Hey guys! I'm back with chapter 11!
A bit later than usual, sorry. Like I mentioned before on my lj, this month has been pretty busy and stressful (understatement). But I finally was able to take time out to edit and finalize this update for you guys!
This chapter is another transition chapter. We get some more answers in this one, and it'll set things up for how life will start to be for our girls. Thanks for all the support for last chapter, I appreciate all of it so much!
Without any further ado, here we go!
Disclaimer: I do not own any characters, settings, or properties from The Powerpuff Girls, Craig McCracken owns them.
Sorry for any errors!
Chapter Eleven
"True knowledge comes only through suffering." – Elizabeth Barrett Browning
-Blossom's POV-
"Recent scientific research conducted by the famous Professor Utonium has revealed that Chemical X—discovered two decades ago by the Professor himself—loses power and potency over time, and that after a certain amount of years, it may burn out completely. This new finding was discovered by a series of experiments on a sample from one of the monsters from the monster army attack last month. The chemicals inside those monsters expired the same way Chemical X does, only at a much more accelerated rate, which is why about half of them died prematurely. This new finding answers many questions that all of us had about that fateful day, but brings us some new ones to ponder: What does this mean for the future of the Powerpuff Girls and the Rowdyruff Boys?"
My eyes slid shut. Another tear slipped down my cheek.
We'd been sitting silently, watching all the news reports—local and nationwide—based all on the new information we'd already learned just hours before. After telling us, Professor had hesitantly gone to call all of the local news stations with the news. They'd predictably gobbled it up, and just in time for the evening news programs. Ratings gold, probably.
An empty, numb shock had fallen over all of us for the past few hours. My sisters and I had been crying—Bubbles and I hugging each other as Buttercup sat by herself, facing away and wiping her tears before she thought anyone could see them, refusing to even let Butch comfort her. He sat behind her and stared, his hands hovering by his sides as he watched her cry helplessly.
Brick was right next to me, holding my hand tightly. He looked pale—paler than usual, and he could barely even look at me.
With all of the crying I'd been doing, my head had begun to throb again. I let it rest back against a pillow, slumped against the couch cushions, all of my energy drained from me. Through the aching, I said in the quietest voice I could, "You don't think they know, do you?" I was talking to Brick.
There was a pause, then he said, "No. None of them have mentioned anything for sure about you and your sister's powers. I don't think he told them."
I shut my stinging eyes. "Good." I didn't think I'd be able to take it if they'd known. Seeing mine and my sisters' health issues paraded all over the news like some juicy scoop. I'd never hated seeing Professor's name all over the news so much until this moment.
I turned to look at Bubbles, who had finally stopped weeping, but was still locked tightly in Boomer's embrace. Boomer looked absolutely stricken. He looked as if letting her go even for a moment would be like watching a delicate ceramic teacup smash apart on the concrete. And seeing the look on Bubbles' face, that assumption probably wasn't too far off.
This moment felt eerily like the evening where we had come back here, in these very spots, after destroying the army of monsters in Townsville Park. At that time, we had all been so upset. The room had also had a similar hopeless aura filling it up. It hadn't been that long ago, but now it seemed so far away. Looking back now, it seemed so tame. Harmless. I wonder how we all would have felt then if we had known what was to come in the near future.
Hearing a noise, all of us looked up to see Professor coming back up from his lab, carrying a small black box with him. I very slowly started to sit up, intending on greeting Professor and asking him what he was carrying in his hands.
In the same moment, I saw Buttercup briskly leap up from the carpet where she'd been sitting. At that moment, my head had been hurting too much for me to even think to notice the look on her face.
If I had, I would have seen the fury. And I could have prevented what was about to happen.
As he entered the room, she came running at him, pushing him savagely with all of her strength. Professor was thrown against the wall behind him with a mighty smash and a loud pained grunt, the box flying out of his hands and clattering against the ground.
Bubbles shrieked in horror, covering her mouth with both of her hands. Forgetting my pain, I immediately shot up from my seat, dropping Brick's hand.
"Buttercup!" I shouted. Ignoring my nausea and vertigo, I rushed over to Professor, gingerly helping him stand up again. Fear in my voice, I asked him, "Are you hurt?" He shook his head at me, avoiding my gaze. He didn't appear to be hurt, at least not badly. Brick had come over too, holding his other side as he stood. Professor's glasses were askew, and there was empty shock on his face. Knowing he was all right now, I turned my eyes sharply to my sister again, glaring at her in incredulity. "What is the matter with you?"
Buttercup looked deadly. Her eyes were so dark that they were almost black. She was shaking with rage. "Get out of my way, Blossom." She spoke through her teeth. Butch had stood up as well, coming over and lingering at a safe distance behind her, hands up and ready to restrain her if needed.
Brick and I stood side by side between her and Professor, forming a protective wall. Brick commanded, his face stony, "Stand down, Buttercup."
"Shut the fuck up," Buttercup shot back at him, glowering and venomous. "I don't take orders from you, you condescending piece of shit."
"Buttercup!" Butch shouted. Brick was just staring at her, mouth dropped open in silent astonishment.
I'd jolted at the insult she'd thrown at my boyfriend. She hadn't spoken like that to him in years. "Hey," I barked at her, taking a step closer to her. I felt my face burning with my growing anger. "Have you lost your goddamn mind? Calm yourself down or I'll do it for you. Am I clear?"
"Who do you think you are?" Buttercup spat, and it took me a moment to realize that she wasn't talking to me. She'd leaned slightly to the side and was looking behind me. She was talking to Professor. "Are you really a scientist, or have you been faking your way through your career? If you're such a good scientist then how come you couldn't have figured this out faster? Before we had to come here and confront you and you were forced to tell us when it was already too late? What are you, some sort of coward?"
I was horrified at all of her accusations. My face drained. My voice rose with upset. "Buttercup!"
"How dare you do this to us? How dare you make us think that we were invincible? If we were so damn invincible this wouldn't be happening right now!" Her neck and her entire face turned a darker shade of red as she bellowed; I could see veins standing up in her forehead.
I was afraid to look at Professor behind me. I could almost perceptibly feel his sadness and guilt sweltering off of him as strongly as I could feel Buttercup's anger.
She continued yelling. "Why didn't you know this would happen? Couldn't you have used one of your stupid scientific equations to figure that out? Why couldn't you have made us perfect?" Her eyes had gotten bright, softening with tears though her anger still remained plain on her face. Her final question came after a long pause, and it was fragile. "Why did you make us if we were just going to fall apart?"
Buttercup's final question rung in the silent air. A mighty wave of grief had risen up inside of me, seizing my heart like a fist, stinging the back of my throat and rendering me wordless. The only noise for a while was the sound of Bubbles sobbing into Boomer's shoulder.
Seeing the cords in Buttercup's neck relax, and seeing the red beginning to drain from her face, I deemed it safe enough to step away from Professor. I cleared my throat and blinked back the tears. "That's enough, Buttercup." I said to her.
"It's all right, Blossom," Professor said, speaking up for the first time. His voice was foggy, and he cleared it. I risked a glance back at him, and as soon as I did, I regretted it. His guilt ridden expression was unbearable. "I deserved it. You all have every right to be upset with me. She has the right to say all of that." He looked at Buttercup. "I just hope that one day you'll be able to forgive me." He looked at the rest of us. "All of you."
After a long moment, Buttercup slowly shook her head. Then she uttered, "No. I can't forgive you." Behind the sadness in her eyes, there was a certain cruelty. "I'll never be able to forgive you for this." Her bottom lip trembled, and then she backed away, walking straight over to the front door. She opened it, walked out into the cold, snowy night and slammed the door behind her.
With an unusually palpable look of worry on his face, Butch started to follow after her. Then he paused, turned to Professor and said, "She doesn't mean it. She's just upset."
Professor nodded slightly, trying to offer him a smile but still looking sad. "I know," he said. It was perhaps the first moment of genuine kindness I had seen between the two of them on their own in a while.
With a final nod, Butch looked down at the floor, said, "I'll go after her," and then disappeared out the front door after her.
The room was quiet for another minute, still pulsating from Buttercup's rage. Bubbles was still crying, and Boomer was still comforting her. Brick had turned away, his hands laced behind his neck as he calmed himself down. After gathering myself, shaking off her unforgiving speech and pushing the fear and sadness down, I turned to Professor. "Are you sure you're not injured?" I asked him, needing to be sure. He was leaning against the wall now, and I couldn't tell if he was leaning because he was physically injured or if it was because of the terrible things Buttercup had said.
Professor took a deep breath, then let it out. "I'm fine, I promise. Maybe I'll get a bruise here or there, but I'll be okay. Mostly a little rattled." He tried to smile, and failed.
I looked at him, deciding he was telling the truth, and then I looked to where the black box Professor had been carrying dropped onto the ground. I bent and picked it up, staring down at it. It had a combination lock on it. I stepped toward Professor, handing it to him. "What is this?" I asked.
He took the box in his hands. Blinking away the sadness on his face, he tried again to smile as he looked at me. "I'll show you. Go sit down."
I turned to walk over to the couch, sitting down on the arm of it. He followed me over, thankfully not limping or wincing, and then I knew he really was okay. Bubbles, along with Brick and Boomer, lingered nearby, watching us curiously. Bubbles' eyes were puffy from crying.
Professor was working the combination lock. "Do you still have that headache?"
At the mention of it, my head throbbed in answer. I grimaced. Now that the drama had died back down, I could feel it strongly again, squeezing my brain insistently and cruelly. "Yes," I said.
He finished the combination, and the box popped open. Inside, there were four syringes, full with black liquid. He held his hand out. "Arm, please." I stretched out the arm that was closest to him, and he gently took it by my wrist, first running a white cotton pad covered in alcohol over the inside of my arm, sterilizing it. He threw it away, then took my arm by the bicep, picking up one of the syringes. "This will pinch a little," he said, offering me a soft grin.
Bracing myself as I saw him bringing the needle towards me, it slowly sunk into the inside of my elbow. Professor squeezed the syringe, pushing the liquid directly into my bloodstream. Gently taking the needle out of me, he set the syringe into the box again, watching me carefully. "How do you feel?" He asked me after a few seconds.
A strange surge went through me. I looked down at my arm and blinked. Then I tilted my head one way, and then the other way. I pressed a hand to my forehead. No throbbing. The aching had immediately gone away. "My headache's gone," I said in relief. Bubbles, Brick and Boomer reacted at the same time, shocked.
Boomer exclaimed, amazed, "How did you do that, Professor?"
Brick had already turned toward my dad. "Chemical X shots. Right?"
Professor nodded at him, looking mildly proud that he'd guessed so accurately. "Correct. Chemical X shots." He turned the box of syringes toward all of them so they could see. "I've only been developing them for the past week or so, along with daily Chemical X 'vitamins', which should be ready in the next day or so. But these should stave off negative symptoms and keep you and your sisters from feeling bad. I'm also working on heavily concentrated emergency Chemical X shots that will fully supplement your powers again for a short time. They should enable you to still fight crime—but only when you absolutely need to."
I beheld my father proudly. I knew he'd thought of something. I knew he wouldn't just keep us in the dark. "Professor, you're brilliant. I feel great again." Brick was staring at me, intense relief coloring his features, in stark contrast with the panic that had been all over his face for most of the day. I smiled at him. He smiled back.
Professor looked down at me, modest. He smoothed a hand over my hair. "I'm just glad it worked, sweetheart. I'm happy all of that work wasn't for nothing." He closed the box again, locking it. "The regular shots and vitamins each only supply a small amount of Chemical X at a time. That way, your bodies shouldn't become immune to them."
After discussing the shots and vitamins for a few more minutes, a small touch of hope coloring all of our expressions that hadn't been there just hours before, the front door burst open. Butch pulled Buttercup through it by her hand. A mix of wariness and relief rose up inside of me at the sight of her back in the house. Even though she wore a bitter expression on her face, it was welcome compared to the rage from before.
"We're back," Butch announced, shutting the door behind them. He looked down at my sister with the usual tenderness he always looked at her with, even when she acted like a Tasmanian devil. "We're very sorry. We're going to sit and listen to what everyone has to say calmly. And we're not going to scream, insult or push anybody. Right?" He tugged on her hand.
Buttercup's nostrils flared, shooting her boyfriend a glare. "Whatever," she said. She and Butch came into the living room, sitting on the floor, Butch still holding her hand. Underneath the bitterness on her face, though, I could see the remorse in her eyes at her behavior earlier. Whatever Butch had done or said to her to make her calm down and see reason, I was thankful for it. He always seemed to be able to do it.
We caught them up, telling them about how my headache was totally gone thanks to Professor's shot, and telling them all about the shots and vitamins. Buttercup's face softened up a bit after that, knowing that there was a solution now and we weren't just sitting ducks.
"So, will that stop our powers from going away more than they already have? The emergency shots?" Buttercup asked, hesitantly addressing Professor directly for the first time since she'd blown up at him.
Professor, looking slightly surprised that she was talking to him, carefully shook his head. "No. They'll only bring your powers back temporarily. The length of time it'll last should depend on how quickly it'll take to fade. And as for your powers right now, I'd say they'll continue fading the way that they started to today. I'm not sure how long it'll take for them to fade completely, but considering the rate they're going already, I don't think it will be long at all. However, the Chemical X vitamins should prevent you from feeling bad, like what Blossom was experiencing."
Buttercup just nodded her head slowly, pressing her lips together. That had not been the answer she was hoping for.
"So, what happens when our powers fade completely?" Bubbles asked next.
"Well, Bubbles," Professor said, folding his arms. "You'll probably be feeling pretty average. You won't be able to rely on your powers for everyday things anymore. Also, you'll probably feel tired, and be more vulnerable to human problems. We'll find out what those are specifically as they come." He shrugged at us. "Basically, you'll be more like humans than you've ever been before."
My stomach twisted with unease at that.
"But Professor," Boomer cut in, "Why is this just affecting them? Why isn't anything happening to us, too?" He was frowning, confused. "We're made of just as much Chemical X as they are, aren't we? So what gives?"
Before Professor could answer, I did. "I think it's because we're older," I said. I'd reached this conclusion on my own; it had been something that I was thinking about earlier after the big reveal. "We were made almost an entire year before you were made."
"She's right," said Professor, nodding. "And you were also made in a slightly different manner than the girls were. Since Mojo didn't make you in a lab with my Chemical X, there's no telling exactly how it'll eventually degrade. But it's been nearly the same amount of time, so both versions of Chemical X are close to the same age."
There was a moment of loaded, heavy silence.
"Then this might be us too," Brick said quietly to his brothers. "Soon."
Butch turned to Professor. "How soon?"
Professor looked at him grimly. "It's hard to say the exact amount of time. It's hard to say this is how your Chemical X will deteriorate, if it will at all. But if I could examine some samples of DNA from you and your brothers, I could make an educated guess."
The brothers exchanged glances and nods, a wordless discussion, then Brick turned to Professor. "We'll do it," he said.
After gathering some supplies from his lab, Professor came back up and took some DNA samples from the boys. He encased the samples in tubes and individual plastic bags. Then, before he took the samples back down to his lab, he turned to my sisters and I. "Girls," he started softly, "I don't know how you'll feel about this, but…I think it may be best if you stayed home tonight and tomorrow, so that I can keep an eye on you. I'm sorry if you had plans, but I would hate for something to happen while you weren't here again. I don't want to worry."
I exchanged a look with my sisters and then nodded at him and said, "Sure, Professor. We will."
He left to his lab, locking the door behind him once again. The turn of the lock felt so loud.
We said goodbye to the guys, exchanging tight, somber hugs and promises to call. They hated to leave us, but we insisted, so they did. All three of us watched them drive back to UofT in their cars from the front door. After we couldn't see the taillights of their cars anymore, we went inside, locking out the cold air.
That night, I barely slept. At one point, I sat at my window. Turning over the events that had taken place over and over again in my mind, I frowned, staring out blankly. The snow day that had started out so peacefully was now so grim. The world was enshadowed in white and darkness. But how could they both exist so easily at the same time?
I rested my palm against the window. For moment, I let it rest there. Soon, much sooner than it would have before, my skin began to sting against the bitingly cold glass, and I drew it back. Hollow, I turned away from the window sill, walked to my bed, and laid back on it. I closed my eyes, not wanting to have nightmares but wanting that awful day to end anyway.
And finally, mercifully, after endless turning and thinking I possibly may never sleep again, the end came.
Stay tuned!
Next chapter may come before the end of January. Either that, or by the very beginning of February! Hope you guys have had a great new year so far.
Thanks again for all of your interest and support, I really appreciate it!
-MsButterFingers
