Allies and Rivals II
Chapter 33
Setting the Trap
The City of Townsville, and the population, though tense, were relaxed, not expecting any immediate attack from Ckracknow. Their panic was by now over, and they had supreme confidence in their heroes that whenever Ckracknow might attack, the villains would be defeated.
Their heroes, the Ruff-Puff Alliance, were themselves positive they would win. They already had eliminated Beta and Cychaela from the equation, and they had defeated attempts by Ckracknow to use riots to disrupt their training. They had a reliable spy in Harry Shippe who not only gave crucial information to the Alliance, but also fed disinformation to Ckracknow.
Now they only have Alpha, Epsilon and Delta to worry about.
It was nine-thirty in the evening, and Blossom had just finished reading the contents of the folder Brick had given her.
The contents of the folder were the following:
December 20, 20-.
The situation dramatically improved because of the death in the Battle of Townsville Plains of Cychaela and Beta. The remaining objectives are the death and defeat of Alpha, Delta and Epsilon.
It has been observed that the main strength of the enemy is in their ridiculous strength, speed and their excellent cooperation. Therefore,
1. We cannot fight them in a fair fight. One on one, two on two, three on three, we cannot but lose. Two on one or even three on one, they would be victorious.
2. We have numerical advantage, have better communications with each other, have excellent cooperation, have better intelligence, have better armor and technology, and have a secure base to retreat to in Townsville which, from Harry Shippe's intelligence, we know that Ckacknow would not invade.
3. Our aim should be to neutralize their advantages, and maximize ours.
4. The best way to do so is to isolate one of them while all six of us simultaneously attack him in battle. That is the only way for us to secure victory. That is the key in Cychaela and Beta's defeat.
5. The problem is selecting who our next target would be, and how to isolate him.
Harry Shippe gave the following information on the strengths and weaknesses of the remaining teen-age villains.
1. Alpha - he is the leader of the team. He is the strongest, fastest, smartest, and most powerful of them all. His physical strength is as powerful as his energy attacks, and his fighting ability is just as impressive. He is the toughest nut to crack among the remaining three villains.
2. Epsilon - The strongest in terms of physical strength. A single punch could kill a ruff or puff at level 27. And he has very tough body. However, his weakness is that he has no laser or any ranged attacks whatsoever, he's probably the slowest of the group. And his body, though invincible to physical attacks, is weak if hit by laser.
3. Delta - Fast, but not as fast as Alpha and Epsilon, has the most powerful laser attacks. His body is weak compared to others. When fighting him, avoid being hit by laser. Better to defeat him using hand-to-hand fighting. Not really different from Beta.
So, using all the data above, I have come to the conclusion that our next target should be Epsilon because I believe he is the one who can easily be killed if he can be surrounded by at least five ruffs and puffs. The primary consideration would be the length of the fight since we cannot afford a long drawn out fight with him so as to prevent his colleagues from joining him if they should find out that Epsilon is outnumbered. In short, he must be dead before his two colleagues could realize that he is in danger and join him.
A fight with Delta, though easy, would be a long and drawn out affair, and Alpha and Epsilon would join him before we could finish him off. Epsilon, however, would be faster if not easier to kill using concentrated laser fire.
Having now established our next target, our problem is how to put him in a position where he would be alone and vulnerable and at the same time, prevent Delta and Alpha from interfering once the fight had commenced.
In making our plans, it is important that we know the mindset of the enemy and use that to our advantage. Our asset Harry Shippe has provided us with information in that category.
1. Most probably, they still don't know what really happened to Beta and Cychaela.
2. They think Blossom is still the leader.
3. They think Blossom would not attempt anything unfair, and would follow an honor code in fighting.
4. They would not think Blossom would resort to dirty tricks to win, and would not lie.
5. They think that Blossom controls every aspect of the operation, and everybody obeys her, and I, William B. Edwards Jr., am just a front.
6. It is highly probable, though not certain, that Ckracknow would trust us, though we must not depend on that.
Armed with the above knowledge, I have formulated a plan for isolating Epsilon and making sure that the others would not interfere against us. It would be subject to revisions if errors and wrong assumptions were found upon further inspection
1. Blossom would write a letter to Ckracknow challenging Epsilon on a one-on-one fight with Boomer on a deserted place somewhere in the state. Ckracknow would probably accept, seeing that Epsilon is much stronger than Boomer, and he would expect that his henchman would easily kill my brother.
2. The challenge, however, is not really what it is. It is just a ruse to lure Epsilon away from his colleagues, and to isolate him, so we can take care of him six-on-one, and which we definitely would win
3. Accepting the premise above, the only problem would be that Ckracknow would have to be prevented from sending Alpha and Delta to the battlefield. There are several problems if that happens. That is why supreme deception must be made. Luckily, according to intelligence reports from Harry Shippe, they still had no idea what happened to Beta and Cychaela. They haven't the faintest idea what really happened to them, so they would be more susceptible
4. Therefore, every measure must be made to ensure that Ckracknow would believe that we would actually adhere to our guarantees that only Boomer would fight Epsilon.
The rest of the paper was just a summary of the battles they had with Beta and Cychaela, and its analysis, plus all the events that happened since December 10, from the attack of Citiesville, to the making of the initial strategy of the Ruffs and Puffs, to the death by the hour on TV of Townsville residents, to the introduction of Harry Shippe, through the giving of dictatorial powers to Brick, to the abortive attempt of Buttercup and Bubbles to make a rescue of trapped Citiesvillans, to the narrow escape when Brick and Butch made a dramatic rescue of Buttercup and Bubbles, to when a mob of five thousand tried to attack their homes but whom Blossom disbanded by an impassioned speech, to Bubbles and Buttercup's punishment, to the riot by the twenty thousand refugees, and to its crushing, right up to the fight with Beta and Cychaela.
Brick's notes, to say the least, impressed Blossom. They were as detailed, and as precise, as was her own notes. The only difference was that she wrote her notes on a notebook using a pen, while Brick encoded it. It was crisp, dry, objective, and to the point, with no emotion whatsoever, meant to inform, not to entertain, and boring to anybody not interested.
It was ten in the night…
The kids had been asleep for an hour. Brick decided to have his brothers and the girls sleep early that night in order to let them have sufficient rest. They were still a bit tired from the fight with Beta and Cychaela, and (for the boys) going to the field twice because of the prank. In order to prevent a possible revenge attempt that night by the girls, Brick decreed that sleeping at that designated night or any other night was part of the training and threatened punishment to anyone up after nine for any reason other than relieving themselves in the bathroom. He also said that every minute till Ckracknow's final defeat was training time, which ensured himself and his brothers from revenge attempts on the girls.
Brick was waiting for Blossom to arrive in the room downstairs adjacent to the living room. He was sitting on a couch drinking hot chocolate, reading some books. The door opened, and Blossom entered, holding in her right hand the folder with the files Brick gave her earlier that night.
"So, you read it?"
"Yup!"
"So, what do you think?"
"Well, a couple of things. First of all, congratulations on making such precise and detailed notes on the subject of the past few days. You have a very good grasp of reality. Second, that was a really good plan, but there are several things missing. By the way, what possessed you to ask me to review your plan?"
"Well, Blossom, you might be the ugliest girl in the world, a royal pain in the ass, annoying, bossy, arrogant, pretentious, hideous, jerky and such, have bad breath and stinks but anybody who claims you're not brilliant is a fool. You're smart. I know you can perfect my near-perfect plan."
"I'll ignore most of your erroneous description of me, you big fat blind, arrogant, slimy jerk, because it's not true. As for this plan, as I said, there are several missing things in this plan."
"Let me guess, it wasn't detailed enough, it doesn't address the problem that would arise if Ckracknow, Alpha and Epsilon insisted on watching the fight? And what exactly would you write to convince Ckracknow on our sincerity? Well, you're smart Blossom, you solve these problems."
"What, you want me to do your work? You're the leader!"
"And you're the second in command! Or at least you pretend to be one! I made the basic plans. And you should thank me that I allowed you to have some use by making you solve those problems, Blossom, so you could really be a second-in-command, instead pretending you're important to all."
"That's not true," Blossom shouted.
"Besides, you're telling me that you can't figure out the details of my plan? Let's face it, even if you're ugly and hideous, you're a brilliant and intelligent girl, and I know I can depend on you to carry on if I falter or solve things I can't!"
"Well, thanks Brick! And put it in that head of yours that I'm not ugly! I'm the most beautiful girl in this world!"
"Aarrgh! Now that's the wrongest thing I've heard all day—you being beautiful! Well, what are your suggestions?" Brick asked.
"Okay. I've read this, and the problems you've mentioned I've already spotted the moment I've read this. And I've been thinking several solutions to it. But one question, Brick. Wouldn't this be tad too sneaky? I mean we could permanently ruin our reputations if the letter becomes public?"
"I for one am not concerned whatsoever about our reputations! As long as we win! Besides, we won't damage our reputation with the people. I mean, you teamed up with Mojo to get candy from the Mayor for crying out loud, and they still forgave you! But, if you're concerned about your precious reputation, don't worry, I'm sure you'll find some way to keep the letter from the public."
"Well, I guess being victorious is more important than your reputation," Blossom replied. "Okay, here's the letter that I made."
"What? You already made the letter?" asked an astonished Brick, grabbing the piece of paper from Blossom's hand. "And in your handwriting too? I thought you were going to type it?"
"Well, you mentioned that since we were to make them think that I am the leader, might as well make sure that they don't even suspect the truth. Writing it using a pen would ensure that they wouldn't doubt I wrote it," Blossom said.
Brick carefully read the letter. "Not bad. Not bad at all!" he said after reading it. "Put it in an envelop and have Mr. Shippe deliver it to Mr. Ckracknow. If he agrees to your exact terms, then we'll have one less opponent to worry about."
"Well, is that all?"
"You still find any problems with our plan?"
"No?"
"Well, goodnight, you ugly girl," Brick said. "Time to hit the sack."
"Good night, you big fat arrogant jerk," Blossom snapped back. "And I'm not ugly!"
"By the way, Blossom, are you planning for revenge on my brothers for the prank they did?"
"Of course, but I won't tell you when," Blossom replied.
"Well, just don't do it while Ckracknow is still alive," Brick warned. "And I ain't a jerk."
Both leaders then went to bed.
The next day, December 21…
It was nine in the morning in Ckracknow's Citiesville headquarters. Ckracknow had been in his office, pacing back and forth, his face worried, looking at his watch ever so often. He sometimes stared at the window. The weather was still freezing, though it had stopped snowing and the sky was clear of any clouds. Besides him, as always, was the silent Epsilon, guarding his master. He was joined by Alpha, fresh from flying around the country.
"Well, did you find any trace of Beta and Cychaela?" asked Ckracknow.
"No. Not a single clue to where they were or where they might have been. I mean, where could they have gone?" Alpha reported.
"They couldn't have been killed or defeated by the kids. It would have been all over the news by now. Not to mention that it is impossible. Those two are just too powerful for that to happen."
"Maybe they secretly switched sides?" Alpha proposed.
"No. As you very well know, they can't do that. I've made them so they can't betray me."
"You're right," Alpha said. "But where could they have gone? Maybe they were lost in the snowstorm?"
"Nah. They're too smart for that to happen," Ckracknow said. "Well, they can't be killed by the kids, they can't switch sides, and they can't be lost. They just disappeared, and we have no clue what happened to them."
Harry Shippe arrived, and cautiously approached Ckracknow with a letter in his hand. "Sir?"
"Yes Harry?"
"Um, you see, Blossom Utonium, the leader of the Ruff-Puff Alliance, wrote a letter to you. She asked me to mail it, but I decided to give it to you personally so you can have it sooner, given that the postal system of this city has been cut off from the rest of the world," Harry explained.
Ckracknow took the letter and read it.
Dear Mr. Ckracknow,
Over the past few days, our struggle seemed to have settled into a stalemate, our fight getting nowhere, and mutually exhausting for both of us.
I decided to propose something. Why don't James Boomer Edwards and Epsilon fight a one-on-one battle on a deserted plain 20 miles south of Townsville, tomorrow, December 22, at nine in the morning? It would, in no way end the struggle, but it might tip the scales a bit, and that would lead to the resolution of this crisis and ease the burden of the population.
The rules are that it should be a fair one-on-one fight, and that nobody else of either side should interfere. And to make it more interesting, nobody but the two combatants should be at the battle site.
The fight is not to be permitted to be filmed live in order to avoid the temptation of one side interfering if the fight is not going well for one side. Rather, the fight would be filmed, and it would be sent to a local media station by the victors, so both sides would only know the result after the conclusion of the fight.
I, as leader of the Powerpuff Girls, do solemnly pledge, on my honor, and the honor and reputation of my sisters and the boys, that we would abide by this agreement if you do so, and not interfere in the fight, even if our side is losing.
Please reply.
(signed)
Blossom Utonium
Ckarcknow then handed the letter both to Shippe and to Alpha, who read and examined it.
"Well?" asked Ckracknow. "What do you think? Should I accept it, or not?"
"I don't think so. I think it's a trap," Alpha advised. "I mean, they know that Boomer can't win against Epsilon alone. I think they plan to pounce on him. And that part where we can't go to the battlefield and it can't be filmed live meant that they don't want us to know what was really happening. Why? Because they don't want us to know that they will be interfering in the fight."
"And how do you know this?" Ckracknow asked.
"That's what I would have done," Alpha said.
"I disagree, sir. I don't think they'd risk their reputations by fragrantly violating their own word. They pledged their solemn word in that letter, and I doubt that they would descend so low as you suggested, Alpha," Harry argued.
"Well, why wouldn't they? I would!" Alpha shot back.
"Well they're not you. While you, Alpha, are an unscrupulous villain who would not hesitate to use such methods, they are not! They are superheroes with a pure heart and word of honor, and consider their reputations, which would be ruined if they did that, as important as winning," Shippe argued.
"Yeah, but if that is so, why would they be so stupid as to challenge Epsilon on a one on one fight they'd surely lose?" Ckracknow asked.
"Well, maybe they think he can beat him, otherwise, they won't commit a kamikaze act like that," Shippe said. "After all, they were training all this time, and they individually got more powerful. Still, we all know that no matter how much they train, they can never defeat us in battle. We are just too powerful. Still, it's a comfort to them that they think that they can beat Epsilon just by training. After all, if they think they'll eventually surpass him in strength, they will fight when they think they have surpassed him. For some reason, they think they can beat him now."
"In other words, they're deluded," Ckracknow said.
"Yup! I suggest you accept it as it is. There's no harm in doing so. They're too good to cheat. They will abide by the agreement and keep out of the fight, thinking that Boomer can win. And since we all know how a Boomer and Epsilon fight will turn out, why worry?"
"You're right," Alpha conceded. "You're a spy on their house, and know possibly more about them than me. Still, I see no reason to observe the agreement. We can still ambush Boomer, and the rest wouldn't be any wiser to it since they will not be there."
"Yeah, but why bother? If you do that, they'll find out sooner or later, and they wouldn't believe anything we say after that. They then wouldn't make similar stupid moves because they can claim we cheated. Better play it fair, since Epsilon would win, and they can't complain on cheating on our part, can they?" Shippe argued. "Let's not make it a travesty."
"Well, you make a hell of an argument, Harry, so we'll do it your way," Ckracknow said. "As Napoleon said on Austerlitz, 'The enemy is making a major strategic error. Let's not disturb them'."
Ckracknow then took a piece of paper and wrote his reply. It read:
Ms. Utonium,
Have read your proposal. I accept it fully. Epsilon will fight Boomer on your terms and rules.
(signed)
Ferguson Ckracknow.
He put it in an envelope, sealed it, and gave it to Shippe. "Give this to Blossom."
Harry Shippe took the letter and went back to Townsville.
Later, at twelve…
The kids were taking a break from training. They were already at level 31, but were hard pressed to reach level 32.
They were at the living room, resting among the couches, when someone knocked on the door.
"I'll get it," Butch said and opened the door. "Oh, it's you, Mr. Shippe."
"Yes, can I come in?"
"Mr. Shippe, so?" Brick eagerly asked.
Mr. Shippe gave the letter to Brick. Brick read it, and his eyes widened in glee.
"What?" Blossom said, grabbing the paper and reading it. A big smile came upon her face. "They took the bait!" she exclaimed, barely able to resist screaming for joy. Things are going according to plan."
"Yup, they fell for it!" Brick exclaimed. "And now, they're going to pay!"
"Fell for what?" Butch asked.
"Yeah, what are you two talking about?" Bubbles asked.
Buttercup grabbed the letter, and read it. "What is this all about?"
"Yeah, tell us your little secret!" Boomer said.
Brick and Blossom then told the rest of the kids their plan.
"I don't know. I don't trust them. What if they joined Epsilon?" Buttercup asked.
"Oh they won't. Part of our plan made sure that they won't interfere! I assure you, it will be a lopsided win for us! Trust me!" Blossom said.
"I don't know. We're taking a major risk here," Buttercup said.
"Trust me on this," Brick assured her.
"You two know something we don't!" Butch charged. "Okay, cough it up!"
"Yeah, don't keep things from us!" Buttercup said.
Blossom looked at Brick to see whether or not to tell them Harry is really a spy.
"Well, I'll tell you when we finally win. Right now, it's better if only Blossom and I know it."
"What, you don't trust us?" Buttercup angrily charged.
"I trust all of you, but I, as the leader, hold the right to keep important secrets and entrust it to anybody I choose," Brick said. "Don't worry. Trust me! Besides, you already know much of the plan."
"Well, if you say so, Brick," Butch said, backing down. In truth, he just doesn't want to fight his brother in front of the girls. He's reserving it for when they were alone.
Buttercup decides not to press the issue, but to see if the plan goes well.
Boomer and Bubbles totally believed and had faith on the two leaders.
Later…
Delta was at the TV station, still doing the hourly killings, though by now, nobody among the villains believed that it will draw the kids into a suicidal attack. They just did it to terrorize the people of Townsville, though it was futile since they still didn't know that Brick shut down all TV transmissions from Citiesville to Townsville.
Alpha arrived at the skyscraper after two hours of another futile search for the missing Beta and Cychaela. Ckracknow was doing some paperwork.
"Find any clues to where they might be?" asked Ckracknow without looking at the silver haired teen.
"No. Still not a trace of them."
"Oh well. Alpha, I have some plans for the fight tomorrow. You see, Blossom's offer have opened some opportunities that if exploited, would give permanent advantage to us."
"So you're going to cheat?"
"No. Not at all. I won't cheat nor interfere in the fight. I'm just going to change the rules a bit."
"And your plan is?" asked Alpha.
"Listen, you take Epsilon and Delta, and go to Townsville," Ckracknow instructed.
"We're going to attack Townsville?"
"No, you're not. You are to go there incognito, and would not, in any way, do any damage. Here's the rest of it."
And Ckracknow told Alpha of his plan.
Later that night…
The kids had reached level 32, and have just finished eating dinner. They are ready to hit the sack, and call it a day, when suddenly Dr. Edwards called from his watch.
"Boys, girls, a man who calls himself Major Man is attacking the west part of Townsville. He has superpowers and the police can't handle it."
"That loser again?" Buttercup said in contempt.
"Major who?" asked Boomer.
"You know, the one whom the girls made a phony monster attack to destroy," Butch reminded. "Major Man!"
"Okay, whose turn it is to save the day?" asked a sleepy Boomer.
No one seems to remember whose turn it was to save the day, and since all of them wanted to sleep, nobody wanted to be bothered at all.
"Okay, since he's very weak compared to us, only one of us is needed to defeat him. Let's spin the bottle to see who gets to go out there and deal with him," Blossom suggested.
The kids arranged themselves in a circle, while Blossom got an empty bottle. She spun it. And it pointed to leader of the Powerpuff Girls when it stopped.
"Guess I'll be taking care of it," Blossom said.
"Just don't tire yourself too much," Brick cautioned. "We need you to be fresh and crisp for tomorrow's battle."
"Don't worry, Major Man won't be a problem at all," Blossom assured.
With that, the rest of the kids brushed their teeth, washed their faces, changed into their pajamas and nightgowns, and slept.
Blossom went out to deal with Major Man. The pink puff discovered him, destroying buildings and such, and defying the police. The moment Major Man saw her, he immediately flew away deeper into the city.
"Not so fast, Major Man!" the pink puff declared before following him. She spotted him round a corner in a deserted alley. Blossom chased him.
As she rounded the corner, she was suddenly grabbed from behind. Huge arms were wrapped around her body, pinning her arms to her side, a balled wad of rag was shoved into her mouth, and a hand covered her mouth.
Soon, she saw another man, but it was too dark to clearly see who it was, who quickly placed some kind of goggles on her eyes. He then took her flailing legs, and cuffed it. She tried breaking it, but she couldn't.
"Good work, Epsilon," the man said.
'Epsilon?' Blossom thought. 'And that voice. It's Delta! Oh my God! It's a trap!'
Blossom fought hard, but when she suddenly saw Alpha, all hope of breaking free was gone. They tied a tightly tied a large bandana around her head and between her teeth twice to prevent her from spitting out the rag from her mouth, then flipped her and quickly pulled her hands behind her back and cuffed them tightly. They then put an anti gravity belt on her. Blossom was now officially helpless.
She still wiggled.
"Give it up, girl," Alpha said. "Those cuffs are made of duranium, and it's the only thing you couldn't break!"
'Give me a break! Dr. Edwards' Hardetal is even stronger than duranium,' Blossom shot back in her mind.
"Hey, where's my reward?" asked Major Man.
Alpha gave Major Man a knapsack. Major Man took it, and was delighted when he saw lots of green bills.
"It's two million dollars," Alpha said. "Now get out of here before I kill you!"
Major Man was happy to leave with the cash.
"Ha, we got jackpot! Who knew that it would actually be Blossom Utonium, the leader of the Ruff-Puff Alliance?" Delta exclaimed.
"Yup, it was a good piece of luck that Blossom was the one who came here!" Alpha said. "Now let's go back to Citiesville."
Epsilon slung Blossom on his shoulders, and the three flew back to Citiesville.
"Sir, look at who we managed to bag! The queen of the hive herself!" Delta shouted as they returned to the skyscraper.
"Blossom? Well, that's certainly good news," Ckracknow said as he saw Blossom on Epsilon's shoulders. "Put her on the sofa."
Epsilon roughly dropped the pink-puff on the couch. Blossom immediately got herself into a sitting position.
Ckracknow then faced Blossom. "Look at the prize we got. I only thought of bagging one of you tonight, but who would've thought that it would be you Blossom, the Supreme Leader of the Alliance? Now with you captured, the Ruff-Puff Alliance is leaderless, without a head, without their brains, and only a shadow of it's former self!"
'Oh please, Brick's the real leader. Guess that elaborate deception plan worked,' Blossom thought. She was scared to death about what might happen to her. Still, on the outside, she didn't show any of it, and acted as a captive leader should. She tried arguing, but of course, the rag in her mouth prevented that.
"I'd ungag you so we can talk, but I'd rather not have you using your ice breath on this room, now would I?" Ckracknow said.
'Great. Now I know that having an extra power really sucks in some situations,' Blossom thought.
"Well, let's go to bed," Ckracknow said. "It's late."
"Who will guard her?" asked Delta.
"Nobody. She won't go anywhere in those cuffs, and she can't do anything," Ckracknow said. "Leaver her there."
Reluctantly, Delta, Epsilon, and Alpha left Blossom on the living room, sitting on the couch. They put off the light, and locked the steel door.
Blossom waited on the couch, and waited for a full hour, to make sure that all of her captors were asleep. After the hour, she, with difficulty, stood up, hopped to the steel door, and slammed her head on it. The door fell easily, and she hopped to the terrace. She then jumped to the ground below, knowing that the impact on the ground would not even scratch her.
Unfortunately for Blossom, Delta grabbed her mid-air before she landed on the ground.
"You've been a naughty little girl. Luckily for you, Master Ckracknow gave strict orders not to harm you, nor molest or touch you, or otherwise, you'd be seriously fcked up by now," Delta said.
Blossom shuddered at what he meant.
He took Blossom by her collar, and flew her back to the wrecked living room. He placed her on the sofa on her stomach, pushed her legs backwards to as close to her hands as possible, then using a chain made of duranium, chained together the cuffs on her feet and hands, hog-tying her. With that, Delta left.
Blossom, with her mobility taken away from her, just slept the night away, hoping for a miracle.
The next day, December 22, at eight in the morning…
"Where the hell is Blossom?" asked Brick. "Where they heck could she have gone," Brick asked as they noticed she wasn't in the house.
"Well, I don't know," Buttercup replied. "I haven't seen her since last night. She didn't even go back to bed!"
Bubbles was watching a morning cartoon in the living room while the others were arguing about where Blossom could be, when suddenly, Ckracnow appeared on TV.
"Members of the Ruff-Puff Alliance, I hope you are watching this. I have Blossom," Ckracknow said.
All six kids, plus Dr. Edwards and the Professor, froze, their eyes glued to the television.
The scene in the TV then changed to a scene showing Blossom. Her hands were still cuffed behind her, as were her ankles, but she was no longer hog-tied. She was still gagged. On her left, sitting besides her on the same couch, was Alpha, and on her right, Delta.
"Now, our capture of your beloved leader won't change our plans. No sir, the fight between Boomer and Epsilon shall proceed as planned. But there are certain changes. Instead of a camera taping it and showing the event after it happened, I have appointed a camera crew that would record the fight live. Now here are the new rules. First, we won't interfere in the fight. And I trust that you would not. However, if any of you except Boomer as much as appear in the battle, we will kill Blossom on the spot. Second, if Boomer chose not to go to the battle as you promised, Blossom dies. Third, if Boomer wins, Blossom won't be killed, but she would be beaten up, and tortured. Fourth, if Epsilon wins, she won't be harmed, or tortured or touched. But she will remain a captive of us. The fight would be a fight to the death. If Boomer runs away, Blossom would be killed. And the fight would only end when one of them is dead. Don't attempt a rescue of Blossom, since Delta and Alpha would sit on either side of her until the fight between Epsilon and Boomer is over. And if we detect any of you on the premises of Citiesville, Blossom would die. That is all."
"Oh shit," Brick said. Blossom and Brick's plan were wrecked, and in the process, endangered the lives on not only Blossom, but also of blue ruff, Boomer.