The boys woke up on the sofa in Wendy's house the next morning, as she only had the one bed, which was her own. Brick rubbed his eyes as he sat up. He had pretty much recovered from last night.
The other two Rowdyruffs stirred but didn't want to actually get up as this sofa was the most comfortable thing they had slept on in a while, but eventually did grudgingly. Brick wasn't too high spirited either. If anything he seemed quite worried. The events of last night would have definitely put him and his brothers on the mob's hit list. It was just a good thing the three of them were near indestructible. Emphasising the word 'near'.
Boomer looked over to the kitchen and saw that the washing up hadn't been done yet due to the events of last night.
"Y'know, Bubbles told me once that she and her sisters do chores around their house sometimes to help the Professor" he told his brothers.
"I suppose, since Wendy let us sleep here, it's the least we could do" Brick figured.
"Chores? Oh why do we have to do that?" Butch moaned lying down on his back.
"Don't you want to help Wendy out?" asked Boomer.
"I, I mean I, I suppose so, after all she did seem quite upset last night" Butch admitted quietly sitting up.
"How upset was she?" Brick asked curiously.
"She had a brave face on, but it was obvious." The green ruff put his head on his hand before figuring "Eh, we have super speed don't we." He zoomed to the kitchen and his brothers followed, washing the dishes in less than ten seconds, as well as cleaning other parts of the kitchen.
"See, it didn't kill ya" Brick pointed out to his green brother.
"Y'know" Butch replied "There was a time where doing something like this would've been the last thing you wanted to do."
"Yeah well, there's a lot of worse things" Brick muttered.
At this moment Wendy came down the stairs yawning and in a robe. Once she entered the kitchen she was somewhat surprised to see that the boys had cleaned it. "Oh, thank you boys. You didn't have to-"
"Doesn't matter" dismissed Brick. "We'll be heading off now anyway."
"Alright, but you boys need to have breakfast first, and that's not a request this time" she smiled.
They sat at the table with food in front of them as Wendy talked and conversed with them. She wanted them to stay for a bit longer, as she had been thinking last night. "So the mob has antidote X somehow, that's worrying."
"Must have seen the mall incident and how we stopped them" Brick figured. "But how did they get something like that?"
"I don't know. Just be more careful when out there, okay?" she advised, clearly worried. Wendy decided to change the subject. "How was the sofa boys? Not too uncomfortable I hope."
"It's better than anything else we've slept on. Heck it's better than prison beds" commented Butch.
"Yes, I figured. It must get really uncomfortable in that warehouse mustn't it? And cold too? Not to mention going hungry or thirsty from time to time."
"We're managing," Brick shrugged, though inside he did want better conditions for his brothers.
"Wouldn't you boys like somewhere decent to sleep though? Somewhere warm? Where you would be fed everyday and, maybe you'd like an education too?" Wendy inquired, glancing up at them to see their reactions.
"You mean, like going to school?" Boomer wondered. The only thing the boys had to go on with what they thought school was like, was one, what they overheard from other kids, and two, what Bubbles had told them. And they were very mixed on the subject. They had heard so many different things from other kids about how terrible it was. That it was hard, boring, stressful.
But what they heard from Bubbles, it sounded like she enjoyed most parts about it. And the way she described it in such detail, couldn't help but make the boys feel slightly curious about it. Though none of them were too keen on that thing they call 'homework'.
Brick then raised an eyebrow and questioned "And, how would we get all those things Wendy?"
"I've been thinking, and, well you see," she paused. "Actually, maybe it is too forward. Don't worry about cleaning up after breakfast boys, I'll do that." The boys left soon after and flew back to their warehouse, all wondering what Wendy was going to propose, although in the back of his mind, Brick had a slight idea.
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In the Founder's police department building, the FDPD, police chief Mccoy was going over the evidence that had been collected from last night. He was wearing some bandages and had cuts all over his face, but he still insisted he come into work today. For a man in his 50s, he could really take a punch. Besides, he wanted to get away for a bit from the wife who was still hysterical about last night.
There wasn't much evidence as most of it was destroyed in the fight, however, thanks to those two Rowdyruffs, several mobsters were caught and arrested, and due to the charges of assaulting the police chief, being bailed out wasn't going to work this time. Each of them were threatened with a worse punishment if they didn't tell the truth and testify in court. And it was that very reason why they had to be protected by police so the rest of the mob couldn't 'silence' them.
Mccoy couldn't help but feel divided on the subject of the Rowdyruffs. It was obvious that they came to this city because of their already tarred reputation in Townsville. And at first he figured that the Rowdyruffs thought they could try their luck here. But there were hardly any crimes coming from them.
The closest thing was that first day they were sighted, when two of them tried to rob that bakery. Because of this, the police had actually requested some duranium darts to be bought from Townsville.
But chief Mccoy saw the security footage from that place. Their red leader, Brick, the same one who saved him last night, stopped the both of them and seemed to have given them a talking down. And amazingly, it actually seemed like he was doing everything in his power not to get him and his brothers sent back to prison, in a good way. And whatever he told them, it must've worked, as that blue ruff, Boomer, helped his red brother in saving him from the mob, and actually did the police a favour.
Question was, how did that Brick boy even manage to find him in the first place? He heard that they had x-ray vision and super hearing, so maybe he was just passing by and saw what was happening. He had a phone on him. Maybe he stole it and was flying back to wherever he was hiding.
But there were no reports of any Rowdyruff stealing any phone. Even then, why would he save him? Perhaps it was the same reason why Mccoy felt compelled to pull him out of that fire.
That, and the mall incident, the shooting incident, reports of the blue Rowdyruff saving a baby. Maybe, just maybe, there was a chance, of those Rowdyruff boys actually leaving their life of crime behind. Though he figured it was too much of a longshot. As the police chief, he must remain professional and stay wary of the three juveniles. He still wasn't certain about them, and this could all still be an act for he knew, however unlikely it seemed.
The hours went by and it was a surprisingly quiet day for Founders city, when it came to crime at least. Mccoy was going to be going home at 9 o'clock tonight.
"Carl, you in there? Looks like it's going to be an early night" a high ranking officer, who was quite good friends with Mccoy, called from outside his door.
"Yeah sure Bill I'll be right there, just let me get my things-" Mccoy was interrupted when suddenly the power blinked out, making it go dark. "What the hell-?"
"Carl?" the officer came through the door and saw the silhouette of the chief. "What the hell happened?"
"Power's gone" Mccoy realised, switching his phone light on.
"It doesn't look like it's just us" said the officer sticking his head out the window, and when the chief did too, he saw that the whole district that the FDPD building was in, had suffered a power cut. A blackout.
"Great, how the hell did this happen?" groaned the officer.
Mccoy then remembered "The fire in the cardboard factory last night. There are major power lines next to that factory, they must've been damaged by it."
"Well it looks like there's going to be a lot more fires Carl, you know what blackouts mean in this city" reminded the officer, and Mccoy swallowed a breath, knowing what was coming.
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Half an hour later, it started. People took advantage of the blackout, a district which just so happened to be full of shops and small businesses. Riots began in the streets. The sounds of windows being smashed, people shouting, alarms going off were heard beyond the district. The smoke and light could be seen from blocks away.
No one would dare attack the police building though, not since the police had guns. Mccoy and the other officers inside were ordered not to leave the building for their own safety, until the riot squad had gotten things under control.
It wasn't long before Bubbles had arrived in Founders for the night, not knowing whether the boys would be at the warehouse or Wendy's place. While flying over the city, she too indeed saw the riots going on. She gasped, and heard the people up in their residencies above their business, clearly trapped and in trouble. Her first thought was to fly down and help those people, but she realised, even with super speed, she wouldn't be able to help everyone in the district on her own in time. She had to get help from the only people in Founders who could.
She checked the warehouse first, and thankfully, that's where the boys were. They sat around a fire warming themselves. They weren't at Wendy's house this time because truthfully, they weren't sure if there was a reason too this time, even though deep down each of them wanted there to be one.
Bubbles darted into the warehouse. "Boys, you're here! Oh Thank goodness! Listen, there's a very very bad riot, going on right now! With very very bad people! Over there! The street with-" she spouted out all at once.
"Woah Bubbs, slow down, what did you see?" Boomer floated to her.
"Use your super hearing" she instructed them, which they did so and their eyes widened.
"That sounds like, some sort of riot" Butch deduced sounding shocked despite what the puff had just told them.
"Yes! There's one happening right now downtown! There are families trapped in buildings, I saw them! I can't help them all on my own" Bubbles pleaded.
"So you want us to help?" Boomer inquired, looking unsure and then at Brick, who he himself looked in deep thought.
"Families?" Brick repeated. "Boomer, Butch, c'mon, we'd better help." He flew out of the warehouse and saw the smoke and light in the distance.
"Guess we're helping" Boomer figured, making Bubbles smile briefly with hope. "You coming Butch?" he asked.
"Eh, what choice do I have?" the green boy muttered and flew out with the blue counterparts and joined their leader.
"There! It's happening over there!" Bubbles pointed and the four of them zoomed over to see most of the district ablaze. Shop windows were smashed and looted, and even some gunshots were heard.
"Look! Above that one!" Boomer saw with his x-ray vision a family of six trapped inside. Brick could hear their screaming.
"Boomer, you help get those people out of those buildings. Bubbles, concentrate on putting out the fires. Use your supersonic screams, the force of wind from them should blow the fire out. Butch, I need your help with something. You come with me" Brick ordered, to which Boomer Butch, and although she wasn't used to receiving orders from a Rowdyruff, Bubbles followed too.
"What are we doing?" Butch turned to his red brother.
"I need you to help me with those martial arts moves you know. We've gotta stop these rioters from damaging anything else or putting more people in danger."
"Can't we just use our super speed and strength?" wondered Butch.
"There's going to be too many pouncing on us, we'll have to fight them hand to hand" Brick explained, and Butch, although skeptical, followed his brother, and flew down with him into the fray of the rioters.
The rioters themselves were surprised to see the two boys. Some initially thought that they were there to loot with them, that is until Brick made the first move and sped into a rioter holding a liquor bottle with a flaming handkerchief hanging out, and hit him unconscious.
After that, some rioters ran, but some foolishly chose to fight. Butch easily countered any punches thrown however, and with moves he had clearly practiced before, lobbed oncoming attackers to the other side of the street.
He was back to back with Brick, and the brothers fended off any challenger together. "Arms close to your body" Butch advised.
Brick remembered most of the moves and techniques that Butch taught him in their spare time. Flying into the stores, Brick apprehended most of the adversaries attempting to steal items inside. Whilst doing this, he managed to catch a few glimpses of his brother fighting, and for someone who seemed very reluctant to get involved in this, he was handling himself very well, which actually made Brick smile in admiration, before being hit back into reality with a wooden plank to the back of the head. Brick carried on with the fight.
Sometimes, Butch would get carried away when attacking the opponents, but Brick would stop him. "Butch, easy!" he would command. The pair did this street to street. Cleaning them up like a sweeper.
Boomer had by now zipped in and out of the residences above most stores and most buildings, and getting them to safety. 'How many more times am I going to fly people out of a burning building?'
Bubbles had some luck putting out the fires using Brick's method. She had to admit, that was kinda clever. When she was fighting the gang green gang the other day with her sisters, and the gang somehow managed to set a whole building on fire, it took Blossom a while to figure out how to fight it.
On her fifth building, a burst of flames blew up in front of her and some smoke stung her eyes, temporarily blindsiding her, just before part of the ceiling collapsed on top of her.
She wiped her eyes barely managing to see again, but when she tried to lift the rubble off her, it was too hot and she burned herself. "Ah!" she cried. She had survived fire before, but during those times it still hurt. Boy did it hurt.
Boomer had just about rescued everyone in the district, but by now the carbon monoxide had gotten to him. He was weak and coughing quite a lot. Landing in the middle of the street, Brick and Butch soon joined him. "Boomer did you save-?"
The blue ruff nodded and went to say something but instead just kept coughing. "The smoke" Brick realised. "Boomer, take deep breaths" he advised worrying about his sibling. Forgetting for a moment all the chaos around them.
"Where's Bubbles?" Boomer croaked. The three of them then heard her cry with their super hearing and looked up to an old abandoned apartment block which they were close to. "She's in there! She's in trouble, we have to-" the blue ruff went into a coughing fit.
"No, stay here and recover, I'll get her" Brick rushed into the fire, heat and ash no bother, and the other two watched with anticipation. Both in complete silence. Felt like all of history was passing by. Until in a red streak, Brick, escaped the flames and carrying Bubbles in his arms. Her clutching to him as he set her down. "Are you alright?" he asked.
"Uh huh" she nodded. "Boomie! Are you alright?" she gasped crawling over to him.
"I'll live," he assured, and she placed her stubs on his shoulders.
"I'd better see if the police are out yet. And any medical people" she flew up into the air to try and locate any.
"Does she mean, paramedics?" Butch commented. The boys then heard vans pull up and saw the riot squad were arresting the rioters, both conscious and unconscious.
Chief Mccoy, who minutes ago had a good view from atop the FDPD building, was amazed at what he saw. There were coloured streaks, saving people and apprehending the rioters. It must've been them. The Rowdyruff boys. He was now with the riot squad, organising them.
When someone shouted though "Look! It's them!" and pointed to the boys, he was hesitant when an officer required "Permission to shoot sir?"
Mccoy stared at the boys. They weren't doing anything. In fact they had just helped them. They had actually quelled this riot for them. Bill, the officer next to Mccoy, gave the order. "Permission granted."
"No wait!" Mccoy tried to say but the officer fired duranium darts with tranquiliser at the boys.
"What? Oh not again-" Butch groaned and started to feel dizzy, Boomer felt the same soon collapsing too.
"Boomer! Butch!" Brick desperately tried to stay awake. But deja vu was happening and he was shot with another dart which he finally blacked out on, 10 seconds after his brothers.
"You got them okay. Now stand down" chief Mccoy ordered the officer.
Bubbles while flying in the air, saw that the riot squad were making arrests and ambulances were helping people. Oh the fire, the flames, the violence. She was no stranger to violence but she had never seen anything like this in Townsville. Oh this city, it looked like the end of the world.
Then she suddenly gasped when she saw her acquaintances; unconscious and being taken away by police. Immediately she wanted to go down there and defend them, and explain to the police that they were helping, trying to stop the riot. A riot she had told them about. Waves of guilt and worry rushed through her.
But if she revealed she was helping them, what would the police do to her? She couldn't just leave the boys. Wendy! Her father's the chief of police. If she got her help, she could explain the situation to him! Bubbles flew off in the direction of where she remembered her house to be.
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Brick, Boomer and Butch awoke in a similar situation, in some sort of cell. They found themselves in duranium handcuffs in some sort of room. The cuffs had weights on them.
"Ugh my head" Boomer moaned. "Well at least I can breathe normally again. Wait, oh no" he felt the cuffs on him. "Brick, Brick they've got us! They got us again Brick!"
"See this is exactly why I didn't like doing stuff like this" scorned Butch.
"Calm down you two, don't panic" Brick advised, as he went through the facts in his head. Boomer had saved people, and they stopped rioters. Witness statements should be in favour. Plus there should be CCTV footage of them right?
"You three, we're taking you to the mayor" an officer got their attention.
"Mayor? Mayor of Founders city?" Boomer looked up.
"C'mon we haven't got all day" other police officers had guns trained on them.
"Just do what they say," Brick advised calmly. They were escorted to an office where they saw a woman sitting at a desk, with a secretary beside her. She looked somewhat nervous. Keeping her hands together and fidgeting slightly.
"So, you three are the infamous Rowdyruff boys from Townsville? I feel like I should inform you three, that we're going to hold you in custody, until we find evidence against you, if there is any. As we are still unsure of your motives" the mayor explained.
Brick remained calm. "Look Mrs Mayor, if you just let me explain now, I can tell you everything."
Meanwhile at a reception desk in city hall, a man was typing at a computer when without looking up he noticed a woman approach the desk. "Hello, I'm here to see the mayor," she said.
"Name?" asked the man.
"Wendy Innlost" the woman replied, to which the man slowly looked up.
"Innlost?" he paused. "As in, Mrs Mark Innlost?" The woman nodded and smiled.
"It's you isn't it? Wendy. He told me about you, I used to work with Mark in the Founder's science labs, I was his assistant, for a while anyway" the man shook her hand.
"Yes hello" Wendy chuckled. "Mark told me about you too."
"Yeah I'm, sorry I couldn't make it to the funeral, Mark was a brilliant man" he remembered. "Things haven't gone so well since he passed, hence why I work part time here."
"It's fine. I'm here to see the mayor."
"Ah yes, she's actually in a meeting right now-"
"With the Rowdyruff boys, yes I know."
"How did you-?"
"Oh I, actually wanted to see her about that too." She then said in a quiet tone so he wouldn't hear "And my hopes to adopt them."
Hey guys, another chapter. You know I noticed I haven't done a Bubbles chapter recently, so there'll probably be one soon. This chapter focussed on chief Mccoy a bit and exploring his character, also a bit of deja vu. I decided to tweak the summary again a bit too. I don't think I'll ever be happy with it. Anyway, thanks ekka189, John Armstrong and Bigou for reviewing.
Powerpuff girls and Rowdyruff Boys belong to CN.
