XII

As soon as the vehicle left the alleyway, Brick's form reappeared itself in the same spot he had stood in during his confrontation with Boomer; he had taken a mental picture of the license plates and remembered which way the car had turned. The Girls were more than likely going to be busy the rest of the night, which left Brick a lot of time to start planning his next move. Now that he knew that Boomer was in Townsville, and had been in Townsville for quite some time, it made their search a lot easier. However, there still was that question of where is Boomer going to be and is he ever going to be alone? Seems like while Brick and Butch were out hiding and sneaking around to get by during their time underground, Boomer had been making some connections and probably started a whole new life.

A displeased frown etched itself on his face and he became thoughtful as he recalled the previous events. He understood Boomer's dissatisfaction with the life they had to live and the way they had to live it; in fact, Brick was certain that nobody understood better than he did. Did Brick like going through with the heists? No. Did Brick enjoy killing innocents? Definitely not. But when he and his brothers were five years old with no family and no way to survive, Brick had to do what he thought was best.

A grit in his teeth, Brick recalled the last memories he had of Him and Mojo. It hadn't been the best goodbye, and certainly hits the top as the worst one he's ever had to do. Brick promised he'd care for his brothers better than those rancid pieces of shit could ever do. He promised them a better life, where they didn't have to worry about a damn thing anymore. He remembers Boomer wanting to be normal. Not wanting to do the shit they've had to do, not having to worry about when they're next heist would be, who they'd have to hurt on the way to the top. Was that why Boomer was siding with the enemy? Was that why he became so defensive when Brick spoke lewdly about Buttercup? Was she… was she giving him a better life than he could?

Well, shit. If Boomer wanted his cock sucked, all he had to do was ask.

Funny how humor wasn't making him feel any better. Maybe if Butch was here, it'd ease the pain a little bit.

A loud crash sounded nearby followed by a quiet "fuck!" Of course, he'd recognize his brother anywhere—footsteps, voice, fuck-ups and all. Brick closed his eyes tight and sighed heavily. Maybe he should be more careful of what he wishes for. Nevertheless, he followed the sound of the crash and found Butch around the corner, stuck in a hoard of toppled over trash cans. "That was quick." Brick commented as he approached his brother, who struggled vehemently in the garbage.

"Yeah, well," Butch began with a grunt, "wasn't exactly a long walk."

"Not a short one, either. What happened?"

Butch cursed under his breath and stood to his feet, shaking off a dirty napkin that stuck itself to his cheek. "Boomer doesn't live there anymore, bro. Dust and shit all over the place." Brick had figured that. It was unlikely that he would return to Shitiesville after having it good here. Girls there don't look anything like Buttercup does; Brick knew this from terrible experience.

"Was that it?" Brick asked as he pulled a noodle off Butch's shoulder, disgust littering his face as he did so.

"Tyler's been by." The fire-haired brother froze and shot his eyes to meet Butch's.

"Are you serious?"

"His hideout's been empty, Brick. Nobody's been around to keep watch on the deposit." Butch ran his hand through his unruly hair, frowning tersely. "Empty house means an empty safe. We don't have Boomer's part of the money."

Brick stopped being surprised at how deadly calm Butch can get sometimes. He actually valued it since Butch had a terrible habit of being such an idiotic hothead when they were younger. Over time, Butch understood what their business was and acted accordingly. He was still a pain in the ass when it came to his smokes and women, though, and Brick figured that it couldn't be helped. "How much was he supposed to hold?"

"Does it matter? It's gone. If Tyler found it, he also knows Boomer hasn't been around. Which means our other deposits might be—"

Brick shook his head. "No. They've been picked up. We were supposed to get Boomer and his deposit. That's all the Old Man wanted us to get." Digging into his pocket, Brick took out a pack of cigarettes and handed them to Butch, who eagerly took one and lit it up. A contented almost pleasurable groan escaped Butch as he fed his addiction, while Brick took comfort in the secondhand smoke. "Fucking shit, Boomer."

"What do we do?"

"You sure the money's all gone?"

"Yeah, saw through the safe. It's gone. I know his prints anywhere, bro." Brick rubbed his temples tightly.

"You have any idea where he's staying? Who he's been staying with?"

"Not a fucking clue."

"That's what we're going to do tonight. You and me. We're running through houses tonight, find out where his shit's at. Tyler's four steps ahead of us, so we need to make sure whoever he's staying with is safe. That shit stain gave them a death sentence, so now we have to go in and change it. Then we're going to find him, and you're going to knock his ass the fuck out."

Butch grinned wickedly. "Nice. Let's get to work."

Ricky moaned, his head ripping him a new one. Jesus, when was the last time he felt this much like shit? "Ugh," he didn't want to think about the bile rising up in his throat. Vomiting was so fucking disgusting when he did it.

"Easy there." He remembers the nurse's voice so he instantly relaxed. "You fell off the bed last night. Hit your head pretty hard."

"How long have I been out?" He slurred. The nurse touched her hand to a sore spot in his scalp and he flinched.

"About an hour or two. You're going to be just fine. Thankfully you didn't make your concussion any worse." Ricky wasn't as relieved. He still had the image on the two freaks in his head. Especially the one with the stone face and cold stare. Ricky put his head back against his pillow and sighed loudly. "I wouldn't go to sleep, Ricky. You have a visitor and she's been waiting for you to wake up."

"Must be my damn wife." Ricky grumbled, thinking immediately of Kat and Buttercup.

The nurse chuckled and he heard the door open. "Rick?" His eyes shot open and he hissed when the light hit his sensitive eyes.

"Darlin'?" Footsteps hurried to his bedside and he risked another shot to open his eyes. Darlene was there, alive and well, with her sharp chin and dimples. "Baby…"

Darlene looked a little flustered at his affectionate pet names as the nurse smiled fondly at the two of them like she was watching two lovers reunite. "Will you stop calling me that?" She asked bashfully.

Ricky continued to grin widely. "I thought I was only gettin' BC and Kat, but seems like I'm lucky enough to get you, too. How's the hangover, baby cakes?"

"Can you… give us a minute?" Darlene asked to the hovering nurse, who blushed and nodded furiously, scurrying out of the door the second she realized she had been eavesdropping. As soon as the door clicked shut, the brunette turned back to Ricky, a look of desperation crossing her face. Ricky's usual mischievous grin disappeared. "I'm in trouble, Rick. Someone's out to get me."

"The hell are you talking about, Darlin'?" Just then, the door opened up again and in walked Mitch. Ricky quirked a brow between the two. "What's going on?"

Mitch came around to Ricky's other side and poked his temple. "Thought you'd look worst, dude."

"Piss off, Mitchelson." Ricky grumbled. "What are you doing here?"

"Drove Darlene here." That's right, the bitch doesn't drive.

Ricky looked expectantly to Darlene and he suddenly took notice of how bloodshot her eyes were. "Darlene. What's going on?"

"They came last night, Rick. They were looking for Boomer." Ricky furrowed his brow.

"Two guys? One with green eyes, the other with red?"

Darlene shook her head. "Five. All of them were wearing masks except one, he kept asking me where Boomer was. They all had guns, Rick, and they were trying to find his stuff."

"Jesus Christ, where the hell do you find these damn roommates?"

"Shut up!" Darlene hissed. "They left when they couldn't find him, but they said they'd be back to kill me if they can't find him." She hiccuped and her eyes became glassy. "I don't want to die, Ricky. I love him but I don't want to die."

Ricky turned towards Mitch who had been staring at his heart monitor. "And you?"

"I just drove her here, Ri—"

"Bullshit. Tell me why you're really here?"

Mitch sighed. "Kat's apartment burned down last night. BC was staying with her, man. I was hoping one of ya'll had seen them. BC isn't texting back and Kat's nowhere to be found."

"Oh, poor Mitch. Your girl's gone missing and now you don't know what to do. You're so fucking hopeless!"

"Fuck you!" Mitch growled, matching Darlene's cold glare with a nastier one of his own. Ricky nodded approvingly—this was the relationship he was used to between the two of them. "You're fucking lucky I brought you, bitch."

"That's all you fucking talk about anymore, pansy ass! 'Oh, what's Buttercup doing right now? I miss her so much, dude!' Get the fuck over it. You're the one who ended it."

Mitch stood to his feet, fists clenched at his sides. "Can't you ever just mind your own business? Stop being pissy because nobody wants you."

Darlene got up, too. Ricky quickly interjected before anyone could continue, "Whoa, easy! Ease up, dude! Calm your tits, fuck!" His hands swatted both of his friends and they slowly sat back down in their seats, not taking their heated glares off one another. "Alright, calm down. Mitch, what the hell were you saying?"

"Kat's apartment burned down last night. Buttercup was staying with her. I haven't heard shit from either of them." A look of bitter resentment washed over Mitch as he glanced at Ricky. "I know you guys have a thing, I wanted to see if you've talked to her since then?"

Ricky felt uncomfortable. It was always awkward with Mitch because of that one time he and Buttercup fooled around. Mitch never let him forget it and Ricky doubted he was ever going to get over it. "No. They visited yesterday afternoon but I haven't heard anything from any of them. But I did get some guys coming around asking about Boomer." Ricky shivered as he thought about it again. "Dudes, I think they're the same as the Girls. They could fly and their eyes were glowing. They weren't… human."

"What the hell are we supposed to do, then?" Darlene asked.

"You sound like you're ready to run, Mathews."

"Oh, bite my ass, Mitchelson."

Mitch shook his head. "I didn't mean it like that. You sound like you wanna skip town or somethin'."

"Well maybe I do. I can't stay another second here if they're coming back. I don't want to die, Mitch!"

"Hey, hey. No one's saying you're going to die."

"We need to come up with a plan. If your guys won't come back, mine definitely will." Ricky said, fear creeping up his spine as he thought about coming face-to-face with the two guys again. "But… fuck, what the hell can we do?"

"I think we should call BC and the Girls." Darlene suggested.

"We gotta find BC first, though." Mitch commented as he patted his pockets, feeling for his pack of cigarettes. He must've left them in the truck.

"Any idea where she could be?" Ricky asked to Darlene.

"You know she doesn't talk to me outside of your parties." Darlene scowled, crossing her arms over her chest. Ricky winced. It was getting awkward again.

"I'll try to find her. If not, Bloss never leaves the lab anyway. I'll talk to her." Mitch stood to his feet again and bumped his fist with Ricky's. "I'll call you up when I find them. Stay here, Darlene. You'll stay alive longer if you stay in a crowd." Darlene whimpered quietly but nodded.

"Be safe out there, bro." Ricky called just as Mitch stepped out of the room.

"What the hell is going on?" Blossom demanded just as they all shuffled into Ms. Keane's house. Buttercup plopped down on the couch and lolled her head back, feeling her stomach rumble uncomfortably. She felt like taking a shit and wasn't in the mood for another interrogation.

Keane looked to Boomer, who shied from her hard stare. She certainly was a frightening woman when she was upset. "You better tell them quick, Boomer. Or I'll make the call to the police and have them shut you down personally."

Boomer gulped and took a seat next to Buttercup, who watched him closely from the corner of her eyes. Without a second's hesitation, she placed her hand on his knee. His eyes shot to hers, suddenly reminded of her presence since he had ignored her the entire ride. With a reassuring squeeze, Buttercup removed her hand and waited expectantly.

It was just the support he needed.

"Butch got into a fight in a bar. Some money was thrown around in a bet, he lost it all. It was money we had been saving for our heist at the Capital. He freaked out and followed the guy who won it out into the parking lot… then he stabbed him." Boomer bunched up the hem of his shirt into his fists. "Took the money and hightailed it back home. Old Man heard him coming from a mile away. As soon as he came in, we all went out. Brick to the Capital, Butch to Valleyview and me to Citiesville. Old Man was going to fix everything, all we had to do was lay low for a while. It's been a year since then."

"What was this heist for?"

He hesitated, catching his lip tightly between his teeth. "It was our last one. The last one for a long time. The payout was supposed to be good enough to have us living high and well for decades. Brick promised us this was it. That this was going to be the end of all the abuse and shit. We were gonna be all right. Just one more heist."

Blossom frowned. "But what was it for?"

Boomer shut his eyes tight. "We were… we were gonna buy the Capital Tower, put a big ass insurance coverage on it and then blow it up a month later."

Buttercup shot up in her seat. "What?"

"The Capital Tower's in charge of sending electricity throughout the nation, Boomer! What the hell were you guys thinking?" Blossom looked to Ms. Keane who stayed very quiet. "Did you know about this Ms. Keane?" The betrayal in her voice was unmistakable.

"Charles can't do anything by himself." Keane responded. "I have a secret identity at the Capital. I'm an envoy of sorts. I was going to negotiate the purchase, settle the coverage, and claim the insurance."

"You were going along with this?!"

Keane glared at Blossom. "I had no other option, Blossom! I was at the wrong place at the wrong time. I have a debt to pay and if I don't pay it then they were going to kill off every student I've ever taught, one at a time until I agreed. Please don't make this any harder than it has to be, Blossom. I won't lose another child under my watch." Keane gasped and bit her lip. She had said too much.

"We've got enemies. They want to do something far worse than just killing off the power supply. This is the only way we could stop them and if we could make money along the way then we were going to do it. I'm not proud of it." Boomer was looking at Buttercup, eyes burning as he imagined her turning him away. The one person he had felt a connection with, who understood the shit he was going through… he couldn't imagine her thinking of him like dirt. It hurt just thinking about it. "What I'm doing is the better of two evils, I know it is, but I'd rather have the entire nation in a blackout then there not to be anything at all."

"Charles is going to fix everything. You have to trust us, Blossom. You don't want to know what terrible things they have planned for us all."

"Who is 'they'?" Blossom asked, not leaving any room for silence.

"The Red X's. They started off as an underground group of thieves that stole from houses and tagged cars. Then they started killing and killing and killing. They wanted chaos, thrived on it, so they made a weapon that could control the population as a whole—make everyone do their bidding. They wanted murder and money and everything to be theirs." Boomer explained.

"The weapon wasn't supposed to happen. It shouldn't even exist but they had Charles who originally designed it. He disapproved of what they were planning to do with it so he left with the remaining blueprints. They hunted him down, cut off his leg so he couldn't run again, and finished the weapon." Ms. Keane sighed warily as she sat on the sofa by herself. "It works on electricity, but they're trying to find other resources to power it because it needs a lot of power to even function for more than a few seconds."

"So you're going to blow up the Tower just to stop this weapon from working?" Buttercup asked. Boomer nodded.

"Old Man's been taking care of us for a while. When he told us about the heist, he promised it'd give us all the money we need to be okay. He said this was our last one ever. He was going to take care of everything else while we just finally… relaxed." He again looked to Buttercup. "I didn't mean to keep anything from you."

All eyes turned to Blossom, who stood contemplatively near the exit. "What are you thinking, Bloss?" Bubbles asked.

"I think we should all get some sleep and come up with a plan of action tomorrow."

"Wait, what? No, you guys can't get involved in this!" Boomer looked frantic as he switched his stare between Blossom, Buttercup and Bubbles. "We're in too deep, there's no way out for us. You guys have a choice to stay out of it."

"And we chose to get involved." Blossom snapped. "Don't think we're done here, because we're most definitely not! It's been an exhausting day and I'd like to go to sleep. Please show us to our rooms, Ms. Keane." Silence followed her as she stormed through the hallway. Ms. Keane stood from her seat and shuffled after her, Bubbles following in suit.

Buttercup sighed again, heavily, as she fought the vomit from coming out.

"I'm really sorry Butte—"

"Shut up before I puke."

Copyright © 2013 by scorpialin
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