Fusion and Iron

13. New Orders

Blossom shared an expression of ambition beside her two sisters.
The walk down the treehouse hall was long and silent, the sounds of conversation from other agents occasionally sparking. For the Powerpuff Girls, however, they remained eerily silent.
Her face had a bit more light to it now, the bags under her eyes receded thanks to the weekend's recovery. Her hands had been clenched into fists, hugging her hips while they swayed left and right with each step. She hadn't been wearing her occasional outfit but rather a gray tracksuit with a red circle over her left breast, as well as a pair of white sneakers for running. Though her crimson bow snugged comfortably on her head, her hair had been tied up into her iconic tight ponytail.
To her left, Buttercup kept up with a firm pep to her step. She also wore a gray tracksuit with little to no difference, though had a green circle and black shoes. Her eyes held worry as she looked over at her sister, calmly deciding to speak up. "You think they're gonna take it well?"

Lastly, to her right, Bubbles stepped in line with them. Her jumpsuit had a blue circle, wearing white forces. Her blonde hair slightly bobbed after every step, and her hands were held tightly behind her back to try and remain professional. "I.. don't really know."

"One was upset at his party about him finding the journal," Blossom swiftly replied. "Though I doubt he'd lash out on him. The more I learn about him, the more questions pop up. Let's use this meeting to figure out more on what we know about him."

The order rang in Bubbles' mind as she nodded, now by this point scratching the back of her head. "Alright, I'll let you two do most of the talking since you know him better. What do you know so far?"

Buttercup answered, "We know he's from the future and that he was a soldier; he says that we lose eight years from now and that the book belonged to a time traveler named Rick."

"That's what I'm saying," Blossom interrupted. "Nigel got upset about you mentioning Rick, but why?" she turned to look back over at her other sister. "Apparently, in the future, I'm also the one who made him his suit. When he and Buttercup left Dexter's lab, we both.. found an interesting video in his helmet."

The green Powerpuff Girl tilted her head, shoving her hands in her pockets. "What video?"

"It's.. quite odd," she replied softly, a hint of somber emotion in her voice. "I was his mentor, training him on how to become a superhero."

Bubbles pitched in, "That suits you; I'm sure you'd make a great teacher for him. After all, given the short amount of time I've known him, he seems sweet."

"What's with all the skepticism, sis?" Buttercup asked. "What do you wanna do about it exactly?"

Blossom let out a sigh, rubbing a hand on her temple for a second before letting go. "Just be cautious and try and figure out what he wants; so far, he's been a good help though he's been acting weird."

Bubbles registered her comment, taking the time to read into what she said. All she could do was nod and affirm her request, though in her head there was a second objective. Her hands started to rub together, getting somewhat clammy at the thought of this whole meeting. Whenever her sisters were around, meetings like these went a lot smoother. Though on her own, she was a nervous wreck without anyone to help her. Her mind went to the comforting thought of that blonde boy in the blue sweater again, idly daydreaming. "Okay."

"I will," her other sister replied. "Though why don't you ask him yourself? You said the video showed that you were his mentor in the future, not me or Bubbles."

She sighed sharply while they were well on their way up a spiraling wooden staircase. "I don't know how to approach this."

An idea clicked in Bubbles' head. "Buttercup is right, though I think being easy on him is okay. If we lose in the future, he must be really upset about it. Obviously, you meant a lot to him?"

There was a long pause that came from Blossom as she had to stop and think about it. Her shoulders still stood tall, though she couldn't help but feel upset. They were right; he wasn't necessarily a superhero, he was a fighter. His zeal in nearly every action he took was a reflection of who he was:

a desperate survivor clinging onto life, no matter what cost.

When they stopped in front of the KND treehouse meeting doors, her hand reached up to grab onto the door. Beside her were two guards, their rifles tucked closely to their chests when they watched them approach.
"Ladies."

Buttercup immediately went into a fake smile and waved.
Bubbles legitimately smiled and waved but quickly tucked her hands behind her back afterward.
"Good afternoon," Blossom replied with a grin. She turned back to the other two and said, "I'll remember what you said. Let's get this over with."