Infiltration

(TW: Trafficking)
(CW: Sexual content)
Blossom managed to get out of the house early, they came to the conclusion that she can't wear her normal crime fighting attire, so, with such a lovely day she put on a sundress and a cardigan with some nice shoes. It was strange how unrecognizable when out of uniform, passersby complimenting her on her clothing and how radiant she looked, and that was it. It was kind of nice, albeit, a bit concerning considering her face is exposed all of the time, and no one seems to recognize her despite being on the news, the internet, meet and greets. Maybe it was her hair that threw everyone off, putting it up in a bun this time instead of letting it hang like it usually does.

As she checked to see if her bun was still in place as she fished her phone out of her purse. John texted her to meet in the park at seven, at quarter after he finally showed up, though, of course he had to double check "you are… the worst at punctuality."
"Almost thought it wasn't you, then your snarkiness showed"
"That's not a word John"
"That's assuming I care what is and what ain't words"
"Oh my gosh you just butcher the English language so easily, it's like your superpower" Blossom said with a scoff. John smiled at how she got riled up so easily "you look good princess." Examining John compared to himself, it seems he just recycled the same four articles of clothing over and over again. His hair was tied back, and it seems he trimmed his beard just a tad, still wooly but, refined wool "compared to you I should look great."
"Not everyone has the world at their fingertips" John countered, though he didn't seem to be offended by it. Not that she would care, at least, she would, but not a lot. "…thank you John, it's weird being out of my work clothes after having worn them for so long."
"Well, we're still workin' princess but uh, I'd say you blend in pretty well" looking around, she was just like everyone else, once John's vibrant green eyes settled on her, she smiled. "This what it's like to be normal?"
"It's certainly a start, but c'mon, we can do normal later, right now it's vigilante time" John beckoned her to follow, and that she did, walking through the park by him it was. Nice to see it on the ground floor for once, instead of from the sky with the birds. Though she wouldn't trade the view from up there, there was just so much that she missed down here that she could miss from up there if she's not looking for it. As she was smiling all around, John took notice "what's got you so happy?"
"Oh just, being here I guess, seeing everyone up close, not being surrounded for photos and autographs. It's… it's nice"
"For now, then the real-world problems start coming in, bills, money, food, shelter, all that stuff."
"Is everyone really that destitute?"
"Nah but, they think about it a lot, everyone's got their own problems to deal with, I guess you and your sisters just make it easier when monsters start stompin' around. Or, in some other cases, when you fight yourself."
"Ugh, don't remind me" Blossom still wouldn't be able to shake that from her mind even after sleeping on it. Although it was a while ago now, and they haven't returned, Blossom feared they might be just around the corner. She made a face thinking about that as she was brought to John's vehicle, expecting the truck, but it was just a sedan, a rusty, crusty, beat to smithereens sedan with three out of the four hubcaps missing entirely "we are not driving in this death trap."

"What's wrong with it?" John asked, Blossom motioned to the whole car "everything, John, I need my tetanus shot just from looking at it."
"Sorry, I'll bring around the Ferrari or Lamborghini next time, your royal hiney-ness." Blossom groaned, eventually coming around to the passenger side door "it'd be best to blend in. Believe me this piece of shit can move when I tell it to, I've been working on this one for a while, so we'll be alright… maybe, probably."
"How you give me hope" Blossom replied, laced with sarcasm, as the door was open, she was met with the eyes of a puppy, Miles was tagging along "Miles my baby boy!" She did a total one-eighty as she picked him up over her head. "Who's the cutest wittwe boy? Is it you?" Miles replied with a yip, tongue lolling out of his mouth "yes, it is! Yes, it is!" John's mouth was slightly open with an upward turn as Blossom nuzzled the puppy. Before holding him like the baby he was, then looked at John "what? I never had a pet when I was a kid."
"So, you can quite literally do anything you want, and you never got a dog or a cat?"
"We had a pet squirrel for a time, hope she's okay."
"A squirrel."
"With superpowers."
"…Of course, a pet that has super powers for super people, why wouldn't that make more sense than a cat?"
"It wasn't intentional, she just happened to be fed some X and she healed right up." Blossom coddled Miles some more before she slowed down to a stop, eyes shooting straight and then back at John "she got superpowers from X and healed within hours."
"But the deer and the fish look like that?"

That didn't sit well with either of them, Blossom got in the passenger's seat and hooked the seatbelt over herself. Stroking Miles' ear as the puppy wanted to explore more, John got in the driver's seat and started the rust bucket, it kicked to life instantly. Roaring and rumbling, then evening out into a smooth idle, thinking to herself that maybe this thing is more than meets the eye. The drive away from the park was quiet for a time, both of them trying to connect the dots themselves before finally conversing with one another "so the squirrel-"
"Bullet" Blossom interjected, John looked to her then the road "sure, Bullet… so Bullet was hurt, real bad right?"
"I'd say she was near death at the time, yeah"
"And she got better with X?"
"From what I remember Bubbles fed her only a few drops at the time, within the morning she was jumping all around the house and was faster than us, not as strong seeing as she is, well she's a squirrel. Either way it seemed that X was something beneficial, I don't know if dad changed the formula or it was her genome that did it. But if that's the case, deer shouldn't die like they did." Blossom sighed, watching the buildings and signs change overhead "at least they should change somewhat, something should've been enhanced, bigger antlers, stronger strides… something positive."

"What if they just needed X as like… like the ground floor? Something they could build something really nasty out of? Seeing as it could change so much about something I wouldn't put it past them to make it be some sorta weapon." John tacked on, and it seemed his thought pattern matched her own, she would put Miles down in the center console to keep her hands free. Not wanting to crush the poor thing if she gets worked up "but if that's true why even bother trying to build bombs and guns and everything?"
"Why stop at a bio weapon? If I were them, I'd want to test every avenue too, not every day you get your hands on the world's most potent chemical." Blossom furrowed her eyebrows "put yourself in their shoes then, what would they do next? They've got these… makeshift molotovs which no doubt have X in them, testing on animals, what would be the next step?"
"People" John said plainly, Blossom's heart sank a little bit "every avenue princess, that includes people. Men, women, children, no one's off limits, especially for these fucks that think they can do whatever they want" she would give a shaky sigh as she ran a hand through Miles's fur. The puppy started licking her finger and wagging his tail ferociously "that would be a lot of missing people though, wouldn't there?"
"Depends, there's homeless people all around. Former junkies, alcoholics, they'd do anything to get a fix, don't care how they get the money either." John would relax in his seat some as they hit the interstate, the separate parts of Townsville were showing up on the signs.

"That's a horrible thought" Blossom said, John gave a shrug in response "it's the only thing I can think of where if people go missing no one's really going to care. That's assuming that they're even testing on people in the first place, no tellin' if it's still animals." John would clench his jaw "really is some evil shit you found."
"We found, remember? We met at a bomb site of all places" both of them shared a laugh, and then some comfortable silence. Blossom looked out of the window to see the bits of Townsville in the distance, hard to believe she could just fly there and be present in the blink of an eye. She looked over at John who was focused on the road, everything else he was blocking out for the time being, she would look up and down at him, his rolled-up flannel exposing his arm, the tattoo he has flexing whenever he would adjust the wheel. His beard matched his personality, unafraid to be what it is, and who he is, his beanie hiding the hairs that would escape his hair tie. His stoic green eyes as he glanced back in the rear view every so often, as he looked to the rear view to her for just a split second, she realized she was staring at him "somethin' on your mind princess?"
"Not in the slightest" she countered, feeling her face get hot as she looked back out of her own window. The silence she felt between them would shift, at least for her, from comfortable to awkward, she just got caught staring at him for who knows how long? She despised slipping up like that, checking him out as if he's eye candy, this is a strictly professional relationship. It's one thing to become friends, but it could never go any further than that, nor would she want it to.

Their worlds are far too different from one another, he would be a prime target for anyone that wants to try and hurt her, his life would be in far too much danger, even if he's accustomed to it. It's one thing to worry about her dad constantly, but the villain who dares do that would have to answer to three powerpuffs instead of just one. That's not to say that he would even get along with anyone in her family, he and Buttercup would certainly go at it a lot, and there's no telling how far she'll go. "So, what do you do for fun?" Her thoughts were halted as she heard John's question, looking at him quickly, then on the road "hmm" she pondered as she played with Miles, the poor neglected creature. "I'm not sure, I like to watch youtube videos about history"
"God you're such a nerd"
"You asked first, don't crucify me because you asked" Blossom snapped, half-heartedly of course, not like he could understand any of it anyway "anything else?"
"Reading, I play the violin a bit here and there but, nothing incredibly special."
"For a superhero that wants to be normal you've got some pretty normal hobbies."
"What hobbies did you expect me to have?"
"I dunno, throwin' cars as far as you can, flyin' stupid fast, liftin' heavy shit."
"I do that on a daily basis, John, that's work, not a hobby." John waved off her comment, Blossom gave a scoff in response "what about you?"

"I like huntin', fixin' stuff, boxin's really fun, future heavyweight champ" Blossom watched him flex his free arm, the detail in the muscle was commendable "boom" he said, feigning a jab, Blossom gave a chuckle, and her face felt hot again. "I'd hate for you to have the powers I have."
"Why's that princess?"
"You'd hate having to deal with all these people all the time, being in the spotlight, can't screw up because they'll never let it go. Believe me, the smallest mistake always makes the biggest splash."
"Philosophical, but you're right, I'd hate it. All the whinin' n' shit everyone does, God, can't believe you ain't snapped yet."
"I've been tested but, no snapping just yet. If I did, I think the whole world would know" John laughed, Blossom smiled as she looked up at the sign, Citysville was hours away. It was going to be draining to stay in this car for that long, but it was a relaxing drive so far, minus the moment she had earlier. Blossom would hold Miles up as he put his paws on the window "look Miles, Citysville, very smelly" the puppy looked at her and then back out the window, finding the moving traffic mesmerizing. He would stay on her lap with his mouth closed and just watch everything happen, Blossom would stroke his back as he enjoyed his outing.

"I got a question for you, Princess," John asked, looking over it was hard to tell if his expression was joking or genuine "sure go ahead" she said "if you didn't have all these powers, if you were normal like you wanted… what would you be doing?" The million-dollar question, seems it all came full circle. Blossom would hold her head in her hand as she thought about it "it's hard to say really" she liked the violin but she wasn't passionate about it, she liked reading but being a librarian didn't seem like the most fascinating job in the world. She feels as if she could make it as a youtuber with her status alone, which is a prospect she and her sisters should explore, but regardless, there was nothing that really screamed at her as an occupation worth having. "I" Blossom started, but then went back to thinking about it "I don't know."

"Well that's a first" which it was, the future was something Blossom thought about a lot prior to the bombing "it is, actually, that's not a joke that's genuine." They shared another laugh, although it did make Blossom think about that problem again. Hopefully she'll have an answer soon, both for herself and for anyone else that would ask in the future. She gave a sigh after what felt like forever "sorry, I thought I'd have an answer for you."
"Tell you the truth I didn't think you would, you've been doing hero work since you were like, I dunno, what? Five? Six?"
"Yeah, not that I mind it, it's just, I do want to do something else when I'm older. These powers can't last forever, and even if they did, I won't."
"Pretty dark for someone dressed like that." John shook his head at this philosophical conversation they were having, but it wouldn't be the first time this would happen, Blossom shook her head bitterly "pinks nice but I would like some clothes in other colors."

"Every color of the rainbow, particularly blue or green?"
"I'm not so shallow that I would just take my sister's favorite colors, though, I do like the color green for some reason. Not like the lime green that Buttercup sports but a nice, deep earthy green" John looked away, Blossom could see him tense in the reflection of the window, but a small smile came to his face. Blossom didn't know what to make of that "it's a nice color, goes well with my eyes y'know" he shot a wink her way which caused Blossom to make an audible noise of disgust, however her face got hot once more. "How much longer until we get there?" She inquired, fiddling with the radio a bit, nothing but static or classical music. Hard to believe this car would be a relic with no Bluetooth, or even an aux chord "it's gonna be a while, hope you peed before we got on the road."
"Oh? And, who made you the leader of our two-person team? Last time I checked I've got a resume about leading that's about twenty years long."
"And this is my car, so we're going to go until either lunch or there's an exit ramp for Citysville." John countered, Blossom pouted in response "still don't know why I couldn't just fly us there"
"If you go to fast my skin will literally separate from my body, plus it's cold up there" she scoffed at the comment, followed by a soft upturn of her lips "I guess I got used to it, having to do it for, well, literally every day of my life."
"Don't know how you can wear a skirt when you're flyin' either, ain't you afraid of people seein' up there?"
"I wear shorts underneath John, you really think I wouldn't think about that?"
"Well I was, kinda hoping you wouldn't" earning a bap on the arm from her, John couldn't help but laugh as Blossom got increasingly more flustered. Miles would imitate her actions and just paw at John's arm "hey now, don't think you can get away with it just cause you're small!" John would toy with Miles as he drove "now I know why you wanted to be cooped up in here."

"Why's that princess?" She looked over at him with a deadpan expression, and his own was the complete opposite of hers "so you could harass me and there's nothing I could do about it."
"That's a part of it yeah" Blossom looked bewildered "what's the other reason?"
"Besides you flying and blowing our cover? Well, car ride would've been boring without you" he admitted "I think what you need is to loosen up some, Buttercup's all grumpy n' shit on camera n' all that. Bubbles god help her, like a deer in the headlights when she's on air, you though… you got the stuff actors wish they had but uh, you don't know when to separate it from your actual personality." Blossom's mouth was slightly agape as her brows formed a trench "have you studied me on live tv?"
"How could I not? You're on there practically all the fuckin' time."
"Where'd you even get this type of conclusion anyway?"
'I'd like to think I know you on a personal level, and while you can still be stuck up, we're working on it." She didn't know whether to be offended or just take in stride, she stayed silent for a bit before turning right back to him "you think I'm stuck up?" John realizes there's a landmine right in front of him, and he has to tread very carefully "no… just on tv you look like you are, and I'm realizing that you aren't. So, what I think is irrelevant, but it would be nice to see more, you on tv."

Blossom's face remained unchanged save for the fact that she narrowed her eyes at him, returning back to looking outside. The cars he was passing slowly falling behind, they crossed the bridge, a little under a quarter of the way there if she remembers correctly. Blossom sat and thought about his words, stuck up seemed harsh to her, but it's how she's operated since the day she was born. The eldest has a right to be the most proper compared to her siblings, all of the weight on her shoulders, everyone always looked to her for guidance, it was almost difficult to stay as Blossom, just Blossom, when her Powerpuff persona was used more often than not. She gave a long and heavy sigh, her eyes trailing down to the car door panel, looking at the cracks as she traced her finger over them "sorry" she heard, looking over to John.

"For what?" Blossom inquired, going back to the map on the panel "feels like I made you mad, should've just kept my mouth shut." Blossom hummed in response as she leaned back in her seat, Miles managed to crawl out of the console and into her lap. The puppy played with her hand for a while, yipping every so often "you didn't make me mad, just, made me think about something I don't think I've ever thought about."
"What's that?"
"Am I really me? Or am I just a version without the Powerpuff title?" She said bitterly, not liking her train of thought and how it was derailing "you're you." He said Blossom didn't look at him, her focus on Miles "explain."
"You might be someone else when the mic is in your face, but right now I'm seeing Blossom. I'm seeing a woman who looks like she enjoys a nice walk in the park, would help anyone that asked for it, and probably would work for a charity or two." Blossom looked over to him, letting him continue "she's smart, she knows her worth, she's not afraid to stand for her beliefs even if she's alone. Blossom is someone that everyone wants to be but they can't, because only she's allowed to be herself. No one can compare to her in anyway barring the superpowers, she can recite William Shakespeare by heart if she wants, she can do massive fuckin' nerdy calculations in her head without a second thought. She comes up with some unbelievable answers to probably the world's hardest problems, and not to mention her killer smile that makes everyone in any room feel safe, happy, and relaxed."

John looked over at her, her eyes were wide as she continued to look at him, he would periodically glance over to her to cement his point "I can go on if you fuckin' want me to" he declared. To Blossom it seems he was more worked up than she was about beating herself up, it was admirable, heartwarming even. She felt her chest thud like a hammer whacking a nail away, which is which she didn't know, but she felt that heat spread throughout her body. She's been complimented by fans, passersby, and appearances at conventions, and of course her family, but someone seeing her like this? When she was practically having an identity crisis? It made her feel some type of way about it "alright, Blossom is someone that-"
"Stop," Blossom said, her voice a whisper "you're going make me cry."
"There she is," Blossom laughed as she dabbed away the tears in her eyes. "I can't believe you used my real name too, no silly nicknames."
"The time called for it I'd say."
"And you answered it" she said "thank you John, although I'm surprised you said all of that about me, even if you like me" she jabbed, John gave a harsh shrug as a response "that doesn't mean I have to be a dick all of the time."
"You're right, just seventy percent of the time."
"So there's room for disimprovement?"

Blossom let out a cackle at the word, her feelings doing a complete one-eighty "that's not a word John!"
"Who fuckin' cares! It's part of my dictionary or whatever!" As the ride continued Blossom and John would talk about this and that, movies, books, work, family stuff. Turns out that John has two brothers, one older and one younger, though from what he told her in their group during their crime stint, he was the muscle, and she could see it. His brothers, Alex and Xavier, were also not free from their dad's menacing behavior, that is until he died. When asked about his mom, he simply said he didn't know her, what she looked like, her name, her age even, just completely gone, which can't be true seeing as, well, he's here. His father died of a heart attack caused by an overdose, truly wretched to try and bring three innocent boys into a terrible way of life.

Blossom found herself glad that this man was gone, without him John seemed to thrive, but it was divided seeing as she herself didn't like anyone dying, much less being glad about it.

They managed to arrive where the informant told them, though it was early afternoon and nothing had happened, and while these vagrants managed to conceal themselves as best they could. Blossom and John knew what to look for, and after driving around for a bit, the signs were there, the circle with an X inside marked a drop or pickup or something happening within their group. It was in a trainyard, and John's car managed to blend in very well with the surrounding abandoned vehicles, Blossom took a bite of her sandwich as she looked around the place. Citysville was someone's cup of tea, but it certainly wasn't hers, dilapidated buildings, abandoned tents, homeless wandering for something that doesn't exist, all topped off with the constant sirens going off in the background. If one wanted work as an officer, this would be the place to stay at, or at least work, remembering her short stint here when she was a child.

Everyone in her family despised living here for more than a week, and this is the place where crime was the most infectious to whoever even wanted to dip their toe into madness. "This place sucks" she spouted, taking a sip, John agreed as he bit into his burger, giving Miles the shortest bit of a fry "it does, we had a lot of work here, it was fun but as far as living here? Fuck that, I think I'd rather lose my leg."
"You certainly would if you decided to stay" John hummed in response. Looking over at the train car, she wondered what they could be transporting. Their conversation certainly reminded her that they very well could be trafficking people here, seeing as syndicates thrived in this place and the police were stretched thin enough as is, it was an easy market. Blossom sighed, watching Miles sniff her sandwich as his tail wagged furiously "ah! No! This isn't good for you."
"To be fair, I think this'll shave a few years off our lives too" Blossom gave a single laugh "for you maybe, you mere mortal."
"Oh baby you wound me" with a chuckle they continued to watch and eat for the time being, talking every so often, but their eyes were glued to the marked area. Once the food was finished she looked over at John, ketchup and mustard and mayo all over his beard "gosh you eat like a caveman."

"What?" he asked, Blossom took out a few napkins and handed them to him "your beard."
"Oh" he took the napkins and cleaned himself, but after he wiped the grease from his hands on his pants "gross."
"Why thank you" he smirked, leaning back in his seat as he made himself comfortable. He pulled out his phone and mindlessly scrolled on it "did you want to rest? You've been driving all day."
"Nah I'm good, came prepared" reaching in the back he cracked open an energy drink, the place immediately smelled of the strong ingredients "how are you not dead?" Blossom watched him take a few big gulps before belching, she sneered as she turned the key on and rolled down the windows slightly "fair enough, smells awful in here."
"Probably because my driver is a walking dumpster." John laughed out loud this time, a single 'ha' "your driver? Please, where's my pay for all this driving?"
"My company of course" Blossom batted her eyelashes at John, smiling at her as he put his arm behind his head "I'll take it, but I want a down payment next time."
"I'll think about it" Blossom countered, relaxing some as she took her shoes off and gave a soft sigh "when do you think they'll show?"

"Don't know, it could be at night as far as I know. But, we're gonna stay here for a while anyways, so get comfy. Which, you already have, in my car, without telling me" John looked at her up and down, and Blossom felt his eyes upon her. That heat arose once more but this time from the pit of her stomach, she took a sip of her soda to try and cool it down "John?"
he made a sound in response "we're friends right?"
"I'd say so yeah"
"have you had relations with anyone before?" He coughed into his drink, choking on it a bit, she held back a laugh as to not make it any worse than it was, well, she tried, but she still laughed. John hacked up a storm as the tears welled in his eyes, Blossom went as pink in the face so it matched her dress. She didn't think much of the question, she certainly didn't expect that reaction, but with everything they've talked about and recycled over and over, and the way she felt his eyes lingering, she couldn't help herself.
"What like… like sex?" John said through his coughing fit, Blossom leaned back, still smiling, and nodded "what's it like? If you've done it, that is."
"Course I have" John said, finally managing to get himself together after a while "it's… well it all depends on who it's with, I guess." John started, it seems he was going to put some thought into this spiel "if it's just a hookup, y'know, getting' your rocks off n' stuff? Then it's just like, jerkin' off, but a lot more sloppy" John laughed "but if it's with someone you love? Someone who knows all your buttons and how and when to push 'em? Oh man, you'll be seein' stars" Blossom pursed her lips together as she combed the loose strands of hair "have you… had that?"
"With someone I love? Nah, not in the slightest… thought about that girl I told you about a lot when I was jerkin' off though."
"That's an image I didn't need" Blossom said, doing her best to keep her thoughts as far away as possible from that pattern "you might like it though, give it a shot."
"Who says I haven't?"
"Because you said you don't date, and, you asked" Blossom went to counter his point, but it was pretty solid "Well, that's besides the point John, you've done the deed but, it wasn't satisfying?"

"At the time, maybe, like in the moment it was nice, but afterwards I just stopped, it wasn't worth it. They weren't her" he said the last part quietly, looking down at the floor, then up at him "would you do it with me?" John lowered the can from his mouth, she didn't know where this boldness was coming from, and frankly it was scary. It was just this attraction that she was starting to recognize, blaming it entirely on the enclosed space, and the fact that the only other man she's talked to besides her father is the one driving. John smiled "I would, but I don't think a rat-infested motel or a shitbucket like this car is the place to do it."
"A fair point, but you said the person matters most, so what's wrong with here and now? Well, if we weren't staking out a human trafficking ring and possibly a terrorist organization, and not in public, maybe."
"Well I mean… y-yeah, if you really wanted to" John was a bit flushed from Blossoms questioning, looking at him she gave a sigh "I'm… I'm sorry, I don't know where this is all coming from." They've known each other for a month now, maybe closer to a month and a half, and it's just been constant back and forth bickering or talking about what needs to be done. Now that they've had a moment in reality, Blossom realized that she's never really done much of anything outside of superhero work, and maybe it was because John was so unapologetically himself, she couldn't help but admire him. It was no secret to her that he kept eying her up like he was ready to take a bite out of her, and she wouldn't deny it made her feel some type of way, their late-night talks always seemed so nice. Like a high school girl talking to her schoolyard crush, something she never had until now, Blossom buried her head in her hands in confusion, frustration, and disappointment in herself.

"Look, don't worry, it's uh, well… I think it's kinda sweet that you asked me that. Bit fuckin' personal and out of the blue, but it was… yeah it was sweet."
"Such a way with words"
"We're both poets princess"
"Can't deny that" Blossom would scratch Miles on the noggin with her long nail, the puppy stopped doing whatever he was doing and just enjoyed it. Almost too much as his eyes closed and everything seemed still "did I make things awkward between us?"
"Nah" John confidently said, Blossom was glad that things remained the same more or less "good, now, let's never speak of it again" she watched John hesitate, look at her, shrug, and nod "if that's what you want."
"Yeah I'd… like us to stay friends" John nodded in agreement, seemingly unbothered by it thank the stars. Blossom felt immensely better. "I'll remember this offer though, and you will never live it down no matter what."
"I'd think you were someone else if you didn't" with a cooperative smile, then looked back at the trainyard. It was nearing late afternoon, bordering on twilight hours, and not a thing was moved out of sight. They relaxed again, speaking about nonsense with each other once more as time passed, Blossom hoped that time would stop and they would continue talking the night away. Like they do almost every night over the phone, somehow the conversations always turned to something else they enjoyed rather than what they needed to do. She would then glance at the trainyard, grabbing John's attention. "They're here!"

The truck from a few nights ago pulled up, the driver would hop out along with two others, both with guns. The pair held their breath as they watched on, the truck gate would fly open, and a handful of people would spill out. All of them wearing the same clothing, gagged and bound with a sack over their heads, unable to speak or see, only obeyed as they were tossed into the train car. The driver disappeared from the group, one got in the train car, and the other got back in the truck, during this time Blossom listened to anything that they might let slip. Picking words like "between Jacobs Station and Silo Crossing" dropping them off somewhere between stops, she and John locked eyes "gameplan?" he asked.
"We're going to free the people inside that car, and once you get them out, I'll follow the empty car to wherever they're taking it." John nodded, gently and slowly they opened the door, Miles got pinned down by John's hefty flannel "sorry buddy, we'll be back." He closed the door quietly and followed Blossom who was crouched behind a car, getting a better vantage point on what was going on. The truck pulled off, and she heard a train getting warmed up down the line "John" she turned to him, their eyes met once more "be careful, please."
"It's what I'm good at" he said, the smile he had fell, both of them locking eyes for longer than necessary, but their concentration was broken by the squeal of brakes. The engine was moving and it was moving fast, so they needed to act faster. Blossom would zip next to the car with John moving right behind her on his own two feet, surprised he could move so fast as a man of his size, but she didn't question it too much. Blossom broke the lock on the door and John jumped the man, pulling his legs out from him and tossing him like a ragdoll, John didn't miss the chance to pounce and knock him out with one solid punch. Blossom would go in and take off the bags over the victim's heads, and undo the blindfolds "don't worry, we're here to help" she soothed, though the panic around everyone didn't stop. John would help everyone down, cutting their bindings with his pocket knife and telling them to go over to the band of downed vehicles, which they didn't object to seeing as both he and Blossom freed them. Blossom would hover out of the car and meet with John behind it "you think he saw us?"

"If he did, he would've stopped" John looked to see the engine still backing up "alright, I'll get these guys to the police station" John looked to see the group of people huddling around each other and looking around. "Be careful Blossom, call me if you get caught"
"What are you going to do? What can you do?"
"What you're not going to do" John pumped the shotgun to cement his point, before she could protest the car kicked back, and started to move forward "we'll talk about this later."
"Uh huh" John dismissed her worries about everything, just when she started to like him, she realized that he was still a criminal at heart. A killer at that, she could never be with someone like him, and regretted letting it slip earlier, Blossom thought about this as she was in the air in an instant. Following the train as it went along, dipping through tunnels, when need be, and regaining her bird's eye view when she could. As the train traveled through the late night of Citysville, eventually the metal would scream, the stop was coming up and Blossom took cover until she got a good read on what was going on. A light was on and there was a door leading to who knows where, and out popped several other people, though, they looked more like mercenaries then the thugs they've been seeing every so often.

Armed for bare and prepared for the worst, they moved like a hive mind and barked orders, and the thugs barked back. Arguing about where the captives went, Blossom smiled, now was as good an opportunity as any as she swooped in and started knocking them out one by one. With her superior strength and speed, they had little time to react, but with the time they were given they managed to land a few shots on her. At first, they didn't hurt, they were bullets that deflected right off of her skin, though her clothing wasn't bulletproof and it suffered. The last man got a good shot on her, again, expecting just another small caliber to bounce right off of her, but when it hit her, she didn't feel anything. The mercenary got a hard hit, knocking him out cold despite his armor and helmet, snatching the gun from him in the process.

Looking at the two of them it was just a couple of ordinary rifle, with a thirty-foot-long barrel, a magazine that reached the floor, and a stock that wrapped all the way around the chest for secure firing. An interesting choice to add a literal mouth as a bayonet, for up close and personal biting, she admired all three of the rifles and then put them down. It was strange though as the rifle just disappeared into the haze on the floor, very tactical, works like a charm. Blossom then looked to her hand, having a few extra fingers always helped, that way she could type out her essays more. Though, she realized guns aren't supposed to look like that, or disappear into nothingness when they were dropped. Looking at both of her hands her fingers became warped and disgusting, then settling back to what they looked like before they were warped once more. Her vision would fade as she looked around, her head was lighter than air, and her body was heavier than the mountains surrounding Townsville.

She tried to fight it as best she could, whatever it was, but her body was telling her she should stop. In a hushed whisper, croaking out the name of the one person that could hear her, John, as if he would come running any second. But that was a dream, she was alone in the darkness in a town she despised, she might die here, and that thought never crossed her mind until now. She felt her heart slow down to a steady beat, and her eyes were getting heavier as she slowly passed out, from whatever she was shot with.

Her last thought was finding the irony in telling everyone to be safe, yet here she was, in the most dangerous predicament a girl like her could be in.

PPG belongs to the soul devourer Cartoon Network & Craig McCracken