Poisoned
Soul
By: Mark J. Hadley
CHAPTER 2: “Temptation”
Buttercup
stirred her cereal absently as she listened to Blossom’s idle chatter,
discussing some plan or other. Man,
is she gonna talk forever? she thought impatiently. It’s breakfast, for cryin’ out loud…I
just wanna eat in peace, not listen to her jabber on for an hour! Can’t this wait ‘till later?
“…so
with what we learned from the pushers we captured,” Blossom continued, pointing
at a spot on a Townsville map she had set up next to the table, “they spread
out from this point, which means that they’re trying to cover this area…” She circled a section of the city with her
pen. “Now…assuming they have similar
drop-off points for the rest of the city, that would put them in these
areas here…”
Bubbles
was listening intently. Buttercup
glanced over at her, thinking, Geez, how can she stand it? Look at her, she’s hanging on every
word…probably doesn’t even get half of what she’s saying, though, or…
“Buttercup!”
Blossom said, slightly annoyed. “Are
you paying attention?”
“Yeah
yeah,” Buttercup said. “I got it. Good plan.”
Frowning,
Blossom exclaimed, “But I haven’t even told you guys my plan yet!”
“How
hard can it be?” Buttercup sighed.
“Stop the bad guys, right? Are
you done now? I just wanna eat without
having to listen to you the whole time.”
“But
our plan is more complex than that,” Blossom told her. “It has to be adjusted for the one pusher
that got away yesterday.” She looked
over at Bubbles and said, “We let one get away, and he could put out who knows
how much more of the drug…”
“Yeah,
we have to stop that guy,” Bubbles said.
“I don’t know how strong he is, but if he can knock out Buttercup, then
we’ve gotta be careful…”
Blossom
nodded, then looked back at Buttercup and asked, “What did happen,
anyway?”
“Nothing,”
Buttercup insisted. “Nothing
happened. He just got lucky, that’s
all. It’s not like I was letting him go
or anything, I was trying to stop him!”
“I
know, I wasn’t saying it’s your fault, I was just…” Blossom began.
“Then
shut up!” Buttercup shouted.
Both of the other girls fell silent, and Buttercup glared at the two of
them quietly for a few moments, then got up from the table, pushing the bowl of
cereal away from herself, “Forget it.
I’m not hungry anymore.” She
turned and flew out of the kitchen.
Bubbles
watched her go, and said, “What’s wrong with her?”
“I
don’t know…” Blossom said. “She’s been
acting awfully strange…”
“Maybe
she’s embarrassed about being beaten yesterday,” Bubbles suggested.
Nodding,
Blossom replied, “Could be. Well,
anyway, let’s finish the plan. As I was
saying, we need to concentrate our efforts on these locations…if we spot
one of them, I know it’s bad for the drugs to make it out onto the streets, but
if we just watch them, and follow them back to their hideout, we can stop them
at their source…”
* * *
Buttercup
flew back up to their room, lying down on the bed and staring up at the
ceiling. She felt so tired…of course,
her muscles felt so sore that she could barely sleep during the night
anyway. All she could think about was
what happened the day before, chasing down that pusher…
Stupid…jerk,
she thought…If I hadn’t let my guard down…he wouldn’t have gotten away… She shivered slightly… What’s wrong with
me? What happened back there? It’s…kind of fuzzy…I remember it a little,
but…
Buttercup
clenched her eyes shut, trying to think.
She remembered going after the pusher, and him thrusting something out
in front of him towards her…but she barely remembered that part. It was what happened afterwards that she
kept thinking about. That incredibly
warm feeling that seemed to permeate every fiber of her being. She couldn’t even begin to describe it…all
she knew was that it was the most amazing thing she had ever felt.
Such
pure bliss, she thought. It was
like I was in paradise…
…paradise…
She
sat up as realization hit her. It
was one of those cylinders, she thought, the ones with Eden! That’s what happened, he sprayed me with
that stuff, didn’t he? That creep! She hesitated and thought about this for
a moment… No wonder I felt all of that stuff after he sprayed me. Well, I can’t say it didn’t feel good…no
wonder people like it. I’d better be
careful, though…I just can’t let my guard down like that anymore. I don’t care how it felt…I lost a fight, and
let the guy get away, and I’m not about to let that happen again!
Clasping
her arms around her for a moment, Buttercup shivered. Why is it so cold in here?!
I have to get out of here…it’s freezing…
Blossom’s
voice came from downstairs, shouting, “Buttercup, c’mon! We’ve got a lead!” Sighing, Buttercup flew up from the bed and headed for
downstairs. Just remember, she
thought, you’ve got to stay focused.
Remember how you lost back there.
These guys are going to pay for what they did…
* * *
The
three of them flew down to the police station.
Apparently, one of the pushers they had caught the day before was ready
to talk. The police ushered him into a
room where the girls could talk to him, and as they arrived, he stared at the
center of the table silently, waiting for their questioning to begin.
“Okay,
who do you work for?” Blossom demanded.
“I
don’t know his name,” the pusher answered.
“I don’t, honestly. He keeps
that a secret from us, so’s we don’t tell people like you.”
Buttercup
folded her arms and said, “Okay, so where’s this stuff coming from?” She tried to make it look like her arms were
folded threateningly, but in reality, she was trying to keep from shivering.
“A
truck brings it to us,” he said. “At
our meeting place.”
“Where’s
that?” Bubbles asked.
He
frowned, then closed his eyes, “A small warehouse down at twenty-first
street. The one with the fish-shaped
sign hanging out by it.”
“Okay,”
Blossom said, “but where does this truck come from?”
He
shook his head, “I really don’t know.
The boss arranges all of that.
We just ship out the stuff when it arrives.”
Blossom
landed on the table in front of him and asked, “Then when’s the next shipment
due in?”
The
pusher glanced up at the clock hanging on the wall and said, “About ten
minutes, give or take. But there’s no
way you’ll make…” The girls disappeared
from the room in an instant before he could finish. He stared at the spots where they used to be, stunned for a
moment before realizing that they probably would make it there in
time. He nervously hoped that the
police would give him protection…the boss wouldn’t like this…
* * *
The
warehouse at twenty-first street used to be a storage for a tuna packing
company, but the cartel had other uses for it now. A small truck backed up to one of the doors, as one of the men
standing out by it went over and opened the back door of the truck. Inside were several unmarked crates, but
they already knew what was inside them…the next shipment.
They
carefully started to unload the crates into the warehouse. The man started to hand one of the smaller
ones over to someone by the doors, when the crate simply vanished from his hand
in a flash of blue light. He stared
uncomprehendingly at his empty hands, before another pink blur struck him on
the jaw, knocking him out.
“It’s
those Powerpuff Girls!” the driver of the truck yelled. “The ones the boss warned us about! Let’s get outta here!” Without hesitating, he stepped on the gas,
pulling the truck out from the warehouse and taking off, crates tumbling from
the open doors on the back. The guys
near the door ran off as well, heading for their car, except for one, which
darted back inside the warehouse.
Blossom
watched them split up and ordered, “All right…I’m going after the truck. Bubbles, you go after the car. Buttercup, secure the warehouse. Now, let’s go!” The three of them headed off on their tasks…as the truck sped
away from the warehouse, Blossom was in hot pursuit. The car weaved it’s way in the opposite direction, between other
warehouses, but they couldn’t shake Bubbles, who followed right behind them.
In
the meantime, Buttercup burst through the front door of the warehouse. Immediately, gunshots rang out from all
sides…several more of them were inside the warehouse, positioned behind boxes,
and were opening fire at her. Reacting
quickly, she swung her arms, deflecting the bullets aside easily. The quick motions made her arms throb in
protest, though. Agh, she
thought…I must still be sore from yesterday…what gives?
As
the men scrambled for more cover, she dashed over to the nearest one and
knocked him out with a single punch.
Without hesitating, she moved onto the next one, then the next, until
they were all cleared out. She paused
to catch her breath, then glanced around, looking for the guy who had run back
into the warehouse…she spotted him climbing a set of stairs up to a catwalk.
He
didn’t get far…she positioned herself between him and his destination. As he fell back a step in alarm, Buttercup
shouted, “All right, give it up already, you…”
She paused, and hovered a few feet closer, “Hey…I know you…”
The
man looked up, and his face showed recognition as well, “You’re that girl from
yesterday!”
Gritting her teeth, she realized
it was the pusher that had escaped her, and she said, “You…arrgh! You’re the one who…who…boy, I outta just…”
“Easy,
easy!” he said, holding up his hands, “I give up, all right? Just chill…”
“I’ll
show you…” Buttercup began, then clasped her arms around herself as a wave
of cold seemed to roll across her, shivering again. What on Earth’s wrong with me? she thought. Not now!
Noticing
her shiver, he narrowed his eyes and said, “Wait, I remember…you’re the one I
sprayed with Eden, so’s I could get away…”
“Well,
you’re not gettin’ away this time!” Buttercup told him.
A
smile seemed to creep across his face, as she said, “So, did you like it?”
Buttercup
was confused, “Wha…?”
“Eden,”
he said. “Did you like it?”
“No,”
Buttercup lied, glaring at him.
“How
did it make you feel?”
“Shut
up!” she yelled, clenching her eyes shut for a moment. There was a silence that hung in the air for
a few moments, but Buttercup finally broke it, asking, “So that was…Eden,
then?”
“That
it was,” he nodded. “What’s your name,
girl?”
She
paused, “Uh…Buttercup…”
“Buttercup,” he repeated. “Maybe you’d like to try it on your own
terms?”
Frowning,
she said, “What?”
The
pusher reached into his pocket, pulling out one of the small cylinders of
Eden. “I’ve got some right here. Do you want it?”
“No!”
Buttercup shouted, shaking her head, “No way.”
“Hmm,”
he said, rubbing his chin with his free hand.
“You’re saying no, but I know part of you is curious…part of you is just
dying to feel the way you did before.
Am I right?”
“I…”
Buttercup started to say, but then stopped.
In
her silence, the man continued, “Tell you what…Eden is very expensive, but I’ll
give you this one for free…all you have to do is let me go…”
“What?”
she exclaimed. “Forget it! Keep your lousy drugs, pal…no way am
I going to let you go over this…”
“Are
you sure?” he said, slowly waving the cylinder in front of her
tantalizingly. She found herself
staring at it, and curiosity was getting the better of her. As she looked at it, she remembered the day
before, getting sprayed by it, the feelings that ran through her…she knew that
this tiny cylinder had all of that again…
“But…”
she managed to say. “But why…let you
go…?”
“It’s
a simple thing,” he said. “No effort on
your part. In fact, it saves you the
effort of having to bring me in. This
is quite a deal, if you ask me. Well
worth what you’re going to gain from it.
What do you say?”
Buttercup
paused, and slowly, her arm rose up, shaking a little…the man stepped forward,
placing the cylinder into her hand. As
she looked down at it, the man grinned and said, “You made the right choice,
Buttercup. If you like it, and you ever
need more, just ask around for Johnny, okay?”
He turned and started walking back down the steps, heading for the warehouse
exit.
She
didn’t follow him…her eyes were glued to the cylinder in her hands, which were
now trembling. She landed on the
catwalk and fell to her knees, staring at it.
It’s a drug, part of her said.
It’s bad…get rid of it…
But…it
felt so good, she thought. I’m
so sore…and cold…I could really use that right about now…
No,
don’t! He’s just using you to
escape! Again!
Shut
up…I’m okay…I just…have to know…
Her hands shook even more as she rose up the cylinder, pointing the
spray nozzle towards her. She closed
her eyes, clenching them tightly, and slowly, very slowly, pressed the nozzle
on top…
* * *
The
truck sped down the busy street, dodging between cars as it tried to make its
getaway. Blossom wasn’t far behind,
watching it from above, looking for the right way to stop their escape. I’d better think of something fast,
she thought. Someone might get hurt
from that reckless driving…
As
it rounded the next bend, she suddenly had an idea…that road looped around the
next block, so she turned and flew off the other way, to cut them off. She landed on the street near the
intersection, waiting for the truck to come around the corner.
Sure
enough, it did. When they caught sight
of Blossom standing in the road, they jammed on the brakes and tried to swerve
the car around…unfortunately, the truck skidded, and ended up toppling over on
its side, sliding the rest of the way down the street and stopping before it
reached the intersection.
They
started bailing out of the cab, but Blossom took a deep breath, firing a jet of
her ice breath and freezing the door shut.
The men in the truck tried to force it open, but couldn’t…Blossom flew
over above the truck and looked down at them through the glass, calling down,
“Now then…where do you guys get the supplies from?”
“W-we
just drive ‘em,” one of them said.
“Y-yeah…”
another one stammered. “Th-they just
leave ‘em in a spot f-for us to p-pick up…”
“Where? Tell me!” Blossom shouted.
“P-parking
lot by the docks,” he answered nervously.
“Please let us go!”
Blossom
heard the sound of approaching sirens, and said, “Don’t worry, someone will be
by to pick you up. See you
around!” Before they could protest, she
flew up and away from the intersection, flying back across the city.
She
spotted Bubbles flying up from the police station…the other members of the
cartel were still in their car, but Bubbles had picked up the car and brought
it to the station. The cops were just
dragging them out and placing them under arrest. “Good job, Bubbles!” Blossom said.
“Thanks,”
Bubbles said with a smile. “What about
Buttercup?”
Blossom
nodded, “Oh yeah…let’s go back and check on her progress…I hope she didn’t beat
them up too badly…” The two of
them together started heading back for the warehouse. It didn’t take them long to get there, since they weren’t
far. A quick glance told them that
things looked quiet.
Heading
inside, they saw members of the cartel everywhere, rendered unconscious. Blossom smirked and thought, That’s our
Buttercup. But with another glance,
she didn’t see her anywhere in sight.
“Buttercup?” she called out. No
answer.
“Maybe
she left,” Bubbles suggested.
“Probably,”
Blossom agreed. “Well, the cops should
be here soon to mop things up, so let’s head on home. We’ll meet up with Buttercup there…” Bubbles nodded, and they both left the warehouse. So far, so good, Blossom
thought. If we continue like this,
we’ll be able to find the suppliers in no time. Then, we can put a stop to this before Eden affects anyone
else…
* * *
Buttercup
was huddled behind one of the crates in the warehouse, trying to stay as quiet
as possible. She had seen the twisted
creatures that had flown into the building, and didn’t want them to find her. She was scared…scared that they would find
her, and she imagined all the terrible things they’d do to her if they
did. But now, they had left. She slowly calmed down and laughed to
herself, and then stared down at her hands, waving them in the air in front of
her…she watched the patterns of light weave around them and laughed some
more. The warmth had driven away the
chill she had felt before, and the soreness was all gone. How could this possibly be bad? she
wondered, erasing all doubt from her mind.
This is the greatest thing to ever happen to me…
TO BE CONTINUED