Chapter 82: A Special Day (Part 1)
'I wish I can tell you my stories Dad, just like how you've been telling me stories at bedtime. I really want to. But I can't. General Blackwater said it's not a good idea. He's nice, Dad. I really wish the two of you could be friends. I heard you yelling into the phone at him and he yelled back. I hate it when the two of you fight.
I know you're trying to protect me, Dad. But it's okay. You don't have the powers I have, and maybe sometimes it's okay for me to protect you. That's what General Blackwater said, and I believe in him. Look at me and what I've become! He helped me become a soldier so I can protect you and Mom and Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup.
It's too bad I didn't get to hear about Daedalus and Icarus last night. I really want to know what happened to them. Maybe I'll get to hear about them tonight if there are no missions to go to.' - Bunny Utonium, 03/03/89, 0503. Sound Record File 5.
The City of Townsville. Pokey Oaks North. Pokey Oaks Kindergarten Complex.
03 MAR (Friday) 1989. 1015.
The day had started quietly for Bunny, a huge contrast for her double-mission night the previous day. But she enjoyed it. It was times like this she lived for. Even Blossom, who was angry because of her refusal to talk about her mission, seemed to have cooled down. She was all smiles and chatty with Bubbles, and though Buttercup seemed cold and distant, it was better than being punched in the face by her.
Breakfast went by, then commuting and the morning lessons. After that, it was recess. When Bunny and her elder sisters went out into the schoolyard, she had a good feeling about it, owing to the streak she was having the entire day. Blossom hadn't blown up, and Bubbles hadn't shed a single tear so far. Buttercup hadn't punched her in the face yet.
It got even better when Blossom decided to continue teaching Bunny how to fly. Though the lesson didn't last long, Bunny was able to learn much in such a short span of time. Where previously she could only slow her descend or launch herself in some random direction in a bid to avoid crashing, she now had full control over her double-jump, giving her a reliable method of reaching heights up to several floors by jumping. True flight, however, was still out of Bunny's grasp. She simply couldn't maintain her thrust or master the fine control well enough.
"Girls! The phone's ringing!" Miss Keane had called from the back door leading to the schoolyard. Blossom flew after the phone the moment she did, followed by Bubbles, Buttercup and Bunny.
It was different this time. There was no Detective Mullens, or Mister Blake, or even the mysterious police chief from Precinct 77.
"Bravo-Four-Seven, you and The Powerpuff Girls - God I hate that name - will report to the 37th Jump Street on the request of the Townsville Police Department," the man on the other end said.
"What for, mister… what's your name?" Blossom asked.
"Police Chief Feig mentioned that you will be part of a task force to bring down another gang," the man said without introducing himself. But what he said was enough to finally piece together another mystery - the police chief from Precinct 77, as it turned out, had a name after all.
"Can you hand the phone over to Bravo-Five-Zero?" the demanding man said, which was definitely different. For one thing, Blossom had never heard of a Bravo-Five-Zero before, and as if the mystery man on the side of the line could read her mind, he went on to make things clearer: "Hand the phone over to Bunny. Now."
Without another word, Blossom pulled the phone off her ear and thrust it at Bunny, who looked just as confused as Blossom. Looking down at the phone, she hesitated as if it was a brick of armed plastic explosives. But she could hear the voice urging her to pick the 'damn thing up' with her enhanced hearing, so she did.
"Hello?" Bunny greeted the man on the phone.
"What took you? We have a special mission for you. Head down to the house at 3 Willow Street ASAP," the voice was familiar to Bunny even if it wasn't for her sisters. It was Rook, being his usual frank and no-nonsense self. "Do not bring any additional firepower and equipment. You won't be needing it." He'd hung up after that - no farewells, no good-lucks.
"You're going to fight crime too?" Bubbles asked Bunny.
"Yeah…" Bunny replied.
"Are you coming with us?" Bubbles asked enthusiastically - she'd like nothing more than to do it with Bunny, perhaps to show her the ropes as an elder sister should, or even as a way to just hang out with her.
"No…" Bunny said, which served to deflate Bubbles' excitement. "I'm sorry Mister Rook didn't like the team name. I think 'The Powerpuff Girls' is a nice name…"
Blossom thought it weird that she'd brought it up. She'd made the connection that Bunny must had overheard the name from her conversation with the mystery man, now revealed to be one Mister Rook, whoever he was. How was Bunny able to do that? First, it was Buttercup, and now her. She thought it was rude, and she didn't like it one bit.
"Am I a Powerpuff Girl?" Bunny asked, and the moment she saw how cross Blossom was just based on the glare she was giving her, she thought her chances for 'acceptance' into the team had been hurt.
"Maybe…" Blossom didn't take long to decide. With a grin, she folded her arms when she realized she'd just gained more leverage on Bunny, leverage she could use. In her view, it'd taken lots of pain and suffering for the elder trio to gain that name, and it shouldn't just be given away for free, and certainly not to Bunny, who had just started out.
"Can I be a Powerpuff Girl?" Bunny asked when she got the message.
"Well…" Blossom mulled over her options. It was interesting, after all, what she could do with it. She could certainly make Bunny do things for her. "I guess if you fight crime the way I do and tell me about your missions, you'll definitely be a Powerpuff Girl in weeks!"
"I'll do anything to be a Powerpuff Girl," Bunny exclaimed, hopeful that there was a chance she could be in the same league as her sisters. As long as there was a chance, she couldn't be anything but glad. Training had taught her that things could be done no matter the odds, as long as she worked hard towards it. Whether it was twenty or a hundred terrorists, Bunny couldn't be shaken. Similarly, it didn't matter if it was a few weeks or a few months, Bunny believed that she would surely make the cut as a Blossom-certified Powerpuff Girl eventually.
Miss Keane came up to them when they were done, respectful of the secrecy surrounding their duties. She had to be ever since she was forcefully folded into the USDO yoke.
"Going to save the day again, Girls?" she asked, the tone of her voice, the look on her face suggesting anything but gladness. She was a teacher, the best of her kind and good enough for the USDO to acquire her. Educating children was her life, and seeing them being forced into the very adult role of fighting crime was the last thing she wanted.
"Yeah. The city needs us!" Blossom exclaimed heroically. "Can we go, Miss Keane?"
"Of course, Blossom," Miss Keane said. They never needed her permission, to begin with, just the USDO's. But she found it charming that Blossom asked anyway. "Just… stick around for a whole day one of these days, okay?" When was the last time they did? Miss Keane had lost sight of it.
"I hope I get to stay too. I like learning about stuff," Blossom agreed sullenly. She then turned to Bunny with a bitter smile. "I guess that's why Bunny's here. Dad said she'll be fighting every criminal in Townsville by herself soon."
All that had done was focus Miss Keane's sadness on Bunny, who they had just admitted was next in line as the recipient of the USDO's abuse. Bunny, however, didn't see why they had to get upset over this - fighting crime was her purpose! And seeing her loved ones alive and getting to be with them was her reward! Sure, it was painful to separate from her family, Dad most of all, but wasn't that what life's like? Even a man as great as General Blackwater had to go for months without seeing his family.
"I don't mind fighting crime too!" Bunny mustered her strongest front yet.
"Just… take care of yourselves, the four of you, okay?" Miss Keane bade them as she found herself stroking Bunny in the head. If there was a Guinness world record for touching the most number of people who could kill someone in a blink, Miss Keane would be in it.
"We'll be fine," Blossom said while she was opening a window. She flew out the moment she could, leaving behind a trail of bright pink light.
"Thanks for caring, Miss Keane," Bubbles said before following the leader.
Buttercup could only give Miss Keane a lethargic stare before doing the same, something which concerned her deeply. What's gotten into Buttercup? All of a sudden, Miss Keane was beginning to miss the tomboy in her, that rowdy and rough side of Buttercup that seemed to be her usual side. Not… this, this mysterious and frankly eerie side of her.
But Miss Keane didn't have time to think. Bunny was leaving too.
"Bunny-" the kindergarten teacher stopped the purple-uniformed one before she jumped out the window. The youngest of the quartet of enhanced Girls turned to face her once more. "Thanks for being such a great sister to the rest of them. They're lucky to have you."
"I'm lucky to have them," Bunny replied. "I want to protect them. I don't care what I have to do." And with that, Bunny jumped out of the window and sprinted for her motorbike, much to the amazement of her class, who'd come to think of her as the coolest of the four, much to Blossom's chagrin - another source of resentment for her to overcome.
What Bunny had said in the end did not put Miss Keane at ease. 'I don't care what I have to do,' she had said. Miss Keane could only imagine what she had to do.
The City of Townsville. Outskirts. Lombardi Family Estate.
03 MAR (Friday) 1989. 1039.
Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup were back at the Lombardi mansion. Bubbles had already lost count of how many times because of her memory, which was weaker than her sisters'. Blossom and Buttercup did not care to count. All they cared about were the Amoeba Boys, and what they have for them next. It had been some exquisite sweets and the Jewish Mob the previous day. Who knew what it'd be next?
Things were different this time though. The driver was different. He was smaller and muted. He certainly wasn't Fedele. It was only much later on that they'd learned what happened to him, and that was when he greeted them at the grand entrance of the mansion. He was seated in a wheelchair. One of the leggings of his pants was rolled up. He was bandaged in that leg and there were still traces of blood visible in the gauze.
"What happened to your leg?" Blossom asked as she floated closer to take a look.
"Did you fall down the stairs?" Bubbles asked, concerned about the man despite her reservations for people of his ilk.
"Did you get shot at? Like all those other bad guys we killed?" Buttercup suggested callously.
"Nah, it's an accident. A little accident," Fedele Palladino revealed cryptically. "Nothing to worry about. It'll be fixed in no time."
"A little accident did that?" Blossom said, unaware of what Fedele truly meant.
"Man, normal people are so weak," Buttercup said carelessly, with not a care in the world. That had attracted a glare from Fedele, though he was quick to forgive it. Her snide remarks were a small price to pay for what she was doing for the family and would continue to do for the family. That, and the fact that she had continued to make a mess in the backseat of his car, from what he heard from the substitute mob driver.
Little did the Powerpuff Girls know that Fedele had actually encountered their younger sister, Bunny. It had been a close call, considering that the rest of his fellow mob brothers were killed in that warehouse. It didn't take a scientist to figure out the connection between Bunny and the Powerpuff Girls, but it mattered little. Sooner or later, he was going to get even with Bunny, not just for his leg, but also for the brothers he had lost. Even if what was to come might technically make that a family dispute.
"Right. Come right in. The Bosses are eager to see the three of you," Fedele quickly gestured for them to come in and follow him. Blossom and Bubbles offered to push him, but Fedele rejected their goodwill, preferring to roll under his own power.
The City of Townsville. Eastern Suburbs. 3 Willow Street.
03 MAR (Friday) 1989. 1040.
Following the usual standard operating procedures of any operation, Bunny dismounted from her motorcycle a fair distance from the target location of her mission, making sure to lock it up tight and hide it in the bushes of a deserted house.
3 Willow Street. Bunny had to search left and right for the house with the right address, and when she saw it, it turned out to be a house with a 'For Sale' sign pitched on the lawn. Rook was already sitting on the porch as Bunny was jogging up to the house. He got up when she came up to him, and with a hand on her shoulder, led her into the house.
"What's going on, Mister Rook? What are we doing?" Bunny was nothing but questions then. There was no one else in the house except him and two other agents, another man, and a woman. General Blackwater was nowhere to be found.
"I'm afraid your dearest general is elsewhere today, Bravo-Five-Zero," Rook said as if he could read her mind. "And today is a special day. We'll be doing something different today."
He'd kept the specifics from her and instead led her up the stairs into a bare room with just a standing mirror, a small table, and a chair. The table had some clothes on them. Some strange clothes that barely even qualified as uniforms - not military gear.
When they were there, Bunny was instructed to strip and put on a peculiar set of uniforms, though it wasn't something unknown to her. It was a brown set of uniforms, with skirts, a sash with lots of buttons and badges, short socks and a pair of matching brown hiking boots. Instead of her usual ponytail, she'd let down her hair instead, to appear more civilian and less ready for combat.
Standing in front of the mirror, Bunny marveled at herself, at how she had just transformed from an enhanced black ops operative to a seemingly ordinary girl - well, mostly ordinary. There was still one final touch left to add. Picking up a small container, she opened the two caps mounted on it. There was fluid inside, and two round and brown lenses in them. Bunny picked one up and dabbed it on her eye, then did the same for the other.
The contact lenses had done well to hide the purple from her eyes. The glow was largely negated by daytime, so it wouldn't blow her cover. At worst, her eyes would just appear lighter, or perhaps full of personality.
Bunny had just disguised herself as a girl scout. She picked up a stack of girl scout cookies on the table to complete her ruse. But something was still missing.
"What do I use as a weapon? Do I get to take my pistol with me?" Bunny asked Rook, who was admiring the work that Bunny had done - which was something, considering that she was little more than a week old. "I don't think the cookies would make good weapons…"
"I'll explain the mission in due time, darling," Rook said while walking up to her, standing behind her while putting his hands on her shoulders. They both looked at each other in the mirror. He bent down to whisper into her ear: "But I'm afraid you're going to have to improvise this time."
The City of Townsville. Outskirts. Lombardi Family Estate.
03 MAR (Friday) 1989. 1045.
Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup were brought to the study at the top of the mansion once more, this time with more liberal use of the elevator due to Fedele's injured leg.
Once more, the Girls were stopped before entering the Amoeba Boys' study, this time much further away and at the door of another room.
"Hey, what gives!?" Buttercup shouted at Fedele rudely. All she could think about right then were the gifts and interesting experiences the Amoeba Boys would shower her with.
"Things are going to be different this time. Let's just say it's going to be a special day," Fedele said, before opening the door. There was a rack of clothes inside. "Same rules as before. Take off your armor and leave your weapons behind. But here's a new one: put on a dress you like before you see me again. Think of it as a… party, yeah. A party you deserve…"
The City of Townsville. Eastern Suburbs. 8 Blueberry Street.
03 MAR (Friday) 1989. 1053.
Ding dong! The doorbell of the Connelly residence rang. The father of the house, Damian, happened to be in the living room despite it being a weekday. It was different this time, after all. It was a special day, just waiting to unfold. Looking up from his newspaper, he shifted his legs off the stool, wondering who on this frozen side of Earth would visit during school or work hours. Last time he checked, he hadn't invited anyone on this day - it was supposed to be a special day, after all, just him and his small, tightly-knit family.
"Who is it?" a woman's voice called out from the kitchen, amidst the sound of cooking utensils clattering in the early phase of the culinary preparation of a special lunch.
"No idea! I'll get it!" Damian said. Slapping his newspaper down on his coffee table, he got off his couch with a grunt. The doorbell continued to ring insistently. He cursed under his breath. Who could it be? He didn't dig into his accumulated leaves with the force to deal with random strangers at the door! If it was one of those cultic evangelists espousing the truth of the New Trinity or whatever bullshit they claimed to be the truth, he swore that he was going to lose it.
Coming up to the door, he looked through the peephole only to see no one there. Was it a prankster? He would have decided that it was just one of those idiotic teenage boys in his neighborhood pulling a prank had it not been for the doorbell ringing again while he was looking. He'd almost unlatched the door chain but thought better of it. His neighborhood was one of the safer ones, but he couldn't be too careful. In all his years in the Townsville Police Department, he'd learned that there was no such thing as a safe place in Townsville, and not for a few dozen miles radius from the city either. The city's cursed, that was what some of the old hats would even say.
Unlocking the door, he opened it to the fullest extent allowed by the chain. He was first greeted by a blast of late winter wind, then a most peculiar sight - a girl scout with a few boxes of cookies clutched in her arms. He'd already made a huge mental note of her in a jiffy - he was a trained police officer after all. Brunette, caucasian, had substance in her in the form of thick bones and muscles likely, which likely meant that she was highly active in some way. Her uniform told her in what way. Her smile was a little hard to look at because of her teeth, but otherwise really genuine and sweet and innocent, which put his mind at ease.
But what really caught his attention was that she was shivering a little, and underneath that smile, it wasn't hard to notice that she was resisting chattering just to look presentable.
"W-would you like to b-buy some cookies?" the girl scout asked, looking absolutely miserable - and she couldn't do it without the chattering taking over briefly. Those brown eyes looked like they were just about ready to burst into tears. "They're for the W-Wilford Orphanage…"
The man was touched. How could he not be? A girl who didn't even look like she was ten was slogging it out in the cold, trying to sell a few boxes of cookies for a paltry amount of money that wouldn't even be hers. It was far more than what most children were capable of. It was certainly far more than what he was capable of. After all, he knew he wasn't exactly a saint.
The City of Townsville. Outskirts. Lombardi Family Estate.
03 MAR (Friday) 1989. 1054.
When Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup walked out of the spare bedroom they'd used as a changing room, they were immediately met with scrutinizing eyes. Not just Fedele's, but that of his partner, the thin man, as well as two others in their smart suits and mysterious trilbies.
"Not bad," Fedele said while looking Blossom from head to toe. It seemed that he hadn't lost his touch when it came to selecting children's clothes, and quite predictably, each of the Girls had gone with their favorite colors - seemingly the colors they were born with, and obsessed with since. Blossom had put herself in a dark pink strapless, shoulderless dress while Bubbles had something similar, except with straps and a ribbon upfront. Buttercup, on the other hand, was Buttercup the odd one out, and she had taken a set of green-themed female tuxedos. The only similarity between their outfits were their pumps.
Fedele had anticipated all fashion choices. He'd known all along whether the Girls would prefer dresses was an open question due to their unique occupation. In fact, it'd surprised him that not all the Girls had chosen tuxedos.
Fedele pulled his watch out. "Well, look at the time. Party's about to begin," he said, before wheeling himself towards the study. Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup followed.