Author's Notes: You guys remember how I said this fic would be a mix of comedy and drama? Well, I managed to squeeze both into this chapter. It still has the ridiculous scenario, but I've also added actual story elements into this chapter beyond the goofiness. Also, I want to apologize for writing fewer fanfiction chapters this month. I'm not dead or anything, I've just been super into my ongoing novel idea and wanted to write in that for a while. Anyway, thank you for reading this story and if you'd like to leave a review I always enjoy hearing from you guys :)
Chapter 3
Hostage
The police waited outside the dump for the negotiator to arrive. The Gangreen Gang weren't the fiercest thugs in Townsville, but they had a poor little 7 year old girl held captive, and therefore just rushing in was out of the question. The Powerpuff Girls had been called and would be there soon, but the police had to keep the gang busy until the girls arrived.
Those that were milling around the area were suddenly startled as a loud voice called out using a megaphone.
"Hey, flat foots! This is Ace of the Gangreen Gang! If yous ever wanna see that little brat alive again, you'll meet our demands!"
Ace then waited for a response as the rest of the gang cowered within the shack. Billy was still holding Marny, who was covering her ears after that blasted megaphone was turned on at full volume.
"Hey Accce? What are our demandsss?" Snake asked nervously.
"I'm figurin' it out," Ace hissed quietly.
Billy put Marny down next to the bassinet and her overturned backpack and started pacing back and forth. Marny took this opportunity to hide behind the couch and wait for a moment to run out the door. It was nearly impossible at this point since the gang was on such high alert, but she knew her moment would come if she just waited long enough.
"Ace Copular! This is the hostage negotiator!" Another voice boomed over a megaphone outside, "There's no reason to panic. Just tell us what you need in order to give the girl back safe and sound. I want to help you and your friends get the best deal you can. You can trust me."
"Sssaid Ssstarsscream to Megatron," Snake whispered, and the others laughed.
Ace picked up the megaphone again, and struggled to think of a substantial yet attainable reward in exchange for the girl. Finally after a moment of thought, he came back with his demands.
"We want $200,000 in cash, a helicopter, and five double cheeseburger combo meals from Jester Burger!"
"Hey Ace, do you know how to pilot a helicopter?" Arturo asked.
"...No," Ace replied sheepishly.
"Pfft!" Grubber volunteered as he raised his hand in the air.
"Okay, so Grubber can be the pilot. That's one problem solved," Ace declared.
"Don't helicoptersss have a weight limit?" Snake asked.
"Ooh man," Ace groaned, "Okay, hang on."
Ace then turned the megaphone back on and shouted, "Uh, on second thought, no helicopter! We'd like a new van instead! Oh, and the money and food!"
"I'll see what I can do," The negotiator replied over his megaphone, "Just remain calm and we can work this out. I'll be able to secure the deal better if you can give us proof that Marny Milford is still alive. Can you get her to talk to us over the phone?"
"Yer kiddin', right?" Ace shouted before he could think it through.
"If that's unacceptable then just get her to say something over the megaphone," The negotiator suggested, "It's just to ensure that she's okay."
Ace growled to himself and looked around the room for Marny. He didn't see her anywhere, and even her backpack was gone!
"What the-? Where's the brat!?" Ace screamed at his subordinates, "Billy, if you broke her neck and hid her under the rug or somethin' so help me-!"
"Accce! The megaphone isss ssstill on!" Snake warned him.
Ace gulped and then quickly shut off the device. No doubt the bystanders were probably wetting themselves after that little tirade. The gang searched all over the tiny shack for the girl, not realizing that she was behind the couch.
"She probably escaped," Arturo reasoned.
"Yeah, probably," Ace agreed, "Oh well, at least we ain't kidnappers no more. Now to try to convince the cops we're innoc-"
Before Ace could finish his sentence however, the ceiling was smashed in by the Powerpuff Girls, who stood before the gang with arms crossed and faces glaring in righteous anger.
"Alright Gangreen Gang, what have you done with Marny Milford?" Blossom asked in her most intimidating authoritative voice.
"We ain't done nothin'!" Ace proclaimed, "She ain't here. We, uh, we lied about havin' her. You know, for attention. It was a prank that got outta hand, you know? Heh heh heh...right guys?"
The gang was quick to agree with Ace, hoping that maybe without the girl in their possession they could avoid a beating just this once.
"Yeah, right!" Buttercup scoffed, "Give her back so she can go home, you creeps!"
"Yeah, her family misses her, and you guys are keeping her here and scaring her for no reason!" Bubbles scolded.
Her family? Marny bit her lower lip fearfully. The Powerpuff Girls had x-ray vision. If they thought to use it she would be discovered! No way was she going back with them, even if the alternative was this awful gang, but she needed a plan. Marny looked around in her backpack for something she could use, and noticed the acrylic paints she kept in there. She also saw that there was a mop next to the couch. Yes, she could work with this.
"Give it up, Ace!" Blossom shouted angrily, "Just tell us where you took her and we'll go easy on you."
"Maybe you will," Buttercup muttered.
"Buttercup! We have to find that missing girl. Business before revenge," Blossom reprimanded her sister.
"I'm tellin' ya she ain't here!" Ace insisted.
"Girls, search the building!" Blossom ordered her sisters.
"What's to search? It's the size of a stick of gum," Buttercup pointed out.
Nonetheless, the Powerpuff Girls flew above the gang's heads and looked around. They saw the six green gangsters, but no sign of- wait, six? Bubbles was the first to notice there was a small green girl in the group with thin white dreadlocks and a nervous look on her face.
"Who are you?" Bubbles asked the girl suspiciously, "Are you a kid, or are you just short like Lil Arturo?"
"That's Fluffy!" Billy declared obliviously.
"Fluffy?" Buttercup asked in a deadpan voice, but then smirked as she asked, "What kind of a stupid name is Fluffy? Hahahahaha!"
The girl's face scrunched up in anger and she blew air out of her cheeks to keep herself calm. The gang didn't know why the girl was wearing green paint and a mop on her head, but they hoped it would be enough to convince the Powerpuff Girls and keep them out of federal prison.
"I didn't know you had a new member," Blossom commented suspiciously, "So tell me Fluffy, what did you guys do with Marny Milford?"
The green girl didn't answer, and wouldn't even look at Blossom. She just scowled angrily and looked at the ground.
"Come on Fluffy, this is important," Bubbles pleaded, "That sweet little girl doesn't deserve to be held against her will. She should be at home with her grandpa and grandma. Whatever the rest of the gang promised you isn't worth it if it means keeping a poor little kid away from their family. Just tell us where she is so she can go home. Please?"
The green girl looked at Bubbles for a second, and Bubbles believed for a moment that Marny's location would be revealed, but then Fluffy blew a big raspberry at the girl and stomped over to stand next to Big Billy. Marny crossed her arms and glared at Bubbles, just daring her to step any closer.
"Whoa, did not see that coming," Arturo offhandedly commented.
"Come on, Powerpuffs! Yous looked around the shack, and yous can look around the whole dump. You won't find Marny because dis whole thing was just a bad prank," Ace told them again, "I know we got carried away. We wasn't thinkin', and I will be the first to apologize. Now, shouldn't yous go out and actually find dat missin' kid?"
The girls looked at Ace with hatred for both his condescending tone and just his general shady demeanor. Without evidence that Marny had ever been there however, they had no choice but to leave. They flew out the holes they made in the roof, and the gang was afraid to say anything for the first few minutes after their departure. After a minute however, Big Billy grabbed some plywood from the closet and went outside to stick it on top of the roof to cover the holes. Still no one said anything. Billy came back a minute later, and still no one broke the silence. Finally though, when it truly felt like the coast was clear, Ace spoke up.
"Hey kid, why'd you do that? Where'd you even get the green paint?"
Marny just stared up at him like a deer caught in the headlights. She was still scared of him and the others, it was clear, which made her behavior even stranger. Why side with her captors over her rescuers?
"Well, why ever you did it, you save our butts," Arturo congratulated the girl as he put an arm around her, which made her tense up, "Hey, cheer up, chica! We might not get the money, but nobody went to jail either. We'll get you back to your folks when the heat dies down."
"But Fluffy is Billy's baby!" Billy whined, "She can't go!"
"Billy, we talked about dis already!" Ace grumbled, "You can't keep her!"
"But she wants to stay!" Billy argued, "She helped us and everything!"
Grubber then pulled the mop wig off Marny, and after looking at it for a minute put it on his own head and posed. This made the gang laugh, but little Marny was still too nervous to find anything funny. After all, she had allowed her chance to escape the gang leave her behind. She had to do it though. She was caught between a rock and a hard place, but at least so far the gang hadn't actually hurt her. To her not getting hurt was still the best case scenario.
"It dark outside," Billy noted, "Fluffy should go to bed. Come on, Fluffy. Billy tell you a story again tonight."
Billy picked up Marny, who was covered in green paint that was already beginning to chip off her irritated skin. Between wearing purple denim overalls and being covered in paint Marny didn't feel like she'd be able to sleep. She didn't protest however. She was starting to figure out after two days of living in this crap shack that Billy was her protector. He was also the one most likely to humiliate her, but at least he kept her safe from the creepier and more volatile members of the gang. Therefore, she figured that her best course of action was to do what Billy said and keep him happy.
The next morning Marny awoke after a fitful sleep. She sat up in the bassinet and looked around her. Most of the gang was still asleep, and Ace was awake playing solitaire at the giant spool/table. Marny felt the skin on her neck apprehensively. Everything seemed fine.
In the quiet morning hours with nothing to do but watch Ace do nothing, Marny couldn't help but think back to a conversation she had with her older brother Chester a few months ago.
She and her brother had been walking around Townsville Park waiting for their mom to pick them up from running errands. As they walked toward the jungle gym they stopped when they saw the Gangreen Gang hanging kids up by their wedgies and laughing maliciously.
"Those guys are scary," Marny whimpered to Chester.
"Yeah, well they should be," Chester whispered conspiratorially as they hid behind a tree, "That's the Gangreen Gang. They're a group of zombie vampires led by that guy in the sunglasses," Chester then pointed him out, "That's Ace. Their leader. See those fangs? That's because he's a vampire. He bites people and turns them into his minions. He only has four now, but in time...who knows? Those kids better hope he's not hungry."
Marny remembered that after he said that they ran away to the parking lot so the gang wouldn't notice them, and their mom came to get them a few minutes later without incident. Chester was using his Creepypasta voice, so Marny had wondered if what he said was true. Chester ran away too though, and the gang sure seemed to enjoy hurting children. Chester's story didn't seem that far fetched after seeing how freaky the gang looked coupled with how scary Ace acted. She could believe he ate children and that the others were zombie minions.
She touched her neck again, and thought back to her brother and her mom. Marny wanted to cry, but she didn't want to do anything that would wake up the gang. They might get mad at her and beat her. Marny looked at Ace again, who seemed content to just sit there and play with his deck of cards. That was when she decided. She couldn't just sit there and dread her fate anymore. If something was going to happen to her, then it might as well hurry up and happen.
Ace stacked a red queen on top of a black king and sighed as he thought about what he and the others should do that day. They'd have to stay up late that night to rob the supply truck that came in to restock Malph's Market, but until then they had a whole day to kill. Ace shrugged to himself and figured they could go to the arcade. Billy would probably stay home with the brat. Ace snorted, still not sure why Billy was so dead-set on keeping their impromptu hostage.
Ace's thoughts were interrupted when he felt a tug on his pants leg, and he looked down to see Marny staring back up at him. Most of the green paint had flaked off in the night, leaving a few tiny patches of green on her skin. Ace couldn't help but quirk a smile since she looked so ridiculous.
"What'dya want, kid?" Ace asked nonchalantly, "You forgot where the bathroom is or somethin'?"
Marny pulled the collar of her shirt down and lifted her head to expose her neck. Her eyes were tightly shut, and the fists clenching her shirt were shaking. Ace didn't know what she was doing or what she was trying to show him, but it kind of reminded him of a kid being dared to approach a dangerous animal or a creepy house. She clearly didn't want to be there, but she wasn't backing away.
"You okay, kid?" Ace asked casually, not wanting to sound too concerned for the little rugrat.
Marny then looked at him, and gestured with two fingers stabbing at the side of her neck. Ace arched an eyebrow, still completely confused about what this kid was trying to say.
"Hey Snake, wake up!" Ace hollered, "The kid's got a problem!"
Snake forced himself awake and yawned as he stretched. Marny let go of her collar, wondering if she had instigated more trouble than she had intended. Considering what she was trying to ask of Ace, that was saying something.
"What'sss the problem, Accce?" Snake asked drowsily.
"The kid keeps pointin' to her neck, but I don't know why," Ace explained.
"Oh?" Snake grunted, "Okay Marny, tell me where the pain is."
Marny shook her head, and then pointed to Ace. She then tugged her collar down again, and used her head to gesture to Ace.
"Maybe she thinkss ssomething'ss wrong with your neck," Snake snickered.
"Oh, brother," Ace groused, "Eh, whatever. Look kid, if you ain't gonna talk to us then we need to find a better way for you to communicate. Maybe Grubber could teach you his language. It's pretty easy; mostly raspberry-based. Or if you prefer you can write down yer thoughts for us. That sound good, kiddo?"
Marny bit her lower lip and looked away pensively. She was only in 2nd grade. She could write a little, but she wasn't good at it yet. She opened her mouth to try to say something to Ace, but no words came out. She was pretty sure they wouldn't. Still, this was important to her, so she had to try to convey her thoughts to the leader of the Gangreen Gang.
Ace and Snake watched with detached interest as Marny pulled a tiny notebook and a sparkly pencil out of her backpack. She sat down on the floor and wrote out what she wanted to say, and then handed it to Ace.
"What doesss it sssay?" Snake asked curiously.
"Uh, it says: I want to be a Game Green just like you. Plees bit me so I can be like you," Ace read off, "Uh, I don't know what you heard kid, but dat ain't how a gang initiation works. Besides, you ain't Gangreen material. Yer a baby, and yer a girl. We're men. In a few years we'll be old enough to drink without the cops hasslin' us. Meanwhile you probably still wet yer pants while waiting for mommy to pick you up from daycare."
Ace and Snake both laughed at their sick burn, and expected the little twerp to puff out her cheeks and glare like she normally did. When they stopped laughing and looked down however, Marny was already climbing back up in the bassinet. She was crying, but she didn't want them to see it.
"Eh, stupid kid," Ace scoffed again, not knowing how personally she took his insults, "We better wake up the others. We got a full day of goofin' off before we hit Malph's tonight."
Snake and Ace went back to their business, while Marny huddled into herself and silently wept. She didn't care that the gang didn't think she was good enough. That was actually a relief, since she was only going to let herself be vampire chow for lack of a better plan. No, what got to her was Ace mockingly mentioning her mother. She didn't want to think about her mom, or about Chester. That was the past, and she didn't want to think about or talk about it ever again.