Bubbles returned home...her search had not turned up anything, even after a whole hour had passed, and she was beginning to grow tired. I hope Buttercup has better luck, she thought. She came in through the front door, and noticed that Professor Utonium was still awake, waiting up for them.

"Did you find Blossom?" he asked.

Bubbles shook her head, "No...I'm sorry. I looked all over. Maybe Buttercup found her."

"I hope so...she really looked disturbed," the professor said. He sighed, "You know, I've been thinking about it...maybe it wasn't right to do what I did..."

"What do you mean?"

"Bringing Blossom back to life," he explained. "People shouldn't have control over life and death like that...and she seemed so distressed. Maybe I shouldn't have done it..."

"Professor, don't say that!" Bubbles exclaimed. "Blossom had to come back! If it weren't for Mojo, she would have been alive anyway!"

The professor rubbed his chin and said, "I guess you're right. Look, I'm going to sleep...we can go over all this in the morning. I'm sure the girls will be back soon, anyway." He walked out of the room, heading upstairs.

Bubbles watched him go, and hung her head slightly, thinking, This is awful...I wish Mojo wouldn't have fought us today...I don't know what to think about all this, I'm so confused...

Her thoughts were interrupted by a sound from the front door. She turned around in surprise, but her expression turned to relief as she saw who it was. She sighed, "Girls...I'm glad you're back...where did you find her?"

Blossom and Buttercup hovered by the door, unsmiling, their gazes fixed onto Bubbles. Buttercup spoke up, "I spotted her sitting on one of the buildings."

"Okay...are you all right, Blossom?" Bubbles asked.

Blossom nodded, "Buttercup and I had a long talk. I feel much better now...I think we should just get some sleep." She glanced over at Buttercup and nodded almost imperceptibly.

Buttercup nodded back to her, and looked at Bubbles, "We're going to go outside and talk a little more. I just wanted to stop by and let you know we're all right. We'll be back shortly, okay?"

"Okay," Bubbles said, "I was just worried, 'cause I didn't find Blossom anywhere myself, and..." She stopped, and looked at Buttercup's arm. "Buttercup...what happened to that cut? It's gone..."

Glancing at her arm, she said, "It healed, I guess."

"Already?"

"Yes, it's amazing," Blossom said. "Maybe we have super healing abilities or something. None of us have ever actually been hurt before, so we never knew up to now."

Bubbles scratched her head, hesitating. She finally smiled and said, "Okay! Well, I'm going to bed...see you later!" She flew out of the room towards the steps.

Blossom and Buttercup watched her leave the room and waited for another minute. After they knew she was safely away, Buttercup whispered, "She's suspicious."

Blossom whispered back, "Maybe...but I don't think smart enough to figure it out. We're still safe right now."

Buttercup nodded, "So now what? Do we need to get anything else from the lab while we're here?"

"No," Blossom whispered. "We already have everything we need. Just remember what I told you, and they won't be able to do anything to stop us."

"Right," Buttercup nodded.

"As for right now, step one is complete." Blossom looked over at the door, "Let's prepare for step two." Both of them flew over to the front door, and left the house. The door shut behind them, leaving everything quiet and empty again.

Or so they thought. Bubbles peeked out from around the corner. Instead of going upstairs, she had waited nearby to listen to them when she had left the room before. Even though they whispered, she heard them with her super hearing...and she still couldn't believe what she had heard.

What's going on? she thought. What were they talking about? Stop them from what? She bit her lip, and thought, I'd better follow them...ohh, something's not right...I don't like this...

* * *

Blossom and Buttercup soared low through the city, weaving between buildings. Bubbles stayed at a safe distance, but it was difficult keeping up with them. She had to stay out of the their sight, but at the same time, not lose track of the erratic path they were taking through the city. Her thoughts raced as she followed, There's gotta be a good reason for this...maybe...maybe they're just making sure the streets are safe...maybe they...oh, I don't know, this doesn't make any sense!

As she rounded the next building, though, she slowed. They were nowhere in sight. She glanced around quickly, but saw no sign of them. She hovered in the center of the empty street and tried to decide what to do next, and decided that maybe it might be a good idea to fly above the city...she might be spotted, but not if she flies high enough...

As she considered her options, something suddenly seized her from behind...it was Blossom. She had darted out of the alley and grabbed her in a full-nelson. She tried to struggle free, but she held her firmly. "Blossom, what...!"

"Easy, Bubbles," Blossom said. "Don't make this any harder." A moment later, Buttercup flew out from behind another building, stopping in front of them. Blossom nodded to her, "I've got it under control, Buttercup."

"What's going on?" Bubbles exclaimed. "Buttercup?!"

Buttercup drifted forward, her expression still cold and unfeeling. She said, "Not exactly how we planned it, but it still worked out. Want me to do it?"

"Yes," Blossom said, "She's not going anywhere."

Bubbles watched as Buttercup withdrew a sawblade. She recognized it instantly as one of Mojo's Duranium blades. It gleamed, even in the dim light of the streetlights, but even so, she could see that it was stained with blood. Bubbles gasped, and stammered, "Wh-what are you doing?"

"Why, nothing," Blossom answered. "Just inducting you into our little family. You see, Bubbles, they say that staring into the face of Death can change a person. It has been an enlightening experience, hasn't it, Buttercup?"

Buttercup nodded, "That's right. It certainly has...as I'm sure Bubbles is about to find out."

Bubbles blanched as she watched Buttercup come closer, holding the blade out. She tried to get away, but she was held too tightly by Blossom. "N-no! Girls, it's me!" she said, trying to reason with them, but her heart sunk as she realized that it wasn't going to do any good...they weren't listening to her.

Approaching her, Buttercup raised the blade, preparing to swing. She said, "We'll see you soon, Bubbles." With that, she swung the blade directly for her.

"NOO!!" Bubbles screamed, and at the last instant, she spun sideways with her full strength. It was a surprising display of force that took Blossom off-guard, and she was pulled around in front by the move...as Buttercup's blade came down, it missed its intended target, cutting into Blossom's arm instead. She cried out in pain, and released Bubbles, gripping the wound. Bubbles immediately took advantage of this opportunity, and flew away as fast as she could.

Blossom shouted through her teeth, "Don't let her get away!"

Without hesitation, Buttercup flew after her, blade at the ready. Bubbles looked behind her, noticing this, and screamed in fright. They're gonna kill me! she thought. What do I do? What do I do?! She looked around feverishly, trying to find someplace to hide, and finally spotted Townsville Dump. She flew in low, weaving around some of the larger piles of junk, then stopped behind one of them. She crawled into an old, rusty automobile, and curled up, catching her breath.

She shook fearfully, and hoped they didn't spot her, because now there was nowhere for her to run if they did. She listened carefully for a few seconds. Everything was so quiet. She was about to peep out of her hiding place, when she heard a rush of air, and saw Buttercup land across the way, near another pile of junk, her back to Bubbles.

Stifling a cry, she held her hands over her mouth, and tried to stay as quiet as possible. Her breathing quickened...she was too afraid to keep it under control, and was more worried than ever that Buttercup might hear it. She thought, please don't let her find me please don't let her find me please don't let her find me...

Buttercup looked to her left, then to her right. She turned slowly, and for a moment, she looked directly at Bubbles' hiding place. Bubbles stayed as still as possible, but she was still shaking. After a few tense moments, Buttercup looked in another direction. Bubbles was about to give a sigh of relief, when Buttercup suddenly started walking in her direction.

Oh no! she thought. She found me! What do I do? Run for it! No, maybe she didn't find you! Wait here! No, you have to run! She saw Buttercup grow nearer and nearer, and clenched her eyes shut, desperately trying to keep quiet...she waited for the worst...

Buttercup stopped, suddenly, next to an old couch that was sitting in a pile of junk next to the car. In anger, she kicked it, sending it flying off into the distance. She shook her head, and finally flew up into the air, disappearing from view.

Bubbles let out a shaky breath, and tried to calm down, holding a hand across her chest. Her heart was racing out of control. Calm down, she thought to herself, she's gone now...you're okay... She very cautiously emerged from the old car and looked around. Sure enough, the coast was clear. She thought, This is terrible! Blossom...Buttercup...I gotta go talk to the professor, he'll know what to do...

* * *

Blossom was back at their makeshift headquarters. She had already bandaged up the wound over her arm, and was now working at one of the tables. Using a small, hand-held laser borrowed from the professor's lab, she was cutting and shaping one of the pieces of Duranium that she had recovered from Mojo. As she worked, she heard Buttercup fly in through the window. Without looking up, she said, "You didn't catch her, did you?'

"She's fast," Buttercup claimed. "I didn't see where she flew off to."

Blossom frowned, "I know where she is...right now, she's probably on here way back to the professor, to tell him about us. We won't be able to keep our goals a secret much longer."

"Well, let's stop her, then." Buttercup said.

"No," Blossom said, shaking her head. "They can't do anything. It's time to focus back on our original objective. Bubbles will not be a problem; she won't be able to stop us. And if she foolishly tries, we'll be prepared." She stopped working with the laser, and held up the piece of metal, which she had crafted into a crude, yet razor-sharp sword.

She handed it to Buttercup, who examined it carefully under the light, and nodded. "Yes, this will do nicely..." With a quick motion, she swung it once in practice, the air whistling dangerously around the edge of its blade. If she was still capable of smiling, she probably would have.

* * *

In tears, Bubbles explained to the professor everything that happened. He listened in awe, sitting with her at the kitchen table, unable to believe it. "And they tried to kill you?!" he asked incredulously.

Bubbles sniffed, "Y-yes...ohh, Professor, what happened to them?"

"I don't know," he replied. Thinking for a moment, he asked, "Are you sure that the cut on Buttercup's arm was gone?"

"I'm positive," she said.

"Then it's just as bad as I feared." The professor got up and started walking over for the door to his lab. "Bubbles, I'm afraid that Blossom must have killed Buttercup...she then mixed her components back together with Chemical X, like I did with her..."

"No...why would she do it?" Bubbles insisted. "She'd never do anything like that..."

The professor opened the door to the lab, and started walking down the steps. He said, "Something must have happened when she got her memories back. She was disturbed, I could see it in her face. Who knows how that experience could change a person? As I said before, I should have been more careful...I didn't understand the consequences of bringing her back..."

Bubbles choked back her tears as she followed him into the lab. She said, "What can we do? Isn't there any way we can get them back to the way they were?"

"I doubt it," the professor said, flatly. "But, there's always a possibility. If I could just examine one of them, perhaps I can do something to help them."

"But how? They aren't going to just let you..." she reminded him.

"I know...that's why I'm going to need your help to do it." Stopping by one of the tables, he picked up a vial of a dark black liquid. Handing it to Bubbles, he said, "Be careful with this, sweetie; don't get any of it on you."

She looked at it, and asked, "What is it?"

"Antidote X," he answered. "It should be just enough to remove their powers. What I need you to do is use it on them...that way, when they lose their powers, you can bring them back here easily, and we can find out if there's a way to safely reverse what happened to them."

Bubbles held the vial gingerly...she was never comfortable about Antidote X. Still, she gathered her courage and said, "I understand, Professor. I'll do my best..." She tucked the vial away carefully, and turned to fly out of the lab.

"Hurry, Bubbles," the professor told her. "There's no telling what they'll do in their condition." Bubbles nodded, and disappeared from the lab. After she left, the professor sank down into a chair and held his face in his hands. My god, he thought to himself, what have I done?

* * *

Bubbles flew high above the city, staying amongst the clouds in case the girls were looking for her. She still found it difficult to accept that Blossom and Buttercup were actually trying to kill her. Worse, though, they had something else planned. She could tell they weren't just out to get her...she had to know what they were planning.

I just want them back, she thought. I don't care what it takes, I want them back...I really hope the professor can do something to save them. I couldn't bear the thought of losing them...

She noticed something below that caught her eyes...bright streaks of pink and green flying into Townsville Park. It was them, she knew it. They circled around the park for a moment, then headed straight for the volcano-top observatory, busting in through one side.

Bubbles wondered what they were doing at Mojo's hideout. After all, Mojo was in prison right now. She decided that she'd better take a closer look. Flying cautiously down, she approached one of the windows on the side and peered in. She saw Blossom pulling Mojo's giant laser from it's stand, carrying it over towards the hole in the wall that they made. Buttercup, in the meantime, was coming out of his arsenal, carrying a huge load of missiles and other explosives.

What are they doing with all that? she thought. She kept watching, and they both carried everything out of the observatory, flying down the side of the volcano and setting it in a pile on the ground. Blossom stood next to the pile, facing away from Bubbles, and she noticed that she had some kind of long metal sword strapped to her back.

As she watched, Blossom inclined her head slightly, as though she had just noticed something. She looked away from the pile and glanced at Buttercup, nodding. Buttercup nodded back and flew towards the side of the observatory, while Blossom resumed looking at the giant laser. Bubbles, confused, looked past her to see what she was looking at. The control screen of the laser was turned off, but it was still shiny and reflective...and she could see Blossom's reflection, looking directly at her...

She gasped, and floated back a few feet, knowing that she had been discovered. She heard a whooshing sound behind her, and quickly spun around, trying to move away from the source. Buttercup was there, with a sword similar to Blossom's in hand, and had swung it at her. Had she still been in the spot she was a few seconds ago, it would have all been over for her...instead, only the very tip of the sword hit, slashing across her.

She screamed and fell from the air, grasping her midsection where it had hit. She crashed into the ground, but barely noticed, as her attention was on her wound. Lifting her arm away from it, she saw her hand soaked in blood. She barely had time to think about this, though, as she saw Buttercup dropping out of the sky towards her. With a shriek, Bubbles rolled to one side, and the end of the sword stuck into the ground next to her. Without the time to get back to her feet, she scrambled backwards, trying to get some distance without taking her eyes off of her.

By now, Blossom had flown over, and she now stood next to Buttercup, who pulled her sword from the ground. Blossom drew her own sword from behind her and said, "Bubbles, I'm happy that you showed up. We have some unfinished business."

"What are you doing here?" Bubbles cried back. "Why are you stealing all of Mojo's destructive things?"

"A means to an end, sister," Buttercup said. "I'm not gonna try to explain it to you, 'cause there's a much easier way."

"Yes," agreed Blossom. "Once you die, you will understand...and together, the three of us can finally put an end to all life..."

The horror of Blossom's words struck Bubbles, and she exclaimed, "Wh-what do you mean, p-put and end to all l-life?! Y-you can't!"

"I assure you, we can," Blossom said. "Now...are you prepared to die?"

Bubbles closed her eyes, as tears streamed down her face. She whispered softly, "I...I don't...wanna die..."

Blossom started walking towards her, raising her sword, "You have no choice." She prepared to deliver a deathblow to the prone Bubbles, who sat unmoving. "Now, you will finally realize what must be done..."

Bubbles spoke, "I do understand now what must be done..." Her eyes flew open, and she shouted, "...THIS!" She pulled out the vial of Antidote X and splashed some of it at Blossom, who was unprepared for this move. Some of it got in her eyes, and she dropped the sword, covering her face in pain, "Aaaagh!" She stumbled back weakly, and Bubbles could tell that it had worked...she had lost her powers. Buttercup watched this in awe, not moving from her own position.

Bubbles wasted no time in leaping back to her feet and charging Blossom. With a single punch, she knocked her up off the ground. However, she suddenly realized that, although she pulled her punch a little due to Blossom being a normal girl now, she hadn't pulled her punch as much as she should have. Blossom was knocked high into the air, and came down over a black wrought-iron fence surrounding the edge of the park. With a sickening *CHLUNK*, she was impaled on one of the iron spikes on top of the fence.

Bubbles gasped, covering her mouth in horror...she didn't mean for that to happen. Blossom raised her head in surprise, staring at the blood-covered spike sticking out of her chest, almost uncomprehendingly. Her shaky arms grasped it weakly, and she coughed, blood seeping out of her mouth. She was still moving, still alive...

Buttercup turned to glare at Bubbles, but instead of attacking, she returned the sword to her back and flew over to Blossom, grabbing her and sliding her up and off of the spike. Blossom screamed in agony as this happened, and finally fell limp. Leaving a trail of dropping blood behind her, Buttercup carried her off into the sky.

Bubbles let them go...she was too terrified at herself for what she had just done. She also realized that she had more important matters to attend to. Using her eyebeams, she quickly blasted the giant laser and the pile of weapons and explosives that the girls had collected. She didn't know what they were going to use them for, but now, they weren't going to use them for anything.

Just as she was about to fly off, she looked down at the ground where Blossom had dropped her sword, and warily picked it up. She looked at her own reflection in its blade, and frowned sadly, thinking, Oh please, Blossom...forgive me for what I did...I-I didn't mean to kill you...I didn't mean it...

* * *

The professor examined the latest tests under the microscope. With his previous data on the PowerPuff Girls, he had begun conducting a few experiments with single cells, to observe the effects of terminating PowerPuff cells, then resurrecting them. His findings on the last test were definitely significant...

Bubbles came into the lab, closing the door behind her, and leaning up against it, setting down the sword she was carrying...she was breathing heavily, but the professor couldn't tell if it was from exhaustion or fear. "Are you all right, Bubbles? Did the Antidote X work?"

"Professor," Bubbles managed to say, "I...I'm sorry..."

"What happened?" he asked, concerned.

Bubbles flew over to him, hugging his arm, and said, "It worked...it worked, Professor, but...I hit her and...and knocked her into..." She broke off and started crying, clenching her eyes shut, "She's dead...I didn't mean to do it...I didn't..."

"Shhh..." the professor said, rubbing her head consolingly. "I know you didn't mean it. It's terrible, I know, but you can't blame yourself..."

With her eyes still shut, she sobbed, "No, it was my fault, Professor...and Buttercup, she flew off with...with Blossom's b-body and..."

"She what?" the professor exclaimed. He thought about this for a moment, and said, "Bubbles, I think I know what Buttercup was going to do...she was going to bring her back to life, like we did with her before..."

Bubbles looked up, and said, "What? Y-you mean...she'll be alive again?"

"Yes...but this is not good," he said, worried. "You see, that means that as long as one of them remains alive, they can always bring the other back to life. This means that whatever they're planning, it'll be difficult to stop them...almost impossible...you'd have to stop them both at the same time."

That suddenly made Bubbles remember what she heard earlier. She flew up and said, "Professor! I heard them say that they wanted to put an end to all life..."

The professor's eyes widened, "Great Scott...this is worse than I thought! I never imagined it would affect them like this...Bubbles, if they're serious about this, we have to stop them at all costs!"

"Can't you bring them back to normal?" she asked, "I thought you were working on a way to do it..."

"Yes, I was just running some tests," he said, "but unfortunately, my findings are discouraging. As I had thought, there is a residual memory signature that seems to carry over on the genetic pattern of the components. If there were some way of preventing this from happening, it would be just like creating them from new again. But...there isn't. I tried, and unfortunately, the samples won't return to life without it."

"So...they're stuck like this?" Bubbles said.

"I don't know for sure...there might be a way to suppress the memories, so that they're never recalled anyway. I need to continue my research, but who knows how long it would take? It's vital that we stop the girls now, before they do anything drastic..."

* * *

Back in the girls' makeshift headquarters, Blossom was lying on the ground, back in perfect condition, but clutching her stomach in pain. Buttercup set down the mixing spoon and stood over her, waiting patiently. Eventually Blossom looked up, narrowing her eyes, "Bubbles will pay for that..."

"Yes," Buttercup agreed. "There's something else I have to tell you...on the way back, I heard an explosion behind me. I think she destroyed all the equipment we gathered."

Blossom got back to her feet, and frowned, "This will set back our plans." She looked out of the window, and noticed that the night was going to come to a close soon. "Well, it doesn't matter. The city will soon be filled with people once again, so we can begin our task the conventional way."

Buttercup nodded. She pulled out her sword and examined the edge. "I'm ready when you are."

* * *

It was still dark out, but the streets were becoming alive with people once again, heading about on their daily lives. Bubbles carefully flew down amongst the people, looking around for her sisters. She was tired, since she had gotten almost no sleep during the night. She knew she had to stay alert, though...they could strike at any moment. The sword she had recovered from them was slung on her back; she decided that if it came down to it, she'd better be prepared to use it.

She watched all the people, and just couldn't understand why the girls decided they wanted to destroy life. Just the idea of the world being returned to a dusty, dead ball of rock upset her. Life is beautiful, she thought. What gives them the right to pass judgment on the world like this?

Some of the people down by the street waved to her as she flew by. She waved back, but her heart really wasn't in it. All she could think about was how they were all going to die if she couldn't protect them. Her confidence was shaken...how could she protect them alone, from both Blossom and Buttercup?

Everything depends on me, she thought. I can't let them down...I have to be strong! I can do it, no matter how hard it is...

She stopped and rested against the side of a building. It was so quiet...maybe they aren't going to try anything...maybe they won't show up today...I hope they don't, I could really use the sleep...just a little sleep...so tired... Her eyes closed slowly...

A loud noise suddenly caused her to open them again. Off in the distance, she thought she heard a explosion. She saw smoke rising from Townsville Park. Taking a deep breath, she gathered her courage once again and flew off towards the park. As she approached, she saw a terrible sight: the entire park was on fire, in a huge burning blaze...the flickering light from the fire lit the surrounding buildings in a dull orange glow.

Hovering high above the park, she saw them...Blossom and Buttercup, arms folded, gazed down at the inferno below. In the light of the fire, with their cold-hearted expressions, they looked positively corrupt and evil. To her horror, she thought she heard the sound of people screaming from the park. Their attack had begun, and already people were suffering. She had already failed to protect all of them. As the hopelessness of the situation began to dawn on her, she silently hoped there was something she could do...anything...