Chapter 122: Post-Bunny
B-50 Autopsy & Funerary Report
DOC: 11 MAR (Saturday) 1989
Created by: Professor Utonium
Title: Final Report Regarding Bunny
On 11 March 1989, autopsy commenced at 1348. The purpose of the autopsy is to determine factors leading to the death of Bunny, and what kind of procedure is required to preserve her body, if any changes to the usual method of embalming are required.
Initial observations before insertion:
Two Agony Bolts, penetrating armor, left lung and stomach, with Duranium arrowheads showing partially in her back.
Penetration wound around the heart area, likely caused by a Duranium bullet.
Penetration wound around the liver area, about 3 inches in width, completely going through Bunny as evidenced by exit wound of the same nature.
Penetration wound around the right kidney area, completely going through armor, likely caused by Duranium bullet. No exit wound, which means the bullet is still inside the body.
Penetration wound on the left forearm, completely going through the limb. The shape of the entrance wound and exit wound suggests the cause to either be a Duranium bullet or Agony Bolt, however, the entrance wound suggests strongly that an Agony Bolt has been pulled out before it could deploy.
Stab wound on the left flank, 2-3 inches wide. No exit wound. The position of the wound suggests no organ damage. Likely caused by Duranium implements, like a sword or knife.
Graze wound on the left upper arm, likely caused by Duranium bullet. Armor at left upper arm already removed before autopsy by the subject herself.
Bloodstains originating from all orifices including eyes, ears, nose, mouth, vagina, urethra, and anal cavity.
Following initial observations, all imaging techniques have been used to determine the amount of damage done to Bunny, as well as the extent to which her various illnesses have taken hold and possibly play a part in accelerating her death. The results are as expected and unsurprising. The damage done to her was simple but brutal. The only thing established with the use of x-ray and CT scans is that the wound on her left forearm has been caused by an Agony Bolt.
The bulk of the results have nothing to do with the wounds. Bunny's blood vessels are hyper-constricted, far more so than what the biology of baseline humans are capable of. This explains the paleness of the skin, which is completely white as a sheet. This is followed up by a quick exploration of her heart and its surrounding veins and arteries.
What I discovered is disturbing. My estimations put her blood loss at around 90% post-death, 80%-85% before, far more than what baseline human biology could withstand, and I can imagine that even Bunny's biology could not cope with such a loss. The heart is shriveled up and the arteries and veins tightened to the point where there is almost no lumen for blood to pass through - not that there is much blood left.
The next major discovery is made in examining the cells of her body. Cell samples are taken from the surface of her skin, blood from her heart, as well as muscular tissue from her arm, wherever they are accessible because of the wounds…
They are still alive. Bunny herself is dead, and yet the cells of her body live on. I have done a quick Chemical X2 analysis of the cells, and the Chemical X2 count is 2,152 parts per million, which is more than Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup's even when they are alive and at peak health. Theoretically, this explains why the cells are still alive. Chemical X2 fortifies the subject's body from the molecular level upwards. This ensures that the subject's body - in this case, Bunny - will not succumb to the elements or rot. Furthermore, the Chemical X2 will provide for the cells where the systems in Bunny's body could not. Chemical X2 is capable of creating any kind of atomic particle or molecule in existence, and so the cells could draw whatever they need from the remaining Chemical X2 - oxygen, glucose, minerals, vitamins, fats, proteins, et cetera. Considering that Chemical X2 is capable of replenishing itself, this could go on ad infinitum.
Following up on this, I focused my instruments on areas where the first signs of decay should occur. One such area would be the small intestines, where the gut flora should begin to break down and absorb the surrounding tissues. It is not happening at all. The likely explanation is that Bunny's intestinal cells are enhanced to the point of being impenetrable to her own gut flora, though this is just a surface explanation without any further investigation.
The other initial signs of decomposition are hit-and-miss. Algor Mortis is observed, though I am unsure if it matters to the still-living cells of Bunny's body. It remains to be seen how long the cells will survive at room temperature. Rigor Mortis is observed, so chemical changes in the muscles still hold true. Livor Mortis is barely existent, simply due to the sheer lack of blood remaining in the body.
Pathologically, Bunny was faced with prospects grimmer than her injuries. Through imaging, I discovered that the hemorrhaging in her brain had only increased exponentially, to the point of creating so much pressure in the skull it was likely uncomfortable and excruciating for Bunny. This is not helped by the dozens of tumors that had formed in there. It pains me so dearly to say this, but this is not the only thing she was suffering from when it comes to her nervous system. There is some leakage in her cerebrospinal fluid, which would have wreaked havoc on her senses and mental well-being. This is likely due to the perforation of her nerve tissues.
Most of her organs are faced with similar problems. Her lungs had tumors in them as well. There is some tearing in the lung tissue as a result. This, coupled with the perforations in the lungs, resulted in significant bleeding in the lungs. This explains the blood originating from the nose and mouth. She had been expelling them constantly in her final hours. However, up to 40% of her lungs are still filled with blood that has yet to be expelled, which is clotted by now. She was drowning in her own blood, and this has likely resulted in slow oxygen deprivation and reduced stamina and physical performance in combat.
Building on my previous report, her heart has suffered as well. Before getting shot through the heart, the organ was already compromised. The muscles are perforated, resulting in weaker heartbeats, the pericardium is ruptured, likely making it painful for Bunny, and there is a weakening of the median septum between the two ventricles, resulting in a mix between oxygenated and deoxygenated blood. There is also some blood clots occurring around the blood vessels in the region, which might have given Bunny some micro-heart-attacks which would have been dangerous and 'normal' heart attacks had she been normal. However, her Chemical X2-infused body had been able to manage the damage up until her death.
Every other major organ has been perforated as well. Attached are x-ray images that express this. Theoretically, this is all caused by Chemical X2 poisoning. Compared to Chemical X, Chemical X2 is much more potent. Never have I predicted that it would be so potent to the point of causing the rapid onset of various cancers.
The short-form explanation is that the Chemical X2 has unevenly degraded Bunny's DNA, resulting in the tumors. This was so intense to the point where pockets of cells are either mutated beyond any possibility of survival, or to the point where Bunny's immune system could no longer recognize it, resulting in autoimmunity.
Bunny's body was eating itself alive…
At the same time, the Chemical X2 was also inducing rapid healing and recovery, which likely prolonged her suffering. Had this not been the case, she would have perished much earlier. It is possible that the process had started long before the first symptom appeared, just that neither Bunny nor my medical instruments could detect it.
In any case, the process has now ended. At the sham that was the victory parade, there was a huge discharge of energy shortly after Bunny's expiration, mainly in the form of light. It is possible that most of the Chemical X2 are discharged as raw energy then. My analysis of the Chemical X2 content of her cells seem to support this. To reiterate, it has dropped from over 12000 to slightly over 2000. However, the reason for the discharge and the mechanism of this is currently unknown.
There is one other thing. Upon completing my autopsy, the wounds and incisions in her body were sealed back up as part of the funeral preparations. Hours later, I discovered that the wounds are healing despite Bunny's deceased status. In a fit of hope, I checked her for vitals only to discover nothing. She remains dead.
How her body could heal despite being dead boggles the mind as it goes against even the most cutting edge of our biological sciences.
Is this punishment for my inability to protect her? Or is Bunny still trying to keep me company, even in death?
Funerary Preparations
Due to Bunny's miraculous healing factor despite her death, no special preparation is necessary for the body to be preserved. She has become a living statue, like those stone reproduction of kings in their mausoleum, except consisting of living cells - if they could be called that.
I have taken great care to dress her in a fresh suit of uniform and combat armor. The braces I have received from the Institute have been installed. Selicia Goodwin helped with styling her hair into her signature ponytail.
She is ready.
Note by General Blackwater: Your sentiments are noted and understood. Your lack of professionalism, however, is far too clear.
The City of Townsville. Central District. Townsville Museum.
12 MAR (Sunday) 1989. 1352.
The hearse bearing Bunny's corpse was driven towards the Townsville Museum at a slow and steady speed, keeping pace with the bereaved accompanying it. USDO honor guards stood behind it, and as the back of the hearse was opened, they removed a glass coffin within it with practiced perfection, before heaving it up to their shoulders as they rounded the hearse and proceeded to march, slowly, up the stairs leading to the Townsville Museum. Professor Utonium and Selicia Goodwin, in their dress uniforms, as well as Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup in their black dresses with their color-coded trimmings, followed closely behind.
Surprisingly, there were no tears. All five of them had run dry of them a long time ago. Now, there was only the inevitability of death itself.
An honor guard was shouting parade orders. Ceremonial shots were fired into the air to honor the dead as she ascended the stairs to the museum on the shoulders of giants. Crowds were barely held back by barriers and a police-USDO presence. Some were there to protest the funeral, while others attended to genuinely honor the girl who had passed.
The procession made its way towards the museum. Mayor Wilford and his staff stood beside the entrance, respectfully waiting on the dead as it passed. Blossom lifted her head to regard her, and though she was surprised to see him, she didn't feel like acting on it. The world had turned a shade of black and gray and a deathly, pale white, and she didn't feel like talking or even doing anything beyond drifting by. Bubbles did the same thing, while Buttercup couldn't care less about the Mayor, but the Mayor understood. He'd learned from his contacts in the USDO that Bunny, the girl who was the center of this affair, had turned out to be their sister.
The glass coffin was taken through the museum, towards a wing specially reserved for Bunny. Mayor Wilford and his staff filed in behind the family of the bereaved. As the honor guards were still firing outside, the doors were closed.
Blossom was only dimly aware that things were happening without her realizing it. She had never been to a funeral before, and she had no idea what kind of building she was in. However, even in her disinterest in all things that wasn't Bunny, she began to notice things.
Upon passing into the wing dedicated to Bunny, she began noticing the exhibits, each of which was accompanied by plaques describing the items on display, and explaining their history, dispensing bits of fun facts.
There were replicas of herself, Bubbles, and Buttercup on display! First, there was them in their full uniform, armor, and gear, then them in their anti-protest riot gear (used during a protest against the USDO), as well as their regular riot gear. Then there was a replica of them in the same uniform, armor, and gear they were wearing presently. There were videos and newspaper articles and magazine pages on display. Artifacts that Blossom vaguely recognize were put in glass displays - pieces of their gear that were destroyed in combat and discarded, never to be seen again, until now. Debris from old battlefields long pacified. Trophies from the enemy. Larger sets occupied their very own corners. Bubbles could recognize the panic room ceiling she had carried for what felt like an eternity to spare Mister Morbucks, Elodie Morbucks, and their friends from being crushed and buried alive. Blossom and Buttercup could recognize the forklift they used as a shield during their fight against one of the three Amoeba Boys. It still felt strange that they became friends.
There were small-scale replications of their many battlefields, complete with little figurines and telescopes for visitors to peer through so that the battlefields would appear life-sized. The Girls could recognize themselves in those dioramas, especially Blossom, who felt compelled to zoom her vision in on them, having no need for a telescope.
And finally, they entered another hall, separated by some massive glass double doors. There were seats arranged in rows in the middle, but the hall was much bigger than that, for surrounding these seats were yet more exhibits, this time of battlefields Blossom couldn't recall, of artifacts she had never seen before, and of videos, newspaper articles and magazine pages that had nothing to do with her… And Bunny was placed in the center of it all, as an exhibit herself. These exhibits, however, did not have plaques accompanying them. In their place were notes hastily printed on paper and pasted where the plaques should be.
Professor Utonium, Selicia and the Girls were seated on the first row. They could see her so clearly, laid in state in a vacuum-sealed glass container, dressed in death just like how she normally dressed in life - in her purple uniform, which was almost entirely obscured by her (un)powered armor. Her arms were laid on her chest, which clutched another of her standard modded MP5. She was fully geared as well, with a suppressed pistol in her holster, her knife sheathed on her chest, her night vision goggles on her neck, like some high-tech necklace…. But they could only focus on her face, which was so pale, so peaceful, too clean, and unrepresentative of the painful death she suffered.
Beside the glass coffin was a podium, where people would take their turn speaking, starting with Mayor Wilford, who welcomed everyone to the Townsville Museum, and explained what everyone was doing in the museum, of all places, instead of, say, a cemetery, putting in the light what was going on, especially for The Powerpuff Girls.
The Mayor explained that the Townsville Museum had been preparing itself as part of the 'surprise' that was mainly represented by the ill-fated victory parade. The original plan had been for the Girls to stop at the Museum and be led inside on a grand tour of the place, with special attention paid to the newest section: a whole floor of the right-wing dedicated to the preservation of everything related to The Powerpuff Girls. This was specially arranged with the USDO, with Miss Bellum doing much of the coordination and planning, with surface-level information painstakingly hunted down and declassified for public consumption.
Everyone was sure that The Powerpuff Girls would be part of history for years to come. They were right for the most part, except for when it came to Bunny.
And so the Mayor had to cut the long, red ribbon inside the building with a heavy heart.
The next person to speak was General Blackwater, who gave a rousing speech about how Bunny had stood out even in training. For someone who had only live about 18 days, she had done more than what some cops and soldiers could accomplish in 18 years, with an emphasis on how it was far better than the ineptitude and treachery of the corrupt. The bright future of Townsville, he said, was thus only possible because of Bunny, and the City owed her a debt that could never be repaid, as the deed was done at the cost of her life. She had practically broken the back of the corrupt half of the Townsville Police Force all by her lonesome and was in turn broken by them.
Dad went last. Smiling down at Selicia and the three Girls, he could barely hold back the tears as he was buffeted by camera flashes. Going in the opposite direction of the general, Professor Utonium talked about Bunny's humanity instead, and how she was a normal girl at heart who desired normal things. Despite all the superhuman feats she had accomplished and the heinous things she had to do bring about the much-needed change in Townsville, she was above all else, a girl who only wanted love and peace not just for herself, but for the whole town.
It was on that day that Professor Utonium was revealed as the man behind the Powerpuff Girls. By this point, it was no secret to the enemies of the USDO and Townsville, and so the fact was declassified for the sake of the PR advantages it could provide, again, leaving the vast majority of the details to the imaginations of the public.
After the eulogies were given, the religious rites were provided by Saint George himself, the leader of the Church of the New Trinity. The USDO had decided that it was better to involve the church as its members could be of some use; their misguided loyalty to the prototype bioweapons and thus the USDO and their soaring numbers were thought to be resources the USDO might one day tap on.
The saint spoke of Bunny as an angel sent by God, a powerful figure not unlike Jesus himself who died so that morality could be restored to the world. When he claimed that Bunny had returned home to heaven after doing her job, to eventually reunite with her Earthly family one day, Blossom and Bubbles really believed it, that one day, perhaps, they might see her again.
Then came the viewing of the deceased. When it was the Girls' turn, Blossom and Bubbles couldn't help but explode into tears as they came close to the glass coffin. Buttercup was, again, affected by their emotions, and she found it annoying - oh, how much she wished her connection to them could be severed completely!
Death had never hit them this hard before. Back then, it was something that had only ever met their enemies, or people they didn't know well. It was bad enough then. Now, Bunny was lying in a sealed glass coffin, completely unresponsive to them… So close and yet so far, her body right next to them, but Bunny herself was gone forever.
As the family of the heroine laid in state, they were allowed as much time as they needed, but eventually, the professor got them to leave, seeing that they needed to move on eventually.
"Goodbye…" Blossom bade Bunny one last time.
"Nightey-night…" Bubbles said to Bunny as they left.
Meanwhile, Buttercup said nothing.
The City of Townsville. Central District. Townsville Museum.
12 MAR (Sunday) 1989. 1435.
On closing, there was a reception prepared, with refreshments, though none of the Girls were interested in eating or even drinking at all. It was then that the Mayor sought them out especially to speak to them. The Girls had been sitting in a corner while the professor and Selicia were speaking to other members of the USDO; people they knew from the HQ. Pulling up a chair, he sat down next to them. The Girls were silent. Only Buttercup looked ready for a conversation.
"Well, I hope the museum's done the job to your liking," the Mayor said as he took Blossom's tiny hand, hoping that a little touch might do something. "Laid in state like a president of the United States, in one of Townsville's most historic and prestigious institutions, to be immortalized as a heroine for all eternity."
"Thanks, Mayor Wilford…" Bubbles mumbled. "I think Bunny would have liked it."
"Will we ever get to see her again?" Blossom said, her eyes still fixed on the carpeted floor. It broke the Mayor's heart to see someone so young become so depressed.
"Why, yes, of course. I've talked to the museum director personally, and he's agreed to give you and your family free entry for life," the Mayor announced to them, hoping that they might feel better. "So you can come in whenever you want if you feel like seeing her again."
"Oh…" Blossom said simply. The Mayor didn't quite get what she meant, but it didn't matter. She wasn't even sure if she wanted to return to the museum. It'd hurt her so badly, just seeing Bunny again, the way she was pale and still like a statue, sealed away in a glass coffin for eternity. There would never again be laughter from Bunny. By now, Blossom would even welcome an argument and a heat beam from her if it meant that she would live. As it stood, there was no chance for them to really mend their sisterly relationship - it was broken because of her, and now it was broken forever.
The City of Townsville. Suburbs. The House.
12 Mar (Sunday) 1989. 1712.
Ever since returning from Bunny's state funeral, Professor Utonium hadn't been the same. Upon reaching home, he'd left the Girls to Selicia entirely, retreating down to the basement laboratory-like some wounded, nocturnal creature.
There, he sat at his work desk, staring at the Duranium cage containing the Chemical X2-mutated guinea pig with soulless eyes. It had since succumbed to the same diseases as Bunny. It was lying in its cage on its belly, breathing its last.
Getting up lifelessly, the professor picked up a Duranium scalpel from the medical wing of the lab and returned to the guinea pig. Poking the implement through the bars of the cage, he plunged the blade of the scalpel into the guinea pig's brain to put it out of its misery.
He dropped the scalpel on the table and returned to his seat, face in his hands. For how long he'd been spending all his energy holding himself together, he didn't know. He'd lost track of time, but eventually, he leaned back and turned to his blackboard once more.
The formula for Chemical X2 was there. The different components of it were pointed out by arrows. Notes scribbled in illegible doctor's handwriting stood like walls behind those arrows. He had written equations as well, all of which were part of the unfinished blueprint for Bunny's cure.
It drew him in. He knew it was useless, but he felt the intense need to finish it, an urge he couldn't explain. Breathing a sigh of resignation, he got up from his chair and ambled over to the blackboard, picking up the chalk.
By the time Selicia came by to call him up for dinner, he was entirely unresponsive to the rest of the world beyond himself and his blackboard.
"Thomas, it's time for dinner," Selicia called out to him again after coming up close to him, mere feet away. The professor continued to ignore her as if she wasn't even a figment of his imagination. Instead, he continued writing feverishly on his blackboard, mumbling something about the additives to Chemical X and the reactive agents or some such.
"Tommy darling, you have to eat some time you know," Selicia said again. When the professor didn't budge, she took him by the arm and began dragging him away. "Snap out of it! We have to go on living no matter what-!"
"NO!" the professor yelled, breaking free from Selicia with surprising strength. "The cure! I have to find the cure!"
"Thomas! Bunny is dead!" Selicia yelled back at him, but the professor didn't care. "What's the point of working on the cure?"
"I have to find the cure," he simply mumbled as he returned to his blackboard, his overstrained eyes already red and teary.
"I'm so close. I can find the cure," he muttered incoherently, looking half-mad with his unkempt hair and disheveled clothes. He hadn't even changed from his formal USDO suit yet.
Selicia could only look on helplessly as he continued to scribble useless scientific nonsense on his blackboard. Wiping tears away, the security officer went back up the stairs.
Back at the kitchen, Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup were silent as they sat around the dining table, completely uninterested in filling their bellies. They were still dressed in black. When Selicia returned to them, she added another plate to the dinner spread without looking at the Girls before moving to the kitchen counter to grab a pot of fruit punch.
"Eat your food, Girls, or you'll go hungry," Selicia said dryly and unsympathetically as she returned to them to fill their glasses.
"I'm not hungry," Blossom said as she continued to stare at the floor.
"Me too… I can't eat…" Bubbles added. "I miss Bunny…"
Selicia sighed, her patience thinning. The fact that her other half was coming unhinged was already too much to bear.
"Missing your meal won't bring her back, Bubbles," Selicia was just barely able to resist screaming at Bubbles. Her voice was a dangerous growl; she wasn't exactly fond of Bubbles ever since she nearly killed the man she intended to get married to. "So eat." She was still standing, but she had since stopped pouring juice into cups. She gripped the handle of the pot of juice tightly, her hand shaking with rage.
"Mom… I don't want the broccolis and fish!" Buttercup butted in. "I want chicken and sausages!"
"Don't be so picky, Buttercup!" Selicia growled at her favorite, but she tried to keep it all down just for her sake. "Eat your vegetables and fish, honey. They're good for you."
"But Mom! I hate broccoli and fish! I want chicken and sausages!" Buttercup complained regardless.
"When is Dad coming up? I miss him…" Blossom then said. "I don't want to eat without him."
"He's not coming up-" Selicia said, still gripping the pot of juice, so hard that her fingers were becoming white.
Bubbles had, for some reason, started crying again, and she definitely wasn't going to touch her food at this rate.
"I w-want Bunny b-back!" Bubbles cried.
"Honey, it's not possible-" Selicia tried to reason with Bubbles only to be interrupted by Buttercup:
"Mom, I want sausages!" Buttercup whined again. "Why do you have to cook those yucky fishes?"
The Girls continued to whine and cry and complain. Selicia stood stock-still, paralyzed by how the Girls were going out of control, how they wouldn't just behave and leave her alone, just for once. It wasn't as if they were the only ones suffering! Those selfish little brats!
Something snapped in Selicia when this went on unabated. Slamming the pot of fruit punch down on the table so hard the pot of juice exploded, splashing all four of them in the stuff, Selicia swept everything on the table off in her fit of rage as she screamed. Despite getting cut in the hands because of the glass shards from the pot, she didn't stop and proceeded to slap Blossom all of a sudden, painting one side of her face with her blood.
"Ow! Mom!" Blossom cried. Selicia did not stop. She slapped her immediately after that. "Ow!"
"IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!" Selicia screamed as she grabbed Blossom by the collar and pinned her against the back of her chair. "YOUR FATHER WENT CRAZY BECAUSE OF YOU! YOU STUPID-" Selicia grabbed Blossom by the chair and slammed her face down on the table.
"MOM!" Bubbles screamed in shock while she was still reeling from breaking down.
Blossom, in the meantime, was a complete mess; she was wet with juice, with Selicia's blood on the left side of her face and bits of food caking her face. She cried brokenly, unhurt but an emotional wreck.
"YOU RUINED EVERYTHING!" Selicia screamed into Blossom's face before slapping her again, but she did not scream this time. "ALL BECAUSE YOU GOT JEALOUS, YOU SHIT!"
Blossom crumbled against the back of her chair, curling up into a fetus as she put up her arms to shield herself from further assaults while she cried with snot coming out of her nose. But something was coming out of her, something that finally got Selicia to stop.
Blood. Blood from Blossom's lips. She had bitten herself by accident after getting hit so many times.
"Oh my God…" Selicia whispered to herself, finally coming around. Approaching Blossom again, this time out of concern and pity for the enhanced creature, she tried to pull Blossom's arm out of the way so she could see her face better, but the enhanced little girl continued to resist.
"Blossom, stop, let me see," she said to Blossom, who was already stronger than her, having recovered somewhat from her Anti-X poisoning. "I won't hit you again - I promise."
That, somehow, got Blossom to stop resisting. While she was still crying, Bending down, Selicia peeled back her lips and found a couple of bloody ulcers that had formed on the inside, which looked painful.
"I'm so sorry…" Selicia apologized after that as she began wiping off food that had stuck to Blossom's face. Blossom, in the meantime, had stiffened up. She was still shrinking away from Selicia, afraid that she might explode on her again. "I didn't mean to go nuts like that… I- I guess Bunny's death has affected me badly too…" She pulled Blossom into a hug.
"Look, let's get the three of you cleaned up before Dad comes up and we'll all just forget about this, okay? I'll even order some pepperoni pizza…" Selicia said, and without waiting for a reply, she scooped up the trembling Blossom and led Bubbles by the hand towards the stairs. Buttercup followed obediently, entertained somewhat by her sisters' suffering under Selicia. After all, there was some pepperoni pizza in it for her…