel safe. Oh, I need to get to the podium! See you after the debate, girls!"
"Bye, Ms. Bellum!" The girls replied in unison.
The girls took their seats near the ex-mayor, and the candidates prepared for their debate. Little did they know however that standing on a rooftop across the street was a sinister presence ready to make this a day that would live in infamy.
Femme Fatale had planned it all out. She would use a bomb, cleverly disguised as a briefcase, to immobilize the Powerpuff Girls. Once they were helpless she would use her remote-controlled spring-loaded laser tank to crush and fry them. It would be quick, decisive, and historic. She would forever be the villain that took down the Powerpuff Girls once and for all!
Under the seats, there sat the unassuming briefcase. Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup all sat in rapt attention as the debates went on. None of them saw the bomb-case that had their logo stamped on it. It was only a matter of time...
...
It was during the question about rising insurance costs, being answered by Talking Dog Jr., that someone finally noticed the briefcase. It wasn't the someone Femme Fatale had hoped for however.
"Oh, my!" The former mayor exclaimed as he took the handle of the bomb-case, "I shouldn't leave important documents on the ground like this. Ms. Bellum will know what to do with these. Oh, Ms. Bellum! Ms. Bellum!"
The former mayor walked up to the stage waving the briefcase, his shouting disturbing the debates. The audience looked at him crossly, and the girls looked at him with worry. They knew he couldn't help his senility, and someone needed to gently guide him back to his seat.
"Mayor, excuse me!" Bubbles called after him as she tried to keep him from climbing the stairs to the stage, "Mayor! Please, come back!"
"Oh no..." Ms. Bellum muttered under her breath at the sight.
"Hey! That weird old man is interrupting my answer!" Talking Dog Jr. pouted.
The ex-mayor made it to the stage, still holding the briefcase, and looked up at Ms. Bellum expectantly.
"Bwah, Ms. Bellum! These documents need to be filed!" Mayor ordered, "They could get lost."
"Um, I'll take that, Mayor," Bubbles offered, "Let's just get you back to your seat now. Okay?"
"Of course! Gotta stay close to the hotline in case I need to call the Powerpuff Girls," The "mayor" agreed goodnaturedly.
Bubbles sighed as she took the briefcase. She knew the ex-mayor didn't mean anything by it when he didn't recognize her as a Powerpuff Girl, but it was still a bit disheartening.
Before Bubbles and the mayor could get back to the audience however, the bomb-case opened and exploded! Bubbles and the elderly ex-mayor were both paralyzed, and the audience screamed and ran when they realized something bad was about to happen.
Femme Fatale's spring tank bounced off the roof across the street and landed in the middle of the road! Everyone scattered, and Femme Fatale aimed her cannon at the helpless Bubbles. Blossom and Buttercup, not willing to take this lying down, flew into action and started smashing their fists into the tank.
Their blows made dents in the tank, but the metal seemed to be composed of an alloy that was too strong for brute force to break through. With this in mind, the girls then used their laser vision to try to melt the tank. The tank remained intact however, and the girls gasped in shock at how sturdy the weapon was.
"Well girls, looks like you're out of tricks!" Femme Fatale said over a loudspeaker inside the tank, "Now prepare to meet your doom! Ahahahahaha!"
The battle tank then started spraying the air with laser pellets, which the girls had to quickly dodge. One pellet got Buttercup's foot, and it singed her skin a little. It wasn't the worst thing ever, but enough of those lasers could do some serious damage. Together the two sisters continued to fight with a combination of fists, kicks, laser vision, and even sonic claps.
Meanwhile, on the ground, Bubbles struggled to even move her arms, and the mayor was passed out cold. She needed to get the poor old man to safety, but at this point she couldn't even save herself. She vaguely wondered if this was what it felt like to be an ordinary citizen of Townsville.
"Bubbles!" Ms. Bellum called out as she ran to the downed Powerpuff, "Hang on, I'll get you out of here."
"No..." Bubbles squeaked feebly, "Save...the mayor..."
Ms. Bellum hesitated, but at the sound of another piece of building crashing down on the ground she quickly grabbed the mayor and made a run for it.
"I'll come back for you!" Ms. Bellum promised as she ran off.
Bubbles actually hoped she wouldn't. Ms. Bellum was a normal human, and much weaker than Bubbles. Bubbles could handle herself. She just needed to be able to move.
Meanwhile, back on the battlefield, Blossom and Buttercup were barely staying in one piece as they struggled to figure out how to defeat the springy tank. Femme Fatale flipped a control, and it started to hop further into Townsville.
"We've gotta stop that tank!" Blossom declared, "She'll kill innocent people if we don't lead her out of town."
"Lead nothing! We have to stop her here!" Buttercup argued, "There has to be a weakness on that stupid thing!"
Blossom was about to say something, but then she noticed Femme Fatale's cannon was aiming straight for the Porker Brothers board game and meat factory.
"No time!" Blossom quickly shouted as she flew for the tank, "There's hundreds of people in there!"
The Powerpuff Girls rushed for the cannon even as the power loaded; preparing for a crescendo of mayhem. The world seemed to slow down as they approached the metal monstrosity, hoping against hope that they could be faster than the laser bullets within.
"Porker Brothers, huh?" Femme Fatale sneered as she took aim, "The 19th century patriarchy kept women from owning businesses such as this one, and then they celebrate their victory over us by splashing their name on everything. Well, no more! Ahahahahaha!"
The cannon fired, but Buttercup was ready. She swirled until the air around her became a green tornado, and the laser energy was sucked up into the vortex! Blossom meanwhile used her x-ray vision to scan the tank, searching for a weakness. She found it in the form of a slight tear on the edge, and wasted no time in jamming her hand into it and pulling with all her might!
Femme Fatale screamed as her shielding was peeled away, and Blossom's smirking face greeted her. She had expected all of the girls to be helpless, not just the useless one.
Blossom hauled Femme Fatale out of the tank by her shirt and flew away, ready to take the villainess off to jail. Buttercup meanwhile grabbed the tank and threw it into the ocean near Townsville Harbor. No one had died that day, and the villain had been defeated.
And so once again, the day is saved, thanks to the Powerpuff Girls!
Femme Fatale stewed in her cell, clutching the bars like a stereotypical criminal. She had been so sure of her plan. The tank she received from the Smith Family seemed foolproof. It was sturdy, nearly impenetrable, and loaded to the brim with laser weapons. In the end however, all of her plans had gone up in smoke.
A guard came by and Femme Fatale immediately scowled, wishing she was out of jail and back at the women's prison already. She hated seeing male guards and male prisoners. She would never admit this to anyone, but it made her feel helpless to be trapped with so many burly antisocial crooks without her weapons.
"Hey Fatale, you got visitors," The guard announced dispassionately.
Femme Fatale sighed sharply, but knew she couldn't really turn them away. It was either going to a member of the Saga Cartel or the Smith Family, and frankly she wasn't ready to deal with either of them.
Her visitors turned out to be none other than Mary Ann Smith and her daughter Julie Smith. Julie was the perfect image of a spoiled brat in her black leather dress and Gucci purse, draped in a fur boa and chatting on her smartphone. Mary Ann, also smartly dressed in her pantsuit and finery, looked like a cat cornering a mouse as she smiled at Femme Fatale.
"Greta, I see you failed to destroy the Powerpuff Girls," Mary Ann said in a patronizing tone, "You do realize we spent a lot of money to equip you with the proper weapons. You really shouldn't be so wasteful."
"Hey, you've never defeated them either!" Femme Fatale snapped.
"Shh! I'm on the phone!" Julie scolded Femme Fatale, "Yeah, it's just some loser client of my mom's. Yeah...I know, right?"
"Pardon Julie," Mary Ann said with mock politeness, "She's at that age where her devices are her world. Now, where were we? Oh, right. Your blunder."
Femme Fatale frowned and glared venomously at Mary Ann Smith, but she knew there was nothing she could do. Not while she was behind these bars anyway.
"I do know how our substantial investment could be recouped however," Mary Ann went on, "You promised another bargaining chip when we agreed to this transaction. Where's Mr. Big? Tell me what you know, and I'll post your bail."
Femme Fatale was about to speak up, but then she stopped herself. She was still owed 1.5 million dollars from the Saga Cartel. If she turned them in now, then she wouldn't get her money, and she most likely wouldn't get another cent from the Smiths.
"What will you pay me for this information?" Femme Fatale asked.
"Don't try to dicker with me, Greta," Mary Ann replied sourly, all pretense abandoned, "You're in no position to bargain. In fact, I was going to kill you, but you still have information I need. If you refuse to cooperate however, then there's no reason to let you live. So, what's it going to be, Greta?"
Mary Ann then reached into her purse and showed the butt of a pistol; neatly concealed in a handkerchief. She must've bribed the guards a lot of money to get that past security.
Femme Fatale's face could only be described as a combination of shock and anger. She knew she was cornered now, but her mind refused to believe it. She had been on top before, but now she was facing death at the hands of a crime lord. Well, Femme Fatale could at least appreciate that the death threat came from a career woman instead of some slobbering oaf like Mr. Big. With this consoling thought in mind, she made her decision.
"Alright, I'll tell you everything," Femme Fatale conceded, "Do you know that gated community where-"
Before she could finish however, there was a sudden sound of zapping as a taser cable attached itself to Mary Ann Smith! The elder Smith went down in a seizing heap, soon followed by her daughter. Both Smiths were incapacitated, and Femme Fatale's first thought was that it was a prison guard, but then she saw the little man in the trench coat and knew...it was Moose.
"Hey, pretty lady," Moose drawled, "You got a date with the boss."
"What makes you think I'm going anywhere with you?" Femme Fatale asked crossly.
"Because you ain't got no choice," Moose grinned.
He then unlocked the cell, and Femme Fatale's cellmates ran for freedom; bowling her over in the process. She was picked up by Moose, which looked ridiculous given how much taller she was than him.
"Hey! Let me go, you pig!" Femme Fatale shouted angrily as she hit Moose's back with her fists.
"Relax, toots," Moose replied nonchalantly, "I'm your ticket outta this dump."
Femme Fatale growled, but realized she had little choice in the matter, so she just allowed the goon to carry her to his car.
After she was buckled into the front passenger seat of a red convertible, Moose got into the driver's seat and quickly took off. Femme Fatale felt the wind whip through her long blonde hair and bugs roughly land on her skin. After a few minutes Moose finally put the roof back on, and Femme Fatale breathed a little easier.
"I love doin' jailbreaks," Moose commented.
"Me too!" A random woman said from the back seat.
"Ah!" Femme Fatale shouted; startled.
In the back seat of the car was a red head that Femme Fatale hadn't noticed before. She was dressed in a way that could best be described as Sedusa's less evil cousin. Moose smirked as he looked in the rear view window, and the girl wiggled her fingers to wave at him.
"Who's the bimbo?" Femme Fatale asked derisively.
"You don't know your own name?" The other woman snarked in reply.
"Relax, babes," Moose chuckled, "Femme, this is Ginger. Ginger, Femme Fatale. I'm glad yous two are gettin' acquainted, because we have somethin' to discuss."
"Like what?" Femme Fatale groused.
"Like the future," Moose vaguely replied.
"Ooh! I love it when you talk about the future!" Ginger replied excitedly, "He's got big plans, hun. Big, big plans!"
"Yeah, and you could be part of 'em," Moose told Femme Fatale.
"I have more important things to deal with right now," Femme Fatale replied curtly.
"Yeah, like sellin' out the boss," Moose replied knowingly, "I heard what you was doin'. You tried to give the Smiths our location. You know Mr. Big kills traitors on sight, right toots?"
"Oh, I'm so scared!" Femme Fatale replied sarcastically.
"You should be," Moose replied, his tone turning serious, "You know Mr. Big's favorite form of execution? He feeds his enemies to Fluffy. If Fluffy is full, then he crushes them with his bare hands. I don't think I've ever seen him use a gun. Guns are too quick, too easy. If I tell Mr. Big what you almost did, then you're marked. I'm his right hand man, so he'll believe me over you."
"You're disgusting," Femme Fatale growled.
"Ooh, I love it when women talk dirty to me," Moose leered.
Femme Fatale was two steps away from flinging herself out of the car just to get away from this creep, but a small part of her was still curious about what he wanted. While she didn't take his threat of ratting her out seriously, she knew there were many other ways for the little gangster to make her life more difficult.
"What do you want?" Femme Fatale finally asked.
"Power. Pure and simple power," Moose told her, "Mr. Big has been usin' my brains and talents to make himself richer for years, and I'm tired of it. I wanna off Mr. Big, and you can help me do that."
"If I did then there's no guarantee you'd pay me the 1.5 million I'm owed," Femme Fatale pointed out, "And even if you did you'd probably pay me in cash or pennies just to annoy me."
"That's chump change," Moose dismissed, "Mr. Big's bloated corpse in the harbor is worth way more than that to me. Play your part right, and I'll give you 5 million. Electronically of course."
Now Femme Fatale was intrigued. 5 million was enough for her to start her own criminal empire in another city, a better one than Townsville. A city with no Powerpuff Girls, no police with integrity, and no other crime families to stop her. She'd have to put another man in power in the Saga Cartel, but was Moose that much worse than Mr. Big? As far as she was concerned all men were equal. Equally horrible. The best part would be she wouldn't have to keep her promise to Mr. Big to kill the Powerpuff Girls, which she was beginning to think was impossible.
"What do I have to do?" Femme Fatale asked.
"Tomorrow Mr. Big is gonna run some errands," Moose explained, "Go with him. Make an excuse to get him to go to the harbor. Me and a couple of guys loyal to me will be waitin'. You get outta the way, and we shoot. Clean, quick, and decisive."
"I'm not sure how clean that will be, given all the blood," Femme Fatale quipped, "But you make a compelling case."
"When Moose is in charge the Saga Cartel will be the biggest drug empire in the nation!" Ginger squealed in delight, "That's why I love Moose. He's a man of ideas and vision."
Femme Fatale made some rather immature gagging noises at that statement, and Ginger pouted like a toddler. Moose just laughed, enjoying the fantasies that swirled in his head. He dreamed of being the number one crime lord, and he dreamed of every excess that lifestyle could afford him.
Femme Fatale meanwhile wondered if joining his little crusade was a good idea. He might try to kill her too, though at this point it wouldn't be the first time. All she had to do was lure Mr. Big to the pier and let Moose do the rest. 5 million dollars to serve as a distraction. It was easy money, yet for some reason she still felt very uneasy about it.